A young child visits his first art museum with his parents. The things that intrigue Simon aren’t necessarily the art. He notices the the marble floors perfect for sock skating, the pigeons, and the cheesecake. The whole day seems both boring and a bit overwhelming through the eyes of a young child. The illustrations portray a variety of art types and a diverse museum visitors. Simon finally finds a piece of art that speaks to him – a painting of a young red-haired boy chasing pigeons.

Recommended as a field trip teaser or a sweet family day adventure.

It tells of a small unspecified animal who was the only one of her kind, who didn’t know what she was called or where she came from, so when other animals in her community ask, “wutaryoo,” she simply repeats it back at them, and listen as all her animal friends tell their origin stories. Eventually, tired of not having her own story to tell, she sets off to search for it. Along the way, she meets several creatures she’s never seen before, but eventually finds herself back where she started. At first sad and disappointed, she now finds herself facing new questions: Are you all right? Where did you go? What did you see? What did you hear? And this time she has her own story to tell, not about where she came from, but about where she went and what she did.

It’s a celebration of the ways music can uplift our lives. The text is simple, about a father and son’s day out, and the son sharing all his dad has shared with him about all the different things a song can do for us. The slightly vintage-looking illustrations do a good job of enhancing the text: when the text says that a song can remind us of the past, we see an older couple gathered at a piano, surrounded by memories upon their walls; when it says a song can reveal our feelings, we see a sad young boy laying on his bed and listening to his earphones while surrounded by fliers for his missing dog… In the back of the book, the author/illustrator offers commentary on some of the illustrations that offer context to young readers who might not notice some of the historical and musical references they include.

As someone who grew up in a large family I totally appreciate this story about a young girl spending Valentine’s Day at home alone with her mom, while her six siblings are out for the day with their dad. Together they get the household chores done before breaking out the Valentine’s Day decorations setting their creativity loose to make the day special for the rest of their family. The main character’s name is Mia Valentina (i.e. my valentine), so she revels in her favorite day while making valentines and baking cupcakes, but then the day is tarnished when she notices that no one made a valentine for her, until at bedtime she finds the one her mom made for her tucked under her pillow. Throughout the story the old house is almost another character, with cracked windows and peeling wallpaper making it clear that the family maybe didn’t have a lot that was shiny and new, but overflowing with love that finds joy in simple delights. The story is warm and cozy and sentimental, and the illustrations capture and add to that tone beautifully.

This book starts with something everyone sees all the time and doesn’t think much about (a crosswalk signal), and asks the reader to stop and think about it, to imagine that the little man inside the sign might have some ambitions and adventures. It brings the man inside the walk signal to life, imagining what he’s thinking as he looks out on the world, and what he would do if he could climb out of his box and explore the world on his own. After exploring the world for a bit, jumping to the rescue when he sees a small child alone in the middle of the street, he finds himself missing his own corner and recognizing the value he serves in keeping people safe, so he returns home (but still needs a vacation occasionally). I think it would be a great launching off spot for discussion and/or writing prompts getting kids to imagine stories for other common items in our world.

It’s essentially an illustrated list of different kinds of cats, and when I say kinds, I’m not talking breed, I’m talking about color and attitude and pose, etc. Yet it works in opposites and rhyming and adjectives in a way that makes it a great support for emergent literacy. The illustrations are full of personality and act as a support for the text, all while capturing some classic cat moments that will be very recognizable to cat families.

Margarita Engle weaves immigration with how the light from the Statue of Liberty welcomes us all. Even though we are different, come from a variety of places, and have many reasons for coming to the United States we are the same in that we have a love for the home that we have left and the place that we now call home.

While I appreciate and think it is important that Engle included that land was taken from Indigenous People and others were forced to come here on slave ships, it felt disjointed with how it was incorporated into the book. The author’s and illustrator’s notes at the end add their own personal stories to the book.

Pig is scared of something but she is trying to ignore it. Her friend, Horse, tries to get her mind off of her fear with bike rides, swimming, and making her laugh. Pig realizes that ignoring it does not make the problem better. They decide to talk about it and face her fear together. Pig’s fears are things that are very common for children (night, being alone, and a character from a story she read). Horse supports her friend in talking about and facing what is bothering her.

The book offers a gentle way to help children name their feelings and to realize that talking about their feelings may be better than ignoring them.

The animals are anthropomorphic in the way walk on two legs, they cook, and they use floaties in the pool. The illustrations are colorful and add to the story.

So why is it that reindeer are the animals who pull Santa’s sleigh? This story answers that question by filling us all in on the interviews and test runs that Santa conducted in the days leading up to his first Christmas deliveries. Sloths would never have been up to getting around the world in a single night, elephants were too heavy for the integrity of the rooftops, and monkeys very nearly got the job, if it hadn’t been for all their monkey business. It’s fun, imaginative, and really makes perfect sense. The silly illustrations do a great job of adding personality to each animal group, and helping show why some were ill-suited to the task. A great December read aloud.

This Archie and Reddie beginning reader uses simple language, humor, and a graphic novel format to keep emergent readers engaged and interested.Two fox friends are looking for their favorite hats for Hat Day. Archie can’t find the hat he wants to wear. After a series of humorous events, Archie realizes his favorite hat, the one that looks exactly like his head, has been on his head all the time. The series is sure to be a hit with fans of Mo Willem’s Elephant and Piggie.

Chipmunk lives on a rock and sings her songs everyday. Sometimes her songs are happy, sometimes bittersweet, and sometimes very sad. Rock is a very good listener, but Chipmunk longs for a friend to sing with her. So Chipmunk sets off to find a friend. First she tries a pinecone, but Pinecone ends up getting along with rock. Then she tries a log which then leads her to finding other friends.

The illustrations complement the text, especially the illustrations about the songs. The message that it is okay to express emotions and also a message of perseverance is important.