Month: August 2021

Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba

| Tasha
Cover image for Temple Alley Summer.

Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba, illustrated by Miho Satake, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa (9781632063038)

When Kazu sees a strange girl leaving his house in the middle of the night wearing a white kimono, he wonders about it. But things are even stranger at school, when he is the only person who seems not to know Akari, the girl who exited his house that night. Everyone else seems to have known her for years and years. When Kazu follows Akari home, he realizes that her mother is invisible! As Kazu explores the history of his Kimyo Temple neighborhood, which doesn’t have a temple, he finds himself angering some of the older people in his community. Putting the pieces together, Kazu discovers that a small Buddha statue from his family’s home has the power to restore dead people to life! After getting to know Akari and her mother from her previous life, Kazu has a new quest, to give Akari the chance to read the ending of an unfinished story from decades ago. It may be the key to keeping Akari alive this time around and also the answer to the questions about Kazu’s own family and community.

Written by one of Japan’s most well-known and prolific children’s and YA fantasy authors, this book is a marvel. Kashiwaba weaves together multiple layers to create a book that is satisfying and full of magic. There is Kazu’s own life, going to school and having friends, going to the beach and enjoying his summer. There is the mystery of Akari with her empty house and invisible mother. There is the story of Kazu’s own family and the missing temple in his neighborhood to explore. Then the story that Akari loved in her previous life is shared on the pages, giving readers a witch-filled and magical story that is full of danger, cold and heroes. The last is to find the author herself and see if they can get the story finished. By that point, the reader is hoping that they can, because you simply must know how it ends!

Beautifully, Kashiwaba changes the style of her writing from Kazu’s story to the fantasy tale embedded in the novel. Kazu’s story is more modern with shorter lines and more exclamations. The lines lengthen in the witch’s story, becoming more storytelling. It’s very cleverly done. The characters are marvelous from Kazu himself at the heart of this unique zombie story to Akari who is learning to live a new life and loving every moment to the friends, parents and newly met people that Kazu meets along the way.

Unique, fascinating and completely wonderful, this Japanese import is a delight. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

2021 CBCA Book of the Year Awards

| Tasha

The Children’s Book Council of Australia have announced the winners of their annual book awards. The awards are given in a variety of age categories and offer a winner as well as honor books in each category. Here are the winning books:

OLDER READERS

WINNER

The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell

HONOR BOOKS

Metal Fish, Falling Snow

Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore

Where We Begin

Where We Begin by Christie Nieman

YOUNGER READERS

WINNER

Aster's Good, Right Things

Aster’s Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon

HONOR BOOKS

The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty, illustrated by Kelly Canby

Worse Things

Worse Things by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Sarah Davis

EARLY CHILDHOOD

WINNER

No! Never! A Cautionary Tale

No! Never! by Libby Hathorn & Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, illustrated by Mel Pearce

HONOR BOOKS

Anemone is not the Enemy

Anemone Is Not the Enemy by Anna McGregor

We Love You, Magoo

We Love You, Magoo by Briony Stewart

PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR

WINNER

How to Make a Bird

How to Make a Bird illustrated by Matt Ottley, written by Meg McKinlay

HONOR BOOKS

Not Cute

Not Cute by Philip Bunting

Your Birthday was the BEST!

Your Birthday Was the Best! illustrated by Felicita Sala, written by Maggie Hutchings

THE EVE POWNALL AWARD (NONFICTION)

WINNER

Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu

Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu by Pamela Freeman, illustrated by Liz Anelli

HONOR BOOKS

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dangerous Animals by Sami Bayly

Strangers on Country

Strangers on Country by David Hartley & Kirsty Murray, illustrated by Dub Leffler

CBCA AWARD FOR NEW ILLUSTRATOR

This Small Blue Dot

This Small Blue Dot by Zeno Sworder

War by Jose Jorge Letria

| Tasha
Cover image for War.

