April 30 – National Stress Awareness Month and Interview with Julie Koon

About the Holiday

Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992, when it was founded by the Health Resource Network. The holiday aims to help people identify the stress factors in their own life as well as to assess how all members of their family are handling various pressures. The goal is for everyone—either individually or together—to look for ways to manage their feelings while adding positive changes to their life. Even the youngest members of a family can feel stressed and out of sorts. Talking about pressures with kids and doing simple activities with them can often help lessen the load. Sharing today’s book is a wonderful place to start!

Breathe a Rainbow: A Breathe-Along Book

By Julie Koon

Little ones can have big feelings but not always the words to describe them. Without a verbal way to communicate anger, fear, frustration, and other emotions, those big feelings can be channeled into actions or tears or anxiety. This can be stressful for both the child and the adults who love them.

On each two-page spread of her expressive and accessible board book, Julie Koon provides a concrete, yet nuanced example of concepts like sadness or uncertainty that can seem abstract to young children. For example she offers: “If you feel like a thundercloud” and “If your worries whirl and swirl.” Koon’s prompts can help adults and children talk about emotions in ways that make sense to little ones and even allow for degrees of emotion, for instance, comparing a child’s feelings to a thunderstorm or a rainy day.

On the facing page she then invites the child to engage in mindful deep-breathing while tracing a uniquely textured calming strip that’s incorporated into a familiar figure that offers comfort, hope, encouragement, and a sense of freedom, among others. These shapes include the petals of a cheerful flower and the wings of a friendly butterfly. Arrows guide children on the path around the shape, while prompting when to “breathe in” and “breathe out.”

The final page reveals the most comforting reassurance of all as a happy ladybug sits with her four little bugs who are all experiencing a different emotion. The ladybug assures: “No matter how you feel, you are always loved.”

Julie Koon’s vibrant, oversized board book provides parents, teachers, and other caretakers with an exceptional reading experience and impactful resource to for helping young children understand and soothe big emotions. As a calming intervention when feelings are high or a go-to that kids can rely on whenever needed, Breathe a Rainbow, with strips that can be cleaned, is a must for any home or children’s library.

Ages 2 – 4

Abrams Appleseed, 2026 | ISBN 978-1419780431

Meet Julie Koon

Julie Koon is a children’s book author and illustrator who loves making sweet and silly books for kids. As a preschool teacher and former school counselor, Koon brings playfulness and heartfelt warmth to each page. She loves helping kids learn positive strategies to cope with big feelings. Koon lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three kids, and two guinea pigs. You can visit her at juliepkoon.com.

Hi Julie! I’m really excited to be chatting with you today! Can you talk a little about your background and work and what prompted you to create Breathe a Rainbow?

I was an elementary school counselor and now work as a preschool teacher. I love working with young children, watching them explore and learn about the world, and emotions are a big part of that! I believe that this early work in emotional regulation will have positive effects on children’s mental health for their lifetime. I’ve always loved doing mindful breathing exercises with kids. It’s something simple that can be done anywhere, anytime, to help calm your nervous system. Having a simple shape to trace while breathing is a great way to slow breathing down and make it more fun. I had the idea to turn these exercises into a book that children could use independently or with someone else, and I knew I wanted to pursue it.

With adorable, vibrant illustrations and different textured paths to trace, Breathe a Rainbow is unique among mindfulness books for kids. How did this board book come together from your original concept to bookstore shelves?

After thinking through the idea, I made a big list of shapes that would be simple to trace while breathing. I noticed a nature theme emerging, and decided that would be a good theme for the book. I wanted the text to be simple as well as versatile, and a little bit open-ended, because kids could be reading the book with all sorts of different emotions. I wanted them all to feel seen and supported. After writing the words, I made a book dummy with sketches and a few pieces of colored art. My agent Teresa sent it to my editor Meredith at Abrams. I’m so thankful that they both believed in the book, and I’ve had the best time working with the team at Abrams Appleseed to bring the book to life.

