Picture books

Election Day

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Leo’s First Vote by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Isabel Roxas (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Leo’s excited that his dad has recently become a naturalized U.S. citizen, which means Dad gets to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Leo plans to go with him to the polls, but in the meantime, his class is having a mock presidential election. The kids learn about elections, and at home, Leo watches conventions and debates with his family. Everyone’s talking about the upcoming election, and when Leo hears a cousin say he’s not going to vote (“What’s the point?”), he feels deflated. But when his class’s mock election is determined by one vote, Leo finds his enthusiasm again. The last page shows Dad reading a newspaper with a headline declaring, “Historic turnout!” Also available in a Spanish language edition, ¡El primer voto de Leo!

Lots of facts about elections are woven into Leo’s story, and the excitement around voting will have kids eagerly anticipating Election Day. Personally, I am feeling so jaded about the day (Leo’s cousin really spoke to me) that I almost didn’t write this review, but good for Leo and his dad (and Christina Soontornvat) for having such enthusiasm about it.

Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts: Understanding How Our Country Picks Its President by Syl Sobel, J.D. (Sourcebooks Explore, 5th edition, 48 pages, grades 2-5). This straightforward introduction to the presidency tells how elections work, as well as giving interesting facts about campaigns, the electoral college, First Ladies, and the order of succession should the President die or become disabled. There’s a list of all the U.S. Presidents, along with the years of their terms, and party affiliations. Includes a glossary, index, and lists of resources.

Rumor has it there’s an updated version of this book, but interlibrary loan has only been able to send me older ones, so I got to travel back to a time when Barack Obama was President, and Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to have been elected President at age 73. It’s a good introduction to the presidency and the election process, and although the writing and illustrations aren’t particularly exciting, it includes the kinds of facts and trivia kids (and adults) enjoy learning.

Some suggestions for the first weeks of school

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Sometimes We Fall by Randall de Sève, illustrated by Kate Gardiner (Random House Studio, 40 pages, ages 3-8). A young bear looks worriedly at his mother enjoying plums up in a tree. “What if I try and I miss?” asks the cub as he contemplates leaping. “Sometimes we try and we miss. It’s okay,” his mother reassures him. This pattern repeats as the cub starts climbing the tree, voicing his anxieties, which are soothed by his mother. Finally, he crawls out onto a branch for the plum, the branch breaks, and the worst happens: he falls. But it really is okay, because the plum falls too, and one taste is enough to motivate the cub to try again. An excellent lesson for preschoolers or kindergarteners about persevering. The mother is a good model for letting her child try and fail and try again, and as a bonus, both bears are adorable.

We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang (Tundra Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). When something crashes outside Mr. and Mrs. Li’s house one night, Mr. Li investigates and finds three strange creatures. “We are DEFINITELY human,” they tell him, despite evidence to the contrary. Mr. Li is a kind human, and he gives the creatures a place to sleep and a promise that he’ll help them repair their vehicle in the morning. When morning comes, the Lis take the visitors into town, where other kind humans help them get what they need. Before long, there’s a party at the Lis’ house, and Mr. and Mrs. Li explain about food and dancing to the creatures. Finally, the “car” is fixed, and the creatures head off to space. “But wherever they went, they would remember kind humans and do what kind humans do–offer help to those in need.” A fun way to start classroom discussions about kindness and community while keeping things light. For an out-of-this-world theme, you could follow up with reading Dalmartian and/or The First Week of School.

Round and Round the Year We Go by Carter Higgins (Neal Porter Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Rhyming text and collage illustrations take readers month by month through the year. Pages inserted after February, May, August, and November introduce the change of seasons (with the name of the season in a bold font) with a simple rhyme, “rainy waiting/shady spring/round and round the year we swing.” A final two page spread summarizes the year: “some things change/and some do not/let’s play with all the time we’ve got/summer, spring, and winter, fall/round and round for one and all.” Reminiscent of an Eric Carle book, but with catchier text, using collage illustrations to introduce a concept. Although it’s the calendar year and not the school year, this would be a nice book to share with kindergarteners or first graders in the early days of school.

