Author: Janet Dawson

Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen Deans

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Holiday House

Summary:  Piney Woods Country Life School was a remarkable school for African-American orphans in Mississippi.  In 1939, the school’s director organized an all-girl band to raise money for the school.  He called the group the Sweethearts, and they played big band music at schools and churches around the state.  When the girls graduated, they decided to move to Washington, DC to try to make a living.  Eventually, they traveled all over the country, playing for crowds as large as 35,000.  Their biggest concern was making great music; when some of the women left, their replacements were of different races, which made for some complications when touring in the south.  The Sweethearts went on a six-month USO tour of Europe during World War II.  After the war, it was hard for them to make a living with their music, and the group broke up, but they had opened doors for women of all races in the music business.  Recommended for grades 2-4.

Pros:  This inspiring nonfiction picture book reminded me of the movie A League of Their Own about women baseball players from the same era.  It would be fun to share some of the Sweethearts music after reading this.  Here’s a YouTube clip that looks just like one of the illustrations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WczP3PyHt20

Cons:  Too bad these women couldn’t make enough money to keep the band alive after World War II.

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Wendy Lamb Books

Summary:  Twelve-year-old Twig lives in the idyllic western Massachusetts town of Sidwell, where her mother runs an orchard and bakery.  She wishes she had friends, but her mother forbids it.  Turns out Twig’s older brother James was born with wings, part of an ancient family curse, and their mother is determined to hide him from the rest of the town.  But James sneaks out at night, flying over the woods, and now the whole town is convinced there’s a Sidwell monster.  Meanwhile, the family gets some new neighbors, including two girls just the ages of Twig and James, who are related to the witch who cursed Twig’s family 200 years ago.  Their presence sets off a whole chain of events that threatens to disrupt the lives of every member of Twig’s family.  Recommended for grades 4 and up.

Pros:  Twig is a believable and sympathetic narrator, and the magic elements in her life seem natural and ordinary.  Some of my favorite childhood books, by author Edward Eager, are referenced, and this book contains similar elements of magic occurring in the lives of ordinary mortals.

Cons:  I listened to this book on CD, and it took me a while to get through disc 1.  Readers may need a little perseverance at the start.

Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred) by Josh Schneider

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  “Every kind of bird and beast/in the West and in the East/way up high and way down deep/everybody has to sleep.  But not Fred.  Fred has a to-do list you wouldn’t believe.”  On every page, animals are sleepily flossing, brushing, and getting ready to hit the sack.  Only Fred, blue-striped pj’s notwithstanding, is raring to go.  He breaks the world shouting record and tests his horn collection.  He practices karate chops and hunts the legendary Sasquatch.  He is, in other words, every parent’s worst bedtime nightmare.  Finally, however, Fred goes missing, and is found snuggled against a sheep, thumb in his mouth, asleep at last.  The last page warns the reader to close the book softly lest Fred wake up again.

Pros:  This is a great anti-bedtime story.  Kids will love the pictures of the animals as they get ready for bed and shake their heads at Fred’s antics.

Cons:  I experienced horrific flashbacks from earlier parenting days.

 

Families by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Holiday House

Summary:  A photographic celebration of every kind of family imaginable: big, small, multi-racial, two moms, two dads, single parents, extended family.  Each page has a single sentence with several photos illustrating the kind of family described.  The last few pages tell what families do (e.g., help each other, love one another), and finishes with a question, “There are many different kinds of families.  What about yours?”  Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Pros:  This is truly a celebration of family.  Even the dogs in the pictures are smiling.  The first page says that the creators hope the book will lead children and their parents to engage in conversation about their families, and this would indeed be the perfect vehicle for that.

Cons:  People objecting to certain family configurations will probably not want to share this book with their kids.

Trapped! A Whale’s Rescue by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  A humpback whale is traveling from the Arctic along the California coast, doing all the beautiful and majestic things humpback whales do, when she gets entangled in the ropes attached to crab traps.  Divers work to rescue her, mindful of potentially deadly dangers.  Slowly and carefully, they free her tail and fins, until she is ready to swim away.  She seems to thank them before she makes one last dive and is on her way.  Recommended for preschool to grade 2, although older kids could enjoy this.

Pros:  The spare, poetic text is beautifully illuminated by Wendell Minor’s amazing paintings.  There is plenty of information about whales as well as an exciting rescue story.  The end notes tell a more complete story of the rescue, provide more information about humpback whales, and have a wealth of resources if the reader wants to learn more.

Cons:  The books in the resources section are all several years old.

Sprout Street Neighbors: Five Stories by Anna Alter

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Henry, Violet, Emma, Wilbur, and Fernando (a mouse, chicken, squirrel, cat, and rabbit) are neighbors in their apartment building.  Each one stars in one of the stories.  Henry’s nap is disturbed by Emma’s acorn storage; Emma is determined to have the best birthday party ever; Fernando learns to express himself by dancing; Violet survives a flood; and Wilbur wants to save a community garden.  Together they learn to solve their problems and be good neighbors to one another.  Recommended for ages 6-9.

Pros:  This is a cozy book, just right for readers who are moving into chapter books.  Each chapter stands alone and has plenty of illustrations.

Cons:  The chapters are a bit long for beginners.

The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  It starts, not surprisingly, with a fart.  Reese accuses his twin sister Claudia in front of a bunch of sixth graders, and Claudia decides she wants revenge.  So she puts a dead fish in his backpack.  War between the siblings is declared, and the battles escalate.  The oral history of this conflict has been compiled by Claudia, and is told mostly as short snippets alternating between Reese and Claudia, with occasional additions from other characters.  Texts between the parents appear in almost every chapter, as do sketches and photographs.  In the end, the twins learn a thing or two about revenge, cyberbullying, and each other.  Recommended for grades 3-6.

Pros:  Written by the screenwriter of Daddy Day Care and RV, this book has its finger squarely on the pulse of contemporary eleven-year-olds.  My expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised by both the story and the characters.  The most reluctant reader may be enticed by this book, and fans will be happy to see that the first chapter of the sequel is included at the end.

Cons:  Great literature?  Let’s just say this book won’t be on the short list for the Newbery Medal.

Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King by Bonnie Christensen

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Henry Holt

Summary:  This picture book biography focuses on Elvis Presley’s early years, growing up in extreme poverty in the south.  From a very young age, Elvis was drawn to music, and he was surrounded by a wide range of influences.  Even though his town was segregated by race and class, the music of jazz, blues, and gospel was everywhere.  When Elvis was 13, his family moved from Mississippi to Memphis, and he learned to play guitar.  A few years later, he managed to get a recording session with Sun Records.  It was turning into a disaster, when Elvis started singing “That’s All Right”, a Delta blues song he infused with country and gospel.  That song became a hit, and Elvis Presley was on his way.

Pros:  Kids today may see Elvis Presley as something of a joke, and this story really humanizes him, portraying him sympathetically as a nervous kid who loved music.

Cons:  Elvis looks a lot better in these illustrations than he did when I saw him in the candy aisle at Walmart last week.

The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Sixth-grader Iris is miserable about her family’s move from sunny California to rainy Corvallis, Oregon.  Her father has decided to turn their new house into a self-sustaining “homestead”, her mother is wrapped up in her new job, and Iris is having trouble making friends.  Worst of all, she is still grieving for her best friend Sarah, whose death was the impetus for the move.  Then Iris meets Boris, a Magic-playing, self-centered classmate with no table manners, who unexpectedly turns out to be a friend.  Even more unexpectedly, she finds out that his death-defying birth was a miracle, in the process of being documented by the Vatican.  If miracles are possible for Boris, might there be a miracle that can help her connect with Sarah again?  Recommended for grades 4-6.

Pros:  This book delves right into the big questions about God, life after death, and who gets a miracle in life.  It is a quiet, reflective book that could engender a lot of discussion.

Cons: I kept waiting for something big to happen.  It never did.

How to Draw a Dragon by Doug Florian

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  “Drawing a dragon isn’t hard/Drag a dragon to your yard.”  So begins this rhyming treatise on how to draw every part of a dragon, from its bumpy head to its claws that also like to draw.  Each rhyming couplet is illustrated with what looks like a child’s drawing of a kid sketching a dragon, often with the dragon’s assistance.  Recommended for ages 4-8.

Pros:  The rhyme is catch and funny, but the pictures are what make this book such a winner.  Kids will want to try their hands at sketching a dragon after reading this.

Cons:  Upon reaching the last page, you may be unable to resist the urge to draw a dragon.