What are we thankful for? Books!

Just a few books to read. Not all can be used for lessons about thankfulness, but we can be thankful for all books. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

I Need All of It by Petra Postert, illustrated by Jens Rassmus

Jim and Dad are sorting laundry when Dad finds a stone, a button and a key in Jim’s pocket. When Dad wants to throw these items away, Jim’s imagination goes into overtime to explain why he absolutely needs these three items. A good jumping off story to get children to use their imaginations and tell tall tales. 

 

Olympians: Hermes: Tales of the Trickster by George O’Connor

Continuing in his tradition of illustrating graphic novels for the epic lives of the Greek gods, O’Connor has tackled Hermes, the messenger of the gods and a divine trickster. For any chld who is interested in the stories of the gods, this is a perfect summer read.

The Boy and the Whale by Mordicai Gerstein

An unnamed boy and his father find a whale tangled in their fishing nets. At first they assume the whale is dead, but soon find out it is alive, but barely. The boy wishes to continue to try to save the whale from the net, but his father thinks it is too dangerous and besides, if they cannot save their net, then he has to borrow another net in order to continue fishing and making a living. The boy disobeys his father and untangles the whale. Many moral issues presented here. When is it okay to disobey and adult? What is more important, our lives or an animal’s life? How can we support nature? Gerstein has presented a great moral story with beautiful images of the sea, the sky and the whale. 

If Wendell Had a Walrus by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Matt Phelan

Wendell imagines what it would be like to have a pet walrus, meets Morrell who would like to have a pet whale and they have a whale of a time all summer, telling jokes, riding bikes and imagining their lives away. A great summer read to get those creative juices flowing. What kind of pet would you like to have?

Lost in the Library by Josh Funk, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

Patience and Fortitude are the names of two large stone lions that sit outside the entrance to the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue. At night Patience goes in the library, always managing to return at daybreak, so no one will miss him. But, one day, Patience does not return and Fortitude must go in search of him within the library, finding him in the children’s section learning new stories to tell Fortitude when they are bored. While I love all libraries and those for children in particular, I found this book to be of limited interest to those who are not immersed in the world of libraries or this fantastic example of libraries as it is portrayed here. 

 

If I had a Horse by Gianna Marino

This book is an outstanding sensual experience from the minute your eyes light on the cover. A young girl dreams of a horse and the things she could do if she only had a horse. The drawings are ethereal in soft shades of teal and orange, yellow and pink, purple and mauve. The book ends with this sentiment: “If I had a horse, I would be fearless. Like Him./ And together…/we could do anything.” Can I look at this book every day?

Neymar: A Soccer Dream Come True by Nima Javaherbin, Pictures by Paul Hoppe

A child dreams of being a remarkable soccer player. Thanks to his father’s coaching and advice and his own ability to work hard to follow his dream, the dream of playing great soccer comes true. Basing her story on the life of Neymar da Sliva Santos, Javaherbin is careful to emphasize the hard work, hours of practice and perseverance that pays off for Neymar in the end. She also shares the love of family and camaraderie that Neymar’s family experiences. The pictures are realistic but of rather mixed quality.

How to find an Elephant by Kate Banks, Pictures by Boris Kulikov

Banks and Kulikov are a great team, working together on the Max books previously reviewed here. In this somewhat realistic fantasy, a young boy is bored and decides to go on an elephant hunt. On his way, he swings in a tree with a chimpanzee, takes a dip in a pond with a hippopotamus and shares his lunch with a colorful macaw. The elephant is cleverly disguised on every page and will make a fun search and find item with young readers.

Don’t Tell by Tom Booth

Did you hear about the super-secret book? Find out about the super-secret book AND who told the secret! If you have a hard time keeping secrets, check this out!

Brave Enough for Two by Jonathan D. Voss

Jonathan Voss was the illustrator for the award winning The True Story of the Bear who Inspired Winnie the Pooh. In this, the first book he has written and illustrated, he introduces Hoot, a stuffed Owl, and Olive, his girl. Hoot, in both looks and sentiment, reminds one of Winnie the Pooh. Olive is a girl who likes her adventures inside of a book, but Hoot convinces her to be brave and in the end, it is Olive who must be brave for both of them. Great story, great illustrations!

Biographies

There are so many good picture book biographies these days. Here are three stand alone picture books along with a raft of pocket picture book biographies just out in English.

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk toward Freedom by Gary Schmidt, Illustrated by Daniel Minter. 

There are rare times when the words and pictures in a picture book combine to make a true work of art. This book is an exemplar of this happening. Schmidt writes with both strength and poetry to tell the story of Sojourner Truth as she endured separation from family as a slave and then finally stood up for herself and her children, using the laws of New York State before slavery had ended and then the laws of the nation once slavery was abolished. Minter uses a limited color palette to illustrate this book with both stark, realistic paintings and dreamy, impressionistic art to convey the horrors and joys of Sojourner Truth’s life. The book ends with a short biography as well as notes from both the author and illustrator. This will be a welcome addition to my library.

Howard and the Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut’s Tomb by Tracey Fern, Pictures by Boris Kulikov

Do you know a child who is fascinated with mummies? Here’s a book for you to share. Howard Carter found mummies fascinating from a young age and was able to start searching for mummies when he was only 17! From there, he was hooked and spent his life mostly in Egypt pursuing archeology. Here he is depicted as a slightly eccentric man with a passion. A great book to share with girls and boys who are just beginning to know the world and develop passions of their own.

Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World by Gary Golio, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

Carlos Santana, born in 1947, was a musician who combined the traditional music of Mexico with the blues of an electric guitar. Trained as a musician by his father, Carlos lived his life for music. The illustrations by Gutierrez are both realistic and magical, using colors and icons found in Mexican paintings from the early 20^th century, drawing the reader in to Carlos’ life. The text is less magical and often seems dry, especially compared to the subject matter and the illustrations. The end notes include a selected discography, which would be a great way to share this book with children. 

     

Pocket Bios:

Small hardcover books, 5” by 8”  with  a short biography of a famous man or woman. Each pocket biography includes a brief introduction, short vignettes about important events in the life of the person being portrayed, a timeline, and a map with a key and important people from the story. These were originally published in France by Quelle Histoire (quellehistoire.com) and are now published in English by Roaring Brook Press, a subsidiary of MacMillan. Each book has a unique author and translator, but lists several illustrators. These illustrators, who overlap throughout the books,  are: Bruno Wennagel, Nuno Alves Rodriques, Mathieu Ferret, Claire Martin, Paul Cotoni, Aurélie Verdon, Guillaume Biasse, Iris Mangin, Clara Morineau, Iris Mangin,  Aurélien Fernandez,

Muhammad Ali by Claire L’Hoër, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Blackbeard by Clémentine V. Baron, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Coco Chanel by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Charlie Chaplin by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Cleopatra by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Albert Einstein by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Abraham Lincoln by Albin Quéru and Romain Jubert, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Nelson Mandela by Albin Quéru and Romain Jubert, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Isaac Newton by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Rosa Parks by Clémentine V. Baron, Translated by Catherine Nolan

    

Many of the people portrayed in these biographies led exciting lives. The language used to tell the story of these lives is somewhat lifeless, with mostly short declarative sentences, many of which start with either a person’s name or he or she, making it less than interesting for children to read. Whether these short sentences are in place because of the translation of the work from the original French or because the authors and editors believe it will make these books easier to read is unknown. I would recommend them as supplementary sources for children doing reports. They are filled with facts and as stated above have extra material at the end of each book. But, they are not books that will encourage children to read more books.

Note: While Abraham’s birth mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is not named  but his stepmother, Sarah Johnston Lincoln, is. Both of these women are important influences in his life and both deserve to be mentioned.

   

Some things I learned in these books:

·      Nelson Mandela earned a law degree while in prison in South Africa, having been arrested for opposing the government.

·      Rosa Parks finished her high school education after she married. Throughout her school years, she only attended all-black schools.

·      Cleopatra could speak more than five languages.

·      Albert Einstein was a vocal proponent of Civil Rights in the US after World War II.

·      Isaac Newton wrote more about the Bible than he did about science.

·      Marie Curie earned degrees in both math and physics and was named Maria, not Marie.

·      Neil Armstrong got his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license.

·      Coco Chanel’s first fashion design was a riding habit for women that was included pants instead of a skirt.

·      Charlie Chaplin and his fourth wife, Oona O’Neill, had eight children.

·      Abraham Lincoln was a Congressman before becoming President.

·      Muhammad Ali traveled to Egypt shortly after having changed his name from Cassius Clay.

·      Blackbeard was a privateer before he became a pirate. A privateer was much like a pirate, but privateers were allowed to attack and steal from enemy ships during a war.