I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Julie Kwon (Dial Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). The title of the book is also Jack’s first attempt at a note apologizing to Zoe for knocking over her block castle. Made up entirely of the drafts Jack writes with his teacher’s coaching, the story traces Jack’s gradual movement from an angry “I’m sorry,” to a more nuanced explanation of his behavior (a couple of other boys told him castles were for girls, so he didn’t get to help Zoe build hers). A few pages from the end, Jack finally gets his apology right and hands the note to Zoe. Zoe responds with one of her own, and by the last page, the two friends are working on a new castle together. Perfect for starting discussions about what makes a real apology, the letters and illustrations also capture the kids’ emotions and show how a teacher can make a difference in helping them sort out and express their feelings.

A pair of award contenders

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Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park by María Dolores Águila, illustrated by Magdalena Mora (Dial Books, 40 pages, grades 1-4). The narrator lives in a neighborhood called Barrio Logan, one of San Diego’s oldest Chicano neighborhoods, where residents have been looking forward to finally getting the park they’ve been promised for years. When they find out that the new construction being done is for a police station, they’ve had enough. Neighbors band together to take over the land and protest, despite orders from the police to disperse. For twelve days, the crowd grows, drawing protesters from nearby barrios. Finally, the city council holds a meeting, led by Leon Williams, San Diego’s first Black councilman, and announces they’ve changed the plan from a police station to a park. Everyone celebrates and pitches in to create Chicano Park. Includes additional information about the park, which is now a National Historic Landmark. Also available in a Spanish language edition, El barrio se levanta: La protesta que construyó el Parque Chicano.

Keep this book in mind when Hispanic Heritage kicks off on September 15. The story about this 1970 event is inspiring, and the illustrations juxtapose birds, butterflies, and purple flowers with the gritty urban setting. I’d love to see it get some Belpré Award recognition for either the story or the illustrations.

Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence by Maisha Oso, illustrated by Candice Bradley (Orchard Books, 40 pages, grades K-5). Instead of starting with the slave trade, as is often the case with Black history in America, this book begins “before the ships” when civilizations flourished across Africa. There were kings and queens, doctors, scribes, artisans, and merchants. Impressive buildings were created, as were stories and music, while scientists and mathematicians studied the world. A wordless page showing a slave ship sailing through the darkness divides the book between the past and the present, “after the ships.” The descendants of those Africans now live different lives, but they are still warriors, scholars, and leaders, or, as the final page says, “We are the light.” Includes an author’s note telling how her time in Africa showed her the cultures of Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria.

I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t get a Coretta Scott King award or honor. I love the focus, all too rare, on the civilizations that existed before African people were captured and sold into slavery, and I will definitely be sharing this book with teachers at my school. I would have enjoyed even more back matter, including a map or two.

Fighting fevers and moving beavers

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Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nik Henderson (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, grades 2+). When an 1854 cholera outbreak hit Broad Street in “stinky old London”, most people accepted the prevailing theory that it was caused by bad air. With human waste and garbage filling the streets, there was no shortage of that, but Dr. John Snow believed there was a different cause. He’d been gathering clues for years, working as a medical detective to solve the mystery of cholera. When he heard of the Broad Street outbreak, he hurried over to interview families of victims. Their answers led him to hypothesize that the water used by the neighborhood was a possible cause. But old beliefs are hard to change, and Dr. Snow had to keep gathering evidence to persuade the local neighborhood board to remove the pump handle. The back matter gives more information about this particular cholera outbreak as well as Dr. John Snow’s impressive career and contributions to modern medicine.

I’d love to see this exciting medical mystery considered for a Sibert award. The pacing is perfect, as Deborah Hopkinson tells the story of Dr. Snow’s race against time to gather evidence before the upcoming board meeting, skillfully incorporating details about cholera and London at that time. The sepia-toned illustrations convey both the time period and the wretched conditions many people were living in. The reviews I saw recommended this book for kids as young as 4 or 5 (making me wonder if these reviewers know any actual 4- or 5-year-olds), but I think upper elementary as well as middle school or even high school science students would find it interesting. Incidentally, I did learn via Google that a fever is rarely a symptom or cholera, but the rhyme was just too good, so I took poetic license with this blog post title.

When Beavers Flew: An Incredible True Story of Rescue and Relocation by Kristen Tracy, illustrated by Luisa Uribe (Random House Studio, 40 pages, grades K-3). In 1948, the town of McCall, Idaho was booming, and the beavers that lived there were becoming a nuisance. Fish and Game warden Elmo Heter thought it would be best for both the beavers and the humans if the animals could be transported to a wilderness area called Chamberlain Basin. The problem was, the basin was surrounded by mountains that were almost impassable. Elmo tried strapping beavers in their traps onto pack horses, but this didn’t work well for the beavers, the horses, or the human riders. His next idea was to attach the beavers to surplus World War II parachutes and drop them into their new home. After experimenting with a variety of boxes, he finally found one that seemed like it would work. When he tried it out with a beaver named Geronimo, the animal landed safely and got out of the box. So Elmo boxed up 75 beavers and dropped them from a plane. When he checked on them a year later, he found that they were thriving, as was the wetland environment they helped create, and the beaver population continues in Chamberlain Basin to this day. Includes an author’s note with additional information, a couple for photos, and a list of sources.

Sometimes I find myself writing a sentence like, “So Elmo boxed up 75 beavers and dropped them from a plane,” and wonder how we got here. But I’m sure kids will find this story fascinating as well as surprising, and Elmo demonstrates some tenacious and creative problem-solving skills. Although the ending is reassuring, dropping beavers out of a plane seems like kind of an ethically gray area, and I’m glad the author’s note discusses the problems that can be associated with moving species out of their natural habitat.

Animal (and human) homes

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City of Leafcutter ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron (Neal Porter Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Enter the fascinating world of leafcutter ants, a rainforest community of eight million that produces their own food, uses antibiotics to prevent diseases, manages their trash, and builds and defends their city. Each job is described with a sentence or two of text and collage illustrations that show the different ants at work. There’s a surprising amount of action, including an amazing defense against an invading poison dart frog (don’t worry, everyone’s okay). The back matter provides a lot more information along with a list of additional resources. This is an excellent science book that would be perfect to share with preschool and early elementary kids, although the boys may be bummed by the limited role of the male drones in this largely female society.

A Terrible Place for a Nest by Sara Levine, illustrated by Erika Meza (Roaring Brook Press, 40 pages, ages 4-8). “When Juno and his mom lost their home, they had to move to a new place.” Juno is sure the new place will never feel like home. He and his mom notice he mourning doves that live outside of their new building. When Juno sees two of the birds making a nest on the fence, he tells them it’s a terrible place for a nest. Sure enough, a deliveryman accidentally knocks it down, breaking the eggs inside. Juno tries to rebuild the nest, doing some research to learn more about mourning doves, but the birds stay away. Meanwhile, the illustrations show him making a new friend and settling into his home. By the time a pair of doves settles into the nest, Juno and his friend are ready, with signs warning people to watch out for the nest. “I told them it wasn’t a great place for a nest,” Juno says, “But we made it work.” This sweet picture book will reassure kids who have to move to a new home, with its parallel story about the doves and Juno and his mom. Kids will find plenty to look at in the illustrations, which tell more of Juno’s story than the text does. A little back matter about mourning doves would have been a nice addition.

The cat’s meow

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Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats, book 1) by Hilda Eunice Burgos (Henry Holt and Company, 144 pages, grades 2-5). Told in the alternating voices of Miguel, a human boy, and Lolo, a cat, this story unfolds in Miguel’s parents’ New York City bodega. When Miguel finds a stray cat outside, he brings it into the bodega and convinces his parents to let him keep it. Lolo’s nervous at first, but eventually he feels comfortable enough in the bodega to head upstairs to the family’s apartment. He tries to be a good friend to Miguel, who’s having issues with his parents. They want him to excel in math and science, while real passion is art. Meanwhile, Lolo has worries of his own about a yellow stray cat who starts coming around the bodega. One memorable day, Miguel lies to his parents so he can go on a field trip to the Cloisters, and Lolo rescues the yellow cat right before she’s due to have kittens. After narrowly escaping disaster, Miguel finally has an honest conversation with his parents that results in a happy ending for all.

With a relatively low page count and plenty of illustrations–including Miguel’s comic book art–this is an engaging start to a new series for kids moving up to chapter books. Miguel’s family issues are relatable, with his hardworking Dominican immigrant parents and some interesting extended family members. Some kids may struggle with the alternating points of view, but it’s fun to get things from a cat’s perspective. A bodega full of newborn kittens in the last chapter should make for an interesting segue to book 2, due out in the spring.

Rescue Cat by Stephen Savage (Roaring Brook Press, 32 pages, ages 3-7). Butterscotch lives a cushy life, but it wasn’t always that way. Before she became a rescue cat, she lived on the streets, alone and scared. Now she finds new meaning in the term rescue cat: when she sees a lion cub being hunted by a hungry crocodile on TV, she jumps through the screen and roars at the crocodile. He chases Butterscotch and the cub, but they leap back to the safety of the living room. The cub plays there for a few minutes before returning to his TV family. Butterscotch knows that she is a brave rescue cat as she settles down for a nap with her toy crocodile.

Young readers will enjoy this cute story and be inspired by Butterscotch’s courage, even when she’s feeling scared. The “rescue cat” double meaning makes for some fun wordplay.

Halloween is coming!

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Trick or Treat on Scary Street by Lance Bass, illustrated by Roland Garrigue (Union Square Kids, 40 pages, ages 4-8). A kid dressed in a wolf costume leads a pack of trick-or-treaters down Scary Street. Although he assures them that, “You’re safe and sound on Scary Street,” the houses all seem to be occupied by monsters like a vampire, witch, and ghost. The last house is a doghouse, and the narrator appears to transform into a real wolf by the light of the full moon. Just when thinks are getting really creepy, he opens the door to reveal a rocking Halloween Disco, with monsters and kids alike enjoying the chance to dance together.

I don’t usually review celebrity authors, but due to the fact that I was particularly uncool through the 1990’s, I didn’t recognize the name of former NSYNC member Lance Bass. I give him credit, though, he’s put together a fun Halloween book with some bouncy rhymes and a creepy parade down Scary Street. The illustrations are just the right combination of scary and funny, and kids are sure to enjoy this Halloween book.

Into the Goblin Market by Vikki VanSickle, illustrated by Jensine Eckwall (Tundra Books, 48 pages grades 1-5). While Millie is happy staying home on the farm with her books, her sister Mina is bored and longs for adventure. One night, Mina sneaks out to the goblin market in town. When Millie discovers her sister is missing, she studies up on how to outwit goblins, packs a few things, and heads to the market. There, the wily goblins try to ensnare her, but Millie is prepared and manages to escape their tricks. When the sun is about to rise, she tries to leave, but the goblins tell her she has to buy something before they’ll let her go. She decides on the wolf that’s been guarding them, even though the goblins scream at her that it’s not for sale. Returning home, the wolf gradually changes shape into Mina, and the two sisters prepare to live happily ever after.

I’m excited to try this book out on my fourth and fifth graders, having already read Jon Klassen’s The Skull to most of them at Halloween last year. The rhyming text (inspired by the Christina Rossetti poem “The Goblin Market”) is catchy, and the gothic-style black and white illustrations with just a touch of red are delightfully creepy. Most reviewers are recommending this for ages 4-8, but personally I think it would be better received by a slightly older audience.

Adorable anthropomorphism from around the world

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Mouse on the River by Alice Melvin (Thames and Hudson, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Mouse embarks on a two-day journey in a rowboat on the river from his house in the woods to his friend’s home by the sea. Rhyming text and busy, colorful, lift-the-flap illustrations show all the sights he sees along the way: trees that hide several different birds, a lock with a lock keeper who helps Mouse keep his boat on the river, a town with a cafe and shops. After a happy night camping on the boat, Mouse reaches his friend’s house, and the two enjoy gazing out to sea. This book, a Scottish import, could not be any cozier, although by page two I was pretty sure I would never buy it for my library due to the many flaps. One-on-one sharing would be delightful, though, and kids will want to revisit the book many times to find all the details. A map in the front, and lists in the back of some of the sights Mouse sees and what he packs complete this magical picture book. Read more about Mouse in his first book, Mouse’s Wood: A Year in Nature (2022).

Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi (Kids Can Press, 72 pages, grades K-3). In this early chapter book originally published in Japan, readers get to follow Little Shrew’s somewhat mundane life as he cooks his meals, takes the train to his job at the Exchange, and works hard all day before coming home to a variety of leisure activities like exercising or doing his Rubik’s cube. In two other chapters, he buys a TV at a yard sale and sees images that make him dream of taking a trip some day, and he gets a visit from a couple of friends who come to see him every year. Like Mouse, Little Shrew notices and enjoys small details from everyday life, and early chapter book readers may enjoy the slow, quiet pace of the writing and illustrations.

A couple of nonfiction picture books

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Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill (Candlewick, 32 pages, ages 4-8). “Wherever you are right now, there’s sure to be a crow or two nearby.” Crows are easy to spot, but also easy to miss. They tend to be plain, not particularly fancy fliers, and have a hoarse caw instead of a melodious song. But they’re smart enough to use tools and store food, and sometimes you can see them acting playfully. To summarize, they are “smart, clever, crafty and playful…just like you!” Includes a list of suggestions for learning more about crows and a short index.

The illustrations in this book are stunning, beginning with the endpapers, which show various crow eggs in the front and the birds that hatch out of them in the back. The text is quirky but interesting, although it left me wanting to know a lot more…for instance, is a crow a specific bird or a family of birds? I was surprised by the inclusion of a blue jay on the back endpapers, since I don’t think of it as a crow, but a quick Google search revealed that it’s part of the crow family. This is an eye-catching introduction, but curious readers will want to dig deeper for more information.

Sleepy: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Robin Page (Beach Lane Books, 32 pages, grades K-3). Whether it’s the half-sleeping brain of the dolphin, the deep torpor of the hummingbird, or the eyes-wide-open slumber of a snake, animals get their rest in a variety of fascinating ways. Each page features a close-up illustration of the animal with four lines of rhyming text describing its sleep, with a paragraph of additional information giving more details. The last page features a human child experiencing what scientists call “monophasic sleep.” Includes a list of the types of sleep in the book, a list of sources, and pie charts showing sleeping and waking times for all 16 animals and five more showing humans at different developmental stages.

As much as I mourn the loss of Steve Jenkins, his talented wife Robin Page has found an able partner with Jennifer Ward, whose rhyming text and fascinating facts reminded me of many a Jenkins book. The pie charts were very similar to some in his Animals by the Numbers (and the fact that I know that is a testament to how many times I’ve shared that book with classes.) The rhyming text and pictures will appeal to younger readers, and older ones will enjoy the additional information about each animal.

Cultivate your own garden

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Prunella by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Claire Keane (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Prunella’s green-thumbed parents are surprised when their new daughter is born with a purple thumb. Turns out Prunella’s just as good at growing things as they are, but her talents lie with plants like Venus flytraps, bladderworts, and corpse flowers. Her parents are completely supportive of their daughter’s passions, but other kids are not, and Prunella’s only friends are her plants. One day a little boy appears and starts asking her about her garden. Much to Prunella’s surprise, he not only isn’t repelled by them, but tells her his aspiring-mycologist sister would be interested as well. Before long, other botanists have found them, and Prunella finds herself surrounded by a group of like-minded–and purple-thumbed–friends. The plants from Prunella’s garden (“Prunella’s Persnickety Plants”) are described on the front and back endpapers.

Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin (Orchard Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). When Millie Fleur La Fae and her mother arrive in Garden Glen (“A Picture-Perfect Place”), they move into the one rundown house, located on the edge of town. Millie starts a garden with seeds from her old home, and before long plants like fanged fairy moss, sore toothwort, and glowing Jack-in-the-bush are flourishing there. The local garden club is not happy, and they try to root out this unconventional garden from their pristine town. Millie doesn’t understand, but her mother tells her, “Some people are scared of things that are different.” Millie decides to share her garden with the kids in her class, bringing in a plant for show and tell and inviting the whole class over to her house. The kids are amazed (if occasionally grossed out) by Millie’s wild collection, but slowly things start to change in Garden Glen. While it retains some of its original perfect charm, many people incorporate Millie’s plants into their gardens, adding a weird and wonderful dimension to the community. Includes additional information about snapdragons, spider plants, and a real-life garden like Millie’s in England.

These two books came out within a couple of weeks of each other and are remarkably similar with their stories involving girls who love unusual plants and themes of how being true to yourself can enhance a community. They would make a great story time combination, perhaps paired with a study of plants or an activity of planting something from Prunella’s or Millie’s garden.