I am Amazing

Posted on by

Ayaan, a young African American boy, speeds around the playground at school wearing a cape and helping his friends. He feels proud of his efforts until some classmates laugh at him and tell him he can’t be a superhero – real superheroes don’t look like him. With the support of his father, Ayaan realizes that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes and their most important identifying characteristic is that they are committed to helping others. By continuing to be kind, helpful, and brave, Ayaan can live up to his superhero cape.

While not likely to engage most elementary school children, this book speaks to the preschool child through the relatable experiences, cute illustrations and clear language.

With Lots of Love

Posted on by

Moving to a new country and leaving extended family is hard. Rocio misses so much of her old life. Most of all, Rocio misses her Abuela. Rocio and Abuela used to spend a lot of time together and their love for each other is evident in the many small rituals of their lives together. Missing that connection to her Abuela, one night Rocio finds the brightest star and makes a wish. Her family wakes her the next morning singing Las Mañanitas for her birthday and she finds a package from her Abuela. That night she sends her love back across the sky to her Abuela.

Sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, the story will resonate for children with similar immigration stories. The themes of family, relocating, and staying connected to family and traditions make this a meaningful story for all young children.

Step by Step

Posted on by

With rhyming repetitive text, Step by Step shows how many activities that can appear daunting or impossible for a child can be conquered with one small action after another. “Stride by stride, one by one” a child can make it to school. “Smile by smile, one by one” a child can make new friends. “A to Z, one by one” a child can learn the alphabet. And when working together with friends, children can accomplish even more. The story ends with a challenge to continue to learn and grow by tackling future adventures “step by step, one by one”. The illustrations are cheerful and optimistic, featuring diverse children and supportive adults.

Step by Step would be a great read aloud to encourage the reluctant student on the first day, promote perseverance when learning new things, and celebrate the next steps at the end of of the school year.

Daddy Speaks Love

Posted on by

Daddy Speaks Love explores the special bond between father and child. Daddy speaks of nurturing though love, truth, joy, and comfort. Daddy also speaks of learning with dream, future, unity, and pride. The book then circles back to love and promise of together. The author’s note indicates that the story was inspired by words of 6 year old Gianna Floyd after her father’s death.

Beautifully warm illustrations feature father-child relationships of various races and ethnicities and children various genders.

Whales to the Rescue How Whales Help Engineer the Planet

Posted on by

Whales to the Rescue provides readers with a unique look into how whales can make a difference for the planet. Author Adrienne Mason describes whales as “ecosystem engineers” – meaning they are animals that create, modify or maintain an ecosystem. This book describes how whales help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Whales store a large amount of carbon in their bodies for decades, even centuries; when they die, they sink to the ocean floor, taking their carbon with them. They also deposit nutrients into the ocean when they poop which helps feed phytoplankton and draws carbon out of the atmosphere and into the ocean during photosynthesis.

This book was very fascinating! It begins by giving the reader background information on whales, including types of whales, what they eat and poop and how they migrate. It then moves on to describe how whales help the planet. It concludes with how we can help whales help the planet. This book has additional resources, a glossary and an index to give readers more information. Kim Smith’s illustrations are beautiful and really help support the concepts presented in this book. This book is also part of the Ecosystem Guardians series and would be a wonderful addition to any library.

Super Gross: What’s That Smell? by Ximena Hastings

Posted on by

What are some of the smelliest things in the world? Why do some things smell bad? Where do smells come from? These are some of the questions answered in this Ready to Read Level 2 book. Dr. Ick and his friend Sam the dog take us through why some things smell. There are 2-3 sentences per page and includes illustrations as well as photographs. Important vocabulary words are in bold and many also include a pronunciation guide. The glossary is located at the front of the book and an experiment is located at the back of the book.

I Want to Be a Vase by Julio Torres

Posted on by

Plunger does not want to be a plunger anymore, it wants to be a vase. Soon other household items want to be different things. The vacuum is so adamant that they have to be what they already are that he makes a mess, spraying dust everywhere. Vacuum realizes that nothing bad would happen if others got to be what they wanted.

The artwork is vibrant and jumps off the page. While I feel that the idea of the story, that we can be whatever we want, is important, I am not sure that it is effective with some of the items chosen. I think kids will be attracted to the vibrant colors and will find the book funny, but may miss the idea that you can be whatever you want.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tọlá Okogwu

Posted on by
Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun

This novel is a little bit Harry Potter magic, a little bit X-Men or Black Panther superheros,  a little bit Lightning Thief mythology & adventure. It’s rich with girl-power and learning to love oneself – flaws and all. Set initially in the States, the plot moves quickly to Nigeria and its magical school in the country’s capital city of Lagos.  This action-packed story hits all the marks for an amazing middle grades read. While some readers may be thrown by pronunciation of Nigerian names, some of which include potentially unfamiliar accent marks, if they just read on without  too much worry, it doesn’t really effect the story. I enjoyed the audio book because I got to hear the actual pronunciation of these names. The book does include a glossary of cultural terms the reader may need explained. I loved that Onyeka’s superpower is her hair which she hates at the beginning of the story because it is so different from her friends and is so unruly. She learns through the story to love it and the power it brings her. By the end, you realize this is definitely meant to be book 1 in a series. Future books to come. I think middle school readers will be anxious to read the next one! (Due out May, 2023) This is a nice addition to any fantasy collection, especially if you’re interested in having diverse authors who tell a rich tale. This fits the bill!

Youngblood

Posted on by

Review by Lili, Student

Be prepared for plot twists and the unexpected–even for a vampire book. You will never know where it is going to go. Kat and Taylor were best friends until the age of 13 when their parents fought, and Kat moved away. Later, Kat and Taylor find themselves roommates at a private school, a vampire school. My favorite part is when Kat finds out who her true fang-maker is. It all begins to make sense when Kat has a meeting with Victor Castel.

Boo! Hiss!

Posted on by

Boo! Hiss! By Cyndi Marko is a delightful graphic novel chapter book that young readers will surely love. 

A ghost named Phyllis and a snake named Sheldon live in an old, empty rundown house. They live there peacefully with no one to bother them. Until one day a human family moves in with a crying baby, a barking dog, a saxophone playing Dad and disturbs their peace and quiet. Phyllis and Sheldon retreat to the attic to make a plan to reclaim their home. After numerous attempts to scare the family away, they realize they don’t want them to leave. 

This is a fun beginning graphic novel chapter book for younger readers. The story is funny and the illustrations are entertaining, bright and colorful. I think young readers will truly enjoy this fun, scary story. Author-illustrator Cyndi Marko is also the creator of the Kung Pow Chicken book series.

The Most Magnificent Idea

Posted on by

The Most Magnificent Idea is the long awaited companion to author Ashley Spire’s book, The Most Magnificent Thing.

In this story the young girl is an “idea machine,” with her dog at her side she creates “cozy things, whirling things, and helpful things” until one day she runs out of ideas. She tries everything: brainstorming, gathering new supplies, even jumping up and down on one foot to shake an idea loose. But, nothing seems to work. She becomes very sad and worries that she will never have another idea again. 

Author-illustrator Ashley Spires’ colorful, detailed illustrations present readers with a clear picture of the ups and downs of the creative process. This book offers a terrific character education lesson in patience and perseverance. It could also easily be used to introduce a STEAM lesson to help inspire the creative process.

Beasts of Ruin

Posted on by

It’s not surprising that this sequel to the award-winning Beasts of Prey is also getting starred reviews, or that the story has been optioned by Netflix already. Ayana Gray’s depth of description, the interweaving of emotions with magic, and tension between characters let Beasts of Ruin feel so solid as a story. Koffi and Ekon are now separated as this part begins. Koffi, basically a slave to the god of death, is intuitive enough to be looking for her path out of captivity, even if it through mystical and “mist-ical” ways. Ekon will challenge what he knows of himself on his path back to Koffi. And as we all learn and grow over time, the two will reunite to find things are not exactly the same as they were, as is true in all of life. Action, beauty, wonder —Gray’s series will continue based on the last line, hopefully in print before Netflix.

Nugget and Dog: S’more than Meets the Eye!

Posted on by

Nugget (a chicken nugget) and Dog (a hot dog) are so excited to have some fun at summer camp. Unfortunately, Dijon (yes, he’s mustard) has an evil plan to scare everyone! He and his sidekick, Crouton (self-explanatory) mess up their plan to scare everyone with the Mean Green Pine Thing, which ends up being Honey Dijon (Dijon’s cousin), who just wanted a little attention herself. Rounding out the cast of delicious campers is Fry and the grumpy camp counselor, Grizzle.

This beginning graphic novel begins with some simple information about panels, thought bubbles and speech bubbles as well as how to follow the story on a page. This is very helpful for those readers new to graphic novels. Illustrations are bright and text is simple. This is a nice introduction to graphic novels and is really humorous. How can it not be funny with a hot dog and chicken nugget as main characters? highly recommended.

Judge Kim and the Kids’ Court: The Case of the Missing Bicycles

Posted on by

Bicycles are missing from Kim’s school and rumors are flying. Kids start accusing the new boy, Corey. So, Kim takes matters into her own hands and assigns her friends to gather facts and evidence. She convenes a “Kids’ Court” in the tree house that her dad just built, overcoming her fear of heights to climb the ladder for court. Kim handles the case with unusual maturity, which is not surprising since her mom is a judge and Kim’s been to her courtroom. The story ends happily with Corey’s explanation that he wanted to fix up his peers’ bikes in order to make friends and apologizing for stealing them to do so. His classmates forgive him and are thrilled with their newly fixed bikes.

The book begins with a short explanation about the correct way to read a graphic novel. This is helpful, because readers new to graphic novels will now know the difference between a speech and thought bubble and the direction of the story on each page. The story itself is fairly short and the text is very accessible. Illustrations are bright and characters are diverse. Highly recommended for those new to graphic novels.

Izzy’s Tail of Trouble

Posted on by

Izzy and her friend, Zoe, love to dress up her dog in baby clothes and play “baby stealer” with Zoe’s older brother. It’s typically a giggle-filled screamfest when Izzy and Rolo are at Zoe’s house. Unfortunately, things are changing and it’s hard for Izzy. Rollo is growing into a big dog and the baby clothes are getting too small. He’s also getting into some big doggy trouble. Lionel, Zoe’s brother, is becoming a teenager. And, he is the epitome of a teenager – surly, pimply and no fun at all.

Izzy doesn’t like these changes and is determined to find out of there is some kind of cure for these two maladies. She and her mom take Rollo to obedience school and he doesn’t do well. Izzy works hard with him and uses some of what she learns to engage Lionel, which turns out surprisingly well.

Through some gently comedic adventures, Izzy works on these problems, realizing along the way that change is inevitable. But, the fun doesn’t have to end, it’s just different.

Readers new to chapter books will enjoy this story. Accompanying illustrations in black and white break up the text and provide extra giggles. Add this to your collection along with the first book, Izzy in the Doghouse. Recommended.

Dia de Disfraces

Posted on by

This is the Spanish translation of Dress-Up Day. It’s a sweet story of a young girl who is all excited, anticipating a school costume party, but after helping her mom make a fabulous bunny costume, she is disappointed to wake up ill on the day of the party and has to miss the party. When she’s feeling better the next day, mom suggests she where her rabbit costume that day instead, and her joy is restored. Until she gets to school and the other kids stare and laugh, and she begins to doubt. Joy is restored once again when another classmate who was ill the day before also turns up in his costume, and by the end of the day he has become her best friend. The next day all the kids show up in costumes, convincing our protagonist that she’d had a great idea all along. The illustrations are charming, and the dilemma, as well as its solution are very relatable for young children: the difficulty of being all alone, and the power of a single friend to turn things around.

Cultivando a un artista: la historia de un jardinero paisajista y su hijo

Posted on by

This is the Spanish language translation of Growing an Artist. I like this book for a lot of reasons. It’s a very personal book for the author/illustrator, sharing how his own experiences working alongside his dad in the family landscaping business as a child nurtured his own interest in art, while showing him how he could use is art to contribute to his community. It shows readers that their own stories are worthwhile, even if they seem ordinary. It shares experiences that may be familiar to a lot of readers, validating those experiences. It’s a feel-good book, celebrating and honoring ordinary life and work and relationships.

Kings of B’More

Posted on by

Remember when you felt such big emotions as a teenager, big enough to flood every moment of your day and take you from euphoria to tears and back in thirty minutes? Linus and Harrison are best friends who are not only navigating life as black, gay kids but have come to the last day before Linus is moving to South Carolina. Harrison wants to make the perfect “Ferris Bueller” type of day where they skip school, take a train from Baltimore to DC, meet up with Linus’s crush, and experience something unique before he moves. But part of growing up is learning that there is no perfect day. You have to grab the day that comes before you and make it the best it can be. Linus and Harrison have an epic day together, that’s for sure. And there is a huge amount for the reader to unpack, from all-out racist interactions to exploring the purpose of Pride, to family relationships, to the meaning of love. Eric Thomas brings the heart of hearts out in one day in the life of Linus and Harrison. This will get checked out by kids. My hope is that they hang on for the end. There is so much activity in the day, it felt a little overwhelming to keep track of the new acquaintances/few side characters. But this is right on par to relate with Linus and Harrison’s emotions as they know that their tomorrow will be the end of everything that was normal in their lives before.. and they are scared because their limited and sheltered life hasn’t allowed them to see beyond the day.

Growing an Artist: the story of a landscaper and his son

Posted on by

I like this book for a lot of reasons. It’s a very personal book for the author/illustrator, sharing how his own experiences working alongside his dad in the family landscaping business as a child nurtured his own interest in art, while showing him how he could use is art to contribute to his community. It shows readers that their own stories are worthwhile, even if they seem ordinary. It shares experiences that may be familiar to a lot of readers, validating those experiences. It’s a feel-good book, celebrating and honoring ordinary life and work and relationships.

Rube Goldberg’s Simple Normal Definitely Different Day Off

Posted on by

I’ve heard of Rube Goldberg Machines, and I know the super-over-complicated type of thing to which the term refers. I’ve seen some in action at science museums and such. I only realized from reading the flap of this book that Rube Goldberg never actually built any of his creative, inventive machines — he was a cartoonist; he drew things that his training as an engineer told him should work in theory, but he never put those theories to the test. Yet his work inspired many others to design and build contraptions in the spirit of his drawings. This book is a series of cartoons starring a young Rube designing incredibly complicated ways to fake being sick and then do all sorts of things a kid might want to do one a day off from school, always in the most complicated, absurd, silly way possible. The steps of each contraption are labeled with alphabet letters, and the text describes in sequence how each is theoretically designed to work. It’s fun. It’s silly. It may trigger readers’ inner inventors and engineers. A website in the back directs those kids who are intrigued to where they can learn more about such designs.

When the Wind Came

Posted on by

We talk about books serving sometimes as windows and sometimes as mirrors. Depending on where a reader this lives, this book could do either. I’ve never lived in a place where there are tornadoes, or other wind storms so strong they destroy homes while families hide in storm cellars. For me, this book is a window, showing me in simple straightforward terms, from a child’s perspective, what that might be like. For students who may have experienced such things, it may serve as a mirror, validating their own experiences, letting them know they’re not alone. The book offers a sense of hope in the face of devestation: when the family rise from the cellar to find their home destroyed, they are still able to find enough in the rubble to fix themselves a meal and wash dishes and blow bubbles. Despite the somber story, it ends with laughter: “Those laughs didn’t change anything. They made no difference. Those laughs changed everything. They made all the difference in the world.” It’s a powerful book.

Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion

Posted on by

This is one of those picture books that has a place with older readers as well. It is a beautifully illustrated biography about a girl who loved music, but when she started to go deaf at the age of ten, a doctor told her parents she would need hearing aids for the rest of her life, would need to attend a school for the deaf, and would never be able to play music. Her parents pushed back and she continued in traditional schools. At the secondary level she was interested in joining the percussion section of the orchestra, but the school’s test of music ability tested only her ears’ ability to hear, when she listed with her whole body. Persistence and an understanding teacher brought her into the world of percussion, where she excelled. But when she wanted to attend The Royal Academy of Music, persistence was again required to win an audition. Her successful career in music brought her to the attention of Queen Elizabeth and brought the world’s attention to the doors too often closed too quickly to those with disabilities.

Rover and Speck: This Planet Rocks!

Posted on by

By Jonathan Roth

This fun graphic novel is an adventure that delves into the science of terrestrial planets. Rover lands on a planet and is ready to search for information only to find Speck who had landed before and was unable to power up it’s solar panels. Once Speck is charged up, they travel in search of life forms. They discover a type of “rock creature” and find that they are friendly when they hear music. While the story is not realistic, there are many facts about planets that are interspersed throughout the book. The back pages show images of the Mars and the Rover that was sent to it. Students will enjoy this book and learn along the way – Highly Recommended!

Penguin’s Party Problems

Posted on by

I just didn’t really like it. I thought the illustrations were busy and text heavy, and the story was a bit dull. Papa Penguin is trying to throw a birthday party for Baby Penguin, and he enlists a lot of different animals to help, and he’s in charge of the food, but after buying fish, thinking everyone will like it, he keeps getting texts from his other guests about their dietary limitations, and instead of waiting until he’s heard from everyone to do his meal planning and shopping, he goes back to the grocery store after every text to buy something to suit the latest request, and then at the end he has to decide what he’s going to make with fish and ants and meat and leaves and durian and vegetables. So he decides to make a cake, with each layer being a different kind. Never mind that the animals who said they only eat leaves or only eat ants probably can’t digest cake. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just set out a buffet? I just don’t think small children are going to relate to grocery shopping frustration. It seemed long for little entertainment.

Click, Clack Rainy Day

Posted on by

It’s not bad, I guess, but I was a bit disappointed. It didn’t live up to what I expect from my Click Clack friends. Students will pick it up because they will recognize the characters. It does use lots of repetition, which is good for beginning readers. The pictures do support the text, to help students with more challenging words, and are silly enough to keep kids going. But I thought the repetition was stilted, and I would have forgiven it that if the story line led to something a bit more clever or fun, like I usually expect from this team. Basically it’s a rainy day, and no one on the farm likes the rain and mud except the cows, but the others keep bringing umbrellas and boots and sweaters to protect the cows, but then the wind blows those things away and in the end everyone is wet and suddenly everybody decides they love the rain after all. Maybe it’s my prejudice as someone who has lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest, where we get a lot of rain, but I didn’t see anything in the story to change the minds of the folks who don’t like rain to suddenly loving it. It just felt like a convenient way to end it, rather than what the story was leading to.