Picture Book Reviews: Five-Word Reviews for September 2026

On September 7, 2026September 7, 2026 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Another month, another set of five-word reviews. All of these are picture books I somehow missed early this year…but they’re new to me so I say “Fair game!”

There’s also an unexpected mud theme happening this month.

Enjoy!

All the Ways We Learn
Author: Chloe Ito Ward
Illustrator: Yaroslava Apollonova
Rise x Penguin Workshop
7 July 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Learning bends toward each learner.

4.25 out of 5 quiet corners

Digger Daisy!
Author: Andrea Zimmerman
Illustrator: Dan Yaccarino
Holiday House
21 July 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Mud. Machines. Teamwork. Daisy delivers!

4.5 out of 5 big scoops

Gigantic: The Small Whale with a Big Heart
Author: Rob Biddulph
Illustrator: Rob Biddulph
Doubleday Books for Young Readers
14 April 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Tiny fins deliver jumbo-sized heroics.

4.25 out of 5 little fins

Leroy Has Something to Say
Author: Emily Rosenthal
Illustrator: Thai My Phuong
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
7 July 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Ghost meets girl. Friendship blooms.

4.5 out of 5 yellow roses

Rosie Gets Ready
Author: Sergio Ruzzier
Illustrator: Sergio Ruzzier
Harry N. Abrams
21 July 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Perfect routine. Gloriously muddy payoff.

4.75 out of 5 mud puddles

Picture Book Reviews: Five-Word Reviews for August 2026

On August 3, 2026August 3, 2026 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews4 Comments

Happy August, everyone. It’s time for the new review roundup! I selected these five from a stack of recent books that grabbed my attention. Have you read any of these? Feel free to give your own five-word reviews in the comments.

Let’s dig in.

Another Tongue
Author: Yevgenia Nayberg
Illustrator: Yevgenia Nayberg
Neal Porter Books
14 July 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: New words wobble toward belonging.

4.5 out of 5 topsy-turvy letters

Mac & Cheese: The Origin Story
Author: Michael L. Benner
Illustrator: Alison Hawkins
Orchard Books
14 July 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Mac meets Cheese. Delicious destiny.

4.5 out of 5 provolonely kings

Silence Sounds Simple: A Day in the Life of John Cage
Author: Gary Golio
Illustrator: Andrea D’Aquino
Calkins Creek
7 July 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Sound, silence, mushrooms: pure Cage.

4.25 out of 5 apartment arabesques

Story Rug
Author: Sophie Blackall
Illustrator: Phoebe Wahl
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
14 July 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Every scrap carries somebody’s story.

4.25 out of 5 classroom braids

Teachers in the Wild
Author: Brad Davidson
Illustrator: Rachel Más Davidson
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
7 July 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Teacher sighting! Stay calm, kids.

4.25 out of 5 off-duty educators

Picture Book Reviews: Five-Word Reviews for July 2026

On July 6, 2026July 6, 2026 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews1 Comment

Keeping it short again this month and not just because I’m doing so much traveling that many of these posts are being written at the tables in the free breakfast areas of hotel lobbies!

Here’s July’s review roundup, built from a handful of spring 2026 picture books that caught my eye (and ear!). If you’ve read any of these, hit up the comments section with your own five-word review.

And if there’s a recent or forthcoming book you’d like to see me cover in some fashion on the blog, let me know! Suggestions are always welcome.

The Bookship
Author: Hiba Noor Khan
Illustrator: Julian Ariza
Ketebe Publishing
26 May 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Grandad’s stories outlive sorrow. Still.

4 out of 5 bottled messages

Brave Like a Lion! How a Puppeteer Found Her Voice
Author: Megan Piphus
Illustrator: Niña Mata
Dial Books
5 May 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Puppet magic quietly transforms timidity.

4.5 out of 5 lion roars

Kindergarten Gets Ready
Author: Naomi Danis
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
26 May 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Classroom order eases first-day jitters.

4.5 out of 5 labeled cubbies

Miles Ahead
Author: Minh Lê
Illustrator: Lynnor Bontigao
Knopf Books for Young Readers
28 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Road-trip chaos uncovers family treasures.

