Tag Archives: Picture Book

Elem. – Aliya’s Secret: A Story of Ramadan

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Zaman, Farida. Aliya’s Secret: A Story of Ramadan. Owl Kids, 2023. 978-1-771-47564-8 Unpaged. $18.95. Grades K-3.

Aliya knows Ramadan is approaching and she wants to fast like her parents do. Her ammi tells her she is too young to fast because she still needs food to grow. But Aliya decides to secretly fast to be a part of the holiday; “I can fast! I know I can!” After eating as much as she can before sunrise at Sahoor with her parents, Aliya prays with her parents and feels that her scarf from Nani “hugs her secret even closer.” Aliya goes to school and skips lunch–and later a birthday cupcake with sprinkles–all by saying “I don’t feel like it” which later leaves her “hungry and miserable.” That night while baking baklava with her ammi, Aliya can’t resist and takes a bite, then cries, “Oh nooo! I ate–and I wasn’t supposed to!” Her ammi doesn’t scold, but gets Aliya some food and explains that acts of kindness are another important part of Ramadan. In the following weeks, Aliya and her family prepare food to package for people in need. Later, Aliya invites two friends to Iftar dinner (the meal at sundown to break the daily fast) and realizes that it’s nearly the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, the celebration of breaking the fast. An Author’s note explains the Muslim traditions as well as Zaman’s wish, as a little girl like Aliya, to fast like her parents. A glossary defines several words used in the book.

THOUGHTS: This is a positively drawn and told tale helping young people to understand the idea of fasting for Ramadan.

Picture Book

Elem. – There’s a Bear in Your Book

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Fletcher, Tom. There’s a Bear in Your Book. Random House Kids, 2023. 978-0-593-70399-1 Unpaged. $18.99 Grades PK-1.

This eighth book in the “Who’s in your Book?” series, adds a bear to the mix, joining a monster, dragon, alien, superhero, elf, witch and unicorn. In this book, Bear has had a picnic and is messy and tired. Readers are asked to help him get ready for bed by shaking the book (for the bubble bath), flapping the book’s pages (to dry Bear), and rocking the book (and Bear) to sleep. But a monster bursts in, leading the narrator to ask readers to wag their fingers at monster, imagine a night-light, press the switch to turn it on, yawn with bear and monster, and imagine five sheep, which then need a lullaby. The simple illustrations make the bear and monster (and even sheep) look cuddly and this may just work on young readers to help them fall asleep also. It’s an added plus that Fletcher includes “imagine” as an interactive task, both to support the idea of imagining being necessary and helpful, and also to quiet readers who have been active.

THOUGHTS: This title strikes the right balance between cute (for readers) and productive (for tired caregivers). Recommended.

Picture Book

Elem. – Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions

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Khiani, Darswana. Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-802-85547-3 Unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-3.

In the Thai village of Koh Panyee, a group of boys are crazy about soccer.  But in a village floating on stilts in the Phang Nga Bay, there is little space to play. The boys use a beach (at low tide) but are thwarted when new homes are built. Even the most ardent of soccer fans in their village tells them to ‘stick to boat racing. It’s tradition.’ But the boys enjoy soccer and long to play (and win) against the mainland boys. They had an idea: build a floating pitch (field). Adults shook their heads as the boys collected materials, worked out the problems, and began to play. The floating pitch tested their patience and their balance, and the boys improved. Soon the villagers cheered them on as they practiced, and the boys headed to the mainland for the district tournament. They didn’t win, but opposing teams admired the ‘sharp skills’, and the villagers were proud of their accomplishments. 

THOUGHTS: This positive story highlights and celebrates the determination and dream of a group of boys. Recommended for early grades.

Picture Book 

Elem. – The Dreams We Made

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Bentley, Lisa. The Dreams We Made. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 978-1-665-91765-0. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PK-3.

At the center of The Dreams we Made is a little girl with a big imagination. Each night, her father helps her bring her ideas to life using found items. Each day, she holds tight to her daddy, wishing he didn’t need to go back to work. When he encourages her to keep dreaming while he is away, she does. Her dreams grow, and the little girl and her father begin their biggest project yet. One the eve of completing the project, Mommy delivers the sad news that her father has died and cannot complete their project. Together, the girl and her Mom find a way to continue dreaming and, over time, they put the pieces back together and begin feeling closer to Daddy once more.

