Alder and Flynt have grown up in a family that quests and goes on adventures. Their grandparents, Grammy and Baba, were once famous but are now retired spending time baking and reading. But the family business isn’t going well for the next generation, so when a new contract comes in that will pay more, they quickly agree to take it. When their parents don’t return from the job, the boys head out on their own to rescue them. Their grandparents rescue them before they can end up in too much trouble and they all set off to find out what happened to the boys’ parents. Along the way, the boys meet many of their grandparents’ previous foes who are now friends. When they find their parents, a secret is revealed that will change their family forever.
This middle grade graphic novel has a Dungeons & Dragons flair about it. With diverse characters, including some with green skin or pointed ears, the book has an interesting and surprising cast. Readers will love the action scenes just as much as the moments of laughter and warmth as they come right after another thanks to the brisk pace. The twist at the end is a great reveal that is incredibly satisfying.
Grab your sword and head out on this adventure. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
Sister was born and didn’t have a name until the teller arrived. She was an older woman and counted the hours and minutes of Sister’s first day. Then she listened to the family’s hopes and dreams for Sister. The teller said that five spirits would visit and Sister would have a name after that. Fire spirit offered passion and grace filled with train rumbles and fireworks. Earth spirit offered honesty and stability with warm dirt, dog hair and potato snacks. Gold spirit gave clinking coins and a chain, offering strength and ambition. Water came that night with soup and bubbles, offering brightness and wisdom. Finally, Wood spirit arrived with papaya and leaves, offering creativity and prosperity. Out of those gifts, a name was formed in Chinese characters, one you will have to read the book to discover.
Cheng’s text invites readers to experience a playful look at how Chinese names are created with the help of a fortune teller. While families may not actually be visited by spirits who resemble tortoises, dragons and tigers, they do participate in a longer ritual to decide Chinese names and how they are written. This picture book is filled with the joy of a new baby and the beauty of deciding on a fitting name. Diao’s illustrations capture the family’s awe at the spirits, the gifts they bring, and offer a dynamic look at the various elements at play.
A creative approach to Chinese naming rituals that all readers will love. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
A little girl helps her father deliver takeout from their family restaurant. The entire car steams up and smells like sauces. Baba drives while she looks up addresses and uses a map to navigate. They make their way through the rainy night. First they stop at a regular customer, an older woman who needs her food cooked soft. Baba offers her oil for her pain as well as the food. At the next house, a girl her age is waiting, but she doesn’t want to interact and show her face. It’s weird being out at night delivering food. Baba notices and shares a story of a night of his childhood where he was selected as the one person in the family who could travel to New York City. As his journey years ago shadows theirs today, the deliveries are all made. Finally they can go home to their family and eat together, the night navigated once more.
Leung perfectly depicts the fear of a child of being strange due to their family expectations and needs. Told in the first person, this picture book draws readers into the car along with the father and daughter. The tale is drawn from the author’s childhood and is resonant with empathy for children of immigrants navigating their own paths. The illustrations take a rainy night and make it both beautiful and haunting. The car becomes their own small world, the windows marked and lit with the water.
A powerful look at families, language and the roles of children. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Bartleby is a little bear in a bowler hat who refuses to do things a lot. He says “I prefer not to” when asked to share what he did over the weekend with the class. He says it when the rest of the class plays the giant xylophone and sings silly songs. He says it during play time and spends it all alone. When his teacher asks the class to do self-portraits, Bartleby whispers his idea to her. Soon Bartleby has contributed just the right thing to complete their portraits and seems like he’d like to join in more tomorrow.
As a shy child myself, I immediately recognized the quiet use of a polite phrase to turn others away. Phelan captures this with empathy and shows how isolating it can be to have so many defences up. I appreciated that Bartleby figures out the solution on his own, speaks to his teacher and shares his idea with the class. The illustrations in this charmer of the picture book use color to show how separate Bartleby becomes with his stand-offish approach. Bartleby is unique in his class in more ways than one thanks to his more formal clothing too.
A book about shyness that offers space and opportunity for growth. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Topsy the Opossum has brought all the equipment and supplies to make a Welcome Spring meal for her friend LouAnn. LouAnn the Bear will wake soon from her hibernation and pancakes are just the right thing for a hungry bear in spring. Soon the table is set and five perfect pancakes are set out. When Topsy turns her back though, there is a “CLUNK!” and the pancakes are gone. Topsy makes five more pancakes, but once again they disappear. Could it be squirrels or birds? Over and over again Topsy makes pancakes and they are gone. Topsy is worried about running out of ingredients and the time is getting closer and closer to LouAnn waking up. More forest friends come to help make pancakes and soon they have plenty of them for one hungry bear. But how about for one mama bear and her new cubs?
