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READING STYLE GUIDE

Under the Sea

5/31/2019

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Sea Sirens: A Trot & Cap’n Bill Adventure
​by Amy Chu & Janet K. Lee

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California surfer Trot spends her summer days with Cap’n Bill, a one-eyed rescue cat wearing a tiny red life vest who joins her on the surfboard and her Vietnamese grandfather who is in the early stages of dementia and sometimes wanders off.  
One day Trot and Cap'n Bill sneak away to catch a big wave. Her board capsizes, sending them into a magical world in the briny deep. When sea serpents threaten a bevy of lovely sea sirens, Cap'n Bill lashes out, sending away the serpents.
In gratitude, the seahorse-riding sirens give Trot and her cat the ability to breathe underwater and transport the duo back to their mother Queen Aquareine and her opulent kingdom, or more accurately, queendom. They are honored with a lavish celebration.
A special guest arrives for the festivities: grandpa!  He slipped into the ocean and wandered into this enchanted aquatic paradise. ​
Cap'n Bill revels in the food and the adulation, Trot thrills at surfing on the backs of rays. And granddad enjoys viewing aquatic life. Then trouble strikes.  Grandfather is kidnapped by the King of the Serpents. It's up to Trot and her mermaid friend to rescue grandpa and avert a war between the sirens and serpents.
Sea Sirens: A Trot and Cap'n Bill Adventure is replete with homages to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There's the faithful pet who accompanies a girl on a fantastic journey, a traveler who arrives in a locality quite by accident and becomes its mythical and revered leader, a giant balloon that can traverses between two worlds, and a heartfelt "There's no place like home" ending.
It appears that there is more to the story.  Trot has the precious pearl given to her by the queen and perhaps she may use it again. Stay tuned for the next adventure with this intrepid surfer and her one-eyed feline. 
Note: Keep an eye on Cap'n Bill and his snarky attitude. He steals the show in more than one scene.
Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s The Sea Fairies as well as Vietnamese folktales and fairy tales, Amy Chu has fashioned a remarkable comic. She breathes life into the story with imaginative characters and an interesting plot twist.  Inclusion of Vietnamese dialog and folktale elements enrich this sumptuous tale.
Janet K. Lee's art is stunning.  Innovative layout with full pages, insets, circles and angular lines burst beyond the confines of traditional rectangular panel configuration. Her art nouveau style is well suited to the story, giving it a classic feel. The gorgeous aqua-rich color palette and settings are magical. 

More Underwater Adventures

Enchanting tales of girls who live underwater. Gorgeous art. Compelling storytelling. Answer the siren call and read these graphic novel adventures by award-winning creators David Wiesner, Donna Jo Napoli, and Metaphrog aka Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers.
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Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: June 11, 2019  Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers  ISBN: 978-0451480163
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H20

5/27/2019

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Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis

Hey,water! I know you!
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Recent children's nonfiction has taken a quantum leap forward. Gone are the didactic, textbook-style approaches to informational books, Today young readers are treated to interesting information in a variety of print formats. 
Hey, Water! is a stellar example of this current evolution in nonfiction. Portis has created a picture book that combines striking images, carefully selected text, and accurate information.
The author employs an unusual literary device. Little Zoe, enjoying a bath, considers her surroundings and speaks directly to water, an everyday friend. Zoe itemizes her ongoing experiences with water and considers the properties of this essential substance.
Color palette is primarily shades of blue. Black and white text convey Zoe's running dialog. Image labels are pastel blue and gray. Occasional pops of color provide visual contrast. Simple bold shapes rendered in flat color fill the two-page spreads. Text is precise and complements Portis' arresting graphic design. For example: an enlarged dewdrop on a grass leaf is captioned "you wink at me from a blade of grass."
​The final page forgoes the standard linear narrative as Zoe concludes her bath. "Hey, water, thank you!" is inscribed on the red bathmat. Note: love the scuba mask on the cover. Zoe, and by extension the world, appear differently when viewed through an underwater lens.
The almost square (9.2 x 9.3) trim size, is ideal for small hands. Open and spread flat, the book fits nicely on an individual desk or table top. Perfect for personal exploration.
Back matter provides additional information of water forms, the water cycle, and water conservation.
Expand story time, enrich science lessons, explore elements of design. and invite personal response. This multi-purpose informational book is as refreshing as cool, clear water.  Kids and educators will drink it up!
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​Copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: March 26, 2019  Publisher: Neal Porter Books  ISBN: 978-0823441556
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Ping!

