Full two-page illustrations and simple text in this picture book tell the story of Bob the dog. Bob works hard to clear off a neatly made bed to sleep the day away. As he finally settles in he notices “Someone” (the cat) is watching him. Will Someone go away so Bob can sleep, or will Bob’s nap be disturbed? Young children will enjoy hearing this story with a surprise ending, and may be able to read it for themselves.
Author Archives: SSBRC Former Member
111 Trees, How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl, by Rina Singh, il. by Marianne Ferrer
This lushly illustrated picture book focuses on Sundar, who grew up in a poor family, in a poor community, in a dry, hot region of India. His village continued the cultural traditions of celebrating the birth of boys while the birth of a girl was seen as a burden. After the childhood loss of his mother Sundar would hug trees for comfort. Working in the area’s marble mine as an adult gave him a view of it’s destructive practices and concern for the future of his village. The loss of a daughter to dehydration inspired Sundar to promote the idea of planting 111 trees for each girl born. As village leader he eventually convinced villagers to join him in planting trees. Over many years the act of planting trees led to a renewal of the environment and an appreciation of girls within the community. It also improved the prosperity and quality of life for the villagers. The colorful illustrations enhance the tale based on a true story. After the story are several pages with additional information about Sundar and the village as well as photographs of Sundar and the trees. The additional pages also have didactic information on gender inequality and eco-feminism not dispensed as charmingly as it was in the text of the story. This book could be used as a read-aloud for older students to start conversations about gender inequality and reclaiming the environment. The amount of text on each page of the story would make it a challenging read aloud for younger children. The additional pages of information are probably too text-rich for a typical elementary group read-aloud session.
Alien Nate by Dave Whamond
This graphic novel tells the same plot about an alien coming/crashing to earth, only to have government agents try to find /trap it and the young people of earth trying to help it.
The originality of this graphic novel is what makes it so special! Nate, the alien, comes to earth because his planet has come into contact with 1977’s Voyager 1. The golden record was onboard, but what the aliens from Vega wanted more of was the pizza accidentally left on board. They wanted pizza!
Nate is taken to elementary school by earthling Fazel, who has dressed him up to be human in appearance. Nate enjoys learning all about earth but, “It was always just about the pizza. Now I wish we’d paid more attention to the golden record.” (18)
The facial expressions are right on as the reader ventures through to see who will alienate whom, Nate or the government’s Men in Beige. The word play is hilarious with the multiple meanings of worm holes, swear, alien, and vegan.
Just like it is the various toppings on a hamburger that make it memorable, so it is with Alien Nate. This is one memorable alien adventure to earth and back!
The Suitcase, by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
This simply-illustrated picture book would be a nice springboard for a discussion of welcoming refugees. Primarily written as a conversation between animals, each character’s dialogue is printed in the same color as their fur, eliminating the need for identifiers in the text. When a strange animal arrives, three local animals are curious about his big suitcase. As the locals ask questions about the suitcase they become suspicious about the answers. Their mistrust leads to a violation of privacy, but also an act of contrition which creates an opening for friendship. The simplicity of the book means it is not a deep dive on the topic of providing a welcome for strangers, but creates the space for an adult to move the conversation in that direction. Younger children would appreciate the simple nature of the book, but it could lead to richer conversations with older elementary students.
Camino A Las Estrellas
This is the Spanish edition of Sylvia Acevedo’s Path To The Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist. Acevdo’s story is that of a young Latino girl growing up in Las Cruces, New Mexico who has ambitions to study math and science, but is constrained by cultural and societal norms. She also faces racial prejudice as a Latino student who transfers to an Anglo school. It is not until she wears her Brownie uniform to the Anglo school that Sylvia is accepted by the other students and joins the sisterhood of the Girl Scouts.
The Girl Scouts changed Sylvia’s life: she began to earn badges and learned to do many things that interested her. Selling Girl Scout cookies led her to start saving her own money and plan for college, knowing that her parents would be unable to assist her in this dream.
She tells of her experience growing up bilingual and poor, how she achieves her goal of graduating from college and graduate school and becomes a rocket scientist. Ultimately she serves as the CEO of the Girl Scouts of America.
