Here are a pair of newer picture books that celebrate our connection with nature and invite young ones to head out and explore:
Forest Song by Kirsten Hall & Evan Turk (9780593480366)
Explore poetry and nature together in this gorgeous picture book. Hall has written a poem that pays clever homage to great poets such as Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, and Edgar Allen Poe. The illustrations by award-winning Turk are rich with color, riotous with swirls and an invitation into the drama of the forest. Combined with the lyrical language, this book is a celebration of the woods.
Appropriate for ages 4-8 and can be used with older children to explore poetry. Reviewed from library copy.
Fill your pockets with a young child as the seasons change. From rocks in winter to petals in spring, shells in summer and acorns in fall. Layer them all together in a glass jar to see your year. Reach for them in your pocket when you need some comfort. This picture book celebrates seasons through the senses, touching each item, listening to them and pretending with them too. The illustrations are marvelously simple and yet filled with a magic of fairies and nature.
Appropriate for ages 3-7. Reviewed from library copy.
Mama Moon by Noah Grigni (9781250824295) Released April 15, 2025
A little girl lives with her two mothers near the sea. Her mama is like the moon, waxing and waning at times, “sometimes she’s blue, sometimes she’s bright.” There are some days she can’t get out of bed and these times can make the little girl very angry. After yelling at her mama to “Go away!” her mama has to go to the hospital to get better. The confusion of mental illness as seen through the eyes of a child is very powerfully depicted in this picture book. The book shines with love, showing that despite mental health struggles, parents are vital to a child’s life. The illustrations depict a mixed-race family and have a simple style with deep colors showing emotions as storms and mental health as a pitching boat at sea.
Appropriate for ages 5-9. Reviewed from e-galley provided by Macmillan Children’s Publishing.
Izzy is having a very bad day. She just can’t stop making mistakes. In fact, she made a huge mistake at school and doesn’t want to talk about it! When they go to visit her Lita and Lito’s house, Izzy just wants to be left alone. Instead she is asked to help make tortillas. Now there are even more mistakes! Can Izzy find a way to get past her mistakes and laugh about things again? A large and merry family supports Izzy in her struggles with mistakes, finding a creative way together to help her see that mistakes can be delicious. With rambunctious illustrations full of speech bubbles, action and joy, this picture book invites us all to laugh more together.
Appropriate for ages 4-8. Reviewed from library copy.
Based on the author’s childhood with housing insecurity and living in a blue van, this picture book shows the wonder mixed with the challenges of a child growing up living a nomadic van life. The strong connection to nature shines throughout the book as well as her connection to her family members. School is more of a challenge since they don’t have a house or apartment to invite others over. Being different from the other children can cause real upset and that is depicted with care. Judge’s watercolor and colored pencil illustrations provide a real glimpse into van life and housing insecurity for families. A great addition to picture book collections as this shows a type of family life not often depicted.
Appropriate for ages 5-9. Reviewed from e-galley provided by Abrams Books.
Ripening Time by Patrice Gopo, illustrated byCarlos Vélez Aguilera (9781546005391) Released April 22, 2025.
A little girl, her sister and mother buy green plantains from the grocery store. It takes a lot of patience to wait for the green fruit to turn sweet, yellow and black. Day after day that week, they check on the plantains and their progress, even stopping their babysitter from treating them like bananas for snacking. Finally, on Sunday they are ready to fry up and everyone can enjoy their sweet flavor together. I did not grow up eating plantains, but one of my best childhood friends had them regularly in her Trinidadian-American home. Ever since trying them, I’ve loved them too and enjoy seeing a book that celebrates this unique starchy-sweet fruit, the warmth of family and the need for patience. Illustrated with rich colors that feature golds, teals and oranges, this one is worth digging into. Appropriate for ages 3-7. Reviewed from e-galley provided by WorthyKids.
The finalists for the 2025 Christian Book Awards have been announced by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Below you will see the youth categories, but there are many more to be seen here. As a public librarian, I find these lists very helpful to identify materials sometimes missed by professional reviews.
Marion Brunet, a French author, has won the largest international children’s and young adult literature prize. In honor of the author of Pippi Longstocking, the Swedish award has one of the biggest monetary pots at 5m SEK or around $500,000.
Only two of Brunet’s books are available in the United States. Translated by Katherine Gregor, Summer of Reckoning was released here in 2020 and Vanda in 2022. Both are YA psychological thrillers set in France.
The finalists for the 2025 Hugo Awards have been announced. The following are some of the finalists. Click here to see the entire list from Seattle Worldcon 2025.
ALA has released their list of the 10 most challenged books of 2024 as part of their annual observance of National Library Week. Most books on the list were challenged due to “false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and dealing with topics of race, racism, inclusivity, equity and social justice.” These are just the top titles out of the almost 2500 unique titles facing challenges last year.
A young Métis-Ojibwe girl, Rose, travels with her family to the biannual buffalo hunt where they are joined by hundreds of other families. The hunt has become more difficult as white people and trains take over the prairies. Rose longs to join her father, who is one of the hunt’s captains. After days of no buffalo being spotted, Rose decides to help scout. She tracks the buffalo, thinking of herself as a wolf and sensing them nearby. While Rose found the buffalo, she has to also face her father, who told her not to leave camp.
A story that speaks to the real life on the prairie, the impact of white settlers and railroads, and the beliefs of the Métis people, this picture book is filled with an impactful mix of small details and a grand adventure. Written by Lindstrom who is Métis-Ojibwe and illustrated by McKnight who is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes, the authenticity of the story is particularly noteworthy. The watercolor illustrations have a luminous quality that captures the light on the prairie and the beauty of the landscapes, creatures and people.
Waking Brain Cells 