Best Reads of the Summer

Over the summer, I read dozens of books to prep for Mock Caldecott and Mock Sibert; these were my favorites. All images and summaries from Goodreads.

 

Picture Books

One pair of pants? Two pairs? Three? How many pants should Little Freddie wear? And where should he put them? What about underpants? Where do they go?

In a book with text and art that are sure to induce giggles, Drew Daywalt and Lucy Ruth Cummins settle the age-old question: Do a dog’s front legs deserve pants, too?

OH MY CRIKEYS! Doesn't life move fast? One moment you're in the Wibbly, relaxing with your Wibbly friends. The next, they've all grown tails and turned into tadpoles! And what's more, they are bursting OUT of the Wibbly ... AND you've got to keep up! 

Some tadpoles don't feel ready to become frogs.

And some never wanted to become tadpoles in the first place. 

Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?

1) They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.

2) Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.

3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."

4) They are likely plotting our doom.

This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.

Did the title just say that this book is dangerous? Jelly doesn't do dangerous. Can you help Jelly find a way out? Just don't move a muscle or make any loud noises, okay? And definitely DON'T touch anything!

In the tradition of interactive classics like The Monster at the End of This Book, Jelly has got to find a way out of this book, and it's up to the reader to help this little jellyfish . . . or not!

Did you know, there was a time when people could get in trouble—really, really BIG trouble—for being LEFT-HANDED!?

It’s true!

Lefty and Righty hand out the facts in a theatrical performance that spans the ages. Once upon a time, left was considered wrong . . . but now, left or right, it’s all alright. (And there are scissors for everyone!)

Can you tell when a storm is coming? Can you feel the wind coming and growing? Do you hear the branches bouncing together, hear the whispers of the wind through the leaves? Join in the journey as two siblings bear witness to the steady start, thrilling apex, and gentle end of this island storm. They’ll shelter soon, but first they want to feel it all.

Children who fear thunder can take comfort in seeing it captured in the pages, while those who relish watching the sky crack open can enjoy battling this storm from the comfort of their homes.

POP! As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night—the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for firework enthusiasts in cities and suburbs everywhere. POP! POP!

 

Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa. Meaning, every person on Earth can trace their ancestry back to that continent. The History of We celebrates our shared ancestors' ingenuity and achievements and imagines what these firsts would have looked and felt like.

What was it like for the first person to paint, to make music, to dance, to discover medicine, to travel to unknown lands? The History of We takes what we know about modern human civilization and, through magnificent paintings, creates a tale about our shared beginnings.

Nonfiction

Meet Grimpy! He’s a dumbo octopus, and he’s taking us on a tour of the whole cephalopod class—underwater creatures such as cuttlefish, nautiluses, octopuses, and squids.

Grimpy knows all about what makes these many-armed marvels so special, like how the coconut octopus uses tools or the cuttlefish talks with color! It seems like every creature has a special ability—except him. When Grimpy gets stuck on everything a dumbo octopus can’t do, the other cephalopods show him why it’s great to be a dumbo.

Did you know...
... a praying mantis only has 1 ear?
... a squid has 3hearts?
... a giant African land snail can have up to 18,000 teeth?

Toes, Teeth, and Tentacles celebrates and highlights the numerous unusual and strangely fascinating features and appendages of all kinds of animals, from horns to toes and stomachs to hearts. From the two-tongued loris to a scallop's 200 eyes, readers will find joy in numbers with this latest book by these two masters of nonfiction.

Welcome to the world of Sleuth & Solve: History, a collection of 20 clever mysteries where the clues are in the details and crafty twists put readers' wits to the test. These mind-bending mini-mysteries transpire across eras and civilizations, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance to the French Revolution and beyond.

Sleuth & Solve encourages readers of all ages to practice deduction, inference, and logical reasoning to crack each case—and develop critical thinking skills at the same time.

Growing up on a dusty farm in Southern California, Ruth Aiko Asawa lived between two worlds. She was Aiko to some and Ruth to others, an invisible line she balanced on every day. But when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, suddenly she was only Aiko.

Like many other Japanese Americans, Ruth and her family were sent to incarceration camps. ... The barbed wire would inspire Ruth’s art for decades. Throughout her career, she created enchanting twisting sculptures and curving shapes that connected, divided, and intersected.

Born in 1738, Mary Katharine Goddard was homeschooled by her mother in reading and math. She took over her brother’s printing shop a few years later and became an expert in printing newspapers, essays, and posters. When the American Revolution started, she published important news that helped the fight against the British – even if it meant that if she was caught, she’d be punished for treason.

In 1776, Mary was asked to print the Declaration of Independence – she is the only woman whose name is on the Declaration.

How did math work before zero existed? A STEM nonfiction book that unpacks a fascinating history of a number we can’t imagine our current world without. From place value to being created and destroyed before being created again, zero has had quite a journey. Respected children’s author and consummate researcher Sarah Albee lays out the history of zero alongside the complications that initially hampered its development, including Western imperialism.

Did you know that deep in the ocean, fish are loud? Scientists have recently discovered that fish and shellfish grunt and groan, crackle and cluck, and even burp and boop to communicate. They warn each other, woo each other, and welcome each other with all kinds of sounds, making the ocean quite noisy! 

Once upon a time, children's music was just Mother Goose, nursery songs, and lullabies. And then came Ella Jenkins.

Ella Jenkins is an American folk singer and living legend dubbed “The First Lady of Children’s Music.” For nearly 70 years, she has been writing and performing music that has entertained and engaged generations of young listeners. In Make a Pretty Song, Ella’s life and legacy are captured in vibrant sights, sounds, and stories that leap right off the page.

From the first human settlements to today’s modern metropolises, we have always relied on the sun for light, energy, and sustenance. We Carry the Sun traces the history of solar power from ancient south-facing villages to the Industrial Age and modern innovators; and from solar-powered steam engines to silicon solar panels. Lyrical and informed, Newbery Medal winner Tae Keller’s debut picture book is also a timely call to action that asks young readers to imagine a brighter, cleaner future. 

Best Reads of T3 2024-2025

I have been cranking through RICBA nominees and Mock-Caldecott-buzz picture books. Here are my favorites from the past three months. All images and summaries from Goodreads. 

Picture Books

When a turtle in a bear suit claims he is a “for-real” bear, he must prove himself to another turtle who just so happens to be a for-real bear expert. Hilarity ensues as Bearsuit Turtle proves he can climb trees, hibernate, and do other for-real bear stuff . . . like riding bikes, eating ice cream, and smashing pumpkins.

But when Bear-Expert Turtle reveals a secret, Bearsuit Turtle has to admit a truth of his own. Whether or not these two turtles are for-real bears or experts, they just might become for-real friends.

After an awful day at school (including a tragic but plausibly deniable mishap with a pudding cup), Izzy wants to be left alone. But it's Friday, and that means making tortillas with Lito. As the mistakes pile up, they come tumbling out of Izzy—and Lito surprises her by saying everyone makes mistakes, and if she makes a tortilla out of her mistakes, he will EAT it. Suddenly, the whole family is confessing and getting mistakes off their chests with a feast of mistacos!

Llewellyn the bunny and his friends dream of many things. Some of their dreams are small, like learning to ice skate, visiting a friend, or acting in the school play. And some of their dreams are big, like going to the moon, or becoming a ballet dancer or a wildlife photographer. Their dreams feel so precious that the bunnies place them in jars for safekeeping.

But when a storm comes and destroys their collection of jars, Llewellyn and his friends wonder: what's the point of dreaming if everything could be lost?

The only thing better than playing make believe is playing make believe with your favorite grown-up! Especially when that grown-up’s imagination is as big as yours, and you both get to make all kinds of funny sounds. 

What does it feel like to lose someone you love? For one little boy, it’s like he has a hole in his life. It’s in the bottom bunk, where his little brother, Matty, used to sleep, and it’s on his brother’s chair at dinner. It follows him everywhere until the day he decides to really explore it.

Inside the hole he confronts his grief—the sadness, the anger, and the truth of how much he misses Matty. His friend is waiting when he climbs out, and when she asks, “Do you want to tell me about your brother?” he’s surprised to find that talking about Matty is a comfort.

Every Monday, Mabel wakes up early and peeks out her window to make sure she didn’t miss the one thing she’s been looking forward to the whole week. She drags her chair down the hallway, past her big sister and Mom and Dad, out the door, and waits. 

What is Mabel waiting for every Monday? According to Mabel, it’s the best thing in the world. But no one else in her family seems to understand…until they see what’s honking down the street!

Chapter Books

Down at the bottom of the tall buildings of NYC, Magnolia Wu sits inside her parents’ laundromat. Magnolia has pinned every lost sock from the laundromat onto a bulletin board, in hopes that customers will return to retrieve them. But no one seems to have noticed. In fact, barely anyone has noticed Magnolia at all.

What she doesn’t know is that this is about to be her most exciting summer yet. When Iris, a new friend from California arrives, they set off across the city to solve the mystery of each missing sock, asking questions in subways and delis and plant stores and pizzerias, meeting people and uncovering the unimaginable. (RICBA 2026 nominee)

Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. 

Emma McKenna can’t wait for third grade at the brand-new Curiosity Academy. She’ll have a cool teacher who wears high-tops and science earrings. She’ll meet interesting classmates from all over Peppermint Falls. Best of all, she’ll get a fresh start after last year’s talent-show disaster left her with that awful nickname. It’s going to be the best year ever!

