56. Thunderland

 

56. Thunderland. Maggie Edkins Willis. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]

First sentence: I don't like it when its storms. I don't like the inky clouds or the howling winds or the scary shapes in the shadows. I don't like the cracks and the crashes and the rumbles. 

Premise/plot: A young girl is frightened by a storm and her dad comforts her by telling her stories about the storm.

My thoughts: I like this one okay. It's fine. I do think it's good to have picture books with good father figures. And it's sweet how he is able to comfort, distract, and entertain. It's a fun and playful book about a common enough fear. I can't imagine anyone *wanting* to hide under a kitchen sink in a storm but that is probably just overthinking on my part!

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

55. The Peddler of Puddles

 

55. The Peddler of Puddles. Beth Ferry. Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book]

First sentence: The Peddler of Puddles never got anywhere fast--possibly because of the weight of his cart, possibly because of some dawdling ducks, but most likely because he was always busy making puddles. With a tiny tug on his cloud and a drip, drop, drip, the Peddler created a puddle just right for a thirsty hummingbird. 

Premise/plot: The Peddler of Puddles has no home of his own....but will he by the end of the book?! Perhaps.

My thoughts: I have LOVED some of Beth Ferry's previous books. This one was fantastic as well. I loved the turtle hero! I loved the writing! I loved the illustrations. I loved the plot or story. It was fun to see him interact with all sorts of puddle-lovers on the road...and on the beach. It was such a lovely story.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

54. Can't Stop Kissing That Baby

54. Can't Stop Kissing That Baby. K.L. Going. Illustrated by Fiona Lee. 2025. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book]

First sentence: Oh, that momma! She can't stop kissing the baby. Can't stop, just can't stop. No, she can't stop kissing the baby. 

Premise/plot: If you are looking for a sentimental (bordering on syrup-y) picture book about parents--most mothers--that can't stop, won't stop kissing their babies....then this is the one for you. Several different types of [diverse] families are illustrated. The text is simple and repetitive. 

My thoughts: I have not tried reading this one aloud. I haven't. I think there's a chance it could read as lyrical if read aloud. It is still repetitive, but it might work better if thought of as a poem. I like this one fine.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

53. Our Gorgeous Baby (Board book)

 

53. Our Gorgeous Baby. (Board book). Smriti Prasadam-Halls. Illustrated by Eve Coy. 2025. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [board book, babies, 5 stars]

First sentence: Our baby's eyes are not brighter than the sun. And no, she's not as light as a feather. She weighs a ton! Although we call her princess, she acts more like a clown. She rules her royal subjects with a muddy crown. 

Premise/plot: Our Gorgeous Baby is now a board book. (I believe it was a picture book in 2024.) A family praises their baby ultimately in a realistic way. The book features realistic scenes from life in a household with a baby. 

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one! It is funny and sweet. My favorite lines, "We've never met a real angel, but as far as we can tell, they don't shout or screech or roar or yell." It is a loving book without being overly sentimental in a syrupy way.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

52. Mog and Me (Board book)

 

52. Board book: Mog and Me. Judith Kerr. 1984/2025. 16 pages. [Source: Library] [board book, 3 stars]

First sentence: We have a big stretch in the morning. We have a little wash. I have to get dressed, but Mog wears her fur all the time.

Premise/plot: Mog and Me was originally published in 1984. It has newly been re-released in 2025. A young child spends the day with MOG THE CAT. Apparently Mog the Cat starred in a handful of books. The book features few words but plenty of cat-focused illustrations. The plot is kept to a minimal, but CAT. 

My thoughts: I love, love, love cats. This book would be good for cat-loving parents to share with very young children. Each spread just has a few words. The story is super simple. Mog is an adorable cat. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

51. Leo the Late Bloomer

 

51. Leo the Late Bloomer. Robert Kraus. Illustrated by Jose Aruego. 1971/1994. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book]

First sentence: Leo couldn't do anything right. He couldn't read. He couldn't write. He couldn't draw. He was a sloppy eater. And, he never said a word.

