Anne W

Fascinating story with really cool illustrations about one Dutch sea captain's efforts to bring an exotic, exciting, never-before-seen rhino around to the people of Europe! -Anne W

I'm so inspired by this book, which describes the work of self-taught mathematician Marjorie Rice, who discovered not one, not two, but THREE new tesselating five-sided shapes despite being held back from even attending college in the 1960s and 1970s by familial and societal expectations about women's roles at the time. I didn't know that a person could...discover a new shape until I read this book? (A tesselating shape, I learned, is one that fits together with itself infinitely with no gaps or overlaps.) Absolutely astonishingly beautiful illustrations tie together the themes of nature, patterns, and math that "shape" this story and give personality and verve to Rice and her life. With puzzling so popular, this book is timely, interesting, and inspiring. -Anne W

Pet owners will be charmed and feel seen while reading this funny book about all the ways Peggy, an adorable terrier, is naughty and annoying. Interactive text makes the book a great read-aloud, as does the straight-shooter narrator, a red-haired little girl, who frankly discusses gross doggy behaviors. The highlight of the bright, fun illustrations are the dog's adorable facial expressions on each page. -Anne W

Such a sweet, funny story, with gorgeous, diverse illustrations of babies and families. Get this for new parents and new babies in your life! -Anne W

JUST GO AHEAD AND GIVE BRITTA TECKENTRUP THE CALDECOTT MEDAL FOR THIS RIGHT NOW! -Anne W

I love hearing about people's cool or unexpected jobs, and this book is packed with 28 short, punchy interviews with diverse people doing an array of fascinating jobs. The illustrations are what really make this book; instead of real photographs, the interviews and quotes (just one spread per job, and a few short paragraphs of text) are accompanied by sweet and beautiful paintings of the subject at work. Ferry captain! Toy shop owner! Prosthetics maker! Street food vendor! -Anne W

A beautiful new picture book about a little girl and her mom enjoying the magic of an ice sculpture festival! This book will simultaneously make you want to go out and enjoy festive winter community events and burrow in a blanket nest to read. The illustrations perfectly complement the gentle, straightforward story in a palette of blue, purple, and white. Also, the author is a power wheelchair user, and the story's protagonist is a power wheelchair user, too - great disability representation in children's literature of just a kid being a kid, without ever explicitly mentioning disability, much less having the whole book focus on it. -Anne W

This series is a great choice for readers moving on from very short, very early chapter books but not quite ready for longer, denser chapter books. Short sentences and simpler vocabulary without seeming babyish! Absolutely adorable illustrations in a palette of orange, black, and white add to the whimsy and fun of this series, which blends magic and mystery as Kitty, a shape-shifting superhero, saves the day in one exciting, page-turning volume after another. -Anne W

A great transitional chapter book - for kids just beginning to read chapter books on their own! Absolutely adorable illustrations, funny stories, with large text, plenty of white space, and picture support. -Anne W

A beautiful story accompanied by beautiful illustrations - sweet and simple with a few laugh-out-loud moments - a new Christmas classic. As a librarian, I rarely recommend purchasing books, but this one should be part of your family's Christmas traditions for years to come. -Anne W

The store is out of jellybeans, so Wolf embarks on an elaborate scheme to win jellybeans in a local contest. Find out what happens in this hilarious and entertaining book! (The only thing I didn't like about it was having to read the word "wolf" over and over, a word that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, especially because I tend to incorrectly pronounce it as "woof." Yes, I also say "pellow" instead of "pillow" - it's the way I was raised, sorrrryyyyyy!) -Anne W

A moving and fascinating story of poet Walt Whitman's service to wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War. In a period that would profoundly influence Whitman's development as a writer and person, after his brother was injured in the war, Whitman worked at a DC military hospital ministering to the wounded - reading to them, listening to them, helping them write letters, feeding them (many had never tried ice cream before, just one of many treats Whitman brought to the hospital to share), and helping to bury the dead. -Anne W

