By David Shannon
David Shannon brings back the incorrgible David in this endearing story of little brother antics. Like most older siblings, David’s older brother doean’t want David around him. Therefore, he blames many things on David but not without reason. With simple sesntences, it is an easy reader that younger student will enjoy.
Written by Scot Ritchie
Pedro is moving and he is so anxious. To ease his mind, his mom invites some of his friends for a sleepover. Mrs. Rivera introduces the children to mindfulness to help ease Pedro’s anxiety. This book is a great introduction to mindfulness with tips on how to accomplish it. There are activities in the back that families can practice along with definitions to help really understand the context of the exercises.
Written by Patty Lovell
Illustrated by Davis Catrow
Patty Lovell brings back the adorable Molly Lou Melon in Speak Up, Molly Lou Melon. Instead of her grandmother’s affirmations, she has her mother’s reminders to use her voice for good. Molly Lou’s mother prompts Molly Lou to do what is right even when it is the bully and difficult. This is an excellent lesson for children to learn without them realizing there is a lesson.
David Catrow comes through again with beautiful bright watercolor and ink drawings.
By Jim Benton
This well known author (Catwad, Dumb Diary and Franny K. Stein, just to name a few) creates an all-age graphic novel unlike anything you’ve read before. It is full of puns, bright illustrations and crazy antics. This book hooks you in with its premise and takes you along on an absurd journey with Bill Waddler. It’s a fast read that would draw in anyone who enjoys silly jokes while also following a long-form story from beginning to end.
Written by Doug Paleo
Illustrated by Aaron Blecha
This graphic novel is full of humor and quirky characters. Also, dinosaurs! The pictures are bright, cheerful and draw the reader into the story. This series-opener does revisit some well-worn narrative arcs, but is a solid, quick-paced text that will draw reluctant and voracious readers equally. Readers will be eagerly awaiting the next installation.
The detailed and lengthy author’s note in the back of The Old Man and the Penguin, A True Story of True Friendship, reveals that this is a “true and remarkable story”. Julie Abery’s picture book tells the story of João (pronounce Je-WOW, as noted in the back of the book) and his discovery of a penguin barely clinging to life. Through an unlikely rescue, friendship forms between the retired man and his new penguin pet. Although João repeatedly attempts to return the penguin to his natural environment, the penguin always returns to João. Abery’s choice to to write this story in rhyming verse, “Fishy kisses, beak to nose. Day by day their friendship grows” and “Pecks and strokes for happy friends, a precious bond that never ends” seems unnecessary because it brings a much more primary tone to the story that would potentially be more engaging to upper elementary readers. Pierre Pratt’s full layout illustrations manage to capture the essence of the story making the book a page turner for non or beginning readers. Overall and entertaining story about both unexpected friendship and animal rescue.
Three generations of gardeners work side-by-side to care for the grandmother’s garden. First the small child gives her view of her grandmother and grandmother’s garden, then the view of the child’s mother, followed by a key bit of wisdom having to do with gardens, such as, “Gardens help teach responsibility.”
When the reader turns the page, the child is a little bit older, as is the mother, and grandmother, but they again give their impressions of the garden. The child’s impression always comes first followed by her mother’s. This continues until the child is now a mother herself with her own two children helping in the garden with their grandmother. “Gardens connect us across generations.”
The little girl’s words are always in blue ink, her mother’s words are always in green ink, and the words of wisdom are always in an orangey ink.
Children who help with gardening will identify with the passages, whether they garden at home, in a school garden, or with a grandparent.
Carme Lemniscates’ illustrations make each garden in the book come to life just like Grandmother Dorothy would want them to grow.
Also available in a well translated Spanish version: Los Jardines de la Abuela.
