The Christmas Owl, written by Ellen Kalish and Gideon Sterer. Illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2021. $ 24.99 ages 4 and up

"As Little Owl hid in the shadows, the 
branches pulled tight around her. She 
was trapped! 

Then she heard a roar. 
The tree shook. Spinning 
and swaying, it was lowered
down onto a truck. 

Little Owl was dizzy. 
Is this Christmas?" 

Not only am I late for this Christmas past, but for a few other ones as well. In November 2020, Rocky became the focus of attention for the many people hearing her story. It started in Little Owl's tree in Oneonta, NY. The tree was huge, and she was happy there. Her animal friends had tried to explain Christmas to her when the whole town began to glitter with soft lights. The animals knew it was called Christmas, but had no real understanding of what that meant. 

When Little Owl flew home to her tree the next day, she was surprised to find people surrounding it. They were talking about it being the perfect Christmas tree. Poor Little Owl was further confused. Imagine how much more surprised she was when the tree that was her home was hoisted onto a truck for a long ride into a very busy city. Little Owl did not feel welcome, and she was missing home. 

A kind man with gentle eyes found her there, and transported her to Ellen Kalish at the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center where she was given care, food, and time to recover. Soon, she was ready to fly home. First, she wanted to see her tree and how happy it made the people who gathered to enjoy its beauty. Satisfied, Little Owl made her way home to her friends just in time to celebrate Christmas, quite sure she had a clearer understanding of its meaning. 

Children are sure to empathize with Little Owl's story of fear, friendship, and community. I read about it early in December and asked to see a copy. Thanks to Dominique at Hachette, it arrived in the mail today. It's the true story of a tiny owl, and her realization of what the Christmas spirit means to all. 

Back matter features an author’s note from Ellen Kalish that speaks to her love for animals and the rescue and rehabilitation center that cares for all birds brought to her. There is a photo of Rockefeller (Rocky), as the bird was named, and a short retelling of Rocky's rescue and release. It's worth sharing at any time of the year. 

https://youtu.be/YLqQvzhklhw

Black Star, written by Kwame Alexander. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2024. $24.99 ages 10 and up

"But I don’t really enjoy
the flute
as much as she does,
so after I finish
dusting and mopping
and Willie Green shows up
hollering all loud
through our screen door,

holding
the old broomstick
we use for a bat,|
even though he sometimes
gets on my nerves,
I ask her if I can go outside
because the only thing
I love doing
more than listening
to Nana Kofi’s stories
is playing ball." 
 

This is the second book in The Door of No Return trilogy. In the first book we met Nana Kofi from the Asante Kingdom. The year was 1860, and Kwame Alexader tells the poignant story of Nana and his cousin being taken by slave traders from Africa to America, and their survival after the slave ship crashes and hurls them into the ocean. 

In this book, readers meet Charlene (Charley) Cuffey, Nana's granddaughter. She is 12 years old, and wants to know everything about her Nana's life before leaving his homeland. It is not a story Nana shares easily. The family is now living in Virginia in the early years of the 1920s. Charley is an aspiring pitcher. Although she is talented and wants to eventually play in the Negro League, the prevailing times offer little hope for her future as a ball player. She is, after all, a Black girl facing segregation in her own small hometown. 

Listening to her Nana Kofi's stories, and learning his native language engages her attention and her longing to return with Nana to his homeland when the time comes that he can go home again. The Black Star Line has promised a return for anyone wanting to make the voyage. In the meantime, she hones her skills playing ball with her two best friends, Cool Willie Green and Socks. It is evident through her first-person narration that Charley has some difficulty understanding her place in history. Nana does his best to help her come to grips with what she can and cannot do. 

Kwame Alexander fills the book's page with family, church picnics, and baseball. His skill at poetic storytelling is always compelling, while also exploring the injustice faced by his ancestors. As happened in the first book, this one also ends dramatically, with an impulsive decision that leads to discrimination, fear, great pain, and flight. 

 

 "Too much badness wrapped up in all the goodness that could be."

Readers will hope to hear more of Charley's story in the promised third book. An author's note is compelling and worthy of attention. 

To See An Owl, written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Random House Studio, 2025. $24.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Beyond the woods, me and Mama drive
to open prairies to look for short-eared owls. 

