70. Turtle with a Toolbox. Beth Ferry. Illustrated by Dudolf. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]
First sentence: Turtle has a toolbox for a shell. It's filled with tools that he knows well. Here is his hammer. Bang. Bang. Bang. Here is his mallet. Clang. Clang. Clang.
Premise/plot: Turtle has a toolbox. He uses the tools in his toolbox. It is written in rhyme. It also uses a lot of repetition. Sometimes the repetition makes sense. Obviously, hammers are going to hammer more than once. Sometimes it is slightly annoying. Turtle must use his saw, saw, saw. Carry and stack the wood, wood, wood. Everything's looking good, good, good.
My thought: It was fine. It was okay. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I have liked other Beth Ferry books more than this one. That being said, if your little one LOVES construction and building, then perhaps this one will be a good fit.
I do think I tend to overthink things. This one had me overthinking WHY a turtle would build a TREEHOUSE which would have him having to CLIMB LADDERS and CLIMB STAIRS. Will young readers be bothered by this? Well, it depends on the reader. But probably most readers won't. And the few it does bother, well, they are young overthinkers.
71. Cheeky Book of Bear Butts. Jonathan Fenske. 2026. 36 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]
First sentence: This is a bear butt. This is a bare butt. This is a bare bear butt. There are all kinds of bears. And all kinds of bear butts. Cold bear butts. Old bear butts. Greasy, grimy Grizzly Bear butts. A giant panda has a giant butt but a spectacled bear does not have a spectacled butt!
Premise/plot: What you see IS what you get. In this case a lot of bear bare butts. It's gimmicky. It's silly. It's odd and quirky. It's of questionable taste. HOWEVER I think for those that love it, they will REALLY love it. And everyone else will roll their eyes.
My thoughts: I didn't love it. I wanted to at least like it some. I have loved, loved, loved some of Jonathan Fenske's books in the past. He's written picture books and early readers. Usually he makes me smile or laugh. I do think YOUNG readers with a particular sense of humor will find it enjoyable looking at all the bare bottoms AND getting to read the word butt EVERYWHERE. Plenty of jokes and puns. Just not particularly funny. Picture books ARE subjective. Your little one may love it. Particularly if saying "butt" makes them laugh.
72. The Secret Life of Dog Toys. Kelly Dipucchio. Illustrated by Jennifer Harney. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 4 stars]
First sentence: Dog toys are genuinely excited to join a family. They were born to play, after all. But life for dog toys isn't always pretty. Or easy. Meet Moose. Goofy Moose. Clumsy Moose. Lovable Moose. Eighty-five-pounds-of-drool-and-smelly-toots Moose.
Premise/plot: Moose's dog toys have to team up to save Moose. Well, if they hadn't been trying to 'save' a fellow dog toy perhaps they might not have needed to have a rescue mission to save Moose--who escaped. But NO job is too big for these dog toys.
My thoughts: I liked this one. It was an adventure--fun, silly, enjoyable. A good choice for little ones that love dogs.
73. Starman: The Cosmic Voyage of David Bowie. Matthew Cordell. 2026. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction biography for young readers, 3 stars]
First sentence: Once there was a traveler. An artist. A cosmic, celestial, musical artist who traveled far and wide, who searched for and discovered different people, places, and sounds.
Premise/plot: This is a nonfiction biography--illustrated biography--of David Bowie for children. Young children? Probably not. Older children? Maybe. Even older children? More likely. Would an illustrated biography appeal to upper elementary or younger middle grades when assigned to read a biography? Perhaps.
It isn't so much a biography of David Bowie the person as it is David Bowie the musical artist. The book attempts--for better or worse--to divide his musical career into different "periods" of being for David Bowie.
My thoughts: Matthew Cordell has a creative approach to writing this biography. The illustrations and text work together to tell a story. It has plenty of illustrations AND plenty of text. What the book lacks is clarity and precision. Dates--years--would go a LONG, LONG, LONG way in telling this story. If the author, you know, actually named YEARS, specific albums, specific SONGS on those albums. If the book focuses on his career--his legacy of career--and the theme is his transformation, his metamorphic changes from one sound to another--LITTLE details could go a long way so that readers could seek out his music, his albums, his song--know WHAT to look for and listen to for each "era" or "period" or "time." And actually FOLLOW the journey and engage with the book on a deeper level. Instead we have a creative, artistic approach to a biography that doesn't really HELP readers experience much. There is a "beginner's guide to David Bowie" but it doesn't link songs with eras--and the songs all seem to be from a few albums and not representative of his whole body of work. These songs are not necessarily representative they are just favorite songs of the author, Matthew Cordell.
I personally don't see the appeal as a work for children.
© 2026 Becky Laney of
Young Readers
69. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the BIG Hungry Bear. Don and Audrey Wood. 1984. 32 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, picture books, animal fantasy]
First sentence: Hello, little Mouse. What are you doing? Oh, I see. Are you going to pick that red, ripe strawberry? But, little Mouse, haven't you heard about the big, hungry bear? Ohhh, how that Bear loves red, ripe strawberries!
Premise/plot: Little Mouse has JUST picked a red, ripe strawberry. Now Mouse is worried--and rightfully so perhaps--that a BIG HUNGRY bear might just come along and take it from her. Is there a way Mouse can make sure NO hungry bear eats her strawberry?
My thoughts: I'm honestly not sure if it's the narrator who "helps" Little Mouse solve the problem, or if it's meant to be you, the reader, who "helps" save the day. I'm guessing probably the narrator--but I could see it going either way. That's how it goes with books written in the second person.
This one is SUPER fun. I love, love, love, love the illustrations. I love how gigantic the strawberry looks because everything is through the perspective of Little Mouse. And I love the story. Who could resist cheering for Little Mouse????
Definitely one I love to read again and again and again.
© 2026 Becky Laney of
Young Readers
68. Scaredy Squirrel. Melanie Watt. 2008. Kids Can Press. 42 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, picture book, emotions and feelings, animal fantasy.
Scaredy
Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. He'd rather stay in his safe and
familiar tree than risk venturing out into the unknown. The unknown can
be a scary place for a squirrel.
I really liked this picture
book. I liked Scaredy Squirrel a lot. I could relate to him in some
ways. Because the unknown can be a bit scary. Readers may not share
Scaredy Squirrels exact fears--green Martians, killer bees, tarantulas,
poison ivy, germs, and sharks--but chances are they can relate to
fearing something. Scaredy Squirrel is thrust into an adventure and
forced into facing the unknown. And he learns that
sometimes fears are just silly, and that life is meant to be enjoyed, to be lived. Out of the nut tree.
© 2026 Becky Laney of
Young Readers
67. Hairy and Scary! Jan Thomas. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, humor, picture book]
First sentence: Hello! We are the Rhyming Dust Bunnies! Ed, Ned, Ted and Bob! We rhyme all the time! Well, actually I don't rhyme. This is a fan! What rhymes with fan? Tan. Can. Oh no.
Premise/plot: This is the THIRD book in the Rhyming Dust Bunnies series by Jan Thomas. It has been FOREVER since she last released a book in the series. But the good news is a whole new generation of little ones are ready to be introduced to the awesome Jan Thomas. In this one, the rhyming dust bunnies are in danger....or are they????? Bob is definitely trying to tell them SOMETHING. If only they would stop rhyming long enough to listen.
My thoughts: I will always love Jan Thomas' picture books because I've read them so many times. They make great read alouds. You can really put a lot of enthusiasm and silliness into them. This one was fun and nostalgic.
© 2026 Becky Laney of
Young Readers
