THE SLEEPER TRAIN... ALL ABOARD!

I'm very nostalgic about trains, though I only rode on one once, as a child, for a very short trip. (Or occasionally at the zoo with kids!). Sleeping at our grandparents' Kentucky home meant vibrating through the night to the rumble of trains as they passed by just thirty feet across the road.  Or "racing" trains on tracks parallel to the highway as Dad drove us to Kentucky and back to Ohio, counting train cars, hoping that the man in the caboose would wave back when they inevitably passed us up. My bucket list still includes a cross-country train trip. We'll see....

Candlewick Press, 2025

Meanwhile, back to picture books! THE SLEEPER TRAIN obviously appealed to me from the start. It depicts experiences rooted in a culture halfway around the planet but offering universal connection in its emotional explorations and memories. Written by Mick Jackson and illustrated by Baljinder Kaur, this is a delightfully illustrated story of a girl and her family as they travel to visit relatives. The train itself frames the story, as the girl's first-person narration reveals her family's journey, her excitement about using a fold-down bed in their cabin, and then her struggle to fall asleep. As might be predicted, readers join her in viewing the station, their night travels through and near cities, and her struggle to calm herself and fall asleep. Then, page turns each reveal her memory of strategies to deal with  sleeplessness. 

There will be plenty of readers who find the vibrant and detailed illustrations both welcome and familiar, a rare opportunity to see themselves and their homeland on picture book pages. For others, though, this will be less a mirror and more of a window or sliding door to a world filled with new images and locations, yet deeply familiar experiences. She activates her past efforts to find sleep, remembering happy times: a recent vacation, napping at the beach under a soothing sun, family camping, and even a scary time in the hospital when her family stayed at her side to comfort her. Her memories reveal that such universal experiences are global, while the specifics in culture, clothing, and styles clearly reveal their Middle-East setting. Morning brings the family to the dining car and the final page turn is utterly perfect. (Another memory to be called on some sleepless night in the future). 

For anyone traveling, during holidays or otherwise, this is a rich experience, a delight for eyes and hearts.💕 Trainlovers will be delighted, and parents of struggling sleepers will appreciate the self-regulation described. Kids will be begging for train rides!  If that isn't in the foreseeable future (or even if it IS), check out Marsha Diane Arnold's recent BIG BOY, HERE.

Plenty to Laugh About in CRANKY, CRABBY CROW!

 Birds again? Seriously? No, humorously! 

GREENWILLOW BOOKS, 2025

CRANKY, CRABBY CROW (Saves the World) is a bird book of sorts, but not of the sort I've reviewed recently. This crow is a curmudgeon, living up to that title description in full force. The joy and suspense of this story treat CROW as a character, one who just happens to be a bird. Award-winning AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR Corey R. Tabor is in brilliant form in  this lively and surprising account of a crow on a mission.

The title (and subtitle) do a great job of setting up the levels and tension of this story. Actual crows often sound grumpy, loudly cawing their complaints as other critters appear in "their space". The cleverly cartoonish side-eye of this cover crow, with an effectively added arched eyebrow and skittering sidestep suggest something more than grumpiness is as work.

And it is.

ENDPAPERS, CRANKY CRABBY CROW
Corey R. Tabor, 2025

Endpapers with sequences of six different "icon"ish images stalled my opening of the pages of the book. A "wallpaper" approach of this type is often used in picture books, and I wanted to see if there were any discernible patterns as clues to the story ahead. Then, when I did turn the page, the dedication was actually to one of these little icons. What? A mystery was at the heart of this story and I couldn't wait to figure it out. 

As crow sits on a wire above fuzzily familiar rooftops and treetops, other critters approach and invite Crow to seemingly irresistible events- garbage scrounging, racing, tricks, etc. One by one, potential friends are sent away with a noisy "KAW!" until Cat warns of looming loneliness. That felt to me like a charming story arc, delightfully illustrated, and leading to a happy "lesson-learned" resolve. 

Until... that parenthetical title comes into play. Secrets are revealed, actions are taken, Crow dons his secret-life uniform and SAVES THE WORLD!  (Check out the button options on his control board!). I truly want to reveal what all that is about, and also the ensuing pages of community that left me grinning. I won't spoil the experience for you. You're welcome. Many picture books have a satisfying conclusion and then, ta-da, one final page adds a surprise, a sort of WINK as a bonus to the reader. Wait until you see this one!

Once I reached that delightful spread I noticed a tiny added treat for attentive readers on the bottom right of an otherwise empty white page. Those little endpaper icons were a CODE, a SECRET CODE! That meant spending immeasurable time decoding the closing endpages and grinning through every minute.

I realize that not everyone enjoys birds as much as I do, and even those who do may not appreciate the intelligence and appeal of actual crows. Let me assure you, though, that this CROW is irresistible! Absolutely CHARMING! A CROW you will want to know! 

Do a favor to yourself and read it, then share it, laughing out loud together. And the next time you encounter someone cranky or crabby, keep in mind that perhaps it's only an act. Maybe, just maybe, they have a bigger mission in mind, one that could SAVE THE WORLD! 

SCRATCHING the SURFACE: EXPLORING the EARTH'S LAYERS

Capstone Editions, 2025

Anyone who has been reading her for a while will realize how much I enjoy and admire nonfiction picture books. That's especially true for ones that offer depth and detail without forgetting the primary audience... young kids. The best among them appeal and inform the adults who may be reading the books to or with the little ones, and that's exactly the case for SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: EXPLORING THE EARTH'S LAYERS, written by Kate Allen Fox and Illustrated by Erin Brown.