This is a very inspiring story and libraries would be well served to carry both the Spanish and English editions.
The Ugly Five
By Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Axel Sheffler
Julia Donaldson introduces us to five uniquely bizarre animals of the African Savanna. The five animals: Wildebeest, Warthog, Spotted Hyena, Lappet-Faced Vulture and Marabou Stork all believe that they are the ugliest of all the creatures that roam the Savanna. They chant a rhyming song as they move along meeting each other. At the end their off-springs prove that even though the might not be the most beautiful animal, they are loved and needed, A lesson everyone can heed.
At the end of the book the author and illustrator include two pages of drawings of other animals you might see on a safari. The illustrations are beautiful but don’t deter from the message.
A good read aloud to illustrate order of events.
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History (Young Readers’ Edition) by Keith O’Brien
This young reader edition is adapted by the author, Keith O’Brien, from his adult book of the same title. In Fly Girls, O’Brien tells the widely unknown story of American female aviators in the 1920’s and 30′. Amelia Earhart’s amazing accomplishments and the mystery of her disappearance appears prominently in history books but how many know Ruth Nichols, Louise Thaden, Ruth Elder, and Florence Klingensmith? These young female aviators were held back by deep gender inequities during golden age of flying, and as O’Brien explains of their forgotten histories, “each of the women went missing in her own way.”
The stories of these five “fly girls” show how they came from very different backgrounds and experiences. Nichols was a New York debutante, Thaden sold coal in Wichita, Elder was hiding her divorce, Klingensmith was working on airplane engines, and Earhart was in Boston making life changing decisions.
Airplane racing was a very hot sport between WWI and WWII but was completely dominated by men. The five “fly girls” struggled to find opportunities to fly, begged sponsors, borrowed planes, took risks such as daredevil stunts on the wings of planes. O’Brien tells all of these stories, including numerous fiery crashes and the tragedies that occured in the cockpit and also on the ground.
Fly Girls is in the vein of Hidden Figures and The Girls of Atomic City, telling the story of how a group of women banded together to break the glass ceilings, struggling against entrenched prejudice, to fight for the right to do the job which had been seen as exclusively for men.
This Young Reader edition includes a glossary, source notes by chapter, an index, and primary source black and white photos.
Leif and the Fall
By Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant
Illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard
Leif and his friend, Laurel attempt many different ways to make his fall to the ground softer and easier. During his trials, all the other leaves taunt him but he perseveres. At last comes the time when an anxious Leif can not hold on anymore. Will his fall be disastrous?
The illustrations are simple but effective, giving each leaf a personality, This persistent tale lends to great discussion about never giving up, order of events, why and why not Leif’s inventions worked and the progression of the seasons. Great autumn read!
The Lady is a Spy: Virginia Hall, World War II Hero of the French Resistance by Don Mitchell
This biography is a younger reader version of the story of Virginia Hall, an American woman who fought discrimination over her gender and physical disability when she worked for the US State Department, left that job in Europe and to drive an ambulance for the French Army, then becomes a spy for the French Resistance during WWII, is captured several times, escapes, is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and later works for the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War.
Virginia Hall suffered discrimination not only because she was a woman working in intelligence in the 1930’s-60’s, but also because she wore a prosthetic leg after losing hers in a hunting accident as a teenager. Even with the assistance of President Roosevelt, she could not advance in government service here in the USA, so went to work for the State Department abroad. Fluent in multiple languages and having a brilliant mind, she still struggled with discrimination. With war breaking out in Europe, she joined the war effort in France where her disability was not considered a liability. From there she joined the British Intelligence Service as a spy, finding herself at the top of the Nazi’s most-wanted list. She was pursued by the Gestapo’s infamous Klaus Barbie, known as “the Butcher of Lyon” for the torture and killing of thousands in France by his forces. Hall later becoming the most highly decorated civilian woman of WW II, and is regarded as the greatest American spy of the era.
