Month: August 2018

Review: A Stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker

| Tasha

A Stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker

A Stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker (9780763665968)

A wordless picture book, this tells the story of a girl’s first summer without her beloved dog at her side. As the family heads off on their camping trip, she finds herself on the lake shore alone. She starts skipping stones and as one sinks, the story turns to one of a crashing meteor and dinosaurs. From that meteor comes a rock that moves through time, starting as a large rough chunk of stone and becoming smaller and smaller as it is redesigned. It is the heart of a large statue, the keystone in an arch for a bridge, an elaborate treasure box, and then it sinks beneath the waves when a ship goes down. It is still there until the girl finds it, yellow and bright in her hand, timelessness and connection in a single stone.

This picture book shines with its strong message about the passage of time, the deep feeling of loss and the resilience to recover. It is a book filled with beauty, one that really comes alive with the turning of time deep into the past. That twist at its center is brave, surprising and is what really makes the book ring so true. As always with Becker, the art is exceptional. He captures emotions so clearly on the page and imbues his images with wonder.

An exceptional read by a master storyteller. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Someone New by Anne Sibley O’Brien

| Tasha

Someone New by Anne Sibley O_Brien

Someone New by Anne Sibley O’Brien (9781580898317)

There are three new children in classes. Maria is from Guatemala and can’t speak English, so she stays quiet all the time. Jin is from Korea, he loves stories but can’t read or write enough English yet to share. Fatima is from Somalia; she dresses differently than the others in the class. The children in the different classes want to reach out, but they don’t know how. As time goes by, the children learn more English. Soon Maria is playing soccer with everyone. Jin starts to share his stories and also how to write in Korean. Fatimah connects through pictures she draws and shares. Maybe making friends isn’t so hard?

The author focuses on what all children whether new and learning or already comfortable in the class can do to bridge the divide when someone who is learning English joins them. The book follows her previous one, I’m New Here. With very simple text, the book is accessible for learning readers and offers clear ways to make connections with one another that don’t involve words. The illustrations show the isolation of the new children and the dismay of the others at not being able to be as welcoming as they’d like to be. Even in the early illustrations though, the distance is bridgeable and children will be able to see clearly the hope depicted.

An important book for all communities that celebrates immigrants entering communities and schools. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Charlesbridge.

Review: A Thousand Beginnings and Endings

| Tasha

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman (9780062671158)

This collection of short stories is lush and beautiful. Written by fifteen female authors of Asian descent, the stories are modern twists on more traditional tales. Using the folklore of East and South Asia, the stories in this book take those tales and modernize them with clear feminist and girl-power themes. The stories are grand, mythological, stirring, and amazing. Readers will find themselves swept away, learning of myths they have never heard before and finding new ways to love tales they grew up with.

Compiled by Ellen Oh, the CEO of We Need Diverse Books, these stories are women speaking from their own diverse backgrounds. One of the most vital components of the book are the short paragraphs that follow each of the stories, tying them to that author’s upbringing, the original tales, and explaining their inspiration. Throughout the book there are themes of love and loss, death and redemption. No matter whether they are fantasy or contemporary fiction, these stories are each tantalizing and rich.

One of the best teen short story collections I have read in recent years, this one should be in every public library. Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Greenwillow Books.

Review: Run Wild by David Covell

| Tasha

Run Wild by David Covell

Run Wild by David Covell (9780670014118)

Head outside with this picture book that encourages children to run in nature. Sunshine, fresh air, breezes and dirt are all celebrated here. Jump in the water, talk to worms, run through the woods. The joy of running fast, getting dirty, howling and diving. The book is entirely outdoors and movement through nature, a pelting quick book that is full of natural delights.

The text has organic rhymes embedded in it. It works really well read aloud where the rhymes fall into place in a natural way, encouraging children to be loose and free, just like the text. The illustrations are just as loose as the text suggests. They are filled with trees, mushrooms, birds, caves, water, and children.

A fresh and natural read that encourages children to play outside for the day. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Viking.

This Week’s Tweets

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on Twitter this week:

Dj7bh5hXcAIHmhB

CHILDREN’S LIT

Agent Danielle Smith’s Former Clients Speak Out

The Story of a Bear of Very Little Brain

Jason Reynolds: ‘What’s unusual about my story is that I became a writer’

Top 10 SF/Fantasy & Horror for Youth: 2018, by Maggie Reagan | Booklist Online

THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141st STREET has been optioned by Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions – https://t.co/Td8KZmadEK

LIBRARIES

transformed into a tattoo shop for a day and a portion of the proceeds went to the library.

Here’s why this Belgian sourdough librarian flew to Canada for yeast

U.S. Public Libraries Saw 1.39 Billion Visits In 2015, A New Report Finds

“We used to ask families and children to sit quietly and read together….We now know that children learn best through play, an understanding that has guided us to reenvision how our children’s spaces could maximize children’s learning,”

Review: The Princess and the Pit Stop by Tom Angleberger

| Tasha

The Princess and the Pit Stop by Tom Angleberger

The Princess and the Pit Stop by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Dan Santat (9781419728488)

In a car race, the princess is forced to pull off for a pit stop to refuel. While in the pit stop, she is told that she is in last place with only one lap to go. Maybe it is time to give up? But instead she hits the gas. Car by car, she moves up through the ranks, passing different fairy tale characters along the way. Narrated by the Frog Prince speaking into a mic, the excitement builds. She goes over Tom Thumb and under the giant. She zooms past other characters like the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, the Seven Dwarves, the Ugly Duckling and many more. In the end, it is down to her and the Ugly Stepsisters as they race up to a cliff’s edge.

Angleberger writes with a directness that works very well for a book told primarily through a microphone and an excited frog. The book could have been just a list of different storybook characters, but with Angleberger’s humor it becomes a series of jokes and puns that make the book really rev. Santat’s art is stellar, creating a book with lots of different perspectives. It incorporates the feel of a graphic novel and also has the colorful playfulness of a picture book.

A funny and incredible book filled with girl power and glory. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Review: Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak

| Tasha

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost (9781250175366)

Min is a microbe that lives in this book. Readers get to look at the page closer and closer, until with a micron microscope they can see the individual strands that make up the paper. Resting there, very bored indeed, is Min. The readers pick up Min on their finger and then move her to their teeth. The next page shows the surface of a tooth very, very close up with the microbes creating cavities. Min moves on, but one of the tooth microbes comes along too. This pattern continues to the reader’s shirt and then finally their belly button, each place close up and full of microbes.

Shown in such a playful way, children will enjoy the lesson on microbes without realizing they are learning science. The interactive piece of the book is also a pleasure, though it will limit using the book with a very small group or one child at a time. There are more microbial facts at the end of the book to enjoy. The illustrations are a delightful mix of images from an electron microscope and cute little microbes that are different colors and shapes from one another.

A smart choice for libraries looking for great STEM reads. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy provided by Roaring Brook Press.

Review: I’m Sad by Michael Ian Black

| Tasha

I_m Sad by Michael Ian Black

I’m Sad by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (9781481476270)

Flamingo is very sad today. He wonders if he will ever feel better. A little girl and a potato, yes a potato, try to explain about emotions and feelings. At times the three of them get a bit down all together, but they quickly turn to a plan to cheer up Flamingo. The girl and potato think of things that they love, but they don’t work for Flamingo. He doesn’t eat ice cream or dirt. In the end, they decide that sometimes it’s OK to just be sad. Flamingo worries that his friends won’t like him if he’s still sad tomorrow, but they assure him that they still will. Then potato makes a joke and the book ends with lots of laughter.

Told entirely in dialogue, this is a frank look at sadness and emotion. It explains a variety of approaches to emotions, ending with the most important one which is to not push the emotions away and that they will naturally change on their own. Black’s use of a potato as a main character seems odd until his personality starts flying and it suddenly steals the show. Ohi’s illustrations are big and bold, filled with flamingo pink (of course) and other bright colors that will make this a great read aloud, particularly when shared with different voices for the three characters.

A quite happy and optimistic book about sadness. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Simon & Schuster.

 

Review: All Summer Long by Hope Larson

| Tasha

All Summer Long by Hope Larson

All Summer Long by Hope Larson (9780374304850)

Bina’s summer has just started, but it’s already going wrong. Her best friend, Austin, is heading to a month-long soccer camp. He’s also acting strangely and has decided that they are too old for some of their regular summer activities. Once he’s left for camp, Bina finds herself watching too much TV and just hanging out alone. Then she bumps into Austin’s older sister who turns out to be into music just like Bina is. The two of them start hanging out but when Austin returns things stay just as strange. Bina has to navigate her way through new friendships and old ones as she also grapples with her love of music and what that means for her friendships too.

Larson is the author of several graphic novels for children and teens. Here she tackles middle-school summers with a focus on music and individuality. Bina’s summer will feel familiar to readers, a stretch of time that is meant to be the best but ends up being time that needs filling with more than binge-watching TV. The incorporation of a friendship between a boy and a girl that does not involve romance or attraction is great to see. Readers will fret that Austin’s strange attitude means he “likes” Bita, but the truth makes sense and fits the story well.

The art is friendly and approachable. Done in a limited orange and black palette, it speaks of summer heat and sun. Bita herself is lanky and tall, her angles oozing with middle-school gawkiness in an appealing way. Her parents are just involved enough but also absent in a way that shows trust too.

A graphic novel perfect for summer reading.  Appropriate for ages 12-14.

Reviewed from copy provided by Farrar Straus Giroux.