Author: Tasha

This Week’s Tweets

| Tasha

Here are some of the tweets I shared this week with a big focus on libraries and that Forbes article:

LIBRARIES

Chance the Rapper, Langston Hughes, and Creative Self-Expression Inspire Teens in Newark Library’s Spoken Word Workshop

Get Crafty for Banned Books Week | Library Hacks

No, Amazon Cannot Replace Libraries – https://t.co/VIA6uBLL3w

Twaddle: Librarians respond to suggestion that Amazon should replace libraries – https://t.co/60Oy0D02Fk

Twitter Erupts after Forbes Story Calls for Amazon Stores To Replace Local Libraries – https://t.co/6zY8xW40EB

Why public libraries are still essential in 2018

READING

Why ‘getting lost in a book’ is so good for you, according to science

TEEN LIT

The Best Young Adult Novels of 2018 (So Far): New on ! – https://t.co/r3OsTbXG0J

Monkey Around with These Easy Readers

| Tasha

Jeff Mack has created a winning new series of easy readers featuring Mr. Monkey.

Mr. Monkey Bakes a Cake by Jeff Mack

Mr. Monkey Bakes a Cake by Jeff Mack (9781534404311)

In the first book in the series, Mr. Monkey decides to bake a banana cake. Despite some inventive ways of using ingredients, his cake turns out beautifully. It’s nice enough that he’s inspired to enter it into a contest. But now he has to get his cake across town to the competition and that will not be easy. Using plenty of vaudeville-like falls, trips and hazards, the book is fast-paced and funny. Even when disaster seems certain, there is an opportunity suddenly to succeed.

Mr. Monkey Visits a School by Jeff Mack

Mr. Monkey Visits a School by Jeff Mack (9781534404298)

In the second book, Mr. Monkey visits school. After learning to teach himself to juggle, he is invited by the school librarian to come and perform. Mr. Monkey gets himself ready and drives to school but is stopped by a cow in the road. When he tries to toss the cow out of the way, it lands on his car. Now he has to walk to school in the rain and then the snow and then even more snow. He finally arrives but along the way manages to lose all of his props. Look out! He’s about to improvise!

These books are inventive and children learning to read will enjoy the strong sense of humor that permeates them. The classic prat falls and silliness are intoxicating, particularly when combined with the very simple text. Add in the illustrations that help tell a large part of the story and you have a really funny new addition for your early reader shelves.

Mr. Monkey will keep kids learning to read turning pages and giggling along the way. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copies provided by Simon & Schuster.

2018 Eisner Winners

| Tasha

Here are the winners of the 2018 Eisner Awards which are given to the best books in comics and graphic novels. I’m focusing on the awards for young people’s categories, but here is a list of the full award winners.

BEST PUBLICATION FOR EARLY READERS (up to age 8)

Good Night, Planet

Good Night, Planet by Liniers

 

BEST PUBLICATION FOR KIDS (ages 9-12)

The Tea Dragon Society

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

 

BEST PUBLICATION FOR TEENS

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

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda – Note, this also won best continuing series overall!

Review: Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin

| Tasha

Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin

Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin (9780062665867)

Della knows what it looks like when her mother gets worse, like when she had to be hospitalized four years ago and Della didn’t see her for months. So when she finds her mother digging every seed out of a watermelon to keep Della and her baby sister safe, Della knows that it’s up to her to help. She tries getting some healing honey from the magical Bee Lady, but the Bee Lady tells her that the fix may be more about Della than her mother’s brain. So Della decides to become the model daughter to give her mother’s brain a rest. That’s hard on their working produce farm where a drought is damaging the crops. Soon Della is struggling with the oppressive heat of the summer, trying to keep her baby sister under control, harvesting produce, manning the farm stall, and helping her mother too. When it all becomes too much, Della decides she has to leave to help her mother, which puts her on the path to realizing that she has to accept her mother and empathize before she can help at all.

This is Baldwin’s debut novel and it’s a great summer read. She has created quite a pressure cooker of a summer for Della where everything seems to be in crisis or falling apart and everything is entirely out of Della’s control. The high heat adds steam, the troublesome but lovable little sister adds humor but problems, and the drought adds financial pressures for the whole family to muddle through. Della throughout is clearly a child who takes responsibility for things, worries a lot and is trying to learn. She is entirely human, making mistakes along the way.

The focus of the book is on Della’s mother and her struggles with schizophrenia. Her refusal to take her medication any longer precipitates her more symptoms worsening. As her father tries to convince her mother to make different choices, Della gets angry with her father for his unwillingness to force her mother to do something. Her father demonstrates exactly what Della needs to learn, empathy and compassion for her mother and allowing her the space to make her own decisions about her life. This perspective is often lost in novels for young people about mental illness and it’s a pleasure to see it so clearly shown here.

A great book about mental health in families, this is a great pick for summer reading. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

(Reviewed from copy provided by HarperCollins.)

2 Great New Swedish Picture Books

| Tasha

These two picture book are imported from Sweden. Each one is written by one of the Adbage Sisters, two of Sweden’s top picture book makers.

The Grand Expedition by Emma Adbage

The Grand Expedition by Emma Adbage (9781592702459)

Two children head out into the backyard on a camping adventure. For their expedition, they try to pack everything they need. Unfortunately, there are no snacks to take along although their father offers them some pickles for their adventures. They head out to the backyard where the tent is already set up. They make their beds and discover a squished ant in one of the books they brought along. Soon they were out of pickles, one of them has to poop, and there’s a mosquito buzzing around. They head back to the house, tell their father about their adventure, and watch a movie all together.

There is something entirely lovely about this quiet book. Any child who has camped in the backyard will see themselves here. From the little drama of the ant in the book to the pickles to the need to suddenly return home, each element is so clear, so child centered, so realistic. The strong relationship the children have with their father is another highlight of the book. The illustrations have a supporting quiet simplicity to them and yet the busyness and clutter that also accompanies childhood.

A charmer of a picture book that is recommended reading at your next camp out in the backyard. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Koko and Bo by Lisen Adbage

Koko and Bo by Lisen Adbage (9781592702589)

Koko is always saying “I don’t want to” to her caregiver Bo. Over and over again, Koko refuses to cooperate. She stays in the park alone because she doesn’t want to leave. She doesn’t want to go to bed, but eventually sees how cozy it is. She doesn’t want to wake up in the morning and almost misses breakfast. Each time, Bo allows Koko to decide and to live with the results of her decision. In the end of the book, Bo turns the table a little bit on Koko and uses her phrase back at her.

Like her sister’s book, there is a beautiful tone throughout this picture book. The playfulness and love shines on the pages, gently demonstrating a way of parenting a child who is going through a contrary phase. Both characters are wonderfully depicted, each of them dancing along gender lines in a natural and open way.

Another charmer of a picture book just right for bedtime, even if someone doesn’t want to read. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Both books provided by Enchanted Lion for review.

 

Review: The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie

| Tasha

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie

The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie (9781534414464)

When Gwyn and her family move in with her Nana in rural Iowa, it’s a big change from living in New York City. It’s all to help her mother, Vienna, develop new memories. Vienna remembers nothing since she was thirteen, including Gwyn and her little sister Bitty. Gwyn and Bitty quickly befriend two boys from the neighborhood, Micah and Jimmy. They live with Micah’s mother, Gaysie Cutter, a woman who tries to bury Gwyn alive the first time they meet. So when a man goes missing, Gwyn knows that Gaysie had to have something to do with it. Now she just has to prove it and not damage her friendship with Jimmy and Micah along the way. But there are many secrets in their small town, ones that threaten to topple Gwyn’s theory of Gaysie’s guilt.

This is Makechnie’s first novel, and it is very impressive. Gwyn is a stellar character, who doesn’t shy away from being entirely herself and different from everyone else. She is a girl who will learn how to lift fingerprints, share her theories directly with the police, stand up to a group of bullies, and dare to speak up around Gaysie Cutter. All of the characters are well drawn and interesting, including Gwyn’s mother who is struggling with the limits of her memory, her father who could be a suspect too, and the two boys who are as different as possible but also brothers through and through.

This story has many layers, making it a very rich read for middle graders. One piece that really works well is the layering of the previous generation growing up in the same small Iowa town. As Gwyn learns of the connection between her mother, father and Gaysie during their childhood, she also finds out about a terrible accident that changed them all forever. That element is then echoed through to the present day with the new generation of children getting into trouble themselves.

A great read, a grand mystery, and a strong protagonist. Appropriate for ages 9-12. (Reviewed from copy provided by Atheneum.)

Review: Sun by Sam Usher

| Tasha

Sun by Sam Usher

In the third book by Usher that focuses on a specific type of weather, this one is sun-filled and summery. Told in the first person by the boy, he awakens to a sunny day that is just right for an outdoor adventure even if it’s “hotter than the Atacama Desert.” The two set off together with provisions and a large map. They walk and walk until they discover just the right place for a rest. Then they walk some more until they found some shade. More walking brought them to a huge cave. But when they enter, they discover some real adventure inside.

Usher’s books are told very simply. This picture book starts out as entirely reality based and then takes a marvelous fantastical turn when the pair enters the cave. All along, it is hinted at that they are walking on a real journey. The illustrations help tell this tale, showing huge skies, long areas to traverse and a changing landscape. User uses watercolors for the skies, creating vistas filled with summer heat colors that swirl on the page.

A winner in a great series, this one is just right for summer reading. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

This Week’s Tweets

| Tasha

Here are some of the tweets I shared this week:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Children’s Book Council to Sponsor Diversity Award

Cynthia Leitich Smith wants Native teens to know their stories matter.

Graphic novels to add to your shelves: manga, stories about bizarre beasts, and a snarky fairy tale.

The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2018:

very glad to see that has posted ‘s keynote on the website; if you weren’t able to attend in person, please take the time to read it

What do you think of these girl stereotypes in picture book art? blog

LIBRARIES

Libraries Are Filling an Affordable Fitness Void – https://t.co/MLYqzhjAdA

A Library Card Will Get You into the Guggenheim – https://t.co/Fk3ppB34qK

READING

I’m Very Into These Travel Posters Based On Famous Novels

TEEN LIT

3 YA Writers Tell Us Why They Wrote Books with Asexual Protagonists – https://t.co/0ume6R8Z3Y

8 Great YA Books Set in Outer Space

A round-up of 2019 YA books featuring teens of color on the cover (so far!):

Review: Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin

| Tasha

Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin

Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin (9781338150520)

Rashin tells a story from her own childhood when she traveled for the first time to an American beach. She remembers beach trips when her family used to live in Iran. They took a car, stopping for a picnic lunch along the way. In America, the subway will take them to Coney Island. In Iran, there were strict beach rules. Women and girls swam separately from the men and boys. Her favorite memory was a day when little boys peeped into the women’s section and the ensuing chaos. In America, even the ice cream flavors are different, but Rashin may have discovered a new favorite with the help of another little girl. At Coney Island, the rules at the beach are less clear, but a new friend is quickly made.

The interplay between the two cultures is lovingly depicted, neither better or worse, just very different from one another. There are universal joys like cold ice cream, sand and waves. At the same time, the two beaches and cultures are shown with their own personality and uniqueness. The illustrations add to the sense of joy with their bright colors and smiling people. While the focus is not on religion, it is an inherent part of the illustrations and the story.

A grand example of why diverse books are so important, this book tells the author’s own story. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.