The Blue Velvet Chair by Rio Cortez is a meaningful picture book about family and memories. The story is about a girl whose mother tells her the story of a special blue chair that has been passed down in their family.

The writing is simple but also a little poetic, so some parts may take time to understand. The pictures are warm and detailed, and they help show the love and history in the story.

This book helps kids learn how objects can hold important family stories. It works well as a read-aloud for younger students, and older elementary students can read it on their own. It would be a great addition to an elementary school library, especially for learning about family and culture.

To the Top of the World tells the true story of Barbara Hillary, a brave woman who followed her dreams later in life. Even after facing hard challenges, including illness, she worked to become an explorer. At age 75, she became the first Black woman to reach the North Pole, and later she also reached the South Pole.

The writing is clear and easy to understand, making it a great choice for elementary students. The illustrations are bright and help show how cold and exciting the polar regions are.

While the story will likely appeal most to younger students in grades K–3, the reading level may be better suited for students in grades 2–5.

This book shares an important message: you are never too old to try something new. It would be a great addition to an elementary school library, especially for students who enjoy true stories and learning about inspiring people.

Proper Badger is off to school. He would never trash a classroom, but of course that is what inadvertently happens. Proper Badger thinks he is doing things right, but of course he is just creating chaos. Did he burrow under the desks? Did he eat the class pet for lunch? Of course not! Proper Badger would never! The illustrations add to the tale showing all of the mischief Proper Badger gets into.

Good night, Himalayas! The sun begins to set over the mountain crest.

Explore the Himalayan mountains with this bedtime story. Travel by bike or by boat. Swim in a lake or have a picnic. Each page explores a different feature of the Himalayan mountains with a text box that includes a pronunciation guide and facts about the area that will introduce readers to an area they may not be familiar with. The illustrations are vibrant, inviting, and fill the 2 page spread.

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.

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.

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.

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.