What Color is the Baby? A Celebration of Skin Tones

February 20, 2026

What Color Is the Baby?: A Celebration of Skin Tones by Harshini Vankineni, Neha Rawat
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 153622894X
Genres: Family
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

What Color is the Baby? A Celebration of Skin Tones

Author: Harshini Vankineni

Illustrator: Neha Rawat

This picture book, for ages 4-8, is the publishing debut of Harshini Vankineni, whose own experience with colorism served as the inspiration for this story; As a child, Vankineni, from India, was often told that her light-skinned cousins were more beautiful than she was. This book is about a young girl named Kundana, who declares her newborn sister, Kuku, to be the prettiest baby in the whole world. Kundana’s parents, Papa and Amma, appear disappointed by the darker shade of Kuku’s skin, especially since the members of the extended family can’t stop asking, “What color is she?” Kundana defends her sister and declares “She is our color!” Everyone agrees that is a beautiful color.

This is a beautifully illustrated story about inclusion and acceptance. Kundana’s adoration of her sister, regardless of her color, will inspire young readers just like she inspired her family members. This reviewer appreciated the subtle reference to normalized breastfeeding. Western audiences can relate to the practice of coveting whiteness, but the book is not overly didactic.

Reviewed by Lindsey Hopkins, Jay-Niles Memorial Library, Jay

Unicornia: A Magical Birthday (Book 2)

February 18, 2026

Unicornia: A Magical Birthday: (A Magical Chapter Book for Kids Ages 5-7 about Friendship, Surprises, and Enchanted Birthday Fun) by Ana Punset, Diana Vicedo
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536240982
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Early Reader
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

In Book 2 of the Unicornia series, Claudia, Pippa, and Sara are preparing for Pippa’s birthday. There are so many magical, exciting things being planned for the special day, but when something goes drastically wrong. Pippa cancels the party and the girls are heartbroken. Sara and Claudia refuse to let their friend wallow on her birthday, and take her to the Enchanted Falls Theme Park to cheer her up. Will the day be saved after all?

This book does a fantastic job of showing how to navigate a friend’s experience with sadness and how to support them through the ups and downs of their feelings. This beginner chapter book has eye-catching illustrations on each page to keep readers’ attention and the writing is very interactive. Kids will literally want to gobble this book up with all the mentions of magical sweets. Who could resist magical flying unicorn rescues and fantastical rollercoasters? Best for Ages 5-8.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

Cinderella and the Beast, or Beauty and the Glass Slipper

February 18, 2026

Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) (The Princess Swap) by Kim Bussing
Series: The Princess Swap
Published by Random House on January 7, 2025
ISBN: 0593708032
Genres: Fairy Tale
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Ever since Ella’s father died, she’s been the servant of her step mother and one of her step sisters, a life so terrible she sleeps in the fireplace so she can look at the stars at night and dream of adventures. One morning she wakes up in bed in a castle, which is home to an ornery beast, Neesa. She befriends Neesa, who she realizes is a girl about her age, trapped by a curse in a beast’s body. The curse is about to become permanent, so Ella and Neesa try to figure out the riddle that will break the curse before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, Belle wakes up in Ella’s fireplace and is forced to become a servant. She desperately wants to escape so she can win the Revel of Spectacle games and earn favors from the prince. Belle’s father runs the family trading business, but it’s not doing well, so she plans to win and ask for fast ships and skilled sailors to restore the business. In her quest, she befriends Amir, Ella’s friend, who is the prince of Reverie who is on a quest of his own, to find his missing sister

Told in alternating chapters, elementary school readers will enjoy seeing how these young women pursue their quests, using their intelligence and showing kindness along the way. Eventually readers will see how the characters’ lives and stories are connected, beyond mixed up magic that swapped their bedrooms one evening. This is a fun read with enough action to keep readers interested, especially at the end when time is running out for Neesa and Ella participates in the Revel games. The ending is very satisfying and shows readers that happy endings aren’t always how we planned them.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library

Gaslit

February 17, 2026February 20, 2026

Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar
Published by Delacorte Press ISBN: 0593705718
Genres: Psychological thriller
Format: Young Adult
Goodreads
four-stars

Ella’s New Year’s Eve takes a tragic turn when she turns up to babysit and finds her aunt and two cousins passed out in their house, which is full of gas. She manages to pull her cousins to safety but is too late to save her beloved aunt. Her grief is overwhelming but it gets even worse when it becomes clear that this was no accident and that whoever wanted her relatives dead might be coming for her next. The fact that she’s dealing with a brain tumor that may or may not be complicating her interpretation of events adds to the chaos and despair of the entire situation.

