Book Reviews

News to Wake Your Brain Cells – Sept 4

| Tasha

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

19 children’s books that normalize breastfeeding – HuffPost

Children’s book roundup – the best new picture books and novels – The Guardian

Everyday Learner: Release your inner performer when reading to your children – Daily Herald

Indiana Authors Awards Announced – Inside Indiana Business

Not your average back-to-school children’s books – SF Chronicle

Welcome to story hour: 100 favorite books for young readers – NPR

LIBRARIES

2020 library design showcase – American Libraries

Controversy over diverse books prompts library trustee to resign – Tysons Reporter

Empowering Youth Services staff to address diversity, equity and inclusion in literature – SLJ

How libraries can save the 2020 election – The New York Times

Libraries don’t hide controversial material, especially during a national movement – Intellectual Freedom Blog

New Orleans libraries being unfairly targeted for large cuts supporters say – 4WWL

St. Paul libraries won’t return to normal in 2021 – StarTribune

YA LIT

11 YA books exploring the realities of poverty – Book Riot

Amazon developing TV adaptation of Kacen Callender’s YA novel ‘Felix Ever After’ – Deadline

“Punching the Air” authors Yusef Salaam, Ibi Zoboi talk liberation through poetry – Teen Vogue

Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera

| Tasha

Me & Mama by Cozbi A Cabrera

Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera (9781534454217)

Mama greets the little girl who narrates this story when she comes down early in the morning. The others are still sleeping on the rainy morning. They decide to head outside into the rain together. First they must get ready with drinks from their cups, teeth brushing, showers and hair combing. Then it’s time for breakfast and barrettes in their hair. They head out into the rainy morning with boots, umbrellas and raincoats. Max, the dog, doesn’t need any of those things. Together they sing and splash. In the evening, there are stories, laughter and cozy blankets that lead to dreams filled with moments from their day together.

My summary above skims the surface of this picture book that deeply explores the relationship of mother and daughter. Cabrera deftly uses language to explain the connection between these two: “I want to be everywhere Mama is.” She also uses lovely comparisons by the little girl who looks at their boots, hair, laugh and other elements of their day and sees how similar and different they are. It’s a beautiful look at the small pieces of our days that create such deep connectivity.

Cabrera’s art is done in acrylics, illustrations that are filled with deep bright colors that glow on the page. They too reveal the connections between the characters, deepening them even further than the words can.

A marvelous mother and daughter book. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest

| Tasha

Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest

Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest (9780763660079)

Bruno and Julie aren’t really friends anymore, but in the small town of Belle Beach, Long Island, they still see one another. That’s how Bruno sees Julie discover the baby that was left on the steps of the new children’s library. Julie carries the baby off, leaving Bruno to discover the note that Julie never found. Bruno though is on a mission for his brother who is overseas fighting in World War II, and he must decide if he will miss the train to New York or not. Told through flashbacks that show the story of Bruno, Julie and Julie’s little sister, Martha, this book explores the impact of the war on families and also how one complicated situation can somehow tie their entire summer together.

Hest creates a marvelous story told in brief chapters by each of the three characters. Their perspectives are beautifully individual, filled with misunderstandings about one another, views that are entirely their own, and opinions that they form along the way. The book is almost a puzzle, where one must figure out what is actually happening through these independent lenses that show a fractured image of the truth.

Each of the three characters has their own personality, deftly created and shown by Hest. Her writing is brief and clear, allowing each character’s words to stand strong as their own. It is the quality of her writing and the profound respect she shows her young characters that really let this delight of a novel work, revealing the moments and experiences of a single sun-drenched summer on the beach.

Ideal for summer reading, this work of historical fiction is masterful. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy provided by Candlewick.

 

Little Fox by Edward van de Vendel

| Tasha

Little Fox by Edward van de Vendel

Little Fox by Edward van de Vendel & Marije Tolman (9781646140077)

Little fox is chasing two butterflies because they are purple. He runs so quickly that he doesn’t notice the ground falling away and takes a horrible tumble. He lands hard and starts to dream. It’s a dream about his life from when he was a very small baby to growing up with his brothers and sisters. It’s a dream of smells, of mice and deer, of wind and water. Daddy Fox warns Little Fox not to be so curious but he can’t help but wonder about the little human with the camera. It turns out that that little human saves Little Fox from getting his head stuck in a jar. Then after his terrible fall, the little human arrives just in time to save Little Fox one more time.

While some might read the description above as a cautionary tale, this book doesn’t take that tone at all. Instead it celebrates the small things in life, a mother’s love, a father’s attention, siblings, food, and exploration. Throughout there is a feeling of joy and marvel, such as the memory of licking drops of water off of a deer’s nose. The book is also peppered with smaller moments, blackberries, birds, and orange balls.

The illustrations are unique and ethereal. Using photographs to create her landscapes, which are then depicted in vibrant orange or cool teal, Tolman places her characters in them with precision. Other pages are done on creamy paper where the landscapes and characters are drawn. Still others play on the white background of the pages.

This European import is quiet and profound. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from egalley provided by Chronicle Books.

Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner

| Tasha

Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner

Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (9781452169408)

This is the third book in the Over and Under series that explores ecosystems with children. The young narrator hikes into the rain forest with Tito, their guide. They discover the hidden world in the canopies of the trees, filled with monkeys, insects and birds. They cross a rope bridge that sways above the sleep crocodiles in the river. As they get higher, they see monkeys swing in the trees. Sloths ignore the rain as it starts to fall while blue morpho butterflies take shelter on the tree trunks. Everywhere there is life, small and large, predator and prey. The two people make it home for dinner, as darkness falls.

