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. – The Dreams We Made

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

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. – Brainpower (Series NF)

Colich, Abby. Brainpower. Jump!, Inc., 2023. $18.95 each or $75.80 for Set of 4. Grades 2-5.

Your Brain When You’re Angry. 979-8-885-24140-3.
Your Brain When You’re Happy. 979-8-885-24143-4.
Your Brain When You’re Sad. 979-8-885-24146-5.
Your Brain When You’re Scared. 979-8-885-24149-6.

The Brainpower series discusses what happens to the brain when an individual experiences strong emotions, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and fear (being scared). The reviewer read the book Your Brain When You’re Sad. Your Brain When You’re Sad discusses what happens in your brain when a person experiences sadness, the chemical releases and reactions to the emotion, and ways to help cope and manage sadness. The book utilizes photos and diagrams to discuss certain parts of your brain and what occurs at that time. Complete with brightly colored illustrations and goals, this book series helps establish emotions and why they occur.

THOUGHTS: The addition of Grow with Goals included in this series is a fantastic way for young readers to help establish ways to cope with strong emotions. A great beginning series for young readers to learn about their brain and emotions.

152.4-155.4 Emotions

Elem. – Wants vs. Needs vs. Robots

Rex, Michael. Wants vs. Needs vs. Robots. Illustrated by Michael Rex. Nancy Paulson Books, 2023. 978-0-593-53009-2. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2. 

Wants vs. Needs vs. Robots teaches children the difference between wants and needs. The book uses the robots to show the things that the robots need such as arms, oil, and legs. It also shows the things the robots want such as jelly bean tacos and unicorn hats. The book shows one robot putting his wants ahead of his needs and what happens to him, after which it goes back and shows the robot showing the difference between his wants and needs. It also shows how the robot gets what he wants without sacrificing his needs.

THOUGHTS: Overall, this would be a great book for an elementary guidance counselor to use with young students discussing wants vs. needs. Students who are obsessed with robots might want to read this due to the characters within the book, but this book will be most effective when used with a lesson.

Picture Book

Elem. – Rivka’s Present

Wallmark, Laurie. Rivka’s Present. Illustrated by Adelina Lirius. Random House Studio, 2023. 978-0-593-48207-0. $18.99. 40 p. Grades K-3.

In 1918 on New York’s Lower East Side, Rivka enthusiastically proclaims to all who will hear that it is her first day of school. Heartbroken, Mama tells Rivka, that she cannot begin school. Papa has influenza, and Mama must work to support the family. Rivka must care for her little sister. Upset, Rivka tears out of the apartment, crashing into a sandwich board in front of the grocery store. Apologizing to the shop owner, Rivka admires the writing on the board, and asks the grocer to teach her how to write. Mr. Solomon carefully explains he is too busy to take on teaching Rivka how to write. But when Rivka bargains to help around the shop in exchange for writing lessons, Mr. Solomon agrees and even allows Rivka to bring her little sister along. Papa is no better, and Mama works long hours. By the time the leaves fall from the trees, Rivka knows her alphabet and can sound out basic words. While running an errand at the tailor’s shop, Rivka admires Mr. Cohen’s ledger of neat arithmetic. Offering to make deliveries in exchange for math lessons, Rivka quickly begins learning a new skill. Unfortunately, Papa has shown little improvement. When the first snow falls, Rivka helps a neighbor across the hall with baking and cleaning. She discovers that Mrs. Langholtz is studying to take her citizenship exam. Rivka politely asks Mrs. Langholtz to teach her about American history. By the time spring rolls around, Rivka can name the states and sing the anthem. One day Papa is well enough to join the family at the dinner table. As the flowers begin to blossom, Papa sends Rivka on an errand. When she returns to the apartment, she is surprised to find Mr. Solomon, Mr. Cohen, and Mrs. Langholtz, who have all arrived at the apartment for a party to honor Rivka and all of her hard work. Each neighbor brings Rivka a present that she will need to finally begin her first day of school.

THOUGHTS: Rivka is plucky and eager to learn. This is an adorable story about hard work and determination in the face of great challenges. Beautifully detailed painted illustrations by Adelina Lirius add to the wonder and delight as Rivka spends the seasons learning new skills.

Picture Book

Elem. – Salat in Secret

Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah. Salat in Secret. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Random House Studio, 2023. 978-1-894-84809-3. $18.99. 40 p. Grades K-3.

On Muhammad’s seventh birthday his father gives him a salat (prayer) rug. Muhammad is proud to be old enough to pray five times a day. He prepares for his evening prayers feeling very grown up and mature. In the morning he is happy to pray, but is worried about what mid-day will bring. Will he find a place to pray at school? Muhammad hopes to find a secret place but is unsure how to ask for privacy. Daddy drives an ice cream truck and takes breaks during the day to pray very openly. Sometimes people on the busy streets jeer at Daddy, but he is always brave. Muhammad tucks his salat into his backpack, determined to find a place where no one will see him praying. At school Muhammad realizes the coat room might be a place to pray in private. He attempts to ask his kind teacher, but Muhammad gets too nervous as he remembers how people sometimes treat his father when he prays in public. Muhammad is determined to find another appropriate, but secret, place.The bathroom does not seem like a good choice, so Muhammad decides to bring the rug to recess. He quickly finds that it is hard to play soccer with his salat rolled under his jacket. The coat room really seems like the best option. After recess Muhammad lingers as his classmates enter their classroom. Muhammad places his salat on the coat room floor and rushes to finish his prayers, but he is interrupted by a concerned classmate. Embarrassed, Muhammad rolls his rug and returns to class. On the way home he decides he will pray for bravery. After school Muhammad joins Daddy in the ice cream truck. As the sun sets, Daddy unrolls his salat on the sidewalk and begins his evening prayers. A woman walking by stops and glares, attracting police officers. Daddy does not interrupt his prayers. Muhammad takes his own salat and bravely joins Daddy in prayer on the sidewalk. Muhammad sees Daddy’s hands tremble and realizes how brave Daddy truly is. The next day at school Muhammad nervously approaches his teacher and asks for help in finding a place to pray. He has learned that being scared sometimes comes with being brave. 

THOUGHTS: This is a beautiful picture book with many themes to explore about acceptance, bravery, and love. Hatem Aly’s illustrations are absolutely endearing. A wonderful read-aloud.

Picture Book

Elem. – Big

Harrison, Vashti. Big. Little Brown and Company. 978-0-316-35322-9. 32 p. $19.99. Grades K-3. 

When you’re young, hearing that you’re “a big girl” is a compliment. People marvel when you grow and become independent. Being big is good, until it isn’t. This story chronicles an unnamed girl’s experience with body image and ultimately, self-acceptance. She is a dancer, and pink words, including “caring,” “graceful,” “smart,” “creative,” “kind,” and “imaginative” float around her. However, as she grows older, she also becomes conscious of others’ reactions to her and the words they use to describe her. “Whale,” “moose,” “cow,” and “too big” float around her in black, and these words make her feel small. The words sting, and they’re hard to forget. The young girl begins to feel out of place, and her self-esteem plummets. She finally lets all her emotions out and makes the brave choice to hold on to the affirming pink words and hand the hurtful black ones back. The final spread features her dancing peacefully and confidently, once again comfortable in her own body. The predominantly pink illustrations are created digitally and with chalk pastels, and the main character is the only one portrayed in color – all other adults and children appear in shades of brown and gray in the background. 

THOUGHTS: This is a book to share with guidance counselors as they discuss ideas like body image and self-esteem with students. It could also be used during Morning Meetings to tackle topics such as the lasting or harmful impact our words can have on others. 

Picture Book

Elem. – The Wishing Machine

Hillman, Jonathan. The Wishing Machine. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. 978-1-665-92230-2. 36 p. $18.99. Grades K-3. 

After breakfast every Sunday, Sam and his Mom walk to the laundromat. Here, they not only clean and dry their clothes, but they also visit with friends and spend time together – just the two of them. But, this Sunday is different because tomorrow, they’re moving out of the city and into Grandpa’s far away trailer. Sam is sad to say goodbye, but Mom tries to cheer him up with the promise that he can buy a bag of cookies if they have any leftover change. Sam listens to Mom dropping coins into the washing machine slot, and the noise reminds him of coins falling into a wishing well. Sam makes a wish: to be able to stay in their apartment. He then surveys everyone in the laundromat, asking their wishes. Answers range from a new scooter to a green card to a fat, fluffy cat. When Sam drops the leftover coins into the vending machine, he’s surprised when more than a bag of cookies tumbles out. A cascade of coins spills from the machine, making him think the machine heard his earlier wish! Sam and Mom return the coins to the laundromat owner but share the cookies with their friends. As they leave the laundromat for the final time, Sam realizes he and his Mom will be happy wherever they are because they’ll be together. The colored pencil and digital illustrations, with hand-lettered text, feature a soft pastel palette that reflects the snowy weather outside the laundromat. Cozy jackets, hats, and scarves are a nod to the warmth depicted between mother and son. 

THOUGHTS: Although this title depicts the big emotions that come with a life-changing event such as moving away from a familiar community, it does so with sensitivity, and the overall tone remains optimistic. It will serve as a good conversation starter for students who may be struggling with big life changes too, and the message about being together and happy wherever you are will resonate widely. 

Picture Book