Category: PB

picture books

cover of Little Ghost's Summerween
Posted in PB, Read-aloud, So Many Good Books

Little Ghost’s Summerween

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Friday, the Thirteenth – a perfect time for a ghost story

I just got a sneak peak at Little Ghost’s Summerween (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, 2026) by Maggie Edkins Willis, and it’s a delightful book that comes out in April–you can preorder now. (There’s also a companion book, Little Ghost Makes a Friend.)

Little Ghost is invited to a camp-out birthday party, but he’s only been to Halloween parties, so he thinks he’ll stay home. When his friend Anya convinces him to go, it’s fun, but it makes Little Ghost think about what kind of birthday party would be right for him. However, he doesn’t send out invitations or make party decorations, and only decides what to do at the last minute. Will his birthday be all he hopes?

I love the problem solving and the fun ideas for birthday party themes.

Read about the author/illustrator here and check out all of Maggie’s books here. I also recognized some book covers she’s done.

photo of globe with dolls dressed as from other countries - different skin color faces
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

Inclusive Picture Books

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Books

I haven’t been reading and recommending picture books lately, but thought it might be helpful to share some that include other cultures, immigrants, and books about acceptance of those who are “different.” I strongly believe that exposing young children to these topics will help them understand our beautiful diverse world better. And perhaps there will be a little less “othering.”

Little Bird Laila (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2025)
by Kelly Yang and illustrated by Xindi Yan

New (HarperCollins, 2025)
by Niña Mata

So Loud! (Annick Press, 2024)
by Sahar Golshan and illustrated by Shiva Delsooz

The Light Within You (Two Lions, 2023)
by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated by Kamala Nai

American Desi (Little, Brown and Company, 2022)
by Jyoti Rajan Gopal and illustrated by Supriya Kelka

Powwow Day (Charlesbridge, 2022)
by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

The Capybaras (Greystone Kids, 2021)
by Alfredo Soderguit

Swashby and the Sea (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020)
by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

When Your Daddy’s a Soldier (Viking Books for Young Readers, October 2022)
by Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan and illustrated by EG Keller

The Star Festival (Albert Whitman & Company, 2021)
by Moni Ritchie Hadley and illustrated by Mizuho Fujisawa

Federico and the Wolf (Clarion Books, 2020)
by Rebecca J. Gomez and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri

Let’s Dance! (Boyds Mill & Kane, 2020)
by Valerie Bolling and illustrated by Maine Diaz

No Party Poopers (little bee books, 2020)
by Gretchen McLellan and illustrated by Lucy Semple

Ohana Means Family (Neal Porter Books, 2020)
by Ilima Loomis and illustrated by Kenard Pak

A Friend for Henry (Chronicle Books, 2019)
by Jenn Bailey and illustrated by Mika Song

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story (Roaring Brook Press, 2019)
by Kevin Noble Maillard and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

cover of Job Wanted
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

Job Wanted

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

I know I shared a “dog book” last Friday, too, but Job Wanted (Holiday House, 2015) by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Chris Sheban is so fun and inspirational.

Dog wants a job, but the farmer says he doesn’t need a dog. So dog asks if he needs a cow. “Well, sure. But you’re not a cow.” “We’ll see about that,” dog says. But the next day, when dog says, “moo” the farmer is not impressed and tells him there’s “no job here.” Dog is not discouraged.

You can read an article about the author here and see many of Teresa’s books reviewed here.

Read about the illustrator here and see some of his illustrations (One is quite famous.) There’s a long list of the books Chris has illustrated here.

cover of Dudley's Day at Home
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

Dudley’s Day at Home

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Dudley’s Day at Home (Flashlight Press, 2020) by Karen Kaufman Orloff and illustrated by Renee Andriani is funny and adorable.

When Sam wonders what his dog does all day at home, and Mom explains, Sam pictures quite different scenarios than Mom intends. Plus we get to see what Dudley thinks they do all day too.

I really enjoyed the humor and the kidlike feel.

Read about the author here and check out Karen’s other books here.

Read about the illustrator here, scroll through her books here, and check out some sketches here.

cover of the picture book Who Doesn't Like Animals
Posted in PB, So Many Good Books

The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

It’s been a long while since I posted a picture book recommendation, but this one definitely deserves it:

The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals (Clarion, 2024) by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a fun read.

A man loves his tidy home and doesn’t like animals. But then a cat shows up. He tries to get it to go away, but it doesn’t. They find things they like in common and the man says, “Maybe THIS cat isn’t so bad.” Then another cat appears. And a dog. And another dog. Then a duck, then many other animals. What’s the man to do when his neighbors complain?

This book won an SCBWI Golden Kite Award for picture book text.

Deborah has published many many books. Read about them here and read about the author here.

Uyen pronounced win is an author/illustrator. Check out her website to learn about her, her art, and all her books. I love her attention to detail in these adorable illustrations.