I don't even like cats, but I love Mr. Puffball

 Reluctant readers? Read this! I promise, you’ll be glad you did. Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat Across America is waiting for you. I don’t even like cats, but I love Mr. Puffball. He’s sassy, smart, and always in trouble of some kind. While the text is hilarious, it’s the artwork that makes me go back again and again. There are sly jokes there, if you look. (PS checkout Benedict Cumbercat.)

Some things are hard to talk about. But life happens and along with it, there is the passing of loved ones. When that time comes, Cry Heart, But Never Break by Glenn Ringtved (illustrated by Charlotte Pardi), might help. Death comes calling on Grandmother one evening. Her four grandchildren try to trick Death by keeping him awake until dawn, for everyone knows Death only does his work at night. As the night passes, Death tells the children why he comes through a story of the brothers Grief and Sorrow and the sisters Joy and Delight who, cannot live without the other. It is the same with life and death, Death explains, for each brings meaning to each other. In this story, Death is not a cold heartless reaper, but a gentle soul who loves life and people.

Recommended for grief counseling 

Ages 6 and up

Du Iz Tak

By Carson Ellis

In Spring, anything is possible. A seedling sprouts, amazing everyone. The insects love it, making it their personal playground with a fort and even a castle. Every moment of the plant’s life is celebrated and savored, and when its flowers, happiness is unbounded. Fall comes, the insects disappear and the flower wilts. Du Iz Tak is a gentle reminder of the verse “To everything there is a season.”

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

By Dan Santat

Did you know that imaginary friends come an island far away and that each imaginary friend must be wished for before appearing? Beekle is the unlucky imaginary friend who never hears from his child, so he takes matters into his own hands. When he finds him, he discovers his friend is a she, not a he. No matter, they are perfect for each other Both are shy, like to draw and tell funny jokes. Together, they can do the unimaginable!

PS This is a Caldecott winner. I’m not surprised.

it's a fairy tale, a fantasy, a new MG classic!

The Girl who Drank the Moon

Kelly Barnhill

Teeny tiny dragon Frythian, swamp monster Glerk, good witch Xan and 13-year-old Luna are in terrible danger. Not from each other, but from the people in nearby City of Sorrows. Every year, the elders leave a newborn baby in the forest for witch Xan. They claim it’s the only way to keep the village safe from witch Xan. No one knows that the elders have created the lie to keep the people cowed and subdued. Actually, Xan finds the babies a better life. She retrieves them and, for good fortune, feeds them starlight before finding a home in a faraway village. The ritual goes on for years until, one night, Xan accidently feeds a baby moon light, enmagicking the little girl. Xan’s afraid moon magic will be too strong, so she locks it up inside baby Luna.  Xan decides she has to be the one to raise and teach her, for Luna’s magic will blossom on her 13th birthday. She has the help of incredibly tiny Frythian, a slightly annoying dragon and Glerk, a wise and caring swamp creature. 13 happy years pass until Xan leaves to retrieve the next baby. Little does she know that a young man is determined to save his own baby and kill the witch.
Strong female characters
Upper Elementary and MG