Book Reviews

Whose Home Is It? & Whose Track Is It?

| Tasha
Cover for Whose Home Is It?
Cover image for Whose Home Is It?

Whose Home Is It? by Radka Piro, illustrated by Carmen Saldana (9788000060927)

Cover for Whose Track Is It?
Cover image for Whose Track Is It?

Whose Track Is It? by Radka Piro, illustrated by Carmen Saldana (9788000060934)

This pair of engaging lift-the-flap books both take readers on journeys through the woods. The book about homes features a snail who is looking for the perfect home, not realizing what even the youngest readers will realize right away, that it’s on his back! The book looks at a variety of burrows, nests, holes in trees, tunnels, caves and more. The book about tracks tells the story of a fawn looking for its mother. The book offers a wide variety of tracks to explore. Some are in the forest, others on the shore, and still others on the farm and finally in the mountains.

There are a lot of lift-the-flap books on the market. These are something special because they allow little ones to guess the animal before lifting the flap. They also are full of information about the animals written at just the right level for young children. There is so much to explore in each of the books that it’s a real pleasure to open each flap.

Perfect for the youngest budding naturalists. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Whose Home Is It reviewed from e-galley provided by Albatros. Whose Track Is It reviewed from copy provided by Albatros.

The Midnight Club by Shane Goth

| Tasha
Cover image for The Midnight Club.

The Midnight Club by Shane Goth, illustrated by Yong Ling Kang (9781771473941)

Milly waited in her bed until it was midnight and then she woke up her big sister, Becca. It was time for Midnight Club. The two headed out of bed, quietly sneaking past their parents bedroom door. They tiptoed over each shadow, not touching a single one. The entire house looked different in the middle of the night with the blue of moonlight. The girls munched on Dad’s jellybeans while sitting in his special chair. They tried on their mother’s coat until they got scared by the shadows moving, thinking it was a monster. They followed the cat around on midnight rambles around the house. Then it was time to head back to bed, but only after putting everything back so that Midnight Club stayed a secret.

Filled with the thrill of doing something just a touch naughty and a lot mischievous, this picture book is full of moments where you will hold your breath for a bit. Creaky stairs, stretching over shadows, the possibility of monsters, all create a delight of wonder. The book entirely captures the thrill of being out at night as a child and the joy of sharing that with your sister.

The illustrations show the colors of full night with the purples and blues of the shadows and the pale lemon of the moon shining into the room. The images focus on the two sisters and their relationship, showing them interacting as they play together throughout the house at night.

Full of sisterly love and moonlight. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Owlkids.

Have You Seen Gordon? by Adam Jay Epstein

| Tasha
Cover image for Have You Seen Gordon.

Have You Seen Gordon? by Adam Jay Epstein, illustrated by Ruth Chan (9781534477360)

This search and find book features a very purple creature named Gordon. Children get to try to find him on the beach and in the city. At the amusement park though, Gordon stops hiding and stands in a field. At the farmer’s market, Gordon is wearing a bright yellow hat that makes him easy to spot. Gordon decides that he wants to stand out rather than blend in. So the narrator locates someone else to find. Her name is Jane and she’s rather shy. She manages to evade the narrator catching up to her, and that’s when Gordon has a new idea. Now the narrator has a bunch of creatures who are eager to be found on the complex pages.

This is Where’s Waldo with an attitude where the characters insist on being treated the way they want to be. It’s an empowering book with a great sense of humor. The book starts out as a straight search and find until Gordon breaks free of the expectations. Jane then does the same, taking readers on a wild dash across the pages. The solution at the end is clever and engaging.

For younger children than Where’s Waldo, these illustrations are just a touch more simple. They are also filled with silliness as readers look at detailed scenes of ski slopes, markets, cities and neighborhoods. The bright colors and strange creatures and animals make it all the more engaging too.

Great fun and full of silliness. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Mr. Tiger by Davide Cali

| Tasha
Cover image for Mr. Tiger.

Mr. Tiger by Davide Cali, illustrated by Miguel Tanco (9781849767477)

Mr. Tiger is a wrestler with world-famous moves in the ring. His most famous move of all is The Leap of the Tiger, where he flies across the ring. Mr. Tiger has rivals in the ring and also friends who help him, but after the match all of the wrestlers are actually friends. But outside the ring and wrestling, Mr. Tiger doesn’t have any friends except for Fifi, his fluffy little dog. Mr. Tiger would like to be friends with someone, in particular a woman who works in a cafe named Lily. But Mr. Tiger can’t seem to work up the courage to speak with her at all. His worries about Lily are starting to effect his skills in the ring too, so he decides he must speak to her with a little pushing from his wrestling buddies. Time after time though, Mr. Tiger fails to speak up. Until one day, Fifi gets free and bumps right into Lily and her dog. Now it’s time to see if Lily likes wrestling at all!

There is a wonderful contrast between the loud yellow mask of Mr. Tiger, his dazzling moves in the ring in front of large crowds and then his shyness and lack of friends. Mr. Tiger wears his mask throughout the book, even when going about his day-to-day life. There is an added sense of whimsy when he wonders if Lily will accept him being a wrestler while wearing the mask. The text is brisk and vibrant with action in the ring, the humor of wrestler names, and just enough time to know Mr. Tiger is very lonely.

Tanco’s illustrations are bold and bright. He plays up the broadness of Mr. Tiger’s shoulders. Then there is the pink fluff that is Fifi snuggled against the yellow tiger mask. It is all clever and funny setting just the right tone about loneliness and shyness.

A clever mix of wrestling in the ring and wrestling with making a friend. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Tate.

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

| Tasha
Cover image for Himawari House.

Himawari House by Harmony Becker (9781250235565)

Nao grew up not fitting in in the United States, hoping to find a place that felt more like home in Japan. She had visited as a child, but now was going to be attending Japanese cram school. She moved into Himawari House, a house shared with several other students, all attending the school but at different levels. Nao discovers that fitting in isn’t as simple as a shared language, especially when she doesn’t speak it as well as she thought. Two of the girls who also live in the house have left their own countries to study in Japan. They all learn to find a way to connect with both Japanese culture and their own. Whether it is through shared food, watching shows together around a laptop, or reconnecting with family they left behind.

This graphic novel is wonderful. There is so much tangled in the stories of the three girls. Each of the teens is a unique person with specific experiences that led them to come to Japan, whether it was well-planned or almost a whim. They all face difficulties and handle them in their own ways, which tell the reader even more about who they are. Add in a touch of romance and their search for a place to belong becomes painfully personal and amazingly universal at the same time.

The art is phenomenal. From silly nods to manga style to serious moments that shine with a play of light and shadow to character studies that reveal so much in a single image of one of the characters, the illustrations run a full gamut of styles and tones. The language in the book is also fascinating, sharing the English mixed with other languages, changes in linguistic formats and the blank moments that happen when learning a language. It’s all so cleverly done.

A great graphic novel that explores finding a place in the world to belong. Appropriate for ages 13-18.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by First Second.

A Perfect Day by Jennifer Yerkes

| Tasha
Cover image for A Perfect Day.

A Perfect Day by Jennifer Yerkes (9780802855770)

The day starts with a peaceful song of birds and crickets. The hornets buzz in and out of their paper nest and the frogs croak from the lily pads. The melody continues through the morning, until the weather changes. Dark clouds enter the sky accompanied by the crash of thunder cymbals. The rhythm of falling rain takes up the beat. The rain drives down, filling the air. Then it ends with plunks of drops into puddles. The symphony is complete.

This picture book is beautifully simple. The text is carries the theme of music throughout the day, applying it cleverly to the sounds of the meadow. The various noises made by the animals will have children joining into the noise and creating their own music along the way. Admirably even with the onset of the storm, the pacing and feel of the book stays the same. There is no panic at the natural storm but a calmness that accompanies the noise and rhythm.

The illustrations are done with lovely fine lines that celebrate the vegetation and inhabitants of the meadow. Most of the animals are given a color that is their own from the orange fox to the green frog to the yellow bird. This will invite conversation about the illustrations, colors and what is happening on the pages. Some of the pages are wonderful in their simple drama such as the spread of rainfall that covers the meadow.

A musical look at nature. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

One Million Oysters on Top of the Mountain by Alex Nogues

| Tasha
Cover image for One Million Oysters on Top of the Mountain.

One Million Oysters on Top of the Mountain by Alex Nogues, illustrated by Miren Asiain Lora, translated by Lawrence Schimel (9780802855695)

Written by a Spanish geologist, this nonfiction picture book explores how a million fossilized oysters can possibly be found on a mountaintop. The book begins with exploring several landscape scenes, pointing out how simple it is to ignore the rocks that make up our world. The book moves from a child discovering an oyster shell on a hilltop and also explores various scientific discoveries in geology as the reason for the oysters is explained. Concepts such as strata in the earth, the immense length of geological time, and the movements of tectonic plates are explored and explained. Readers will leave with a great understanding of our changing world, much of which may have been underwater long before.

In this Spanish import, the writing by Nogues is what makes this book work so well. His tone is one of wonder and discovery. He writes from the perspective of discovering a new question, forming a hypothesis and then fully explaining the scientific terms and findings. The book offers a great look at geology and earth science for young children, never speaking down to them, instead explaining and lifting their understanding of the world upwards.

The illustrations are filled with earth tones and green punctuated by the whites of bones, fossils and oyster shells. Many of the illustrations help to give context to scientific concepts in a playful way. The scenes include children discovering fossils, exploring redwood trees, and much more.

A fascinating look at the transformations our earth has undergone. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Your Legacy by Schele Williams

| Tasha
Cover image for Your Legacy.

Your Legacy: A Bold Reclamation of Our Enslaved History by Schele Williams, illustrated by Tonya Engel (9781419748752)

This picture book honors the history of African Americans in America. Looking at Africa first, as a place of pride, filled with a long history of heritage and kingdoms. When Africans were loaded onto ships and taken into slavery, they brought so many of the qualities that they had in Africa. Their freedom was taken into a brutal system, but their intelligence allowed them to bridge their different languages with music. They loved one another as family, secretly learned to read, and smuggled messages for one another. Some managed to escape with determination and bravery. Black Americans were inventors of engines, farm equipment, and furniture, though they rarely got credit for their ideas. They created jazz, ice cream, peanut butter, and the blood plasma bank. The book ties all of these qualities to modern figures who exemplify them, showing how the heritage carries through ancestors to today.

Filled with a sense of pride from the very first pages, this picture book offers a way to speak to children about slavery without creating shame. There is a strong sense of resilience throughout the book, of people who not only endured but survived and continued to invent and create. The book allows space for slavery as part of African American history, but frames it in terms of the qualities of character it took to survive. This is history that is not shared in schools that then turns to the accomplishments of Black Americans throughout our history.

Engel’s illustrations are full of connection and joy. She uses deep and bright colors, creating scenes where African Americans stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity, work side by side, and sing together.

A necessary purchase for public and school libraries looking for a way to teach African American history in a better way. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

The Swallow’s Flight by Hilary McKay

| Tasha
Cover image for The Swallow’s Flight.

The Swallow’s Flight by Hilary McKay (9781665900911)

From the dawn of World War II through the course of the war, four young people grow up. There is Ruby, born with speckled birthmarks on her face, who is bullied for them and spends much of her time alone or in her family’s British news shop. There is Kate, who has a constant cough and anxiety and who is looked after by her older siblings until they have to leave the house. In Germany, Erik and Hans grow up as best friends living in the same building. They tend to swallow chicks together, dream of working in a zoo and pastry shop, and spend time at the airfield. As the war progresses and the Nazis take over, they become part of the Luftwaffe. The girls are also impacted by the war, rescuing a dog who has been released by his owner, moving to safer areas due to the bombing, and helping neighbors understand what is happening in Europe. Both the English and German characters have loving uncles who appear in their lives, fix things and set things up and then disappear again. As these characters survive the war, their lives impact upon one another in tragic and unexpected ways.

I am a great fan of McKay’s work. Her writing takes on serious issues yet she manages to truly show the deep humanity of all of her characters through small memorable moments that impact their lives. It may be a wild and drunken Christmas that ends with a crash, it may be saving a diminutive elderly woman with fierceness and physical strength, it may be rescuing a very smelly dog from the streets, or it could be visiting with women who have staunch victory gardens and a tendency toward hoarding. Each one of these is so well written and described that the scenes are vivid and the moments uniquely special.

The characters themselves are also beautifully written, each with their own tone and style. It is particularly noteworthy to have two German characters from World War II who retain their humor and humanity through the entire story. They are written with a deep empathy for the situation of the German people during the Nazi regime and an eye towards also showing that families did what they could to save neighbors. The English girls are a delightful mix of bravery, steadiness and wild adventures that keep the book lighter than it could have been.

Another gorgeous read from McKay, this time illuminating both sides of World War II. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy provided by Margaret K. McElderry Books.