Author: Janet Dawson

Stories and songs

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Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller by Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by April Harrison (Dial Books, 40 pages, grades 2-5). Augusta Baker was raised on her grandmother’s tales of Br’er Rabbit and King Arthur. A college class on folklore encouraged Augusta to become a storyteller herself, and she got a job at a branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem, where she found audiences of children eager for her stories. While most of her young patrons were African American, the books Augusta found in the library rarely had Black characters, and when they did, the portrayals were “RUDE, MEAN, and JUST PLAIN WRONG.” She searched for books (and wrote some of her own) that sought to correct that, compiling lists to share those books with others. Over the years, her work influenced Black writers and educators like James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Carter Woodson, John Steptoe, and Virginia Hamilton. She extended her outreach through teaching at Columbia and the University of South Carolina, a radio show, and an appearance on Sesame Street and is honored by the city of Columbia, SC each year with a festival called A(ugusta) Baker’s Dozen. Includes a timeline, citations, an author’s note, and photos.

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples by Mavis Staples and Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Steffi Walthall (Rocky Pond Books, 48 pages, grades 2-5). Mavis Staples tells the story of her life (in third person), beginning with her family’s trip north during the Great Migration. Mavis was the youngest, born in Chicago, and as she grew older, she began singing with her father and siblings. They became popular as the Staples Singers, performing gospel music in churches around the Midwest, gradually expanding their repertoire to include blues and folk music. Although their lives and music were firmly grounded in their faith, eventually their fame spread to the secular entertainment world, as well as to supporting Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. Mavis also enjoyed a solo career, which continues to this day, as she is the last surviving member of the Staples Singers. Includes a timeline and lists of recommended listening (songs by the Staples Singers and Mavis Staples) and recommended viewing (documentaries).

These two excellent picture book biographies will introduce readers to amazing Black women who overcame discrimination and other barriers to share their gifts of storytelling and singing. Both are pretty long with lots of references to historical figures that will likely need some introductions for kids. The illustrations in both are amazing and do a great job of incorporating each woman’s art into the story.

For the birds

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Sparrow Loves Birds by Murry Burgess, illustrated by Tamisha Anthony (Christy Ottaviano Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Sparrow is an observant girl, who loves noticing the people, animals, and sounds of her neighborhood. Most of all, she loves to watch birds, and she’ll often head out with her sketchbook and binoculars to look for them. She learns to identify different birds by their movements, colors, and songs, carefully drawing them and labelling them when she knows their names. The last page invites readers to explore their own neighborhoods, and there’s lots of back matter to help them, including tips for birdwatchers and a guide to eighteen birds mentioned in the text. There’s also an author’s note describing her journey from a childhood spent learning about nature to a career in wildlife biology, and encouraging kids to get outside and observe nature, whether they live in rural, suburban, or urban neighborhoods. This a great introduction to birdwatching, and just generally enjoying the outdoors, that introduces lots of different birds and birdwatching techniques through an enthusiastic young narrator. The illustrations and back matter add to the educational value.

Owls in Our Yard! The Story of Alfie by Carl Safina (Norton Young Readers, 48 pages, grades 2-5). For some real-life backyard birdwatching, here’s the story of Alfie, a baby eastern screech owl found on the ground and given to ecologist Carl Safina for rehabilitation. After nursing her back to health, he and his family gradually reintroduced her to the wild. He wasn’t sure she would ever completely lose her reliance on humans, but slowly, Alfie started leaving her nesting box for longer periods of time and learned to hunt for food on her own. Eventually, she showed up with a mate, and Carl discovered that Alfie had built a nest and laid three eggs. During the pandemic, the family had plenty of opportunities to follow the adventures of the new baby owls, including battles with blue jays and robins for backyard territory. While Alfie has stayed close to her old home, she’s completely integrated into the wild now, having raised three broods and raised a total of ten owlets. The photos and compelling nonfiction story make every step of Alfie’s journey an adventure that animal lovers are sure to enjoy. It’s a bit text heavy, so younger kids may need some help with the reading, but the narrative is engaging enough to keep them going to learn what happens to Alfie and her babies.

