After the most recent horrific school shooting, I received a text from a friend for children’s book recommendations dealing with gun violence and school shootings. She’s probably not the only one looking. I made this list last year, and since I don’t have any additional books to recommend, I thought I’d point people to it instead of change my topic for the day. If you have any other book recommendations, send them my way! And what a world we live in that these books are necessary.
Today, I’m reviewing children’s books about volcanoes plus two excellent new releases.
New Children’s Book Releases Out This Week
Birthday Soup by Grace Seo Chang, illustrated by Jaime Kim
This is my new favorite birthday picture book. It’s Maia’s birthday, and she can’t wait to celebrate. She wakes up to the smell of her mother cooking miyeok guk, a Korean soup eaten on birthdays to honor their mothers, who also eat it while recovering from childbirth because it’s full of vitamins and protein. This year, Maia is old enough to help prepare it with the entire family. She soaks seaweed, watching it grow bigger and bigger, and adds salt and pepper. For her birthday party with friends, she’s nervous about sharing the soup, but all her friends love trying it. Back matter includes two miyeok guk recipes — one from the author’s mom and the other from chef David Chang. This is such a delightful picture book.
Pencil & Eraser: We Have a Dull-Emma! by Jenny Alvarado
This is my daughter’s favorite new release. It’s a hilarious early reader graphic novel about two friends with very different personalities: exuberant Pencil and sardonic Eraser. When Eraser points out that Pencil is dull and needs to be sharpened, the pair set out on an epic quest to find a pencil sharpener. Will they make it? Between each chapter are funny little joke breaks. It’s a silly graphic novel that had my daughter laughing so much. I hope we get more books about the two friends!
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Children’s Books About Volcanoes
I feel like every kid loves volcanoes; I mean, how cool! An erupting mountain! My daughter’s fascination with them began after we watched the Disney short “Lava.” Here are some great children’s books about volcanoes.
Kaboom! A Volcano Erupts by Jessica Kulekjian, illustrated by Zoe Si
This is told from the dual perspectives of a dormant volcano becoming active and a bird flying nearby. The volcano is awakening and feels a whisper in its magma chamber. As it feels all these new sensations, the bird provides facts about what is happening. Kulekjian writes the volcano sections in more lyrical, sensory language, while the bird’s sections are factual prose. Back matter includes phases of volcanoes, a diagram of the anatomy of a volcano, and common types of volcanoes. I especially love Si’s expressive illustrations.
Salvatore and the Goats of Mount Etna by Uschi Müller, illustrated by Brittany Lane
This picture book is inspired by a true story. Salvatore lives in a town at the base of Mount Etna. His family runs a goat farm, and today is Salvatore’s first time taking the goats to graze on the mountain by himself. But he has his favorite goat, Bianca, and his dog, Gina, to help. However, as they climb the mountain, Bianca starts acting weird, and then she and the other goats run away! Salvatore tries to round them up, but they just won’t listen to him. Then he feels the mountain rumble and knows they need to flee fast. He decides to trust Bianca and lets her and the other goats lead the way to safety. Back matter includes the real story behind the picture book.
Volcanoes by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by Kalen Chock
This is a gorgeously illustrated and poetic picture book exploration of volcanoes. Beckerman includes scientific explanations in addition to the poetic, visceral language. Beckerman not only describes volcanoes here on Earth, but she also describes extraterrestrial volcanoes! Back matter includes a list of the types of volcanic eruptions and additional facts about volcanoes. This would be great for classroom libraries.
Science Comics: Volcanoes: Fire and Life by Jon Chad
I love the science comics series, which are great for middle grade readers. They combine fiction with nonfiction. Aurora lives on a future Earth that’s mostly frozen. Her family is desperate for fuel, and while searching an ancient library, she discovers a book about volcanoes. She wants to learn everything there is to know about volcanoes, and readers can follow along with her journey to learn more. It’s a fantastic graphic novel.
Bookish Good of the Day
Volcano Magnetic Bookmark by TheCraftyDuoTO
Get your own non-erupting volcano with this adorable bookmark. $5
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My daughter was instructed to make a flower with this circle and stick, so she made a ‘cat flower.’ Maybe not what the people in charge of the craft table were looking for, but adorable nonetheless.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, X @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury