Review of How We Share Cake, by Kim Hyo-eun

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

How We Share Cake

by Kim Hyo-eun

Scribble, 2024. First published in Korea in 2022. 52 pages.
Review written April 15, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

This picture book is about a family of five siblings and how they have to share everything – including their uncle, breeze from a fan, and hand-me-down shiny yellow rain boots.

Much is made of the different kinds of things they share. It’s harder to share cotton candy than broccoli, for example, and there’s constant negotiation about who goes first when they have to share by taking turns.

Why did I relate so much to this book? I’m third of thirteen siblings – and when I was the age of the protagonist, there were five of us, in a family much like the one in this book.

Let’s just say I wasn’t surprised that the way the second child got one-on-one time with her parents was to break her arm when it was her turn on the scooter. And everyone else got a little more time!

To this day, it’s hard for me to pass treats that someone has left out to share – because I fundamentally don’t expect treat availability to last long.

This book shows the reader how a person can get tired of sharing – but also the joy of having people close by to share with.

hyoeunkim.com
scribblekidsbooks.com

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Review of Every Monday Mabel, by Jashar Awan

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Every Monday Mabel

by Jashar Awan

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. 44 pages.
Review written March 17, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

I have discovered a new-to-me picture book author whose work I love! After reading Geisel Honor-winning Towed by Toad, I discovered the author has a new book published in 2025, and placed a hold. This one, too, is great fun – with simple language (though not quite as beginning-reader friendly as Towed by Toad), simple lines, and bright colors.

The first half of the book is anticipation.

It’s Monday, and Mabel wakes up early and drags her chair out of her room down the hallway. She grabs a bowl of dry cereal and sets up outside in front of the garage. Her sister thinks the thing she does every morning is the most boring thing in the world, her mother thinks it’s the cutest, and her father thinks it’s the funniest. One thing the reader is sure of is her absolute determination.

And then…

The Garbage Truck comes!

The best thing in the world is finally here!

From there, the backgrounds change from plain white to a bright, happy yellow. The pages are full of onomatopoeia, echoing the noises of the truck. We see Mabel joyfully jumping and dancing with each wondrous movement of the giant truck.

And the book pulls off a satisfying ending by showing us that, despite Mabel’s indifferent family, there are other garbage-truck watchers throughout the town.

I know a Storytime hit when I see one! The anticipation plus all the sound effects make this a winner for sure. And small garbage-truck lovers throughout the country will find a kindred spirit in Mabel.

JasharAwan.com

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Review of Joyful Song, by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal

Award Winners, Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Joyful Song

A Naming Story

by Lesléa Newman
illustrated by Susan Gal

Levine Querido, 2024. 40 pages.
Review written February 4, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Sidney Taylor Silver Medal, Picture Books

I checked out this picture book after it was honored with a Sidney Taylor Silver Medal by the Association of Jewish Libraries – and what a beautiful book it is!

The story is told from the perspective of a kid named Zachary. His family is walking through their vibrant, colorful neighborhood to the synagogue for his baby sister’s first Shabbat, when they will announce her name to the world. Zachary gets to push her baby carriage.

Along the way, their neighbors Miss Fukumi, Mr. Baraka, and Mrs. Santiago greet them and ask the baby’s name. Before Zachary can speak, first Mama gives a nickname, then Mommy gives a nickname, and the third time, Zachary knows to tell Mrs. Santiago they call her Snuggle Bunny. All three neighbors are invited to come with them to the naming ceremony.

In the synagogue, the family comes up front, and they announce the name and why they chose it. It’s all followed by a meal, and walking home, with the three neighbors saying good-by, each in their own way, and talking about the lovely baby with a lovely name.

For Jewish families, it must be a delight to see your traditions reflected in this gorgeous picture book. (I can’t stress enough how wonderful the art is!) For non-Jewish families, you’ve got a lovely cross-cultural window. And every family who reads this book will find the perfect lead-in to talking about how you chose the names for your children.

galgirlstudio.com
levinequerido.com

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Review of A Is For Bee, by Ellen Heck

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

A Is for Bee

An Alphabet Book in Translation

by Ellen Heck

Levine Querido, 2022. 36 pages.
Review written December 13, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

This book is creative and fascinating — though you’ll want to show it to older kids, who already know their English alphabet well, so they don’t get confused.

The introduction is simple:

We speak to each other in many languages, and in some of them…

Then it goes right into an Alphabet book. The order is A to Z, and many of the animals you’re used to see in alphabet books appear, but now they show up in different places.

On the first page, we’ve got:

A is for BEE

Anu in Igbo
Arl in Turkish
Aamoo in Ojibwe
Abelha in Portuguese

There’s extended back matter, explaining the difficulties of translation and the Romanization of different alphabets. 69 languages are represented in this book, which they note is a small fraction of the more than 6,500 spoken across the world.

They’ve got a QR code you can scan to get to this page: levinequerido.com/AIsforBee and hear the words spoken aloud. I had a lot of fun exploring there.

This isn’t really a book for learning other languages, but it’s a beautiful book for delighting in the variety of human expression and for children to get an idea of the many amazing ways people speak.

The book goes from A is for Bee to Z is for Elephant, with delightful variety in between.

levinequerido.com/AIsforBee

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Review of Towed By Toad, by Jashar Awan

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Towed By Toad

by Jashar Awan

Tundra, 2024. 48 pages.
Review written March 6, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Geisel Honor Book

The Geisel Awards are given to the most distinguished books for beginning readers, and they usually go to books in the beginning reader format. I’m so happy that this picture book won the award, because it only took one reading for it to become a favorite for me. And this picture book is both a good read-aloud and a good book for supporting new readers – the kind of book that will get read frequently and next thing you know, the child can read it themselves.

This was one of those picture books I had to show to my colleagues – except I found that I didn’t want to just show it to them – no, I was compelled to read it to them. Just a delightful book.

The look of the book is big, bright cartoon-type pictures on a white background, with about one to three short sentences per spread. And the action begins before the title page. We’re inside a house and see a toad calling from a doorway: “Breakfast!”

On the next spread, we see a smaller toad running out the door saying:

No time, Pop!
Can’t stop!

And then the title page shows the smaller toad driving out of a garage in an orange tow truck.

The beginning reminds me a little of Richard Scarry (though not nearly so busy):

Big cars. Little cars.
Old cars. New cars.
Everyone has places to be!

We then see various creatures headed various places.

No matter who you are
or where you are going. . .
. . . everyone needs help sometimes.

That’s where Toad comes in.

We see Toad towing and helping his first customer. Then these happen:

Catie Cat has a flat.
Davey Dog hit a log.

Mayor Hop forgot to stop.
Stanley Snout’s engine fell out.

And yes, the pictures that go with these are as fun as you might imagine.

And Toad helps them all.

But then, after a good day’s work, Toad’s own truck begins to make strange noises and breaks down. Toad doesn’t want to ask for help.

But when he finally does, we learn what that other big truck in the home garage is for.

And we’re left with a wonderful message:

Everyone needs help sometimes.

Even the helpers.

This book has it all – simple, bright pictures, easy-to-understand language, lots of cars and trucks, plenty of kid-sized drama, and a wonderful message to top it off.

One of those books that make me wish I were still doing story times.

jasharawan.com
penguinrandomhouse.ca

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Review of A Little Like Magic, by Sarah Kurpiel

Award Winners, Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

A Little Like Magic

by Sarah Kurpiel

Rocky Pond Books (Penguin Random House), 2024. 44 pages.
Review written February 28, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Schneider Family Award Winner, Younger Children

Here’s a gorgeous picture book that features a kid in a wheelchair.

The child and their mother (probably a little girl, but the gender is never specified) are headed to an ice festival to watch the sculptors work, but they don’t want to go.

I don’t like heavy coats
or itchy hats
or boots that don’t let me bend my ankles.
I don’t like cold wind
or icy roads.
Most of all, I don’t like going places that I’ve never been before.

Still, they go, bringing a special toy horse in their pocket. They watch the sculptors work, using chainsaws, drills, chisels, picks, torches and steaming irons.

They watch until they are too cold, then have hot chocolate together. The child isn’t convinced it’s worth it to make sculptures that are going to melt anyway.

And to their dismay, the little horse is no longer in their pocket when they get home.

But then the next day they go back after dark. Now the sculptures are finished, and they’re magical and wondrous.

The cold and crowd melt away. There is only light and ice and stars and Mom and me.

And, yes, they find their toy horse – along with a special surprise. That’s the best part of all.

In the end, they realize that even though the sculptures melted, they never really went away because they’ll always remember their magic.

This is one of those quiet, lovely, wonderful books that you love more each time you read it.

sarahkurpiel.com

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Review of My Daddy Is a Cowboy, words by Stephanie Seales, pictures by C. G. Esperanza

Award Winners, Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

My Daddy Is a Cowboy

words by Stephanie Seales
pictures by C. G. Esperanza

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. 40 pages.
Review written February 11, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Caldecott Honor Book
2025 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

This is a story of together time for a girl and her Daddy.

The book starts when he wakes her up before the sun. They get ready and ride a motorcycle to the “ranch” in the city – a regular house, with a backyard that has “stalls and stalls of horses.”

They get their horses ready – Daddy’s mare Power, and the girl’s pony Clover, and she feeds them the apple slices she brought.

And then they ride around the city neighborhood together. Daddy took her early so they wouldn’t have to worry about cars and trucks and things. Everyone who sees them smiles.

Later, Daddy will ride around the city with the other cowboys, and the girl will ride at the ranch with the other kids, but this is precious “just us” time, when she gets to be a cowboy like her Daddy.

It’s a good story about something I never guessed could happen in a big city – but what pushes it over to exceptional are the bright, vibrant, joyful, colorful illustrations.

Daddy says riding helped him feel stronger, safer, and happier.

