Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Miss Peatree arrives at school before the kids, wiping down the office and checking supplies. She’s ready when Mabel arrives before the first bell, complaining of being hungry.  As the day goes on, Miss P. is busy with one student after another.  She keeps a log, shown on the left-hand side of each page, showing each kid’s name, ailment, and status (“hungry”, “mortified”, “eager”).  Even the principal comes to the nurse’s office with a boo-boo!  Miss P. deftly handles everyone, dispensing band-aids, snacks, advice, and comfort.  At the end of the day, she rides her bike home, where her loving dog is there to take care of her, for a change.  60 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  It’s about time the school nurse got her own book, and this one celebrates nurses with rhyming text and lots of humor.  Anyone who’s spent time in an elementary school will recognize the list of ailments; the running log is a nice touch to keep track of everyone.

Cons:  If blood and vomit are not your things, better move on.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  “After a cold, hard winter, doors opened.”  Kids spill out of a high-rise apartment building, ready for some fresh air.  Amanda’s the last one out, lugging a box of sidewalk chalk.  She draws what looks like a huge virus with green chalk.  Jackson turns it into a dandelion, while Janet makes a mushroom, and the twins add flowers.  Other kids draw their own creations until the entire courtyard is a riot of color.  Nasrin takes a picture from her balcony and sends it to her mother in Isfahan, and her mom shares it with everyone she knows, sending the concrete garden around the world.  A few days later, rain washes it away.  The chalk is gone, but the kids use the box it was in to make cardboard boats which they sail in the rainbow-colored water.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The masks some of the characters are wearing and the dedication page that reads “Written in the time of Covid” mark this as a post-pandemic story, the kids celebrating their freedom with an explosion of creativity.  Setbacks (like a dog peeing on some of the chalk) and creative differences are gracefully handled by the children, and the story and pictures exude a feeling of joy and celebration.

Cons:  The ending felt a little disappointing; I was hoping the kids would do something a bit more creative for their second act.

Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:  Red and Gee are excited to find a book about pandas, but as they read it, Red realizes that it’s all about giant pandas like Gee, with nothing about red pandas like her.  She decides to write her own book, but when she looks at all the books about giant pandas, she concludes that no one will be interested in her story.  Tossing the half-finished manuscript in the trash, she and Gee go off for some bubble tea and forest bathing, but nothing cheers her up.  When they walk by the trash can later, a group of excited red pandas has retrieved her book, and they convince her to finish it.  The last few pages show the future: a bookstore window filled with red panda books, and Red inside signing copies of her book.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fun way to let readers know that representation matters, with adorable illustrations and some interesting facts about red pandas.

Cons:  The message wasn’t exactly subtle.