These seven books offer reading practice — and, just as importantly, reading fun! — for everyone from the newest readers to those beginning to gain independence. See also our Five Questions interview with Stephanie Graegin about Everyday Bean, and the Younger Fiction subject tag in the Guide/Reviews Database.

Dino Poet
by Tom Angleberger; illus. by the author
Primary    Abrams Fanfare    96 pp.
3/25    9781419772801    $13.99
e-book ed.  9798887072456    $12.59

In this graphic novel for primary readers, a dinosaur is trying to shut out nearby roars and write a poem. A frog tries to help, or perhaps to provide distraction, since the dino’s first draft rhymes “eat” with “fine and froggy meat.” Further attempts and creature encounters unfold over short chapters. Humor and action are both plentiful, and the frog is full of good advice, both literary (“Rhymes are nice, but phony poems aren’t”) and general (when a larger dinosaur appears: “Run!!…Hide!!…Flee!…Don’t write it! Do it!”). The sense throughout is that poetry can be about what matters to the poet in the moment, whether that means a limerick about a very immediate pursuit through the forest or a stanza of “poo-etry.” The collage illustrations are set against a paper bag–brown background and use speech bubbles written on what resembles notebook paper, with different colors for each character aiding new readers. Some complex vocabulary, especially dinosaur names, makes this a good choice for those gaining independence in reading, with rhyme and repetition to help them along. Poetic edification with a side of adrenaline rushes — though some of the dangers, much like poetry, may not be as scary as they seem. SHOSHANA FLAX

Bear and Bird: The Cave and Other Stories
by Jarvis; illus. by the author
Primary    Candlewick    64 pp.
5/25    9781536239423    $15.99
Paper ed.  9781536246476    $5.99
e-book ed.  9781536244625    $5.99

With four new stories, Jarvis continues to give young readers the emotionally satisfying, highly readable tales characteristic of the series. In “The Test,” Bird investigates her friend Bear to make sure that he is indeed who he claims to be, rather than his almost identical cousin. By the end, they have smoothed their friendship hiccup, while readers are invited to ponder a more philosophical question: how do you really know that your friend is themself? The two celebrate together in “The Day” even though each comes to the wrong conclusion about why the date is circled on the calendar. In “The Cave,” when the ball they are playing with rolls into a creepy cave, they bravely enter, only to discover the rumors of stinky goo and talking mushrooms are untrue. “The Umbrella” features a magical (or is it?) conveyance. Jarvis’s digital illustrations, with their soft edges and simple lines, perfectly match the gentle tone of the stories; even the entrance to the creepy cave is not too scary. MAEVE VISSER KNOTH

I Want It! [I Like to Read]
by Paul Meisel; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Holiday    32 pp.
4/25    9780823458882    $15.99

Geisel honoree Meisel (for I See a Cat and See Me Run) tells an amusing story of sibling rivalry in cartoons and minimalist speech-bubble dialogue. Before the main text begins, the younger sibling previews the story line with the shout, “I WANT IT!” On the title page, the smiling older sibling saunters in carrying a box overflowing with toys: “Mine.” In just those four words and two images, readers will understand the power dynamic. Meisel’s jaunty pen-and-ink drawings zero in on the plot, while the text maximizes the repetition of simple words. The older sibling plays with vehicles and a superhero action figure in a series of spot illustrations: “Go. Goal. Here I go. Go, go, go.” When the younger sib starts playing with a car the older one isn’t using (“Beep”), the older sibling jumps in (“Mine”). They scuffle over a blue dragon and a stuffed bunny (“I WANT IT. I WANT IT. I WANT IT”) before reaching a compromise. Meisel packs an impressive amount of activity and emotion into a handful of speech bubbles and images in this enjoyable beginning reader. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

The Bad Idea and Other Stories [Earl & Worm]
by Greg Pizzoli; illus. by the author
Primary    Knopf    72 pp.
4/25    9780593649664    $10.99
Library ed.  9780593649671    $13.99
e-book ed.  9780593649688    $6.99

In the first of three episodic chapters in this series debut, Worm is irritated by her new neighbor, Earl, a bird. “Why is he up so early? And why is he smiling like that?” Throughout the interactions that follow, language and design are pitched to children almost ready to leap into longer chapter books: multiple short sentences per page, everyday words, ample repetition, and a readable typeface. The art is a friendly and sophisticated blend of Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Scarry with pastel shades of blue, green, orange, and yellow. Pizzoli generates humor with straightforward sentences that make bold statements (“It was not sweet. It was bitter. So was Worm”) and emphasize Earl’s obliviousness (“I love to talk. I can talk for both of us. You can just listen”). Words appear in different contexts to keep repetition from feeling overly tedious. The words sugar, sweet, and lemon all appear in the first and third stories, for instance, but in the first story they’re around Earl making lemonade, and in the third story, around Worm trying to write a poem. Like Willems’s Elephant and Piggie and Lobel’s Frog and Toad series, this provides solid reading practice in a package that kids and families will read for the love of story. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

Lone Wolf: Goes to the Library
by Kiah Thomas; illus. by K-Fai Steele
Primary    Porter/Holiday    48 pp.
5/25    9780823457809    $16.99

Lone Wolf: On Vacation
by Kiah Thomas; illus. by K-Fai Steele
Primary    Porter/Holiday    48 pp.
5/25    9780823457793    $16.99

Lone Wolf (Lone Wolf: Gets a Pet and Lone Wolf: Goes to School, both rev. 3/25) is back with two new misadventures. In the first, Wolf, whose energy is Oscar the Grouch meets Wile E. Coyote, wants to return a library book without running into the noisy kids at storytime. In the second, he goes on ­vacation hoping to evade social interaction. As in past installments, Wolf manifests everything he hopes to avoid, and his limited vocabulary (“Grrrr”) leaves him helpless to communicate effectively. Fans of the first two series outings will appreciate the appearance of recurring characters such as the eager girl and the jolly hiker toting his goldfish in a plastic bag, but each book’s dry, off-kilter situational humor stands on its own merits. Steele’s watercolor and pencil illustrations have a classic cartoon appeal. Spreads establish setting, while close-ups and spot illustrations focus on character and action. A sequence of illustrations in which Wolf tries to avoid a “snotty little boy” whose mucus subsequently befouls the library’s book return chute is LOL funny, as is the look of horror on Wolf’s face when the driver of a nearly empty bus proposes a singalong. These transitional readers will appeal to kids who like their humor with a heavy dose of irony. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

Squid in Pants [Ready-to-Read]
by Kaz Windness; illus. by the author
Primary    Simon Spotlight    32 pp.
5/25    9781665944304    $18.99
Paper ed.  9781665944298    $5.99
e-book ed.  9781665944311    $5.99

A squid and friends — a turtle, pufferfish, and crab — snag some clothes hanging off the side of a small boat in this kooky, distinctive book for early readers. The buoyant text relies on one-syllable words and a poetic use of rhythm, rhyme, and repetition in phrases and short sentences that have a Seussian cadence. “Four friends, one boat. Two socks, one coat.” Pages awash in dappled shades of turquoise, aqua, peach, and raspberry reflect the playful mood as the wide-eyed ocean creatures try on clothes and bicker over who gets the flip-flops. Geisel honoree Windness (for Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends) seamlessly incorporates speech bubbles into the text, adding a layer of complexity and interest while also keeping the low-stakes plot sashaying along. When Squid gets upset, disaster strikes: “I inked!” The friends have just figured out how to work the ink stains into their evolving sense of style when along comes the kid from the boat: “Give my clothes back!” Negotiations ensue, a pair of underwear’s early appearance pays off, and the sea creatures put on a parade. A coda with the kid sporting a marine-modified outfit ties the bow on this amusing offering. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

From the September 2025 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.