Picture Book Pick: Brave

 

Brave

by Weshoyot Alvitre

Illustrations by the author

Kokila

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

2025

32 pages

ISBN: 9780593531600

“[T]he celebration of a young boy who is deeply loved, valued, and respected, and how activism can come in many forms, including growing one’s hair out, are powerful messages that are presented with thoughtful care” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, recommended review

My Review: 

Brave is the story of a young boy and his father who celebrate their traditions by growing their hair and wearing braids, something their grandfathers and fathers could not do as American schools and society forced them to cut their hair. Their ancestors wore their hair long as a sign of bravery and strength. 

"Braids are brave," is the beginning line of the story, and the boy embraces growing his hair even though sometimes it hurts when his mother combs it and braids it. Having long hair is a sign that you are proud of your hair. Your hair represents strength to face your enemies. 

When kids at school bully and tease, the boy remembers his father's words and tells the kids, "STOP!" He is proud he stood up to them and stood up for himself. He is brave. 

His father teaches him to, "Be brave when they force you to sing, even though they won't let you speak your language on your own land." 

Mostly pastel illustrations by the author were made using gouache (a tricky, often difficult type of watercolor), watercolor and ink depict the softness and sweetness of the father/son bond and deep love for each other. 

Highly recommended for all collections grades K-5. 

Artistic and Captivating: Wind Watchers

Wind Watchers 

by Micha Archer

Illustrations by the author

Nancy Paulson Books

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

2025

32 pages

ISBN: 9780593616550

Wind Watchers is a gloriously beautiful book, stunning in creativity and artistry. Illustrations by Micha Archer are in inks and collages made from layered tissue paper and her own homemade stamps. The layering effect creates shards and pinpricks of color peeking through and captures the subject of "wind" in each design. 

Three young children call out to the wind. What will it do today? 

The kids celebrate wind throughout the seasons. Wind is a catalyst for trees to shed their leaves or petals, blowing rain clouds in, helping kites take flight, and scattering seeds in the fall. The wind is always there even on hot, still summer days, it barely ripples the pond, but it's there: constant. 

Wind Watchers is likely to score several awards this year and could win the Caldecott. It's that great. A must have, must read for every child and collection. An excellent gift for any artist or art lover. 

Ages 2 and up. A masterclass in mixed media usage. 

Non-Fiction PB Pick: Let's Fly

Let's Fly

Barrington Irving's Record-Breaking Flight Around the World

by Barrington Irving and Chana Stiefel

Illustrations by Shamar Knight-Justice

Dial Books for Young Readers

an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC

2025

40 pages

ISBN: 9780593532133

Aviation enthusiasts will be soaring over this new autobiography (written with co-writer Chana Stiefel) about Barrington Irving, a young black man who dared to dream big and broke barriers in flight, in life and continues to foster the dreams of kids from all over the world through sharing his travels and adventures online. The first black man to lly solo around the world, he was also the youngest to do so until 2012 when his record was broken, but he will always be the first black man to fly solo around the globe. 

When young Barrington meets Captain Gary Robinson, a black pilot, in his parents' book store, a dream is born. Captain Gary takes Barrington to see his jet. Barrington was hooked. On his sixteenth birthday, Captain Gary gave the gift of flying lessons to Barrington. He inspired Barrington to pay it forward and do something to help others. Barrington's big idea is to fly around the world, but he does not have a plane. With donated parts and a lot of begging, companies helped Barrington build his plane that he christened "Inspiration." With children watching, he climbed into the cockpit and set out on his ninety-seven day flight journey. 

He continues to inspire and teach aviation and dreaming to thousands of kids. He founded Experience Aviation which teaches STEM to after-school kids. Over 5,000 kids have now completed the course and most went into math and/or science fields. 

Complete with charts, maps, fab facts, records, timeline and bibliography, Let's Fly is a must have, must read for every collection. This book is a great gift to inspire young people who dream of flying, 

Highly, highly recommended. 

Ages 2-up for entertainment; ages 4 and up for inspiration and fostering dreams of flying. 

]

Board Book Pick: Dinosaur Roar! The Tyrannosaurus Rex

 

Dinosaur Roar!

The Tyrannosaurus rex 

by Peter Curtis

Illustrations by the Dinosaur Roar Company Limited 

Based on Dinosaur Roar! by Paul Strickland and Henrietta Strickland

In collaboration with The Smithsonian Enterprises 

National Museum of Art 

Simon Spotlight 

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division 

2025

26 pages

ISBN: 9781665972697

This sturdy board book is perfect for little hands. With fun, rhyming text, children will be introduced to the most fearsome dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus rex which means "tyrant king lizard." It is indeed the strongest of any land animal that has ever lived with a roar louder than thunder. Dinosaur Roar has a softer side as shown through his friendship with Dinosaur Squeak, a small dinosaur called the Compsognathus. 

Illustrations of each dinosaur along with pronunciation guide is located in the front of the book with Tyrannosaus rex facts following the story.

Dinosaur Roar! is a great first dinosaur book to get readers excited by dinosaurs (as if they need much nudging). Ages 18 months and up. 

Bold Words From Black Men

 

Bold Words From Black Men

curated by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli

Illustrated by Desire Cesar "El Cesart" Ngabo

A Denene Millner Book

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Simon & Schuster

2025

112 pages 

ISBN: 9881665930642

Bold Words From Black Men is a treasure trove of quotable quotes from black actors, performers athletes, politicians, and other famous pubic figures. 

From Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, "You gotta be able to compete. Steel sharpens steel. You gotta get out there and earn your spot. It's not given," and from Lebron James, "Don't be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed," wise words from two world famous black men who are at the top of their games respectively. 

The reader will find words of wisdom, life lessons, introspective thoughts to ponder and true compassion, From baseball great Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the major league, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Imagine the impact Robinson had and still has on generations of young black men and women. His life lives on. 

From funny man Eddie Murphy, in a pensive moment for a comedian, I suppose, he offers, "Positivity, creativity, forward motion. Those three things pretty much cover everything. Whenever things get crazy, if you go back to that, you get grounded." Pretty smart advice from a man who spends his life getting laughs. 

There are fifty quotes from fifty different black men gathered by the author Dr. Tamara Pizzoli. Powerful words in a powerful book and a great gift idea for any young tween, teen or new high school graduate, first year college student and yes, even adults will become a book the reader goes to find inspiration or healing. 

Highly recommended grades 5 and up. 

Non-Fiction Pick: The Keeper of the Stories

 The Keeper of the Stories 

by Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Illustrated by Selina Alko 

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

an imprint Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division 

2025

40 pages 

ISBN: 9781665914970

 Illustrations by Selina Alko capture the tragedy of a fire that consumed the Theological Seminary Library in 1966. For 130 years, the library was a work and study place which housed 200,000 books, newspapers and magazines, some dating back as far as the Middle Ages. Although thirty-five fire houses responded, the fire lasted nine hours and destroyed 70,000 books, but the neighborhood came together immediately to save the stories, 

In a project known as "Operation Booklift," people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, it did not matter, volunteered to help with the damaged books, forming a human chain to pass books down the line into cartons and later onto carts. The people knew the stories and the words were worth saving for everyone. What a testament to humanity! 

The water from the fire hoses had water logged most books, but thousands of hands dried book pages with paper towels and they even freeze dried books to save them.

Prithcard's prose hits at the heart with repeated lines, almost like a chorus, "Keep our stories alive" which gives the story rhythm. It MUST be read aloud to hear the beauty of the story, Exemplary design throughout the book changes the text placing in every two-page spread using the entire page drawing interest. 

Photos and a page detailing the event follow along with an author's note and a list of sources. There is even a link to a full interview with the author and the library's head librarian of twenty years. 

The Keeper of the Stories will be front and center come awards season. A must have for every collection. If your library is well-funded, you'll want to put one copy in history and another in picture books. 

Grades 1-4. This would be an excellent book to teach about non-fiction versus fiction. 

 

The story opens with, "A library is a keeper of stories. A keeper of memories. A keeper of hope," which is as true today as it was in 1966. 

Fun With Math, Yes, You Read the Title Right! Mega Math Maze

 

Mega Math Maze: A Multiplication Adventure

by Kjartan Poskitt

Illustrations by Seb Burnett

Workman Kids

An imprint of Workman Publishing 

Hachette Book Group, Inc. 

2025

48 pages

ISBN: 9781523530854

Learning and practicing multiplication tables is now fun! Kjartan Poskitt's creation of a fun adventure through connecting mazes will entertain and capture a reader's attention using questions, fun comic characters called numbugs who lead the way, dialog bubbles, a variety of settings and die-cut pages with possible correct answers. 

There is no right or wrong order to complete the mazes. The reader has the choice to visit the adventure of their choice featuring the swamp, the jungle, Yeti Mountain, Termite Mound, or visit the crowd of penguins in Polar Pathways. There are fourteen different mazes to explore and enjoy. 

Bonus pages are a treasure! Excellent "insider" tips include times table tricks that would have come in handy when I was in school, but now that I know the "Amazing Two Times Table" trick, I will be able to use it to multiply any two numbers as long as I can add and divide by two. Who knew there were tricks and patterns in math? Well, probably Einstein, but he was a genius. The average fourth grade math student probably does not see patterns or invent tricks to learn multiplication. If Mega Math Maze were used as a teaching tool, students would be able to easily master multiplication and use critical thinking and engage their brain the entire time. Learners would more likely stay on task and have fun doing it. Students might engage with other students as they go through the mazes, even making it a springboard for collaboration and dialog. 

Captivating, colorful, comic illustrations by Seb Burnett capture the personalities of the numbugs, the beauty of the African animals, the silent stealth of the nocturnal animals in the forest and on Yeti Mountain, wolves look on with happy smiles as the blue Yeti emerges, bug-eyed and furry, seemingly ferocious but secretly playful as he has a snowball in his hand ready to launch at an unsuspecting someone. Gleeful and whimsical! This is math? Yes, please. 

Highly, highly recommended for ALL learners, even if adult. You will pick up some fancy tricks that will amaze you. 

Grades 4 and up, and yes, all adults. Excellent tool for use in home schools. A MUST HAVE, MUST EXPERIENCE book. 

 

The ABCs of Women's History

by Rio Cortez

Illustrated by Lauren Semmer

Workman Kids

Workman Publishing 

Hachette Book Group, Inc. 

2025

64 pages

ISBN: 9781523523290

Remarkable women who came before us showed us the path to equality, justice, knowledge, freedom and using our hard work and voices to bring about change. This important book features women who questioned the status quo and joined movements to ensure civil rights and worker rights. 

This gem of a book will motivate girls to stand up for what they believe and are passionate about. My favorite page reads, "We have the right to our bodies, to education, and free speech, and the right to work at whatever we please." A two-page spread shows a diverse group of girls who know that no means no. They will never go backward. 

Among the famous women mentioned are Shirley Chisholm, Sally Ride, Kamala Harris, Gloria Steinem and many more. Pages in the back list terms used and famous figures mentioned under each letter of the alphabet. The only drawback is the publisher's choice in solid color endpapers instead of eye-catching illustrations. 

Recommended for every history buff, every young girl who dreams,  and every library. Grades 3 and up. 

Non-Fiction Picure Book: Poo Pile on the Prairie

 

Poo Pile on the Prairie

A Tiny Habitats Book 

by Amy Hevron

Illustrations by the author

Beach Lane Books

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2025

48 pages

ISBN: 9781665935029

Rave reviews: 

*This incredibly amusing addition to the Tiny Habitats series is a treasure. . . . A spectacular snapshot of a truly special—if slightly smelly—small world.
– Booklist, STARRED REVIEW, 02/01/2025
* An interesting and beautiful story about this important prairie ecosystem contributor. Highly recommended.
– School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, 2/1/25
* Hevron blends whimsy and science for an enchanting and much-needed reminder that complex ecosystems can be found in the most unlikely of places.
– Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW, 12/15/24

My Review: 

Poop on the prairie sounds nasty and smelly, but Amy Hevron enlightens readers showing them that a pile of bison poop is really an ecosystem for all kinds of creatures. When a bison poops, dung beetles and worms make it their home and soon flies lay thousands of eggs that in turn feed birds and turtles.The poo pile enriches the soil and soon prairie wildflowers grow. 

The flowers entice bees, crickets and birds. In the spring butterflies emerge. In the winter, snow covers the pile, soaking it into the grasses which will feed the bison and the cycle will begin again. 

A double page spread follows the story with illustrations of the animals found on the prairie who benefit from that pile of bison poop. In "The Scoop on Bison Poop," readers learn that over three hundred different types of insects call a single poop pile their home. Because bison poop is so rich in microbes and nutrients, it makes the soil rich. Seeds are also found in bison poop. When bison graze they spread these seeds over the prairie and the flowers that sprout attract butterflies and bees. One single pile of poop is responsible for sustaining the prairie ecosystem. 

Additional reading and selected sources are listed for those who want to learn more about poo on the prairie. Illustrations use mixed media of pencil, markers and acrylics. 

Highly recommended ages 4 and up. 

Young Foodie Pick: Kids Around the World: What's Cooking?

 

Kids Around the World: What's Cooking? 

A Ready-To-Read Level Two book 

by Patty Michaels

Illustrated by Clarice Elliott

Simon Spotlight

An imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2024

32 pages

ISBN: 9781665963435

The Ready-To-Read series allows young readers to connect with the text by using short, simple chapters and new vocabulary words (with the pronunciation in parenthesis for children to sound out unfamiliar aand sometimes foreign words. An example is kimchi which finds its origins in Korea. 

Many countries eat the same types of foods. Rice is found in many cuisines and is a diet staple. Pasta and noodles are similar yet different. Noodles can be used in soups and stews and even deep-fried or stir fried where pasta is usually only boiled. Dumplings are another type of food that many countries have their own take on. Originally made in Georgia (the country, not the state) dumplings are also part of the Chinese culture and are popular in the United States (chicken and dumplings) and in South America where their dumplings are known as enpanadas which are like a stuffed meat hand pie. 

Bread truly is the staff of life. Countless countries bake with different types of flour: white flour, corn flour, rice flour or buckwheat flour. Cakes are used for special celebrations like the king cake found in Louisiana during Mardi Gras or mooncakes eaten in China in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Complete with a handy glossary--in the front of the book--and a table of contents teach readers to use these tools as a guide to understand the story. Adult readers who should always read to children should point out these two "extras" and explain how to use them. This may be the first time a young reader encounters these two things in a book. 

Diverse and multi-cultural characters are prevalent in the illustratons and on the cover. 

Highly recommended pre-school-grade 5. 

Board Book PIck: What Dinosaur Am I?

What Dinosaur Am I? (The World of Dinosaur Roar!

Lift-the-flap book

by Peter Curtis

Illustrated by the author

In collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution

Simon Spotlight

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division 

2025

16 pages

ISBN: 9781665966047

What Dinosaur Am I? is full of riddles about different dinosaurs and engineered to allow busy young hands to grasp the book itself and carefully lift each flap to reveal the answers. Peter Curtis uses colorful illustrations to capture each dinosaur's attributes and personality traits. The dinosaur facts were approved by paleontologists (the scientists that study ancient life uses fossils and other remains).  Fun book design encourages the child to  lift each flap and discover facts about the dinosaur until they lift the last flap labeled, "What dinosaur am I?" to reveal the dinosaur's scientific name. 

With twenty-eight flaps which open from the left, the right, the top and the bottom readers will be busy not only with  the visual art and the fascinating facts but also in learning how to open each flap. The paper over board construction is sturdy enough for hours of reading and revealing, but an adult should read the facts and guide their child into lifting the flaps carefully to avoid damaging the flap or book paper. 

What Dinosaur Am I? is sure to become a favorite book for every child and especially those who love DINOSAUR ROARS! 

Highly, highly recommended ages 18 months and up. 

Best "Guide to the world's living wonders:" Atlas Obscura: Wild Life

 Atlas Obscura: Wild Life

An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders

by Cara Giaimo and Joshua Foer

Hachette Book Group, Inc. 

Workman Publishing 

2464 pages

ISBN: 9781523514410

Atlas Obscura Wild Life is chock full of factoids, trivia, photos and full color illustrations of curious species of plants and animals from every corner of the world. Painstakingly indexed for ease of use and divided into seven catagories, this book is a treasure for the curious reader. From forests to grasslands to shallows and deeps to deserts, the authors have covered little known species most of us will only encounter in these pages.

Interesting animals fill the pages: the platypus, for example is probably the silliest looking animal and is indeed a strange creature. It lays eggs but nurses its offspring. It has fur yet swims underwater. It can pull in the webbing on its feet allowing it to walk on its claws on land. They are shy and only spotted in Australia and Tasmania. Another strange creature is the great Indian bustard, a giant of the bird which can reach up to four feet tall and weigh up to thirty-three pounds, it can actually fly. Fewer than one hundred bustards remain and are found near the border of India and Pakistan. 

The ocean boasts its own array of different creatures: the peacock mantis shrimp lives in the Indian Ocean and can be found in the southwestern Pacific. The authors describe its appearance as, "...a jumbo prawn crossed with a birthday cake." This shrimp has eyes with twelve color receptors that allow it to see up to 100,000 colors. Scientists are still studying this unique ability. A bird who likes to fly (literally) is the airpot snowy owl which can be spotted at many airports in all kinds of weather and even in the day time. They are quite at home where there are flat runways and air fields which mimics their native tundra. 

This book would make a great gift for anyone who loves animals or adventure. Reluctant readers will find this book easy to devour as facts in bold type are set off to show the species range and species scientific name. Color photos of every plant and animal make it a great book for visual learners. 

Highly, highly recommended grades 5 and up. 

Picture Book Biography: The One and Only Googoosh

 

The One and Only Googoosh: Iran's Beloved Superstar

by Azadeh Westergaard

Viking 

An impint of Penguin Random House, LLC

2024

40 pages

9780593114636

Mixed media art using block prints, collage pieces using paper and cardboard, colored pencils and brushes give this picture book biography a definitive texture allowing elements to appear almost in 3-D. Author illustator Azadeh Westergaard captures the sights of her homeland she remembers as a chld, "...snowcapped peaks of the Algorz Mountains," and the sounds of the streets as vendors sell pomegranate juice, and the aromas as bakers pull out fresh barbari bread. A tiny girl first appears with her father onstage and people are charmed. She gathers national attention as her fan base grows. Googoosh becomes Iran's favorite singer until war comes, the theaters are shut down, people flee, "the roar and thunder of a revolution... which turns Iran, "...into a typhoon of turmoil."  

People flee their homeland to seek a new life somewhere safe, but they never forget the songs Googoosh sang. They hold them tight and remember a peaceful Iran. Time marches on, "...as the years slipped through our gingers lie the stringed prayer beads our grandfathers used to mark time." Googoosh is allowed to leave Iran in 2000 and she performs in Toronto, Canada. Generations of Iranians love her music which they hold in their, "collective history andt now exists only in the land of memories." 

Beautiful prose and striking imagery evoke memories of Iran before the revolution. Googoosh is remembered as Iran's first superstar and is celebrated in this compelling picture book about a famous person in a country's culture. Non-Iranian people may not know Googoosh, but this children's book will change that. 

Highly recommended for the biography section as well as the children's picture book section of every library. The One and Only Googoosh is too important a book to miss! A biography of a famous Iranian is important, but even more so here since Googoosh is a famous FEMALE Iranian. 

Ages 4 to 8. 

Empowering Picture Book: Girls On the Rise

 

Girls on the Rise 

by Amanda Gorman

Illustrated by Loveis Wise

Viking

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

2025

32 pages

ISBN: 9780593624180

A much needed book for troubled times, Girls on the Rise celebrates the power of having a voice and speaking up for change. When girls get together, there is nothing they can not accomplish and even though they may have differences,  Gorman writes, "we might have our own voices, but we're singing the same song." If they work together, they are too powerful to ignore. 

Illustrations are inclusive and multicultural. Girls on the Rise embraces change and the spirit of a strong sisterhood. Girls, "are gutsy...gorgeous, gleaming, giving and gifted, glorious glitter and grit." 

Artwork is digital using Adobe Photoshop and collage art. Highly recommended ages 2 and up. 

Novel In Verse: Radiant

 

Radiant

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Dutton Children's Books

an impint of Penguin Random House LLC

2025 

320 pages

ISBN: 9780593855782

The year is 1963 and Cooper Dale is in fifth grade, and she is not at all happy to be in Mrs. Keating, aka the Queen of Darkness's, class. 

Set in history, this novel in verse tells the story of turbulent times: there's a bombing in the Baptist church in Alabama, and four little black girls are killed. Cooper is worried about the violence and afraid the KKK might come to her church or her neighborhood. She wonders why white people hate black people so much. She hears Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and wonders when it will be that people are not judged by the color of their skin. She sometimes wishes she were white, "But sometimes I don't want to be black...but sometimes, sometimes, I just want to be white." In a poem called "If," Cooper says, "If I could--/I would/take my box of crayons/and color the world/the way I want."

Cooper's personal problems include growing apart from her now fourteen-year old sister and a mean boy named Wade in her class who calls her "Mud Face" and bullies her. What's worse is that Cooper's mother works as a maid for the mean boy's mother. Cooper is embarrassed her mother has to clean up after Wade and his family.

One problem is solved when Beatlemania (notice the album cover the girl is holding on the book cover art) takes over the country, both Cooper and her sister Maxine are crazed. They are brought back together in their shared love of the Fab Four. 

As the British Invastion sweeps the nation and teens are brought to tears, the entire country comes to a complete stop on November 22, 1963, the day beloved President John F. Kennedy is assassinated. The adults watch the news and talk about politics, and, of course, Cooper hears what's transpiring around the country. Her mother and father debate the activism of Malcom X. 

Wade's mother dies, and Cooper and her mother attend the funeral. Wade eventually comes back to school, but he's a changed person. Cooper empathizes with him even though he's been nothing but a terror to her all year. Cooper even changes her mind about Mrs. Keating. She's not the Queen of Darkness after all. 

Perfect for reluctant readers, Radiant shines! It will likely be a contender for awards season this year. Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, may have to clear off more space on her mantle. 

Highly recommended grades 4 and up. Radiant would be great for classroom reading. Savvy librarians will purchase a class set and a few other copies for circulation.