I’m a children’s librarian, so while I don’t post about many kids’ books on this blog, I read A TON of them. That’s why my TBR goal for 2020 was so high (and my goal for 2021 is even higher!) – most of the books I read are tiny!
Since I don’t share all of my children’s book reads on this blog, this post is for sharing the ones I read in the second half of 2020. (You can find my children’s reads for the first half here.) I’ll break things down into the categories of picture books, early and young readers, and middle grade books. I’ll link back to any posts on this blog where I featured these books, too. I’ll also link you directly to the purchase link for my 5 star reads. If you have a child in your life or just like to read books for a younger crowd, this post is for you!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on and/or purchase from some links, I make a portion of the sale. This helps keep Bitch Bookshelf running.
Picture Books
This category includes books aimed for our youngest readers to enjoy alone or with someone older to read with them. A few of these might also crossover well into the “early and young reader” section, but in the format and tone I read them, I found them to be described best as picture books.
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As always, I love Carle’s illustrations. This is a sweet story about growth and friendship which includes many sea creatures as well as a glossary.
Buy A House for Hermit Crab here.
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This one is a little wild, with sea creatures exhibiting some bad behavior, but it’s also funny and there are so many points for discussion with a young reader.
Buy This Is Not My Hat here.
Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a solid book about apples, pumpkins, and other fall things with a farm-focus. I like the illustrations, but there’s nothing that will stick with me about this one. I did like the jack-o-lantern pages.
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This text is very informative and would be great for a fall or winter storytime. Based on the cover, this is a fall book, but there are ideas for creating winter bird treats. I would love to share this during a November storytime when the foliage is really changing! And as always, Ehlert’s illustrations are gorgeous.
2020 update: This would also make an excellent spring storytime, but I likely will continue using it during fall.
Buy Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf here.
Sunny the Bunny: Goes to Camp by Jace Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a sweet and simple book about camp and trying new things. I loved the rhyming style and cartoon images. Finally, this book warmed my heart as it is based on a real bunny named Sunny and I used to call my dog Sun Bun. ❤️
Death Is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book had my crying. The collage-work inside is beautiful as is the lesson about death and how we experience it. I really think this would make a good gift for a child (or any age, tbh) who had lost a loved one, including a pet. There are spaces in the back to add your own pictures or words to celebrate a loved one (a page for animals and a page for people) you have lost.
Buy Death Is Stupid here.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
IMO this series isn’t anything special, but it is a fun twist on the original song with the Halloween theme, and the kids love it.
Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A simple Llama Llama book with familiar characters about eating a meal together and being thankful on Thanksgiving.
View all my reviews
Giving Thanks by Jake Swamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a wonderful book about being thankful for all the gifts Mother Earth has given us. I love the opening line: To be a human being is an honor… It is based on the Thanksgiving Address and words spoken at Six Nations ceremonial and governmental gatherings.
Buy Giving Thanks here.
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is just a plain fun book and I think also encourages kids to try things and know they’ll get better as they continue learning. The illustrations are so fun and bright.
Buy Duck on a Bike here.
The Water Princess by Susan Verde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an excellent book. I loved reading Georgie’s story. The images and text make for an emotional experience, and the call to action at the end is fantastic.
Read The Water Princess here.
Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book about creativity and exploring unique options to create a masterpiece.
Buy Sky Color here.
Yaffa and Fatima, Shalom, Salaam by Fawzia Gilani-Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An absolutely gorgeous story about friendship.
Buy Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam here.
From Tree to Sea by Shelley Moore Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A variety of children explore the earth around them and the lessons it has to teach them.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The story is sweet and funny – like with all Mo Willems book, kids will laugh. But the illustrations, combining city photography with Mo Willems’ typical fun cartoon art, really blow me away.
Buy Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale here.
Another by Christian Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This wordless picture book is trippy and fun!
City Shapes by Diana Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love the illustrations in this one. This is a great book about shapes in the context of a city, with a sweet ending.
Buy City Shapes here.
Please Take Me for a Walk by Susan Gal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m obsessed with this book about a dog who wants to go on a walk through an engaging, diverse, beautifully illustrated community.
