Picture books

I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems (Unlimited Squirrels)

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Hyperion Books for Children

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Image result for i lost my tooth mo willems

Summary:  When Zoom Squirrel loses her tooth, her squirrel friends are horrified, particularly when they find out it was a baby tooth!  They’re sure it must be alone, sad, and hungry, and they scatter in all directions to try to find it.  When they’re gone, Zoom Squirrel realizes it’s under her pillow, and goes off to retrieve it.  The other squirrels return to find her gone, too!  Finally, everyone is reunited, and the baby tooth is put into a carriage where it is oohed and aahed over.  Zoom Squirrel has the final word as she concludes with the lesson from the story: “Squirrels do not know much about teeth!”  The final third of the book includes jokes and facts about teeth.  85 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Squirrels may not know much about teeth, but Mo Willems knows plenty about how to tickle kids’ funny bones, and his legion of fans is sure to welcome this new series (at least I assume it will be a series), with a size, shape, and illustrations that are similar to the Elephant and Piggie books.

Cons:  There’s a large cast of squirrel characters, all of whom look kind of similar to me.  Also, the back matter seemed unnecessary, although I suppose jokes, riddles, and fun facts will always find an audience with the preschool crowd.  And I feel foolish offering any criticism, as I know that anything even remotely resembling Piggie and Gerald with Mo Willems’ name on it will be a runaway best seller.

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Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Esme Shapiro.  

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Schwartz & Wade

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Image result for eliza mcnamara amazon

Summary:  Writing a letter to her soon-to-be-born grandchild, Eliza Hamilton tells the story of her life, starting as an adventurous girl who liked to run and play on her family’s farm in upstate New York.  She writes of her regret that her family owned slaves, and how they eventually freed them. Then she moves on to meeting and falling in love with Alexander Hamilton, and how she helped introduce him to some of her family’s socially prominent acquaintances.  After his death, she worked for many years to preserve his legacy, raise money for the Washington Monument and to continue and expand upon the charitable work the two of them had started. Her proudest achievement seems to have been founding New York’s first orphanage in 1806, an institution that continues to this day.  Back matter includes extensive notes and additional resources, as well as an afterword by Phillipa Soo, the original Eliza from Hamilton: An American Musical. 48 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  An excellent introduction to a lesser-known founding mother, with her accomplishments presented in their own right, not only in connection with her famous husband.  The folk art style illustrations add a lot to the text; older fans of the musical will enjoy this book as well as the youngsters.

Cons:  I’ve seen this book recommended for kids as young as 4 years old.  In my opinion, it wouldn’t be appreciated much by anyone without some background knowledge of early American history.

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Rock What Ya Got by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Kerascoet

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Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Image result for rock what ya got kerascoet

Summary:  An artist creates a girl named Viva, then, dissatisfied, begins to erase her.  Viva grabs the pencil.  “Excuse me, lady, artist, ma’am/but I like me the way I am./Before you change one line or dot,/can I try…to rock what I got?”  Unconvinced, the artist tries tweaking parts of Viva: first her hair, then her body, then the background.  Each time, Viva reappears in her original form, with her reminder to “Rock what ya got!”  Finally, the artist remembers a book with that title that she wrote when she was about Viva’s age.  She hugs Viva, happy with her exactly as she is, and makes a promise to herself not to forget this line again.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A catchy line with a good message of self-acceptance and great illustrations showing the artist’s different attempts at altering Viva.

Cons:  I was hoping there would be an afterword…did Samantha Berger really create such a book for herself as a kid?

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

 

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Disney-Hyperion

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Image result for we don't eat our classmates higgins

Summary:  Poor Penelope!  It’s tough enough for a young T. Rex going to school for the first time, but when she discovers her classmates are all children, she can’t resist eating them…because children are delicious!  The teacher makes her spit them all back out, but that first impression lasts, and Penelope finds herself without any friends. Her parents explain to her that she can’t eat her classmates, reminding her that “children are the same as us on the inside.  Just tastier.” Penelope tries, but she still has an occasional slip-up until she attempts to make friends with Walter, the classroom goldfish. When she sticks her finger in the water, Walter takes a bite, and Penelope does not like being someone’s snack at all!  Just looking at Walter reminds her to practice self-control, and before long Penelope has turned things around at school and is making friends. 48 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  A funny story about a T. Rex that also conveys good messages about treating others how you want to be treated and practicing self-control.

Cons:  I thought Penelope could have been a bit cuter; her head is kind of a cross between a beach ball and a football helmet.

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Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by David Ezra Stein

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Candlewick

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Image result for interrupting chicken and the elephant

Summary:  The little red chicken and her father are back with their bedtime story routine.  This time, Little Chicken has been told by her teacher that every story has an element of surprise….only she heard this as an elephant of surprise.  So in each story her father reads to her, she is on the lookout for that elephant.  Just like in Interrupting Chicken, the father reads a classic fairy tale, and his daughter interrupts, inserting herself and the elephant.  The illustrations for the stories are a bit more dignified, with paler colors and classic-looking characters; the elephant and Little Chicken herself appear in the stories in the style of the rest of the book.  Dad is still awake at the end of this story; on the last page, Little Chicken asks him for help with her math homework.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Fans of the first Caldecott-honored Interrupting Chicken will no doubt enjoy some chuckles as they revisit Little Chicken and her patient, loving father.

Cons:  The premise of the interrupting chicken felt a little tired to me in this one.

A copy of this book was provided to me by Candlewick.

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Tigers and Tea With Toppy by Barbara Kerley and Rhoda Knight Kalt, illustrated by Matte Stephens

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Scholastic

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Image result for tigers and tea with toppy

Summary:  Rhoda loves spending weekends in New York City with her Grandpa Toppy and Grandma Nonnie.  On Saturday, Toppy, whose real name is Charles R. Knight, takes his granddaughter to the American Museum of Natural History where he shows her the paintings he created of animals and prehistoric scenes.  Even though he is legally blind, he is able to draw and paint the dinosaurs from their fossilized skeletons. The next day they visit the Central Park Zoo where Toppy shows Rhoda the animals he studied so closely to learn how to draw them accurately.  Rhoda, Toppy, and Nonnie finish off the weekend with a celebratory tea at the Plaza Hotel. Includes author and artist notes with more information about Knight and the creation of the book; source notes; some of Knight’s animal drawings; and photos of Toppy and Rhoda.  48 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A fun way to introduce the life of Charles Knight.  One interesting tidbit: illustrator Matte Stephens is legally blind, like Knight was, and uses some of the same techniques to create his art.

Cons: I would have enjoyed seeing more of the prehistoric paintings.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian by Jacob Sager Weinstein, illustrated by Vera Brosgol

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Published by Clarion Books

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Image result for lyric mckerrigan vera brosgol

Summary:  When Dr. Glockenspiel escapes from his cell and demands one billion, trillion dollars, even the top secret agents prove ineffective.  Glockenspiel threatens to unleash giant moths to eat the world’s books if his demands aren’t met, so it’s up to Lyric McKerrigan, secret librarian, to parachute in to the rescue.  Posing as a custodian, a plumber, and a prison warden, McKerrigan surreptitiously matches the right books up with the people around Glockenspiel. Not only does she bring them to her side, but when the giant moths are released, she tames them with a story.  They turn their attention from books to the doctor’s woolly sweater, and he ends up shivering in his underwear before heading back to jail, a large red “Returned” stamped on his forehead. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Sometimes books with a pro-book, librarian hero(ine) message can sound a little desperate, but this one is pretty funny.  Lyric has some good disguises, and the message that there’s a book for everyone is delivered with a light touch.  Kids will enjoy the cartoon-style illustrations.

Cons:  Lyric is a bit stereotypical, with her glasses, hair in two buns, and shown reading with her cat and a cup of tea on the last page.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Hammering for Freedom: The William Lewis Story by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by John Holyfield

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Lee and Low

Image result for hammering for freedom hubbard

Image result for hammering for freedom hubbard

Summary:  William “Bill” Lewis was born on a Tennessee plantation in 1810, where he and his family had to work long days in the fields of Colonel Lewis’s plantation.  At a young age, he was moved to the blacksmith’s shop where he became good enough at repairing and building tools that he was able to make a little money.  By the age of 27, he had saved enough to rent himself out and start his own business in Chattanooga.  By that time he had also married and had a son.  Slowly he saved enough money to buy his own freedom, his son’s, and his wife’s, which meant the rest of their children were born free.  He paid cash for a large house for them all to live in.  Twenty six years after arriving in Chattanooga, he finally succeeded in freeing his mother, aunt, and all of his siblings.  Includes an author’s note with more information about Lewis and source notes.  32 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  An inspiring story of an ordinary man who lived a life of hard work, thrift, and community service to improve the lives of himself and his family.

Cons:  I was disappointed to learn in the author’s note that, after all that hard work, Lewis lost a good deal of his net worth post-Civil War.

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Thank you, Omu! By Oge Mora

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Image result for thank you omu amazon

Image result for thank you omu amazon

Summary:  Omu is cooking up a big batch of delicious-smelling red stew, which she thinks will be “the best dinner I have ever had”.  When a hungry little boy knocks on her door, she decides she’s made enough to share.  Next to arrive is a police officer, then the hot dog vendor.  Omu gives them bowls of stew, too.  As the day goes on, more and more people come, and Omu shares with them all.  When she goes to get her own dinner, she discovers the pot is empty.  But she doesn’t have long to feel bad.  There’s a loud knocking on her door, and Omu opens it to discover that everyone she fed has returned with a big potluck meal to share.  The last page shows the little boy’s thank-you card, and reads “That dinner was the best she ever had.”  Includes an author’s note about her grandmother Omu, the Nigerian word meaning both grandmother and queen.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A heartwarming story of sharing and community that reads a little like a folktale.  The collage illustrations show a diverse cast of characters.  This would make a good holiday read, maybe pairing it with Miracle on 133rd Street.

Cons:  Mr. Hot Dog Vendor seems like he should be able to feed himself rather than knocking on Omu’s door for a free handout.

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Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Roaring Brook Press

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Image result for blue laura vaccaro seeger

Summary:  The first spread in this companion book to Green shows a boy and puppy lying together with a blue blanket and the words “baby blue”.  The two grow up together, first a preschooler pulling his dog in a wagon entitled “berry blue”, later an older boy walking his dog in the woods: “chilly blue”.  At least a scrap of the blue blanket appears in every illustration, and a die-cut shape gives a peek to the next picture. Prepare for heartbreak on the pages “true blue”, “old blue”, and “so blue” as the boy deals with the aging and death of his beloved dog.  There’s a wordless page where the boy meets a girl and her puppy, and the last page shows them grown up, walking hand-in-hand, while a dog frolics in the ocean: “new blue”. 40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  I dismissively thought I had “gotten” this book after the first few pages, but the real power of it comes at the end.  Seeger has already won two Caldecott medals, but the gorgeous acrylic illustrations so perfectly tell this touching story that it would be worth considering her for a third.

Cons:  Blue dies.  I choked up just writing this review.

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