(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 Religion-Based Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O.)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Little Monk Writes Rain
by Hsu-Kung Liu (Author), Rachel Wang Yung-Hsin (Translator)
Summary: Little Monk is not able to read. He goes to Old Monk, who teaches him the character for rain. He practices calligraphy every day, always only writing the character for rain.
As he grows to become a man now called Big Monk, he still cannot read but continues to write rain. A drought comes to the land, and people ask the monks for aid. Will Big Monk be able to help?
Comments: Although the monk could not read or study the Buddhist scriptures, he is able to help those around him through his simplicity, persistence, and faith.
This book is read vertically. The illustrations are created with watercolor and ink and beautifully complement the story with their gentle pastel colors.
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book.
Abigail and the Waterfall: Loving God’s Good Earth
by Sandra L. Richter (Author), Michael Corsini (Illustrator)
Summary: Every first Saturday of the month, a family hikes through the forest, appreciating the beauty of nature around them. They sit by a creek having a picnic while listening to the sound of the water. They make sure to pick up all their trash before they leave.
They continue to their favorite spot: a waterfall. After enjoying its splendor and the plants and animals that live around it, they hike back to the car, grateful for the chance to see all the beautiful plants and animals along the way.
Comments: The text is sprinkled with nature-based Bible quotes and ways that we can take care of the earth.
There is “A Note From the Author” at the back of the book on ways to take care of the earth.
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.
The Greatest River
by Namita Moolani Mehra (Author), Khoa Le (Illustrator)
Summary: Ananda, a young girl, listens to her sick mother talk about the legend of the Ganga, a holy river that heals those who bathe in its waters. Ananda accompanies her aunt, Maasi, to bathe in the Ganges River in India and experiences a spiritual connection.
Comments: The author’s note explains that at 13, she traveled from New York with her mother to bathe in the sacred river.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Kaylee Prays for the Children of the World: God Hears Every Prayer
by Helen Lee (Author), Shin Maeng (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Kaylee reads the newspaper daily with her grandfather, Halbi. While they come across funny stories and various news articles, Kaylee often worries about the children facing tragedy and hardship. They cut out those articles and pin them on a large world map on the wall. Together, she and her grandfather pray for those children.
Comments: The back includes a note from the author, who shares how she prays for others around the world.
I believe this book could enhance a parochial unit of study focused on prayers said aloud together (Tongsung kido in Korean).
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.
Penny Preaches
by Amy Dixon (Author), Rob Dixon (Author), Jennifer Davison (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Penny enjoys everything about Sundays, especially attending church. Her favorite part is hearing the sermons. Inspired, she puts together what she wants to say and preaches to her dolls and then her friends, with results she was not expecting. Couldn’t girls be preachers?
Her parents take Penny to a church next Sunday to hear Pastor Sarah. Will Penny be inspired once again to become a preacher?
Comments: An author’s note in the back section has more information on the topic.
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.
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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Dog Picture Books-_https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1HXD71C9X1I9C?ref_=aipsflist .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Chanel & Milo: The Legend Begins!
by Paul Davis (Author), Julia L. Rosengren (Author)
Summary: Chanel, a curious and feisty terrier mix, is enjoying a day at the park when she meets Milo, a larger but gentle dog relaxing amongst the flowers. The two quickly become friends as they joyfully return to their owners together.
Comments: This simple and sweet story is geared toward toddlers and preschool-aged children who enjoy books about dog friendships. The writing uses familiar expressions, similes, and other descriptive language to introduce young readers to Chanel and Milo’s world in the park.
Young readers who love real-life pet stories may enjoy that the series is inspired by actual dogs. This title serves as the first of the series featuring the canine duo. Additional information and photos can be found on the official website at Chanel & Milo.
The illustrations are on the left side of the two-page spread with the words on the right.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A Human for Kingsley
by Gabriel Evans (Author)
Brief summary: Kingsley, a dog, decides to own a human. He goes into the city looking and intermingling with several people but does not find a good fit. He saw a little girl walking on the street and followed her home. Will she be his human?
Comments: This picture book is hilariously written from the viewpoint of a dog.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Jump for Joy
by Karen Gray Ruelle (Author), Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Joy always wanted a dog but did not know what kind. She would know when she saw him. Jump, a dog, always wanted a kid. He knew the right one when he saw her. They create various versions of dogs and kids out of materials around them in Nature. Will they ever find each other?
Comments: I like how the world around them goes from black and white to color. The illustrator used images from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to create collages.
Rating: 3.5/5 –📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Trouble Dog: From Shelter Dog to Conservation Hero
by Carol A. Foote (Author), Larry Day (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Tucker was often returned to the dog shelter because he was considered trouble. However, when Laura came to the shelter, she saw potential in him and believed he could be an excellent conservation dog. After training, Tucker became a valuable aide to conservationists, helping to protect endangered plants and wildlife.
Comments: This story is inspired by true events. The back pages provide insights into Laura and Tucker’s lives and additional information about conservation dogs.
The illustrations were created in watercolor.
This would be a valuable addition to any unit of study focused on wildlife or conservation.
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 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 is the second of the Gus books
The Unsinkable Gus Davis by Laurie Trumble Davis (Author), Paulette Bogan (Illustrator)
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 certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Death Picture Books–https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/OOMLLW39XJKX?ref_=aipsflist.)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
What Happens After?
by Diane Namm (Author), Laura Jäger (Illustrator)
Summary: How do we go on after the death of someone we love? This picture book provides answers for young readers to understand and relate to. We may feel sad, mad, or alone. We still do the things that the deceased enjoyed and remember them in our own way.
Comments: This book is helpful for children who are grieving, as it helps them understand that their feelings are valid and guides them on how to move forward without their loved one.
This would make a great addition to any library and one that teachers, parents, and counselors could share.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Do You Remember?
by Sydney Smith (Author)
Brief 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.
Grandpa and the Kingfisher
by Anna Wilson (Author), Sarah Massini (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young boy and his grandpa visit the river in the spring and discover a kingfisher diving in the water to catch a fish. They come back in the summer to find two kingfishers building a nest.
The boy and his grandfather keep coming to the river over the seasons, watching the birds’ life cycle.
The boy asks questions about the birds while the man answers, paralleling his life.
Comments: This story does talk about death and how nature continues but gently and matter-of-factly so that children can understand.
Wonderful watercolor illustrations.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Hare-Shaped Hole
by John Dougherty (Author), Thomas Docherty (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Hertle the hare and Bertle the turtle are best friends and do everything together. The next day, there is only a shadow where Hertle is supposed to be. Bertle looked everywhere for his friend but only had the hare-shaped hole.
Bertle was crying when Gerda the bear cuddled him, sharing how to feel better when losing someone.
Comments: This gentle book would be a great bibliotherapeutic book for remembering someone we lost.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Hole
by Lindsay Bonilla (Author), Brizida Magro (Illustrator)
Summary: A boy notices holes in his home, in his parents’, and in himself where his younger brother, Matty, used to fill. He notices that other people have holes who have lost someone too. He finally faces the hole and falls into it to confront his emotions. His friend Nora asks him if he would like to tell her about his brother, which helps him feel better.
Comments: This would make a wonderful book to help students deal with grief.
I like how the boy can fill the hole with good memories of his brother.
The illustrations were created using watercolor washes, colored pencils, and paper collage, all assembled digitally.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Under Anna’s Umbrella
by Amanda Driscoll (Author), Luisa Uribe (Illustrator)
Summary: Anna was attending her father’s funeral when it started pouring rain, but she felt safe under her large umbrella. Afterwards, she began to carry her open umbrella with her everywhere—both inside and outside. One day, she saw a boy getting soaked in the rain and invited him to seek shelter under her umbrella. How will Anna learn to walk in the sunlight again without her umbrella shading her?
Comments: The journey of grief that Anna experienced before she could walk in the sun again is a touching story that may help children.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These title can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Color Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4riHCCU )
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Consider the Lilies
by Jennifer Grant (Author), Julianna Swaney (Illustrator)
Summary: Young readers will journey through a spring day noticing the various colors of the flowers and the insects that like to visit them. Readers are gently encouraged to notice the colorful wonders of the natural world around them.
Comments: This soothing story is written in rhyming couplets and is the second book of the Consider series. The text was inspired by the biblical passages of Luke 12 and Matthew 6. The illustrations were created digitally.
This would be a lovely read-loud to share in a parochial school setting or at home to discuss spring, colors in nature, different flowers, or a metaphor of how God takes care of the flowers and you.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
How Do You Eat Color?
by Mabi David (Author), Yas Doctor (Illustrator), Karen Llagas (Translator)
Brief 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.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Communication Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/2WCIVBA3AI5KU?ref_=aipsflist)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
On the Edge of the World (Stories from Latin America)
by Anna Desnitskaya (Author), Lena Traer (Translator)
Brief summary: Vera lives on the east coast of Russia. She longs to have a friend and often imagines one enjoying her interests and the places she goes. When it is dark, Vera goes to the beach with her mom and turns her flashlight off and on in Morse code for “hi.”
Lucas lives in Chile and longs to have a friend too. He imagines what it would be like to have someone to play soccer or read a book high up in a tree. In the evening, Lucas and his father go to the beach and turn his flashlight off and on, blinking four short flashes, pause, and two short flashes.
Will these two get a response?
Comments: Half of the book is Vera’s story, and then one flips the book over and reads about Luca’s story. I love upside-down books.
Teachers could share this in social studies. For example: “If we are standing on the eastern section of our school and shine a flashlight at night, what is the closest city, state, or country.
It could also supplement a science class on how far a flashlight’s beam can be seen or even have the students practice Morse Code.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary print copy of this children’s book from the publisher to give an honest review.
What Makes Us Human
by Victor D.O. Santos (Author), Anna Forlati (Illustrator)
Brief summary: What is it that makes us human? As the book progresses, young readers will slowly learn that the answer can be written, signed, spoken, or felt. It has been around for thousands of years and effects everyone today. Some are disappearing, while others are more popular.
Comments: The illustrations are created with collage and digital materials.
Part of the author’s royalties will be donated to organizations working to preserve languages around the globe.
I would ask students, “What Makes Us Human?” and then read the book, reminding them that if they think they know the answer, they should keep it a secret until it is revealed at the end.
Rating: 5/5 –📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Bullying Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3ZEh5Us .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Kozo the Sparrow
by Allen Say (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young Allen Say trades all of his treasures to save a sparrow hatchling from the hands of bullies. He takes it home and nurses it to adulthood, bonding with his bird, Kozo(Little Boy).
Allen takes the bird to school to share with his classmates. Will the bullies capture the sparrow again?
Comments: This is the true story of Allen Say and the bird he raised and loved while living in Japan as a child at age eight.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Baddies
by Julia Donaldson (Author), Axel Scheffler (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A troll, ghost, and witch are baddies who enjoy being bad and bragging about it. A girl moves into a nearby cottage. The baddies devise different ways to scare her but are unsuccessful as she shows them kindness and understanding.
Comments: Young readers will enjoy the humorous story.
This is the author of the two books Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo.
This was originally printed in the UK in 2022.
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 certified, 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.
These picture books about books and library-themed stories are recommended by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Stories That Celebrate Books–https://amzn.to/4aRTIx2 .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent (Stories from Latin America)
by Irene Vasco (Author), Juan Palomino (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
Brief summary: A young teacher is given her first teaching assignment in Las Delicias, in the middle of the jungle in the Amazon. She brings her many books on an eventful four-day journey to the new school, a straw roof with a blackboard against a tree trunk.
She begins teaching and sharing her books for the students to take home. One morning, the children ran by the school, urging her that a great serpent was coming. They must get to higher ground. The serpent does come, destroying everything, including her precious books.
A few days later, around a fire, the women began to share legends from the squares of white fabric they had been embroidering and making into cloth books. The students translated the words for the teacher. Over time, the teacher learned the language of Las Delicias and how to embroider. She decided to stay.
Comments: Young readers will stay interested in the curiosity of how this young teacher’s journey unfolds.
I kept wondering where I would have been sent to teach. I’m thankful I was able to choose myself.
Wouldn’t this be an excellent book to share on a teachers’ professional development day?
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary print copy of this children’s book from the publisher to give an honest review.
Special Delivery: A Book’s Journey Around the World
Brief summary: A book is made and journeys in various forms of transportation across the city, sea, and through the country until it reaches Pip’s Bookshop, where it is bought and sent to a grandson.
Comments: The back has Special Delivery Numbers of interesting statistics about the book’s journey.
Full, detailed illustrations with bright colors. I stopped and looked at each page to get more details of the transportation story from them.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
The Library Fish Learns to Read (The Library Fish Books)
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Author), Gladys Jose (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Library Fish lives in a bowl on the librarian’s desk, Mr. Hughes, where she watches the students check books in and out of the public library. One day, she is listening to Mr. Hughes tell a story about a dog learning how to read and is inspired that she, too, would like to learn to read.
After the librarian says good night, Library Fish gets out of her bowl (with special accommodations) and begins to teach herself the ABCs. Each night she practices until she can read books.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
This Book Is My Best Friend
by Robin Robinson (Author, Illustrator).
Brief summary: Two best friends, Sunny and Aarush, want to check out the same library book, Factory Friends, but there is only one copy. They each try to persuade the other why the book is their best friend and needs it more. Having failed at trying to book talk each other into other books to check out instead, they realize how to share the library book.
Comments: I recommend this book to school librarians who have students fighting over a book, as I have had many times in my school libraries. (They did not always share, so I had a big die on my desk. The one who rolled the highest number could read it first).
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
This Is a Story
by John Schu (Author), Lauren Castillo (Illustrator).
Brief summary: The title page begins this story with a girl receiving a library card from her father.
A little girl walks to the library with her father and younger sibling. She goes into the children’s section carrying a seahorse kite, where a librarian helps her narrow her search from many of the books to the perfect one–a sea horse library book. She begins to read. Other readers in the area are reading books we all know and love that are connected to our hearts and imagination.
The child has found her special library book and now helps her younger brother find his. She proudly uses her library card to check out.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
by Margaret Chiu Greanias (Author), Kristyna Litten (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Pearl, an anglerfish, reads her book in the depth of the sea but is constantly interrupted. Looking for personal space, she swims down into the abyssal zone, where it is tranquil, and she can finish her book. Lonely, she returns to the twilight zone.
Comments: The illustrations were in shades of blues with the various fish in other colors and often two-page spreads. Speech bubbles mixed with traditional text.
Rating: 4/4 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Liebrary
by Amanda Pearlstein (Author), Howard Pearlstein (Author), Maren Amini (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Mikayla and Drew take out books from the library and read about things that don’t make sense. Should they believe everything they read? The children suddenly understand when they return their books.
Comments: Cute story. It could be used to start a research project to demonstrate why it is essential to check the facts.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Our Incredible Library Book (and the wonderful journeys it took)
by Caroline Crowe (Author), John Joseph (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Readers will learn about a library book’s adventures into several children’s homes.
Comments: In rhyming text.
This book was first published in the UK.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Palace of Books
by Patricia Polacco (Author, Illustrator).
Brief summary: As a girl, Patricia Polacco’s family moves from Union City to Battle Creek, Michigan. It is hard for her to adjust from living in a rural area.
One day she walks home from school, taking a different route, and discovers a stately building with giant pillars along the front with many steps leading up to a porch. It is the Willard Library and full of books for people to borrow. Mrs. Creavy, a librarian, helps Patricia find bird books and even shares the notable books of John James Audubon, full of watercolors of birds.
Soon, Patricia paints birds and shares them with her class. This sparks an Audubon bird club at Fremont Elementary School for the next sixty years.
Comments: I will always recommend a book by Patricia Polacco, as she is one of the best storytellers and illustrators in the USA. I was honored to have her as a guest author for our elementary school. I will always cherish having lunch with this legendary author and illustrator that day in our little elementary library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras (Stories from Latin America)
by Nelson Rodríguez (Author), Leonardo Agustín Montes (Author), Rosana Faría (Illustrator), Carla Tabora (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
Brief summary: Luis lives in Villa Nueva, Honduras, and prefers sharing happy stories with his friends and neighbors to take their minds off unhappiness. He is good at storytelling and likes to retell stories. Monday is when the bookmobile comes for the Hour of the Chochororochochochó, where the bookmobile comes to share stories and books. Luis repeats the stories he has heard with his family.
Comments: The back pages tell the factual story of JustWorld International. This would be a wonderful book for children to learn about how other cultures learn about storytelling and books.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary print copy of this children’s book from the publisher to give an honest review.
Books Make Good Friends
by Jane Mount (Author)
Brief summary: Lotti is shy and would like to make friends with her classmates, but many are extroverts, the complete opposite of herself. She instead finds friends in the books that she reads, feeling safer.
Lottie can compare her everyday events with books she has read.
One day, Lotti is walking home with Nadia, who also likes reading. Will they become pals? How will Lotti make friends with her other classmates?