Buy Please Take Me for a Walk here.
The Not-So Great Outdoors by Madeline Kloepper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book about a little girl’s experience camping with her family. Great representation and beautiful illustrations.
Buy The Not-So Great Outdoors here.
A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a cute, simple, and funny book about friendship and different personalities!
Buy A Splendid Friend, Indeed here.
A Friend Like You by Tanja Askani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Adorable photography, and I loved the backstories provided at the end.
Buy A Friend Like You here.
Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A counting book about what animals do to prepare for winter. I like this for a 1-on-1 read with a child.
Buy Baby Bear Counts One here.
Old Bear Board Book by Kevin Henkes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A cute book with lovely illustrations about dreams and hibernation.
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Buy Old Bear here.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Bear series is a classic for a good reason, and this hibernation story is so fun with a great take on friendship.
Buy Bear Snores On here.
Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a silly rhyming story but not my favorite hibernation book.
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a classic book using colorful illustrations of a chameleon to show that we must appreciate what makes us unique and also what makes us similar to others.
Buy A Color of His Own here.
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration by Samara Cole Doyon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an amazing book. The text alone is powerful and beautiful and would function as a poem without the illustrations, which add even more to it. I love the many characters in this book – our beautiful narrator and her family, including some lovely representation.
Buy Magnificent Homespun Brown here.
Brick by Brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A boy admires his hard-working father, a brick layer. He goes to school and mimics a lot of what his dad does at work. His dad saves up to buy them a house. This one reminded me of my own dad. A really great – and bilingual! – story! The collage art is gorgeous too.
Buy Brick by Brick here.
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I knew this book was going to be about being thankful for what you have, but the end really got to me. A boy is jealous of the brand name sneakers his classmates wear, and buys a pair that don’t fit him at a thrift store when his grandma can’t afford to buy him a new pair. He gives up the pair to a friend who fits in them and needs new shoes. Finally, it’s a snowy day at recess, and he is thankful for the brand new snow boots his grandmother bought him.
Buy Those Shoes here.
Saturday by Oge Mora
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful collage artwork is used to tell the story of Saturday, the one day a week a mother and daughter have together. Everything goes wrong for these two but the daughter reminds the mother that Saturdays are wonderful because it is the day they spend together.
Buy Saturday here.
All Because You Matter by Tami Charles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An absolutely wonderful book with gorgeous illustrations and powerful words meant to empower children, “especially those from marginalized backgrounds” – to remind them that they matter. Parents or anyone who loves a child will find this book meaningful too.
Buy All Because You Matter here.
Love Is by Diane Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is such a NICE book about a little girl raising a duckling and having to watch it grow up and leave – all of the moments that define love in a parenting relationship. Beautiful city illustrations, especially of the main characters.
Buy Love Is here.
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an amazing book – an empowering book, especially for Black boys. I love the illustrations and the powerful, poetic text.
Buy I Am Every Good Thing here.
You Matter by Christian Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An affirming book with the illustrations I have come to love from this author/illustrator!
Buy You Matter here.
Bear Is Not Tired by Ciara Gavin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a cute and silly book about a bear hibernating, except his family is a group of ducks. I think this could have taken an opportunity to discuss birds that fly south for the winter, too.
Hibernate with Me by Benjamin Scheuer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cute book about getting away from it all with your mama bear, though I think the hibernation theme is more just in the repeated use of the phrase “hibernate with me.” I like that the sheet music is provided in the back so you can sing this book.
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ehlert’s photographic collages are amazing as always, and this book has a ton of rich information on how snow forms, how animals prepare for snow, and different cultures’ winter clothing.
Buy Snowballs here.
Everything Naomi Loved by Katie Yamasaki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An emotional read about the effects of gentrification on a neighborhood through the eyes of Naomi, a child who grew up there.
Buy Everything Naomi Loved here.
You Must Bring a Hat by Simon Philip
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is 100% my (childish side’s) sense of humor. I can’t wait to read it for a hat-themed storytime. It’s a silly book about a kid who gets invited to a party, but the rules for attending become more and more complex and outlandish.
Buy You Must Bring a Hat here.
Early & Young Readers
This category includes those classic early readers you may be familiar with and shorter chapter books. I included many nonfiction books which I considered to fall into this range.
Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a lovely, fun read! I adored the characters, especially Jax and Ma. This book shows Jax’s adventures with Ma as he learns that magic is real, and journeys to return a group of dragons to the magical realm. I loved that this book shows children (and adults) of color engaging in a magical realm. So often books about magic for kids focus on white children. I also liked the tactful handling of some real world issues, specifically home insecurity, set against the backdrop of this fantastical tale!
Buy Dragons in a Bag here.
And don’t forget to read my full review.
Pride and Prejudice by Gemma Barder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cute young reader edition of the original classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I liked the engaging, adorable illustrations. This tells the main plot of the story and includes all of the most important characters. However, I would have added in a few of the more nuanced points that I think young readers could understand. As this is a classic, I briefly will mention them: why Elizabeth believes Wickham, why Elizabeth can’t tell anyone about what he did, and why a woman had to marry a man she was alone with in those times/that culture. Thank you to the publisher, adapter, and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for my honest review. Look out for my full review on bitchbookshelf.com.
Don’t forget to read my full review.
Sloths by Lisa M. Herrington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved the photographs, facts, jokes, puns, and ultimately the call to action to help protect sloths! This is a great book with sloth facts for a young reader interested in the animal.
Buy Sloths here.
Animals on the Farm Turkeys by Kari Schuetz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A good early reader book about turkeys on a farm with vocabulary, a glossary, labels, and beautiful photography.
Buy Turkeys (Animals on the Farm) here.
Off I Go!: An Acorn Book by Kelly Greenawalt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think this is a great early reader and I love that Princess Truly’s hair is magical!
Buy Off I Go here.
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Never met an Elephant and Piggie I didn’t love.
Buy Should I Share My Ice Cream? here.
A Bear Cub Grows Up by Pam Zollman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a good basic nonfiction early reader on bears with gorgeous color photographs. I only wish the captions talked about which type of bear was in each photo.
Are You Ready for Winter? by Sheila Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a nonfiction book about winter (or winter in a snowy area, at least) for early readers. It contains all of the basics of an informational text – a table of contents, captions, and a glossary. I did think it was a little silly to describe hibernating animals as not waking up “to go to the bathroom.”
How Do We Know It Is Winter? by Molly Aloian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a pretty good nonfiction book about winter in North America (according to the book – but really just about the part of North America that experiences snow). It goes into lots of different aspects of winter, such why it occurs, the weather, clothing people wear, what animals and plants do, and food people eat. There are all the classic accent of an information text for this age group (early elementary) – a table of contents, glossary, and captions. I liked that there were lots of questions to make the reader think further about the topic. I did notice my copy had a grammatical error – a period at the end of question.
Middle Grade Books
Finally, my favorite category – “big kid” chapter books! “Middle grade” is a sort of ambiguous term that refers to the grades before and kind of including middle school. These readers aren’t on young adult books yet, but have graduated past young readers. I think a solid middle grade collection has books with content appropriate for children ages eight to 14, and adults, of course, can enjoy them too!
The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an absolutely gorgeous, touching, powerful read. This book includes themes of coming of age, womanhood, gender, and friendship. I adored and related to Celi, a girl going through puberty, experiencing her first real crush, and feeling torn between a lifelong friendship and being accepted by the boy she likes. This book honors Xicana culture, and the author’s afterword encourages readers to honor their own heritage and self through exploring moon rituals.
Buy The Moon Within here.
And don’t forget to read my full review.
The Invasion by K.A. Applegate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a fun, fast-paced adaptation of the original Animorphs! I really enjoyed it and found myself ready to dive into Book 2. This was a quick read for me – it took me about an hour. My thanks to the authors, publishers, and Edelweiss for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Buy The Invasion here.
And don’t forget to read my full review.
The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I whipped through this book of poems, telling the story of Betita and her family, in one sitting. Betita and her mom are sent to a detention camp after her father is deported to Mexico. This is a powerful read, and I liked it even more than the author’s first novel, The Moon Within.
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