Each year since 2004, the American Library Association gives the The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award to American books for beginning readers. ALA names both the […]
Black Diamond Kings
Charles R. Smith Jr.’s 2025 picture book Black Diamond Kings is a multi-faceted pleasure. For a lifelong baseball fan like myself, the book was a […]
My Friend the Paintbrush
I enjoyed Marcus Pfister’s picture book (2025 in Switzerland, 2026 in English) My Friend the Paintbrush: The Colorful World of Marcus Pfister a lot more […]
Hey Diddle Diddle
The nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle” is hundreds of years old. Many sources say two hundred years. Some say four hundred (with possible precursors being […]
Babies on the Bus
Karen Katz’s 2011 picture book Babies on the Bus has a very simple premise: rework the children’s song “The Wheels on the Bus” to include […]
The Pine Cone’s Secret
Hannah Barnaby’s 2025 picture book The Pine Cone’s Secret: A Life Cycle Poem is useful and pleasant. It educates young readers about nature by following […]
Chicka Chicka I Love You
I picked up Chicka Chicka I Love You, a 2025 picture book, out of curiosity. I had loved the classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom–and who […]
Billie Jean Peet, Athlete
Billie Jean Peet, Athlete is a recent (2025) book by Andrea Beaty, author of Ada Twist, Scientist (and other books in that series, like Iggy […]
What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean
I really didn’t know what to expect from What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean, a 2025 picture book written by Kirsten Pendreigh […]
Amber’s Atoms
Amber’s Atoms: The First 10 Elements of the Periodic Table (2016) is an odd little picture book, but also a pleasant and useful one. As […]