We drive to the beach and 
harbor to look for snowy owls. 

We even drive to a cemetery to 
look for screech owls and saw-whet
owls. Mama is not excited about
birding in a cemetery."

My first 2025 picture book, and what a beauty it is! Only another birder could write Janie's story with such love and devotion in her patient and persistent search for the owls she longs to see. I am an admirer of Matthew Cordell's work and am always excited to see his next book. This does not disappoint in any way! 

Janie and her mother are often out birding, and chasing Janie's dream of seeing an owl in the wild. Her mother is an understanding and supportive companion for their many searches. Janie's teacher, Mr. Koji, has been birding for his whole life and offers encouragement by talking about the many birds he has seen. He, too, loves owls and provides tips and tricks for observation. 

Janie keeps a journal to organize what she is learning, and what she knows. She and her mother follow the suggestions that Mr. Koji makes. They look and listen at all times of the day, without success. It takes days, then months. On the day Janie gives a report on all that she has learned, Mr. Koji has some important information to share. 

""In fact, just this winter, I found a pair of great horned owls
roosting in this section of pine trees. They are well hidden and 
very hard to find. But it might be worth a try." As I gather 
up my drawings, I think about those trees. I've searched them 
before. But not since autumn."

I love the easy storytelling, the repetition in some of the phrasing, the encouraging words from a beloved teacher/mentor, the familiar pen-and-ink and watercolor artwork that puts readers in the middle of the natural settings Janie and her mother visit as they keep the dream alive. Kids and adults who love birding, as Janie and Matthew do, will be filled with joy as their story ends.                                                                                           

Aisha's Colors, written and illustrated by Nabila Adani. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2024. $23.99 ages 3 and up

"While I was lying on the grass, I thought about
my neighbor, Siregar. Last summer he visited an 
aquarium.
An aquarium! 

He saw tropical fish of every color - 
pink fish,
orange fish, 
and teeny-tiny fish
with rainbow scales." 

Readers learn early that Aisha and her family are not world travellers. While many of her friends visit places far from home, her family stays pretty close to where they live in Jakarta. Every summer they travel to Grandma's country home in a village nearby. Aisha longs to make a trip to a new destination. 

She talks about her friend Jennie who is going to see snow this year. How lucky can she be? Talking about snow makes Aisha think of es campur; she asks her parents to stop where they always stop to have their favorite treat. It is 'white and crisp and crunchy', not unlike snow. Back in the car and moving on, she thinks about Dimas who will be staying with his family in a hotel that has a pool! Right outside the car's window, she can see the sparkling blue ocean. So lovely!

Their car breaks down, and they need help to fix it. Aisha and her father rest in a field of green grass at the side of the road to watch the beauty of the bright kites flying above their heads. As she considers all the colors she has seen on their trip to Grandma's house, Aisha chooses white as her favorite. Or maybe blue. 

Realizing that no color holds a candle to seeing Grandma again, Aisha flies out of the car and into her arms. Aisha finally decides on yellow as her favorite as that is the color of her grandmother's soto soup! No need for her to worry about others and their vacations, Aisha loves being where she is right now.  

Mixed media artwork brings to life the Indonesian setting. There is real beauty on the book's pages.                                                                             

One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival, by Tony Piedra and Mackenzie Joy. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House, 2023. $11.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Seven wary tadpoles 
learn to hide. 

Six little tadpoles
peek above the pool."

They begin as 10 tadpoles growing inside their eggs. Only nine wiggle free. Careful observers will note that one has no eye - no life - before the others hatch. They will also note a predator, eying the group as they wiggle about to set themselves free from the leaf they are living on. 

Eight plunge from the leaf into the water below them. One hits the water too hard and falls close to a wolf chiclid fish swimming past. Younger children might be a touch upset as the tadpoles dwindle in number with each turn of the page. As they become fodder for the creatures that inhabit the Costa Rican ecosystem, readers are made fully aware of the watery environment and the chance of survival for tiny tadpoles within such a place. 

The scientific names of each predator accompanies their appearance on successive pages. Each is doing what it does best. It feeds when the opportunity presents itself, as happens in an ecosystem. The illustrations are engaging and fully detailed to help with the learning as the numbers count down to no tadpoles, and only one tiny treefrog surviving from the original clutch of eggs. 

