100 Scope Notes - School Library Journal

Remember my post from yesterday? The one where I tried to explain how hard my life is because making a fall preview list of just 10 books is challenging? Well, I remembered I could just make a follow-up post and share a whole bunch more. SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST Here’s a good ol’ photo dump of more books coming out in September, October, and November that I’m ALSO excited about.

This one was the most challenging yet. In trying to highlight the 10 books I’m most excited about this fall, I left out so many good ones. I’m probably going to do a “10 to (Also) Note” follow-up tomorrow with a photo dump of all the great books not on the list today. SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST All of the following books will arrive in September, October, and November.

Today (September 15) is International Dot Day – a day all about celebrating creativity. It’s based on the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. We celebrate every year in our library, and here are some of the things we do. I like to show this to students first, so they can see how many other schools and students are celebrating. SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST Step one is reading The Dot. It makes a good read aloud.

(Click to enlarge) Little Turtle Pond (written by Carter Higgins and illustrated by me) publishes on May 4th, 2027. SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST Carter calls it Chicka Chicka Boom Boom meets Rosie’s Walk, and I think that sums it up perfectly. Little Turtle Pond is a rhythmic, rhyming, read aloud and I can’t wait for you to see it.

Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads? If you are someone’s Nana, it is perfectly acceptable for you to force your grandchildren to listen to this inane story. Unless, perhaps, you want your grandkids to actually like you. If so, you need to reconsider this classic. It’s awful. It reads like a Dick and Jane book…minus all the exciting parts that Dick and Jane books are so famous for. Click here for the answer. Why do I share these? Click here.

It’s been a while since we went over to Goodreads and looked at their 2027 Mock Newbery and Caldecott lists, so let’s take a peek. As always, it’s important to remember that the lists you are about to see are not in any way official. Since any Goodreads member can vote, they are to be taken with a grain of salt. Consider this a list of books that could potentially be in the awards discussions. SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST First up, Newbery.

Paywall, schmaywall – I’m screenshotting the New York Times best selling books of the week so we can talk about them. First up, picture books: (Click to enlarge) SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST Mostly usual suspects, with two notable new additions – both Dolly Parton related: the Dolly Parton Little Golden Book at #1 and Coat of Many Colors at #5. A good reminder how much current events and seasons shift this list. And now on to middle grade.

Today is Labor Day in the United States, a day to recognize the contributions of American workers. It’s a day to rest and relax – maybe with one of these excellent on-theme books below. Join 2,000+ librarians! Subscribe to my newsletter on Substack Filed under: Articles About Travis Jonker Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee.

Once again, it’s the game that’s sweeping the country. I used this website to (virtually) create 3 LEGO book covers. See how many you can name! If you like this post, you might like my 100 Scope Notes newsletter on Substack. You can click here to subscribe.

The Kirkus Prize, sporting one of the biggest monetary awards in literature, has announced their group of 2026 Finalists. There are three children’s book categories: Navigating Night, written by Julie Leung and illustrated by Angie Kang, and Electric Birds of Pothakudi, written by Karthika Naïr and illustrated by Joëlle Jolivet. SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST I already love Navigating Night, and now I’m looking forward to seeing Electric Birds, which I’v never read.