Comments: I love the illustrations in this book because they are mainly created with the spines of real books!
Various books are highlighted with book summaries.
There are many fonts used that help explain what is happening in each detailed illustration.
This would be a superb book to read aloud to encourage the love of reading. Students will want to read the books featured in the illustrations.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Everybody’s Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
by Linda Leopold Strauss (Author), Tim Smart (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In the mid-14th century, a Jewish wedding took place in Spain where the couple received a hand-painted haggadah for their Passover celebrations. The book was adorned with decorations of copper and gold. Passed down through generations, it eventually ended up in the possession of relatives who sold it to The National Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1894. This historic artifact is now known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. It’s remarkable that the book has survived through numerous wars.
Comments: The back sections in this narrative nonfiction book are Author Note, About the Author, and About the Illustrator.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Behind My Doors: The Story of the World’s Oldest Library
by Hena Khan (Author), Nabila Adani (Illustrator)
Summary: Al Qarawiyyin Library tells us about itself being built in 859 in Fez, Morocco, and being the oldest library in the world. Fatima al-Fihri built a mosque and school for her community with a small library that grew over the centuries.
There is a room that can only be entered by four guards, who have to turn all of the keys at the same time for the copper doors to open. Now, only the curator has the keys. What could be so precious inside?
Comments: This narrative nonfiction book is told from the perspective of the library, from its very beginning until Dr. Chaouni, an architect who was hired to restore the building, renovates it.
The illustrations were created digitally.
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 certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Biography Picture Books–https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1WJXFSM5JRD39?ref_=aipsflist.)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
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.
The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars
by Laura Alary (Author), Yas Imamura (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This picture book biography is told in a narrative nonfiction style of writing beginning with an eight-year-old Cecilia curiously examining nature around her in the countryside until she moved to London to study. She excitedly received a scholarship to the University of Cambridge but found women were not taken seriously. She moved across the Atlantic Ocean to attend Harvard where she found other women called the Harvard Computers studying the stars.
Comments: The backmatter has more information such as the Author’s Note, Cecilia’s Curious Life(timeline), Reaching for the Stars, More About Cecilia’s World, and Honors and Awards Given to Cecilia Payne.
This biography picture book was very well researched with gouache and watercolor illustrations that complement and push the story as it is explained.
I recommend this as an excellent STEAM resource for intermediate elementary and middle school students. It’s a perfect addition to units on women in science or space exploration.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
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.
Saint Patrick the Forgiver: The History and Legends of Ireland’s Bishop
by Ned Bustard (Author)
Brief summary: If you are looking for more of a religious story about Saint Patrick, this is the book. “Hello, my name is Patrick.You may have heard my story.I walked the span of Irelandto tell of God’s great glory.” Young readers will learn about Saint Patrick’s life as a child, being kidnapped to become a slave in Ireland and his escape back home. Saint Patrick continues to tell the reader how he forgave the Irish people and decided to preach Christianity there. The story is shared through the viewpoint of a saint. Told in rhyme.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Saint Valentine the Kindhearted: The History and Legends of God’s Brave and Loving Servant
by Ned Bustard (Author)
Brief summary: A young Valentine lived in Terni, Italy, around 226 AD, practicing Christianity while living amongst Romans who believed in several gods and goddesses.
He restored the sight of a judge’s daughter. This impressed the judge so much that he converted to Christianity along with his family. Emperor Claudius put Saint Valentine in prison, where he wrote love letters. He died on February 14th.
Comments: This story is written in rhyming verse. The story is on the right side, while an illustration with woodcuts is on the left.
There is A Note From the Author.
The hearts that are throughout the story symbolize the different types of love.
❤️(eros)–romantic love
💚(storge)–natural love, the kind that family members have for one another
💙(philia) love for a close friend
🤍(agape) pure and unconditional love
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.
Extraordinary Magic: The Storytelling Life of Virginia Hamilton
by Nina Crews (Author)
Brief summary: This collection of lyrical poetry shares Virginia Hamilton’s childhood, family, and writing inspirations.
Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Timeline, Book List, Bibliography, and a few photos.
The illustrations were created digitally using Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A Fine Little Bad Boy
by Barbara Lowell (Author), Antonio Marinoni (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction biographical picture book tells the story of Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. It highlights his mischievous antics while living in the White House, including roller skating in the halls, shooting spitballs at hanging artwork, and having water gun fights.
Comments: There are two pages in the back sharing more about Quentin Roosevelt.
I believe this book is better suited for 3-6 year olds rather than 9-12 year olds.
Reading it aloud with an adult can foster meaningful conversations and engagement among young listeners about good and bad behavior.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman
by Joanna Lapati (author and illustrator)
Brief summary: Rosetta Wakeman, the oldest of nine siblings, lived on a farm in Afton, New York. Tired of doing household work and caring for her siblings, she cut her hair and dressed like a man, calling herself Lyons Wakeman. After working as a canaller for a while, she enlisted in the 153rd New York State Volunteers to fight in the Civil War at Pleasant Hill on April 8, 1864.
Will anyone find out she is a woman? Does she die in battle?
Comments: This is a very well-written and researched picture book.
The artwork is scratchboard and digital materials. It is explained in detail in the About the Art of how this was all done. Art teachers could use this book as a reference for scratchboard units of study.
Other back sections are Glossary, Author’s Note(includes her research), More About Rosetta Wakeman and the Civil War(includes her photo in uniform and her tombstone), A Timeline of Events, Rosetta Wakeman’s Letters(1862-1864), and the Endpaper Glossary(explaining the objects carried by soldiers).
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
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.
The Snow Man: A True Story
by Jonah Winter (Author), Jeanette Winter (Illustrator)
Brief summary: billy barr (he prefers all small letters) lives ALONE in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, eight miles from the nearest town. He first moved there as a college student in 1972 for the summer. He lived in an abandoned shack with dirt floors and no electricity or running water. He began to take meticulous notes of all of the wildlife and weather of the mountains.
He stayed for fifty-one years and is still there.
The scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory used his notes and observations, all written in notebooks, to chart how the mountains’ climate was changing. He still takes notes but enters them into a computer.
Comments: There is an Author’s Note in the back explaining billy barr in more detail.
I had so many questions while reading this biography. Why is he a hermit? What made him go there? Why did he stay so long? Would I want to live like that? What would that be like? Can I get my library up there? And could I bring all of my cats?
This biography picture book could spark some interesting classroom discussions.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
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.
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.
Comments: 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.
I recall being in the Music Conservatory when Prince came out in the 1980s. His music played in the dorms and in the stores. People went to his movies to see him perform. I recall watching Purple Rain and Under the Cherry Moon. That was when we had Walkmans, and I remember having the soundtrack to Purple Rain and listening to it all the time. People liked his Minneapolis sound a lot.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keeffe Nourished Her Art
by Lisa Robinson (Author), Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Georgia O’Keeffe is known for her stunning paintings of flowers and wildlife in New Mexico. This narrative nonfiction picture book emphasizes and explores how she cultivated her own sustainable garden using water conservation, companion planting, and composting.
Comments: Reading a book about an artist’s life rather than their art was a refreshing change.
The back sections explain how Georgia O’Keefe gardened and includes two of her recipes.
The illustrations were created with pen, paint, and paper and assembled in Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A Grand Idea: How William J. Wilgus Created Grand Central Terminal
by Megan Hoyt (Author), David Szalay (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In 1902, Manhattan was full of people from all over the country visiting by train. A terrible train collision caused William J. Wilgus, a chief engineer, to devise a better plan to reduce and organize all of the train traffic to prevent any more accidents.
In this narrative nonfiction picture book, young readers will learn how he created this magnificent railroad station called Grand Central Terminal.
Comments: The back sections include information about William J. Wilgus and the Grand Central Terminal, fascinating facts about the terminal, a timeline, and sources.
The illustrations were created digitally with Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World
by Vivian Kirkfield (Author), Alison Jay (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Annie Londonderry saw an ad in 1894 promising $10,000 to the first woman to travel around the globe on a bike. She taught herself to ride a bike and set off, following the rules of speaking English, accepting no donations, and earning $5,000 while traveling.
Comments: This inspirational narrative nonfiction picture book shares the story of an incredibly brave woman who overcame obstacles and injuries, persevered to win a bet, and was motivated by providing a better life for her children.
The back sections include an Author’s Note, Brakes, Bloomers, and Other Bicycle Bits, a Timeline, and a Bibliography.
