Here and There by Tamara Ellis Smith ill Evelyn Daviddi

Ivan loves music, all kinds of music. He is especially drawn to the melodic chirps, calls, and trills of birds in his backyard. Up in the branches of the pear tree, he coaxes the winged creatures with bird seed, identifying various neighborhood birds by the sounds that each species makes. Then something happens which disrupts his childhood and causes Ivan’s life to undergo a radical change. Dad moves out and into a new place. Ivan distinguishes the two dwellings by referring to the familiar home with mom as here. Dad’s new residence is there. Smith emphasizes the distinction Ivan makes between the two homes with the words here and there in bold face type. Over there at his father’s house, things are not the same. No pear tree. No customary surroundings. No mother. Ivan remains sullen and silent. He can't seem to successfully transition from the home of his early childhood to a different living arrangement with his father.

Additional Resources

Bird Song

A small chart listing a few familiar bird calls can be found at the back of the book. ​Listen to the recorded bird calls.  How many can you identify?

The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli

What's with all the pink? Lately there has been a resurgence of pink, strikingly pink books. For the record, I like pink books. In fact, pink book cover groupings were one of our most popular library displays. People seem to like their book covers pink.   But let's get back to Greg Pizzoli's latest title for young readers. This charming little piggie travels around town on his Vespa, searching for books. (Okay the vehicle is green. But is serves as a nice color contrast to the omnipresent pink.)  But here's the kicker: although he has an extensive collection of books, Hog doesn't know how to read. One day, he happens upon a long low building filled with books. He's in hog heaven! When he attempts to abscond with an armload of books, the gentle librarian, Miss Olive offers to read with him.

Go Hog Wild for Pizzoli Books

Bonus: Buttons!

The children that I often work with adore buttons. They can't get enough of them and I'm always running out of buttons to hand put into little hands. This Book Hog button is the best!  I wish that I had a wholesale account and could order a dozen dozen, i.e. a gross.  My little readers would snatch them up in a heartbeat. ​Any way to get these from a retail source?

The Becket List by Adele Griffin ill LeUyen Pham

Meet the irrepressible Becket. When her veterinarian parents decide to leave the city and relocate in the country, Rebecca is ready to go. She wants to take on a new country persona, requesting to be called Becket and creating a list of all the new experiences she plans to have on the farm. Not everyone shares her enthusiasm. Older sister Caroline is devastated, as she must leave friends. Twin brother Nicolas finds that his perceived ailments are even worse. Then there's Mr. Fancypants, the pug that has always been a member of the family but has slowed down and isn't much fun anymore. Living with her family on grandmother's Blackberry Farm, isn't quite what Becket envisioned. Collecting eggs can be painful when Laying Godiva, Gran's prize New Hampshire Red hen, defends her eggs by viciously pecking Becket. There is a lemonade stand fiasco, when Becket discovers the importance of sweeteners. Summer day camp is not the friend-fest she thought it would be. And sometimes helping the launch of a camper’s miniature boat is not helpful.

This camp has been a bran muffin amount of fun, not a banana split with three cherries and sprinkles amount of fun.

Outside, the big old moon is glowing yellow over the fields.
​”Beautiful Alert,” I whisper.

Have You Met These Girls?

Explorer Academy: The Falcon's Feather by Trudi Trueit

National Geographic takes on a new publishing venture with Explorer Academy, a fiction series combining action-adventure with science, technology and world exploration. Twelve-year-old Cruz Coronado is a member of Explorer Academy, an international team of young people training to become the world's future scientists. The Falcon’s Feather, second in the seven-book series, finds Cruz aboard the academy's flagship and headed to northern aquatic seas. He will be trained to swim in frigid waters and pilot a deep-sea exploratory vessel. The ship is equipped with fascinating technological gadgets: a helmet with an embedded computerized translator which allows the wearer to communicate with marine animals, clothing with bio-luminescent properties and the ability to change appearance to blend with surroundings, a drone that appears as a tiny insect but can transmit messages.

They killed your mother. They will not hesitate to kill you, too.

Extra. Extra. 

The Truth Behind

​Meet the real National Geographic Explorers who helped inspire the science in the book series. Watch them in action and find out how they’re changing the world through science and adventure in “Explorer Academy: The Truth Behind.”

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer

​​Full disclosure: Initially I skimmed this book's  back cover and concluded that it was a remake of The Parent Trap. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about the movie. So, no. I wasn't interested. But... this middle grade novel was by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer.  I reasoned that two extremely talented authors would write something more than a warmed-over Disney movie script. Once I started reading I was hooked.  ​​Reasons why I loved this book: Point one: The girls are interesting individuals, not plot contrivances. While they have a west coast vs. east coast point of view, they have enough unique traits to transcend the California and New York City stereotypes.  Point two: The dads.  These men are neither good guys nor bad guys. They are guys.  They are dads. They make some good decisions, arrive at some conclusions based inaccurate assumptions. They make mistakes. They love their families.

I Have Questions

Music of Love

Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins
by Michelle Meadows ill Ebony Glenn

​Echoing the rhythmic quality of dance, Meadows uses rhyming couplets to tell the story of Janet Collins.  The cumulative syntax traces her story from early beginnings to prima ballerina with the Metropolitan Opera House. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1917 and raised in Los Angeles, California, Janet displayed not only talent, but a love for dance. ​ In a time when dance opportunities were limited for a youngster of color, Collins found ways to realize her dream. Whether it was finding teachers or studying and performing other forms of dance including Spanish, Caribbean, and African, she continued to pursue her passion.

Young Ballerinas

Anya’s Secret Society by Yevgenia Nayberg

Anya was born with a dominant left hand. She was also born into a Russian culture that considered the right hand as the "legitimate" hand. Even the word "right" meant not only a direction, but also "correct."  When this resourceful and determined little girl recognized that local norms frowned upon use of the left hand, she taught herself to use her right hand for most activities. Anya was able to master even difficult tasks with this hand. However, there was one activity in which it was impossible to use her right hand: drawing. Her brain could only process and create images with her dominant hand, her left hand.

Anya created a special stratagem to live within the confines of Russian expectations and still express herself: a secret society. She learned that great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelango, and Rembrandt were left-handed. When she was alone, she would put on a mask and pretend to be in the company of famous left-handed artists. The secret society was the place where she felt that she could safely create. Then life took a surprising turn. Her parents chose to leave Russia and immigrate to America. In addition to all the differences she encountered in this new country, Anya was astonished to learn that left-hand dominance was not considered wrong. Schools were equipped with scissors and desks to accommodate children with either dominant hand. Her teacher did not seem to notice or care which hand Anya chose to use.

Art: A Visual Treat

The Revenge of Magic by James Riley

Take a look at the cover. Yes. That's right, a giant hand has emerged from beneath the ground, grabbed the Washington Monument, ripped it from its foundation, and now holds all 555 feet menacingly above the nation's capital. Terror reigns.  Fear runs rampant. Fort, aka Forsythe Fitzgerald watched in horror as the monstrous hand snatched his father and then disappeared underground. Alone, angry, and searching for answers, Fort agrees to enroll in a special government -sponsored boarding school run by Dr. Oppenheimer. This is no ordinary school.

Another by Christian Robinson

The list of award-winning books by illustrator Christian Robinson is extensive and impressive: Caldecott Award Honor, Coretta Scott King Award Honor (twice), Sibert Award Honor, and Boston Globe-Hornbook Nonfiction Award Honor.  ​In an exciting new career move, Christian Robinson is publishing his first solo book. It turns out that the man who has command of design, space, and color also has a mind filled with very intriguing notions. Let's get meta with Christian Robinson.   ​What if there is another individual just like you, but.... your doppelgänger lives in a parallel world?  And what if you could travel to that world? And what if you could bring a friend with you to meet your double?