Author: Tasha

2020 Environment Award for Children’s Literature Shortlist

| Tasha

The shortlist for the Australian 2020 Environment Award for Children’s Literature has been announced. Awarded by the Wilderness Society of Australia, the award for children’s nature writing has been around since 1994. Here is the shortlist:

Microbat Mayhem (Eco Rangers, #2)

Eco Rangers: Microbat Mayhem by Candice Lemon-Scott; illustrated by Aśka

Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing!

Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing! by Tim Flannery; illustrated by Sam Caldwell

The Fate of Fausto

The Fate of Fausto by Oliver Jeffers

Fauna: Australia's most curious creatures

Fauna: Australia’s Most Curious Creatures by Tania McCartney

A Hollow Is a Home

A Hollow is a Home by Abbie Mitchell; illustrated by Astred Hicks

One careless night

One Careless Night by Christina Booth

One Tree

One Tree by Christopher Cheng; illustrated by Bruce Whatley

Ocean's Revenge (Super Sidekicks, #2)

Super Sidekicks 2: Ocean’s Revenge by Gavin Aung Than

Wilam

Wilam by Andrew Kelly and Aunty Joy Murphy, illustrated by Lisa Kennedy

You Can Change the World

You Can Change the World by Lucy Bell; illustrated by Astred Hicks

Once Upon an Eid edited by S. K. Ali and Aisha Saeed

| Tasha

Once Upon an Eid edited by S. K. Ali and Aisha Saeed

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices edited by S. K. Ali and Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Iman Rasheed (9781419740831)

Edited by two award-winning Muslim authors, this collection of short stories focus upon the celebration of Eid. The stories come from a variety of Muslim sects, cultures and backgrounds, offering a beautiful look at the expansive nature of the Muslim religion. The stories keep a focus on eleven and twelve year olds, many of whom are just starting to fast and many who discover the deeper meaning of Eid as they find a path through fasting as well. The stories also deal with deep issues such as divorce, friendships, hijabs, generosity, and family dynamics. At their heart though, each one is a positive force about seeing possibilities anew, finding ways to connect with one another, and pure joy.

The different voices and perspectives here provide a rainbow of experiences for children who are Muslim to relate to and those who are not to more deeply understand this religion. The positivity is uplifting and lovely to read, particularly during a pandemic. I don’t think it could have been better timed, frankly.

A winner of a short-story anthology, take hope and joy from this book. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy provided by Amulet.

2020 Booksellers’ Choice Book of the Year Longlists

| Tasha

The longlists for the Australian Booksellers Association’s 2020 Booksellers’ Choice Book of the Year Awards have been announced. For the first time, the awards will be presented in three categories rather than one title from any category. Shortlists will be announced on June 4th and winners on July 8th.

Here are the longlisted titles in the children’s books of the year category:

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors

All the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell, illus by Jenny Lovlie

As Happy as Here

As Happy As Here by Jane Godwin

Bluey: The Beach: A Lift-the-Flap Book

Bluey: The Beach

Woo's Wonderful World of Maths

Eddie Woo’s Wonderful World of Maths by Eddie Woo

Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing!

Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing by Tim Flannery, illus by Sam Caldwell

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals

Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals by Sami Bayly

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street: a collection of recipes to share

Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street by Felicita Sala

Mr Chicken All Over Australia

Mr. Chicken All Over Australia by Leigh Hobbs

Sick Bay

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

The Tiny Star

The Tiny Star by Mem Fox, illus by Freya Blackwood

Young Dark Emu

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe

 

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford

| Tasha

Box Henry Brown Makes Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood (9780763691561)

Told in brief poems, this nonfiction picture book explores a daring escape to freedom in the face of loss and brutality. Born in 1815, Henry Brown was born into slavery in Richmond, Virginia. He worked from the time he was a small child, passed from one generation of his owners to the next. Despite a series of promises by various owners, Henry Brown’s family is sold away from him multiple times, even when he paid money to keep them near. Hearing of the Underground Railroad, he decides to make a dangerous escape to the North, mailing himself in a wooden box.

Weatherford builds box after box in her poetry where each six-lined poem represents the number of sides of Henry Brown’s box. Each of the poems also shows the structure of oppression and the trap that slavery sets for those caught within it. Still, at times her voice soars into hope, still within the limits she has created but unable to be bound.

Wood’s illustrations are incredibly powerful, a great match to the words. She has used a color palette representative of the time period, creating her art in mixed media. The images are deeply textured, moving through a variety of emotions as the book continues. The portraiture is intensely done, each character looking right at the reader as if pleading to be seen.

Two Coretta Scott King winners collaborate to create this powerful book about courage, resilience and freedom. Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Candlewick.

Cat Dog Dog by Nelly Buchet

| Tasha

Cat Dog Dog by Nelly Buchet

Cat Dog Dog by Nelly Buchet, illustrated by Andrea Zuill (9781984848994)

Dog lives all alone with his owner. He has his own toys, his own elaborate bed, his own food and his owner all to himself. A different Dog lives with Cat and their owner. The two of them may not always get along, but they are a family. So when the independent first Dog moves in with Cat and Dog, things don’t go smoothly. Cat hisses, dogs growl over food, and no one sleeps well at first. Then an open window accident leads to the three animals spending some healing time together. After that, the three are Cat Dog Dog, all the time. But another surprise in on the way!

This picture book is told entirely in two words: Dog and Cat. It is the illustrations that tell the story of the relationships between all of the characters. The illustrations are filled with small touches like the moving boxes steadily getting more dominant and the various sleeping places that no one is pleased with. They also show the emotional state of each of the pets, from exasperation to surprise to tolerance.

Funny and honest, this picture book looks at blended families in a way that speaks to both pets and people. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Schwartz & Wade.

News to Wake Your Brain Cells – May 22

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Bad Kitty: Wash Your Paws – a free download

Christian Robinson: creating art that matters – Publishers Weekly

Erin Entrada Kelly, Bich Minh Nguyen: An APAHM reading list – NBC News

Fall 2020 Book Buzz with your favorite publishers – SLJ

Poet and author Bao Phi: ‘It felt like the hate was cranked up to 11’ – MinnPost

LIBRARIES

How Oregon libraries are planning to reopen – OPB

Libraries have spent years reinventing themselves. Will they have to do it again? – Marketplace

Library workers return to work Wednesday to prepare for eventual reopening. Exactly when? Unclear. – Chicago Sun Times

Pandemic-caused austerity drives widespread furloughs, layoffs of library workers – Library Journal

Using librarians to track the virus – Today

2020 Children’s Books Ireland Awards

| Tasha

The award announcement ceremony for the Children’s Books Ireland Awards was broadcast online for the first time in the award’s 30-year history. And all of the winners are women! The awards celebrate the best of Irish books for young people. Some of the winners are in the Irish language.

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Nóinín

Nóinín by Máire Zepf

 

HONOUR AWARD FOR FICTION WINNER

Toffee by Sarah Crossan (Published in U.S. in July 2020 as Being Toffee)

 

HONOUR AWARD FOR ILLUSTRATION WINNER

The Tide by Ashling Lindsay

 

EILÍS DILLON AWARD WINNER

Mor agus Muilc 2019 (Hardback)

Mór agus Muilc by Kim Sharkey

 

THE JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD WINNER

The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan (coming to the U.S. in February 2021)

The Homesick Club by Libby Martinez

| Tasha

The Homesick Club by Libby Martinez

The Homesick Club by Libby Martinez, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon (9781773061641)

Monica and Hannah go to school together and have formed The Homesick Club at their lunch table. Monica is from Bolivia and misses the time she spent with her grandmother feeding the hummingbirds. Hannah is from Israel and she is homesick for the sunshine and desert tortoise that she loved. When their class gets a new teacher, Miss Shelby, she seems to be homesick too for Texas. She talks longingly about the wide-open sky and the stars now that she lives in a big city with skyscrapers. The girls invite Miss Shelby to join their Homesick Club and she does! It’s there that she shares her longing for Hummingbird Cake. Now Monica has just the right inspiration for her presentation to the class.

This picture book explores what it feels like to be a transplant from somewhere else whether it be from elsewhere in the country or from another country entirely. The author cleverly equates these two, leaving no questions about who belongs in our country and why. Rather the focus here is about the emotional toll homesickness takes and how sharing those feelings with someone else can be healing for everyone.

The art in this picture book is light and airy. Using plenty of white space, it is playful and colorful. It sets a nice tone for the book, showing everyone’s differences but also reinforcing the similarities that we all have as well.

Resilience, friendship and cake. What else could you need? Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Groundwood Books.

 

‘Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis

| Tasha

'Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis

‘Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis, illustrated by Kenard Pak (9780823443260)

Written in the cumulative story style of The House That Jack Built, this picture book explores the tradition of a Hawaiian luau. The book begins with the kalo (or taro root) that is used to make poi. The kalo comes from the mud, with clear and cold water that covers it. It is picked by hands that are wise and old which have worked the land for generations. Sun and rain help the kalo grow. Wind carries the stories that the family tells until they gather together at the luau.

Loomis’ text is marvelous, moving readers backwards through how kalo is grown and the importance of it being land that has never been sold. The connection to weather and this land is evident throughout the text and then repeats over and over again as the cumulative format continues. The story then loops back around to the luau itself and a focus on family.

The art in the book is done with watercolor, gouache, and digital art. It depicts Hawaiians with many different skin tones, all part of the same family and working together. The landscapes are remarkable, whether bright green in sunshine or hazy in rain.

A celebration of traditions and family. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Holiday House.