(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Self-Esteem Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
My Powerful Hair
by Carole Lindstrom (Author), Steph Littlebird (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young girl tells how she can’t wait for her hair to grow long. She explains how her ancestors grew long hair, as hair is their memories and source of strength. The girl shares the milestones of her life and how her hair grows parallel to those special events.
Comments: Readers learn why the young girl’s mother has always had short hair and what it means to have hair cut short in her Indigenous culture.
This book’s back pages explain the belief that hair holds strength and power and includes an Author’s note.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Harriet’s Reflections
by Marion Kadi (Author)
Summary: An old lion is looking at his reflection in the water before it dies. His reflection is still alive and bored, so it wanders the jungle and comes across a house with a little girl named Harriet inside, who is very grumpy.
The lion follows Harriet to school, and when she comes to the next mud puddle, he jumps in and becomes her reflection. Harriet is surprised at how fierce and confident she feels that day and has forgotten all about her old reflection. Will Harriet ever want to have her old reflection back?
Comments: This is a French translation that was published in 2021. I found the book to be unique, creative, and well-written.
The illustrations are bright and have several large two-page spreads. I always like it when the end pages are decorated.
I sent me a complimentary copy to give an honest review.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Clara’s Big Discovery
by Don Tassone (Author), Jane Rytel (Illustrator)
Summary: Clara was eating her lunch at school one day when Mia said four words that changed how she viewed herself and others–“Your nose is big.”
Clara began to question whether there was something wrong with her nose, which caused her to feel bad about herself. The next day at school, she felt self-conscious and observed the people around her, noticing that each person had something a little different about them that she had never really noticed before.
When Clara arrives home, she realizes that everyone has imperfections but is still okay. Will she think that way about herself again?
Comments: I loved how this book examined the imperfections of different students and emphasized that it was no big deal, not something that defined that person.
This would be a superb book to read aloud to elementary students at the beginning of the school year to help foster and embrace everyone’s differences. I would ask the students if they knew what Clara’s big discovery was at the end of the story.
Rating: 4.5/📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Buffalo Fluffalo
by Bess Kalb (Author), Erin Kraan (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There was a big fluffy buffalo puffed up, acting tough. A goat, prairie dog, and crow try to make friends with him, but he pushes them away with excuses.
A big storm with heavy rain changes his appearance, but his three friends do not care, causing the other creatures to love him too.
Comments: I’ve known some Buffalo Fluffalo students who could have been helped with the bibliotherapeutic lesson of this book’s story.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under School Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Big Kids
by K. L. Going (Author), Reggie Brown (Illustrator)
Summary: A young boy describes his first day of school, highlighting all the activities the older kids participate in. It’s Buddy Day, when he gets paired with an older student. His new friend takes him on a tour of the school, helping to ease his fears of the older students.
Comments: I love how the perspective of the big kids and little kids is complemented by the illustrations, which show the physical contrasts.
This would be the perfect read-aloud for the start of the school year, just before introducing the buddy system. We paired kindergartners with fifth graders.
Rating: 4.5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Fish Don’t Go to School
by Deb Pilutti (Author)
Summary: Henry wears his fish costume to school because it makes him feel safe and less anxious. Although everyone stared at him, as the day went on, Henry slowly felt more comfortable. Will he continue to wear his costume every day?
Comments: I think this would be a good book to read aloud to help those students who feel insecure at the beginning of the school year.
I remember several students dressing in Halloween costumes or like ballerinas at the beginning of the school year, and gradually shedding their fears as they got to know everyone in the classroom and the daily routine.
The illustrations were created with gouache and wax pastels on watercolor paper with a little digital painting.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Maybe Just Ask Me!
by Katie Mazeika (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Mazie goes to school wearing her favorite head scarf and a pretty eye patch. Throughout the day, she hears her classmates speculating about the reasons behind her accessories. After listening to their whispers all day, she decides to confront them and share her story.
Comments: This text is based on the author’s personal story. She includes it at the back of the book, along with a list of ways to support individuals with disabilities.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Recess
by Lane Smith (Author)
Summary: Everyone needs a break from learning, and that is when RECESS comes in. What happens when recess is already over but we still need a break?
Comments: This is a fun interactive book featuring a call-and-response format that will have students giggling and full of energy. It makes an excellent read-aloud option for a “recess” moment when the day feels dull and a mental break is needed.
I loved how the book alternates between boring gray and then a bright color for the recess activity.
The illustrations were created with oil paints, colored pencils, cold wax, gesso, sandpaper, and digital scribbling on 24″ x24″ wood panels.
Lane Smith never disappoints me with his books. Another masterpiece!
Rating: 5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Sammy and Sunny’s First Day of School
by Nina LaCour (Author), Elizabeth Lilly (Illustrator)
Summary: Sammy and her dog, Sunny, both attend their first day of school. Sammy is dropped off at her kindergarten classroom, while Sunny goes to puppy school.
Readers see how their days parallel each other. They were both a bit nervous, but then learned the routine and made friends.
Comments: The illustrations were created with pen and ink and painted with watercolor.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Sunnyside School: A Community Helpers Book
by Lindsay Ward
Summary: Ali, Matty, and Mila are new to Sunnyside School. Readers walk along with the students and learn about their classrooms, the school building, and all about the volunteers and staff members.
Comments: This book provides excellent details in both the text and the illustrations. It features traditional narrative, speech bubbles, and informative text boxes. As the day progresses, the book poses questions and includes a search-and-find activity at the end. This is a fantastic community helper book and would be a valuable addition to any library or classroom.
Rating: 4.5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Trusty Bus
by Elizabeth Weiss Verdick (Author), Jeff Harter (Illustrator)
Summary: Driver Dee and Trusty, a school bus, get ready to go on their route to pick up the students for the first day of school, being mindful of safety as they go around town.
Comments: This is a darling little book for toddlers and preschoolers. The rhyming text and onomatopoeias make the book interesting and fun.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
You Can Sit With Me
by Rachel Tawil Kenyon (Author), Tatiana Kamshilina (Illustrator)
Summary: A young child is new to the school and unsure of the routine. A girl kindly invites the newbie to sit with her throughout the story.
Comments: This would be a superb story to read aloud to promote kindness and inclusion. I think there could be some meaningful class discussions afterwards about ways everyone can be kind to one another.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Goodnight School
by Catherine Bailey (Author), Cori Doerrfeld (Illustrator)
Brief summary: As School prepares to close for the night, the night guard goes through the building to ensure that all the lights are off and each room is in order. However, she discovers evidence that someone else is in the school with her. Will she be able to identify the intruder before the students arrive the next day?
Comments: This humorous mystery picture book has detailed illustrations that had me stop and look.
I love it when the pasted-down end pages are part of the story.
This would be a nice story to share at bedtime.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
On the Last Day of School
by Maggie C. Rudd (Author), Taia Morley (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Students reflect on their progress from the beginning to the end of the school year before heading home for the summer.
Comments: This could be shared as a read-aloud towards the end of the school year. It can prompt a discussion where students compare what they could do at the beginning of the school year with all the things they have learned or can now do by the end of the year.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Sammy and Sunny’s First Day of School
by Nina LaCour (Author), Elizabeth Lilly (Illustrator)
Summary: Sammy and her dog, Sunny, both attend their first day of school. Sammy is dropped off at her kindergarten classroom, while Sunny goes to puppy school.
