Like Mother, Like Daughter by Natasha Yim and Steph Lew - ADVISABLE

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Natasha Yim, Illustrated by Steph Lew. PICTURE BOOK. Disney Press, 2022. $17. 9781368075770 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL- ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Mei and her mother, Ming, have always done things together. Ming has always thought her daughter is perfect because she does what she is asked. But Mei is growing up and learning that she has her own likes and dislikes separate from her mother. When Ming expects Mei to do as she wishes, Mei turns into a red panda in her rage. This is what all females in her line do. One night, Mei disobeys, and Ming turns into a red panda. Find out how the mother and daughter work out their disagreements. 

This is a “Freaky Friday” kind of book. It shows how people work through their emotions. It seems a bit transparent and preachy, but overall, it is a cute story that Disney has created to go with the Red Panda movie. The high appeal is due to my granddaughter loving it. 

MOMMMAC 

When the Sky Glows by Nell Cross Beckerman and David Litchfield - ADVISABLE

When the Sky Glows by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by David Litchfield. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION. Beach Lane (Simon), 2022. $19. 9781534450394 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

There are times and places where the sky above us glows. 

Litchfield’s luminescent illustrations are a definite treat here. Beckerman’s textual frame gives us a short line and then a more detailed explanation at the bottom of the page. I like that it is there, instead of stuffing it in as back matter. A great treatment for older students, or as a supplement, would be Cornelia Li’s Nature’s Light Spectacular 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Badger is Bored by Moritz Petz and Amelie Jackowski - OPTIONAL

Badger is Bored by Moritz Petz, illustrated by Amelie Jackowski. PICTURE BOOK. North South, 2022. $18. 9780735844797

 BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Badger is bored and he can't think of what to do. He likes art so he starts painting a picture. But, it wasn't as fun as he thought. Badger tries many different things with his friends Fox, Squirrel, Blackbird and Rabbit. Nothing is as fun as they thought, until Mouse comes along. Mouse is injured and has to wear an eyepatch. That gets all the animal friends talking and they decide to play pirates. They have so much fun. 

The story is accompanied by really cute illustrations. Such a cute book! A fun read! The illustrations are detailed and shows the emotions of the different animals in the story. The book helps children think of things to do when they are bored. Sometimes they just need to think of new ways to do something or discuss with friends how to come fun things to do. I loved the adorable illustrations.

 Ellen-Anita, Librarian 

The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Lorian Tu - OPTIONAL

The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang, illustrated by Lorian Tu. PICTURE BOOK. Orchard Books (Scholastic), 2021. $19. 9781338621198

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

This is sing-along book goes with the melody to "The Wheels on the Bus" and takes to a meal with a Chinese family. The pot of rice goes "round and round" the table through the meal with all the other foods as the family enjoys mealtime together. I liked the twist on the story and the great illustrations. In the back of the books is a glossary and etiquette rules. It also has food glossary. I really enjoyed the book. It is a great way to introduce children to etiquette when eating and a great conversation starter to compare and contrast etiquette when eating for different cultures. 

 Ellen-Anita, Librarian 

How to Welcome a New Baby by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish - ADVISABLE

How to Welcome a New Baby by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish. PICTURE BOOK. Knopf (Random), 2022. $19. 9780593430606

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Things get a little hectic with so many things to do to prepare for a new baby. With mom and dad preparing, an older child helps get ready for the new little sister or brother. It's a busy, happy time. When the baby comes you can hold the baby, read to the baby and help when visitors come. Sometimes, like a poopy diaper situation, you might just hurry and get away. 

The illustrations really help tell the story by showing emotions in different situations. This adorable, happy book with its fun and vibrant illustrations show things siblings can do to help prepare for a new baby. Loved the story and the illustrations. A fun book to read to children, and good way to talk about what they can do to help get ready. After the baby is born there are still more things to do. I loved this book and its bright and happy illustrations.

 Ellen-Anita, Librarian 

Rick The Rock of Room 214 by Julie Falatko and Ruth Chan - ADVISABLE

Rick The Rock of Room 214 by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Ruth Chan. PICTURE BOOK. Simon & Schuster, 2022. $19. 9781534494640 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Rick is a Nature Finds rock hosted in an elementary classroom. He wishes for adventure that other rocks have in the student’s rock unit (volcanoes, cliffs, etc.) When the chance for adventure comes he takes it. This story is an excellent introduction to rocks and how they are formed while simultaneously a story about friendship and home.

This picture-book-almost-comic brings rocks, moss, and tree bark to life. The comics style of dialogue makes it fun to follow Rick’s adventure.  I liked watching the changes the children made to their Nature Finds and that the young girl recognized Rick even amongst other rocks. The illustrations play an integral role in the story, however, very young children were not interested in the classroom storyline or learning about rocks. I would like to see this as an introduction or wrap-up to a rocks unit in upper elementary school. 

