A girl’s curiosity about the natural world creates a foundation for eventual leadership across science, activism, and politics in this stirring biography of Claudia Sheinbaum (b. 1962), Mexico’s 66th president. Bodin Cohen and Olitzky use a chrysalis-to-butterfly metaphor to trace Sheinbaum’s life from her girlhood in Mexico City to the science studies that led her to becoming a professor as well as Mexico City’s secretary of the environment and mayor, and her joining an international team studying climate change that wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Intense color draws the eye into Aguilera’s textured illustrations, through which dancing monarch butterflies soar with optimism as the subject says “Sí!” to every opportunity, eventually leading the people of Mexico to elect her as president—“the first woman, the first Jewish person, and the first scientist to lead the country.” An authors’ note and resources conclude. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A Spanish-language edition publishes simultaneously. Ages 6–8. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Covering an eight-day period, this playful read—written by former prime minister of New Zealand Ardern (b. 1980) and based around her daughter’s perspective during her premiership—depicts a young child’s take on a mother’s work week. Realizing it’s Monday, the youth grumps about heading to daycare, eliciting an empathetic response from their mother: “Mom said that she didn’t always feel like going to work either.” On Wednesday, Mom asks “if I knew what she did for a job.” (The answer? Eating chocolate—“There is always chocolate hiding in her desk.”) As the week progresses, the child gleans a simplified explanation of Mom’s position: “Looking after everyone.” Jones’s fine-lined illustrations offer a straightforward view of the household goings-on, building to a warmly kid-centric interpretation of their parent’s pursuits: “I know what Mom’s job really is.... It’s loving me.” A brief author’s note concludes. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

After weather events destroy their crops two years running, young Junior’s Black family relocates to town. In Jim Crow–era Roxboro, N.C., Junior’s schoolmates tell him that “we have our own library”—a log cabin hidden in the woods, where “the books seemed to go on forever,” Ramsey writes. Junior carefully chooses a title each for himself, his mother, and his father—and in doing so learns that his father does not know how to read. Christie’s rich acrylic illustrations employ smudgy textures across town and country landscapes in this personal-feeling work about adult illiteracy that ends with a moving reflection on intergenerational connection and different kinds of knowledge. An author’s note concludes. Ages 7–11. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Frankel and Hu pay tribute to poet Mary Oliver (1935–2019) in a meditative picture book biography that highlights the figure’s poetry as a vehicle of beauty and wonder. Gentle prose centers Oliver’s knack for perceiving and questioning, connecting those instincts to her poetry. Narration lightly touches on key life facts, including Oliver’s relationship with photographer Molly Malone Cook and her low-key response to winning a big poetry prize, throughout emphasizing the poet’s focus: “To write well, Mary insisted, took lots of noticing.” Emulating watercolor techniques, Hu’s dreamy digital renderings meet the quiet text with immersive scenes of Oliver appreciating nature, usually with a notebook in hand. Back matter includes an author’s note, timeline, and further resources. Ages 7–10. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

As a narrator endeavors to tell a simple story entitled “My First Dog,” an endearing “piggypine” (part pig, part porcupine) attempts to insert itself into the tale. Appearing at the end of one story, the snout-nosed creature makes its way onto the page, looking for a spot of its own. Explaining “you’re an idea that never got finished,” the unsympathetic speaker notes that another story’s about to start, then kicks off the tale of Ruby, a pale-skinned girl who loves dogs. As Piggypine insistently disrupts the telling, the increasingly frustrated narrative voice coldly informs, “There’s no room in this story for a piggypine.” That verdict remains unchanged even after the creature offers more about itself (favorite food: “paper towels and honey”). But as the narrator attempts to kick Piggypine off the page, Ruby comes to the rescue, highlighting the way sometimes even a writer doesn’t know where things are going. Morris’s polished dialogue and Santoso’s emotive, colored pencil–like digital drawings tie together the narrative tug-of-war. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

The power of books to educate and inspire generates a furor in this goofy story with a serious message. Just as a baby is about to receive their first library card, a “shouty man” halts the proceedings with the titular declaration, adding “ideas come from books, and too many of those/ can lead to big problems, as everyone knows!” The critic notes that books may teach the infant to cook, sew, drive, or even do rocket science, and Sandberg’s perky rhymes identify consequences ranging from silly to nonsensical (“The next thing you know, the sun is on fire!”). Booth’s digital artwork adds humor through lightly shaded, fully realized depictions of infants running a fancy restaurant (on the menu: baby carrots) and designing expensive “Pradada” diapers for people of all ages. When the alarmist, chastened by child library patrons, eventually stands down, the story shifts abruptly to an empowering appreciation of reading. Illustrations portray figures with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