I know what Daddy means because I feel that way when I ride.
Tall. High as the clouds.
Strong as a horse’s back.

stephanieseales.com
cgesperanza.com

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Review of Chooch Helped, by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz

Award Winners, Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Chooch Helped

by Andrea L. Rogers
illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz

Levine Querido, 2024. 48 pages.
Review written February 5, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner

Chooch Helped wasn’t on my radar except to order library copies – until it won the Caldecott Medal. The Caldecott Medal is given to the artist for the illustrations, but it’s an award for the picture book, so the story is always wonderful, too. It’s not hard to see why this book was chosen this year.

The story is about a big sister and her baby brother. Here’s how it begins:

This is the baby.
We call him Chooch.

The word for boy or son in Cherokee is atsutsa (ah-choo-ja)

However, the plot thickens on the next page, when we read:

Chooch isn’t really a baby, anymore.
We just celebrated his second birthday.

Still, whenever Chooch makes a mess, everyone says,
“He’s just usdi (oos-dee). Let him help.”

It seems to me, Usdi Chooch
just gets away with everything.

From there, each spread shows Chooch “helping” another member of the family. Each family member’s name is given in Cherokee, and most of the time, we can see that Chooch’s help is distinctly unhelpful. At the back of the book, the author tells how the different tasks they are doing are part of Cherokee culture.

Finally, when Chooch messes up the clay pot Sissy is making, she yells at him. So he cries, and her parents yell at her, “Shouting is no help!”

But when Sissy goes to her room and cries, Chooch helps her feel better. He really does help! And the parents apologize before the end, too. And there are lessons about how when she was usdi, her help was a lot like Chooch’s. And it all ends with Sissy helping Chooch to make his own pinch pot.

The two spreads of back matter (not too common in a picture book) reveal the Cherokee traditions woven throughout the story and art of this beautiful book, as well as instructions for making a pinch pot, and more on the Cherokee words used.

So this book ends up being a beautiful tribute to Cherokee culture – but also a classic story of a “helpful” younger sibling that any big sibling in the world will be able to relate to. Truly a distinguished picture book. (And wow! I see from the back flap that this is the illustrator’s debut picture book. You go! Awesome!)

treeoflifestudio.net
andrealrogers.com

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Review of Touch the Sky, by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic and Chris Park

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Touch the Sky

by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic and Chris Park

Carolrhoda Books, 2024. 36 pages.
Review written January 15, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Okay, this is a picture book that needed to exist. It’s wonderful. It’s perfect. It’s about learning to pump and make a swing go.

Our hero is Vern, a kid with long hair (the better for streaming out behind him) who loves to twist and spin on the swings, but doesn’t know how to pump. Some of the other kids laugh, but finally a girl sees him trying and offers to help.

It takes a lot of explaining and lots of encouragement.

It feels hard until you get it, and then it’s not.

And yes, we see all of Vern’s struggles – his awkward twists, out-of-sync movements, and even falls. And maybe there’s somebody out there who learned to pump on their very first try, but I, for one, was transported back to childhood and remember how hard it was before it was easy.

And the illustrations! Those transported me back, too. The swooping! The gliding! That feeling when your toes touch the sky! It’s all captured here on the page.

This picture book isn’t a how-to manual for learning to pump a swing, but it does offer plenty of tips. And most of all, it models persistence, along with taking and giving a helping hand. And the glorious joy of a new skill and the ability to touch the sky.

stephanielucianovic.com
chrisdpark.com
lernerbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme, words by Betsy Bird, pictures by Andrea Tsurumi

Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme

words by Betsy Bird
pictures by Andrea Tsurumi

Union Square Kids, coming in March 2025. 56 pages.
Review written November 19, 2024, from an Advance Reader Copy.
Starred Review

This is one of those delightfully silly picture books that simply begs to be read to a child. Full disclosure: I’ve served on a committee with Betsy Bird and have read her blog for years, so I consider her a friend.

The idea for the book is simple, and a note at the back reveals that it springs out of her family’s traditions in reading nursery rhymes. The book is a series of nursery rhymes, beginning with Pop! Goes the Weasel, but when it’s time for the last line of each other rhyme – the weasel pops out there as well.

And to make it complete, we’ve got a fussy secretary bird overseeing the action and hysterically scolding the weasel at every turn.

The idea is simple, but illustrator Andrea Tsurumi’s execution brings it to brilliance. I love the exuberance of the weasel popping out and the visible frustration of the secretary bird.

This host starts relatively calm, progresses to confused, and has a lovely page with a total breakdown:

That’s it!

That’s IT!

No more weasels!
No weasels in the sky
or in cakes or rolling down hills or any of that!

NO.
MORE.
WEASELS.

Just do a rhyme without a weasel in it. Just one!
PLEASE!

The next rhyme – “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” progresses over eleven pages before the grand Pop! – with tension building all the way (and the thought bubbles of the bird adding to that tension). [And can I just say that showing a bird getting a popsicle for “Pick up sticks” and throwing the sticks away for “Lay them straight” is absolutely brilliant?]

But it all ends happily with all the animals from earlier in the book showing up and celebrating the weasel.

As it says in Jon Scieszka’s blurb on the back, I really do need to find a kid and read this book to them.

afuse8production.slj.com
andreatsurumi.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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