Big by Vashti Harrison 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Everyone has feelings and sometimes words can be very hurtful. One girl finds this out when other children start to make fun of her because of her size. When she is criticized by both adults and children her fragile self-esteem is damaged. The book teaches readers to be mindful when talking to others. A child’s self-confidence can be shattered with just a few words. The book has a wonderful message for all children.

Published In: 2023
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co,
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 1.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2024 Caldecott Medal

Locomotive by Brain Floca 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

If your child likes trains this is the book for them. A family is moving out West, the year is 1869, the transcontinental railroad has just been completed, and they will be traveling by train. The book gives insight into the passenger experience through the eyes of a young boy traveling with his mother and sister. It describes all the sights along the way as well as what it is like living on the train over the course of the multi-day trip. Details are given about the mechanics of the train and what it takes to keep it moving. The jobs of the men working on the great machine are told simply and accurately. Younger children will find the story about the family moving out West fascinating. Older children will appreciate the history of building the train and the details of how a steam engine works.

Published In: 2013
Publisher: Atheneum
Age Level: 2-8 years
AR Level: 4.7
Pages: 60
Stars: 5
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Medal

 

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

"Finding Winnie” is a beautiful story and I learned so much about one of America’s most famous bears by reading this non-fiction picture book. Winnie was a real bear that was purchased by a Canadian veterinarian on his way to the front lines of WWI. While his Infantry Brigade was training on the Salisbury Plain in England, Winnie stayed with her veterinarian. But when the Brigade was called to France to fight, a hard decision had to be made about what to do with Winnie. Any child that has read the Winnie the Pooh books will find it fascinating to know the true story about the real bear. Both my grandchildren and my grown children loved this book.

Published In: 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
Age Level: 4-8 years
AR Level: 3.4
Pages: 52
Stars: 5
Awards: 2016 Caldecott Medal

Shadow by Marcia Brown 🟌🟌🟌🟌

“Shadow” is a book based on conversations the author had with storytellers from Africa and a poem by Blaise Cendrars, a French writer. Shadows are the main characters of the book, and these shadows live in Africa. The shadows come to life; they dance, they run, they are tricksters, but they have no voice. The mystery of the shadows are artistically display by the illustrations. They are more than just a thing, they come alive on the pages.

As I read this book with my Grandson, I did not fully appreciate what the author was telling the reader about the shadows. It took me 2 reads to acknowledge the beauty of the story. I never knew shadows could be described in so many ways. The book is dark and some younger children might find the pictures and/or story scary. I would recommend the book for older elementary children, and it could take more than one reading to comprehend the full message about what makes up a shadow.

Fun Activity: With your child at bedtime get a flashlight, turn off all the lights and make hand shadows on the walls.

Published In: 1982
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Age Level: 5-8 years
AR Level: 3.2
Pages: 36
Stars: 4
Awards: 1983 Caldecott Medal

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

This is a classic children’s book, about the inchworm that measures the birds, tail, neck, beak, legs and body. The inchworm provides his talents so that the birds of the forest will not eat him. The last bird, a nightingale, asks him to measure his song. How will the inchworm outsmart this bird? All my grandchildren have loved this book, and I recommend it for all toddlers

 

Published In: 1962
Publisher: William Morrow & Company Inc.
Age Level: 2-5 years
AR Level: 1.8
Pages: 32
Stars: 5
Awards: Caldecott Honor

Watercress by Andrea Wang 🟌🟌🟌

With all the awards this book has received I really wanted to love it but… it was just OK. The target audience is for middle schoolers, not elementary school kids and definitely not preschoolers. The book’s message was clear, as parents and immigrants our lives were so much harder than yours. The author is lecturing the main character throughout the book and as a reader I started to feel sorry for her.

I read this book to my 9-year-old Grandson and while the book did hold his attention, there were a lot of follow up questions that I had to address. Not once in the book did any of the family smile. The book is dark and sometimes confusing. The death of the mother ‘s brother is never fully explained and the thought that a person could die from hunger was overwhelming for a 9-year-old.  The message in the book could have been delivered with a more hopeful future. Watercress is a book for the 5^th and 6^th graders, the content is too grave and sad for younger children. I give it 3 stars.     

Fun Activity: Find Watercress either at the grocery store or growing outside, then make watercress sandwiches.                

Published In: 2021                          

Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Age Level: 6-10
AR Level: 3.7
Pages: 32
Stars: 3
Awards:
Caldecott Medal Winner -2022
Newbery Honor Book -2022

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall 🟌🟌🟌🟌🟌

You would think that living in a lighthouse would be boring and mundane, but “Hello Lighthouse” shows how active and enjoyable life can be on the tiny island. There is always a task that needs to be tended to or natural phenomenon to view. As the seasons pass the author draws the reader into the daily routine of the keeper. The book is a wonderful example of what living in the “olden days” would have been like.

“Hello Lighthouse” is a great children’s introduction to lighthouses. Living in landlocked Tennessee my 5-year-old granddaughter and I had a long discussion on the purpose of a lighthouse. The illustrations captivate and support the story and are delivered artistically. This is a great book regardless if you live by the sea or in the heartland. A must for your the home library.

Fun Activity: Make a plastic cup lighthouse, I like this one:

https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/plastic-cup-lighthouse

Published In: 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
Age Level: 2-6 years
AR Level: 3.4
Pages: 48
Stars: 5
Award: 2019 Caldecott Medal

Finders Keepers by Weill and Nicolas 🟌🟌🟌

Two dogs, Winkle and Nap find a bone together, one sees it first and the other touches it first. So, who does the bone belong to?  An argument between the two dogs breaks out and the dogs ask 4 different travelers coming down the road to help them decided who should get the bone. The farmer, goat and barber are of no help. Then a big dog came on the scene and is really interested in helping them and he wants them to show him the bone. Once Winkle and Nap dig up the bone, where they have put it for safekeeping, the big dog takes it from them. The two dogs fight the big dog to get the bone back. At the end of the book Winkle and Nap share the bone.

As with some books from the 1950’s” Finders Keepers” is not up to the 2020’s standards in both presentation and how to resolve conflicts. The biting and slashing that Winkle and Nap infect on the big dog might make this book a bit to aggressive for some preschoolers. But the story about cooperation and sharing between friends is compelling. My granddaughter tried to listen to this book but there was a lot of fidgeting while I read it to her. Even though it’s a Caldecott Medal Winner, I can only give it 3 stars.

Published In: 1951
Publisher: Voyager Books
Age Level: 4-7 years old
AR Level: 2.8
Pages: 32
Award: Caldecott Medal Winner -1952
Stars: 3