In Breathe a Rainbow, you equate different emotions to evocative occurrences in nature or the feeling that an emotion creates without labeling the feeling. For instance “If you feel like a thundercloud” instead of, possibly, “If you feel angry.” As a preschool teacher and former school counselor, can you give parents and caregivers a couple of tips on how they can talk with their kids about their emotions in a way that is validating and meaningful to them?

Practice what to do with big feelings during calm moments first. Once someone is already emotionally dysregulated (kids or adults) it’s difficult to try something new or listen to advice. Practicing things like deep breathing during calm moments will make it easier for kids to use those tools in difficult moments.
Modeling is such an amazing tool for teaching young children something new. Seeing the adults in their life name what they are feeling and use positive coping strategies is a great way to normalize feelings of all kinds and help children understand what to do with them. Simply saying, “I’m feeling frustrated that I can’t open this jar so I’m going to take a break and use the breathing book. Then I’ll try again.” Kids bank these moments in their brain to understand what to do when they are in a similar situation.

What do you love best about writing for children? What do you love best about being a preschool teacher? What is something similar that you bring to each of these vocations?

I feel so honored and overjoyed that I get to make books for kids! I love the whole process of making books, from creating lists of potential ideas, problem-solving plots, to designing the characters. It’s all so fun! This is probably obvious, but my favorite thing about being a preschool teacher is the kids. I absolutely love getting to know each of them, their personalities, and their interests. I am daily blown away by their creativity and the amazing things they make and do, and the beautiful ways they interact with each other. I think I bring a curiosity and openness to both roles. You never know what the day will bring in bookmaking or teaching, and I feel that I can adapt and be flexible in the moment.

You say that sharing your books with children in person is the best part about being a writer and illustrator. Is there an event or interaction that stands out for you? What made it special?

Every time I get to read my books to kids is so special to me, and I will truly cherish those moments all the days of my life! Some of my favorite memories are reading my books to my own students. Because I’m their teacher and they know me so well, they ask the coolest and most interesting questions! They still talk to me often about making books, and say cute things like, “did you make every book in the whole school?” It’s such a fun experience to see both parts of my work come together.

What’s up next for you?

I have several books coming out over the next few years that I’m so excited about! There will be a second breathe-along book that I’m starting to work on, as well as a few picture books. Dad’s Beard Disappeared (Spring 2027) is about a toddler who becomes distraught when her dad shaves his beard, so they make new beards out of all kinds of silly and fun things. Yarn the Farm (Spring 2027) is about a group of yarn-bombing sheep making mischief on their farm. I’m so excited to share these books with the world soon!

It’s been wonderful meeting you, Julie! Your joy and enthusiasm are infectious! Readers will love this book, and I wish you all the best with it!

You can purchase Breathe a Rainbow from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

April 27 – Month of the Young Child

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Month of the Young Child highlights the importance of early learning, creativity, and the role the arts play in helping young people explore ideas, express themselves, and build confidence, happiness, and wellbeing. Getting kids excited about learning and experiencing new things, getting to know their community, engaging in healthy habits are important components of a happy life. Earlier this month, families, schools, and caregivers celebrated the Week of the Young Child with special activities encouraged each day of the week. Of course, families can enjoy these activities anytime of the year. To learn more about how you can incorporate Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, and Family Friday into your schedule visit the website of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Thank you to Chronicle Books for sending me this book for review!

Touch a Truck Day: A Lift-the-Flap Book

Written by Carrie Finison | Illustrated by Viola Wang

HONK HONK! Hooray! / What fun! What luck! / Today’s the day to / TOUCH A TRUCK!”

Bring home all the excitement of a Touch-A-Truck event with this interactive board book that lets kids climb aboard eight amazing vehicles to get an inside look at the controls and equipment and meet the drivers. In her jaunty rhymes, Carrie Finison’s invites young truck enthusiasts to drive a fire truck, raise the shovel on a loader, watch a street sweeper suck dirt inside its bin, check the supplies on an ambulance, deliver the mail, and more.

