(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Dance Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3RDa9WR .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Broadway Baby
by Russell Miller (Author), Judith A. Proffer (Author)
Brief summary: An adorable tribute to Broadway with a baby dreaming of dancing and singing on stage. Baby shares about opening night, getting ready in the dressing room, and reviewing lines before going on stage.
The rhyming text is fun and exciting. The illustrations are bright and full of detail.
Comments: A cute bedtime story for babies and toddlers or the perfect gift for any music or drama teacher.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*It should be noted that this a complimentary book sent to me for an honest review.
Love, Lah Lah
by Nailah Blackman (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Lah Lah wakes on the day of the Carnival and spends it with her grandpa, enjoying the festivities on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago(a two-island nation in the Caribbean). They enjoy dancing to the soca( SOH-kah ) beat with steelpans, watching the parade full of brightly colored costumes, and eating mango chow under a poui(POO-ee) tree. The day ends with Lah Lah singing on stage with her grandfather.
Comments: This book is a tribute to the author’s grandpa, Ras Shorty I, who created soca music, a mix of African and East Indian rhythms.
Carnival is celebrated on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
The brightly colored illustrations were created with watercolors and digital tools capturing the movement and excitement of the Carnival.
The back sections include a glossary, a biographical sketch, and a letter.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
My Bollywood Dream
by Avani Dwivedi (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young girl goes to the theater in Mumbai with her parents and brother. As they go through the city traffic, the girl imagines several of the nearby people as characters in a Bollywood movie.
Her family and other people in the theater enjoy the happy ending and music of the movie before heading home.
Comments: I love watching Bollywood movies because of the bright and beautiful colors and happy dancing style. This book captured all of that with vivid illustrations.
There is an author’s note in the back where Avani Dwivedi shares her childhood in Mumbai, listening to old Bollywood films and music.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Ready Set Dance: Getting Ready for Your First Dance Class
by Once Upon A Dance (Author), Stella Maris Mongodi (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Bella and Quinn excitedly attend their very first ballet class, where their teacher, Kittina, patiently demonstrates basic positions. They practice in front of a mirror using the barre and end the lesson learning to bow and curtsy. They depart with enthusiasm, anticipating next week’s class.
Comments:Once Upon A Dance is a mother-and-daughter team that writes dance-themed books that inspire movement.
The illustrations were created digitally using Procreate and Studioclip.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Music Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4dDb1Ci.)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Ordinary Days: The Seeds, Sound, and City That Grew Prince Rogers Nelson
by Angela Joy (Author), Jacqueline Alcántara (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Prince Rogers Nelson was named after his father’s jazz band, The Prince Rogers Trio. He had parents who constantly argued resulting in his father leaving when Prince was age 7.
Prince lived in poverty, sleeping on couches in various homes, not having his own place. He excelled at playing basketball as well as playing the piano, guitar, and other instruments.
While still in high school, he created a cover band named Grand Central that played at parties, nightclubs, and the Battle of the Bands. Prince got his first recording contract at the age of 18.
Comments: This rhyming and rhythmic picture book did not give details of Prince’s life as an adult, the success of his music, or how he died.
The author’s note details Prince’s life, including a family playlist. The illustrations really capture Prince’s personality with a hue of purple throughout.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Music and Silence: The Passion and Protest of Pablo Casals
by Christy Mihaly (Author), Mariona Cabassa (Illustrator)
Summary: This biography picture book follows the childhood of cellist Pablo Casals in Catalonia, Spain, from his early music education to becoming a renowned and respected musician. During the Spanish Civil War and World War II, he traveled to perform. However, in protest of dictator Francisco Franco, Casals made the decision to stop performing as an act of peaceful protest. Does he ever play the cello again?
Comments: The back matter gives additional insight into Casals’ life, including a helpful timeline.
This narrative nonfiction picture book would pair well with lessons on the Spanish Civil War in history classes. It could also be used in music class by sharing his performance of “The Song of the Birds,” or in civics/government lessons to introduce the concept of peaceful protest.
The illustrations are created using mixed media (acrylic, gouache, watercolor, and pencil), along with digital elements.
This picture book is best suited for intermediate and middle grade readers.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
Patsy Cline’s Walkin’ After Midnight
by Judith A Proffer (Author), Julie Dick Fudge (Author), Yoko Matsuoka (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Patsy Cline dreams of becoming a famous country singer. She daydreams while doing her chores, but her favorite time is dream-walking after midnight as she sleeps in her bed. She meets her beloved departed dog, Pepe, under the willow tree, where she shares her life events with the little dog.
Comments: This is an inspirational book about daydreaming and nightdreaming one’s goals. It encourages using the imagination to see oneself in the desired role, such as being onstage at Carnegie Hall or at the Grand Ole Opry.
The book was inspired by Patsy Cline’s hit “Walkin’ After Midnight”(1957). This picture book is co-written by Judith A. Proffer and Julie Dick Fudge, Patsy Cline’s daughter.
The illustrations are all double-paged, with a combination of print and cursive text in frames.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Welcome to the Opera: Discover the Enchanting World of Opera with Mozart’s The Magic Flute
by Carolyn Sloan (Author), Kaly Quarles (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This interactive book introduces Mozart’s The Magic Flute through the eyes of three dogs who guide young readers in the opera house, explaining the musical instruments, opera singers, story, and other musical features.
Comments: I had a fun time reading and exploring the audio feature on the side panel, which features music sections of The Magic Flute Opera. (You can turn the audio on or off to avoid draining the battery.)
The book contains traditional text along with speech bubbles between the dogs in the audience. The bold circle numbers correspond with the audio panel to the right which helps to understand the instruments and singers.
The author provides an informative Author’s Note on opera and The Magic Flute at the front of the book. Additionally, the back sections provide insights into Why Sing?, Meet Mozart!, characters, Musicians, and Opera Words Glossary.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.
One Sweet Song
by Jyoti Rajan Gopal (Author), Sonia Sánchez (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A girl in the city listens to the notes of a flutist playing on the balcony. The child goes on her balcony and plays the triangle, making two notes. Another person plays the violin, making three. Soon there are ten people playing instruments creating a song together. They slowly diminish until it is quiet again.
Comments: This is a rhyming counting book up to ten and back down with various instruments played by amateurs and professionals.
I think this would be an excellent book for a music teacher to share before students re-enact adding and subtracting instruments and creating their own sweet song.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll
by Tonya Bolden (Author), R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll, was born in Arkansas in 1915 to two musical parents. Rosetta learns to sing and plays the guitar at an early age. Her family moves to Chicago, where her performance in church begins her career. She marries a preacher. He preaches, and she plays her guitar, where the Sunday service is broadcasted on the radio, thus reaching a broad audience.
Rosetta’s musical career takes off with her playing around the USA and Europe, performing gospel, blues, and rock and roll producing one hit after another.
The timeline at the back of the book lists her notable musical accomplishments and personal life events. Author’s Note and Sources included.
by Roberta Flack (Author), Tonya Bolden (Author), Hayden Goodman (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Roberta Flack grew up in a Blue Ridge Mountain town in North Carolina, living in a house with two musical parents. She longed to have a piano of her own. Her father found one in a junkyard and spruced it up by painting it green. Her love of music blossomed forth.
The Author’s Note and Career Highlights are in the back.
Brief summary: Music surrounds us as an art form that unites people. There are many types of musical instruments, genres, and purposes for which we use music, all explored in this diverse picture book.
Comments: The bright illustrations were created using acrylic paint, felt pens, and digital graphics.
The back pages provide additional explanations of each musical instrument and style depicted in the book’s illustrations.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Patience Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Avocado Magic
by Taltal Levi (Author)
Summary: Ellie celebrates her birthday and is upset that her feet still do not reach the floor when she sits at the kitchen table. Her father shows her how to suspend an avocado seed with toothpicks into a glass of water.
He parallels Ellie’s slow growth to that of the seed, emphasizing that both need patience. Slowly the seed sprouts. It gradually develops into an avocado plant and grows alongside Ellie until it’s time both move out of the house.
When Ellie marries and has children, she brings the tree with her to plant in her own yard.
Comments: The metaphor for growth is absolutely beautiful!
The back section has instructions on how to sprout your own avocado.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Waiting on Mr. Sloth
by Katy Hudson (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Sasha is excited to go swimming with her best friend, Mr. Sloth, but is losing her patience with his slowness every step of the way. They finally walk to the lake and have lunch before entering the water. Sasha’s friend is taking too long, and she goes into the lake without him, only to realize it’s not as much fun. Sasha returns to their picnic to find Mr. Sloth in a tree enjoying his surroundings. Will Sasha and Mr. Sloth go swimming together in the future? Will Sasha learn to be patience?
Comments: In the back of the book, there is a discussion of ways to calm oneself when waiting.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
When You Have to Wait
by Melanie Conklin (Author), Leah Hong (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A little girl learns that sometimes we must wait even when we want the time to be now. We sometimes have to wait in line, wait for a loved one to return home, and wait to grow enough to ride a bicycle.
Comments: This gentle book explains that we sometimes have no control over making something happen faster. I’d share this at the beginning of the school year and when the class needed a little reminder about patience.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Very Patient Gus Davis
by Laurie Trumble Davis (Author), Marjorie van Heerden (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Gus’s owner returns from the store with cookies. Gus really wants one right away. He begs and jumps up on her, but she tells him he must wait until after dinner. Gus does not want to wait and runs off with the bag of cookies. His owner manages to get the cookies back. To help pass the time, they go on a walk. When they return, they have dinner. Will Gus ever get a cookie?
Comments: This would be a great read aloud for when classroom patience wears thin. Teachers could have an anchor chart with how to be patience in school or at home.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Nonfiction Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Fly Like a Bird (Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers (SSCR))
by Olga Ptashnik (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction picture book follows a baby chickadee as it prepares to fly, but is unsure how. Through a question-and-answer story, an adult chickadee explains all of the ways different birds fly, like penguins flying under the water, hummingbirds’ rapid wings buzzing, and starlings flying in murmuration.
Comments: The black ink is the voice of the young chickadee, while the blue ink is that of the adult chickadee, making a fun narrative text for readers to read aloud with one another.
The back has a “More About the Birds” section with brief information about the birds discussed in the story.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Fly: A Family Guide to Birds and How to Spot Them (In Our Nature)
by David Lindo (Author), Sara Boccaccini Meadows (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book contains details and facts using text boxes and labels. The fonts and sizes are varied to emphasize bird facts and main ideas.
Comments: The book is superbly illustrated with watercolors and gouache paints. Each bird is portrayed in great detail, showcasing its vibrant colors and unique markings. I enjoyed examining the details and interesting facts about the birds. It is very well done and a must for any library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
For more details or to buy, click on this book’s page on Amazon.
Milkweed for Monarchs
by Christine Van Zandt (Author), Alejandra Barajas (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There are two types of text teaching readers about monarch butterflies. There is a lyrical, rhyming text and informative text boxes on each page.
Monarchs migrate back north after it warms to lay eggs on milkweed plants. We learn the stages of the butterfly from egg to adult.
Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Monarchs Need Our Help, How You Can Help, Fun Facts, The Senses, and Selected Bibliography.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants
by Philip Bunting (Author)
Brief summary: The ant’s life cycle and fun facts are explained in this nonfiction book for kids. Each ant has a role in the colony.
Comments: Nonfiction texts often include helpful features that aid in understanding the information presented. These features may include charts, diagrams, captions, and labels.
I really enjoyed the puns and humorous language used in the text.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Pumpkin Book
by Gail Gibbons (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction picture book explains the life cycle, history, and uses of pumpkins.
Comments: This book is excellent for science or seasonal lessons, providing children with factual knowledge through colorful visuals. The author creates all of the visuals for this nonfiction book using watercolors.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Kingdoms of Life
by Carly Allen-Fletcher (Author)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book explores the six kingdoms of life(animals, plants, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria) and how they are classified. Each kingdom has two double-paged illustrations filled with descriptive text and numbered examples of that category which are listed in the back sections of the book both in English and Latin.
Comments: The illustrations were created digitally. The back sections are Scientific Names and Featured Life-Forms.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*Kingdoms of Life was sent to me as a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hike It: An Introduction to Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking through the U.S.A.
by Iron Tazz (Author), Martin Stanev (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book alternates with a brief description of a park with double-paged illustrations, and then the next double-paged illustrations will be survival tips or advice related to camping or hiking.
Comments: The illustrations were created digitally.
The back section is Further Reading with websites, books, and apps.
This book could be used in the classroom to have students learn about topographical mapping, create their own ten essential practical life skills and safety, or give students a budget and have them calculate the costs of a hiking trip including food, equipment and park entrance fees.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Clever Crow
by Chris Butterworth (Author), Olivia Lomenech Gill (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book teaches us about a crow’s intelligence, habitat, and how many different types there are of this amazing species.
Comments: This book is illustrated with mixed media and written in verse.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!
by Highlights (Creator)
Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.
Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.
These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween (Holiday History)
by Spanier Kristine Mlis (Author)
Brief summary: Young readers will learn about the origins of Halloween, the traditions, and how South Korea and Ireland celebrate.
Comments: Several “Did You Know?” squares give more information about the page’s topic. The back sections are Quick Facts & Tools: Halloween Place of Origin, Glossary, Index, and To Learn More.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween (Traditions & Celebrations)
by Charles C Hofer (Author)
Brief summary: Young readers will learn how Halloween began, how we celebrate it today, and how other countries(Mexico, Germany, France, and Japan) celebrate holidays like it.
Comments: Words in bold are in the glossary. The back sections are Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, Index, and About the Author.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Traditions & Celebrations)
by Ailynn Collins (Author)
Brief summary: Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Moon or Mooncake Festival, is globally celebrated by Asian people. Young readers will learn the origins of the holiday, the lunar calendar, and what traditions and foods people have to observe this holiday.
Comments: The back sections are Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, Index, and About the Author. Bolded words are found in the glossary.
I wish we had these Traditions and Celebrations books when I was a child. I’m learning so much from reading them as an adult, which has broadened my understanding of other cultures.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Orchards (Trip to the Farm)
by Ursula Pang (Author)
Brief summary: There are many orchards (farms where trees grow)producing fruit, nuts, seeds, syrup, and Christmas trees. Young readers will learn about each type of orchard.
Comments: I placed this book in the fall section as when I think of orchards, I think of apple or fruit orchards because those are the ones in my area that are harvested in the fall. I also had those teachers book requests for fall units before they went and visited a nearby apple orchard.
I enjoyed reading and learning about the different types of orchards and when they were harvested.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Voting Day
by Samantha Bell (Author)
Brief summary: This intermediate nonfiction children’s books focuses on the day of voting. Readers will learn about polling places, volunteers, voting day, early voting, counting the votes, and declaring the winner.
Comments: The book is illustrated with photos.
The back sections included Fun Fact, Activity, Glossary, To Learn More, Index, and About the Author.
Rating: 3.5 /5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
How Voting and Elections Work
by Zelda Wagner (Author)
Brief summary: This intermediate nonfiction children’s book discusses topics such as election day, why we vote, the election, and how to get involved.
Comments: This book is illustrated with photos. There is a glossary, index, and a “Learn More” section in the back of the book.
Rating: 3.5 /5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Insect Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3RfLIPc .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Log Life (Tiny Habitats)
by Amy Hevron (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: This book is a narrative nonfiction that educates young readers about the life cycle of a giant fir tree that falls to the ground and transforms into a nurse log. As the log slowly decays in the forest, it becomes a source of nourishment for fungi, plants, insects, animals, and birds throughout the first year until it completely decomposes many decades later.
Comments: I had never heard of the term “nurse log” before and found it fascinating to learn about what happens to a fallen tree.
The illustrations were created using acrylic, marker, and pencil on Bristol board and then digitally collaged.
The back sections are More About Nurse-Log Habitats, Selected Sources, and Additional Reading.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Milkweed for Monarchs
by Christine Van Zandt (Author), Alejandra Barajas (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There are two types of text teaching readers about monarch butterflies. There is a lyrical, rhyming text and informative text boxes on each page.
Monarchs migrate back north after it warms to lay eggs on milkweed plants. We learn the stages of the butterfly from egg to adult.
Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Monarchs Need Our Help, How You Can Help, Fun Facts, The Senses, and Selected Bibliography.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants
by Philip Bunting (Author)
Brief summary: The ant’s life cycle and fun facts are explained in this nonfiction book for kids. Each ant has a role in the colony.
Comments: Nonfiction texts often include helpful features that aid in understanding the information presented. These features may include charts, diagrams, captions, and labels.
I really enjoyed the puns and humorous language used in the text.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Butterfly on the Wind
by Adam Pottle (Author), Ziyue Chen (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Aurora is feeling nervous the day before her talent show. Sitting in her family’s garden, she practices hand-signing for the play she wrote. While she’s rehearsing, a butterfly lands on a flower and Aurora signs “butterfly,” creating a small wind. This little wind continues to other children around the world, who all start signing “butterfly” too, and the wind grows stronger. Will this wind help Aurora on the day of her talent show?
Comments: An Author’s Note and an ASL chart are in the back.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Girl Who Loves Bugs
by Lily Murray (Author), Jenny Løvlie (Illustrator)
Summary: Evie loves picking up insect species and other creepy crawlies. She enjoys looking at them with her magnifying glass and putting them in her pockets. Her family does not share her passion and tells her to leave them, as it’s time to go home.
Evie decides to take them inside and place them in her room.
Her extended family comes to visit the next day. What could possibly go wrong?
Comments: The illustrations are digital. The back pages share ideas for helping bugs and a brief biological sketch of Evelyn Cheesman, an entomologist who inspired the book.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Bumblebee Garden
by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)
Summary: Ben and his grandpa spot a bumblebee in the garden. Grandpa educates his grandson about the bumblebee’s life cycle, explaining its activities in each season as the book unfolds.
Comments: There is a back section titled The Life Cycle of a Queen Bumblebee.
The illustrations were handcrafted using watercolor and colored pencils, finishing with digital methods.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Immigration Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Home Is a Wish
by Julia Kuo (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl, her mother, and Amah leave their home for a new one in a different country where everything feels unfamiliar. Over time, they work together to create a new home.
Comments: A gentle book about immigration that would be a wonderful read aloud.
The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.
Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Thread by Thread
by Alice Brière-Haquet (Author), Michela Eccli (Illustrator), Sarah Ardizzone (Translator)
Brief summary: A family of mice have their knitted home come apart when more and more yarn unravels. They run away from a fire breathing dragon and go across the water in a knitted red boat to a land where they slowly knit their house back together with the help of other animals using different colored threads until they make a new safe home.
Comments: A wonderful allegory to teach elementary students about refugees and escaping to a new land that is safe.
This story was originally published din France in 2023 and translated to English in 2025.
The illustrations were created with drawing, photography, and yarn.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
A Star Shines Through
by Anna Desnitskaya (Author)
Brief summary: At the beginning of a war, a young girl and her mother flee their country. They settle in a new land with an unfamiliar language and cuisine. Amidst their new surroundings, the girl constructs a cardboard lamp, which she places in the window. It is reminiscent of the one from their previous home, establishing a connection between her past and present.
Comments:
I think this book would comfort those ESL students who realize what they have like the star lamp in the story that makes their new home feel a little bit like their old home.
The Author’s Note recounts her family’s necessity to emigrate due to the war in their home country, Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine.
The illustrations were created with hand-drawn contours and Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States
by Rajani LaRocca (Author), Huy Voun Lee (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Some people are U.S. citizens by birth, while others arrive from different countries and choose to become naturalized citizens. This picture book offers a meaningful way to introduce the many paths to citizenship and the personal stories behind why people choose to become Americans.
Comments: The illustrations are created with paper samples and Procreate.
The author’s note in the back shares about the author’s own immigration from India and becoming a naturalized citizen.
On a personal note: My mother is an immigrant, and I still remember her carefully reading her workbook, studying for the citizenship test. I watched with pride as she raised her hand to take the Oath of Allegiance, standing alongside others in a naturalization ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus.
This book could be shelved in the picture books or in the nonfiction section of 304.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Home in a Lunchbox
by Cherry Mo (author and illustrator)
Brief summary: Jun moves from Hong Kong to America and only knows four English words on her first day of school: hello, thank you, I don’t know, and toilet. As the week progresses, she has many frustrations as she learns a new routine, language, and group of people, but lunchtime is when she feels the love of home that helps her to persist.
Comments: This book is a great resource for helping students understand the experiences of new students from other countries. It includes a heartwarming story about students bonding over their favorite foods at lunch, which helps them form deeper connections. This book is particularly valuable for ESL teachers and school counselors to share with new students at school. There are not many words and the story is mainly told with large, colorful illustrations.
I could not find anywhere on the book or her website saying how the illustrations were created for this picture book. The back sections explain Jun’s words on her hand and the food in her lunchbox.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
At the Drop of a Cat
by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).
Summary: A grandson visits his Grandpa Luis every Wednesday and Sunday. His grandpa is not only a talented artist but can make anything grow, creating the beautiful garden where they spend their days. The six-year-old is learning to read and write and tells us that his Grandpa does not know how as he was an immigrant from Spain to France who had to work in the fields as a child.
Comments: This is a French translation and captures the two kindred spirits. I like the mixed-up idioms and how the grandson narrates how he is getting to know Grandpa Luis.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
For more details or to buy, click here (in ENGLISH).
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Humorous Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3PmGel7 .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
That’s Not Funny, David!
by David Shannon (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: David is a comedian who tries to make everyone laugh, but he discovers that not all of his antics are funny to everyone. Ultimately, he still has his mother’s unconditional love.
Comments: He’s back! I missed David. I’d recognize that giant head and triangular teeth anywhere. Children identify with the antics of this little boy and laugh out loud.
A must for every library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Pepper and Me
by Beatrice Alemagna (Author)
Brief summary: A young girl falls on a cobblestone and ends up getting a bloody knee. Her father gives her first aid, telling her she will have a beautiful scab.
It is NOT beautiful.
She asks her mother when it will go away. The woman answers, “In a few days.”
But it does not.
Thinking it will never leave, she calls it “Pepper”.
Days pass until one day, the scab falls off.
What will she do with it? ??
Comments: This would make a hilarious read-aloud that all kids could relate to and share stories about their scabs.
The illustrations used are gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencils.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!
by Highlights (Creator)
Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.
Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.
These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Have You Seen Mikki Olsen?
by Alex Macdonald (Author)
Brief summary: Penguin loves his teddy, Mikki Olsen, and does everything together, including chores. After chopping wood, he goes straight to bed, only noticing that Mikki Olsen is missing the following day.
Penguin looks all through the house and outside in the snow, retracing his steps from yesterday. Will he ever find his beloved teddy?
Comments: This is a cute and humorous story that young readers can relate to when losing a precious plush or toy.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Grandparent Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Do You Remember?
by Sydney Smith (Author)
Summary: A mother and son exchange memories of when the father was still with them. They have moved to a new home in the city where everything is new. They decide that they will begin to make new memories together.
Comments: This book could be shared as a read-aloud between two people. The mother’s voice is in red ink; the boy’s is in blue.
We are not told where the father is or what happened to him. This could be a discussion point with students.
The soft and calm illustrations match the mood of lying in bed and reminiscing.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
My Baba’s Garden
by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)
Summary: Author, Jordan Scott, recalls visiting with his Baba at her home. His father would drop Jordan off to have breakfast with his Baba and afterwards, they would walk together to his school. If it was raining, Baba would look for worms and put them in a glass jar to take home for her garden.
His baba would retrieve him after school, and they would spend time in her garden learning about the plants. This is their usual routine until she moves in with the family when a new building is built over her home. Not able to have a full garden any longer, she keeps a little garden in her room.
Comments: Told through the first-person point of view by the boy.
Jordan Scott wrote one of the most lovely book dedications I’ve ever read.
Summary: An elderly granny collects discarded vegetables at the market to feed her animals and for compost. She has planted a rooftop garden, where she teaches neighborhood children how to care for plants. She shares her harvest with family and friends by having a meal together and giving extras for them to take home.
Comments: This book was initially printed in China in 2019.
The Author’s Note explains the author’s personal inspiration for this story.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar
by Mojdeh Hassani (Author), Samira Iravani (Author), Maya Fidawi (Illustrator).
Summary: Samira is a bit nervous about going to the bazaar with her grandmother for the first time to buy groceries. She repeatedly asks Mama Shamsi to hide in her chador, but the woman wisely resists using humor to soothe her granddaughter’s fear.
Comments: I think this is a good read-aloud for students experiencing doing something for the first time and having anxiety. Discussions could include how to find comfort when feeling overwhelmed and going from needing to hide to gaining confidence.
by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).
Summary: A grandson visits his Grandpa Luis every Wednesday and Sunday. His grandpa is not only a talented artist but can make anything grow, creating the beautiful garden where they spend their days. The six-year-old is learning to read and write and tells us that his Grandpa does not know how as he was an immigrant from Spain to France who had to work in the fields as a child.
Comments: This is a French translation and captures the two kindred spirits. I like the mixed-up idioms and how the grandson narrates how he is getting to know Grandpa Luis.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
For more details or to buy, click here (in ENGLISH).
Abuela’s Super Capa
by Ana Siqueira (Author), Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator).
Summary: Luis and his abuela have fun every Saturday going around the neighborhood being superheroes. One Saturday, she does not visit. Luis learns that his abuela is very sick in the hospital. She comes to stay with them as she recovers. Although Luis is saddened that his abuela is unable to be as active, he tries to come up with a way to have fun and realizes his sister, Isabel, can be his new sidekick and fight and do adventures together in their capes.
There is a glossary of the Spanish words used in the book.
Summary: The text has seven lines with seven words each(except for the last line). Each line is across the top of a two-page spread with small illustrations below, and then the next two-page spread is an illustration matching that color scheme.
Comments: The words are calm and straightforward. The stunning illustrations are done with pencil and gouache and are detailed little scenes of family members with everyday interactions. I stopped and looked at the details of each one before continuing to the following line and was glad to see that grandparents were included.
Summary: A grandmother and her grandchild put on rain gear to play in Spring’s rain. Summer arrives with them cooling off from the hot sun. Autumn brings the wind they need to fly a kite and enjoy the falling leaves. Winter comes with them getting cozy and watching the snow from inside. Each season is spent with one another.
Comments: The seasonal color schemes go in hand with this gentle and calming book that blends from one season to the next.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Garden Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Avocado Magic
by Taltal Levi (Author)
Summary: Ellie celebrates her birthday and is upset that her feet still do not reach the floor when she sits at the kitchen table. Her father shows her how to suspend an avocado seed with toothpicks into a glass of water.
He parallels Ellie’s slow growth to that of the seed, emphasizing that both need patience. Slowly the seed sprouts. It gradually develops into an avocado plant and grows alongside Ellie until it’s time both move out of the house.
When Ellie marries and has children, she brings the tree with her to plant in her own yard.
Comments: The metaphor for growth is absolutely beautiful!
The back section has instructions on how to sprout your own avocado.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Ocean Gardener
by Clara Anganuzzi (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Ayla and her mother live on an island surrounded by a coral reef. Her mother, who is a marine biologist, takes care of the reef and teaches Ayla about the marine life around it. Unfortunately, they notice that the fish are leaving because the reef is fading. To solve this problem, Ayla’s mother teaches her how to make a coral reef garden by planting tiny pieces of coral in their house and later moving them to the ocean. Will this effort bring the fish back?
Comments: Before reading The Ocean Gardener, I had no knowledge about the process of coral reef restoration. Now, I have an understanding.
The back section includes information from Chloe Pozas, a marine biologist who inspired the book. Additionally, there are some photos of coral gardens included in the back of the book and a section titled If You Want to Know More…
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
This Little Kitty in the Garden
by Karen Obuhanych (Author)
Summary: Spring has arrived, and five cats living on Sakura Way head towards the garden shed to collect their tools to work on creating a garden. However, they get distracted upon going there and start enjoying the presence of other creatures already in the garden. The owners of the cats come out to the garden and are delighted to see that everything has been planted.
Comments: The illustrations were created with colored pencils, charcoal, and cut paper.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Garden Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow (Author)
Summary: Grammy and her four grandchildren walk through the forest and to the garden, learning about plants, animals, and insects. They place a blanket on the ground and picnic while Grammy reads to them. Narrated by one of the children.
Comments: Blue ink illustrations with the plants, animals, or insects highlighted with full-colored words that match the subject.
Picnic recipes are in the back.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Love Makes a Garden Grow
by Taeeun Yoo (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl and her grandfather tend a garden together until he moves to an apartment where he brings some of his plants.
She grows up and lives far away, but her grandfather sends her a gift of peonies. When her daughter grows, the granddaughter visits the man showing her little one how to tend the house plants and flowers like he taught her.
Comments: An Author’s Note in the back explains how this story is based on her relationship with her grandfather.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
Linh’s Rooftop Garden (Where In the Garden?)
by JaNay Brown-Wood (Author), Samara Hardy (Illustrator)
Summary: Lihn needs to find blueberries for their brunch and walk around the rooftop looking at all the fruits and vegetables. The girl describes what a blueberry looks like and compares those characteristics to each plant methodically until she finds them.
