I read A LOT of kids books. Like I feel like teachers read insane amounts of kids books and anyone who rolls in the children's publishing industry reads a crazy amount of kids books. Who knew combining those two jobs (one that is purely volunteer lol) would mean that I would now read an astronomical number of books? Apparently I didn't think of that. Anyway, when you read as many kids books as I do, it is hard to keep track. I get emails from publishers being like "can you post your review to Amazon?" and I'm like.... I read that book right? Was that the one with the dog pretending to be a kid... or the kid pretending to be a dog... oh actually it was the one about the pirate who is allergic to bananas (all of these ideas were made up, but really I should get on writing a pirate banana kids book...). That being said, there are some books that are so special I know they will hold on to a piece of my heart and be making their way to my classroom library one day soon. Here are my top picks for our future favourites!
Marta Cunill
Owlkids
This hilarious picture book tells the story of three lazy birds who don't feel like migrating in the fall. When the winter comes they sure are in for a surprise though and instantly regret their decision. They try a number of strategies which do not work super well, such as coats or living like fish. When they finally decide to migrate, they are a little too late and are unimpressed when it is time to leave already! With graphic novel/comic style box images and speech bubbles with minimal text per page, this is the perfect book for young readers who are excited to try to read on their own. The images also tell the story almost as much as the speech bubbles and are funny and detailed without being overly complex. I really like this book and am sure that my students would love it too! I can see this one becoming a fast favourite in my room and would recommend it to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Vivek Shraya Ills: Juliana Neufeld
Owlkids
You had me at raccoons, but surprise, surprise I LOVE this book! It helps that I think raccoons are hilarious, but there are lots of reasons I love this book! I think it is great that it is written in rhyme with predictable text that will be easy for young readers to guess at challenging words. I think the hilarity of raccoons is a huge part of what makes this text fun, they cause havoc in the most ridiculous ways and despite being seen as a pest or a hindrance, when you take a step back and see the ridiculous things they do, how can you not love them. The author shows their funny ways, while also telling the story as if they are purposely trying to bother humans. At the end there is a message that raccoons are acting this way because we stole their land and built houses, which is the perfect opportunity to teach children about overpopulation, the problems with cutting down forests and destroying habitats and the reminder that they were here first. The illustrations are amazing, they are colourful and make it easier for children to comprehend the story without distracting from the words. The font is quite large and easy to read, is usually black on a light colour or white on a dark colour and there are very few words or lines on a page so it is not overwhelming for younger or struggling readers. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range. I can't wait to read this book to my class! Thanks so much to
Marion Clark Ills: Tanya Fenton
Rosen Publishing
This hilarious rhyming picture book tells the story of a crocodile who gets very upset when other animals enjoy “his” river. He yells and tells them to leave until everyone does and he realizes how lonely he is. The expressive text and large bold capital letters help readers emphasize the crocodile’s tantrums, and the hilarious illustrations of a crocodile splashing around angrily in the water add to the fun of the story. I can see this being a fun book for read aloud or shared reading experiences. I would recommend this book to parents of children in the age 4-8 range.
Karen Hodgson Ills Steve Cox
Rosen Publishing
This hilarious picture book tells the story of Boris, a frog who loses all of his frog friends by showing off how he is better at being a frog than them. Then, once all of the frogs leave him, he meets some other animals such as a lizard and a bird. He asks them what they do and he shows off how he can do that even better than they can. Then a toad comes along and shows Boris how he can puff out, Boris announces that he can do it better but then turns multiple colours and eventually pops. The illustrations are hilarious and definitely add an element of fun to the story. The expressive text also helps with telling the story and encouraging silly voices. I could definitely see this book being a great part of a shared reading or read aloud reading experience. I would recommend this book to parents or teachers of children in the 3-9 age range.
Constance Lombardo Ills: Dan Abdo & Jason Patterson
Pub date: Oct. 18, 2022 Astra Publishing House
This adorable picture book written in the comic/graphic novel style tells the story of two little pieces of cutlery who fight for the right to feed the baby! Young readers will love the detailed and entertaining illustrations and the simple but inviting fonts and speech bubbles. The storyline is simple and fairly easy to follow, while still being very entertaining and appealing to young readers. I could definitely see this book in my classroom library and would recommend it to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Ben Clanton
Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022 Simon & Schuster
This graphic novel style early chapter book tells the story of Rot Poe Tater, a mutant potato who wants to be the greatest potato in the world, and he might just be if it weren't for a tough sibling rivalry between him and his brother and sister. Through the course of the five chapters and a number of contests, they realize that the greatest in the world could also be a trio of siblings. The book ends with some fun potato facts and a step by step learn to draw tutorial to teach readers how to draw their favourite potato friend. This book is sure to be a favourite among early readers who are ready for slightly longer stories with chapters, but still rely on pictures as a strategy when reading. I could definitely see this book in my class library and would recommend it to parents and teachers of children in the age 5-9 range.
