As a librarian, I absolutely loved this book - tackling book bans from the perspective of the children affected without explicitly having to explain the nitty-gritty behind it all. I loved how realistically the children handled the situation - when it wasn't available at the library some read a purchased copy at home, and they play acted out the story on the playground to share it with friends. Including a student with two dads was the icing on top, showing that the children loved and played with their classmate just like any other.

Just put "And Tango Makes Three" back on the shelves! Children love that book regardless.

Jacob's favorite book - the one about the penguin with two dads - has been removed from the school library. His teacher provides a vague explanation that the book made "some people" unhappy, and then the kids "play" penguins at recess. While I applaud the idea of dealing with book censorship in a children's book, I wish the author had spent more time on explaining book banning to kids, and less on the playground. Then again, how do you explain to a child why some parents' opinions seem to matter more than others'?

In all this is a good attempt to bring some sanity to a world where kids have active shooter drills, but can't hear about "gay" penguins.

Not everyone can afford to purchase the books that they want to read so they have to depend upon public and school libraries. The book in the story is about how the penguin dads raise the baby, just like in some families, but someone else has banned (taken away) that very book and the children are upset. As one who has abibliophobia (fear of running out of books) and Alogotransiphobia (fear of being without something to read on public transport) I truly sympathize with the children.
The illustrations by Chris Case are simple, imaginative, colorful, and fun.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, hospital, or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC on Adobe Digital Editions from American Psychological Association | Magination Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
#JacobsMissingBook #NetGalley

I am in love with this book. In this story Jacob wants to share his penguin book with friends but when it goes missing from the library he doesn’t understand why. He wanted to have the book to help him understand his friend Emily's family. This book did an excellent job in helping children understand both book banning and that also helps children to understand that other families can be different and be friends. I love the colorful illustrations and adorable, lovable children that add to this story. I think every family needs to share this story. You will love it.

It's really sad that this book had to be written in the first place. Book banning is at an all-time high and my library has experienced it. this is a fantastic resource to have available to children who may not be able to fully process and understand why a book would go missing from the library. I'm a strong believe in having age-appropriate resources for children and this book definitely fits that criteria.

One topic that's really getting attention in our country these days is the issue of banned books. Jacob's missing book really hits the mark in demonstrating the negative impact of banning books— it just causes more problems than it solves. Kids should have the freedom to read the stories that resonate with them and bring them joy. In the book, the children show remarkable resourcefulness and creativity in finding ways to preserve the story they love.

This fourth installment in the Jacob picture book series tackles the timely issue of book bans. When "the penguin book" goes missing from the school library (clearly a reference to "And Tango Makes Three"), Jacob and his friends learn that it has been removed because "some people are unhappy with the books we have in our library and our classrooms." Jacob figures out that this is because the book features two male penguins raising a chick, which upsets his friend Sophie who herself has two dads. When their classmate asks what the story is about, Jacob has the idea to reenact it on the playground during recess, with the whole class eventually joining in.

Initially, I was disappointed that the book ends rather abruptly without having actually resolved the issue - the penguin book hasn't been returned to the library - but admittedly, a simple happy ending wouldn't be realistic. And upon further reflection, it occurs to me Jacob and his friends reenacting the story on the playground is itself a triumph over the attempted censorship: you can take a book out of the library but you can't take a beloved story out of the minds of the kids who have read it. I wish this had somehow been made more explicit in the text, that Jacob and his friends have this power, but it's certainly something that can be brought up for discussion when sharing the book with young people.

Overall, the Hoffmans have delivered another gentle, age-appropriate exploration of important issues that many kids are unfortunately facing today. Framing the story around a real book helps make the message more concrete, and the illustrations are bright and engaging. While the plot may not be exactly riveting, it's a solid choice for introducing the injustice of book bans to the youngest book lovers.

Thank you NetGalley, Magination Press, and Sarah and Ian Hoffman for the early access copy of Jacob's Missing Book.

Jacob's Missing Book tells the story of Jacob looking for his favorite penguin book in the library to help explain a 2slgbtqia+ family dynamic to a friend in class, only to learn that the book is no longer available due to book banning. As Jacob has the book at home and their mother reads it often to them, Jacob re-enacts the penguin book with friends to show the messaging that is no longer available in the library.

Jacob's Missing Book is a great reflection on the importance of having inclusive and diverse materials in libraries., The story highlights importance to have the resources readily available for students to see themselves in books and the ability learn about others. This is a great resource to educate children on the subject of book banning, 2slgbtqia+ rights, and the importance of diverse representation.

A sweet, topical, and kinda lowkey heartbreaking little book about book bans and the homophobia underpinning them.
Ugh. Like, I’m trying to do everything I can to combat book bans, but this still made me so mad and sad. I like that the issue isn’t necessarily resolved (without having too sad of an ending), but also…ugh.
Thanks to Netgalley for the EARC! I’d def recommend it to help kids understand book bans, why they happen, etc.

Jacob likes to wear dresses. But that is not the emphasis of this book, the fourth in the series about kids in a classroom who have two dads, or are non-binary, or just don’t fit in non-traditional boxes.

Jacob’s favorite book is the Penguin book. Although it is never named, enough of the story is mentioned that one can figure out it is “And Tango Makes Three” about two male penguins hatching an egg together. Apparently, this has caused problems at the school district, and when Jacob goes to look for it in the school library, it is gone.

His teacher can’t talk about it, and so the kids decide to play penguins, and raise chicks of their own on the playground, to reenact the story.

This is a good book to explain about book banning in a very gentle way, as well as show how it affects the kids. People might think that kids don’t notice when books they love are taken away, but they do. They often form bonds with said books, as Jacob has in this story.

It is a shame that people want to take books from kids that aren’t theirs, because they think the stories are evil, or sexual, or whatever their problem with banning books are.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 2nd of September 2024.