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Air in Motion

2/27/2021

Hear the Wind Blow by Doe Boyle ill by Emily Paik

Lyrical text, expressive illustration, and the science of weather are beautifully blended in Hear the Wind Blow, a picture book describing the wind.

Beginning at dawn, when all is calm, with just a "kiss of air," the text progresses throughout the day as later a breeze sends leaves "scuttling in the gutter." Evidence of the approaching storm can also be observed when ocean waves begin cresting.

The narrative climaxes when hurricane force winds batter a community and a family must take shelter. The denouement describes the storm’s devastating effects. Individuals move outdoors and neighbors work together to clean up and repair damage.

Wires droop, and tree roots shudder-
the world's atilt, without a rudder.

Boyle's reassuring text makes clear that the storm will pass. But a warning embedded in the verses emphasizes the importance of responding to signs which signal potentially extreme weather.

You must listen! Heed each sound,
as the Earth turns round and round.

Paik captures the stages of the approaching storm using stark changes in the color pallet. The sky progresses from pastel blues to intense shades punctuated with diagonal slashes of rain. The story concludes by reverting to soft azure skies. Most pages feature outdoor scenes. When the storm reaches its apex, the tempest is viewed through windows, while the family remains safe within their home.

Rhyming text and evocative illustrations are a key story element. But there is more. Back matter moves this picture book above and beyond a charming children's book. Wind is defined as air in motion. Bonus material includes a copy of the Beaufort Wind Force Scale with an accompany introduction to the scale and its history, a glossary, and a list of suggested supplemental books. An excellent addition to school and library STEM collections for young readers.

Weather Spotting

The National Weather Service invites interested individuals to become weather spotters. Students may be interested in creating a school-wide initiative to identify and catalogue local weather patterns. Charting and reporting on weather conditions could be an interesting activity.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: March 1, 2021 Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company ISBN: 978-0807545614

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Painting With Words

2/23/2021

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Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Sea Dragon
by Sally Gardner ill by Nick Maland

"Painting with words"

From the brilliant mind and wild imagination of Sally Gardner come Mr. Tiger and Betsy books. This is not your ordinary garden-variety tale of a princess who must be rescued from an evil witch.
Told by the letters of the alphabet, it’s a fantasy jam-packed with a delicious blend of stuff and nonsense.
The story takes place on an island that has been left off the map of the world. Betsy K. Glory’s father creates the most amazing ice creams and her mother is a mermaid. With the help of mum’s tin bathtub on wheels, they make the marriage work. There is also a princess who was once a toad, a sea orchard of golden apples, and the debonair Mr. Tiger. Did I mention that there are two pages devoted to a discussion of the word “discombobulated?”

Plot centers around a sea dragon’s egg. The captain of a pirate ship arranges for his pastry chef to steal the precious egg. He plans to exchange the embryonic dragon for a golden apple.

A running subthread features girls and women as decisive individuals who determine their own fates and positively impact the lives of others. In a critical scene Betsy must perform a dangerous rescue mission that no one else can accomplish. She is terrified. Mr. Tiger encourages her.

Betsy K. Glory, you are the bravest girl I have ever known. You can do this.

Of course, there is a happy ending. The pirates are defeated. The baby sea dragon egg is returned to its dragon parents. There is a lovely wedding. And everyone enjoys a new flavor of ice cream that tastes like happy-ever-afters.

"Just because you're dyslexic does not mean you can't be a writer."

Sally Gardner is dyslexic. The book’s appearance reflects her sensitivity to readers who have difficulty navigating pages of text. Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Sea Dragon is printed in blue and uses the Dyslexie font.

Look at the dust jacket. Don't you love how the dragon straddles the spine and bridges the gap between land and sea?
Nick Maland’s blue-hued line drawings match font color and add the perfect touch of whimsy.

Further Adventures for Mr. Tiger and Betsy

Discover the origin of Mr. Tiger and Betsy stories.

Copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: February 23, 2021 Publisher: Penguin Workshop ISBN: 978-0593095850

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Love, Loss, and Violins

2/22/2021

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When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

A closely knit quintet of Asian American teens have remained together throughout their high school years. Stellar students and high achievers, each hopes to attend a prestigious university. All apply to several schools throughout the U.S. Beth Claire harbors the dream that all five will remain together, attending the University of California at Berkeley.
Musically inclined, they are members of the local youth orchestra. Beth is second chair violin to the technically precise Jason Tsou, first chair.

Beth lives with her Asian mother and has limited contact with her white father who remains aloof. Her maternal grandparents live nearby but she rarely sees them.
Her four friends are her anchor, her source of security and validation. Senior year exposes underlying stresses and fissures in their bond. They witness a father’s brutal physical abuse of his son. One tries to bring her romantic interest into the friendship circle. Another attempts suicide. When college acceptance notifications begin arriving, it is evident that the five will soon be geographically separated. Things are not the same. They will never be the same.

Beth tries to understand and manipulate events, hoping to make everything “better.” A quiet observer who clings to her idealization of the group, she goes to extraordinary measures to get along and go along, even when it doesn’t feel right.

Gilbert's characters, as seen through the lens of Beth’s perception, often reveal their personalities through dialogue. A hallmark of her writing is an exploration into the essence of each individual while simultaneously illuminating the group’s dynamic. Tiny intimate details give the story its emotional depth. One of the most heart wrenching scenes occurs when Beth stands outside her father’s house, but never steps up to his door.

After a series of missteps and misunderstandings, Beth finally acknowledges that music gives direction and purpose to her life. As she plays her violin, she becomes one with the music. Following her passion requires courage and a belief that embracing music does not mean the end of treasured relationships.

Love the gorgeous book jacket. Note the sumptuous colors that wash over Beth as she turns away to face a future different from what she expected. An apt metaphor.

I wept as I read the final pages. When We Were Infinite is exquisitely written, simply elegant, yet intriguingly complex.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: March 9, 2021 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-1534468214

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One Fateful Night

2/10/2021

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Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall

There was no good choice to make. Everything was a dark corner.

Franklyn is not aimlessly wandering through life. Frankie has a plan to escape his dead-end existence in Jamaica. With hard work and determination, Frankie has earned a scholarship to study engineering at a university in the United States. He will be the first in his family to attend college. His deceased mother would be proud. His dream is about to become a reality.

Then one fateful night everything changes. His father is struck by a stray bullet and critically wounded during an altercation between warring political factions. An expensive treatment may save his father, but where will Frankie come up with an exorbitant amount of cash? He tries every possible stratagem to pay for needed treatment. Ultimately he reaches this heartbreaking conclusion:

The scholarship dream had to die
so that his father could live.

The only way for Frankie to get enough money for his father’s care is to join his uncle’s posse, the local syndicate which completely dominates life in the community and controls everything from garbage collection to local politicians.

Frankie is plunged into a sordid life of drugs, violence, and corruption. He is required to carry a loaded gun, serve as protection and lookout on posse raids, package and transport shipments of marijuana. Membership in his uncle's posse lasts a lifetime. He may never op out. Things are further complicated when he is attracted a beautiful and talented student, an artist whose work serves as pointed social commentary. To make matters worse, her father is a police sargeant.

Frankie’s father dies. His mother and best friend are dead. The dream of studying in the United States has evaporated. His uncle’s syndicate requires him to kill and commit other horrendous acts. This is his current existence.
Frankie considers his future as a posse member and knows that can't go on living like this. The stress has become unbearable. He wonders: Is there a way out?

Hall keeps readers on tenterhooks. Will Frankie find a way to extricate himself from the posse? Can he salvage his dream of attending college in the United States? What will become of the relationship with his girlfriend? And ultimately, can he save his own soul? Is there hope?

Your Corner Dark depicts a world of poverty, desperation, and organized crime with an intensity and immediacy that doesn’t let up until the last paragraph on the final page. I couldn't put it down.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: January 19, 2021 Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books ISBN: 978-1534460713

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Wishes and Waves

2/4/2021

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The Old Boat by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey, the team of brothers who celebrated the life of a well-used pickup truck are back with another picture book. The Old Boat chronicles the life of a small boat, a family, an island, and the ocean.

A young boy and his grandmother set out on a fishing expedition. Their time together on the water is filled a sense of awe at the expanse of water and myriad sea life. It’s an ode to the mesmerizing mystical quality of the ocean.

"waves and wishes, wants and wonders"

Time passes. The boy has grown. The pristine waters of childhood have become an underwater junkyard, filled with dirt and debris. A violent storm smashes the old boat and washes the vessel and it’s captain ashore. He surveys the seascape and knows that it is time to return the ocean to its former state.

While text is limited, poetic language and the accompanying illustrations convey an eloquent storyline. Aquatic plant and animal shapes are repeated across each two-page spread. Artful graphic design with a muted primary-colored palette hint at the passage of time. Attention to detail is evident. Watch the changes in the young man and his world as the tale progresses.

There is so much to see and experience here. The book is replete with themes: tides, time, renewal. One of the fascinating aspects of this book is the study of the effects of time, both positively and negatively. Time takes its toll on the boat. It slowly deteriorates. In the intervening years the effects of pollution take a toll on the condition of the seashore.
The boat rides the tide. It is the undertow and current that determine the boat's fate.
A new sailor turns the tide: People act, reversing the gradual destruction of coastal life. With time and effort the beaches and ocean return to the abundant aquatic life it once nurtured.

The Old Boat tells a tale of generations. This is not a "once and done" book. Each reading reveals more little gems.

Electronic copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: March 2, 2021 Publisher: Norton Young Readers ISBN: 978-1324005179

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Air in Motion

Hear the Wind Blow by Doe Boyle ill by Emily Paik

Weather Spotting

Painting With Words

Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Sea Dragon
by Sally Gardner ill by Nick Maland

Further Adventures for Mr. Tiger and Betsy

Love, Loss, and Violins

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

One Fateful Night

Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall

Wishes and Waves

The Old Boat by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Air in Motion

Hear the Wind Blow by Doe Boyle ill by Emily Paik

Weather Spotting

Painting With Words

Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Sea Dragon ​by Sally Gardner ill by Nick Maland

Further Adventures for Mr. Tiger and Betsy

Love, Loss, and Violins

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

One Fateful Night

Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall

Wishes and Waves

The Old Boat by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Sea Dragon
by Sally Gardner ill by Nick Maland