The Fairy Fashion Show by Bea Jackson - ADVISABLE

The Fairy Fashion Show (Ready to Read, Level One) by Bea Jackson. EARLY READER. Simon Spotlight, 2025. $19. 9781665941129

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Lilly and her fairy friends love fashion and especially love their summer fashion show. When Lily's human friend, Willow, wishes to dress like a fairy, Lilly and the other fairies work together to create the perfect fairy fashion for Willow.

The illustrations are whimsical. I can see this being a popular book with my students who love fairies. This series would be a great addition to an elementary library. Willow and the fairies are Black.

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

Elvis & Romeo Go to Dog School by Jacky Davis and David Soman - ADVISABLE

Elvis & Romeo Go to Dog School (Ready to Read, level one) by Jacky Davis and David Soman. EARLY READER. Simon Spotlight, 2025. $19. 9781665947978

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Elvis and Romeo are back, and it's their first day of dog school! The playful Romeo already knows how to "stay," but is nervous about learning how to catch a ball. Now, it's up to Elvis to help his young friend learn something new.

This is a great addition to the original Elvis and Romeo picture book. The text is a mix of speech bubbles and traditional narration. I wish there was a bit more of the dogs' fun personalities, but that would be hard to do with a low-level early reader.

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

The Tunneler Tunnels in the Tunnel by Michael Rex - ADVISABLE

The Tunneler Tunnels in the Tunnel (Ready to Read, Level One) by Michael Rex.EARLY READER. Simon Spotlight, 2025. $19. 9781665962100

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

The tunneler tunnels in the tunnel to the gardener who gardens in the garden and the farmer who farms on the farm. The penguin tunneler keeps tunneling and leaving notes for a surprise ending.

The text is repetitive and full of alliteration which will appeal to early readers. The illustrations have some surprises hidden in the dirt. And, who doesn't love penguins doing human things? The characters are all penguins. 

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

Elvis & Romeo Go to Dog School by Jacky Davis and David Soman - ADVISABLE

Elvis & Romeo Go to Dog School (Ready to Read, level one) by Jacky Davis and David Soman. EARLY READER. Simon Spotlight, 2025. $19. 9781665947978

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Elvis and Romeo are back, and it's their first day of dog school! The playful Romeo already knows how to "stay," but is nervous about learning how to catch a ball. Now, it's up to Elvis to help his young friend learn something new. This is a great addition to the original Elvis and Romeo picture book. The text is a mix of speech bubbles and traditional narration. I wish there was a bit more of the dogs' fun personalities, but that would be hard to do with a low-level early reader.

Rachel, elementary school librarian 

The Big Adventures of Babymouse Besties! by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm - ADVISABLE

The Big Adventures of Babymouse Besties! by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm, 216 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL RH Graphic Random House, 2023. $14 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Babymouse has big dreams where she is always the best, and her imagination is off the charts. But Babymouse is struggling to feel like she fits in when a new student shows up who everyone seems to like. What if she loses her bestie? 

The art is delightful and Babymouse books are an easy read for beginning or low-level readers. The themes of fitting in or being replaced by new friends is universal and the characters are unique and fun. 

 Michelle in the Middle

I Love Pink! by Frances Gilbert -- ADVISABLE

I Love Pink! by Frances Gilbert, illustrated by Eren Unten. EARLY READER. Step Into Reading (Random House), 2017. $4. 9781101937372

CONTENT: G

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

This little girl loves pink -- so much so, in fact, that she wishes her pets were pink, too. But when her wish comes true, she realizes she can't find them in her rose-colored room. Maybe not everything is meant to be pink after all...

This is an adorable early reader that would work well in a lower-grade classroom or take-home library program. There are plenty of picture clues to help with the more-difficult phrases, and many color words are reviewed in the story. The sentences are short, with very few per page, and the font is nice and large. The publisher lists I Love Pink! as an F&P level F.

Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist

This Makes Me Angry by Courtney Carbone - ADVISABLE

This Makes Me Angry by Courtney Carbone, illustrated by Hilli Kushnir. EARLY READER. Rodale Kids, 2018. $14. 9781635650723

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE. 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A young boy is having a rough day.  His little brother is bugging him and he spilled his milk at school. Not knowing what to do with his anger, he yells at his classmates and is sent to the principal. The principal teaches him how to draw a picture in a journal when he is angry and it works at calming him down. 

I have found that students tend to enjoy reading about other kids feeling strong emotions, making bad decisions, and then learning how they deal with it.  Anger isn’t a bad emotion, but what we do with it can be, making this an important topic for young readers. My only wish for this book is for it to have a few more suggestions on how to deal with anger.  One tool is good, but rarely enough.  

Reviewer: Jen W.

This Makes Me Silly by Courtney Carbone - ADVISABLE

This Makes Me Silly by Courtney Carbone, illustrated by Hilli Kushnir. EARLY READER. Rodale Kids, 2018. $14. 9781635650754

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A young girl goes to the zoo with her family.  In her excitement she starts to feel and act silly, sometimes disturbing the animals and others.  Her parents and the zoo keeper help her realize she is being disruptive and teach he some strategies for calming down. Ultimately she recognizes when she is too silly and uses her new strategies. 

