2021 ABIA Longlists

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 | Tasha

The longlists for the 2021 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) have been announced. The awards span a wide range of ages from adults to children and include fiction and nonfiction. Here are the longlists for the youth categories:

BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR OLDER CHILDREN (AGES 13+)

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell

The F Team by Rawah Arja

Future Girl by Asphyxia

Jane Doe and the Key of All Souls by Jeremy Lachlan

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr

This One Is Ours by Kate O’Donnell

BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (AGES 7-12)

Finding Our Heart: A Story About the Uluru Statement for Young Australians

Finding Our Heart by Thomas Mayor, illus by Blak Douglas

The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals by Sami Bayly

Took the Children Away by Archie Roach, illus by Ruby Hunter

We Are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad

When Rain Turns to Snow by Jane Godwin

The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR (AGES 0-6)

Aunty’s Wedding by Miranda Tapsell, Joshua Tyler and Samantha Fry

Bluey: The Creek

The Fire Wombat by Jackie French & Danny Snell

Our Home, Our Heartbeat by Adam Briggs, Kate Moon & Rachael Sarra

Respect by Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, illus by Lisa Kennedy

Sing Me the Summer by Jane Godwin & Alison Lester

When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke

Windows by Jonathan Bentley & Patrick Guest

SMALL PUBLISHER’S CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR

Anemone Is Not the Enemy by Anna McGregor

Bindi by Kirli Saunders, illus by Dub Leffler

Claudette by Helene Magisson

Family by Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, illus by Jasmine Seymour

Found by Bruce Pascoe & Charmaine Ledden-Lewis

Howl by Kat Patrick, illus by Evie Barrow

Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore

My Shadow Is Pink by Scott Stuart

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

February 24, 2021January 14, 2021 | Tasha

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (9780062869944)

Through a series of linked short stories and poems, readers get to join young Native people from across the United States and Canada as they converge in Michigan for an intertribal powwow. Written by new and familiar Native authors, these stories speak to the various ways that Native families and youth stay connected or find new connection with their cultural heritage. From the World’s Best Fry Bread to dancing in regalia to solving powwow mysteries to selling items from booths, this book invites readers to experience the powwow at different levels while also connecting to nature, ancestors and shared humor and tales.

The most impressive part of this collection of short stories and poems is that they are all so impressive. Each story has its own voice and point of view, featured characters and tribal connections, yet they come together in a remarkable way where they lift one another up. The stories have shared characters, including a dog who sells t-shirts, a girl selling raffle tickets and a young detective. These elements help tie the tales together, but it is the strength of the writing of each story that really makes the book work.

The final poem of the book takes the drum beat that has been happening throughout the book and shows the power of the powwow and the importance of the experience for all who attend. It’s the ideal way to wrap up a book that offers so much joy, connectivity and community.

One of the best short story collections for children ever, this belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Heartdrum.

It’s So Quiet by Sherri Duskey Rinker

February 23, 2021February 22, 2021 | Tasha

It’s So Quiet by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tony Fucile (9781452145440)

As the sun sets, the farm gets quiet and still. The moths “shah” against the light until the lamp turns off. A little mouse thinks it’s way too quiet to sleep, but his mother tells him that the sounds of the night will whisper him to sleep. He starts to listen and hears many things in the night. There is a frog singing, crickets chirping, a rattling screen door, wind through the trees, an owl hooting, and much more. Grandpa is snoring on the porch and the dog’s tail is thumping on the boards. When a coyote howls, the little mouse looks out his window to see what that was! He hears all of the noises once more, and then again even louder. The night might be too noisy after all!

Funny and a joy to read aloud, this picture book will quickly become a bedtime favorite. The book is filled with noises that should be great fun for both the reader and the listener to contribute to, since they repeat several times in the book. Expect enthusiastic frog croaks, wind whooshes, and more. It’s also a book that will have children listening in their own beds to the noises of the night around them.

The illustrations add to the fun with the serenity of the night clear at first and then quickly moving to a zany pitch and pace visually as the noises pick up. The natural setting is shown simply, allowing the various elements to repeat visually as well. Readers will see the frog, owl, crickets and coyote from the very first page.

Bedtime giggles galore. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Chronicle Books.

Sato the Rabbit by Yuki Ainoya

February 23, 2021February 1, 2021 | Tasha

Sato the Rabbit by Yuki Ainoya (9781592703180)

Sato became a rabbit one day and has been one ever since. Told in short chapters, Sato goes about his days. He waters the plants around his house using a very long hose, a very special hose. In the second story, there is a sea of grass where Sato hangs his laundry that soon becomes a rollicking sea of water. A meteor storm becomes a way to light a path. A watermelon becomes a boat. After the rain, puddles reflect the sky, giving Sato a portal to the clouds. Walnut shell halves lead to unique little worlds of their own. Colored ice from the forest lets Sato taste emotions.

It’s a marvelously surreal little picture book that invites readers into Sato’s imagination as he explores the world around his home. It’s particularly marvelous that each of the inspiring elements is ever so normal, from laundry hanging near grass to eating watermelon or walnuts. The text is perfectly descriptive of what is happening, not giving away when reality becomes magical, just stating things frankly.

The art is bright and colorful, using the white space on the page to create smaller illustrations and then suddenly move to full-page spreads that delight. The colors used are deep and rich, allowing Sato in his white rabbit outfit to really stand out on each page.

Wild and imaginative, this book invites children to join in the fun. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Enchanted Lion.

2021 Golden Kite Awards

February 22, 2021February 20, 2021 | Tasha

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has announced the winners of the 2021 Golden Kite Awards and the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. The awards are judged by a jury of peers with celebrated names in children’s and YA literature serving as judges. The awards are given in a variety of categories with five finalists in each category announced earlier this month. Here are the winners and the finalists:

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG READER FICTION WINNER

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG READER FICTION HONOR BOOK

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG READER FICTION FINALISTS

A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner

The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson

Mananaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan

PICTURE BOOK TEXT WINNER

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles; illustrated by Bryan Collier

PICTURE BOOK TEXT HONOR

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom; illustrated by Michaela Goade

PICTURE BOOK TEXT FINALISTS

The Blue House by Phoebe Wahl

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes; illustrated by Gordon C. James

Lights Out by Marsha Diane Arnold; illustrated by Susan Reagan

NONFICTION TEXT FOR YOUNGER READERS WINNER

William Still and His Freedom Stories by Don Tate

NONFICTION TEXT FOR YOUNGER READERS HONOR

Winged Wonders by Meeg Pincus, illustrated by Yas Imamura

NONFICTION TEXT FOR YOUNGER READERS FINALISTS

Dark Was the Night by Gary Golio ; illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Nacho’s Nachos by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez

Terry Fox and Me by Mary Beth Leatherdale, illustrated by Milan Pavlovic

PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION WINNER

The Bear and the Moon illustrated by Catia Chien; written by Matthew Burgess

PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION HONOR

Outside In illustrated by Cindy Derby; written by Deborah Underwood

PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION FINALISTS

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann

From Archie to Zack by Vincent X. Kirsch

Welcoming Elijah illustrated by Susan Gal; written by Leslea Newman

NONFICTION TEXT FOR OLDER READERS WINNER

All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat

NONFICTION TEXT FOR OLDER READERS HONOR

Alphamaniacs by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

NONFICTION TEXT FOR OLDER READERS FINALISTS

Dung for Dinner by Christine Virnig, illustrated by Korwin Briggs

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

True or False by Cindy L. Otis

ILLUSTRATED BOOK FOR OLDER READERS WINNER

Chance: Escape from the Holocaust: Memories of a Refugee Childhood by Uri Shulevitz

ILLUSTRATED BOOK FOR OLDER READERS HONOR BOOK

Flamer by Mike Curato

ILLUSTRATED BOOK FOR OLDER READERS FINALISTS

How We Got to the Moon by John Rocco

Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo

The Wanderer by Peter Van Den Ende

YOUNG ADULT FICTION WINNER

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith

YOUNG ADULT FICTION HONOR

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

YOUNG ADULT FICTION FINALISTS

Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

With a Star in My Hand by Margarita Engle

SID FLEISCHMAN HUMOR AWARD WINNER

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barba Higuera

SID FLEISCHMAN HUMOR AWARD HONOR

Zeus, Dog of Chaos by Kristen O’Donnell Tubb

SID FLEISCHMAN HUMOR AWARD FINALISTS

Badger and Skunk by Amy Timberlake

Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard

February 22, 2021January 14, 2021 | Tasha

The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard (9781945820687)

This graphic novel offers a series of strange and tantalizing short stories sure to give readers the shivers. Set in ordinary places like the beach, on a farm, and near a lake, these stories take the mundane and make it strange and horrifying. From a lonely girl who discovers the terrifying truth of what happened on the farm next door to a young girl who meets a boy on the beach who becomes her best friend but who only comes out at night, these stories invite readers to look under the surface to the darkness and weirdness that lurks there. The stories also ask whether monsters are kind or cruel, and how we know what a monster actually is. Some people trust too much, others too little and some find a new path.

