Picture books

Mama Dug A Little Den by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Beach Lane Books

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Summary:  Each two-page spread has a rhyme beginning with the line “Mama dug a little den” (“Mama dug a little den/beneath a fallen tree./An earthy home as soft as moss,/a nursery for three” is the first one about red foxes).  A smaller paragraph gives additional information. The illustrations are in Steve Jenkins’ signature cut-paper collage style, and show the animal in its den and some of the surrounding habitat. A final page contains a note from the author about how she came to write the book, and some additional information about what to look for if you find a den to determine what kind of animal lives there.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  In this follow-up book to Mama Built A Little Nest, preschoolers will learn a bit about animal homes and how to discover them in their own backyards.  As president of the Steve Jenkins fan club (well, I would be, if there were such a thing), I appreciated the beautiful illustrations.

Cons:  The back matter was so small and unobtrusive, many readers may miss it.

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

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt, illustrated by Daniel Minter

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Roaring Brook Press

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Summary:  Each section of Isabella Baumfree’s life (later renamed Sojourner Truth) begins with a page that starts “In Slavery Time”.  “In Slavery Time, when Hope was a seed waiting to be planted,” or “In Slavery Time, when Happiness was a dream never coming true,”.  The last few sections begin with “In Freedom Time”. Each section tells part of Isabella’s remarkable life, starting with her childhood in slavery, and continuing with the determination that eventually led her to run away to freedom, and to bring a lawsuit to demand her son be returned home from a plantation in Alabama (he was).  Fifteen years after running away, now calling herself Sojourner Truth, she traveled across New York, to Washington, D.C., and to other parts of the country, first working to end slavery, then later speaking for human rights in other areas. She died in her 80’s, and the book ends with her quote: “My lost time that I lost being a slave was made up.”  Includes a biographical note and an extensive bibliography with notes about the various sources. 48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  The poetic text and stunning illustrations give a compelling outline of Sojourner Truth’s life.  The excellent bibliography will help readers learn more. Deserving of an award or two for both the writing and the illustrations.

Cons:  There are some disturbing elements to Sojourner Truth’s story which young readers may need some help with.

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

The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

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Published by Candlewick

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Summary:  “In the dark,/in the dark,/in the deep, deep dark, a speck floated, invisible as thought, weighty as God.”  Then BANG! and the universe was born, a cloud of gas stretching and expanding into trillions of stars. When some of those stars exploded, the ash formed the planets circling other stars, including our sun.  And one of those planets, Earth, was at just the right distance from the sun for life to begin: mitochondria, jellyfish, sharks, dinosaurs, and finally, humans. And after many, many generations came YOU: “You,/and me/loving you./All of us/the stuff of stars.”  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  An amazing book that traces the history of the universe through a brief, lyrical 40 pages, all illustrated with phenomenal collages on hand-marbled papers.  A multi-award contender for sure.

Cons:  It’s a book I appreciate more than love.  I’m not sure how wide the appeal for kids will be.

Note: I recently received a box of books from Candlewick, which I assume were meant for me to review on my blog.  This was one of them, and I will make note of others as I get to them. Thank you, Candlewick!

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A Parade of Elephants by Kevin Henkes

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Published by Greenwillow Books

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Summary:  “Look! Elephants!” So begins this brief (about 80 words) book showing a group of five elephants on parade.  Kids can pick a favorite and follow it from page to page: they are blue, green, purple, pink, and yellow. The page that introduces them shows them on a graph, with numbers counting from one to five, and a new elephant added on each line.  The elephants go up, down, over, under, in, and out, reinforcing those concepts. At the end, they are ready for sleep, but first they raise their trunks and trumpet, scattering stars across the sky.  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  The usual Kevin Henkes masterpiece, this is a deceptively simple story that introduces colors, numbers, concepts like up and down, and even introduces graphing.

Cons:  I found the pink and purple elephant a little too similar in color to be distinctive.  Fortunately the pink one was also smaller than the other four.

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

Who Eats Orange? by Dianne White, illustrated by Robin Page

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Beach Lane Books

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Summary:  Animals, foods, colors, and habitats are introduced in this book that has a repeating question and answer format: “Who eats orange? Bunnies in their hutches do. Chickens in the henhouse too.  Who else eats orange? Goats. Pigs. Gorillas too? Gorillas? No! Gorillas don’t eat orange. They eat…green.” The large illustrations have plenty of color on a simple white background. Humans, the book concludes, eat a rainbow of colors.  The last two pages list various habitats with the animals from each listed and additional information about what and how that animal eats. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Catchy rhymes and eye-catching graphics make this an appealing introduction for a wide variety of topics.

Cons:  The habitats listed at the end include farms, Africa, ocean, forest, rainforest, and tundra; but Africa is a continent with many different habitats.