Under the Lilacs is a beautifully illustrated picture book that follows a young girl’s emotion filled afternoon. E.B. Goodale has illustrated other picture books, but this is her debut as an author and illustrator. When the main character finds herself pushed away by a working mom, who is teaching music lessons at home, and a busy sister, who needs her own time alone, she first leaves a note threatening “that I’m leaving and she will never see me again.” When the note receives no response, she seeks comfort and an opportunity for independence out in her yard under the lilacs. Although she flees to the yard in frustration seeking solace, her imagination soon takes over as she builds a home for herself out of cardboard. Lost in the fun, she makes space for her dog, mom, and sister within her hideaway. The mixed media, full layout illustrations really are the star of this book. The theme or lesson of the book might be difficult to decipher for younger readers, making this book better suited for read alouds. This book would be enjoyed by readers who have ever felt out of place and like running away from their own home.
My first impression of Your House, My House, written and illustrated by Marianne Dubucis, is that it is just too big. The book measures over 11 x 14 inches and is quite cumbersome. However, as I began reading the book, it is clear that the size was chosen to allow for Dubuc’s extremely detailed illustrations. Reminiscent of Richard Scarry books, each page contains many opportunities for children to look into the same cross section view of a four floor apartment building inhabited by seven different animal families. It is clear that Dubuc put a lot of effort into showing different families going through different experiences within the apartment complex. The plot follows the Rabbit Family as they prepare for Little Rabbit’s birthday. It is hard to connect the text to the pictures and to not just wonder about the other characters and families filling the pages. The illustrations are slightly confusing and overdone, there are also confusing cameos by the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and other fairytale characters. Children who love animals and making up stories will find hours of entertainment imagining and telling the stories of the characters and families throughout the apartment.
Nine dramatic color photos of snow owls in their arctic environment will fill the young reader with awe for these majestic birds. The large font text fills the page opposite the photo with three or four sentences describing the birds physical characteristics, environment, and life.
The photo on page seventeen will take the reader awhile to see the white prey about to be caught by the white and black speckled snow owl in its snowy white environment.
Page twenty-two includes three “More Facts” about snow owls. One being they are awake during the day the opposite of other owls, and two, information on Harry Potter’s owl Hedwig.
Following the glossary and index comes the abdokids.com website using the code ASK8909 to find most of the same text and photos in this book, as well as more information, a craft, a wordsearch, and a coloring page.
Who does not have at least one friend with a name that is impossible for you to pronounce? I do. Poor little Wakawakaloch has that problem, so wants to change her name. She wants to change her name to one that she’ll be able to find pre-printed on a T-shirt. Wakawakaloch’s father tells her it is a family name. Wakawakaloch is taken to the village elder for advice. At first the advice does not make sense, but it does in the end. Wakawakaloch come up with an idea to help all other Neanderthals (her people) who have the same name problem. She starts a business making personalized T-shirts.
Mary Sullivan’s pictures are a cute mix of caveman modern, similar to THE FLINSTONES of the 1960s. For one thing, there are T-shirts, crayons, laptop computers in rock cases, and toast with cereal for breakfast eaten with spoons. On the other hand, they wear necklaces with tooth or claw pendants, bones in their hair for clips, cave drawings on the walls, and big wooden clubs for smashing things.
The book’s inner cover has drawings of seventeen children wearing personalized T-shirts. Their names are all difficult to pronounce, but that is okay because their name is written phonically underneath.
Twelve year old, Julian, ends up in trouble at school again. Despite his efforts, his dyslexia comes across to his teachers and principal as apathy for school work. In a deal made with the principal, Julian finds himself volunteering at a local animal shelter instead of detention one day and falls in love with Star, a dog who is deaf. Much of the story follows the unfolding of a special relationship between a boy and a dog, but also, another unlikely friendship with a peer he connected with while working at the shelter. Bryan also has dyslexia and happens to be the principal’s son! While a bit long and dragging through the middle, this is a truly delightful story of friendship and adventure as the boys sneak off with Star – searching for buried treasure in hopes of saving the shelter that is suddenly about to lose their funding. This is my kind of story, with a happy ending where everyone wins!
