Author: Tasha

Review: Bitter and Sweet by Sandra V. Feder

| Tasha

Groundwood Logos Spine

Bitter and Sweet by Sandra V. Feder, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker (9781554989959)

Hannah’s family was moving to a new city, but Hannah didn’t want to move away from her friends, her house or her neighborhood. Her grandmother told her about when she moved from the old country to America and how the experience was a mix of bitter and sweet. But when Hannah’s family moved, all she could see around her were bitter reminders of what she had lost. The new house had a smaller porch, the road was too hilly for good biking, and she didn’t know anyone. Even when a neighbor girl came over to meet Hannah, the gift of cocoa she left was bitter when Hannah tried it. The next day at school, the girl talked to Hannah about needing to add sugar. Soon Hannah realized that she had to put forth a little effort to discover the sweet that was always there.

Picture books about moving are plentiful every year, but this one has a lovely feeling about it that makes it stand out. The advice from her elders turns out to be true but I also appreciated that Hannah put her own spin on it in the end. The book depicts Hannah’s Jewish family with warmth and scenes that show their traditions. The advice also rings with Jewish wisdom and brings a traditional feel to a modern story.

The illustrations are done in mixed media that combines paint and collage very successfully. The result are images that have a lovely texture to them, fabrics and paper that layer with one another. There is a beautiful light and color to the images that conveys hope even as Hannah struggles to see the sweet.

A rich picture book that looks at difficult times in life through a lens of hope and acceptance. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Groundwood Books.

Review: Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

| Tasha

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome (9780823439607)

After Langston’s mother died, he and his father moved from rural Alabama to Chicago. Langston misses his mother and grandmother as well as their way of life in Alabama. In Chicago, it’s hard for him to make friends and lonely in the apartment when his father is gone. Even the food that his father provides is nothing like the skilled cooking of the women who raised him. But there is one part of Chicago that makes up for all of the changes. The public library branch in his neighborhood is not whites-only like the one in Alabama. Hiding from bullies after school, Langston soon discovers the beauty of poetry, particularly that written by a man with the same name, Langston Hughes.

Cline-Ransome is best known for her picture books and this is her first novel. The skilled writing here would never lead anyone to believe that this is a debut novel though. The prose has the flow and rhythm of poetry as it plays out on the page. The connection to Alabama is also strong in the prose, the way that Langston speaks and the way he sees the world. Somehow Cline-Ransome makes all of that clear in her writing alone.

Langston is a fascinating character living in a very interesting time in American history, the Great Migration when African Americans left the south and headed north to cities like Chicago. Langston’s love of reading and books is not only a way for him to find a home in the local library branch but also eventually a way for him to connect with peers over a love of the written word.

Skilled story telling and a strong protagonist make this book a very special piece of historical fiction. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

2018 Harvey Awards

| Tasha

The Harvey Awards were given out at New York Comic Con. There are specific categories for youth and then some crossover books won awards as well that I will list below:

BOOK OF THE YEAR 

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening (Monstress, #1)

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

 

BEST CHILDREN OR YOUNG ADULT BOOK (Tie)

The Prince and the Dressmaker The Tea Dragon Society

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

 

BEST EUROPEAN BOOK

California Dreamin'

Calfornia Dreamin’: Cass Elliot before the Mamas & the Papas by Pénélope Bagieu

Review: Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

| Tasha

Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (9781626720664)

In her follow-up to Green, Seeger once again explore all aspects of a single color. With blue, there are baby blue blankets, blue berries, ocean waves, blue skies, and deep night blues. Blues can also feel different from one another. Some can be silly, others stormy and still others icy cold. Told through the lens of a boy and his dog, the book explores different seasons and the blues that accompany their days together.

I must say that this book cannot be summarized easily at all. The text is entirely simple, just naming each color of blue and each mood being depicted. It is the illustrations that are awe-inspiring. They use a cut-out mechanism to lead from one blue to the next, one image to the next, connecting each image to the next.

This is done by a master though, the cutout sections to surprising and unique. I found myself running my fingers over the page to find the holes in the page because they are not obvious at all. Then I would flip back and forth, back and forth to see how the images somehow incorporated those cut areas flawlessly. Even when I knew where to look they disappeared into the images. And the images are grand, beautiful and full of depth. They invite readers into this world of blue.

A picture book to marvel at. Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Roaring Brook Press.

Mortal Engines – Trailer

| Tasha

Here is trailer for Mortal Engines, a film based on the book by Philip Reeve and from the team that did Lord of the Rings:

 

Review: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

| Tasha

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen (9780735262751)

Felix loves trivia and his gerbil who is named after a famous Canadian game show host. He lives with his mother Astrid, who struggles to keep jobs and tends to tell lies whenever she wants. Living in Vancouver is expensive, so when Astrid loses her job and then offends the person who takes them in, Felix finds himself living in a camper van. It’s only temporary, so Felix starts school and doesn’t explain to anyone where he is living. Astrid uses her ability to stretch the truth convincingly to get him a place in the school he wants and to get them a mailing address. Still, living in a van is not any fun after awhile and as Felix makes new friends, he finds it hard to keep lying to them. But there is a way out, if Felix can win the junior version of a national game show, he might just have enough money to get them back on their feet and into a home.

Nielsen tells a story about the power of hope, the importance of friendship and the creation of a community of people who care. It is also the story of a mother who is struggling with depression and an inability to keep a job. Astrid is a great character, a mother who manages to continue to be sympathetic but also disastrous. She is complicated just like their story of homelessness is. This is not a flat look at homelessness but instead an in-depth exploration of how it happens, the trap of being in it, and the long climb back out.

Felix too is a wonderful character. He is bright, funny and written as a twelve-year-old boy. That means that his sense of humor is a little naughty and his sense of integrity and honor is strong. His voice resonates as that of a child his age, not reaching up to be a teen yet. The friends he makes are also depicted well, from his old childhood friend with the warm and messy home to the girl he likes, maybe, and her straight-talking hard-hitting journalism approach.

A nuanced and skilled look at homelessness with great characters to discover along the journey. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy provided by Tundra Books.

 

This Week’s Tweets & Pins

| Tasha

Here are my finds on Twitter and Pinterest this week:

Check out these classic and inspirational book quotes. These are sure to resonate with book lovers!

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

“The book that made me is yet to come. I’m looking forward to that one.” – Illustrator Helen Oxenbury discusses her career with here:

Don’t Eat Your Friends: Picture Books with Bite

Misty of Chincoteague

Netflix Announces New Narnia Series

Picture Books That Invite Connection | ShelfTalker

SLJ: Reading Around the World: 25 picture books that evoke a specific setting or culture while revealing universal themes. https://t.co/kDsTuvVyB3

Twin Cities author Kate DiCamillo: ‘I’m looking forward to taking my heart on the road’ via

TEEN READS

10 YA Fantasy Books Written by Women of Color

50 Must-Read YA Books About Mental Illness (Plus A Few More)

USA Today Review: ‘The Hate U Give’ is one of the rare important teen films that needs to be seen by everybody. https://t.co/Vc8idNPlfv

YA Books Turned Movies 2019, Teen Novels Turning Into Films Next Year

Parents Magazine Best Children’s Books

| Tasha

Parents Announces 10th Annual Best Children’s Books List

Parents Magazine has announced their picks for the Best Children’s Books of the year. This is their tenth annual list which contains fifteen titles. Their process takes nominations from literacy experts like teachers and librarians and then 75 children and their families test them out. Here are the winners:

BEST BOARD BOOK

Hi-Five Animals!

Hi-Five Animals by Ross Burach

 

BEST ALPHABET BOOK

Mr. Bear's ABC

Mr. Bear’s ABC by Virginie Aracil

 

BEST BEDTIME STORY

Star in the Jar

Star in the Jar by Sam Hay, illustrated by Sarah Massini

 

BEST GIFT BOOK

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You! by Nicola Slater

 

BEST FIRST PICTURE BOOK

Hungry Bunny

Hungry Bunny by Claudia Rueda

 

BEST FIRST NONFICTION BOOK

Do Not Lick this Book

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak, illustrated by Julian Frost

 

BEST ANIMAL FACTS BOOK

The Big Book of the Blue

The Big Book of Blue by Yuval Zommer

 

BEST PICTURE BOOK

My Pet Wants a Pet

My Pet Wants a Pet by Elise Broach, illustrated by Eric Barclay

 

BEST BOOK THAT CHAMPIONS KINDNESS

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness

I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet

 

BEST BIOGRAPHY

Mae Among the Stars

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington

 

BEST EARLY READER

Baby Monkey, Private Eye

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin

 

BEST NEW SERIES

Polly Diamond and the Magic Book

Polly Diamond by Alice Kuipers, illustrated by Diana Toledano

 

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL

Be Prepared

Be Prepared by Vera Bosgol

 

BEST CHAPTER BOOK TO READ ON THEIR OWN

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

 

BEST CHAPTER BOOK TO READ TOGETHER

The Parker Inheritance

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Review: Mama Dug a Little Den by Jennifer Ward

| Tasha

Mama Dug a Little Den by Jennifer Ward

Mama Dug a Little Den by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins (9781481480376)

In this companion book to Mama Built a Little Nest, the story explores the many animals who build dens to protect their babies. The book offers rhyming couplets as the main part of the story but each animal also has facts included on the page. These facts include how long the babies stay with their mothers, how the dens function and how the animals are fed while in the den. There are mammals, toads, lizards, spiders and many more on these pages, each with a unique den of their own and interesting reasons for having them.

Ward has selected a broad range of animals to highlight here. Her poems are jaunty and clever, the rhymes never feeling forced. The facts she shares are brief, pertinent and fascinating, just what you need in a picture book format. As always, Jenkins’ art is exceptional. He captures small details and interesting habitats with his cut paper collage that introduces texture to the illustrations as well.

Curl up in your own den to share this with your own baby animal. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Beach Lane Books.