Then Lucy walks into Mrs. Z’s room.

Lucy, Emma’s best-friend-turned-enemy.

Lucy, who gave Emma that nickname and spread it all over school!

Emma’s fresh start is doomed . . . unless she can make friends before Lucy ruins everything. (RICBA 2026 nominee)

Nonfiction

Discover why the world’s first Black Grandmaster Maurice Ashley thinks that chess is one of the best skills in life. Follow him on a journey from Jamaica to New York to the world stage where he has taught thousands of young people the life philosophies of the game. Part biography, part skills, and fully oozing with passion. (RICBA 2026 nominee)

Based on a true story, the author humorously recounts the time his grandfather got stranded with a friend on Surtsey, a brand new volcanic island in Iceland. The adventurers face epic challenges like molten lava, melted eyeglasses and scant supplies before finally getting rescued. Graphic novel-like layouts and spirited text invite readers to search for the one thing that's not actually true in this thrilling yet light-hearted tale of adventure. Endnotes include information about volcanoes, Icelandic culture and Norse mythology. (RICBA 2026 nominee)

Best Reads of T2 2024-2025

I have to admit that most of what I read during second trimester were mysteries and thrillers for grownups, but here are my favorites from the kids' books that I read. All images and summaries from Goodreads.

Picture Books

Todd Parr's bestselling books have taught kids about unconditional love, respecting the earth, facing fears, and more, all with his signature blend of playfulness and sensitivity. Now, The Thankful Book celebrates all the little things children can give thanks for. 

From everyday activities like reading and bathtime to big family meals together and special alone time between parent and child, Todd inspires readers to remember all of life's special moments.

Jack wants to apologize for hurting Zoe's feelings. He just can't seem to find the right words. Turns out there's more to an apology than just saying "I'm sorry."

In the tradition of Tomie dePaola’s Quiet, this lyrical, timely picture book with beautiful diorama illustrations shows that if you really look, you never know what the world might give you to see.

The natural world is full of patterns to enjoy for those who can ground themselves, be mindful, and truly see.

Chapter Books

Ava Lin is really good at making things and eating snacks and making lists. But what she really wants to be good at is earning enough tickets to fill her kindness bucket. In Ava’s class, if you do something kind for someone, that person puts a ticket in your bucket, and whoever has the most tickets by the end of the week gets to choose a prize. Ava really wants to choose the narwhal eraser—she NEEDS that eraser—so she has to be sure she’s the best bucket filler of the week, no matter what.

But if you’re doing nice things just so you can pile up tickets, is that the same as being kind to others? Especially if you manage to hurt your best friend’s feelings along the way? 

To say Alex has had it rough is an understatement. His father’s gone, his mother is struggling with mental health issues, and he’s now living with an aunt and uncle who are less than excited to have him. [He has done something violent, but] his social worker pulls some strings and gets him a job at a nursing home for the summer rather than being sent to juvie.

There, he meets Josey, the 107-year-old Holocaust survivor who stopped bothering to talk years ago. [W]hen Alex and Josey form an unlikely bond, with Josey confiding in him, Alex starts to believe he can make a difference—a good difference—in the world. If he can truly feel he matters, Alex may be able to finally rise to the occasion of his own life.

Nonfiction

Though all our brains look the same, every brain works differently. This Is My Brain! shows readers that understanding how different brains feel and learn can help us connect with others . . . and keep our own brains happy!

Through humorous, engaging text and brightly colored art, readers are introduced to the fundamentals of how our brains work, how our unique neurology influences how we think and act, and how the world is a better place when we understand each other’s brains and use them collectively.

Montgomery, Alabama 1955. Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin is tired. Tired of white people thinking they’re better than her. Tired of going to separate schools and separate bathrooms. Most of all, she’s tired of having to give up her seat on the bus whenever a white person tells her to. She wants freedom NOW! But what can one teenager do?

On a bus ride home from school one day, young Claudette takes a stand for justice and refuses to get up from her seat―nine months before Rosa Parks will become famous for doing the same. What follows will not only transform Claudette’s life but the course of history itself.

Mock Sibert Winner 2025: We have a tie!

The American Library Association awards the Sibert Medal to the creators of "the most distinguished informational book for children published in the U.S. in English." This year, for the first time, we had a tie between two of the four finalists for the Garden City Mock Sibert:

Hello, I'm a Sloth, written by Hayley Rocco and illustrated by John Rocco

Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube, written by Kerry Aradhya and illustrated by Kara Kramer

Second-graders shared their reasons for their choices, as well as some of the facts they learned: 

• Sloths can swim in the water.
• I like animals.
• Sloths are cute.
• I liked the pictures.
• My favorite thing is they are slow climbers.
• Sloths are so cute and brave.
• Sloths go down the tree once a week to poop.
• They can fall 100 feet out of a tree to the ground.
• They have green hair.
• Sloths hang upside down to live.
• It tells us about facts we might never have heard.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I like Rubik's Cubes.
• This book gave us the most information.
• He never gave up.
• Erno Rubik grew up in Hungary.
• He used rubber bands for his first cube.
• His job was a math teacher.
• It is cool.
• He studied art and architecture.
• He had a square head in the pictures.
• It is fun to play.
• He loved puzzles.
  
