Review: Grandpa’s Stories by Joseph Coelho

May 22, 2019April 26, 2019 | Tasha

Grandpa’s Stories by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Allison Colpoys (9781419734984)

A little girl visits her grandfather all through the year. In the spring they walk together in the garden. The girl thinks of replanting her grandpa’s birthdays so he won’t get old. In summer, the two of them play together with a secondhand racing track. The cars fly off into space and the girl thinks of their laughter being like shooting stars. In autumn, her grandpa gives her a book he’s made for her to draw in. She’d like to capture all of her bright feelings about him there. In winter, the two stay inside and Grandpa shares his stories with her. But then her Grandpa dies. While cleaning out his room, she discovers reminders of their time together as well as a new blank notebook that he made her for spring. She fills it with her memories of her Grandpa.

The writing in this book is exceptional. Coelho captures seasonal moments of the pair together, weaving in the joy that they feel, the connection that is being maintained and built. He uses imagery of the little girl’s thoughts to really create sincere memories for her to have that are compelling for the reader as well. When the death in the book happens, it is to be expected as one can feel some sadness in the book throughout as Grandpa ages more. It is a gentle moment, one done with care and thoughtfulness.

The illustrations by Colpoys depict a family of color joyfully spending time together and then experiencing and processing their loss. She uses amazingly bright colors on her pages, incorporating neon-poppy red, zinging sunshine yellow, waves of water blues and many more. Those colors never dim throughout the book, offering hope in their cheerfulness even during times of loss.

A beautifully written and illustrated picture book of love and loss. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Abrams.

Review: Laura Dean Keep Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

May 22, 2019May 7, 2019 | Tasha

Laura Dean Keep Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (9781250312846)

Freddy is dating the most popular girl at school. She is exactly the person you want to date, pretty, sexy, charming, and makes you feel like the center of her world. Until you aren’t, which happens pretty often. Laura keeps on cheating on Freddy, breaking up with her, and then asking Freddy to get back together. Freddy knows that it’s not ideal and so do all of her friends. When the two girls break up again, Freddy’s best friend Doodle encourages her to see a medium (who is also a great dungeon master too) to get advice. The medium agrees with all of Freddy’s friends, break up with Laura Dean. But it’s not that easy and as their relationship heats up again, Freddy risks her friendships to continue to be with the intoxicating Laura Dean.

This graphic novel beautifully captures a captivating but toxic romantic and sexual relationship. Tamaki has created several brilliant characters who avoid any kind of stereotype and are written as individuals. In particular, I appreciated Doodle, one of the only teen characters I have seen in a novel that avoids using a cell phone. As a parent of this type of teen, it is refreshing to see a character do this so organically. Fans of Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop gaming will love the DM as a medium and the use of gaming as a way to connect on multiple levels.

The art is a great complement to the story line. Filled with touches of pink, the art takes small moments and tiny focal points to tell a robust story. Just the images of Freddy’s shoes walking alone after a break up speak so beautifully of loneliness. The characters themselves are also vividly depicted in the art, from Freddy alone on her rumpled sheets to Doodle’s body language when she is being neglected.

An exceptional LGBTQ graphic novel that talks openly about toxicity in relationships and the importance of friendships. Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from copy provided by First Second.

Review: You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey

May 21, 2019April 25, 2019 | Tasha

You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey, illustrated by Soyeon Kim (9781771473156)

The creators of You Are Stardust return with another book that demonstrates how interconnected we are. This time the focus is on the nature around all of us and how we are never alone in our environment. We can look into the eyes of a dog and feel love, we play in the mud and feel deep happiness thanks to microorganisms, we breathe oxygen that plants create. Nature is there in everything we do, everything we eat, and our connections can be as huge as a whale to as small as the organisms on our skin. We are never alone, because we are supported by this web of life that we too are a part of.

Kelsey’s words are poetic and moving. She points out immense connections to nature like the water cycle and oxygen cycle, then she moves to painting the personal connections to pets and also includes the smallest creatures we know of. It’s a beautiful way to view nature, as supportive and complex, something we must not only trust in but value enough to protect too.

The illustrations by Kim are spectacular. Done in multilayered paper collage, they seem lit from within and shine on the page. Kim plays with perspective and size in most of the illustrations, including fine line drawings, dancing paper leaves and branches, and children everywhere.

