Month: August 2023

See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  The dog and cat from See the Cat and See the Dog are back for this trio of tales about things you cannot see: namely, a scary ghost, a strong wind, and a mischievous fairy.  The animals get scared, blown away, and transformed by the invisible beings. In the end, all is to put to rights, and a fun and happy day is had by all, both those you can see and those you cannot.  64 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This delightful series needs no introduction. I don’t usually review sequels, but I loved this one enough to make an exception.  This is one of the most popular early reader series in my library, and I can’t wait to introduce fans to the newest entry, perfect for fall.  See the Cat won a Geisel award, and I would love to see the same for See the Ghost.

Cons:  I thought the fairy’s transformations of the dog and cat could have been milked a bit more for humor.

When You Can Swim by Jack Wong

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Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  Adults show children the wonders of what awaits them once they learn how to swim.  Oceans and lakes beckon, with the beauty of nature and the adventures of jumping into the water and diving beneath the surface.  There’s diversity in the types of water and landscapes, the swimming experiences, and the people who are enjoying the water.  “When you can swim I’ll take you there,” a parent tells a child standing by the side of the pool.  “So swim, little one!”  Includes an author’s note about his own mixed experiences with learning to swim that were influenced by the experiences of his parents and grandparents.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I learned about this book when I saw that it won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for best picture book.  It’s a beautiful meditation on the glories of swimming, perfectly complemented with gorgeous illustrations that capture the light and shadows of the water.  You could pair it with one of the other books about swimming from this summer: Our Pool or Together We Swim.

Cons:  Because it is more of a meditation than a story, it may not hold the attention of every child.

Ways to Play by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo

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Published by Levine Querido

Summary:  When Bossy Older Cousin Violet comes over, she doesn’t hold back in her opinion: Riley is playing with toys the wrong way and needs to be shown the right way.  Riley can play all day with a pile of newspapers, and instead of having dolls and stuffies to a tea party like Violet does, Riley likes to line them up by size.  Riley creates art by sharpening crayons and making little spirals with them.  Fortunately, Riley’s dog Charlie is more understanding than Violet is, and all the kids enjoy playing fetch and running around the yard with him.  “See,” Riley tells Violet, “There are lots of ways to play with toys.  And everyone’s way is the right way.”  Includes an author’s note about her personal childhood experiences, similar to Riley’s, and how she got some answers when she was diagnosed with autism as an adult.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A charming story that will appeal to many kids, both those who are neurodivergent and those who simply enjoy doing their own thing.

Cons:  Cousin Violet.

The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  Vanessa is mourning the loss of her friendship with former best friend Bailey when she discovers an abandoned museum near her house.  She decides to create an exhibit about Bailey to try to discover what went wrong between the two of them.  Although Vanessa tries to keep her museum a secret, before long her older brother and a few of her friends discover it and want to set up their own exhibits.  The group begins to bond as they create a map, admission fees, and a security system, and start inviting other kids to see their museum.  The most popular item on display is a mysterious painting Vanessa found in a back room of the museum.  Through some detective work, she eventually tracks down the artist, a move that ends up exposing the museum to adults.  This means the end of the museum as Vanessa has known it, but also an interesting new beginning.  Before long, other kids are creating their own museums all over town, including Bailey, who shows Vanessa her own take on their friendship that leads to the beginnings of a reconciliation.  304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Whew! I didn’t even touch on Vanessa’s trichotillomania, a disorder she discovers she has near the end of the story, or her active-duty military father with whom she has a complicated relationship.  There are a lot of issues explored, but Leila Sales does it with grace and plenty of humor, creating an imperfect but lovable protagonist in Vanessa and delving into a myriad of topics that will resonate with middle grade readers.

Cons:  Vanessa’s disorder takes the form of picking at her skin, especially her cuticles, which kind of made me cringe every time I read about it.

Two books for back-to-school eve

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Back to School, Backpack! by Simon Rich, illustrated by Tom Toro

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

How to Get Your Octopus to School by Becky Scharnhorst, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett

Published by Flamingo Books

Summary: An octopus and a backpack are both dealing with first-day-of-school jitters. The octopus lives with a girl who’s trying to convince him that school is fun. Octopuses are shy, though, and also good at hiding. Once he’s been discovered, the two work together to find him a perfect outfit, a process that’s disrupted when the octopus’s nerves cause him to shoot a cloud of ink. They finally make it to school, and the octopus is excited to be with new friends. When it comes time to say goodbye, it’s the girl who has some trouble letting go. Includes ten facts about octopuses.

The backpack of the second book also has a case of nerves. It has spent the summer chilling in the closet with Hamper and Winter Coat and isn’t excited to have books jammed down its throat and to head off to school backwards, not able to see where it’s going. The backpack feels like it doesn’t fit in, and the illustrations suggest that its girl is having the same experience. A hallway collision leads to a friendship between the humans and their backpacks, and the first day of school suddenly gets a lot better for everyone. Octopus is 32 pages; Backpack is 40 pages; ages 4-8 for both.

Pros: If you’re on the same schedule as I am, you may be looking for books like these tomorrow morning. Each provides a short, funny read with great visuals (I loved the picture of the octopus classroom with all the students camouflaging against various backgrounds). Backpack is a little more laugh-out-loud funny, while Octopus has more of a If You Give a Mouse a Cookie vibe. Both could provide excellent writing prompts, writing from the point of view of your backpack of some other back-to-school object, or a how-to for getting your pet to school.

Cons: I guess this means summer is over.

Follow the Flyway: The Marvel of Bird Migration by Sarah Nelson, illustrated by Maya Hanisch

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Published by Barefoot Books

Summary:  The text follows a variety of birds, starting with hatchlings emerging from eggs, and continuing as those babies learn to fly.  By the time autumn comes, they are strong enough flyers to join the flyway of birds migrating to warmer places.  Flying in groups of all sizes, they head south, stopping for a week or two to rest until the cold catches up and sends them on their way.  When they reach the ocean, they settle in and wait until spring arrives to call them back north again.  Includes additional information about bird migration, including ways to help migratory birds; a map of the four North American flyways; thumbnail portraits and additional information about the twelve birds in the book; and sources of additional information.  32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  A great introduction to bird migration, with poetic text and lots of interesting pictures of a variety of birds.  The back matter makes it a good resource to begin further research.

Cons:  The only birds covered were water birds.

Stranded! A Mostly True Story from Iceland by Ævar Þór Benediktsson, illustrated by Anne Wilson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Barefoot Books

Summary:  “This is the story of my grandfather: how he got stranded on a volcanic island, was almost turned into barbecue and found the most important moment in the world.”  The island is Surtsey, formed in the 1960’s by underwater volcanic explosions off the coast of Iceland, where Ævar’s grandfather (also named Ævar) was from.  Ævar Senior was an explorer, a scientist, and a photographer, so when he heard about Surtsey, he wanted to go check it out.  A fisherman dropped him and a friend off, and the two scientists enjoyed a day of exploring.  Unfortunately, the fisherman never returned, and they spent two days trying to keep warm (the molten lava helped) and surviving on the small amount of food and drink they had with them.  On the third day, an American man, part of a U.S. scientific expedition, found them (at the most important moment in the world).  They made it back to Iceland and lived happily ever after, although they never found out why the fisherman didn’t pick them up.  Includes additional information about Iceland, Surtsey, volcanoes, a few Norse gods, and the legend of Surtsey’s tomatoes, which involves poop.  32 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  This quirky book is a total delight, both the folksy story and the illustrations that perfectly capture the magic and colors of Iceland.  The author states on the title page that everything in the story is true, except for one little thing, and invites readers to see if they can spot it.  That made me want to read carefully, which we can hope will be the result for kids as well.  

Cons:  The detail that is not true turns out to be quite the anticlimax, although Benediktsson has fun pointing out the outlandish parts that are true throughout the story.

Yenebi’s Drive to School by Sendy Santamaria

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Yenebi and her younger sister Melanie get woken up at 4:00 a.m. to begin their trip to school.  On the road with Mami and Melanie, Yenebi confronts her archenemy: la línea, the line of cars waiting to cross the border.  Will they wait two or three hours this morning?  Mami and Yenebi debate while Melanie sleeps.  Then Mami says the magic words, “hora de desayunar!”  It’s time to decide what to buy for breakfast, choosing from the vendors all around them.  They enjoy chicken tamales as they get closer to the border.  After showing their papers to the stern border patrol agent, they’re finally in the United States and on their way to school.  It’s 7:00 a.m., right on schedule, and when they finally get to school, Yenebi is feeling wide awake.  “Estoy listo,” she declares, ready for her day.  Includes an author’s note about her own experiences crossing the border to go to school.  Available in English and Spanish (El viaje de Yenebi a la escuela). 40 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  I plan to pair this book with 9 Kilometers as an introduction to the lengths some kids have to go to to get to school.  Yenebi is pretty cheerful about her long drive, and Sendy Santamaria beautifully portrays the sense of community she experienced from this daily journey. I’ve added this to my back to school book list.

Cons:  I wondered what Mami did all day, since I assume she would have to take her daughters home after school.

Buzzing by Samuel Sattin, illustrated by Rye Hickman

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Ink

Summary:  The bees swarming around Isaac’s head represent the thoughts brought on by his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  They’re constantly reminding him that if he doesn’t tug his ear five times or keep the foods on his plate from touching, his house may burn down, or his car may crash.  When another kid at school makes friendly overtures, the bees remind Isaac how worthless and weird he is.  His overprotective mom keeps him on a strict regimen of therapies, causing his older sister Miriam to feel ignored and resentful.  Isaac’s talent for drawing fantasy creatures catches a classmate’s eye, and Micah invites Isaac to join a group playing Swamps & Sorcery, a role-playing game (think Dungeons & Dragons).  Isaac loves the group immediately, but his mother is less sure.  When she eventually prohibits him from playing the game, Isaac’s world goes into a tailspin.  Fortunately, Miriam is perceptive enough to see what is happening, and the siblings work together to finally break through to their mother and help her to accept Isaac exactly as he is.  Includes an author’s note about his own OCD and neurodivergence. 224 pages; grades 5-8.  

Pros:  This graphic novel perfectly captures the vibe of a group of middle school outsiders who have fully embraced their weirdness (their word).  Isaac’s joy at finding the group is shown by the switch from monochromatic illustrations at home to full color when he’s with his friends.  

Cons:  RPG fans will undoubtedly enjoy the fantasy subplot based on the kids’ game that’s woven throughout the main story, but I found those sections to be more of a distraction.

How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd

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Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Summary:  When Raymond realizes that his neglectful parents have left him for good, he feels that he has no choice but to camp out in the woods near his middle school.  He manages to survive there for the better part of a year, sleeping with his dog Rosie inside a hollow fallen tree, fishing and dumpster diving for food, and occasionally helped by a couple of kind new friends: Harlin and Lexi from school and an old man named Stigs who fishes in the same river.  It’s a pretty desperate existence, but Raymond finds it preferable to foster care, which he’s had some experience with.  A combination of a middle school bully and Mother Nature eventually catches up with Raymond, but with the help of his new friends, he finds what may be a happy ending.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Fans of Hatchet and other survival stories will enjoy getting to know Raymond, whose situation may feel a little closer to home than Gary Paulsen’s tale.  Despite his terrible parents, Raymond is a likable kid who finds himself drawn toward friendship and connection even as he tries to be self-sufficient.

Cons:  With one somewhat notable exception, most of Raymond’s teachers seem more concerned with his grades and behavior than any of the signs that all is not well with him at home.