Category: Fiction

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Graphic Novels for all ages and stages!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sorry, all! I spent a few days getting this roundup together – I am back and posting regularly again!

 

Maker Girl and Professor Smarts, by Jasmine Florentine, (Aug. 2025, MIT Kids Press), $12.99, ISBN: 9781536239584

Ages 7-10

Add a dash of Science Comics with a splash of Maker Comics, and you’ve got Maker Girl and Professor Smarts, a fun new series that uses tinkering powers for good. Set in New Bork City, main characters Chuy Reyes and Yael (Yaya) Levy are 12-year-old best friends who *didn’t* get superpowers when a comet hit their area of the planet a few years ago. It’s okay, though, because Chuy’s brains meets Yaya’s tinkering genius when a villain threatens the town by turning ice cream into slime! The bantering between the two buddies is witty and funny; it’s quick-paced and has enough action to keep kids turning pages. Illustration is cartoony with bold outlines and bold, bright colors. Chuy presents as a brown-skinned Latino boy and Yael and her brother, Yoel, are white-skinned and Jewish. There are two maker project for kids to try (with grownup help): a grappling hook and sorbet! Each project is illustrated and laid out for ease of construction. The story ends on a cliffhanger (naturally!), promising a good second entry to the series. Back matter includes a wealth of resources for anyone interested in “making stuff or knowing stuff”. Fun for STEAM, fun for anytime, this is a good series to add to your collections.

Need display ideas or readalikes? In addition to Science and Maker Comics, Quirk Books’ Nick and Tesla series by “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith is a fun middle grade series that includes STEAM adventure and projects.

 

 

Night Light, by Michael Emberley, (April 2025, Holiday House), $14.99, ISBN: 9780823458165

Ages 4-8

Part of the I Like to Read series of comics, this is a great introductory graphic novel for emerging readers. A parent and child are reading before bed when a blackout strikes. “Too dark!’ the child says, as the flashlight’s batteries die. The parent has an idea: climbing up to the roof with a sack, they pull the stars from the sky to bring to the child’s room, but what will happen to the poor Moon, left in the dark all by themselves? A sparely worded graphic novel with panels and a breathtaking spread, Emberley creates a heartwarming story for emerging readers that’s as perfect for a bedtime read as it is for reading on one’s own. Emberley’s playful characters have appeared in other stories, including I Did It! and Let’s Go! and sport colorful pink-and-green striped pajamas and ear coverings, with colorful red noses. Sharp-eyed readers will notice the book of choice is Emberley’s father’s book, Go Away, Big Green Monster! (another storytime favorite). An excellent addition to beginner-level graphic novels, Night Light has starred reviews from Horn Book and Kirkus.

 

 

Sky & Ty 2: Dinomite!, by Steve Breen, (April 2025, Pixel Ink), $14.99, ISBN: 9781645952176

Ages 6-9

Sky and Ty are back in their second volume of adventures. The cowgirl and T. Rex duo run a delivery service, do a couple of good deeds, learn that money isn’t everything, and Ty discovers a new branch on his family tree. Adorable fun that readers who love Pea, Bee & Jay and Narwhal and Jelly will enjoy. Great for more newly independent readers, the two-color illustrations are bright and boldly outlined and have more text than early graphic novels. Bold fonts make the text easy to read and themes of kindness and friendship will resonate with kids. There are fun facts about cowgirls in the back matter along with some chuckle-worthy riddles. Pulitzer Prize Winner Breen has a winning series with this one.

There’s a free, downloadable Sky & Ty activity kit from Howdy, Partner!, the first book in the series (2024), for you to print out and have ready for readers.

 

 

Casey’s Cases: The Mysterious New Girl, by Kay Healy, (Feb. 2025, Neal Porter Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9780823456505

Ages 7-10

Casey is a quirky kid who sees is mystery in just about anything. No, really: ANYTHING. The 11-year-old is undeterred by Dina, the resident mean girl, and befriends the mysterious new girl, Jan (a case into and of herself). Jan ends up as Casey’s sidekick as Casey embarks on such adventures as the Case of the Missing Hairband, the Case of the Wrapped Presents, the Case of the Lost Fifty Bucks, and many, many more. She bumbles through a crush on classmate AJ and attempts to find (but not really) the family of a missing cat while solving her mini-mysteries with often-silly moments. She’s more Frank Drebin than Nancy Drew and readers will love her for it. Uncomplicated illustrations,  colorful and boldly outlined, make for easy reading for more confident readers.