When a dark-haired, pale-skinned child’s beloved local bookshop undergoes renovations, the young patron worries, since “old things and new things/ are never the same.” While lines acknowledge the existing store’s structural deficiencies, including a leaky ceiling, they also highlight the store’s cozy qualities—“crannies,” “nooks,” and “places to hide in while looking at books.” After the doors close for construction, the narrator observes the ensuing activity until opening day helps the youth to realize that the bookstore remains a place for discovery—a feeling underscored by doodles of fantastical creatures that surround the reading child in both of the store’s incarnations. Smudgy, colored pencil– and pastel-like artwork from Karmazina amplifies Lucas’s first-person rhymes, which emphasize growth and change as the shop’s initial warm brown shelves morph into a light-filled, modern space with apple-green accents. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

Zauzmer and Millán skewer censorship in this message-forward picture book told in rigid rhymes. Young Paige, portrayed with brown skin, and schoolmates rejoice each library day, but though they love to read books of arrayed colors, “not everyone thought that this rainbow was grand—/ some wanted lime-colored books to be banned.” Leading the “lime-bashing quest” is a pale-skinned adult who stokes community fear by threatening, “If we don’t remove lime, we could end up with slime!” When the zealots steal the library’s citrus-green tomes, the situation escalates into a realistic community protest. Direct messaging highlights the authoritarian tendencies driving the book-banning brigade (“This plan of ours helps us control what you think”), while the community’s emotional reactions are captured by expressive renderings with thin-lined detailing. Though playful rhymes downplay the seriousness of the endeavor, they also underscore the works’ presumed value, concluding “those lime books sure must be good!” Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3–5. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this gripping historical exploration, Siegel (The United States Book) recounts the seemingly implausible story of how American soldiers used theatrical subterfuge to outsmart Nazis during WWII. On Jan. 20, 1944, the Ghost Army—a recently instated unit that leveraged deception as its weapon of choice—met for the first time. Its missions were top secret, and its goal was to distract the Axis Powers by using visual and audio props, including inflatable tanks and fake radio broadcasts. Utilizing crisp, detailed prose, Siegel paints a clear picture of the Ghost Army’s operations, as when they impersonated Allied forces to convince German soldiers that the units were retreating, while the primary divisions used the Ghost Army’s cover to gain the upper hand. Fascinating depictions of the disguises soldiers wore and the research they did to fulfill their roles ensnare readers’ attention, while empathetically rendered post-war particulars—such as the Allied Powers’ discovery of concentration camps—eschews sensationalism, never losing sight of the human cost of the hostilities and the suffering endured by civilians, refugees, and soldiers alike. It’s a necessary volume that showcases the incredible effort and tactical diversity it took to turn the tide of the war. Ample back matter and resources conclude. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jennifer Unter, Unter Agency. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink

A raccoon living in the walls of a fine dining restaurant finds herself the unexpected guardian of a baby crow in this wholesome graphic novel by Song (the Norma and Belly series). When culinary wunderkind Night Chef spots an egg in the French establishment’s herb planter, she’s eager to include it in her midnight ramen dish. But once the egg hatches, Night Chef resolves to return the hatchling—whom she names Ichi—to his nest. Leaving behind the only home she’s ever known, Night Chef ventures into the woods. After narrowly escaping a harrowing encounter with an agitated owl, the pair stumbles upon the Mole’s Hole, a worm-forward eatery serving the animals of the forest. With help from the staff and patrons, Night Chef and Ichi redouble their efforts to find the crows’ roost. Throughout the duo’s journey, their connection deepens, bringing to light both Night Chef’s mysterious past before her life in the restaurant and the seemingly serendipitous series of events that brought the raccoon foodie and infant fowl together. Fluid ink and watercolor art bring the world of food-obsessed animals to life as Night Chef uses her wits and cooking skills to brave the outside world. Amiable critters are always eager to lend a hand in this heartwarming tale about sharing the joy of food with family and friends, and paying it forward. Ages 6–9. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 08/01/2025 | Details & Permalink