Readers see how their days parallel each other. They were both a bit nervous, but then learned the routine and made friends.
Comments: The illustrations were created with pen and ink and painted with watercolor.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Mr. S: A First Day of School Book
by Monica Arnaldo (Author, Illustrator).
Brief summary: The kindergartners of 2B arrive on the first day of school to find a missing teacher. Their first clue is the desk has a ruler, a steaming cup of coffee, and a giant sandwich. They notice “Mr. S” has been written on the chalkboard. They wonder if their teacher could be Mr. Sandwich. They immediately create an alphabet of different sandwiches. They continue their day doing school-related activities without the supervision of an adult. Suddenly, the door opens, and a man hurries inside the classroom. Is this their teacher?
Comments: This was one of my favorite back-to-school books. Great mystery. A subplot is also going on in the window frame throughout the story. Clever. Well done. I can’t wait to read more imaginative stories like this from Monica Arnaldo.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
9 Kilometers (Stories from Latin America)
by Claudio Aguilera (Author), Gariela Lyon (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
Brief summary: A young Chilean student begins his nine-kilometer walk to school in the darkness of dawn while counting his steps and animals he sees along the way.
Young readers will follow his journey as he goes under a barbed-wired fence, through a forest, across a river, etc., until he is FINALLY to school.
Comments: This book could spark some interesting classroom conversations. What was the longest you’ve ever walked? How much is a kilometer? Why did the boy walk so far? Why didn’t a yellow school bus take him? Was it essential for him to go to school? Dangerous?
The back of the book has brief stories of other children worldwide and how they walk to their schools. There is also a section on the birds seen during the boy’s walk.
The front pasted-down end pages have a map of the beginning of the walk, with it continuing onto the back end pages.
Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Translated and printed to English in 2023.
Marker
by Anna Kang (Author), Christopher Weyant (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Red Pen welcomes the teacher supplies to getting ready for the first day of school. Pinking Shears is accepted as a new member and is placed in the superpower mug on the desk, displacing Permanent Marker to a canister. The supplies are creating back-to-school posters and lists when Marker, which is always used for the class rules poster, makes a mistake but cannot fix it, causing her anxiety as everyone will see it day after day. Will Red Pen come up with an idea to help everyone realize it’s okay to fail?
Comments: What a fun read for the beginning of the school year. Cute illustrations and a humorous storyline will help students with any first-day jitters. I’ll not be looking at the supplies on my desk ever the same.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
If you like this book, you may also enjoy Anna Kang’s Eraser, published in 2018.
And Then Comes School
by Tom Brenner (Author), Jen Hill (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Two young girls enjoy the last summer days with their friends. A list of school supplies is received. They sort through clothes that are too small, pick up back-to-school supplies, and play on the last day of summer vacation. They prepare for the first day of school by picking out an outfit, filling a backpack, and going to bed, imagining what the first day will bring.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
This is one of the series of And Then Comes by Tom Brenner. I like this series as they share little rituals before a holiday or event that young readers can understand. Nice, lyrical text.
Shy Robin and the First Day of School
by Jaime Kim (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Robin is usually brave and energetic at home but not in public. Her mother gives her a purple headband on the first day of school to help her feel confident.
While at school, Robin notices another student who is also shy and withdrawn and is wearing purple bracelets. After temporarily losing her headband, Marco offers Robin one of his bracelets while they all look for the hair accessory.
Comments: This would be a nice back-to-school story to share with preschoolers and kindergartners to let them know that students may feel shy.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
We’re Going to School
by Tammi Salzano (Author), Morena Forza (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Young readers will wake up early with various kids returning to school. Once inside the school, the day begins with introductions, new routines, and friend-making.
Comments: This book would be suitable for preschool or kindergartners who have never been to school to get a general idea of what happens on the first day.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Giant-Sized Butterflies On My First Day of School
by Justin Roberts (Author), Paola Escobar (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young girl has a nervous stomach going back to school and is reassured by her mother that everything will be okay. The mother shares a time when she had butterflies in her stomach and how she let them go.
Comments: Teachers and parents could share this book with students about the first day of school to let them know that sometimes we are nervous doing or going places for the first time.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mina Belongs Here
by Sandra Niebuhr-Siebert (Author), Lars Baus (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Mina attends kindergarten and needs help understanding what anyone is saying or asking. Mina hugs the teddy bear and is quiet all day until she returns to her home and tells her mother about her day.
The next day of school, Mina makes a friend with a girl named Ava even though they do not speak. She returns home to tell her mother all about her day at school.
Each day, Mina learns new words and becomes more relaxed. Her dreams parallel her feelings and become more vivid and bright. This German translation from 2020 was published in the USA in 2023.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Back to School, Backpack!
by Simon Rich (Author), Tom Toro (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A backpack going back to school has the first day jitters but soon fits in the new environment.
Comments: This would be a good book to read during the first day or week of school to help those with any nervousness. Cute and humorous.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A Smart, Smart School
by Sharon Creech (Author), Anait Semirdzhyan (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Mr. Keene, the principal of Fine Elementary School, loves his school as he strolls through the hallways watching the students drawing, painting, reading, and singing. He immediately has to leave for the hospital. Tillie, one of the students, worries about his recovery.
Mr. Tatters takes over as the principal and notices all of the get-well banners, cards, and artwork the students do for their beloved sick principal and does not like it. He insists that to be a smart, smart school, they must have tests every day that week, causing everyone to have stress and boredom. The students visit their principal at the hospital on Saturday, bringing all their get-well gifts.
Tillie talks to Mr. Keene upon his return on Monday about all the tests. He gathers everyone into an assembly and announces how they will be a smart, smart school again.
Comments: What a great book to anonymously leave on each principal’s, board member’s, and central office administrator’s desk. *wink*
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Safety Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3PUt3Ik .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon
by Alain Serge Dzotap (Author), Marc Daniau (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This story, translated from French, is a work of realistic fiction about Adi, a thirteen-year-old Mbororos girl. Adi enjoys her life, family, and school until the eldest man in her family decides she should marry. Fortunately, her father intervenes and breaks the cycle of child brides in their family by relocating Adi away from his brother.
Comments: This is a serious story suitable for fifth grade and up. I would have preferred it as a full-chapter book, but it is a picture book intended for tweens and middle school readers.
It is based on a real girl named Adi.
The backstory and more information about the culture are in the back pages. I enjoy reading stories like this, where authors write about their own cultures.
The illustrations were created with oil on paper.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Smarty and Friends
by Brian S Hamilton (Author)
Summary:Summary: This parent/teacher resource booklet is designed to help teach elementary students about safety topics.
Comments: It begins with a section for parents and guardians that addresses food safety, pedestrian safety, and bus safety. Following this introduction are ten short, illustrated safety stories that adults can read with children and use as discussion starters.
Some of the safety topics covered include:
🔷Food safety
🔷Pedestrian safety
🔷Bus safety
🔷Life jackets
🔷Scooter safety
🔷Motorcycle safety
🔷Cleaning product safety
🔷Window safety
🔷Furniture safety
🔷Football safety
This educational pamphlet could be helpful in classroom settings during safety lessons, as well as at home for guided conversations between adults and children.
This is the second of the Smarty the Brain Stories.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
* I was sent a free copy of this book.
Smarty the Brain Stories
by Brian S Hamilton(author), Daniel Majan(illustrator)
Brief summary: This twenty-page paperback consists of 10 short stories about two young brains–Moody and Smarty. Moody is impulsive and doesn’t understand the need for safety measures. Smarty explains and demonstrates the need for safety strategies to prevent injury to oneself or others. The safety topics covered are:
bike helmets
safety belts
baby gates
batteries
ski helmets
slides
skateboarding equipment
baseball catcher equipment
horseback helmets
snowmobile safety
Comments: This educational paperback is intended for preschoolers to learn about safety practices. The teacher or parent could read a story a day and demonstrate the wrong vs right way to do an activity. Students could then demonstrate what it is like to be a Smarty.
I’d like to see someone make this book into a mini safety film using these two young brains.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
* I was sent a free copy of this book.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Plant Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4nGY277 .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Afternoon on a Hill
by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Author), Paolo Domeniconi (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s illustrated poem describes a little girl enjoying the beauty of nature around her as she frolics on the hillside, naps in the sun, and returns home at dusk.
Comments: This would make a wonderful bedtime book, bringing young readers happy dreams of walking in awe along a hill.
This also could be an elementary supplement for spring or earth day units of study.
It should be noted that the picture book is 16 pages long, half the length of most picture books. The hardback version came out in 2019, but the paperback was released this year.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Avocado Magic
by Taltal Levi (Author)
Summary: Ellie celebrates her birthday and is upset that her feet still do not reach the floor when she sits at the kitchen table. Her father shows her how to suspend an avocado seed with toothpicks into a glass of water.
He parallels Ellie’s slow growth to that of the seed, emphasizing that both need patience. Slowly the seed sprouts. It gradually develops into an avocado plant and grows alongside Ellie until it’s time both move out of the house.
When Ellie marries and has children, she brings the tree with her to plant in her own yard.
Comments: The metaphor for growth is absolutely beautiful!
The back section has instructions on how to sprout your own avocado.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Love Grows
by Ruth Spiro (Author), Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl’s auntie sends her a plant per month with a tag of information about the plant. By the end of the year, the girl has a plant garden.
Comments: The front and back-pasted end pages outline the twelve plants with the Latin name, origins, and light preference.
This story is done in rhyme. The illustrations are gouache, colored pencil, and crayon.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
City Beet
by Tziporah Cohen (Author), Udayana Lugo (Illustrator).
Summary: Mrs. Kosta and Victoria plant and nurture a beet seed until it ripens. The woman begins to harvest the gigantic beet but cannot remove it from the ground, no matter how hard she tugs. Several neighbors stop by the garden to help pull, creating a line out to the sidewalk until the vegetable is uprooted with a big “SPROING!!”
Comments: There is an Author’s Note and Raw Beet & Garlic Salad Recipe in the back.
Brief summary: A landscaper teaches his granddaughter why he loves trees. Each tree is described in a poem.
Back pages include sections: A Note From the Author-Illustrator, Why Trees?, Cool Facts About the Trees in This Book, For Further Exploration, and A Bibliography.
Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book explains the life cycle of a dandelion from being a yellow flower to when it changes into seeds. The wind carries them to another location where they start over.
Comments: This is a smaller picture book about 8″ x 8.”
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Weedflower
by Elizabeth Davaze (Author), Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)
Summary: Sam notices a dandelion during recess and through her care and appreciation of it, several other students notice it as well. They nuture it, but soon find out that not everyone sees it as a beautiful flower.
Comments: This would make a nice read-aloud and discussion of nature all around us in our everyday lives.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Doe’s Dandelions (Woodland Friends)
by Laura Renauld (Author), Jennie Poh (Illustrator)
Summary: In this Woodland Friends series, Doe is growing daffodils for the Spring Pedal Parade but keeps coming across annoying dandelion “weeds.” She soon learns from her friends how much joy and use they are to them.
Comments: This is a wonderful tribute to the benefit of some of the plants that are called weeds. Students can learn that all plants have value.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Don’t Touch that Flower!
by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)
Summary: Squirrel wakes from spring to find a new flower growing. He decides to protect it by not allowing any water to get on it, from bees landing on the petals, and even, putting it under a bucket.
Bird educates Squirrel about his good intentions are harming the flower instead.
Comments: This is a humorous read-aloud that opens a discussion of what plants need to thrive.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
A Flower is a Friend
by Frieda Wishinsky (Author), Karen Patkau (Illustrator)
Summary: An animal/creature is paired with a flower in the garden, and readers are asked why they coexist so well. Answers are in the book of how they benefit each other.
Comments: This is an excellent resource for introducing the concept of symbiosis. The illustrations made it clear and concrete.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
Log Life (Tiny Habitats)
by Amy Hevron (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: This book is a narrative nonfiction that educates young readers about the life cycle of a giant fir tree that falls to the ground and transforms into a nurse log. As the log slowly decays in the forest, it becomes a source of nourishment for fungi, plants, insects, animals, and birds throughout the first year until it completely decomposes many decades later.
Comments: I had never heard of the term “nurse log” before and found it fascinating to learn about what happens to a fallen tree.
The illustrations were created using acrylic, marker, and pencil on Bristol board and then digitally collaged.
The back sections are More About Nurse-Log Habitats, Selected Sources, and Additional Reading.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Trees: Haiku from Roots to Leaves
by Sally M. Walker (Author), Angela Mckay (Illustrator).
Brief summary: This is a collection of haikus about a tree’s life cycle and the changes of every season. There are many two-paged illustrations.
The back pages have information about a tree’s life, including wild and urban forests. There is also an author’s note and a glossary.
by Elisabeth Sophia (Author), Anita Bagdi (Illustrator)
Summary: This anthropomorphic story is about a tree creature standing by a lake going through all of the seasons with the insects and birds that consider her their home. A severe storm breaks her limbs and her soul. A flock of yellow birds helps rebuild her.
Comments: This is such a beautiful metaphor of grief and resilience. Teachers could ask how it feels when a storm comes into their lives. This would be a great book for SEL, exploring the healing process. I think it could also be shared as a way to explain how community (yellow birds) can help heal.
Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Orchards (Trip to the Farm)
by Ursula Pang (Author)
Brief summary: There are many orchards (farms where trees grow)producing fruit, nuts, seeds, syrup, and Christmas trees. Young readers will learn about each type of orchard.
Comments: I placed this book in the fall section as when I think of orchards, I think of apple or fruit orchards because those are the ones in my area that are harvested in the fall. I also had those teachers book requests for fall units before they went and visited a nearby apple orchard.
I enjoyed reading and learning about the different types of orchards and when they were harvested.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Tree and the River
by Aaron Becker (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: This wordless picture book begins with a tree growing on the banks of a river. It observes humans throughout the many decades changing with the seasons and years that have gone by.
Comments: Aaron Becker brilliantly captures the Mother Nature vs. humankind aspect through these detailed and thought-provoking illustrations.
This book can be used as a writing exercise of the perspective of the river during a specific time or over a time as it changes.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
See a Pumpkin Grow (See It Grow!)
by Kirsten Chang (Author)
Brief summary: Young readers will learn the pumpkin’s life cycle and what uses there are with this fruit.