5/22/2019

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The Line Tender by Kate Allen 

But you know when you go to a bookstore and one book stands out from all of the others?
​And when you read it, you feel like it picked you?
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The Line Tender is a book of many things: A moving recital of the stages of grief. Fascinating glimpse into the world of sharks and marine ecosystems.  ​Description of a friendship which may be something more. Above all, it's story of a girl who discovers a part of herself that she never expected to find.
Lucy Everhart lives in a small town on the Massachusetts Coast. Her father is a member of the Salem Police dive team. Her mother, a marine biologist with a special interest in sharks died five years ago of a brain aneurysm. Lucy and her next-door neighbor Fred are inseparable companions. Recently they undertook a monumental summer project: creating a field guide to document Rockport animals. Fred, the detail-oriented science nerd writes the copy. Lucy illustrates.
 Without warning, Fred dies in a tragic drowning accident.
Lucy’s narrative is raw, painful, and honest.  Her struggles to make sense of the deaths of her friend and her mother are revealed in simple details. Her voice is one of wonder, hope and small moments of joy.
Most chapters are brief, each capturing a tender vignette.  This construct works to the reader's advantage, as emotions often require time for inner reflection and processing before moving on with the story.
Allen brilliantly weaves multiple thematic threads in this novel. Lines is one of the overarching motifs embedded throughout the narrative. A line tender holds a line that sinks deep into unknown waters, supporting the rescue diver. At the scene of the accident, Lucy imagines a string, wrapped around her hand and stretching out to encircle Fred's wrist. Her father develops his summer photographs and arranges the pictures chronologically on the darkroom's  clothesline. Lucy discovers a recorded interview with her mother, who speaks of generational lines that connect a mother and daughter. 
​Some lines don't break.
A word about the illustrations. Xingye Jin created the cover and interior art. Line drawings of various sharks introduce each chapter. The realistic images are evocative and elegant. They complement Lucy's efforts to authentically sketch a shark for the field guide.
l loved this book with a quiet intensity. Read and reread. Listened to the audio edition. Wasn't quite sure why this gentle narrative affected me so deeply. Maybe Fred has the answer. It's a book that picked me.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: April 16, 2019  Publisher: Dutton for Young Readers  ISBN: 978-0735231603
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Small World

5/17/2019

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There is a fascination with all things miniature. Note the number is bite-sized desserts on menu offerings. Consider the  Tiny Kitchen phenomena and other popular videos featuring petite animals and objects.  Yes. Teeny-tiny is having its moment. Two recently published picture books explore the world of the seemingly small and insignificant.

The Little Guys by Vera Brosgol

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Award-winning author/illustrator Vera Brosgol has a unique approach to this concept. The Little Guys are acorns, as observed from a variety of perspectives. The story begins with an aerial view of an island with several microscopic dots. Subsequent pages reveal that the tiny specks are a cluster of acorns.
These nuts may be diminutive in appearance, but they have a mega-sized attitude. They proudly proclaim, as a collective force, they wield considerable power. ​​They are fearless:  scaling heights, moving what should be immovable, taking what they need. They are unstoppable.
But this is a cautionary tale. So when greed and arrogance cause the collapse of their mighty tower, the acorns emerge from the murky water and rethink. These Little Guys realize that their collective strength can be used to assist others. Lesson learned.
Nuts steal the show. Who knew that acorns could be so expressive? Book design is stellar. Graduated changes in font size, a well- positioned gatefold, thoughtful white space and careful text placement add up to a picture book that will delight a wide audience.
Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: April 2, 2019  Publisher: Roaring Brook Press  ISBN: 978-1626724426

​Little Things by Nick Dyer ill by Kelly Pousette

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Little things are everywhere, but they’re never just little things.
Nick Dyer celebrates the often the overlooked and under-appreciated. Meet a girl, exploring her world and marveling at small things that can potentially have long-lasting ramifications.
Readers will observe that initial pages present a background that is slightly blurry.
Progressing through the next few pages, this girl begins to examine her world closely. As this occurs, background becomes sharply focused and intricately detailed. Soon she has a pair of binoculars and a flashlight. She finds fascinating discoveries as she takes time to explore her environment,
Looking all around, she expands her search to include looking underwater as well as gazing up to the skies. 
Pousette's mixed media illustrations have a dimensional quality. Collages of cut paper lacy-leaf trees,  geese in flight, and tall blooms seem to pop off the page. ​A gatefold featuring fawns resting under a tree with a couple of bird nests transitions into mature deer standing under a massive tree that shelters several types of animals.
The beauty of Little Things is in the details.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: March 15, 2019  Publisher: Peter Pauper Press, Inc.  ISBN: 978-1441328595

Pint-Sized Fun

Want to downsize playtime? Try these small wonders.
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World's Smallest Tinker Toys
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Miniature Library
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Inchimals Measuring Toy
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Mysteries of the Universe

5/15/2019

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Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

"Do your worst, multiverse...I am ready for you."
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It begins with a bully, a school locker, and a chicken. Oh. There’s one more thing...a hole in the universe. From the opening scene with a chicken in a school locker, Carlos Hernandez had me hooked.
Meet Sal Vidón recent transfer student to a magnet school for the arts. Sal is a performer, a magician who prides himself on his remarkable sleight of hand skills. He’s confident in his ability to maneuver his way out of difficult situations with his smarts, friendly outgoing personality, and pockets filled with magical illusions.
He will need all these when he matches wits with a no nonsense principal, the school bully, and student council/ school newspaper editor Gabi Reál.
Sal has Type I diabetes, which he handles matter-of-factly. It's part of his life and he is conscious of the importance of caring for himself, but he doesn't allow the condition to limit him.
Set in Miami, Cuban American culture infuses the story with humor, heart, and vitality. 
"¿Qué eso?" said Calembe, who did that Cuban thing of smashing all the syllables in a sentence into one word. She made "What is that?" sound exactly like "Cheese?" in Spanish.
A very important figure in his life is Mami Muerta. When Sal was five years old, his beloved Mami died. Dad has remarried and American Stepmom is terrific. But sometimes Sal longs for his Mami. He has found a way to relax his mind, reach out into the multiverse and call up a version of his Mami. She arrives into his present, not quite the same as the mother he knew. But still, she's a substitute for the Miami he misses.
When you start  moving between universes and bringing individuals from other worlds into your world, things are bound to get complicated. It becomes far more complicated when Gabi discovers how to travel with him. Strange things begin to happen.  And it's a lot stranger than a chicken. 
Woven into this fast-paced sci-fi adventure are some serious subjects:  parental abuse, death, grief, moral responsibility and ethical dilemmas. These issues give the story depth but do overwhelm or monopolize the narrative. Hernandez maintains firm control of his story line. His true-to-life characters are are normal kids caught up in a fantastic world of calamitrons (traces from other universes), a human-like robot, and an entropy sweeper that whines "Wo is I" and scans for calamitrons. It’s an eclectic mix held together with Sal's brash  big-hearted narration. 
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is like a sparkler atop an ice cream sundae: eye-popping adventure with a couple of cool, smooth kids. Best enjoyed while consuming a package of Skittles.
I'm not a brujo. I can just reach across universes and pull out chickens. It's science!

Magic Tricks

Sal wears clothing with a large number of pocket. Why? He keeps on hand a selection of magic tricks. Try filling your pockets with these portable tricks. Astonish your friends. Disarm stressful situations. Relax and enjoy the magical moments.
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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: March 5, 2019  Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents  ISBN:  978-1368022828
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It's All About Love

5/10/2019

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Hair Love
by Matthew A. Cherry ill by Vashti Harrison

"Don't worry," he said, "we'll figure this out."
Zuri is preparing for a special day and wants to have the perfect hairstyle. Daddy is napping. She reasons that he deserves a rest and decides that she can handle styling detail. The task becomes more challenging than she envisioned.
​I have hair that has a mind of its own.
Sequestered on a bathroom stool, she searches her tablet for hairstyle inspiration. When the tablet clatters to the tile floor, dad wakes up and comes to investigate.
He lovingly offers to help Zuri. "It'll be a piece of cake." Soon it is evident that this project is more difficult than he thought. Readers have the mirror’s perspective, viewing the reflected image of Daddy's repeated attempts at a variety of creative styles.
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Zuri eventually realizes that this needs to be a team effort. With coaching from his daughter, Daddy gets to work, fashioning the perfect look for his girl. Mom approves the result. ​
"You've got to be the prettiest supergirl I have ever seen"
Harrison's illustrations feature faces with over-sized expressive round eyes. They become "window to the souls" of this father/daughter relationship. She adds distinctive touches: dad concentrating on a braid with a mouthful of hair ties, Zuri's gap-tooth smile.
Rocky the cat has an important cameo role. This feline, peering over Zuri's shoulder, causes the tablet to tumble onto the tile, setting a critical story element in motion.  But it doesn't stop there. His expressions are priceless. They run the gambit from dreaming of an opened can of tuna and checking out sleeping dad to studying an array of possible coiffures.  His reactions to dad's styling attempts steal the show.
​Hair is only a small part of the story. It's the bond between a girl and her father that make this story sparkle. 
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Hello Matthew

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While this is his first picture book, Cherry is a well-known personality. He transitioned from career as an NFL wide receiver to director of music videos and filmmaker.
Hair Love is based on Cherry's direction of an animated short film.

