Category: picture books

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

No matter the weather, Walkies are essential!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Walkies: A Dog’s Tale, by Estrela Lourenço, (May 2024, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645678717

Ages 4-8

It’s a miserable day outside, but that doesn’t stop Dog from wanting to go for a walk! Kid gets home from school and just wants to relax and stay dry, but Dog can be very convincing. Amusing moments that every dog person will recognize punctuate this adorable, wordless story that starts with a grumpy Kid reluctantly venturing out with Dog and turns into a sweet buddy tale. Digital illustrations feature an expressive kid, clad in a bright yellow raincoat, silently steaming as Dog sniffs every tree and dances in every puddle. As Kid spends more time away from his computer, though, he starts to appreciate the outside, rain or no rain: the animals in the trees, the simple fun of being with his Dog, who loves this time with Kid, and appreciating the world around him. When the rain clears up, Kid and Dog aren’t quite ready to call it a night… and go get Big Sister for some fun, too. The wordless story allows readers to take in the pictures and create their own stories. Expressive characters communicate easily with pre-readers and reluctant readers, and Dog will win over everyone. A joyful ode to pet ownership and reducing screen time.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me is a tender story of grandfather and grandaughter

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me, by Ismée Williams/Illustrated by Tatiana Gardel, (May 2024, Roaring Brook Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250848772

Ages 4-8

The changing seasons frame this story of a grandfather and his granddaughter. In the summer, the two roll up their pants and wade in the water, discovering shells and pebbles; she listens to his stories about marlins and dolphins. In the fall, they watch the waves, and Abuelo tells his granddaughter that he won medals as a swimmer. In the fall, they watch the waves churn as the wind and ice whip against the water; Abuelo tells her about his father taking him to the beach during hurricanes. In the spring, Abuela packs the two a picnic, and grandfather and granddaughter joyfully shed their shoes and run for the water. The beach allows Abuelo to tell his granddaughter about his life in Cuba; she feels his sadness as he recalls his memories: the swimming medals he left behind; the guayaba ice cream, the island sun. Digital illustrations provide rich color: the purple sky, with clouds shaped like marlins and dolphins and the close-up spread of Abuelo’s and granddaughter’s faces, his eyes reflecting the Cuban sun and sand, hers reflecting her grandfather, are two outstanding moments. Williams’s vivid descriptions let readers feel the sun on their faces, the ice hit their cheeks, and let them wiggle their toes in the sand. An outstanding immigrant story and of intergenerational relationships.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Closing out AANHPI Month with Baba’s Peach Tree

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Baba’s Peach Tree, by Marie Tang/Illustrated by Seo Kim, (May 2024, Random House Studio), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593565070

Ages 4-8

A father and daughter in rural China discover a fortuitous surprise behind their little stone house: a peach tree. Baba wakes up before dawn to tend to the tree before before he heads to town for work, telling his daughter, Tao Hua, that the tree is “a blessing like good shoes, hot rice, and books”. Eventually, Baba finds work in the city, and he and Tao Hua leave their little stone house to live in an apartment. As the years pass and Baba grows older, Tao Hua takes him to their little stone house to discover a multitude of peach trees have grown from the pits she planted before they left. At once a bittersweet memory and a tale of migrant workers, Baba’s Peach Tree is a gentle story about dreams and sacrifice; about the love and dedication of a father, and the hope for a brighter tomorrow. Soft digital illustrations show a variety of textures, from a rooster’s feathers to the soft, velvety peaches in baskets and a food cart. A touching tribute to parents and to migrant workers, this is a gorgeous story that readers will come back to.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Cute Toot salutes the poot!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Cute Toot, by Breanna J. McDaniel/Illustrated by Olivia DeCastro, (April 2024, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250881298

Ages 3-7

What starts as a game of hide-and-seek between two sisters turns into a hilarious farting contest! Big Sis and Baby Sis are playing away a rainy day in an attic when Baby Sis’s tummy gets a little rumbly… and there it is: “Just a cute little toot”. But one toot leads to another; no matter where Baby Sis goes, she announces where she is with a “pft”, much to Big Sis’s delight. Before you can say “cabbage”, Big Sis lets one slip, sending Baby Sis into a fit of giggles, and the two are off on a gas-powered competition! When the smoke clears, there’s Momma, ready to show them who the champ really is. A laugh-out-loud story that will keep kids giggling, this fart-powered story is filled with laughs as the sisters try to contain themselves, only to let it all go. The bold artwork is punctuated with green clouds and bold white fonts for sound effects. Another book made for read-alouds, make sure to be as dramatic as possible (and possibly make a few felt clouds to include in your storytelling). Cute Toot is a fun family story with laughs and love. The characters are brown-skinned.

Posted in Fiction, Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

It’s AANHPI Month!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

What’s AANHPI? It’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and May’s dedicated to recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have and continue to have on American culture and history. Here are some books to think about when putting together collections and displays.

If Lin Can, by Richard Ho/Illustrated by Huynh Kim Liên & Phùng Nguyên Quang, (Apr 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $18.99, ISBN: 9781623543723

Ages 7-10

Posed as both a narrative and a series of thought-provoking questions, this picture book biography of basketball star Jeremy Lin touches on the obstacles Lin encountered on his way to becoming the first Taiwanese American to play in the NBA and inspiring “Linsanity” among fans. The story emphasizes Lin’s perseverance over racism and those who underestimated him, paralleled with Asian-presenting children encountering similar obstacles and connecting with Lin, who they see on TV or in the newspaper: “Have you ever tuned in to a radio, / turned on a television, / or opened a newspaper, / and discovered someone who looks like you?” Liên and Quang’s expressive illustrations show Asian-presenting children being ignored or bullied by light-skinned children, adjacent with Lin’s similar experiences. An inspiring addition to sports biographies and picture book biographies.

Read more about Jeremy Lin at the Jeremy Lin Foundation webpage, his Basketball Reference page, and his Instagram.

 

 

Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding, by Mitali Banerjee Ruths/Illustrated by Parwinder Singh, (Apr 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623544188

Ages 4-8

The second Archana (her nickname is Archie) story focuses on Archie and her family preparing to celebrate her Uncle Poppy’s wedding to Julie. Archana, an Indian girl, helps acclimate Julie’s niece Emma, to the excitement of an Indian wedding and helps calm Julie. Emma is a stand-in for the reader, who Archie guides through the wedding celebration, explaining food, clothing, henna painting, and customs like the ceremony and stealing the groom’s shoes. Vibrant art captures the lively atmosphere, and Emma and Archie become friends as they become cousins after the wedding. A fun additional purchase for picture book collections, Archie Celebrates an Indian Wedding is the companion to Archie Celebrates Diwali (2021). An author’s note about Indian weddings and a glossary complete the book.

Raising World Children has more fun facts about Indian weddings.

 

 

Other books to display/read/purchase:

 

Continental Drifter, by Kathy MacLeod,
(Apr. 2024, First Second), $14.99,
ISBN: 9781250813749

 

 

Fried Rice & Marinara, by Mike Yam/Illustrated by Laura Dong,
(Apr. 2023, VOOK Books), $17.99,
ISBN: 9781737726951


Pie in the Sky, by Remy Lai,
(May 2019, Henry Holt & Co), $21.99,
ISBN: 978-1-250-31410-9


Jhupli’s Honey Bee Box, by Achintyarup Ray/Illustrated by Shivan Choudhary
(Oct. 2023, Amazon Crossing Kids), $17.99,
ISBN: 9781662514678

 


Anni Dreams of Biryani, by Namita Moolani Mehra/Illustrated by Ghaaya Prabhat,
(Sept. 2022, Two Lions), $17.99,
ISBN: 9781542030410

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Put down your phone and Look Up!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Look Up! Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution, by Britt Gondolfi/Illustrated by Amanda Romanick, (Apr. 2024, Paw Prints), $18.99, ISBN: 9781223188089

Ages 5-7

This hilarious rhyming story serves as a cautionary tale to look up from our screens once in a while. Set in New Orleans, a group of pigeons watches as the people below them rush around glued to their phones, never noticing anything around them. One pigeon, Fontaine, wants to change things for the better and comes up with a laugh-out-loud method that’s sure to get people’s attention. Black-lined colorful illustrations give an edge to the story, with little touches of New Orleans in the background details; Cafe du Monde and the French Quarter give life and character to the setting. Romanick captures the bustle of the city and the cluelessness of a populace riveted to their screens and beautifully captures the perspective of the birds staring down at the humans, lamenting their lack of attention. Fontaine dons a red beret and commands his legions, and the fallout will have readers squealing with delight. Give this one a read – I can’t wait to have a screen-free storytime with this one.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Peek into The Wonderful World of Ants!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Wonderful World of Ants, by Philip Bunting, (March 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593567784

Ages 4-8

There are 10 quadrillion ants in the world! That’s a lot of ants. The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is all about how these tiny little creatures make life better for us humans, and what we can learn from them. Recycling is a big thing with ants: nothing goes to waste! They recycle nutrients of plants and trees to create richer soil, and that makes for better crops for us. Ants love a good power nap, too – and who can blame them? Bunting’s humor comes across in his artwork and his writing, making fun facts even more interesting to read about, and bold, colorful pictures to grab your attention. He explains how an ant colony functions and each group’s job within the colony, and how ants communicate through pheromones. All in all, ants do their job in making the world a better place, and we could take a minute to learn from them. An excellent introduction for younger readers, and a first-rate addition to collections. The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is the companion to The Gentle Genius of Trees.

The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants has a starred review from The Horn Book.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Saving Delicia: A Story About Small Seeds and Big Dreams

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Saving Delicia: A Story About Small Seeds and Big Dreams, by Laura Gehl/Illustrated by Patricia Metola, (Apr. 2024, Flyaway Books), $19.00, ISBN: 9781947888449

Ages 3-7

Kari and her dog Cookie sit in the shade of a delicia tree, listening to Old Otis tell stories about his youth, when delicia trees grew in abundance and he would eat fruit after fruit, the juice running down his chin. Blight has killed off all but one tree, but Kari holds hope. She saves the seeds after she eats the fruit, and asks Otis if he thinks she could bring the trees back. Moved to action, Kari learns about freezing and preserving seeds; her friends join her, and they create “Kari and Otis’s Seed Bank”, delighting Otis. Sadly, Otis and the last delicia tree die shortly after, but the following year, scientists solve the blight problem and Kari puts her seed bank to use. An older Kari sits among a delicia orchard, sharing stories with the children who cannot believe there was a time when there was only one delicia tree. A moving story of empathy, environmental stewardship, and intergenerational friendship, Saving Delicia is an excellent choice for Spring storytimes, and if you have a seed library (like my library!) or a gardening program, this is a must read. A note from the author expands on the importance of seed banks and biodiversity. The colorful illustrations are cheery, filled with hope, and show the incredible beauty of the many seeds that give life to beautiful and necessary plants: “So many seeds that could grow into brilliant bouquets or towering forests”. An essential for picture book collections.

 

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

My Mother’s Tongues celebrates language and culture

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

My Mother’s Tongues: A Weaving of Languages by Uma Menon/Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell, (Feb. 2024, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536222517

Ages 4-8

A young girl named Sumi loves that her mother speaks two languages, Malayalam and English. She has “two tongues” and can easily move between each language depending on who she’s speaking with: with Sumi, she speaks a combination of Malayalam and English; with the cashier at the store, English; with her grandmother, Malayalam. Sumi sees only one tongue in her mother’s mouth, but the two tongues are “woven together like fine cloth. The seams are invisible”. Sumi thinks of her mother’s childhood, her migration from India to America, and how her two tongues grew together. Her family tells her that languages are like muscles and that they need to be exercised to become stronger, and she thinks of all the languages she hears. The story is a lyrical celebration of langauge and diversity, with emphasis on embracing one’s own tongue while learning others, and how multilingualism can expand our world while bringing us together. Mixed media illustrations in vivid colors look like a woven quilt and weaving references throughout the storytelling reinforce the theme. An excellent addition to storytime collections.

My Mother’s Tongues has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Finding Grateful any place, any time

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Finding Grateful, by Dianne White/Illustrated by Faith Pray, (Apr. 2024, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211237

Ages 5-7

A child and her mother embrace mindfulness and find gratitude in everything around them in this lyrical picture book that encourages readers to take time to enjoy the small moments: waving at neighbors, running barefoot in the grass and listening to a plane fly overhead, admiring dandelions push their way up through a crack in the pavement. Filled with poetic observations like “Mama says: / you don’t need a map / to find grateful”; “be where your feet are”; and “maybe grateful is a cold spray on a hot day”, Finding Grateful honors the small moments that too often go overlooked. Watercolor, crayon, pencil, and linoleum blocks create soft illustrations; the child centered in the spreads while life goes on around her in the background, giving readers a real sense delight and exploration. The child’s body movements are a celebration of discovery: hands thrown up, she runs through grass after she frees her feet from her sandals to be in touch with the grass; arms back as she runs forward, tongue out, she catches water from a sprinkler; arms thrust out in front of her, she greets a neighbor and holds out a flower. Finding Grateful is a wonderful introduction to small moment storytelling. A very good addition to storytime and picture book collections.

Finding Grateful has a starred review from Kirkus.