A Trapezoid Is Not a Dinosaur! by Suzanne Morris

Triangle is putting on a space play and Trapezoid wants a part. The only problem is that the other shapes have never heard of a trapezoid and he just doesn't fit.

Thoughts: A funny story with funny lines! I can see myself reading this at storytime and to students in their classrooms. This book would pair well with Circle, Square, Moose by Kelly Bingham. This book would also do well as a reader's theater play as the whole book uses speech bubbles. The illustrations are bright and colorful. I enjoy the mixture of two page spreads and comic book layouts. My favorite illustration is blastoff.

Themes: Shapes, Space, Elementary

(Charlesbridge, 2019.)

What Does An Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins

A clever question and answer book. The anteater has forgotten what he eats. He asks a variety of jungle animals what he's supposed to eat. No one has has the answer until he remembers. The answer might surprise you!

Thoughts: Too funny! This book will pair well with "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, " Said the Sloth by Eric Carle. I think kids will like identifying all the animals anteater questions. The ending is so surprising.  Based on the ending, this book will also work well with The Monkey Goes Bananas by C. P. Bloom. The illustrations are bright and colorful. My favorite is the last page.

Themes: Jungle Animals, Food 

(Nosy Crow, 2018.)

Beware! by Bob Raczka

Can a bee and a bear be friends?

Thoughts: I love how Bob Raczka uses the poetic form he first introduced in Lemonade & Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word to create a picture book. I've tried my hand at writing this type of poem and it's very fun. The story is great and I'm amazed at the great story words created with only five letters could produce. I look forward to adding this to my bears storytime. It will pair well with Bear & Bee by Sergio Ruzzier. The watercolor illustrations are perfect and they add much to the story with both the bears' and the bees' expressions. This book would also work well with older students in conjunction with Lemonade as a creative writing exercise. 

Themes: Bears, Bees, Friendship, Wordplay, Elementary

(Illustrated by Larry Day. Charlesbridge, 2019.)

This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward

None of the other colors ever want to let Gray be in the pictures they color so he decides to make his own book using a single color--GRAY!

Thoughts: Fabulous! I can't wait to read this book to first and second graders later this year. This Book Is Gray will pair perfectly with The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt. The text is witty and the illustrations are interesting. I love the mix of Gray's book text with all the other colors chiming in with speech bubbles. My favorite illustration is the one where Gray and all the other colors work together. This book would also pair well with Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins and the Violet and Victor books by Alice Kuipers.

Themes: Colors, Writing, Elementary

(Two Lions Publishing, 2019.)

A Fox Found a Box by Ged Adamson

Fox find a mysterious box that makes music. It keeps all the forest animals entertained until one day it stops working. What will the animals do?

Thoughts: A delightful story with a surprising end. This will be a great addition any storytime. The watercolor illustrations suit the story and Adamson makes good use of white space and different layouts. My favorite illustrations are dreamy music, rock out, and beautiful view. This book would pair well with The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na.

Themes: Forest Animals, Foxes, Boxes, Music

(Schwartz & Wade Books, 2019.)

The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera

This story opens with a party and ends with love.

Thoughts: Such a sweet book and it's about one of my favorite things...mail! Grace's thank you letters are perfect and funny. They really sound like a child wrote them. I can't wait to use this book for storytime. The illustrations are colorful with bold, black outlines. I especially like the end papers with their many envelopes. This is a book to encourage writing, thankfulness, and love.

Themes: Mail, Birthdays, Love, Give Thanks

(Holiday House, 2019.)

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems & Paintings by Douglas Florian

Witty poems present readers with eighteen different dinosaurs as well as reflections on the beginning and the end of dinosaurs.

Thoughts: I had so much fun sharing these poems with first and second graders in "Dinovember." The poems are witty and often tongue-in-cheek. I love that the poems and illustrations match so well. That's the beauty of the author and illustrator being the same person. My favorite poems are Iguanodon and Stegoceras. This book pairs well with Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins.

Themes: Dinosaurs, Poetry


(Beach Lane Books, 2009.)