Author: Janet Dawson

Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

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Published by Wordsong 

Summary:  Garvey can’t seem to please his father, who wants a football-player son, not one who struggles with his weight and hates sports.  But Garvey’s good at chess, loves to read, and is interested in astronomy.  Encouraged by his best friend Joe, Garvey overcomes his fears and tries out for chorus, where his talents really start to emerge.  He discovers he has a strong tenor voice, and he even makes a new friend, Manny, a boy with albinism who shows Garvey how to ignore teasing and be himself.  When the first concert arrives, Garvey is shocked to see his father wiping away tears after his solo.  It turns out Dad was in a band way back when, and father and son finally find a connection through music.  A note at the end explains tanka, a Japanese form of poetry used to write this story.  120 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A brief novel in verse that lingers long after the first page.  Garvey and his family are sympathetically portrayed, and readers will be rooting for him as he slowly finds his place in the world.

Cons:  At times, Joe and Manny’s advice seemed unrealistically wise beyond their years.

The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk by Jan Thornhill

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Groundwood Books

The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk: Thornhill, Jan: 9781554988655: Amazon.com: Books

The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk: Thornhill, Jan: 9781554988655: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  For thousands of years, the Great Auk lived in northern seas.  It evolved to live in the water, only coming ashore to mate and lay a single egg once a year.  On land, it was slow and clumsy, but it nested in rocky places that were difficult for predators to reach.  Humans coexisted with the Great Auk for centuries.  The birds and their eggs were hunted, but not to excess.  When Europeans started traveling to North America, though, everything changed.  Ships’ crews were delighted to find fat, slow birds in great numbers to replenish their dwindling supplies of food during a long journey.  Eventually, the birds started dying off until entire colonies disappeared.  Later, birds and eggs were hunted by collectors, who would kill and stuff the birds for their displays.  In 1844, the last pair was killed by Icelandic hunters hired by a Danish collector.  This sad story ends on a few positive notes.  Funk Island, once home to many Great Auks is now a preserve for sea birds.  The decomposing bodies of the many Auks that were killed there turned into soil that covered the rocks, making the island hospitable to puffins.  The final page invites readers to join the ordinary people from around the world who are working to conserve other species before they, like the Great Auk, disappear.  44 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  Informational writing at its best; the Great Auk’s story is engagingly told and beautifully illustrated, touching on all kinds of topics from evolution to adaptation to conservation.  Readers will be horrified by the wasteful hunting of the birds, and hopefully inspired to help prevent other species’ extinctions.

Cons:  There’s a lot of text for a read-aloud.

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom by Booki Vivant

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Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  Abbie Wu is about to start middle school, and she is not excited about it.  To her, the middle is not a happy place, having spent her life stuck between an adorable younger sister and an overachieving older brother.  Not only that, but she is supposed to choose an elective, and she doesn’t know what her “thing” is.  Her best friends both have a “thing”—Maxine loves the theater and James is a genius at games.  Since Abbie can’t make up her mind about an elective, she gets stuck in study hall.  And in study hall, her stomach rumbles embarrassingly; school lunch is such a disaster that she’s starving by the afternoon.  Turns out she’s not the only one, and pretty soon she’s organized a snack exchange, first in study hall, then in the whole school.  It’s such a hit that Abbie thinks she has a “thing”…until the principal discovers what’s going on and shuts her down.  Fortunately, Abbie has a supportive, if somewhat eccentric, family, and they help her discover that it’s okay to fail occasionally, and she might just have a “thing” after all.  240 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Reluctant readers will embrace Abbie, with her humorous observations on middle school and her book full of funny cartoon drawings.  A sure “thing” for Wimpy Kid and Dork Diary fans.

Cons;  While it’s still wildly popular, the whole irreverent middle school diary illustrated with cartoons “thing” is getting a bit old in this reviewer’s opinion.

Our Food: A Healthy Serving of Science and Poems by Grace Lin and Ranida T. McKneally, illustrated by Grace Zong

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Published by Charlesbridge 

Summary:  Each two-page spread includes a large, colorful illustration, a haiku poem, and a question such as “Why are so many vegetables green?” and “What makes a grain a grain?”  Each question is answered with several paragraphs of kid-friendly text.  Five food groups are covered: fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein foods, and grains.  The book supports the USDA recommendations for eating these different types of foods.  The last couple pages encourage eating a variety of healthy foods and explain a little more about the food groups.  Includes a glossary.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A good basic introduction to food and nutrition.  The haikus and cheerful illustrations add fun touches.

Cons;  Food allergies receive a one-sentence mention at the bottom of the third-to-last page, and varieties on the USDA-recommended diet, such as vegetarianism or gluten-free, are not mentioned.  A list of additional resources could have addressed some of those topics.

 

Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis

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Published by Candlewick Press 

Summary:  The seasons come and go in a world populated by a variety of insects who, apparently, speak an insect language.  “Du iz tak?” seems to mean “What is that?”, and it’s a question one dragonfly asks another when it comes across a small green plant poking through the ground.  Other insects join the group, and as the plant grows, they create homes in its leaves.  A spider weaves a giant web on the top, which seems like a problem until the spider is carried off by a huge bird.  The plant eventually grows an enormous flower (“unk gladdenboot!”) which, over time, droops and scatters its seeds.  Through it all, a cocoon has been hanging from a nearby branch.  After the plant dies, a moth emerges and performs a nighttime dance with the seeds to a cricket’s fiddle music.  Winter passes, and in the spring all the seeds sprout, posing the question yet again, “Du iz tak?”  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Wow!  An enormously creative, original take on the seasons.  The youngest readers will love poring over the pictures, examining the detailed changes from one page to the next.  Older kids will have fun trying to translate the language from context clues.  The Caldecott committee should put this one on its short list.

Cons:  Emerging readers may find the text confusing.

School of the Dead by Avi

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Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  “The first time Uncle Charlie came to live with us he was alive.  The second time he came, he was dead.”  So begins this ghost story about Tony, who grows close to his eccentric Uncle Charlie shortly before his death.  Before he dies, Uncle Charlie encourages Tony’s family to move to San Francisco so Tony can attend the Penda School, where Uncle Charlie was a student.  After his death, they do so, and immediately, Tony suspects there’s something strange about the school.  For starters, he keeps seeing Uncle Charlie.  Then there’s the mysterious blond boy in his class that other kids don’t seem to see.  As Tony hears more stories about ghosts and Penda students who have gone missing, he begins to suspect he may be in great danger.  The people around him may or may not be who they say they are, and it’s difficult for Tony to know just who he can trust.  The suspense builds to a heart-stopping climax at the school’s Halloween party, when Tony has to single-handedly battle the ghosts for the life of the school…and himself.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A suspenseful ghost story with plenty of plot twists and turns.  Plenty of creepily evil characters without being super scary.

Cons:  It was difficult to believe that a school in which students have disappeared regularly for decades hadn’t triggered some sort of investigation.

Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song written by Cynthia Grady, concept and art by Michele Wood

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Published by Millbrook Press

Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song (Millbrook Picture Books): Grady, Cynthia, Wood, Michele: 9781467785501: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Coretta Scott King Award winner Michele Wood has created beautiful paintings inspired by thirteen African American slave songs, such as “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Go Down, Moses”.  There is a one-page introduction that begins with the question, “What does a bird have to do with American slave songs?”  Each two page spread includes the song with music, a painting, and a paragraph or two of text giving some background about the song.  The bird motif in the title and introduction is carried out through the book, with a white dove appearing in every painting.  The last several pages include lyrics to all the songs, a glossary, bibliography, and a list of books and websites for additional reading.  40 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  This unique book would make an excellent addition to music and art libraries.  The beautiful paintings express both pain and hope, and contain interesting and symbolic details.  The words and music make the songs accessible to all readers.

Cons:  Listening to way too many “Wee Sing” cassettes in my children’s early years caused those versions to spring into my mind as soon as I saw many of these song titles.

The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion, illustrated by the Fan Brothers

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Published by Little, Brown, and Company 

Summary:  Chris loves pretending he’s an astronaut, but when the sun sets, he has a problem.  He’s scared of the dark and refuses to go to sleep in his own bed.  Finally, his father issues an ultimatum: if Chris doesn’t go to sleep, they’ll all be too tired to go next door the next day.  That does the trick.  Chris falls asleep and dreams his favorite dream, about landing on the moon.  And the next day, watching on the only TV on the island where his family spends the summer, Chris sees the first man walk on the moon.  He realizes that the darkest dark is in outer space.  And he knows that he wants to explore that darkness, and that he won’t be alone, because his dreams will be with him.  An author’s note tells how Chris grew up to be one of the first Canadians in space and the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station.  Also included is a montage of photos of Chris Hadfield as a child and an adult, and a message from him about following your dreams.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A book about overcoming your fears and following your dreams, particularly inspiring because it’s about a real person.  Brothers Eric and Terry Fan beautifully capture both the dark and the brilliant summer moon.

Cons:  Kids may not snap out of their fears of the dark quite as quickly as Chris does.

Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (And Thrive!) in the Real World? By Helaine Becker, illustrated by Phil McAndrew

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Published by Kids Can Press

Summary:  Frankenstein, vampires, Bigfoot, zombies, werewolves, and sea monsters…each chapter starts with a labeled illustration of the monster in question, then gives a little history.  Then it’s on to science, and lots of it.  For instance, the first chapter—Frankenstein—covers electricity, the nervous system, organ transplants, genetic engineering, and robots.  There are plenty of humorous illustrations, sidebars, and “Monster Facts”.  Each chapter ends with a 10-question quiz that tests kids comprehension without taking itself too seriously.  For Frankenstein, a score of 0-2 earns you the title of Luigi Galvani; 3-6 is Isaac Newton; and 7-10 is Dr. Frankenstein himself.  An index is included, but no resources for further exploration.  96 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros: This could make a fun and fairly comprehensive science textbook.  There’s plenty of information, presented with lots of humor.  The monster aspect adds an extra element of interest for readers.

Cons:  It would take a keen interest in science to get through all the material here.

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

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Published by Candlewick 

Summary:  Juana lives in Bogota, Colombia with her mother, Mami, and her dog Lucas.  She loves soccer, her best friend Juli, and Astroman.  She does not love learning “the English” at school.  It’s hard, and there doesn’t seem to be much point to it.  But then her beloved grandparents tell her they want to take her to Spaceworld in Orlando, Florida, where Juana will get to meet Astroman.  Her grandfather tells her that at Spaceworld, everyone speaks English, and Mami tells her that if her grades don’t improve, there will be no Spaceworld.  That’s all the inspiration she needs, and before long, the family has an amazing trip, and Juana gets to tell Astroman her whole life story.  96 pages; grades 2-4.

Pros:  Fans of Judy Moody and Junie B. Jones will enjoy the spunky Juana and her affectionate dog.  The Colombian setting and frequent Spanish words give this a nice international flavor.  Lots of colorful, cartoony illustrations throughout.

Cons:  It would have been nice to have a Spanish to English translation guide for all the Spanish words in the text.