This books is fun to read because of the bright illustrations and the comparison between the kids and the animals in the zoo. This book has breathing and counting strategies and demonstrates a child learning empathy.  While the characters and lessons are clear, the plot is a little circular and it is a bit of work to follow.

Reviewer: Jen W.

Timo Goes Camping by Victoria Allenby - ESSENTIAL

Timo Goes Camping by Victoria Allenby illustrated by Dean Griffiths 48 pages EARLY READER Pajama Press, 2018 $11 Content: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

When Suki the squirrel invites the friends to go camping, Timo the bunny is worried. He has never been camping and doesn't know what to do. But, a trip to the library, and careful study of a book called "Camping is Fun" prepares Timo with information that will surely come in handy. This early chapter book is a great read about planning ahead, taking notes, and being nice to your friends. The illustrations are so beautiful, this is a nice series.

Lisa Librarian

Alexander Hamilton by Barbara Lowell - ESSENTIAL

Alexander Hamilton by Barbara Lowell, illustrated by George Ermos. EARLY READER. Penguin Young Readers (Penguin Random House), 2018. $15. 9781524787745

This level 4 reader covers the life of Alexander Hamilton and the contributions he made to American history. This book includes realistic and bright illustrations and the reading level is most appropriate for first and second grade readers. 

Hamilton is having a moment in pop culture, so it’s a great idea to capitalize on that and get kids reading about history. The book is a little dry, but will be pulled off the shelf by Hamilton the Musical fans. 

EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL. Jen Wecker 

Bugs at the Beach by David A. Carter -- OPTIONAL

Carter, David A. Bugs at the Beach. EARLY READER. Simon Spotlight (Simon & Schuster), 2016. $17. 9781481440516

In this rhyming early reader, best friends Bitsy Bee and Busy Bug travel to the beach together. While there they observe the wildlife, build a sand castle, and swim.

This is a fairly forgettable and extremely quick read. It could be a fun addition to a leveled library collection, but is by no means a necessary one.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist

Curious George in Follow that Hat by Liza Charlesworth - ADVISABLE

Charlesworth, Liza Curious George in Follow that Hat, illustrated by Fran Brylewska and David Brylewski. 
EARLY READER. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $10. 9781328737182 

George and his friend Pam are playing catch while the man in the yellow hat takes a nap.  While playing, the yellow hat starts to move through the park.  George and Pam follow it and eventually take it from the squirrel who was playing with it.  Then George plays a trick and pretends to take the hat again. 

Curious George is adorable and although this was a predictable read it is still cute.  I think new readers will enjoy being able to read this simple and fun story.  Also the illustrations are bright and the text is told in dialogue bubbles. 

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Curious George in Super George by Liza Charlesworth - OPTIONAL

Charlesworth, Liza Curious George in Super George, illustrated by Fran Brylewska and David Brylewski. EARLY READER. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $10. 9781328736239 

George and his friend watch a show about superheroes, so they dress George up as a super hero and go around town trying to save the day.  What they really end up doing is making mischief everywhere.  When they finally decide to take a break from hero-ing, they are flying a kite when they run into two robbers, who have robbed the man in the yellow hat, so they are given the chance to actually save the day. 

At the beginning of the book, George’s friend isn’t given a name and the man in the yellow hat doesn’t make an appearance until the end, so it’s unlike most Curious George formats.  I also didn’t like that George’s friend seemed to just egg him on and make trouble.  The illustrations are cute, but the story line in this book wasn’t my favorite.

EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Beat Bugs: Ticket to Ride by Cari Meister- OPTIONAL

Meister, Cari Beat Bugs: Ticket to Ride. PICTURE BOOK. I Can Read Book (HarperCollins), 2017. $4. 9780062640697

The Beat Bugs have created a wonderful ride. The only catch is that they can’t ride it unless Alex the stinkbug can create gas to make the ride move and he’s all out of gas. No one wants to collect more of the leaves that Alex needs to be stinky, but Kumi is willing to go. When she returns with the leaves, everyone gets one as their ticket for the ride. Every other bug is careless with their ticket and the leaves get lost, or eaten, or torn apart. Kumi is sad because she really wanted to ride with her friends and now they can’t go. All the other Beat Bugs are upset because Kumi is riding without them. The rest of the group finally realizes that Kumi went to get the leaves all on her own and then everyone lost them. They decided to fix the problem.

This is a version of an episode of the Beat Bugs TV show. It jumps right in, which makes it a little hard to follow when the book begins. If readers are fans of the show, it would be much easier for them to get directly into the book. It’s got more detail and story to it than most early readers, but because it includes so much in such a short volume, the writing quality isn’t impressive.  The lyrics to the song “Ticket To Ride” are included in the back.

Pre-K, EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Shay, School Librarian

Beat Bugs: Meet the Beat Bugs by Anne Lamb- OPTIONAL

Lamb, Anne Beat Bugs: Meet the Beat Bugs. PICTURE BOOK. I Can Read Book (HarperCollins), 2017. $4. 9780062640666

Come to Beat Bugs Village to meet all of the Beat Bugs. Each bug is introduced with its name, the type of bug it is, hobbies, and personality traits.