4.25 out of 5 baby booties

Open
Author: Robert Agis
Illustrator: Sarah Jacoby
Candlewick
5 May 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Becoming takes time. Bloom anyway.

4.25 out of 5 sunbursts

Picture Book Reviews: Five-Word Reviews for June 2026

On June 1, 2026June 1, 2026 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews2 Comments

Here’s another five-word review roundup. These books each stood out to me in a different way. See if you agree!

And if you’ve read any of these, drop your own five-word review in the comments.

Because of Dads
Author: K.E. Lewis
Illustrator: Maithili Joshi
Roaring Brook Press
28 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Goofy dads. Grounded love. Bighearted.

4.25 out of 5 bacon breakfasts

Even Steven: A Book About Sharing
Author: Carrie Finison
Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
14 April 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Sharing gets complicated, then delightful.

4.5 out of 5 playground turns

Neil, the Amazing Sea Cucumber
Author: Amelia Tonta
Illustrator: Lucinda Gifford
Viking Books for Young Readers
28 April 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Deadpan hero. Surprisingly briny heart.

4.25 out of 5 seabed sighs

Robin and the Stick
Author: E.B. Goodale
Illustrator: E.B. Goodale
Harry N. Abrams
14 April 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Stick obsession meets hard-won triumph.

4.5 out of 5 red hoodies

The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story
Author: Kate Messner
Illustrator: Brian Biggs
Clarion Books
21 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Marine mayhem meets rhetoric lesson.

4.25 out of 5 splashy arguments

Picture Book Reviews: Five-Word Reviews for May 2026

On May 4, 2026May 4, 2026 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews

Keeping it short again this month! Here’s May’s review roundup, built from a handful of spring 2026 picture books that caught my eye (and ear!). If you’ve read any of these, jump into the comments with your own five-word review.

Bartleby
Author: Matt Phelan
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers
3 March 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Dapper defiance wins the day.

4.5 out of 5 polite refusals

The Future Book
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Shawn Harris
Knopf Books for Young Readers
3 March 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Tomorrow sounds glorious. Delightfully ridiculous.

4.5 out of 5 fish hats

Goldfinches
Author: Mary Oliver
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Viking Books for Young Readers
3 March 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Poetry and collage take flight.

4.75 out of 5 thistle blooms

Into the Wilderness
Author: Haven Iverson
Illustrator: August Zhang
Roaring Brook Press
24 March 2026
32 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Backpacks carry more than gear.

4.5 out of 5 trail markers

Ripples
Author: Katie Yamasaki
Illustrator: Katie Yamasaki
Norton Young Readers
7 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Kindness ripples outward, then returns.

4.25 out of 5 orange rafts

Picture Book Reviews: Five-Word Reviews for April 2026

On April 6, 2026April 6, 2026 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews

It’s time for another five-word challenge, so here are five April 2026 picture books that landed in this month’s review roundup. Read any of them already? Toss your own five-word take into the comments.

Baba Palooza
Author: A.D. Ghani
Illustrator: Nadia Alam
Abrams Books for Young Readers
7 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Yellow cab love carries everything.

4.75 out of 5 Saturday rides

Good Morning, Morning!
Author: Maya Myers
Illustrator: Jennifer K. Mann
Neal Porter Books
7 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Barefoot wonder greets waking world.

4.5 out of 5 morning cartwheels

Home Is a Door We Carry
Author: Constantin Satüpo
Illustrator: Constantin Satüpo
Yonder
7 April 2026
52 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Homes always travel inside memory.

4 out of 5 walking houses

Just One Oak
Author: Maria Gianferrari
Illustrator: Diana Sudyka
Beach Lane Books
7 April 2026
48 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Science sings through every branch.

4.25 out of 5 acorns

When the Sun Goes Down
Author: Greg Pizzoli
Illustrator: Greg Pizzoli
Knopf Books for Young Readers
7 April 2026
40 pages

Ryan’s five-word review: Bedtime arrives one animal later.

4.5 out of 5 sleepy questions