Written with a merry frenzy of pancake flipping, hot griddles and fast-moving cubs, this picture book reads aloud brilliantly. The text is welcoming and invites readers right into the action. The illustrations are a delight as readers will soon glimpse the pancake thieves and realize what is happening while the text only shares Topsy’s point of view. The noises of each theft changes, making the book all the more dynamic.
Pancake lovers will flip for this one. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
The weather is warm and the flowers are out, but Bear is still sleeping. His animal friends decide to check on him, but they have to be careful since Bear gets very grumpy if they wake him up. At first he sneezes from the dust, but goes back to sleep. While the friends wait for him to wake, they gather flowers, open the curtains and even paint Bear’s toenails. Bear wakes up on his own, roaring and rather grumpy. But he sees his friends, tastes some berries and realizes that it’s spring. Time to play!
Stein’s book about Bear is a merry look at a grumpy waking process. The love the friends have for Bear and their patience as he wakes himself adds to the warmth of this springtime read. The decoration of Bear in flowers and painted toenails results in something whimsical and charming rather than what readers might anticipate. The art is done in deep colors with bear chocolate on the page and the spring flowers a tropical cornucopia. The blues of Bear’s deep sleep add to the contrast.
A friendly look at a bear in springtime. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Reviewed from copy from publisher
ISBN: 9781665974943
A big kid keeps losing his new shoes because they are too big with room to grow. They just have to be tied really tight. Wanna see how you tie them? They are still learning to do it, but they know they can! Being a big kid doesn’t come all at once, it takes practice. Like learning to swing on the big swings without having to have a push to get started. Whoops! Shoe is untied again. It could take a few tries to get it right. After playing on the slide and the merry-go-round, the shoe is missing again. Where could it be? Then the big kid has one big idea.
Awan once again captures the emotions of a child just learning to do big-kid things. Their inner monologue is wonderful to spend time with as they cheer themselves on and don’t give in to mishaps or mistakes. The title is marvelously on point both with the lace tying and the ending of the book that is very clever and will have you reading the book again. The art is bright and vibrant, inviting children to see the world alongside the young narrator.
Just right for any big kid wannabe. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Jordanita and her family are spending Passover in Argentina. What she loves most is how many pets her aunt, uncle and cousins own. When they get there, they spend time with all the animals. The turtles and dog join in on the water fight. Even the pet parrots are moved to the garden to watch the fun. The family gathers for Passover dinner and they talk about freedom. When Jordanita spots the birds, she thinks about freedom and knows just what to do. In the morning, when the parrots are missing, she has to admit what she did to her entire family, learning that taking care of animals can sometimes mean not letting them go free.
Shua tells the story of this big merry Jewish family with such warmth and love. It’s like being invited to share their table with them. The jolly chaos of a holiday spent together is captured on the page both in the text and illustrations. Those illustrations are filled with small details and show clearly the diversity within their family. I particularly appreciated that there was no neat ending about the parrots returning to their cage.
A diverse title ideal for Passover collections. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
The Rare Bird was flying through the forest, knocking leaves off the trees. While the pictures tell a very different story than the text, a cat leaping through the living room. Rare Bird climbed on a rock, which was actually the dog. Rare Bird did all sorts of birdy things, which also in the real world matched cat activities. Even his dreams were filled with bird thoughts. At night, he was read a story about other animals and became an Elephant!
Cooper brilliantly allows his text and images to directly contradict one another. Children will love seeing the ways in which the cat’s life and imagined bird activities overlap as curtains are ripped, boxes are napped in and the dog slumbers on. Cooper’s text is flatly narrative like a nature program while the images are jaunty and humor-filled.
A delight of catty attitude. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
When Harper discovers that her dad cheated on her mom with her best friend’s mother, her world implodes. Her parents are getting a divorce and Harper just can’t go to school where everyone seems to know what happened. Harper and her mother pack up and leave, moving to a new town and a tiny house that is part of a horse farm. Now Harper has to start all over again, but she is so sad about what has happened that she doesn’t know how to move on or change anything. Harper has never been around horses but finds that she understands them. When Phoenix is literally dumped at the farm, Harper decides to rescue him after one look in his eyes. Phoenix is underweight, underfed and had been left for dead, but with slow steps, Harper starts to rescue him and herself.
Bradley, author of award-winning books like The War That Saved My Life, shows herself to be a horse girl through and through. Readers will love the horse focus of the book, Harper discovering her love for them and how horses form a bridge forward. Among the lovely horse moments, Bradley demonstrates her writing skill as she weaves in Harper’s grief over her family’s changes, the difficulty of friendships in middle school, micro and macro aggressions, and just a touch of dog love too. Strong and confident writing as well as a deep horse-filled humanity make this a must-read.
Definitely worth the ride. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
Goldfinches by Mary Oliver, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Reviewed from pdf received from publisher
ISBN: 9780593692417
Mary Oliver’s poem “Goldfinches” is transformed into a child-friendly picture book that invites readers out into fields filled with thistles and birds. The poem speaks to the beauty of nature from the beauty of the “coin of reddish fire” in the thistles to the way the goldfinches build their “silver baskets” of nests. Through the poem and Sweet’s art, readers will experience the way that thistles and birds work together to form a cycle of life. The art also shows people spending time in nature, quietly making notes and sketches, observing it all.
Sweet has so beautifully captured Oliver’s poem, bringing into a new format that pays homage to her words while inviting a new generation of readers to discover her. Oliver’s work is stunning with its vivid renderings of nature, speaking to the way nature impacts us if we are just willing to slow down and notice. Sweet’s art is a glorious dance of color palettes, taped small notes, and marvelous sweeps of field and sky.
The entire book is a gust of fresh air across the mind. Appropriate for ages 4-9.
Tiny Garden by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jax Chow
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9781419774911
Andrew loved plants, but big gardens and trees were overwhelming. So he planted his own small garden in his front yard. Soon he had a colorful tiny plot. Others didn’t understand what he was doing. But the very small animals in the area soon found the very small garden. First was a tiny moth who rested there, then a tiny earthworm snuggled in. A hummingbird visited for nectar sips. The tiny garden was a tiny gathering place.
The text of this picture book celebrates Andrew’s connection with plants and nature while also pointing out the patience it takes to plant, water and eventually see the results of your work. From the first glimpse of the tiny garden in illustrations, children will immediately understand that this is an Andrew-sized garden and it’s just the right size. The animals who visit are cleverly depicted and there is a sense of calm joy throughout the book.
A lovely little look at nature and gardens. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Venture into this wonderful riotous and weedy garden with a variety of animals who live there. The bumblebees carry pollen from flower to flower. The squirrel searches for a lost nut in the leaves. The monarchs find the butterfly weed for their eggs. The toad waits for bugs to fly close enough to eat. The rabbits snuggle together in their nest. Then there is a child, sitting in clover listening and watching too.
The text of this picture book is designed to be shared aloud. Just a single line of prose under each double-spread of illustrations. For more information on the creatures that live in the garden and planting gardens that welcome wildlife, readers can turn to the back of the book. The illustrations capture the wildness of the garden with all of its native plants and creatures. Done in collage, they are bright colored and captivating.
A visit to a rich garden with lots of animal residents. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
This picture book biography of Aaron Copland starts in 1900 when Aaron is born to his Russian immigrant parents. He grew up in an apartment above his family’s store in Brooklyn, listening to the horses clomp on the streets. He also listens to music, jazz and piano. Aaron decides to become a musician and heads to Paris where he is taught to take his ideas and turn them into symphonies. Aaron’s music evolves as he tries to capture what is happening in America during the 1930s. He tries to make music that sounds like America. Soon people can hear his music in movie theaters and at the ballet. His music reflects America with its wide melodies and space to dream.
Mang beautifully puts words to what Copland was attempting to create with his music. His focus on access to music and keeping it relevant to the general public can be heard in his symphonies. This picture book is just as relatable, sharing that children can create their own music that reflects them too. The art is celebratory and approachable, often using flowers to show when the music is flowing and being shared.
A celebration of America’s composer. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Hungary, son of a rabbi with a large library of books. The family emigrated to America where they hit hard times after Harry’s father lost his job. Harry had to quit school and start to work. Eventually, the family was so poor they had to sell his father’s books. It was in another book that Harry eventually found magic. He worked hard and studied more books, hoping to make enough money to care for his family. He met his wife, who worked as his assistant, soon adding his famous escape artist routines to his act. As his acts grew more dangerous, his fortunes grew. He built his own personal library that grew so big that he hired his own librarian. Eventually, he was even able to replace his father’s lost books and add them to his collection.
It is a very unique lens to view Houdini’s life through: his love of reading and books. Breaking the idea that Houdini was born in America and found magic easy, adds to his connection with books and shows how even the most famous and gifted magician needs resources and knowledge to continue improving. The text is playful in appropriate spots, serious in others and always leads back to books. The illustrations done in cutouts, layer compellingly and create depth on the page that is used cleverly to show light, height and plenty of books.
A testament to the magic of books. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Waking Brain Cells 