The Book That Can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo - ADVISABLE

The Book That Can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo. PICTURE BOOK Chronicle, 2024 $18. 9781797229010 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

This book is magic and it can prove it! Rabbit will take you thru a trick on the pages of the book that will blow your mind. 

The trick is cool - and I don't know enough about math to know how it works. What I don't like is how clunky it is turning to the correct pages. If you read this to a class it will have a lot of back and forth and that becomes unwieldy and annoying. A fun one for a home book, though. 

Cindy, MS Librarian, MLS

Lila and the Jack-o'-Lantern by Nancy Churnin and Anneli Bray - ADVISABLE

Lila and the Jack-o'-Lantern: Halloween Comes to America by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Anneli Bray. PICTURE BOOK Albert Whitman, 2023. $19. 9780807566633

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Lila and her family have immigrated from Ireland to America in search of life away from the suffering in their homeland. Lila is afraid, however, that their celebration of Halloween will get lost and they won't be able to trick Jack, the sly Halloween spirit, or scare him away with the carved turnip. Sure enough, there are few turnips to be found in their new city. But one day Lila meets Julia, a girl her own age, who shows her something that may work - the pumpkin. 

While it is cool to find out that Halloween came from Ireland and that jack-o-lanterns originally were carved turnips, the overall story is just kind of ehh. A solid average read. Julia and her family are traditional Irish. Her new friend Julia may be Jewish (last name Levine). 

Cindy, MS Librarian, MLIS

Great Gusts by Melanie Crowder, Megan Benedict and Khoa Le - OPTIONAL

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict illustrated by Khoa Le PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION MIT Kids Press, 2024. $19. 9781536224511 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

You can't see the wind, but you can see it's footprints. There are many different winds around the world that happen so regularly that they have a name. Great Gusts tells poems about each wind and some of the facts about how each wind is formed. 

Great Gusts is a series of poems and facts. It tries to be poetic about different kinds of wind, but it starts to sound monotonous. I liked knowing about some of the different names for winds around the world, but even the facts on each page weren't very interesting. 

PGPowers

Little Tiger by Nicola Killen - ADVISABLE

Little Tiger by Nicola Killen PICTURE BOOK Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. $18. 9781665940986 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Ollie was so excited to get a new tiger suit for her birthday. She was practicing her roar when she saw a bunch of balloons outside. She ran after the balloons felt tired, and was about to quit when she remembered she was a tiger. She finally caught hold of the magic balloons just as a gust of wind blew her and the balloons into the sky. Ollie landed in a forest where she could see party decorations in a gap through the trees. Is there a party going on?

The Little Tiger is a cute pretend story about trying hard, and not giving up so that you can have wonderful things happen. The illustrations are adorable.

PGPowers

Metal Baby by Stephen W. Martin and Brandon James Scott - OPTIONAL

Metal Baby by Stephen W. Martin, illustrated by Brandon James Scott. PICTURE BOOK Margaret McElderry (Simon), 2024 19 9781665924931 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - OPTIONAL, GIFT

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The Mumfords are a quiet couple who live on a quiet street in a quiet house. Their brand new baby, however, is METAL! Loud, brash, and unwilling to ever be quiet. When Metalpalooza comes to town and Metal Baby is their headliner for three days straight, the Mumfords know that something has to change - and it may be THEM. 

I really loved Metal Baby, personally. Is it really for a school library? I don't think books about newborn babies are really a hit. But look at this one as a gift for new parents who are part of the metal fringe~ 

Cindy, MS Librarian, MLS 

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris - ADVISABLE

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris. PICTURE BOOK Alfred Knopf (Random), 2024. $19. 9780593571880 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Compared to his giant-sized parents and siblings, this unicorn is teeny-weeny and gets left out of everything. One day the unicorn runs off in a huff and causes a problem with a creature even tinier than him. Now he really needs the help of his family to solve the problem! 

Unicorns are definitely cute and Harris manages to weave in a message right at the end that doesn't feel didactic nor shoehorned in. 

