Mystery Picture Books

September 3, 2026September 3, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Mystery picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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 Mystery Picture Books–https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/RO2SFMSSTGI4?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_d .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Squirrel and Bird on standing on top of a large orange pumpkin with a little yellow ladder beside it. There are smaller pumpkins beside it. There are threes on either side with eyes looking out of dark bushes.

The Pumpkin Thief

by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)

Summary: Squirrel and Bird plant pumpkin seeds causing five to grow. Squirrel claims the largest one and is doing some gardening when he notices that they are slowly disappearing. He follows the clues and tries to figure out the mystery.

Comments: This is a humorous mystery that has several mystery elements: clues, predictions, and inference.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Old MacDonald wearing denim overalls and a straw hat standing in his farm yard surrounded with striped horses looking like zebras, a cow with a mustache, a rabit, and goat.

The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm

by Mark Teague (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Farmer MacDonald calls Officer Busby to the farm to show her the strange things that have been happening. Officer Busby investigates the clues and identifies the culprits.

Comments: This would make a funny read-aloud for teaching the basic elements of a mystery–the problems, suspects, clues, investigation, and solution. There are also elements of wordplay and parody.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Inspector H. Poulet is a chicken dressed in an overcoat with a magnifying glass looking at a road with blue birds nearby in the grass

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: A Hard-boiled Mystery

by Brianna Caplan Sayres (Author), Mark Fearing (Illustrator)

Summary: Inspector H. Poulet has three hens enter her office wondering why The Chicken crossed the road. The inspector follows the clues and goes to various locations on the farm until the mystery is solved.

Comments: This fun mystery picture book is full of wordplay and puns as well as mystery elements such as prediction, evaluating clues, inference, and more.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Train with shadows of people onboard boing through the countryside with Hercule Poirot standing to the side

The Mystery of the Blue Train (Mini Mysteries)

by Marci Kay Monson (Author), Greg Paprocki (Illustrator)

Summary: This kid-friendly version of the original Agatha Christie novel featuring Hercule Poirot takes place on a train traveling to the French Riviera when someone is found dead and a ruby is stolen.

Comments: This picture book is in rhyme with an introduction of Hercule Poirot and his white cat, Pierre, who appears in each two-page spread. The illustrations are brightly colored with loads of details.

There are clues and puzzles for readers to solve that help them examine suspects, motives, and evidence which encourage logic, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. There are also French vocabulary words with a glossary in the back.

This is the second of the mini-series. I also recommend the other two especially for grades 3-5– “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and “The Secret of the Old Clock: A Nancy Drew Detective Story.”

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Luna is wearing a trench coat with brown ponytails hanging out while she holds a magnifying glass to a mooncake with silhouette outlines in the background with question marks over them.

Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math)

by Natasha Yim (Author), Violet Kim (Illustrator)

Summary: It’s a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. Luna’s cousin, Mina brings over a box of mooncakes shaped like the animals of the lunar calendar, enough for everyone at the party. Auntie Wei tells them to wait until after dinner to eat their mooncake. During the celebration, the two girls notice that mooncakes are disappearing one at a time.

Comments: Students can practice making observations of the evidence in the illustrations, eliminating suspects, and deciding who they think is the culprit.

The backmatter includes information about the festival and math.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Bulls are inside of a tea shop where there is a lot of china on shelves

Clovis Suspects a Sneak

by Katelyn Aronson (Author)

Brief summary: Clovis is enjoying decorating his shop when he notices little things are disappearing. He becomes suspicious of his customers and friends, including his cat, straining his relationships. Clovis decides to set a trap to catch the culprit. Can he find the thief and repair his friendships?

Comments: This is a wonderful story for teaching the difference between suspicion and evidence. Students can identify clues and make predictions about who is the thief.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Kitty Feral is dressed in a blue trench cot and fedora hat.

Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey

by Eddie Muller (Author), Jessica Schmidt (Author), Forrest Burdett (Illustrator)

Summary: Kitty Feral, a cat detective, searches for the missing Marshmallow Monkey candy and her missing partner, Mitch the Mutt in this film-noir-inspired mystery.

