RICBA Nominees 2025

These are my opinions; it will be interesting to see what the students think.

How Not to Get Eaten: More than 75 Incredible Animal Defenses by D.K. Publishing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I typed out every cool fact I learned, I would have dozens of bullet points ... my students are going to love this. Stunning photography, concise descriptions, tons of "wow!" moments.



Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals by Linda Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one a lot. The meter scans, guessing is fun, and kids love animal facts. If I'm feeling ambitious next year, I might have the students do some research and then write their own mask poems on the topic they looked up.

 

The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never stopped and thought about why we call straws "straws." Lots of good historical information, presented simply, which other books in the same vein lack. Will use for Mock Sibert with the problem/solution graphic organizer ... solving the first problems led to an unforeseen one! Interesting!


Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-Nice Neighbor by Kirby Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really liked the "classic" feeling of this ... not a ton happens, but you get to know the characters, and they experience realistic situations.

However, the blurb for Book 2 says they are entering second grade. They read older than that in this book, especially since they are allowed to wander the neighborhood, so hopefully my upper elementary students will read it for RICBA since age is never mentioned. And be inspired to wander around their own neighborhoods instead of sitting inside.

 

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure if I would have blurbed it if I were Barbara O'Connor, because it is SO VERY close to her "Wish," but it's solid. And several of my kids are in Laura's situation - in "foster" care with a relative because their parents can't have them right now.

p. 169: "How can I trust myself / to ever make another decision, / what am I gonna do when I get older / and I'm on my own, / when the first big decision I ever made, / the whole calling 911 thing, / has turned out so horribly horribly wrong?

 

Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa by Doreen Rappaport
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid biography with relevant quotes from Ochoa sprinkled in. Two issues:

1. I didn't understand the "two more years and she could apply" comment ... what was she lacking?

2. Besides the cover, the illustrations made her mouth look crazy. I almost took away a star for this, but Rappaport's text is very good.


Art Club by Rashad Doucet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bit didactic, but wow will my kids love this. The vice principal is a butt. Also, since when does admin teach classes? Anyways, love the kids advocating for themselves, building support, and making money doing what they love.

 

Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The good: I could actually read the text.

The bad: The plot was paced a bit herky-jerky. And I was confused by Nouna saying everything on TV was an act until later, when I realized I was supposed to have realized that her wing was broken. And the cure for the bad lava seemed random and too easy.

Overall, though, great choice for elementary with a cliffhanger to get them to clamor for the next one.

 

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We are going to have four MLL classes next year, and some students may appreciate this. Could also pair it with "Thunder Boy Jr." and talk about name meanings?

 

Lolo's Sari-sari Store by Sophia N. Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice, but could have used a glossary. I wish I had students from the Philipines to share this with ... I need something similar from Cambodia and the DR.

 

Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms by Maya Prasad
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Magic cardboard box instead of a school bus. I liked all the facts about hurricanes being woven in, but I could not suspend my disbelief when they were flying around with the Hunters. Or when a scientist cheetah put a harness on an iceberg. And I was hoping Ross Herman was a real person. Extra star because we need more illustrated 100-page chapter books.

 

My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought "Nokomis" was the name of the tribe when I first read it, v. the grandmother. But that spread comes after the mention of the mom's hair. I was confused. So mom's is just deemed too wild to be long? Even though the rest of the book talks about how important hair is to their traditions? Rude.

Oh, wait, the author's note says that it was her grandmother's influence on her mom that kept her hair short. Because of the boarding schools. Which I think really needed a couple of pages of explanation.

 

Home Away From Home by Cynthia Lord
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was fine, but I skimmed the second half. I don't know that my students care about birds, and my other Cynthia Lord books don't circulate. But I liked that it showed how social media can go viral and cause issues.

 

Jovita Wore Pants by Aida Salazar
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A little too violent for me to read to my students, and I want to stay far away from discussing a war involving religion.

 

These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the second picture book I've read this week where the jacket copy gave information that wasn't in the text. In this case, the year the story was taking place.

This book is ok, but it has problems and will not appeal to my upper elementary students. The RICBA committee seems to have chosen it because of the current issues in Gaza; I don't want to have to explain decades of conflict to my kids.

Some things that bothered me:

• "Or maybe, Oraib ponders, they were pleasantly surprised by its acidity." What a strange sentence in a book for kids.
  
  
• "A makeshift canvas house" ... isn't that just a tent? I looked up Balata, and now it is packed with buildings and tens of thousands of residents.
  
  
• "The war has come to our doorstep again" ... What war? Why is it being fought? There is no information offered in the text. The author's note mentions "the occupying state," but that's about it.
  
  
• Oraib planting a seed at the camp. Why doesn't she bring it with her to plant a tree at their next location? What on earth does she mean that she is BORROWING an olive? She is used to stomping on them. Why ask to borrow the rain? That is weird. And did she ever go back?

I did look up Nablus and found out that it is famous for its olive oil soap. So I learned something. And might order some.


Grimwood by Nadia Shireen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I just didn't enjoy it. Except for when a character asked Princess Buttons what the magic word is, and she responded "OR ELSE I WILL KILL YOU."

DNF 

• Finch House - Made it through half, and then it was due with holds. I may go back and finish, but I got through enough that I think kids will like it.
  
  
• Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test - I can't think of any student to hand this to
  
  
• Mabuhay! - I couldn't read the tiny print even with my reading glasses
  
  
• Sam Makes a Splash - I didn't really care about any of the characters