Marching to the beat of your own drum

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Frankie D., Vegan Vampire by Sally and Brian Dutra (Kids Can Press, 192 pages, grades 2-5). Frankie and his family have moved from Transylvania to the U.S., hoping, like so many immigrants before them, for a better life. In their case, that life is eternal, since they’re a family of vampires. Being immortal is just the beginning, as Frankie and his family struggle to hide their fangs, their ability to turn into bats, and the fact that they’re used to sleeping during the day (and in coffins). Switching to a healthy vegan diet has fortunately dampened their taste for blood, and Frankie enjoys starting fourth grade and making new friends. He suspects that one classmate, Eddie, might be a troll, but as he learns more about Eddie, he comes to realize why he’s such a bully. The family successfully negotiates having one of Frankie’s new friends and his family to dinner, and Frankie has fun at a human birthday party, but the grand finale comes with the school concert, when Frankie and Eddie save the fourth-grade performance. Pumped after this success, Frankie decides to fly home and burn off some of his excess energy, only to realize that Eddie has seen him transform into a bat.

There’s plenty of humor in this de-fanged vampire story, and the last page makes me hopeful that there will be a sequel. It’s an illustrated chapter book, but at close to 200 pages, I wouldn’t exactly call it an early chapter book. Still, I think it could find an audience with fluent readers in the earlier years of elementary school, and maybe older kids who are reading a bit below grade level.

Band Camp #1: All Together Now! by Brian “Smitty” Smith (little bee books, 80 pages, grades 1-4). This early graphic novel gives summer camp a new twist: all the campers are musical instruments. Bunk J, a.k.a. Junk Bunk, the cabin that always loses all the competitions, has four unique residents this summer: Trey the triangle, Kaylee the ukelele, Zook the kazoo, and Cordelia the accordion. Each instrument has a unique personality and well-defined likes and dislikes, but they’re united in their determination to put an end to the Bunk J legacy. In a relay race at the end of this book, they combine their talents for an unexpected victory. Camp’s not over yet, though, and book 2 is due out in September.

As a veteran of eight–yes, eight!–band camps, I love this premise and was amazed at how Smith was able to create instruments with real personalities. Early readers will get a kick out of the story and illustrations. The ending seemed abrupt, and I kind of wish the whole camp session had been included in a single volume.

Labor pains

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Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States by J. Albert Mann (HarperCollins, 416 pages, grades 8-12). Low wages, long hours, wealth inequality, immigrants accused of “stealing” jobs: issues workers face today have in fact been around since the earliest days of United States history. This breezy but thoroughly researched account tells the painful story of American labor, in which actions for improved conditions have all too often been met with resistance, violence, and even murder. There are occasional hard-won victories for workers, and the twentieth century brought substantial legislation and improvements for labor–until they were eroded during the backlash of the Reagan years and beyond. The media is also implicated here for telling stories that favor capitalists and demonize labor organizers and unions. Teens looking for the truth about labor’s history will find plenty to think about, presented with short chapters and irreverent humor that will keep them engaged.

It’s taken me weeks to work my way through this book, but it was well worth it, with fascinating and disheartening stories that make it a good companion to Lies My Teacher Told Me. I was hoping to be able to recommend this for younger kids, but there’s definitely some language that might raise a few middle school eyebrows (starting with the title), and I think that, and the complexity of the topic make it more appropriate for high school.

For a more in-depth look at a single incident in U.S. labor history, try The Mine Wars: The Bloody Fight for Workers’ Rights in the West Virginia Coalfields by Steve Watkins (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 272 pages, grades 6-10). I was too saturated on labor history from Mann’s book to read this one, but it looks like it includes many of the elements I read about: workers paid paltry wages in scrip for long hours of dangerous and back-breaking labor, and a strike that ultimately resulted in several killings. This particular story takes place in West Virginia in the early 1920’s, an era when it was particularly dangerous to be part of a union. This might be a better choice for a middle school introduction to labor history and will potentially appeal to fans of Steve Sheinkin.

Bare feet and cowboy boots

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Cesaria Feels the Beat by Denise Rosario Adusei, illustrated by Priscila Soares (Roaring Brook Press, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Cesaria is a little girl who loves to dance, and she’s excited to be part of a group that’s dancing for Carnival. She dons her tutu and beautiful peacock feathers, but she doesn’t want to wear the shoes the director tells her to put on. “Peacocks don’t wear shoes,” she signs, but he is insistent. Finally, Cesaria relents and joins the rest of the troupe on stage, her tail feather drooping. But when the music begins, she kicks off her shoes so that she can feel the beat in her feet. “Take off your shoes,” she signs to the other dancers. “Feel!” They join her in a lively dance that brings cheers from the audience and a sign of “Thank you!” from Cesaria, before she rushes off the stage, leaving her shoes behind. Includes notes from the author, who drew inspiration from watching a Deaf cousin appreciate music by putting her hand on the speaker (which was initially discouraged by family members), and the illustrator, who was diagnosed with hearing loss as a teenager but didn’t get help for it until her son was born deaf.