 Mariah Gerlach, MLS

Meet Me Halfway by Anika Fajardo - OPTIONAL

Meet Me Halfway by Anika Fajardo, 264 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2022. $18. 9781534495906

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

13yo Mattie’s world is turned upside down when her mother remarries and moves them into a home in California, shared with two new stepbrothers. 12yo Mercedes always gets what she wants – so why is this new girl wearing Mercedes face? And why does she have the same last name as the man who is her never-met father? After a rocky start, the two girls find out that they are indeed half-sisters – and their Columbian father is a guest lecturer at a nearby college. Can they track him down and meet him?

Fajardo bends in all kinds of ways to make the girls’ meeting and adventures as unbelievable as possible. I get why Mercedes doesn’t tell anyone about her sister and father; I only kind of understand why Mattie didn’t tell her mother about meeting her half-sister and about her father being in town. Mercedes anger, while understandable, is also off-putting. That the girls are half-sisters instead of separated twins is a nice twist, though their age difference makes it a little odd that they would be in the same grade. The girls are both Columbian and American. An okay story, but I would pass this up for Bhai For Now by Maleeha Siddiqui.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Blue Bison Needs a Haircut by Scott Rothman and Pete Oswald - ADVISABLE

Blue Bison Needs a Haircut by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Pete Oswald. PICTURE BOOK. Random House Studio, 2022. $19. 9780593428160

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Blue Bison likes to look good so is frustrated when he is unable to get a haircut because all the shops are closed. 

There is no reason given for the closures, but as the reader, I wonder if it is a nod to the pandemic closures our society experienced. Blue Bison deals with his frustration and disappointment with help from his family. He learns that it is okay to look different than he wants to. This book is funny, but the humor is definitely geared towards an older audience. Most of the jokes would go over the heads of younger students. The illustration are bright and part of the humor. I think the message is that sometimes when we don't get what we want, we unexpectedly find something we like even better.

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian 

The More You Give by Marcy Campbell and Francesca Sanna - ADVISABLE

The More You Give by Marcy Campbell, illustrated by Francesca Sanna. PICTURE BOOK. Random House Kids, 2022. $19. 9780593372739 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Campbell tells the story of a boy who loved his grandmother. The grandmother shows her love by hugs, stories, and words of wisdom. She helps the boy plant a tree. Grandma teaches him patience as the tree grows. Eventually the grandmother passes away and the boy then passes his knowledge from his grandma to his own children. The story goes through 3 generations of the same family passing on cherished traditions. 

I can hugely relate to this book because I had a very close relationship with my grandmother. The only thing that confused me is when the grandma passed away. You had to make assumptions that the grandma was gone. I wished they had a sentence that mentions the grandma's passing tactfully. I loved the illustrations in this book. It's very colorful and engaging. The back cover visually tells the story in just one illustration. I truly enjoyed this book as a whole. There is power in passing family traditions. From the illustrations the family seems to be of African descent, but that is not clear from the text. 

Emilee-Mentor Librarian 

A Little Ferry Tale by Chad Otis - ADVISABLE

A Little Ferry Tale by Chad Otis. PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon), 2022. $19. 9781534487697 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Little Ferry is a small boat whose job is to take passengers to a small island. The boat is sad that she is not fast like Speedboat, brave like Tugboat or graceful like Sailboat. She tries to be more like each of these boats but she doesn't succeed. The other boats tease her for trying. When an emergency arises, Little Ferry is the only one that can help. 

Otis has a beautiful message about loving yourself for who you are. The message could easily be understood by small children. The graphics are very engaging and inviting. There are very few words per page making it a good book for K-3. 

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian 

That Thing About Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar - OPTIONAL

That Thing About Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar, 339 pages. Simon and Schuster, 2021. $18 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

11yo Sonali has her hands full dealing with her parents’ looming divorce and dealing with her little brother’s outbursts as he absorbs the news – good girl Sonali knows you aren’t supposed to actually express all of those feelings – it isn’t seemly. But her life starts turning into a Bollywood movie – dance numbers, over the top singing, and luridly colored costuming. Everyone around her finds each change to be normal, but Sonali is worried that if she doesn’t figure out how to change things, her life be stuck in Bollywood forever. 

A sweet message about not hiding your true feelings wrapped up in a flashy Bollywood-style setting. Don’t get distracted by the Bollywood – Sonali is learning real life lessons here and struggling to deal with the break-up of her family. The main characters are all from India.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

The Dark Was Done by Lauren Stringer - ADVISABLE

The Dark was Done by Lauren Stringer. PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane (Simon), 2022. $19. 9781534462922 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The Dark was tired of everyone being afraid of it, so it decided to leave. At first everyone was happy to no longer be afraid. Gradually, though, people started remembering the gifts that came only from the Dark. It takes a young boy to go on adventure to find where the Dark is hiding. 

Stringer’s book read s like a modern fable – a sweet way to show students of many ages the gifts of the Dark and why we should not be afraid. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS