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
Farmyard animals and their home star in this lyrical collection of poems. Twenty-three short poems (four to six stanzas) opposite accompanying full page illustrations flow easily through this picture book. Poem topics range from the barn and farm stand to cows and llamas. Young readers will chuckle when they see the the cow ‘chilling’ in a chair or read about the pony only to discover at the end that it’s a toy. Surprises and some added silliness make this a fun read. The illustrations are reminiscent of children’s drawings. Use of colored pencils, water colors and crayons add to that perception. And it all works well together!
Buy this book to add to your poetry section. Young readers will love it! Highly recommended.
Written by Kimberlee Gard and illustrated by Sandie Sonke
In this “Language is Fun!” book, the shy vowels take some convincing from the letter ‘Y’ to play a Red Rover style game. In this game, the consonants are trying to make words, which doesn’t work so well when the vowels don’t join in.They feel different than their consonant friends and they don’t really want to call attention to themselves. ‘Y’ knows how they feel, because (as he explains) he’s a little different as well. Sometimes he acts like a vowel and sometimes he acts like a consonant. Fortunately, ‘Y’ talks the bashful vowels into being part of the game (“Every word needs a vowel!”) and it is so much fun!
Bright, colorful anthropomorphic letters dance across the pages and simple clean lines make an attractive read. This story will work well in the lower grades where teachers want to introduce or reinforce the concept of vowels and consonants.
Written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated Steve Jenkins
The life of a brown bear from month to month is detailed in text and illustrations in this informative picture book. In April, the bear awakens and wonders what to eat, because she is famished after a long hibernation. Each month, new foods are available from cow parsnips and dandelions to ants and trout. Finally, in November, the bear goes into her den to hibernate. Midwinter brings a surprise – two cubs. And, the seasons continue. The end of the book includes numerous facts about bears and an author’s note.
Beautiful collage illustrations pair with short, repetitive sentences to present solid information about the diet, life and habitat of a bear in fictional form. Kids will be enthralled with the variety of her diet and her determination, even when she doesn’t get the meal. You can almost feel her fur in the illustrations and hear the crunch as she munches the cones and moths. Buy this book for your nonfiction collection. The kids will love it! Highly recommended.
Written by Audrey Perrott and illustrated by Druscilla Santiago
House was hanging out and minding his own business when a strong gust of wind came in and literally ripped his hat (roof) off. This was terrible! He felt exposed and scared. The oak tree was the first to offer help by stretching its leafed branches over house. But, another strong gust of wind blew it back. The squirrels and birds helped by adding twigs, leaves and tufts. But, ugh – more wind. Neighbors came in next and secured a large brown tarp over the house. While it wasn’t pretty, it did the job during a rainstorm and House was thankful. Finally, some roofers come in and added a nice, sturdy and colorful roof, which made the House happy. In the end, another wind came up and the House bravely said ” Don’t even think about it!”
Illustrations are bright and clean. The story is told from the House’s perspective with accompanying illustrations conveying its feelings through its windows (eyes) and door (mouth). Neighbors that come help are diverse and the weather (rain and wind) blanket the pages with their soggy power.
This rather humorous take on the effects of a natural disaster is just right. The story is a sweet reminder that community comes together after a catastrophe and things will get better! Recommended.
Written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Julie Kwon
Jack has to write an apology letter to Zoe, because he knocked down her block castle. Over several rewrites, Jack works through his feelings, sharing with his teacher along the way as she guides him through the process. He finally arrives at the right words to use and Zoe accepts his apology. The story ends with Jack’s new letter to Zoe, saying how much fun he had playing with her in her new castle along with hopeful plans for tomorrow.
This book is a treasure! It methodically moves along with a young character as he opens up about why he did what he did and shows a growing empathy for the girl he hurt by destroying her block castle. Told through his repeated attempts at writing an apology to his classmate, Jack becomes a better friend and his feelings are acknowledged as well. Illustrations provide additional “oomph” to Jack’s feelings as he writes and his frustration and eventual calm are shown in the use of color and expressions. Characters are diverse. In the end, it was a deeper story and a satisfying conclusion for all concerned. Highly recommended.
