Children's Book Recommendations

Children’s Picture Book Recommendations–Week of December 10, 2023

The Retired School Librarian

Children’s Picture Book Recommendations–Week of December 3, 2023 are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, she may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.)

A young girl is holding wrapped gifts while standing in front of an inner city scene of apartment buildings that have laundry hanging outside of them. Her family and community members are standing behind her. Book cover of Rivka's Presents

Rivka’s Presents 

by Laurie Wallmark (Author), Adelina Lirius (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Rivka, a Jewish girl who lived in the Lower East Side of New York City during the flu pandemic of 1918, thought she was going to school but had to delay her first day for several months. Rivka’s father was sick with influenza and had to stay in bed. Her mother had to go to work. Rivka cared for her father and tended to her little sister, Miriam.

The young girl trades working for various stores in the area in exchange for the storeowners’ teaching her how to write and read. She eventually gets to go to school with the help of her community.

Comments: Historical fiction picture books like these should be read to children to help them better understand how lucky they are to go to school and have opportunities so many did not have in earlier times or even today.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

And ice truck being pulled by a black horse is standing in front of inner city apartment buildings from the turn of the century that have white laundry hanging outside of the windows.

An orangutan with her baby and there are green grass behind them; book cover of The Emerald Forest

The Emerald Forest 

by Catherine Ward (Author), Karin Littlewood (Author)

Brief summary: Orangutan lives with her children on a rainforest island called Sumatra in Indonesia until a deforesting machine comes and rips out the tree she is in. She and her family are relocated to Bukit Tigapuluh National Park(Thirty Hills).

Comments: I was tearing up when I read this heartfelt picture book; beautifully illustrated. It would be a good story to share with students with an endangered species, environment, or deforestation unit of study.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

And orangutan is hanging from the very top of a machine that de-roots trees from the rainforest

For more information about Thirty Hills.

A gray fox is sitting on a log in a force that is silver. There is a beautiful full moon behind the fox. Book cover of Gray Fox in the Moonlight

Gray Fox in the Moonlight 

by Isaac Peterson (Author and illustrator)

Brief summary: Gray Fox walks in the fall woods during a full moon, seeing her reflection in the river before returning to the den.

Comments: The cover of this book is designed beautifully with raised imprints and specks of silver. Although the title is in cursive, the text inside is in block letters.

The gray illustrations were created by the author and his daughter.

This is a short and gentle book, excellent for bedtime.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

There is a fox standing beside a river in a winter forest with the full moon.

A Letter for Bob 

by Kim Rogers (Author), Jonathan Nelson (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Katie, a young girl, writes a letter to their car, Bob, as they have traded him in for a bigger one to match their growing family. She thanks Bob and shares the family’s wonderful(and not-so-wonderful) memories in the car, such as attending the Wichita Annual Dance, the Indian Hills Powwow, their vacations, sports events, and everyday occurrences.

Comments: The story was a mixture of humorous and sentimental memories.

Everyone can relate to this picture book’s story as cars(and other family-owned objects) can seem like family members.

The back sections include Author’s Note, Glossary, and Current Tribal Locations.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

There is a family in a parking lot ready to trade in their old car Bob for a new car.

A young girl is looking at some potted plants with Sprouts coming out of them with a frosted window behind her.

Wintergarden 

by Janet Fox (Author), Jasu Hu (Illustrator)

Brief summary: In the winter, a girl helps her mother grow a garden on the window sill in little pots. The child cares for and tends the plants, harvesting some for their Thanksgiving meal.

When the weather warms up, she looks forward to picking out seeds to grow more plants.

Comments: Directions for how to grow your own wintergarden are at the back of the book.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Children’s book titles are carefully handpicked by a certified elementary school librarian who, although retired, still enjoys reading children’s books, especially picture books, and recommending them to busy teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book lovers.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris reads before recommending are checked out from the public library, except for those much-appreciated complimentary copies sent to her for an honest review. Those are noted. 

One thought on “Children’s Picture Book Recommendations–Week of December 10, 2023”

  1. Pingback: 2023 Children's Book Recs(updates in progress) - The Retired School Librarian

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