Title: Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: An Illustrated Guide to the 12 Signs
Author: Teresa Robeson
Illustrator: Ping Zhu
Publisher: Phaidon
Release Date: October 14, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Summary: This joyful celebration of cultural traditions offers a funny, interactive, and beautifully illustrated introduction to the Chinese Zodiac for curious kids ages 6–9. Readers will meet the twelve animals of the Zodiac – from the powerful Dragon to the energetic Horse – each with its own personality traits and traditions. But, there’s a twist! While Zodiac animals are determined by birth year, readers can also take the book’s playful flowchart quiz to discover which animal truly matches their personality, reminding them that, ultimately, no label can define them.
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Summary: When big feelings get tangled, a few silly bug moves might help loosen the knots.
Lee is having a not-so-good day. Their shell feels too heavy, their trail has washed away, and their favorite leaf is gone. Lee feels slow, messy, and stuck; but they aren’t quite sure which feelings are bugging them.
Luckily, their friend Betsy has a web full of emotions and a playful way to help. Together, they notice Lee’s body clues, name the feelings caught in the tangle, and try a series of delightfully wiggly bug moves: stretch like a spider, wiggle like a worm, buzz like a bee, and rest like a ladybug.
Not every move works for Lee, and that’s okay. By experimenting, Lee discovers that difficult feelings can change. Soon, sad feels smaller, worried feels quieter, and there is room for calm and a little bit of brave. When Flicker faces a frustrating problem later that day, Lee is ready to share what they learned.
What’s Bugging You? is a warm, funny picture book about emotional awareness, body cues, self-regulation, empathy, and helping a friend. Back matter includes conversation prompts, fascinating bug facts, and a step-by-step drawing activity. An engaging read-aloud for children ages 4-8 at home, in the classroom, or with a counselor.
An aquarium is opening soon in my area, and my sister and I already have plans to go. We’re so excited! Aquariums are places for people of all ages to learn, explore, and get to know many of the aquatic animals with whom we share planet Earth. My favorite things about aquariums, besides the animals, are the opportunities to support conservation efforts and the way in which people can find calm amongst the watery habitats, a little freedom from the stresses of life.
Picture books, both nonfiction and fiction, about the ocean, especially its creatures, are very popular with kids. In fact, many were published just this year (2026). Here I’ve shared six wonderful examples (with partial summaries from Goodreads or Amazon). Following the books, I’ve also shared (with the help of Finley Frog) six of my favorite aquatic animals, all incredible in their own way, that call oceans, rivers, and lakes home.
by Brooke Mcintyre and Gordy Wright (Illustrator)
Dive into this compelling, content‑rich nonfiction picture book and find yourself on an underwater adventure: a marine mission that takes you past reefs, beyond the near‑shore sea floor, down, down, down through the sunlight layer, the twilight layer, the midnight zone―all the way (as in seven miles!) down to the bottom of the ocean!
by Carole Boston Weatherford and Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)
Inside glass tanks in crowded aquariums, jellies hold visitors rapt with their slow-motion water ballet. Most of the world’s nearly four thousand species emit an otherworldly light, glowing red, yellow, violet, or blue in the underwater dark. Fourteen wildly divergent poems—by turns dramatic and serene—pulse with life. From spreads of shimmering bioluminescence to graphic panels, stylish artwork blends poetry with science and fact with folklore and myth to form the ideal introduction to the “immortal” and mysterious jellyfish.
by Charlotte Offsay and Abi Cushman (Illustrator)
Deep beneath the waves, a pufferfish putters alone. A playful puffer in a quiet, nothing-much-happening ocean. Until…one small pop! sets off a chain of outrageous events, causing the whole ocean to have a very frazzled day indeed! Can the sea creatures find a way to bring quiet back to their underwater home?
by Jilanne Hoffmann and Khoa Le (Illustrator)
Plunge far below the ocean’s surface where billions of restless animals called zooplankton (including jellyfish) dwell in the Twilight Zone. Some are tiny, some enormous, and most are exquisitely beautiful. The setting sun cues their journey to surface waters for a midnight feast on trillions of tiny plants (and each other). It’s a daunting, perilous journey through predator-infested waters that transforms the dark ocean into a carnival of lights amidst a feeding frenzy in an eat before being eaten world. This nightly animal migration, the largest in the world, is vital to all life on Earth.
by Derick Wilder and Monika Filipina (Illustrator)
It’s a beautiful day to be living in the ocean. The sun is shining, and the water is a glorious blue. But wait . . . something big, something hungry, something menacing is approaching. It’s a great white shark! Luckily, there’s no reason for alarm. From ink-releasing cuttlefish to burrowing flounder to camouflaging leafy dragon, all the local sea creatures seem to have a way to hide from our hungry shark. Well, almost all.
by Michelle Schaub and Khoa Le (Illustrator)
Often called “the lungs of the sea,” seagrass meadows are found on every continent except Antarctica. Within this ecosystem is an abundance of marine life, including many species of fish, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. And beyond providing shelter and food for these inhabitants and visitors, seagrass plays an important role in the health of our planet. Seagrass lessens the effects of climate change and even helps filter out plastics and pollutants awash in the ocean. But this important ecosystem is under threat from many human activities. It’s time to pay attention to this vital space on Earth.
Amazing Aquatic Creatures
Amazon River Dolphins are born gray and turn pink as they mature with males tending to become pinker than females likely due to sparring with other males causing pink scar tissue to form.
Moon Jellies are a common species of prehistoric jelly fish that have survived on Earth for millions of years. Because they’re not strong swimmers, they go where the ocean currents take them. I guess you could say that they go with the flow.
Whale Sharks are considered the largest fish in the sea reaching up to 40 feet or more in length. Each shark has its own unique pattern of white spots and pale stripes.
Leafy Seadragons, closely related to seahorses but with longer snouts, are adorned with frilly appendages that resemble seaweed, which camouflages them and keeps them safe from predators.
Blue-ringed Octopuses, when threatened, display bright blue rings all over their bodies as a warning to predators. Though tiny in size, these octopuses are dangerous, with venom that’s 1000 times more potent than cyanide.
JapaneseKoi are a colorful variety of the common carp. These social fish can grow to be over 3 feet long and more than 25 pounds and live on average up to 40 years. The oldest-known koi ever recorded was named Hanako, meaning “flower child”, who lived to be 226 years old.
Seasons Greetings! Christmas is almost here, and I have the perfect picture book to celebrate the joyous season. The Birds of Christmas, written by Olivia Armstrong, with charming graphite pencil and digital illustrations by Mira Miroslavova, is a beautiful Nativity story based on a European folktale that tells how the robin came to have a red breast.
As Raven flies home late one night, a bright star suddenly appears in the sky above Bethlehem. A heavenly voice urges Raven to go and tell the other birds that a special child has been born, the Prince of Peace. He darts away to proclaim the good news to Wren, Nightingale, and Rooster. Then Rooster crows with all his might, calling all the other birds, who come swooping from all directions towards the brilliant star, which rests above a modest stable. Every bird brings a gift for the newborn, such as the pillow Stork made from her own feathers. But one little bird, Robin, has nothing to offer, until a gust of wind, a dwindling fire, and a shivering baby provide her with the perfect opportunity to give (and receive) the gift of compassion.
The Birds of Christmas is both energetic and delightful. The action-filled text moves the story along at an enjoyable pace, while the detailed illustrations invite young readers to pause for just a moment before turning the page. Overall, it’s a sweet book, sure to be a holiday favorite.
Merry Christmas, everyone! And may 2026 bring peace and prosperity to you and your families.
Ornithologists estimate there are between 10,000 to 20,000 different species of birds in the world with new species being discovered almost every year.
October 16th is Global Cat Day, a day that acknowledges that all cats, including stray and feral cats, deserve to be treated humanely. To celebrate the occasion, I’m reviewing a picture book about a little stray kitten.
With starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, Late Today by Jungyoon Huh is already drawing attention. It was originally published in South Korea but has been republished this year here in the US by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
In Late Today, a terrified and confused kitten dashes between honking cars and trucks and buses, determined to make it to safety. Though lots of people see the kitten, everyone’s in a rush, and no one stops to help, until…a boy and his mother, fearful for the little cat’s safety, finally does.
Deceptively simple text is accompanied by dynamic art by Myungae Lee, whose colored pencil and oil pastel illustrations depict people of all ages, bumper-to-bumper traffic across a multi-laned bridge, a cityscape background, and a tiny lost kitten on a gray, rainy morning. Shocks of vivid color are scattered between dark skies, black tires, and lines of blue-hued pouring rain.
A heartbreaking story, filled with danger, becomes a heartwarming story by the end, much to the relief, no doubt, of any reader, young or old. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder to slow down, to consider what’s truly important, and to find compassion in our hearts for others, including animals.
Depending on which cat association you check with, there are between 40 and 75 domesticated cat breeds in the world. The Cat Fanciers Association recognizes just over 40 breeds, while the International Cat Association recognizes over 70 breeds.
