(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
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.
As the authors painted the scene of the first lesson, I could feel the students’ excitement as they entered the studio, experiencing the very beginning of a love for ballet dancing.
Stella Maris Mongodi, the illustrator, brought this picture book to life with her expressive and fun depiction of the animal students and teacher in the dance studio.
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.
If you like this book, Once Upon A Dance has a series of movement-themed books.
*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. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
They Built Me for Freedom: The Story of Juneteenth and Houston’s Emancipation Park
by Tonya Duncan Ellis (Author), Jenin Mohammed (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Emancipation Park is dedicated to celebrating the freedom of enslaved people in Texas. The park was built in 1872 and features picnics, a pool, and baseball games.
Although the park was in disarray for several years, it rejoiced when it was repaired and is used today.
Comments: This story is told through the perspective of the park.
There is a brief history of Emancipation Park and related history.
The artwork is colorful and joyous. However, I could not find any information in the book about how it was created.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Juneteenth Is
by Natasha Tripplett (Author), Daniel J. O’Brien (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A large extended family celebrates Juneteenth by displaying black, red, and green flags, enjoying music and food, and Granddaddy teaching and remembering with the grandchildren.
Comments: The illustrations were created using digital tools. I appreciated the emotions and expressions on the family’s faces as they celebrated throughout the day.
There is a section in the back that explains the significance of the color red for the holiday.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Juneteenth Cookbook: Recipes and Activities for Kids and Families to Celebrate
by Alliah L. Agostini (Author), Chef Taffy Elrod, and Sawyer Cloud (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction children’s book includes 18 recipes for a Juneteenth celebration. There is a little blurb with each recipe telling the significance of the food.
The book has a brief history of Juneteenth and is divided into Drinks, Appetizers, Mains, Sides, and Desserts. Each section includes an activity idea.
Comments: This book contains the history of the holiday, along with recipes, explanations, illustrations, and fun activities for this special day.
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.
Narrative nonfiction children’s picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
Behind My Doors: The Story of the World’s Oldest Library
by Hena Khan (Author), Nabila Adani (Illustrator)
Summary: Al Qarawiyyin Library tells us about itself being built in 859 in Fez, Morocco, and being the oldest library in the world. Fatima al-Fihri built a mosque and school for her community with a small library that grew over the centuries.
There is a room that can only be entered by four guards, who have to turn all of the keys at the same time for the copper doors to open. Now, only the curator has the keys. What could be so precious inside?
Comments: This narrative nonfiction book is told from the perspective of the library, from its very beginning until Dr. Chaouni, an architect who was hired to restore the building, renovates it.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
More about the library–
TRT World. (2016, October 30). The world’s oldest library: Inside al-qarawiyyin | literature | showcase. The world’s oldest library: inside al-Qarawiyyin | Literature | Showcase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7G-yofAfyo
The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook
by Emma Bland Smith (Author), Susan Reagan (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In the late 1800s, Fannie Farmer developed a passion for cooking. Despite contracting polio at the age of sixteen, she enrolled in the Boston Cooking School, where she excelled and eventually became the principal. Fannie’s teaching focused on precise measurements and exact cooking methods, ensuring success for home cooks.
She rewrote the school’s cookbook with precision, which became incredibly popular. Fannie also gave lectures nationwide and even taught at Harvard Medical School.
Comments: After reading this narrative nonfiction picture book, I learned that people used non-standard measurements for cooking even though standard measurements were available. I was surprised to discover the variety of measurements in recipes passed down from generation to generation, such as a dash of this, a smidge of that, or a pinch of this.
The back sections contain photos and additional information about Fannie and the Boston Cooking School and how Ms. Farmer really improved cooking through precise and detailed recipes.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World
by Vivian Kirkfield (Author), Alison Jay (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Annie Londonderry saw an ad in 1894 promising $10,000 to the first woman to travel around the globe on a bike. She taught herself to ride a bike and set off, following the rules of speaking English, accepting no donations, and earning $5,000 while traveling.
Comments: This inspirational narrative nonfiction picture book shares the story of an incredibly brave woman who overcame obstacles and injuries, persevered to win a bet, and was motivated by providing a better life for her children.
The back sections include an Author’s Note, Brakes, Bloomers, and Other Bicycle Bits, a Timeline, and a Bibliography.
The illustrations are created with alkyd oil paint on paper with varnish.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keeffe Nourished Her Art
by Lisa Robinson (Author), Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Georgia O’Keeffe is known for her stunning paintings of flowers and wildlife in New Mexico. This narrative nonfiction picture book emphasizes and explores how she cultivated her own sustainable garden using water conservation, companion planting, and composting.
Comments: Reading a book about an artist’s life rather than their art was a refreshing change.
The back sections explain how Georgia O’Keefe gardened and includes two of her recipes.
The illustrations were created with pen, paint, and paper and assembled in Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
A Grand Idea: How William J. Wilgus Created Grand Central Terminal
by Megan Hoyt (Author), David Szalay (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In 1902, Manhattan was full of people from all over the country visiting by train. A terrible train collision caused William J. Wilgus, a chief engineer, to devise a better plan to reduce and organize all of the train traffic to prevent any more accidents.
In this narrative nonfiction picture book, young readers will learn how he created this magnificent railroad station called Grand Central Terminal.
Comments: The back sections include information about William J. Wilgus and the Grand Central Terminal, fascinating facts about the terminal, a timeline, and sources.
The illustrations were created digitally with Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Everybody’s Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
by Linda Leopold Strauss (Author), Tim Smart (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In the mid-14th century, a Jewish wedding took place in Spain where the couple received a hand-painted haggadah for their Passover celebrations. The book was adorned with decorations of copper and gold. Passed down through generations, it eventually ended up in the possession of relatives who sold it to The National Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1894. This historic artifact is now known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. It’s remarkable that the book has survived through numerous wars.
