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Uh-Oh, Hugo! by Jonathan Stutzman and Jay Fleck . PICTURE BOOK. Flamingo (Penguin), 2026. $19. 9798217039203 BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ADVISABLE APPEALS TO: SEVERAL Hugo is up for a busy day. Lots of sniffing and running and sticky mess by the end of the day. I don’t know why this is not a board book. With its simple text and bold pictures, it is perfect for that format. For kids with dogs or…
This is Not a Christmas Book by Jory John and Pierre Collet-Derby . PICTURE BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), SEPTEMBER 2026. $20. 9780374394011 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL APPEALS TO: MANY The lizard is trying to educate the reader about rocks, but what is that elf doing there? And those reindeer! I love the lizard’s commitment to his rocks - and that Collet-Derby is as accurate…
The Dumped Truck by Daniel Bernstrom and Marcelo Verdad . PICTURE BOOK. Harper, 2026. 9780063373624 BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL APPEALS TO: MANY Dump Truck works around Toyville and is very helpful, but he is also stinky, dirty, and makes other messes as he works. When the other toys band together to change the rules, they don’t realize the smelly consequences of their choices. So super…
Twigs and Stones by Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop . PICTURE BOOK Gecko Press (Lerner), 2025. $19. 9798765668238 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE APPEALS TO: SOME Snake and Lizard are friends who live together - they share a hole under a rock. When Lizard wants to write their names in sticks above their hole, Snake keeps asking why, which is irritating. Snake doesn't help; Lizard does all the…
Born Inside a Nest so Small: Conversation with a Hummingbird by Iza Trapani . NON-FICTION, PICTURE BOOK Charlesbridge/Imagine, 2025. $18 9781623545840 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE APPEALS TO: SOME A child watches a hummingbird while reading, um, this book, and comments on each page poetically. He tells the hummingbird about itself as he reads the information. A bit surreal, but I don't…
Sweet, Sweet Memory by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Tonya Engel . PICTURE BOOK Nancy Paulsen (Penguin), 2026. $19. 9780593530849 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE APPEALS TO: SOME Sarah's grandfather has passed away, and the family has come to say goodbye. Everyone has stories and memories about grandpa, and Sarah does, too. She lives with her grandparents, but with everyone there,…
Stubby: A Pencil’s Journey by Sydra Mallery and John Hare . PICTURE BOOK. Greenwillow (Harper), 2026. $20. 9780062364319 BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL APPEALS TO: SOME Stubby, the pencil, takes us from the beginning of his life as a tree, through becoming a pencil, and on to all of his adventures in the classroom. Stubby’s story is actually quite long. In places it is very entertaining, but the…
The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James Scott . PICTURE BOOK. Harper, 2026. $20. 9780063455887 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL APPEALS TO: SOME The Skeleton is happy with its solitary life, so when the cat wants to be friends, Skeleton is reluctant. The tale unfolds in five mini stories, so it doesn’t flow. The illustrations are so beautiful; I’m disappointed that the story is so…
The Ghost Who Saved Halloween by Jen Anyong and Kaly Quarles . PICTURE BOOK. Harper, 2026. $13. 9780063478008 Content: G (one kid scared down to his underwear) BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL APPEALS TO: SOME The ghost is surprised to see that Halloween has co me around again. As he pulls out his best scary tricks, he is unpleasantly surprised that none of them seem to be working. The text is…
Lost and Found (Little Blue Truck) by Alice Schertle and John Joseph . PICTURE BOOK. BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL APPEALS TO: SOME Blue and Toad are loading hay into the truck bed, but now Blue can’t find Toad. He asks the animals around the farm to help him look. Fans of The Little Blue Truck will like this little mystery with its rhyming text and illustrations still in McMurry’s…