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Imagine! By Raul Colon

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Published by Simon and Schuster

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Summary:  A boy rides his skateboard over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Museum of Modern Art.  Inside he is captivated by three painting: Pablo Picasso’s Three Musicians, Henri Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy, and Henri Matisse’s Icarus.  As he gazes at them, the figure from Icarus steps out of the painting and starts dancing with the boy.  The three musicians soon join them, playing their instruments, and finally the woman and lion from Rousseau’s painting follow the group as they head out of the museum.  They explore the city, riding the subway, taking a dip on the Cyclone roller coaster, eating hot dogs, and climbing the Statue of Liberty before heading back to MOMA.  The boy says goodbye as they all return to their paintings, then he gets his skateboard and heads for home. Along the way, he sees a big building and is inspired to paint pictures of his new friends on its side.  An author’s note tells how he developed his own love of art and hopes to inspire readers. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This wordless picture book is a follow-up to Colon’s 2014 Draw!, sharing with readers a love of art and creativity that started when he was a child.  The watercolor paintings give the illustrations a dreamy quality that is appropriate for a story of imagination.  Maybe a contender for Caldecott recognition.

Cons:  I wish the original paintings had been shown somewhere in the book.

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Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

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Published by Neal Porter Books

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Summary:  “I dreamed of you,/then you appeared./Together we became/Resplendent life, you and I.”  So begins Yuyi Morales’s book addressed to her son, whom she carried across a bridge into a new country when he was a baby.  Together they explore their new home, confused by the language and often making mistakes (demonstrated by the picture of her playing with her young son in a public fountain, while a police officer stands by with his hands on his hips).  One day they discover a miraculous place: the public library. “Suspicious. Improbable. Unbelieving. Surprising. Unimaginable.” Slowly, she learns about the library, and picture books open up a new world to her and her son, teaching them to read, write, and speak.  “We are stories./We are two languages./We are lucha./We are resilience./We are hope./We are dreamers, sonadores of the world./We are Love Amor Love.” Includes “My Story”, a two-page note from Morales about her journey from Mexico to the U.S. and how the public library helped her and her son Kelly pursue their dreams in their new country; also books that have inspired her.  Simultaneously released with Soñadores, the Spanish language version. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Yuyi Morales hasn’t really been on my radar as an illustrator, but this beautiful book made me go back and look at what other books she has done (her best known is probably Viva Frida which won both the Belpre Medal and a Caldecott honor).  Her note on how she created the pictures reveals that they are a blend of acrylics and ink, along with a long list of items that she photographed and scanned.  This makes for bright, colorful, textured illustrations. Kids will enjoy finding books that they recognize in the pictures from the library. The brief, poetic text beautifully expresses the hopes and dreams of those immigrating to the U.S.  Look for this title during awards season.

Cons:  Young kids may need some help in understanding what is going on in the story.

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

Fangsgiving by Ethan Long

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Fangsgiving: Ethan Long: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Vladimir is making Thanksgiving dinner with his friends (a witch, a mummy, Frankenstein, and a werewolf) when some family members unexpectedly drop by.  Vlad is happy to see them, but before long they have taken over on the turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, adding touches like eyeballs and earwax.  When it’s time to eat, they decide to turn off the lights, and the family dog Spike devours the whole dinner before anyone else has a chance to get any. “You ruined Thanksgiving!!” shouts Vlad, and his family is chagrined, saying they were only trying to help.  Vlad remembers they’re family, and everyone works together to make a dinner they all can enjoy. 32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  I wasn’t familiar with Ethan Long’s previous two monster holiday books, Fright Club and Valensteins, but Fangsgiving convinced me they may be worth a look.  Kids will howl with laughter at the antics of the different monsters and enjoy the gross-out additions to the traditional holiday feast.  Plus there’s a nice Thanksgiving message about appreciating friends and family.

Cons: It’s a pretty silly romp; you will probably want to supplement with some other books that look at other aspects of Thanksgiving.

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

The Secret Life of the Little Brown Bat by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Kate Garchinsky

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Published by Boyds Mills Press

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Summary:  This story starts shortly after Otis, a little brown bat, has left his mother and is living on his own.  Watching how Otis spends his days and nights, the reader will learn the physical characteristics of bats, their diet, where they live, how they hunt using echolocation, and their life cycle.  The illustrations mostly portray Otis at night in a variety of settings: roosting in an abandoned building, hibernating in a cave, flying through the sky, and hunting for insects in a meadow. At the end, Otis has found a mate and is settling down for a long winter’s sleep.  Includes two pages of additional information about little brown bats and a glossary. 32 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  An excellent introduction to a bat’s life, told in a narrative form that will hold readers’ interest.  The pastel illustrations on the dark background provide striking portrayals of Otis (whose name comes from his species’ scientific name, Myotis lucifugus) and the other bats.

Cons:  Otis didn’t really seem to be leading a “secret life”.

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What Can a Citizen Do? By Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris

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Published by Chronicle Books

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Summary:  The team that brought us Her Right Foot takes a look at the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.  The rhyming text is simple, emphasizing the importance of helping others and working to make a better society.  Suggestions include helping a neighbor, joining a cause, writing a letter, and the generic “righting a wrong”. There may be a sly political message in the “No Trumpets” sign in a couple of the illustrations.  The conclusion? “So forget yourself a second/Grab a shovel or a pen/Do something for another./Don’t you dare doubt that you can!/Everything makes an impact/on a bigger big than you./And it all starts with the question:/What can a citizen do?”  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A basic introduction to civics for preschool and primary students.  The illustrations are the star of the show here, with a diverse cast of kid characters portrayed in collage illustrations that seem to pop out of the page.  

Cons:  If ever a book cried out for back matter, this is it.  What is a citizen? What are some specific actions citizens can take?  Definitely some missed opportunities here, particularly after the thought-provoking Her Right Foot.

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