On each two-page spread, Finison channels the awe and wonder that big—and bigger!—trucks inspire in little ones by revealing the purpose of the featured vehicle as well as the surprising ways it accomplishes its mission. Children will happily agree to her call to “make a siren sound,” pull the air horn cord on the garbage trunk, and “Bump, bump, bump” along with the loader. In the end there’s a sweet treat waiting at perhaps everyone’s favorite truck!

Viola Wang’s vibrant illustrations of the trucks on bold backgrounds give readers a close-up view of each vehicle’s exterior to inspect before peeking inside. Opening the doors and raising the flaps, children find levers, dials, and buttons as well as the arrangements of seats, computers, consoles, mirrors, and other important equipment. Kids will love pretending to pull the hose from the fire truck, deliver packages, talk into the radio on the ambulance, and help out on every job. Each truck has six to eight labeled elements, color coded for exterior or interior use. Workers and families make an appearance, demonstrating the personal way these vehicles connect with their community.

Thoughtfully designed to replicate the experience of a Touch-a-Truck event, the book sports eight tabs on top that allow children to pick which vehicle they’d like to visit first (or to easily take them back again and again to their favorite!). To preserve the thrill of seeing the vehicles for the first time on the pages, the tabs give clues to each vehicle’s identity, which can spark a fun, pre-reading guessing game.

An exciting and clever interactive board book that vehicle lovers will want to take for a spin often, Touch a Truck Day is an ideal read aloud and take-along book for young children. It’s guaranteed the book will not stay parked on library or home bookshelves for long.

Ages Baby – 4

Chronicle Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1797214153

About the Author

Carrie Finison began her literary career at the age of seven with an idea, a box of markers, and her father’s typewriter. She has been writing off and on ever since, though she has (somewhat regretfully) traded in the typewriter for a laptop. Today, she writes children’s books with lots of humor and heart. She lives outside Boston with her husband, son, daughter, and two cats who permit her to write in their cozy attic office. Find her online at carriefinison.com or follow her on social media @CarrieFinison.

About the Illustrator

Viola Wang is a children’s book author and illustrator. Born in China, Viola graduated from Tsinghua University with a major in oil painting. She then moved to London and completed a master’s in animation and illustration while working as a graphic designer. Viola is also a graduate of the Children’s Book Illustration MA at Cambridge School of Art and a winner of the Sebastian Walker Award. Growing up in a family of printers, Viola developed a profound interest in printmaking, which has been a significant influence on her own practice. She lives in London with her family. Find her online at violawangstudio.com or follow her on social media @violawangstudio.

Month of the Young Child Activity

Vehicle Activity Pages

Keep on truckin’ with these coloring pages and mazes!

Digger Coloring Page | Crane Coloring Page | Fire Truck Maze | Ambulance Maze

You can purchase Touch a Truck Day from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

April 20 – Earth Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Earth Month was established in the United States on April 4, 1970 following a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA. The initiative’s purpose was to raise awareness of and action on issues concerning the environment. By 1990, Earth Month had become a global event, and in 1992, the United Nations became actively involved, further increasing the organization’s visibility. Today, leaders, and environmental activists from all over the world work together to create sustainable development and offer climate solutions to prevent further harm to our planet’s natural resources, making Earth Month widely recognized as one of the most important month-long observances in the world.

Thank you to Phaidon Press for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Who’s Hiding? Under the Sea: A Lift-and-See Book

Written by Janet Lawler | Illustrated by James Weston Lewis

Splash into an underwater adventure with your little one in this board book that introduces six sea creatures, all of which have remarkable characteristics that help them survive and thrive. Diving in, children are instantly immersed in the colorful undersea world, where tropical fish, seagrass, anemones, coral, curious crabs, shrimp, and more invite them to play a guessing game, courtesy of the fun lift-the-flap format.

Janet Lawler’s charming and educational rhymes give kids hints about who is hiding just at their fingertips while teaching them a salient fact or two about each creature. One favorite ocean dweller describes itself this way: “No need to alarm / if I break off an arm. / I can make a new start / by regrowing that part! Who am I?” Behind the creature’s hiding place, children find a sea star and a bit more information about their helpful trait. Young nature lovers will be excited to add these fascinating nuggets to their growing repertoire and share them with family and friends.

James Weston Lewis’s spectacular illustrations will enthrall readers with their vibrant colors and layered perspectives that provide an up-close view of each creature in its habitat as well as a realistic feeling of the depth and movement under the sea. The sturdy flaps are die cut, allowing little fingers to easily grasp and lift or pull them without help. Peek-a-boo hints visible around these flaps entice guessing. Lewis has populated his ocean views with a wide array of fish, crabs, shells, mussels, turtles, sharks, and plants that kids will love pointing out, naming, and learning about.

Who’s Hiding? Under the Sea is a fresh, exciting board book that will stimulate sensory and intellectual curiosity in young children. The book’s well-conceived design will grow with children from captivating babies and toddlers with its colors, interactive elements, and rhythmical text to fascinating preschoolers and beyond with its abundance of gorgeous lifelike details and intriguing facts delivered in delightfully smart lyrical verses. It makes a fun take-along book for trips to the aquarium, beach, and even the pet store! Families, preschool educators and all school and public libraries will want Who’s Hiding? Under the Sea on their shelves.

Ages: Preschool and up

Phaidon Press, 2026 | ISBN 978-1837290895

About the Author

Janet Lawler has published more than 30 fiction and nonfiction picture books and early readers. Her recent titles include Celebrate! A Happy Book of Firsts (Feiwel & Friends, 2022), Oceans of Love (Viking, 2022), and Walrus Song (Candlewick, 2021). Her popular seasonal titles are Fright School, Winter Cats, Snowzilla, and Mirabel’s Missing Valentines. Visit her website at JanetLawler.com.

About the Illustrator

James Weston-Lewis is an illustrator and printmaker based in London. He studied illustration at the University of the West of England, where he specialised in woodcut and linocut printmaking. His first children’s book, The Great Fire of London, was longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. His clients include: The Financial Times, Radio Times, The Times,Telegraph and many more. Visit him at jwestonlewis.co.uk.

Earth Month Activity

Match Up the Animals! Game

Test your powers of memory with this Sea Creatures Memory Game!

Supplies

Printable Sea Creatures Memory Game Cards Page 1 | Page 2
Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Scissors

Directions

Print 2 copies of the Sea Creatures Memory Game Cards pages to have double cards. To make the game easy, print 2 copies of one of these pages. For a harder game print 2 copies of both pages. To make the game even more difficult print 3 or more copies of the pages.
Color the cards
Cut out the cards
Lay the cards face down on a table in random order
Turn over cards to look for matching pairs
If the cards don’t match lay them both face down again
When you find a matching pair leave the cards face up
Continue playing until you find all the matching animal pairs or groups

You can purchase Who’s Hiding? Under the Sea from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

March 25 – National Reading and March into Literacy Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

All month long, we celebrate reading—and writing! This focus on literacy spotlights the importance of reading with your children early—even from birth. Reading with your kids helps them develop language and writing skills that will promote future success in school and beyond. Even if your child isn’t talking yet, as you read to them they’re listening and learning about their language, how it sounds and looks on a page. The rich experience in today’s two board books, which combine reading, critical thinking, and fine motor skills, can get you and your little one started on a lifetime of learning.

Ready for Mazes: Baby Animal Mazes

By Susann Hoffmann

Little ones can’t get enough of baby animals! They squeal in delight when they see tiny ducks, bunnies, and other small animals and just want to pet or be near them. Baby Animal Mazes gives the youngest readers a hands-on chance to help baby animals navigate winding paths while avoiding obstacles to find their family, play games, and complete other fun challenges.

