Month: November 2016

Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley

| Tasha

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Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley (InfoSoup)

Gertie doesn’t know her mother at all, since she left Gertie and her father behind. Gertie lives with her aunt and father, who is often gone working on an oil rig. But when a For Sale sign goes up on her mother’s home and she expects to leave town soon, Gertie discovers that she wants to prove to her mother that she should never have left. So Gertie goes on a mission to become the best fifth-grader in the universe. When school starts though, there is a new student in her class, Mary Sue Spivey, who seems to be a lot more likely to be the best. She gets perfect grades, their teacher loves her, and even Gertie’s best friend befriends Mary Sue. When tryouts for the play come though, Gertie is selected as the lead, but can she actually become the perfect fifth grader and get her mother to witness it?

Beasley has created a story filled with characters who are vastly human. Gertie herself struggles with success, has trouble keeping her strong personality under wraps, sets herself immense goals through her missions, and yet has a huge heart and a desire to do the right thing. That right thing though is often warped under her reasoning into something that many people might see as overtly wrong.

The book has plenty of twists and turns, all based on Gertie herself and what she is creating around her. Sometimes that is good things and other times it is pure trouble. She also discovers that young people can be “fickle” and uses that word to keep herself from being too overly concerned when they turn against her and also too caught up in when they like her again.

Ideal for children who enjoyed Clementine, this book has humor, pizzazz and one great heroine. Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

 

10 Great Picture Books about Bullying

| Tasha

As I look at our nation and what this election showed us, I see a tolerance for bullying that is concerning and frightening. Yet, it gives me great joy to see that we are teaching our children to reject bullies through the picture books they read. Here are some great picture books to share:

The Artist and Me 15062342

The Artist and Me by Shane Peacock, illustrated by Sophie Casson

Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Bully Goggles!

Bully by Patricia Polacco

Goggles by Ezra Jack Keats

18763344 I'm Number One

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

I’m Number One by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Bob Graham

Jacob's New Dress Red

Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah and Ian Hoffman, illustrated by Chris Case

Red by Jan De Kinder

The Ugly Duckling Willow Finds a Way

The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney

Willow Finds a Way by Lana Button

This Weeks Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

I seem to have shared a lot less on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week.

If this was the way life worked, the Holocaust never would have happened. But, it is still important to learn from Germany 's mistakes, so we do not make them again.:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

8 Wonderfully Wordless Picture Books to Add to Your Family Library

Books to Bring to a Baby Shower via

Morpurgo wins J M Barrie Award | The Bookseller

I’ve been spending time trying to put positive thoughts out into the world. Check out the first two in my series of lists of Great Children’s Books that speak to core values that we can all agree we need more of in our world. The series will continue into the future:

10 Best Picture Books on Kindness

10 Great Picture Books on Compassion

 

 

 

10 Great Picture Books on Compassion

| Tasha

Continuing my series of superb picture books about the kind of world we want to live in and to remind ourselves that people are inherently good, here is my list of ten great picture books on compassion:

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A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

Fox’s Garden by Princesse Camcam

How to Heal a Broken Wing Ladder To The Moon

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

My Heart Will Not Sit Down The Passover Lamb

My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Ann Tanksley

The Passover Lamb by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

Red Kite, Blue Kite A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Red Kite, Blue Kite by Ji-li Jiang, illustrated by Greg Ruth

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Smoky Night Zen Ties

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz

Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth

What Color Is the Wind? by Anne Herbauts

| Tasha

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What Color Is the Wind? by Anne Herbauts (InfoSoup)

A child who is blind walks through the world asking what color the wind is. He gets very different answers from those he asks. The wolf says the wind is “the dark smell of the forest.” For the bees, the wind is “the color of  sunshine.” The apple tree sees the wind as “a sugary color” while its roots view it as “the color of sap and pomegranates.” By the end of the book, the child reaches a giant who says that the wind is the color of all of these things. Then readers are encouraged to flip the pages of the book, creating a rainbow of colors along the way and a breeze of wind too.

Herbauts’ book is exceptional. She has created a book filled with the senses. She incorporates touch into her illustrations, taste and smell are in many of the colors of the wind, and throughout there is a feel for the lack of vision and the increased vitality of the other senses. The imagery she matches with each character’s point of view is spot on. It’s done in a lush and lovely way that makes the experience of reading it intense and fascinating.

The illustrations have raised ridges in places that can be felt by the fingertips. They also have gloss on them to bring some of the tactile features out visually as well. Others are almost hidden until you run your fingers along them. The pages are filled with colors and playfulness with the child’s black boots walking along from page to page and other pages covered in raindrops or laundry.

Immensely beautiful, lush and wondrous, this picture book is a feast for all of the senses. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry by Susan Vaught

| Tasha

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Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry by Susan Vaught (InfoSoup)

Dani’s grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s and is slowly reaching the end of her life cared for by Dani and her parents. So when her grandmother sends Dani on a mission to find a letter and key, Dani isn’t sure that it’s real. She discovers both the letter and key, then has to follow the trail of clues her grandmother left in her writing to discover the truth of a feud that her grandmother had with Avadelle Richardson, a novelist who wrote about a riot that happened at Ole Miss. It’s a riot that both Dani’s grandmother and Avadelle actually were caught up in. As Dani gets closer to the end of the trail, she finds more and more secrets and history and modern life begin to collide.

Vaught has written a taut novel that takes readers on a journey through Civil Rights history in Mississippi. Told through the eyes of Dani, the book is accessible to modern children and shows that racism is far from over. With our recent election, it is also a timely book that speaks to the deep-seated racism still at work in our country today. Vaught uses excerpts from Avadelle’s fictitious novel to show the historical context that the riot took place in. It does show how far we have come, but also speaks to how far we have to go.

The complex friendships of middle grade children are captured here, with Dani and her best-friend Indri sharing the adventure while her “not-friend” Mac, grandson of Avadelle continues to also be a part of it though at times the two are not speaking, just like their grandmothers. This modern division is a clever way to show how friendships change, shift and fall apart, something that mirrors what is seen in the novel and in the grandparents’ relationship.

A rich look at Civil Rights, racism and the decisions too big to be unmade, this novel is a timely look at today and our shared past. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

 

10 Best Picture Books on Kindness

| Tasha

After the election results, I thought I’d turn to children’s books for comfort. They show me that we teach children to be thoughtful, kind and decent. My hope is that we can start to look beyond our differences in America and see the humanity and value in everyone.  One critical element in that is kindness:

Each Kindness 18475599

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (my review)

Highly recommended, this is a powerful book that is worth sharing and discussing.

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee (my review)

A masterpiece of wordless storytelling, this is a radiant picture book made to be shared.

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The Good Ship Crocodile by J. Patrick Lewis (my review)

Beautifully told and illustrated, this is a strong addition to any story time on crocodiles or kindness.

Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley (my review)

Beautiful and charming, this little book is sure to become a favorite.  Time to curl up with your own little bear and enjoy.

22718660 I Am a Bear by Jean Francois Dumont

The House That Jane Built: A Story about Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Kathryn Brown (my review)

This biography is a glimpse of an incredible woman whose legacy lives on in the United States and will serve as inspiration for those children looking to make a difference in the world around them.

I Am a Bear by Jean-Francois Dumont (my review)

A book that will help talk about homelessness and that offers a way forward, kindness.

if you plant a seed invisible boy

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson (my review)

Community, sharing and kindness come together in this splendidly illustrated picture book that is sure to be enjoyed along with other spring gardening books.

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Patrice Barton (my review)

A superb book about bullying and exclusion, this can be used to start discussions in a classroom or with a single child.

lion and the bird Oskar and the Eight Blesssings by Richard Simon

The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc (my review)

A noteworthy picture book, this new title by Dubuc is charming and warm.

Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon (my review)

A lovely holiday book that is about more than either Christmas or Hanukkah but about home and hope.

 

Stepping Stones by Margriet Ruurs

| Tasha

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Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs, artwork by Nizar Ali Badr (InfoSoup)

Told in both English and Arabic, this picture shares the story of a family of Syrian refugees. The book begins with Rama talking about their life in Syria and how things have changed and freedoms have been lost. War arrived with a lack of food and people began to leave. Still, Rama and her family stayed until bombs fell too close to their home and they joined “the river of people.” They walked and walked until they reached the sea where they boarded a small boat. People died aboard but Rama’s family survived. They walked farther, no longer in a world torn by war until they came to their new home and were greeted by smiling new neighbors.

This picture book is simple enough to share with children. It speaks to the horrors of war but with a delicate touch. Still, it is a book that will spark questions and discussion for children who will want to understand if they will ever need to be refugees themselves and how they can help. It is a picture book that speaks to our universal humanity, the power of war and the courage of hope.

The illustrations are spectacular. Ruurs opens the book with an explanation of discovering his art on Facebook and reaching out to him to see if he would do a book with her on Syrian refugees. His art is moving and emotional, the faceless rocks somehow capturing fear, strain, despair and eventually joy. Done with subtle natural colors, the art is powerful and wrenching.

A noteworthy and extraordinary picture book on the refugee crisis, this picture book belongs in all libraries. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

Be the Change by Arun Gandhi

| Tasha

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Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus, illustrated by Evan Turk (InfoSoup)

Arun lives in a village with his grandfather. The purpose of life in the ashram was to work in service for one another. For Arun, that meant following his grandfather’s rules as well and the hardest for Arun was not to waste. One day, Arun grew tired of his vow not to waste and threw an almost worn out pencil away into the grass. When he asked for a new pencil that night, his grandfather said that he had had a fine pencil just that morning. He went on to explain that the thing of importance was not the pencil but Arun himself. So Arun set off after dark to find the pencil nub in the grass. Still, it would take more teachings from his grandfather for Arun to finally connect wasting nothing with nonviolence as Arun works to define what passive violence actually is.

In a lesson ideal for our time of large consumption and rude political discourse, this picture book is a gentle salve. It speaks of small moments of choice actually shaping our persona and our ideas. One small pencil nub is actually a decision to live without excess and without damaging others. The message is delivered through the curious eyes of a young boy who asks the questions that readers will also have. This is a lovely and accessible look at the teachings of Gandhi.

Turk’s illustrations are lush and patterned. He uses collage at times, fabric folds popping off the page. Gorgeous colors fill nature with purple trees, silver rimmed clouds, the glow of orange understanding after a darkness of shadow.

This second picture book about Grandfather Gandhi is a treat and offers opportunity for discussions about waste and care for others. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.