Picture Books

Southwest Sunrise by Nikki Grimes

| Tasha

Southwest Sunrise by Nikki Grimes

Southwest Sunrise by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Wendell Minor (9781547600823)

Told in first person, this is the story of a boy moving from New York to New Mexico. He wakes up to a mountain “striped in rainbows” that he didn’t notice there the night before. He knows that deserts are only tans and browns, so he doesn’t anticipate the colors that he finds. As he leaves the house with a guide book, he quickly notices the patches of desert flowers. He discovers an adobe house, spots a magpie in the trees, and notices the broad blue spread of sky above him. As he moves on, he sees a raven, holds a lizard, and finds a tortoise. Rock formations form new skyscrapers for him.

Grimes has created a love song for the desert here, filled with all of the elements that will fascinate children who either already love the desert or who have never experienced it before. She plays against stereotypes of deserts, noting the bright flowers that bloom there, the various animals who live in that habitat and the span of sky. Through the eyes of Jayden, readers explore alongside him.

Minor brilliantly captures the beauty and expanse of the desert in this picture book. He plays with framing his landscapes at first through windows, and then in a two-page spread allows the landscape to burst in front of the reader as if they too opened a door wide and stepped through.

An ode to the beauty of the southwestern United States and its desert. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Bloomsbury.

The Next President by Kate Messner

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The Next President by Kate Messner, illustrated by Adam Rex (9781452174884)

This remarkable book takes presidential history and makes it both an exploration throughout time as well as an invitation to see oneself as a potential president. The book begins with George Washington as president and points out that when he was president there were nine future presidents alive with four of them already working at the capital with Washington. Readers will see presidents as children, teens and adults. They will watch them progress to being president, seeing the similarities and differences among the men who have been president. Yet most important of all is that they themselves might just be the future president who is currently alive.

Messner’s text is marvelous. It appears in bubbles that swirl through the illustrations or short paragraphs, making it bite-sized and inviting for young readers. Moving from one to the next, moves readers to a new president. Each one has interesting facts shared about them as well as glimpses of several of them over the course of their lives before they became president.

Rex’s illustrations are great. He creates recognizable images of past and present presidents as well as younger versions of them that are clearly still them. It’s a wonderful way to view presidents as human and to invite all children to see their own potential to lead.

Inviting, interesting and invigorating. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by Chronicle Books.

 

Green on Green by Dianne White

| Tasha

Green on Green by Dianne White

Green on Green by Dianne White, illustrated by Felicita Sala (9781481462785)

Explore the changing colors of seasons through this poetic picture book. The colors slide together, dynamically playing in the seasons in ways that surprise and delight. Yellow on green is lemonade and bees buzzing. Spring is new bird song, rain and breeze, yellow on green. Summer comes in on turquoise water with beaches and swimming. It is also peaches, sun and shade, blue on green. Fall is cinnamon and squirrels, brown on green. Corn, pumpkins and candles too. Winter is white with snow and gray skies, white on green. Green as spring returns.

There are so many season books, many that I really enjoy. This one though is very special. It takes colors and shows young readers how they pair and shift and change over the course of the seasons. Green stays constant, always there under snow or next to blue waters. The poetry here invites readers to explore things more deeply, to look beyond the first color they think of for a season. It reads aloud beautifully, the measures actually reading aloud better than they do silently on the page. It turns into a dance like the colors themselves.

Sala’s illustrations are lush and colorful, showing a family of color who experience the seasons together. Children will also notice the mother’s stomach growing rounder as the months pass and then a baby appearing. Throughout there is a strong feeling of family and community.

A lovely new way to see colors and seasons. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Beach Lane Books.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

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We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade (9781250203557)

Two indigenous book creators have created a picture book that celebrates the North American indigenous battles to protect our water. Water is the the first medicine; it is where we all come from and nourishes us in the womb and on earth. There is talk of a black snake that will spoil the water, poisoning it. The black snake had been foretold for many years, and now it is here. Courage is the answer to it and the willingness to stand up and insist that water be protected. Nature cannot speak for itself, so we must speak and fight on its behalf. We can all be water protectors.

Lindstrom has written a book that calls out to be shared aloud. She has used an effective refrain: “We stand/ With our songs/ And our drums./ We are still here.” The importance of standing up and of Native people being visible as modern members of our society is vital here. The call to action in this picture book is also clarion clear and incredibly empowering. This book explains to the youngest children what the protests on Native lands are all about and why they are vital to all of us.

Goade’s illustrations are done in watercolor that washes across the pages in waves, swirls, and skies. The colors are deep and dynamic, showing nature in all of its beauty and demonstrating page after page what we are fighting to protect.

Strong and important. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Roaring Brook Press.

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade

| Tasha

Exquisite The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera (9781419734113)

Gwendolyn Brooks grew up in Chicago, raised in a family that loved words, books and poetry. At age eleven, she sent four poems to a newspaper, and they were printed. She also submitted a poem to a magazine. But then the Great Depression happened and publications were no longer printing poems. Gwendolyn went to school and then to college. She got married and had children, writing poems all the while. She captured the hardworking neighborhood of Bronzeville in Chicago where she lived. Steadily, she started to get her poems published and then submitted a group of poems to a New York publisher. They not only accepted the poems, but asked for more to complete an entire book. She eventually had two books, but still wasn’t able to make enough money to get by. Her electricity had been shut off when she heard that her book had won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry!

Slade’s picture book biography of Brooks details a life spent with a love of words but also one that is impacted greatly by poverty. Her life is one filled with early promise as a child, but one that was also put on hold by the economy. Her story is inspiring, showing how a life of hard work and speaking the truth of a community can eventually be noticed.

The art in the book is done in acrylic. The pages are filled with pinks, greens and blues as backgrounds that float like clouds. Against this, realistic depictions of Brooks and her family glow.

A splendid biography of an important African-American poet. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams.

 

 

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna

| Tasha

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna (9781419744822)

Turn the pages of this picture book and watch as things steadily go away, one after the next. Bubbles float off, bird fly past, small wounds vanish with time. Steam dissipates, leaves fall and bad weather moves on. Emotions are the same with fear going away, tears drying and bad thoughts not staying. The book has a wry sense of humor as even lice moves on out of your hair, baby teeth falling out, and hair moving from one person to another. Everything is changing in the picture book, all going away but for most of it we don’t miss it afterwards.

Award-winning Italian author, Alemagna, has created a picture book with simple text but a deep premise. The sense of change is huge in this picture book and a feeling that things are not within our control either. The book is very cleverly designed, with see-through pages that show the changes happening. The items on the clear page are simple, moving from one page to the next very effectively. The background images have a modern wildness to them that is very welcome.

A dynamic picture book about things going away and constant change that children will adore as they turn the pages back and forth. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams Books for Young Readers.

The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

| Tasha

The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, illustrated by Bao Luu (9780525555148)

His Holiness addresses children directly for the first time in one of his books, this time in picture book format. The book tells the story of his childhood in Tibet, filled with mountains, streams, blue sky and lots of animals. His farming family meant that there was always work to do, so as a child, he helped his beloved mother. Through her, he learned his first lessons about compassion. He saw the way she fed those who were hungry and less fortunate. She treated everyone with warmth and tried to give them aid. When he was almost three years old, he was identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and traveled to Llasa to begin his studies. His focus has been compassion and how to spread compassion throughout the world, bringing joy to more people.

Told in the Dalai Lama’s own voice, the picture book looks deeply at how compassion begins when one is very young, watching others demonstrate it, just like with any other skill. The glimpse of the Dalai Lama’s early days are interesting and the setting in Tibet is beautiful and isolated. Just having scorpions for company is something that will amaze readers, but there is much more on these pages that is impressive and that will get young listeners thinking about how they themselves can be compassionate.

The illustrations were done digitally and have an appealing warmth that carries from page to page. The tones of browns and reds are enlivened by the greenery around them, providing images of life in Tibet.

A must-purchase for all public libraries, this book will be of interest to many. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Kokila.

Hike by Pete Oswald

| Tasha

Hike by Pete Oswald

Hike by Pete Oswald (9781536201574)

Waking up early, a father and child have big plans. A warm hat and coat plus a full backpack, and they are ready to start their drive. The two drive deep into the forest to a hiking trail as the sun rises in the sky. Along the way, they see deer, birds, eagles, butterflies and more. They reach a place that still has a little snow on the ground and have a snowball fight. They cross a river by walking on a fallen tree then pause to see the waterfall. After a quick snack, they climb higher, wearing climbing gear, until they reach just the right place to plant a tree. Then back down they go, the sun just beginning to color the sky as it sets. Reaching home, the two feed the cat, have some milk and cookies, and add their new picture to the family album.

In this nearly wordless book, it is entirely Oswald’s illustrations that tell the story. Shared looks between the father and child speak to their connection and the clear joy on their faces show how much they love this time in nature spent together. The grandeur of the natural setting is celebrated with panoramic views of woods and mountains, filled with wildlife. The entire book embraces the love in a family and the love for nature.

A stellar picture book. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy provided by Candlewick Press.

 

Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl

| Tasha

Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl

Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl, illustrated by Lauren O’Hara (9781536210224)

Mabel lives at the Mermaid Hotel near the sea where she goes on many adventures without shoes. When a strange new guest arrives at the hotel, Mabel becomes a spy to try to figure out the story of the woman she dubs Madame Badobedah. The lady comes with her pet tortoise and lots of bags and trunks that could be filled with anything, including stolen treasure. After watching her for awhile, Mabel decides that the woman must be a supervillian who is hiding out at Mermaid Hotel. When Mabel’s spy cover is blown, Madame Badobedah invites her into her room for tea. Soon the two are traveling on imaginary adventures together that feature pirates and mermaids, a partnership of young and old.

This picture book has more text than many, but please don’t let that stop you! Dahl’s writing is sharp and witty, offering exactly the right amount of detail to conjure up the hotel fully and craft interesting characters who are fully realized. Told in Mabel’s voice, the book has the feel of a vintage book but with a modern sensibility as well. Filled with creativity and imagination, the stories Mabel conjures are fascinating and the journeys the two kindred spirits share are marvelous.

The illustrations by O’Hara capture the vivid red hair of Madame Badobedah, the wonders of the hotel, and intrepid Mabel on her many adventures. Real life swirls effectively with the imaginary worlds on the page in both text and illustrations.

An adventure worth taking with two great partners. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy provided by Walker Books.