Format: Picture Book Nonfiction

The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story

The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the StoryThe Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story by Brian Biggs, Kate Messner
ISBN: 0063372622
Genres: Animals, Humor, Informational, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction, Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a unique picture book that can be read from front to back, and then back to front. On the first reading, the Whale’s character is humorously boasting true facts about whales in comparison to otters. When you reach the end of the book, it instructs to read it backwards to hear the Otter’s side of the story. The text cleverly turns the boasted information around to make the Otter’s facts appear in favor to the Whale.

This wordplay makes this a fun read-aloud to kids, who will also learn real facts about both species. However, the wordplay makes the actual read-aloud somewhat stilted, and ruins any sort of fluidity of story-telling. Overall good, children will enjoy the humor. Recommended for ages 4-8.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

three-stars

Insectarium

InsectariumInsectarium: Welcome to the Museum (An Illustrated Junior Entomology Guide to Wild Bug Species, Biodiversity, and Nature Conservation for Kids Ages 8-12) by Dave Goulson, Emily Carter
ISBN: 1536241148
Genres: Animals, Informational, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

The Welcome to the Museum collection is back with a new installment all about Insects. This oversized non-fiction picture book is a work of art with its highly detailed illustrations and research straight from the Royal Entomological Society in the UK.

The book is organized in a way that children will be able to understand by first introducing insect evolution and the parts that make up an insect vs. a bug. The book divides itself between climates and the types of insects that are often found there. The book includes: Cicadas, Praying Mantises, Cockroaches, Dragonflies, Grasshoppers, Bumblebees, Fireflies, Lice, Ladybugs, Moths, Ants, and more. The book is unusual in the way that the illustrators have taken a subject matter that is often reviled and has made it astoundingly beautiful. Recommended for all ages. This series could circulate well in upper elementary, middle school, and YA collections. (Published in 2025)

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

The Mother Tree

The Mother TreePublished by Anne Schwartz Books on March 17, 2026
Pages: 40
Genres: Informational, Nature, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction, Picture Book Nonfiction
four-stars

This seems like a children’s version of The Secret Life of Trees. I am unsure whether I will put this in the fiction or non-fiction section as it is very realistic and informational. Sadie and her mother enjoy walks through the forest. One of their favorite trees is a “two-hundred-year-old beech with a trunk like an elephant’s leg.” This beech, called a mother tree, helps feed others by cooperating with fungi to bring nutrients to new saplings through its root system. When spray-painted orange circles appear on some of the trees, Sadie discovers that loggers will be cutting them down to make paper. Devastated to learn that the mother tree is slated to be cut down, Sadie vows never to use paper again. Momma explains that it’s okay to use the resources that trees give to us as long as they aren’t wasted. Carpenter captures the emotional aspects of the trees being harvested and the horrible noise that the machines make. The subdued pastel colored illustrations add to the mournfulness of the text. There is hopefulness at the end because Sadie does save the mother tree from being cut down. Great book for discussions. Amazon lists this for preschool level but I think it would be more appropriate for 7-10 year olds.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

Sharks in Kansas: The Ancient Sea in the Middle of America

Sharks in Kansas: The Ancient Sea in the Middle of AmericaPublished by Random House Studio on July 7, 2026
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, dinosaurs, Informational
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
five-stars

This book goes back 85 million years to a time when Kansas was submerged under a vast ocean called the Western Interior Seaway that was teeming with incredible prehistoric sharks. This unique dinosaur book introduces lesser-known creatures through both narrative prose and brief, well-organized fact boxes. Dinosaur lovers will eat this up! Stewart is the author of over 200 science books for children and this is one of her best that also  includes a clear explanation of plate tectonics and the formation of Monument Rocks. Becca Stadtlander’s lush colored illustrations of these creatures compliment the text. I highly recommend adding this unusual dinosaur book to your dinosaur section. Ages 6-10.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

In One Whale’s Breath

In One Whale’s BreathIn One Whale's Breath by Cinyee Chiu, Jessica Kulekjian
Published by Kids Can Press on September 1, 2026
ISBN: 1525314106
Genres: Animals, Informational
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A humpback whale takes a breath and dives below the ocean’s surface where it can swim underwater for 15 minutes before coming back to the surface for more air. Meanwhile, each page spread introduces a different animal, showing what it’s doing, where it lives, and how it breathes. This informational picture book offers two layers of text: a lyrical narrative that follows the whale and other animals, and smaller, more detailed factual blurbs explaining the science behind each creature’s breathing, making the book accessible to a wider range of readers. (Personally, this informational text was my favorite part of the book. I learned a lot!) At the end of  the book, the whale returns for its next breath, water droplets arising from its spout and traveling into the atmosphere and all the way to space. (This part could have been left out IMHO but it does not detract from the book.) Gouache and pastel illustrations of mostly blue and green depict a cool  oceanic setting. It would be fun to set a timer at the beginning of the book and wait for it to go off as you read the book so children have a better sense of the length of 15 minutes. You may want to read this book twice – once with the lyrical text and again with the informational text, which would likely take about 15 minutes. There is an author’s note, more information, books and websites at the end. Ages 4--8.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Nominated for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Gifts From Crows