With such an exciting plotline of espionage and danger, courage, determination, and romance, one would expect this book to be a gripping read. Unfortunately, it is not. It reads like a mediocre Reader’s Digest edition of a greater work. In this case, the greater work being A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell. Students who are interested in espionage, WW II history, and equal rights for women and those with disabilities, should read Purnell’s book instead if they can brave the violence that is glossed over in The Lady is a Spy.
On the Horizon by Lois Lowry
Well-known author Lois Lowry (The Giver, Number the Stars) presents her reflections on World War II in verse. Born in Honolulu four years before the bombing at Pearl Harbor, she opens with the image of herself playing on the beach with the attack of the USS Arizona on the horizon behind her. With research to back her poems, she presents grim facts of the loss aboard the USS Arizona, for example, the fact that there were thirty-seven sets of brothers aboard. Part 2 moves on to the bombing in Japan, “another horizon,” where the Lowry family lived, with mention of people and artifacts found after the bombing. Black and white drawings by Kenard Pak contribute to the artful depiction of the lens from Lois Lowry’s childhood.
While the suggested call number for this book is 940.54, the World War II section, this book is not hard research material. While facts learned are interesting, the verse style lends itself more to the emotions associated with World War II. Perhaps a better spot for it would be on the poetry shelf.
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade, #2 by Lyla Lee
This book of 74 pages has short four to six page chapters with one black and white illustration per chapter. There is just the right amount of Korean cultural differences included to make Korean students feel recognized and non-Korean students to say, “Wow”, I never new that, “That’s cool.”
Mindy has been at her new school in Florida for a few months now. Lunar New Year is quickly approaching, reminding Mindy of how much fun Lunar New Year had always been with her mother and father. Unni, Mindy’s afterschool babysitter, is Korean, also. Unni’s mother is busy making special foods for their Lunar New Year celebration and makes extra for Mindy and her father.
Dad ( appa in Korean) wants to take Mindy to Orlando, FL, for the Lunar New Year Parade. Mindy’s not sure if she wants to go. How fun could it be without her deceased mother along. Appa tells Mindy to invite her friend Sally to come to the parade with her. At school on Friday, Mindy tells her class all about Lunar New Year during “What’s New with You?”. She even has special rice cakes to share ( not sell, like the trouble she got into in book #1) with her class.
On Saturday, appa suggests Mindy wear the hanbok (Korean dress for special occasions) to the parade her mother helped her purchase last year. It just fits. Off to the parade in Orlando with appa and Sally they go. The parade in wonderful and so big, but does not seem to have any Korean representation. Once the parade is over, Sally and Mindy see a huge Pikachu balloon floating by and run after it to take pictures. Sally and Mindy get worried, almost panicky, once they realize appa was not able to follow them through the crowd. Sally’s emergency cellphone battery has died. And neither one of them knows their parents’ cell numbers. Now what? Sally does have an emergency $20 bill for food, though. That is where appa and his friend find Sally and Mindy in the food court. The four of them have lunch, then make arrangements to meet back at Mindy and appa’s house for a Korean Lunar New Year dinner.
Mindy comes to realize that “without Mom here to celebrate with us, … I could still like it. And we could have new traditions and make new memories with our new friends.” (71)
Author Lyla Lee notes in her Acknowledgments, ” I wanted to write a book about the fun Korean traditions that my parents kept alive in our family despite the fact that we moved to the United States more than twenty years ago.”(75) She has succeeded in a most wonderful way!
Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business #1 by Lyla Lee
Mindy Kim is a 7 1/2 year old who has just moved to Florida from California with her dad, months after her mother died. Mindy is worried about starting a new school. “My old school had kids of many different colors. But here, no one looked like me.” ( 5) Her new teacher does not know how to pronounce her Korean name Min-jung and asks, ” ‘ Do you have an English name?’ ” (10) At lunchtime, the other students have never seen a Korean lunch and laugh. After school is better, when she goes to Eunice’s (Unni) house because Unni has a dog. Mindy wants a dog of her own so much.
