Pony Girls: Charlie by Lisa Mullarkey, ill by Paula Franco

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!

Knot Cannot, by Tiffany Stone

Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Knot Cannot is a humorous story of homophone wordplay that will make the reader chuckle. Can Knot do what Snake can? He cannot – slither, hiss, swallow, shed, climb, or swim. There is not a lot Knot CAN do. But he can save snake from the a bird by twisting him into a knot so he’s too big to swallow. Knot’s envy gives way to an understanding of his own self worth. Valuing what he can do helps Knot recognize the reciprocal nature of friendship.

Cartoon-like illustrations support the story’s silliness. A hilarious read aloud that celebrates the playfulness of language and the importance of inflection to convey meaning.

Act, by Kayla Miller

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.

The Vanishing Deep

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you only had 24 hrs left to live?  The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte is a suspenseful dystopian Sci-fi thriller. This book is a tale based on two orphaned sisters in a futuristic water-world, Equinox and Palindromena. The oldest sister,  Elysea, drowns during a dive and leaves the younger sister Tempest to survive on her own. For two years Tempest was diving and saving money to resurrect her sister, Elyea. At Palindromena her sister is brought back to life for only 24hrs. Tempest wants to find out from her sister what happened the night she died and what were the secrets she withheld about their parents’ death. This Sci-fi thriller is a real page-turner and kept me thinking about what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful thriller with a little bit of romance.

The Music of What Happens

Max is athletic, outgoing, and still closeted about his sexual preferences except with his closest friends. Jordan is exactly the opposite. Told in alternating chapters from each teen’s voice, Bill Konigsberg has once again authored a story of real, raw life for two boys who discover the other to be inherently attractive — a pull in their soul that seems surprising because of their differences. Jordan’s family is in crisis because of his father’s death. Max is the type of person who loves to help people — a perfect match. Max also seems like the person who has everything in control, but readers will ride along with Max on his physical and mental journey which is the more important focus of Konigsberg’s story. Max and Jordan’s love is so exciting as they enjoy those times where they invent new activities they can enjoy together. Their passion gets real and this is when Max’s struggle will no longer be able to stay hidden. The Music of What Happens is a wonderful addition to the growing LGBTQ+ literature available to young adults and should be in every school library.

Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure

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.

The Moon by Grace Hansen

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! by Jodie Shepherd & illus. Mike Byrne

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.

Snow Song by A.K. Riley

This simple poem shows small children enjoying little moments in snow as it builds in the woods, on hills, through the town, and on the local pond. This poem uses interesting descriptive words to describe the accumulating snow such as “lathering” and “creamy.” These words are not normally used in conjunction with the image of snow and it leaves the reader struggling to picture the type of snow covering the ground.

This is a good preschool through first grade poem, but because of the odd descriptors, it is an easy one to skip.

Points to note: illustrated by Dawn Lo

Speak Up by Miranda Paul

Knowing when to use your voice can be difficult. This book gives our littlest readers ideas on when and how to speak up and use their voices for good. It follows a diverse class through their day, giving real life scenarios of when and how students can use their voices individually or together. Some instances given are: if a teacher mispronounces your name – Speak Up! If you need be an ally to a friend, animal, or plant – Speak Up! When a rule isn’t fair – Speak Up! Even if your voice is quiet as a whisper, try it – Speak Up!

This is a great story to teach self advocacy and allyship to our youngest learners.

Points of note: illustrated by Ebony Glenn; diverse characters shown throughout.

Boxitects by Kim Smith

Creativity. Teamwork. STEAM. These three themes make this book a hit with all readers

The story follows Meg, a boxitect, as she creates magnificent structures at Maker School. Problems arise when another boxitect enters the school and suddenly there is competition. Meg and Simone have very different styles. When the end of year showcase requires them to work together, will they let their competition and differences keep them from winning? Or can they work together to create something even more magnificent?

The book ends with instructions to make your own box creations. A perfect book for kids who have just moved and may have a plethora or boxes sitting around. Points of note: book cover is different than the jacket.

Swashby and the Sea, Beth Ferry

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.

A Mustache Baby Christmas by Bridget Heos, ill. by Joy Ang

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.

Louis by Tom Lichtenheld

Have you ever thought about how your favorite stuffed animal feels about being squeezed around the neck? Squashed while you slept on him? Matted with food dripped on her? This story explores a boy’s unending, unforgiving, and maybe at times, suffocating love for his best stuffed bear, Louis. Louis has plans to run far away from this life as he has been stuck with needles (sewn back together), thrown into hurricanes (washed in the washing machine), and stranded places (accidentally forgotten on a bus). Will he succeed in running away or will he give in to being needed and loved?

This is a fun story with perfect, simple illustrations that are necessary to the story. Louis is a great tool for teaching point of view and would be a great addition to a library collection. Points of note: book cover is different than the jacket; Tom Lichentenheld’s real stuffed bear is photographed in the author bio at the back jacket flap; illustrations by Julie Rowan-Zoch.

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

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.

Up on Bob by Mary Sullivan

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.

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!

Curious George and the Summer Games, by Margret and H.A. Rey

Another classic adventure by our favorite friend, Curious George. This book has him participating in the summer games hosted by his local town. His enthusiasm assists him in persisting in his attempts at various sports, and failing at most, until he finds the one which suits him the best. Then it takes much practice and even an opportunity to offer some confidence needed by a friend to complete her competition even though she felt some stage fright.

Our lovable hero earned a ribbon for making new friends and learning a new sport. Reading or sharing this story, before a school field day or sports day event, would likely create anticipation and discussion. This likable story combined with classic illustrations, make for a great addition to your library or personal collection.

The Little Mouse the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood

Readers will appreciate the classic illustrative style of Don Wood with his large, engaging pictures which truly highlight this classic story. Our main character the mouse, wants to pick a strawberry but is warned by the reader, throughout the book, that the bear will want it. Out of fear, he tries many scenarios to hide the strawberry from the perceived bear, but in the end, there is only one way to really hide it. Watch our friend bring this book to a satisfying ending. The pictures help to carry the meaning and intention of this story. A Recommended classic addition to your library.

If You Were Night, by Muon Thi Van and illustrator Kelly Pousett.

Kelly Pousette, illustrator of “If You Were Night”, creates layered scenes with a technique of cut and folded paper.  The illustrations add to the “magic” feel of the book as the author weaves this simple and profound thought of what is would be like to “become the night”.  A child’s imagination and connection to nature will be inspired as each set of pages create a scenario for children to contemplate.  What would they do?

This book includes fantasy, imagination and the creation of moments of magic as a child gets lost in the possibility of what happens in the night in our natural world.  The combination of art, nature and imagination make this an irresistible book. Timely book for nighttime or peaceful setting. Recommended for families, teachers, and librarians as antidote to the stressful time we are currently living in.   Don’t let this story disappear into the night! Recommended.

The Boy, His Stories and How they Came to be, by author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers

This coffee table sized book contains four stories PLUS additional bonus pages full of author sketches, notes, pictures personalized by Oliver Jeffers. This is a fascinating book to muse through, as an adult, or child. The oversized book seems to emphasize the interesting, simplistic pictures which add to the intrigue of the adventures had by “the boy”, who is the main character in each story.

Although this isn’t a convenient book for student checkout in a school library, it would certainly be appreciated by teacher or parents to share with a child or group. The book boasts “Never Before Seen Notes Sketches” which make you feel as if you’ve had a private tour of the Oliver Jeffers’ ideas behind his stories. This book is a great experience to have by yourself or with a child. A wonderful addition to your child’s shelf or living room coffee table. A must have for devout Oliver Jeffers fans!

This Way, Charlie, Inspired by a real animal friendship. By Carol Levis and Charles Santoso

Truly, a beautiful story about loyalty and friendship. The willingness to accept another with a disability and do your part to help with respect, dignity, and seamless care. “This Way Charlie” are the words used by the Goat named Jack, as he guides his blind friend, Charlie the horse. They come together at an animal sanctuary, where all the animals have a physical and/or behavior disabilities due to abuse or birth, accident, or birth defects. They learn to accept each other as is and many have created beautiful relationships with one another and humans. This beautiful story is based on a true life experience at the Wild Heart Ranch, found online at wildheartrescue.org.

The large sized picture book and bold but soft illustrations create a lovely experience as a read aloud in a group setting or reading alone to a lucky child. Highly recommended for those who love animals and actively participate in their friendships! You will want this sweet story in your library.

Mad About Plaid, author and illustrator: Jill McElmurry

This absolutely darling, fun spirited book will capture the imagination of an elementary audience with it’s bold plaid, colorful pictures and crazy antics of the main character, a young girl. She happens to find a plaid, cursed purse in the park. She realized the magic behind the purse as everything around her turned plaid! The occasional repetition of “Piddly-Diddly-Doo” will have some reading or singing along with the refrain. When she turns the purse inside out, the plaid ends, and something new begins. You will have to wait and see the inside of the purse to get your ending to this colorful tale! Wonderful pictures and truly a fun experience reading this book about this plucky girl with the plaid purse. Recommended!

Nothing in Common, by Kate Hoefler, illustrated by Corinna Luyken

Beautiful pastel chalk pictures, by celebrated illustrator Corinna Luyken, create a beautiful picture storybook. It tells the story of this unlikely friendship between a boy wearing red and a girl wearing blue. Without using verbiage indicating the divide in the United States, it was an inference on the part of this reader as both people felt they had “nothing in common”. That is, until they realized they did both love the same thing and it was missing. An old man who walked his dog every day, is a part of both people’s day and they work together to solve the mystery of finding the dog. On this journey, they discover, in a subtle sense, that their emotions have more in common than they realized before the journey.

As the dog is reunited with his loving master, they all realize that you can love and respect each other even if you have “Nothing in Common”. A great modern day tale that easily fits into our contemporary lives. Recommended for you.