  

Mock Caldecott Winner 2025: The Squish!

The American Library Association awards the Caldecott Medal to the artist of "the most distinguished American picture book for children." This year, I read 8 picture books with Caldecott buzz to kindergartners and first-graders, and we narrowed the list down to 2 finalists. 

With nearly 60% of the vote, the Garden City Mock Caldecott winner is The Squish, illustrated and written by Breanna Carzoo. 

Students shared their reasons for their choice, and explanations included: 

• It was cute. 
  
  
• He kept getting squished but getting back up. 
  
  
• Because the sand castle’s arms moved. 
  
  
• It was funny. 
  
  
• The sand castle kept falling down. 
  
  
• He broke and then he built himself again. 
  
  
• I liked the giant castle. It is about bringing yourself up.
  
  

Here are some of their illustration interpretations:

Best Reads of T1 2024-2025

Here are my favorite books that I read during first trimester. Lots of nonfiction! All images and summaries from Goodreads.

Picture Books

Mindfulness encourages us to pay attention to our experiences (our feelings, sensations in the body, emotions, surroundings) without judgment but with kindness and curiosity. Scientific research has proven that there are many benefits to practicing mindfulness. With so many children suffering from anxiety, there is no better tool than learning to be mindful. And it’s never too early to get started.

This is a perfect guide with which parents and teachers can help children pay attention to their feelings and learn to control their worry and anxiety.

Every day Jimmy takes ‘Skinny Kid’s’ lunch at school. No way will he be caught dead standing in that FREE LUNCH line. Even when he’s called into the principal’s office, Jimmy just shrugs. “Yeah. Whatever.” Until a surprising act of kindness stops him in his tracks. For a split second a door cracks open into Jimmy’s heart. Who knows? Maybe he’ll just kick that door right open.

Middle Grade Fiction

When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact.

But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he's been trying to keep secret. And if they can't find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes--he could lose everything.

Nonfiction

Dr. John Snow is one of the most influential doctors and researchers in Western medicine, but before he rose to fame, he was just a simple community doctor who wanted to solve a mystery. In 19th century London, the spread of cholera was as unstoppable as it was deadly. Dr. Snow was determined to stop it, but his theory of how the disease was spread flew in the face of popular opinion. He needed evidence, and he needed to find it fast, before more lives were lost! (Using for Mock Sibert)

Erno Rubik grew up in post-World War II Hungary obsessed with puzzles, art, nature, and the underlying patterns and structures. He became a professor of art, architecture, and design, who was still fascinated with how objects work together. 

In a quest to help his students understand three-dimensional objects and how they move, he fashioned a cube whose pieces twisted and turned without breaking, and unexpectedly invented the Rubik's Cube, the most popular puzzle in history, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. (Using for Mock Sibert)

Butt or Face? Volume 2 continues the delightfully cheeky challenge with a whole new set of animals from all over the world. Examine a close-up photo of an animal and then guess whether you're looking at the top or the…um…bottom. The answer is revealed on the next page with a compete photo of the animal! Also included are factual animal details along with how these animals use camouflage or other trickery to engage with their home. (Using for Mock Sibert)

A tree is more than just a plant, but a whole ecosystem hiding in plain sight, on street corners and in backyards everywhere. Discover how one tree provides shelter, food, and clean air to a host of animals and insects. Robins build their nest in the branches and bees gather nectar from flowers. The tree keeps its neighborhood clean, healthy, and safe. Leaves clean the air and roots keep the dirt from washing away. The tree’s residents are safe through thunderstorms and changing seasons. This home is built to last!  (Using for Mock Sibert)

Did you know sloths only poop once a week? Or that they can fall up to 100 feet without getting hurt? They have hundreds of bugs living on them, including a species of moths that only lives on sloths! And they move so slowly that algae grows on their fur, which—far from being gross—can actually help sloths by camouflaging them from predators. Chock-full of amazing, kid-friendly facts and inviting artwork from the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of Blackout , the Meet the Wild Things series introduces young readers to endangered animals from around the globe, told from the points of view of the animals themselves.  (Using for Mock Sibert)

John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama to join the fight for civil rights when he was only a teenager. He soon became a leader of a movement that changed the nation. Walking at the side of his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was led by his belief in peaceful action and voting rights. Today and always his work and legacy live on.

All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond.