Elem. – Squash, the Cat

Mayer, Sasha. Squash, the Cat. Random House Studio, 2023. 978-0-593-56653-4. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

Squash is orange and round, and when he sits up, he kind of looks like a squash (the food); that might be how he got his name. While Squash is a fan of naps, his best (human) friend Maggie is a “wild-playdate kind of girl.” Together they team up to begin each day perfectly, and they are the best duo for many situations (curbing conflict, winning more playtime, finishing dinner, and walking the dog). When Squash tries to rescue Maggie from “being devoured by a GIANT SNAKE!” things fall apart (literally). Squash and Maggie have lost their dynamic duo connection, and now Squash can’t eat, can’t sleep, and even can’t face Maggie. Will Squash and Maggie find their way back to being “perfect-for-each-other best friends,” or are they destined to live the rest of their lives separately?

THOUGHTS: Readers will adore this cat and human friendship and will laugh at the ridiculous things they do together then root for Squash and Maggie to make up after a mistake. Highly recommended for elementary collections.

Picture Book

Elem. – The Artist

Vere, Ed. The Artist. Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-525-58087-4. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2. 

Someone asked artist Ed Vere, “What is an artist?” and he created this book in response. The artist of this book is a multicolored dinosaur who ‘tries to see it all’ in the beautiful world. The outside world combines with the ideas in her imagination, which combine with her crayons, paint and pencils, and she creates more to share with the world. She journeys to the city where she shares her art (on the sides of buildings) and her work comes to be appreciated and anticipated until–she colors outside the lines. Her embarrassment leads her to stop painting (she’s literally blue). A little girl in the crowd approaches to say, “Mistakes are how you learn! Heart is what matters. And your art is full of heart… please paint again!” The artist tries again, again looking to the beauty of the world, “all its messy beauty,” and this time doesn’t stop painting. Vere concludes, “And maybe that is what an artist is…So keep drawing…because maybe you are an artist too!”

THOUGHTS: A colorful, thoughtful way to encourage kids to notice the world, be artists, and persist beyond “mistakes.”

Picture Book

Elem. – Knitting for Dogs

Molk, Laurel. Knitting for Dogs. Random House Studio, 2022. 978-0-593-43458-1. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Izzy is a talented maker. She has made birdhouses, bee houses, a wooden swing, and more. One day, she decides to take up knitting. She has no problem knitting scarves and hats, but when she tries to knit a sweater, it doesn’t turn out as planned. She reassures her dog, Max, that “failure is part of the creative process.” Again and again, Izzy tries to knit sweaters, but each one turns out even more disastrous than the one before. Finally, just as she is about to give up, inspiration strikes. Izzy figures out a way to repurpose her sweaters, and this idea is even more brilliant than her original plan! Cheerful illustrations, rendered in watercolor, pen-and-ink, and Photoshop, accompany this uplifting tale of persistence. End matter includes instructions for knitting a scarf, but they are very vague; children certainly would need additional guidance to complete this project.

THOUGHTS: I absolutely love the message this story sends about making mistakes during the creative process. It is important for students to realize that mistakes can always be fixed, and sometimes, they can even lead to fabulous new outcomes. This would be the perfect story to share with students before beginning a new art project. 

Picture Book          Julie Ritter, PSLA Member

Elem. – On Account of the Gum

Rex, Adam. On Account of the Gum. Chronicle Books, 2020. 978-1-452-18154-7. 56 p. $17.99. Grades K-2.

It all starts when the young boy in this story wakes up and realizes he has gum in his hair. At the breakfast table, various family members try different tricks and techniques to loosen the gum’s grip on his dark locks. Some of the remedies include smearing butter on the gum, putting grass in his hair, and using noodles and bacon to get it out. And of course, because of the grass and the food in his hair, the boy’s new hairstyle attracts some animals as well, like a rabbit and a cat. And – don’t ask how – his aunt gets stuck in there, too! On top of that, it’s picture day at school. Eventually, the boy figures out exactly what it takes to get the gum out of his hair.

THOUGHTS: This book is hilarious – both the words and the illustrations are sure to make children laugh out loud. The text is written in rhyme which makes it fun to read. Because of all the objects stuck in the boy’s hair, this book could be used to discuss sequential order. And it also teaches a good lesson – never go to sleep with gum in your mouth! On Account of the Gum would be a perfectly fun read aloud for any elementary teacher or librarian.

Picture Book        Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central SD