Author: Tasha

Review: Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry

| Tasha

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison (9780525553366)

Zuri has hair that can do almost anything. It curls all over when she gets up in the morning. She wears it in all different styles. In braids and beads, she is a princess. With two puffs, she is a superhero. Then one day she wakes up and it’s a very special day. Her father is still asleep, so she decides to try to do perfect hair herself. After a little accident in the bathroom, her father joins her. Together they figure out how to get her hair just right, but not without a few mishaps along the way. All in time for her mother to return home!

This picture book celebrates African-American hair. Offering all sorts of styles, the book exudes warmth and self-esteem. Creating an opportunity for a father to try to do hair, makes this book all the more lovely, also adding just the right dash of humor too. The use of modern technology to help is also something you don’t see a lot in picture books. The digital art is full of bright colors, humor and light.

Fall in love with this family and their hair. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Kokila.

Review: Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson

| Tasha

Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson

Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson (9781534431515)

Hutchinson, author of several amazing novels for teens, shares a memoir of his teen years as he grapples with being gay and having depression. Hutchinson is open from the beginning of the book that it involves a suicide attempt. He states it with great empathy for both the reader and for his younger self. That tone of self-understanding plays through the novel, never allowing himself to become overly self-deprecating. Hutchinson speaks as a person engulfed in a society telling him that because he was gay, he was broken, focused only on sex, and would live a short life probably because of AIDS. Though he had a wonderful best friend, he could not see a future for himself. Along the way, he started to self harm, started smoking to gain a boy’s attention, and sunk deeper and deeper into depression and self loathing. The spiral is filled with pain and darkness, but the book is ultimately filled with hope and a way forward into life.

It is no surprise to his fans that Hutchinson has written a moving and deep memoir. However, it is amazing how far he is willing to explore his life as a teen, how open he is about all of the things he was feeling and experiencing, and how much he shares in these pages. He bares his entire soul here, in the hopes that it will help someone else find their way out of darkness too. I guarantee, it will.

Hutchinson shares how small decisions, individual conversations, new crushes, and tiny moments shape our lives. He is honest about how he damaged several relationships in his life, how he continued to be absent and self-absorbed, and how that too changed as he dealt with his depression. While it is a book of hope, it is also one about the hard work it takes to come back from the brink, how friends and family can help, and how some questions are simply too hard to ask.

Brave, fierce and incandescent. Appropriate for ages 15-19.

Reviewed from copy provided by Simon & Schuster.

Review: Home Is a Window by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard

| Tasha

Home Is a Window by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard

Home Is a Window by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, illustrated by Chris Sasaki (9780823441563)

A little girl celebrates her city home and all of the things that make it special. From the small touches like a basket for your shoes and plants in the corner to the lamplight at night from a neighbor’s window. Her family makes it special too, doing chores together, fixing mistakes, and helping one another. When the family moves to a new home, they take a lot of the elements that make it special with them. In the new house, they will once again create a home together.

In statements that begin with “Home is…” this picture book explores what makes a house a home. From the smells to the people to the windows themselves, each piece fits together like a puzzle. Ledyard’s prose asks people to slow down, to celebrate the everyday and small moments that make up their lives and their homes. The switch to a book about moving later in the book makes the first part all the more important and profound, allowing the family to rebuild easily the sense of home they always carry with them.

Sasaki’s illustrations show a multi-racial family spending days together filled with love and in a home that is warm and colorful. Those elements carry throughout the illustrations, each one making sure that readers know that small touches create a home. From lamplight at night to tables filled with family.

A beautiful look at family, home and moving. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Neal Porter Books.

This Week’s Tweets

| Tasha

Here are the tweets I’ve shared this week on Twitter.

DiversityInChildrensBooks2018_f_8.5x11

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

100 Mighty Girl Books for Tween’s Summer Reading List – https://t.co/Pe8YvqvugP

Eight LGBTQ-positive children’s books in time for Pride and year-round learning buff.ly/2FeJ2cL #kidlit #LGBTQ

If Kids Can’t Read What They Want in the Summer, When Can They? | Opinion buff.ly/2wVahob #reading

Kids Books to Celebrate Juneteenth from NYPL – https://t.co/jDHlWv08HO

Picture This: Diversity in Children’s Books 2018 Infographic – https://readingspark.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/picture-this-diversity-in-childrens-books-2018-infographic/

Summer reading list: 9 books to inspire young girls to know their value buff.ly/2FgTbpi #kidlit

LIBRARIES

Gay-themed books fuel fight over free speech at small-town library in Maine buff.ly/2Xj68ZL #LGBTQ #libraries

How the New York Public Library Remains Current 125 After Its Founding (Podcast) buff.ly/2wZ1Kkb #libraries

In One Year, People Visited Public Libraries More Than a Billion Times buff.ly/2WuZ38R #libraries

READING

How indie bookshops are fighting back buff.ly/31BIDus #reading #bookstore

YA LIT

Aurora Rising YA Novel to be adapted for television – https://t.co/84n0LjC2GC

Carnegie Medal goes to fires writer of colour in its 83-year history: https://t.co/Wh9LiHnS4j

Check out these books before Netflix adaptations debut buff.ly/31xQ0my #yalit

Torn apart: the vicious war over young adult books buff.ly/2WMrFWM #yalit

Where Are All The YA Books About Queer Girls? buff.ly/31GJAl1 #yalit #LGBTQ

 

Review: Daniel’s Good Day by Micha Archer

| Tasha

Daniel's Good Day by Micha Archer

Daniel’s Good Day by Micha Archer (9780399546723)

When Daniel walks to his Grandma’s house, many of his neighbors tell him to “Have a good day!” So Daniel decides to find out what makes a good day for some of the people he meets. Mrs. Sanchez, who paints houses, has a good day when the skies are clear so that she can paint. Emma has her kite along and a good day is one with a steady wind. Some people want a shady bench, others for their little ones to take a nap, The bus driver wants a please and thank you, while the gardener is looking for bees on her flowers. Daniel’s grandmother says that a hug from Daniel makes for a good day for her. In the afternoon, as he returns home, Daniel discovers that everyone found what they needed to have a good day, and so did he.

This second book about Daniel is just as charming as the first. The premise of looking at simple things that make for a lovely day allows children to see the importance of small elements in their own lives. Nothing here costs money, all items are significant and create joy in that person’s life. The writing is simple and straightforward, using the structure of an answer to Daniel’s question to move ahead at a brisk pace of a child walking through his urban community.

The illustrations are beautiful. Done in paper collage, they are filled diverse community members. In a city setting, the art also shows gardens and parks to fill the pages with green. The vibrant community is captured very successfully on the page with bright colors and lots of activity.

Another winner for Daniel. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

 

Review: You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks by Evan Turk

| Tasha

You Are Home An Ode to the National Parks by Evan Turk

You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks by Evan Turk (9781534432826)

Journey to America’s national parks in this masterful picture book. The book begins by showing the wildlife of the parks as well as the plants that grow there. Pronghorns and a bobcat fill the pages. Then humans appear, experiencing the same nature and realizing that they are home as well. Whether you live in the city or the country, in a national park you can feel you belong. From one park to another, iconic images of their scenery is shared throughout and described. This is an immersive experience of a picture book.

Turk creates an cohesive world in this book, taking readers with him traveling to the national parks. His poetic text lingers on each page, conjuring special moments where animals pause and look up, where waterfalls pour, and where there is silence among the trees. His illustrations, done in pastel on black paper, shine and draw readers into the scenes. One can almost hear the water rush, smell the pines, and feel the breezes.

A great picture book about our national treasures. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy provided by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

 

 

2019 CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals

| Tasha

The 2019 CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Award Medals have been awarded. Interestingly, both awards have gone to verse books in these oldest of the UK’s children’s book awards. Here are the winners:

Carnegie Medal Winner

The Poet X

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Kate Greenaway Medal Winner

The Lost Words

The Lost Words illustrated by Jackie Morris, written by Robert Macfarlane

The awards also have a Shadowing Project where young people across the UK get to shadow the judging process and make their own awards. This year, the award winners match, a testament to the skill of the judges and the children alike.

Review: Operatic by Kyo Maclear

| Tasha

Operatic by Kyo Maclear

Operatic by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler (9781554989720)

A middle grade graphic novel that focuses on the power of music and opera? Yes please! This innovative graphic novel tells the story of Charlie, who has an assignment to find her own personal perfect song. Her music class listens to all sorts of musical genres but the one that resonates with Charlie (and no one else in her class) is the music of opera singer Maria Callas. As Charlie searches for her song, she is thinking of two classmates. There is Emile, who is quiet and intriguing. Then there is the empty desk left by Luka, who was targeted and bullied for his gender nonconformity. As Charlie finds her song, she also discovers her inner diva and the ability to empower those around her.

Maclear’s story is all about the impact that music, specifically the right music at the right time, can have on one’s life. She writes with a deep empathy for young people finding their own way through middle school, focusing on the importance of friends but also on reaching out to others and helping them too. The book is filled with emotion and connection that exemplifies youth and hope.

Eggenschwiler’s art is exceptional. He creates images that perfectly capture the emotions of have a crush on someone, or feeling certain ways in your group of friends. The illustrations move through various single-colors as their main palette from yellows to blues to reds and back. Filled with individuality and creativity, the illustrations are interesting and unique.

A great graphic novel for middle grades, this one speaks to each person being both an individual and a member of the community. Appropriate for ages 11-14.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman

| Tasha

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Heather Fox (9781250303172)

The book begins with the prediction that on Friday, Llama will destroy the world. On Monday, it all began with Llama eating far, far too much cake. On Tuesdays Llama dances, so he tried to put on his dancing pants. He had to squeeze in to them because they didn’t quite fit due to the amount of cake he had eaten the day before. His pants ripped, creating a sound loud enough to enter space and create a black hole. On Wednesday, Llama noticed the black hole, did scientific calculations and then made a sandwich instead of letting anyone know. On Thursday, signs of doom started appearing everywhere. On Friday, everything was sucked into the black hole. But what will happen on Saturday?

I love that the entire plot of the book is laid out in the title and again on the first page. Llama is going to destroy the world and it will happen on Friday. That hangs over the head of the reader, creating a sense of real drama. It also allows the book to head in a wild and zany direction that is incredibly engaging and that only gets sillier as the week continues. The ending is a great twist in a book that looks a physics, time and space.

Fox’s illustrations are so funny. Llama has googly eyes and a comical face with plenty of expression. The different elements of the story are given heft and drama by the illustrations, including the ripped pants, the pile of cake, and of course, the black hole.

Funny, scientific and zany, this picture book is so much fun. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Henry Holt & Company.