I appreciate this book's focus on the value and power of comedy as part of culture and history! I love to laugh and I think funny people don't get the cultural recognition they deserve beyond just entertainment - comedy is an art and a powerful agent of healing, community-building, and joy. This book highlights Lucille Ball's trailblazing career as an early female comedian, and also just shows how driven she was by the powerful feeling of making people laugh. Fun, loud, retro-style illustrations perfectly complement the text. -Anne W

Enjoy learning about the lives of brown bears in this beautiful picture book, suitable for reading aloud to preschoolers and up. Gorgeous watercolor illustrations evoking the natural environment accompany interesting, straightforward information about bears' mother-cub bonds, behavior, hibernation, diet, and more. -Anne W

I've been waiting for a Caitlin Clark picture book! In this one, a grandpa basically retells his granddaughter the highlights of Caitlin Clark's incredible collegiate career with a lesson about losing the big game with grace. Okay, I'd prefer a true picture book biography, but I'll take it! The illustrations are cute, and this book would make a great read-aloud or gift for a little women's basketball fan! -Anne W

Find out why pig looooooooooves to wear jeans in this absolutely adorable and hilarious book! -Anne W

Fascinating look at the generations who arrive and make New York their own - the neighborhood businesses changes, cultures ebb and flow and blend, but the vibrancy and character remain and build year after year! -Anne W

A cute book about animal diets that keeps kids guessing from page to page! -Anne W

A hilarious fable about the perils of greed! A cute dung beetle is happy living in nature, collecting enough dung to have a simple yet comfortable life, and no more. But when a leopard suggests he go to a farm where there is an abundance of dung free for the taking, the beetle finds himself amassing more and more dung, to the point that it is a health hazard, he's paranoid that the beetles he's enlisted as "workers" are stealing from him, he's stressed out, exhausted, and unhappy. Will the dung beetle be able to slough off the dung and find balance in his life again? -Anne W

A simple, satisfying juvenile nonfiction picture book that examines several animal skulls and connects them to characteristics and behavior the animal in question utilized while they were alive. The narrative, while based firmly in scientific knowledge, uses lyrical storytelling - it's not dry facts, but a poignant, beautiful celebration of perfectly-adapted animal behavior as evidenced by bone structure. A great first examination of how our physical selves have evolved to allow us to do specific survival tasks! -Anne W

Long-overdue recognition for Caroline Herschel, a European female astronomer working in the late 1700s who did not receive a formal education and seemed destined to be the unpaid servant for her family, until she left home and moved in with an adult sibling, who discovered a latent talent for advanced mathematics. The brother-sister duo built what was then the world's most advanced telescope and Caroline used her mathematical ability to calculate the position of stars and other celestial bodies, leading to precise and detailed catalogs and maps of the solar system that are still used to this day. She discovered and mathematically mapped over 2,000 comets, a feat that was truly mind-blowing at the time. Also, she and her brother literally discovered Uranus. -Anne W

Ever thought about who might have invented the high five? It was 1970s pro baseball player Glenn Burke! This biographical picture book follows Glenn Burke's brief but illustrious career in the major leagues, including the moment he and fellow player Dusty Baker spontaneously invented the high five. For Burke, a unique individual who was always joking, cheering, and dancing in the dugout, it was a natural progression. Burke also happened to be a Black gay man in the 1970s, and, heartbreakingly, he was pushed out of the league and later struggled with homelessness and substance abuse, dying of AIDS-related illness at only 42. These topics are dealt with sensitively but honestly in this picture book biography. I hope readers think of Burke every time they high-five someone after reading this story - a man who only now is being recognized for his legacy, not only in inventing such an iconic gesture, but in paving the way for LGBT+ athletes. If you want more on Burke, there is a middle-grade fiction title also by Phil Bildner that ties together the stories of Burke and a modern-day LGBT+ young male baseball player, also an excellent book. -Anne W

A brief bio/intro to a couple dozen diverse artists and instructions for making a project of your own in their style. The projects are simple but significant, the artist bios are relevant and interesting, and the whole thing is attractively, colorfully designed and packaged. A great gift book for an artist child (and all children are artists)! -Anne W

Did you know animals speak in different languages, just like people do? Through this energetic picture book, travel through several countries and cultures around the world, and listen to the backyard chickens. On a farm in the United States, English speakers say that a chicken goes "bawk bawk" and a rooster goes "cock a doodle do," but in Mexico, Spanish speakers say that chickens go "co-co-ro-co" and a rooster goes "qui-quiri-QUI!" Learn what chickens say in Japan, Kenya, India, and more and practice the sounds! -Anne W

Want to know how a downed log provides home and nourishment for scores of animals for the next hundred years? This book is entertaining and thorough yet simple and succinct for the youngest of readers on up. You'll learn something and have fun doing it! -Anne W

This book is so funny and so entertaining and the cartoony illustrations on a dark background are so cool! It begs to be read aloud with its folkloric, conversational, clever tale-spinning vibe. -Anne W

This is an astonishing story of a tiny, cute owl who took refuge from a wildfire inside a firefighters' helicopter. There's a real photo of the tiny, cute owl at the end of the book! -Anne W

I don't know anything about music except if I like or don't like something when I listen to it, based on nothing but a gut reaction. So this book taught me a lot! Accompanied by hilarious illustrations of random animals playing the instruments, each instrument gets one page of accessible, yet interesting information. Like, I never considered that a harmonica makes one note when you inhale and a different note when you exhale, so that's why it can be so small as to fit in your pocket! There is history, practical info, and fun facts, all presented in a straightforward writing style. -Anne W

Gorgeous illustrations. Simple, straightforward writing about the natural world and Attenborough's efforts to educate about animals, nature, the environment, and climate change. This is an incredible book. -Anne W

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the Caldecott Medal, awarded annually to the book for children with the best illustrations? Even if you haven't, read this anyway because it's really good! An entertaining, lightly-written biography of Randolph Caldecott, the 1850s children's book illustrator who took children's book art from dull, staid, stiff, formally-posed, purely decorative, and needlessly ornate to a modern, integral part of the story. Caldecott made pictures that were filled with action, humor, movement, joy, and worked to advance the story, so that even a child who couldn't yet read could glean the story by looking at the pictures. A modern understanding of picture books developed due to his work and we continue to recognize his innovations today through the Caldecott medal. -Anne W

This book and its sequel, Flubby Does Not Like Snow, hilariously depict a chubby cat and their human companion engaging in activities. It's a challenge to craft an entertaining story with such limited language, but this easy reader accomplishes it deftly. This is a very early reader, appropriate for fairly new beginners, with repetitive phrases, picture support, and simple words. Yet it manages to be funny, relatable, and charming! -Anne W

I am not Italian and I firmly believe that the Christmas season should begin the day after Thanksgiving, but this new picture book just arrived and I just can't resist a plug for this delightful celebration of Italian food and family on Christmas Eve. Two siblings describe, in simple language, their childhood traditions of preparing and ingesting a seafood- and dessert-centric holiday feast together with a big extended family. (Right away, when the kids arrive in the afternoon, "Aunt Babe hands us each a coffee mug with a piece of Italian bread inside, covered in tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese" and things proceed from there.) The illustrations are humorous and spirited, and the vibe is festive and cozy. Mangia! -Anne W

I am obsessed, I tell you, OBSESSED with this new picture book biography of billy barr, who moved alone to a rustic, isolated cabin in the Rocky Mountains and ended up doing some of the earliest and most groundbreaking tracking related to the heating of the planet when he measured snowfall over time. Jonah Winter has penned more than forty picture book biographies related to environmental, social, and racial justice. Jeannette Winter's illustrations in predominately shades of purple and blue are a phenomenal accompaniment. Check it out! -Anne W

Rocks with cute, cartoony eyes! What's not to love? This is a fun, short book with a good message delivered through the crowd-pleasing medium of rocks. -Anne W

Reminiscent of In the Night Kitchen, with fabulous blocky illustrations and a weird, fantastical story, a girl falls asleep at the beginning of the book and is pictured falling through a series of pages featuring mouth-watering dim sum dishes. -Anne W

This is a hilarious picture book about a dog who finds himself a demi-celebrity and a workaholic after getting sucked in by the trappings of the human world. Luckily, his family stands by him while he re-assesses his priorities. -Anne W