A twisty, quick-paced read that will introduce teens to the unreliable narrator device, Gaslit is a solid YA thriller with strong characters and enough turns to keep the reader guessing until the end. The back matter includes a discussion guide. Recommend to fans of Karen M. McManus and Jumata Emill.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

This is How a Ball Rolls: The Science of Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning Balls

February 16, 2026

This Is How a Ball Rolls: The Science of Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning Balls by Heather Tekavec, Suharu Ogawa
Published by Kids Can Press on 2025
ISBN: 1525309684
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Tekavec and Ogawa introduce readers to the science behind how different kinds of balls interact with the world all around in an original way that will create understanding and interest in the subject. Presenting twelve different balls (in order from smallest to largest) through a series of “tongue-twisting brainteasers”, readers may guess at the ball being described:

“(A) little ball —
A Teeny ball —
A glassy, smooth, and swirly ball . . . “

On the following page is a double-page spread of children of all shapes, sizes, colors, and physical abilities interacting with the ball(s) in question (in this case, marbles). Each section also contains an inset that describes the physical qualities unique to each ball and its function. The writing is playful and dynamic, giving a sense of each orb through descriptions that are fun to read aloud.

The illustrations are equally energetic, with bright, colorful action filling each page. Each sphere is shown in its natural environment (tennis balls on tennis courts, a baseball landing in the stands, etc.). Readers keeping their eyes on the ball will notice the same characters returning from scene to scene, including an animated ball of yarn.

The back matter shares ball trivia linked to scientific concepts such as “drag force”, that are hinted at in the text but never explicitly stated. This seems like a missed opportunity to help readers connect the dots between a scientific concept in theory and in practice.

This would be a great read-aloud during elementary school science units around physics or materials, introducing ideas and creating opportunities to discuss the ideas in practice, and have a ball doing it. Recommended for public and elementary school libraries.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

Safe at Last

February 16, 2026March 21, 2026

Safe at Last by Richard Jones
Published by Candlewick on May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781536241310
Pages: 32
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Magical Realism
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A young boy, James, with fair skin, bright blue eyes and dark brown bangs sweeping to the side of his bright red hooded jacket, lives alone on an island in harmony with his animal friends. His daily routine is idyllic. Under blue skies, James cycles around the small island with his cat in the bicycle basket, visiting birds, bears, otters, etc. at their woodland homes, all of whom wave back. “Every day was the same. Every day was wonderful.”

Jones’ text and mixed-media illustrations work together to create an atmosphere that lets the reader feels what James experiences as he traverses the island — his contentment and happiness with his life and his friends and as the weather changes for the worse, his fear and concern for the animals as a raging storm blows across the island that evening. James is safe and cozy in his house, but as he looks outside at the dark, howling storm, he worries about his friends, and asks, “Should I go out and make sure they are safe?” There is no one else to respond, so James does: “Yes, I must!”.

He goes into the storm with his bright red coat and lantern, to check on the animals. Though the storm makes everything frightening and “different”, with only his lantern to stave off the dark, James call out at every animal’s home, “Are you home? Are you safe?” No one responds. No one is home.

After looking everywhere, and locating no one, he acknowledges his uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. “It’s too scary. I want to go home.”The light of his lantern guides him home, only to see shapes in the window. Living alone has not prepared James for anyone else being in his home and he is frightened. Readers will most likely guess (correctly) that his friends are inside waiting for him, wanting to make sure he was safe. The next morning, with the storm gone, they all watch the sun rise together.

A story that lets readers know that they can be brave and scared at the same time, and be someone else’s bright, shining light in the process. Highly recommended for all picture book collections.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

An Immense World: How Animals Sense Earth’s Amazing Secrets (Young Readers Edition)

February 15, 2026February 15, 2026

An Immense World (Young Readers Edition): How Animals Sense Earth's Amazing Secrets by Ed Yong
Published by Random House Children's Books on May 13, 2025
ISBN: 0593810880
Genres: Animals, Non-Fiction
Format: Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Did you know that a manatee has an oral disk between its upper lip and nostrils that is covered in about 2000 whiskers, that can feel and grab things? An Immense World: How Animals Sense Earth’s Amazing Secrets (Young Readers Edition) is chockablock with information about animals’ extraordinary senses (such as the manatee’s ability to manipulate and feel things with its oral disk, referred to as “oripulation”) and their umwelt (“the part of the animal’s surrounding that it can sense and experience”) that will compel curious middle-grade readers to share their newfound knowledge with everyone around them.

Yong, a prize-winning science writer, is interested in more than just assembling interesting animal facts. He shares scientists’ experience of learning more about these senses and raises questions about how human actions and interactions can affect animals’ environments, and therefore, their experience of the world, through conversational and immersive writing.

The organization and quality of the writing makes this nonfiction chapter book a rich experience, with seamless transitions between each color-coded chapter. The chapters are broken into sections with insets, pull-outs, captioned illustrations, “Ed’s Field Notes”, and highlighted words that are defined in a glossary at the end of each chapter. The illustrations are colorful (some are black and white) and engaging, keeping the reader in the experience of the book.

