Elem. – Beatrice and Barb

Jenks Landry, Kate. Beatrice and Barb. Illustrated by Vivian Mineker. Kids Can Press, 2023. 978-1-525-30648-8. $21.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

For as long as she can remember, Beatrice has wanted a pet. After much begging and negotiating, Beatrice and her mother finally come to an agreement, and Beatrice gets her first pet: a Venus flytrap named Barb. Beatrice takes very good care of her new pet, taking Barb for walks and playing fetch with her. However, despite all of Beatrice’s efforts, Barb begins to wilt and droop. After an unproductive visit to the vet, Beatrice takes Barb to a little plant shop, where a friendly woman named Millicent helps them. Warm, colorful, digitally rendered illustrations complement this heartfelt story of friendship.

THOUGHTS: This is a great title for social-emotional learning collections. Beatrice displays tremendous responsibility for her pet and persists in finding a solution even when everything seems hopeless. In addition, the underlying message about how to take care of the ones we love is a powerful one, as is the idea that we are all special in our own unique ways.

Picture Book

Elem. – Where Have You Been, Little Cat?

Jones, Richard. Where Have You Been, Little Cat? Illustrated by Richard Jones. 1st American ed., Peachtree, 2023. 978-1-682-63564-3. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-1.

When a small gray cat arrives home, her owner asks her all about her day. Her owner wants to know where she’s been, who she’s met, what she’s seen, and how she felt about everything. Was she scared? Was she happy? Was she brave? Beautiful illustrations, rendered in paint and edited in Photoshop, portray imaginative scenes that will delight young readers and inspire them to come up with answers to the owner’s questions.

THOUGHTS: The cat owner’s questions are reminiscent of questions one’s parent or caregiver might ask when their child arrives home, making this an endearing title. The emphasis on how the cat felt about her experiences throughout the day makes this an excellent choice for teaching self-awareness and social-emotional learning. Pet owners and cat lovers will especially enjoy this book.

Picture Book         

Elem. – Cone Dog

Howden, Sarah. Cone Dog. Illustrated by Carmen Mok. Owlkids Books, 2023. 978-1-771-47514-3. $18.95. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

When Emma comes home from the vet with a plastic cone on her head, she is very perturbed. The cone makes digging more difficult, and it makes the other dogs stare at her. All she wants to do is lay around and sulk. Before long, however, a game of catch leads to a surprising discovery: there are actually benefits that come from wearing the cone! For instance, Emma is able to catch more than one ball at a time. Best of all, she is able to use the cone in a creative, hilarious way to scare off Keith, the sneaky neighborhood squirrel who loves to tease her. Maybe the cone isn’t so bad after all! But will Emma be okay when it’s finally time to take the cone off?

THOUGHTS: This humorous story is a great selection for young animal lovers. Readers will appreciate its subtle message about finding the silver lining and making the best of any situation. For double the fun, pair it with Cone Cat (2020), another amusing story by the same author/illustrator team.

Picture Book

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. – This Little Kitty

Obuhanych, Karen. This Little Kitty. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-43514-4. Unpaged. $18.99  Grades PK-2.

Kittens and cats romp across the page as the characters in This Little Kitty navigate their day, from breakfast, to playtime, to naps, and mischief. The cats take center stage in Karen Obuhanych’s illustrations, interacting within simple settings that support the text, but maintain the action of the story. Repetition and rhyme in the text will appeal to young and beginning readers and those who enjoy word play.

THOUGHTS: This joyful text certainly will appeal to young readers and cat lovers. Its strength lies in the illustrations–the cats in the book are expressive and are portrayed with unique personalities while maintaining a simplicity that will engage a young audience. Recommended for collections looking to appeal to cat lovers and young readers.

Picture Book 

Elem. – Wonder Dogs!

Ashman, Linda.  Wonder Dogs! Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023.  978-1-534-49453-4. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-1.

Written in simple rhyming text, this picture book is a celebration of dogs. Told from the point of view of a young girl’s pet, a little dog describes what makes canines so wonderful as the pair goes for a walk. He sees dogs that fetch, chase and catch, as well as serve and protect. He watches them run agility courses and sees others use their sense of smell for search and rescue. After observing these animals in action, the small pooch feels that he is coming up short, because he cannot do any of these things. Thinking over his relationship with his guardian, the puppy begins to realize that he has some wonderful talents also. He can comfort the girl during a storm and encourages her to keep fit by taking him on walks. Most of all, his “superpower” is the love he gives to her. Obuhanych uses a variety of media to create whimsical illustrations of many different dog breeds. Her images of the dog narrator are simply darling.

THOUGHTS: This book is sure to be a hit for dog lovers, who will be eager to talk about the talents of their own pets. A worthwhile purchase for elementary collections.

Picture Book

Elem. – Holly and the Pittie Party

Frischherz, Julian. Holly and the Pittie Party. Illustrated by Leesh Li. Jolly Fish Press, 2023. 978-1-631-63704-9. 32 p. $19.99. Grades K-2.

