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Showing posts from February, 2026

De la hora del cuento: La letra "T"

  Cuentos El tejado de Benito Por Anuska Allepuz Madrid, Spain: NubeOcho, 2025. Libro ilustrado. "El tejado de Benito es el sitio favorito de muchos animales, pero cada uno piensa que es... ¡su tejado! Nadie quiere irse, pero ¿quĆ© ocurrirĆ” cuando no quepa ni una pulga? El tejado de Benito es el tejado favorito de Gato, le encanta pasear por sus tejas. Pero... ¡un momento! tambiĆ©n es el tejado favorito de Ratón. Y de Zorro y de Ardilla y de BĆŗho, Polilla, Erizo, Eriza, Erizón y Pulga. Todos se encuentran encima del tejado, y no les gusta nada tener que compartirlo. Comienzan a discutir y discutir, hasta que, de repente, oyen un enorme crujido...Cuando nuestras acciones tienen consecuencias poco agradables, lo importante es solucionarlas y si es en equipo ¡mucho mejor!" --Amazon Cuentitos Clic, clac, muu: vacas que escriben a mĆ”quina Escrito por Doreen Cronin Ilustrado por Betsy Lewin Nueva York : Simon & Schuster Libros Para NiƱos, 2022. PequeƱo libro ilustrado. "Las ...

From Story Time: The Letter "T"

Preschool Time The Treasure Box Written by David Keane Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. Picture Book. Before he becomes very sick, Grandpa enjoys joining his granddaughter in her favorite activity, searching for things to add to her secret treasure box, including a broken robin's egg, a rusty spring, and a snakeskin that makes Grandpa squirm and make funny faces. --Editor Preschool Time Do You See the Tiger? Written by Philip Ardagh Illustrated by David Melling Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2025. Picture Book. One rainy night, Penny and her daddy take an underground train packed with passengers. As they stand in the crowded car, Penny can't believe what she's seeing. A tiger's tail? A tiger's paw! No, that's just a person with a striped glove, assures Daddy. But when they find a seat and Penny has a clearer view, there's no mistaking the tiger's foot poking out from under a pant leg. And when this extraordin...

Review: At Home in a Faraway Place

At Home in a Faraway Place By Lynne Rae Perkins New York : Greenwillow Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2025. J Fiction. 121 pages. Lissie takes three airplanes to travel to Guatemala with her dad and grandma. It's farther than she has ever been before and she worries about this two-week long visit, especially because she doesn't know any Spanish. So much is different in this new place. But even more is familiar! As she and her family explore a Mayan pyramid, a bustling mercado and so on, they meet people and make tiny friendships.  This little book is a delightful travelogue with an emphasis on communication and connection. Illustrations and phonetic pronunciation accompany nearly one hundred Spanish words and phrases Lissie learns while she is in Guatemala. (These are also included in a glossary in the back). She finds other universal, unifying ways to communicate, too: pantomime, drawing, making crafts, playing games and sports, sharing a laugh. I would recomme...

Five Faves: Simple Easy Readers

It can be an overwhelming experience trying to teach a child to read. Where do you start? What are the best resources? How do I get my child to want to read on their own? For anyone who has ever asked these questions, here are some of my favorite simple easy readers. Books with only a few words per page. Books that are well-illustrated, funny, and exciting and will make kids want to pick up the next one to try to read on their own. The Letter Setters in Bop! By Ethan Long New York: Holiday House, 2025. Easy Reader. This book, the first in a new series (the second one is also out now!) follows a canine crew in an adventure through town as they try to follow around their bone. What is unbelievably cool about this book is that it tells a story with only one word per page while using a word that changes by one letter on each spread. So the word can changes to ran, which changes to rap, and that trend continues throughout the book. Ethan Long somehow manages to tell a cohesive story with a ...

Review: The Amazing Generation

The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World Written by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price  Illustrated by Cynthia Yuan Cheng New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2025. Informational. 226 pages.  In a kid-friendly adaptation of his best-selling book, The Anxious Generation , Jonathan Haidt teams up with Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up With Your Phone , to bring the power of good information directly to the hands of those that this issue affects most directly — kids on the cusp of getting their own smartphones. The book presents information about the drawbacks of having a smartphone and social media too soon in clear and easy-to-understand language, with eye-catching graphics and pop-outs. Throughout the book, quotes from real teens and young adults, called screen "rebels" by the authors, emphasize the points the authors are trying to make. Fictional characters are featured throughout in a graphic novel story, which further emphasizes the po...

Display: Love your community

  All are Welcome Written by Alexandra Penfold Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2018. Picture book. Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce a school where diversity is celebrated and songs, stories, and talents are shared. Includes fold-out pages.—Publisher Love the World By Todd Parr New York, NY ; Boston, MA : Little, Brown and Company, 2017. Picture book. Whether looking at one's own nose and toes, helping others, or exploring the world, there is always something to love.—Publisher Peace Train By Cat Stevens New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021. Picture book. Readers are invited to hop on the Peace train and join its growing group of passengers who are all ready to unite the world in peace and harmony. Featuring the timeless lyrics of Cat Stevens's legendary song and illustrations by New York Times bestselling artist Peter H. Reynolds, this hopeful picture book inspires tolerance and love for people of all cult...

De la hora del cuento: La letra "S"

  Cuentos ¡DeslĆ­zate, serpiente! Por Shelby Alinsky Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 2019. FĆ”cil. "¡Conoce a distintos tipos de serpientes! Descubre dónde viven y quĆ© hacen. Usando herramientas interactivas, como el Ć”rbol de vocabulario y la actividad final, los niƱos aprenden vocabulario en grupos conceptuales - lo cual les ayuda a encontrar conexiones entre palabras y ampliar su comprensión del mundo." --Editor Cuentitos BebĆ© Beluga Por Ashley Wolff   New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2025. PequeƱo libro ilustrado. "AcompaƱa a esta adorable ballenita en uno de sus divertidos dĆ­as en el mar, que culmina cuando madre y bebĆ© se unen en un cĆ”lido arrullo a la hora de dormir. Bellamente ilustrada, Ć©sta es la canción ideal para toda una generación de nuevos lectores. El canto refuerza las destrezas del habla y la audición aĆŗn en los niƱos mĆ”s pequeƱos, lo que hace de BebĆ© beluga un instrumento perfecto para un temprano aprendizaje. Esta nueva edición bilingüe da vida a una ...

From Story Time: The Letter "S"

Preschool Time Sleepy Sheepy Written by Lucy Ruth Cummins Illustrated by Pete Oswald New York: Flamingo Books, 2023. Picture Book. Illustrations and simple, rhyming text follow Sleepy Sheepy, who despite his name is not sleepy. --Editor Preschool Time The Silver Shadow Written by Mariesa Dulak Illustrated by Alea Marley Somerville, MA: Walker Books, 2025. Picture Book. While searching for wonders in the tide pools, a little girl discovers a silver shark, stranded in the shallows--sleek and quick, but still just a baby. The sun is high and the tide is out. How will the shark find its way home? --Editor Toddler Time Silly Sally By Audrey Wood San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. Picture Book. A rhyming story of Silly Sally, who makes many friends as she travels to town--backwards and upside down. --Editor Book Babies Birds By Jill McDonald New York: Doubleday, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, 2017. Board Book Explores the types of birds that can be found in everyda...

5 Faves Highlighting Characters with Disabilities

Books that highlight characters with disabilities help young readers see the world through many different perspectives. They affirm that there is no single “right” way to move, think, communicate, or experience life. These stories center the disabled characters as full, complex people—friends, family members, and problem-solvers—rather than focusing only on challenges. By sharing everyday moments, emotions, and relationships, these books build empathy and understanding for all readers. Most importantly, they offer representation that allows disabled children to see themselves reflected with respect, joy, and possibility. Signs of Friendship By Annie Silvestro New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025 Signs of Friendship explores how friendships change when new people are introduced. Two close friends who communicate using sign language must work through feelings of jealousy and misunderstanding when a new neighbor joins their world. With patience and honest communi...

Review: The Lions' Run

The Lions' Run By Sara Pennypacker New York: Balzer + Bray, 2026. Fiction. 288 pgs. 13-year-old Lucas Dubois grew up in the abbey orphanage in the French village of Lamorlaye. Even as a young boy, Lucas never had a lot of friends. Called petit Ć©clair by the other abbey boys for his soft disposition, Lucas rescues a litter of kittens from being drowned at the beginning of the novel. It's World War II, Lamorlaye is under Nazi occupation and food is scarce. But still, Lucas can't bear to see the kittens killed so he sneaks them away to a deserted stable where he meets Alice, a wealthy British girl who is hiding her racehorse from the Nazis. Meeting Alice, who is defiant of the Nazi orders, and Lucas' own small act of resistance, saving the kittens, emboldens him to take another risk -- Lucas becomes a messenger for the French resistance. His job as a greengrocer delivery boy enables him to move through the village freely, including accessing the Lebensborn clinic where tee...

Review: Sharks Unhooked

Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger Written by Patricia Newman Illustrated by Becca Hall Minneapolis : Millbrook Press, 2025. Informational.  From childhood into adulthood, Cristina Zenato loved the ocean and wanted to befriend sharks. When she moved to the Bahamas, her dream finally became a reality as she begins diving with, studying, and ultimating helping sharks by removing fishing hooks from their bodies.  Cristina began saving the hooks she removed to serve as a visual aid for the people she spoke to about shark conservation.  Cristina Zenato's bravery and passion for shark conservation inspired me—not to jump in the ocean, swim with sharks, and pull hooks from their live bodies—but to search for ways I can help the world.  What little changes can I make?  What causes can I donate to?  How can I help champion important issues and help educate others?  A short but impactful tale of shark awesomeness, the power peo...

Display: Read Like a Champion

  Bunny Slopes By Claudia Rueda San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2016. Picture Book.  " In this interactive picture book, the reader must help Bunny stay on course as he skies down the slope. " -- Publisher Amazing Hockey Records By Thom Storden North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2015. Informational.  " Provides information on the most stunning records in the sport of professional hockey" -- Publisher Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword By Henry Lien New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2018. Fiction. 330 pages.  "Peasprout Chen dreams of becoming a legend of wu liu, the deadly and beautiful art of martial arts figure skating. As the first students from the rural country of Shin to attend Pearl Famous Academy of Skate and Sword, Peasprout and her little brother, Cricket, have some pretty big skates to fill. They soon find themselves in a heated competition for top ranking." -- Publisher Great Moments in Olympic Snowboarding By Brian Howell Minneap...

De la hora del cuento: La letra "R"

  Cuentos ¡Vamos a surfear! Escrito por Kwame Alexander Ilustrado por Daniel Miyares Nueva York : Ediciones NorteSur, 2025. Libro ilustrado. "¡Vamos a surfear, compa! TodavĆ­a no, Cuate. Los libros son aburridos. ¡Este no! Compa y Cuate tienen ideas muy diferentes sobre lo que se debe hacer en un dĆ­a de playa. Sin embargo, mientras Compa se sumerge en la lectura de su libro (Moby Dick) dando gritos de asombro y entusiasmo, Cuate no puede evitar ser atrapado por las historia. En menos de lo que te tomarĆ­a gritar "¡Vamos a surfear!", las dos ranas estĆ”n disfrutando lla misma aventura (bueno, hasta que llegan a la playa)" --Editor Cuentitos Colores Por J.T. Morrow New York : Penguin Random House LLC, 2022. PequeƱo libro ilustrado. "Guisantes verdes, zanahorias anaranjadas, uvas moradas, la comida de Llama Llama estĆ” llena de color, ¡y mucho amor!" --Editor Otros libros sobre la letra "R " Te recuerdo Una ranita arbórea Cuando seamos ranas ¿Este regal...

From Story Time: The Letter "R"

Preschool Time Robinson's New Thing By Julia Mills    New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2025. Picture Book. Calling all collectors! Julia Mills, the acclaimed creator of I Am Stuck, spins a funny new adventure about Robinson the raccoon, who loves to collect things. But when he meets a new friend, he discovers that memories and experiences make for the best collection of all. Perfect for fans of Memory Jars and In a Jar. Robinson the raccoon loves to collect things-big and small. His collection is amazing. One day he collects a shell that turns out to be . . . Rosie the snail! Rosie is not impressed by Robinson's stuff, and she takes him to see what she collects: breezes on the hilltop, bubbles in the stream, and the magnificent northern lights. Robinson soon realizes that the best things to hold on to aren't always things-instead, experiences with friends will last a lifetime. --Editor Preschool Time Make More S'mores Written by Cathy Ba...

Dragon Masters Readalikes

When it comes to early illustrated chapter books, the  Dragon Masters  series by Tracey West checks a lot of boxes. These stories are fast-paced and action-oriented but accessible to newly independent readers. The world-building is magical and the quests are exciting. If your J Intermediate-level reader has already devoured the thirty books in this super popular series, here are a few recommendations to broaden their horizons (at least until #31 comes out!). Llama Quest: Danger in the Dragons' Den Written by Megan Reyes  Illustrated by Kay Davault New York : Random House, 2025. Intermediate. 106 pages. Dak lives on his family's llama farm, which means his life is full of llama poop and empty of adventure. Then Dak meets the mysterious girl who lives with the monks next door and a talking llama named Lucy who is the keeper of the Ravenwood stones. These magical, protective stones have been scattered across the kingdom by a sneaky thief. Together Team Llama Quest has t...

Review: The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene

  The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene By Corey Ann Haydu Harpercollins Childrens Books, 2026. Fiction. 336 pages. Denny is not ready to turn twelve. Her best friend Runa has assured her that everything will change when they turn twelve but Denny doesn't like how much everything in her life has changed already. Her mother, who quit drinking when Denny was born, is battling alcoholism while her dad assures her that she is the only thing that her mother needs to quit. Runa is ingratiating herself in with a new group of friends and seems to be embarrassed by Denny and their "childish" habit of writing about the magical world of Sorrowfeld. On the day of her twelfth birthday, Denny is suddenly whisked into the world of Sorrowfeld and confused for Princess Auden, who is supposed to slay the dragons that have been terrorizing the kingdom. Suddenly Denny realizes that everything she and Runa have written about in their notebook, the half-baked rules of the world they were...

If You Like.. the Winter Olympics

 The 2026 Winter Olympics are here! Taking place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, this amazing sports spectacle features athletes from all over the world competing in various winter sports, such as skating, skiing, and snowboarding. It is an exciting time to cheer on your favorite athletes as they represent our country.  Here is a list of books to read to learn more about the Olympics, famous Olympians, and the sports that athletes are competing in right now!  What are the Winter Olympics? By Gail Herman New York: Penguin Workshop, 2021. Informational. 108 pages.  In this Who HQ book, readers can learn all about the Winter Olympics- how they began, various controversies and interesting happenings, and new sporting events that have been added through the years. This overview of the hallmark of winter sports competitions woud appeal to all middle grade readers!  Fearless Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Surya Bonaly Written by Frank Murphy with Surya Bonaly Illustra...