Author: Tasha

Review: You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey

| Tasha

You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey

You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey, illustrated by Soyeon Kim (9781771473156)

The creators of You Are Stardust return with another book that demonstrates how interconnected we are. This time the focus is on the nature around all of us and how we are never alone in our environment. We can look into the eyes of a dog and feel love, we play in the mud and feel deep happiness thanks to microorganisms, we breathe oxygen that plants create. Nature is there in everything we do, everything we eat, and our connections can be as huge as a whale to as small as the organisms on our skin. We are never alone, because we are supported by this web of life that we too are a part of.

Kelsey’s words are poetic and moving. She points out immense connections to nature like the water cycle and oxygen cycle, then she moves to painting the personal connections to pets and also includes the smallest creatures we know of. It’s a beautiful way to view nature, as supportive and complex, something we must not only trust in but value enough to protect too.

The illustrations by Kim are spectacular. Done in multilayered paper collage, they seem lit from within and shine on the page. Kim plays with perspective and size in most of the illustrations, including fine line drawings, dancing paper leaves and branches, and children everywhere.

A gentle and inclusive look at nature and our world by two gifted children’s book creators. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Oink by David Elliot

| Tasha

Oink by David Elliot

Oink by David Elliot (9781776572144)

In this nearly wordless book, a little pig is getting ready for a nice calm bath all by himself. As he settles into the warm water, the door is opened by a sheep who brings a toy boat and climbs into the bath too. The next to enter is a cow, who asks the sheep if she can join and the sheep agrees. Cow brings a beach ball in, which bounces right off of the pig’s head. Then comes donkey who wears a floaty around his waist and hops into the bath too. The bath is noisy and crowded and not what pig wanted at all! What is a pig to do to find some peace?

The only words in this book are animal noises made by each of the critters. They use punctuation and emphasis to show what tone should be used when they are read aloud. It works very nicely. The book has a wonderful build up of frustration for the pig, as he gets more and more cross visually as the animals enter and the chaos increases. The humor of the solution is wonderfully timed and will have small children in stitches. Perhaps adding a little noise for that when sharing aloud would add to the fun.

A little fart of a book with lots of appeal. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Gecko Press.

2019 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards

| Tasha

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards are in their 67th year. The award ” recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage
children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.” The award is given to books in two categories: Younger Children and Older Children. There are also two honor books this year for each age group. Here are the winners and honor books:

YOUNGER CHILDREN WINNER

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López

 

OLDER CHILDREN WINNER

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

 

YOUNGER CHILDREN HONOR BOOKS

The Day the War Came by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

 

OLDER CHILDREN HONOR BOOKS

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

Review: The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

| Tasha

The Things She's Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina (9781984848789)

Beth died in a car accident and now her father is the only one who can see and hear her. He is struggling with his grief, and Beth knows that the best thing for him is to get back to work as a police detective and solve a mystery. Luckily, he is sent on what should be a simple case in a small Australian town. A dead body was found in the aftermath of a fire at a foster care home. But the mystery isn’t that simple as a witness comes forward and speaks to Beth and her father. The witness, Catching, tells an unbelievable tale of almost dying in a flood, her mother sacrificing herself, and then being taken by unusual beings to be fed upon. Still, Beth and her father realize that Catching is telling the truth if they can just figure out what that is and how it ties into the mystery itself.

This #ownvoices tale shares the dark truth of residential schools for Aboriginal children in Australia and the aftermath of entire lost generations. The authors create an amazing story by mixing modern police procedural with a ghost story that vividly shows Aboriginal storytelling and beliefs. The resulting book is one unlike anything you have read before.

From Catching’s poetic and disturbing tale of losing her colors and then finding a way back using the women in her family as points of strength to Beth’s own process of helping her father and then finding a way to let go to Crow’s story of truth and revenge, this is a book that celebrates the power of Aboriginal women to find their voices on the way to getting justice. The three Aboriginal young women at the heart of the book are studies in various kinds of strength, shining on the page and not allowing their light or colors to dim.

Unusual and incredibly powerful and moving, this genre-bending novel is one of a kind. Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from copy provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers.