Comments: There is a blueberry and banana pancake recipe in the back.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
If you enjoy this book, you may be interested in the other three books of the Where in the Garden?series:
123
Watch Me Bloom: A Bouquet of Haiku Poems for Budding Naturalists
by Krina Patel-Sage (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A collection of twenty-four haikus about different flower species, all illustrated with lovely bright colors, including the paste-down end pages.
Comments: There are Floral Fun Facts in the back of the book.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
Just a Worm
by Marie Boyd (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Worm begins its day crawling through the garden when two humans cause it to have self-doubt. The worm crawls through a garden talking with each insect and creature it comes across, asking what it can do. Will the worm realize its importance to a garden and regain self-confidence?
Comments: The back pages include Make Your Own Quilled Butterfly, Earthworm Facts, and a Glossary. Illustrated using quilling techniques to make the plants.
I recommend that this picture book be read to supplement a quilling unit.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
George Washington Carver: More Than “The Peanut Man” (Bright Minds): More Than “The Peanut Man”
by Janel Rodriguez (Author), Subi Bosa (Illustrator)
I’ve only known George Washington Carver as the “peanut man” and updated my education when reading this narrative nonfiction about this knowledgeable and talented man nicknamed “Plant Doctor.”
Summary: This book begins with his life as a child who studied plants and painted them. It continues with his young adulthood of going to college, learning, and experimenting with plants. The book tells of his adulthood of going around in a Jesup wagon, educating farmers on improving their crops and livestock. Readers will learn about many of his inventions and personal life too. I enjoyed reading about this remarkable man.
Comments: This book is full of a variety of nonfiction text features. The back sections include Your Turn!, Glossary, Index, and Further Reading.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
A Place for Rain
by Michelle Schaub (Author), Blanca Gómez (Illustrator)
Summary: In this book of rhyming lyrics, young readers will learn where the rain goes during a flood. The students at school are taught how to place a barrel beneath a spout and how to create a path for overflow.
Comments: Learn how to create a rain barrel garden with native plants that thrive in excess water.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Little Land
by Diana Sudyka (Author, Illustrator).
Summary: This is an ecological/environmental story from the beginning of the earth to its present of how the land and its inhabitant have changed and how to live in balance.
Comments: I included this book under gardening(although it could be under ecology or environmental) as it highlights how to tend a little bit of land.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
Love Grows
by Ruth Spiro (Author), Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl’s auntie sends her a plant per month with a tag of information about the plant. By the end of the year, the girl has a plant garden.
Comments: The front and back-pasted end pages outline the twelve plants with the Latin name, origins, and light preference.
This story is done in rhyme. The illustrations are gouache, colored pencil, and crayon.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Every Little Seed
by Cynthia Schumerth (Author), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl with her mother and grandfather plant seeds in the spring garden and tend them to grow, observing how the seed changes to develop. Birds and bugs visit the garden. Soon fall comes when the plants begin to produce seeds they gather for the next planting.
Comments: A plant’s cycle.
A story in rhyme.
Facts about seeds are in the back of the book, including a seed diagram.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
A Flower is a Friend
by Frieda Wishinsky (Author), Karen Patkau (Illustrator)
Summary: An animal/creature is paired with a flower in the garden, and readers are asked why they coexist so well. Answers are in the book of how they benefit each other.
Comments: This is an excellent resource for introducing the concept of symbiosis. The illustrations made it clear and concrete.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
My First Garden: For Little Gardeners Who Want to Grow
by Livi Gosling (Author)
Summary: This nonfiction book is a beginning guide to gardening with step-by-step instructions. Everything one needs to know is covered with illustrations.
Comments: This is for the primary children to learn by looking at the lovely illustrations or for older elementary students who want to start a gardening club.
I usually stick to picture book reviews, but this nonfiction book’s illustrations make a difference with the covered topics by clarifying the lesson.
Ratings:4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
A Garden in My Hands
by Meera Sriram (Author), Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrator)
Summary: A little girl has her hands Painted by her mother for a wedding the next day. Her mother tells her memories as she paints a garden of flowers and decorations. She sleeps with gloves on over the henna to wake and brush the flakes off to reveal her red garden of stories and the fragrance of henna.
Comments: Facts about henna are in the back of the book.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
G is for Gardening (A Gardening ABC Primer)
by Ashley Marie Mireles (Author), Volha Kaliaha (Illustrator)
Summary: Readers will learn their ABCs of gardening, discovering tools, plants, and animals in a garden.
Comments: Large and colorful illustrations. A good builder of garden vocabulary.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
City Beet
by Tziporah Cohen (Author), Udayana Lugo (Illustrator).
Summary: Mrs. Kosta and Victoria plant and nurture a beet seed until it ripens. The woman begins to harvest the gigantic beet but cannot remove it from the ground, no matter how hard she tugs. Several neighbors stop by the garden to help pull, creating a line out to the sidewalk until the vegetable is uprooted with a big “SPROING!!”
Comments: There is an Author’s Note and Raw Beet & Garlic Salad Recipe in the back.
by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)
Summary: Author, Jordan Scott, recalls visiting with his Baba at her home. His father would drop Jordan off to have breakfast with his Baba and afterwards, they would walk together to his school. If it was raining, Baba would look for worms and put them in a glass jar to take home for her garden.
His baba would retrieve him after school, and they would spend time in her garden learning about the plants. This is their usual routine until she moves in with the family when a new building is built over her home. Not able to have a full garden any longer, she keeps a little garden in her room.
Comments: Told through the first-person point of view by the boy.
Jordan Scott wrote one of the most lovely book dedications I’ve ever read.
by Melody Sumaoang Plan (Author), Vinh Nguyen (Illustrator), Rong Pham (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book shares how a woman cares for a compost bin. She diligently adds organic material, mixes them, and waters the compost to create nutrient-rich soil for her plants.
Comments: This book covers the bugs and organisms in the bin and those underneath. The back pages have more information on how to start composing.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Bumblebee Garden
by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)
Summary: Ben and his grandpa spot a bumblebee in the garden. Grandpa educates his grandson about the bumblebee’s life cycle, explaining its activities in each season as the book unfolds.
Comments: There is a back section titled The Life Cycle of a Queen Bumblebee.
The illustrations were handcrafted using watercolor and colored pencils, finishing with digital methods.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Grandma’s Roof Garden
by Tang Wei (Author), Kelly Zhang (Translator)
Summary: An elderly granny collects discarded vegetables at the market to feed her animals and for compost. She has planted a rooftop garden, where she teaches neighborhood children how to care for plants. She shares her harvest with family and friends by having a meal together and giving extras for them to take home.
Comments: This book was initially printed in China in 2019.
The Author’s Note explains the author’s personal inspiration for this story.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Friendship Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3PCSYnH .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Echo
by Adam Rex (Author)
Summary: Junior Junior grew up on the side of a mountain and made friends with the echo. He loved that they agreed on everything he said. One day, a girl on the mountain across from him told him to stop shouting. She did not agree with everything he said. Junior Junior decides to run away to the valley to meet the echo and decides he doesn’t like someone who agrees with everything he says. Will he be friends with the girl on the hill even when she points out that he can be wrong at times?
Comments: I loved the humor in this book!
Great read aloud to emphasize manners, emotions, and how to agree to disagree.
The illustrations were created digitally in Procreate and Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Evergreen
by Matthew Cordell (Author)
Brief summary: Evergreen, an anxious squirrel, lives in Buckthorn Forrest with her mother who has asked her to take soup to a sick Granny Oak who lives on the other side of the forest. Although frightened, Evergreen leaves the tree and heads towards Granny Oak’s, encountering several forest animals along the way.
Comments: This picture book is divided into a new chapter for each animal Evergreen meets. The illustrations are done with a 005 Micron Pen and painted with watercolors.
Students will be in suspense with each forest animal encounter wondering if the squirrel will be eaten.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Like You, Like Me
by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (Author)
Summary: Tulsi lives in America, and Vanessa lives in Tanzania. The girls become pen pals and learn about what is different and alike in their cultures.
They learn that even though they are continents apart there are things they both share. They have brothers, enjoy music, have pets, and like Nature.
The things that are different are also shared and help to bring on friendship across the globe.
Comments: The phrase “Like You, Like Me” is throughout the book to emphasis what they have alike even if sometimes it’s a bit different.
The illustrations were made with painted papers and oil sticks.
I would share this book before a pen pal project or for making a Venn Diagram of their likes and differences.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Quiet One
by Yiting Lee (Author)
Summary: Milly is an introvert and tends to be quiet in class. With Show and Tell approaching Friday, she is feeling anxious about it. At home, she has a special place where she enjoys tinkering and has created a robot named Arnold. Her new friend goes to school with Milly and helps her share her passion with the class.
Comments: This book is great for reading aloud. It could help kids learn about quiet individuals who enjoy sharing their interests. It also shows shy people that it’s okay to be themselves.
The illustrations were created using watercolors.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile: A Lesson in Body Language
by Patricia Bardina (Author), Joanne Burgess (Author), Paul Sharp (Illustrator)
Summary: Revony Rhinoceros is at Bixby Baboon’s birthday party. The little rhino sits sulking and frowning by a tree, unsure how to play with the other invited guests. After the party, Revony’s mother discusses body language with her child. She explains that understanding friendly and unfriendly body language can help make friends. They then walk around the park, observing the other animals and how their body language reflects their feelings.
Revony Rhinoceros feels confident and uses friendly body language to make new friends at the park.
Comments: This book could be an introduction for school counselors, PreK, or K teachers to read aloud to explain nonverbal communication skills/body language and how that could impact friend-making.
This book was published in 2018, but it remains relevant today.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page
*I was sent a free copy of this book.
The Taekwonderoos: Rescue at Rattling Ridge
by Michael Panzner (Author), Lora Look (Illustrator)
Summary: Three gray Australian kangaroos were practicing taekwondo kicks in the desert when they heard a joey trapped on a cliff in the distance. They come together and cross the dangerous terrain to rescue the baby kangaroo.
Once they got to the top of the cliff, they had to figure out how to get back down using their skills and teamwork.
Comments: This picture book is illustrated with bright and bold colors of the desert.
The kangaroos did have on taekwondo uniforms–white shirts with black sashes.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Food Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4d1yfmz .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook
by Emma Bland Smith (Author), Susan Reagan (Illustrator)
Summary: In the late 1800s, Fannie Farmer developed a passion for cooking. Despite contracting polio at the age of sixteen, she enrolled in the Boston Cooking School, where she excelled and eventually became the principal. Fannie’s teaching focused on precise measurements and exact cooking methods, ensuring success for home cooks.
She rewrote the school’s cookbook with precision, which became incredibly popular. Fannie also gave lectures nationwide and even taught at Harvard Medical School.
Comments: After reading this narrative nonfiction picture book, I learned that people used non-standard measurements for cooking even though standard measurements were available. I was surprised to discover the variety of measurements in recipes passed down from generation to generation, such as a dash of this, a smidge of that, or a pinch of this.
The back sections contain photos and additional information about Fannie and the Boston Cooking School and how Ms. Farmer really improved cooking through precise and detailed recipes.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
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How Do You Eat Color?
by Mabi David (Author), Yas Doctor (Illustrator), Karen Llagas (Translator)
Summary: A boy and girl spend a day exploring and tasting various fruits and vegetables, grouped by color.
Comments: This is translated from Filipino.
The illustrations were created using oil on paper.
The back sections are A Rainbow of Colors(which highlights food from different colors, explaining how they benefit the body, and ways to eat them), Why Should We Eat A Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables?, and How Families Can Eat More Colors Together.
This book could supplement an elementary-level food or color unit.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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India on a Plate!: Indian Food from A to Z
by Archana Sreenivasan (Author)
Summary: Young readers will enjoy seeing and learning foods of India in this brightly illustrated ABC board book.
Comments: Each letter has a fun rhyming three-lined verse describing the food.
There is a pronunciation guide after each food.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Jollof Day
by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)
Summary: A young boy and his dad wake up before the rest of the family on Jollof Day to prepare a special stew. They joyfully chop the ingredients and let the stew simmer. When the rest of the family wakes up, everyone sits down together for the special meal.
Comments: The recipe for the jollof rice dish is in the back of the book.
The bright and dynamic illustrations were created using watercolor paints, gouache, colored pencils, and digital edits in Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Flower Picture Books– https://amzn.to/49yyhQq .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
A Dandelion (A Day in the Life Of)
by Ruth Owen (Author)
Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book explains the life cycle of a dandelion from being a yellow flower to when it changes into seeds. The wind carries them to another location where they start over.
Comments: This is a smaller picture book about 8″ x 8.”
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Weedflower
by Elizabeth Davaze (Author), Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)
Summary: Sam notices a dandelion during recess and through her care and appreciation of it, several other students notice it as well. They nuture it, but soon find out that not everyone sees it as a beautiful flower.
Comments: This would make a nice read-aloud and discussion of nature all around us in our everyday lives.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Doe’s Dandelions (Woodland Friends)
by Laura Renauld (Author), Jennie Poh (Illustrator)
Summary: In this Woodland Friends series, Doe is growing daffodils for the Spring Pedal Parade but keeps coming across annoying dandelion “weeds.” She soon learns from her friends how much joy and use they are to them.
Comments: This is a wonderful tribute to the benefit of some of the plants that are called weeds. Students can learn that all plants have value.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Don’t Touch that Flower!
by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)
Summary: Squirrel wakes from spring to find a new flower growing. He decides to protect it by not allowing any water to get on it, from bees landing on the petals, and even, putting it under a bucket.
Bird educates Squirrel about his good intentions are harming the flower instead.
Comments: This is a humorous read-aloud that opens a discussion of what plants need to thrive.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
A Flower is a Friend
by Frieda Wishinsky (Author), Karen Patkau (Illustrator)
Summary: An animal/creature is paired with a flower in the garden, and readers are asked why they coexist so well. Answers are in the book of how they benefit each other.
Comments: This is an excellent resource for introducing the concept of symbiosis. The illustrations made it clear and concrete.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(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 Father Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Navigating Night
by Julie Leung (Author), Angie Kang (Illustrator)
Summary: A Chinese-American girl helps her father, who is a Chinese immigrant, deliver food from their restaurant each night. She reads the map and road signs, navigating to the correct destinations. She does not want to do this anymore and wants to be like the other kids she sees in homes. After hearing her father’s immigration journey, she realizes how hard they work so that she will have a better life in the USA.
Comments: I think this would be a story to share with intermediate students to discuss a realistic look at the immigration journey of working hard for a better life. It builds an understanding of classmates with similar responsibilities.
The backmatter tells us that the book is based on the author’s own life.
The illustrations are created in gouache, crayon, colored pencil and pastel to emphasize the colors of a rainy night.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Haircut Day with Dad
by Monica Mikai (Author)
Summary: It’s Saturday morning, which means it’s time for a trip to the barbershop with Dad. A young boy shares this special bonding ritual of getting a haircut alongside his father while surrounded by other men enjoying fresh cuts, watching a basketball game, and chatting together. By the end of the visit, the boy proudly pays the barber with his own money, making the experience feel like a rite of passage.
Comments: The sensory details of the story had me in that barbershop. The story provides discussions about self-image and family rituals.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Sarabeth’s Garage
by Melanie Florence (Author), Nadia Alam
Summary: Sarabeth loves everything about cars and especially Saturdays when she spends time with her father in his garage. Her grandmother does not approve and believes Sarabeth is not acting like little girls did in her day. It wasn’t until Grandmother’s car broke down that she began to appreciate her granddaughter’s passion.
Comments: This is a good text resource for breaking stereotypes and encouraging students to follow what they are good at doing. Students could also discuss what hobbies they share with their family.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Just Try It! Someplace New! (A Phil & Lil Book)
by Phil Rosenthal (Author), Lily Rosenthal (Author), Luke Flowers (Illustrator)
Summary: Lil is nervous about the trip she and her father are going to take to grandma’s house. They are staying for three days and Lil discusses things that could irrationally and outlandishly happen while her father reassures her everything will be okay. They pack up and drive to grandma’s to find out that indeed everything is wonderful there.
Comments: This is the second book of the father and daughter duo. They humorously examine growth mindset and being flexible with change by just trying something that may be new. This is an excellent text for discussing anxiety and being nervous about new things regardless of age.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Thunderland
by Maggie Edkins Willis
Summary: A young girl hides under the sink during a loud thunderstorm. She is afraid of the noise it makes but her father is not. He encourages her to go to Thunderland with him where there is hot chocolate and cookies. The father successfully teaches his daughter ways to confront the storm and live through it.
Comments: Thunderland is a playful world where the father helps his daughter face the noise and find bravery. I found this to be a great read-aloud for students to realize that others may have fears just like them.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Brave
by Weshoyot Alvitre (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A young Indigenous boy admires his father’s long hair and that of dancers at a powwow. Although he is teased at school, he wants to have long braids. His father tells him about the history of how his hair and that of other Indigenous people was cut as he combs his son’s hair. He explains how they had to be brave and strong. The boy decides he wants to be like his ancestors and grow his hair long, too.
Comments: This would be a wonderful classroom read-aloud for intermediate students. It gently explores the significance of having one’s hair cut against one’s will. It introduces the history of Indian Residential Schools. It could be a prompt for students to discuss how they can support fellow classmates with cultural traditions they may not be familiar with.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Grumpy Monkey Father’s Day Fuss
by Suzanne Lang (Author), Max Lang (Illustrator)
Summary: Jim Panzee thinks of ways to celebrate Father’s Day with his father, Chip. Jim realizes that they should include Grandpanzee but finds out that not all dads like to celebrate the same way. Some like a big fuss while others like it to be simple and quiet.
Comments: I think this would make an excellent SEL mentor text for discussing how holidays and celebrations can look different for everyone. Some people enjoy large gatherings and noise, while others prefer quieter and simpler moments. The story encourages students to recognize their own feelings and comfort levels rather than feeling pressured to celebrate the same way as everyone else.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Best Daddy of All
by Peter Horn (Author), Jessica Meserve (Illustrator), Johanna McCalmont (Translator)
Summary: Sebastian spends the day with his father, walking through the meadow and around the pond, learning about what other dads do for their children. His father turns it into a game by describing what different daddy creatures do, and Sebastian has to guess which creature he describes.
Comments: This story is a cuddly, bedtime book.
The book was originally published in Switzerland. The book I looked at was in English and printed in Riga, Latvia.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Jollof Day
by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)
Summary: A young boy and his dad wake up before the rest of the family on Jollof Day to prepare a special stew. They joyfully chop the ingredients and let the stew simmer. When the rest of the family wakes up, everyone sits down together for the special meal.
Comments: The recipe for the jollof rice dish is in the back of the book.
The bright and dynamic illustrations were created using watercolor paints, gouache, colored pencils, and digital edits in Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Little Big Man
by Varian Johnson (Author), Reggie Brown (Illustrator)
Summary: Elijah eagerly waits for his father’s return from work so they can fly his new kite together. However, his father has to work over the weekend. Instead, the two of them work together to clean the house and help his mother with the newborn baby. Following his father’s example, Elijah learns to do household chores.
Comments: I appreciate Elijah’s father’s patience and encouragement as his son learns to follow his lead and assist in the house and to also help others in the neighborhood.
The illustrations were created digitally using Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Love, Dad: Inspiring Notes from Fathers to Kids
by Dr. Joel Warsh (Author), Andrew Gardner (Author), David Cooper (Illustrator)
Summary: This book is a collection of 18 short notes from various fathers, each beginning with “I hope you…” to support their children’s growth with themes of perseverance, hope, and self-discovery.
Comments: This is a superb mentor text for SEL. A writing activity would be for students to write letters to their future selves.
The illustrations were created using digital media.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Riding Through Rice Fields: A Trip to the Philippines
by Michelle Sterling (Author), Bianca Austria (Illustrator)
Summary: Mateo and his father are struggling to connect until a family reunion in the Philippines helps strengthen their bond as they embark on an adventure together while bicycling across the country.
Comments: Mateo learns about bayanihan, the practice of people coming together to help those in need. I believe that reading this book aloud in the classroom and discussing bayanihan could be beneficial throughout the entire year.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
With Dad
by Richard Jackson (Author), Brian Floca (Illustrator)
Summary: A son and father drive a red Jeep along the upper South Branch Stream of the Au Sable River in Michigan. The father allows his boy to sit in his lap and steer while he drives. They set up their campsite and go trout fishing, where they catch one. The boy is shown how to gut the fish and fry it.
They spend time around the campfire under the full moon talking and joking around.
They return from their trip when his father goes off to war. He and his mother read air-mail letters together, looking forward to his return.
Comments: This is an autobiographical story set in the early 1950s during the Korean War when the author’s father was called away for duty.
There is more of an explanation for the creation of the story on the copyright page.
The illustrations were beautifully crafted using pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache, giving the story a lovely summery feel.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
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Sydney’s Big Speech
by Malcolm Newsome (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)
Summary: Sydney feels shy on her first day of school and is worried about the speech she has to give to the class. Her father reminds her of all the role models who had to give speeches and practices with his daughter to help her build confidence.
Will Sydney be able to give her speech about what she wants to do when she grows up?
Comments: The back page has short biographical sketches of the female leaders the father shared.
The illustrations are created using watercolor and digital media.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!
by Highlights (Creator)
Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.
Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.
These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Like Father, Like Son
by Lesléa Newman (Author), AG Ford (Illustrator)
Summary: Each two-page illustration features a dad and son pair in rhyming text, from doing household tasks to playing sports.
Comments: The illustrations were created using watercolor and colored pencil to vividly depict a diverse and multicultural theme, showcasing the special bond between dads and sons.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Just Try It!
by Phil Rosenthal(Author), Lily Rosenthal(Author), and Luke Flowers(Illustration)
Summary: Lil and her father are at a food festival with many different types of foods. Her father tries coaxing his daughter to try the foods, but she stubbornly refuses. He offers her a pretzel with mustard, to which she reacts with an angry scream and throws her arms in the air, causing the mustard to go on his shirt. She apologizes while her father washes off the stain.
While waiting, Lil takes a bite. Will she like this or any of the other food?
Comments: This was one patient father. “Try it; you’ll like it” is a common request that many kids and parents will relate to in this humorous picture book.
The illustrations were rendered digitally.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Daddy, Tell Me a Story
by Kathleen Long Bostrom (Author), Ela Smietanka (Artist)
Summary: Sophie asks her father for a bedtime story–one he makes up instead of from a book. He begins to tell her one, but his daughter keeps requesting changes. The story becomes more and more imaginative with many creatures.
Comments: This is a cute bedtime story with a bit of humor and a lot of imagination.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Forever and Always
by Brittany J. Thurman (Author), Shamar Knight-Justice (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Olivia looks forward to seeing her father come home from work and greet her with a hug. They create dinner with Mom and have a nice evening together.
Olivia hugs her father in the morning before he leaves for work, worrying about his dangerous job as an emergency medical technician. While waiting, she makes him a bracelet to wear.
Will her father return?
Comments: The illustrations are created using mixed-media elements and Procreate.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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A Bed of Stars
by Jessica Love (Author, Illustrator).
Summary: A boy with trouble falling asleep goes camping with his father. They pack up the pickup truck, Darlin’, and head for the desert. His father tells him about the plants and animal tracks. They build a fire and watch the sun set while sitting on the hood of the pickup until the stars come out. They get in the sleeping bag in the truck bed, enjoying the stars above them.
His father is able to teach his son how to connect with the universe and not feel so small. They drive home, where Mom has a surprise waiting for their boy.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Finding Papa
by Angela Pham Krans (Author), Thi Bui (Illustrator)
Summary: Mai and her papa like to play crocodile chomp with their hands. Papa leaves Vietnam to go to America to make a better life for his wife and daughter. Mai does not understand where her father has gone and waits for him to return each day to play. Mama packs a bag and takes her little one on a long journey through the rice paddies, across a river, and onto a boat across the ocean to a refugee camp in Singapore until they are released when Mama travels in the city to find her husband.
Comments: This story is based on the author and her mother, who journeyed in 1983 from Vietnam to America. Both author and illustrator share their families’ journey of immigration.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Basketball Dreams
by Chris Paul (Author), Courtney Lovett (Illustrator).
Summary: Chris wants to become a basketball player and looks up to his granddad, Papa Chilly, for guidance as the man’s dreams have come true. He gets up early to practice. He learns how to be a good team player and to help others. Papa Chilly attends Chris’s games and cheers him on.
Comments: The back page has Chris Paul’s recollection of his grandfather and a photo of them.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Daddy & Me, Side by Side
by Pierce Freelon (Author), Nadia Fisher (Illustrator).
Summary: A father and son go camping together. As they hike and fish, the father shares how he did the same with his father, who recently died. It almost feels like Pop-Pop is there with them as they create new and share old memories of being together.
Comments: This would be a nice mentor text for discussing “then and now.” Students could talk to family members about the childhood places they went to together.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Trucker Kid
by Carol Gordon Ekster (Author), Russ Cox (Illustrator).
Brief summary: Athena misses her father when he is trucking and has to leave the family for days. She loves ANYTHING to do with eighteen-wheelers and is proud to be a Trucker Kid. She shares her joy and enthusiasm with the kids at school. Her classmates understand her passion once her father visits the school via his semi to share everything about his job.
Comments: The back pages have sections Keep on Trucking and Author’s Note.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Baba’s Gift: A Persian Father’s Love of Family
by Ariana Shaheen Amini (Author), Christina Maheen Amini (Author), Elaheh Taherian (Illustrator).
Summary: Baba shares stories with his six daughters while they sit and play on the Persian carpet of his boyhood in Iran and his stories of immigrating to America.
Comments: This is based on the true story of Dr. Fariborz Amini. Authors’ Notes in the back have a photo of the lovely family.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
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Hurry, Kate, or You’ll Be Late!
by Janice N. Harrington (Author), Tiffany Rose (Illustrator).
Summary: Kate was late to preschool this morning, but why? Was it because of her breakfast? Because she and her dad stopped to wave at friends?
Comments: Young readers will follow Kate and her father’s journey to go to preschool and ask to figure out and predict why Kate was late.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Pop’s Perfect Present
by Corey Finkle (Author), Lenny Wen (Illustrator).
Summary: A young girl tries to think of the best gift to give her father because he is such a wonderful Pop. As they spend the day together, each attempt of creating the present is a failure. Will she be able to give her father the perfect present?
Comments: The girl’s repeated failures to create the perfect gift can lead to students talking about when they failed or when things didn’t quite go as planned. What did they do? What did they learn?
The book has humorous rhyming with a fun rhythm.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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No Fair!
by Jacob Grant (Author, Illustrator).
Summary: Pablo and his father get on their bikes while their dog, Waffles, runs aside them. It’s Market Day, and Pablo wants a donut, but it is allowed once all the shopping is finished. As Pablo tries to help, he finds that everything he picks out is too big. He protests, “Not fair!” Will he realize with the help of his dad that not all things are fair?
Comments: This book could be a shared read-aloud with the father’s voice in black ink and the son’s in red.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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My Dad Is a DJ
by Kathryn Erskine (Author), Keith Henry Brown (Author, Illustrator).
Summary: Trevor’s parents separate, and his father moves out. They once shared time listening to music late in the night after his father returned from being DJ. They would shoot baskets after school. He would even hear his father dedicate songs to him over the radio.
Lately, though, they have yet to connect since he moved out. His food preferences are different. He has a new friend his father has yet to meet. The end-of-the-year dance is coming up that his father has DJed. Will combining the latest hip-hop that Trevor likes and the soul his father favors work out? Will DJing together bring them closer?
Comments: This is a mentor text for students dealing with parental separation. It realistically explores new routines and changes with relationships.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family
by Seamus Kirst (Author), Karen Bunting (Illustrator).
Summary: Harper packs a suitcase and drives to a huge family reunion in a park with her fathers, where she meets family members for the first time, like her cousins, second cousins, and first cousins once removed. She also meets family she already knows. Harper learns that she has some things the same and different from everyone, but they are all connected by their love for one another.
Comments: This story is a tool for teaching the concept of an extended family tree such as second cousins and cousins once removed. It also demonstrated same and different traits among relatives.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
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Daddy Dressed Me
by Michael Gardner (Author), Ava Gardner (Author), Nadia Fisher (Illustrator).
Summary: Ava’s father is good at making things but especially sewing her dresses for special occasions. She will recite a poem onstage during Move Up Day and is worried she will forget the words.
Her father tells the nervous girl that he will help her memorize the lines and would like to sew a unique dress to boost her confidence. Will both of their hard work pay off on the big day?
Comments: This is based on a true story which can be found in the back–The Story Behind the Story. I loved seeing the photos of the real father and daughter duo.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Maribel’s Year
by Michelle Sterling (Author), Sarah Gonzales (Illustrator).
Summary: Maribel must wait an entire year before her father, who is in the Philippines, can rejoin his daughter and wife in America. Each month the young girl tells about the memories of her father and the emotional thoughts she has that he is with them again.
Comments: Illustrations change with each month and capture the feelings and thoughts of Maribel.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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My Dad Is a Tree
by Jon Agee (Author).
