Catch that goat!  by Polly Alakija.

This is a great romp through a Nigerian street market.  Ayoka has been asked to watch the family goat, but he immediately escapes out the door.  As she dashes after him, she asks each person if they have seen the goat.  They haven’t but all of them are also missing something as well.  It’s not until the very end that everyone finds exactly what they are missing.

The art here really shines, filled with colors, business and the bustle of a marketplace.  There is a real sense of place in each image and one can almost hear and smell the market.  The text of the book is very simple with a distinct rhythm through the repetition.  This will make it very friendly for small children.

Recommended as a great multicultural read for preschoolers, ages 3-5. 

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

I loved last year’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, so I was very excited to get my hands on this new book by the same authors.

Naomi and Ely have been friends since they were tiny children.  Their friendship has grown and changed over the years, becoming closer and closer.  Even when Naomi’s father had an affair with one of Ely’s mothers, their friendship withstood it.  But their entire relationship is challenged by a single stick of Orbit gum, which tells Naomi that Ely has stolen her boyfriend.  The entire basis of their friendship has shifted because they have always had a No Kiss List to prevent just this sort of thing.

Cohn and Levithan have again written a book with such a fresh look and tone that it is amazingly hip in a way that will stand the test of time.  Where other authors look more to making cool references about bands and products, these authors create coolness out of anything at all, including gum.  The other aspect of the novel that works so well is its pacing.  As readers watch the friendship deteriorate, they will feel as if years have passed, just as Naomi and Ely do.  At the end, they will be surprised and amazed that it was actually such a short period of time.  The authors do this without slowing the story down, but instead lay the groundwork of time as a shifting one.  This is applause worthy writing.

Naomi’s character is a little stagnant for me, but I also see that that is part of what Naomi is about.  She is trapped in her own version of reality, unable to see beyond it.  Just as her mother is wallowing in her own pain, Naomi is also caught and unable to move beyond.  Ely is a far more likable character, filled with charm and wit.  But it is the secondary characters who really shine.  Gabriel, the creator of amazing playlists, the two Bruces who rise beyond what any reader expects them to be, and the Robins who are also very well written and highly individual.  All of the characters have unique voices, fresh perspectives, and a lot to offer the reader.

Let’s hope this author team continues to write together.  They manage to not only have a hip book, but also show the human face of the hippest among us.  This book is appropriate for high school students and not younger due to some references in the novel.  But it should be in every library and in teen’s hands.  This one is a guaranteed circulation magnet for libraries.