No Place for Monsters is a spooky, supernatural-themed novel for emerging juvenile readers. Children are vanishing along with all of their belongings and the loved ones in their lives have no recollections of them. The main characters set out to uncover clues that lead them to the eventual rescue of said missing children. Supporting characters have mostly negative attitudes and rude behavior toward the “hero” children throughout the book. The story has some repetitiveness as well as a bit of confusion at the beginning. However, brilliant illustrations help make this story a quick-read. Recommended reading grades 3-5.
In the fourth book in the series The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found does not disappoint! This is a heart-warming story about a family of seven with five children ranging from ages 5-14. The Vanderbeekers’ have long-established relationships with their neighbors, taking them on as part of their own family in a fast-paced, realistic novel about community in a New York City brownstone. The kids in the book are strategizing to keep a close friend from moving out of state while he suffers from poverty, homelessness and neglect. The loss of a loved one is a very sad, major event in the book but what shines is the family’s ability to overcome and embrace their memories of him. I loved that pure generosity, helping others and friendship from the kids’ perspectives is a constant throughout the book. While the story touches on poverty and making ends meet, the real reason I would recommend for grades 5 and up would be the parts about loss/grief and dating. The high school freshmen discuss homecoming, boyfriends and jealousy (topics I prefer to reserve for middle grades.)
What Grew in Larry’s Garden besides unusually colorful tomatoes, carrots, rainbow chard, purple potatoes, and more was kindness, trust, warmth, beauty, healing, love and so much more.
Larry’s summer garden grew vegetables. The heirloom tomatoes provided Larry with seeds he sprouted in winter for his students. His students cared for them and watched them grow. Then the students gave the plants away to neighbors and strangers alike, along with an individualized letter as to why they were being gifted with the plant.
Community can grow from small acts of kindness like tiny seeds into fruitful plants.
Based on a true story.
Author, illustrator Jorey Hurley creates a picture book on the life of a beehive using fifteen words. Those fifteen words are almost an inch tall in bold type. Each one of those fifteen words adorns a separate double-page spread of distinct, yet simple images telling the story of a queen bee starting a new hive after a “swarm”.
buzz, swarm, explore, find, build, lay, feed, grown, fly, collect, pollinate, guard, sting, keep, honey
For those of us who need a few more words to understand the life cycle of a beehive be sure to read the “author’s notes” at the end.
Simply impressive!
Do you need a book to let school aged children know they can help change the world for the better? Then, The Big Idea Gang: BEE THE CHANGE fits the bill. Readers will learn how important honeybees are to the world’s food chain, while also learning that the lessons their teachers’ are instructing them in, for persuasive writing, do work in the real world.
While elementary friends, Kim Park and Lizzy O’Malley, get excited about honeybees through Kim’s parent’s friend Ozzie- the beekeeper, they learn how important honeybees are to the food we eat daily. Then, they get their friend Deon Gibson, Lizzy’s twin brother- Connor , and Otis Smick interested in honeybees. Finally, when they ask their teacher for help, she guides them through the steps of persuasive writing’s call to action. The gang gets the principal, the school nurse- who is in charge of the school garden, Ozzie the beekeeper, and a big school turnout of students and parents on a drizzly Saturday morning to plant a much bigger garden that will attract honeybees.
The Big Idea Gang: BEE THE CHANGE works well at showing how elementary students can change the world for the better, but Preller’s writing may be a bit too obvious he is teaching a science lesson, too . Stephen Gilpin’s black and white illustration ( two or three per chapter) show a diverse group of ordinary students working together and enjoying it.
Included at the story’s end, Deon and Connor recap twelve honeybee facts they found interesting. Then, their teacher presents five pages on how to engage people with your ideas or writing.
If you need a book to show why and how persuasive writing is important, The Big Idea Gang: BEE THE CHANGE does the job in a very obvious way.
