The Story of a Book by Joy McCullough, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth - ESSENTIAL

The Story of a Book by Joy McCullough, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth. PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster, Inc), 2023. $19.  9781665903851

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A love letter to the power of a book and the readers who read them, The Story of a Book follows the journey of one book going from reader to reader, making magic along the way.

Loved it! I loved the message - the magical moment of finding a good book and how it connects with all different kinds of readers in all different kinds of ways. Even though there is a lot happening with the illustration in the story, I felt like it added so much to the reading. You can literally see the magic happening for each new reader. This would be a great book to read to have students reflect on the types of readers they are and the kinds of books that speak to them.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, #bookswithbeddes

10 Dogs by Emily Gravett - HIGH

10 Dogs by Emily Gravett PICTURE BOOK Boxer Books, 2023. $17. 9781914912597 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

There are 10 dogs all hanging around a table with 10 sausages on it. One dog jumps up and tries to take all the sausages. 2 dogs end up with half the sausages and 8 dogs without. On the following pages, all combinations of how you can split up the number 10 is shown with which dogs have sausages and dogs that don't. Who will finally get the sausages? 

10 Dogs is a fun and humorous way to sneak in some math to a young reader. Each page is very comical. The very cute and well-illustrated dogs glow with hilarious personality. 

PGPowers 

At the Poles by David Elliott and Ellen Rooney - ADVISABLE

At the Poles by David Elliott, illustrated by Ellen Rooney. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2023. $19. 9781536205992

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Elliot has written a short poem about each of 15 animals that live in the Arctic and/or Antarctic.

For once the poems are not free verse but have actual structure and a bit of rhyme. The back matter gives more info about each animal - I would like to see the short blurbs on the pages with the animal - there is plenty of space for that. That way whoever is reading the book aloud can decide how much time they have for additional info.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Cone Dog by Sarah Howden and Carmen Mok - ADVISABLE

Cone Dog by Sarah Howden illustrated by Carmen Mok. PICTURE BOOK Owlkids Books, 2023. $19. 9781771475143 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Emma the dog came out of the vet’s office with a cone around her neck. The cone limited the things she liked to do. She tried to destroy it. She sulked about it until she found out that there were benefits on having a cone around her head. But Emma still had a continual problem with Keith the squirrel who was always teasing her or ruining her things. Will the cone help her with Keith? 

I liked Cone Dog's underlying message that when bad things happen, we can find the good and still be happy. Howden's text is fun and interesting. Mok's illustrations are charming and capture important emotions. 

PGPowers 

The Knight of Little Import by Hannah Batsel - ADVISABLE

The Knight of Little Import by Hannah Batsel. PICTURE BOOK. Carolrhoda (Lerner), 2023. $20. 9781728450995

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Unlike Bigger Borugh, the most exciting city on the world, Little Import seems small, deserted and about to die off.  Charlie is its only knight - and she seems to have nothing to do. When she finds the baker crying outside a wrecked bakery, however, she knows exactly what the problem is and steps in to take charge. Soon her skill spreads to others of Little Import - when Charlie is able to take a break and look around her village, she finds things have changed a lot!

So cute! I think kids will love trying to figure where each monster is hiding and watching them unfold as they are discovered. The castle-y look to the book feels just right.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

Why are we Afraid? by Fran Pintadera and Ana Sender - OPTIONAL

Why are we Afraid? by Fran Pintadera, illustrated by Ana Sender. PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2023. $20. 9781525311291

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

When a thunderstorm knocks the power out at his house, Max asks his dad if he is ever afraid. Max's dad talks to him about different reasons we can be afraid. Sometimes fears are big and scary, sometimes they need to be overcome, and sometimes they help protect us. Max learns that fear isn't always a bad thing. After the power comes back on, Max asks his dad if they can keep the lights off and tell scary stories.

Most kids will not be drawn to this book, but it would be good to use as an adult-directed read-aloud and discussion. Fear is illustrated as round, shiny black masses. There is a lot of figurative language that could make a good discussion. As a story, this book was not my favorite, but as a discussion tool to talk about fear, it could be useful. Max and his dad have olive skin and dark hair.