I’m a huge fan of Howard’s 2020 graphic novel The Last Halloween: Children. She uses the same gorgeous pen and ink illustrations here, once again creating a world adjacent to our own that is bewildering and yet familiar. Her skill with storytelling is clear as she creates one tale after the other, stringing them together into a beautiful yet horrifying collection that can’t be put down.

She manages to quickly bring us into each story with both her text and her illustrations, showing us at first how normal each scene is and then swiftly ripping that away. It’s a pleasure to experience each reveal, timed just right for maximum impact and then to have the story play out in unexpected and surprising ways.

A great graphic novel for teen horror fans. Best read after dark. Appropriate for ages 13-18.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Iron Circus Comics.

2021 CILIP Carnegie & Greenaway Longlists

February 19, 2021February 18, 2021 | Tasha

The longlists for the 2021 CILIP Carnegie and Greenaway Awards have been announced. The Carnegie Medal is the UK’s oldest book award. Judged by children’s librarians, the award recognizes “outstanding achievement in children’s writing.” The longlist for the Kate Greenaway medal was also announced, an award that recognizes the best illustrations in a book for children. Here are the longlisted titles:

CARNEGIE LONGLIST

After the War: From Auschwitz to Ambleside

After the War by Tom Palmer

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly (And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, #1)

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

Burn by Patrick Ness

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Furious Thing by Jenny Downham

The Girl Who Became a Tree by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner

The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

In the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido (American title is slightly different)

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

On Midnight Beach by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

The Short Knife by Elen Caldecott

Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur

The Space We’re In by Katya Balen, illustrated by Laura Carlin

GREENAWAY LONGLIST

Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep by Catherine Rayner

The Bird Within Me, illustrated by Sara Lundberg and translated by BJ Epstein

The Child of Dreams, illustrated by Richard Jones, written by Irena Brignull

Dandelion’s Dream by Yoko Tanaka

The Fate of Fausto by Oliver Jeffers

The Girl Who Became a Tree. illustrated by Kate Milner. written by Joseph Coelho

Hidden Planet by Ben Rothery

Hike by Pete Oswald

How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry

I Go Quiet by David Ouimet

It’s a No-Money Day by Kate Milner

Just Because, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, written by Mac Barnett

Lights on Cotton Rock by David Litchfield (American title is slightly different)

The Misadventures of Frederick, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, written by Ben Manley

My Nana’s Garden, illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle, written by Dawn Casey

Small in the City by Sydney Smith

Starbird by Sharon King-Chai

Tibble and Grandpa, illustrated by Daniel Egneus, written by Wendy Meddour

Where Happiness Begins by Eva Eland

The Wind in the Wall, illustrated by Rovena Cai, written by Sally Gardner

Stella’s Stellar Hair by Yesenia Moises

February 19, 2021January 4, 2021 | Tasha

Stella’s Stellar Hair by Yesenia Moises (9781250261779)

Stella’s hair was not doing what she wanted at all. It was the day of the Big Star Little Gala, so Stella wanted her hair to be special. Her mother suggested that Stella visit her Aunt Ofelia who lived on Mercury for a special style. So Stella hopped onto her hoverboard and headed over. Aunt Ofelia gave her a soft and elegant style, but Stella wasn’t sure it worked for her. Next she visited Aunt Alma on Venus, who created a straight lion’s mane style that took up too much space. Then she tried Aunt Rubi on Mars who gave her a crown of hair that was a bit too much for Stella. Auntie Cielo on Jupiter splashed around while Aunt Iris on Saturn gave Stella space buns. On Uranus, her twin aunts, twisted and braided. Neptune’s visit got her waves. Finally, Stella ended up with her Aunt Solana near the sun, who encouraged her to see her wild hair as a positive. Stella finally incorporated all of the elements of her aunt’s styles into her own plus some of her very own curls too.

Full of positivity, this book celebrates the many, many ways that Black hair can be styled with real flair. It’s great to see a science fiction picture book that focuses on a Black girl exploring the universe and visiting Black women for support. The ending with a focus on individuality and self-expression sets just the right tone of encouragement too. Turn to the back of the book for some information on the different planets in our solar system.

The art is bright and vibrant with the various Black women characters wearing their hair in all sorts of colors and styles. It’s great and funny to see them each style Stella in their own preferred style, until she reaches the final aunt who tells her to be herself.

Inclusive and vibrant, this book explains that we all need to simply be proud of who we are and what our hair does. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Macmillan.