Gifts From CrowsGifts from Crows by Gideon Sterer, Shadra Strickland
Published by Clarion Books on August 18, 2026
ISBN: 006323758X
Genres: Animals, Emotions & Feelings, Family, Informational
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Four year-old Gabi has a tendency to drop bits of her snacks as she walks along with her family. Her family may not notice these tidbits but the neighborhood crows do as they gobble up the dropped food. These crows start watching for Gabi and her unintentional gifts. Soon it is hard to miss the relationship between Gabi and the crows.
As she gets older she feeds them from a feeding station in the backyard and the crows start doing something very surprising in return, leaving her gifts.
This beautiful retelling of a true story is full of age-appropriate information about crows, their habits, and their families through words and gorgeous, gentle illustrations. Backmatter is included. This story is a lovely remembrance of our relationships with the natural world all around us.

Ages 4-9
Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

five-stars

We Are Mighty: 12 Ordinary Americans Who Did The Next Needed Thing

We Are Mighty: 12 Ordinary Americans Who Did The Next Needed ThingWe Are Mighty: 12 Ordinary Americans Who Did the Next Needed Thing by Sharon McMahon, Susanna Chapman
Published by Alfred A. Knopf on May 19, 2026
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Sometimes all that’s needed in this world is for someone to step up and do what they see needs doing. Square the shoulders, pull from their own strengths and gather people to help, that’s how things get done. In this book we see 12 ordinary Americans who saw something that needed to be done and got to doing it; ordinary people who in the end made an extraordinary difference.

Readers will meet Ida Lewis who saw four boys in distress in the ocean during a storm and rowed a boat out to save them without a second thought to the danger she was putting herself in.They’ll also meet María De López who saw the inequities faced by women and fought to change them. María wanted to help in the war in France but was told she couldn’t as she was a woman. She asked “why?”and soon she was working with the Red Cross to get wounded soldiers to lifesaving help at hospitals.

Read about them and ten more remarkable, ordinary individual’s stories who are paired with beautiful illustrations to show how extraordinary we can all be.

Ages 6+
Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

four-stars

Blues Boy: The B.B. King Story

Blues Boy: The B.B. King StoryBlues Boy: The B. B. King Story by Alice Faye Duncan, Carl Joe Williams
ISBN: 006333402X
Genres: Biography/Autobiography, Cultural / African American, Inspiration, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Born in the Mississippi Delta, Riley B. King lived a childhood of sorrow and struggle. At a young age, and in short succession, his parents divorced and then his mother passed away. Before her death, his mama said “When you do good and treat folks right, good things will come to you.” Riley went on to live with his grandmother, plowing fields and chopping cotton in the segregated south. He went to school in a one-room school house, but the other children teased him for his patched-up overalls and bad stutter. Seeing his frown one day, his Aunt Mima introduced Riley to blues music on her record player, changing his life forever. Riley bought his first guitar at age 12, and taught himself how to play using a book he purchased from the Sears catalogue – finding that when he opened his mouth to sing, his stutter disappeared. He went on to work farming jobs during the day and playing the blues on street corners at night. Eventually, he made his way to Memphis and became the Blues Boy. The oil, acrylic, and collage illustrations are stunning – and feel like a warm quilt weaving together the journey of B.B King’s life. The book is complete with educational back matter, including a timeline, places to visit, recommended songs and albums, and suggested picture book pairings. This aspirational biography would be a lovely addition to any non-fiction picture book collection. Recommended for ages 5 to 8 (Kindergarten to 3rd Grade). Nominated for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

five-stars

Thank You For Being a Friend

Thank You For Being a FriendThank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold, Sanne Dufft
Published by Random House ISBN: 0593903099
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry, Inspiration, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Celebrate friendship of all ages with this sing-along picture book written in 1978 by Andrew Gold and made popular in the theme song for The Golden Girls. The words are familiar (at least to those over 40) and the variety in Dufft’s gouache and colored-pencil art captures racially and generationally diverse friendship in many different forms. The illustration of the four “golden girls” is a delight as are the colorful friendship bracelets on the end pages. Unlikely to be a story time hit with preschoolers as it is a bit repetitious, but it is good retro fun for adult readers. It would be a fun lap book to talk about the pictures with young children and pull up the song on Spotify to listen to and sing together.

Barb Rehmeyer,  Liberty Library

four-stars

Sing the 50 United States

Sing the 50 United StatesSing the 50 United States! by Dr. Seuss, Tom Brannon
Published by Random House on June 2, 2026
Genres: Informational, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

Newly discovered and never-before-seen picture book by Dr. Seuss . From Alabama to Wyoming, learn the names of all 50 states with the infamous Cat in the Hat. I don’t think it is singable but it is fun. The states are introduced by what names are similar or rhyme and not by region. This makes it a bit more challenging to learn them. The rhyming structure is typical Dr. Suess style. The book is colorful and the geography is fairly accurate. Kids, especially those who love maps, will enjoy it. A resource for the celebration of  the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. At the end of the book is a Publisher’s Note about how this project came to be, including  images of the original text and sketches by Ted Geisel.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

three-stars