Tag Archives: Animal Characters

Elem. – Sasquatch and Squirrel

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Monroe, Chris. Sasquatch and Squirrel. Carolrhoda Books, 2023. 978-1-728-40466-0. $18.99. Grades K-2. 

Strawberry the Sasquatch lives a solitary existence in the forest. No other sasquatches live nearby and humans are afraid of her, so Strawberry spends her time doing typical sasquatch activities–hiking, swimming, pranking loggers, and making collages. One day, she has a chance encounter with Nutty, a friendly squirrel and the pair decide to hang out together. This leads to a day of adventures, including climbing (Sasquatch falls–a lot), a logger prank (the pair have a close call with an angry logger), and snack sneaking (they are almost caught in a Squatch Watcher trap!). It was a rough day–maybe the pair don’t have enough in common to be friends. But, the next day, as they recover from their injuries from the prior day’s adventures, the two relax in a field and watch the clouds go by and discuss making a collage later. All they needed was to find some common ground and activities that suited both their personalities, and their friendship has been cemented.

THOUGHTS: This humorous friendship tale is sure to be a hit with readers. Many (though not all) of the illustrations are divided into panels, giving the title a hybrid picture book/graphic novel feeling. Recommended.

Picture Book

Elem. – Addie and the Amazing Acrobats

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Cagan, Shauna. Addie and the Amazing Acrobats. Hippo Park, 2023. 978-1-662-64046-9. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2. 

 Addie and her best friends Ben and Jude live under a red bridge with other neighborhood bats. The three are best known for their amazing flying acrobatic feats. They love to flip, swoosh, and cartwheel through the night sky. While they are all talented, the star of their show is clearly Addie. In fact, the animals of the neighborhood soon give their act a name– “Addie and the Amazing Acrobats.” When they are invited to join the Big Bat Circus, the three are ecstatic! But, it turns out the circus is only interested in having Addie join their company. So Addie grabs her bag, leaves the bridge, and is soon performing as an acrobat under the big top. As time passes, however, Addie finds that no matter how popular she is with the circus crowds, there’s something missing–her two best friends. Back at the bridge, Ben and Jude are finding that their act isn’t quite the same without Addie. When the circus is due to travel by her home, Addie is worried. Will Ben and Jude still want to be her friends?

THOUGHTS: This delightful picture book would make an ideal read aloud and could also be paired with a non-fiction text on bats. Readers will enjoy the acrobatic bat tricks as well as the interplay between the narrator and the protagonist. The digital illustrations convey the personality of the bats as well as the excitement of the aerials. An enjoyable story about the bonds of friendship.

Picture Book

Elem. – Trim Saves the Day

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Hopkinson, Deborah. Trim Saves the Day.  Peachtree, 2024. 978-1-682-63293-2. 45 p. $14.99.  Grades K-2.

Trim is a seafaring cat who lives on a sailing ship with his owner, who happens to be the captain. One day he hears the captain discussing how the entire crew must pitch in and do their jobs. The feline decides to help his friends with their chores. Penny the dog is swabbing the deck, and Trim tries to assist by using his tail as a mop and meowing as he works. This is too much for the dog, because Trim is too noisy and has gotten his hair all over the deck. Next he meets Jack the parrot who helps the captain steer the ship. When Trim jumps on the captain’s shoulders, the rolling sea causes him to lose his balance and block out the captain’s view, while loudly meowing in his ear. The little cat has no luck in helping the ship’s artist or the cook. Down in the hold, Trim wants to patrol the area like Princess Bea, but it’s the rat’s naptime. The cat is sad that he was not able to help any of his friends and decides to take a bath under a cask of water. Suddenly, the feline feels a plop of water and the cask begins to leak even more. If this continues, the ship will be in trouble. Can Trim use his vocal talent to raise the alarm and call “all hands on deck” before it is too late? This is the third book in the Trim series, which is based on a real cat from the early 18th century who sailed with the British explorer, Captain Flinders. The back matter provides more information and a photograph of a statue of the pair. There are charming illustrations of the animal characters, but interestingly the captain’s face is never seen.

THOUGHTS: This easy chapter book series will appeal to animal loving novice readers, who will eagerly await the sailor cat’s next adventure.   Elementary librarians definitely will want to add this easy reader series to their collections.

Historical Fiction

Elem./MG – The Eyes and the Impossible

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Eggers, Dave. The Eyes and the Impossible. Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Knopf. 2023. 978-1-524-76420-3. 249 p. $19.99. Grades 3 and up. 

Meet Johannes. A dog who lives on an island with all sorts of friends, various types of birds, raccoons, squirrels, and buffalo. Johannes is free and lightning fast, but the buffalo are not. He is the eyes of the island who works with the other helpers to report back to the buffalo nightly. Johannes loves beauty. He is mesmerized by the rectangles that are being brought into the new building and appreciates all of the natural beauty he is surrounded by. When a large herd of goats are brought onto the island to clean up weeds, Johannes’ world expands in a way he never thought possible. Would his life be forever changed by meeting a new friend? The art in this book is existing landscapes that Shawn Harris added Johannes to in a seamless manner.