Each visually rich and adorable puzzle introduces a baby animal with a sweet storyline involving family, friends, or a favorite treat. But there’s a catch! In each maze, important parts of the path are missing. Here’s where young readers can help the baby animal cross the two-page spread to their goal by finishing the path. To do this, three sturdy, round disks printed with a section of path (straight-away, intersection, or curve) are provided on the first page. These fit snugly into circles where the path is broken. Children will have fun finding the right piece and how it fits to complete the path. A range of difficulty—from one missing piece to three—offers a challenge and increasing confidence.

Little readers will be enchanted with Susann Hoffmann’s vibrant and charming images of wildlife that are just waiting to be named, counted, or found in an impromptu “I-spy” game. Textured pages keep little fingers on the paths and offer a sensory experience while reading.

With just the right amount of challenge for little ones, plenty of repeat play and readability, and a large, durable format, Baby Animal Mazes will be a favorite go-to book on any young child’s bookshelf. The book makes a perfect take-along activity and gift.

Ages 2+

Twirl, 2026 | ISBN 978-2408061951

Susann Hoffmann is a freelance illustrator and animator. Her work can be seen in various digital media, books, and film. She lives in Hamburg, Germany. Visit her at susannhoffmann.com.

You can purchase Ready for Mazes: Baby Animal Mazes from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Where Are You, Baby?

By Elena Selena

Sweet endearments, loving looks, and cuddly togetherness makes this interactive board book a perfect companion for snuggly story times with your baby or young child. “Where are you, little one?” mother and father animals ask, and children will love lifting the intricately cut lion, hedgehog, parrot and other flaps to discover the babies underneath. “Here I am!” they eagerly answer. Lifting the babies’ flaps in this well-designed book bring them close to mom or dad so they can have fun exploring, flying, and more together.

Elena Selena infuses her bold, colorful illustrations with all the heart of parenthood, drawing the eyes of both adult and baby animals so that they are always looking at each other with affection and, in many, outstretched arms are ready for hugs.

Moms and dads will cherish sharing this book with their little ones. It’s sure to become a favorite for bedtime or playtime at home or for entertainment while out at the park, beach, or anywhere waiting is expected. Where Are You, Baby? would make a much-loved addition to home bookshelves as well as a gift for baby showers or new babies.

Ages Baby – 4

Twirl, 2026 | ISBN 979-1027613892

Born in Lithuania, Elena Selena initially trained at the Vilnius Academy of Arts before discovering her talent for making pop-up books at the École Estienne (ESAIG) in Paris. She now splits her time between illustration and pop-up projects, and conducts pop-up workshops for children as well. She lives in Paris, France. Visit her at elenaselena.com.

You can purchase Where Are You, Baby? from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

March 12 – National Plant a Flower Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Spring is right around the corner and with it the beautiful blooms that color our yards, neighborhoods, and communities. In some places the flowers are already blossoming, while in others, people are eagerly waiting for the snow to melt. Whether you’re already planting or still looking forward to gardening, today’s book puts a creative and clever spin on nature that everyone in your family (or classroom) will really dig!

Thank you to Twirl Books and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me this book!

Big Brain Puzzles: Plant Pandemonium

By Camille Pichon

Kids can grow potted flowers, plant a garden, help worms wiggle and hide, and engage with other colorful flora and fauna with this one-0f-a-kind puzzle book! Children who love brain teasers, mazes, creating patterns, manipulating objects, and feeling the pride and satisfaction of completing a challenge will be awed by this beautifully illustrated book.

Each of the five plant-themed puzzles (Water Lily Carousel; Flutter, Flutter, Butterfly; Underground Paths; Plant Pandemonium; and Vegetable Jumble) are divided into three levels of difficulty and nine illustrated challenges to follow, resulting in 45 total games. Beyond these, kids can even devise new challenges for themselves or their friends to complete.

These hands-on puzzles will wow kids with their interactive elements that include wheels, moveable strips, sliding tiles, flaps that lift in multiple directions, and tokens that slide up, down, left, and right. While children work away on the possibilities, they’re continuously charmed by Camille Pichon’s bright, surprising, and quirky illustrations, in which adorable insects, snails, worms, and other creatures also appear to say “hi” along the way.

Far removed from one-and-done puzzles, Plant Pandemonium is a marvel of art and engineering that offers plenty of repeat play while immersing children in a rich environment that exercises their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, observation skills, fine motor dexterity, patience, and even memory.

Big Brain Puzzles: Plant Pandemonium will captivate puzzle lovers of all ages and would be a favorite go-to book on any home or classroom bookshelf. It would make a fantastic take-along book for car trips, outings, or anywhere waiting is expected. The book also makes a perfect gift for any puzzle lover.

Ages 6+

Twirl, 2026 | ISBN 978-2408061814

Camille Pichon is a graphic designer and paper engineer who specializes in children’s books. She lives in Paris, France. Visit her at camillepichon.com.

National Plant a Flower Day Activity

Flower Garden Stakes

It’s fun to start a garden from seeds, but how do you remember what you’ve planted where? With these easy to make garden stakes, you can mark your pots with style!

Supplies

Wide craft sticks
Chalkboard paint in various colors
Colorful chalk
Paint brush

Directions

Paint the stakes with the chalkboard paint, let dry
With the chalk, write the name of the different flowers or plants
After planting your seeds, stick the stake in the pot
Wait for your seeds to grow!

You can purchase Big Brain Puzzles: Plant Pandemonium from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

November 24 – Picture Book Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

We’re still celebrating one of the best months of the year—Picture Book Month! If you’re starting your holiday shopping, don’t forget to add picture books to your list for the kids in your life. With so many picture books to choose from on all kinds of topics, there’s sure to be a perfect book for each child. You know what they say—and it’s really true: A book is a gift you can open again and again, and today’s book is loaded with interactive elements that will keep kids coming back again and again!

Thank you to Twirl and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy of this book for review!

The Ultimate Book of the Human Body

Written by Anne-Sophie Baumann | Illustrated by Vanessa Robidou

If you’re raising or know a child who’s a future medical professional or one who’s simply interested in learning all about health and anatomy, they’ll be enthralled with The Ultimate Book of the Human Body. Teachers and other educators will also find this book an impactful introduction to how the body works that students will love exploring.

Offering an astonishing amount of information on every page, this oversized book is an interactive marvel that engages children through short and detailed, yet easily understood paragraphs that analyze all parts of the body from the tiniest mole to the largest organ: the skin. More than 60 flaps, pull tabs, and tiny booklets take kids under the skin and inside the body with illustrations worthy of a medical textbook. There’s even an articulated skeleton that demonstrates how our joints work.

The book is broken into these eleven sections:

The Skeleton: Bones and More in which children learn about bone shapes; the makeup of bones; how bones heal; and information on the skull, spine, and joints. They can interact with a full-size hand that reveals all 27 bones that allow the fingers and wrists to move the way they do.

Skin and Muscles introduces kids to the layers of skin; how the skin heals and reacts to various types of bug bites; how impulses flow from our fingers to the brain; what a pimple and a mole are; what tanning is, and more. Children also get a full view of the muscles and how they work to show different emotions.

Lungs reveals why we need oxygen, why we cough, what asthma is, how our diaphragm works when we inhale and exhale, and how the voice is produced.

Heart and Blood covers the circulatory system, our pulse and blood pressure, how the heart works, all about blood, and even the fact that “an adult’s heart is about the size of a large apple.”

Seeing and Hearing contains information on the parts and working of the eyeball, vision issues, eye color, and more. The hearing section gives kids a look into the inner ear while also learning about sound frequency, earaches, balance, and hearing issues.

Smelling and Tasting talks about the mechanisms of smell, the inner nose, sneezing, the connection between the ear and the nose, the tongue, tasting, ear pain, and sore throats.

Biting and Chewing shows the development of teeth through various ages, and talks about parts of a tooth, cavities, braces, and caring for our teeth.

Eating and Drinking contains a wide range of topics and includes interactive elements that expose the workings of the urinary and digestive systems. Other topics include vitamins, foods, constipation, and appendicitis.

The Brain and the Nervous System is a comprehensive section that goes in-depth on how these intricate systems work and provides detailed illustrations on how the nerves run through the body as well as a pop-up, multilayered depiction of the brain that shows where in the brain our senses, memory, speech, and muscle control originate. You’ll find information on mysteries of the brain, brain disorders, and more.

Birth and Growing Up provides adults and children with a wealth of knowledge about the reproductive organs, how babies are made, how a sperm fertilizes an egg, the major stages of development from embryo to fetus by month, how twins develop, what a cell is, DNA, and highlights of growth and development from birth to adulthood.

Living Well discusses ways people can take care of themselves throughout their lives as well as disabilities, diabetes, Down syndrome, and the role of medical professionals, medications, inventions, and procedures that can help people live a better life.

Anne-Sophie Baumann engages her target audience of children ages 8 through 12 with intelligent writing that uses scientific terminology always followed up with an easily understood definition. She addresses her readers directly, drawing them into this extensive education on anatomy and physiology through discussions about the body’s makeup as well as by spotlighting particular issues of interest for her young readers, such as pimples and skin issues, changing voices, braces, and stages of growth and development.

Accompanying Baumann’s text are Vanessa Robidou‘s incredibly detailed, and in some cases life-sized illustrations. Through the wealth of interactive elements, Robidou invites children to peer inside bones; the ear, eye, and mouth; the skin; and the organs as well as to follow breath, food, blood, and even tears through their dedicated systems. Colorful and expressive, these illustration will wow kids as they support Baumann’s text in exciting ways that reinforce learning.

If you’re looking for a hands-on book about the workings of the human body to share with your child or student, The Ultimate Book of the Human Body is highly recommended and would make a fantastic gift for children interested in topics about anatomy and health.

Ages 8 – 12

Twirl, 2025 | ISBN 979-1027613649

About the Author

Anne-Sophie Baumann studied science and literature before becoming an editor and author. She lives hear Paris, France. You can find her on Instagram.

About the Illustrator

Vanessa Robidou‘s illustrations can be found in various media and in many children’s books. She lives in Rennes, France. You can see more of her work on Instagram.

Picture Book Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-x-ray-craft-dog-paw

Dog Paw and Human Hand X-Ray Craft

X-rays are cool to look at, but they always stay at the doctor’s office! With this craft you can simulate X-rays of a dog’s paw and a human hand!

Supplies

Printable skeleton templates: Human Hand Template | Dog Paw Template
Black chalkboard drawing paper, 8 ½ inches by 11 inches
White colored pencil
White chalk
Clear Plastic Report Sheet Protectors

Directions

Print the Human Hand and Dog Paw Templates (you may want to print two—one to cut and one to follow when transferring the bones to the black paper)
Cut the bones apart
Lay the bones on the black chalkboard paper
Trace the bones with the white colored pencil
Color in the bones with the white chalk
Slip the black paper into the plastic report sheet protector

You can purchase The Ultimate Book of the Human Body from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

September 15 – Agatha Christie’s Birthday

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

On this date in 1890, Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, Devon England. She began writing detective fiction while working as a nurse during World War 1 and published her first novel—The Mysterious Affair at Styles—in 1920. This novel introduced the world to the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who went on to be featured in 25 novels and many short stories. Miss Jane Marple—an insightful spinster whose world view was limited to her own small town—appeared in 1930 in Murder at the Vicarage.

Agatha Christie also wrote plays, and her works have been adapted for the big screen as well as for multiple series on television and through streaming. Agatha Christie has delighted and influenced multiple generations of readers and continues to do so. Her books have sold more than 100 million copies and have been translated into 100 languages. She died on January 12, 1976 in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. To commemorate her life, read (or reread) one of her novels or watch a movie or show based on one of Hercule Poirot’s or Miss Marple’s intriguing cases. It’s also a perfect time to introduce your kids to Agatha with today’s book!