Summary: A young girl asks her father to stand with his arms outstretched and become a tree.
Comments: This whimsical story continues throughout the day, with more creatures visiting the father and making themselves comfortable as though he were a real tree.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
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Papa’s Home
by David Soman (Author).
Brief summary: Papa is going away for a little while, and Aunt Jessie will come to take care of the little bear. Father and son spend the day doing activities together. At the same time, the child asks questions about what it will be like when the father is away. The father quietly answers his child’s many questions with reassurance that everything will be okay.
Comments: Lovely illustrations that capture the emotional expressions of the father and child.
The text in this book allows for a reader’s theater opportunity with the child’s voice in green ink; Papa’s in purple ink.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Mother Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/12CS5H0573OX2?ref_=aipsflist .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Mamiachi & Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band
by Jolene Gutiérrez (Author), Dakota Gutiérrez (Author), Mirelle Ortega (Illustrator)
Summary: Rosa’s mother is a mariachi. Today is Rosa’s turn to play her violin with her mother’s group. She is nervous but after hearing the beautiful sounds from the guitar, trumpet, and vihuela, she knows this is where she belongs.
Comments: How cute is it that the author used the combination of Mami (which means mommy) and mariachi(a traditional Mexican folk musical ensemble) to create mamiachi.
This is a lovely book celebrating cultural heritage, sisterhood, and musical instruments.
The backmatter includes the history of mariachi and how women have now been included. There is also a labeled diagram of a charra suit.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Mama Car
by Lucy Catchpole (Author), Karen George (Illustrator)
Summary: A toddler shares the daily adventures she has with her mother. The perspective of the mother’s wheelchair is shown through the girl’s eyes. She has a tricycle while dad has the big car, and Mom has a Mama car.
Comments: The use of the wheelchair is part of the normal life of the family. Instead of focusing on what the mother cannot do, it focuses on how the mother engages with the child. What a refreshing story that is not about a disability but about ability. This is a definite read-aloud for teachers and librarians to share.
One thing I enjoyed seeing was the author’s photo in the back while sitting in her wheelchair with her two beautiful daughters on either side. Lovely story.
The illustrations were created using gouache paint and colored pencils.
Rating: 4.5/5📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
A Cup of Quiet
by Nikki Grimes (Author), Cathy Ann Johnson (Illustrator)
Summary: When a grandmother and granddaughter’s day becomes a bit too noisy, they retreat to the garden to find peace and stillness together.
Comments: The illustrations were created with mixed media, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and digital.
Rating: 4.5/5📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Fierce Aunties!
by Laurel Goodluck (Author), Steph Littlebird (Illustrator)
Summary: This text honors the important, loving, and protective roles that aunties hold in Native families and communities, especially during times when parents may be preoccupied. Aunties are not limited to being a mom’s or dad’s sister; they can also be older cousins or close family friends.
Comments: The illustrations were created in Procreate.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
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.
Grumpy Monkey Mom for a Day
by Suzanne Lang (Author), Max Lang (Illustrator)
Summary: Jim Panzee volunteers to take care of jungle babies so their mothers can rests. He learns that being a mom is not as easy as it looks.
Comments: A fun and whimsical book to read aloud.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Home Is a Wish
by Julia Kuo (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl, her mother, and Amah leave their home for a new one in a different country where everything feels unfamiliar. Over time, they work together to create a new home.
Comments: A gentle book about immigration that would be a wonderful read aloud.
The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.
Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
I Loved You First
by Jenna Bush Hager (Author), Barbara Pierce Bush (Author), Ramona Kaulitzki (Illustrator)
Summary: This book is a heartfelt expression of the unconditional love a parent feels for their child as soon as they hold their child and spend time with them as they grow up.
Comments: The illustrations were created using hand-painted textures and digital watercolor, and pencil brushes in Photoshop.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Midnight Motorbike
by Maureen Shay Tajsar (Author), Ishita Jain (Illustrator)
Summary: A dreamy bedtime adventure where a girl and her Amma take a motorbike ride through the moonlit city, celebrating imagination and connection while smelling, seeing, hearing everything around them.
Comments: The illustrations were created with gouache, acrylic gouache, crayons, and colored pencils.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
My Mom
by Susan Quinn (Author), Sarah Mathew (Illustrator)
Summary: A gentle and loving tribute to the many roles a mother plays in her child’s life, from nurturer to superhero.
Comment: This would be a nice bedtime story.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Outside Mom, Inside Mom
by Jane Park (Author), Lenny Wen (Illustrator)
Summary: A Korean American child and his mother, Umma, behave differently in public compared to how they act in private. When they are outside, they use English, but when they are at home, they communicate in Korean. They adapt their language to fit their social identity, switching between languages as needed until they feel more comfortable and safe in their new environment.
Comments: I appreciated how the mother and child shared how they express their feelings and behavior in different environments.
The illustrations were created in gouache and colored pencils.
A superb read aloud!
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
That’s Not Funny, David!
by David Shannon (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: David is a comedian who tries to make everyone laugh, but he discovers that not all of his antics are funny to everyone. Ultimately, he still has his mother’s unconditional love.
Comments: He’s back! I missed David. I’d recognize that giant head and triangular teeth anywhere. Children identify with the antics of this little boy and laugh out loud.
A must for every library.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Wash Day with Mama
by Monica Mikai (Author)
Summary: A young girl treasures each step of her hair washing ritual with her mother, who shares self-care, self-love, and pride in one’s identity tips while sharing jokes and singing.
Comments: Sweet story of mother and daughter bonding.
The illustrations were created digitally using Procreate on an iPad Pro.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
We Leap Together
by Christopher Silas Neal (Author)
Summary: A humpback whale and calf are compared to the many similarities of a human mother and her child.
Comments: The illustrations were created with mixed media. This is an example of comparative narrative. It also can be paired with a nonfiction whale book. Or, create a chart with the love of the whale mother to that of the human child.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Cheeky Chick!
by Julia Jarman (Author), Tom Knight (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Mother Hen firmly instructed her chicks to stay close to the roast and strongly advised them not to wander off due to the fox lurking nearby. Despite her warning, one of the chicks recklessly went on a little adventure and encountered various farm animals along the way. Unfortunately, the chick eventually met the fox who relentlessly chased after it. The question now is, can the chick outsmart the fox and make a daring escape?
Comments: This is a humorous yet serious story that teaches children to listen to their mothers and stay close to home to avoid danger.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A World of Love
by Aimee Elizabeth Reid (Author), Christopher Lyles (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Animal parents and their offspring are described in a rhyming text that explains how they express their love for each other in unique ways.
Comments: This is a lovely bedtime story with beautiful illustrations that emphasize the depth of the love between a parent and a child.
The illustrations are made using a combination of collage, hand-painted papers, pencils, and crayons.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
For You, I Will
by Elle Duncan (Author), Laura Freeman (Illustrator)
Brief summary: The mom made a promise to her daughter that she would teach her how to be confident in the world and achieve success. She plans to do this by setting a loving and supportive example. This promise is something she plans to keep for her daughter’s entire life.
Comments: The illustrations were created digitally.
This would make a reassuring bedtime story to share with a daughter.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Yaya and the Sea
by Karen Good Marable (Author), Tonya Engel (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Yaya and her mother take the subway to meet her mother’s friends and go to the sea for their annual spring equinox prayer to Mama Ocean.
Comments: The book is based on the author’s true story. The Author’s Note explains the ritual and symbolism of the objects offered to the sea.
The illustrations were created with acrylic underpainting and finished with oils on primed archival paper.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Counting on Mom
by Odd Dot (Author), Valentina Jaskina (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This is a counting book that goes up to ten, featuring mothers taking care of their young.
Comments: The story features cute animals with happy faces, making it a gentle bedtime tale for toddlers. It includes a counting and a motherly theme.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mamá’s Panza
by Isabel Quintero (Author), Iliana Galvez (Illustrator)
Brief summary: The boy explains that “panza” means belly and describes different types. His favorite is his mother’s because it was his first home – a soft, cuddly, and comforting place.
Comments: This was created with scanned color pencils and digital paintbrushes.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mommy’s New Friend
by Shelley Tougas (Author), Sara Palacios (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Lilly shares what she wants to do and say when her Mommy’s new friend, Carl, visits, but instead, she politely adjusts to the new routines and learns how to live with someone new in her life while still loving her parents, even though they are no longer together like before.
Comments: This book is a must-read for teachers, school counselors, and divorced parents. It follows Lilly’s journey of growth and acceptance in the midst of family changes.
The illustrations were created with cut paper, acrylic, and digital media.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mamas and Babies
by Christie Matheson (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: This primary nonfiction picture shows different mothers and how they care for their offspring.
Comments: These charming watercolor illustrations capture the bond between mother and child, each one spanning two pages.
This nonfiction book would make a lovely bedtime story due to its gentle and soothing pictures and words.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Brief summary: This gentle rhyming and rhythmic lullaby of unconditional love for a parent to a child will give your little one sweet dreams.
Each stanza is a single illustration that extends across both pages with calm, eye-pleasing colors. At the same time, the four-line stanzas have an ABCB rhyming pattern that is soothing to the ears.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
* I received a complimentary digital copy of this picture book for an honest review.
Sari-Sari Summers
by Lynnor Bontigao (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Nora is old enough this summer to help her lola, her grandmother, in the sari-sari store in the Philippines. The granddaughter cleans all of the shelves that hold various items in the little store.
A heat wave comes, and all the customers stay home from the hot sun. Lola has an idea to bring back business.
Traditional text as well as speech bubbles. Recipe on the back page. Several two-page spreads.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Milko
by Samuel Narh & Freda Narh (Author), Alisa Knatko (Illustrator)
Summary: Milko misses his mother, who has gone to Ethiopia for a year instead of being home with them in Bolivia. His sister, Abena, cries too, but Papa cannot console them. No one does it like Mama.
Milko counts down the days. Will she ever return?
Comments: I recommend this to school counselors, librarians, teachers, and parents who are away for jobs or military deployment.
This SEL text serves as a perfect prompt for a heart-centered writing activity. Students could compose a letter or draw a picture for someone they are currently missing.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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One Day
by Joanna Ho (Author), Faith Pray (Illustrator)
Summary: A mother cradles her infant son and dreams and shares all the wonderful ways her boy will be as he grows up.
Comments: The beautiful two-page spread illustrations support the quiet, reflections of the hopes and dreams a mother has for her child. I think this would be one teachers could share with students and have discussions of their future aspirations.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Because I’m Your Mom
by Ahmet Zappa (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator)
Summary: A monster mom tells her child all the fun and silly things they can share together, no matter how outrageous they may seem.
Comments: The monster characters make the message of unconditional love feel approachable and lighthearted. The mother’s voice can be protective but also humorous.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Summary: Andy notices his grandmother’s front door is open and stops by to let her know. He discovers his mother is watering the roses. Andy goes inside the kitchen to keep his Grandma company. He notices a white box and takes it to her, wondering what is inside.
His grandmother believes she is his kindergarten teacher, Miss Irwin. Andy plays along, remembering that his mother told him his grandmother was struggling with her memory. He learns about a boy named Willie and what is inside the box.
Comments: Allen Say certainly captured Alzheimer’s with a compassionate story all can understand. The illustrations of the images are not seen clearly and symbolize blurred memories.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
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Mommy Time
by Monique James-Duncan (Author), Ebony Glenn (Illustrator)
Summary: A stay-at-home mom spends time with her boy as the father and sister are away. The daughter is collected from school, and now the two children share mommy time.
Comments: The book is about a day in the mom’s life and the time she spends with her children. This book could be introduced as a read-aloud asking students what activities they enjoy doing with their mother. What is one way the characters showed they loved each other without saying it?
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Emotions and Feelings Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
The Visit
by Núria Figueras (Author), Anna Font (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)
Summary: Little Fox’s mother needs to leave the den and tells her not to open the door for anyone. There is a knock at the door. Silence walks in and soon fills the entire place. Fox begins to interact with Silence and concludes that the quietness isn’t so scary.
Comments: This is an allegorical picture book that is an excellent resource for SEL. It personifies silence– an abstract concept–to help kids understand that mindfulness and being alone are not scary.
I think this book could also be beneficial for discussing safety regarding opening the door despite Little Fox’s mother telling her not to. I would explain how this is a metaphor and not something we would do in real life.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Sydney’s Big Speech
by Malcolm Newsome (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)
Summary: Sydney feels shy on her first day of school and is worried about the speech she has to give to the class. Her father reminds her of all the role models who had to give speeches and practices with his daughter to help her build confidence.
Will Sydney be able to give her speech about what she wants to do when she grows up?
Comments: The back page has short biographical sketches of the female leaders the father shared.
The illustrations are created using watercolor and digital media.
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 📗📗📗📗
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*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Animal Snuggles: Affection in the Animal Kingdom
by Aimee Reid (Author), Sebastien Braun (Illustrator)
Summary: Young readers are shown how various animals display affection towards their babies.
Comments: There are large double-paged illustrations with the parent and baby.
There’s a back section of the animals and more specific details of how they snuggle with their young, the name of a baby, and their home.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
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Billie and Bean at the Beach
by Julia Hansson (Author), B.J. Woodstein (Translator)
Summary: Billie and her dog, Bean, go to the beach. Bean enjoys running around and playing in the sand, while Billie just wants to rest in the umbrella’s shade. Her mother encourages Billie to take a swim, and the girl is stung. After her mother comforts and calms Billie’s emotions, the little girl decides to try the water again with the help of a gift Bean has dug up. The girl enjoys the underwater silence and fish. Billie dives towards the bottom and finds something shiny that makes her resilience worth returning to the sea.
Comments: Will we find out what it is in a sequel? What an excellent discussion to have with the class.
This is a Swedish translation.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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The Bright Side
by Chad Otis (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A boy shares that his family lives in an old school bus until they get a house again. It was hard to leave his friends. His parents encourage him to look on the bright side of things. He gets to take showers outside. Have pizza toast with bread and ketchup. He learns to use his imagination to create something he does not have.
He is nervous about attending a school where everyone knows each other and the routine. Will he learn how to fit in with everyone else?
Comments: The author shares that he did live on a school bus for four years and did not go to school until he was in third grade. I thank him for sharing his story of houselessness.
This book could be shared to help others understand those in poverty and, hopefully, develop empathy and understanding. Written in a way that a child could understand.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Mouseboat
by Larissa Theule (Author), Abigail Halpin (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A girl who has recently lost her mother goes on a trip to their lake house with her father. She misses her mother but can not find a connection until she takes out the mouse boat she and her mother built together. She can face her emotions.
Comments: The illustrator caught the facial expressions of a mourning girl and the sad tone in the house of grief with cool and darker colors. Well done.
I could follow the storyline with or without the text, which is an excellent picture book to me. I’d like to see more picture books with this duo. They complement each other well.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Willow
by Elisabeth Sophia (Author), Anita Bagdi (Illustrator)
Summary: This anthropomorphic story is about a tree creature standing by a lake going through all of the seasons with the insects and birds that consider her their home. A severe storm breaks her limbs and her soul. A flock of yellow birds helps rebuild her.
Comments: This is such a beautiful metaphor of grief and resilience. Teachers could ask how it feels when a storm comes into their lives. This would be a great book for SEL, exploring the healing process. I think it could also be shared as a way to explain how community (yellow birds) can help heal.
Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
You Are Loved: A Book About Families
by Margaret O’Hair (Author), Sofia Sanchez (Author), Sofia Cardoso (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Young readers are talked to by Sofia Sanchez, who explains that a child is loved by many people but most of all by one’s family. There are many different types of families. Sometimes a family is not perfect. There are arguments, sadness, anger, and other emotions. But a family makes up and continues loving one another.
Comments: This is an optimistic book with brightly colored illustrations of all cultures, ages, races, etc. Readers will be able to see and understand that there are families unlike theirs but still have shared love for one another.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Noise Inside Boys: A Story About Big Feelings
by Pete Oswald (Author)
Brief summary: Brothers yell how they feel while playing outside on the beach. One boy is encouraged by his father to take a moment and experience the feeling and name it. Be aware of your emotions and name them to understand them. He is told that a feeling will come and go.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Wallflowers
by Mackenzie Joy (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: Shy and quiet children who would rather observe and not be in the spotlight are given encouragement to be themselves. They may like to be heard at times, but not in an extroverted way.
Comments: This book celebrates introverts and does not try to change them from being wallflowers but instead bloom with their emotions.
The illustrations are drawn with them looking like the background.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Sometimes: A Day Full of Feelings
by Stephanie Stansbie (Author), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A brother and sister experience everyday feelings that come and go. They learn to recognize their feelings in different situations, realize that another one will come along, and learn how to move through that one too. Emotions are everyday occurrences.
Comments: There is a back page of encouragement to help young readers to get through more difficult feelings.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Stanley’s Secret
by John Sullivan (Author), Zach Manbeck (Illustrator)
Summary: Stanley is a shy and quiet boy. He helped the janitor and would tap dance as he swept. One day the principal saw him and encouraged the boy to sign up for the talent show where he could share his gift with others. Will Stanley be able to get over his shyness?
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
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.
Evergreen
by Matthew Cordell (Author)
Brief summary: Evergreen, an anxious squirrel, lives in Buckthorn Forrest with her mother who has asked her to take soup to a sick Granny Oak who lives on the other side of the forest. Although frightened, Evergreen leaves the tree and heads towards Granny Oak’s, encountering several forest animals along the way.
Comments: This picture book is divided into a new chapter for each animal Evergreen meets. The illustrations are done with a 005 Micron Pen and painted with watercolors.
Students will be in suspense with each forest animal encounter wondering if the squirrel will be eaten.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Gravity Is Bringing Me Down
by Wendelin Van Draanen (Author), Cornelia Li (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Leda wakes up and falls out of bed blaming gravity for the beginning of a clumsy and “off” sort of day. She has breakfast where gravity visits again causing her to spill food. Leda goes to school having more gravity related incidents. She says gravity is having a bad mood.
After school, her parents take Leda to a children’s museum where she plays and is able to adjust her mood for the rest of the day.
Comments: This book could be a bibliotherapeutic read to show how a person can start in a grumpy mood but can turn it around.
There is a gravity theme throughout the book.
Rating:3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Harriet’s Reflections
by Marion Kadi (Author)
Summary: An old lion is looking at his reflection in the water before it dies. His reflection is still alive and bored, so it wanders the jungle and comes across a house with a little girl named Harriet inside, who is very grumpy.
The lion follows Harriet to school, and when she comes to the next mud puddle, he jumps in and becomes her reflection. Harriet is surprised at how fierce and confident she feels that day and has forgotten all about her old reflection. Will Harriet ever want to have her old reflection back?
Comments: This is a French translation that was published in 2021. I found the book to be unique, creative, and well-written.
The illustrations are bright and have several large two-page spreads. I always like it when the end pages are decorated.
I sent me a complimentary copy to give an honest review.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Dare to Be Daring
by Chelsea Lin Wallace (Author), Lian Cho (Illustrator)
Summary: This rhyming picture book features children confronting initially daunting challenges, only to discover they’re not as scary as they seem. Throughout the book, one little girl repeatedly tries to overcome her fear of descending the basement steps. Will she dare to be daring?
Comments: Wouldn’t this be such a great picture book to share with students during the first month of school when they are trying new things? I think it could help their confidence to see other kids daring themselves to be brave.
The illustrations were created using gouache and colored pencils.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
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