Beautiful illustrations of Carnival use brilliant colors to portray the crowds and Cesaria’s peacock-themed dance troupe. The story of a courageous Deaf girl showing others how she dances is sure to resonate with readers, and possibly educate them as well. Kids will need to use some inferencing skills to figure out from Cesaria’s signing what is going on in the story.

My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza (Harry N. Abrams, 48 pages, ages 4-8). A girl and her father rise before dawn to take his motorcycle out to the ranch where the girl takes riding lessons, and where Daddy rode as a child with a group of friends who call themselves cowboys. Together, they saddle up the horses and set out through the dark silent streets of their city, returning when the sun comes up. Some of the cowboys are there to greet them, and Daddy takes his daughter home before heading back to the ranch to ride with his friends. When he asks her what her favorite part of the morning was, she considers the horses and the beautiful morning before responding, “Just us time!”

This is a sweet book that I wish I had seen in time for Father’s Day. It’s another one with vibrant illustrations, the colors popping off the pages, and I hope it will be considered for a Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and/or Belpré award. The family’s Panamanian heritage is woven into both the text and the illustrations. I would have loved to find out the inspiration for the book and was disappointed that there was no back matter.

If you like Junie B. Jones…

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Rachel Friedman Breaks the Rules by Sarah Kapit (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, grades 1-4). Eight-year-old Rachel has plenty of energy and sometimes doesn’t understand the reason for having so many rules in her life–at home, at school, at the temple when she and her dad and brother attend Shabbat services. But when Rachel wants to meet famous gymnast Holly Luna when she comes to town, her dad makes a deal: if Rachel can follow all the rules for a week, he’ll let her go with her best friend Maya to see Holly. Rachel makes it through six days, but then a situation arises where she feels that she must break a rule. She and her dad don’t see eye to eye, and when Rachel stages a rebellion at a Shabbat service, Dad puts his foot down. But a conversation with the rabbi leads to a greater understanding and a compromise that satisfies everyone.

Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Dung Ho (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 128 pages, grades 1-4). Bibsy is another eight-year-old who has always loved school and her teachers until she hits third grade. Mrs. Stumper doesn’t seem to like Bibsy, especially the many contributions to class discussions Bibsy loves to make. A bulletin board features each student’s name on an apple that hangs from a tree, but which gets moved to the ground for behavior issues. Bibsy’s apple frequently falls to the ground, but things come to a head one day when Bibsy, defending what she’s sure will be a championship science fair project, goes too far and gets a worm hole punched in her apple. She has to bring the apple home to show her parents, which leads to a good conversation about how to handle her situation. Mrs. Stumper will probably never be Bibsy’s favorite teacher, but they come to an understanding, and Bibsy and her best friend Natia enjoy science fair success.

Both of these series openers feature spunky girls who have strong opinions and are not afraid to share them. Rachel’s book is a conventional chapter book with illustrations, while Bibsy’s is written almost like a book in verse, making it perhaps a more manageable choice for those just transitioning to chapter books. Both feature black and white illustrations, with highlights of apple-red in Bisby’s. While no new ground is broken–there are plenty of early chapter books featuring spunky girls–these are both sure to find an audience among the newly independent reader crowd who enjoy relatable protagonists and situations with plenty of humor.

Back to school books

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I know July 1 is a little premature for this post, but I like to have a good book to read aloud for the first week of school. The hunt has begun.

The First Week of School by Drew Beckmeyer (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, grades K-3). Get ready for an extra exciting first week of school, looking at what happens in a classroom each day of that week. At first things seem pretty ordinary: students include a talented artist who lacks self-confidence, an inventor who brings a creation to share on the first day, and the sports kings who like to be either playing or discussing sports. There’s also a teacher and a bearded dragon named Pat, who’s the class pet. Things start to get weird when the inventor’s satellite makes extraterrestrial contact, and a creature named Nobody shows up. Everyone thinks Nobody is the new kid who was expected to start a few days late, so they don’t pay much attention to him, allowing him to bond with (a somewhat reluctant) Pat and to find a way to showcase the shy artist’s talents. Nobody’s last act before heading back home is to get some plutonium for the inventor’s time machine, which seems to work, since the last page is the same as the first, showing the kids arriving for the first day of school.

This book is cute and a lot of fun, with the alien providing an unexpected twist to ordinary events like recess, lunch, and STEM class. The illustrations look like they could have been created by the student artist with her crayons or colored pencils and move between close-ups of different parts of the classroom and aerial views. Would I use it as a read-aloud? I’m not sure. The text is mostly lots of small captions about what’s going on in different parts of the pictures, and it may be hard for younger kids to follow. I would want to project the pages to allow them to see everything that’s going on.

The Yellow Bus by Loren Long (Roaring Brook Press, 48 pages, ages 4-9). A school bus has a busy and happy life transporting kids to and from school. Time passes, and the bus gets a new job: carrying senior citizens around town. When the bus no longer runs, it seems like it’s been abandoned, until unhoused people come and find a place to rest inside the bus. Later, it’s towed to a farm, where goats climb all over it. Finally, the bus is washed away by the river, and comes to rest under the water, where fish, frogs, and turtles find a home. With each group shown, the repeating line, “And they filled her with joy,” makes this a celebration of all the eras in the bus’s life. A two page note at the end tells how Loren Long got the idea from a real-life abandoned school bus and gives a fascinating look at how he created the art using models that he built.

This book is really a masterpiece, and one that I hope will be considered for a Caldecott. The bus and her inhabitants are brightly colored against a black and white background. I’m so glad Loren Long included information on how he created the art, which made me even more appreciative of the work that went into this. Having said all that, I don’t think I will be using this for my back-to-school classes. It’s more of a meditation on life, and I found it a bit too melancholy for the first day of school.

Lost boys

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And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps (Nancy Paulsen Books, 256 pages, grades 4-7) and The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 320 pages, grades 4-7). I read these two books back-to-back, and they are remarkably similar: both are written by Newbery Honor winners, and both feature sixth-grade boys with unreliable mothers, strong grandmothers who die, and a choice between trying to fend for themselves and going into the foster care system. Joe Oak, from the novel in verse And Then, Boom! experiences homelessness after his grandmother loses her home bailing out Joe’s mother when she gets arrested. After living in their car for a while, Joe’s best friend Nick finds a place in his mobile home park for them to live. Things are looking up until Grandmum suddenly passes away, and Joe is on his own, fearing that if he’s discovered, he’ll be at the mercy of Child Protection Services. The title comes from Joe’s love of comic books, where surprising turns of events are announced with a BOOM, and a final near-catastrophe results in Joe finally getting help from the caring people who have been around him all along.

Hank Hooperman lives with his mother and three-year-old sister Boo. When the story opens, their mom has been missing for a week, and Hank is desperately trying to figure out what to do. He reaches out to Lou Anne, the woman his mother listed as an emergency contact on a permission slip and finds temporary housing there. Lou Anne was one of his late grandmother’s closest friends, and while she provides housing for the kids, Hank reminds her of her own estranged teenage son, and she’s not particularly welcoming to him. Fortunately, a neighbor named Ray proves to be a caring friend and mentor, and Hank is getting along okay until his mother unexpectedly reappears, throwing everything into chaos. A few weeks in the foster care system reveals the bleakness of that path, but as with Joe, Hank learns that there are people around him who genuinely care and can help him get back on his feet again.

I loved both of these books, reading each in under 48 hours, and my fingers are crossed that they will both get Newbery consideration. There aren’t enough middle-grade books with boy protagonists, and both Joe and Hank are endearing narrators, both forced to grow up too fast, but still children, with a love of basketball and a need to be taken care of. There also aren’t enough stories of kids living in poverty, the unfortunate reality for way too many young readers. My one complaint about both books is that it really demonized the mothers, and the completely absent fathers pretty much got off scot-free.

Animal books

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Animal Superpowers by Amy Cherrix, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Beach Lane Books, 48 pages, grades K-4). From a seemingly immortal jellyfish to a gravity-defying ibex to a snake-killing, venom-resistant opossum, these animals have superpowers that allow them to survive and thrive in their environments. Even your pet dog has a smelling superpower! Each two-page spread has a vivid illustration with boxed text. One spread gives the introduction to the power, then turn the page to reveal what it is and how the animal uses it. The last couple pages, entitled “Action is your superpower!”, tells how the different animals are threatened by pollution and climate change, encouraging kids to take action to help them. There’s also a list of sources.

Wolf Effect: A Wilderness Revival Story by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Jennifer Thermes (Greenwillow Books, 40 pages, grades K-4). The story of wolves in Yellowstone, from their disappearance due to hunting to their reintroduction in the 1990’s, is told with rhyming text, prose, and illustrations. The wolves’ demise is told in verses, showing farmers and rangers hunting the wolves, with newspaper headlines declaring that Yellowstone is free of them. Then the text goes into a sort of “house that Jack built” rhyme, showing the ripple effects of reintroducing the wolves on the environment, as beavers, willows, and songbirds all return to the park. Boxes of narrative text provide more details, as do the illustrations, which sometimes depict a bear and a coyote discussing the effects of the wolves’ return. Eighteen animals from the pages are shown at the end; there are also notes from the author and illustrator, as well as a glossary and a list of resources.

Animal fans will be happy to see both of these books on the library shelves, with their eye-catching covers and beautiful illustrations. Animal Superpowers will appeal to readers who like collecting interesting facts while Wolf Effect is more of a story. I found the way the latter book was written a bit confusing, and I’m not sure that rhyming verses were the best way to go, particularly from an author as knowledgeable about wolves as Rosanne Parry (A Wolf Called Wander is one of my all-time favorite animal stories). Jennifer Thermes is amazing, though, and I found the illustrations to be the main attraction of both books.

Middle school angst

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Upstaged by Robin Easter (Little Brown Ink, 256 pages, grades 4-8). Ash has had a crush on their best friend Ivy for quite a while now, and they’re excited about having one last summer with her at theater camp before going off to high school. Ash is stage manager, and Ivy has the lead of the musical Ella, based on the story of Cinderella. But things don’t turn out according to Ash’s plans, and as the summer progresses, it seems as though Ivy is always with her co-star Luke. Despite a surprising crush that another girl has on them, Ash is only interested in Ivy, and eventually lets their middle school emotions get the best of them, resulting in an angry outburst at Ivy and Luke. Fortunately, Ivy is able to cool things down, and there’s a fairy-tale style happy ending in store for everyone–and a successful show to wrap things up.

Not If You Break Up with Me First by G. F. Miller (Aladdin, 288 pages, grades 6-8). Andrew and Eve have been best friends for most of their lives, but things start to change in eighth grade. Eve gets pressured by her friends into asking Andrew to a dance, and the next thing either one of them knows, the whole school considers them a couple. Both Andrew and Eve (who alternate narrating the chapters) hate the expectations that seem to come with dating and want to get back to the comfort of their old friendship. They each have their own reasons for not wanting to be the one to initiate the break, though, so they each decide to do what they can to make the other one break up. Having been friends for so long, they are experts at pushing each other’s buttons, and things escalate until the whole school gets involved, and the two of them are facing detention. Fortunately, the truth comes out at both their homes, and Andrew’s mom coaches him on “the grand gesture” that results in (finally) an honest conversation between Eve and Andrew. Both acknowledge having feelings for each other, but also wanting to keep their old friendship, and a mutual break-up seems like the best solution for the time being.

Any Way You Look by Maleeha Siddiqui (Scholastic, 256 pages, grades 4-7). Ainy is excited about the end of sixth grade and the beginning of summer, looking forward to adventures with her best friend Safiya and helping her mother, Amma, and older sister, Bajja, at Amma’s clothing boutique. Ainy dreams of designing modest fashions for a living, so she’s thrilled when Amma entrusts her with an important design job. Unwanted attention from a boy from her class threatens to ruin her summer, though, and Ainy doesn’t know who to turn to for help. Amma is swamped with work, Bajja has unexpectedly stopped being a hijabi, and their dad is back in Pakistan, taking care of his mother who has cancer. Ainy decides to start wearing hijab in the hope that it will make the boy lose interest in her, but it ends up precipitating a crisis in which the truth finally comes out. Once Amma, Bajja, and Safiya learn what’s been happening, they help Ainy find the strength to speak up and set boundaries, and they teach her the true meaning of hijab and help her to decide whether or not she’s ready for it.

I got a triple dose of middle school angst with these three books. Each featured a main character with a big problem and an unwillingness to talk to anyone about it, resulting in lots of drama and a near-crisis that finally led to getting things out in the open. Upstaged is a graphic novel perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Drama; Not if You Break Up With Me First almost drove me mad, but resulted in the sweetest ending that middle schoolers in search of realistic romance will love; and Any Way You Look is a heartfelt and engaging story that looks at sexual harassment, setting boundaries, and learning to advocate for yourself, all from the perspective of a Muslim girl considering wearing hijab. Each book could have been a very short story if the main character had just had a conversation already, but hey, that’s middle school for you.