Author Kay Healy has printable Casey resources for you to share with your readers! 

 

 

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, picture books

Tales from the TBR: A Man and His Cat Picture Book!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Man and His Cat Picture Book: Fukumaru and the Spaceship of Happiness, by Umi Sakurai, (July 2024, Square Enix Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781646092819

Ages 5-8

How did I miss this one last year? A Man and His Cat is a popular manga series that’s released in the U.S. from Square Enix; somehow, I missed the picture book release that stars the cat, Fukumaru, who has his own adventure. In Fukumaru and the Spaceship of Happiness, Fukumaru meets two space cats whose ship has crashed. Powered by happiness, it’s up to Fukumaru to share his own joy to help his new fureinds (fur + friends) get back home. He shares tasty treats and fun toys, but when they need that last burst of joy to get liftoff, Fukumaru worries – how can he possibly share his Daddy? Sakurai creates a sweet story that emerging readers will love. The chibi illustrations are too cute for words, and the strong theme of sharing will resonate with readers who are learning to share their possessions while teaching them that sharing joy is just as important and as wonderful as sharing material things. If you haven’t gotten this on your shelves yet, give it a whirl, especially if you have manga readers at your library. 

Psst… if you haven’t explored cat manga for kids, yet, I humbly recommend Chi’s Sweet Home (also available to stream) and Fuku Fuku Kitten Tales, both by Konami Konata. My library kids wear my copies out!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate

Super Magic Boy is back, and he’s a Space Tiger this time

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Super Magic Boy: I Am a Space Tiger! (#2), by Jarod Roselló, (Dec. 2024, RH Graphic), $10.99, ISBN: 9780593427811

Ages 4-8

Hugo the Super Magic Boy and his best buddy, Dino the Dinosaur, are back in another wacky adventure. This time, it’s Mami’s birthday and Hugo wants to find a gift that’s so amazing, it could be… out of this world! Transforming into a space tiger, the two travel through space and arrive at the space tiger planet only to learn that they have their own problems: their magic stone has gone missing and without it, they have no power! Space Tiger and Hugo go on their own quest to find the stone and secure a great gift for Mami. It’s a chaotic story filled with exaggerated reactions and adventure that younger readers will get laughs from. Bold and active illustration bounces off the stark white page. Reading the story reminds me of hearing a child relate a story they dreamed up; it’s here, it’s there, it’s everywhere and makes perfect sense to them. Kids will love this book. A second story stars Hugo and a space tiger at bedtime and is sweet and adorable. The third Super Magic Boy book is due out this fall… what will Hugo transform into next?

Psst… both Super Magic Boy books are also available in Spanish!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, picture books

A story to garden by: The Soil in Jackie’s Garden by Peggy Thomas & Neely Daggett

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Soil in Jackie’s Garden, by Peggy Thomas/Illustrated by Neely Daggett, (May 2024, Feeding Minds Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781948898164

Ages 5-8

Jackie is a little girl who gets a group of friends together to garden and celebrate the fruits of their labor in this fun cumulative story that is loaded with fun, easily readable facts about gardening, composting, plant life cycles, and more. The group is inclusive and diverse, encouraging readers to see themselves doing the work in a community garden. The verses play with language, inviting readers to join in and squirm like a worm, smack their lips, and buzz like bees, while callout boxes on each spread expand on the verses with factual text: “These are the worms – squirrrm! / that stir the soil in Jackie’s garden” is accompanied by a fact box with two sentences about worms. Readers familiar with stories like The House That Jack Built will easily recognize the format, and new readers will love the familiarity of having repeat verses, giving them familiarity with the story. Back matter includes information on the soil cycle and how to make a compost pile. Create a great gardening display with Kalee Gwarjanski’s Miss MacDonald Has a Farm , Lois Ehlert’s Planting a Rainbow, and Anna McQuinn’s Lola Plants a Garden!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Tow on the Go!: A fun Easy Reader series to watch

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s always a good day when I get to review Easy Readers! They’re so much fun, I can still read (most of) them at storytime, and I hardly get to review them. This new series, Tow on the Go!, is part of the Ready-to-Read series, and is all about vehicles – which, as I’ve said in the past, is an insta-win with my Corona Kids.

Tow on the Go! The Mambo Rescue!, by Patricia Lakin/Illustrated by Chiara Galletti, (Aug. 2023, Simon Spotlight), $4.99, ISBN: 9781665920063

Ages 4-6

Tow Truck Mo is a happy yellow tow truck who’s ready to pull his friends out of a jam – just give him a sec to play mambo music, because mambo makes Mo go! In this first Tow on the Go! adventure, Mo zooms through the snow to help 10 cars who have gotten stuck. How does he do it? Mambo, baby! Once he gets his friends grooving to the mambo beat, they’re able to get moving… right out of the snow. Adorable rhymes make this a great readaloud, with lines like “Mambo music does the trick. / It will free you super quick!” This is a great excuse to get the kidlings up and moving during storytime, too. Happy anthropomorphic trucks sport bright colors and big expressions; Mo is a happy tow truck ready to help. Large font helps emerging readers get the hang of reading and recognizing loads of sight words.

 

 

Tow on the Go! The Splish-Splash Puddle Dance!, by Patricia Lakin/Illustrated by Chiara Galletti, (Dec. 2023, Simon Spotlight), $4.99, ISBN: 9781665920094

Ages 4-6

The more recent Tow on the Go! book has a new character: Race Car Ro is having a great time splish-splashing in puddles after the rain, but he accidentally gets stuck in a hole and needs some help: it’s Mo to the rescue once again! What happens when Ro is too ticklish for Mo’s hook and his lasso won’t catch? Time to mambo free! This sweet series is all about looking on the bright side, and finding new solutions: “Can you mambo just like me? Dancing just might set you free!” Friendly-faced, bright cars and rhyme make these a delight to read out loud and gets kids – and grownups – moving. I hope readers get to meet more cars and trucks as Mo dances a mambo through more books.

 

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

Garrrrr! Pirate Pearl needs Potatoes!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Potatoes for Pirate Pearl, by Jennifer Concepcion/Illustrated by Chloe Burgett, (Sept. 2023, Feeding Minds Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781948898157

Ages 4-8

Pirate Pearl and Petunia, her trusty parrot sidekick, sail the seas aboard the Jolly Oyster, but there’s a problem: all they have to eat is hardtack, and Pirate Pearl is sick of it! They make land and set off to find some better food, only to encounter Farmer Fay, who teaches Pearl all about potato farming. This informative, fun adventure uses pirate puns and bright, playful illustration to instruct learners on how to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes – and all the delicious ways to enjoy them. At the end of the day, Pearl and Petunia set sail, having made a new friend, and with a new food that’s just as easily grown on her ship as it is in Farmer Fay’s field. Back matter includes potato facts and recipes, with a heads-up from Pirate Pearl herself about having an adult help with any preparation and cooking. A charming and informative story for kids, and a great accompaniment to a STEAM or gardening program or lesson. Download a free activity kit from publisher Feeding Minds Press.

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Halloween Reads for Littles!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Halloween is my favorite holiday! I get to be spooky and goofy and dress up, encouraging everyone around me to do the same. Halloween storytimes are also my favorite, for the same reasons. I’ve got a few Halloween books to book-shout, but let’s start with the wee ones first, shall we?

Peekaboo: Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid/Illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, (July 2023, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536229813

Ages 0-3

Any time I get to enjoy Ingela P Arrhenius’s artwork is a good day. Peekaboo: Pumpkin is the latest in the Peekaboo series from Reid and Arrhenius, taking little readers through a series of rhyming words and accompanied by sliding panels, surprises, and adorable illustration. Sliders let little fingers explore a pumpkin’s shifting eyes, light candles, enjoy a game of peekaboo between a ghost and a cat, a frog and a spider, and other delightful pairings. A mirror reveals itself at the end, inviting a game of lapsit peekaboo. Arrhenius’s illustrations have expressive, cheerful characters, colors pop off the page. The pages are sturdy and the sliding panels will hold up to a great deal of exploring. This one’s a keeper for collections.

 

 

 

Holiday Magic: Happy Halloween!, by Harriet Stone/Illustrated by Giovana Medeiros, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684646401

Ages 0-3

Blend a fun Halloween rhyme with Venetian window panels and playful illustration, and you have a great interactive board book. Happy Halloween features shifting panels and clever cut-outs to create a rhyme about how vampires, mummies, werewolves, and black cats all get ready for Halloween, letting each friendly character change before a reader’s eyes: “This mummy’s tangled bandages are startingto undo! / Underneath, a skeleton jumps up and shouts out, BOO!” Perfect for a Halloween storytime, kids will delight in seeing a vampire morph into a bat, a mummy into a skeleton, a little boy into a werewolf, and a black cat into a witch in front of their eyes. The characters are friendly, never scary, and use of purples and dark blues, plus gratuitous smiling spiders, pumpkins, and other Halloween touchstones set a playful stage for Halloween. Buy a copy for your storytime reference, as the shifting panels may get worn out by curious learners who will open and close the book repeatedly to see how the change takes place. Holiday Magic: Happy Halloween! is a holiday companion to the Animal Magic series from Kane Miller, which includes In the Jungle, In the Ocean, In the Night, and In the Snow, all of which employ Venetian paper design. (And there will be a Merry Christmas book, too!)

 

 

See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See, by David LaRochelle/Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, (July 2023, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536219821

This is one of the best Easy Reader series in recent years. If you loved See the Dog and See the Cat, you’re going to go bananas for See the Ghost, which brings Dog and Cat together with a Ghost and a Fairy for three hilarious stories. Each story can be read as a standalone, but they also build upon one another to create a laugh-out-loud trilogy. The first story, “See the Ghost”, has Ghost scaring Dog and Cat… and eventually, themselves! In “See the Wind”, the Wind gets a bit carried away, blowing everything off the page: including the words to the story! “See the Fairy” introduces Trixie, a fairy “so small that you cannot even see me”. Trixie is a playful fairy with a mischevious streak, and Dog, Cat, and Ghost have to teach Fairy how to play so that everyone has fun. Easy-to-read sentences make this a great book to give emerging readers, and large fonts and colorful, playful illustration makes for an easy readaloud. Spreads use an omniscient narrator and word bubbles; sentences get tossed to an fro with the wind, playing with format.

See the Ghost has starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist. Download fun activity sheets and a teacher’s guide at publisher Candlewick’s website.

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction

Really Bird is great for preschool and kindergarten SEL collections

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Red Comet Press debuted a new Easy Reader series that is great for preschoolers and kindergarteners and SEL collections. Really Bird is a round, blue bird that lives in a city park and spends time with friends Cat and Pup. Really Bird is REALLY enthusiastic about things: “They call me Really Bird because when I’m happy, or sad, or thirsty, or scared, I’m REALLY happy, or REALLY scared… or REALLY thirsty!” Sound familiar? If you’ve spent any time around young kids, it should! The first two books hit shelves in April; let’s take a peek inside.

I Really Want a Bigger Piece! (A Really Bird Story), by Harriet Ziefert/Illustrated by Travis Foster, (Apr. 2022, Red Comet Press), $12.99, ISBN: 9781636550190

Ages 4-7

Really Bird, Cat, and Pup are having a blueberry pie picnic, but each has different ideas on how big a slice they should get. Pup feels like slices should be in size order; Really Bird is starving, so he wants a really big piece, and Cat is frustrated that his piece is messy and missing crust. Can the friends figure out how to share the pie to make everyone happy? The story is laid out in similar fashion to popular Easy Readers like Elephant and Piggie, the Ballet Cat books by Bob Shea, and Cece Bell’s Chick and Brain books, with the narration taking place as dialogue between the characters. The friends state the problem – how to figure out sharing the blueberry pie – and offer different steps to solve the issue, with pluses and minuses (plus – dog gets the biggest piece; minus – Really Bird gets the smallest!); the characters work together to resolve the problem, and all is well at the end! Discussion questions and an activity help kids reflect on what they’ve read and apply it to their experiences. Cartoony characters with bold colors and outlines make this an eye-catching book that makes for a great read-aloud, read-along, or read together.

 

 

 

I Really Want to Be First! (A Really Bird Story), by Harriet Ziefert/Illustrated by Travis Foster, (Apr. 2022, Red Comet Press), $12.99, ISBN: 9781636550183

Ages 4-7

Really Bird and friends are together again! Really Bird is usually last when the friends walk together, but decides today’s the day he’s going to be first! Now that Really Bird is the leader, he takes his friends on a hike that isn’t really easy if you aren’t a bird! Cat and Pup help one another down from a tree, and Really Bird is so focused on being first, he’s ready to start an argument over it. Thankfully, cooler heads prevail and the day is saved. Really Bird is a recognizable voice for young children who are still working on social skills and taking turns, and the story illustrates equity and equality through taking turns and in going on an adventure that isn’t always fair to everyone – all three can climb the tree, but it’s certainly going to be easier for friends with wings! Discussion questions prompt conversation and insight. The story has the comforting familiarity of starting out in the same way: an introduction to Really Bird, the park where he lives, and the origin of his name, along with an introduction to the book’s topic: “Today I REALLY want to be First!” versus “Today I REALLY want a bigger piece!”

 

 

Red Comet also sent me an adorable Really Bird plush to accompany at me at storytime! According to Red Comet’s website, he should be available now. Take a look at this cutie!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, picture books

Fen’s Drop of Gray colors her whole world

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Fen’s Drop of Gray, by Brian Wray/Illustrated Shiloh Penfield, (Nov. 2021, Schiffer Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764362194

Ages 5-8

A hedgehog named Fen loves to paint with bright colors, but one day, a drop of gray gets into her paints and colors her entire world: her paintings and everything around her lose their color, slowly turning gray and adding to her sadness. It’s not like Fen doesn’t want color in her world: she looks through her mother’s art books and tries to find rainbows in the rain, but the gray persists until her mother gives her new, colorful paints. With the color back in her life, Fen takes back her happiness and knows that when the gray tries to take her colors away again, she’ll be ready. A gentle story about how depression can sneak up on us, Fen’s Drop of Gray is Brian Wray and Shiloh Penfield’s latest intuitive story about managing emotions. Using the metaphor of a drop of gray finding its way into our colorful worlds is a great way of explaining those unexplainable “sads” that can show up unexpected, stripping the color in our lives. Try as she might, Fen can’t find her colors and she doesn’t know how to ask for help. Sometimes, all we need is someone – in Fen’s case, her mom – to reach through the gray. It’s not a cure-all, but knowing that someone is there to listen and help is the important message. It’s also important that Fen knows the gray may try to come back, and creates her own coping mechanisms for when that happens.

An important acknowledgement of childhood depression, Fen’s Drop of Gray is another must-have to put into your social-emotional collections and a good starting point for discussion.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, picture books

Don’t Miss: Little John Crow

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Little John Crow, by Ziggy and Orly Marley/Illustrated by Gordon Rowe, (Nov. 2021, Akashic Books), $18.95, ISBN: 9781617759802

Ages 5-8

Young vulture Little John Crow happily lives with his parents in Bull Bay, on the edge of Blue Mountains in Jamaica. Initially, he has no idea what his parents do for a living, but discovers – along with his friends – that his parents are vultures. Scavengers. This makes him an outcast among his friends, and a tragedy sends John off on his own, where he meets other vultures who welcome him into their kettle (a group of vultures!). With John and his parents no longer part of the Bay, the ecosystem is disrupted and the remaining animals realize that they were too quick and too harsh to judge their friend. They set out to find him and hope that he’ll be able to restore things to normal.

Vibrant artwork and emotional storytelling come together to create a readable, unputdownable story about prejudice, acceptance, and family – the families we’re born into and found families, with a subplot about disrupting ecosystems. A good addition to collections where animal stories are popular.

Ziggy Marley is a musician, philanthropist, and children’s book author, and the eldest of reggae artist Bob Marley’s children. Visit his website for more about his career. Orly Marley is Ziggy Marley’s wife, is also an entrepreneur and music industry manager. Gordon Rowe is a hip-hop influenced illustrator and designer. You can find his Instagram here.