Mindy’s second day of school is better because she has made some goals for herself, just like dad does. First, Mindy asks Sally if she can eat lunch at her table. That worked. Sally is interested in Mindy’s seaweed snack and soon has everyone at the table wanting to try it, too. Sally gives Mindy the idea of trading food for the seaweed. Then Mindy gets so many snacks she can’t eat them all. Then, Sally suggests she sell the seaweed snacks to the other students. Mindy’s seaweed snack business is taking off. She wants to use the money she earns to get a puppy. A puppy would help dad feel better, too, because he is still sad over mom’s death, like Mindy. Another student tells on Mindy for selling the snacks which is against the school rules. When the principal gets involved, Mindy and Sally become upset with each other for their part in the rule breaking. Principal involved means parents get notified, and Mindy’s not having a mother comes up again. Dad takes it all in stride and helps Mindy apologize to Sally. Later, when everything has settled down, dad has a special celebration for Mindy for making it through her first good week at her new school.
This book of 77 pages has short four to six page chapters with one black and white illustration per chapter. There is just the right amount of Korean cultural differences included to make Korean students feel recognized and non-Korean students to say, “Wow”, I never new that, “That’s cool.”
Fly Like a Girl: One Woman’s Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and On the Home Front
This is an inspiring biographical story of Air National Guard Major Mary Jennings Hegar who was was shot down while on a Medevac mission in Afghanistan in 2009. She was wounded but managed to save the lives of her crew and their patients. For these actions she earned the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device. The experiences Hegar had were hard for her to later talk about and she states that the book was incredibly difficult for her to write. The draft had to be vetted by the Department of Defense to assure accuracy. The reader will notice redactions (blackouts of text) that the Department of Defense made to mark words and people’s names.
Following this mission, Hegar embarked on a new mission which was to convince the U.S. Government to allow women to serve openly on the front lines for the first time in US history. She sued the U.S. Air Force to remove the Combat Exclusion Policy. Her story of determination, bravery, and justice for women is being made into a major motion picture.
The book includes exclusive photographs, a discussion guide, and a Q & A that the author wrote specifically for teen readers.
Although not mentioned in the book, the author is running for U.S. Senate for the state of Texas in the 2020 General Election. She is using the name M.J. Hegar.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
This approachable and concise history of Kennedy’s assassination was written by the daughter of a Texas television newsman who was at the station when the shooting occurred. Filled with photographs, sidebars, a timeline, glossary, and index, the information is easy to read and comprehend. There is also an Essential Facts section which provides brief descriptions of the key players, significant events, and the impact on society of Kennedy’s assassination. There is a chapter on the Zapruder film that was in the home movie camera that captured 26 seconds of the assassination. Another chapter discusses controversies and cover-ups. Another chapter looks back over the past fifty years and changes in technologies such as laser mapping and shadowgraphs.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy is part of the American Crime Series which also includes The Gardner Museum Heist, The Lizzie Borden Ax Murders, The Manson Family Murders, The Murder of Tupac and Biggie, The O.J. Simpson Murder Case, The Son of Sam Killings, and The Zodiac Killer.
Donut Dreams: #2 So Jelly
A thought provoking story with wonderful family and friend dynamics continues in Book Two of the Donut Dreams series by Coco Simon. In Book 2, we have Lindsay’s (from book 1) cousin’s story. Kelsey and Lindsay are both entering middle school and both work in the Donut Dreams Shop of the ‘Park’, their grandparents restaurant in the small town of Bellgrove.
Kelsey is not a fan of change. Middle school has change written all over it. One of the first changes Kelsey faces is having two of her friends try out for a different sports. Kelsey likes field hockey, as does her friend Sophia. Her friends Bella and Riley have decided to go out for soccer. Kelsey’s circle of close friends is expanding from elementary school and she’s not sure how she feels about that. Then, Casey nominates Kelsey for the sixth grade class representative. What will that even entail?
Meanwhile, on the home front, Kelsey’s mother invites her motherless cousin, Lindsay, over for their family’s special Friday night event because Lindsay’s little brother is sick. Ugh, change.
Kelsey does not make the A Team in field hockey, but is on the support team. Kelsey’s happy with it. She is not competitive. She will have “all of the fun without all the pressure.”(79)
Now, Mom wants Lindsay go with them on their special mom and me weekend, too. ” ‘ I don’t want to share Mom with anyone more than Jenna and Molly, because sharing her with them is already too much… ‘ ” (99)
Kelsey will realize how much her family is there for her, carrying the theme family always has your back from book one.
In the end Kelsey comes to find people :
- who want to help you,
2) here to listen,
3) let them in,
4) not knowing everything is okay,
5) not having solutions is okay,
6) kindness will always win out and you’ll stay true to yourself.
Donut Dreams: #1 Hole in the Middle
Here is a new series full of what it means to be family! It is thought provoking and reassuring all at the same time!
Book #1 – Hole in the Middle – is told by Lindsay as she works out entering middle school. Lindsay’s mother was the art teacher at Belgrove Middle School until she died two years ago. Now, Nans and Grandpa live with Lindsay, her younger brother, and her father. Lindsay’s grandparents own the restaurant ” Park View Table” or the Park for short. Lindsay’s extended family works at this restaurant, too.
Now that Lindsay is starting Belgrove Middle School she will be starting to work in the family restaurant, too. The special part of the restaurant that sells donuts.
The theme “family always has your back…” (44) runs continuously throughout this book with a warm sense of comfort. Middle school is definitely a time in life when a person is trying new things and “start to figure out who you are and what you like.” ( 94) This is a time when comfort is needed. Lindsay’s grandma Mimi comes to town to help her find a special dress for the upcoming Fall Fling. Mimi brings a wide array of dresses with her from Chicago for Lindsay to try on at a ‘dress party’, but Lindsay wonders if it is a ‘pity party’ because everyone else’s mother in this small town is helping their daughter pick out their Fall Fling dress.
Now is the time for the title’s hidden meaning to be revealed. “Nans says that we’re like donuts…we have holes is us, and I guess for me that hole is where I miss Mom…But that like a donut’s shape, we’re surrounded by people, in a tight circle, so that the hole doesn’t get any bigger.” (128)
Each chapter title is topped with candy sprinkles just like on top of a donut.
The first two chapters of book #2 SO JELLY, finish off this book.
Atlanta Falcons
There are 15 pages of text with two paragraphs per page opposite color team action photos.
The Atlanta Flacons out of Atlanta, Georgia, “have played in the National Football League (NFL) for more than 50 years. The Falcons have had good seasons and bad. But time and time again, they’ve proven themselves.” (4)
The book includes information on the Falcons’ coaches, team star players, their playoff and Super Bowl games, and statistics on all of the above.
I am not a football fan by any means, yet I was impressed by the way the author showed the Falcons’ effort to overcome obstacles from their beginning years to 2017.
The book includes: a table of contents, a time line (which snakes around the page), a postgame quiz, a glossary, a website (booklinks.abdopublishing.com), and an index.
Shiverwood Academy: Hallow-weenie
Young readers just starting chapter books will enjoy this ‘getting ready for Halloween’ short chapter book with only 48 pages. The illustrations have just the right amount of chubby green boogeymen with horns on their heads and a friendly helpful ghost to make this a seasonal winner and a winner in family dynamics.
Damien Q. Boogey has a secret, but before he tells us, his father yells, for him to come down stairs. Damien’s father is furious to read Damien “applied to be an apprentice candymaker.” (18) How can the son of the boogeyman have a son who is a candymaker? This is horrible. Dad wants Damien to follow in his family’s footsteps. Though Damien is terrified of his father, he stands up to him and declares, ” It’s my dream.” (19) The argument is on until Georgia, the ghost (and a former resident of the house), steps in and suggests Damien “shows you his SKILLS in the kitchen? He is quite talented, you know.” (28) Damien puts his Granny’s skills to the test and makes a cupcake his father states is better than Granny’s. Success!
Technology is All Around You!: A song for budding scientists
The idea expressed in the title is over simplified in this book by the text if it is meant for 2nd and 3rd graders, as the ages 3-9 states on the back cover.
