When the Shadbush Blooms by Carla Messinger with Susan Katz, illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden. 

Books in which Native American traditions are accurately portrayed are very few, especially in picture book format.  To have a traditional Native American side-by-side with a contemporary one is nearly unheard of.  In this picture book, you will see the traditional way of life alongside the contemporary one.  There is a constant tie between the two, but each is unique and lovely in its own way.  The book moves through the year from month to month, starting with the When the Shadfish Return Moon and circling to a finish with the same month again.  The book ends with additional information on the Lenni Lenape people, meaning that this is not meant to be a more general Native American story, but distinct to a people.  This alone makes it worthy of attention, because so many Native titles are left meaninglessly generic where these specific traditions and people bring life and accuracy to the story.

The text of the book is clear and has a great rhythm even though it is prose.  There is a consistent tie to nature and wildlife in each month that makes the passing of the months fascinating.  The illustrations are the real bridges between the modern and the historical.  The same setting is used for both periods and they share the same space, making the point of the text all the more clear for readers.

Highly recommended, this book is perfect to use when discussing calendars with children.  I would hate to see it relegated to only being pulled out during a unit on Native Americans around Thanksgiving.  Instead, the glory of white shadbush blossoms on the cover should be used as an excuse to pull it out in the spring and share it.

The Painted Circus by Wallace Edwards.

What could be better than a picture book filled with all sorts of optical illusions?  Not much in the eyes of my two sons!  This was one that I almost had to sneak out of the house under dark of night to return it to the library.  It spent many days as the book of choice for both boys (ages 6 and 10). 

Author Wallace has created a spectacle of a circus in his picture book where the circus is used as the framing tool for each optical illusion.  There is no real story in the book, just one act after the other, each showcasing an illusion.  It is great fun!  You will see optical illusions that you are already familiar with, but several of them were new to me.  What is best about the book is that some of the illusions are easy to see and understand while others take a bit of time, some eye crossing and a bit of neck twisting to see. 

Highly recommended for public libraries, this is rather like a book with movable parts without the hassle of flaps and pop-ups which break and tear.  It will be happily browsed through by anyone in elementary school and calls out to be shared with everyone in the room or in one’s class. 

Toy Boat by Randall de Seve and Loren Long.

A boy had a boat he loved, every day they would sail together down at the lake.  The boy held the boat by a string and sometimes the toy boat would long to be free and out on the lake with the larger boats.  Then one afternoon, the boy dropped the string and the little boat floated out onto the lake.  The tiny boat found itself out with the huge boats, who zoom past him, each warning him to “Move along!”  The toy boat was left almost sunken floating alone in the night on the lake.  It wasn’t until a slow-moving fishing boat circles the toy boat that his sails fill with wind and he really starts to sail.

The illustrations here are wonderful, deep and dramatic paintings filled with water, movement and weather.  They range from close ups of the boy with his boat to wide panoramic views of the lake and the sky.  All done with  an attention to small details.  The prose is invitingly simple, yet obviously speaking of wider things.  It is a book that children can enjoy as a sweet story of a boat but also can be enjoyed by older children and adults about letting loose of strings and allowing freedom.

Highly recommended as a read-aloud for elementary age children who may understand the real depth of the story.

A Friendship for Today by Patricia C. McKissack.

This novel is based on McKissack’s own experience in the 50s as one of the only African-American children at her elementary school.  It is her obvious appreciation for the era that makes this book shine.  Rosemary can run faster than anyone in her school, she gets good grades and has a lot of friends.  The town is going to close the colored school and integrate the children in a new school.  Rosemary’s year is filled with the worry of a new school, prejudice and bullying, family difficulties and a friend getting polio.  It is a vivid snapshot of a year where Rosemary manages to stay true to herself and build a new community.

McKissack’s writing is accessible and friendly.  I appreciated a story featuring an African-American family better off than the white families around them.  The strength of people in the community, their values and the way they are instilled in  Rosemary really resonates throughout the novel.  Rosemary is a girl with spunk, plenty of spirit and a drive to excel.  At the same time, the novel does not shirk away from describing the era, the prejudice and the lack of tolerance.  The opinions of white people in the community are painted with complexity as are the reactions of the children of both races. 

In such a slim volume, it is a treat to find a complex yet warm look at this difficult period in our history.  Very accessible for children, I could see this book being used to start discussions on tolerance and prejudice in schools.

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

This final book in the astounding Gemma Doyle trilogy nicely completes the series.  Gemma finds herself unable to access her magic and enter the realms at first, but finds a door to let her into the magical realms along with her two friends Ann and Felicity.  Gemma is under immense pressure both in the realms and in her mortal world to share the magical power she holds with either the tribes in the realms or the Order.  Gemma hesitates, enjoying the reputation and respect she gains with the power, until it is almost too late for her world.

These books are complex and amazing.  Part of the wonder of the books is the way that their structure imitates the Victorian society they portray.  Readers are caught in a web of plot threads that move ahead at a stately pace.  Under all of it runs darkness and temptation that invite readers to dive in.  But one must read on with the corseted pace of the novel.  Until the end, where all thought of propriety is lost in a rush of action, explanation and beauty. 

Bray’s writing is exquisite as always and her pacing as mentioned above is exceptional.  Gemma as a character is wonderfully unreliable, trapped in seeing the world through her own lens.  The cast of characters are often surprising once one begins to understand them better.  That is another of the treats of the novel as the reader sheds the lens of Gemma and begins to really understand the world she is living in. 

Highly recommended, but make sure you read them in order!  Perfect reading for girls who enjoy romance and fantasy or either genre.