Comments: The back sections in this narrative nonfiction book are Author Note, About the Author, and About the Illustrator.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’sAmazon page.
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall
by Lynn Brunelle (Author), Jason Chin (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction story begins with a blue whale eating krill and tells us how old she is, and her last day on earth. She dies and falls into the ocean but comes back up floating on the surface thanks to the gases in her body. Her body is now an ecosystem with many creatures benefiting.
Comments: The illustrations were created using watercolor and gouache on paper.
The back sections are A Bit About Blue Whales, What Are Ecosystems? It’s a Phase, A Little Pod of Whale Books, Whale Falls Online, and Selected Bibliography.
There are several nonfiction text features such as labels, maps, and diagrams.to help explain the whale’s cycle of life.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Wolf Effect: A Wilderness Revival Story (A Voice of the Wilderness Picture Book)
by Rosanne Parry (Author), Jennifer Thermes (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Young readers will learn about how the Yellowstone region became a national park and how it changed the humans and animals that inhabited the area. The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park is told through rhyming verse and story panels, demonstrating the positive effect on the environment and surroundings.
Comments: The illustrations were created using watercolor and colored pencil on Arches hot-pressed paper. Nonfiction text features such as maps and labels had me stopping and looking at all of the details.
The back sections are Who is Who?, A Brief History of Wolves in the American West, Artist’s Note, Glossary, and Additional Resources.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
One Day This Tree Will Fall
by Leslie Barnard Booth (Author), Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In this narrative nonfiction picture book, we learn the story of a tree’s beginning as a seed, its growth, providing food and shelter to animals, and its continued contribution after it dies.
Comments: The illustrations were created using gouache, colored pencil, and Photoshop.
The back sections are A Tree’s Story Never Ends, Trees and People, Glossary, and Selected Sources. 0
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This picture book title can be found on my Amazon Storefront along with other science picture book recommendations under Science–https://amzn.to/48cWRqd .)
The Museum on the Moon: The Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface
by Irene Latham (Author), Myriam Wares (Illustrator)
Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book uses a poem and nonfiction text to describe objects left on the moon.
Comments: This book could be used in a poetry unit or a lesson on the solar system. It was fascinating to learn about all the objects that were left behind.
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.)
Here and There
by Thea Lu (Author)
Brief summary: Dan lives in a small coastal town and owns a cafe where he enjoys welcoming visitors. He prefers staying “here” but wonders what it is like in other places.
Aki travels from place to place and is a sailor who likes to visit and meet new people. He likes to go “there” but has never had a place that he would consider home.
Aki goes to Dan’s cafe and enjoys a meal with the many other travelers.
Comments: Although these two men lead parallel lives, they share some commonalities. They both experience feelings of loneliness at times, but upon reflection, they acknowledge the numerous people they have met over the years. This realization helps them to feel less isolated and disconnected from others.
Ink, colored pencil, and collage were used to create the illustrations with a double fold-out page in the back.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Some Days Are Yellow
by Suzanne Slade (Author) and Michelle Lee (Illustrator)
Brief summary: There are yellow days that are vibrant and full of positivity, while there are also blue days that seem to be negative and full of disappointment.
Comments: This rhyming picture book portrays several children in different situations, experiencing various types of days. It serves as a reminder that life comes with its fair share of ups and downs, but one thing is for sure – tomorrow is a new day to start afresh.
I think this would be a good book to share with students as a reminder that life is unpredictable.
The abstract idea of yellow and blue days becomes more concrete with examples in vignettes and single- and double-spaced illustrations.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers (Picture-a-Poem)
by Emily Dickinson (Author), Tim Hopgood (Illustrator)
Brief Summary: Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” remains a timeless masterpiece, as it skillfully employs the metaphor of a bird to represent hope.
A brown bird flies across the city, singing and catching the attention of the people below, who smile.
Comments: This would be a poem(and possibly others) the teacher could read aloud while the students drew their interpretation of the words.
The illustrations were hand-drawn using chalk, pencil, and ink and digitally collaged and colored.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Today
by Gabi Snyder (Author), Stephanie Graegin (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young child looks forward to visiting Pop-Pop and cousins. The day has arrived with time that stretches out too long, like the drive to get there, while others go by quickly, such as the fireworks.
Comments: The book reminds young readers to be mindful of the present moment and notice what is happening to help create memories.
The back sections of the book are What is Mindfulness?, Appreciating the Here and Now, When You’re Temped to Fast-Forward, and When You’re Feeling Anxious or Worried.
The illustrations were created in Adobe Fresco, Adobe Photoshop, pencil, and watercolor.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Only: The Bird Who Liked Being Alone
by Airlie Anderson (Author)
Brief summary: In the tree, there are many birds that are loud and chatty. However, one bird named Only prefers to be quiet and spend time alone. The other birds feel sorry for Only and try to include them in their activities, but they end up overwhelming Only.
Only builds a quiet nest. The friends learn about the difference between quiet and loud, gaining a new understanding that some prefer solitude and are not lonely.
Comments: The illustrations were created using cut-paper collages, acrylics, and pencil crayons with some digital finishing.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
There is a companion book to Only titled Neither, a story promoting diversity.
How to Be Brave
by Karl Newson (Author), Clara Anganuzzi (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young child encourages and explains that trying something new may be scary at times, but to not give up. There may be setbacks and take the moment to learn from them. Be brave and go forward.
Comments: The child is shown with various animals trying new things.
Optimistic advice and encouragement throughout.
The illustrations were done with pencil and watercolor and digitally colored.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
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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