A gentle and inclusive look at nature and our world by two gifted children’s book creators. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Oink by David Elliot

May 21, 2019April 25, 2019 | Tasha

Oink by David Elliot (9781776572144)

In this nearly wordless book, a little pig is getting ready for a nice calm bath all by himself. As he settles into the warm water, the door is opened by a sheep who brings a toy boat and climbs into the bath too. The next to enter is a cow, who asks the sheep if she can join and the sheep agrees. Cow brings a beach ball in, which bounces right off of the pig’s head. Then comes donkey who wears a floaty around his waist and hops into the bath too. The bath is noisy and crowded and not what pig wanted at all! What is a pig to do to find some peace?

The only words in this book are animal noises made by each of the critters. They use punctuation and emphasis to show what tone should be used when they are read aloud. It works very nicely. The book has a wonderful build up of frustration for the pig, as he gets more and more cross visually as the animals enter and the chaos increases. The humor of the solution is wonderfully timed and will have small children in stitches. Perhaps adding a little noise for that when sharing aloud would add to the fun.

A little fart of a book with lots of appeal. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Gecko Press.

2019 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards

May 20, 2019May 17, 2019 | Tasha

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards are in their 67th year. The award ” recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage
children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.” The award is given to books in two categories: Younger Children and Older Children. There are also two honor books this year for each age group. Here are the winners and honor books:

YOUNGER CHILDREN WINNER

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López

OLDER CHILDREN WINNER

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

YOUNGER CHILDREN HONOR BOOKS

The Day the War Came by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

OLDER CHILDREN HONOR BOOKS

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

Review: The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

May 20, 2019April 30, 2019 | Tasha

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina (9781984848789)

Beth died in a car accident and now her father is the only one who can see and hear her. He is struggling with his grief, and Beth knows that the best thing for him is to get back to work as a police detective and solve a mystery. Luckily, he is sent on what should be a simple case in a small Australian town. A dead body was found in the aftermath of a fire at a foster care home. But the mystery isn’t that simple as a witness comes forward and speaks to Beth and her father. The witness, Catching, tells an unbelievable tale of almost dying in a flood, her mother sacrificing herself, and then being taken by unusual beings to be fed upon. Still, Beth and her father realize that Catching is telling the truth if they can just figure out what that is and how it ties into the mystery itself.

This #ownvoices tale shares the dark truth of residential schools for Aboriginal children in Australia and the aftermath of entire lost generations. The authors create an amazing story by mixing modern police procedural with a ghost story that vividly shows Aboriginal storytelling and beliefs. The resulting book is one unlike anything you have read before.

From Catching’s poetic and disturbing tale of losing her colors and then finding a way back using the women in her family as points of strength to Beth’s own process of helping her father and then finding a way to let go to Crow’s story of truth and revenge, this is a book that celebrates the power of Aboriginal women to find their voices on the way to getting justice. The three Aboriginal young women at the heart of the book are studies in various kinds of strength, shining on the page and not allowing their light or colors to dim.

Unusual and incredibly powerful and moving, this genre-bending novel is one of a kind. Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from copy provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Kids Indie Next List – Summer 2019

May 17, 2019May 16, 2019 | Tasha

The Summer 2019 Kids Indie Next List has been released. It features books for children and teens that are recommendations from independent booksellers. You can click through for all of the lists. Here are the Top 10 books:

If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Loren Long

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Sarah Jacoby

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Monica Armino

This Week’s Tweets

May 17, 2019May 16, 2019 | Tasha

Here are the items I shared on Twitter this week:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

During #LatinoBooksMonth we’re celebrating Latino authors, illustrators and books that highlight Latino culture and Latin-American identity! Check out a full range of titles here: bit.ly/2WDSlcO

Hate Reading? Do It Anyway! | ShelfTalker buff.ly/2Vuf8eE #Reading

Problematic Patterns In White Narratives About BIPOC Critique buff.ly/2LBayGN #kidlit #yalit

LIBRARIES

Diversity and inclusion: More than books on the shelves: Latest Library Links – https://t.co/QwDgYtRX7R

YA LIT

10 Great Standalone YA Fantasy Books buff.ly/30rSAu2 #yalit

11 Books With South Asian Characters You Should Read in 2019 teenvogue.com/gallery/south-… via @pooja_makhijani @TeenVogue

Finding Diverse Books yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2019/05…

2019 South Asia Book Awards

May 16, 2019May 15, 2019 | Tasha

The 2019 South Asia Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature has been announced. There are two winners, three honor books, and four highly commended books! I haven’t heard of several of them, so this list of award winners is a real treat to explore. Here are the winners:

WINNERS