Category Archives: Recommendation

Greatest Moments in Sports Series

Posted on by

This graphic novel series highlights memorable sports accomplishments from the past. From boxing to tennis, horse racing to rowing the series highlights the achievements of 20th century athletes.

  • Series includes:
    • The Miracle on Ice
    • Rumble in the Jungle: Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
    • Billie Jean King and the Battle of the Sexes
    • Going for Gold: Wilma Rudolph and the 1960 Olympics
    • Off to the Races!: Secretariat and the Triple Crown
    • A Winning Crew: The 1936 U.S. Olympic Rowing Team

The stories are factually accurate and told through illustration, text boxes, and speech bubbles. The speech bubbles with red font are direct historical quotes. Speech bubbles with black font are recreated dialog for the sake of the narrative story.

A Friend for Fox

Posted on by

Fox loves sharing a cup of cocoa around the fire with his friends. But as the sun sets, all his friends head off to bed. Feeling lonely, Fox sets out to find someone awake with whom to share a cup of cocoa. He helps turtle, bear, rabbit, and duckling, but as soon as they can, they head off to bed. Finally in frustration, fox yells, “Doesn’t anyone want to have cocoa with me?” All the animals grumpily rouse to “Shhh!” fox. Fox starts to cry. Owl, bat, frog, and raccoon gather around to comfort him and are thrilled with the idea of having a cup of cocoa with him. As dawn arrives, they all head to sleep…until fox is awakened by all of his daytime friends arrive to share a cup a cocoa.

A fun and engaging title to include when studying nocturnal and diurnal animals.


Una nueva ciudad, un nuevo hogar / A New City, a New Home 

Posted on by

A young boy’s parents tell him at dinner that the family will be moving to a new city in a new country for a new job. His parents try to get him excited by explaining all the neat things about their new home. The whole idea is so scary, the young boy wakes at night with scary dreams. The long drive to their new city is both tiring and fun. Their new home in their new city feels so different to the boy. A good sleep, a stuffie hug, and the next morning looks brighter. Standing on the balcony, the boy is ready for new adventures and greets the world with, “Hello Houston”.

Many titles about immigration focus on movement due to economic, social, or political hardship. This is a lighter story that highlights the decision to move for a new job. Highly recommended for all libraries, especially those that serve immigrant communities.

The text is in both Spanish and English.

Tíos and Primos

Posted on by

A young girl and her father arrive in his country of origin. She has grown up speaking English and is not confident in her Spanish. This makes her nervous to meet her large extended family. At the same time, the sights of her father’s birth country and the Spanish language fascinate her as she meets her tíos, tías, and primos. And finally she gets to meet her abuela and they share the biggest hug. She learns that differences in language don’t keep her from feeling the closeness of family. As she leaves her extended family at the end of their trip, she has a sense of connection and the confidence that they will see each other again.

This book has a place in multicultural lessons especially when focused on celebrating students’ diverse origins. Pair with Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh to highlight the continued connection of extended families across borders.

Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text, particularly in the dialog with family.

A Scrub in the Tub by Jan Thomas

Posted on by

Who needs a scrub in the tub? Rabbit and Weasel are trying to convince pig that he needs a scrub in the tub. Pig thinks a splash of water, a mud bath or a scrub with a shrub will do. Will a bubble bath convince Pig to get into the tub? Or will Rabbit and Weasel end up in the tub? With rhymes and expressive characters, this is a fun read.

Family of Friends by Varsha Bajaj

Posted on by

Isha’s birthday is coming and her grandmother is coming from India to visit. Isha can’t wait for her Nani to come. She tells her neighbor Mrs. Garcia all about Nani and she invites Mrs. Garcia and others to the party. As she gets things ready for her Nani, her Nani says she is sick and can’t come. Isha is so sad, but soon realizes that her friends are like her family and Nani will visit when she is feeling better.

A heartfelt story of dealing with disappointment and discovering the value of friendship.

You Are Not Alone by Ingrid Law

Posted on by

You Are Not Alone by Ingrid Law is a quiet picture book that focuses on the idea of connection and belonging. It shares the message that people are part of a larger world and are never truly alone.

The writing is simple and easy to follow, which makes it accessible for young children. The story is repetitive, and the message is direct. Some readers may find that it doesn’t have a strong plot or memorable characters to keep them fully engaged.

The illustrations are soft and pleasant, but they may not stand out as much as in other picture books. While they match the tone of the story, they don’t add a lot of excitement.

Overall, You Are Not Alone may work as a gentle read-aloud for younger students, but it may not be a favorite for all readers. I recommend this book more for preschool and kindergarten, where its simple message and calm style are a better fit.

Camping in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland

Posted on by

Camping in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland is a fun and thoughtful story about three animal friends—a bear, a moose, and a beaver—who go on a camping trip together. At first, everything seems peaceful, but soon the friends start to get annoyed with each other. They each want things their own way, and it leads to problems.

The story teaches an important lesson about friendship, patience, and working together. Even when friends disagree, they can still solve problems if they listen and care about each other. The ending shows how the animals learn from their mistakes and make things right again.

The illustrations are simple but colorful, and they help show the animals’ feelings clearly. This makes it easy for readers to understand what is happening in the story.

Overall, Camping in the Wild is an enjoyable book with a strong message. It would be a great choice to add as an additional purchase for a school library, especially for younger elementary students who are learning about friendship and teamwork.

Fade Into You by Amber Smith & Sam Gellar

Posted on by

This book is set in the 1990s and presents an accurate portrayal of the times, especially in regard to societal treatment of lgbtq communities. This story begins by showcasing two best friend relationships: Bird and Kayla; Jessa and Dade. When Kayla and Dade begin dating their best friends don’t like it and feel like neither is good for the other; because of this, Jessa and Bird team up to try and split up Kayla and Dade. Jessa and Bird start out as reluctant partners that have little trust for one another. Not long after they partner up with a common goal, the combative nature of their interactions begins to shift; the two realize they have a lot in common and sparks of interest begin to ignite. In addition to this storyline, we also gather insight into the families of Jessa and Bird; both are dealing with heavy family responsibilities.

If you like books by John Green or Becky Albertalli, you will like this book. I really like the 90s music references that were sprinkled in throughout. There is good character development, making readers want to root for main the characters – and really dislike those who get in their way.

Body Systems Need to Know Series by D. R. Faust

Posted on by

Reviewed by Annette Wells, teacher librarian

Included in series: The Circulatory System, The Digestive System, The Muscular System, The Nervous System, The Respiratory System, The Skeletal System

This high interest series, easily accessible for elementary readers (target age is 3rd grade), is visually appealing with simple and engaging images that feature diversity in ethnicity and age. Every book in the series is 32 pages, making it easily digestible (pun intended) for those exploring nonfiction for the first time, or wanting to review body systems. At the end of each book, you’ll find tips for success, a glossary, a list of “read more” suggestions, “learn more online” links, and an index. Teachers and librarians will love this series if they’re teaching nonfiction text structures. Also, a HUGE bonus: ALL books in the series use OpenDyslexic font, ideal for readers with dyslexia. As an introductory series, I recommend this for all elementary school libraries and even middle grade libraries if you serve emerging readers.