This nonfiction picture book explains to children that LGBTQIA people used to not be able to share openly about their sexuality. Instead, they used a code and asked one another if they were a friend of Dorothy. The book explores why it was unsafe to share sexuality openly with people losing their jobs, being arrested or placed in mental institutions. Then there are the people who hear the code who are working for the government. But they could never figure out who this mysterious Dorothy was. There are some ideas about why the name Dorothy was chosen. The ending returns to the present day and all the progress that has been made for LGBTQIA rights with the caveat about the continued dangers and threats to those who come out.
Lukoff tells the history of LGBTQ rights in America using a child-focused approach by focusing on the code phrase. It’s a clever way to share the information of past injustice, modern progress and all the way yet to go. Illustrations by Hastings are colorful at times and other times capture the bleakness of government surveillance.
All young friends of Dorothy will find a welcoming place in these pages. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Reviewed from a copy provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Another winner in the Chicka Chicka series that deserves a spot in your Halloween read alouds. Taking the familiar format of the Chicka Chicka books, the alphabet letters set out to climb the creaky old tree. They are all dressed in costumes as they climb. But when a witch arrives, all of the letters shiver and the branches break and all fall to the ground. The witch invites them to climb up and they all begin again though many of their costumes have changed due to the fall.
Readers who enjoy this series will love the Halloween version. It’s a great addition to Halloween stories, particularly for those looking for ones that won’t frighten little ones but engage them in the fun of the season. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Beach Lane Books.
Something is coming through the graveyard in Honey Hills with a buzzing sound. With moans and green skin, the Zombees fly by with their Zombee Queen. Are they here to eat our brains? Get help! But when the people in bee veils show up, the Zombees share the real reason they are there. Told in bold rhymes and with a rollicking rhythm that matches the fast-paced tale, this picture book is a joy to share aloud. The bright illustrations that give clues to what is actually happening will make this book worth reading a few times to see all those touches.
Let’s hope this one gets lots of buzzz. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Mabel has a Monday routine. Her family thinks she’s cute and funny, but she doesn’t care. First, she needs a chair. Then she pours herself dry cereal for breakfast, then it’s out to the driveway to watch and wait. Finally it’s here! The glorious garbage truck. It’s the best part of the day and everyone else missed it.
I could read this picture book again and again, it’s so joyous. Awan captures the pleasure of a routine, the amazement of large machinery and the focus of a small child with such a mix of humor and dignity. Let’s be honest, there aren’t many books out there where a truck-loving girl can see herself reflected. And lots of truck books don’t work well for reading aloud. This one does!
Perfect for a trashy story time. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Faith and her mother are taking the train home from Grandma’s house. They take this train often. Faith is eating a peanut-butter-and-jelly-and honey sandwich. Then she sees their old neighbor Isaiah stand up and ask for some help or some food. Even though her heart pounds, Faith offers Isaiah the rest of her sandwich. Faith wonders if there’s a way to continue to help Isaiah and his family. Perhaps it’s one sandwich at a time.
The jaunty train ride turns into something more profound as one little girl reaches out and makes a difference. The writing is easy to read aloud and the illustrations share a diverse urban experience.
A great addition to any storytime about transportation or helping others. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by HarperCollins.
Midnight Motorbike by Maureen Shay Tajsar, illustrated by Ishita Jain (9780823456628)
When it is too hot to sleep, Amma takes her daughter for a ride on her motorbike. The two travel through Indian villages heading to the Bay of Bengal. The journey is one of many senses from the bright flowers to the smell of chai and dosas, to the sight of rice flour designs to fool the red ants. There is the smell of the jasmine flower garlands and the beauty of the fabrics in the silk shop. When they reach the bay, there is the huge moon waiting for them and the little girl falls asleep in the moonlight.
This is such an evocative book based on the author’s summers with her mother in rural South India. The story is a mixture of magical motorcycle ride that is dreamlike and connection with India’s sensory experiences of flowers, food and customs. The illustrations are just as lush as a hot night, filled with rich colors that weave a gorgeous nighttime journey.
Just the right bedtime story for hot summer nights. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
At first having a younger sibling was a lot of fun, but when Little Boo learned to crawl and then float, they became incredibly annoying! Big Boo isn’t sure what to do since Little Boo follows them everywhere. When they go to the library together, Big Boo decides to trade Little Boo for Little Howl, the younger wolf sibling. After all, Little Howl is being quiet and reading books, they have to be better than Little Boo. At first things are good, full of watching shows together, playing cards and reading books. But suddenly Little Howl is eating everything! Perhaps Little Boo wasn’t so bad after all?
Frost captures the frustration of having a pesky younger sibling perfectly in her ghostly characters. Told in a mix of prose and speech bubbles, the book has a modern lively feel. The illustrations are full of action, chomping, floating and more as the young monsters take over Big Boo’s life. Great fun for Halloween and those who enjoy monsters other times of the year. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Starting a new school, a girl discovers that show and tell is coming and they take it very seriously. So she has to do something incredible. Perhaps she can catch a ghost! There are steps to catching your ghost. You must look under, between and over, checking everywhere. Once you have found your ghost, it’s time to observe them so you can understand them. If all else fails, try pizza. Now it’s time to build your ghost trap! Don’t hesitate, get them! But just maybe, you might like your ghost too much to trap them for long.
This picture book takes on the format of both a ghost-catching manual with chalkboard-like pages and also tells the story of a girl and her ghost. The clever humor of the format and the story is matched nicely with a big heartedness. The illustrations are gloriously bold, moving briskly between close ups and far off perspectives.
A spirited look at ghost catching. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Fish Fry Friday by Winsome Bingham, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza (9781419766930)
In this companion book to Soul Food Sunday, a grandson gets to spend his day off of school with his grandmother fishing. She is known as a lucky charm at the pier and is one of the best fishers out there. Everyone cheers when she arrives and she waves like a queen. After the two catch all sorts of fish, each out declared his grandmother’s favorite, they head back home to clean and filet them. Next comes the batter and finally the real favorite, hushpuppies!
This picture book is a celebration of how food brings people together and transcends generations. The joy of the two characters spending time together and loving one another is just as filling as the meal they create together. Children will love the time spent on the pier fishing as well as the time in the kitchen. Award-winning illustrator Esperanza captures the colorful characters and their cooking with energy and detail.
A delicious addition to the soul food celebration. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Abrams Books for Young Readers.
This remarkably beautiful picture book tells the history of where human beings started, Africa. It is the story of where language began and where art started on cave walls and faces. It speaks to the creation of music and dance. It tells of survival, of invention, of building and planting. It was where people traveled from using their boats to cross watery divisions and to populate the world. It is our story, of our origins and the many gifts created in Africa.
Smith has crafted such beauty on these pages with his art. The paintings are done in acrylic and offer a gorgeous textural experience to the reader that creates depth and wonder. This book is a clear response to the erasure of Black history and the origins of humans as reflected in the author note. Throughout the book both in text and image, there is joy and pride. There is a richness in both as well, a focus on the achievements, the impacts and the importance of that history.
Beautiful and impactful, this book belongs in all libraries. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Reviewed from library copy.
When I Hear Spirituals by Cheryl Willis Hudson, illustrated by London Ladd (9780823453801)
In a glorious combination of verse and lines from well-known African-American spirituals, this picture book soars. A young girl expresses what hearing spirituals does to her emotionally and readers are along for the journey. From tears to joy to wanting to dance to acknowledging heroes and movements of the past, this book explores the power of music to connect and convey.
The incorporation of a verse of a corresponding spiritual is particularly effective, allowing the book to be not just read aloud but sung aloud. The illustrations add to the emotional journey, using deep colors, famous African-American figures, and a connection to church.
A great introduction to spirituals as a music form or a celebration for those already familiar. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
This sequel to Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden is all about loving the dark. In Garden Glen, everyone fought back against the dark with lanterns and lights, hiding in their homes after dark. Millie’s house was the only one left dark since she knew there were special things that only come out in the dark. But even Millie was missing those things due to the brightness of the rest of the town. So, she set out to rediscover the dark and invite it into her garden. Millie plants a moon garden and bakes moon pies, creating just the right space for the creatures of the night to come. When others in Garden Glen smell the moon garden, they come to visit too, but Millie insists that they leave their lanterns behind and be brave.
Marvelously peculiar and winsome, this picture book shows darkness as a mythical creature that is both strange and marvelously huggable. There is beauty in this garden and space that Millie creates, a lovely stand up to authority and a straight-forward take on light pollution and what is lost.
Sure to have children wanting to explore their own dark spaces, this picture book is a delicious night-filled read. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Ty becomes a super hero in this newest book in the award-winning beginning-reader series. When Ty puts on his mask and cape, he’s ready to save the day just like his favorite super heroes. So when a dad needs someone to open the door for him, Ty saves the day! At the playground, when a boy is frightened of the slide, Ty saves the day by sliding with him. Mom can’t find her keys, but Ty can! Ty takes a break from all of his hard work as a super hero but when his paper plane gets stuck in a tree, Ty may be the one who needs to be saved.
Done in simple and readable language that is accessible to beginning readers, this book continues the themes of community and family that run through the entire series. Though the book’s language is simple, the story has a great depth to it and asks questions about being a helper and also accepting help from others. The illustrations are bright and cheery. They capture Ty’s imagination in childlike sketches that pop against the otherwise smoothly drawn images.
Another great book in a series that can’t be missed. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Daisy Rewilds by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Kerascoët (9780593125670)
Daisy has always been a conservationist, composting her baby food and sleeping on a bed of leaves as a toddler. Now she is doing a very important experiment by skipping her baths for five weeks. Soon she is growing all sorts of plants on her body. Happily, she has an Auntie Betsy who is a gardener and knows just what to teach Daisy, when to water her, when to flip her upside down. Soon a glorious collection of native plants starts to rewild on Daisy’s body. She lives out on the lawn even in hot August. When September comes, the neighborhood takes notice of Daisy’s amazing plants and wonder how they can do something like it. This is all part of Daisy’s plan.
McNamara writes a story about conservation that is filled with joy and possibility. Rather than having a didactic tone, it shows how one child can make an impact on their neighborhood, even if they don’t do it quite like the rather magical Daisy. The illustrations add to the playful tone and the wonder of the rewilding process happening on a human body.
Plant this one on display or even better use it in a story time to watch it grow. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Random House Studio.
Waking Brain Cells 