Pony Girls is set at a summer horse camp for young school aged girls. Eight year old Charlie, the main character, is full of anxiety. Charlie has a difficult time being able to complete any activity because of her all consuming anxiety. Luckily for Charlie, her friends and camp staff are there to support her, as are Charlie’s mother and therapist, Dr. Bell ( who are in communication with the camp staff), when she is not at camp. Charlie uses strategies learned from Dr. Bell to help her through the tough times, multiple times, throughout the day, but the same strategy does not help each and every time. Sometimes deep breathing helps, other times it is folding origami, or petting a cat or horse, or her newly added strategy of ‘visualization’. Little by little, strategy by strategy, with the support of the people around her, Charlie is learning to cope with camp and life in general. It helps when a friend mentions she is also afraid of the dark, so keeps a flashlight under her pillow. It helps when the neighboring farm asks for the Pony Girls help socializing their rescued horses. It is a win / win situation.
Pony Girls: Charlie is so heart warming from the deep concern the characters have for Charlie and each other, but of course, as in real life, there is at least one person, who is not part of the solution. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. This book, also, has one.
Paula Franco’s black and white illustrations, one in each of the ten chapters, gives added life to the story, especially through facial expressions. The large text font is easy on the eyes. The 8″ X 5.75″ size of the book makes it comparable in size to a standard paperback book.
Sumer camp is fun, even with a bit of homesickness or other anxiety, and Pony Girls: Charlie is no exception!
Act is book 3 in a series of graphic novels featuring Olive, her family, and friends. It contains a diverse cast of characters. Olive feels the need to “act” when she learns a friend was unable to join the class for a field trip due to her family’s lack of funds. Olive’s librarian Aunt encourages peaceful protest and provides the opportunity to research protest movements. When an election for 6th grade representatives for the Student Council is announced, Olive decides to run. The campaign leads to strained friendships, but Olive’s kind heart is clear throughout the book. The story concludes with a bit of a twist and a satisfying end. The book addresses making a difference and some pitfalls of taking a stand. It ends with a recipe, a brief synopsis of protests of the past, and a bibliography related to protesting.
Written by Camille Andros
Illustrated by Brianne Farley
Like Charlotte the Scientist Gets Squished, Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure is a story about a rabbit named Charlotte who is really into science. In this tale, Charlotte’s grandfather has moved in with Charlotte and her family. Grandpa encourages Charlotte to continue with the science experiments.
One day, Grandpa gets sick then the other forest animals start getting ill. Charlotte has a guess as to what was making everyone sick but the experts who came to town didn’t pay her any attention. Charlotte continued on in spite of the experts. Charlotte diligently worked in a methodical manner.
Does she find the cure? Read this wonderful brightly colored picture book to find out. Like her other book, Camille Andros includes a page of scientific terms and their definition.
Primary grade students wanting basic information about the phases of Earth’s moon will especially find The Moon helpful. There are nine pages of text, each opposite a full page of gorgeous color illustration or photo of the text’s topic. Each page of text usually has three sentences set in a large font. Topics include: creation of the moon theory, reflection of the sun’s light / phases of the moon, and craters.
The Moon measures 11″ x 9.5″.
The Moon ends with a page of three More Facts, a glossary, index, and Abdo Kids Code (abdokids.com OTK0536) for “crafts, games, videos, and more.”
To the Moon has the format of The Magic School Bus in that it has the story line accompanied by most of the illustrations and the factual text bubbles on every page turn.
To the Moon tells the story of Neil Strong’s class field trip to the Space Museum. There Neil sees exhibits about Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon in 1969. Neil wants to gather as much information as he can to make his science fair project extra special. Then, using his imagination Neil is transported to the moon itself. On the moon, Neil comes across an android named Luna who fills him in on basic moon facts like: lack of air, gravity, craters, and use of space suits. Before he knows it, Neil is back at the Space Museum and ready to go to the moon himself someday.