Written by Barrington Irving and Chana Stifle; illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice
Barrington Irving is the first Black man and (at the time) the youngest person to complete a solo flight around the world. His life and inspirational flight are detailed in this picture book biography. Barrington, born in Jamaica and living in Florida, played football in school as a way to move past the “badgering” of his classmates. One day, his life changed when he met a Black pilot at his parents’ bookstore. The pilot, Captain Gary Robinson, asked “Have you ever thought of becoming a pilot?” This changed Barrington’s life. Captain Robinson gifted him his first lesson and after that Barrington worked hard, studied hard and practiced, earning his pilot’s license. Captain Robinson challenged him to help others like he had helped Barrington and he created an after school STEM program. He didn’t stop there, though. He wanted to inspire kids even more. So, he decided to fly solo around the world. It was hard to get the plane, plan the trip and find the funding to do it all. But, he persevered and succeeded, culminating in a record-setting flight of 26,800 miles in 97 days.
In addition to the story of his life and flight, this book shares more details such as a two page spread of the a cockpit with labels, a map of his flight path with stops, a timeline, facts, bibliography and some great quotes from Barrington. Given the extras, this book is a great fit for a variety of ages and reading levels. Illustrations are crisp and fit the text nicely.
Add this to your biography section and it will fly off the shelf! Highly recommended.
Written by Maria Le and illustrated by Clarice Elliott
Kids play games all over the world and this book shares a variety of those games. Games are separated into chapters that highlight ball games, board games and playground games. Three or four games are described in each chapter and include their place of origin and a sentence or two about the game. Accompanying illustrations serve to enhance the short paragraphs on each page/two page spread. Unfamiliar words are italicized and a glossary is at the front. A fun addition is at the back where readers are instructed to create their own board game.
Characters are diverse in the illustrations and there is a nice mix of cultures/countries included in the chapters. Interestingly, football is used instead of the Americanized soccer to denote that game. It makes sense, since football is the more universally accepted name. But, it might confuse some young readers. Purchase this book for your younger readers as a nice introduction to other cultures and games. They might even want to learn some of the games as well! Recommended.
Written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Michaela Goade
A young Cherokee girl, her mom and her dog pack up and leave the city to return to their ancestral home. She leaves behind the crowded streets, quick pace and lack of family to a place where there is room to roam, a different tempo, and that connection to her family now and from the past. Her travels are documented in her drawings as her mom drives toward their ancestral lands. When they arrive, they are surrounded by family who happily help unload their belongings, they visit and play. The tempo is slower and she is home.
Spare text and richly hued illustrations convey the warmth and excitement of the this change. The depth of her connection to her family and home is shown in the final pages as she happily engages with her relatives and her place. Sorell (Cherokee Nation) and Grade (Tlingit and Haida) combine their considerable talents to create a special story. Highly recommended.
Clara travels with her parents to her extended family’s orange groves in California. She listens to family stories around the table with her cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. Wanting to make her own memories with family, she hides in her grandpa’s truck when he leaves for the fields. After she reveals herself, they spend the day there together making those memories that she needs to connect to her family there in California. He shares the family history with her, mostly good but some painful.
Based on the author’s own family history, this is a sweet story of generational connections and strong family roots. Written in Spanish with lovely illustrations and a strong message of family. Add this one to your collection. Recommended.
Dinosaurs of all sizes romp together in this easy reader. With names like Squeak, Whack and Thud (to name just a few), these dinosaurs are friendly and full of fun. They explore the rainforest of their home, the island Paleos. Most pages introduce another dinosaur by name, with their italicized scientific names and physical attributes (attached to their names). For example: Snap is a Spinosaurus who has very sharp teeth. Whack is a Stegosaurus with a tail that can knock over the other dinosaurs. In this book, dinosaurs play chase, but they never eat each other. Who would eat their friends?
Boldly drawn dinosaurs in vivid colors explore their island home, Their cartoon-like faces are always smiling even when they have very large teeth! Each page has minimal text that early readers will enjoy. A glossary at the beginning of the book details each dinosaur’s imaginary name, scientific name with pronunciation guide and physical attributes. Young readers will enjoy going back to that glossary more than once. Add this to your collection if you need some lower level dinosaur storybooks with the bonus nonfiction content.
