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 Originally made in Georgia (the country, not the state) dumplings are also part of the Chinese culture and are popular in the United States (chicken and dumplings) and in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. 

Non-Fiction Picture Book: Dinosaurs in Space

 

Dinosaurs In Space

by Todd Sturgell

Illustrations by the author

Sourcebooks

2024

40 pages

ISBN: 9781728236278

A dinosaur named Austro gives a lesson on dinosaur fossils and the asteroid that wiped them out and blasted pieces and bones into space. Pachy (another dinosaur) keeps interrupting the lesson and adding fun tidbits for young readers to think about. Could there be dinosaurs on the moon? On Mars? Maybe there's dinosaur zombies out there. Austro assures him there are not. The fun banter between the two is full of whimsy and will entertain the reader. Pages follow with more information about various dinosaurs and the asteroid that hit earth. 

Fantastic illustrations by Sturgell make this picture book a winner. It will be one of the most frequent check-outs in any library, so savvy librarians will order several copies. With "dinosaur" in the title, many kids will be attracted to this book. 

Highly recommended grade 3 and up independent readers. Younger children will love the book, but an adult will have to read it to them. 

Picture Book Pick: When Alexander Graced the Table

 

When Alexander Graced the Table

by Alexander Smalls and Denene Millner

Illustrated by Frand Morrison 

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2025

40 pages

ISBN: 9781534488724

Gorgeous illustrations by Coretta Scott KIng Award winner Frank Morrison and a story based on James Beard Award winning chef Alexander Smalls own childhood make this book a must have for every library and child's book shelf. 

Alexander loves to help his mama in the kitchen, and Sunday dinner is a major production in their home. So big, in fact, they'd start planning and cooking on Saturday night. His mama includes his help in every dish: he picks peas and collards from the garden and lemons from the tree, he peels eggs for the potato salad and grates the cheese for mac and cheese. All of this is done with commitment and love. The entire family gathers on Sunday to share the bounty and joy. Even though the dinners are special and filled with love, his papa never seems impressed. 

Alexander wishes he could impress his father. One Saturday evening, his mother says 
Alexander can make a special dessert for Sunday dinner. He is so proud, and gets right to work, making lemon icebox pie, his father's favorite. Mama puts it on a fancy cake stand and Alexander delivers it to the table. Papa says the pie looks great, and Alexander holds his breath, hoping his father will love the taste. His father takes a bite and is impressed. Alexander beams with pride, and the memory of his father trying his pie and loving it will stay with him forever.

Highly recommended ages 3 and up. When 
Alexander Graced the Table will likely be a popular pick in awards this award season. 

Graphic Novel PIck: PAWS: Hazel Has Her Hands Full

 

PAWS: Hazel Has Her Hands Full

by Nathan Fairbairn

Illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn

G.P. Putnam's Sons 

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

2025

176 pages

Color Illustrations

ISBN: 9780593695807

Book Four in the PAWS series follows twelve-year old Hazel who has moved from Toronto to Vancouver. At first, she was worried she wouldn't be able to make friends or that some people might be mean to her, but she quickly makes friends with Gabby and Priya and later their friend Mindy. They happily welcome her to their PAWS group which stands for Pretty Awesome Walkers where the girls walk other people's dogs for pay. Even though Hazel uses a wheelchair, she can use her legs but only for short distances due to her spinal muscular atrophy. 

With school almost out for the summer, the girls share their summer plans. Gabby is in too many camps to count, Mindy must visit her father for a month and Priya doesn't want to ride the bus twice a day to get to their clients' houses. Hazel is on her own: no one can help her with PAWS. Her mother has made it clear she is only to walk dogs with others, never alone. When a cat sitting job presents itself, Hazel takes the gig and lies to her mother telling her Gabby is helping her. Hazel worries her mom will find out, but she's too afraid to come clean. 

Balancing walking the dogs while her friends are gone and cat sitting for her new clients, Hazel begins to get fatigued. She worries she got herself into a real mess. When the cats accidentally escape, Hazel turns to her friends and their families to help her search for them. One thing she knows for sure: In a crisis, people get together. 

Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels and readers of the series. It is not necessary to read the first three books to understand book four; however, most readers may want to find the first three after reading Hazel Has Her Hands Full. 

Grades 5 and up. 

Community Center Pick: Saturday Morning at the 'Shop

 

Saturday Morning at the 'Shop

by Keenan Jones

Illustrations by Ken Daley

Beach Lane Books

Simon & Schuster, LLC

32 pages

2025

ISBN: 9781665940801

What a joyous and positivie picture book that celebrates a Saturday morning tradition! 

Every Saturday a young boy goes to the barber shop to see all his friends, neighbors and relatives. The 'Shop is the heartbeat of the community. It is not just about the haircuts and the shaves. The 'Shop is a history lesson taught by barbers and friends. It's a playground for the boys until Mr. Charles tells them "to settle down." It's a fashion show, a comedy club, a sports bar, and even a showroom for the neighborhood tailer, and a listening booth to hear David Jr.'s new tracks. Every Saturday is like a family reunion and a time to learn about black history. Every Saturday, the young boy learns something new. 

Illustrations by Ken Daley capture the movement, the joy, and the personality of the shop: it is welcoming, colorful, vibrant and noisy. You can almost hear the noises of the shop from the illustrations. This neighborhood is lucky indeed to have a weekly meeting place for young boys and men to share stories and tell jokes. Saturday Morning at the 'Shop exudes happiness, belonging and love. 

Highly, highly recommended ages 3 and up. 

Picture Book Pick: The Hare Who Wouldn't Share

 

The Hare Who Wouldn't Share 

by Steve Small 

Illustrations by the author

A Paula Wiseman Book

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Originally published in 2024 in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster, UK Ltd 

32 pages

2025

ISBN: 9781665972932

When a family of rabbits show up and become his neighbors, Hare in not friendly. In fact, he sends them away hungry, refusing to give them any of HIS turnips. He tells the rabbits to keep on moving and he does not share his food. 

Hare stays to himself, enjoying his solitude while the rabbits work to plant a big garden of carrots. Even Hare is impressed when he sees it. The rabbits invite him to share their carrot soup, but Hare declines and says he does not need nor want their friendship. Hare cannot believe the kind rabbits would share the food that they worked so hard to grow. 

One night, a ravenous wild boar shows up and steals Hare's turnips. The boar is not sated and goes in search of more free food. He heads off toward the rabbits' home. Hare realizing they are in danger, does something completely unexpected! He races to trick the boar and save his neighbors. His plan works, and the rabbits and their carrots are safe. 

Hare rushes back home to save his turnips, but the greedy boar has eaten every single turnip. The rabbits plead with the Hare to stay with them for the long winter. As Hare watches the rabbits share and work together, he begins to change his mind. He decides being around others isn't so bad. In fact, it's quite nice. 

The Hare Who Wouldn't Share is an uplifting story of a curmudgeonly, selfish hare who learns to live and work with others and most importantly, learns to share. Ages 2 and up. 

Fail-A-Bration

 

Fail-A-Bration

by Brad and Kristi Montague

Dial Books for Young Readers

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 

2024

40 pages 

ISBN: 9780593697146

Maybe things didn't turn out the way you wanted. Maybe the cake you baked turned out messed up. Maybe you failed at something important, but author Brad and Kristi Montague have a positive message for all the messers, missers, the late to the party, the ones who came in last place--everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to realize that you learned from your mistake and tomorrow, you will "...fail better." 

The concept of throwing a Fail-A-Bration is lovely. Everyone is invited to share and talk and learn from each other. Bring your messed up cake, show up in your shirt you spilled chocolate milk on earlier, share the time you fell down and got embarrassed, and talk about the time you tried so hard but failed. You learned! 

What a simple, positive concept. Children need this book, libraries need this book, parents need this book. The positive message that failure happens to everyone and it is okay to feel sad or mad or cry, but you could throw a Fail-A-Bration to make your failure a positive experience for you and everyone else.

The rhyming text keeps the message light-hearted and positive. Illustrations are mixed media and include collage elements, string, cardboard, double sided tape, acrylic paint and even cookies! All the pieces were "rescued" from the authors' recycling bin, Use this picture book to teach about the concept mixed media art of reusing and repurposing common items from the recycling bin to create art. 