There are enough facts in this book that a student could use To the Moon as a reference book for a report. Mike Byrne’s does an awesome job showing the vast size of the moon using perspective. Mike also includes people of color in the illustrations and a student in a wheel chair. Though these do not add information to the story being told, it is a small step forward from a cultural diversity point of view.
To the Moon ends with an activity for making a moon diary of the moon’s phases and the usual: glossary, index, reference books, and websites (www.lerneresources.com) including NASA.
This picture book, Swashby and the Sea, by Beth Ferry, is a heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship crossing typical age barriers. Although the book is recommended for ages 4-8, I think it would be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Juana Martinez-Neal’s illustrations bring the story to life through: word play in the sand, detailed facial expressions, and minute details like observant crabs and hints of Spanish language, like Swashby’s boat, El Recluso. The story begins as Swashby, a reclusive sailor, has retired to the beach for a relaxing life of solitude. However, his plans are quickly ruined when his new neighbors, a granddaughter and her grandmother, move in. The book tells the story of a friendship between a young playful girl of color with an elderly grumpy white man. The unnamed girl’s persistence and kindness eventually win over the tough sailor, or Mr. Swashby as she calls him. My only complaint is when the girl is swept into the sea, the severity of the situation is not acknowledged. Highly recommended for in-depth discussions or lessons, or as quick pleasure read that leaves you with a warm feeling inside.
Back in 2013, Bridget Heos and illustrator Joy Ang gave birth to Mustache Baby. If you know Mustache Baby, then you already know what happens when his mustache starts out short, then grows long with ends that curl. This book has facial hair magic verses Christmas magic. Two, two, two magics in one story.
The story begins with Billy’s (a.k.a. Mustache Baby) friend Javier , who was born with a full beard. “On Christmas Eve, Javier’s beard…turned white…[making] him Santa’s #1 helper, Santa Baby!”
Santa Baby is helping adult Santa, but forgets to make the toys. Oh, no! Along comes Baby Billy to become an elf and make the toys. Hurrah! With all the work of making the toys, Baby Billy’s mustache has grown long and curls at the ends. Oh, no! “BAD GUY MUSTACHE!” is keeping all of the toys he’s made for himself. Baby Santa becomes upset. His beard is growing longer turning Javier/ Baby Santa into “MAD GUY BEARD!” The two start a snowball fight with each other. When Elf Baby/Billy hurts an innocent the two rush to help the injured. Slowly, their mustache and beard go back to normal, just in time for adult Santa’s arrival. Adult Santa invited them to ride along with him in his sleigh. “…kids heard them exclaim, as they rode out of sight, Merry mustache to all…and to all a beard white!”
If you are a Mustache Baby fan, yes you will want this book , too. If they are new to Mustache Baby younger children may find this book with BAD GUY MUSTACHE and MAD GUY BEARD disheartening at Christmas time, but older children will like it. This said, it is not a wonderful stand alone book without the rest in the series.
This novel is for “Little House on the Prairie” fans, but with a racial equity twist. Obsessed with the Laura Ingalls Wilder books herself in her youth, Linda Sue Park was Laura in her imagination. But in her imaginings, she became an Asian girl living in De Smet, South Dakota — a Chinese girl with some Korean blood.
Our heroine is 14-year old Hanna, whose Caucasian father moves them to the Dakota Territory after Mama died. Hanna is half Asian and in 1880 in this part of the country, is the only Asian in the community. Hanna hides under her bonnet as long as she can and when the students in her one-room schoolhouse first discover she is not White, all but one stops coming to school. The racism that Hanna confronts is largely autobiographical and Ms. Park weaves many of her true-life occurrences into her book. Hanna’s strength is sewing, something she learned from her mother. Her father plans to open a Dress Goods shop, but the community shows no signs of wanting to frequent an establishment whose owner has a “Chinaman” daughter. Painful yet funny, the reader will cheer for Hanna’s strength on every page.
This book received the Asian/Pacific American Award – Honor Book in 2021.