Month: June 2017

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

| Tasha

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton (9781911171256, Amazon)

Released June 13, 2017.

Erin grew up near a large fishing town but she wasn’t allowed to head out into the sea herself, because of the danger. The huge rock outside of the town was the subject of many frightening stories that spoke about how it moved from place to place and was huge and sharp. Erin tried to hide on her mother’s fishing boat, but Archie, her dog, always found her. When Erin finally managed to sneak aboard, thick fog settled in and the boat almost ran into the black rock! As the boat veered away, Erin fell into the sea. As Erin sank farther and farther, she discovered the secret of Black Rock and realized that it was up to her to protect the rock.

This picture book celebrates the wildness of the sea and its incredible lifeforms. The secret of Black Rock takes this book from one of reality to fantasy in one revelation. The reveal is done beautifully, the page dark except for Erin and the fish. The writing is simple and allows the story to play out swiftly on the page.

The illustrations are exceptional. Black Rock’s emergence as a full character in the book is done particularly well as are the bright and varied fish that live around it. The pages with half of the scene underwater are particularly effective and truly show the magic of the story. The color palette between the sea and the rock and then the harbor and the humans are strikingly different and used very effectively during the stand off as well.

A lush and lovely picture book that invites children to find their own magic in the world. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Flying Eye Books.

It’s Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el

| Tasha

It's Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el

It’s Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Gina Perry (9781770496057, Amazon)

One by one, mythical creatures appear and tell the reader how great a life they have. The unicorn loves prancing and their gorgeous horn, but the horn does make it very difficult to eat, particularly if you get a table stuck on it. Bigfoot has a great time being strong and helping his friends, but his big feet can be a problem. The robot loves his flashing lights and memory, but rain is an issue. Then there is the Loch Ness Monster and the “fairy queen ballerina doctor” who help the others. But there are always problems like the sneaky flying alligator pirate. Who can help all of these mythical beasts? Dad, that’s who.

This book embraces the idea of creative and imaginative play completely as the children first introduce themselves as the characters they are pretending to be. Steadily though, the illusion breaks a bit as each new character is introduced and their personas get more complicated. Bar-el does a lovely job of allowing the fantasy to fracture steadily and then break altogether as Dad enters the picture.

Perry has created first a lovely fantasy world with rainbow colors, deep forests, lochs and castles. She then goes on to morph that into a multicultural family filled with children of all ages who are trying to play near one another if not together. The connection between fantasy and reality is strong in the illustrations and children will love seeing the ties.

A warm look at imaginative play and great parenting, this picture book is a celebration of dads. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder

| Tasha

The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder.jpg

The Forever Garden by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Samantha Cotterill (9780553512731, Amazon)

Laurel lives next door to Honey. Honey has a large garden and she is always out working it it, rain or shine. Honey weeds the garden, shares carrots and tomatoes in the morning, offers up eggs to neighbors from her chickens, and on nice evenings has cookies after dinner that she shares with Laurel as the fireflies come out. But one day, a for sale sign is up at Honey’s house and she is moving away. Laurel is very sad and wonders at Honey continuing to plant things that she won’t be around to enjoy. The two plant an apple tree together and Laurel puts up a sign. Soon another family moves into Honey’s house and Laurel shows the children how to take care of Honey’s garden using all the skills that Honey showed her day after day.

Snyder has created a very rich picture book here that will work for even very young children. She explores the wonder of both gardening and friendships in this picture book with muddy knees bringing people together. Snyder never loses sight of her young audience here, keeping the language simple and the story tightly written. It’s a picture book that has a full, robust story that will lead to discussions and perhaps some singing to kale.

Cotterill’s illustrations are wonderful, fully embracing the joy of gardening in all weather and the wonder of the outdoors. Done in pen and ink, they were colored digitally in a style that evokes watercolors. They are filled with small details that show the garden and the care and time Honey puts into it.

A warm book about neighborhoods, caring adults and the connections forged over gardens, this picture book is a great addition to springtime stories. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Schwartz & Wade.

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson

| Tasha

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson (9780062393548, Amazon)

Released June 13, 2017.

This is a novel told in three different time periods, each featuring a woman finding love and yearning for change. There is Adri from the year 2065, who has been selected to live on Mars. She is aloof and prickly and spends her last weeks on Earth with her sole surviving relative, an older woman she has never met. Adri discovers the letters of the other women and is soon drawn into their lives and the mysteries of what happened to them. Catherine lives in 1934 in the midst of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. In the midst of dust storms, she manages to fall in love and then has to decide whether to stay with her mother on their deteriorating farm or leave and take chances in a large city. Lenore lives in England in 1919, recovering from the loss of her brother in World War I. She meets a scarred young man who is living in an abandoned house on her family’s estate and isn’t sure what parts of his story are true.

The stories of these three characters are vivid and remarkable. Adri’s story is told in prose while the others are done in letters. The book folds out into a series of letters, origami-like and wondrous. Anderson cleverly creates a point in the book where one isn’t sure if the ending of the women’s stories will be fully revealed or not. It creates a breathtaking moment of mystery and inconclusiveness that adds to the already appealing story. Throughout, Anderson demonstrates her skilled writing and gorgeous prose that is full of emotion and possibilities.

The three female characters whose stories are told in the novel are vastly different from one another and yet the stories nest together into one complete whole. While they are distinct and unique women, the stories all speak to their tenacity, deep caring and independence. Even as they make critical decisions in the midst of impossible situations, there is a sense of community and connection that weaves throughout the novel, showing that we are all stronger together.

Engrossing, intelligent and incredibly rich, this novel for teens is truly exceptional. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and HarperCollins.

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

| Tasha

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani (9781419723490, Amazon)

This simple counting picture book is full of feline fun. Starting with one sleeping cat, the book moves to two cats playing with yarn, then three cats stack together into a tower like the cover of the book demonstrates. Four and five cats make towers that threaten to tip. Six cats wisely split into two towers of three cats. Seven cats nap together and then eight cats try a very tall stack and tumble down. Nine cats form three stacks of three and ten cats are just too many. So then the subtraction starts and counting backwards begins.

This is simple counting presented in a humorous and clever way. The text has a great rhythm to it that weaves nicely into the counting itself. Small children will enjoy counting the cats and adults helping them can ask them to count the sleeping cats and point out the basics of multiplication and division shown clearly on the page.

The illustrations are bright and cheery, filled with teals and oranges that pop against one another. They have crisp graphic qualities and the cats themselves are entirely adorable as they play, snooze and stack on the pages.

A winning cat-filled counting book. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Abrams.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins and Tumbls

| Tasha

Here are some cool links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

10 classic German children’s books | All media content | DW | 29.05.2017

During the month of Ramadan, you can read these books with the whole family

Family storytime idea: read these 10 titles featuring sibling favorites together

Good books, like teachers, acknowledge children’s lives, says author Jacqueline Woodson |

NCTE’s Reading List for Summer in Participatory Citizenship via

Six smashing children’s books set in London

Summer 2017’s Best Children’s and Middle Grade Books |

What does Philip Pullman have to say about The Book of Dust? via

LIBRARIES

For these Philly librarians, drug tourists and overdose drills are part of the job: https://t.co/4324f98wzM

Late Fees No Longer Exist at Salt Lake City Libraries

The US Library of Congress just put 25 million records online, free of charge – ScienceAlert –

TEEN LIT

DIVERSE 7TH GRADE SUMMER READING LIST via

Exclusive: will write ‘s brand new series!

Must-Read YA Books of Summer 2017 |

Summer 2017’s Best YA Sci-Fi & Fantasy Reads |

– featuring Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders :

2017 Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards

| Tasha

The winners of the 2017 Children and Teen Choice Book Awards have been announced. The winners are voted for online by children and teens. This year the winners were announced at Book Expo for the first time. Here are the winners:

K-2nd Grade Book of the Year

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp

 

3rd-4th Grade Book of the Year

Once Upon an Elephant

Once Upon an Elephant by Linda Stanek, illustrated by Shennen Bersani

 

5th-6th Grade Book of the Year

The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero (Max Crumbly, #1)

The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero by Rachel Renee Russell with Nikki and Erin Russell

 

Teen Book of the Year

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

 

2017 Boston Globe – Horn Book Awards

| Tasha

Awards were given in three categories: nonfiction, picture book, and fiction and poetry. For each category, there was a winner and two honor books. Here they are!

NONFICTION AWARD WINNER

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

FICTION AND POETRY WINNER

The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

PICTURE BOOK WINNER

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan

NONFICTION HONOR BOOKS

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steven Sheinkin

Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet

FICTION AND POETRY HONOR BOOKS

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance The Best Man

One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

The Best Man by Richard Peck

PICTURE BOOK HONOR BOOKS

Wolf in the Snow 31213527

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney

| Tasha

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney (9780316341578, Amazon)

Pinkney continues his foray into classic folktales with this new book. With its focus on fooling a bully, this is a timely tale to tackle. Pinkney uses great skill to whittle the text down to exactly what is needed to carry the story forward. The book is not a reinvention of the original tale, but instead a focused version of the original that will have children cheering the brave goats. Pinkney does add a nice touch to the end with the troll getting harried himself and then rejected in a clever mirror of what he did to the goats.

The illustrations from this Caldecott winning artist are exceptional as always. Pinkney uses pencil and watercolor to create his rich illustrations that have small details, large landscapes and animals. The goats are winsome and courageous while the troll is a vile green with long toenails, tusk-like teeth, and rotting fish and fish skeletons around him.

Another must-have for every library by a master author/illustrator. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.