A raccoon has grown up living in the wall of a human restaurant where she emerges at night and cooks. She must make do with ingredients she finds on the window sill and in people’s lockers. When she tries to make ramen, she needs an egg. But just as she finally gets it in her hands, it hatches. She sets off to find the nest that the tiny baby crow came from. On the journey, they find Mole’s Hole, a restaurant for all sorts of animals that serves a variety of things made from worms. They make new friends, including a posse of other raccoons and a major enemy in an owl. Night Chef must find a way to save her little crow friend and that means figuring out where her own life is taking her.
This is Song’s first foray out of beginning readers and picture books and it’s a marvelous one. Her art is welcoming to young readers who will find colorful and friendly new characters on the pages. There is plenty of richly written action to carry the story forward and a quest worthy of our little heroine. The writing is deft and clever, funny at times but also full of heart.
A delicious new recipe for an elementary-aged graphic novel. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Caldecott Honorees return with the third in a series that started with The Old Truck and The Old Boat. This time the story is set in the winter with a holiday nod. A child and father load their sleigh with firewood and distribute it throughout the nearby homes. The sleigh gave warmth and light to those who used the wood. The town started to grow and grow and the sleigh struggled to carry the wood and gradually fell apart. While the father repaired the sleigh, the child used their skills to create something new, helpful and fun with the broken wood. It all still brings neighbors warmth and light.
This cozy picture book emphasizes the connectivity between neighbors. It has a strong sense of nostalgia as the sleigh is horsedrawn. There is a lovely simplicity and quietness to the book that is ideal for a busy holiday season. The illustrations are strong, playing with color against white backgrounds.
A lovely addition to the series, just right read near the fire. Appropriate for ages 2-5.
After a big snow, two neighbors head out for an epic snowball fight. They build their forts and try to hit one another but it’s harder than it looks. Soon they have cold noses, frozen hands and sore arms. A lucky dodge of falling snow offers them a new option: sledding! The two come into the warmth for cookies and cocoa but soon are reminded that they forgot one great snow day tradition. Told in the approachable and funny style that we have come to expect from this duo, this picture book is a blizzard of snowy fun just right for your own snowy storytime.
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.
Waking Brain Cells 