Comments: This kid-friendly story uses dark moody shadows and a narrative style that is like the classic noir films. It teaches setting, mood, clues, suspects, and solution. The illustrations complement and create the mood and tone of the story. This is an introduction to the detective and film-noir genres.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Kindergartners with all sorts of big heads stading around a large teacher's desk looking at a sandwich that has two olive pierce through a toothpick on top that look like eyes and bologna sticking out the side that sort of looks like a tongue

Mr. S: A First Day of School Book

by Monica Arnaldo (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: The kindergartners of 2B arrive on the first day of school to find a missing teacher. Their first clue is that the desk has a ruler, a steaming cup of coffee, and a giant sandwich. They notice “Mr. S” has been written on the chalkboard. They wonder if their teacher could be Mr. Sandwich. They immediately create an alphabet of different sandwiches. They continue their day doing school-related activities without the supervision of an adult. Suddenly, the door opens, and a man hurries inside the classroom. Is this their teacher?

Comments: This was one of my favorite back-to-school books. Great mystery. A subplot is also going on in the window frame throughout the story. Clever. Well done. I can’t wait to read more imaginative stories like this from Monica Arnaldo.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective

by Guilherme Karsten (Author)

Summary: The mystery begins with the fish bowl on the floor and a boy quickly putting his pet goldfish into a plastic baggie of water. There is a knock on the door. The boy opens the door to find Ramon Fellini, the dog detective, ready to offer his services to help figure out how the fishbowl fell. The boy is quite impressed with the dog detective’s cat disguise. He looks just like a cat. Will they be able to figure out who is the culprit?

Comments: This is an outstanding whodunnit picture book that children will love. The humor engages them as they take on the role of a detective trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the fish. They will know that something isn’t quite right with the devious detective.

This hilarious mystery picture book is a Brazilian translation, initially published in 2021 and translated to English in 2025. The illustrations were created digitally.

Not only is this a fun read-aloud, but it could also teach clues in the text and illustrations as well as predictability of what will happen next.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Hair Picture Books

August 1, 2026August 24, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Hair picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A young girl is in the tub with googles with her mother's hands coming from the top taking out her barrettes.

No Way, Wash Day

by Adrienne Thurman (Author), Kaylani Juanita (Illustrator)

Summary: Nina Belle loves the different ways she wears her hair but tries to get out of wash day. Her mother gently helps her daughter realize that hair care is a tradition of love and connection.

Comments: This is a humorous read-aloud that could lead to discussions of self-care and how making a common routine into a caring expression.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

My Crown is Good

by Sydney Hart (Author)

Summary: A young girl, Tiara, loves her locs until she is bullied at school about them. She loses her confidence and self-pride until she visits her Grandma Algie who is able to help her granddaughter realize how beautiful her hair is and to wear it like a crown.

Comments: This story would pair well with a self-portrait art activity where students reflect and share their features.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.

A boy closing his eyes with his hair pulled back

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. The book 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.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 (paid link).

A father and son sitting in matching capes in a barbershop.

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 (paid link).

My Powerful Hair

by Carole Lindstrom (Author), Steph Littlebird (Illustrator)

Brief summary: A young girl tells how she can’t wait for her hair to grow long. She explains how her ancestors grew long hair, as hair is their memories and source of strength. The girl shares the milestones of her life and how her hair grows parallel to those special events.

Comments: Readers learn why the young girl’s mother has always had short hair and what it means to have hair cut short in her Indigenous culture.

This book’s back pages explain the belief that hair holds strength and power and includes an Author’s note.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A young girl with an Afro looks down with illustrations of ancestral women in the background. Illustrations are bright. The words of the cover of When I Wrap My Hair are part of her hair scarf.

When I Wrap My Hair

by Shauntay Grant (Author), Jenin Mohammed (Illustrator)

Summary: A young girl reflects upon how she feels and connects to ancestral women of her heritage while her mother wraps her hair in a scarf.

Comments: The lyrical verses float in and out of bright colors of the traditional and digital mixed media.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

This is the second of the Girl with the Magic Ponytales series.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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 Picture Books

May 24, 2026August 22, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Narrative Nonfiction picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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 Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1W55B2WL32ZNO?ref_=aipsflist .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A young girl and a young woman are standing in front of Al-Qarawiyyin Library.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link)..

A young Fannie Farmer cooking with a large pot with vegetables. There are measuring utensils on the side. Book's cover

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Annie Londonderry riding on a bicycle wearing bloomers with an American flag on the handlebars. There is a globe in the background with various people. Cover of the book

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Georgia O"Keeffe in the desert in her garden with a large table of her garden's bounty which are flowers, corn, vegetables. There is a crow and rabbit in the background along with flowers and trees. Book's cover

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

William J. Wilgus painting of him holding his chin thinking with a train and Grand Central Terminal in the background. Book's cover

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A man is holding a book. There are books on the bookshelves.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

For more information:

The cover of Life After Whale with a blue whale in the sea with smaller fish swimming around it.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Cover of The Wolf Effect with a wolf howling while standing on a hill. There are other hills in the background with animals and a stream.

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 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons

by Laura Purdie Salas (Author), Alexandria Neonakis (Illustrator).

Brief summary: A mother and father loon raise a mallard duckling. The duckling learns the ways of the loons, like eating minnows and taking food from them.

Comments: This story in verse is based on a true story in 2019 in a Wisconsin Lake as part of the Loon Project, where researchers observed a loon pair taking care of a duckling. What makes this unique is that loons usually drive away mallard ducks.

The back pages include sections such as Is This Story True?, The Intruder, and Very Different Birds(with a Venn Diagram).

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Rise to the Sky cover of the narrative nonfiction book that tells about tall trees with tall trees with deer eating grass underneath

Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up

by Rebecca E. Hirsch (Author), Mia Posada (Illustrator). .

Brief summary: Young readers will learn about a tree’s life cycle from a tiny sprout to a tall tree.

Comments: Back sections include How Does a Tall Tree Grow?, Where Do the Tallest Trees Live?, and two activities.

The illustrations are cut-paper collages with watercolor but have photographs of the tallest trees in the back of the book.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Special Delivery cover with sky blue background with various means of transportation all done in cartoon style

Special Delivery: A Book’s Journey Around the World

by Polly Faber (Author), Klas Fahlén (Illustrator).

Brief summary: A book is made and journeys in various forms of transportation across the city, sea, and through the country until it reaches Pip’s Bookshop, where it is bought and sent to a grandson.

Comments: The back has Special Delivery Numbers of interesting statistics about the book’s journey.

Full, detailed illustrations with bright colors. I stopped and looked at each page to get more details of the transportation story from them.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Cover of Yoshi with a little green turtle swimming in the ocean with other fish and plants

Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story About an Amazing Swimmer

by Lynne Cox (Author), Richard Jones (Illustrator).

Brief summary: A Loggerhead hatchling finds her way across the Australian beach when the moon is full. She swims for the first time in the Indian Ocean, encountering many marine and land animals and fish on her journey.

The turtle is tangled in a net until a fisherman rescues her and helps her return to good health. Unable to keep the turtle, the fisherman gives her to an aquarium, where she is released into the sea with a tracking device. People can watch where she swims in the ocean. Will she make it back to her home?

Comments: This is a true story with more information in the Author’s Note.

I kept reading to find out more about Yoshi and if she was going to be okay or not.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Cover of Poop for Breakfast with various animals around a kitchen table with pile of poop on a plate

Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It

by Sara Levine (Author), Florence Weiser (Illustrator).

Brief summary: Young readers will learn about why some animals eat feces. One can read a simple narrative or include a more correlating detailed description as the story continues teaching readers everything they need to know, including the correct terminology of why animals eat poop.

Comments: Well, I learned a lot from reading this book and recommend it to children and adults who desire to learn more about this topic, which was done in a very tasteful manner (excuse the pun).

The back sections include The Scoop on Poop, Be a Book Detective, By Any Other Name, and Further Reading.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Book cover of Jumper with a closeup of a jumping spider on the grass

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider

by Jessica Lanan (Author, Illustrator).

Brief summary: As soon as I open the book, I meet the main character as big as bean, Jumper, a jumping spider. Jumper is hungry and goes hunting for food in the family’s backyard. She jumps without worry as her silk is a safety line. Vibrations help the spider know if a predator or prey is nearby. Will Jumper ever find dinner, or will she become dinner?

Comments: Excellent back sections with more details about his spider, with close-ups illustrated by hand. A few other spiders are discussed, along with the life cycle of a jumping spider. There is a Glossary, Author’s Note, Finding and Identifying Spiders, and Resources sections.

This book begins and ends on the paste-down end pages. There is a fold-out demonstrating how a spider sees with eight eyes.

This book asks readers questions to pause and reflect upon the spider’s life. Dialogic reading.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

The Forest Keeper– The True Story of Jadav Payeng

by Rina Singh (Author), Ishita Jain (Illustrator).

Brief summary: Jadav Payeng, a tribal boy living in India, went to the elders in 1979 when the Brahmaputra River took large parts of the islands’ land mass away when it flooded. He wanted them to help him plant trees on an island called Majuli to help prevent the island from disappearing.

The forest department gave him bamboo seedlings and told him to plant the forest himself. So, he did. Has the past thirty years of his hard work helped the area and animals?

Comments: The front and end pages give more details about this passionate individual whose hard work and dedication completely changed Mujuli Island and the Molai Forest(named after him). It can take just one person to make a significant impact in a positive way.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Nobody Likes Frogs: A Book of Toadally Fun Facts

by Barbara Davis-Pyles (Author), Liz Wong (Illustrator).

Brief summary: A turtle narrates how much it does not like frogs while learning all about them as the story progresses. Does the turtle have a change of heart? Will the reader?

Comments: The back sections are Frog Facts and Be Somebody Who Likes Frogs by Helping Them!. The pasted-down end pages are full of different types of frogs.

This is a general book about frogs. I learned that frogs can live as long as twenty years.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Perseverance Picture Books

May 21, 2026August 22, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Perseverance picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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 Perseverance Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4uwhciS .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Mabel and the Mountain cover. Mabel, a fly, is standing on the top of a mountain with the sun shouting out rays.

Mabel and the Mountain: A Story About Believing in Yourself

by Kim Hillyard (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Mabel is a small fly with big plans:

1. Climb a mountain.
2. Host a dinner party.
3. Make friends with a shark.

Although her friends do not support her at the beginning, Mabel believes in herself and learns to take small steps at a time to accomplish her goals. Mabel’s confidence rubs off on her fly friends who come up with their own goals.

Comments: A very cute story of perseverance, self-confidence, and grit. Young readers will root for little Mabel to not give up and climb her mountain.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A young Judit is intentely looking across a chess board

The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game

by Laurie Wallmark (Author), Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Judit and her sisters were trained by their parents to play chess. They competed, with Judit being the youngest. She won junior tournaments against adults. Judit and her family went to the USA, where she competed in games against adults and won. Her goal was to become the youngest grandmaster. She returned to Budapest to study and became the national champion of Hungary. Will Judit’s chess journey lead her to her goal?

Comments: The back pages include Timeline and The Mathematics of Chess.

This is an inspirational story of encouragement, hard work, and perseverance.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Music Picture Books

May 20, 2026August 21, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Music picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A young Prince wearing his well known ruffled shirt and purple jacket playing the guitar is on the top of the book's right side of the cover while there is another scene of him walking down the street with his guitar. The cover has a purple hue. Doves are flying.

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 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Pablo Casals playing the cello with birds of all colors flying out of his instrument. Sitting on a chair outside

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

Patsy Cline on the cover with her red dress with white stars and fringe standing on clouds in the woods with her white dog on the crescent moon.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.

The stage with red velvet curtains featuring the opera singers of The Magic Flute.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.

A young girl on a city's balcony plays a triangle along with other people on balconies and open windows playing various instruments. Cover of One Sweet Song

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Picture Book Biography cover with Sister Rosetta Tharpe playing a guitar

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.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Picture book biography cover of The Green Piano with Roberta Flack as a child playing a green piano

The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music

by Roberta Flack (Author), Tonya Bolden (Author), Hayden Goodman (Illustrator).

Brief summary: Roberta Flack grew up in a Blue Ridge Mountain town in North Carolina, living in a house with two musical parents. She longed to have a piano of her own. Her father found one in a junkyard and spruced it up by painting it green. Her love of music blossomed forth.

The Author’s Note and Career Highlights are in the back.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

And There Was Music

by Marta Pantaleo (Author)

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I received a free copy of this book.

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.

Patience Picture Books

May 20, 2026August 22, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Patience picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/2ZJKP1Y3TCHDN?ref_=aipsflist .)

❗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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A girl is ready to go swimming with a large life preserver that has a sleeping sloth on top of it

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Nonfiction Picture Books

May 20, 2026August 22, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Nonfiction picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/2FLQHF9FGQHDG?ref_=aipsflist .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

The book cover to Fly Like a Bird with various birds in the sky.

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 (paid link).

*I received a free copy of this book.

Book cover for Fly with all sorts of birds with different colors flying or sitting in trees. The title is spelled with feathers.

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 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

The Monarch insect is on the milkweed. A field of bright flowers with the butterfly at different stages.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A bird with a chef's hat and spatula in hand is barbecuing hamburgers on a grill laughing. He has an apron on with #1 Dad on it.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Jack-o-lantern with a candle inside, a black cat, spilt candy corn, and bats are spread on the cover of this Halloween book

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

There are pumpkins and jack-o- lanterns with lit candles and a fake black spider on the steps of a house for the traditional Halloween house

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Hanging lit lanterns are handing from the ceiling

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 (paid link).

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 (paid link).

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.

Insect Picture Books

May 18, 2026August 21, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Insect picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases 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.❗

Cover for Log Life which has a fir tree growing from a nurse log. A mouse, snails, beetles, mushrooms are on the fallen log.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A blond hair girl with glasses is looking at various insect species while outside in the garden.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Immigration Picture Books

May 18, 2026August 21, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Immigration picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/1QY1XULXXMBVE?ref_=aipsflist.)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A daughter, mother, and grandmother are talking with one another

My Mother’s Tongues: A Weaving of Languages

by Uma Menon (Author), Rahele Jomepour Bell (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Sumi’s mother speaks two tongues–Malayalam and English. The little girl notices how her mother is able to go back and forth between the two languages but only has one tongue in her head. Sumi has learned both languages and uses them at different times in her daily routine and when her family go to visit relatives in Kerala, India.

She learns that some people have several tongues and can communicate with more people. This inspires her to learn more languages.

Comments: These lovely illustrations were created using mixed media.

This book would be a wonderful classroom share with students to teach how having multiple languages is an advantage.

It should be noted that this picture book was created by a sixteen-year-old who I hope to see more books from in the future.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link)..

*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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Grandparent picture book of a grandson standing with his grandfather behind him

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Humorous Picture Books

May 18, 2026August 21, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Humorous picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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 (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A penguin standing in the snow with a toy on his backside; cover of Have You Ween Mikki Olsen?

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Grandparent Picture Books

May 12, 2026August 20, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Grandparent picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases 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://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/3I3U0LA1IE7QV?ref_=aipsflist .)

❗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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link)..

A young boy and his grandmother are walking in a flower garden

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.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

At the Drop of a Cat

by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

The sun's rays coming down through the trees onto the road a the child runds to a grandparent

In Every Life

by Marla Frazee (Author, Illustrator).

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.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Picture book cover of a grandmother and her grandchild walking in the rain

Together with You

by Patricia Toht (Author), Jarvis (Illustrator).

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.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Garden Picture Books

May 12, 2026August 20, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Garden picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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)

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Ayla swimming around the coral reef with fish following her in a circle. Cover of The Ocean Gardner.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A young girl is looking at some potted plants with Sprouts coming out of them with a frosted window behind her.

Wintergarden

by Janet Fox (Author), Jasu Hu (Illustrator)

Brief summary: In the winter, a girl helps her mother grow a garden on the window sill in little pots. The child cares for and tends the plants, harvesting some for their Thanksgiving meal.

When the weather warms up, she looks forward to picking out seeds to grow more plants.

Comments: Directions for how to grow your own wintergarden are at the back of the book.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link)..

A grandfather giving his granddaughter a pot of peonies

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A girl in a polka dot dress on the rooftop garden gathering fruit and fegetables for her basket while a cat is chasing butterflies

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A child with flowers all around them wearing a necklace of daisies.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A word on a rock with quilled plants growing beside it

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

George Washington Carver as a young man with a moustache holding a large pot of white flowers

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A child tending a garden with plants and animals. Geese are flying overhead.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A young girl with a short orange ponytail and pink headband with white polka dots is holding a plant with her yellow dog placing its paw on the plant

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A little girl in a red hoody looking at a flower with her black and white dog. She has a box of seeds.

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

garden and flowers in a circle with a white picket fence with a city scape background

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

A young girl and her mother with henna on their hands.

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

My Baba’s Garden

by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)

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.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Inside the Compost Bin

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Grandma’s Roof Garden

by Tang Wei (Author), Kelly Zhang (Translator)

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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.

Friendship Picture Books

May 11, 2026August 20, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Friendship picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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 (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I received a free copy of this book.

Revony Rhinoceros is a baby rhino holding up a smiling and frowning signs. There is a lake with hills behind.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

*I was sent a free copy of this book.

Three kangaroos dress in taekwondo uniforms have rescued a joey. They are standing with the sky above them and the field below. Cover of Rescue at Rattling Ridge

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link)..

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.

Food Picture Books

May 10, 2026August 20, 2026 The Retired School Librarian1 Comment

Food picture picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

❗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.

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

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

Cover of India on a Plate with a plate of food with various Indian food. One a table with a child peeking over it

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 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 (paid link).

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.

Flower Picture Books

May 7, 2026August 19, 2026 The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Flower picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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.❗

Book cover of A Dandelion with dandelion plants at various stages of the flower. A sun and moon are at the top of the cover with a blue background.

n are in the sky

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 (paid link).

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 (paid link).

Book cover to Doe's Dandelions with a doe carrying a basket full of dandelions while on the green grass full of dandelions and daffodils

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 (paid link).

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 (paid link).

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 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).

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 Pumpkin Thief

The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: A Hard-boiled Mystery

The Mystery of the Blue Train (Mini Mysteries)

Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math)

Clovis Suspects a Sneak

Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey

Mr. S: A First Day of School Book

Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective

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No Way, Wash Day

My Crown is Good

Brave

Wash Day with Mama

Haircut Day with Dad

My Powerful Hair

When I Wrap My Hair

The Girl with the Magic Ponytails: French Tales

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Behind My Doors: The Story of the World’s Oldest Library

The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook

Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World

Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keeffe Nourished Her Art

A Grand Idea: How William J. Wilgus Created Grand Central Terminal

Everybody’s Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah

Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall

The Wolf Effect: A Wilderness Revival Story (A Voice of the Wilderness Picture Book)

One Day This Tree Will Fall

Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons

Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up

Special Delivery: A Book’s Journey Around the World

Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story About an Amazing Swimmer

Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider

The Forest Keeper– The True Story of Jadav Payeng

Nobody Likes Frogs: A Book of Toadally Fun Facts

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Mabel and the Mountain: A Story About Believing in Yourself

The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game

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Ordinary Days: The Seeds, Sound, and City That Grew Prince Rogers Nelson

Music and Silence: The Passion and Protest of Pablo Casals

Patsy Cline’s Walkin’ After Midnight

Welcome to the Opera: Discover the Enchanting World of Opera with Mozart’s The Magic Flute

One Sweet Song

Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll

The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music

And There Was Music

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Avocado Magic

Waiting on Mr. Sloth

When You Have to Wait

The Very Patient Gus Davis

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Fly Like a Bird (Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers (SSCR))

Fly: A Family Guide to Birds and How to Spot Them (In Our Nature)

Milkweed for Monarchs

The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants

The Pumpkin Book

Kingdoms of Life

Hike It: An Introduction to Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking through the U.S.A.

Clever Crow