Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books

THREE gorgeous books for Earth Month!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Happy Earth Month, everyone! Enjoy two beautiful nonfiction picture books to share with your readers.

Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal, by Melissa Stewart & Sarah S. Brannen, (March 2026, Beach Lane Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781665962711

Ages 4-8

Sibert Honor recipients Stewart and Brannen combine poetry, art, and facts to create a beautiful book about two types of butterflies: the monarch and the mourning cloak. Just looking at the two, they look similar – they’re butterflies, right? – but their differences make them as fascinating as their different colors. They live in different habitats, eat different foods, have different ways to ward off predators, and hibernate differently. Lovely, evocative poetry over watercolor, pen, and pencil illustration brings readers to the butterflies’ world. Using palette samples to show readers the consideration going into the colors used, we get a view of the artist’s and author’s journals, featuring a coffee stain here; a taped-down poem there; a drawing of a tree that takes life across the page. Stewart and Brannen explore the life cycles of each butterfly, accompanied by verses full of wonder and contrast: “Packed tight, / in plain sight, / monarchs hibernate”, and “Tucked tight, / out of sight, / a mourning cloak hibernates. / Shhhh”.

Back matter includes notes on creating a journal and sketchbook and notes on butterflies. Endpapers each sneak a peek at the butterflies’ life cycles and where they live. Get this book on a display and watch your readers flock to it, and for everyone thinking of summer reading programs, a nature journal sounds tailor-made for this book! Monarch and Mourning Cloak has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

The Secrets of the Jellies: Amazing Jellyfish and Their Surprising Talents, by Karen Jameson/Illustrated by Marie Hermansson, (April 2026, Chronicle Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781797221977

Ages 5-8

Think you know jellyfish? This rhyming romp through the ocean is filled with fun facts about jellies that will astound and amazed. Paired with vibrant digital illustrations that bring action and movement to each spread, this is a book made for an ocean storytime: “See-through jellies, / bright ones, too- / colors in each shade and hue! / And in the darkness, down below, / they radiate a blue-green/ GLOW!” The fonts grow large to emphasize exclamations that punctuate each spread and readers will love seeing these colorful jellyfish dash across the pages, evading predators or travel with fish in their wake. Back matter includes fun jellyfish facts and identifies each jellie featured in the book. Endpapers show a diverse group of families marveling at tanks of jellies at a lively aquarium. Great for a STEM storytime or a fun summer storytime!

 

 

Awe!, by Chana Stiefel/Illustrated by Susan Gal, (March 2026, Scholastic Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781546150350

Ages 4-8

Okay, this isn’t SOLELY Earth-related, but it fits because it’s all about AWE – not ‘awwww’, like when you see an adorable kitten, as author Chana Stiefel so deftly points out, but AWE: that incredible feeling you get when you witness something incredible that leaves you speechless and filled with emotion. Or, as Stiefel puts it, “… an Awesome / Wondrous / Empowering emotion”! Gal uses pencil, ink, and watercolor to create awe-inspiring illustrations of a whale breaching, the Northern Lights, and a giant city. But awe doesn’t mean the things we witness are huge – the emotions are, but we can be awestruck by seeing baby turtles run for the water and by a religious ceremony, or by helping others. Awe is all around us, waiting to be discovered; it’s up to us to find it, and that is the message at the heart of this story: “welcome those chills traveling down your spine, / welcome those sudden tears in your eyes”. A perfect read-aloud that celebrates the large and small moments around us. If you haven’t purchased this for your collection yet, buy two. They’ll move, especially with a gorgeous gatefold spread showing the beauty of the Grand Canyon.

Awe! has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Realistic Fiction

Yay, SportsBall! Kids’ books about sports

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m not as up on sports as some folks in my family (and most folks in my library) are, but that never stopped me from enjoying a good book to recommend. Here are some good ones to keep in mind.

Hut, Hut, Hike! (Sports Zone #1), by Andrew Maraniss/Illustrated by Aishwarya Tandon, (Sept. 2025, Scholastic Branches), $6.99, ISBN: 9781546120056

Ages 7-10

Nine-year-old Jasper is a football legend – in his own mind. When he and his dad play football in their living room, he’s a champ! But he quickly learns, when he and his friends Mo and Ruby try out for the flag football team, that he has a lot to learn. When Jasper’s team, the Frogs, plays their first game against the Beagles, Jasper is worried: will the coach bench him, or will he be able to play – and if he plays, will he do well? The Sports Zone series is a new series from Scholastic’s Branches line of chapter books and is a fun and easy read for newly independent readers. Maraniss creates situations that kids will see themselves in, including that nagging little voice that makes Jasper worry that he’s not good enough. Throw in two great friends and a coach who speaks in metaphors no one can seem to understand, and you have a story that readers will return to. Black-and-white artwork on every page includes graphic novel-type panels, breaking up the action into decodable chunks. Interesting sports facts run throughout. Fun questions and activities give the reader playful challenges.

The Sports Zone series has a book about soccer (Corner Kick!) out now, and one on baseball (Grand Slam!) coming in August. All of the books include this core group of characters, providing nice familiarity. Characters are diverse.

Posted in Graphic Novels, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

An add for your graphic novel shelves: Opting Out by Maia Kobabe & Swati “Lucky” Srikumar

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Opting Out, by Maia Kobabe & Swati “Lucky” Srikumar, (May 2026, Scholastic Graphix), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-339-01224-7

Ages 10-12

Saachi approaches seventh grade with a lot of mixed feelings. In sixth grade, they were surrounded by a core group of friends and their best friend, Lyla, shared Saachi’s love of fantasy novels and imagination. But in seventh grade, Lyla finds a boyfriend and isn’t interested in spending as much time with Saachi. Saachi’s also not a fan of the changes in her body, either: breasts and bras? Periods? AUGH! Saachi doesn’t want to be a girl or a boy: they just want to be. Be a writer; be a friend, be a person that isn’t expected to date a boy or a girl. A conflict in school with their bully serves as a turning point for self-examination; Saachi also turns to her family, who are ready to support them. Saachi’s father in particular spends time listening to and encouraging them to create their own path. Saachi’s decision to “opt out” of the binary and its expectations sees and acknowledges the stress facing nonbinary teens: Saachi’s stress at having their first period hits like a gut punch; likewise, the emotions on their face when hearing their father correct a family member on a transgender person’s proper pronouns fills readers with warmth. Opting Out is a quietly powerful story for middle schoolers and high schoolers alike. Saachi and their family are Indian, and their culture and mythology are richly featured throughout the book. There’s a great callback panel to Kobabe’s Gender Queer featured and it beautifully communicates Saachi’s internal feelings.

Opting Out has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Uncategorized

Dan Santat does it again with Sashimi!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sashimi, by Dan Santat, (Apr. 2026, Roaring Brook Press), $8.99, ISBN: 9781250360007

Ages 8-12

Yes, I am one of those readers that will pick up anything with Dan Santat’s name on it, but can you blame me? Beekle? Are We There Yet? The Cookie Fiasco? Then you have A First Time for Everything and The Aquanaut… trust me, I can go on and on. My point is, Dan Santat is one of the most versatile author-illustrators out there, and I love everything he creates. His newest graphic novel, A Fishboy Named Sashimi is another home run for me. The town is Barnacle Bay, and they have their own cryptid: The Beast of Barnacle Bay. When new kid Sashimi shows up at the school, he befriends Joey, whose grandfather – GASP – has been hunting The Beast for years. Which poses a big problem for Sashimi, who’s in Barnacle Bay trying to find the Beast, because he wants to find others like him. Filled with laugh-out-loud moments and sight gags aplenty, this is a great “fish out of water” story (ugh, I’ll show myself out) with a lovable main character. Highlights include Sashimi trying Mouthbomb, a soda outlawed in three states for its sugar content, and Sashimi befriending a little octopus named Tako… in a supermarket. Endearing, fast-paced, and with the promise of two additional adventures, this is a must-add to collections. It’s going to fly off the shelves. Promise. A Fishboy Named Sashimi has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist.

Thanks again to Roaring Brook Press, who also sent me this awesome water bottle, assuring that I finally drink water while I’m at work!

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books

Get ready for Women’s History Month with Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery, by Jane Kurtz/Illustrated by Giselle Potter, (Feb. 2026, Beach Lane Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781665955546

Ages 4-8

This picture book biography of one of the first female paleontologists, Mary Morland, asks thought-provoking questions of the reader. Mary, born “in a time of ribbons and lace”, preferred exploring outside to sitting inside like a “prim little miss”. When her mother died and her father sent her to live with childless friends, she turned to studying and journaling the world around her, ultimately marrying a fellow student of her mentor. Kurtz’s questions ask the reader to put themselves in Morland’s place and think about what they would do in her positions: would they feel sad if their father sent them off to live with friends after losing their mother? Would a scientific-minded child spend their days thinking about clothes, or giggling about being empty-headed? Much of the story centers on Mary being the silent partner, a woman in a man’s world to the point where her own husband didn’t credit her with illustrating his fossil collections, but she never emerges as a shrinking flower or a victim. Mary Morland takes up space in her world, whether helping her husband with his teaching or passing her love of fossils and science to her own children. Potter’s watercolor illustrations have a vintage feel and place the reader in the time frame. Back matter includes an author’s note, additional resources, and sources. A great choice for picture book biographies and STEM/STEAM collections, and an excellent choice for Women’s History Month.

Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery has starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

 

The Oxford Museum of Natural History has an online exhibition dedicated to Mary Morland. The History of Scientific Women webpage has a profile on Morland, as does the Geological Society of London.

★ “A delightful STEAM biography that spotlights a female scientist who deserves to be better known.” – Kirkus (starred)
 
★ “Wry interrogative narration energizes this engaging portrait.” – Publishers Weekly (starred)
Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but spent most of her childhood in Ethiopia. Jane speaks about being an author at schools and conferences and is the volunteer director of the bilingual book project at Open Hearts Big Dreams . She is the author of many books for children, including The Bone Wars, illustrated by Alexander Vidal; What Do They Do with All that Poo?, illustrated by Allison Black; The Clues Are In the Poo: The Story of Dinosaur Scientist Karen Chin, illustrated by Francisco Riolobos; Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros, illustrated by Claire Messer; Oh Give Me A Home: A Mostly True Story in Verse; and the American Girl book Lanie. To learn more, visit janekurtz.com.
Giselle Potter has illustrated many books, including Once Upon a Fairy Tale House by Mary Lyn Ray, Try It! by Mara Rockliff, All by Himself? by Elana K. Arnold, and Kate and the Beanstalk by Mary Pope Osborne, as well as her own Tell Me What to Dream About, This Is My Dollhouse, and The Year I Didn’t Go to School, about traveling through Italy with her parents’ puppet troupe when she was eight. She lives in Rosendale, New York, with her husband and two daughters. Visit her at GisellePotter.com.
Posted in Uncategorized

Read Black KidLit: Black Hair Can by Sylvia Rodriguez

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Black Hair Can: The Roots of Our Roots, by Sylvia Rodriguez, (Sept. 2025, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623545901

Ages 4-8

Black hair is a symbol of identity and a strong tie to Black culture. Here, Rodriguez observes the history of Black hair: a connection to history and a way to honor ancestors; a sign of social status; “a symbol of power, pride, and freedom”. Beautiful and bold digital illustrated spreads feature faces from the African diaspora, sporting hairstyles including dreadlocks, Bantu knots, Fulani braids, and natural Afros. A haunting spread shows a group of enslaved Africans, their hair shorn, the passage reading, “Black hair can be individual and still taken away”. Rodriguez closes with a description of the Crown Act, a campaign to keep women safe from discrimination over their hair’s style or texture. Back matter includes information about the Crown Act and more detail about each of the featured hairstyles. A moving and strong choice for collections.

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Who’s Ready for Summer Scares 2026?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I know we’re all getting our paleontological/archaeological books ready for Summer Reading (if you’re part of CSLP, that is), but don’t forget about Summer Scares!

If you have readers who like life on the spooky side, Summer Scares is for them (and you, if you enjoy that sort of thing. I do). This year’s picks are phenomenal:

For the grown-ups:

A Botanical Daughter, by Noah Medlock (Titan, 2024)

Never Whistle at Night, ed. Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst (Vintage, 2023)

Maeve Fly, by CJ Leede (Tor Nightfire, 2023)

For the teens:

What We Harvest, by Ann Fraistat (Delacorte Press, 2022)

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, by Linda Cheng (Roaring Brook Press, 2023)

Our Shadows Have Claws, ed. Yamile Saied Méndez & Amparo Ortiz (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022)

For the tweens:

Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen (Harper, 2021)

It Came from the Trees, by Ally Russell (Delacorte Press, 2023)

This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko (Harper, 2022)

The guide will be up on the site by March 1, and there will be a series of free webinars with featured authors speaking with committee members throughout March. Who’s excited?

I was considering adding a “Summer Spookies” element for the littles, just so they’re not feeling left out. What do you think? Here are the books I was thinking of:

Poesy the Monster Slayer, by Cory Doctorow/Illustrated by Matt Rockefeller (First Second, 2020)

Take a Breath, Big Red Monster!, by Ed Emberley (LB Kids, 2025)

How I Met My Monster, by Amanda Noll/Illustrated by Howard McWilliam (Flashlight Press, 2019)

What are some of your Summer Scare suggestions? Let’s create virtual displays together!

Posted in Librarianing, programs

#SaturdayLibrarian: The Eternal Dilemma

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

My library is a pretty busy urban library in a bustling neighborhood, but Saturdays carry a different vibe. Folks dribble in throughout the day, but no one wants any kind of organized programming, as witnessed by my constantly shifting programming times that usually come up empty. When we didn’t have Saturday programming on the calendar, folks complained. What’s a #SaturdayLibrarian to do?

The answer: PASSIVE PROGRAMS. We’re normally a much smaller staff on Saturdays than our weekdays, so programming had to be easy and low-stress. One of the children’s librarians and I worked out some ideas that were reasonable and easy.

First, we went for the easy one: the educational toys area. We’d open that up for the first couple of hours of the day, when the moms bring the babies and toddlers in. We can keep an eye on the littles, but really, it’s the moms (and dads) engaging with the kids. We can wander over, talk with the caregivers, engage with the littles, and offer some literacy tips along the way. Boom, one Saturday program down.

Next up, the games and puzzles. We don’t like to put out a lot at once; we have one librarian to keep an eye on the whole room for the whole day. The answer: we rotate out puzzles and easy games (matching games, block puzzles, Mr. Potato Head) for earlier in the day, when the littles are in. After lunch, we put out a handful of board games and change up the puzzles to include a couple of more challenging ones. Enough to engage the older kids, but not so many that we lose control of what’s out in the library and, as a result, ends up lost or broken.

Third, the crafts. The kids here love arts and crafts, so we have a “Craft and Carry” weekly program that is, essentially, a grab-and-go craft that they can do either here in the library or bring home. It doesn’t have to be a staff-led program, since we’re short of staff, but still allows us the ability to engage with the patrons and help anyone having trouble. Having my Cricut has been a big help here; I’m able to cut projects out all week long, bag them up, and hand them out on Saturdays.

The result? Three Saturday programs that people are showing up for, are very happy with, and that don’t give me any more gray hair than I’m already getting. Saturdays have gone from stressful to fun again!

Posted in Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

Just in Case celebrates the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, by Megan Clendenan/Illustrated by Britany Cicchese, (Oct. 2025, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623544805

Ages 5-8

Located deep in a Norwegian mountain is the key to protecting the planet’s resources: the Svalbard Seed Vault. Just in Case tells the story of the Svalbard vault using clear and easy-to-understand language; Clendenan infuses her straightforward narrative with beautiful language, pairing with Cicchese’s digital landscapes to inspire awe: “Steel doors open and beckon into the belly of a mountain. Inside the air is as cold as the Arctic outside. Walls of ice shine like stars”. Clendenan and Cicchese show people from all over the world coming together to farm, plant, and eat together, thus creating a respect for nature and what the planet provides. Callouts throughout the book provide further context the importance of seeds and the vault’s creation. Frequent use of the phrase, “Just in case”, resonates with readers of all ages who hear – and say – the same phrase for everything from bringing an umbrella on a cloudy day to carrying a purse-sized first aid kit. It’s a phrase that speaks of importance, the need to be prepared, and creates a bridge of understanding. Back matter includes information on the need for seed safety, an author’s note, a bibliography and further resources. If you haven’t purchased this for your shelves yet, please do it now.

With Spring coming, this is the perfect time to discuss Just in Case: the Svalbard Vault’s anniversary is February 26th; Earth Day is April 22nd, and World Food Day is October 16th. If your library has a seed library, display the book with your library’s “seed vault” and encourage folks to add their seeds to the library’s collection. Find Seed Libaries at the Seed Library Network website.

Just in Case has starred reviews from School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and was a Shelf Awareness pick. It is also a 2026 Orbis Pictus Award Winner and is part of the 2026 Children’s Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Books and Children’s Book Council Best STEM Books.

 

Megan Clendenan studied sociology, English, and environmental planning and has worked for nonprofit organizations focused on environmental law, women’s empowerment, mental health, and urban food security. As a children’s book author, she loves writing nonfiction that explores the connections between history, society, and the environment. She is the author of Design Like Nature: Biomimicry for a Healthy Planet, Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment, and Cities: How Humans Live Together. She lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and two fuzzy orange cats. This is her first picture book. To learn more, visit meganclendenan.com. Follow her on Instagram at @meganclendenan.

Brittany Cicchese enjoys capturing emotion above all else, from expressive portraits to moody illustrations. She is the illustrator of The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale and No More Señora Mimí. When Brittany isn’t sketching or writing, you can find her working at the library, reading a good fantasy or sci-fi book, or hiking around the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Brittany lives in Denver, Colorado. To learn more, visit www.brittanycicchese.com. Visit her Instagram at @cicchese.art.
Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A drowsy bedtime adventure: You and I Are Stars and Night

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You and I Are Stars and Night, by Kate Hosford/Illustrated by Richard Jones, (Feb. 2026, Beach Lane Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781665940382

Ages 3-7

A mother and child go on a playful and loving adventure in this rhyming tale beginning at bath time, where the two set sail on a magical journey with picnics at the shore, playtime with mer-children, and a fantastic flight over a mountain. Rhyming text emphasizes the warm relationship between caregiver and child, each a part that completes the other: “Dive into the ocean spray / and watch the baby mermaids play. / The tides will pull us to and fro. / You and I are ebb and flow”. The adventure concludes as the two return home, curl up with a good bedtime story, and fall asleep. Acrylic and watercolor paintings add a soft, dreamlike quality to the gentle rhyming tale to usher listeners to sleep. A solid addition to bedtime story collections and a great choice for pajama storytimes and bedtime reading.