Thank you to Twirl Books and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy of this book for review.

The Agatha Case Files: Welcome to Kittyville

Written by Paul Martin | Illustrated by Camille Roy

Do your kids love mysteries? Do they have “little gray cells” that can discern fact from well-disguised fiction, an eye for the telltale clue, and a natural desire to help those in distress? If so, they’ll want to join Agatha as her sidekick in solving the eight cases that make up the clever and challenging collection of mysteries in The Agatha Case Files: Welcome to Kittyville.

As Case 1: The Snatched Suitcase opens, Agatha has just departed the train at the Kittyville station “with a big dream: to become a detective.” No sooner has she stepped onto the platform when she notices Dr. Erica Poodle, a famous scientist, who’s been knocked to ground. Dr. Poodle tells Agatha that her suitcase containing the plans for her latest invention has been taken.

As Dr. Poodle reveals more about her suitcase, readers join Agatha as she investigates all the action at the train station and in the train still idling on the tracks. There’s so much for a detective to consider. There are the passengers lounging inside the train cars, those waiting outside on the platform, and even more coming and going inside the station. And then there are the painters on the roof and the workers in the station’s offices, cafe, ticket booth, and newsstand.

With her trusty binoculars, Agatha spies Dr. Poodle’s suitcase and a clue nearby. She asks her sidekick readers if they see them too. The clue whittles the number of suspects down to four. After interrogating them, Agatha turns over their statements, as well as the statement by the witness, to readers to think about. Agatha then provides three of her own insights into the case to help kids crack the case. If they need a bit more help, the solution to the case can be found in the back of the book.

The other seven mysteries that Agatha and readers investigate follow the same format: an introduction, three clues that help kids shrink the suspect pool to four, one witness statement, and finally three prompts to set kids in the right direction. These other cases take Agatha and kids to Dr. Erika Poodle’s lab, a newly inherited mansion, a museum of natural history, the Savings Bank, the Kittyville Elementary School carnival, a circus, and Agatha’s own house.

This well-conceived interactive book not only provides plenty of fun but is an excellent way to engage children in critical reading and thinking, help them develop keen observation skills, and assist in sharpening their reasoning abilities.

Paul Martin presents each case in compelling high-stakes vignettes that will pique reader’s investigative interest and get their brains whirring as they scan the crime scenes. His straightforward and easy-to-understand descriptions and prompts allow all levels of detectives to solve the cases on their own or with a bit of assistance from an adult or older sibling.

Camille Roy fills her dynamic gatefold pages with an astonishing array of details that add humor and intrigue to every case. The panoramic images boast red herrings, humor, and tons of atmospheric elements that fully flesh out each environment. These enticing details also offer opportunities for extension fun, including creating homemade “I Spy” games, counting and sorting, drawing, and making up stories about the people, families, and groups populating each scene.

The Agatha Case Files: Welcome to Kittyville is an ingenious book that will excite young sleuths and puzzle fans alike and would be a much-appreciated gift or addition to any home bookshelf or library collection. Add case-inspired snacks and each mystery would make for an entertaining family fun night too!

Ages 5 and up

Twirl Books, 2025 | ISBN 979-1036381447

About the Author

A long-time editor of a children’s magazine, Paul Martin now writes novels, puzzle books, and graphic novels for children. He lives in Lille, France.

About the Illustrator

Camille Roy is an illustrator who lives in Paris, France.

Agatha Christie’s Birthday Activity

Elements of a Mystery Word Search Puzzle

Follow the clues to solve this mystery-related word search puzzle!

Elements of a Mystery Word Search Puzzle | Word Search Puzzle Answers

You can purchase The Agatha Case Files: Welcome to Kittyville from these booksellers:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

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