Highly recommended for all. Ages 2 and up. 

Cute Picture Book Pick: Have You Seen My Acorn?

 

Have You Seen My Acorn? 

by DK Ryland

illustrations by the author 

Flamingo Books

an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC
2024

32 pages

ISBN:9780593622421

A clueless squirrel is in a tizzy when he can't find his acorn. He runs to each of his friends in the woodland: Skunk, Raccoon, Deer and Fox but none of them can find it. Squirrel is in such a huge hurry, he never stays long enough to hear what each friend is trying to tell him. He rushes off in search of his elusive acorn all the while right under his nose! Finally Owl drops an acorn from his tree, and Squirrel is so happy to see his missing acorn, so he decides to bury it! Young readers will solve the mystery of the missing acorn long before Squirrel "finds" his new acorn. 

Clever banter between the animals uses new and fun words for readers: chitchat, skedaddled, scurried, literally and morals. The use of onomatapeoia allows the adult, or older reader, the chance to embellish the word sounds including sounds animals make like "rat-tat-tat" and "whoo! whoo!" Words in bold and all caps direct the reader to make sure and put emphasis on them. 

This is such a fun book! Any reader will giggle as Squirrel scampers all over the forest when the entire time, his acorn has been visible...except it's turning into a small plant that will grow to a giant oak. 

Ages 3 and up. A must-have, must-read for every child and every library. 

Non-Fiction Picture Book Pick: The Dog That Dug For Dinosaurs

 

The Dog Who Dug For Dinosaurs

Ready-To-Read Level Three

by Shirley Raye Redmond

Illustrations Simon Sullivan 

Simon Spotlight

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2024

Text and illustrations copyright 2004

32 pages

ISBN: 9781665963329

Even the most reluctant reader will want to read about a real life dog who loved to dig for fossils. One day, Mary Ann and her dog Tray discover giant bones on the cliff. They run and find grown ups to help them. The town is surprised to find the largest bones anyone has ever seen. A wealthy man offers to buy the bones and give them to the British Museum in London. The "monster" discovered by Tray was an ichthyosaur, or fish lizard. 

Soon people were flocking to Lyme Regis to see where the bones were found. Scientists were deeply interested in the find and an Oxford scientist, William Buckland, visits and asks Mary Ann to show him where Tray discovered the bones. Tray comes through again. He sniffs out the bones of a plesiosaur and later a pterodactyl--a fossil never seen in England before. The little dog that dug for dinosaurs became famous and people visited Mary Ann's village to buy fossils and search the cliffs. 

The bones and fossils discovered by Tray and Mary Ann are on exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London today. 

Highly recommended for readers who like non-fiction and dinosaurs, but Tray is charmingly captivating and will keep any reader entertained as they learn about fossils, dinosaurs and discovery. 

Grades 3 and up. Level Three books feature more character development, more difficult vocabulary, longer sentences and more complex sentence structure. 

Funny Getaway Picture Book: Stop That Mop!

 

Stop That Mop!

Ready To Read Level One

by Jonathan Fenske

Illustrations by the author 

Simon Spotlight

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2025

32 pages

ISBN: 9781665932721

An unhappy mop is sick and tired of having to mop and mop and mop all the slop and glop, so they decide to run away. They run away from the pig who's chasing them. A bunny joins in the chase followed by a pony and a fishy. The group of animals continues to chase the nimble mop until they all reach a stop sign, warning of a cliff drop off ahead. 

The mop is not done yet. They fall the cliff and are saved by a bird, but the mop wins freedom as the flabbergasted and tired chasers look on. 

The fun rhyming story will likely be your toddler's favorite book. The mop is winsome, silly, entertaining and speedy. Fenske captures each animal's personality using colorful, almost cartoon-like facial expressions and body language. This book is a rare gem and a must-read. Beginning readers will be captivated by the easy rhymes featuring easy words to sound out and it will help them with their first sight words. 

This picture book is a Theodor Seeuss Geisel Honor Winner and a Junior Library Guild Selection and will be a popular pick for awards this year. 

Highly, highly recommended ages 18 months and up.