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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW : Late Today by Jungyoon Huh & Myungae Lee

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LATE TODAY written by Jungyoon Huh, illustrated by Myungae Lee translated by Aerin Park Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025 ISBN: 9780802856494 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A resonant reminder to make the time to be kind, set in the bustling city of Seoul. One rainy morning, the Seogang Bridge hums with traffic—and in between the cars is a tiny kitten. People mutter to themselves, but no one wants to stop or slow down. The raindrops pelt the road; the cars screech and honk; the kitten mews. Finally one car pulls over… With atmospheric art by acclaimed illustrator Myungae Lee, Late Today asks readers to choose compassion in the midst of busyness. This stirring story is perfect for cat lovers, city dwellers, and anyone who’s ever lost themselves in the rush of life. REVIEW While the illustrations aren't my favorite, the story tugged ...
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#MMGM: Schooled by Jamie Sumner

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  SCHOOLED written by Jamie Sumner Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025 ISBN: 978--1-5344-8605-8 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A bighearted, compulsively readable novel from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner about new schools, unexpected friendships, and overcoming loss. Eleven-year-old Lenny Syms is about to start college—sort of. As part of a brand-new experimental school, Lenny and four other students are starting sixth grade on a university campus, where they’ll be taught by the most brilliant professors and given every resource imaginable. This new school is pretty weird, though. Instead of hunkering down behind a desk to study math, science, and history, Lenny finds himself meditating, participating in discussions where you don’t even have to raise your hand, and spying on the campus population in the name of anthropology. But Lenn...
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW & AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR INTERVIEW : Snow Kid by Jessie Sima

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  SNOW KID written & illustrated by Jessie Sima Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025 ISBN: 979-8-3471-0020-0 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for arranging the interview with the author. ABOUT THE BOOK From the New York Times bestselling creator of Not Quite Narwhal, Jessie Sima, comes a heart-melting wintery picture book about a snow kid finding out what it means to be themself! Meet Twig, the snow kid! Like all snow kids, Twig was made from many snowflakes, twigs, stones, a crisp orange carrot, and a very fine hat. What a wonderful thing it is to be Twig! Except…could they still be Twig if a strong breeze blows away their hat? As Twig chases after the hat, more things keep changing, and they keep growing and moving and talking. Is there still a way to go back to being Twig? Maybe not. But maybe there’s more than ...
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard & Dan Santat

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  THE DAY THE BOOKS DISAPPEARED written by Joanna Ho & Caroline Kusin Pritchard illustrated by Dan Santat Disney Hyperion, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-368-11065-5 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Arnold didn't mean for the books to disappear—not exactly. It all started because he liked his book about airplanes best. Why would anyone want to read about tomatoes or ostriches or submarines (ew, the worst!) when they could read about planes, instead? When Arnold realizes—POOF!—he can make the other books vanish, he goes a little too far. Before he knows it, all the books are gone…including his. Can Arnold figure out how to bring them back before it’s too late? This book about books celebrates themes of empathy, interconnectedness, and the value of diverse and differing perspectives. REVIEW A bunch of clever touches pushes this book from enjoyable to fabulous. Under the ...
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: The Day the Crayons Made Friends by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers

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THE DAY THE CRAYONS MADE FRIENDS written by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers Philomel, 2025 ISBN: 979-8-217-04039-1 Source: purchased Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Duncan’s crayons just can’t seem to stay put! After convincing one group of crayons to go back to work after they wanted to quit and rescuing another group who got lost in the most inconvenient places, Duncan’s crayons have disappeared once more. But this time they’ve gone out into his room to make friends. From Red Crayon who fulfills his dream of driving a firetruck, to Blue Crayon, who meets a fashion doll desperately in need of a head, to fan favorite Esteban, who is off to tame a teddy bear (or as he would call it, a wild beast), each crayon has an exciting story to share about the new objects they’ve met and the new adventures they’ve had. REVIEW What a delightful addition to an already popular series. Duncan...
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WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: A Gift of Dust by Martha Brockenbrough & Juana Martinez-Neal

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  A GIFT OF DUST: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet written by Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal Alfred A. Knopf, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-42842-9 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From two award-winning creators comes a picture book that reveals the hidden wonders of how Saharan Dust impacts the from slowing a hurricane to nourishing a rainforest. This dust . . . of what lived once sustains what lives today and what will be born . . . tomorrow. An ancient catfish becomes a fossil, and as the lake where it lived dries up, the fossil turns to dust--but this isn't ordinary dust. This dust begins in Chad, West Africa, but winds carry it across the continent, over the Atlantic ocean, to nourish and replenish the Amazon rain forest and beyond. A Gift of Dust takes readers on a journey that shows just how interconnected our planet is, and how so...
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Fall is for Beginnings by Rajani LaRocca & Abhi Alwar

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  FALL IS FOR BEGINNINGS written by Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Abhi Alwar Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-4197-7740-0 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 5-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Ravi can’t wait for the start of the new school year! Fall is for cool weather, new school supplies, and spending time with his best friend, Joe. But when a new girl named Ellie joins their class, Ravi and Joe’s duo suddenly becomes a trio. Ravi’s not so sure about Ellie—she plays her horn too loud in music lessons and gets them lost on the way to class. Worst of all, she keeps saying she’s Joe and Ravi’s best friend. All these big changes are challenging for Ravi, but with time (and a little help from his wise older sister) he realizes that fall is the perfect time to begin a new friendship. From the award-winning team behind Summer Is for Cousins, this heartwarming pi...
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW : Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe

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  AGGIE AND THE GHOST written & illustrated by Matthew Forsythe A Paula Wiseman Book Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-5344-7820-6 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher for review. ABOUT THE BOOK From Matthew Forsythe, the creator of the acclaimed and beloved Pokko and the Drum, comes a surprising and pleasing picture book about rules. And sharing. And an epic game of tic-tac-toe. Aggie is very excited to live on her own—until she finds out her new house is haunted. But no fear, the situation is nothing that can’t be fixed with a carefully considered list of No haunting after dark. No stealing socks. No eating all the food. But the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules and challenges Aggie to an epic game of tic-tac-toe—winner gets the house. REVIEW In this rather unusual book, Aggie moves into a house only to discover that the place is haunted b...
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WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Beansprout by Sarah Lynne Reul

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  BEANSPROUT written & illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul Charlesbridge, 2025 978-1-62354-475-1 Source: publisher for review Ages 5-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK What happens when you do everything right, but it doesn’t work out? When classmates start having success with their seeds, one student's just won't sprout. A picture book about planting and growing, where grown-ups and kids can talk about disappointment, emotions, and second chances. It's seed-planting time in Ms. Greene's classroom! One of the kids has big predictions for their mystery seed and does everything just so to make sure it grows. But as all the other seeds start to sprout, theirs . . . doesn't. So they proclaim they'll never try to grow another seed again! But when they learn the leftover seeds will be thrown out, they start to think about second chances and enlists their classmates to hel...
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PICTURE BOOK REVIEW : The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi & Monica Arnaldo

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  THE INTERPRETER words by Olivia Abtahi, pictures by Monica Arnaldo Kokila, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-62044-1 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A sharp and heartfelt picture book about a young soccer-loving girl who’s an interpreter for her Spanish-speaking parents.Some kids have one to be a kid! Cecilia has two. When she isn't on the soccer field scoring goals, she's accompanying her parents to all kinds of grown-up places, like the DMV, the accountant's office, and the auto shop. She helps them translate from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish. It’s an important job, and it can even be fun. It’s also hard work. Sometimes Cecilia's second job is so much responsibility, it feels like she'll split in two! Is it time for Cecilia to blow her whistle and call for a time-out?Olivia Abtahi’s clever text and Monica Arnaldo’s charming illustra...
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