For young readers interested in monster trucks, A Monster Truck’s Day details both the behind the scenes work and the excitement of the show. Starting with a tune up and transport to the event site, the reader follows the truck through the day, ending with cleaning and repairs in preparation for the next day. The use in the narrative of some monster truck specific terms such as endo and cyclone will challenge a reader unfamiliar with the sport.

Bellwether Media’s Machines at Work series provides engaging, easy to read titles for curious young readers. The series follows the Blastoff! Missions format, starting with three Mission Goals which include one literacy goal and two content goals. Colorful illustrations support the text and include labels with key vocabulary. Blastoff Jimmy occasionally shares additional information, usually numerical details, in Jimmy Says bubbles. Key vocabulary terms are bold. Endpapers include a glossary, index, print resources, and digital Factsurfer resources. The curated age appropriate digital resources suggested on Factsurfer are best explored with an adult. The Beyond the Mission section provides three extension questions focusing on text-to-self connections and creativity.

April Pulley Sayre uses poetic language to describe both the physical between, between as a description of time and motion, and between as symbol of change.

Sayre’s breathtaking photographs show change, movement, and the potential found in nature. Even for children who are not yet able to understand complexities of the at times abstract “in between” described in words, the photographs will elicit excitement and curiosity.

This intergenerational book invites the reader to be present in the now and reflect on what loved ones experienced in the past. The young character can see her family’s remembrances as if through a mirror, a window, or a sliding glass door – learning more about herself, her family, and the world. Also use the book to highlight the use of description to bolster the retelling of small moments of time.

Colorful illustrations catch the eye to show the child’s present. Purply two-tone illustrations are used on the pages that describe the memories. A small, bright red bird can be found on every page, tying the past and present together.

Friends brings both joy and struggle to childhood. In the book, Friends, Daniela Sosa invites the reader to reflect on the who, what, where, why, and how of friends.

Some friends are there from the start. Others come exactly when you need them.
Some friendships last only a few moments. Others last a lifetime.
Friends can be very close or far away.

The experiences and interactions in the book are those that all young children experience at one time or another. Use Friends to support Social Emotional Learning goals or as comforting reminder to celebrate friendship in all its forms.

Character illustrations include age and racial diversity. There is little evidence of diversity in social economic or children of differing abilities.

This collection of poetry follows that Jewish year, highlighting important holidays. Starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, each holiday has a poem from the point of view of a young girl. The poems incorporate the experiences, rituals, and feelings of a child celebrating each holiday. The facing page then explains the origin and significance of the holiday as well the different ways it is celebrated.

The majority of the holidays are based in the religious celebrations of the Jewish faith. The secular holidays included are Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and Yom Ha Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).

Awe-some Days will resonate with the experiences of Jewish children, but can also act as a introduction for non-Jewish readers. The format makes it easy to see connections across beliefs.

The young black girl in this book has a dream to build a robot. With the message of belief that she can accomplish her goal is the added message that no dream is out of reach. “There’s no character, no type, no mold you must fit.” From writer to cleaner, and astronaut to comedian; there is no future that is out of reach and the young girl is encouraged to choose whatever path sparks her brain and fires her heart. Along the way the girl will face challenges, but her own worth and the support of her community will help her reach her goals.

Little Black Girl has in inspiring message to bolster young black girls’ confidence to dream big and to relentlessly pursue their dreams.