War by Jose Jorge Letria, illustrated by Andre Letria (9781771647267)

This Portuguese picture book offers a deeply surreal but also honest look at the impact of war. Told in a mixture of wordless pages and pages with only a sentence, war is depicted as spiders and snakes that race across the landscape. They take over a bird, who then flies war over the land “like a whispered, swift disease.” The bird then lands at a building where a leader has been waiting, plotting his attack on the land. War is shown as a force that destroys stories, crushes things under heavy boots, pollutes the air, and erases individuality. Planes take to the sky, bombs fall and the rubble of war is created, leaving silence and more spiders waiting for their next move.

This will be a picture book that will have people questioning whether it is for children. While there is no gore and no violence on the page, the results of the violence are shown, including bodies that fill the page with their fallen pattern. Yet we all serve children who have escaped war-torn nations and have survived. For me, that means this is a book for children that may offer them a way to verbalize the impact of war to those of us who have been lucky enough to not experience it.

The book is haunting. From the wall of masks and helmets that the dictator picks from to the spiders and snakes themselves, there is imagery here that makes emotions real and tangible. The burning of books and the ripping down of towns is shown moments before they happen. This is not a depiction of war wrapped in a flag and full of heroism.

Dark, surreal and incredibly real. Appropriate for ages 6-10.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Greystone Books.

Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins

| Tasha
Cover image for Vampenguin.

Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins (9781534466982)

The Dracula family is heading to the zoo on Saturday. The first place they always visited at the zoo was the Penguin House. The youngest in the family, loved visiting all of the different sorts of penguins. And when he saw an opening, he made his way into the exhibit and a little penguin took his place in the stroller. The little Dracula was there when the penguins got fed, so he devoured the fish not sharing it very well. The family went on to walk the zoo and see all sorts of exhibits. Along the way, the penguin got to see the sights and eat lots of snow cones. Back in the penguin exhibit, it was time for a swim. Some rude children stopped by and little Dracula helped send them on their way. It was soon time for the child and penguin to switch places again. The family would never forget their visit to the zoo, and the penguins would never be the same either.

This wry picture book tells one story with the text while the illustrations show what is actually happening. With the stealthy and undiscovered switch between child and penguin, this style works very well and keeps the humor going through the entire book. Cummins’ writing has a subtle wink to reality all the while thoroughly enjoying throwing a vampire family into the everyday setting of a trip to the zoo.

The illustrations are a delight with all of their details that make the entire book work. From the fish left in the doorway to keep it ajar to the fluffy pink towels in the penguin exhibit, the details are charming. Then there is the truth of a visit to the zoo from the almost-empty exhibits where you can’t see much to the cost of the treats to dirty diapers.

This is a funny and smart picture book. Nothing fishy about it. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Atheneum.

Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac

| Tasha
Cover image for Rez Dogs.

Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac (9780593326213)

When Malian is at her grandparents visiting, Covid-19 brings everyone into lockdown. Malian lives in Boston with her parents usually and now she is on an extended visit on the Wabanaki reservation where her grandparents live. She works to keep her grandparents safe from the virus, keeping social services and the mailmen at the end of the driveway. She is helped by Malsum, a wolf-like dog who simply showed up one day and stayed. Dogs on the reservation are different than in the city. Malsum is his own dog, responsible for himself, though he does enjoy the attention and food that Malian and her grandparents give him. Malian’s grandmother’s fry bread is a special treat for everyone. This is a lovely look at how one family got through Covid by supporting each other.

Told in verse, this middle-grade novel shares oral storytelling traditions and celebrates the love of grandchild and grandparents. Bruchac is a celebrated Abenaki children’s author with hundreds of publications in his body of work. There is a wonderful sense of place throughout this book, showing the way of life on the reservation. The pace of life is slower too, partially due to the pandemic but also by choice.

Malian is a great guide to life on the Wabanaki reservation, since she lives a different lifestyle when she is in the city. She clearly shows the distinctions between the two ways of life, each with their own benefits and challenges. Malsum, the dog, is a character himself, guiding the humans around him through his body language, approval and defense.

A timely novel that looks at the pandemic and its impact on indigenous families. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Blueberry Cake by Sarah Dillard

| Tasha
Cover image for Blueberry Cake.

