News to Wake Your Brain Cells – May 8

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.

Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl

May 7, 2020March 27, 2020 | Tasha

Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl, illustrated by Lauren O’Hara (9781536210224)

Mabel lives at the Mermaid Hotel near the sea where she goes on many adventures without shoes. When a strange new guest arrives at the hotel, Mabel becomes a spy to try to figure out the story of the woman she dubs Madame Badobedah. The lady comes with her pet tortoise and lots of bags and trunks that could be filled with anything, including stolen treasure. After watching her for awhile, Mabel decides that the woman must be a supervillian who is hiding out at Mermaid Hotel. When Mabel’s spy cover is blown, Madame Badobedah invites her into her room for tea. Soon the two are traveling on imaginary adventures together that feature pirates and mermaids, a partnership of young and old.

This picture book has more text than many, but please don’t let that stop you! Dahl’s writing is sharp and witty, offering exactly the right amount of detail to conjure up the hotel fully and craft interesting characters who are fully realized. Told in Mabel’s voice, the book has the feel of a vintage book but with a modern sensibility as well. Filled with creativity and imagination, the stories Mabel conjures are fascinating and the journeys the two kindred spirits share are marvelous.

The illustrations by O’Hara capture the vivid red hair of Madame Badobedah, the wonders of the hotel, and intrepid Mabel on her many adventures. Real life swirls effectively with the imaginary worlds on the page in both text and illustrations.

An adventure worth taking with two great partners. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by Walker Books.

7 May Teen Titles to Wake Your Brain Cells

May 6, 2020April 27, 2020 | Tasha

Here are 8 of the teen books coming out in May that are getting plenty of buzz!

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Loop by Benjamin Oliver

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru

We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

A Game of Fox & Squirrels by Jenn Reese

May 6, 2020March 30, 2020 | Tasha

A Game of Fox & Squirrels by Jenn Reese (9781250243010)

Sam has moved with her older sister Caitlin to stay with her Aunt Vicky, a person they had never met before. They arrive in rural Oregon to a small house with a chicken coop and a large woods nearby. Aunt Vicky welcomes them warmly along with her wife. Sam knows how to stay invisible most of the time, hiding behind her sister’s ability to speak with grown ups. When her aunt gives her a card game, Sam loves the characters on the cards and starts to see a talking fox and squirrels nearby. The fox sends her on a quest for the Golden Acorn, a prize that will allow Sam and her sister to go back home. As Sam starts the quests, she soon learns that showing the fox trust means starting a cycle of abuse once more.

Reese entwines fantasy elements into this book that shows the deep consequences of abuse on a young person. Sam is desperate to get back in touch with her mother and father, though they were abusive parents. The abuse is shown in pieces of comments that Sam remembers, and it does not play out in front of the reader. This results in a haunting echo of abuse that carries through the entire book and all of the characters.

Against that, the game is afoot with a sly fox who manipulates Sam, much as her own father did when she lived with him. The squirrels add a needed merriment to the book with their antics and also show a lot of concern and support for Sam. Yet they are clearly trapped in their own abusive situation with the fox too.

Rich and layered, this mix of fantasy and stark reality is powerful. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Henry Holt and Co.

Unstoppable by Adam Rex

May 5, 2020March 25, 2020 | Tasha

Unstoppable by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laura Park (9781452165042)

Beginning with almost wordless panels of a cat jumping at both a crab and a crow, this book quickly transforms into a picture book that is made to share aloud. Crab and Crow join forces to be able to both fly and pinch the cat with claws. They are unstoppable now! But then they both thought about being able to swim too, so they talked to a turtle and transformed into something even more unstoppable. When an angry bear tries to attack them, they invite him to join in too. Upon finding out that forest demolition is what is making the bear angry though, they have to take action and become truly unstoppable!

As always Rex delights and surprises with his story lines. While this seems like a straight forward cumulative story at first, it transforms much like the animals themselves into something far more interesting by the end. Rex injects the tale with plenty of humor as the creatures come up with a variety of mash-up names for each of their combinations. The refrain of unstoppable will be a great way to get audiences participating in the book too.

Park’s illustrations are crisp and clear, bright colors against a white background. They will work particularly well with a group, adding even more to the readaloud appeal of the title.

Funny, surprising and empowering. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Chronicle Books.

10 New May Middle Grade Books to Wake Your Brain Cells

May 5, 2020April 24, 2020 | Tasha

Ten of the top new middle-grade books coming out this May that have received multiple starred reviews and praise.

All Together Now by Hope Larson

A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine

Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai

Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron

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

Poisoned Water by Candy J. Cooper and Marc Aronson

Santiago’s Road Home by Alexandra Diaz

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

Yorick and Bones by Jeremy Tankard

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

9 New May Picture Books to Wake Your Brain Cells

May 4, 2020April 24, 2020 | Tasha

Here are nine of the upcoming May picture books getting the most buzz in review journals. Enjoy!

Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann

Cityscape: where science and art meet by April Pulley Sayre

Grandparents by Chema Heras

Hello Neighbor! the Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers by Matthew Cordell

Lift by Minh Le, illustrated by Dan Santat

Spacebot by Mike Twohy

Together We Grow by Susan Vaught, illustrated by Kelly Murphy

What Sound Is Morning? by Grant Snider

You Matter by Christian Robinson

Anna Dewdney Read Together Awards

May 4, 2020May 3, 2020 | Tasha

The winner of the Fourth Annual Anna Dewdney Read Together Award has been announced as well as the honor books for 2020. The award is giving to a “picture book that is both a superb read-aloud and also sparks compassion, empathy, and connection.” The award is given by Penguin Young Readers, the Children’s Book Council, and Every Child a Reader. Here are the winners:

WINNER