Messner creates a story that wraps the reader in the experience of walking through a rain forest. Every page offers new animals, the sound of rain, the sway of the bridges. She shows it all with such wonder and fascination that one can’t read the book without also getting curious and wanting to learn more. She offers that in her Author’s Note as well as providing more information on the animals in the book.

Neal’s art is vibrant and beautiful, showing the play of light through the huge trees. He depicts each of the animals, some well known and others that will be new to the reader. As fog descends in the book, it fills the pages creating mystery and beauty.

A journey worth taking. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Chronicle Books.

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

| Tasha

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee (9780358131434)

Brace yourself for this teen novel that brings you along with fourteen teens who are taken into the Japanese detention camps in the United States during World War II. The teenagers have all grown up together in Japantown in San Francisco. But when Pearl Harbor is bombed, their lives are destroyed when their families are relocated to the detention camps. Told in each of their voices, the story revolves around their daily lives in the camp, the intolerable racism and injustice that they face, and how they navigate still being Americans.

Chee moves from her successful fantasy trilogy to this incredibly impactful story of a group of friends who are taken from their lives. Her writing is exceptional, moving from straightforward storytelling to passages that sing with poetic touches to direct verse. All of it screams of the injustice, demanding that people see what actually happened in the camps and the impossible decisions faced by the Japanese Americans who were held there. She also very successfully moves to the battlefields of World War II, breaking lives and hearts.

Fourteen voices are a lot to manage as an author, but Chee does it with such a deep understanding of each character that readers can simply allow the characters to flow around them at first. By the end of the book, readers will have connected with each of the characters both from their own perspectives and from the adjoining stories of the other characters that include them as well. It is deftly done, capturing readers into this powerful story and making it impossible to look away or deny.

Incredibly eloquent and compelling, this historical fiction for teens is one that can’t be missed. Appropriate for ages 13-17.

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

This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis

| Tasha

This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis and Charles Santoso (9781419742064)

Open Bud Ranch is a place that took in all kinds of animals. When Jack the goat first arrived, it was clear to all of the other animals that Jack liked his space. But Charlie the horse didn’t even see Jack, since he was getting used to being only able to see from one of his eyes. After getting stepped on, Jack made sure to keep an eye on Charlie at all times. That’s when he noticed that he and Charlie liked a lot of the same things like sunlit pastures and smelling the honeysuckle. But Charlie often got turned around and had to move really slowly. One day, Jack decided to help and led Charlie to the best place to graze and then down to the river. Soon the two went everywhere together. Then Charlie lost the sight in his other eye, leaving him entirely blind. Jack still liked his space, so when a storm blew in, Charlie left the warm barn to protect Jack from the rain. After an argument, Charlie got in an accident and that left Jack the only one to save him, even though it meant talking to the others on the farm.

Levis offers a rich story arc in this picture book that tells a full tale and also manages to be a great read-aloud. The tale of these two unlikely friends is based on the true story of Charlie and Jack. The book gently shows that animals have value even if they aren’t technically productive in a farming sense, and that they have emotions and the ability to help one another when they are in need.

Santoso’s illustrations beautifully show the farm with glowing pages of sunlit pastures. He moves easily into action and drama as the story demands it with the same animals distraught or scared. The illustrations capture the personalities of Charlie and Jack.

An engaging and warm look at animal rescue and friendship. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward

| Tasha

How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward

How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Diana Sudyka (9781481467056)

This preschool-friendly picture book explores the basics of bird watching. There are many ways to find a bird, such as offering seeds. Sometimes you may need to blend in, such as near a pond. Being very quiet is also key. Birds aren’t just flying in the sky, they are also down on the ground foraging. Birds also eat, swim and wade in the water. Sometimes it can take having good eyes to detect a hidden bird. And of course, looking up at telephone wires and trees is a good idea too. Putting up feeders and bird houses helps and lets you watch birds right from your window. But the best way of all to find a bird is to close your eyes and listen for their song.

Told in the simple language, this picture book invites readers to enter nature and look for birds. With various birds on the pages, the book offers examples of different birds and their habitats. The text is encouraging, showing readers how easy it is to find birds all around them and become a bird watcher themselves. The author’s note at the end of the book offers more tips for bird watching, encouraging using a field guide and creating your own list of birds you have spotted. It also mentions becoming a Citizen Scientist and helping with bird counts.

The illustrations are key in this book, showing various birds on the pages nicely labeled. The images are bold and colorful, filled at times with a myriad of birds and other times with birds the reader must spot. The pictures invite conversation and discovery.

A merry introduction to birds and bird watching just right for preschoolers. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Beach Lane Books.

Dark Was the Night by Gary Golio

| Tasha

Dark Was the Night by Gary Golio

Dark Was the Night by Gary Golio, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (9781524738884)

This nonfiction picture book is about the life and music career of Blind Willie Johnson. The book begins with the fact that Willie Johnson’s music was sent into space on Voyager I in 1977. The year then turns to Johnson’s birth in 1897. Johnson was a musician from a young age when he could still see, losing his sight around age eight. Music continued for him in church choir and changing gospel songs to the blues. Grown up, Johnson traveled Texas by train, performing on the street corner and in churches. Eventually, a man from a record label heard him and his first record sold thousands of copies. Time passed and one of those songs launched into the darkness of space.

Golio keeps his text tight and brief, giving young readers plenty of opportunity to witness the remarkable gift of music that took a man from being a blind child to making a record that made history. Written in the second person speaking directly to Johnson, the book has the feel of a gift laid before him as well as being a reminder to young people of what hard work and skill can create in your life.

Lewis’ illustrations are remarkable. Done in watercolor they are filled with light, yellows glowing, stars shining, and hope emerging on each page. There are several great images of Johnson in the book, playing is guitar in each.

Make sure to listen to “Dark Was the Night” while reading this with children. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Nancy Paulsen Books.