Blueberry Cake by Sarah Dillard (9781534451346)

A little bear asks his mother for some blueberry cake one morning. She sends him off with a pail to pick blueberries. He walks through the woods until he reaches the huge patch of wild blueberries. He picks some and eats more. Distracted by a butterfly, he accidentally dumps out the few berries he has left. Almost back home, he stops to fill the pail with flowers from the meadow. But no blueberries, means no blueberry cake. So the next day, he tries again. This time he surprises his mother with a full pail of blueberries and she immediately makes him blueberry cake!

The little bear is a merry youngster, dashing through the woods, cartwheeling, and wearing the pail on his head. His enthusiasm for blueberry cake is contagious and mouthwatering. The text in the book is limited to only a few words with many of the panels in the book wordless. There is something marvelously charming about these domestic bears with their sunny yellow kitchen with polka dot wallpaper and checked curtains. Make sure to stay until the final page when the cake has been cut for a little giggle.

A summery sweet read. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Aladdin.

News to Wake Your Brain Cells – August 20

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The picture book fighting back against Russia’s LGBT+ propaganda law – The Guardian

What impact will the pandemic have on early literacy? – EdSource

LIBRARIES

Getting police out of libraries is the aim of the Abolitionist Library Association – Teen Vogue

YA LIT

Author Jason Reynolds opens the doors to his new DC home – 4 Washington

The MG/YA confusion: why do lists for young adults always contain children’s books? – Fuse #8

New and forthcoming YA disability nonfiction – Book Riot

El Toro and Friends by Raul the Third

| Tasha
Cover image for Tag Team.

Tag Team by Raul the Third (9780358380399)

Cover image for Training Day.

Training Day by Raul the Third (9780358380382)

These are the first two titles in the new early reader series by the talented Raúl the Third. The books feature the Luchadores El Toro and his group of friends. In Tag Team, the stadium is a mess after last night’s match. El Toro is feeling very overwhelmed by the mess until La Oink Oink arrives and helps him. She talks him into doing it as a tag team, turning on some music and working together with brooms, mops and more. The second book, Training Day, shows how El Toro trains to get ready for his next match. But he isn’t feeling like training, even though his coach, Kooky Dooky, wants to keep him in shape and ready. Kooky tries to think of cool exercises that will get El Toro out of bed, but it isn’t until El Toro is truly inspired that he is ready to train.

With a mix of Spanish and English, these beginning readers are marvelous. The writing has just the right mix of humor and emotion. El Toro’s situations are relatable, since sometimes children don’t want to do their chores or get out of bed for a busy day. There is a lot of empathy here combined with empowering messages about the importance of friendships to keep us going.

The illustrations are detailed and delightful. Featuring Raúl the Third’s signature style, they share characters that readers will have met in Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market! The colors are bright and full of tropical colors of orange, purple and yellow.

A vital addition to all libraries’ early reader shelves. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copies.

The Shark Book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

| Tasha
Cover image for The Shark Book.

The Shark Book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (9781328569493)

This gorgeous nonfiction picture book explores the diverse world of sharks that includes over 500 different species. The book defines what a shark is, exploring the various physical attributes that make sharks special including their rows of teeth, dorsal and other fins, and their countershading. The wide range of sizes that sharks come in is also featured. Size of shark is shown in comparison with a lone adult human swimmer, often dwarfed by the sharks around them. The book explores how sharks are born, what they eat, and then some of the more interesting species including hammerhead, great white, and whale sharks. Record holding sharks are shown and then shark attacks are discussed as well, while also stating the jeopardy that sharks are in themselves. This is a balanced, fascinating book that is sure to be popular.

From the Caldecott-Honor winning team, this nonfiction picture book features facts that have been chosen to draw readers into the subject. Readers may know something about one type of shark, but the huge diversity of sharks will likely surprise young readers who will find new sharks on every page. The writing is straight-forward and simple allowing the facts themselves to fascinate and awe.

As always, Jenkins’ illustrations are marvelous cut paper. He has a way of creating paper that creates watery ripples, dapples of light, or small waves across the sharks. The skilled use of humans as a way to show size is done at just the right moments in the book and not excessively.

Snap this one up! Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Clarion Books.