Back matter is extensive, and very helpful for readers wanting to know more about the red-eyed treefrog that stars in this exceptional book. 

"Red-eyed treefrogs do not care for their young, so laying 
many eggs is a survival strategy. The more eggs a mother 
frog lays, the greater the chances that one will beat the odds
to grow into a treefrog."

Alongside informative paragraphs is a list of the Costa Rican species that appeared in the book, faced with a clear image that places each (and a numbered thumbnail sketch) in the rainforest environment. Following that, the author discusses what it takes for one tiny treefrog to survive, in simple facts numbered from ten down to one. An illustrated life cycle, a selected bibliography, and suggestions for further research are included. 
                                                                                  

One Wise Sheep, written by Ulrich Hub and illustrated by Jorg Muhle.Translation by Helena Kirby. Gecko Press, Firefly Books. 2024. $25.99 ages 6 and up

 

""So why aren't you still with the baby?" 
the sheep asks. 
"Sweetfleece, I need a break too." The 
donkey casually clamps a stalk between 
its teeth. "I'm the one who lugged the 
heavily pregnant mother all the way."
"No one should make a long journey
when they're about to give birth," 
the sheep points out." 

I'm sorry this is late ... or, it could be really early for next year at Christmas! It would make for a wonderful family read in the days leading up to it. First, you would want the kids to know the original Christmas story. Or, they would have difficulty understanding the humor, and endless turns the story takes. The comical telling features constant chronological errors that will have astute listeners and readers guffawing at the author's words. 

Seven sheep are frantic when they realize their shepherds have disappeared. As they seek information about what might have happened to their caregivers, they encounter a variety of willing informants. The flock itself is a motley crew: one sheep has its leg in a cast; one has a stuffy nose; one has a retainer housed in a red case tied around its neck; one has a bobble hat; one has an eye-patch; one has its wool parted to one side. They are inexperienced travellers, to boot.   

The sheep learn that the shepherds left after hearing angels singing of good tidings. They choose to follow the brightest star in the sky. The sheep, after hearing from a goat about the birth of a baby, decide they want to know more about this child. Adversity ensues, much of it unaccountably funny. As they travel, they meet up with other animals willing to offer news of the goings-on. Arriving at their destination, they discover that the baby and family have moved on from the manger. To say they are distraught is an understatement; they had finally settled on the perfect gift ... a new song. As they sing the opening words ... si-i-lent niiiight ... they are sure it will be forever remembered at this time of year. 

What an accomplishment! This is a story sure to be loved for its creativity, humor, moments of delight and comfort. Written in German and translated to English, with accompanying artwork that clearly respects the perspective of the sheep who were left behind when their shepherds decided to set out on a journey of their own, it is quite the book. The messages are subtle, the humor welcome, It's a terrific read! 

Next Stop, written and illustrated by Debbie Fong. Random House Graphic. Penguin Random House, 2024. $18.99 ages 10 and up

 

"Hey Dad, it's Pia. I just wanted to let you 
know that the trip is going well. I'm actually 
having a lot of fun. 

It kind of feels like being part of a big 
family. 

I miss you a lot, though, and I can't 
wait to come home ... so we can all 
be together again."

It's been quite a year since Pia's younger brother, Ben, died by drowning. The family is reeling with grief and have recently made a move to help them begin again in a new location. Pia's mother continues to believe that Pia caused her brother's death. Her dad is doing his best to keep the family together. After speaking with the school librarian and learning about the magical powers of Cessarine Lake, Pia sets her focus on drinking the water there and hoping for better days ahead. 

To make the story work as well as it does, Debbie Fong shifts back and forth with brightly colored pages that follow Pia on her bus trip through the desert; Pia's delight in meeting and making new friendships help alleviate the pain of her life as she has been living it. Flashbacks are done in more somber tones as readers discover what happened with Ben. 

There are certain elements that suggest there might be something magical for those who visit Cessarine Lake. Pia can, thus, remain hopeful for the future. Her father's gift of tickets that allow entrance to attractions along the way help Pia (who travels with a family friend and her daughter) become part of a bigger family of travelers. Her trip allows readers to see the grief she is experiencing, and also the beginning of her healing as it focuses on family, friendships and making connections along the way. 

Memorable and sure to find fans, this is a book that offers hope and may even be read more than one time.