Rose Valland lived in Paris and was the curator at the Jeu de Paume Museum. She loved all kinds of art, but Hitler and the Nazis did not approve of modern art and destroyed it in their war across Europe. When they reached France, they used the Jeu de Paume Museum as a staging area. All the staff of the museum left except for Rose. She stayed, quiet and shy, often unnoticed by the soldiers. But Rose could understand the German they spoke and soon started taking notes about their plans to move precious art via train. Rose became a spy, sharing her knowledge with the French Resistance and allowing many pieces to be saved. When the war ended, many art pieces were missing, and Rose still had her many notes about where that art had been sent, saving even more.
Told in a way that children will understand the preciousness of the art, the violent hate of the Nazis, and the importance of standing up for what is right, even in a quiet way. This book celebrates the reserved heroes who made a huge difference simply by noticing what was happening and being brave enough to share information. The art in the book celebrates art but also celebrates Rose Vallard, quiet and drab, courageous and integral.
A timely nonfiction picture book of resistance and the importance of art. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
The shortlist for the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards has been announced. The awards celebrate the best of Irish writing across a variety of genres and categories. Below are the shortlisted titles for the juvenile categories:
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR – JUNIOR
An Fia sa Choill by Sadhbh Devlin, Anastasia Melynkova (not available in US)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication: July 1, 2025
Reviewed from copy provided by publisher
ISBN: 9781665938129
In 1980, Vision was a teen pop star, singing in front of large crowds. Today, Margot is trying to catch the attention of people online with her music, but her ukulele isn’t cutting it. Margot finds a synthesizer on the side of the road with a sign saying that it’s not haunted. She hauls it home, hoping for her father to teach her to play. But her father deserts Margot and heads to California to become a star once he gets enough online fans. Left behind, Margot starts to learn to play keyboard and that’s when Vision, whose spirit is trapped in the synthesizer, appears. The two girls start to play music together, but is something darker involved with the keyboard and what is the price of chasing external fame?
A marvelous graphic novel for middle-grade readers, this book successfully combines modern online attention culture with throwbacks to the 1980s. The haunted, or not, synthesizer forms a bridge both in music and connection between the two girls, one a ghost and one alive. The message of finding your own happiness rather than seeking external validation is offered in a variety of ways through the story, via Margot’s father, her friends and Vision herself. The art is bright and popping and veers dynamically into horror lighting at times.
A great graphic novel with a message for our times. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
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.
Waking Brain Cells 