Candy is an elementary school librarian in Shelton, WA at the school where she was a student (so many years ago!). Her library is unique in that she brings her background and love of biology to her students in many ways. Not only does she have an awesome selection of science books; she also has a beaver, bobcat and mink sitting on her shelves and a variety of jarred specimens for her students to study. When she's not in the library, she is taking care of her baby trees on her tree farm and hanging out with her family and many pets. * 2025 WA Library Association School Librarian of the Year
Two friends discover a giant parsnip and think of all kinds of wonderful things to make – a rocket? A slide? A car? They decide on parsnip soup. The rest of this counting story includes the ingredients and growing group of friends that enjoy the soup at the end.
This lovely book is simply written and filled with colorful collage illustrations. Characters are diverse and text is accessible. Share this story with your younger students, who will delight in the active group of chefs that create a shared soup. Recommended.
Hummingbirds describes the life and importance of hummingbirds. Facts are presented with accompanying photos and QR codes are interspersed throughout with added videos, activities and information. Unfamiliar words are bolded and colored with a glossary at the back of the book. There is a page of connections to consider, an index and further information as well.
This book packs a lot of information into 32 pages and the extras via QR codes make it a fantastic addition to your science collection. Photos are clear and brilliant, a timeline of the lifecycle is well-done and text spacing all make this book accessible for many readers.
It is part of a series called Pollinators and should be a first choice when updating your collection. It is geared toward upper elementary, but will prove useful (with guidance) for the younger readers. Free teaching resources are included. Highly recommended.
in 1733, a ship sank in a big storm as the crew swam to safety. As the years go by, we see the changing habitat, resulting in a thriving artificial reef that sustains a rich variety of marine life. Based on the sinking of the San Pedro (as noted in the afterward), this delightful book looks at Year 1, Year 10, Year 100 and the present day. Not only does the ship provide a wonderful place for the myriad of sea life, the wood itself enriches its resting place as it decomposes.
Students will enjoy the colorful, smiling creatures as well as the funny speech bubbles while they learn some solid science. The back of the book contains a note about artificial reefs and the original San Pedro shipwreck as well as additional reading suggestions and selected sources. Add this book, and the first book, Log Life, to your library. This charming book will hook your kids into more exploration of tiny habitats. Highly recommended.
written by Jan Bordeau Caboose and illustrated by Karlene Harvey
Serenity accompanies her brother, Big Ed, on a fishing trip to the Hawk River. As they walk, the siblings chat and tease each other and Big Ed explains the significance of the river’s name. It is named for the the Hawks, Gekek, Keepers of the River and their Protectors. Big Ed and Serenity arrive at the edge of the river and cast their lines, his from a beautiful new fishing pole and hers from a spruce branch made by their father. Serenity is daydreaming as she fishes when a Red Tailed Hawk (Gekek) suddenly appears, swooping over her and screaming, before flying off over the river. Serenity looks around and her brother is no longer there. Gekek, the Red-Tailed Hawk, returns, screams and flies up the river again. Serenity follows and finds her brother, his foot caught between rocks in the river. She doesn’t know what to do until Gekek swoops down over her pole. Serenity holds the pole out to Big Ed and he grabs hold. Together, they work to return him to safety on the river bank. They lay on the river bank for a few moments before heading back home, thankful for the protection of the Spirit guides.
This lively story is wonderful for many reasons. We are given a glimpse of the culture and lives of the Anishinaabe people, an exciting rescue and the loving relationship of a brother and his younger sister. All of this is set in a picture book with vibrantly colored illustrations that transport the reader to the trails and river banks of the Hawk River. Highly Recommended.
written by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan; illustrated by Dion MBD
Milo reads some bedtime stories and makes the mistake of reading one about a monster under the bed. Now, he’s POSITIVE there’s a monster under his bed! He knows what to do. He reaches out to Mel, his friend across the street. Placing their flashlights under their hands, they sign to each other. Milo explains his dilemma about the monster under his bead and Mel gives advice and suggestions. Finally, they team up to make hand shadow monsters together to scare away any would-be monster that might be lurking under Milo’s bed. Phew! Such a relief! The story ends with Milo and Mel sharing a signed hug, because monster hands can also give hugs.
This sweet story incorporates ASL in a very natural way as part of the story as Milo and Mel work out how to chase away those monsters. Children will enjoy a story about a situation that might be all too familiar to them – seriously, who hasn’t had a monster under their bed at one time or another? The illustrations are bold and seamlessly incorporate signs along the way. Add this to your collection as it will be a hit. Highly recommended.
Written by Adib Khorram and illustrated by Michelle Tran
Bijan always wins (in his mind). Whether it’s eating a sandwich or tying his shoes – he’s the winner. All this winning has an impact on friendships, though. Not many other kids want to play with a self-declared winner of everything. Bijan becomes more intuitive over time, noticing that other children are avoiding him. And, after some reflection, he makes some changes and realizes that when you’re playing together and no one ‘wins’, you actually all win.This very sweet story shows that people can change as we watch an annoying main character change for the better and become a friend to others. As a result, he is happier, too!
The muted tones of the illustrations are lovely and the pages are awash in color. Characters are diverse and children will be familiar with the school settings in which the book is set. They might even see themselves in the characters. Recommended.
written by Annemarie Riley Guertin and illustrated by Andrea Alemanno
Mr. Trunks is at the airport with his person, Libby, and her family when disaster strikes. Libby drops him! She doesn’t realize it and rushes off with her family, leaving Mr. Trunks behind. Luckily, a baby picks him up and he boards a plane to Italy with the baby’s family, who realizes that Mr. Trunks has tagged along with their family by mistake. With the help of social media and the kind family he is traveling with, Mr. Trunks finds his way back to Libby. He had a lovely trip along the way, which was followed by many interested folks. #FindingMrTrunks
This lovely picture book shows that social media has a positive side where people connect to bring Mr. Trunks and Libby back together again. And, Baby’s Mom does a great job of chronicling his adventures along the way. Characters are mix of human and anthropomorphic animals. engaged in typical travel fun. Recommended.
Written by Deena Shakir and illustrated by Nez Riaz
Leena had to shovel snow and she really didn’t like that job. So, She dreamed, brainstormed, investigated and eventually built a duck-like robot to do the job for her. Her neighbors noticed how great her new snow removal device, aka Helmy (Arabic for “my dream”) and the orders started pouring in. Leena asks her two friends to join her business – Olivia (a robotics whiz) and Lily (a successful lemonade stand entrepreneur). Leena’s only remaining problem was Helmy parts procurement. How would she pay for them? Her nice neighbor, Miss Irma, offered to invest in Leena’s venture. Her business was ready to go! The girls got right to work with production, They sold all the Helmys they produced and business grew. Leena was a CEO! The story ends with a tv interview, which a man and his granddaughter watch in Leena’s mom’s hometown in Iraq. That little girl saw her future dreams in Leena’s story. Anything is possible!
This is an inspiring STEM related story that will resonate with young girls, who may not even realize that their interest in one area might turn into something even bigger. Characters are culturally diverse and the community seems to be positive and supportive of the young CEO. The illustrations are colorful and complement the storyline. Buy this for your library and share it with your young scientists. What if a child read this and said “I can do this, too!”? How cool would that be?
written by Xequina María Berbér and illustrated by C. Rod. Unalt
Pedro is a young boy that comes from a family of artists that creates papier maché art pieces – from pinatas to giant puppets called mojigangas that are used in parades and festivals in Mexico. His family is very busy, because their artwork is so beautiful. So, Pedro learns the aspects of the art from an early age. One night, he becomes very sick and has a high fever. He has some terrible dreams in which the mojigangas chase after him. In his nightmares, colorful creatures called alebrijes rescue him by gobbling up the scary puppets. He awakens and is determined to create these monster-eating creatures in papier maché. Soon, people from all around are buying his colorful art pieces and he become world renowned for his beautiful work.
This story is loosely based on the life of Mexican folk artist Pedro Linares, who created beautifully painted fantastical creatures in papier maché. The book is written in English and Spanish and illustrated with colorful otherworldly creatures that spring from Pedro’s imagination. Text and illustrations work very well together to convey Pedro’s story. An author’s note at the end gives more information about Pedro Linares and is a great starting point for more thorough research about an artist in a medium about which there is typically little information.
Purchase this book for your library for a variety of reasons – the subject matter, dual language presentation and the beautiful illustrations. Students will be curious to explore more about the artist and the medium after such a wonderful introduction.
This is a collection of six stories about three good friends – Bear, Moose and Beaver. The stories are full of kindness, humor and friendship. Bear hugs everyone and everything, Moose is pretty anxious and Bear is laid back to the point of carelessness (especially when he’s cutting down trees). The collected works are cleanly illustrated and the text is fairly simple, making them perfect for young readers, who will enjoy the silliness of these three endearing pals.