THOUGHTS: The Dreams We Made is a beautifully illustrated and balanced picture book that combines imagination, love, and loss to create a story that successfully balances all three–accomplishing the unique feat of a story incorporating loss with the potential of broad appeal to picture book readers. The girl’s projects focus on her dreams of space exploration, and Lisa Bentley’s illustrations are dominated by this space theme, inviting children into an engaging world of creativity and imagination. Bentley’s depiction of the mother sharing the loss of the father with her child is gentle and loving, and the child’s expression of this loss (denial, loss of interest in her creations, and destructive anger) will feel real to both child and adult readers. Bentley does not rush her characters through grief, but rather gives her characters time to heal, first in imagination, then through their actions. This beautiful, wise book is highly recommended for all readers in the general library and also for guidance collections.

Picture Book 

Elem. – Make Way for Butterfly

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Burach, Ross. Make Way for Butterfly. Scholastic, 2023. 978-1-338-75263-2. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-3.

Make Way for Butterfly begins when Bee buzzes past Butterfly, who is relaxing on a flower. Curious, Butterfly asks Bee what they are doing, and launches into an explanation of pollination from Bee. The more Butterfly learns, the more desperate they become to be just like Bee. When Butterfly learns how Bee’s sticky hairs help with pollen collection, they break out the glue. When Butterfly learns about Bee’s pollen baskets, they attempt to create baskets of their own… and then comes the jet pack, and fuzz, and stingers, and stripes. In the end, Butterfly learns that, even without speed, fuzz, stingers, stripes, pollen baskets, and sticky hairs, their unique way of pollinating is very important to the ecosystem as well.    

THOUGHTS: Make Way for Butterfly combines bright illustrations, scientific fact, and humor to tell a tale that will engage young readers and encourage multiple readings… and might just hook the adults that read to them, too. The science in the story is sound, and the message about being yourself evolves throughout the book without being heavy-handed. This a book young readers will love and seek on library shelves. Highly recommended.

Picture Book

Elem. – Are You Big? 

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Willems, Mo. Are You Big?  Specific House, 2024.  978-1-454-94818-6. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades PreK-1.

On a quick glance of its cover and slim trim size, this picture book seems to be just another story about a growing child.  After a couple of pages, it is obvious that this is no ordinary tale about getting bigger.  Instead, Willems has created a brilliant concept book that discusses the relative size of mostly inanimate objects. It begins with the narrator asking a child, drawn as a stick figure,  “Are you big?” On the next page, a hot air balloon walks into view and the point is wordlessly made that the balloon is bigger. The question is repeated as the next thing appears. The balloon is compared to a cloud, the cloud to a storm, the storm to Australia, and so on until it ends the exercise with a galaxy cluster. For each comparative pair, the previous objects (and child) are arranged in a row at the bottom of the page, drawn to show their size relative to the new larger entity. On the final pages, the story reverts back to the child, who seems reassured about his/her size when an ant emerges. In his usual cartoon style, Willems has managed to personify the non-living subjects. The “characters” all have legs, mouths and eyes, which are depicted quite cleverly on Earth. The author includes a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer that the objects are not drawn to scale and provides a chart comparing their relative size differences in words- “An average kid is 430 times taller than an ant.”

THOUGHTS: The latest offering from Mo Willems is a BIG winner and an engaging read aloud. Children will eagerly anticipate and greet each new comparison with a BIG Whoa! This is an absolute must-have for all elementary collections. In fact, librarians may want to buy multiple copies and place one in nonfiction and one with Mo’s other fictional picture books.

153.752 Cognition and Memory
Perception of Space

Elem. – Buffalo Fluffalo

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Kalb, Bess. Buffalo Fluffalo. Illustrated Erin Kraan. Random House Studio, 2024. 978-0-593-56453-0. 40 p. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Buffalo Fluffalo lives in a stunning valley that features a distant mountain range, majestic pine trees, and a beautiful turquoise lake. But Fluff is a “surly old buffalo / Who was ever so snarly and gnarly and tuffalo.” He stomps on flowers, snorts in warning, and wears his fluff like protective armor. His number one request? “Leave me alone because / I’ve had enuffalo!” Despite his grumpy demeanor, affable critters approach with offers of a handmade hat, a race through prairie dog tunnels, and a friendly chat. Fluff meets each offer with a resounding rebuffalo. But when a sudden thunderstorm soaks Fluff to the skin, his true (very diminutive) form is revealed. Embarrassed, Fluff defensively asserts his toughness, until the animals whose friendship he denied step in and assure him that they like him just as he is. The sun comes out and shines on Fluff, surrounded by all of his new, affectionate friends. Readers may even spot a happy tear in his eye! Author Bess Kalb has written Buffalo Fluffalo in playful, rhyming couplets with vocabulary that is somehow both nonsensical and perfectly descriptive (rain lands with a “spluffalo”). Erin Kraan’s delightful illustrations are rendered through hand-carved woodcuts, Photoshop, and acrylic gouache, creating engaging scenes with a variety of textures.

