Toothbrushing with Maggie & Mommy (Sparkly Smiles Series)

Written by Heidi Rocha, RDH

Illustrated by Nonni-Ayanna Gobern-Roach

This is the first book of a series written by a Dental Hygienist. The picture book with large, easy to read print and engaging illustrations features a little girl named Maggie and her mom.

Mom visits Maggie’s preschool and uses her stuffed dinosaur to demonstrate the proper way to brush teeth. This book will be appreciated by parents of preschoolers and pediatric dentists. There is a bonus activity chart to record progress and a find the hidden object page. The book is even approved by every little child’s friend, The Tooth Fairy.

Highly recommended, especially for parents and teachers of preschool children.

Mommy Has a Monster on Her Back!: A Story about Chronic Illness

Written by Liz Long

Illustrated by Ethan Roffler

The author and illustrator have succeeded in creating a beautiful picture book with an important message for young children.

This book is done in soft pastels and features words in bold that play on the different feelings engendered by chronic physical or mental illness. The illness is compared to a monster on mommy’s back. Some days are easy and others hard but mommy learns to deal with the illness and the child sees the need for resilience and acceptance. By using humor and analogies, even a preschooler can understand chronic illness.

Highly recommended for families and counselors who deal with chronic or physical illness.

My Play Can Be. . . : A Children’s Rhyming Book About Imagination

Written by Stephanie Seidler

Illustrated by Anastasia Sikilinda

A beautiful, rhyming picture book with illustrations that leap off each page.

This book portrays ordinary day-to-day situations and imbues each with the power of imagination. What miracles can occur with cardboard, sand, water or wood. As adults, we often lose the ability to turn down an opportunity like playing on the sand or riding on a swing in the playground.

I highly suggest this book for preschool and early primary grade readers as a read aloud to stir young imaginations into active play activities.

Tuxedo Baby

Written by Victoria Smith

Illustrated by Helen Stebakov

Tuxedo is a penguin orphaned due to an oil spill. Two conure parrots decide to adopt him.

Tuxedo is curious and passionate about trying new things. Sometimes he forgets that he is not a parrot and gets in trouble for attempting things his penguin body cannot achieve. His parents are patient and urge him to exercise curiosity but also caution. As Tuxedo grows, he learns how to maximize his unique qualities and talents.

I enjoyed the bonus sections that provide readers with facts about conures and penguins as well as background about oil spills.

This charming book contains valuable lessons as well as solid educational information.

Recommended especially for primary grade readers but also beginning chapter book readers.

Hop-About: The Adventures of Benny the Bunny and Mr. Rabbit

Written by Colin Krainin

Illustrated by Joan Krainin

At first glance, one would guess this book title is for elementary school readers. Indeed, it contains charming illustrations, but the complexity of characters and issues addressed suggest it is more appropriate for middle-grade and older audiences.

At the outset, readers meet Mr. Rabbit, a stuffed rabbit who lives with his friends, Mr. Rabbit, and a large stuffed bear in an apartment in New York City. When a visitor arrives, their lives are turned upside down.

They are recruited in an adventure to search for a lost friend. This journey eventually leads to Australia where the friends encounter wildfires, climate-change disasters and a host of unsavory characters.

The plot and characters are rather complex for a young reader. Older readers are better equipped to understand the issues and appreciate the personality types presented.

An enjoyable read for readers ages ten and older.

Boo Bear’s Light: An A B C Rhyming Picture Book for Children

Written by Catherine Ann Russell

Illustrated by Jessica Robin Harkey

This picture book provides a clever tale with embedded alphabet rhymes to teach preschool and kindergarten children their letters.

The rhymes are clever as they are embedded within the story plot. I appreciate the fact that the author uses a few challenging vocabulary words like vamoose and underdog rather than more familiar words. Colors of the illustrations match the theme and setting of the forest. My only criticism is that the size of the font might be a bit larger to allow it to stand out and become easier to read.

A good resource for parents and teachers to teach the alphabet in a creative and appealing fashion.

Hello, Let’s Play! Preparing for Preschool

Written by Jennifer Sturgeon

Illustrated by Daniel Klein

This book is an excellent tools for preparing toddlers for the preschool experience. It will work for children about to enter a typical nursery school or those with special needs in an inclusive or stand-alone special needs early intervention program.

As an educator with experience in both settings, I appreciate the way author and illustrator include children from multicultural backgrounds and those with different types of disabilities whether they be physical or learning disabilities. Children are shown with educational adaptive tools like picture boards and braille books. Support staff are depicted working alongside the classroom teacher. Typical activities like independent choice centers, circle time, outdoor play, and singing songs are portrayed.

A young child will get a good idea of what happens when entering any type of preschool classroom.

A good resource for parents as preparation or teachers to use on the first day of school.

Grandma, It’s Me!: A Children’s Book about Dementia 

Written by Y. Y. Chan

Illustrated by Pearly L.

So many families contain an elderly member suffering from dementia. This book goes a long way toward explaining and humanizing the difficult situation.

The protagonist is a young girl named Riley. It follows her diary entries over a period of time. One day Riley notices that her grandmother is forgetting things. As time passes, grandma wanders off and forgets the names of family members. She needs constant care and that is a burden on the family. Chan shows how to combine love with patience as the family must constantly adjust their situation.

This book is a great resource in explaining dementia to young children. I liked the multicultural images, the characters, and the abundant resources included. Readers receive a list of questions and reflections about what they read as well as activities to download.

This book is highly recommended not only to parents and teachers but also counselors who work in mental health facilities or in schools with children.

It’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship

Written and illustrated by Shermaine Perry-Knights

The author introduces three friends and illustrated everyday examples where it is easy to show kindness. Carrying groceries for the elderly, showing a young child how to tie shoelaces, stopping mean kids from bullying, make each of them feel good about themselves as well as those who received their kindness. The illustrations include characters with disabilities.

As a bonus, the author provides a game with activities to show kindness, suggested lessons, and follow-up reading comprehension questions.

A good addition to parent and classroom libraries for any age but especially primary grade readers.

Ghosts

Written and Illustrated by Fiona Dalwood

A cute picture book that will stimulate the imagination of the youngest readers. The author poses simple questions concerning common mysteries like “Why does buttered toast always land butter-side down?” and “Why does the internet get slow” Those little ghostly gremlins just might be responsible.

This book about ghosts presents them as non-threatening and not scary. The humor and light-hearted illustrations makes this book a great choice for a read aloud or bedtime story. Appropriate and fun for all ages beginning with preschool.

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