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Book Blog

Children’s Book Blog: November 2026

Be you!

The school year is in full swing. By now, kids have settled into routines, made new friends—and maybe started to worry about how they measure up to everyone around them. 

Sigh…this part of parenting is hard. We can remind our kiddos that they are wonderful just as they are but sometimes it’s helpful to hear that message from an outside source, too. Cue the children’s books! 

We’ve pulled together a collection of books that celebrate individuality, self-acceptance, and the courage to be yourself (and let others be themselves, too).  And every book is NEW to our shelves as of Fall 2026 (woo!). 

 

The Fantastic Floating Mr. Finnegan by Rebecca Gugger & Simon Röthlisberger

The Fantastic Floating Mr. Finnegan is a magical, modern fable that carries many meanings/lessons: overcoming limitations, being weighed down, letting go, being true to yourself, challenging convention and more!

“When Finnegan was born, he could float–fantastic! He gleefully floats his way through childhood, until questions and concerns from friends and neighbors eventually weigh him down. Then one day, a little girl floats by him and inspires Mr. Finnegan to find out if he can still reach the clouds.”

Milo and Twig by Liz Brizzi

Over the summer, we found an orphaned raccoon resulting in a long discussion about the importance of letting animals remain wild. I wish I had found this book sooner; in Milo and Twig, Milo has to learn the same lesson. 

While this book is about allowing an animal “friend” to be true to themselves, it is applicable to human friendship too. There is joy in helping someone you love become their truest, happiest self.

Croco by Azul López 

Oh how I love Croco.  The beautiful mixed-media illustrations, vertical layout and quirky story make it such a playful little book. 

It won the Batchelder Award, which is given to the most outstanding children’s book originating in a language other than English in a country other than the United States and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States. 

In this tale of resilience and self-efficacy, Croco tries (and fails) to find a way out of a hole using advice from various animals. Ultimately, the crocodile’s idiom (unique to him!) is what saves him.  

 

My Tiger by Joy Cowley & David Barrow 

“A tiger cannot change its stripes”. And he shouldn’t have to! 

In this quick read, a dentist naively advises a cake loving pet tiger to stop eating sweets. Like Tiger, our whole family has sweet tooths so we related to the poor cat! 

The ending left me and the kids genuinely shocked for a moment then laughing.

The “self-acceptance” message is more subtle in this one but it’s good to keep things light sometimes!

 

Tiny Garden by Deborah Underwood & Jax Chow

On a street that covets big, showy gardens, Andrew sets out to grow his own tiny garden proving that staying true to yourself is no small thing.

Tiny Garden reminds children that it is ok to see things differently, to have different interests and opinions than someone else, even adults! What might have “no point” to one person is “just right” for someone else.

I am amazed that this is Jax Chow’s debut picture book as an illustrator.  The pictures are gorgeous – colorful, vibrant, and unique – just like the tiny garden! 

 

A note on this blog: Michelle Milford is the Office & Marketing Manager at Town Hall Library.  She has two children – Joanna (8) and Connor (6).  All three have a deep love of books and voracious appetites for reading.  Here they’ll share their monthly book recommendations