5. Pizza and Taco: Coolest Club Ever

 

5. Pizza and Taco #9: Coolest Club Ever! Stephen Shaskan. 2025. 72 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, graphic novel, early chapter book, series book]

First sentence: Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Hey! Whoa! Whoa! Ooh!

Premise/plot: Pizza and Taco have starred in nine books together. In this ninth book in the series, Pizza and Taco are excited about starting an after school club, however, they are not the only students starting a club. Can these two have the coolest club ever? And just what should their club be about?

My thoughts: I have read all nine books in the series. Some I have loved, loved, loved. Some I've barely liked. Still this series has more hits than misses as far as I'm concerned. I think the little things that might keep me from "loving" or "gushing" about an individual title in the series probably wouldn't be an issue for the target audience. Series for this age group thrive on having readers who LOVE comfort, familiarity, and predictability. Book characters are FRIENDS. And there's something awesome about coming back again and again to spend time with beloved friends. 

I do recommend the series. I am always happy to pick up the newest book in the series. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

4. Mustache Baby

 

4. Mustache Baby. Bridget Heos. 2016. HMH. 36 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: When Baby Billy was born, his family noticed something odd: He had a mustache.

Premise/plot: His parents anxiously wait to see if Baby Billy's mustache will turn out to be a "good-guy" mustache or a "bad guy" mustache. Readers see "Baby Billy" through his toddler years. And in fact, while most of the time his mustache is a good-guy mustache, there are SOME days when it is in fact, quite the opposite. "But a funny thing happened. As Billy got bigger...his mustache grew and curled up at the ends."

My favorite scene is probably when he robs a train: "A train robber so heartless that he even stole the tracks." The expression on his face is PRICELESS.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I wished I'd known about it when it first came out in 2013. I don't know how I missed such a great book. It is now available in board book format.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

3. Sabrina Sue Loves the Mountain

 

3. Sabrina Sue Loves the Mountain. Priscilla Burris. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [early reader, animal fantasy, ready to read, chickens and farms, 3 stars]

First sentence: Sabrina Sue lived on a farm. She liked to walk through the fields. One morning in the distance she saw--a big, tall mountain.

Premise/plot: Sabrina Sue--a chicken with dreams--stars in her sixth ready to read early reader. This chicken is always dreaming big. In this one she dreams of mountain climbing.

My thoughts: I have enjoyed Sabrina Sue in the past. I do think she's an enjoyable--albeit silly--character. For better or worse if you've read one, you've essentially "read them all." I think that could be a good thing for young readers who find satisfaction in predictability and sameness, an assurance that things will stay just the way they like/love them. This one is not as absolutely silly as some of the previous books in the series. Recommended for fans of spunky chickens.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

2. Mr. Fox's Game of "No!"

 

2. Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" David LaRochelle. Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. 2024. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 4 stars]

First sentence: Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up for a battle of wits and test your brain with my nearly impossible Game of "No!" Here's how it works: Every time I ask a question, you have to say "NO!" If you accidentally say "YES," then you have to go all the way back to the beginning of this book and start over. Are you ready to play?

Premise/plot: Perhaps not necessary after that first paragraph, but I'll give it a go. Mr. Fox playfully teases young readers with a fun, silly game. [It has the same vibes of Simon Says.] Through a series of questions, readers may be tempted to say yes...

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I do think it would be a playful book to read aloud with little ones. It does invite audience participation, if you will, so a group setting might be a good fit. Definitely reads younger and not older.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

1. The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah

1. The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah. Jane Yolen. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]

First sentence: The first problem Rochel-Leah had was that she was a girl. 

Premise/plot: This picture book is set in a small Russian village--a shtetl--in the 1830s. Rochel-Leah, our heroine, wants more than anything to learn to read. But there are many, many, many obstacles standing in the way. She has spunk and determination, but will that be enough???

My thoughts: This picture book is based on a story passed down through many generations in Jane Yolen's family as happening to a cousin of a cousin of a cousin or some such like way back when. Regardless of its origin, the story celebrates gumption and a LOVE of words, of stories, of the power of such. 

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers