Published by Norton Young Readers

Summary:  In this follow-up to The Old Truck, the Pumphrey brothers show a boat through its years of service as a fishing vessel.  Initially, a boy and his mother (or grandmother) fish in the waters off the coast of an island; as time passes, the boy grows up.  He now fishes alone, and must go further and further out to sea to find fish as the waters around the island grow increasingly polluted.  After a storm at sea, readers see the boat under the water with a hole in the bottom, and a “new sailor” who turns the tide by cleaning up the island.  As he works with others to restore the beach and ocean, readers can see the old boat underwater, gradually decaying and becoming part of the seascape.  On the final page, an old man stands on the island with a young girl, both of them fishing in the coastal waters.  56 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  You had me at “book about an old vehicle by the Pumphrey brothers”.  Like The Old Truck, this tells the story of a family and shows the passage of time through the illustrations, created with similar handcrafted stamps.  There is also a subtly conveyed environmental message.  I was hoping for a Caldecott honor for you, Pumphrey brothers, but do not give up…maybe 2022 will be your year!

Cons:  I found the reference to the “new sailor” a bit confusing.  Was it really a new (different) sailor, or the same old one who became like a new person after a near death experience?  I tend to think the latter, but kids may take it more literally.

Published by Tilbury House

Summary:  “Most days are ordinary days.”  We get up, brush our teeth, eat breakfast.  But if you stop and look, you will notice changes and wonders all around you.  The plant that had six leaves now has seven.  There’s a new spiderweb, and yesterday’s puddle is gone.  Fill your senses with the sounds of trucks rumbling and a saxophone playing, and the smell of freshly-baked bread.  When you go to bed, the day’s ordinary moments “glimmer in…memory like stars in the night sky.”  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A beautiful, lyrical meditation on the wonder of ordinary moments that encourages readers to slow down and be grateful each day.  The appealing illustrations reminded me a bit of Raina Telgemeier’s work.

Cons:  Doesn’t acknowledge the more painful parts that are often also part of an ordinary day.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  A turtle loves to stand in his favorite spot.  Meanwhile, the reader sees that a big rock is falling from the sky.  An armadillo joins the turtle, but gets a bad feeling, and finds another spot to stand.  There’s a series of miscommunications as the rock gets closer and the turtle goes back and forth between the two spots.  Story 1 ends with the rock landing; four more stories involving the turtle, the armadillo, the rock, and, occasionally, a snake, follow.  All stories are told with dialog between the turtle and the armadillo, each one in a different font to make them easily distinguishable.  96 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  Fans of Jon Klassen’s “Hat” series are going to be delighted with this new entry.  I was laughing aloud, particularly at the first story.  Klassen is the master of simple facial expressions…you just know what those animals are thinking.  I’ve used his other stories for readers’ theater for first graders, and this book will definitely lend itself to that as well.

Cons:  96 pages makes for a long read-aloud.