Ahoy! by Sophie Blackall (Anne Schwartz Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). As a parent gets ready to vacuum, a child is ready to set sail. “What are you playing?” asks the parent. “I’m not playing!” is the response. “Why are you shouting?” “Because there’s a storm coming!” Before long, the parent, despite protests of too much to do, is drawn into the game. Readers will enjoy watching everyday objects transform into part of the seascape then change back again when the two sailors are interrupted by an important adult phone call. There’s a storm, a shipwreck, and a daring rescue at sea that takes them ..read more

Listen to This by Jennifer Blecher (Greenwillow Books, 224 pages, grades 4-7). Lily is feeling left out when her two best friends, Maddie and Sasha, make the elite soccer team and don’t have as much time for her anymore. Maddie’s recently confided in Lily that she has a crush on a girl she met at summer camp, and Sasha is hiding a secret of her own. Meanwhile, Will mostly finds his best friend Gavin annoying, but not as annoying as constantly being the main topic of the parenting podcast his dad started after his mom died. In the middle of everyone’s business is mean girl Sienna, who’s sure L ..read more

Finding Home: Words from Kids Seeking Sanctuary by Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner, photographed by Shelley Rotner (Clarion Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Children and their families from around the world come to the United States seeking sanctuary from war, famine, natural disasters, and other dangers. Many of the photos have cartoon bubbles with kids describing in their own words how they felt when they had to leave their countries, what they miss, and the difficulties and joys in their new homes. There’s additional narrative at the end about how some of the families got to the United States, as ..read more

One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Bernard Booth, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 40 pages, grades K-4). “Wounded, worn, twisted, torn. One day this tree will fall and this story will end. Won’t it?” To learn the answer to this question posed on page 1, the narrative goes back to the beginning when a seed survives its journey to become a seedling. Its story could have ended before it began, and it could have also been ended by wind, ice, drought, and fire. But the tree survives, becoming a home to many creatures. Eventually, the tree does fall, but even ..read more

The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker (Candlewick,, 40 pages, grades K-5). As he did in The Tree and the River, Aaron Becker uses a wordless story to deliver a subtle message about environmental degradation with a dollop of hope woven in. The zookeeper of the title is a large robot who looks after animals at a zoo that is spread out over several small islands. In its spare time, the robot enjoys building toy sailboats and floating them in the zoo’s waters. When drenching rains flood the area, the robot figures out a way to build an ark-like sailboat to rescue the animals. They sail through storm ..read more

Warrior on the Mound by Sandra W. Headen (Holiday House, 272 pages, grades 4-7). Cato loves baseball more than just about anything and aspires to join the Negro Leagues like his father, Daddy Mo, and his older brother Isaac. Daddy Mo died suddenly four years ago, and Cato is being raised by his grandparents, who have never told him the circumstances around his dad’s death. When white store owner Luke Blackburn builds a new baseball field for his son’s team, Cato and his friends sneak over to try it out themselves. When they’re caught, it’s the beginning of a chain of events that results in no ..read more

Amazing Animals from A to Z by Cece Bell (Walker Books, 64 pages, grades K-4). In her introduction, Cece Bell writes of her love of animal albums, a collection she’s acquired through the years by scouring thrift shops and antique malls. The heyday of these albums was the 1940’s through the 1980’s, when artistic differences (and toileting issues) between the animals and their human producers led to the industry’s demise. Cece has compiled an A-Z collection of her albums, with the lyrics to a song from each, from “My Aromatic Armpit Is Astonishing to All” by armadillo accordion player Arnie Dil ..read more

Brave Baby Hummingbird by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Tiffany Bozic (Simon and Schuster, 48 pages, ages 4-8). A hummingbird tells his story, beginning with his birth when he and his sister hatch from eggs the size of navy beans. They’re fed every twenty minutes until the day their mother doesn’t return to the nest. Fortunately, they’re rescued and taken to a place where a human, known only as the Voice, takes care of them until they are old enough to survive on their own. Woven into the story are facts about hummingbirds’ food, flight, bodies, and migrations, and more information is given a ..read more

For those who celebrate Easter (March 31 in 2024): Elijah’s Easter Suit by Brentom Jackson, illustrated by Emmanuel Boateng (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Every Easter, Reverend White gives a special “Hallelujah” to the congregant who’s got the most spectacular Easter outfit. Elijah’s determined to win, but the stores around town don’t have anything that looks just right. Feeling defeated, Elijah asks previous winners Mother Green and Deacon Brown for advice. They tell him that Easter’s not about winning a competition, but about new beginnings and remembering their c ..read more

Blue Stars: The Vice Principal Problem by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Molly Murakami (Candlewick, 176 pages, grades 3-7). Cousins Maya and Riley are almost polar opposites, but they’re forced to share a room at their grandmother’s house when Maya’s military parents are stationed in Japan and Maya’s family moves away from the Muscogee reservations for opportunities in Urbanopolis. At the start of sixth grade, outgoing Riley gravitates towards gymnastics and a big group of friends, while Maya prefers her own company and working on robotics. They unite against the vill ..read more