Lions and tigers and cats, oh my. Sorry, we couldn’t resist. But it’s true.
Today’s roundup has those three creatures. But there’s more! This list of 2023-nominated books includes include stories of family, friendship, feelings, and, well … see for yourself.
And have a FANTASTIC Monday.
Book cover and summary excerpt from Goodreads. Click to see more details and reviews.
BOARD BOOK
Meet Clip Clop Zebra, Ooo Ooo Monkey, Munch Munch Hippo and Roar Roar Lion himself. With a final 'recap' animal noises page, and the question, "But what noise do YOU make?" little readers will enjoy lifting the last flap and saying 'hello' to themselves in the surprise mirror!
Brooke @ Goodreads – The board book’s easy-turn pages are bright and sparkly and the felt flaps are a dream for any parent who knows that flaps never last long. The mirror at the end is always a favorite for babies. Would be a great gift for any new parent or very young child.
PICTURE BOOK
Funny split-page pictures and simple reading text make these books perfect to share with toddlers. Full of humor and fun, they aid child development as your little one learns to read visual clues and match legs to the right animals.
Brooke @ Goodreads – Darling picture book (board book. . . with thicker pages?) for younger readers. Explores different animals and their feet, trying to see if you can find the right animal for the missing feet. Fun style and design.
EASY READER
Reina and her friend, Lila, practice gymnastics on Saturdays. It’s Reina’s favorite part of the week. But when Lila gets a puppy, Reina has to practice gymnastics by herself. Also, Lila’s dog is HUGE and Reina is afraid to admit to her friend that she is scared.
Kirsten @ Goodreads – The way feelings are explained so clearly in this book is great and her use of a few Spanish words is done in a way that kids could understand and learn the new words within the text. The book is as short as a typical early reader, though the text is a bit tougher than other similar titles. I would still recommend this to readers, especially ones who are interested in books with dogs.
EARLY CHAPTER
Chirpy makes a new friend who helps her discover how delicious fractions can be. Now the chicks have a new problem for her to solve. While she is off thinking, Chirpy meets Quackers, a curious duck with a lot of questions. Chirpy doesn’t have answers for Quackers either, but she knows the best place to find them—school!
Sarah @ Goodreads – What a fun and silly book. Follow the mathemachicken on a great adventure. She hopes on the bus and goes to school. Learning all kinds of math. A great sneaky way to have math in your book. I love books like this that help make learning exciting.
GRAPHIC NOVEL
What makes a tiger, a tiger? Is it the stripes? The roar? This is something that Lily, the tiger at the local zoo, has never had to worry about -- until she meets the fiercest animal of them all . . . her new roommate. Tig might look like a house cat, might sound like a house cat, but Tig knows he is a Tiger.
The competition is on as these two cats figure out what it means to be a Tiger . . . and a friend.
Cindy on behalf of Kiss the Book, review by Lisa Librarian – Such a darling graphic novel about being whatever you want to be. I loved Lily (the tiger) so much. Dan Thompson has drawn her a bit like Hobbs, but she isn’t mischievous, she’s cute and clever and a good friend. I’m glad to see book 2 is already out, excited to see more of their adventures.
Jo @ Goodreads – What a fun elementary graphic novel about Tig and Lily and friendship. This book is simply about acceptance of who you are and how you can be anything you want to be. It’s also about how to have and make friends and how they help you whenever you need it. This story was cute and children will love Lily’s innocence and Tig’s perkiness.
Tamara @ Goodreads – I’m sure Tig and Lily will get into lots of other shenanigans as this is just volume 1. This was an amusing read with lots of little noises off to the sides of the panels that could make for a funny read-aloud book.
NONFICTION
Juma is excited to go fishing with his grandfathee. When they get to the beach, they find the sand covered in plastic pollution--flip-flops, plastic straws, toothbrushes, bottles, and shopping bags. One of the flip-flops floating in on a wave looks like a boat.
That gives Juma and Babu Ali an idea. Based on the true story of the Kenyan dhow boat Flipflopi, this inspirational tale demonstrates how innovation, art, and determination can transform plastic pollution into something useful.
Anne @ My Head Is Full of Books – What I liked about the book: 1. The dialogue and the illustrations aided in understanding the scope of the problem and the beauty of the completed boat. The illustrator is from Kenya and is self taught. I’m impressed. 2.My grandson and I discussed how we can help and what we are doing right as we reviewed the ‘How You Can Help’ page. 3. This book covers a timely/urgent topic related to climate change and saving our planet. I urge elementary librarians to add this book to your collection.