THOUGHTS: Young readers will identify Mr. Fluff’s guarded posturing and root for potential friends to break through his “gruffalo” persona!

Picture Book

Elem. – No Cats in the Library

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Emmons, Lauren. No Cats in the Library. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. 978-1-665-93368-1. 32 p. $18.99. Grades PreK-2.

In this heartwarming picture book, a stray creamsicle kitten named Clarisse discovers “a magical building where people walked in empty-handed and came back out with books!” That’s right – it’s the library! Clarisse is determined to get inside, but the children’s librarian is having none of it. Finally Clarisse discovers the book drop, and with a few acrobatic maneuvers, she’s in! Disappointed that she can’t read the books that are full of squiggly dark lines, Clarisse finds a girl in the children’s book section who is happy to read aloud to her. The magic of a read-aloud turns lines on a page into fabulous stories. Knowing a good idea when she sees one, the librarian announces that read-aloud cats are welcome in the library and just like that, Clarisse has a new home! Author and illustrator Lauren Emmons’ artwork is rendered in appealing shades of tangerine, teal, and cream. There is diverse representation among the library patrons: people of various ages, ethnicities, and physical abilities are depicted enjoying everything the library has to offer. Repeated readings will reward readers with little details such as the collar that appears on Clarisse after the librarian makes her announcement. 

THOUGHTS: There’s just something about adorable animals and libraries that go so well together! Readers will delight in reading No Cats in the Library over and over.

Picture Book

Elem. – Baller Ina

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Casal, Liz. Baller Ina. Alfred A. Knopf. 2023. 978-0-593-56709-8. $18.99. Grades K-2

Swish! Ina loves ballet! She loves her sparkly pink tutu, her leaps, and her pirouettes. She also loves to play basketball. She loves to dribble, be a guard, and wear her shorts over her leotard. Despite some negative cheers that can be heard, Ina is confident and knows that no matter what she does, she is a superstar!

THOUGHTS: A fantastic story of being whatever you want to be! You can dance and play basketball and be fantastic at both!

Picture Book

Elem. – Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story of An Amazing Swimmer

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Cox, Lynne. Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story about an Amazing Swimmer. Illustrated by Richard Jones. Anne Schwartz Books, 2023. 978-0-593-42568-8. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

Written by a world famous swimmer, this engaging piece of creative nonfiction is the true tale of a loggerhead turtle’s oceanic journeys. The story begins as the baby turtle hatches from her egg on an Australian beach. After a few days of resting under the sand, the hatchling makes its way to the Indian Ocean with her brothers and sisters, while avoiding nearby predators. The tiny reptile swims all day and night to find a bed of brown algae, which she uses to protect herself and drift on for many months. After five years, the turtle, now the size of a house cat, finds that she has traveled across the Indian Ocean to the southern tip of Africa. One day while searching for food, the animal is caught up in a fishing net, which pulls her down despite her struggles. Fortunately, a fisherman on a boat saw the creature and rescued her from the net.  He saw that she had a laceration in her shell and treated the wound. He gave her a name, Yoshi, and took care of her until the shell was healed. Once she was stronger, the fisherman took the loggerhead to an aquarium in Cape Town, where she lived for twenty years. Now that she was an adult, the aquarium staff felt that Yoshi could be returned to the ocean. First, they trained her to swim long distances in the tank alongside two divers, until she had the endurance to swim long distances. The turtle, now as big as a lion, was released with a tracking device. The scientists followed Yoshi’s travels along the west coast of Africa for food, but were surprised when she passed up a Cape Town nesting site and set out east toward Australia. After swimming nearly 23,000 miles over twenty-six months, Yoshi was back home where her life began. After mating with a male loggerhead, she laid her eggs on that very same beach. The text contains figurative language describing the animal’s size over time (“big as a smile,” the size of a house cat,”) and includes an author’s note with a photograph of the real Yoshi, who is still being tracked today. A site with teaching materials is listed. Jones uses paint for his beautiful illustrations, which are digitally edited. The images show seas that are full of life and include maps of the turtle’s journeys.

THOUGHTS: This is an amazing story depicting the tenacity of the loggerhead  turtle as it faces predators, currents and other dangers while swimming extremely long distances. Readers will cheer on this remarkable animal as she fights the odds to complete her quest. Yoshi’s story is perfect to use in STEM units and works well as a read-aloud.  This is a must-have for all elementary collections.

597.928 Sea Turtles
Picture Book