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The Kids Are All Right

Nonfiction November, Secrets, And More!

Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! The election is over, and while I’m disappointed with Tennessee’s outcome, I’m happy to see so many amazing wins across the country. I’m currently in the midst of redecorating my daughter’s bedroom — who knew finding the perfect, affordable cat wallpaper would be so hard? I will show pictures when we finish, but I’m beginning to think a couple of cat wall decals might be a much easier and cheaper way to go, though not as cute!

Bookish Goods

Fuzzball Vinyl Stickers by Isabella Kung

Fuzzball Vinyl Stickers by IsabellaKung

Speaking of cats, a couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the books No Fuzzball! and No Snowball! by Isabella Kung. I’m delighted to say that yesterday I discovered the author/illustrator has an Etsy store filled with Fuzzball-related merchandise! I’m definitely considering buying these stickers as stocking stuffers. There are also Fuzzball totes! $12

New Releases

Cover of Cookie and Broccoli: Book of Secrets by McMahon

Cookie & Broccoli: Book of Secrets! by Bob McMahon (early reader graphic novel)

My daughter and I read this funny early reader graphic novel last night, and we immediately put the other two books in the series on hold at the library: Cookie & Broccoli: Ready for School! and Cookie & Broccoli: Play It Cool. In this third book, best friends Cookie and Broccoli, along with their sidekick Blueberry, discover the world of secrets and how secrets don’t stay quiet for long on a school playground. It’s a really fun read, and I also love that there’s no food shaming.

Cover of Scaredy Bath by Blake

Scaredy Bath by Zoë Foster Blake, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett (picture book)

This is another hilarious book that will elicit lots of laughs from little readers. The narrator, Bath, is scared of the very thing it’s designed for — bathtime. It doesn’t like how loud and messy bathtime is. But when Bath’s family goes away for a while, it begins to miss them. When they finally return home, Bath is surprisingly happy to see them, especially the new little baby they bring with them.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

It’s Nonfiction November, so I thought I would recommend some beautiful biology children’s books that have been released this year. These would make excellent gifts!

Cover of Luminous by Kuo

Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night by Julia Kuo

This is the book that inspired me to make a Beautiful Biology list. It’s a stunningly illustrated picture book about bioluminescence, depicting a mother and daughter exploring the many ways bioluminescence is present in our world, on land and in water. Kuo explores bioluminescence in lyrical language but then provides more detailed information in short paragraphs on each page. It’s a perfect marriage of poetry and science, both in language and in illustration.

Illumibugs by Carnovsky

Illumibugs by Barbara Taylor, illustrated by Carnovsky

This innovative nonfiction uses a three-color lens to reveal hidden pictures within the illustrations. Each section describes an ecosystem from around the world, and readers can use various lenses to reveal insects, habitats, and other invertebrate creepy crawlies that call that ecosystem home in the layered illustrations. It’s a book bug lovers of all ages can get lost in for hours. It’s really fascinating.

Cover of The Sea Below My Toes by Guillain

The Sea Below My Toes by Charlotte Guillain, illustrated by Jo Empson

This beautiful concertina-style exploration of the sea unfolds to reveal each layer of the sea, from otters diving along the surface to anglerfish deep in the ocean’s depths. This is a book that requires a lot of room, as it unfolds to about 10 feet! It also provides lots of fun facts about the ocean.

Cover of A River's Gifts by Newman

A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn by Patricia Newman, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

This picture book is a little different from the other three in that not only does it provide a fascinating glimpse into the Elwha River’s ecology, but it also gives a call to action to protect the environment, gives a history of how the U.S. government took land from Indigenous Americans — particularly the Strong People — and shows how contemporary Indigenous Americans lobby for their land rights and rehabilitate ecosystems. The book is beautifully illustrated by Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan, and it’s a great way to look at broad topics like environmentalism, the effects of overpopulation, and the history of how the U.S. government treated Indigenous Americans by focusing on one single example — the Elwha River.

Books to be judged, The Kids are All Right

I am one of 16 judges for the Bookstagang Best of 2022 children’s book awards. In my biased opinion, this is the best children’s award list because it’s judged by a diverse array of Instagrammers who come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences with one thing in common — we read thousands of new children’s books a year, and we share our reviews of our favorites on Instagram. I love working with this group, and this year we have received around 500 books for award consideration so far! There are only a couple more weeks left to rate and judge books, and these shelves are what’s left for me to rate. I will indubitably be receiving a few more books to judge, but I’m pretty sure I can get them rated in time! *fingers crossed*

If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.

Until next Tuesday!

Margaret Kingsbury