Shoes off please

October 8, 2025

Shoes Off, Please by Helena Ku Rhee, Myo Yim
Published by Random House Children's Books on June 17, 2025
ISBN: 0593649621
Genres: Family
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Mina and her mom have a household policy of removing their shoes when they enter their house. When Mina’s friends come over they don’t like the hassle of taking their shoes off and Mina and her mom have to clean up the floors after they leave, having a heartfelt conversation about their own cultural traditions, their importance to their household, and how to explain this to her friends. Once she does this her friends are more than happy to respect their house and their traditions.

4-9 years old

Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

Daisy Rewilds

October 7, 2025

Daisy Rewilds by Kerascoët, Margaret McNamara, Sébastien Cosset
ISBN: 0593125673
Genres: Nature
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

“Daisy Rewilds” is a picture book written by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by Kerascoet about a girl named Daisy who grows up loving nature. As a baby she composted her own baby food, as an example of her environmentalism. She starts to sprout greens in her hair and eventually grows into a whole wild garden. The book is fun and beautiful, but some of the words seem a little big for the intended audience. A suggested additional purchase where nature picture books are popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn’s Great Big Wish

October 7, 2025

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn's Great Big Wish by Shawn Harris
Published by Random House Children's Books on March 4, 2025
ISBN: 0593571916
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

What happens when a teeny-weeny unicorn has a wish to be big, to have something smaller than his teeny-weeny self in his life? He goes off to find things to wish on but even that is problematic for such a small unicorn that can’t lift or pull much. His frustration grows but he doesn’t quit until his Big Wish comes true. Sweet and silly, and heartfelt all rolled into one.

This book’s illustrations are as colorful and fantastical as anyone would think a unicorn is.

Ages 3-7

Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

My Abuela is a Bruja

October 3, 2025

My Abuela Is a Bruja by Lorena Alvarez Gomez, Mayra Cuevas
ISBN: 0593480635
Genres: Cultural / Latin America, Family, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

An homage to the Native Peoples of Puerto Rico; My Abuela is a Bruja paints a beautiful portrait of what it’s like to be connected to a line of women who practice the art of being a “bruja.” The qualities of being an Island bruja include walks along the island and getting to know the lush flora and fauna, dancing, gardening, cooking, and feeling the magic of her ancestors inside her. The magic of abuela is illustrated beautifully and vibrantly on each page by Lorena Alvarez Gómez who’s known for books such as The Magical Yet, and The Curious Why. The back pages explain in an Author’s Note that the book is based on the author’s own experiences with her abuela and the history of her people, the Borikén. There’s also a Glossary of Abuela’s Spanish Words included in the book and recipes to make Abuela’s Sofrito and Flan. Children of all backgrounds will enjoy getting to know Puerto Rico’s culture a bit better after exploring this book. It’s published simultaneously in Spanish. Recommended for ages 4-9.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

Maisy Big, Maisy Small

October 3, 2025October 3, 2025

Maisy Big, Maisy Small: A Book of Rhyming Opposites by Lucy Cousins
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536236292
Genres: Babies/Infants
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Maisy Big, Maisy Small is a re-release in Lucy Cousins’ beloved Maisy series. It now features a new, updated cover different from its release in 2007. Cousins does a wonderful job covering the opposites for children to learn in an entertaining and colorful way. Each page uses the primary colors in Cousins’ classic style. This is the type of book that gets read over and over again in early childhood education, and for good reason. The rhymes are incredibly engaging and Maisy is an irresistible character for kids. Perfect for read-alouds or laptime, this new version is delightful. Recommended for ages 2-5.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath.

Cats in Construction Hats

September 23, 2025September 23, 2025

Cats in Construction Hats (Cats in Hats) by Leeza Hernandez, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Published by Random House on April 8, 2025
ISBN: 0593706846
Genres: Animals, Vehicles
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Reminiscent of both Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Richard Scarry books. Cats in Construction Hats features colorful cats in colorful hard hats building a cat house. “Yellow cat. Green hat. Dig this. Clear that. Green cat. Orange hat. Mix this. Pour that.” Every four lines is a rhythmic, rhyming quatrain ending with “at”. Except when their carelessness results in a spectacular accident, “BOOM! CRASH! SPLAT!” and an exclamation,“RATS!”. Personally, I am not a big fan of rats but observant readers will be able to spot them on every page. (Cats and rats getting along and working together.) They will also delight in seeing bulldozer, dump truck, cement mixer, forklift, and hydraulic crane. This book could be used for story time but probably a better lap book. Overall, it is a bouncy, fun book that preschoolers will have fun scrutinizing and discussing the illustrations. I imagine an extension sorting activity where children match the cats to their colorful construction hats, perhaps placing them in a cubicle in the cat house. By the way, I love the plentiful scratching posts incorporated in the house design. (A feature I missed until about the fourth reading. This is why this book needs to be read again and again! I started out giving it 3 stars and then went back and changed my rating to 4 stars as I recognized its genius!)

