Month: July 2020

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

| Tasha

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan (9781547603299)

Allison has run away from home without much of a plan. She finds herself sleeping in the garden shed behind what seems to be an abandoned house. But Marla lives there, an elderly woman with dementia. Marla thinks that Allison is her old friend Toffee. Allison manages to start living in the house with Marla. She meets a local girl who helps her get paid for doing homework for others. As the story continues, both Marla and Allison tell their complete stories, ones that they keep hidden from others. The two become closer, telling one another their dreams and secrets, until one day it all falls apart.

Crossan has created a verse novel for teens that is a vital mix of hope and found families. She grapples with difficult subjects like physical and emotional abuse and the loneliness of the elderly. The blend of darkness and hope makes for a compelling read that invites readers into Marla’s old house. The verse is a gorgeous mix of frank storytelling about abuse and wistful longing for a future that makes sense.

The friendship between Allison and Marla unfolds beautifully before the reader, starting in a place of doubt and questions and becoming a lifeline for them both. Marla is not prickly or doddering. Rather she is fully realized as a person, looking at times for a stiff drink and always willing to dance. Allison is a survivor, seeking her own way forward. Bright and strong, she figures out a path as unique as herself.

Another amazing novel from a master storyteller. Appropriate for ages 13-16,

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury.

What Sound Is Morning? by Grant Snider

| Tasha

What Sound Is Morning by Grant Snider

What Sound Is Morning? by Grant Snider (9781452179933)

Morning can seem very quiet at first, but if you listen you can clearly hear morning sounds. As light spreads across the sky, cats creep quietly, babies wake and babble, wind whispers. Roosters crow and sprinklers hiss. Traffic begins to rumble, buses run. Bakeries open, frogs croak. Garbage trucks bustle, breakfast sizzles. Hot air balloon rise. It’s time for you to get up and greet the day yourself, filling it with your own sounds.

This simple picture book invites readers to explore what happens in the early hours of the morning before they get up. When it is still dark and there is just a touch of color in the sky, the noises are almost silent. Then as the town awakens, the noises grow, but still there is room for the small noises of morning that create our own experiences. Written with a lovely slow pace and a delight in the small things, this picture book also has a strong cadence that makes it a good read aloud.

The art glows with color and light, the yellows, reds, oranges and purples of the sky fill the pages and light the quiet awakening world beneath them. The tropical colors spill across the page, bringing morning light into dark rooms and filling the sky with joy.

A quiet yet noisy picture book just right for waking up. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Chronicle Books.

News to Wake Your Brain Cells – July 24

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

15 amazing middle grade books to read for empathy – Book Riot

Children’s Books for Fall 2020 – Publishers Weekly

LIBRARIES

Free Library director Siobhan Reardon has resigned – Billy Penn

YA LIT

10 anti-racist young adult books – Yahoo! Life

12 YA books by trans & nonbinary authors to support over JK Rowling – Pride

Get yer YA, YA’s out: the best young adult reads for not-so-young adults – OZY

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali

| Tasha

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali

Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (9781481485630)

When Musa started kindergarten, his teacher explained that the other children around him would become his new friends. Musa wasn’t sure about that, they were strangers! His teacher also said that her favorite day of the year was the first day of school and that show-and-tell that year would center around each child’s favorite day of the year. Musa was thrilled, he knew that everyone would pick Eid along with him! Musa soon found out that the other children celebrated different holidays. A few weeks later, Musa and his mother brought in food and told the class about Eid. On Mo’s turn, he talked about celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Moises explained that his family celebrated Los Posadas on Christmas. Kevin’s family of scientists enjoyed celebrating Pi Day with plenty of pie. Each child had their own celebrations and all the children got to learn about one another’s cultures in a very celebratory way.

Ali’s story is focused on inclusion and demonstrates how that can look in a classroom filled with children from various cultures, countries and faiths. The story is straight forward and powerful, clearly showing that not all children celebrate Christmas and even when they do, it may not look the same. Readers will enjoy seeing not only the celebrations shared in the story, but others shown on the class calendar.

Bell’s illustrations are done digitally but also incorporate handmade textures, giving them a marvelous organic quality that warms them. The children and families here are diverse with multiracial families, grandparents raising children, and gay parents represented in the story.

A beautiful look at diversity and inclusion through family celebrations and holidays. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Salaam Reads.

 

Finding Francois by Gus Gordon

| Tasha

Finding Francois by Gus Gordon

Finding Francois by Gus Gordon (9780525554004)

Alice Bonnet loved living with her grandmother in their French town. She loved baking together and also loved making lists on her own. But sometimes Alice was lonely, like when she felt small or didn’t feel brave or when her grandmother was napping. So one morning, she decided to try to find a friend. So she wrote a letter, put it in a bottle and threw it from the bridge. The bottle floated into the ocean, was handled by several different creatures, and eventually found its way to an island where Francois the dog lived with his father. Soon the two were writing back and forth, sending the bottle across the ocean again and again. But when Alice suffered a loss, it was hard for her to write letters or make lists or plan any more. So she stopped writing to Francois for some time. Eventually though, Alice began to plan again, make lists and write letters. And soon a big plan came together!

There is such magic about sending messages in bottles and what an idea that you could throw a message into the water and it would go and back and forth forming a true friendship. That underlying magic is a huge part of the charm of this book, though the characters and the French setting have their own magic about them as well. Alice’s optimism and creativity shine in the story, offering hope even when she is terribly sad.

The art in the book is done in watercolor and pencil. It also incorporates clippings from old paper that fill the pages with old-fashioned objects. Some of the illustrations also appear to be done on postcards, which matches the mailing of messages in the story.

Warm and endearing, this picture book looks at new friendships across wide distances. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Dial Books for Young Readers.

Clever Hans by Kerri Kokias

| Tasha

Clever Hans by Kerri Kokias

Clever Hans: The True Story of the Counting, Adding, and Time-Telling Horse by Kerri Kokias, illustrated by Mike Lowery (9780525514985)

In 1904 in Berlin, Germany, Wilhelm von Osten had an extraordinary horse named Clever Hans. Hans could count and tell time. He could identify colors and the value of coins. He could do math, read words, and knew music as well. Many people didn’t believe that Hans could really do these things and assumed it was nothing but a trick. Wilhelm von Osten truly believed in his horse though, having spent four years teaching him using treats to keep him focused. Scientists came to test Clever Hans and watch for secret signals from van Osten or others in the audience. Soon the tests started to figure out how Clever Hans was doing such amazing things! It wasn’t a trick, but instead showed exactly how smart he actually was.

Kokias invites readers deep into the mystery and wonder of Clever Hans. She sets up her book so that readers are presented with the amazing things that the horse can do and then bring them along on the journey of exploring what was actually happening. The book is gripping and fascinating as readers steadily see their own theories dismissed by the experts and the final reveal of the truth is satisfying and fascinating. The art by Lowery has a great playfulness to it that adds to the delight of the book.

A book of scientific discovery that readers must finish to discover how Clever Hans does it. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Something to Say by Lisa Moore Ramée

| Tasha

Something to Say by Lisa Moore Ramée

Something to Say by Lisa Moore Ramée (9780062836717)

Jenae goes through life being invisible. It’s her own superpower, just like her favorite show, Astrid Dane. At school she is entirely ignored, and she prefers it that way. Her family is different, though with her mother always rushing, her brother’s injury and her grandfather’s health problems, Jenae can end up invisible there too. So it’s very strange when the new boy at school notices Jenae immediately. Aubrey is also different from the other kids. He too loves Astrid Dane. But Jenae isn’t looking for a friend at all. She keeps pushing Aubrey away, but Aubrey just keeps coming back. Soon Jenae realizes that she has found a friend. It’s too bad that circumstances are creating a time when she will have to ruin their friendship to avoid having to do the thing she fears most, giving a speech in front of a crowd.

There is so much to love in this book. The warm family that Jenae comes from gives the book a wonderful heartbeat, including a brother who won’t really talk to her after his accident and his return home from college. Her grandfather is full of advice, pushing Jenae to face her fears head on. Jenae blames herself for much of what happens in her family, including her brother’s accident. She deeply believes that she can think strong thoughts and make things happen.

Still, that’s not true when it comes to Aubrey, a new friend who brings lots of mixed feelings for Jenae. Jenae with her unique view of the world, her ability to be alone and not lonely, and her independence is also full of fears at times. She’s marvelously complex, geeky and individual. Aubrey is much the same, yet where Jenae is quiet, Aubrey always has something to say.

Full of fascinating characters, this book is about finding your voice, standing up and insisting on being heard. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Balzer + Bray.

Cityscape: Where Science and Art Meet by April Pulley Sayre

| Tasha

Cityscape Where Science and Art Meet by April Pulley Sayre

Cityscape: Where Science and Art Meet by April Pulley Sayre  (9780062893314)

Explore the angles, lines and structures of the buildings and spaces that make up the city. Through vibrant photographs, this poetic informational picture book takes readers on a journey through cities and their spectacular architectural features. The author focuses on more than soaring skyscrapers, also showing readers mosaic floor tiles, dramatic doorways, ancient cities, and the plants that live in urban environs. Fountains, bridges, trusses and more also fill the pages with fascinating gears and incredible structures.

Sayre has once again created an informational picture book that really shines. Here she turns her lens to urban environments, showing readers various elements that they may overlook on their own journeys. She includes information on how to explore a city and offers questions for readers to ask themselves as they wander. The questions are architectural, asking readers to look closely and then wonder a bit.

As always, Sayre’s photographs are impressive. Here she beautifully plays with angles and arches, points and columns, windows and water. The book feels like a walk through a city, each page turn like rounding a new corner.

A joyful look at our cities and the beauty to discover there. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Greenwillow Books.

The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen

| Tasha

The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen

The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen (9781534466968)

On an autumn day, Ollie heads outside wearing her catsuit and followed by her cat, Pumpkin. She was about to jump in a pile of leaves when she noticed that it was moving! Inside she discovered a shivering little kitten. After warming the kitten up, the three of them played together in the woods until they needed a rest. That’s when Ollie accidentally left Pumpkin behind as she continued to play with the kitten, moving farther and farther away. After following a secret path in the woods, Ollie and the kitten found the kitten’s home. But that’s when Ollie realized that she had left Pumpkin behind. She tried to find Pumpkin, but ended up lost in the woods. She was lost until Pumpkin found her and led Ollie back home. Both Ollie and the kitten’s owner were very thankful to be reunited with their beloved cats.

With a distinct Halloween vibe, this picture book is a gentle autumn read that celebrates the love of pets, particularly cats. The story arc is strong, leading children nicely through a full tale with a satisfying conclusion that has a witch flying in the air at the end. Readers will love the suspicion that the kitten’s owner is a witch and then the confirmation in the illustrations.

The illustrations are done in a limited color palette of grays, blacks and pops of orange. The orange appears throughout, in pumpkins, leaves, shutters and other elements on each page. The illustrations contribute to the gentleness of the story as well as its merry take on Halloween.

This one will make you purr with happiness and is just right for anyone looking for a gentle Halloween tale. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.