Mayra Hernandez Ills: Kate Teves
Oh my gosh this book is so cute! It follows the story of dog named Rocky who is trying to help his cat brother, Sterling, who is quite confused about how to be a cat. Rocky explains that Sterling likes to do all of the things that he likes to do, for example peeing outside and playing fetch, but Rocky feels it is his duty to help teach Sterling to be a cat. Over the course of the story, Rocky begins to realize that he may not have ever actually told Sterling he is a cat, and telling him now would mean he might lose his dog-like sidekick, so it is really a moral dilemma!
I could definitely see this book becoming a favourite with my students. It is cute and funny and has stereotypical and relatable animal characters, with fun pictures and large beautiful fonts. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-8 range and will definitely be picking up a copy for my classroom library!
Susie Bower Ills: Francesca Gambatesa
Pushkin Children's Books
This hilarious picture book tells the story of a woman who lives alone in a house and despises all animals. When a zoo moves in next door, she must shoo all of the animals back to the zoo as they begin invading her house. With comical illustrations and hilarious text (including a kangaroo making bathroom noises on the toilet - sure to get lots of giggles on that page!) children are sure to love this book. The text is fairly large and relatively easy to read with some expressive/bold text for noises and silly words. I can definitely see this book being a transition text between reading aloud to a child and a child feeling ready to begin reading independently. I would recommend this fun book to parents and teachers of children in the age 3-8 range.
Paige Towler, Ills Andy Smith
Britannica Group
This silly book tells a variety of gross facts that kids are bound to be obsessed with. From poop to skunks to strange ancient medical treatments, this book has all of the grossest and silliest facts kids will want to know! I can definitely see my students being enthralled by this weird book. It is definitely a potential future favourite of my students and I'm sure others in this grade range too! I would recommend this book to teachers and parents of children in the age 7-12 range.
Mr. & Mrs. MacLeod
Pub Date: October 4 Union Square Kids
This is a truly weird and hilarious book. It tells the story of three odd children, Gerald, Geraldine and Sheila who get eaten by books and then eat the books themselves. The pictures are black and white with pops of the three primary colours drawing the eye to the interesting pictures and giving a 3D feel. The words are silly, with some expressive text and weird fonts to emphasize the silly ideas. I can definitely see children giggling and asking to reread this story again and again. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 3-10 range as a read aloud or shared reading experience with children eventually being able to continue the story on their own. I could also see the illustration style being something that art teachers want to use as a mentor piece for creating 3d art.
Wendy Williams
Little Pen is tired of his boring life at the bottom of a purse and yearns for an opportunity to be free and explore the world around him. There are lots of dangers out there for a little pen though, like being thrown in the garbage or eating by a dog! One day he gets his chance to escape and he can't believe his luck when he is picked up by a pilot! He now gets to enjoy lots of exciting views and still be a great pen! This is a really cute story and the pictures are really entertaining and neat to look at. The font is fairly large and though it does have a mix of upper and lower case letters (something that isn't great modeling for young readers and writers), it is fairly easy to read. I could definitely see my students enjoying this book. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range.
Katherine Tonti. Ills: Teguh Sulistio
Bookbaby
This silly rhyming picture book describes a boy who scares everyone away with his loud voice. His parents accept that he is much too loud and end up buying ear muffs and building a dome around their house to help combat the noise their little son makes. With large all caps text to demonstrate yelling, this book is fun to read and makes a perfect read aloud or shared reading experience. I can definitely see my class giggling as I read them this book. I would recommend this book to parents of children in the age 3-9 range.
By: Maureen Fergus Ills. Alexandra Bye
Tundra Books
This fun early chapter book/graphic novel is the second in the series and is bound to draw in young readers. With hilarious characters, bright and silly illustrations and speech bubbles that are not cramped or overwhelming, this book is perfect for its target audience. Broken into 6 short chapters, at less than 50 pages, this book is the perfect transitionary book for readers who are ready to move from picture books to longer texts but not quite ready to move into chapter books with overwhelming amounts of text.
While this one is not being released until January 2023, it is definitely one to keep an eye out for!
As always, thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review these fabulous new books!