THOUGHTS: This Newbery winning title is interesting. Very thought provoking, funny at times, heart wrenching at others. The altered illustrations are fascinating. Harris has added Johannes to each landscape, and it seems like he has always been there!

Fantasy

Elem. – Dear Rosie

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Boehman, Meghan, and Rachael Briner. Dear Rosie. Alfred A. Knopf. 2023. 978-0-593-57186-6. $20.99. Grades 3-6.

Millie has an amazing friend group: Millie, Rosie, Gabby, Florence, and Claire. Sadly, Rosie passed away in a car accident and everything changed. All four girls have had their world completely rocked by grief over the loss of their friend. As each girl struggles with their grief over the loss of their friend, their friendship also becomes rocky. Together, the girls begin to heal and learn how to cope with loss and change in different ways.

THOUGHTS: A heartbreaking story of grief, friendship, and overcoming hardships. This story will touch the hearts of readers, many of whom may have dealt with their own loss and grief.

Graphic Novel

Elem. – We Are Going to be Pals!

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Teague, Mark. We Are Going to be Pals! Beach Lane Books, 2023. 978-1-665-91186-3. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Egret, the egret, sees Rhino, the rhinoceros, from a tree up above. An egret and a rhinoceros have a symbiotic relationship, which is also known as becoming best friends! Egret explains to Rhino how they have a great relationship and friendship. Their friendship is about eating together, playing and having fun together, and being there for one another. It is also about communication and respecting boundaries. Egret kindly informs Rhino of their great friendship throughout this story.

THOUGHTS: A fun story of opposite characters who were destined to become best friends due to their symbiotic relationship. This fun story is one that describes how opposites can attract!

Picture Book

Elem. – You Go First

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Bernstein, Ariel. You Go First. Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-1-665-91151-1. unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

Cat and Duck are excited for the playground, and the new very curvy slide. Although Cat isn’t so excited, he’s nervous to try the new slide. Cat tries to persuade Duck to do anything except go on the new slide. Eventually, Duck doesn’t want to try the new slide anymore, and that is when Cat realizes he has sucked all of the excitement out of the playground for Duck. Sometimes being a good friend means putting others’ wishes first.

THOUGHTS: This is a great book to share the idea that putting your friend’s wishes first is what it means to be a friend.

Picture Book 

Elem. – Pocket Full of Sads

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Davidson, Brad. Pocket Full of Sads. Illustrated by Rachel Mas Davidson. Rodale Kids, 2023. 978-0-593-56456-1. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

For no specific reason, Bear’s “heart feels heavy / like [his] pocket’s full of sads.” It is hard to explain. A physical ailment isn’t the cause. It’s more like how one would feel if a brand new toy broke or a friend chose to sit with someone else. Rabbit is determined to fix Bear, but it isn’t as simple as telling a  funny joke or using the internet for an answer. Finally, things become too hard. Will Rabbit fix Bear’s pocket full of sads, so they can go fishing, or will this be one feeling that’s too big to fix?

THOUGHTS: Davidson’s story is perfect for morning meetings or a counseling/Social Emotional Learning lesson.  Told in a simple, gentle manner, young learners will understand how little things can cause big emotions. Rachel Mas Davidson’s colorful illustrations add brightness and hope to a book about facing sadness. Highly recommended.

Picture Book

Elem. – Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great!

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Boynton, Sandra. Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 978-0-316-48679-8. Unpaged. $17.99.  Grades K-3.

Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! is a motivational book that features a chicken who follows you and screams about how you are doing great at whatever you are trying to do. The book starts with asking if you have ever felt low or down? Maybe what you need is a chicken to wave and cheer. As the book goes on, the chicken cheers for multiple animals until finally they cheer for a sleeping bear which does not go well. The chicken has made a mistake and learns that everyone makes mistakes. A mouse steps in and teaches the reader what the best woohoo is that you can do.

THOUGHTS: This is such a fun book to read aloud and will be a great addition to any elementary collection. This book would also make a great read aloud for any elementary guidance counselor lessons.

Picture Book

Elem. – The Ice Cream Vanishes

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Sarcone-Roach, Julia. The Ice Cream Vanishes. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-30985-8. unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Meet Squirrel, a magician at making snacks disappear. Finding an ice cream cone that a little girl dropped, the squirrel is determined to make this cone disappear. He places it on a hot rock in the sun while waking Bear up, and it disappears! Squirrel believes he is a magician. He is determined to show all of his friends just how his magic can make ice cream disappear. Does ransacking an ice cream truck count as magic??

THOUGHTS: This cute little book is a good end of the year read!

Picture Book