Holly is a pit bull puppy that finds herself being left in the city alone. She makes her way through the city finding a dog park and then ends up in an animal shelter. She discovers that being loved and accepted for who she is, is possible. There are others like her that are searching for love and their forever home.

THOUGHTS: This story hit home for me. I have 2 pit bull dogs that we rescued as puppies. They are the most loving dogs, and they get a bad rap because of their breed. The story shows how this breed is misunderstood and how shelters are filled with pitbulls because they are supposed to be “bad” dogs. Kudos to the author for showing kids that not all dogs are mean and hurtful. I also hope this raises awareness of the breed.

Picture Book

Elem. – Bathe the Cat

McGinty, Alice. Bathe the Cat. Chronicle Books, 2022. 978-1-452-14270-8. Unpaged $17.99. Grades K-2.

Bathe the Cat is a funny rhyming picture book about a family whose grandmother is coming to visit, so they make a list of chores to do. One of those chores is to bathe the cat, which doesn’t make the cat very happy. So the cat spends the rest of the picture book messing the chore list up, so they end up doing things like mowing the floor and mopping the fishes. Finally by the end of the book the chores are done, grandma has come, and the cat escaped their bath. Throughout this book, the reader will love finding the cat and their mischievous ways they mess with the chores.

THOUGHTS: Wonderful picture book with charming illustrations. Definitely a great addition to any elementary collection.

Picture Book          Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy

Elem. – Sometimes Love

Moore, Katrina. Sometimes Love. Illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2022. Unpaged. $17.99 978-0-593-32382-3. Grades K-2.

Sometimes an author’s words and illustrator’s drawings blend together perfectly. This is one such time. Moore pens a sentence or two per page, and Ruiz brings the story to life visually. A toddler is introduced by her parents, dark-skinned father and white military mother, to a puppy, and it’s love “at first lick.” Additional pages and pictures show how the girl’s bond with the dog grows through a variety of situations, discipline, compromise, and fun. Then, the parents share sad news with their daughter then lead her away from a Pet Center to a vehicle packed with change, to a place her dog cannot go.  “Sometimes love is letting go.” In her new home, the girl makes new friends, shares memories of her dog, and weathers a year (or two) until her family moves again. Once again at the “Pet Care for Serving Soldiers” center, the girl reunites with her dog in a scene of happiness, “where love has grown” (author’s emphasis). The closing page spread shows more ‘photos’ of the girl growing up with her dog, and a message from the author about helpful organizations such as Dogs on Deployment, which offer military personnel in-home boarding with volunteers until the military commitment is over. 

THOUGHTS: A winning combination of words and illustrations to send the message, “Changes come and changes go. Love through changes makes love grow.”  Highly recommended.

Picture Book          Melissa Scott, Shenango Area SD

Elem. – Adventures in Fosterland (Series Fiction)

Shaw, Hannah. Adventures in Fosterland. Aladdin, 2022. $17.99 ea. $44.95 set of 3. Grades 1-3.

Super Spinach. 978-665-90125-3.
Emmett and Jez. 978-1-665-90119-2.
Baby Badger. 978-1-665-92555-6. (Expected in February 2023)

Adventures in Fosterland is a new series written by Hannah Shaw, who is involved with kitten rescue. Each volume is inspired by an actual animal rescue story. Emmett and Jez tells the story of a tiny piglet named Emmett who falls off a truck and is wandering on the side of the road when he is rescued and taken to “Fosterland.” Fosterland the home of a nice lady who fosters animals until they are adopted. There, Emmett soon becomes fast friends with Jez, a kitten who is healing after surgery to remove an injured leg. As time passes, Emmett realizes that he and Jez are different in many ways from one another, and this means they might go in separate directions once they leave Fosterland. Will they find their forever homes? In Super Spinach, readers are introduced to Spinach, a kitten at an animal shelter. Spinach needs to have surgery on her ribs and is quite scared. An older cat tells her she will have to have superpowers to recover from the surgery. So when Spinach wakes up wearing a hard chest plate that will protect her while she recovers, she decides she must be a superhero with armor! Sent to Fosterland to recover, Spinach teams up with Chickpea, another kitten in Fosterland, and they soon are gaining confidence and taking on challenges they never would have dreamed of previously. When it’s time for Spinach’s chest plate to come off, she is worried that it means the end of her superpowers. But she soon discovers that you don’t need armor or a costume to be brave. 

THOUGHTS: Hand this series to fans of animal stories, particularly cat lovers (each book in the series thus far features a kitten as one of the protagonists). Readers will enjoy these stories of friendship and will also learn important lessons about kindness and bravery. Each title contains a closing chapter where Shaw shares the real stories of the animals who inspired the series and the back cover features photos of the real Emmett, Jez, Spinach, and Chickpea. Recommended.

Animals          Elizabeth Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg SD