Author: Tasha

Green on Green by Dianne White

| Tasha

Green on Green by Dianne White

Green on Green by Dianne White, illustrated by Felicita Sala (9781481462785)

Explore the changing colors of seasons through this poetic picture book. The colors slide together, dynamically playing in the seasons in ways that surprise and delight. Yellow on green is lemonade and bees buzzing. Spring is new bird song, rain and breeze, yellow on green. Summer comes in on turquoise water with beaches and swimming. It is also peaches, sun and shade, blue on green. Fall is cinnamon and squirrels, brown on green. Corn, pumpkins and candles too. Winter is white with snow and gray skies, white on green. Green as spring returns.

There are so many season books, many that I really enjoy. This one though is very special. It takes colors and shows young readers how they pair and shift and change over the course of the seasons. Green stays constant, always there under snow or next to blue waters. The poetry here invites readers to explore things more deeply, to look beyond the first color they think of for a season. It reads aloud beautifully, the measures actually reading aloud better than they do silently on the page. It turns into a dance like the colors themselves.

Sala’s illustrations are lush and colorful, showing a family of color who experience the seasons together. Children will also notice the mother’s stomach growing rounder as the months pass and then a baby appearing. Throughout there is a strong feeling of family and community.

A lovely new way to see colors and seasons. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Beach Lane Books.

Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet

| Tasha

Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet

Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet (9781536206197)

Darleen has grown up in the movie industry, first appearing as a baby and now at age twelve as “Daring Darleen” in a series of silent films. It is 1914 and the trend is to have the worlds of film and real life converge, so Darleen’s uncles make a plan for her to be kidnapped from outside a movie theater while being filmed by them. Everything seems to be going to plan until Darleen is snatched by the wrong kidnappers and discovers that she has been taken along with Victorine, a girl just her age who is an heiress. The two must figure out how to escape, using Darleen’s natural penchant for heights and daring moves that her dead mother also had. Still, she had promised her father to keep her feet on the ground, but that’s hard to do as her adventures continue almost like being in a real screenplay.

There is so much to love here! Nesbet creates the daring and inventions of early film-making in this middle-grade novel. The chapters are meant to be episodes, some offering a great cliffhanger until the next installment. The series of adventures makes for a page-turner of a book with two girls at its center who form a grand friendship along the way and adore one another for being just who they are.

Darleen is a heroine through and through from her day job in front of the camera but even more so in real life as she skillfully figures out puzzles, finds ways to escape, and does it all with real courage. In many ways, Victorine is her opposite. She wants to tell the truth at all costs, knows all sorts of facts and loves books and travel. The two together form an unstoppable force. It is also great to see Nesbet pay homage to Alice Guy Blache by having her as a secondary character in the novel.

A grand adventure of a novel that will have readers enthralled. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Candlewick.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

| Tasha

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade (9781250203557)

Two indigenous book creators have created a picture book that celebrates the North American indigenous battles to protect our water. Water is the the first medicine; it is where we all come from and nourishes us in the womb and on earth. There is talk of a black snake that will spoil the water, poisoning it. The black snake had been foretold for many years, and now it is here. Courage is the answer to it and the willingness to stand up and insist that water be protected. Nature cannot speak for itself, so we must speak and fight on its behalf. We can all be water protectors.

Lindstrom has written a book that calls out to be shared aloud. She has used an effective refrain: “We stand/ With our songs/ And our drums./ We are still here.” The importance of standing up and of Native people being visible as modern members of our society is vital here. The call to action in this picture book is also clarion clear and incredibly empowering. This book explains to the youngest children what the protests on Native lands are all about and why they are vital to all of us.

Goade’s illustrations are done in watercolor that washes across the pages in waves, swirls, and skies. The colors are deep and dynamic, showing nature in all of its beauty and demonstrating page after page what we are fighting to protect.

Strong and important. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Roaring Brook Press.

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade

| Tasha

Exquisite The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera (9781419734113)

Gwendolyn Brooks grew up in Chicago, raised in a family that loved words, books and poetry. At age eleven, she sent four poems to a newspaper, and they were printed. She also submitted a poem to a magazine. But then the Great Depression happened and publications were no longer printing poems. Gwendolyn went to school and then to college. She got married and had children, writing poems all the while. She captured the hardworking neighborhood of Bronzeville in Chicago where she lived. Steadily, she started to get her poems published and then submitted a group of poems to a New York publisher. They not only accepted the poems, but asked for more to complete an entire book. She eventually had two books, but still wasn’t able to make enough money to get by. Her electricity had been shut off when she heard that her book had won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry!

Slade’s picture book biography of Brooks details a life spent with a love of words but also one that is impacted greatly by poverty. Her life is one filled with early promise as a child, but one that was also put on hold by the economy. Her story is inspiring, showing how a life of hard work and speaking the truth of a community can eventually be noticed.

The art in the book is done in acrylic. The pages are filled with pinks, greens and blues as backgrounds that float like clouds. Against this, realistic depictions of Brooks and her family glow.

A splendid biography of an important African-American poet. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams.

 

 

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna

| Tasha

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna (9781419744822)

Turn the pages of this picture book and watch as things steadily go away, one after the next. Bubbles float off, bird fly past, small wounds vanish with time. Steam dissipates, leaves fall and bad weather moves on. Emotions are the same with fear going away, tears drying and bad thoughts not staying. The book has a wry sense of humor as even lice moves on out of your hair, baby teeth falling out, and hair moving from one person to another. Everything is changing in the picture book, all going away but for most of it we don’t miss it afterwards.

Award-winning Italian author, Alemagna, has created a picture book with simple text but a deep premise. The sense of change is huge in this picture book and a feeling that things are not within our control either. The book is very cleverly designed, with see-through pages that show the changes happening. The items on the clear page are simple, moving from one page to the next very effectively. The background images have a modern wildness to them that is very welcome.

A dynamic picture book about things going away and constant change that children will adore as they turn the pages back and forth. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay

| Tasha

Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay

Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay (9781536209600)

Claire started to play the piano when her father got sick. Now after his death, it is a connection to his memory. As Claire longs to go to a school for music, she auditions to become a student of Paul Avon, a well-known and respected piano teacher in San Francisco. Her traditional Filipino mother is uncertain, but is soon charmed by Paul and manages to cover the cost of the lessons. Claire is soon practicing constantly, trying to get Paul’s approval for her playing and reach the emotional center of each piece of music. She participates in competitions and places well, but it never seems like quite enough. As Paul’s moods get more sour, he leaves Claire to watch his house while he goes on tour. When he returns though, Claire’s fantasies about playing for him and finally gaining his approval don’t work out and things turn sexual and sour between them.

Salaysay’s book is unusual and fascinating. She captures the drive and perfectionism of being a pianist who competes. She also shows the steady grooming and isolation of a young woman who is invited to the outskirts of adulthood and abused. At the same time, Salaysay also shows that sex has meaning and is nothing to be ashamed of, unless it is abusive or rape. This delicate line is kept pure throughout the book, as Claire learns about herself and what one event can do.

Salaysay’s writing is exquisite. Readers will at first be on alert about Paul and his approach, but soon will settle in just as Claire does as her playing improves. Yet throughout there are multiple points of tension for Claire and the reader. There is Claire’s falling out with her best friend, fighting with her mother, traveling to the city, and steadily becoming someone else. Yet when she is wounded and hurt, it is those same people she left behind who are there for her and help label what happened to her.

A symphony of a book, this novel encompasses music, race, sexuality and assault. Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Candlewick.

The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

| Tasha

The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, illustrated by Bao Luu (9780525555148)

His Holiness addresses children directly for the first time in one of his books, this time in picture book format. The book tells the story of his childhood in Tibet, filled with mountains, streams, blue sky and lots of animals. His farming family meant that there was always work to do, so as a child, he helped his beloved mother. Through her, he learned his first lessons about compassion. He saw the way she fed those who were hungry and less fortunate. She treated everyone with warmth and tried to give them aid. When he was almost three years old, he was identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and traveled to Llasa to begin his studies. His focus has been compassion and how to spread compassion throughout the world, bringing joy to more people.

Told in the Dalai Lama’s own voice, the picture book looks deeply at how compassion begins when one is very young, watching others demonstrate it, just like with any other skill. The glimpse of the Dalai Lama’s early days are interesting and the setting in Tibet is beautiful and isolated. Just having scorpions for company is something that will amaze readers, but there is much more on these pages that is impressive and that will get young listeners thinking about how they themselves can be compassionate.

The illustrations were done digitally and have an appealing warmth that carries from page to page. The tones of browns and reds are enlivened by the greenery around them, providing images of life in Tibet.

A must-purchase for all public libraries, this book will be of interest to many. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Kokila.

News to Wake Your Brain Cells – May 8

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

11 body positive children’s books to read during quarantine – Book Riot

18 librarian-approved books for kids of all ages – PBS Newshour

2020 political books for children – Publisher’s Weekly

2021 Carle Honors Announced – Publisher’s Weekly

Children’s books roundup – the best new picture books and novels – The Guardian

Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry, Jude Law and more are reading daily bedtime stories for Save the Children – Good Housekeeping

Inclusive read-alouds – ALSC

Jacqueline Woodson and Albertine Win 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Awards – Publisher’s Weekly

LIBRARIES

Public library to reopen in phases starting Monday – Cleveland (Tennessee) Daily Banner

While more Americans rely on parking lot wi-fi, many public libraries do not have adequate broadband – Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

TEEN LIT

30 LGBTQ YA books you’ll absolutely want to pick up this spring – BuzzFeed

The rise of magical realism in young adult fiction – Tor

All the new young adult SFF books arriving in May – Tor

Hike by Pete Oswald

| Tasha

Hike by Pete Oswald

Hike by Pete Oswald (9781536201574)

Waking up early, a father and child have big plans. A warm hat and coat plus a full backpack, and they are ready to start their drive. The two drive deep into the forest to a hiking trail as the sun rises in the sky. Along the way, they see deer, birds, eagles, butterflies and more. They reach a place that still has a little snow on the ground and have a snowball fight. They cross a river by walking on a fallen tree then pause to see the waterfall. After a quick snack, they climb higher, wearing climbing gear, until they reach just the right place to plant a tree. Then back down they go, the sun just beginning to color the sky as it sets. Reaching home, the two feed the cat, have some milk and cookies, and add their new picture to the family album.

In this nearly wordless book, it is entirely Oswald’s illustrations that tell the story. Shared looks between the father and child speak to their connection and the clear joy on their faces show how much they love this time in nature spent together. The grandeur of the natural setting is celebrated with panoramic views of woods and mountains, filled with wildlife. The entire book embraces the love in a family and the love for nature.

A stellar picture book. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Candlewick Press.