Cindy, MS Librarian

How to Speak in Spanglish by Monica Mancillas and Olivia De Castro. - ADVISABLE

How to Speak in Spanglish by Monica Mancillas, illustrated by Olivia De Castro. PICTURE BOOK Penguin Workshop, 2023. $19. 978-0593521809 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW 

Sami is young boy who loves to speak English and Spanish. In fact, he likes to speak both languages at the same time. He calls this speaking in Spanglish. His abuela told him that these two languages don't mix. She told him to speak Spanish at home and English at school. Sami becomes confused and has a hard time. Pretty soon it becomes apparent that Sami needs to be who he wants to be and speak how he wants to speak. 

Although the premise of this book was great, my daughter and I didn't enjoy it. It seemed a little too long and disjointed. I like that it celebrates the idea of being comfortable with who you are. This book could be used to supplement dual language immersion. 

A. Criswell, English Language Arts Teacher

I Can Be All Three by Salima Alikhan and Noor Sofi - ESSENTIAL

I Can Be All Three by Salima Alikhan illustrated by Noor Sofi. PICTURE BOOK Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. $19 9781665901840 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

It is Multicultural Day at school and the assignment is to create and bring something to show the class about your heritage. A young girl ponders what exactly she should make. Her dad's culture is Indian. She could bake tikka masala, but that would be hard to bring to school. Her mom has German heritage, so she could also bake schnitzel. However, at school, she likes to eat pizza and cheeseburgers. It's hard to decide on just one. Can her culture be all three? 

Alikhan and Sofi help young readers understand that their culture doesn't need to fit in just one category. It teaches a great message that you can be a little bit of everything, it's up to you. This is an issue that a lot young students face in schools. The young girl's parents are from India and Germany. 

A. Criswell, English Language Arts Teacher

The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever! by Louise Fitzgerald and Kate Hindley - ADVISABLE

The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever! by Louise Fitzgerald, illustrated by Kate Hindley. PICTURE BOOK Nosy Crow, 2024. $28. 9798887770512 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The animals friends are getting ready for bed and their 10-word-only bedtime story. But there is much to do before those 10 words. The narrator has many things that the reader and the animals need to do in order to be properly prepared - both the read and to listen. 

The drama around getting ready for the story is very silly and dramatic, with some great chances for expressive reading and actions. The 10-word story is anti-climatic and doesn't feel like it gets its time on the stage. 

Cindy, MS Librarian

Hen in the Bed by Katrina Charman, illustrated by Guilherma Karsten - ESSENTIAL

Hen in the Bed by Katrina Charman, illustrated by Guilherma Karsten. PICTURE BOOK Nosy Crow, 2024 $18. 9798887770451 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL

 AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

The ten animals friends are all snuggled up for the night when Hen asks them all to roll over. LOVE IT! 

Each animal falling out of bed is on a series of graduated cut-pages so you can still see everyone sprawled on the ground. And the flip at the end when Hen finds itself alone in bed is darling! A surefire repeat bedtime read! 

Cindy, MS Librarian

My Day with Dad by Rae Crawford - ADVISABLE

My Day with Dad by Rae Crawford. EARLY READER Holiday House, 2023. $16 9780823452637 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A day with Dad is so much fun. A young child gets to a lot of quality time with their dad. Everything is better! From making breakfast to helping with chores to going on a bike ride, this day can't get any better. 

This is a sweet story that shows how much fun a normal day can be when you get to hang out with your parent. This is written for emergent readers. The sentences are short and many of the words are decodable. The illustrations go well with the story and made my daughter laugh out loud as she read it. 

A. Criswell, English Language Arts Teacher

It Is Time: The Life of a Caterpillar by Lizzy Rockwell - ESSENTIAL

It Is Time: The Life of a Caterpillar by Lizzy Rockwell. EARLY READER, NON-FICTION Holiday House, 2023. $16 9780823450794 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Have you ever wondered exactly how long the cycle of a butterfly is? This is a great non-fiction book written for young readers that explains it well. It uses scientific vocabulary words and text to engage young readers. The pictures complement the text and help add to the understanding of the life cycle. At the end of the story, the boy in the story is able to see the egg transform into a beautiful butterfly. 

This was a great information book for young readers. The pictures and text were accessible and engaging. The protagonist is not caucasian, but his exact ethnicity is unknown. 

A. Criswell, English Language Arts Teacher