29. Richard Scarry's Great Mystery Collection. Richard Scarry. 2025. (1969, 1975) 96 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture books, mysteries]

First sentence of the Great Pie Robbery: Sam Cat and Dudley Pig are detectives. They find children who get lost. They catch robbers who steal things.
First sentence of the Supermarket Mystery: Sam Cat and Dudley Pig are very fine detectives. If anyone has a problem, they will try to solve it.
First sentence of The Great Steamboat Mystery: Mr. and Mrs. Pig had just gotten married. They invited all their friends to a big wedding party aboard the steamboat Sally. Just for fun, they asked everyone to wear a costume. Mr. Pig also asked Sam and Dudley, the famous detectives, to come to the party. He wanted them to see that no wedding presents got stolen. Sam and Dudley wore costumes, too. They dressed like pirates.

Premise/plot: This omnibus collection includes THREE Richard Scarry picture books. Each picture book stars Sam Cat and Dudley Pig. These detectives will keep on trying and trying until the case is SOLVED. The three books are: The Great Pie Robbery, the Supermarket Mystery, and the Great Steamboat Mystery. Each book is fun and silly. Pay attention to the details.

My thoughts: I love, love, love Richard Scarry. I love his worldbuilding. I love his characters. I love his attention to details. These three are mystery picture books. I definitely enjoyed revisiting this author and illustrator.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

27. Board book: Just Because. Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, bedtime book, board book, imagination, creativity, curiosity]

First sentence: Why is the ocean blue? Every night when you go to sleep, the fish take out guitars. They sing sad songs and cry blue tears.

Premise/plot: A father answers his child's questions. These curious questions come right before bedtime! Though I have a strong feeling that his child is FULL of questions morning, noon, and night! The questions may feel familiar, but, the answers are super creative.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this one!!!! There are SO many great questions and answers. My favorite:

What happened to the dinosaurs? Millions of years ago, thousands of asteroids fell on the earth. But the dinosaurs had planned for this. They fastened themselves to big balloons, floated up to space, and stayed there.
What are black holes? The mouths of dinosaurs.

I highly recommend this one!



28. Board book: Fix This Book! A Dinosaur Broke It! Silver Dolphins Books. 2026. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, board book, interactive]

First sentence: There once was a curious little dinosaur...Wait a minute! Where is he? He stomped right through the page! It's OK, we can fix it!

Premise/plot: A baby dinosaur IS eating the book you're reading! Can the book be fixed?!?!

My thoughts: This one is SO fun and whimsical. I think my favorite spread is the shredded page.

I definitely enjoyed this playful interactive board book. It's just right for little dinosaur lovers!

© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

26. Bad Banana. Michael Rex. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, beginning reader, early reader, humor]

First sentence: I'm a baaaaaaad banana! I didn't start out this way, you know. I used to be yellow! I had friends! I was part of the bunch! There was me, Lou, Debbie, and Cool Pete! We were BFFs! Banana Friends Forever. When that nice family took us home from the supermarket, we were living the dream!

Premise/plot: This early reader is narrated by a BAD banana. He's in despair since he's turning so bad. His hopes and dreams are fading hour by hour, day by day. Will he ever be eaten?????

My thoughts: This book is definitely decidedly odd. But is it funny? Yes, in a way. I think it ALL depends on how it's read aloud. In the hands of a good reader, a reader who can do voices, who can get characters just right, this one would easily entertain. It has great potential to appeal to young readers.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

25. Olive and Oscar: The Favorite Hat. Ariel Bernstein. Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early reader, animal fantasy, friendship]

First sentence: Hi, Olive!
Hi, Oscar!
I have a gift for you, Oscar!
You do?
It is a hat!
Thank you for my hat, Olive. It is now my favorite hat.

Premise/plot: Olive and Oscar are friends--close friends, special friends. Olive has gifted a hat to Oscar, but, throughout one day that hat goes through a LOT. Will the hat still be Oscar's favorite at the end of the day?

My thoughts: I loved meeting Olive and Oscar. They are ADORABLE. (And adorable as a couple.) I loved seeing the many, many creative uses of the hat! I thought this early reader was great fun. All the text is in dialogue bubbles. YES, it is an early reader. But it is also a good story with fun characters.



© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Adapted from C.S. Lewis. Illustrated by Joey Chou.. 2021. 32 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: Once there were four children. Their names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. One day, playing hide-and-seek, Lucy finds a wardrobe and goes in.

Premise/plot: This is a board book that condenses and adapts C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It is a "gentle" retelling. It removes much of the darkness and violence. It reminds me of the live-action George of the Jungle where characters fall off bridges and just get "really bad boo-boos." The book does call Aslan a safe lion. I'm not sure the original would ever do that. But all things considered, it's a summary of a good children's classic.

My thoughts: Much thought was put into making this one appropriate for very young ages. It is gentler, milder, less intense. The illustrations are....well....illustrations. I have never thought of Lucy as blond. But I'm not petty about it. Why not have Lucy with blond hair??? I didn't love the illustrations for the most part. But they're not bad. Just not necessarily my own personal cup of tea. I did like Aslan. 


© 2026 Becky Laney of Young Readers