 

Kids Indie Next List – Summer 2019

| Tasha

The Summer 2019 Kids Indie Next List has been released. It features books for children and teens that are recommendations from independent booksellers. You can click through for all of the lists. Here are the Top 10 books:

If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Loren Long

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Sarah Jacoby

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Monica Armino

This Week’s Tweets

| Tasha

Here are the items I shared on Twitter this week:

Image

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

During #LatinoBooksMonth we’re celebrating Latino authors, illustrators and books that highlight Latino culture and Latin-American identity! Check out a full range of titles here: bit.ly/2WDSlcO

Hate Reading? Do It Anyway! | ShelfTalker buff.ly/2Vuf8eE #Reading

Problematic Patterns In White Narratives About BIPOC Critique buff.ly/2LBayGN #kidlit #yalit

LIBRARIES

Diversity and inclusion: More than books on the shelves: Latest Library Links – https://t.co/QwDgYtRX7R

YA LIT

10 Great Standalone YA Fantasy Books buff.ly/30rSAu2 #yalit

11 Books With South Asian Characters You Should Read in 2019 teenvogue.com/gallery/south-… via @pooja_makhijani @TeenVogue

Finding Diverse Books yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2019/05…

2019 South Asia Book Awards

| Tasha

The 2019 South Asia Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature has been announced. There are two winners, three honor books, and four highly commended books! I haven’t heard of several of them, so this list of award winners is a real treat to explore. Here are the winners:

WINNERS

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Claire A. Nivola

 

HONOR BOOKS

The Eleventh Trade by Alyssa Hollingsworth

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea by Elizabeth Suneby, illustrated by Rebecca Green

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

 

HIGHLY COMMENDED BOOKS

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Farmer Falgu Goes to Kumbh Mela by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Kanika Nair

I Need to Pee by Neha Singh, illustrated by Meenal Singh and Erik Egerup

Maccher Jhol by Richa Jha, illustrated by Sumanta Dey

Room in Your Heart by Kunzang Choden, illustrated by Pema Tshering

Review: The Last Peach by Gus Gordon

| Tasha

The Last Peach by Gus Gordon

The Last Peach by Gus Gordon (9781626723504)

Released May 16, 2019.

Two bugs happen upon the last peach of the summer, still hanging high in the peach tree. The two agree that is is the most beautiful peach they have seen that year. They decide to eat it immediately, until a grasshopper mentions that it must be the last peach of the season. They once again decide to go ahead and eat it. Then another insect says that it is probably rotten inside. The two go back and forth about whether to eat it. Maybe just one little bite? Maybe they should share it with everyone else? Maybe they should just leave it? Or perhaps each of them just wants it for their own. In the end, the two walk away from the glorious peach. But is it a peach after all?

Gordon is an Australian author and illustrator. Writing solely in dialogue in this picture book, he captures what friendship looks like with its give and take. He also shows how small decisions can become major friction in a friendship and how not to navigate those issues, since our bug friends get in a brawl because of it. This picture book reads aloud beautifully and could quickly be turned into a reader’s theater. The illustrations are done in collage that skillfully uses a variety of different types of paper that pops against the white background. The result is a minimalist feel with great pops of green and peachy colors. The twist at the end, revealed only in the illustrations adds a sense of delight to the entire book.

A tantalizing peach of a book. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Roaring Brook Press.

Review: When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff

| Tasha

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (9781620148372)

At birth, everyone thought Aidan was a girl. But as Aidan grew up, he didn’t like his name, the way his room was decorated, or wearing girl clothes. Aidan cut his hair off, realizing that he was a boy. He told his parents, and they learned from other families what having a transgender child is all about. Aidan picked his new name, they changed his bedroom into one that felt right, and he liked his new clothes. Then Aidan’s mother got pregnant. Aidan loved helping pick clothes for the baby, paint colors for the nursery, and even the baby’s name. But when people asked Aidan if he wanted a little brother or little sister, Aidan didn’t know how to answer. As the big day approached, Aidan worried about being a good big brother. Happily, his mother was there to explain that no matter who the new baby turned out to be, they would be so lucky to have Aidan as a brother.

Lukoff has created an #ownvoices picture book that truly celebrates a child who deeply understands their gender identity to be different from the one they were assigned at birth. The reaction of the supportive parents is beautiful to see in a picture book format as they work with Aidan not only to be able to express himself fully but also to be able to work through natural fears with a new baby. Those fears and the inevitable discussions of gender of a baby are vital parts of the story and allow readers to realize how deeply ingrained gender is in so many parts of our lives.

The illustrations by Juanita are full of energy and show a child with a flair for fashion who expresses himself clearly as a boy. His facial expressions change from his deep unhappiness when he is being treated as a girl to delight at being able to express himself as the boy he truly is. The depiction of a loving family of color handling these intersectionality issues so lovingly is also great to see.

As the parent of a transgender person, this is exactly the sort of picture book our families need and other families must read. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Lee & Low Books.