Premise/plot: Much of Leo the Late Bloomer covers conversations between a mother and father as they discuss their late bloomer, Leo. The father worries that Leo will never, ever bloom. His mother is confident that Leo will bloom. Seasons come and go but Leo hasn't bloomed. Then one day, he does. And Leo's "first word" isn't a first word, but a sentence: "I made it!"

My thoughts: I did not grow up with this one. In fact, I didn't meet Leo until I was in college. But I definitely connected with him once I met him. I liked the optimism of the mother tiger. I could understand, in part, the frustration of the father. And I cheered the happy, happy ending. Overall, I'm not sure that it's perfectly-perfect in terms of modeling what to do if your child has learning difficulties. But I'm not convinced that it has to be. This isn't a how-to book for children or parents.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

50. Downpour

 

50. Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash! Yuko Ohnari. Translated by Emily Balistrieri. Illustrated by Koshiro Hata. 2025 (2018). 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 5 stars]

First sentence: It's sooo hot! The ground's burning hot! Hot, hot! Huh? Clouds. Dark clouds. They're coming this way! Plip! Plip! Plip! It's raining. Plip! plip! plip! The drops are big! It smells like the sky. It smells like the ground, too. BADA-BADA-BADA. BADA-BADA-BADA. PLIP. PLIP. BADA. PLAM-PL-PLAM. PLIP. BADA-BADA. My umbrella's a drum.

Premise/plot: A young boy enjoys a rain storm. Downpour was originally published in Japan in 2018. It has recently been translated into English and published in the United States. In some ways, it's a simple book with a simple story: a boy celebrating RAIN. But it's told in a rhythmic, playful way. 

My thoughts: Do I love it more than Umbrella? No. I want to be upfront about that. I love and adore Taro Yashima's UMBRELLA. A thousand stars. A million stars. All the stars. By far my favorite picture book ever-ever-ever. (Taro Yashima was a Japanese artist who immigrated to the United States in 1939. He wrote and illustrated children's books.) But this book comes close--not in artistic style of the illustrations--but in capturing the simple joys of the rhythm of the rain. In the playfulness of language, perhaps. As far as the art goes, there are a few spreads that I absolutely LOVE. So I definitely recommend Downpour! But if you haven't read Umbrella, check that one out too! 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

49. Board book: Just a Banana

 

49. Just a Banana (Board Book, Lift the Flap) Barney Saltzberg. 2025. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [board book, 4 stars]

First sentence: This is a banana. Or is it? Just a banana. 

Premise/plot: Just a Banana is a lift-the-flap board book that is pure silliness. Each spread begins with a banana. But is it *just* a banana. Or is it perhaps something MORE, something BETTER. 

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this playful board book! I loved how each illustration started *just* as a banana. The illustrations were so fun and silly and delightfully quirky. I loved seeing the 'banana' as a dog, a boat, a mouse, an octopus, etc. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

48. Echo

48. Echo. Adam Rex. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book, friendship]

First sentence: Junior Junior was born in a big house on the side of a mountain...and the echo was born soon after.

Premise/plot: Junior Junior's 'best friend' is the echo on the other side of the mountain who always, always echoes exactly what he says....and nothing else. Is it a perfect friendship? No. It depends on what Junior Junior says to start the conversation! For example, when he says MINE! it can lead to misunderstanding. When a girl moves in across the street, Junior Junior struggles with this 'new' company. She does not repeat after him or echo his words and sentiments. She has a mind of her own. Can Junior Junior make peace with this new potential-friend? 

My thoughts: One of the 'rules' (more like guidelines really) is that you review the book in hand and not the book you wish it was. Such is the case with Echo. I thought the concept had potential. I did. I didn't "love" the illustrations. (Illustrations are subjective, of course, you may absolutely love them). The narrative was interesting, for the most part. It also uses the word 'idiot' as an insult. This may or may not bother parents.

