Blog Archives

Just Friends

8/31/2019

Duck and Penguin are NOT Friends
by Julia Woolf

Betty and Maud are best friends. The girls love to spend time together and always include their favorite soft toy animals. Betty brings her squishy yellow Duck. Maud has her huggable snuggable Penguin.

Because the girls are so fond of one another, they assume that Duck and Penguin share similar feelings.
Not so. Not so at all.

While the girls are having fun, Duck and Penguin are engaged in minor warfare: stomping on sand creations, hurling eggs, tagging with copious amounts of paint.

Betty and Maud are oblivious to their stuffed animals’ animosity, exclaiming, "They love each other so much."

After treating their toys to a bath and fluff up with the blow drier, the girls are ready for the ultimate activity: "itty- bitty babies." The pair are placed in miniature strollers and dressed in ruffled pink bonnets. The ultimate humiliation is when pacifiers are plopped into the mouths of the indignant duo. Duck and Penguin have had enough. They sneak away from the girls and have fun on their own. They know that time with an arch enemy is better than being itty-bitty babies.

Duck and Penguin are NOT Friends has all the elements of a memorable picture book: a plot line with a clever twist, charming characters, dialog that begs to be read aloud, and illustrations popping with personality and humor. Julia Woolf is at the top of her game. This is one of those picture books that is entertaining for readers of any age. Adults will have as much fun as children, laughing along with the exploits of this cantankerous twosome.
The end papers featuring Duck and Penguin playing together are a bonus.

When the Kids Aren't Watching

Many libraries host Stuffed Animal Sleepovers. Children are invited to bring their favorite stuffed animal for an evening of stories, crafts, and snacks. After tucking their treasured toys in for the night, kids head home. That's when the fun begins. The stuffed animals find their way into various activities throughout the building. Staff members take photos of the toys' after-dark escapades. Children return to the library the next morning to retrieve their stuffed animals and view photographs of their animals enjoying a night in the library.
This activity makes an excellent follow up to the story of Duck and Penguin.

Pub date: September 1, 2019 Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company ISBN: 978-1682631324

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

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Faith & Miracles

8/27/2019

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The Miraculous by Jess Redman

To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle...unspeakably perfect miracles!
Walt Whitman

Wunder Ellis is a miracologist, a person who collects evidence of miracles. From the time he was six years old, he became aware of phenomena that could not be explained with traditional logic. He records and numbers these entries in a journal titled The Miraculous.

Wunder's faith in miracles is destroyed when his infant sister dies. He no longer believes. He removes all evidence of miracles from his room: a Calendar of the Saints, statues of angels, books and scriptures from many different faiths, and his framed baby photo inscribed with the Willa Cather quote Where there is great love there are always miracles.

The Miraculous is a story of grief, viewed from the perspective of faith. Faith that is lost and faith that is eventually regained. Wunder and his father worship at St. Gerard's, a traditional Christian church. However, the narrative includes references to numerous faith traditions including Jesa, the Korean ceremony to honor the dead, the Hand of Fatima, and the Twin Miracle of the Buddha. His newly found friend Faye wears a black cloak and is a student of the paranormal, specializing in the study of witches and ghosts.

Wunder and Faye visit an abandoned house located near the cemetery. An old woman, who Faye suspects might be a witch, lives there. The witch sends the two on various missions, first to deliver letters to community members who have experienced a loss, then to locate a branch from a mysterious tree. As they perform these tasks, they come to understand loss, both their personal losses and the losses of others. They discover connections between people and bereavement. They see that miracles can take many forms. They begin to believe.

A New Testament verse plays an important part in the story. Redman alters the Biblical text slightly to read.
Behold! I tell you a miracle. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.

This is a richly layered story of pain and grief. Fantastical elements blend perfectly with the heartbreaking reality of death. Like Wunder, readers will recall their own encounters with miracles. And like Wunder, they will be changed.

....hidden miracles, the ones that are so often forgotten, the never-ending memory of a cherished one, the hands of friends, new and old, reaching out to hold you up, the love you receive, even when that love comes from someone you cannot see or hear.

A Grief Observed

These fictional accounts of children who suffer loss are some of my personal treasures.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: July 30, 2019 Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) ISBN: 978-0374309749

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Asking for a Friend

8/23/2019

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Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor ill by Rafael López

Sotomayor has penned a thoughtful picture book, exploring and celebrating differences. She introduces the concept with a garden analogy. Sonia and her friends are planting a garden filled with an assortment of plants. Some produce flowers, others fruit. They have a range of characteristics and respond to different types of growing conditions. Like plants, each person is unique, possessing a variety of distinguishing attributes.

Subsequent pages introduce children with distinctive characteristics and circumstances. Beginning with Sonia's diabetes, individual children are introduced who live with asthma, dyslexia, autism, Tourette's syndrome, attention deficit/hyperactivity, food allergies, and Down Syndrome as well as those needing assistance with mobility, vision, hearing, or speech.
Each child is a individual with a name and special personality. Each one experiences a challenge.

The narrative encourages readers to understand individual disabilities. The page concludes with a question which to help youngsters relate to those who may appear different. Questions include such queries as:

Do you need to take medicine to be healthy?
Do you use a tool to help your body?
How do you use your senses?
Are you really good at something?
What do you like to talk about?
Do you ever wonder if people understand you?
What's helpful to you?

López illustrations echo the concept of children planting a garden. Cover art features a glorious array of letters created from parts of colorful plants and flowers.
End papers showcase line drawings of children mentioned in the text and are interspersed with fanciful plants similar in size to the active and energetic kids.

Images radiate joy. Children with disabilities are not pitied. They are resourceful, productive people. The world is a better and happier place because of these youngsters. Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You is a cheerful and encouraging picture book to share with children everywhere, helping them to understand and appreciate differences.

In her introductory letter Sonia Sotomayor describes living with juvenile diabetes. She relates her feeling that others perceived her need to inoculate herself with insulin as wrong. She wants to dispel this false notion.

This book will be an important and welcome addition to home, school, public, and classroom libraries. It can be placed in nurse, doctor, therapist, and other health care provider offices. Consider adding this book to after-school programs, community and church youth centers. The message is universal.

Also available in Spanish and audio editions. Respect the learning styles for a variety of children by ordering copies in all three formats.

Sonia finds a quiet moment to rest among the flowers to administer her insulin.

Rafael adorns the garden with beautifully painted rocks. He keeps his inhaler handy.

Rafael López Picture Books

Celebrate individual differences with these gorgeous books illustrated by Rafael López.

Copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: September 3, 2019 Publisher: Philomel Books ISBN: 978-0525514121

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Which Witch

8/20/2019

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The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

I have to be both a witch and a person.

It’s Halloween and thirteen-year-old Moth Hush has given a lot of thought to the costume that she will wear to school. She decides that she will definitely be a witch. Black dress. Pointed hat. Nothing unusual about that.
The girl who doesn't fit in decides that a traditional Halloween costume is a great way to assimilate. Maybe not.
While trying to help the new kid in school, she discovers that she has extraordinary powers. Her mother confirms that she is, in fact, a witch. Moth learns that she comes from a long line of witches, both her mother and maternal grandmother are witches.

I’m a witch... Everything finally DOES make sense. I always thought I was just weird.

Local lore tells of a witch colony that disappeared centuries ago. Each year students reenact the story. In a strange twist of fate, Moth the costume assistant and her friend Charlie assume the roles of their ancestors in the production. Will they follow the script, or will they choose to reject the town’s traditional witch mythology and create a new reality?

There is ongoing tension between generations of women in the Hush family. Grandmother flees from an oppressive community and creates a new protective world. Mother rejects this exclusive society of witches and chooses to live among humans, never using or speaking of her latent powers. Moth is intrigued by her newly discovered identity. She wants to learn more about herself and her magical abilities.

This wide-eyed thirteen-year-old navigates the perilous life of middle school while simultaneously exploring Hecate, a witch’s realm existing in a parallel universe. It's new and exciting but strange and frightening. When history collides with the present, old wounds are reopened and past injustices exposed.

Three generations of witches. Three manifestations of Hecate: maiden, mother, crone. Three different perspectives on the practice of witchcraft. Mothers try to protect daughters. Daughters seek to break away and create a new life. Who is right?

Magic is an integral story element. Moth explores the past by jumping into her mother’s diary with a cat who is the reincarnation of a family friend and benefactor. Moth's mother, who appears ageless, reveals that she was born in 1675.

Mommy looks a lot younger than she actually is. And it's not just because she moisturizes regularly.

This graphic novel can be enjoyed on several levels. The Okay Witch is an entertaining story of a girl discovering her true nature. It's a fascinating examination of the mother-daughter dynamic. Readers will also find similarities to historical accounts of early New England witchcraft.

The tale is chock full of delightful tidbits: references to classic movies " I don't think we're in Massachusetts anymore," clever asides "I don't do 'safe.' You've seen me eat expired yogurt,” and interesting visual clues. It will take several readings to catch all the goodies Steinkellner packs into every page.

While the book is marketed for middle grade readers, it has wide-range appeal. Libraries will want to feature this comic in Halloween book displays. Classroom teachers searching for a fresh fictional companion to the study of Salem Witch trials can ditch the well-worn play and add The Okay Witch to the curriculum. It would also make a thought-provoking selection for mother-daughter book clubs.

Steinkellner's graphic novel debut is smart, quirky, and clever.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: September 3, 2019 Publisher: Aladdin ISBN: 978-1534431461

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Why Ask

8/13/2019

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Why by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Why? Why? Why?

Why?
Is there an adult who has not been on the receiving end of the one-word question that is frequently posited by youngsters?

Vaccaro Seeger considers a youngster’s desire to understand the world by asking incessant questions.This picture book breaks with the conventional querying child trope, taking an unexpected story path.

Title page features a frisky young bunny, scampering after a lumbering old bear. Successive pages follow the rabbit as it observes the bear engaging in simple activities: watering flowers, viewing the stars, stopping for a snack. Always rabbit asks "Why?' The massive friend patiently responds to each query with a gentle explanation.

Time passes. Seasons change. The questions persist.

At this point, the story structure shifts.
For rabbit's latest question, there is no definitive answer. Bear responds.

"I don't know why.
Sometimes I just don't know why!"

The bear moves on and rabbit is silent. Now it is bear's turn to stop and inquire. A two-page spread zooms in for a close-up as treasured friends regard one another, pausing to reflect on an answer. It's a tender moment.

Vaccaro Seeger eschews the flat color and the figures defined by solid outlines featured in her earlier books and opts for a softer watercolor approach. This style perfectly suits the subject. Text and image work in tandem to tell the story. Earth and sky have equal importance. Readers will watch for hints of seasonal change. Expressive bodies and faces of the two animals are eloquent and laden with emotion.

This is one of those books that will find a permanent place on nightstands. One anticipates that well-worn and loved copies of Why? will be found in countless homes as generations of children and adults find quiet joy in this classic.

Just Asking

Add these books to your collection of books which explore answers the timeless question of why.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: August 13, 2019 Publisher: Neal Porter Books ISBN: 978-0823441730

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It Takes a Thief

8/8/2019

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The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

"It's impossible," she told herself.
But, whispered a small voice inside her, impossible doesn't mean it's not worth trying.

Nobody can fashion a tale quite like master story-spinner Katherine Rundell.
Her previous books have taken her readers to Africa, Paris, Russia, and the Amazon rainforest. Now she turns her considerable storytelling skills to North America. The Good Thieves is set in New York City during the 1920’s, an era of speakeasies and bootleg liquor. It was a time rife with crime and corruption, when mob bosses could shamelessly pay their way into influencing government officials. Much of the action takes place at familiar city landmarks: Central Park, Plaza Hotel, Main Library, subway, the Bowery.

Vita and her mother travel to America to rescue her grandfather. Due to a fraudulent scheme perpetuated by crime lord Victor Sorrotore, Grandfather has lost the family home, a magnificent old castle. The swindle has left him destitute.

This young heroine sets out to retrieve her grandfather's hidden jewel and reclaim his rightful property. She meets and enlists the help of a young pickpocket, an animal trainer, and an aerialist. The foursome set out to steal back grandfathers stolen property.

There is a plan. Like all plans, things don't go exactly as intended. Events take several unexpected turns. There are interesting plot twists and perils that will keep readers in suspense, breathlessly turning pages. Vita is resolute. Despite obstacles, a painfully malformed foot, and her own fears to she is determined to prevail. She is motivated by her sense of justice and love for her grandfather. The tenderness of her devotion becomes evident when she returns to her grandfather with the hard-won prize.

In a bizarre turn of events, a section of my hometown experienced a power outage. I read a large portion of the tale, including intense scenes, by flashlight. I sat in pitch darkness reading with a small circle of light illuminating each page. Try reading of a penknife sailing through the air with deadly accuracy, of guard dogs trained to kill, of tortoises with diamonds and rubies implanted into their shells, of riding bareback through the night on "borrowed" horses. Try reading this in the deepest and darkest of nights.

This is not the time to be afraid...You can be afraid later, when it's over.

The tale is a heart- pounding, while knuckled, breath- catching escapade. Tension mounts and becomes almost unbearable as Vita limps through the dark castle, trying to locate the hidden emerald. Sorrotore simultaneously begins a systematic search in the lightless rooms, seeking the girl who stole his ring and seizing the secret cache.

The Good Thieves is a story of a girl with a simple wish which is not-so-simple. It’s a story of extraordinary courage and daunting obstacles. It’s a story of miracles.

Meet the Author

More Magical Storytelling

Want to experience more incredible Rundell stories? I highly recommend these middle grade novels.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: August 27, 2019 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-1481419482

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Finding Her Voice

8/5/2019

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A Likkle Miss Lou:
How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
by Nadia L. Hohn ill by Eugenie Fernandes

‘I wish’ I wished, ‘that I could be
A poet great and with my pen
Trace paths of peace and harmony
For the uncertain minds of men.’
May 1, 1928

A picture book brimming with poetry, rhythms, and song, A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice introduces young readers to the early years of a native poet and performance artist.

Nadia L. Hohn describes Louise's fascination with the speech she that was an integral part of her daily life. Jamaican patois, an English-based creole language with a West African influence is spoken by the most Jamaicans.

At school, she was required to restrict her language to what was considered "proper" English. Louise was reprimanded by her teacher when she included words and phrases from Jamaican dialect in her assignments. Fortunately, she became a student at Excelsior College, where acceptance and appreciation for her native tongue was encouraged.
Hohn's narrative is rich and colorful. She captures the flavor and cadence of the language in this sumptuous feast of poetic expression.

Like a doctor bird's wings, the words tickled Louise's ear and like peanut drops, they stuck.

Fernandes' illustrations tell their own tale. Louise's face moves from doubt and discouragement to wonder and joy. The animated faces of her classmates and native storytellers feature a variety of warm shades of brown.

Back matter includes an extensive Note from the Author with details on the life and works of Coverley. Hohn describes her own introduction to the works of this poet. A glossary, with photos of peanut drops and water crackers, is helpful. References contains a citation list.

Spread out youself deh, Liza.
Dress ooman a come.

A picture book that sparkles with a love for language. Excellent as an introduction to the power of one's own voice and as a validation of student self-expression.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: August 13, 2019 Publisher: Owlkids ISBN: 978-1771473507

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Just Friends

Duck and Penguin are NOT Friends
by Julia Woolf

When the Kids Aren't Watching

Faith & Miracles

The Miraculous by Jess Redman

A Grief Observed

Asking for a Friend

Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor ill by Rafael López

Rafael López Picture Books

Which Witch

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

Why Ask

Why by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Just Asking

It Takes a Thief

The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

Meet the Author

More Magical Storytelling

Finding Her Voice

A Likkle Miss Lou:
How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
by Nadia L. Hohn ill by Eugenie Fernandes

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Just Friends

Duck and Penguin are NOT Friendsby Julia Woolf

When the Kids Aren't Watching

Faith & Miracles

The Miraculous by Jess Redman

A Grief Observed

Asking for a Friend

Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You​by Sonia Sotomayor ill by Rafael López

Rafael López Picture Books

Which Witch

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

Why Ask

Why by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Just Asking

It Takes a Thief

The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

Meet the Author

More Magical Storytelling

Finding Her Voice

A Likkle Miss Lou:​How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voiceby Nadia L. Hohn ill by Eugenie Fernandes

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Duck and Penguin are NOT Friends
by Julia Woolf

Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor ill by Rafael López

A Likkle Miss Lou:
How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
by Nadia L. Hohn ill by Eugenie Fernandes