The idea- technology is used to solve problems- goes back and forth between electronics and non-electronic objects. For young children, it might be better to reference the technology by time eras. The technology mentioned in the book are: video games, chairs, microwave ovens, calculators, eye glasses, a backpack, and an airplane. The text/song does mention how each bit of technology helped solve a problem, but I find a problem with the book’s content and the way the children’s parents and siblings will be using the word ‘technology’. I worry about the child’s comprehension of the word ‘technology’ if a knowledgeable adult is not helping with this concept.
The musical CD accompanying the book has beeps and boops included to represent the sounds of technology, but none of the chairs, eye glasses, and backpacks mentioned in the text make any of those sounds.
Persian Cats
“Persian cats are one of the most popular cat breeds in the United States.” (4) So begins the 14 pages of text on Persian cats in this basic informational book for primary grade readers.
There are 13 different adorable full color photos of Persian cats. The word ‘adorable’ may not be factual, but even this non-cat lover found them cute. The factual text usually appears in one or two sentences per page.
Book comes with: Table of Contents, Glossary, Index, QR code, and website – abdozoom.com.
Ginny Goblin Cannot Have a Monster for a Pet
Follow along as Ginny tries to find the perfect pet. She likes goats but they are too messy to have in the house. Ginny ventures to the beach, the hills, the forest and outer space looking for the perfect pet but definitely not a monster. If Ginny can not find the perfect pet, maybe she shouldn’t have a pet at all. Read this cute read aloud book to find out which pet Ginny gets in the end.
EndGames
Blue is working to find freedom for her friend, Crow. However, she’s also very much a part of the ongoing war between Goswing and Grimmaea. Blue, being half Grimmaean, has a difficult time getting someone to listen to her. Hector is a journalist who is trying to help, but no one wants to listen to the stories he writes or the truths he shares. The draft age has been lowered and Hector is being pressured to enlist even though he’s only seventeen, It seems the world has gone mad while Blue and Hector work hard to get anyone to listen to reason.
EndGames is the sequel to NewsPrints. If you haven;t read the first book then this will be difficult to understand. It works to tie up some loose ends from the first book, but it does take awhile to get there. This book takes a pointed look at how pride and greed can fuel conflicts as well as looking at racial profiling and gender roles. There are no language issues. It does deal with war violence and racial prejudice.
The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson
Trigger warning: The Art of Breaking Things includes domestic violence, drug use, grooming, sexual assault, and PTSD.
Skye is a seventeen year old HS senior who plans to attend art school after graduation. She can’t wait to get the heck out of town after graduation, and spends her time outside of school partying, and is popular with the boys because of her reputation of being “easy” when she is drunk. Her dad is absent, her mom is often drunk, leaving Skye with the responsibility of parenting her eleven year old sister, Emma. Skye thinks she’ll make it through the end of the school year, but when she learns that her mom is hooking up with an old boyfriend, Skye’s life starts to fall apart. Her memories of this man, who sexually assaulted her when she was twelve, brings a wave a PTSD, and the fear that if she doesn’t take action, he’ll have the opportunity to harm Emma once Skye is off to art school.
This story may remind the reader of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak. We see a girl embrace the power of her voice. Skye won’t stay silent.
The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle: The Cool Science Behind Frank Epperson’s Famous Frozen Treat
Frank William Epperson knew he wanted to be an inventor from a very young age. This picture book chronicles his boyhood life through his successful invention of the popsicle. Along the way four step-by-step experiments are woven into the story including the materials needed, procedures, results, and additional information. Frank did invent many other things as well, but it was not his main form of employment.
The book is presented in tri-color overlays and sepia tones to help the reader get into the early 1900s.
The book ends with family photos from the 1920s and 1937, along with an advertisement poster for Popsicle.
Zoom Along at the Construction Site
This 11″ X 9″ board book takes preschoolers step-by-step through preparing the ground for a new building project: bulldozer, excavator, front loader, dump truck, concrete mixer, crane, flatbed truck, forklift, road roller, and backhoe are all pictured in bright simplified versions of the machines. Each right hand page has a 4″ diameter circle cut into the center of the page that reflects the readers face back to him/her on a shiny silver mylar surface making the reader seem to be the operator of each piece of equipment. Fun!
The final page shows a finished library has been constructed using all of this equipment.