The illustrations are created with alkyd oil paint on paper with varnish.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook
by Emma Bland Smith (Author), Susan Reagan (Illustrator)
Brief 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.
The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music
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.
Mary Anning Breaks New Ground: Courageous Kid of Paleontology (Courageous Kids)
by Carol Kim (Author), Mark Simmons (Illustrator).
Summary: Mary Anning was only twelve when she discovered an Ichthyosaurus along the cliffs near Lyme Regi, England, in the early 1800s. This area was known as the heart of the Jurassic Coast, where ammonite and belemnite fossils were often found unburied. Her father, a carpenter and cabinet maker, would fossil-seek as a hobby taking his children, Joseph and Mary, along the cliffs to find fossils to sell to tourists.
After their father died, her brother learned the upholstery business while she sold fossils for a living. It wasn’t until 2010 that the Royal Society acknowledged Mary and two other women, Mary Somerville, and Caroline Herschel, for their contributions to paleontology.
Comments: This is a narrative nonfiction graphic novel with a glossary, read more, internet sites, and about the author sections in the back.
The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game
by Laurie Wallmark (Author), Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Judit and her sisters were trained by their parents to play chess. They competed, with Judit being the youngest. She won junior tournaments against adults. Judit and her family went to the USA, where she competed in games against adults and won. Her goal was to become the youngest grandmaster. She returned to Budapest to study and became the national champion of Hungary. Will Judit’s chess journey lead her to her goal?
Comments: The back pages include Timeline and The Mathematics of Chess.
This is an inspirational story of encouragement, hard work, and perseverance.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of
by Kirsten W. Larson (Author), Katherine Roy (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Cecilia Payne moved from the country as a girl to London so her brother, Humfry, could attend a better school. Her school did not teach her the science curriculum that she desired until a new science teacher and friend, Miss Dalglish, was hired. Cecilia wins a University of Cambridge scholarship to study plants but is inspired once she attends a lecture by astronomer Arthur Addigton, whose work created a new field called astrophysics. She moved to America to study astronomy at Harvard, where other women were studying the same subject. Through her work, she discovered what stars are made of, thus building a foundation for astronomers to learn and better understand the stars.
This narrative nonfiction biography picture book has two-page illustrations paralleling Cecilia’s beginning of her career and that of a star’s.
The back sections are: Cecilia Payne: Science Superstar, A Star is Born, and a Timeline.
Milloo’s Mind: The Story of Maryam Faruqi, Trailblazer for Women’s Education
by Reem Faruqi (Author, granddaughter of Maryam Faruqi), Hoda Hadadi (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In 1930, a young Pakistani girl, Milloo, loves to read and study but is told that since she finished fifth grade, she will need to stay home to do housework. Milloo wanted to become a teacher, so her parents only agreed if she learned English. With a lot of hard work and determination, she graduated from high school and college. She is ready to become a teacher. She marries, but her husband wants her to stay home. She makes a school in her house and then opens more and more schools.
There is a glossary and author’s note in the back.
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.
Charles Drew: The Innovator of the Blood Bank (Bright Minds)
by Aaron Talley (Author), Subi Bosa (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Charles Drew created a technique that separates the different parts of blood called centrifuging, which helped the blood stay fresh longer in storage. He is known for improving the blood banks and just in time for World War II when bloodmobiles and the American Red Cross enabled people to give and receive blood wherever they lived.
Comments: The back pages have sections such as a glossary, legacy, questions, index, and further reading.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Close Up and Far Out
by Mary Auld (Author), Adria Meserve (Illustrator)
Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book explores the lives of two scientists, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Galileo Galilei.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek had questions about observing the world more closely and seeing it magnified. He created many microscopes until he designed one that could magnify objects up to 500 times.
Galilei was curious about distant objects, particularly in space, and sought to understand how the universe worked. He successfully modified and created an improved telescope that allowed him to see farther into space.
Comments: This book promotes scientific inquiry and persistence. Both men had questions and could find answers through repeated failures until they produced the desired results.
This book could be used in several units of study: space, inventions, cells, and Intellectual growth/performance(persistence, failure, grit).
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.
Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Path to Kindness
by Helaine Becker (Author), Aura Lewis (Illustrator)
Summary: Eleanor Roosevelt’s parents and brother died within two years of each other. She lived with her Grandmother. At age fifteen, she was sent to a girls’ boarding school in England, where a teacher helped her realize her potential. Eleanor became a leader of the girls and helped everyone. She left her senior year to return to the USA, where she was expected to debut and find a husband but had other plans.
Comments: The Author’s note in the back gives more details about Eleanor Roosevelt’s life. Several of her famous quotes are cited.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!: The Storied Life of Folk Artist Elijah Pierce
by Chiquita Mullins Lee (Author), Carmella Van Vleet (Author), Jennifer Mack-Watkins (Illustrator)
Summary: Columbus, Ohio, artist Elijah Pierce shares with a young artist how he was inspired to carve wood. Elijah cuts the boy’s hair and continues how he got ideas for his many art pieces hanging all around the barbershop. The boy leaves with a fresh cut and thoughts of creating with his new box of colored pencils his mother gave him earlier.
Comments: The back pages contain Elijah Pierce’s honors, Authors’ Notes, Artist’s Note, and information about Elijah Pierce’s Art used in the book.
I remember going to the Columbus Museum of Art and seeing his art and getting to know who the artist was based on his subject matter in the art.
This book contains quotes from Elijah, but the boy in the story is fictional.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race for the Future of Vaccines
by Debbie Dadey (Author), Juliana Oakley (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Hungarian-American scientist Dr. Kati Kariko has always wanted to be a scientist. She studied mRNA(messenger ribonucleic acid) in a biology research center, wondering if she could make new mRNA that would send the message to make suitable proteins for people to heal.
She moved to America and failed to get mRNA to work with cells, so she worked at various universities. She met Drew Weissman, another scientist interested in mRNA. After eight years, they wrote a paper about mRNA. She was offered several jobs but chose to work at BioNTech in Germany. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, scientists at BioNTech and Pfizer worked together to design a vaccine using an mRNA vaccine to fight the virus.
Comments: The back pages include Timeline, Steps To Making a Vaccine, Author’s Note, Glossary, Source Notes, and Further Study sections.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better
by Glenda Armand (Author), Kim Freeman (Author), Keith Mallett (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Augustus Jackson left his home in Philadelphia at twelve to go to Washington, DC, to follow his dream as a cook. He became an expert at making ice cream. He was hired at the White House and stayed for five years.
He returned home and opened his own ice cream parlor. He created a faster way to freeze ice cream, as refrigerators/freezers still needed to be invented. He could come up with making ice cream in half the time and ship his own ice cream by train without it melting.
Nicknamed the “Father of Ice Cream”
The back pages include Make Your Own Ice-Cream, Afterword, and Sources sections.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
The First Woman Cherokee Chief: Wilma Pearl Mankiller (Step into Reading)
by Patricia Morris Buckley (Author), Aphelandra Messer (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Wilma Pearl Mankiller lived in Oklahoma on Cherokee lands until a drought caused her father to move to the city for work. Pearl(the name she preferred) hated the city and stayed at her grandmother’s farm for a year. She moved back to the city and connected with other Native people at the American Indian Center.
In 1969, there was a protest at Alcatraz about the Native lands stolen by the government. Pearl supported and helped Native people many times and later became the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating 3/5 📗📗📗
Carol Burnett: A Little Golden Book Biography
by Andrea Posner-Sanchez (Author), Kelly Kennedy (Illustrator).
Summary: Carol Burnett was born in Texas and was raised by her grandmother, Nanny. When she was seven, they moved to Hollywood, California, where Nanny would take Carol to see several movies weekly. Carol would reenact them on their apartment’s rooftop and later study theater arts in college. After seeing her perform, a stranger gave her $1,000, urging her to go to New York. She had to promise to pay him back in five years and to never reveal his identity. Carol became famous on the Garry Moore Show and then had her own tv show that aired for eleven seasons.
Carol’s famous left ear tug on TV was her way of saying hello to her grandmother, something she did even after the woman’s passing.
Comments: If you are unfamiliar with Little Golden Books, they are smaller than a “regular” picture book–Dimensions : 6.63 x 0.19 x 8 inches.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
I am Temple Grandin (Ordinary People Change the World)
by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Temple Grandin was born with autism and did not act or respond like other babies and toddlers did to things and situations. Her mother found a speech therapist to help Temple speak her first words at age four. Through her sensitivity and empathy towards cattle, she was able to help better design the cattle chute for them to feel calmer and how to build round pens because she noticed they could go around a curve easier. She also discovered how to make cows feel calmer by going down into the water for a bath to get rid of insects on them by changing the steel ramp to a textured concrete one.
Temple was able to go to college and even receive a doctorate degree. She teaches and does research at Colorado State University. The book explains how she thinks and feels in the first-person narrative.
Comments: I highly recommend this book for parents, teachers, and librarians to share with those with autism to be inspired by Temple’s life’s accomplishments.
Smaller than an average picture book–Dimensions : 7.94 x 0.33 x 7.88 inches
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Back-to-School Picture Books–https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/3IKAES8MXMX7I?ref_=aipsflist.)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Welcome to Our Classroom!
by Alexandra Penfold (Author), Suzanne Kaufman (Illustrator)
Summary: A teacher reassures her new students that they are welcome in the classroom, where they will learn many things by working together, listening, and sharing.
Comments: This is a positive, comforting story for students who may be concerned about not fitting in. I love how there are so many diverse illustrations of students.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Summary: Henry wears his fish costume to school because it makes him feel safe and less anxious. Although everyone stares at him, as the day goes on, Henry slowly feels 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.
Fall Is for Beginnings
by Rajani LaRocca (Author), Abhi Alwar (Illustrator)
Summary: Fall is for new beginnings. Ravi arrives on the first day and sits next to his best friend, Joe. A new girl, Ellie, sits on the other side of him and introduces herself. The three do many activities together, and Ellie believes they are best friends, but Ravi blurts out that they are not, which hurts Ellie’s feelings. Anita, Ravi’s older sister, helps him out.
Comments: This is a wonderful read-aloud for the beginning of the school year when new friendships are made.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
by Stephen Curry (Author), Geneva Bowers (Illustrator)
Summary: Zoe wants to try out for the school’s soccer team on the first day of school but is self-conscious about her hearing aids. Her family and friends encourage Zoe to go onto the field and do her best.
Comments: This would be a good book to share to help students overcome first-day jitters, build self-esteem, and develop a growth mindset.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The First Week of School
by Drew Beckmeyer
Summary: It is the first week of school and each day Pat, the bearded dragon, observes the students. There is one desk empty waiting for a new, unique student to arrive.
Comments: Readers will enjoy going through the week relating to the different subjects and events. I like when the reader knows the mystery of what’s happening around the characters before the characters in the story do. Well, the bearded dragon knows, too.
This would make a fun read-aloud for the beginning of the school year.
The illustrations were created with crayon.
Rating: 4.5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩1/2
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 are both a bit nervous at first, but soon learn the routine and make friends.
Comments: The contrast between human kindergarten and puppy training can be introduced as a classroom activity comparing and contrasting of Sammy’s day and Sunny’s day using Venn diagram.
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.
First Day, Hooray!
by June Sobel (Author), Nabila Adani (Illustrator)
Summary: This rhyming story begins on the first day with students experiencing many emotions throughout the day. They are reassured that these emotions are normal.
Comments: This is a wonderful read-aloud book for preschoolers and kindergartners going to school for the very first time.
The rhyming and rhythmic text make it easy to understand.
My favorite repetitive line is “Take a breath. Breathe in. Breathe out” and can serve as a stopping point for the teacher to demonstrate and have the students participate.
I think this would be a beneficial book for parents to read with their child before school begins and to talk about any emotions they may have or will have and how to handle those feelings.
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 their teacher missing. Their first clue is that 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 continue their day doing school-related activities without the supervision of an adult. Suddenly, the door opens, and a man hurries into the classroom. Is this their teacher?
Comments: This is 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.
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 the animals he sees along the way.
Young readers will follow his journey as he goes under a barbed-wire fence, through a forest, across a river, etc., until he finally arrives at 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 endpapers have a map of the beginning of the walk, which continues onto the back endpapers.
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 school supplies as they get 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, who 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 never look at the supplies on my desk the same way again.
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.
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 a classmate, Marco, who is also shy and withdrawn and wears purple bracelets. When Robin temporarily loses her headband, Marco offers her one of his bracelets while they look for the hair accessory.
Comments: This would be a reassuring back-to-school story to share with preschoolers and kindergartners to help normalize feeling shy and show how small acts of kindness can build new friendships.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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)
Summary: Young readers will follow various children as they wake up early and prepare to return to school. Once inside the school, the day begins with introductions, new routines, and friend-making.
Comments: This book would be a great pick for preschoolers or kindergartners who have never been to school to get a general idea of what happens on the first day.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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 about 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 can share this book with students on the first day of school to reassure them that it is normal to feel nervous when starting something new.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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 struggles to understand what anyone is saying or asking. Mina hugs a 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 befriends 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.
Comments: This thoughtful picture book is a teaching tool for building empathy toward English language learners and showing how kindness and friendship overcome language barriers.
This German translation from 2020 was published in the USA in 2023.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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 heading to school has the first day jitters, but it soon fits in to the new environment.
Comments: This is a cute and humorous read-aloud for the first day or week of school to help ease students’ nervousness.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
And Then Comes School
by Tom Brenner (Author), Jen Hill (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Children experience the last days of August, moving from playing together in the summer heat to preparing for the first day of school.
Comments: This is a nice read-aloud that shares the rituals that lead to back-to-school time. Students could share what traditions they do as a family to prepare for the first day of school.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
by Anna Dewdney (Author), Reed Duncan (Author), JT Morrow (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Llama Llama and his friends wind down the summer and get ready to go back to school. He is excited to go shopping with his mama and prepare for the new year. He has a wonderful time once he returns to school.
Comments: I love the rhyming and positivity of this book. This is a comforting read-aloud for preschoolers and kindergartners with back-to-school jitters.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
First Day of School
by Esther van den Berg (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Robin is being taken to school with his mom. They walk to the school in a tree where his mother drops him off. He plays with the other little forest animals, eats lunch, and attends gym class and art class before it is time for his mom to pick him up.
Comments: This is a cute preschool or kindergarten read-aloud that offers reassurance to children who may have separation anxiety or first-day jitters.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
How to Get Your Teacher Ready
by Jean Reagan (Author), Lee Wildish (Author)
Summary: A group of students give advice on how to get their teacher ready for school by explaining all the subjects, milestones, and events throughout the year.
Comments: This funny role-reversal picture book is a fantastic back-to-school read-aloud. This could encourage discussion about classroom routines and teamwork throughout the upcoming year.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
I Got the School Spirit
by Connie Schofield-Morrison (Author), Frank Morrison (Illustrator)
Summary: An excited and positive girl embraces the first day of school, spreading her confidence to her classmates.
Comments: This high-energy illustrated picture book would be a superb first-day-of- school share for preschool through primary students to get them into the school spirit.
Rating: 5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!
by Mo Willems
Summary: The Pigeon has worries about going to school and comes up with many reasons why he shouldn’t go.
Comments: This would be a funny first-day-of school read-aloud to help students laugh and relax and relate to the Pigeon.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
by Annie Silvestro (Author), Dream Chen (Illustrator)
Summary: Rosie is excited to start school but starts experiencing butterflies. She sits on the bus with a girl named Violet and feels calmer. Throughout the day, she begins to enjoy her school day and even makes friends.
Comments: The book visualizes a common idiom(butterflies in your stomach) through its illustrations to help nervous students see how the butterflies fly away as they become more confident and comfortable.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
School’s First Day of School
by Adam Rex (Author), Christian Robinson (Illustrator)
Summary: A new school building is built over the summer and named “Frederick Douglass Elementary.” School talks to the janitor and learns that teachers and students will soon come. School watches everyone on the first day, not sure if he likes them or not as he talks with the janitor at the end of the day.
Comments: This is one of my favorite first-day-of-school read-alouds I shared with my students. It is a great mentor text for perspectives, personification, and anthropomorphism.
Rating: 5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
This School Year Will Be the BEST!
by Kay Winters (Author), Renee Andriani (Illustrator)
Summary: On the first day of school, during circle time, a teacher asks, “What do you hope will happen this year?” The students answer with everything from everyday goals to imaginative dreams.
Comments: This is the perfect book to share during the first week of school for a fun discussion, which can be followed by having students write their hopes and illustrating them.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Back-to-School Rules
by Laurie Friedman (Author), Teresa Murfin (Illustrator)
Summary: Percy Isaac Gifford shares ten funny rules to help students get through the school year smoothly.
Comments: This rhyming book can be shared by teachers as a launchpad for a classroom discussion on establishing classroom rules. I would read it as a read-aloud, making sure to share the hilarious illustrations, and then have students brainstorm rules either as a class or individually for a writing and sharing activity.
Rating: 4/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
First Day Jitters
by Julie Danneberg (Author), Judy Love
Summary: Sarah Jane Hartwell does not want to go to school and hides under the covers. After trying to coax her out of bed, she is told she has five minutes to be dressed and downstairs ready to go. Upon arrival, she is greeted by the principal and taken to her classroom.
Comments: Students will relate to the first-day jitters and love how the story ends. It’s an empathetic book that reassures readers that feeling anxious about the first day is natural.
Rating: 4.5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
This book is part of The Jitters Series which does a wonderful job of helping kids in other scary situations.
Froggy Goes to School
by Jonathan London (Author), Frank Remkiewicz (Illustrator)
Summary: Froggy has first-day-of-school nightmares until his dad wakes him up. He gets ready and goes to school, denying that he is nervous even though he experiences one mishap after another. Through it all, he stays positive and has a good day.
Comments: This book is thirty years old and still connecting with kids today. My students loved when I read this aloud. I would holler “FRRROOGGYY!” and then they would holler back “Wha-a-a-a-t?”
Rating: 4.5/5 🟩🟩🟩🟩1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Baby(Animal or Human) Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1Z9EBAM40ZE1G?ref_=aipsflist )
❗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.
All Your Tomorrows
by Harriet Evans (Author), Heidi Griffiths (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A mother and father hold their baby and bestow upon the child all their hopes and dreams for the newborn’s future. Readers are taken upon the parents’ wishes as the child grows with bright, beautiful, and pleasant illustrations with many two-page spreads. Gentle, lyrical text.
Comments: What a lovely book for babies and toddlers at bedtime.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Pass the Baby
by Susanna Reich (Author), Raúl Colón (Illustrator)
Brief summary: The baby is passed around a large family gathering at the dining room table, where Grandpa, Grandma, and other family members visit with the baby.
The meal has ended, and it’s time for the baby to go to bed. Will she go to sleep or stay awake?
Comments: This rhyming picture book captures the excitement and love of a newborn baby in a family.
The humorous illustrations display the facial emotions and chaotic mess of a large gathering.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Full Moon Pups
by Liz Garton Scanlon (Author), Chuck Groenink (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In rhyming text and gentle rhythm, a mother wolf gives birth to her pups in a cave under a full moon. The mom and pack care for the babies as they grow during the moon’s cycle.
Comments: Lovely illustrations include gouache, acrylics, pencils, oil pastels, and digital media. The back pages include Author’s Note and The Phases of the Moon.
I suggest sharing this with primary grades during a baby animal or moon cycle unit of study.
Rating: 4/4 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Little Walrus
by Julie Abery (Author), Suzie Mason (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Little Walrus plays near his mom and the herd of walruses while exploring his world.
Comments: The rhyming of verbs in each line is one I don’t often see, and I found it refreshing. Couplet rhyming as well. Illustrations are large and with all two-page spreads.
This is one of the adorable cute series of baby animals called the Little Animal Friends.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
One Day
by Joanna Ho (Author), Faith Pray (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A mother cradles her infant son and dreams and shares all the wonderful ways her boy will be as he grows up.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. (These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Alphabet Picture Books–https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1HXD71C9X1I9C?ref_=aipsflist .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
A Is for Australian Reefs
by Frané Lessac (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Everything one would like to know about the Australian Reefs. This picture book has two-page illustrations for each letter that are bright and detailed.
Comments: This could be a group read-aloud sharing the large print, or it can be an individual reading of the more specific facts in small fonts that explain the many details of plants and marine life on each page.
4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A Is for Ambitious (Ambitious Girl, 2)
by Meena Harris (Author), Marissa Valdez (Illustrator)
Brief summary: ABCs of descriptive words of empowerment. Aimed towards girls. A “stand up and go for what you believe in” type of book. Inspirationally driven.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
B Is for Bananas
by Carrie Tillotson (Author), Estrela Lourenço (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Banana does not want to go to bed and makes “B” for banana instead of bedtime. Banana gets tired after going through the alphabet and changing or adding words.
Comments: Cute, humorous bedtime story.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
B My Name Is Boy: A Song of Celebration from Australia to Zimbabwe
by Dawn Masi (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Twenty-six boys share their name, someone else they know, their country, and a verb, all in alliteration.
Comments: It would be a fun activity for students to copy the book’s style by developing the alliterations with their own names and then sharing them with others.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
If you enjoy this one, there is a companion book titled G My Name is Girl, 2021.
Playful Pigs from A to Z
by Anita Lobel (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Twenty-six pigs come across a field full of letters. Each pig finds the letter matching its name. In the evening, they all return to their pen.
Comments: Each letter is paired with a pig’s name and a verb. The pages have capital letters across the top, with small case letters on the bottom of each page.
Originally printed in 2015.
Rating 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Alphabuddies: G Is First!
by Beth Bacon (Author), Karen Kane (Author), Eric Barclay (Illustrator).
Brief summary: “G” wants to be first in the alphabet song, but “A” argues it will mess up reading. The letters experiment to see if this statement is true or not.
Comments: Humorous. Speech bubbles. Individual frames or multi-panels like a graphic novel. Large letters and words.
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 certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. The titles below can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Valentine’s Day Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4kuBODW)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Groundhog vs. Cupid (Festive Feuds, 4)
by Todd Tarpley (Author), Stephanie Laberis (Illustrator)
Summary: A groundhog wakes up, dresses carefully for his big day, and emerges from his burrow—only to find the spotlight stolen by Cupid, who’s already claiming all the glory. Determined, the groundhog tries to convince Cupid that today isn’t his day, but HIS.
Comments: This is a story in rhyme. This book is in the usual festive feud style: two holiday characters overlap their special days and try to find a solution. These are humorous, outrageously fun books, making great read-alouds.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
A Stickler Valentine
by Lane Smith (Author)
Summary: Stickler goes through the forest giving sticks for Valentine’s Day, but no one wants a stick. He begins to think about what others would like instead and decides to give the cat what she likes, not what he wants to give her for Valentine’s Day, making her happy.
Comments: A cute and whimsical story about a forest creature made of sticks beginning to consider what others like and not so much what he likes. I think this could be a great read-aloud for primary grades.
The illustrations were created using oils, gesso, and cold wax on canvas. Pencil lines were drawn with an Apple Pencil in Procreate.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Saint Valentine the Kindhearted: The History and Legends of God’s Brave and Loving Servant
by Ned Bustard (Author)
Brief summary: A young Valentine lived in Terni, Italy, around 226 AD, practicing Christianity while living amongst Romans who believed in several gods and goddesses.
He restored the sight of a judge’s daughter. This impressed the judge so much that he converted to Christianity along with his family. Emperor Claudius put Saint Valentine in prison, where he wrote love letters. He died on February 14th.
Comments: This story is written in rhyming verse. The story is on the right side, while an illustration with woodcuts is on the left.
There is A Note From the Author.
The hearts that are throughout the story symbolize the different types of love.
❤️(eros)–romantic love
💚(storge)–natural love, the kind that family members have for one another
💙(philia) love for a close friend
🤍(agape) pure and unconditional love
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.
Hap-Pea Valentine’s Day (The Peas Series)
by Keith Baker (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: The peas are celebrating Valentine’s Day by sharing various hearts in their pea town, such as a large pizza heart, knitted hearts, and rainbow hearts.
Comments: This is a light-hearted, fun book best suited for preschoolers and kindergarteners. I enjoy stopping to look at each page and take in all the details Keith Baker puts into making these cute little pea characters.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Grumpy Monkey Valentine Gross-Out
by Suzanne Lang (Author), Max Lang (Illustrator)
Summary: Jim Panzee does not care for Valentine’s Day at all. He thinks love is gross–the couples exchanging cards, cuddling, and kissing. One of his primate friends explains to him all about the different types of love, making him not so grumpy.
Comments: A funny read-aloud for the classroom especially for those who also find Valentine’s Day gross.
This does have Valentine stickers in the back of the book.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Love, Escargot
by Dashka Slater (Author), Sydney Hanson (Illustrator)
Summary: Escargot excitedly gets ready to attend a Snailentine party. The snail suddenly feels shy once arriving and retreats to the inside of his shell. Will he come out and enjoy the party or stay inside the whole time?
Comments: Escargot enjoys talking to the reader and asking questions, making this an interactive picture book. It is a humorous book with a very talkative French snail.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Mystery of the Love List
by Sarah Glenn Marsh (Author), Ishaa Lobo (Illustrator)
Summary: Pippa’s teacher has the class write down everything they love in their hearts. She receives a list with her name on it and with many things that she enjoys. Pippa tries to figure out who her new friend could be.
Comments: I know a lot of teachers are looking for picture book mysteries. This is a cute mystery that primary students would enjoy solving with the help of the illustrations.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Dino-Valentine’s Day (Dino-Holidays)
by Lisa Wheeler (Author), Barry Gott (Illustrator)
Summary: All of the dinosaurs are getting ready for Valentine’s Day. Some are shopping for cards, decorating boxes, and baking delicious treats. They exchange valentines at school and then attend a dance.
Comments: This is a humorous rhyming story that mixes dinosaur names throughout.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Porcupine Cupid
by Jason June (Author), Lori Richmond (Illustrator)
Summary: Porcupine goes around the forest poking animals with his quill like cupid, annoying everyone. He posts a sign about having a town hall meeting where everyone can discuss the poking. He hides in a tree, listening to everyone complain and bond over his actions, happy to have brought so many friends together. Will anyone fall for him?
Comments: It’s a fantastic read-aloud, though you might want to include a disclaimer that ‘cupid poking’ is strictly for porcupines and not for children!
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Valensteins
by Ethan Long (Author)
Summary: Fright Club members are interested in what Fran K. Stein is making with pink paper, glue, and scissors, and come up with their own ideas. When they realize what he is making, they are horrified, but Fran does not care. He leaves them and shares it with the one he loves.
Comments: This will be a funny Valentine’s Day read-aloud, even for those who think the day is eeewww.
The illustrations were created with a graphite pencil on Strathmore drawing paper, scanned, and digitally colorized. Dark colors make the pink heart stand out more.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever
by Brenda Ferber (Author), Tedd Arnold (Illustrator)
Summary: Leon makes a Valentine’s Day card for Zoey Manoney, but it runs off the table, refusing to let the boy give it to her. The Valentine runs down the street, with Leon chasing him, and more and more people following along to see what happens.
Comments: I love the illustrator’s style of large comic panels, narrative boxes, and speech bubbles. The colors are bright, and the story is hilarious and cumulative. This would be a superb read-aloud with action and suspense.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
A Giant Crush
by Gennifer Choldenko (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)
Summary: Jackson has a crush on Cami but is too shy to tell her, so he leaves little anonymous gifts for her. His friend, Cooper, encourages him to get up enough nerve to talk to her.
Comments: Sweet puppy love. Elementary crushes. This story will resonate with all those who have experienced unrequited love or are too shy to profess their love. I think it is encouraging.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
If You’ll Be My Valentine
by Cynthia Rylant (Author), Fumi Kosaka (Illustrator)
Summary: A young boy makes valentines for his animal friends, human friends, and inanimate objects in his life that he cares about.
Comments: Each Valentine is a short rhyming poem. This is a good choice as a read-aloud for preschool or kindergarten.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Biggest Valentine Ever
by Steven Kroll (Author), Jeni Bassett (Illustrator)
Summary: Desmond and Clayton make a Valentine together in class, but end up in a fight over artistic differences. They tear it up and decide to make their own when they get home. After ignoring their fathers’ advice, they decide to make a huge Valentine’s Day gift together to present to their teacher.
Comments: This is a delightful story about two mice friends who work together to create something spectacular. I thought it was funny how they ignored their dads, took the opposite advice, failed, and succeeded at school with the parental advice afterall. Best to let them fail and learn.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Mouse’s First Valentine
by Lauren Thompson (Author), Buket Erdogan (Illustrator)
Summary: A little mouse follows his older sister, Minka, out of the house and watches her gather paper, ribbon, lace, and glue, wondering what she is doing.
Comments: What a sweet story about a little mouse receiving a precious gift from his big sister.
I like how the mouse asks questions about the different things his sister is doing, which can also be discussed with young readers after the story is finished and is reexamined with questions.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Berenstain Bears’ Funny Valentine
by Stan Berenstain (Author), Jan Berenstain (Author)
Summary: Sister Bear has a crush on Herbie Grizzwold and hopes to receive a special Valentine from him, but instead receives a very nice one from a bear who she thought was pestering her. She is confused by his behavior and learns from a story Mama told her about a similar situation she was in.
Comments: I love this story. It does a nice job of showing how the boy bear learns to express his feelings to Sister Bear in a way she can understand. Timeless story.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Summary: Clifford receives Valentine’s Day cards from several people and decides to go to the park, where everyone is playing in the snow, to give his Valentine’s Day card to them.
Comments: In this level 1 reader, preschool-grade 1, there is a reading guidance for parents on questions to ask before, during, and after reading the book. The back pages include a word list.
I appreciate that it suggests that the parent reads the story beforehand. I always did that first. I’d read the story to the students to develop the aesthetics of loving to read/enjoy the story, and THEN asked or answered questions.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These titles are available on my Facebook Storefront under Art Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/2GMAIVMX1FWR2?ref_=aipsflist . )
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Frank’s Red Hat
by Sean E Avery (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Frank is a penguin who likes to make hats. The penguins were a bit nervous because as soon as one of them tried on the hat, he was eaten by a killer whale. Just when Frank is about to give up on his hat-making endeavors, he discovers that seals love his creations. Frank continues to create other things, realizing that penguins may not be receptive to his creations.
Comments: A funny book to read to help students realize that they can be creative, but not always be around those who appreciate it. They need to find those who appreciate their art.
The illustrations were created using digital collage techniques and scanned fold/painted papers.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keeffe Nourished Her Art
by Lisa Robinson (Author), Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Georgia O’Keeffe is known for her stunning paintings of flowers and wildlife in New Mexico. This narrative nonfiction picture book emphasizes and explores how she cultivated her own sustainable garden using water conservation, companion planting, and composting.
Comments: Reading a book about an artist’s life rather than their art was a refreshing change.
The back sections explain how Georgia O’Keefe gardened and includes two of her recipes.
The illustrations were created with pen, paint, and paper and assembled in Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Girl with the Magic Ponytails: French Tales
by Karen J. Young (Author), Yoko Matsuoka(Illustrator)
Brief summary: Riley always wears her long, brown hair in two ponytails on either side of her head. She and her pup visit her grandparents, where there is a lovely table full of French pastries.
Her grandparents share their honeymoon photo album from when they visited France. Riley bites into a macaron and her ponytails twist and twirl, magically transporting her and Pup to France in the past. There, she meets artists Monet and Van Gogh and even gets to drive in the Grand Prix. Eventually, they land outside a café where Riley is greeted by her grandparents. They return home to celebrate the couple’s anniversary.
Comments: This book’s vivid imagination may inspire young readers to create their own fantasy adventures.
The illustrations are bright and colorful, matching Riley’s energy. The fonts change color to complement the illustrations.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Time to Make Art
by Jeff Mack (author and illustrator)
Brief summary: A girl wants to know how to make art and asks artists from different decades about their mediums while becoming more inspired to create her own.
Comments: There is a back section with brief biographical sketches of the artists featured in the story.
What a great book for art teachers to share with students!
Rating:3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Vincent: Starry Starry Night
by Judith A. Proffer (Author), Yoko Matsuoka (Illustrator) Introduction by Don McLean
Brief summary: A young Vincent Van Gogh sees the world differently from other children, expressing his sadness through paintings of sunflowers, irises, and clouds in nature.
Comments: Young readers learn that there are those who feel sadness but can have a place with everyone else. Vincent Van Gogh was able to express his sadness in his art.
This would make a superb book for art teachers to share during a Van Gogh unit of study.
Don McLean wrote an introduction to this book which was inspired from a song he wrote called, “Vincent” which I have attached.
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.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. All titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Lunar New Year– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/2K33C9R4LWHM1?ref_=aipsflist)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Ping’s Perfect Pot
by Helen H. Wu (Author), Zihua Yang (Illustrator)
Summary: Ping and her grandpa are getting ready for the Lunar New Year. They buy a tangerine tree from the market. While Grandpa cleans the house, hangs decorations, and prepares food, Ping tries to make several different pots for the tree. He encourages Ping to keep creating, even when she faces challenges and fails several times.
Comments: The back sections are “Lunar New Year Traditions” and ” Author’s Note.”
I believe this book effectively teaches how to prepare for the Lunar New Year and highlights the importance of perseverance through repeated failures until one achieves a goal.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year Story
by Sylvia Chen (Author), Thai My Phuong (Illustrator)
Summary: Sunny is the youngest of the Lao family and is always getting hand-me-downs from her two older sisters. During this Lunar New Year celebration, she really wants to stand out with a unique qípáo, but her family has four golden rules: make what you can yourself, get good deals, share extras with others, and never waste anything. So, Sunny knows buying a new outfit is out of the question. What will she do?
Comments: This is a lovely story of a young girl accomplishing her goal not just by herself, but by managing to make all of their outfits unique.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Why We Eat Fried Peanuts: A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year Traditions
by Zed Zha (Author), Sian James (Illustrator)
Summary: Mèng learns about her tài nai nai, her great-grandmother, through her father’s storytelling. He shares the Chinese traditions he learned from his grandmother and explains how his great uncle became part of the family.
Comments: Throughout the story, Mandarin words are woven in, each accompanied by informative boxes that explains their pronunciation and meaning.
The back sections include more information about Chinese history, culture, and how to make friend peanuts.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Monkey’s Sweet Surprise: A Lunar New Year Mix-Up (Tales from the Zodiac Kitchen)
by Patricia Tanumihardja (Author), Bonnie Lui (Illustrator)
Summary: Last year, Monkey messed up the Lunar New Year celebration and vowed to make it up this year by making pineapple tarts for the Jade Empress. However, he was unable to do so because he was busy helping three of his friends collect the missing ingredients for their dishes.
Comments: The back sections include a wheel of the twelve animals with their corresponding dates and a recipe for pineapple tarts.
This is a cute story to pair with a nonfiction book about the Lunar New Year.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Legendary Cakes: A Story of Tết, the Vietnamese New Year
by Kerisa Greene (Author)
Summary: Two grandchildren get to spend Tết Eve with their Bà, where they learn how to fold and make bánh chưng, a traditional New Year food. Their grandmother tells them the story of the Hùng emperor and the contest to find the most delicious dish for the New Year holiday.
Comments: The illustrations were created from scanned textures of objects such as rice paper wrappers, banana leaves, and a woven hat. Some patterns were hand-carved on wood blocks. These were digitally rendered.
The back pages include a glossary, a bánh chưng recipe with illustrations of how to fold the banana leaves, about Tết, and an author’s note.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Chinese New Year Helper
by Ying Chang Compestine (Author), Ginnie Hsu (Illustrator)
Summary: Jia lives in Chinatown, where her family is preparing for the Chinese New Year in their large restaurant. Whenever she tries to lend a hand, people tell her she is too young to help. However, during the celebration, Jia discovers a way to make a meaningful contribution.
Comments: The illustrations were created using gouache and then Photoshop.
There is an author’s note at the back that provides more information about Chinese New Year.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Let’s Celebrate Korean New Year!
by Michelle W. Park (Author), Hyewon Yum (Illustrator)
Summary: Two sisters wake up on Seollal, the Korean New Year, and dress in traditional Korean clothing, excited to celebrate. As they walk past a table filled with festive food, they head to the kitchen to make mandoo, a type of dumpling. Throughout the day, the girls enjoy holiday dishes, play games, and entertain their family.
Comments: The illustrations were created with colored pencil. The back sections include a glossary, an activity, and a Lunar New Year recipe.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Wish Soup: A Celebration of Seollal
by Junghwa Park
Summary: Sahee, a young girl, wants to be an eonni, a big girl, on Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year. She begins to eat her Tteokguk soup to become one year older, but keeps getting interrupted.
Comments: The illustrations were created using watercolor, colored pencils, and oil pastels, and then finished digitally.
There is a recipe for Tteokguk soup in the back.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Throw a Lunar New Year Party (Party Time!)
by Christina Leaf
Summary: This nonfiction book features illustrations and photos with each activity. There are photos of the end product, a list of materials needed, and step-by-step instructions.
Comments: An adult may need help with the recipes. I like how there is an explanation for each decoration or recipe and how it is related to the holiday.
There are six activities. There is a glossary and additional learning sections in the back.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Lunar New Year (Celebrations & Festivals)
by Natasha Yim (Author), Jingting Wang (Illustrator)
Summary: In this nonfiction picture book, Ling, her sister Mei, and grandmother, Po Po, share how they prepare and celebrate a 15-day holiday, the Lunar New Year. They clean the house, honor the Kitchen God, gather flowers, decorate, and cook food to celebrate with the family.
Comments: The first half of this book tells about Ling’s preparations and celebrations for Lunar New Year, while the second half is full of facts, with several nonfiction text features, such as photos, labeling, recipes, riddles, and a quiz.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Lunar New Year: A Celebration of Family and Fun (Big Golden Book)
by Mary Man-Kong (Author), Michelle Jing Chan (Illustrator)
Summary: This narrative nonfiction book is about a family, including grandparents, celebrating the Lunar New Year. Celebrations last for fifteen days, and more than 1.5 billion celebrate. We learn how one family dresses, gives gifts, decorates their home, and eats certain foods.
Comments: This is a great introduction to the Lunar New Year. There are a few nonfiction text features, such as a wheel of the zodiac animals and a map of the different countries in Asia that celebrate
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Boys Don’t Fry
by Kimberly Lee (Author), Charlene Chua (Illustrator)
Summary: Jin comes home to a family all helping to prepare the dishes to celebrate the Lunar New Year. His Mamah allows him to help in the kitchen.
Comments: There is an Author’s Note and recipe for Peranakan Pongtech Chicken.
The illustrations showed all of the various foods. I liked the pasted endpapers with the labeled foods.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Two New Years
by Richard Ho (Author), Lynn Scurfield (Illustrator)
Summary: A mother teaches her family about the traditions of her new year, Rosh Hashanah in the fall, and the father teaches his family about the tradition of his new year, Lunar New Year in the spring.
Comments: The book is not divided by what is different in each year, but by what they have in common. This may be a bit confusing for children if they want to know how they are different.
I appreciated the back section, which provided more explanations of each culture for better understanding.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Martin Luther King Jr. Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1Y44ZQM7YUC3M?ref_=aipsflist)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial
by Marie Roesser (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction book explains how and why the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, DC, was built between 2009 and 2011. It provides background on the memorial’s design and symbolism, including the Mountain of Despair, the Mountain of Hope, and the fourteen Martin Luther King Jr. quotations engraved throughout the site.
Comments: This book includes several nonfiction text features, such as photographs, labels, a map, a glossary, an index, and a table of contents, to name a few. It is appropriate for students in grades 2–3.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day
by Katie Peters (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction book is ideal for toddlers through first grade, with large photographs and simple sentences that introduce the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Comments: This would be a good introductory nonfiction book. It includes an index, but has few other nonfiction text features.
Rating: 3.5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
You Are a Star, Martin Luther King, Jr.
by Dean Robbins (Author), Anastasia Magloire Williams (Illustrator)
Summary: This narrative nonfiction book is told from the first-person point of view of Martin Luther King Jr. It begins with the March on Washington in 1963, then provides backstory about his life leading up to the “I Have a Dream” speech and continues with events afterward.
Comments: The author’s note at the back briefly mentions his assassination in 1968, but it is presented in a non-graphic and sensitive way that is not upsetting for young readers. The book also includes a glossary, a timeline, and additional supplementary material at the back.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
by Mari Shuh (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction children’s book begins with a young child, Eli, asking what they will do for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It explains the history of the holiday, shares facts about Dr. King, and highlights the lessons and values readers are encouraged to learn.
Comments: This book is geared toward primary elementary students in grades K–2. It includes many photographs, fun fact boxes, a glossary, and other nonfiction text features.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
We Dream a World: Carrying the Light From My Grandparents Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King
by Yolanda Renee King (Author), Nicole Tadgell (Illustrator)
Summary: This narrative nonfiction story is told from the perspective of Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. In the book, she reflects on her elders’ accomplishments and expresses her wish to carry on their dream, while also asking others how they plan to continue the legacy of her grandparents.
Comments: The back sections include a message from Yolanda’s parents, a note from the illustrator, and a section on Yolanda’s inspiration. I also enjoyed seeing photos of everyone.
The illustrations are beautifully created using traditional techniques, including Winsor & Newton watercolors on Fabriano Artistico, hot-press paper with graphite, and digitally refined in Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Ready-to-Read Level 1
by Margaret McNamara (Author), Mike Gordon (Illustrator)
Summary: The Robin Hill School kids go on a field trip to a museum and stop in front of a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. Their teacher tells the group about his dream, and back in the classroom, the students discuss their own dreams for the world.
Comments: This is a Level One Star Reader, making it a great introduction for teachers to share with their students. It can easily be followed by a discussion about the dreams students have for creating a better world.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
(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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, 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.