Personally, I was wanting the echo to be a literal echo. There is still a chance that it is an imaginary friend only. But it's depicted as a literal kid on the other side of the mountain. (Again, maybe imaginary maybe not). The Echo-friend is just as lifeless as you imagine, but dressed differently then Junior Junior so not a reflection.

The message is the same anyway: new neighbor girl is a better friend because she has a voice and opinion and echo-kid is not. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

47. Cats in Construction Hats

 

47. Cats in Construction Hats. Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. Illustrated by Leeza Hernandez. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, construction, cats, picture book, rhyming books]

First sentence: Yellow cat. Greet hat. Dig this. Clear that. Green cat. Orange hat. Mix this. Pour that. Orange cat. Blue hat. Load this. Move that. Blue cat. Red hat. Lift this. Lower that. Red cat. Purple hat. Place this. Weld that.

Premise/plot: There are MANY cats--hat-wearing-cats--starring in this construction-themed picture book for young readers. But will the construction project go as planned? Or will things go terribly wrong? Can these cats work together as a team to fix the problem? 

My thoughts: I liked this one. There were things I noticed the second time through reading it that I had missed the first time. I'm not sure exactly why there are rats on the scene and how they come into the story. I'm trying not to overthink this one. But you might try looking for rats on each spread to see if there are secondary stories going on that aren't part of the text narrative.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

46. Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend

 

46. Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend. Bob Shea. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book]

First sentence: Hey, gimme a push.

Premise/plot: Two turtles play make believe. Mostly. One turtle--the turtle in a bearsuit--is pretending he's a for-real bear. The other turtle is pretending he's a for-real bear expert. As these two question each other, a friendship begins.

My thoughts: This one is purely silly. I've read it twice and honestly I'm not sure if I actually 'for-real' like it or if it's more in meh territory. It is silly, strange, quirky, odd. Yet none of those things are particularly bad for a picture book to be. I would almost have to try it out with a 'for-real' kid to see the reaction/response.
 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

45. Anything

 

45. Anything. Rebecca Stead. Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. 2025. 56 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book]

First sentence: The cake was chocolate. Chocolate is my favorite cake. But something was wrong. "Apartments don't have birthdays," I told Daddy. "And we just moved in today. So apartment 3B is zero years old." "That's why I put zero candles on the cake," Daddy said. "Plus one, for good luck." Then he told me to make a wish.

Premise/plot: A little girl is troubled by a recent move....and her dad spends the entire book reassuring her. That's the most simple plot summary. The book celebrates the love of a father and daughter through a [rough] transitional period. She uses her three wishes for 'anything' to cope with the many changes going on in her life. Her dad is super-calm and understanding, truly going out of his way to show how much he loves and treasures his daughter.

My thoughts: I liked this one. It is Rebecca Stead's first picture book; she usually writes books for middle grade. This is exactly the kind of book that adults love.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

44. Orris and Timble: Lost and Found

44. Orris and Timble: Lost and Found (Orris and Timble #2) Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Carmen Mok. 2025. 80 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early chapter book, animal fantasy, j fiction]

First sentence: The rat had made himself a nest out of the pages of discarded books, and in the nest were his treasures: a yellow marble, a red velvet slipper, and a piece of Top-Notch Butterscotch wrapped in foil. Also, there was a silver sardine can. Imperial Sardine, said the label on the can. Make the good and noble choice!! Next to the words was a picture of a fish with a crown on his head and a scepter in his tail. Sometimes, Orris talked to the sardine king. The sardine king never talked back. 

Premise/plot: Orris (the rat) and Timble (the owl) are unlikely friends perhaps, but quite close friends. Timble visits Orris in the barn every night--most nights at least. Orris looks forward to the visits. Perhaps more than Timble realizes. Their friendship is put into question--by Orris--when Timble is a little too inspired by one of Orris' stories. Can this friendship be mended?

My thoughts: I love Kate DiCamillo. I do. Most of her books are WONDERFUL and FANTASTIC. This one is no exception. It is the second in the series. Orris and Timble are just as lovely in their second adventure together. It can be read apart from the first book. But reading both books is, of course, preferred because both are delightful.

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers