While I normally group picture books together by theme, “Whose Tail?” by Agathe Hennig is such a visually stunning book that it merits being featured on its own. The watercolor images of the animals are pieces of art on their own, but combined with the clever riddles, the careful folding of the pages to reveal only the tail at first glance, and the heavy rich feel to each page, all make this a must-have book for children.
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“Mouse & His Dog” by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko follows “Dogtown” in the adventures of dogs at a private dog shelter called, of course, Dogtown, as narrated by the mouse who lives there. This mouse loves the dogs in Dogtown, and he desperately tries to find them homes before they end up on “the list.” In this beautifully written, touching novel that is both an ode to the joy of loving dogs and a plea to rescue one, we meet several dogs who are typical of dogs we might really meet in a shelter.
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My niece told me she is reading to her baby in utero. I’m all for it. We know that children as young as infants benefit from hearing the sounds of parents reading or singing. The cadence of reading a book is soothing to young ones, and if the same books are read over and over, even before birth, then those books become familiar. Board books are a bit different. They are not written for the cadence or the pleasurable experience of reading out loud, but rather for the purpose of looking at the illustrations and enjoying the text. In these board book series, each group of board books has a special feature that makes the books important and ones that youngsters will enjoy.
From Peter Pauper Press comes a series of beautifully created lift-the-flap books that toddlers really love. They love the brightly colored illustrations, and they love getting to lift the flap to see what hides beneath. In “Peek-A-Bo Rainbow Colors” Bo, the adorable dog who is the main character, gets ready for a walk. It’s raining outside, but the cute pup goes into his closet to get his (red) rain gear. Then he heads to the cupboard to get (orange) dog snacks. His friend arrives for their walk, and behind the yellow front door, we see the other dog in his yellow coat and boots. The book ends with the sun coming out and, of course, a rainbow behind the cloud. In “Peek-A-Bo Bedtime” we see the same dog, Bo, getting ready for bed, with cabinets that open to reveal toothbrushes and dresser drawers that “open” to show their contents. One thing that must be mentioned is the quality of these books. The pages are sturdy, but so are the flaps. The colors are bright, and some of the books have gilt edging on the illustrations. I appreciate the text with declarative sentences followed by a question. It’s never too early to teach children the difference between a statement and a question!
In addition to the board books about colors and bedtime, there are two seasonal books, one for Christmas and one for Halloween. Young children won’t care that it may not be the right season for those books. They will just enjoy lifting the flaps. The artwork is really exceptional on the whole series, with the expressive dog (and cat) faces, the shiny glittery ink, and the many flaps to open. Two more books in the series will be released in the Spring of 2025.
Another delightful series specifically for very young children, infants and toddlers, is the series “What Does Baby See?” It’s part of the series “A First High-Contrast Book,” featuring board books in black and white. Research has proven that infants don’t see clearly, especially distances. They can focus best on objects that are between eight and fifteen inches away. That’s the perfect distance for showing them a book while reading to them! And while newborns prefer to look at faces over other shapes, they also see in black and white. They develop their color vision slowly at around four months. Since black and white contrasts are what infants want to focus on, books with that high contrast will help encourage brain growth as the baby’s retina sees the contrasting colors and sends visual signals to the brain. Combine that with the spoken text, and you are stimulating several areas of the baby’s brain effectively. This series promotes image recognition, word recognition, speaking skills (by hearing the words read), and motor skills (when the baby is old enough to help turn the pages).
The first book in this series is “What Does Baby See?” and it’s cleverly done, with not only each drawing in contrasting shades of black and white; each two-page spread features one page with a black background and a white and black object next to a page with a white background and a black object. There is a frog, a kitten, a flower, and an apple. One of the companion books, “What Does Baby See? Baby Animals,” shows different baby animals and has more text. The first question is, “Who does baby see in the jungle?” And then there is a tiger cub (with beautiful black and white stripes) and a gorilla baby. For “who does baby see in the Arctic?” we have a “penguin chick wobbling,” “a baby seal swimming,” a polar bear cub and a snowy owlet. The last book is “What Does Baby See? At the Sea,” and we not only have the same high contrast images, we also hear the sounds that might be heard at the ocean — the “Squawk-squawk” of the seagull and the “gurgle-gurgle” of the clownfish, to name a few of the sounds you’ll share with the baby.
All of these would be great gifts for new parents or grandparents.
Please note: This review is based on the final books provided by Peter Pauper Press, the publisher, for review purposes.
Being a child can be tough in the best of times, and the current environment can be challenging. Even in many elementary schools, bullies abound. In 2024 there were a lot of new picture books that emphasize trying, crying, and taking control. Here are some of those books that can help children learn skills to deal with a sometimes harsh world: resilience, determination, and that it’s okay to fail. All merit a place in a school library, a classroom bookshelf, or in a therapist’s office.
“Shake It Off” by Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a cute, but inspiring, tale of a little annoying goat who became stuck in a deep well. When the villagers couldn’t figure out a way to get her out, they decided to bury her (which is pretty gruesome for a children’s book!). But as they shoveled in the dirt, the clever little goat packed it down under her. Eventually, the dirt piled up, she kept rising above it, and she was finally able to emerge from the hole-no-longer. What is as impactful as the story is the Author’s Note, where Brantley shares that she stuttered and was dyslexic as a child. She was often bullied because of it. Her mother encouraged her to “shake off other people’s opinions and judgments.” This clever story about a quick-witted goat will encourage kids to rise above the dirt that others might throw. Figuratively and literally. (Nancy Paulsen Books)
The brilliant “Fail-A-Bration!” by Brad and Kristi Montague emphasizes the theme that teachers try to instill in students. Failure is not the end, but rather a beginning. The point is, if you never fail, it means you never tried to challenge yourself. So by failing, you are showing that you tried, you aspired, you did challenge yourself. And when you fail, you just pick yourself up and try again, to do it better. So why not throw a party? Everyone has a story to share about when they failed at something. And when you are sharing your stories of failures, you can learn from those failures to be better, stronger, and more resilient. So celebrate! Bake a cake. Get some party hats. Because surely you failed at something. (Dial)
A book that certainly shares the theme of believing in yourself is “Ready to Soar” by Cori Doerrfeld. In it we see Riley making a paper airplane. Just the first two pages set the theme for the book. “Riley was ready…to try something new, to take a chance…and hopefully, to watch it take off!” But when everyone gives her advice about how to make her paper airplane better, bigger, fancier, more colorful, the result is a disaster. It’s only when she meets someone who just wants to see Riley’s design soar, does Riley let it go and watch it soar. This is a perfect book to combine with the others to show the importance of staying true to your own dreams and not letting failure deter you from those dreams. (Dial Books for Young Readers)
“Not a Smiley Guy” by Polly Horvath and Boris Kulikov is a very interesting picture book because it deals with parents who fear their son lacks emotions. Little Ernest doesn’t smile. He didn’t smile when he was an infant, he didn’t smile when he learned to walk, he doesn’t smile when his parents smile at him. And when they’ve asked him to smile, it just doesn’t feel natural. So he doesn’t. The only thing Ernest feels lacking in his life is having an elephant, but he doesn’t think that’s possible for obvious reasons. But as his parents do more and more to get Ernest to smile, we realize that Ernest is very happy. He just doesn’t show his happiness in ways that others expect. It’s a lovely book to engender conversations about meeting the expectations of others and what reasonable expectations are. Do we need to smile when others think we should? Is that a societal expectation? Do we smile when we experience emotions other than happiness? Embarrassment? Fear? What other emotions might make us smile? I think children would have a great conversation about emotions and facial expressions after reading this book. (Holiday House)
“Moo Hoo” by Audrey Perrott and Ross Burach is the perfect book to read in tandem with “Not a Smiley Guy.” In this clever picture book we meet Milton, who unlike Ernest from the previous book, wears his emotions on his sleeve. He cries all the time. He cries when he’s happy. He cries when he’s sad. He cries when he’s embarrassed, frustrated, or nervous. He cries at beautiful sunsets and lovely music. So his nickname is Moo Hoo. But his friends love him anyway. Still, Milton feels his difference from the others because of his constant crying. But that all changes when he meets someone else who also experiences emotions through tears. And it’s nice having a friend who shares your feelings and your tears. I’d use these two books together to introduce the idea of “compare and contrast” to students. But the obvious use is to start a discussion about how we are all so, so different in how we express our emotions. While we all feel the same emotions — love, anger, hate, fear, embarrassment, we all express those emotions a bit differently. And that’s okay. We are all different even as we are all the same. (Scholastic Press)
Can I say that I LOVE the Grumpy Monkey series of picture books? In “Grumpy Monkey Spring Fever,” Suzanne Lang and Max Lang bring back Jim Panzee (get it, chimpanzee?) as he wakes up on a spectacular spring day (but this can and should be used all year round) feeling silly. Silly and energetic. But his friends have a great solution for spring fever, and after explaining that spring fever isn’t really a sickness, they help him think of enjoyable spring ideas that he could use to expend all that energy. Decorating eggs; hiding them; wearing a bonnet; petting baby animals; playing ball; planting flowers; listening to a long story and eating a special dinner. Spring fever can be fun! I’d use this book at other times of the year and talk to students about what it means to have spring fever, and what they could do when they get a “spring fever” kind of feeling. What are things to do in the fall when you get “fall fever” or “winter fever”? Kids would really love thinking of ways to expend energy in a productive, enjoyable manner. (Random House Studio)
Although this book came out in 2023, I feel like “Sometimes I Kaploom” by Rachel Vail and illustrated by Hyewon Yum fits right in with these. It’s about being brave most times, but sometimes, when emotions and fear and fright overcome the calm, dealing with tantrums. This book normalizes those out-of-control feelings and helps children understand that they can be brave and scared at the same time. This book, like several others here, would be perfect for a therapist’s office. (Orchard Books/Scholastic)
“I Got This: I Have Bounce Back Superpowers” by Julia Cook, Michele Borba, and Dale Crawford is a book that might be more suited to a therapist’s office (or a school social worker) than a classroom bookshelf. It’s about resilience, and the story is told through the eyes of an adorable Bernese mountain dog who is taking the certification test to be a rescue dog. She and her friend, a squirrel, meet a bald eagle who acts as a mentor and shows them how to get past their difficulties and reach the top of the mountain. The “bounce back superpowers” that the eagle shares include breathing, brainstorming, using positive phrases, breaking things up into manageable chunks, asking for help, and resting to recharge. These are all valuable skills, and using the dog to teach them will keep children engaged. (National Center for Youth Issues)
Teaching with picture books or even just using picture books to teach topics, ideas, feelings, and life skills is a joy when the books are engaging and enjoyable.
Please note: This review is based on the final, hardcover books provided by the publishers for review purposes.
James Ponti, a New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning children’s author, has just released the first book in a new series, “The Sherlock Society.” Those who have enjoyed his “CIty Spies” series will devour this new series, which is set in Ponti’s home state of Florida. The new series features a brother and sister, Alex and Zoe Sherlock, who start a detective agency to make extra money one summer. Helping them are two of Alex’s friends, Lina and Yadi.
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It’s always a pleasure to review a book by Gordon Korman, and his latest, “Faker,” is no exception. Korman takes a concept and inserts really likable main characters who are in impossible situations. We really want things to go right, even if we can’t see how that could happen. But then Korman works his literary magic and, by the end, we are thrilled when our main character not only overcomes the problem, but emerges better, happier, and more centered in his world.
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Andrew Clements’ recently released sequel to one of the most universally beloved middle grade novels ever published is “The Frindle Files.” “Frindle” has been read, studied, and thoroughly enjoyed by millions of young readers since its 1996 publication. And this sequel, published five years after Clements’ death, stands on its own as a worthy, fine, and funny continuation of its unique predecessor.
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While both these children’s picture books are historical fiction, they are both based on real occurrences. One is based on the actual court case when a Chinese American family wanted to send their daughter to school in California and fought in the courts for that right. The other is based on the experiences of Black women who, after centuries of not having rights, and decades of not being able to vote, finally went to the voting booth.
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This review will be short and sweet. “My Vampire vs Your Werewolf” by Paul Tobin is a middle grade chapter book about, no surprise here, vampires and werewolves. My grandson, an avid reader and lover of the horror genre, devoured this in one sitting. It’s a clever concept in which an organization called the Crafters Guild sends children out to find lonely monsters and get them in shape for fighting. Apparently monsters like to fight each other.
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Kids love picture books and especially picture books featuring dogs. All of these books have adorable dogs in them, one also has a cat, and one has a host of wild animals! All have wonderful messages about patience, acceptance, and learning from a dog; and one special book is about why a dog is a better pet than a wild animal! Perfect for children like my grandson, who wants to have a home filled with wild animals he will care for.
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Lynne Kelly, author of “The Secret Language of Birds,” is one of my favorite authors for a very simple reason: she writes about kids and animals. Her first book, “Chained,” is a wrenching story of a captive elephant and the boy who saves her. Then she penned “Song for a Whale,” about the loneliest whale in the world and the deaf girl who can’t seem to find her place in the world just as this misfit whale can’t communicate with other whales. It seems a natural progression to go from a jungle setting to an oceanic world and then to Texas, which Kelly calls home, to share the story of whooping cranes. Her inspiration came from a new article about a pair of whooping cranes just east of Houston who nested there, the first time whooping cranes had done so in over a century.
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Newberry Medal winner Erin Entrada Kelly’s new middle grade novel, “The First State of Being,” is a delightful, thoughtful, and thought-provoking work which explores both the potential problems and fascinating possibilities of time travel. The novel features two young protagonists, both quite brilliant, and both of whom find themselves in situations and locations which reveal their mutual discomfort in new and unfamiliar surroundings.
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