This copy of An Immense World has minor printing errors, such as misspelling oripulation in the index. Highly recommended for public and school libraries.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey

February 14, 2026

Book Comes Home: A Banned Book's Journey by Micah Player, Rob Sanders
Published by Random House Children's Books on 2025
ISBN: 0593813685
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Book Comes Home : A Banned Book’s Journey helps grown-ups explain book banning and organized activism to young readers using simple, direct language. Other picture books prompt discussion about the concept of banned books in school and public libraries, but this is the only one (I know of) telling the story from the book’s perspective.

Book is an approachable looking children’s book with a lovely lilac cover, shiny gold medal and a friendly smile, living her best life in a school library, well-loved and popular. Illustrations of children of different skin tones and sizes bringing Book home, enjoying, reading and discussing the story will resonate with many readers and the people who support their reading habits. Then one day, Book is removed from the shelves. Librarians and other adults will predict the next part of the story as Book is placed in a closet in the back of the library, with other books that have been challenged.

Inside the closet, the illustrations are dark and gloomy. Sanders, whose picture book, Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, has been challenged and banned, shares the experiences of other books in the closet, placed there for being “scary”, or for “mak(ing) people think”. Inside the closet, Book questions whether these are bad things, and if she is bad. Outside the closet, a double-page spread illustration shows determined and impassioned readers opposing the book banning; creating protest signs and phoning the school board.

Player makes good use of posters as messaging: readers create posters that say things like “Let Me Be. Let Me Read.” and outside the library, quotes about reading, such as “Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower).

Readers and librarians will appreciate the happy ending as Book and the other books are saved from the Banned Book Closet, and brought back into the light where the images are bright, colorful, and dynamic. Readers are reunited with the books they love and all is well.

Sanders includes a thoughtful author’s message that puts book banning in historic context and encourages reading books that challenge us. Also included in the back matter is a glossary and resources listing online websites for people interested in learning more about censorship from the American Libraries Association and PEN America. The end pages include words from the ALA’s Statement on book censorship. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS
K-2 Resource Librarian, Scarborough Schools

Way Off Track

February 13, 2026

Way Off Track (A Nansi Graphic Novel, 1) by Carl Brundtland, Claudia Davila
ISBN: 1525310046
Genres: Folklore, Sports
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
four-stars

Way Off Track, written by Carl Brundtland and illustrated by Claudia Dávila, is a classic morality tale in a fresh setting with a relatable lead character, Nansi. Nansi is bound for the Olympics, but first she has to complete some middle school track meets. Like many talented seventh graders, Nansi straddles the line of confidence and complacency throughout the story. After not training, eating well, or getting enough sleep before her meet, Nansi is shocked when she loses to a wealthy, popular girl sporting the fanciest new shoes. Taking the wrong lesson from this, Nansi is determined to get those shoes and starts working at a beauty salon to save up money. When the opportunity for more training presents itself, Nansi has to choose between the shoes, the training, or lying to her family to get both.

Brundtland does an excellent job of creating a lovable character who doesn’t always make the right choices. Nansi’s friends and family give her guidance, but also give her room to own her decisions and learn from them. These factors lead to a lesson in the end that feels earned without unnecessary finger wagging. Where Brundtland seamlessly incorporates Jamaican culture, Way Off Track falters in its connection to the classic West African trickster character, Anansi. Even readers familiar with Anansi tales might not make a connection between Nansi and Anansi outside of their names. A primer in the beginning or end would have added to the larger context of the story and educated a new generation about these classic West African folktales. Dávila’s digital art is consistent, creative in its panel work, and brings so much life into these expressive characters.

A recommended purchase for graphic novel collections, especially where sports stories are popular.

Reviewed by Ivy Burns, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

The House on the Canal

February 9, 2026March 19, 2026

The House on the Canal: The Story of the House that Hid Anne Frank by Britta Teckentrup, Thomas Harding
ISBN: 1536240702
Genres: History, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

While there are many books about Anne Frank and her diary, this is a story about the extraordinary house and the annex behind it that hid her.

In the city of Amsterdam, next to a canal and a church, is a slender building with a green front door known as “anne frank haus,” which is the official museum of Anne Frank. This picture book takes its readers through the entire history of the space: from the peaceful marshland, to the stonemasons who stacked the foundation, and then the addition of the annex on the back.

Families cycled in and out of the house. There were plagues, parties, manufacturing, horse stables, and even a fire. It would take until 1940, when Otto Frank moved his businesses into the building, that would make it the impactful destination that it is today. Britta Teckentrup, who is often known for her die-cut shapes and cheery illustrations, really hits the mark with this very different piece of work. The passageways of the house and the map of Amsterdam are so visually interesting with lots of shape-framing and lovely muted colors. Thomas Hardings’ writing is incredibly evocative and takes the reader right into the experience of being in the house, hearing the bells ring in the church square, and up to what the house is today; a museum and education center. There is thorough back matter to fully understand each era of the house, which was just enough information. Overall, this book is expertly made and highly encouraged for upper elementary collections. Ages 7+

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath