Elisabetta’s Comments (group member since Aug 25, 2025)

Elisabetta’s comments from the 5183 Fall 2025 Information Resources and Services for Children group.

1. Hannah, B. (2024). The Pumpkin Seed’s Secret: A Life Cycle Poem. Sourcebooks Explore
2. Follows the lifecycle of a pumpkin from seed, back to seed and to a pumpkin again. Explores the different uses for a pumpkin through the whole lifecycle and how it can support wildlife and be a vessel for fun activities for humans too.
3. I would recommend this poem for children because it is cyclical and the poetic structure is easy to follow. The rhyming structure is well-written and there are no awkward breaks in the flow of the poem. I think children would enjoy seeing the growth, decay and re-growth cycle of a pumpkin. The illustrations of the book also give clues to what some of the unique words in the poem refer to. I would use this book in a preschool Storytime during the fall to highlight a seasonal theme while introducing elements of growth, decay and rebirth. I think it would pair well with a make and take craft about pumpkins.

1. Khan, H. (2024). Drawing Deena. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
2. Deena experiences high anxiety as she juggles her mother’s expectations, helping her mother’s business, financial anxiety, and comparing herself to others while using art as an outlet to express herself.
3. I think this book accurately portrays reality for children today. Deena and her family are struggling financially, and at times her mother makes her feel guilty for costing money. I think in today’s economy, a lot of children are very aware of how expensive things are, regardless of if their parent’s make them feel bad about it. Deena also has to navigate social media at a time when she is trying to figure out who she wants to be. Children today have access to so many different perspectives and influences online, and knowing how to discern what you feel and what you are told to feel online is so important. I think children’s books should be real. Realness allows children to explore hard topics and feel empathy and see that other people have their same experiences and feelings. However, I strongly believe that the endings of children’s books that explore tough topics should have happy endings so that children can still hold onto hope and feel empowered to create a better outcome.

1. Morrell, Christyne (2022) Trex. Delacorte.

2. Trex, our main character has been saved by an experimental implant, but due to side effects of the implant, he struggles to hide the effects while fitting in at a real school. Mellie, a reclusive classmate, is determined to figure out what Trex is hiding, even though her suspicion should be placed elsewhere as a detective comes to town asking a lot of questions.

3. The setting of Trex is in a world very similar to our own. The difference is advanced technology. The advancements have saved the Trex's life, but he shocks everything he touches, and he must keep his brain implant a secret. A big theme in this book is that the kids are just wanting to fit in and be treated normally despite their differences that they may not be able to talk openly about (like Trex's lightning bolts or Mellie's anxiety). I think this reflects contemporary society because people are incredibly diverse and should all be treated with respect regardless of their situations or abilities. I think this book really reaches out and connects to kids who may feel very different and unable to have pride in what makes them different for fear of alienating themselves from their peers.

Fagaan, D. (2024) A Game of Noctis. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Pia’s life changes when her grandfather is taken away to live the rest of his life in servitude, and she must face the possibility of living alone and never getting him back. She casts her lot playing the annual Game of Noctis to win him back but is forced to reckon with the systems she is a part of and her dearly held “rules” that are supposed to keep life fair.

The truth of this book is that the rules set up to make life fair are often put in place to uphold societal systems that marginalize certain groups. The rules keep those folks from rising through the socioeconomic ranks and continue to disenfranchise them. Pia relies on the rules of the games and how they are “fair” early on in the book. She tells her grandfather that the game-script and rules keep things fair and gives everyone a chance to make a name for themselves, but after she loses her grandfather and she sets out on her own, she discrepancies between her faith in the rules and reality.

Rubin, S. G. (2025) Dragonflies of glass: the story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls. Abram’s Books for Young Readers.

Tells the story of Clara Driscoll and how she led a team of 35 women working at Tiffany Glass Co. to create masterful glass works of art.

I did not know anything about Tiffany Glass Company except that I appreciate the tiffany lamps I see in antique shops. I do love learning about the women working behind the scenes in a lot of famous historical companies and women artists. I think acknowledging the effort and expertise such women had in those fields is important because it is inspiring that they succeeded despite societal expectations being at odds. I wanted to know about how these women were treated at work. I wanted to know how Clara’s team was selected and if they were all credited for their work. I learned that Clara was hired for her flower sketches and had been a trained artist before working for the glass company. I was excited to learn that Clara was truly in charge of the Women’s Glass Cutting department because of her detail orientation and skill with class cutting and design. I was happy to hear that Mr. Tiffany acknowledged Clara for the dragonfly lamp she made that won an award. Even though there were some societal expectations imposed on these women, they seemed to be treated well – however this may have been the outlook on this story due to the intended audience. I think this book was very effective as a children’s biography.

Stone Soup

1. Muth, J. J. (2003). Stone soup. Scholastic Press.
2. Three monks stop to stay the night in a mountain village amidst their pilgrimage to find doors locked and windows shut against neighbors and guests. The monks set out to make stone soup for dinner and as villagers become interested in making soup from only water and stones, they bring food from home to add to the pot and a community soup is made. At the end of the story, the town opens their arms to their guests and more importantly each other.
3. This book scores a 1 (model source note) on Hearne’s source note countdown because of the included author’s note that gives information about the roots of the folktale, the setting this book is in, and the changes he made to the story to reflect the culture the story now exists within. The author’s note is very detailed about acknowledging the origins of the folklore as having roots in Europe and also the existence of related stories in Jamaca, Korea and the Philippines. He tells us that he took the traditional form of the folktale and set it in China. He dives into how this retelling mirrors the Buddha story tradition of tricksters (reflected as the three monks in this book) spreading enlightenment (in this case, community, collaboration and gratitude). The author explains some of the cultural context of the motifs he used in the illustrations, all which add a richness to the story and the setting.

1. Henkes, K. (2013). Penny and her marble. Greenwillow Books
2. This book follows young Penny, who finds a captivating marble in her neighbor’s yard one day. She takes the marble home and later sees her neighbor looking around the yard. Mortified that she may have taken her neighbor’s possession, she worries herself sick until she can take bit back. In the end, her neighbor says she meant it for someone who would take it an love it, and Penny keeps the marble.
3. This book is good for beginner readers because of the simple sentence structure, and vocabulary words. The structure of the story itself is quite respective. Penny uses her imagination on her playtime walks in formulaic ways that will allow young readers to catch on to the structure of the story. When Penny feels guilty, her guilt exhibits in the same way across a few pages, and both her parents ask her the same questions about why she does not feel well. The story is set up in such a way that allows for repeat words, so that readers may learn through repetition, but the story moves along with an appropriate pace to allow for novelty on each page to capture the attention and curiosity of readers, so the story does not get boring to read.

1. Roy, M. (2024) Can you do this? An imagination play book. Blue Star Press.

2. This concept book introduces imaginative movement as a way to play and engage with a book. Readers are encouraged to move and play in various ways to match the text and illustrations.

3. I think this book is a fun way for kids to actively engage in the act of reading or being read to. The actions and reactions move through the book with colorful, eye-catching illustrations with minimal background that allow the reader to get drawn into the actions the kids on page are participating in. A lot of times, the actions are instructional, like “take 3 steps forward”, but there are many opportunities for kids to imaging how their limbs and movement can be something else. One of my favorite actions in the book is “Can you spin around like a ceiling fan?” and on the next page “Uh-oh, the fan broke off the ceiling! Now, spin around like a tornado”. The book closes with a few pages of grounding, calming movements that can help regulate kids and help them calm their bodies after the excitement of the book.

1. Smith, L. (2023) Stickler Loves the World. Random House Studio.
2. 2025 Donna Norvell Award
3. A unique creature, Stickler, who is enraptured by everything around it, enthusiastically helps a new friend explore the world for the first time.
4. Stickler Loves the World won the children’s choice Donna Norvell award. I can see why it was chosen off the nominee list by students, as it is engaging, full of heart, and a little silly. I think this book is valuable because it gives readers the vocabulary to talk about elements of the natural world. And as the story goes on, the reader is encouraged to be looking to see the world from a new perspective of wonder. The illustrations are whimsical and textured, while still clear in their representations. I think it is a great book to use to encourage a wonder-walk in nature.

1. Laan, T. (2024) John the skeleton. (A. Cullen, Trans.). Yonder. (Original work published 2020)

2. 2025 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner, 2025 USBBY Outstanding International Book
3. Follows a retired classroom skeleton, John, as he settles down with Gram and Gramps, who live in the Estonian countryside, and learns about their slow-paced way of life and what it means to exist with them, grow old with them, and care for them and their small circle of community.

4. This book won the 2025 Mildred L Batchelder Award for an outstanding translated work of fiction that originates in a country outside the US. I believe this book won an award due to the simple nature of the story being used as an avenue to show Estonian culture and to normalize death in a light-hearted and age-appropriate way. The book references and explains Estonian cultural beliefs, traditions, drinks. Narrative point of view of a skeleton experiencing things for the first time is a unique way to explore connection, aging, death, and grief.
I would recommend it to a child who may be experiencing loss their life or is asking questions about death and growing old. I do not think this book is for every child, but I think it is appropriate for children who are ready to have these conversations. Death is discussed in an age-appropriate way. In the book, the grief that follows death is shown in the context of allowing the feelings as they come and finding connection with loved ones past death.