Published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
Summary: A boy makes a list of his fears: monsters, ghosts, witches, and trolls. While reluctant to tell them to his two dogs at first, eventually he shares them one by one. For each, one of the dogs attempts to debunk the fear (ghosts are scared of dogs; how bad can witches be if they’re cooking food in their cauldron?). Eventually, the boy moves beyond his list to his cousin, the school crossing guard, and the ultimate: the dark. Even the dogs are afraid of the dark, but the boy reassures them and finds a simple solution for handling that fear. In the end, the list is put to rest, and everyone goes off for a dog biscuit or two. Ages 3-7.
Pros: Readers will relate to many of these fears, and appreciate the light-hearted ways they are dealt with. Most of the story is told in appealing cartoon-bubble dialog.
Cons: Despite the dog’s claims, I’m pretty sure trolls do exist.
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews tells how he started his musical career as a young child in New Orleans. He and his friends made their own instruments from castoffs, and he got his big break when he started playing along at a jazz festival. Beautifully illustrated by Caldecott medalist Collier.
Can’t help falling in love with the story of how a poor boy from Mississippi became the king of rock and roll.
The inspiring story of the all-female, almost all African-American jazz band that traveled around the United States and Europe in the 1940’s. Breaking racial and gender boundaries, the group was a true sisterhood of talented musicians.
Another barrier-breaking musician, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, became a drummer in Cuba when girls and women weren’t allowed to play drums. More than one blogger has picked this book as a potential Caldecott winner.
Once upon a time, there were four boys growing up in postwar Liverpool named John, Paul, George, and Richard. This book looks at the stories of those four, and how they intersected and eventually connected to become the Beatles.
A Kids Book A Day 