 

Books for the very young and young at heart

 The Hugely-Wugely Spider by Ethan T. Berlin, illustrated by Karl Newsom Edwards 

A new take on the old nursery rhyme comes about when the Hugely-Wugely Spider cannot fit up the water spout. Here’s the tale about how he saves the day when a huge rain comes to wash the spiders out!

The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Using a sing-song rhyme, Cuyler extolls the virtues of the Ice Cream Truck, its treats, its music and its part in a hot, wonderful summer day. What’s not to like about that?

Singing in the Rain; based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, Pictures by Tim Hopgood

The classic words to Singing in the Rain are set to gorgeous illustrations by Hopgood. Children with multi-colored raincoats sing and splash, dance and smile their way through a rain storm. Hopgood is hoping that we will all go out and splash in the rain.

100 Bugs: A Counting Book by Kate Narita, Pictures by Suzanne Kaufman

A counting book with a twist. Each page has 10 bugs with various “equations” from 1+9 to 2+8, etc. all the way to 9+1. In addition, each page has a particular bug to hunt for with clues about different kinds of plants where the bugs are hanging out. The end pages include details on the bugs and the plants. Math and science and counting, oh my! 

Pretty Kitty by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis

A rhyming counting book with a grouchy old man and a repetitive stanza. For those just learning to count, this is the perfect book to reinforce! As the number of kitties mount and the temperature drops, who wants to bet that the old man takes in all ten cats?

Z Goes First: An Alphabet Story Z to A by Sean Lamb, illustrated by Mike Perry

An alphabet book with some pizazz! Y and Z want to go first and have to ask all the letters if they can skip ahead. By the time they go through the whole alphabet from A to X, they are back at the end where they belong. Foiled again! Each letter has a personality, but why is W a troublemaker is what I want to know?

The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t-Sleep Blues by Deborah Diesen, Pictures by Dan Hanna

What do you do when you can’t sleep? Pout-Pout Fish asks his friends. Their advice results in sleep for his friends, but not for Pout-Pout Fish.  What can he do? The best advice of all: come up with his own routine. Just the right routine for Pout-Pout Fish and just the right book for little ones who have a hard time dropping off to sleep.

Dinosaur Parade by Shari Halpern

A nice book to teach opposites as well as complicated dinosaur names. Bright colors with simple backgrounds show dinosaurs who are big and small, swimming and soaring through the air, or eating meat and plants. Lots to see and lots to discuss, but simple enough for preschoolers.

Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos, illustrated by T. L. McBeth

What is a stegothesaurus, you might ask. Or you might question or wonder. Little stegothesaurus wanders around giving multiple words when one would do. Just to be clever, he often uses alliteration such as when he describes the sun as blazing, blistering and broiling. Content to show off his way with words, he finally meets his match when he runs smack into an allothesaurus. Want to know what happens next? Check it out! You’ll love, enjoy, savor it just as much as I did.

The Bear in My Bed by Joyce Wan

Totally silly or just imaginative? Is the bear real or an imaginary friend? When a little boy discovers a bear in his bed, there is bound to be trouble, fun, and lots of laughs.

The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

The detective dog’s story is told in rhyme. All about  how she solves crime after crime.

She listens to children read her a book, and chases the man who was a book crook.

The teacher’s a man in this little story, where there is crime, but nothing too gory.

What do you think of a dog named Nell, who chases down thieves with her strong sense of smell?

Books for fall and for starting school

Fall makes us think about picking apples, going back to school and walking through leaves. Going back to school can be exciting or scary, depending on who we are and where we live. Whether your child is excited to go to school, or is worried that she will not fit in, there is a book here for you to use. Enjoy these fall choices as the temperature finally cools off a little bit.

Hello, Fall! By Deborah Diesen, Pictures by Lucy Fleming

A young girl with her (assumed) grandfather reminisces about fall activities like walking through falling leaves, munching on crunchy apples and whispering with patient pumpkins. There is joy on every page, conveyed both through the words and the pictures. It would also be a great book to use if teaching memoir writing with young children, or using good word choice. Lots of ways to enjoy this joyful book!

Best Frints at Skrool by Antoinette Portis

I am not sure if this book is super clever or just very annoying. The story is a school story told about friends on Planet Boborp. While written in English, many words are changed to Boborp words. Luckily, these words often rhyme with English words, or use picture clues and context so the reader can figure it out. But, what about a struggling reader, or a young one who takes everything literally? The lessons are well told and the author is careful to point out that stoodents on earth don’t behave quite so badly as those on Boborp. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Tractor Mac School Day by Billy Steers

Betty is an anthropomorphic School Bus who has a bad first day of school. Thanks to the advice of all her vehicle friends, including Tractor Mac, as well as the help of the farm animals, Betty is ready to go for her second day, which goes much better! A good book to read in the first weeks of school. Some days are not so great, but we can work together to make them better.

Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly

Have you ever been that girl? The one that stands out and is known only by weird characteristics? Geraldine is the only giraffe in her new school and she definitely stands out. Here is the story of how she makes one friend and then another and finally fits in when she cannot literally fit in. For any child who does not fit in right now at this moment, this book gives hope. And it’s fun to read!

Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, Illustrated by Jen Hill

 

When Tanisha has an accident with her grape juice, the narrator remembers that her mother always told her to “Be kind.” But, she does not know what to do to show kindness to Tanisha. She imagines many different responses and thinks up several ways to be kind to Tanisha and to others at home, at school and around the world. What a great book to share with early learners. They could share even more ideas!

Pie is for Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, Illustrations by Jason Chin

With the help of beautiful, old-fashioned illustrations that reminded me of those by Alexandra Day in the Carl books, Ledyard tells the story of sharing. What can be shared, what is shared even when you don’t realize it and what is not usually shared. Set around a summer holiday picnic, maybe the fourth of July, this book would make a good introduction to a new classroom in the fall. What can the students in the room share and how will this help their year to go better?

Dude by Aaron Reynolds, Art by Dan Santat

A one word story with illustrations. A platypus and a beaver go surfing when they discover a shark, or maybe the shark discovers them. After an initial period of fright, they realize the shark wants to and can be a friend. This would make a marvelous story starter as a wordless picture book!

Fantasy Picture books for Young Readers

Animal Fantasy

One of the most common forms of fantasy for young children is that which is written about animals who act like humans. Here are a bunch of animal fantasy ranging from sloths who like to travel to philosophical ducks. There must be one here that you would love, too!

Peter and Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable

Peter and Ernesto are content to live in a tree and play games. But, Ernesto grows tired of their limited view of the sky, so he runs off on an adventure. And thus ensues, Ernesto’s trip, followed by Peter’s quest to find Ernesto. The reader gets to see similar things from two different perspectives, like the floating footbridge that is shaky and funny to Ernesto, but scary and almost uncrossable for Peter. Lots of great reading, simple words, complex concepts!

What the Ladybug Heard Next by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Lydia Monks

When the chicken is annoyed that her eggs are disappearing, the Ladybug offers to listen and report back what she hears. And thus begins the tale of how the Ladybug saves the day and helps the chicken avoid being stolen by Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len. Told in rhyme with plenty of repetitive language, this is a perfect read for a short, fun-filled story time. Plenty of lessons here as well, if you want them!

Kit and Kaboodle  by Rosemary Wells

Rosemary Wells is a beloved children’s book author and illustrator who continues to write and illustrate loving books for children. Kit and Kaboodle are kittens who love to do what they are told. The problem is that Spinka, a tiny mouse, follows them around and adds a touch of mischief to their day. Cute stories with a touch of humor, best for the youngest readers in the house.

The Other Ducks by Ellen Yeomans, Pictures by Chris Sheban

A philosophical exploration of what it means to be yourself and how you learn about the world around you told through the eyes of This Duck and That Duck. This might be a little confusing for young readers or listeners, but with the right teacher or parent, it could be quite interesting indeed.

Somewhere Else by Gus Gordon

First the illustrations: these are a combination of line drawings and collage interspersed with photographs and other interesting pieces of artwork. Next the story: George is a goose who stays in one place because he has a secret; he never learned how to fly. With the help of a good friend, George travels the world in a hot air balloon and comes home to bake a pie. Something about this strange amalgam of pictures and words works for me. I love it!

City Mouse, Country Mouse by Maggie Rudy

An old story, retold with Tansy and Will, two young mice who find each other. They both love their own homes and cannot leave, but it turns out, they can’t live without each other. Eventually, they settle, quite platonically, next to each other in a half way town, half way between the city and the country. The illustrations are small sets with stuffed mice interspersed within the scene. The sets are made of scavenged material, inspired by the worlds of Beatrix Potter.

Through with the Zoo by Jacob Grant

If you are a goat in a petting zoo and you do not like to be petted or touched, you have a problem. Goat tries to escape and hide out in the larger zoo, but soon grows tired of being left alone. When he returns to the petting zoo, he realizes that it feels pretty good, but it’s also good to get away once in a while. A perfect story to help children solve simple problems.