This easy reader is a good introduction to the TV show of the same name, based on songs from The Beatles. Each bug is well described, but there are so many of them! A younger reader could get bored or intimidated. There is no real story in this book, just the introduction of the characters. Those who love the show, will likely enjoy the in-depth descriptions of the bugs as well.

Pre-K, EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Shay, School Librarian

Danny and the Dinosaur: School Days by Syd Hoff- ADVISABLE

Hoff, Syd. Danny and the Dinosaur: School Days, PICTURE BOOK. HarperCollins, 2017. $16.99.

The dinosaur really wants to go to school and see what it’s all about. He knows that Danny loves school. When he gets there, he learns his ABC’s and the dinosaur helps Danny’s class learn about measurements (the children measure the dinosaur’s limbs) and about history (the dinosaur tells the class about what life was like 100 million years ago). All in all, it’s an exciting day for both the dinosaur and the kids in Danny’s class.

This is a cute easy reader companion book to Danny and The Dinosaur. Because it’s an easy reader, it’s more of a listing of the things the children and the dinosaur do together during the day, not really a story, which does drag a little and make for a little less excitement.

PRE-K, EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian

Monster Power: Exploring Renewable Energy by Judy Katschke - ADVISABLE

Katschke, Judy Monster Power: Exploring Renewable Energy (The Magic School Bus Rides Again), 96 pages. Branches (Scholastic), 2018. $5. 9781338194449.

Arnold cannot enjoy the class camping trip with his friends in Ms. Frizzle's class because he's absolutely obsessed with protecting everyone from The Blot Monster. The Blot Monster loves pollution and darkness and the only thing that can stop him is light. But how do you power lights in the middle of nowhere? Together with his classmates, Arnold explores alternative energy sources and eventually finds a way to harness natural power to keep the lights going--and the Blot Monster at bay!

This is the novelization of one episode of Netflix's reboot of The Magic School Bus. The book is ridiculously true to the show that streams online, and young readers who are fans of Ms. Frizzle will enjoy reading about their favorite characters; I read it aloud to my preschooler who is a fan of the show and he loved it. New vocabulary words are typed in bold with a glossary available at the back, and illustrations are incorporated throughout. My only complaint is that the book is so exactly like the Netflix episode there is nothing new to discover if you've seen it. The youngest readers might appreciate that, but a lot of kids might find it redundant.

EL(K-3) - ADVISABLE. Reviewer:TC

Secrets of American History: World War I by Elizabeth Dennis - ADVISABLE

Dennis, Elizabeth Secrets of American History: World War I Illustrated by Valerio Fabbretti EARLY READER Simon Spotlight, 2018. $17. Content: G.  978-1534410510

This book gives a short and succinct summary of World War I.  Then it tells of three different stories, broken up by chapter, of cool people who helped win the war.  First, there was a zoologist and an artist who built on each other’s ideas to paint razzle dazzle ships for the British navy which helped confuse the enemy.  Second, there were people from the Choctaw Indian tribe who helped communicate code during the war and the enemy couldn’t decode it.  And third, a man named Eugene Bullard moved to France to escape racism and there he joined the French’s air force and flew on many successful missions during the war.  At the end there are three short explanations on how razzle dazzle ships work, animal heroes and how a periscope works.  

This book has interested and rare facts from World War I that are fun to learn about.  The reading level for this early reader is higher, making it great for second or third grade and has a lot of text and content.  The illustrations are cartoon-ish and well done, but it would have been cool to have some real photographs.  I’m not sure if second and third graders still check out the books that look like early readers, but if they do they will enjoy this book.  

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

We Need More Nuts! by Jonathan Fenske - ADVISABLE

Fenske, Jonathan We Need More Nuts! EARLY READER BOOK. Penguin Young Readers, 2017.  $4.  9780515159134

Two squirrels are gathering nuts.  One friend finds the nuts and the other friend stores them in his mouth.  The skinny squirrel keeps stuffing his friend’s mouth until the friend finally declares he will hold no more.   

 Penguin Young Readers Level 2, guided reading level G.  Author/illustrator Jonathan Fenske brings unexpected humor and quite a bit of charm in this early reader.  The illustrations are expressive and entertaining.  Children can practice their counting and their reading up to number twenty-four.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – Advisable.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.

Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins, by Lori Haskins Hourin, pictures by Macky Pamintuan - ADVISABLE

Brown, Jeff, Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins, pictures by Macky Pamintuan.  EARLY READER BOOK.  Harper, 2017.  $4.  9780062365941

Flat Stanley and his family go to visit their Cousin Billy’s farm.  Flat Stanley likes helping Uncle Bob on the farm, but someone is taking Billy’s pumpkins.  Flat Stanley dresses like a scarecrow to catch the bandits but catches something quite different.

 I Can Read, Level 2: “High-interest stories for developing readers.”  Flat Stanley fans and children new to the flat, but very fun character will enjoy reading this farm adventure on their very own.  The pictures are expressive and fun and sure to appeal to the appropriate age group. 

 Pre-K, EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.