Category: picture books

Posted in picture books

A fairy tale and the story of a fairy tale master, all for you!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The True Ugly Duckling: How Hans Christian Andersen Became a Swan, by Sandra Nickel/Illustrated by Calvin Nicholls, (Mar. 2026, Levine Querido), $18.99, ISBN: 9781646145768

Ages 4-8

Nickel and Nicholls create a breathtaking picture book biography about master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Focusing on his lonely childhood and young adulthood, Andersen’s life mirrored many of his fairytales: the ugly duckling who became a swan; the lonely outcast who became celebrated by society. Nickel draws empathy from readers by unfolding Andersen’s story as one would a fairy tale hero’s journey, using some of Andersen’s most famous stories to tell his tale: his inability to dance like a swan; his speaking and acting “like a country duck”; his singing voice becoming “more like a toad’s” when his voice changed. Nicholls’s low-relief sculptures, created with layers of paper, creates movement and texture that presents a feast for the eyes. Every single part of this book is a joy to read. Back matter includes an author’s note, bibliography, and citations. An excellent addition to picture book biographies. Display with some of Andersen’s tales and show readers how to create their own cut-paper masterpieces – start with a simple doll chain or this heart chain.

The True Ugly Duckling has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

 

Rumpelstiltskin, by Mac Barnett/Illustrated by Carson Ellis, (Feb. 2026, Orchard Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781338673852

Ages 3-7

Barnett and Ellis go together like peanut butter and jelly, and they’re just as good. Their latest story is a phenomenal retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, the little guy who spins straw into gold for a price. Nothing comes close to Barnett’s joyfully incendiary voice: he describes the young girl’s father as a “poor miller… a nice enough guy, but he had a big mouth. ..,Here, I’ll give you an example”. The father and king play a game of one-upmanship that leads the poor miller’s daughter to the king’s castle, where she has to spin gold out of straw (thanks, Dad) or lose her head. Barnett’s storytelling is pure fun to read, and Ellis’s gouache paintings look like a medieval museum gallery: which is what influenced both author and illustrator. There are also sketches throughout. The historical feel of the artwork pairs beautifully with Barnett’s more updated prose to give readers a book they will return to again and again.

Do not miss this one: it’s got starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus, was an Indie Next Pick, and a Book of Distinction chosen by the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books.

 

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 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 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.

 

Posted in Intermediate, picture books

Rise, Girl, Rise: A Call to Young Women

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All, by Gloria Steinem & Leymah Gbowee/Illustrated by Kah Yangni, (Feb. 2026, Orchard Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781338888942

Ages 4-8

“We come to this place from worlds apart…”: Two women raised on different sides of the world come together to tell their stories as young women and what brought them together to work on behalf of women all over the world. Steinem muses on her childhood as an antique dealer’s daughter, traveling the country in the trailer that served as her home; as she grew, she saw more and more injustices faced by women and people of color. Gbowee recalls her peaceful childhood in Liberia until war broke out in 1989, when she saw the injustices foisted upon women and children in particular. When Steinem and Gbowee meet and become “sister-friends”, they become “WE”: united, “Sister-speakers. Sister-preachers”, joined in their crusade for equality and human rights. Steinem and Gbowee’s words inspire and rally readers; Yangni’s mixed media and digital illustrations are bold and colorful with texture and life. An excellent choice for collections, and an inspired choice for Women’s History Month displays. Back matter includes authors’ notes. Find activity sheets here.

 

 

Gloria Steinem is a political activist, feminist organizer, and the author of many acclaimed books, including the national bestseller Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem. She is a contributor to the classic children’s book Free to Be You and Me, which became a children’s entertainment project, conceived, created, and executive-produced by actress and author Marlo Thomas, produced in collaboration with the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Free to Be Foundation, both cofounded by Ms. Steinem, and most recently illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.

Ms. Steinem is also the cofounder of the National Women’s Political Caucus and the Women’s Media Center. In keeping with her deep commitment to establishing equality throughout the world, Ms. Steinem helped found Equality Now, Donor Direct Action, and Direct Impact Africa. To learn more, visit gloriasteinem.com.

Nobel Peace laureate Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, social worker, and women’s rights advocate. She is Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, based in Monrovia. As a writer, Ms. Gbowee is the author of the inspirational memoir Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, and author of the children’s book A Community of Sisters, illustrated by Coleen Baik. Ms. Gbowee is perhaps best known for leading a nonviolent movement that brought together Christian and Muslim women to play a pivotal role in ending Liberia’s devastating, fourteen-year civil war in 2003.

Kah Yangni is the illustrator of Not He or She, I’m Me by A. M. Wild, a 2024 Stonewall Book Award Honor Book and the illustrator of The Making of Butterflies by Zora Neale Hurston and Ibram X. Kendi. Their art has been covered by NBC News, Ebony Magazine, Mic, and them, and their poster work is in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Kah lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Celebrate Passover in Argentina: The Passover Pet Surprise by Ana María Shua & Ángeles Ruiz

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Passover Pet Surprise, by Ana María Shua/Illustrated by Ángeles Ruiz, (March 2026, NorthSouth Books), $19.95, ISBN: 9780735846081

Ages 4-8

Jordanita and her family live in Miami, but head to Argentina to spend the Passover holiday with their family. Jordanita loves spending time with her Argentina family, Uncle Ariel, Aunt Verónica, and cousin Ilán; they have a big garden with plenty of places to play hide-and-seek, and they have so many pets! There are two dogs, a cat, two turtles, and two parrots named Tic and Toc. Who could ask for more? As the family spends time together, Jordanita notices Tic and Toc are in a cage while the other animals roam freely. After listening to the Passover story and her family talk about freedom, she decides that all living things should be free. A story of love, family, and faith, Shua’s writing is filled with warmth; Jordanita’s innocent mistake is based in a desire to do good. Ruiz’s illustrations bring an explosion of joyful color on each spread. The English language version of the book includes some Spanish vocabulary. A delightful story that also carries lessons on caring for pets. A recommended purchase for holiday collections.

The Passover Pet Surprise has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Posted in picture books, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Read Black KidLit: Beautiful Black Boy by Sophia Robinson & Ken Daley

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Beautiful Black Boy, by Sophia Robinson/Illustrated by Ken Daley, (Apr. 2026, Orchard Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781338864649

Ages 3-7

Beautiful Black Boy is a celebration of Blackness, inspiring young Black boys to feel confidence and pride. Each spread is an explosion of joy, with affirmational wording to fill readers with positivity: “Beautiful Black Boy, / You are strong. / You can do anything you set your mind to”; “Beautiful Black Boy, / You are full of hope. / Always live your life with an open heart and mind”. Powerful words, like strong, hope, resilient, and leader are bolded for emphasis; each spread incorporates the page’s verse into the illustration, building the words into the background. Bold and bright colors show a full range of active Black children smiling, their gazes turned upward; expressions of wonder and elation on their faces. Robinson’s words pair with Daley’s beautiful illustrations to show children they are seen, appreciated, and loved. A recommended first purchase for picture book collections.

 

SOPHIA ROBINSON was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. She has been an elementary school teacher for over 20 years, where she shares her love of picture books with her students.

KEN DALEY is an award-winning artist/illustrator and veteran educator for over twenty years from Tillsonburg, Ontario. His art and illustrations are inspired by his African-Caribbean heritage, and he has exhibited his work in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Ken has illustrated numerous children’s books and has received an Américas Award Honor Book and a Kirkus Best Picture Book for Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings.

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, picture books, Teen, Tween Reads

Scholastic brought the party!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Scholastic has been bringing the party to librarians and bookish folk! First, we had the in-person Graphix celebrations and Comic-Con parties, and now we had a virtual LLX (formerly the American Library Association’s Midwinter conference, then LibLearnX) party where we got to see authors and Scholastic editors talk about some exciting upcoming Spring books. For those folks who got their responses in early, we got a box of ARCs AND candy!

Sour Patch Watermelon! (There was a Hershey bar, too, but that didn’t make it to the photo.)

There’s a great spread of books in this box and I’m hoping to read and report back on all of them. There are picture books: Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis’s newest collaboration, a retelling of Rumpelstiltkin; Rhea’s Rodeo, Laekan Zea Kemp and Raissa Figueroa’s gorgeous look at Mexican women’s rodeo; Mama Says I’m Fine, Brittney Cooper and Tanisha Anthony’s love letter to moms (their interview had me sniffling back tears: this book is just wonderful), and Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal’s Awe, which evokes that exact feeling with each turn of the page. 

Next, we have some graphic novels: Midsummer Sisters from Niki Smith; a moving story about the impact of divorce on stepsiblings who are as close as siblings and best friends, and Opting Out from Maia Kobabe and Lucky Srikumar, who bring us Saachi, a kid who is dealing with the usual friendship, sibling, and crush dilemmas, but also wants nothing to do with “blue-and-pink binaries”. This conversation was so good that I can’t wait to dive into these books… dare I bring them home this weekend and jump the TBR line?

Novels in verse are up next: Aida Salazar’s Stream, where two rising ninth graders meet after being sent to Mexico by their parents to unplug from the online world. If you’re thinking a sweet resort where they’re going to hang out by the pool all day, you’re wrong: they’re in locations without electricity or running water! Then we’ve got Perfect Enough by Meg Eden Kuyatt, a companion to Good Different (2023). Selah, the main character in Good Different, is back (still a dragon) and looking forward to spending her summer at writing camp… until she discovers that Ezra, her bully, is there too.

Finally, we have a YA novel that sounds outstanding: Goldenborn, by Ama Ofosua Lieb, which draws from Ghanian mythology to tell Akoma Ado’s story. She’s a teen investigating magical crime when she’s made an offer she can’t refuse by trickster god Anansi. It’s romantasy and I am here for it.

More goodies to come!

Posted in picture books

Sunny and the Birds speaks to a parent’s longing for home

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sunny and the Birds, by Wendy Meddour/Illustrated by Nabila Adani, (Feb. 2026, Crocodile Books), $18.95, ISBN: 9781623715663

Ages 3-7

A young boy named Sunny watches birds alongside his father, his father mentioning the very same birds that lived “back home”. Each time, Sunny declares that “this is our home”, and his father’s expressions become progressively more wistful. Realizing his father misses their home country, he and his grandmother plan a surprise for his father: a bird feeder that allows them to see all sorts of birds and share a new pastime in their new home country. The story’s flow lets readers know that Sunny’s family has recently located to a new country. Where we usually see how moves affect children, Meddour gives readers a glimpse into the bittersweet moments adults experience when starting life over in a new country. Connecting through birdwatching allows Sunny and his dad to get used to life in a new place while keeping a bridge to their homeland. Adani’s illustrations are cheerful and expressive with visual affection between a child and parent. Sunny and the Birds is an excellent choice for picture book collections and storytime. Consider displays including books like Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine, by Hannah Moushabeck and Reem Madooh, The Little House of Hope, by Terry Catasús Jennings and Raúl Colón, Where Butterflies Fill the Sky: A Story of Immigration, Family, and Finding Home, by Zahra Marwan, and Rosa’s Song, by Helena Ku Rhee/Illustrated by Pascal Campion.