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5/22/2019

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?

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 undertake a monumental summer project: creating a field guide documenting 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 even 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.

Allen brilliantly weaves multiple thematic threads throughout the novel. The concept of a lines is present throughout the narrative. A line tender holds onto a line that sinks deep into unknown waters, assisting a rescue diver. After the accident, Lucy imagines a string, wrapped around her hand and stretching out to encircle Fred's wrist. Near the end of the summer her father develops his photographs of the past few months, arranging images chronologically on a clothesline. Eventually, Lucy discovers a recording of an 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 so deeply moved me. Maybe Fred had 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

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

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.

World's Smallest Tinker Toys

Miniature Library

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."

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.

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.

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.

Hello Matthew

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.

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

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.

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

Anthology of poetry, essays, and art reflects and honors the ongoing struggle for justice, equality, and respect.

Barack Obama and "We are the change"

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

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!