Comments: Words and photos are large, with many nonfiction text features. The back sections are Glossary, To Learn More, and Index.
This book also comes in library binding.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
This is part of the See It Grow! series.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Pie That Molly Grew
by Sue Heavenrich (Author), Chamisa Kellogg (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Molly plants a pumpkin seed and transplants the sprout to watch it grow into a vine with yellow flowers. After all of the care she has given to produce the ripened pumpkin, Molly bakes a pie.
Comments: Cumulative story of the pumpkin’s life cycle.
The back pages have four additional informative sections: American Pie, How to Turn a Pumpkin Into Pie, When You’re Ready to Make the Pie…, and No Bees.No Pie.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Pumpkin Day at the Zoo
by Susan Meissner (Author), Pablo Pino (Illustrator)
Brief summary: It’s Pumpkin Day at the zoo when the zoo animals receive yummy pumpkins to eat from families who donate their uncarved and unpainted pumpkins.
Comments: The illustrations are vivid and humorous. The text is a mix of fonts and sizes that are fun to say aloud with many descriptive adjectives, alliterations, and all in rhyming sentences.
The back page does have a word about pumpkin donations to zoos.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
There Was an Old Lady Who Picked a Pumpkin!
by Lucille Colandro (Author), Jared Lee (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There was an old lady who went on the school bus to a farm looking for a pumpkin patch. She and the students follow the sign and see many farm items before finding the patch. Each child picks out a pumpkin and hops back onto the bus.
Comments: This is a fun fall early reader in rhyme. The book is not the usual cumulative “There was an old lady” who eats something book.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
One Day This Tree Will Fall
by Leslie Barnard Booth (Author), Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In this narrative nonfiction picture book, we learn the story of a tree’s beginning as a seed, its growth, providing food and shelter to animals, and its continued contribution after it dies.
Comments: The illustrations were created using gouache, colored pencil, and Photoshop.
The back sections are A Tree’s Story Never Ends, Trees and People, Glossary, and Selected Sources. 0
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Dance Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3RDa9WR .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Broadway Baby
by Russell Miller (Author), Judith A. Proffer (Author)
Brief summary: An adorable tribute to Broadway with a baby dreaming of dancing and singing on stage. Baby shares about opening night, getting ready in the dressing room, and reviewing lines before going on stage.
The rhyming text is fun and exciting. The illustrations are bright and full of detail.
Comments: A cute bedtime story for babies and toddlers or the perfect gift for any music or drama teacher.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*It should be noted that this a complimentary book sent to me for an honest review.
Love, Lah Lah
by Nailah Blackman (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Lah Lah wakes on the day of the Carnival and spends it with her grandpa, enjoying the festivities on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago(a two-island nation in the Caribbean). They enjoy dancing to the soca( SOH-kah ) beat with steelpans, watching the parade full of brightly colored costumes, and eating mango chow under a poui(POO-ee) tree. The day ends with Lah Lah singing on stage with her grandfather.
Comments: This book is a tribute to the author’s grandpa, Ras Shorty I, who created soca music, a mix of African and East Indian rhythms.
Carnival is celebrated on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
The brightly colored illustrations were created with watercolors and digital tools capturing the movement and excitement of the Carnival.
The back sections include a glossary, a biographical sketch, and a letter.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
My Bollywood Dream
by Avani Dwivedi (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young girl goes to the theater in Mumbai with her parents and brother. As they go through the city traffic, the girl imagines several of the nearby people as characters in a Bollywood movie.
Her family and other people in the theater enjoy the happy ending and music of the movie before heading home.
Comments: I love watching Bollywood movies because of the bright and beautiful colors and happy dancing style. This book captured all of that with vivid illustrations.
There is an author’s note in the back where Avani Dwivedi shares her childhood in Mumbai, listening to old Bollywood films and music.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Ready Set Dance: Getting Ready for Your First Dance Class
by Once Upon A Dance (Author), Stella Maris Mongodi (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Bella and Quinn excitedly attend their very first ballet class, where their teacher, Kittina, patiently demonstrates basic positions. They practice in front of a mirror using the barre and end the lesson learning to bow and curtsy. They depart with enthusiasm, anticipating next week’s class.
Comments:Once Upon A Dance is a mother-and-daughter team that writes dance-themed books that inspire movement.
The illustrations were created digitally using Procreate and Studioclip.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Music Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4dDb1Ci.)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Ordinary Days: The Seeds, Sound, and City That Grew Prince Rogers Nelson
by Angela Joy (Author), Jacqueline Alcántara (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Prince Rogers Nelson was named after his father’s jazz band, The Prince Rogers Trio. He had parents who constantly argued resulting in his father leaving when Prince was age 7.
Prince lived in poverty, sleeping on couches in various homes, not having his own place. He excelled at playing basketball as well as playing the piano, guitar, and other instruments.
While still in high school, he created a cover band named Grand Central that played at parties, nightclubs, and the Battle of the Bands. Prince got his first recording contract at the age of 18.
Comments: This rhyming and rhythmic picture book did not give details of Prince’s life as an adult, the success of his music, or how he died.
The author’s note details Prince’s life, including a family playlist. The illustrations really capture Prince’s personality with a hue of purple throughout.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Music and Silence: The Passion and Protest of Pablo Casals
by Christy Mihaly (Author), Mariona Cabassa (Illustrator)
Summary: This biography picture book follows the childhood of cellist Pablo Casals in Catalonia, Spain, from his early music education to becoming a renowned and respected musician. During the Spanish Civil War and World War II, he traveled to perform. However, in protest of dictator Francisco Franco, Casals made the decision to stop performing as an act of peaceful protest. Does he ever play the cello again?
Comments: The back matter gives additional insight into Casals’ life, including a helpful timeline.
This narrative nonfiction picture book would pair well with lessons on the Spanish Civil War in history classes. It could also be used in music class by sharing his performance of “The Song of the Birds,” or in civics/government lessons to introduce the concept of peaceful protest.
The illustrations are created using mixed media (acrylic, gouache, watercolor, and pencil), along with digital elements.
This picture book is best suited for intermediate and middle grade readers.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
Patsy Cline’s Walkin’ After Midnight
by Judith A Proffer (Author), Julie Dick Fudge (Author), Yoko Matsuoka (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Patsy Cline dreams of becoming a famous country singer. She daydreams while doing her chores, but her favorite time is dream-walking after midnight as she sleeps in her bed. She meets her beloved departed dog, Pepe, under the willow tree, where she shares her life events with the little dog.
Comments: This is an inspirational book about daydreaming and nightdreaming one’s goals. It encourages using the imagination to see oneself in the desired role, such as being onstage at Carnegie Hall or at the Grand Ole Opry.
The book was inspired by Patsy Cline’s hit “Walkin’ After Midnight”(1957). This picture book is co-written by Judith A. Proffer and Julie Dick Fudge, Patsy Cline’s daughter.
The illustrations are all double-paged, with a combination of print and cursive text in frames.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Welcome to the Opera: Discover the Enchanting World of Opera with Mozart’s The Magic Flute
by Carolyn Sloan (Author), Kaly Quarles (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This interactive book introduces Mozart’s The Magic Flute through the eyes of three dogs who guide young readers in the opera house, explaining the musical instruments, opera singers, story, and other musical features.
Comments: I had a fun time reading and exploring the audio feature on the side panel, which features music sections of The Magic Flute Opera. (You can turn the audio on or off to avoid draining the battery.)
The book contains traditional text along with speech bubbles between the dogs in the audience. The bold circle numbers correspond with the audio panel to the right which helps to understand the instruments and singers.
The author provides an informative Author’s Note on opera and The Magic Flute at the front of the book. Additionally, the back sections provide insights into Why Sing?, Meet Mozart!, characters, Musicians, and Opera Words Glossary.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.
One Sweet Song
by Jyoti Rajan Gopal (Author), Sonia Sánchez (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A girl in the city listens to the notes of a flutist playing on the balcony. The child goes on her balcony and plays the triangle, making two notes. Another person plays the violin, making three. Soon there are ten people playing instruments creating a song together. They slowly diminish until it is quiet again.
Comments: This is a rhyming counting book up to ten and back down with various instruments played by amateurs and professionals.
I think this would be an excellent book for a music teacher to share before students re-enact adding and subtracting instruments and creating their own sweet song.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll
by Tonya Bolden (Author), R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll, was born in Arkansas in 1915 to two musical parents. Rosetta learns to sing and plays the guitar at an early age. Her family moves to Chicago, where her performance in church begins her career. She marries a preacher. He preaches, and she plays her guitar, where the Sunday service is broadcasted on the radio, thus reaching a broad audience.
Rosetta’s musical career takes off with her playing around the USA and Europe, performing gospel, blues, and rock and roll producing one hit after another.
The timeline at the back of the book lists her notable musical accomplishments and personal life events. Author’s Note and Sources included.
by Roberta Flack (Author), Tonya Bolden (Author), Hayden Goodman (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Roberta Flack grew up in a Blue Ridge Mountain town in North Carolina, living in a house with two musical parents. She longed to have a piano of her own. Her father found one in a junkyard and spruced it up by painting it green. Her love of music blossomed forth.
The Author’s Note and Career Highlights are in the back.
Brief summary: Music surrounds us as an art form that unites people. There are many types of musical instruments, genres, and purposes for which we use music, all explored in this diverse picture book.
Comments: The bright illustrations were created using acrylic paint, felt pens, and digital graphics.
The back pages provide additional explanations of each musical instrument and style depicted in the book’s illustrations.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Patience Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Avocado Magic
by Taltal Levi (Author)
Summary: Ellie celebrates her birthday and is upset that her feet still do not reach the floor when she sits at the kitchen table. Her father shows her how to suspend an avocado seed with toothpicks into a glass of water.
He parallels Ellie’s slow growth to that of the seed, emphasizing that both need patience. Slowly the seed sprouts. It gradually develops into an avocado plant and grows alongside Ellie until it’s time both move out of the house.
When Ellie marries and has children, she brings the tree with her to plant in her own yard.
Comments: The metaphor for growth is absolutely beautiful!
The back section has instructions on how to sprout your own avocado.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Waiting on Mr. Sloth
by Katy Hudson (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Sasha is excited to go swimming with her best friend, Mr. Sloth, but is losing her patience with his slowness every step of the way. They finally walk to the lake and have lunch before entering the water. Sasha’s friend is taking too long, and she goes into the lake without him, only to realize it’s not as much fun. Sasha returns to their picnic to find Mr. Sloth in a tree enjoying his surroundings. Will Sasha and Mr. Sloth go swimming together in the future? Will Sasha learn to be patience?
Comments: In the back of the book, there is a discussion of ways to calm oneself when waiting.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
When You Have to Wait
by Melanie Conklin (Author), Leah Hong (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A little girl learns that sometimes we must wait even when we want the time to be now. We sometimes have to wait in line, wait for a loved one to return home, and wait to grow enough to ride a bicycle.
Comments: This gentle book explains that we sometimes have no control over making something happen faster. I’d share this at the beginning of the school year and when the class needed a little reminder about patience.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Very Patient Gus Davis
by Laurie Trumble Davis (Author), Marjorie van Heerden (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Gus’s owner returns from the store with cookies. Gus really wants one right away. He begs and jumps up on her, but she tells him he must wait until after dinner. Gus does not want to wait and runs off with the bag of cookies. His owner manages to get the cookies back. To help pass the time, they go on a walk. When they return, they have dinner. Will Gus ever get a cookie?
Comments: This would be a great read aloud for when classroom patience wears thin. Teachers could have an anchor chart with how to be patience in school or at home.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Nonfiction Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Fly Like a Bird (Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers (SSCR))
by Olga Ptashnik (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction picture book follows a baby chickadee as it prepares to fly, but is unsure how. Through a question-and-answer story, an adult chickadee explains all of the ways different birds fly, like penguins flying under the water, hummingbirds’ rapid wings buzzing, and starlings flying in murmuration.
Comments: The black ink is the voice of the young chickadee, while the blue ink is that of the adult chickadee, making a fun narrative text for readers to read aloud with one another.
The back has a “More About the Birds” section with brief information about the birds discussed in the story.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Fly: A Family Guide to Birds and How to Spot Them (In Our Nature)
by David Lindo (Author), Sara Boccaccini Meadows (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book contains details and facts using text boxes and labels. The fonts and sizes are varied to emphasize bird facts and main ideas.
Comments: The book is superbly illustrated with watercolors and gouache paints. Each bird is portrayed in great detail, showcasing its vibrant colors and unique markings. I enjoyed examining the details and interesting facts about the birds. It is very well done and a must for any library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
For more details or to buy, click on this book’s page on Amazon.
Milkweed for Monarchs
by Christine Van Zandt (Author), Alejandra Barajas (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There are two types of text teaching readers about monarch butterflies. There is a lyrical, rhyming text and informative text boxes on each page.
Monarchs migrate back north after it warms to lay eggs on milkweed plants. We learn the stages of the butterfly from egg to adult.
Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Monarchs Need Our Help, How You Can Help, Fun Facts, The Senses, and Selected Bibliography.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants
by Philip Bunting (Author)
Brief summary: The ant’s life cycle and fun facts are explained in this nonfiction book for kids. Each ant has a role in the colony.
Comments: Nonfiction texts often include helpful features that aid in understanding the information presented. These features may include charts, diagrams, captions, and labels.
I really enjoyed the puns and humorous language used in the text.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Pumpkin Book
by Gail Gibbons (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction picture book explains the life cycle, history, and uses of pumpkins.
Comments: This book is excellent for science or seasonal lessons, providing children with factual knowledge through colorful visuals. The author creates all of the visuals for this nonfiction book using watercolors.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Kingdoms of Life
by Carly Allen-Fletcher (Author)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book explores the six kingdoms of life(animals, plants, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria) and how they are classified. Each kingdom has two double-paged illustrations filled with descriptive text and numbered examples of that category which are listed in the back sections of the book both in English and Latin.
Comments: The illustrations were created digitally. The back sections are Scientific Names and Featured Life-Forms.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*Kingdoms of Life was sent to me as a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hike It: An Introduction to Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking through the U.S.A.
by Iron Tazz (Author), Martin Stanev (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book alternates with a brief description of a park with double-paged illustrations, and then the next double-paged illustrations will be survival tips or advice related to camping or hiking.
Comments: The illustrations were created digitally.
The back section is Further Reading with websites, books, and apps.
This book could be used in the classroom to have students learn about topographical mapping, create their own ten essential practical life skills and safety, or give students a budget and have them calculate the costs of a hiking trip including food, equipment and park entrance fees.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Clever Crow
by Chris Butterworth (Author), Olivia Lomenech Gill (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book teaches us about a crow’s intelligence, habitat, and how many different types there are of this amazing species.
Comments: This book is illustrated with mixed media and written in verse.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!
by Highlights (Creator)
Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.
Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.
These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween (Holiday History)
by Spanier Kristine Mlis (Author)
Brief summary: Young readers will learn about the origins of Halloween, the traditions, and how South Korea and Ireland celebrate.
Comments: Several “Did You Know?” squares give more information about the page’s topic. The back sections are Quick Facts & Tools: Halloween Place of Origin, Glossary, Index, and To Learn More.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween (Traditions & Celebrations)
by Charles C Hofer (Author)
Brief summary: Young readers will learn how Halloween began, how we celebrate it today, and how other countries(Mexico, Germany, France, and Japan) celebrate holidays like it.
Comments: Words in bold are in the glossary. The back sections are Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, Index, and About the Author.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Traditions & Celebrations)
by Ailynn Collins (Author)
Brief summary: Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Moon or Mooncake Festival, is globally celebrated by Asian people. Young readers will learn the origins of the holiday, the lunar calendar, and what traditions and foods people have to observe this holiday.
Comments: The back sections are Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, Index, and About the Author. Bolded words are found in the glossary.
I wish we had these Traditions and Celebrations books when I was a child. I’m learning so much from reading them as an adult, which has broadened my understanding of other cultures.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Orchards (Trip to the Farm)
by Ursula Pang (Author)
Brief summary: There are many orchards (farms where trees grow)producing fruit, nuts, seeds, syrup, and Christmas trees. Young readers will learn about each type of orchard.
Comments: I placed this book in the fall section as when I think of orchards, I think of apple or fruit orchards because those are the ones in my area that are harvested in the fall. I also had those teachers book requests for fall units before they went and visited a nearby apple orchard.
I enjoyed reading and learning about the different types of orchards and when they were harvested.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Voting Day
by Samantha Bell (Author)
Brief summary: This intermediate nonfiction children’s books focuses on the day of voting. Readers will learn about polling places, volunteers, voting day, early voting, counting the votes, and declaring the winner.
Comments: The book is illustrated with photos.
The back sections included Fun Fact, Activity, Glossary, To Learn More, Index, and About the Author.
Rating: 3.5 /5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
How Voting and Elections Work
by Zelda Wagner (Author)
Brief summary: This intermediate nonfiction children’s book discusses topics such as election day, why we vote, the election, and how to get involved.
Comments: This book is illustrated with photos. There is a glossary, index, and a “Learn More” section in the back of the book.
Rating: 3.5 /5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Insect Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3RfLIPc .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Log Life (Tiny Habitats)
by Amy Hevron (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: This book is a narrative nonfiction that educates young readers about the life cycle of a giant fir tree that falls to the ground and transforms into a nurse log. As the log slowly decays in the forest, it becomes a source of nourishment for fungi, plants, insects, animals, and birds throughout the first year until it completely decomposes many decades later.
Comments: I had never heard of the term “nurse log” before and found it fascinating to learn about what happens to a fallen tree.
The illustrations were created using acrylic, marker, and pencil on Bristol board and then digitally collaged.
The back sections are More About Nurse-Log Habitats, Selected Sources, and Additional Reading.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Milkweed for Monarchs
by Christine Van Zandt (Author), Alejandra Barajas (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There are two types of text teaching readers about monarch butterflies. There is a lyrical, rhyming text and informative text boxes on each page.
Monarchs migrate back north after it warms to lay eggs on milkweed plants. We learn the stages of the butterfly from egg to adult.
Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Monarchs Need Our Help, How You Can Help, Fun Facts, The Senses, and Selected Bibliography.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants
by Philip Bunting (Author)
Brief summary: The ant’s life cycle and fun facts are explained in this nonfiction book for kids. Each ant has a role in the colony.
Comments: Nonfiction texts often include helpful features that aid in understanding the information presented. These features may include charts, diagrams, captions, and labels.
I really enjoyed the puns and humorous language used in the text.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Butterfly on the Wind
by Adam Pottle (Author), Ziyue Chen (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Aurora is feeling nervous the day before her talent show. Sitting in her family’s garden, she practices hand-signing for the play she wrote. While she’s rehearsing, a butterfly lands on a flower and Aurora signs “butterfly,” creating a small wind. This little wind continues to other children around the world, who all start signing “butterfly” too, and the wind grows stronger. Will this wind help Aurora on the day of her talent show?
Comments: An Author’s Note and an ASL chart are in the back.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Girl Who Loves Bugs
by Lily Murray (Author), Jenny Løvlie (Illustrator)
Summary: Evie loves picking up insect species and other creepy crawlies. She enjoys looking at them with her magnifying glass and putting them in her pockets. Her family does not share her passion and tells her to leave them, as it’s time to go home.
Evie decides to take them inside and place them in her room.
Her extended family comes to visit the next day. What could possibly go wrong?
Comments: The illustrations are digital. The back pages share ideas for helping bugs and a brief biological sketch of Evelyn Cheesman, an entomologist who inspired the book.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Bumblebee Garden
by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)
Summary: Ben and his grandpa spot a bumblebee in the garden. Grandpa educates his grandson about the bumblebee’s life cycle, explaining its activities in each season as the book unfolds.
Comments: There is a back section titled The Life Cycle of a Queen Bumblebee.
The illustrations were handcrafted using watercolor and colored pencils, finishing with digital methods.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Immigration Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Home Is a Wish
by Julia Kuo (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl, her mother, and Amah leave their home for a new one in a different country where everything feels unfamiliar. Over time, they work together to create a new home.
Comments: A gentle book about immigration that would be a wonderful read aloud.
The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.
Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Thread by Thread
by Alice Brière-Haquet (Author), Michela Eccli (Illustrator), Sarah Ardizzone (Translator)
Brief summary: A family of mice have their knitted home come apart when more and more yarn unravels. They run away from a fire breathing dragon and go across the water in a knitted red boat to a land where they slowly knit their house back together with the help of other animals using different colored threads until they make a new safe home.
Comments: A wonderful allegory to teach elementary students about refugees and escaping to a new land that is safe.
This story was originally published din France in 2023 and translated to English in 2025.
The illustrations were created with drawing, photography, and yarn.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
A Star Shines Through
by Anna Desnitskaya (Author)
Brief summary: At the beginning of a war, a young girl and her mother flee their country. They settle in a new land with an unfamiliar language and cuisine. Amidst their new surroundings, the girl constructs a cardboard lamp, which she places in the window. It is reminiscent of the one from their previous home, establishing a connection between her past and present.
Comments:
I think this book would comfort those ESL students who realize what they have like the star lamp in the story that makes their new home feel a little bit like their old home.
The Author’s Note recounts her family’s necessity to emigrate due to the war in their home country, Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine.
The illustrations were created with hand-drawn contours and Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States
by Rajani LaRocca (Author), Huy Voun Lee (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Some people are U.S. citizens by birth, while others arrive from different countries and choose to become naturalized citizens. This picture book offers a meaningful way to introduce the many paths to citizenship and the personal stories behind why people choose to become Americans.
Comments: The illustrations are created with paper samples and Procreate.
The author’s note in the back shares about the author’s own immigration from India and becoming a naturalized citizen.
On a personal note: My mother is an immigrant, and I still remember her carefully reading her workbook, studying for the citizenship test. I watched with pride as she raised her hand to take the Oath of Allegiance, standing alongside others in a naturalization ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus.
This book could be shelved in the picture books or in the nonfiction section of 304.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Home in a Lunchbox
by Cherry Mo (author and illustrator)
Brief summary: Jun moves from Hong Kong to America and only knows four English words on her first day of school: hello, thank you, I don’t know, and toilet. As the week progresses, she has many frustrations as she learns a new routine, language, and group of people, but lunchtime is when she feels the love of home that helps her to persist.
Comments: This book is a great resource for helping students understand the experiences of new students from other countries. It includes a heartwarming story about students bonding over their favorite foods at lunch, which helps them form deeper connections. This book is particularly valuable for ESL teachers and school counselors to share with new students at school. There are not many words and the story is mainly told with large, colorful illustrations.
I could not find anywhere on the book or her website saying how the illustrations were created for this picture book. The back sections explain Jun’s words on her hand and the food in her lunchbox.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
At the Drop of a Cat
by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).
Summary: A grandson visits his Grandpa Luis every Wednesday and Sunday. His grandpa is not only a talented artist but can make anything grow, creating the beautiful garden where they spend their days. The six-year-old is learning to read and write and tells us that his Grandpa does not know how as he was an immigrant from Spain to France who had to work in the fields as a child.
Comments: This is a French translation and captures the two kindred spirits. I like the mixed-up idioms and how the grandson narrates how he is getting to know Grandpa Luis.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
For more details or to buy, click here (in ENGLISH).
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Humorous Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3PmGel7 .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
That’s Not Funny, David!
by David Shannon (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: David is a comedian who tries to make everyone laugh, but he discovers that not all of his antics are funny to everyone. Ultimately, he still has his mother’s unconditional love.
Comments: He’s back! I missed David. I’d recognize that giant head and triangular teeth anywhere. Children identify with the antics of this little boy and laugh out loud.
A must for every library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Pepper and Me
by Beatrice Alemagna (Author)
Brief summary: A young girl falls on a cobblestone and ends up getting a bloody knee. Her father gives her first aid, telling her she will have a beautiful scab.
It is NOT beautiful.
She asks her mother when it will go away. The woman answers, “In a few days.”
But it does not.
Thinking it will never leave, she calls it “Pepper”.
Days pass until one day, the scab falls off.
What will she do with it? ??
Comments: This would make a hilarious read-aloud that all kids could relate to and share stories about their scabs.
The illustrations used are gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencils.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!
by Highlights (Creator)
Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.
Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.
These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Have You Seen Mikki Olsen?
by Alex Macdonald (Author)
Brief summary: Penguin loves his teddy, Mikki Olsen, and does everything together, including chores. After chopping wood, he goes straight to bed, only noticing that Mikki Olsen is missing the following day.
Penguin looks all through the house and outside in the snow, retracing his steps from yesterday. Will he ever find his beloved teddy?
Comments: This is a cute and humorous story that young readers can relate to when losing a precious plush or toy.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Grandparent Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Do You Remember?
by Sydney Smith (Author)
Summary: A mother and son exchange memories of when the father was still with them. They have moved to a new home in the city where everything is new. They decide that they will begin to make new memories together.
Comments: This book could be shared as a read-aloud between two people. The mother’s voice is in red ink; the boy’s is in blue.
We are not told where the father is or what happened to him. This could be a discussion point with students.
The soft and calm illustrations match the mood of lying in bed and reminiscing.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
My Baba’s Garden
by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)
Summary: Author, Jordan Scott, recalls visiting with his Baba at her home. His father would drop Jordan off to have breakfast with his Baba and afterwards, they would walk together to his school. If it was raining, Baba would look for worms and put them in a glass jar to take home for her garden.
His baba would retrieve him after school, and they would spend time in her garden learning about the plants. This is their usual routine until she moves in with the family when a new building is built over her home. Not able to have a full garden any longer, she keeps a little garden in her room.
Comments: Told through the first-person point of view by the boy.
Jordan Scott wrote one of the most lovely book dedications I’ve ever read.
Summary: An elderly granny collects discarded vegetables at the market to feed her animals and for compost. She has planted a rooftop garden, where she teaches neighborhood children how to care for plants. She shares her harvest with family and friends by having a meal together and giving extras for them to take home.
Comments: This book was initially printed in China in 2019.
The Author’s Note explains the author’s personal inspiration for this story.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar
by Mojdeh Hassani (Author), Samira Iravani (Author), Maya Fidawi (Illustrator).
Summary: Samira is a bit nervous about going to the bazaar with her grandmother for the first time to buy groceries. She repeatedly asks Mama Shamsi to hide in her chador, but the woman wisely resists using humor to soothe her granddaughter’s fear.
Comments: I think this is a good read-aloud for students experiencing doing something for the first time and having anxiety. Discussions could include how to find comfort when feeling overwhelmed and going from needing to hide to gaining confidence.
by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).
Summary: A grandson visits his Grandpa Luis every Wednesday and Sunday. His grandpa is not only a talented artist but can make anything grow, creating the beautiful garden where they spend their days. The six-year-old is learning to read and write and tells us that his Grandpa does not know how as he was an immigrant from Spain to France who had to work in the fields as a child.
Comments: This is a French translation and captures the two kindred spirits. I like the mixed-up idioms and how the grandson narrates how he is getting to know Grandpa Luis.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
For more details or to buy, click here (in ENGLISH).
Abuela’s Super Capa
by Ana Siqueira (Author), Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator).
Summary: Luis and his abuela have fun every Saturday going around the neighborhood being superheroes. One Saturday, she does not visit. Luis learns that his abuela is very sick in the hospital. She comes to stay with them as she recovers. Although Luis is saddened that his abuela is unable to be as active, he tries to come up with a way to have fun and realizes his sister, Isabel, can be his new sidekick and fight and do adventures together in their capes.
There is a glossary of the Spanish words used in the book.
Summary: The text has seven lines with seven words each(except for the last line). Each line is across the top of a two-page spread with small illustrations below, and then the next two-page spread is an illustration matching that color scheme.
Comments: The words are calm and straightforward. The stunning illustrations are done with pencil and gouache and are detailed little scenes of family members with everyday interactions. I stopped and looked at the details of each one before continuing to the following line and was glad to see that grandparents were included.
Summary: A grandmother and her grandchild put on rain gear to play in Spring’s rain. Summer arrives with them cooling off from the hot sun. Autumn brings the wind they need to fly a kite and enjoy the falling leaves. Winter comes with them getting cozy and watching the snow from inside. Each season is spent with one another.
Comments: The seasonal color schemes go in hand with this gentle and calming book that blends from one season to the next.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Friendship Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3PCSYnH .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Echo
by Adam Rex (Author)
Summary: Junior Junior grew up on the side of a mountain and made friends with the echo. He loved that they agreed on everything he said. One day, a girl on the mountain across from him told him to stop shouting. She did not agree with everything he said. Junior Junior decides to run away to the valley to meet the echo and decides he doesn’t like someone who agrees with everything he says. Will he be friends with the girl on the hill even when she points out that he can be wrong at times?
Comments: I loved the humor in this book!
Great read aloud to emphasize manners, emotions, and how to agree to disagree.
The illustrations were created digitally in Procreate and Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Evergreen
by Matthew Cordell (Author)
Brief summary: Evergreen, an anxious squirrel, lives in Buckthorn Forrest with her mother who has asked her to take soup to a sick Granny Oak who lives on the other side of the forest. Although frightened, Evergreen leaves the tree and heads towards Granny Oak’s, encountering several forest animals along the way.
Comments: This picture book is divided into a new chapter for each animal Evergreen meets. The illustrations are done with a 005 Micron Pen and painted with watercolors.
Students will be in suspense with each forest animal encounter wondering if the squirrel will be eaten.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Like You, Like Me
by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (Author)
Summary: Tulsi lives in America, and Vanessa lives in Tanzania. The girls become pen pals and learn about what is different and alike in their cultures.
They learn that even though they are continents apart there are things they both share. They have brothers, enjoy music, have pets, and like Nature.
The things that are different are also shared and help to bring on friendship across the globe.
Comments: The phrase “Like You, Like Me” is throughout the book to emphasis what they have alike even if sometimes it’s a bit different.
The illustrations were made with painted papers and oil sticks.
I would share this book before a pen pal project or for making a Venn Diagram of their likes and differences.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Quiet One
by Yiting Lee (Author)
Summary: Milly is an introvert and tends to be quiet in class. With Show and Tell approaching Friday, she is feeling anxious about it. At home, she has a special place where she enjoys tinkering and has created a robot named Arnold. Her new friend goes to school with Milly and helps her share her passion with the class.
Comments: This book is great for reading aloud. It could help kids learn about quiet individuals who enjoy sharing their interests. It also shows shy people that it’s okay to be themselves.
The illustrations were created using watercolors.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile: A Lesson in Body Language
by Patricia Bardina (Author), Joanne Burgess (Author), Paul Sharp (Illustrator)
Summary: Revony Rhinoceros is at Bixby Baboon’s birthday party. The little rhino sits sulking and frowning by a tree, unsure how to play with the other invited guests. After the party, Revony’s mother discusses body language with her child. She explains that understanding friendly and unfriendly body language can help make friends. They then walk around the park, observing the other animals and how their body language reflects their feelings.
Revony Rhinoceros feels confident and uses friendly body language to make new friends at the park.
Comments: This book could be an introduction for school counselors, PreK, or K teachers to read aloud to explain nonverbal communication skills/body language and how that could impact friend-making.
This book was published in 2018, but it remains relevant today.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page
*I was sent a free copy of this book.
The Taekwonderoos: Rescue at Rattling Ridge
by Michael Panzner (Author), Lora Look (Illustrator)
Summary: Three gray Australian kangaroos were practicing taekwondo kicks in the desert when they heard a joey trapped on a cliff in the distance. They come together and cross the dangerous terrain to rescue the baby kangaroo.
Once they got to the top of the cliff, they had to figure out how to get back down using their skills and teamwork.
Comments: This picture book is illustrated with bright and bold colors of the desert.
The kangaroos did have on taekwondo uniforms–white shirts with black sashes.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Food Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4d1yfmz .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook
by Emma Bland Smith (Author), Susan Reagan (Illustrator)
Summary: In the late 1800s, Fannie Farmer developed a passion for cooking. Despite contracting polio at the age of sixteen, she enrolled in the Boston Cooking School, where she excelled and eventually became the principal. Fannie’s teaching focused on precise measurements and exact cooking methods, ensuring success for home cooks.
She rewrote the school’s cookbook with precision, which became incredibly popular. Fannie also gave lectures nationwide and even taught at Harvard Medical School.
Comments: After reading this narrative nonfiction picture book, I learned that people used non-standard measurements for cooking even though standard measurements were available. I was surprised to discover the variety of measurements in recipes passed down from generation to generation, such as a dash of this, a smidge of that, or a pinch of this.
The back sections contain photos and additional information about Fannie and the Boston Cooking School and how Ms. Farmer really improved cooking through precise and detailed recipes.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
How Do You Eat Color?
by Mabi David (Author), Yas Doctor (Illustrator), Karen Llagas (Translator)
Summary: A boy and girl spend a day exploring and tasting various fruits and vegetables, grouped by color.
Comments: This is translated from Filipino.
The illustrations were created using oil on paper.
The back sections are A Rainbow of Colors(which highlights food from different colors, explaining how they benefit the body, and ways to eat them), Why Should We Eat A Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables?, and How Families Can Eat More Colors Together.
This book could supplement an elementary-level food or color unit.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
India on a Plate!: Indian Food from A to Z
by Archana Sreenivasan (Author)
Summary: Young readers will enjoy seeing and learning foods of India in this brightly illustrated ABC board book.
Comments: Each letter has a fun rhyming three-lined verse describing the food.
There is a pronunciation guide after each food.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Jollof Day
by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)
Summary: A young boy and his dad wake up before the rest of the family on Jollof Day to prepare a special stew. They joyfully chop the ingredients and let the stew simmer. When the rest of the family wakes up, everyone sits down together for the special meal.
Comments: The recipe for the jollof rice dish is in the back of the book.
The bright and dynamic illustrations were created using watercolor paints, gouache, colored pencils, and digital edits in Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Flower Picture Books– https://amzn.to/49yyhQq .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
A Dandelion (A Day in the Life Of)
by Ruth Owen (Author)
Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book explains the life cycle of a dandelion from being a yellow flower to when it changes into seeds. The wind carries them to another location where they start over.
Comments: This is a smaller picture book about 8″ x 8.”
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Weedflower
by Elizabeth Davaze (Author), Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)
Summary: Sam notices a dandelion during recess and through her care and appreciation of it, several other students notice it as well. They nuture it, but soon find out that not everyone sees it as a beautiful flower.
Comments: This would make a nice read-aloud and discussion of nature all around us in our everyday lives.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Doe’s Dandelions (Woodland Friends)
by Laura Renauld (Author), Jennie Poh (Illustrator)
Summary: In this Woodland Friends series, Doe is growing daffodils for the Spring Pedal Parade but keeps coming across annoying dandelion “weeds.” She soon learns from her friends how much joy and use they are to them.
Comments: This is a wonderful tribute to the benefit of some of the plants that are called weeds. Students can learn that all plants have value.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Don’t Touch that Flower!
by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)
Summary: Squirrel wakes from spring to find a new flower growing. He decides to protect it by not allowing any water to get on it, from bees landing on the petals, and even, putting it under a bucket.
Bird educates Squirrel about his good intentions are harming the flower instead.
Comments: This is a humorous read-aloud that opens a discussion of what plants need to thrive.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
A Flower is a Friend
by Frieda Wishinsky (Author), Karen Patkau (Illustrator)
Summary: An animal/creature is paired with a flower in the garden, and readers are asked why they coexist so well. Answers are in the book of how they benefit each other.
Comments: This is an excellent resource for introducing the concept of symbiosis. The illustrations made it clear and concrete.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user\'s experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.
Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.
Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.
