Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! My niece unexpectedly gave birth to her second child today! Both are doing well despite the surprise, thankfully. That got me thinking about the books I had gifted her for her shower, so I decided to review four of my favorite board books of the year today.
The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.
Bookish Goods
Nighttime Library Magnetic Bookmark by EmilyCromwellDesigns
I’ve never actually used a magnetic bookmark (my child’s half-finished drawings make great bookmarks), but this one is magical. $5
New Releases
Amy’s Big Brother by BonHyung Jeong (middle grade)
Andrew is starting 6th grade, and he has lots of big goals. He wants to become the captain of his basketball team, make friends, and ask out Hannah, the girl he has a crush on. The one big foil to his plans is his little sister Amy, who is constantly in his business and causing mayhem, and his parents coddle her because she’s their biological child, unlike Andrew, who was adopted. This middle grade graphic novel tackles lots of themes middle schoolers enjoy.
Monkey-Cam by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (reader)
The Critter-Cam reader series is so funny. Each book follows an animal with a video camera on their head as they get into trouble. This is the fourth book in the series and follows Monkey in the jungle. On the left side, we see the story unfold as an outsider, and on the right side, we see the story from the camera’s perspective. There’s even a battery icon that slowly diminishes as the story continues. The other books in the series follow a cat, shark, and dog.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
I’m not super good at narrowing down my favorite books, but these are four of my favorite board books published this year. I see so many “best of 2023” children’s book lists coming out, but they rarely feature board books.
Flora and Friends ABC by Molly Idle
In this beautifully illustrated alphabetical board book, Flora knows a feathered bird friend for every letter of the alphabet: K for kite, R for roadrunner, V for vulture, and more. Molly Idle’s illustrations are always stunning, and this board book also has flaps to lift. Flora is a recurring character in several of Idle’s children’s books, like Flora and the Flamingo. I’m not usually a huge fan of alphabet board books, but this one is special.
Alma Head to Toe / Alma, de pies a cabeza by Juana Martinez-Neal
This sweet bilingual English and Spanish board book follows a recurring character as well. Alma also appears in Alma and How She Got Her Name. It’s a joyful, sensory-filled story where Alma names her body parts in English and Spanish and then relishes in sensory input with her bird friend. Candlewick released two Alma board books at the same time: this one and Alma and Her Family / Alma y su familiar, which is equally adorable.
Copy That, Copy Cat!: Inventions Inspired by Animals by Katrina Tangen, illustrated by Giulia Orecchia
I briefly mentioned this board book a week ago, but I wanted to give a longer review because it really is a fantastic book and one toddlers and elementary children will enjoy. It’s a rhyming, riddling, lift-the-flap delight, and it’s STEM-themed! Follow children as they’re presented with riddles about hidden objects that seem to be easy to answer. As each child names various animals that rhyme with the question, they learn that the mysterious object is actually something else, an invention inspired by that animal. For example, one child learns that what they thought was a frog leg is actually a flipper. Another learns that what they thought was a polar bear’s pawprint is actually a snowshoe. At the end, the children learn that this phenomenon — where inventors study nature to develop new technology — is called biomimicry. Back matter includes even more lift-the-flap examples of biomimicry, as well as a more detailed definition. I’ve read this one and the next one so many times to my daughter this year.
Spaghetti!: An Interactive Recipe Book by Lotta Nieminen
This interactive board book lets readers pretend to cook spaghetti in ten steps. They can add onions and olive oil to a pan, fill a pot with hot water, twirl spaghetti around a fork, and so much more. This is part of the Cook in a Book series, and every single one is so much fun for kids.
I forgot to share this here when it was released a month ago, but School Library Journal published an article I wrote about accessibility at children’s book events. It was a delight to speak with the authors and event planners for the piece, and eye-opening. I have experienced issues before at conferences, so I knew there would be lots to write about. What surprised me was how several program directors told me they rely on disabled attendees to let them know if there’s an issue, and they don’t advertise on their websites that they are disability-friendly or preemptively plan for disabled attendees or speakers beyond the very basic requirements. This is a huge error in thinking. I hope you read the article to find out why!
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.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury