Review: Sea Bear by Lindsay Moore

March 5, 2019February 14, 2019 | Tasha

Sea Bear by Lindsay Moore (9780062791283)

Told in the voice of a polar bear, this picture book follows her journey along the ice. She has learned to be patient: in her hunting and with the weather. Spring comes breaking the ice into smaller pieces. The bear hunts seals and takes naps with a full belly. With summer, the ice melts even more. Now the sea bear must swim to the shore that she can smell in the distance. She swims for days, accompanied by other sea animals as she swims including whales, narwhals, and walruses. She is caught in a storm but eventually makes it to the beach. During the summer, she grows thin, waiting for the freeze to come. She knows she will teach her own cubs patience too.

Moore manages to tell the story of a wild animal without anthropomorphizing her too much. The use of the bear’s perspective makes the story all the more personal and impactful. The impact of climate change is clearly depicted here, but not mentioned directly as the cause until the author’s note at the end. The writing is dramatic and immediately draws readers into the story where they will learn all about the incredible story of the polar bear’s year.

The illustrations are done in watercolor, graphite, inks, crayon and colored pencil. They are just as intense as the story, showing the amazing journey and depth of water the polar bears swim in. Adding sea creatures to her swim adds to the beauty of the Arctic and shows the scale of the bear in the vast ocean.

Moving and informative, this picture book tells a detailed story of one creature’s patience and resilience. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: The Bridge to Home by Padma Venkatraman

March 5, 2019February 15, 2019 | Tasha

The Bridge to Home by Padma Venkatraman (9781524738112)

When her abusive father starts to hit Viji and her sister, Rukku, as well as their mother, Viji takes Rukku and runs away to the streets of Chennai. Rukku follows willingly, though Viji worries that when others see Rukku they will take her away due to her developmental delays. The two sisters meet two boys who also live on the streets and the four of them form a small family. During the day, they pick garbage in the litter piles and mountains around the city. Rukku makes bead necklaces that they sell to tourists and students. The four children are hungry and scared often, but they also have wonderful adventures together whether they are living on an abandoned bridge or in a dark and hidden graveyard. When Rukku falls ill, Viji must figure out if she can care for her herself or if she needs to take a big risk and ask for help.

Venkatraman has created a tale that doesn’t soften the dangers and difficulties of children living on the streets of India. At the same time though, she doesn’t allow the story to be dismal, instead she shows how the smallest things can give joy. Just the inclusion of the puppy into the children’s lives adds an element of love and cuddling that the book needed. The setting of India and its streets is brilliantly shared in the book, that includes the dark dangers of those who steal from them and the predator adults they encounter.

The two sisters are very different from one another not just because of Rukku’s disability but also their outlook at life is in contrast to one another. Viji takes the role of protector for her sister, doing the hard and dirty work. Yet, Rukku manages to sometimes make more money for the group and also serves as the person who brings them together over and over again. The two boys are almost like siblings themselves, as the book progresses, they share their stories which are haunting as well.

A beautifully written novel for middle graders that shines light on children often overlooked. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Nancy Paulsen Books.

Review: The Goose Egg by Liz Wong

March 4, 2019February 14, 2019 | Tasha

The Goose Egg by Liz Wong (9780553511574)

Henrietta is an elephant who loved quiet. Most of all, she loved the lake and sinking below its surface into silence. She would get lost in her thoughts and just swim. But one day, she got too lost in her head and she banged it on a pole! She went home and discovered that she had a big lump, a goose egg, on her head. She bandaged the bump and stayed quiet until something on her head hatched open! She reached up and found a gosling. She tried taking the baby goose back to her nest, but the mother goose never returned. So now quiet Henrietta had a very noisy gosling to take care of. Goose got louder as she grew bigger. By then, Henrietta realized that she needed to teach Goose to be a goose. So she taught her how to look for food, how to swim behind, how to flap her wings and more. Eventually, it was time for Goose to fly south. Henrietta was able to return to her quiet life again, but it wasn’t the same. Henrietta dreamed of Goose’s honking and longed to hear it again, until one day she did!

Wong takes a one-liner joke about a goose egg on the head being a real goose’s egg and turns it into a completely charming picture book. Readers who enjoy a bit of quiet will find a kindred spirit in Henrietta while those who enjoy a more raucous life will relate to Goose. The pair of them are opposites and manage to teach one another things along the way. The book has a gentle tone, allowing the story to unwind before the reader at its own pace.

Wong’s illustrations are done on a white background that nicely frames the drama of the bumped head, the goose egg and then the hatching. The images have subtle coloring until Goose appears in his bright yellow feathers, showing visually how he change Henrietta’s life. The illustrations take on a vaudeville humor as Goose and Henrietta interact. Then Henrietta’s solution for teaching Goose is a lovely visual as well.

A sweet and gentle tale of adoption, letting go and returning home. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Knopf.

Review: A Story about Cancer (With a Happy Ending) by India Desjardins

March 4, 2019February 12, 2019 | Tasha

A Story about Cancer (With a Happy Ending) by India Desjardins, illustrated by Marianne Ferrer, translated by Solange Ouellet (9781786039774)

As a teen heads to her doctor appointment to find out how much time she has left to live, she thinks about her path to this moment. Diagnosed with leukemia at age 10, she didn’t know anyone who had cancer. She thinks about the awful hospital decor done in colors meant to calm and soothe. She thinks about the hospital smell that seeps into her clothes and skin after a time there and how she begs for lavender to be sprayed all over when she gets back home. She thinks of her parents and their support for her, but also the difficult conversations she has had to have with them about losing her battle with cancer. As the book promises, it does have a happy ending, one that will be greatly appreciated by teens with cancer and those who love them.

Originally published in French in Canada, this graphic novel for teens has a unique feel. Not done in panels, but in more of a free-flowing form, this novel is a quick read that speaks about the process of fighting cancer, the deep emotions that come with your life being at risk, and the importance of family and hope to keep you afloat in the dark times. The voice telling the story is written with a ringing clarity that cuts through any sentimentality and speaks honestly to the reader.

The art in the book is touching and emotional. It captures what the narrator is feeling and their view at the time, often making the words all the more powerful as it gives an image to the emotion. There is a beautiful translucent nature to the illustrations, an ethereal feeling made all the more effective given the subject.

A vital book filled with hope and a happy ending. Appropriate for ages 12-16.

Reviewed from library copy.

This Week’s Tweets

March 1, 2019March 1, 2019 | Tasha

Here are the posts I shared on Twitter this week:

CHILDREN’S LIT

8 St. Patrick’s Day books for your little leprechaun buff.ly/2BTEjLL #kidlit

Children’s literature as a natural wonder: How books introduce young readers to the environment buff.ly/2U1lU6U #kidlit

Obituary: Paul B. Janeczko buff.ly/2GEMyj4 #kidlit

Read Aloud Books for 5th Grade imaginationsoup.net/read-aloud-boo… #kidlit #5th #readalouds #middlegrade

LIBRARIES

Billings Public Library works to improve selection of diverse children’s books buff.ly/2BNTiqH #kidlit #Diversity #libraries

The Myriad Futures of Libraries – Publisher’s Weekly buff.ly/2tA30IJ #libraries

YA LIT

February 2019 Debut YA Novels buff.ly/2tBU05O #yalit

Sourcebooks Cancels Kosoko Jackson’s YA Debut buff.ly/2Sv2HJ7 #yalit

2019 Audie Award Finalists

March 1, 2019February 28, 2019 | Tasha

The finalists for the 2019 Audi Awards have been announced by the Audio Publishers Association. The awards are given in a variety of categories with three categories focused on children and teens.

It is also of note that Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, narrated by Bahni Turpin is a finalist in the Audiobook of the Year category. Additionally, Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham, narrated by Pyeng Threadgill and Luke Slattery, Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales narrated by F. Murray Abraham and an ensemble cast, and Sadie by Courtney Summers, narrated by Dan Bittner, Rebecca Soler, Gabra Zackman, and Fred Berman are finalists in the Multi-Voiced Performance Category. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange are finalists in the Narration by the Author category.

Here are the finalists in the youth categories:

YOUNG LISTENERS

Before She Was Harriet Dreamers