Told in questions and answers, this picture book celebrates the changing of the seasons. Spring is at its most elusive here, as it appears like it’s arrived due to the flowers, the buds on the trees, and the birds returning. But the wind can turn icy and the clouds return. The animals stay cozy in their homes. Late snow falls on the flowers. Then, change comes again with bright sunshine that melts the snow and the animals leave their dens. Now it is spring.
Henkes, a Wisconsin book creator, captures the essence of a northern spring in his latest book. As always, his book is wonderfully approachable for even the youngest of children, showing how changeable weather and seasons can be while longing for the warmth of a new season to arrive. Readers will love the various small animals that experience spring’s arrival as well as one small child who is longing for the sun to come.
A warm and lovely look at spring’s changeability. Appropriate for ages 1-4.
Nane Sarma lived in Iran. Every spring, her friend Uncle Nowruz would arrive to announce the arrival of spring. Yet she always managed to miss his visit. This year she invited her grandchildren to help her welcome Uncle Nowruz. They cleaned the house, purchased items for the Haft-Seen table, and bought new clothes. Nane cooked the traditional meal, set the beautiful table and gathered with her grandchildren. But she was so exhausted by all the work, she fell fast asleep and the children couldn’t wake her! When Uncle Nowruz arrived and welcomed spring, Nane kept right on sleeping.
Nowruz marks the Persian New Year and celebrates spring’s arrival. This picture book celebrating the Persian traditions related to Nowruz has the feel of a folktale thanks to its structure and pacing. The entire book is a celebration of spring’s arrival combined with a merry story about Nane falling asleep after making all the preparations. It is an excellent glimpse of Persian culture. The illustrations are filled with bright colors of pinks, reds, golds and blues. It creates a jolly feel as the family welcomes spring back.
Don’t sleep on this one. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Marie learned to make Ukrainian decorated eggs with the Baba in Ukraine. They used beeswax and sketched stories on the eggs which were then painted in colors created from local plants. Marie followed her brothers when they moved to North America. Marie lived in Minneapolis after discovering her favorite uncle was there. When spring came, Marie longed to make pysanky and slowly found a way to create the colors and tools she needed. Marie married and her tools grew better thanks to her husband. Eventually, Marie started to sell tools and teach people how to create this art. Her Ukrainian Gift Shop became the largest supplier of pysanky kits in the world and her eggs were displayed at the White House. All a tribute to her heritage and her Baba.
This dynamic tale mixes tradition with new opportunities. Throughout the book, Marie is shown as a woman with her own ideas, her own way of approaching things and an undying connection to her Ukrainian heritage and culture. The book shares just enough information about creating pysanky to give young readers a sense of the detail and skill that go into each one. The art by Turk is amazing given that it uses resist, just like pysanky does, for the art. The result is an Easter egg of a book that has a rustic and colorful feel.
A bright inspiring look at a female entrepreneur who used her heritage to create a business that speaks on behalf of Ukrainian heritage. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
To raise awareness of the problem of hunger in America, Dick Gregory pledged to run 3,500 miles across the United States from Los Angeles to New York City in two and a half months. At first, there were journalists, famous people and others cheering. But soon there was just the quiet of the road. He ran 50 miles a day, seeing America in a new way. At every stop Gregory spoke about why he was running. Running farther, Gregory was joined by local people who met him to run with him for a bit, supporting his cause, even Muhammad Ali came along. There was pain, so much effort and finally success as he entered New York on the Fourth of July.
Told in second person, this book invites you to experience the decisions that went into Gregory’s run as well as the run itself. The text is near poetry, flowing across the page in stanzas that have rhythm that begs to be read aloud. It shares information clearly and with a particular point of view that insists that you look and think about what was accomplished. The art by Morrison is marvelous, filled with the long legs of runners, the vibrancy of brown and Black skin, and playing with perspectives to make the art sing along with the words.
A thrilling and inspiring look at activism in action. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Every February, gray whales travel from Baja California to the Arctic. The trip is 6,000 miles and takes them 2 months. In their midst are 12 whales with a different plan. All of them eat almost nothing along the trip and some die along the way. When they reach Washington State, the 12 whales change course and head to the Salish Sea. The whales must wait for the tide to rise so they can reach the mudflat safely. Still, the water is very shallow where they must forage for the ghost shrimp to help them survive their journey. They stay for days, devouring the shrimp and leaving whale-sized divots in the sand. They set out on their trip north again, heading to the rich Arctic waters and then traveling back to California again to have their calves. Perhaps those calves too will take the dangerous detour to the Salish Sea.
Nickum has created a nonfiction picture book that reads beautifully, welcoming children to the story of these brave animals as they find a new way to survive a dangerous migration. The prose is presented almost like poetry on the page, offering beautiful moments of wonder at what the whales can do when they turn off and then eat in such shallow waters. MacKay’s art is incredible. She uses paper, ink, colored filters and light to create images that shine on the page. Each of the images is amazing, but I’ve never seen anything like what she has created to show the whales in shallow water. Incredible.
Breathtaking story and illustrations make this a journey worth taking. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
As Little Fox follows her mother into the cold winter morning, she knows that the sun won’t appear now for weeks. At the same time, a child joins her mother to help photograph the Arctic. Both mothers clean up their children and then start exploring. The moon stays in the sky, reindeer head to the mountains to graze, then a polar bear arrives. The families explore the ice floes and meet a narwhal and a whale. As they play, a storm begins to brew, sending icy snow and brisk winds. The two little ones are lost together until their mothers find them both. That night, after the storm, the northern lights fill the sky.
The combination of the fox family and human families exploring the Arctic setting near one another works particularly well in this enticing picture book. Just right for winter storytimes, children will love seeing the animals while also seeing the beauty of the landscape. The mixed media illustrations are marvelously angular and dramatic, showing the ice ridges, the glow of the northern lights and the merry adventurers in the epic space.
A cold and gorgeous Arctic adventure. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Bread Is Love by Pooja Makhijani, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9781250906885
Mama bakes bread every weekend and the young narrator and her little sister help. Bread is only made of four ingredients: flour, water, salt and starter. The starter is sourdough, gloopy, alive and sour smelling. Everyone helps with mixing the ingredients together. Then they must wait for the bread to rise. It takes patience to make bread. Once risen, the dough is shaped into bread. But it must rest again overnight, just like the children. Sometimes the bread will come out beautifully but other times it isn’t quite right. This time it deflated, but it still tastes good!
I’m a dedicated sourdough bread maker and also make bread every weekend, so this book spoke to me. I love the family working together to make bread but best of all I appreciate the fact that the loaf doesn’t turn out quite as they may have dreamt it would. That’s part of bread making that simply has to be embraced. The entire process teaches children about patience, imperfection, and the joy of being able to eat the results. The illustrations in this book are wonderfully welcoming and warm. They feel like a warm loaf of bread straight from the oven.
A yummy love-letter to bread making. Appropriate for ages 1-4.
A very grumpy Lion lived near a village. He did not like noise of any kind except for when he used his own voice to shout about no one else making noise. Nani lived in that village and loved to drum. She could make her drum sound like all sorts of animals or use the rhythm to get people dancing. But the others were afraid of Lion and told her to stop drumming. Nani tried moving farther and farther out to play her drum, and eventually Lion followed her back home. No one knew what to do when Lion roared at them about noise. Nani knew what to do, playing a Lion rhythm on her drum that captured his grumpiness and grandness. She got Lion dancing to his own beat until he was too tired to dance any longer and agreed to no longer menace the village about noise.
With the natural rhythm of a traditional tale, this picture book and its African setting are ideal to share aloud. Children given their own rhythm instruments at a story time can work to make their own music with Nani and lull Lion into submission. The book takes the concept of the angry neighbor who complains and crafts a tale where the community wins out. The art by Cunha reflects that same traditional feel with a modern vibe. The playful animals in the jungle are done in pinks, maroon and orange while other pages are filled with deep blues and teals. Lion himself is dazzling as he fills the page with his protests and then his dance.
A picture book full of music and rhythm. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Yulu’s Linen by Cao Wenxuan, illustrated by Suzy Lee, translated by Helen Wang
Publisher: Atheneum
Publication Date: February 3, 2026
Reviewed from copy sent by publisher
ISBN: 9781665931199
Yulu wanted to be an artist and her father supported her, even getting her tutors when she was eight. Then he decided that she was ready to try making a self-portrait and purchased her a piece of yu-la-ma linen, the highest quality. Yulu loved the linen and Yulu’s parents helped stretch the canvas on a frame and pick out the picture of Yulu to use. But Yulu worried about spoiling the beautiful canvas. Finally, she picked up her paints, but the paints would not stick to the canvas, running down and smearing every night. Her parents finally took away the canvas after she had tried 7 times to make her portrait. When Yulu rescued the canvas, she took one last try at making her art stick.
This picture book is filled with magical realism that speaks directly to young artists being pushed before they are ready to create works of art even when it is done with love. Readers will recognize the pressure being placed on Yulu and the way the canvas responds by rejecting the work entirely. The design of the book extends to the texture of the page, which feels like canvas as does the cover. The illustrations by Lee are primarily done in limited colors except for Yulu’s art. Readers don’t get to see her various failed attempts at a self portrait until the final successful one, which is incredibly satisfying to see.
A clever look at young artists and their artistic process. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
When a too-tight shoe causes a full tantrum for the little child in this picture book, it leads to screaming, flopping on the floor even if the child doesn’t really want to. Perhaps they will just live on the floor forever. They refuse to put on the shoe, hate every shoe and throw the shoe, and then their mother loses her temper too, and gets the shoe and everyone apologizes for the yelling. Then, it’s time for hugs and knowing that nothing, even a shoe tantrum, will change their love for one another.
Fogliano captures the entire life of a tantrum in this clever picture book about modern parenting. The voice, using second person, works really well here so that a small child listening to the book hears the love throughout. I particularly appreciate that the mother loses her temper too, as one does, and there is no shame, just apologies and moving on. The illustrations by Frazee are done in her signature style. Here, she plays with color seeping away from the page as the tantrum rages, only to return to rich color as it resolves. The twist at the end is a delight too.
A terrific read for tantrum-prone toddlers and parents. Appropriate for ages 2-5.
The Sweater by Larissa Theule, illustrated by Teagan White
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9780593528945
When Holly the Raccoon finds a little bird who seems to be needing some care and shelter, she lets him find his own spot and then heads off to make the rounds. Everyone gave what they could and then Holly headed home to knit a gift to welcome the bird to the community. The next morning, snow came and the sweater that everyone had contributed to fit the little bird perfectly. Everyone helped him shore up his home to keep the wind and snow out. Soon all of the animals were forced to take shelter for the winter in their various dens and homes. Then one morning, the little bird knew exactly what he could share with them to give his thanks: his voice.
This book could have been overly sweet but manages to not be thanks to its focus on giving and community and sharing the fact openly that life can sometimes be hard and that support from others can be helpful if done with care. The text is filled with small touches like the various small items donated and how each animal spends their winter hours in their dens. The art picks those details up and creates a vibrant community of animals who all support one another. They are a delight of color and cozy feels.
A book to snuggle up with. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Rita was so bored. She was too bored to read or draw or think. She tried to surprise herself in the mirror and stretch so far that she could reach the top of her door. She couldn’t do either of those. Nothing else worked either. Rita wondered how many other people in the world were bored too. Perhaps, they could all get onto a bus that would take them to a special place just for bored people. Rita imagined that the bored people would fill up like balloons from everyone yawning so much and float into the sky. In the sky, they discover an island below them that is interesting and manage to land there. It’s boring there, but people start to invent things to do. Even Rita does. But that’s when her Mom calls and Rita might just be too busy to be bored now.
A playful yet wise look at boredom and how it can get your mind going in new directions that would not otherwise be explored. Rita and her boredom is itself a funny take filled with yawns, desperation and malaise. Her wild imaginative musings take the book in a new and colorful direction. The illustrations in the book work to show just how normal and dull Rita’s room and house are. They adjust beautifully as her imagination begins, the dull colors steadily changing.
Just the right book for kids who could use a little boredom. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Billy was having a sad day. His friend Hippo thought he knew exactly what Billy needed. Dressing up! Billy tried to explain that it wasn’t helping, but Hippo had another idea. Perhaps dancing in the cherry blossoms or being up high in a tree. Billy tried again to explain. Hippo instead headed for a pirate ship but Billy felt seasick. Maybe magic carpets? Perhaps a party? Billy finally told Hippo that he just wanted Hippo to listen to him. So what did Hippo do next? Exactly that.
Evans builds up the tension as Hippo ignores Billy’s needs again and again. Using more and more outrageous responses that all seem to lead to costume changes, Hippo is invested in using fun to make (perhaps force) Billy to feel happy again. When the tension breaks, the best part is that Hippo is right there for Billy, creating and holding space for his feelings, not interrupting and offering a hug at just the right time. The art in this picture book has a marvelous timeless feel as does Hippo and his wild distractions. The pair together on a couch under a fuzzy blanket is sure to give even the saddest among us a little smile.
Get distracted by Hippo, stay for the heart-felt connection. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
A small cat needs all the parts of its body, including a tail if they are willing to stand still to get one. A small cat needs to be able to run away and come back with a mouse. A small cat needs to eat, needs a place to have privacy. She needs to get wet in the rain, then protected from it. Perhaps a room with walls to stop the wind, and a window to watch the birds. She needs a door to wait at for someone to come home and hold her close.
There is so much charm in this Russian picture book that shows empathy and warmth for the small cat throughout. The book never veers into sentimentality, instead focusing on what the cat needs to survive and thrive in a cold and wet world. The text is lovely with moments of humor that will invite children to linger with this small cat. The illustrations are done in acrylic paint, watercolor pencil and digitally. They have a whimsical quality to them that matches the text, filled with softness even when dark and rainy.
A small delight of a picture book. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
When Nuha visits Oman with her mother, she isn’t sure that she’s going to like it at all. Her grandmother feels like a stranger since they haven’t seen one another for three years. When Nuha accidentally leaves her favorite doll behind, her grandmother takes her to the souk to see if they can find a new doll together. Nuha isn’t thrilled to go and rejects the first dolls they find since they don’t have golden hair like her favorite doll. But soon she finds herself drawn into the souk, tasting some food, getting henna, making music, and watching the sun set over the sea. Nuha just might be ready for a brand new doll who looks like her and her grandmother.
This picture book is will speak to every child visiting a forgotten grandmother after some time away. Jadda’s patience with her reluctant granddaughter is beautifully shown and Nuha’s changing attitude happens organically and is very believable. Readers will also get to glimpse a souk and Akbari shares many of the sensory experiences to be had there. The illustrations are bright and friendly, filled with beautiful fabrics and colors of Oman.
A book worth visiting. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Mungo on His Own by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Julie Benbassat
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9780063216716
Mungo the fox cub is still hungry after dinner, so he asks his mother if he can go out in the dark and go to the berry bush. This would be the first time he ever foraged on his own before. It was a windy night and sometimes the bushes looked like big animals. He had to cross the river using slippery stepping stones, and oops he was suddenly all wet. Then there was the road to cross with its large beasts that roared past. Hearing a frightening noise, Mungo hid in a hollow tree. He thought about going back home but then remembered all that his mother had taught him and started using his nose. He reached the berry bush when it started to snow, making his trip back magical.
This story will inspire children to head on their own adventures with their parents’ blessing. It is particularly important that Mungo faced not only imagined dangers but real ones like cold river water and cars. The mix of the two makes the book all the more effective as does Mungo’s mixed success at the variety of challenges that face him. It’s not perfect but he’s successful indeed. The illustrations celebrate night in the woods, offering just the right amount of darkness lit effectively by Mungo’s own red coat. They are a delightful mix of cute animals and potential danger.
A grand adventure with a sweet ending. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Suuban woke up and checked to see if her front teeth were loose, but they didn’t wiggle at all. Her mother wouldn’t let her herd the goats by herself until she lost her front teeth, probably four more months from now. Time passed slowly, but eventually four months passed and Suuban had practiced taking care of the goats and sheep in their yard. One of her teeth was still in her mouth, so Suuban solved it herself using a butting goat. Now she was ready! Suuban headed out to the termite mound, the farthest she was allowed to go. She kept a lookout for danger but eventually drifted off to sleep. Luckily, she woke up in time to save her baby goat from a wily fox. What will Suuban do next?
Set in the Somalian desert among the nomadic tribes, this picture book shows a different way of life than we have in America. The book shows the respect Suuban has for her parents, following their rules for what she is allowed to do. Yet she is still a child, learning from her mistakes and choices. The book takes its time as Suuban must wait for her teeth to loosen, sharing patience with the reader. The illustrations are key to understanding the lifestyle of the nomadic people, from their movable homes to their herding animals. It is captured with respect and beauty.
Patience, responsibility and a glimpse of a different way of life. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Brace yourself for a wild science fiction ride in this latest from the bestselling Kaufman. Cleo is a stowaway on Mars, trying to find a way to escape legal issues on Earth and forge a new life for herself. She has made it to Pax base but has been stuck there for months. Hunter is a member of the Graves family who were the first to populate Mars. No one knows that he is on Mars since he wanted to surprise his ultra-wealthy mother and sister. When a disaster hits the Pax complex, Cleo and Hunter are the only ones left onsite after mercenaries evacuate the base. The countdown is ticking, only 8 hours to stop them and manage to survive, perhaps together.
Kaufman has such a feel for pacing. In this novel, it is the smarts and ingenuity of the two main characters that save the day. Through clever use of the base’s infrastructure and software, the two of them manage to prank and isolate mercs as the clock winds down. The pacing is relentless, the setting wonderfully vivid, and the book reads like a movie. Add in the building connection and romance between the two characters, and you will root for them for a lot longer than the 8 hours they have.
A riotously good book on the red planet. Appropriate for ages 13+.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, there was a blue house that was loved. The two-story house was a duplex where the first floor was rented to Hmong refugees. The house was rented by the narrator’s aunt and uncle and was not big enough for their family. Two cousins had to sleep on the unheated porch where their wet hair froze in the winter. The bedrooms were filled with others, sleeping three and four to a room. The narrator’s favorite place was the back porch where her aunt breastfed the baby and the cousins played and fought. It was the place they learned about their new country while also keeping Hmong traditions close. It was a special house filled with memories.
As always, Yang’s writing is a gorgeous combination of frankness and found beauty. Her ability to paint a vivid picture of the house using small details bring the entire book to life. It’s those small moments that make a life, a house and a family and the book shows that so touchingly. Yang also speaks to the importance of a home for a refugee family newly in America and what it meant to have the space however crowded and cramped. Shin’s art is a lovely mix of architecture and people, showing both the house and the family with clarity and joy.
A journey into refugee memory. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
River is Muscogee and lives on a reservation in Oklahoma. He has many aunties who appear throughout the year. Using repeating language to introduce each auntie, the book celebrates the skills and efforts of each of them. Auntie Abby helps with planting the garden. Auntie Meg takes River fishing for catfish. Auntie Dana brings pumpkins in the fall. Auntie Patrice teaches beading. Other aunties share Muscogee history and traditions or teach in school. As River welcomes his new little sister, he knows first that the aunties are coming!
Smith captures the beauty of community in this picture book about living on a reservation where not only Native people live but others of different backgrounds, all of whom can be aunties. In her Author Note, she explains that aunties can be relatives but don’t have to be. Aphelandra’s illustrations are done in ink, gouache and PhotoShop. They are a delightful mix of deep rich paint, cleverly drawn faces and incredible warmth.
A joyous look at Muscogee community. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Olivia tries to invite her friends to her neighborhood block party, but one girl explains that her mother doesn’t think Main Street is safe. Olivia tells her mother about what happened and then watches as the neighborhood they are driving through changes from large homes to the tighter urban Main Street neighborhood. When she explains to a neighbor that she doesn’t want to live there any more, Ms. Effie tells her that the first time she heard that Main Street wasn’t a good neighborhood was when the bank refused their mortgage. The Black neighborhood banded together, people got second jobs, and everyone learned how to save. Ms. Effie shared a map of the city with red lines around the “rough” neighborhoods and blue and green in the wealthier white neighborhoods. Through the conversation Olivia learned that it’s important not to believe what people say and to celebrate her community.
I haven’t seen any other picture book take on the subject of redlining, a process that devalues Black neighborhoods and impacts overall investment in them. Here the subject is explained in a way that young children will understand, both in fear of the dangers of those neighborhoods and in a celebration of the community that continues. The facts about redlining are shared openly and clearly. The illustrations help emphasize what lack of investment does and also how vibrant a community can be despite those systemic abuses.
A look at a complex socio-economic process in a way children can comprehend. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Under One Roof by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: February 3, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9780358576594
Told in rhyming couplets, this picture book celebrates all sorts of families and how they get ready for bedtime. Everyone falls asleep under the same roof of night sky, stars and moon. Some families are all together, others are snuggling in pillow forts at grandma’s, some live far apart or have family members who have died. Some stay connected via phones, others via letters. Some had to leave their homes because of storms, others camp outdoors. Some greet new babies, others sleep in their cars. Through it all, the sky remains the roof they are all beneath.
The writing is very inviting with the rhymes serving as a way to tie all the diverse families together into one story. The use of the image of the sky as a comforting roof above all is also very nicely kept as a focus throughout the story. The result is a book filled with warmth and inclusivity. The illustrations echo that same feel as they show diverse families, large and small, nuclear and otherwise experiencing a variety of homes and beds. In their author’s and illustrator’s notes, the creators share their own life experiences moving and changing where they sleep.
The perfect bedtime read for those who travel and those who stay. Appropriate for ages 2-5.
Waking Brain Cells 