Month: June 2016

Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrations by Dylan Metrano

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Orchard Books 

Summary:  20 North American birds are introduced in simple rhyming text (“Chickadee wears a wee black cap/Jay is loud and bold/Nuthatch perches upside down/Finch is clothed in gold”).  Each line of the rhyme is on a separate page with a large cut-paper illustration of the bird.  The entire text is included on two pages at the end, followed by smaller pictures and additional information about each bird, listed alphabetically.  32 pages; ages 2-5.

Pros:  Each line perfectly captures a characteristic of the bird it describes.  The illustrations are simple and bright, appealing for young kids, yet accurately depicting the bird.  Readers will be ready to head outside and look in trees and the sky for some feathered friends.

Cons:  So many birds in one place triggered a brief Alfred Hitchcock moment.

The Mysterious Moonstone (Key Hunters series) by Eric Luper

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Scholastic 

Summary:  Cleo and Evan miss their favorite school librarian, Mrs. Hilliard.  After she mysteriously disappeared, the strange Ms. Crowley took over.  One day, Ms. Crowley is acting odder than ever.  The two kids follow her, and discover a secret underground library.  They find a note from Mrs. Hilliard telling them she’s trapped in a book, and they need to solve the mysteries in the other books to free her and avoid getting stuck themselves.  Entering one of the books, they find themselves in 19th century London, where they help a teenage Sherlock Holmes-like detective figure out who stole a diamond from a wealthy family.  Ms. Crowley makes an appearance in this mystery, and after it’s solved, the three of them return to their school.  More mysteries await, however, as they work to free Mrs. Hilliard.  128 pages; grades 2-4.

Pros:  The mystery was surprisingly good, with a cast of suspicious characters and a bumbling, yet charming detective.   The story-within-the-story structure is a fun way to move the series along.

Cons:  The beginning was a little slow.

Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd, pictures by Abigail Halpin

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

 Published by Alfred A. Knopf 

Summary:  A boy and a girl explore the world around them, seeking to answer the questions posed on the first page: What is wild? And where can you go to find it?  They see it (“It leaps and pounces and shows its teeth”), hear it (“Wild roars and barks and hisses and brays”), smell it (“Every scent begging you to drink it in”), and taste it (“honey from bees and sap from trees”).  Sometimes wild burns or stings, but other times it soothes.  When the explorers enter the city, it seems as though wild has been completely covered over by pavement and buildings, but peeking through a fence they discover that wild is everywhere.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  The vivid, mainly green illustrations nicely complement the descriptive text.  Younger readers will be inspired to explore the natural world around them; older readers may be inspired by the beautiful, descriptive language to write about it.

Cons:  Do kids really get to go off and explore the wild by themselves anymore?

Kids Book A Day goes AWOL

~ Janet Dawson ~ 7 Comments

A little personal history:  a few weeks after starting this blog in 2015, I separated with my husband and moved out of my house with my two daughters.  We’ve lived in an apartment for a little over a year.  Six months later, I started a new job 60 miles away in western Massachusetts.  I stayed in the apartment to let my younger daughter finish high school.  In April, I closed on a house, and today is moving day.  It’s been an eventful year to say the least.  I’m not sure what my Internet status will be for the next few days, so I’m taking a bit of a vacation, and hope to be back later this week.

The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Summary:  Hanson Gregory left his family’s farm for a life at sea in 1844 at the age of 13.  He quickly rose from cook’s assistant to become captain of a clipper ship.  By all accounts, he became an excellent commander, even receiving a medal for heroism from the queen of Spain after rescuing seven Spanish sailors.  But what Hanson Gregory is remembered for today is inventing the doughnut.  As cook’s assistant, he was charged with making breakfast cakes of fried dough.  Because the centers of these cakes remained raw and heavy, they were called sinkers.  One day Gregory had the brilliant idea to cut out the centers with the top of the pepper shaker.  The rest is baking history.  Over the years, legends arose about the genesis of the doughnut, and others even claimed to have invented it, but this book lays these rumors to rest once and for all.  An author’s note gives a bit more information about Gregory.  A timeline and bibliography are also included.  32 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  An excellent introduction to the invention of ordinary items, told with plenty of humor in both the text and the illustrations.

Cons:  Does not really address the question, Dunkin’ or Krispy Kreme?

 

Flying Frogs and Walking Fish: Leaping Lemurs, Tumbling Toads, Jet-Propelled Jellyfish, and More Surprising Ways That Animals Move by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Summary:  The Jenkins-Page team takes on animal movement, asking if you’ve ever seen a walking octopus or a swimming elephant.  After the page on the walking octopus, for example, comes a two-page spread of several other animals that walk in some unusual way.  The illustrations are done in Jenkins’ inimitable cut-paper style with amazing details.  The last two pages include thumbnail pictures of all the animals with a few sentences of additional information for each.  40 pages; ages 4-7.

Pros:  This award-winning team just keeps cranking out beautifully-illustrated, engaging science picture books.  Kids will love browsing through the pictures and descriptions, or listening to the book as a fun read-aloud.

Cons:  The format is nothing new, similar to other Jenkins books like What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?

The Gold Medal Mess (MVP) by David A. Kelly

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House 

Summary:  Nico, Kat, Max, Luke, and Alex can’t wait for their school’s upcoming Olympics.  So they’re worried when they find a note threatening to sabotage the games.  Their principal doesn’t seem too concerned, but when the events begin, a series of mishaps confirms the kids’ suspicions that someone is out to ruin the fun.  The kids decide to take matters into their own hands and figure out who is behind the evil plot.  128 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  The first in a new sports-themed series, this will be welcomed by fans of A to Z Mysteries and David A. Kelly’s other series, Ballpark Mysteries.

Cons:  Five detectives is a little unwieldy and doesn’t allow for much character development in such a short story.

We Came to America by Faith Ringgold

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Alfred A. Knopf 

Summary:  An illustrated poem celebrating immigration.  Ringgold starts with the lines, “We came to America/Every color, race, and religion/From every country in the world” then repeats them several times through the book.  In between, she mentions those who were here already, those who came in chains, those who came to escape from a dangerous situation, and other ways immigrants came to America.  She celebrates the contributions each culture made to American culture.  All the people are depicted with simple, brightly colored illustrations.  The entire poem is printed on the last page.  32 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A perfect introduction to immigration for the primary grades (although a little context would be needed before reading).  The illustrations are eye-catching, and the repeating text invites kids to chant along.

Cons:  Every time I saw this book sitting on my desk, Neil Diamond’s “Coming to America” got stuck in my head.