Rachel, Elementary School Librarian

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art is Changing the Tide by Joanna Ho and Cátia Chien - ADVISABLE

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art is Changing the Tide by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Cátia Chien. PICTURE BOOK. Orchard Books (Scholastic Inc), 2023. $19. 9781338715941

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

On the Tip of a Wave combines Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s artistry with his background to illustrate his activism and how he has impacted the world.

I didn't know much about Ai Weiwei, just enough to recognize his name. The book was engaging enough that I now want to learn more about him. I wonder at using this in the classroom, however, as the teacher might have to do a bit of frontloading so students can understand it better, but I also see a lot of project-based learning that could be tied to the text too with connections to current events and world-issues.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, #bookswithbeddes

Zhen Yu and the Snake by Erica Lyons and Renia Metallinou - ADVISABLE

Zhen Yu and the Snake by Erica Lyons illustrated by Renia Metallinou. PICTURE BOOK Kar-Ben Publishing, 2023. $20. 9781728460253 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

A young Jewish girl named Zhen Yu living in Kaifeng went to the the market with her father. Zhen Yu got lost while looking at Jade. Her father meets a fortune-teller who helps him find his daughter but tells him that she will be bitten by a poisonous snake and die on her wedding day. Zhen Yu grows up to be a lovely kind woman. On the day of her wedding, the fortune-teller knocks on her door. Will the sad prophecy come to pass? 

I mostly enjoyed the retelling of this mythical story. The illustrations were beautiful. There was a flaw in the text as he tells her to put down the snake pin in the market, yet she has it and uses it when she is a woman about to get married. 

PGPowers 

Winter: a Solstice Story by Kelsey E. Gross, illustrated by Renata Liwska - ADVISABLE

Winter: a Solstice Story by Kelsey E. Gross, illustrated by Renata Liwska. PICTURE BOOK. Simon and Schuster, 2023. $19. 9781665908139

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

As winter solstice approaches, the animals of the forest do what they can share a bit and spread the light.  Even when the hibernating bear awakes, they bring him in happily to their circle of love.

Certainly, a good book if you are looking around for winter books for preschool storytime that don’t revolve around Christmas. Sweet, simple, and reinforces a message of sharing.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

The Power of Snow by Bob Raczka and Bryony Clarkson - ADVISABLE

The Power of Snow by Bob Raczka illustrated by Bryony Clarkson. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION Millbrook Press, 2023. $21. 9781728450919 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The Power of Snow is all about using math exponents. A snowstorm starts with two snowflakes (2 to the first power). With two to the second power we have four snowflakes. The exponents increase by one more on each page until we have 2 to the fourteenth power which creates a huge snowstorm. How many snowflakes is that? 

I thought that The Power of Snow is a fantastic way to get kids familiar with exponents in math. It is very visual and exciting to see the number of snowflakes double each time the exponent number increases. Raczka also uses lively rhyming words and cute animals on each page to catch a child's interest. 

PGPowers

Be My Reindeer by Jeffrey Burton and Anna Hurley - ADVISABLE

Be My Reindeer by Jeffrey Burton illustrated by Anna Hurley BOARD BOOK Little Simon, 2023. $9. 9781665943307 

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Every Christmas Eve before Santa takes flight, the elves gather around to see who will pull Santa's sleigh. Will it be the dinosaurs, kittens, robots, or unicorns? Who will Santa choose? 

Be My Reindeer is cutely shaped like a reindeer with furry soft crackly antlers sticking out the top. The story idea is fun and written in rhyme. The illustrations are simple and graphic. 

 PGPowers

Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas by Matt Tavares - ADVISABLE

Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas by Matt Tavares. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2023. $18. 9781536230130

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

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

On the night before Christmas Eve, Dasher can’t wait a moment longer to fly above the stars, so she follows the sound of carols. When she heads for home, she can’t see the North Star and gets lost, landing in the front yard of a little house with a lighted tree outside. The young person who lives there finds Dasher in the morning and gives what she needs to find her way home - just in time to help Santa with his yearly deliveries. 

Tavares’ second story about Dasher really hits the spot - especially for those who love Santa stories at Christmas time. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS