Jazzy comes from a long line of witches who make the brooms that all of them ride. But Jazzy is different. She’s not excited about learning magic spells or about learning to ride a broom. It’s not until Jazzy sees her first bicycle that she finds her passion. Soon she is zipping around secretly on a bicycle that she made with the help of her best friend and Fiona, her pet bat. As Jazzy gets more and more focused on cycling, her friendship starts to fall apart along with her school work. When a broom riding performance is announced, Jazzy must find a way not to embarrass her entire family since she can’t ride a broom yet.
Bagley has created a marvelous witchy world in this graphic novel for elementary-aged readers. The diverse characters, include Jazzy’s family of Black queer women. With the focus on witch traditions vs. human bicycles, readers get to explore what being different from your family and community feels like and how telling the truth is a way to move forward and find acceptance. The art is funny, action-filled and fully depicts the community of witches.
A non-scary witch book that’s worth a ride. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
When the cherry blossoms open, it’s time for hanami. Sai and her parents head to the park to see the pink blossoms and for a family reunion. But when everyone arrives, Sai feels like a stranger. When she meets Avi, a distant relative, she realizes they have things in common. Sai talks about asking careful questions of the customers in her parent’s kimono shop to get just the right one for them. Avi speaks through his art, creating universes on the page. The two want to meet everyone, but they aren’t sure where to start. Perhaps they can each use the skills they already have to form new connections, together. A book that celebrates thoughtfulness and quiet while also speaking to shyness and the importance of connecting with others.
A story completely suited to hanami. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
Family Feast! By Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison (9780593898291)
Big Ma and Pops start bright and early preparing for the family to visit. They peel fruit for pie and get the fish ready to fry. As people arrive, the kitchen gets busy, filled with various dishes either prepared right there or brought in by cousins, uncles and aunts. There are the noises of the kitchen, the pride of those providing dishes they are known for, and the longing of the children to start eating. The family gathers at the table, offers a prayer, and then start to eat. Afterwards, there is dessert, a few naps and once night comes everyone heads home.
This merry and loving picture book has been created by two masters of the form. It has a refrain that captures the entire story: “Tastes like home when family meet; a bond so warm, so strong, so sweet.” The writing is done in rhyming stanzas that add to the feeling of joy and the buoyant nature of the get-together. The illustrations are fabulous, capturing a family gathering from various perspectives. I particularly enjoyed the image looking down at the table before they begin to eat and also when we see the gathering from the perspective of the children in the room.
Joy in family and gathering together shines in this picture book. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Crown Books for Young Readers.
In a tiny red house on the edge of a cliff above the sea lives a little family. They spend their days fishing and rescuing dolphins from nets at sea and then carving fish figures at home. When a huge storm comes, the water almost reaches the house! The family work together to get the small house onto a handmade raft and leave their beloved space behind. They reach an even higher cliffside and the house is hoisted up to a new green-filled space where they can now live.
This wordless picture book takes its time to show the closeness of the family unit, how they spend their quiet days together. Because of that, the storm’s arrival is jarring in the best possible way, shaking the reader out of the bliss that was their home. The book stays fantastical in some ways with the house on the raft and the lifting of it to a new site, but there is also a definite tie to our world facing climate change and dangerous weather that move people to new places where we hope they will feel welcomed and safe.
Wordless and profound. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Random HouseStudio.
A modern retelling of The Parent Trap, this version focuses on identical twins who meet one another at school for the first time. Kenya has been raised by her father and grandmother. She is confident and doesn’t want anything to change. In fact, the boy she has a crush on has started to notice her, so things are getting even better. Liberty has spent most of her life in a variety of foster homes and finally has found one where she belongs and feels accepted. She is starting a new school and for the first time looking forward to the future. But neither girl expects to meet someone who looks just like them. Now everything is changing whether they like it or not.
Colbert keeps a light touch in this story which could have gotten serious at times. Instead, she continues to pay homage to the original in tone with funny moments between the sisters and an organic growth and blossoming of their connection with one another. With Black characters rather than white girls, this book has a depth to it and a focus on family that is more profound than the original and very welcome.
Clever use of tropes from the original are freshened in this new twin-focused novel. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Edelweiss and Clarion Books.
Count upwards in Spanish as a family gathers to eat menudo, a Mexican soup, together. The counting grows from 1 small casita to 7 warm tortillas to a theft of treats that leads to a chase by the dogs. Just as the food is being carried to the table, the dogs and children run through and there is a terrible crash. No one is hurt, but the platter is shattered into 15 pieces. After 1 deep breath, it is time to fix the damage and start again, counting upwards as they all work together to get dinner on the table.
So many counting books don’t have a storyline, but this one does. It’s a story of a family that works together even when things get tough to support one another, fix problems and share food. Every page brims with their love for one another. A Spanish glossary is offered at the end along with some tips for hosting your own menudo gathering. The illustrations capture the same warmth as the story itself, using merry bright colors in pinks, yellows, oranges and blues.
A comforting culinary counting book. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Penguin Young Readers.
For a Girl Becoming by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Adriana Garcia (9781324052241)
From the U.S. Poet Laureate comes a picture book that celebrates the birth of a little girl. From the birth itself and the baby in its “spirit house,” to those that gathered to celebrate your birth, to the gifts given to you by the halves of your family. Breathe and walk, remembering the source of your breath, the source of your walking and running. Horses ran the land when you were born, remember. It’s impossible to encapsulate Harjo’s poem with any clarity. It is the celebration of a birth, the speaking to all of us about where we came from, and a thunder of a poem. The illustrations by Garcia flow on the page, forming horses, children, families and weaving an interconnection.
A great book for a baby gift and one that celebrates the poetry of life. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Norton Young Readers.
Mabel has a Monday routine. Her family thinks she’s cute and funny, but she doesn’t care. First, she needs a chair. Then she pours herself dry cereal for breakfast, then it’s out to the driveway to watch and wait. Finally it’s here! The glorious garbage truck. It’s the best part of the day and everyone else missed it.
I could read this picture book again and again, it’s so joyous. Awan captures the pleasure of a routine, the amazement of large machinery and the focus of a small child with such a mix of humor and dignity. Let’s be honest, there aren’t many books out there where a truck-loving girl can see herself reflected. And lots of truck books don’t work well for reading aloud. This one does!
Perfect for a trashy story time. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Faith and her mother are taking the train home from Grandma’s house. They take this train often. Faith is eating a peanut-butter-and-jelly-and honey sandwich. Then she sees their old neighbor Isaiah stand up and ask for some help or some food. Even though her heart pounds, Faith offers Isaiah the rest of her sandwich. Faith wonders if there’s a way to continue to help Isaiah and his family. Perhaps it’s one sandwich at a time.
The jaunty train ride turns into something more profound as one little girl reaches out and makes a difference. The writing is easy to read aloud and the illustrations share a diverse urban experience.
A great addition to any storytime about transportation or helping others. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from e-galley provided by HarperCollins.
Midnight Motorbike by Maureen Shay Tajsar, illustrated by Ishita Jain (9780823456628)
When it is too hot to sleep, Amma takes her daughter for a ride on her motorbike. The two travel through Indian villages heading to the Bay of Bengal. The journey is one of many senses from the bright flowers to the smell of chai and dosas, to the sight of rice flour designs to fool the red ants. There is the smell of the jasmine flower garlands and the beauty of the fabrics in the silk shop. When they reach the bay, there is the huge moon waiting for them and the little girl falls asleep in the moonlight.
This is such an evocative book based on the author’s summers with her mother in rural South India. The story is a mixture of magical motorcycle ride that is dreamlike and connection with India’s sensory experiences of flowers, food and customs. The illustrations are just as lush as a hot night, filled with rich colors that weave a gorgeous nighttime journey.
Just the right bedtime story for hot summer nights. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Nell knows that her magic is going to appear soon since woman in her family gets their magic at age fifteen. Each woman’s is unique to them. Her mother changes ages constantly, her grandmother can feel every room in the house she is in, her aunt’s hair whispers secrets to her. Perhaps the worst of them is Nell’s sister, Mora, who bleeds music and who uses razor blades to release it from her body. Mora is now in the hospital to get help, and Nell fears what her own magic will do to her. When her magic arrives as insects that reveal the emotions that Nell is unable to feel, Nell doesn’t know what to do. The blue stick insects are her sadness, the ladybugs are her creativity, but worst are the wasps that are her rage. Can Nell manage to lock away her emotions deep inside to keep the wasps from coming again? Or can she find a way to feel these dangers emotions somehow?
This verse novel is simply incredible. Chewins writes a book of raw and edgy verse that demands that we see beyond the magic to the truth of each person’s experience. The verse lays bare Nell’s experience, including the abuse that she refuses to acknowledge and the trauma of her family because and despite the magic they have. The use of insects adds a creepy beauty to the book, enough to make your skin itch but also be in awe of the spectacle.
Furious, beautiful and dangerous, this verse novel insists on being heard. Appropriate for ages 13-16.
Waking Brain Cells 