I was very impressed and excited about the approach to text for such a potentially overwhelming or oversimplified topic. Before I pursue those thoughts, just take a careful look at that fantastic cover art (which wraps around to the back of the jacket as well. (I checked, and the hard case has the full cover art as well, which I applaud.) The details there, and on endpapers, are a portal to a scientific adventure inside th.e Earth

The illustrations are both vibrant and cartoonish in an easy to understand way, but also reflect the verifiable facts revealed in this entertaining text. The images indulge every kid's (or former kid's) desire to dig a hole through the Earth, to dig up diamonds or dinosaur bones, to find new answers to old questions. The layers shown in the cover image and endpapers deal with the crust of the Earth, but then the text leads readers deeper and deeper, with clarification about what we potentially can and can't reach by digging, and why that is. 

From fishing worms near the surface to the deepest fish fossils from the oldest seabeds, a whole world (OUR whole world) is revealed. Throughout, the pair of friends (diverse and delightful) center the story, bringing narrative back to their perspectives and awarenesses of the surface geology. Some diagrams and labels are inserted as well as data-rich sidebar text boxes, along with occasional speech-bubble-ish questions from kid-perspectives. These are all overlaid on double-page spreads, allowing both the expansiveness of the art and the particularity of the text to shine.

The illustrations work in tandem with terrific text, each enhancing and expanding the other. The main narration is presented in short segments of three to six lines in eye-friendly font. Those inserted questions or "wonders" are ones that a child on a lap might readily ask, simply and directly. Those lead the content forward as complex concepts unfold gradually and clearly. Small sidebars provide related technology content in paragraphs, in that parallel-text way that allows readers to read along with the main text in a first pass, or come back after the earlier reading, or turn back to particular pages later to locate details when needed. 

Science itself  takes center stage in kid-friendly ways, with a seismologist (female scientist of color, yay!) analyzing incoming data while the layers beneath the crust seem to twist and shift under her feet. Potential for those opening kid-characters shows them growing a bit older near the conclusion, participating in further exploration and realizing what is rarely pointed out in books at this level:

There are always more questions, since we've ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE! 

or, as I often said when teaching science- This is what we know SO FAR!

The author note briefly expands on the idea of geologic studies in past, present, and the potential future, followed by a simple chart of the SCIENTIFIC METHOD, a glossary, and suggested further readings. 

Every bit of this book is mind-expanding and engaging, inviting teachers, librarians, and families to add it to their shelves and enjoy often. For more books on rocks and Earth stories, check HERE, HERE, HERE. 

WHEN AUGGIE LEARNED TO PLAY CHESS: You Can, Too!

 The holiday gift-giving season is well upon us! My book-of-choice today is one that makes a delightful gift across many ages (read the author note in back). Beyond that, though, the story it reveals suggests a gift of even greater value: spending time and learning with someone you love. Especially someone young.

Ann Schwartz Books, 2025

WHEN AUGGIE LEARNED TO PLAY CHESS is written by Meredith Rusu and illustrated by Stephen Costanza. This story offers many openings for kids to connect... 

1. Moving...

...Far away (from beachside to a neighborhood with cows and strong smells!)...

Navigating change...

Feeling alone...    in a crowded new school...

Rejection... it's hard enough to say hello to strangers, but then to be ignored? Yikes!

Big feelings... while parents are busy. EncouragIng, but busy.

Auggie notices something on a shelf in his new home-- a lovely checkered board and a pouch filled with intriguing carved characters. When Auggie's Tatâ (Daddy) notices and begins sharing both stories and skills, the gift of time and teaching allows Auggie to turn his mind away from distress and explore challenges and curiosity. The process offers connection for Tatâ and Auggie and a place of respite from change, anchoring them to a family heritage and to each other. 

Mid-story unfolds with some basic labeling and roles of the chess pieces, never slowing the pace but serving well in repeated readings for anyone trying to learn without a skilled Tatâ at their side. Auggie's growing knowledge leads to better days in his classroom, too, and the conclusion offers a suggestion of a satisfying beginning.The author's note and shares a personal story involving family chess heritage, assuring readers that anyone can learn chess, even the very young.

And even the very OLD! I learned chess as a kid, but never worked at developing competitive skill or learning gambits. MANY years later when my school was organizing "clubs" for kids at recess or activity times, mine was the only hand that went up when someone asked, "Who knows how to play chess?" That small act led me to host the "chess room" one day each week, wrangling 7-9 year olds and a few dozen game sets for both novices and talented players. I never claimed to have any knowledge beyond the basics, but over time those stronger players (and valued volunteer parent coaches) allowed me to learn more. After many years this surprising gift was presented to me> > > >

That's been several decades ago, and yet I can still get newcomers launched, settle confusions or disputes, and spot a mis-staged board from across a classroom. My point is, learning to play chess is a lifetime gift that can reach others at any level. There is no better time than the holidays, when family and friends gather, to have a chess board on hand. Someone in those spaces would raise a hand to admit knowing how to play, and someone else will be eager to figure out those curious characters that travel around the board following detailed rules. (Do me a favor. Avoid digital play, at least at first. Use an actual board and figures if at all possible. Learning to set up the positions, including stories about their relative power and playability, is a significant experience in itself.)

Auggie's story is one of family strength and connection, but it also celebrates the ways in which playing chess opens his mind to potential relationships and actions among strangers and friends. It reinforced his sense of agency, even when he felt himself to "only" be a pawn. The complexity of Auggie's journey will entertain and satisfy readers, but my guess is that the closing of the cover will be followed by "I want to play chess!" Consider a gift pack of a chess set with a copy of this book!