Daddy and Daughter

Picture books featuring dads and daughters together. Join a motorcycle ride, a snow day escapade, a walk in the park.
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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: May 14, 2019  Publisher: Kokila  ISBN: 978-0525553366
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We Are the Change

5/4/2019

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We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders
introduction by Harry Belefonte

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Have you picked up a book and without cracking it open, knew that it was going to be something extraordinary? That was my initial response to We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders.
​The case features embossed lettering  and Dan Santat's illustration of a John Lewis quote.
We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.
Sixteen remarkable artists lend their talents to this project. Each illustrator selected a  a Civil Rights leader's inspirational words. Art is reflective of the message and unique to the artist's style.  Each illustrator's personal consideration of the quotation is included.  Images and text are compelling and profoundly moving. 
The volume, inspired by the work of the American Civil Liberties Union, echoes a commitment to human rights. Harry Belafonte offers a thoughtful introduction.
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A diverse collection of historical individuals such as Queen Lili'uokalani, Frederick Douglass, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller as well as contemporary figures in the struggle for human rights including Dolores Huerta, John Lewis, and Sonia Sotomayor provide the words.
This treasure trove of art by Selina Alko, Alina Chau, Lisa Congdon, Emily Hughes, Molly Idle, Juana Median, Innosanto Nagara, Christopher Silas Neal, John Parra, Brian Pinkney, Greg Pizzoli, Sean Qualls, Dan Santat, Shadra Strickland, Melissa Sweet, and Raul the Third is striking. Back matter consists of individual biographies of the contributing illustrators.
A personal, passionate call to action that will resonate with readers of all ages. 

Companion Resources

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Anthology of poetry, essays, and art reflects and honors the ongoing struggle for justice, equality, and respect.
Barack Obama and "We are the change"
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Looking for opportunities to be involved in meaningful change? Try this site.
Copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: May 7, 2019  Publisher: Chronicle Books  ISBN:  978-1452170398
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Mi Papi y yo

5/3/2019

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My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero ill bi Zeke Peña

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The powerhouse duo that created the 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Award winning Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide, are back.  Quintero and Peña capture the wonder of childhood, family, and community with this picture book. 
Beginning with the cover, readers come along on this joyful ride. Eyes closed, wind-whipped ponytail, hands securely grasping her strong Papi, little unicorn-helmeted Daisy exudes the exhilarating thrill of motorcycle travel.  Papi gives his daughter a tender glance as they ride together.
After a long day, Daisy's papi comes home, ready for a sweet daddy/daughter tradition: a trip around the city.
​With a loud "vrooooomm" spanning the two-page spread, the twosome is off.  Dodging packs of cats and dogs, vooming past markets and churches, they motor past gorgeous murals revealing the city's history and culture. There are echoes of the century-old road races on the Grand Boulevard. Daisy is also living the present: waving to neighbors, family and friends. A stop at her father's construction site, where new homes are replacing citrus groves looks to the future. 
Here it is, all of our beautiful city.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle is awash ​with tender moments and heartfelt nostalgia.
Sensory imagery is an integral part of the narrative. Papi smells like " a hard day at work."  His hands feel like "all the love he has the trouble saying."
There are visual treasures to be discovered and savored on each page. The title page features Daisy, holding a unicorn aloft on a toy motorcycle, dreams soaring. Our little protagonist whiles away the hours until her father returns with a Lowriders book.  An apt nod to the lowrider culture and specifically the Cathy Camper Raul III series.
I feel Papi's smile as I squeeze my arms tighter around him.
​Like Daisy's arms lovingly wrapped around her father, this book is un abrazo fuerte that will linger long after the final page is turned. A book to read, share, and treasure.
​Available in Spanish and English language editions. Order both!

More Latino Book Love

Explore more family and culture with these outstanding books by Latinx authors and illustrators.
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Lowriders

If you haven't been following the Lowrider series.  Get on it!
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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: May 14, 2019  Publisher: Kokila  ISBN: 978-0525553410
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    Barbara Moon

    I like talking about books and  interesting ideas. I like thinking about how books affect my life. Not particularly interested in giving out stars or in rating books. 

    Audio Publishers Association
    2013, - present  Audies judge 
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    ​2017 YALSA Award Nominating Committee
    2016 Excellence in Nonfiction 
    2014 Margaret Edwards Award
    2012 Odyssey Awards.  
    2009, 2010, 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

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