Revised January 2026 Pop-up, Flap, Tactile, and Interactive Books Alper, Sascha. The Littlest Drop. Amato, Max. Perfect. Anstee, Ashlyn. Tickle Tickle, Little Tum. Barnett, Mac. Twenty Questions. Bonenfant, Pascale. Play with Jay! Fun and Games [continue reading]
January 2025
Is a Book a Box for Words? Review
Ziefert, Harriet. Is a Book a Box for Words? Mercè Galí, Illus. Red Comet, 10/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-63655-125-8. GRADES Preschool–Kindergarten. ADDITIONAL. What is a box? This sounds like a simple question, but this semi-concept title runs with the definition, stretching it to be nearly [continue reading]
Dive, Dive into the Night Sea Review
Lu, Thea. Dive, Dive into the Night Sea. Thea Lu, Illus. Candlewick, 10/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. 978-1-5362-3415-2. GRADES Preschool–2. OUTSTANDING. Opening horizontally, lush double-page spreads explore the night sea. Soft layers of gray and black ink wash are rubbed back to white, or touched with [continue reading]
Observologist, The: Review
Clarkson, Giselle. Observologist, The: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions. Giselle Clarkson, Illus. Gecko, 02/2024. 120pp. Nonfiction. Trade $24.99. 978-1-7765-7519-0. GRADES 3–7. OUTSTANDING. The skills, habits, and background knowledge necessary for scientific observation are clearly laid out in this whimsically illustrated field guide, [continue reading]
ALA 2025 YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
ALA 2025 YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS ANNOUNCED Erin Entrada Kelly’s The First State of Being (Greenwillow/HarperCollins) was named the 2025 Newbery Medal winner, announced on January 27th by the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC), [continue reading]
Author Jules Feiffer Dies
Author Jules Feiffer Dies: Author and illustrator Jules Feiffer died at age 95 at home in New York on January 21, 2025. His many children’s books included Bark, George (Harper, 1999) and A Barrel of [continue reading]
Impossible Creatures Read-Alikes
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell Alessandri, Alexandra. The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejia. Applegate, Katherine. Willodean. Doshi, Payal. Rea and the Blood of the Nectar. Fawcett, Heather. The Islands of Elsewhere. Gaiman, Neil. The [continue reading]
Sami’s Special Gift Review
Yuksel, M. O. Sami’s Special Gift: An Eid al-Adha Story. Hüseyin Sönmezay, Illus. Charlesbridge, 04/2024. [32]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-1-6235-4296-2. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL. Every year, Sami celebrates Eid al-Adha with his Dede (the [continue reading]