Kinkz, Eliza. ¡Mistaco!: A Tale of Tragedy y Tortillas. Eliza Kinkz, Illus. Kokila, 04/2025. 40pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-5937-0023-5. GRADES Preschool–3. HIGH ADDITIONAL.         Kinkz’s authorial debut picture book follows Izzy, a young Latine girl [continue reading]

Lambelet, Anne. I’m a Dumbo Octopus: A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods. Anne Lambelet, Illus. Graphic Universe, 03/2025. 72pp. Graphic. Trade $29.32. 979-8765603055. Paper $12.99. 979-8765661376. GRADES 2–5. OUTSTANDING. A personality-packed dumbo octopus named Grimpy introduces itself, and its whole class of cephalopods, in an engaging nonfiction graphic [continue reading]

Floca, Brian. Island Storm. Sydney Smith, Illus. Candlewick/Neal Porter, 07/2025. [48]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-8234-5647-5. GRADES Preschool–3. OUTSTANDING. Powerful, painterly watercolor and gouache illustrations capture the energy, atmosphere, and shifting light of a monumental island storm. Rhythmic poetic text speaks in an older sibling’s voice, “Now [continue reading]

Baron, Chris. Spark. Feiwel & Friends, 07/2025. 320pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-250-86474-1.  GRADES 5–7. HIGH ADDITIONAL.             At the start of eighth grade Finn knows where he’s from and what’s important. Redwood Hollows, at the entrance to a national forest, is a tight-knit community and with [continue reading]