This page is under renovation. I am indexing all of the titles and themes to make it easier for viewers.
Children’s book titles are carefully handpicked by a certified elementary school librarian who, although retired, still enjoys reading children’s books, especially picture books, and recommending them to busy teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book lovers.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris reads before recommending are checked out from the public library, except for those much-appreciated complimentary copies sent to her for an honest review. Those are noted.
(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.)
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.
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 the complimentary copies 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.)
Dare to Be Daring
by Chelsea Lin Wallace (Author), Lian Cho (Illustrator)
Brief 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 the complimentary copies 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.)
Goodnight School
by Catherine Bailey (Author), Cori Doerrfeld (Illustrator)
Brief summary: As School prepares to close for the night, the night guard goes through the building to ensure that all the lights are off and each room is in order. However, she discovers evidence that someone else is in the school with her. Will she be able to identify the intruder before the students arrive the next day?
Comments: This humorous mystery picture book has detailed illustrations that had me stop and look.
I love it when the pasted-down end pages are part of the story.
This would be a nice story to share at bedtime.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
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 the complimentary copies she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
The Yellow Bus
by Loren Long (author and illustrator)
Brief summary: A school bus gives and receives joy wherever it goes. It starts by transporting children and then moves on to serving the elderly. In its later years, it becomes a shelter for the homeless and even for goats, continuing to bring joy throughout its entire lifespan.
Comments: The illustrations were created with graphite pencil, charcoal pencil, charcoal dust, and acrylic paint. I particularly liked the contrast between the black and white illustrations with the brightly colored ones especially the yellow.
The theme of this book was to find the joy in every situation.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a 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 the complimentary copies 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.)
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.
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 the complimentary copies 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.)
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 the complimentary copies 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.)
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.
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 the complimentary copies she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
The Wolf Effect: A Wilderness Revival Story children’s book recommendation is by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
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.
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.
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall children’s book recommendation is by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
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 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 the complimentary copies she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.
The Girl with the Magic Ponytails: French Tales children’s book recommendation is by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)
The Girl with the Magic Ponytails: French Tales
by Karen J. Young (Author), Yoko Matsuoka(Illustrator)
Brief summary: Riley always wears her long, brown hair in two ponytails on either side of her head. She and her pup visit her grandparents, where there is a lovely table full of French pastries.
Her grandparents share their honeymoon photo album from when they visited France. Riley bites into a macaron and her ponytails twist and twirl, magically transporting her and Pup to France in the past. There, she meets artists Monet and Van Gogh and even gets to drive in the Grand Prix. Eventually, they land outside a café where Riley is greeted by her grandparents. They return home to celebrate the couple’s anniversary.
Comments: This book’s vivid imagination may inspire young readers to create their own fantasy adventures.
The illustrations are bright and colorful, matching Riley’s energy. The fonts change color to complement the illustrations.
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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 is NOT my Lunch Box!
by Jennifer Dupuis (Author), Carol Schwartz (Illustrator)
Brief summary: In this narrative nonfiction picture book, a boy is on a camping trip. As he opens a different colored lunchbox each time, he discovers that it is full of food for creatures in the woods. These creatures include herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. What will he find in his lunch box next?
Comments: The lunch box is located on the right-hand side of the double-page spread. Turning the page reveals the answer of the lunch box owner located on the left. Readers then have to guess who will eat the contents of the next lunch box. This pattern continues for about a dozen times. Very clever!
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Bumblebee Garden
by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)
Brief 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)
Brief 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.
Ride Beside Me
by Lucy Knisley (Author)
Brief summary: A young child and mother go bike riding in the city. They are soon joined by other bicyclists in the bike club of different backgrounds and various forms of bikes, all heading up the mountain and then back down.
Comments: The illustrations were created using gouache paint on paper.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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The Best Worst Camp Out Ever
by Joe Cepeda (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: At the end of the school year, a boy and his dad decide to go camping. However, upon arriving at a campsite, they discover it is full. They then find an alternate campsite, which is not as appealing. Despite facing a series of setbacks, they persist in overcoming each problem.
Comments: This humorous elementary graphic novel was created with Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Beach Bummer
by Ryan Higgins (author and illustrator)
Brief summary: It is a hot summer day in Soggy Hollow, and the mice want to turn the house into a beach resort, but they go to one instead. Bruce begrudgingly carries everything to the beach until it is time to return home.
Comments: The illustrations were created using scans of treated clayboard for texture, graphite, ink, and Photoshop.
This book is smaller–7.28″ x 7.28″.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Firefly Galaxy
by Sarah Nelson (Author), Estrellita Caracol (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Sophie, Diego, and Lili excitedly wait until it is dark enough to catch fireflies and put them in a jar. Their parents go with them away from the house, where they can see the stars at night and the fireflies flashing off and on.
Comments: There is a section at the back called “Fascinating Firefly Facts” for more information about this insect.
The illustrations were created in paper collage.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Summer is Here
by Renée Watson (Author), Bea Jackson (Illustrator)
Brief summary: A young girl wakes up on a sunny summer day and eats a breakfast of fruit. She then goes to play in the pool with her friends. Throughout the day, she also plays Double Dutch, goes on a picnic, throws water balloons, eats ice cream, and partakes in other activities. As the day comes to an end, she wishes that summer would stay.
Comments: Young readers will enjoy an action-packed summer day full of activities they can relate to.
The illustrations were created using a variety of pastel, oil paint, and watercolor brushes and Photoshopped.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Summer’s Magic: An Indigenous Celebration of Nature
by Kaitlin B. Curtice (Author), Eduardo Marticorena (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Bo’s mom braids his hair into one long braid divided by three to represent the body, mind, and spirit. During the summer, he and his family celebrate by growing plants and visiting a river with their dog, Sam. They give thanks to the river before playing in it. However, as they prepare to leave, Bo notices people throwing their picnic trash into the river.
During the solstice, Bo goes to the river and asks the other kids to help him clean it up. In the evening, they have a big meal and their neighbors stop by. Bo shows the children his garden, and they catch and release fireflies.
Comments: Bo is a Potawatomi and shares his beliefs about Mother Nature throughout the story.
This could be shared not only as a summer solstice companion but with Earth Day, pollution ,and environmental unit of studies as well.
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.)
With Dad
by Richard Jackson (Author), Brian Floca (Illustrator)
Brief 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 probably 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 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Sydney’s Big Speech
by Malcolm Newsome (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)
Brief 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.
Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!
by Highlights (Creator)
Brief 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.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
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Like Father, Like Son
by Lesléa Newman (Author), AG Ford (Illustrator)
Brief 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)
Brief 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
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Daddy, Tell Me a Story
by Kathleen Long Bostrom (Author), Ela Smietanka (Artist)
Brief 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 📗📗📗📗
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.)
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 📗📗📗📗
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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.
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