Anthony and the Gargoyle by Jo Ellen Bogart and Maja Kastelic - ADVISABLE

Anthony and the Gargoyle by Jo Ellen Bogart and Maja Kastelic. PICTURE BOOK Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press), 2021. $20. 9781773063447 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

One night, a rock sitting on Anthony's bedside table hatches into a baby gargoyle. Anthony and the gargoyle become the best of friends playing and reading together. When Anthony asks his mother about gargoyles, she shows him a picture of her and his father at Notre Dame in Paris. Anthony and the gargoyle learn everything they can and hope to visit someday. Someday comes soon, a relative is sick in the hospital, and Anthony and his parents must travel to Paris to visit her, so the little gargoyle comes along in Anthony's backpack. 

Anthony and the Gargoyle is a wordless picture book. The story is very sweet, and the baby gargoyle is the cutest thing! The illustrations are designed in panels, and flows easily from one frame to another. I loved looking at the "photos" and watching Anthony's interactions with his parents as well as the gargoyle. A beautiful picture book for all children. Wordless books are special.

Lisa Librarian

What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Méndez and Kate Alizadeh - ESSENTIAL

What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Méndez and Kate Alizadeh. PICTURE BOOK Harper Collins, 2021. $18. 9780062839954 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

 A child wonders what she will be when she grows up, so she asks her abuela. Abuela has been so many things, she's the perfect person to ask. Abuela tells her to ask herself. Magically she sees herself as so many marvelous things. A builder, an explorer, a healer, a writer - anything she wants, and everything. 

 Such a positive book about life choices! I really loved the message, and, oh - Abuela! I want to be her when I grow up!! Kate Alizadeh illustrations are colorful and so much fun - I love the faces and the movement in - the picture where Abuela is about to touch the girl's nose with a paintbrush is so sweet! A great picture book for the first day of school.

Lisa Librarian

Meet Your School! By Cindy Jin and Melissa Crowton - ADVISABLE

Meet Your School! By Cindy Jin, illustrated by Melissa Crowton. Lift-the-Flap BOARD BOOK. Simon, 2021. $8. 9781534488892

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Jin and Crowton pack a ton of flaps into their simple board book about what a new student will find inside a school. Most of the flaps will stand up to some tugging. The illustrations feel like a Richard Scarry book

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Inside In: X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten and Arie van ‘t Riet - ESSENTIAL

Inside In: X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten, photography by Arie van ‘t Riet, 125 pages. Greystone Kids, 2017. $20. 9781771646796

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Even kids who can’t read independently will be fascinated by the x-ray photographs inside this wonderful book. Schutten, of course, adds interesting paragraphs of text for older readers.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS  

Drive the Race Car, illustrated by Dave Mottram - ESSENTIAL

Drive the Race Car, illustrated by Dave Mottram. BOARD BOOK. Chronicle, 2021. $10. 9781452178868 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Shaped like a steering wheel, our little friends will have a great time pretending to drive the car. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path by Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat - ADVISABLE

Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Dan Santat. PICTURE BOOK. Chronicle, 2022. $19. 9781452144825 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Rosie’s mom needs her to run some food to her Grandma’s, but along the way, there are many different paths and many outcomes for those choices. 

I’ll admit – I’m not a choose-a-path kind of reader. But – I know there are such readers out there. Santat’s illustrations are darling and give life to Snyder’s take on the Little Red Riding Hood story – with a sprinkling of other familiar tales woven in. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Snow Angel, Sand Angel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka and Ashley Lukashevsky - ADVISABLE

Snow Angel, Sand Angel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. PICTURE BOOK. Make Me a World (Random), 2022. $18. 9780593127377 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Claire’s beautiful island of Hawaii is not conducive to a school report on winter. Her father takes the family up into the mountains to see the little snow Hawaii gets. Disappointed, Claire hopes that someday she will get to see the real thing, with the right clothes and make snow angels. When the family goes to the beach, Dad helps Claire make a “sandman” and they also enjoy “sand angels”. 

Always happy to see a book set in Hawaii – this one created by author and illustrator from the islands. And yes, it really is possible to build a sandman. The story itself is a little clunky and ranges wildly between school, home, wishes, the beach – I really wished for the whole thing to make more sense. 

 Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Goodnight, Butterfly by Ross Burach - ADVISABLE

Goodnight, Butterfly by Ross Burach. PICTURE BOOK. Scholastic, AUGUST 2022. $18. 9781338615012 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Butterfly is supposed to be asleep, but a munching porcupine wakes it up. Now Butterfly can’t go back to sleep and has decided they need to make plans – it that manic Butterfly kind of way. Porcupine needs to get Butterfly back to sleep! 

I had no idea that butterflies don’t close their eyes to sleep! Other than that nugget, Butterfly’s new story is full of frenetic Butterfly energy and bright illustrations. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Otto: a Palindrama by Jon Agee - ESSENTIAL

Otto: a Palindrama by Jon Agee, 141 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Graphic (Penguin), 2021. $18. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Otto has been called to dinner – but his imagination gets lost in a grand adventure story. 

Agee tells his story completely in palindromes – even the signage. While sometimes it makes the dialogue a bit awkward, the palindrome scheme is so amazing, I can’t fault that. A fun visual adventure and a fun read. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Alexander Von Humboldt: Explorer...by Danica Novgorodoff - ADVISABLE

Alexander Von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist, and Environmental Pioneer by Danica Novgorodoff. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Crown (Random), 2022. $18. 9781524773083 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

From his earliest days, Alexander loved all things about the outdoors. He gathered specimens and made connections. In 1799 he joined a Spanish ship journeying to South America, where he could make even more discoveries and forge connections, including his discovery of a volcano chain and climbing volcanoes. 

Includes quite extensive backmatter. A solid support book for a unit on exploration, South America, or even early surmises about the earth’s crust. Novgorodoff is very enthusiastic about her subject. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Abe Lincoln’s Hat by Martha Brenner and Brooke Smart - ADVISABLE

Abe Lincoln’s Hat by Martha Brenner, illustrated by Brooke Smart. PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2022. $18. 9780525647171 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Why did Abraham Lincoln have such a tall hat? Brenner doesn’t explain why he bought that first hat, but very quickly he started using it as a place to store important papers. All through his lawyer career and judgeship, that hat stored his papers. 

Brenner focuses on Lincoln’s pre-presidential year, adding dimension to his life as a lawyer and judge and a defender of human rights. When I first saw it, I was wondering why we need ANOTHER Lincoln book, but was very pleasantly surprised at the author’s focus. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura - ADVISABLE

Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Yas Imamura. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2022. $19. 9781536204308 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Tama hates the Minidoka Internment Camp, but finds solace in her job as the librarian. The dusty summers, the snowy winters are slightly balanced by the daily sight of George, the handsome young man who comes every day to borrow books. In this unlikely of places, love can still bloom. 

Based on the love story of the author’s own grandparents. Minidoka is in Idaho, though the author doesn’t mention that anywhere. Tokuda-Hall brings another dimension to the story of life within internment camps – I’m not sure how much children will follow a love story, but I appreciate this additional facet. Middle school librarians should also get this for their Utah History teachers to add dimension to our own internment camp history. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS