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Picture books about siblings

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Siblings come in all shapes, sizes, and species! Here are couple of picture books that celebrate our sibs.

 

Hazel the Handful, by Jamie Michalak/Illustrated by Matt Myers, (Apr. 2025, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536231199

Ages 4-8

Hazel is a small dog with a big personality! She lives a very satisfying life surrounded by her toys and her family, especially Bea, the family’s daughter. But if you look at the illustrations early on, you’ll notice that someone else is joining the family: a baby! Seemingly overnight, Hazel’s world is turned upside down. The stinky baby makes loud noises and gets all of the attention, especially Bea’s. What’s a pup to do? Trying to get back into the spotlight, Hazel causes a bit of chaos and is branded “a handful”. Hiding in a blanket away from everyone, she hears her family looking for her and realizes that she’s still very much part of the family and that just maybe she can find space in her heart – and her toy box – to let the baby in. Narrated by Hazel, this sweet look at new babies and the disruption they can bring to the family pet is humorous and relatable. Hazel is a great stand-in for a child experiencing the mixed emotions surrounding a new baby in the family and communicates in a manner that kids will appreciate. On a family walk, someone who normally gushes over Hazel now says, “Oh, what a cutie patootie baby!” to which Hazel responds, “What? Is it not clear? I am the patootie”; she wonders if Bea still loves her; she feels left out of the family photo. The family is bi-racial; Bea and her brother are light brown-skinned, while Bea’s mother and Nana appear white. A charming readaloud and selection for animal fans and families with a new baby in the home.

 

 

First There Was Me, Then There Was You, by Yvonne Sewankambo/Illustrated by Aurore McLeod, (Feb. 2025, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536239003

Ages 3-7

A brother is excited to welcome his baby sister into the world in this heartfelt ode to siblings everywhere. Told from the brother’s point of view, he goes through the ups and downs (but mostly ups) of having a younger sibling, from the first time she curls her fingers around his to “showing her the ropes”. They play together, disagree sometimes, and explore, always together, because “I love you (trust me, I do!), there is no me without you”. Both siblings are brown-skinned. The digital illustrations use warm colors to communicate shared affection and love; McLeod uses warm yellows and oranges and creates soft lighting to soften backgrounds and keep the light source focused on brother and sister, who feature together in every spread. In two spreads touching on disagreements, the sister is by herself on the left side, joined by her brother on the right side to show their ability to overcome the tough times. A moving celebration of siblings, this is an excellent storytime choice and addition to picture book collections.

 

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Two adorable board books for babies and toddlers!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

These books come Granddaughter approved! My littlest little, who I’ll refer to as Snuggles, gets very excited when she sees these books come out of my bag. Share them with your littles for lapsit fun!

My Animal Sounds (Baby Basics), by Xavier Deneux, (Aug. 2025, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9791036382086

Ages Birth-3

A high-contrast book with splashes of primary color, little fingers can this book features animal sounds on every page: littles can hear a cat meow; a bird’s chitter; the glub-glub of a fish; a frog’s croak; a rabbit’s nibble, an elephant’s trumpet (Snuggles’s favorite!); a sheep’s baaaa; a dog’s bark, a pig’s grunt, and a cow’s moo (her second favorite).  The illustrations are chunky and bold, with each animal’s name on the top of the page. A colorful disc calls the reader’s attention to it, where they can easily press and hear the animal sound. Pages are chunky and thick and will hold up to  multiple reads; there’s even an on/off switch so you can save your battery. A definite fun addition to your board book collections. My Animal Sounds is a companion book to Deneux’s other Baby Basics books, My Books (2024) and Animals at Home (2025).

 

Hoot Hoot, by Georgette, (Aug. 2025, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9791027613632

Ages Birth-3

Another adorable animal sounds book, Hoot Hoot is a bold, eye-catching book that pops out against bright black backgrounds. Die cuts encourage readers to guess at the different animals making sounds by featuring pairs of eyes that reveal identities on the next page. An owl “hoot hoots”; a cat and kitten purr; bats flap, flap their wings, mice scurry, and a playful child tries to fool the reader with his own sound. With bold, bright colors that come alive against the black backgrounds and sturdy die-cut cardboard that will hold up to multiple reads, this is an engaging book that encourages exploration and learning. A must-add! (And a favorite of Snuggles, whose eyes grow like saucers when she sees the cover.)

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Survive This Safari – puzzles and adventure for Back to School mode!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Survive This Safari, by Natalie D. Richards, (Apr. 2025, Delacorte Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593644164

Ages 8-12

Get ready to shift your brain into Back to School mode with this fun adventure set in an Ohio safari park challenge! Lucy is a 12-year-old who loves animals and wants desperately to be a Wildlife Ambassador at the park. She has the chance to compete in a Wildlands Safari Escape Challenge, where only one person will be the newest Ambassador. Lucy and a team of hopefuls have to solve a series of animal fact-based puzzles in order to unlock animal habitats all over the park in a race with the current Wildlands Ambassadors in order to win, but things go haywire when the team runs into communication problems, malfunctioning electronics, and open animal habitats. Lucy and her group come to the realization that things have been sabotaged and the animals – particularly a baby elephant – are in danger! Lucy will learn to manage her panic attacks and the team will learn to work together in order to save the animals and themselves. Filled with puzzles and adventure, readers will get a kick out of this book; entertaining footnotes add some animal facts and provide further character development throughout. Lucy’s character is immediately likable and her efforts to manage anxiety will resonate with many readers, as will fellow competitor Harrison, who is open about his ADHD (which leads to some amusing conversations). Themes of teamwork and friendship with some medium-stakes situations will appeal to readers. This would make a good book club choice.

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Happy Book Birthday to Miya Wears Orange

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Miya Wears Orange, by Wanda John-Kehewin/Illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina, (Aug. 2025, Highwater Press), $18.95, ISBN: 9781774921258

Ages 6-8

A young Indigenous girl learns about residential schools in her class, making her fear that she will be sent to one. When Miya arrives at home from school, she reluctantly tells her mother about her concerns; her mother assuages her fears, telling her that the schools have closed and she will never have to attend one. When Miya questions why her teacher read a book about them, Mom notes that “We all need to understand the truth of what happened, so we can make sure it never happens again”.  Mom tells Miya about wearing an orange shirt as a way of remembering the struggles of Indigenous children, and Miya proudly wears when she returns to school. John-Kehewin shows the intergenerational trauma wreaked by the schools and how it reaches the current generation. Medina’s illustrations have cultural details and her characters are inclusive and expressive. An author’s note mentions her inspiration for Miya’s story. A powerful and moving story about residential schools as seen through the modern-day eyes of an Indigenous girl, Miya Wears Orange belongs in library collections everywhere.

Learn about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation here.

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Enjoy the seasons from an Indigenous perspective: Dad, is it Time to Gather Mint?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dad, is it Time to Gather Mint?: Celebrating the Seasons, by Tyna Legault Taylor/Illustrated by Michelle Dao, (May 2025, Highwater Press), $18.95, ISBN: 9781774921227

Ages 5-8

Dad, is it Time to Gather Mint? celebrates the relationship between humans and the land as a First Nations child and his family move through the seasons. Told in three languages: English, Swampy Cree (n-dialect), and Anishinaabemowin, the story is narrated by Joshua, a young boy who revels in his relationship to the land; his favorite time of year being mint-gathering season. Josh and his dad spend time together in nature through Fall, Winter, and Spring; he drinks in the colors and feels of the surroundings of each time of year. In the Fall, he sees the leaves change color and animals prepare for the winter; in the Winter, the cottony snow brings the cold. In Spring, he sees the animals return and the land come back from a winter’s sleep, and in Summer, he feels the longer, warmer days and rejoices in the green around him. Each season he asks Dad if it’s time to gather the mint, and each time, his father describes what other work must be done: hunting moose and partridge in the Fall; ice fishing in the Winter; hunting geese and fishing for rainbow trout in the Spring. Finally, the Summer arrives, and with it, the time to gather mint! It’s a moving story of family and stewardship to our world. Vocabulary in Swampy Cree and Anishinaabemowin are color-coded in brown and green throughout, with English translations in the margins. Back matter includes a glossary and pronunciation guide along with a recipe for Mint from the Land Iced Tea, just like Joshua’s mother makes. A moving and important addition to season books for collections.

For more information and resources on the Swampy Cree, visit the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Center and the Swampy Cree Tribal Council. For information on the Ojibwe, who speak Anishinabemowin, visit the Minnesota Historical Society the Gladue Rights Research Database of Legal Aid Saskatchewan. Always check in with Debbie Reese’s American Indians in Children’s Literature website for recommendations on Indigenous creators and works.

 

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Thank you!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for sticking with me as I navigate some of life’s chaos. I’m healthy and getting better, and navigating a big move (10 years in one home makes for a LOT of chaos), but I’m finally able to get back to blogging. I’m going to be going through my TBR as quickly as I can; if you’ve sent me something to read and review, I’ll get there, I promise.

Now, for reading and writing. Watch this space.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

To Catch a Ghost… or make a friend?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

To Catch a Ghost, by Rachel Michelle Wilson, (July 2025, Orchard Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781339031958

Ages 3-7

“Bringing nothing to show-and-tell is like wearing shoes without socks. It stinks.” Sam is the new kid, which is hard. Being the new kid AND having show-and-tell coming up is even harder. Written from Sam’s perspective, To Catch a Ghost reads like a manual; Sam lays out the steps and drops some knowledge for prospective ghost-catchers: how to find one, how to observe one, and how to catch one. But when it comes right down to it, does Sam want to capture a potential friend? Luckily, there’s a solution that works for all in this upbeat, playful story about making friends. Acrylic and pastel illustration gives bold linework and soft color, giving a fun, retro feel to the piece. A cheerful story about friendship and unexpected surprises, To Catch a Ghost is a nice addition to storytime and picture book collections.

To Catch a Ghost has a starred review from School Library Journal. Sign up for Rachel Michelle Wilson’s newsletter at her website.

 

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Little blog break

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi all, just a word to apologize profusely but I’ll need to take a little bit of a break from the blog. I’m hoping it’s just for a couple of weeks, but it may be a bit longer. I’m dealing with some health issues, and I’ll need a little bit to come back. If I’ve gotten books to review, I will get to them; it’s just taking me a bit longer to get to. Thanks, and I hope I’ll be back to posting soon.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

More books for your Earth Day displays!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Earth Day is coming to a close, but we can celebrate our Pale Blue Dot all year ’round. Let Earth Day be the kickoff to a Spring full of environmental awareness for your libraries and communities!

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle, by Maddalena Bearzi/Illustrated by Alex Boersma, (May 2025, Roaring Brook Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250901675

Ages 6-10

There’s bits and pieces of knowledge most of us have about sea turtles: they lay eggs on the beach, the hatchlings hatch, and there’s the “race for life” to get to the ocean before the predators get the hatchlings. What happens after a turtle hatchling makes it to the water? Bearzi, a marine biologist and conservationist, details the life of a sea turtle for readers. Beginning with the hatching, Bearzi continues the story to show readers that making it to water isn’t the end of a sea turtle’s struggle; there are predators in the water and there are humans, whose fishing nets don’t always allow for a turtle to escape. Bearzi also discusses migration patterns and brings the turtle’s life full circle by having the main sea turtle return to the same beach where she hatched, this time to lay her own eggs. Boersma’s realistic illustrations are breathtaking, evoking emotion and awe with each spread. Back matter includes a section on spotting the different types of sea turtles, ways to protect sea turtles, information about sea turtle researchers, and a bibliography. A must-buy for your nonfiction collections. The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Together, a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature’s Diversity and Our Own, by Roz MacLean, (March 2025, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99 ISBN: 9781250864512

Ages 4-8

A class trip to a forest is a study in interconnectivity. Each of the class interacts with their environment in their own ways, illustrating how we each relate to our surroundings. Sasha, a student with a white cane who codes as being blind, listens to the differences in bird sounds as they change position; the surrounding trees and plants creating “sound shadows”. Angel, a student who gets “caught up in the moment” and “often misplaces things”, is much like a squirrel, who buries more seeds than he will need to get through winter, just in case he forgets where he saved everything. Student Joy appears to suffer from anxiety, is worried about her class assignment, but the soothing network of her classmates – her ecosystem – sustains her just as the orchid sustains its environs. A moving meditation on how we all come together to create a diverse and vibrant world and how we are connected to our planet. A good addition to picture book collections. Mixed media illustration includes a diverse and inclusive group. Use this book to encourage discussion. Together, a Forest has a starred review from Kirkus. Download a free activity kit from MacKids School and Library.

 

How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up, by Ruth Spiro/Illustrated by Teresa Martínez, (March 2025, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623546205

Ages 4-8

You know, sometimes it’s just up to kids to get things done, especially when grown-ups don’t want to listen. That’s where this “How to Explain” series comes in handy, and climate change is a particularly important one for kids to be aware of AND about how to talk to grown-ups. Written with the assumption that kids are in charge, Spiro – whose Baby Loves Science series we love! – offers comic book panels, simple and factual explanation (so grownups can understand!) and Pro Tips to fall back on when stubborn adults insist that climate change isn’t a real thing. Martínez’s illustration offers helpful diagrams for visual explanation and comic book dialogue to keep everyone engaged. It’s a tough job, being a kid, especially when you have to explain everything to those spacey grownups: stock your collection with this series to help a kid out. Download an educator kit, a Kid Expert certificate, and badge from Charlesbridge’s website.

 

History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment, by Kate Messner/Illustrated by Justin Greenwood, (March 2025, Random House Books for Young Readers), $9.99, ISBN:  9780593705308

Ages 8-12

This series does gangbusters in my library, which is no big surprise, because it’s penned by Kate Messner. Here, Messner gets to the truth behind the Earth Day history and myths. Messner gets into the first Earth Day in April 1970, but gets to the roots of the holiday with discussions on Indigenous populations who developed sustainable farming practices, environmental activists going back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and the science behind global warming. Messner’s straightforward discourse has the ability to empower a new generation to take up the cause: plant a tree, throw out some trash, recycle the bottles! Greenwood’s black and white illustrations go from the realistic-factual to comic book panels depending on the ideas he communicates. A home run for graphic novel fans and more visual readers that will find a great home in nonfiction collections.

 

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Popping up to say hi!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi, all! I’ve been away for a bit, but with good reason…

I’m a Nana now! I took some time to hang out with my new storytime companion, and now I’m back and ready to talk kidlit – probably now more than ever!

While I herd all my cats, just wanted to let you know that there was a good reason for my absence. And now, on with the show.