Nico the Chipmunk’s New Home 

Written and Illustrated by Jade Willesme

The story of a chipmunk who wakes up one day and decides that he needs to find a permanent home. Nico goes off through the forest to find someone willing to share a dwelling.

Nico travels for a while, meeting several different animals. None is willing to share. Each time the message of rejection is repeated with the same vocabulary. The illustrations are simple and rather generic.

The book will appeal to young children in preschool or kindergarten who enjoy animal stories.

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The Adventures of Bob & Jim: Winter Festival

Written and Illustrated by Jill Bauer

Bob and Jim are two horses who live together on Blue Bill Farms. They are good friends, but have different personalities.

One day, Jim convinces Bob they should escape the farm and attend the Winter Festival down the road. After some hesitation, Bob agrees. They escape unnoticed. When they arrive at the festival, they are eager to try activities like sledding, ice fishing, ice skating, and snowball fights. The friends quickly discover that horses cannot become humans.

The book is a fun read-aloud adventure with attractive illustrations. This book is a perfect choice for preschoolers and primary-grade readers.

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Counting Monster Chefs: Numbers in the Kitchen (Little Monster Learners)

Written and Illustrated by Ameliessa Richardson

Lots of laughs and learning are crammed into this picture book that teaches toddlers and preschoolers to count. The characters remind me of Sesame Street. Illustrations showcase nonstop humor in addition to interactive counting prompts.

The author cleverly includes alliteration and onomatopoeia to make reading this book aloud fun for the adult as well as the child, enjoying its message. Young readers will want to pick it up over and over. Repetition reinforces the learning process. At the end of the book, there is a link to additional printables.

As a former educator, I highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children ages two through five.

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Why Do Kids Love Christmas?: A fun, festive, beautifully illustrated rhyming Christmas picture book about all the creative reasons why kids love Christmas

Written by Ebilor Ediale

Illustrated by Jecore Firmalan

I enjoyed reading this charming, rhyming picture book. The author includes children with disabilities and multicultural families. It contains Christian and non-Christian traditions. The illustrations are large, colorful, and anime-style.

There is no central story. This book puts preschool and elementary families into the spirit of the season. It can serve as a bedtime story or a fun read-aloud for the entire family or classroom teacher.

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Ryder the Spider Discovers the Body 

Written and Illustrated by Shlomo Goldman

An adorable book for toddlers and preschoolers.

A little boy named Michael teaches them about body parts with simple text and large illustrations. When a spider lands on Michael’s head, he welcomes his new guest. The spider first investigates each part of Michael’s face. Then it moves down to the neck, arms, torso, legs, and feet.

By the time the book is finished, each of the major body parts is identified. Children also learn not to fear spiders.

Recommended for parents and teachers as a wonderful read-aloud or bedtime story.

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The Boy Who Wanted to Fly

Written by Farial English

Illustrated by Max Rambaldi

We need more books like this one. Max is a curious and intelligent young boy who is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. His sister Maya encourages and supports him.

When the siblings find out that they will be spending spring vacation at the beach. Max decides that he will act on his dream to fly. Max writes out a list of the things he needs to construct a kite. At first he is frustrated, but his sister encourages him not to give up. Will the kite soar? Can Max achieve his dream with the help of his imagination?

The illustrations enhance the mood and reinforce the theme. Every child deserves a chance to achieve a dream.

This is a book that children of all ages (including adults) will enjoy reading.

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Whiskers’ Christmas Eve (A Cat Named Whiskers) 

Written and illustrated by Shana Gorian

Another adorable addition to the Whiskers, the Cat, book series for elementary-age readers.

In this Christmas Eve addition, Whiskers is curled up under the Christmas tree when he notices a light that needs fixing. He tries but fails, and chaos ensues. Soon, Whiskers is getting into Santa’s goodies, and messing with the stockings on the mantel and the snowman outside the house. Will Whiskers destroy Christmas for his family?

The rhymes are spot on and fun to read aloud. Humor abounds, and the holiday spirit fills the hearts of the reader.

This one is sure to become a Christmas favorite for families and teachers’ holiday libraries.

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I Love When It’s Time to Say Goodnight 

Written by Joanne Stapleton

Illustrated by John Ladebauche

A creative and beautiful picture book that may entice your young ones to look forward to bedtime.

The child protagonist ponders possible careers like sailing, traveling to space, becoming a unicorn, or a leprechaun. He might travel to London, Paris, or Africa. He might even meet a dragon. Could he become a superhero one day?

Our imagination offers the ability to dream. We cannot dream if we do not go to sleep!

What a beautiful opportunity to combine reading with looking forward to bedtime and a healthy, good night of sleep.

Recommended for preschoolers and primary grade students.

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This Book Is Your Friend (Reader for Life)

Written by Misty Black

Illustrated by Gabby Correia

This book contains vibrant illustrations with colorful, diverse characters who invite young readers to bring their imaginations and dreams to the library.

Every time a visitor opens the door, they unlock thousands of possibilities to experience new adventures and initiate new friendships. They enter a world that enriches their brains and stretches their minds to new vistas and opportunities.

The rhymes are clever. This book entices the reader to return over and over. Especially appealing for ages three to seven.

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How Many Together?: An Addition Game 

Written by Heather Douglas

Illustrated by Kayla Cieszlak

What a fun way to learn numbers and counting skills for preschoolers! This colorful, multicultural picture book offers an interactive tool for parents and teachers to make learning and counting numbers fun.

The author selects subjects that are appealing to young children, like dinosaurs, robots, aliens, and finger puppets. Illustrations are large and easy for little fingers to negotiate. Children are encouraged to repeat these activities until counting and adding skills are mastered.

Teachers and parents should add this one to their learning library.

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