Jazzy comes from a long line of witches who make the brooms that all of them ride. But Jazzy is different. She’s not excited about learning magic spells or about learning to ride a broom. It’s not until Jazzy sees her first bicycle that she finds her passion. Soon she is zipping around secretly on a bicycle that she made with the help of her best friend and Fiona, her pet bat. As Jazzy gets more and more focused on cycling, her friendship starts to fall apart along with her school work. When a broom riding performance is announced, Jazzy must find a way not to embarrass her entire family since she can’t ride a broom yet.
Bagley has created a marvelous witchy world in this graphic novel for elementary-aged readers. The diverse characters, include Jazzy’s family of Black queer women. With the focus on witch traditions vs. human bicycles, readers get to explore what being different from your family and community feels like and how telling the truth is a way to move forward and find acceptance. The art is funny, action-filled and fully depicts the community of witches.
A non-scary witch book that’s worth a ride. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Island Storm by Brian Floca, illustrated by Sydney Smith (9780823456475)
Two siblings set off to watch a thunderstorm arrive at their island home. They walk through the forest to the beach where the waves grow bigger and crash on the shore. They pull one another onward, following the road along the water as the wind gets stronger. They keep on going, past the lighthouse and into the empty town. The storm arrives with a Boom! And now the children head quickly back home the way they came, finally arriving to a worried adult, dry towels and light.
Floca captures the wonder, joy and thrill of being out in a storm as we follow these two children on their adventure. Throughout, there is a sense of a building pressure from the storm that is released in a very satisfying way for the reader. Floca plays with language and structure throughout, using repetition to build the story’s drama. The illustrations by award-winning Smith are a great match to the text, creating movement across the page, embracing the growing darkness, and sharing the adventure the children are having.
A wonderfully dramatic picture book, this one would be perfect for windy nights. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
The skies overhead are changing from “freshly washed” to potential rain in this picture book by a master poet that is a celebration of clouds.The clouds change as they are reflected in glass buildings or peeked at between tall buildings. Readers will watch the storm arrive as Kooser uses child-friendly laundry metaphors for the various cloud formations and the darkness of the stormy sky.
Kooser’s poetic skill is fully on display as he creates magic with his wording and invites children to look up and see the beauty of the skies above them whatever the clouds may be doing at the time. The illustrations by Myers pick up on the laundry theme without overplaying it, showing two children who form a connection across rooftops.
Gorgeous words and art combine to form a beauty of a storm. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
A hot sunny summer day is transformed when the dark clouds move in. The wind picks up making the grasses sway and picking up leaves and seeds. Rain dances and darkens the sidewalk. Then a flash and thunder. There is safety inside as the storm continues through the night. In the morning, the sun returns as the clouds leave the sky.
Told in short lines, this poetic picture book ties nature’s storms subtly to human emotions. The language here is emotive and gorgeous while staying accessible to young readers: “thunder rolls down the stairs like a tumbling snore.” The illustrations done in digital collage capture the light, darkness and drama of the storm.
A thunderously good picture book. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Quill Tree Books.
This incredibly inviting collection of cummings poetry is pure delight. Every single poem brings a smile to the face at his masterful wordplay, willingness to chop words into pieces, and the dance of poetic structure across the page. Children will be charmed by each poem, enjoy the absurdities and playfulness of cummings’ work, and find themselves inspired to try to write some modern poems themselves. The collection moves through the year from balloons to horses to the sea to Halloween and then snow.
The illustrations are delightfully playful as well with smiling diverse children who have a toy-like quality to them. The illustrations are bright, colorful and add to the modern feel of the book while also having a rather timeless feel, just like cummings’ poems.
A wonderful book of wordplay and poetry. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Norton Young Readers.
Good Housekeeping has selected their best books of 2025 for kids of all ages. This is their fourth year offering this award. As a librarian, I appreciate seeing lists of books from non-library sources and making sure I have these in my collection too.
Anderson Hall is a retirement home for witches. Each of the retired witches and their familiars were known for different things, potions or astrology or gardening. Myrtle had been known as a champion broom rider. But when a boy comes to Anderson Hall and asks for Myrtle’s help in finding his missing guinea pig, Myrtle doubts that she can be of any help. It has been a long time since she used spells or rode a broom. With encouragement from her familiar, a pet toad who used to be a mailman, the boy and the other retired witches, Myrtle decides to try to help. It may take a few attempts to get off the ground though.
This early chapter book is a joy. It captures the hesitation of trying something new and taking risks combined with the joy of helping others. The rich witch retirement community is warmly rendered and distinctly and delightfully witchy despite their retirement. The text is approachable and the story moves quickly. The book has full-color illustrations that support the text and contribute to the cozy whimsy of the tale.
A magical read for the autumn season and beyond. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Beginning with dust motes in the sunlight, this book goes on to show the importance of dust for life on earth. Each speck in the dust was once something else and yet carries some of its value still. A trout dying long ago, becomes a fossil along with the plankton it ate. As the lake dries up, the wind lifts the fossils as they turn to dust. That dust falls into the water of the ocean feeding the plankton that live there and form the foundation of the food cycle. Dust also softens hurricanes and storms as they move from deserts to rainforests. Rain washes nutrients away, but dust helps replenish those too. It’s a cycle on earth much lesser known than those of water and food.
Beautifully told in poetic lines, this book truly celebrates simple dust and will have all readers looking at it differently in their own homes. It’s a very readable nonfiction picture book that could be shared aloud with classes or in programs. The book ends with additional dust information and online and print resources to learn more. The illustrations lean into the wonder of dust, speckling the pages with colors that show its movement and quality.
A dazzling dusty read. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Reviewed from library copy.
A Walk in the Dark by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Elin Manon (9781510231481)
Starting with twilight, the rabbits start to come out. They are active at dusk and dawn as they are crepuscular. Yet they disappear in the flash when the fox comes by. The fox misses a rabbit meal, so must scavenge to feed her cubs. A badger searches for worms, a mouse hides from the barn owls overhead. Bats, fireflies and moths share the sky. A roaming cat returns home as dawn breaks.
As the picture book moves naturally from one animal to the next using share habitats and locations, the nonfiction text shares information on the sort of animal they are, some of their nighttime habits, and how they interact with one another. This book truly shows the interconnected ecosystem in our own backyards as well as the wonder of the busy night. The illustrations are lush and rich, lighting specific areas like the fox den and allowing others to be covered with the blues of night. It’s very evocative and lovely.
This nonfiction picture book is dark and delightful. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Laurence King Publishing.
Starting with a regular orange, the book quickly moves to other sorts of fruit and citrus that are oranges, or are they? The history of orange and when it became a recognized color in the English language is explored. The book moves on to elements that are orange, how to make orange paint, and famous art pieces that embrace the color. Children get to explore monarchs, Buddhist monk robes, flags, marigolds and much more.
This picture book takes the exploration of a single color to a new level. I loved looking at the language development around the color that coincided with the fruit. The various animals, foods, and uses of the color from bridges to astronaut suits is a delight. There is no speaking down to children here, but elevating them to a level of understanding for this unique color. The illustrations are simple and approachable, matching the approach of the book. They are also filled with a wide variety of oranges, of course.
Orange you glad for this picture book? Appropriate for ages 3-6.
A little boy annoys his older sister by saying his sentences backwards. “This yellow is a banana!” She corrects him time and again as he points out red apples, purples grapes and a lime is green. He does it all with the great joy of a toddler discovering things, but his sister gets more and more frustrated and frazzled. Soon she too is accidentally saying things backwards. Finally, they agree that “This orange is orange” plus it’s delicious.
Told entirely in the dialogue between the two siblings, this picture book is the epitome of toddler joy at discovery. It also cleverly uses wordplay to show the importance of colors as well as creating a lot of giggles along the way. The illustrations are done with white backgrounds and simple lines that allow the specific colors to shine as the little boy presents them.
A colorful read-aloud sure to get laughs alongside learning. Appropriate for ages 1-4.
Waking Brain Cells 