Book 2 – Cats in Conductor Hats: A Train Adventure is schedule to be published in June, 2026.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Little Blue Truck and Racer Red

September 23, 2025September 23, 2025

Little Blue Truck and Racer Red by Alice Schertle, Jill McElmurry
Series: Little Blue Truck #11
Published by Clarion on March 25, 2025
ISBN: 0063387840
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Farm Life, Humor, Vehicles
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

This spin-off from the Little Blue Truck series is probably my favorite yet. The usual characters are back with the addition of a sporty red race car. Little Blue and Toad are out for a drive when Racer Red challenges Blue to a race. It’s a neck-and-neck race, with Blue giving it his best, but Racer Red crosses the finish line first. Blue is a gracious loser, happy to know that win or lose, it’s fun to try.

Fans of Little Blue will love this book. Who doesn’t love a good race?! The rhyming is succinct and not forced. The illustrations are adorable. There is solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share that will make this a popular choice for story time.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many Languages

September 23, 2025September 23, 2025

Our Mothers' Names: Love in Many Languages by Rahele Jomepour Bell, Uma Menon
Published by Candlewick on April 22, 2025
ISBN: 153622250X
Genres: Cultural / African American, Family, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

There are many ways to say mother. The narrator is an unnamed dark-skinned girl whose family speaks two languages at home – English and Malayalam. (The most common language in Kerala, India, where her parents and grandparents were born.) She calls her mother Amma, but her friend Angelina, who also lives in the United States and speaks two languages, calls her mother Mamá. She goes on to visit other friends who speak Greek, Arabic, Russian, French, Japanese, and other languages and the name they call their mothers.

I enjoyed the flow of the story and the depiction of the different families, which conveyed much information without being blatant. This is an obvious pick for Mother’s Day story time. But I could also see this being used as a springboard for primary-aged children to research other words, such as for father or grandparent, etc. in different languages. A fact in the “Did You Know …?” section at the back intrigued me: “There are more people in the world who are bilingual or multilingual, which means they can use and understand two or more languages, than there are people who can use only one.”

This is an important book for American children to recognize multilingualism and see the connections between all children in this world, and to reassure others about their place in this country.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

Bianca and the Butterfly

September 23, 2025

Bianca and the Butterfly by Sergio Ruzzier
Published by Harper ISBN: 0063295881
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Bianca the polar bear loves her home – the snow and the cold. One day a beautiful butterfly arrives and she leaps onto a nearby ice floe to take a closer look. The ice floe drifts, eventually stopping at a fascinating world, depicted in vibrant hues of red, yellow, purple, and orange. Initially intrigued, Bianca soon becomes homesick. Using a broken branch, she floats home into the arms of her waiting mother.

Spare text and lovely illustrations that contrast the Arctic and the fantastic world makes this a fun book for preschool children. (I especially enjoyed the contrast of the front and back end pages.) Bianca is a rather comical, prominently hooked-nosed polar bear. I felt this was a familiar story for anyone who has read Hans de Beer Little Polar Bear book. Nevertheless, youngsters will relate to Bianca’s feelings of comfort in the familiar and her curiosity about the rest of the world.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Today at School with Yesterday and Tomorrow

September 18, 2025

Today at School: With Yesterday and Tomorrow by Jessica Young, Renee Kurilla
ISBN: 0593812751
Genres: Animals, Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Today at School with Yesterday and Tomorrow

Author: Jessica Young. Illustrator: Renee Kurilla

This charming picture book for ages 4-8 tells a heartwarming story about the first day of school, told from the perspective of two sisters- Yesterday (a bear), and Tomorrow (an owl), who have very different feelings about the upcoming first day of school. Yesterday prefers to take her time and reflect, while Tomorrow is excited to make new big plans. They meet a new friend, Today (a fox), who helps the sisters be present and enjoy the “now.” This is a lovely and encouraging story, particularly useful for children encountering a new and unfamiliar experience.

4 stars

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