Picture books

The World Is Awake: A Celebration of Everyday Blessings by Linsey Davis with Joseph Bottum, illustrated by Lucy Fleming

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Zonderkidz

Image result for world is awake linsey amazon

Image result for world is awake linsey amazon

Summary:  Rhyming text celebrates the blessings of the world, starting out, “This is the day that the Lord has made.”  A brother and sister enjoy the natural world they find in their yard, then go with their parents on a trip to the zoo.  The diversity of animals is appreciated there.  When the family returns home, the kids appreciate the wide variety of foods available to them.  Finally, it’s time to go to bed, where the narrator notices “Up in the trees, high in the breeze/I hear God’s love in the sound of the breeze.”  The last page ends, as a good bedtime story should, with the children falling asleep.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  The rhyming text and sweet illustrations invite children to look for God in the world around them, appreciating the many good things they experience.  God is completely non-denominational, making this an excellent choice for children of many different faiths.

Cons:  Not all children experience the idyllic world that these two kids live in.

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

On Our Street: A First Talk About Poverty by Dr. Jillian Roberts and Jaime Casap, illustrated by Jane Heinrichs

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Orca Book Publishers

Image result for poverty on our street amazon

Summary:  Poverty and homelessness are explained for young children, using a question and answer format for such queries as “What is it like to live on the streets?” and “Are there children who are homeless?”  Each question is answered on a two-page spread, with stock photos of different people, illustrated with drawings of the same three kids who seem to be the ones having the discussions.  International poverty is addressed, with information about refugees and fundamental human rights. Readers are given suggestions of how to help those who need it, and there is a list of Internet websites at the end, along with notes from both the authors.  32 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  Simple, straightforward information is given about topics that are not often addressed in children’s literature.  The authors, a child psychologist and the educational evangelist at Google (who grew up in poverty) make an interesting combination of writers.

Cons:  The stock photos somewhat depersonalize the issues; it would have been more effective to follow the same people or family throughout the book.

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

All That Trash: The Story of the 1987 Garbage Barge and Our Problem With Stuff by Meghan McCarthy

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Simon and Schuster

Image result for all that trash meghan mccarthy amazon

Image result for all that trash meghan mccarthy amazon

Summary:  In 1987, Lowell Harrelson had the brilliant idea to make electricity from the methane gas released by decomposing garbage.  He rented a barge, hired two tugboat drivers, and loaded over 3,000 tons of garbage to be hauled from New York to North Carolina.  When the (incorrect) rumor got out that there was medical waste on the barge, officials in North Carolina refused to let the trash into the state. Thus began a saga that continued for five months and over 6,000 miles as one state after another (and a few countries) refused the barge entry.  Unbelievably, the trash ended up back in New York, where sanitation workers burned it. The news media picked up the story and ran with it, raising awareness about the problem of overflowing landfills and giving momentum to the recycling movement. Includes additional facts about the barge, garbage, and recycling, as well as a very complete bibliography.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Meghan McCarthy has a knack for finding obscure stories and bringing them to life, making them relevant to today’s readers.  Her bug-eyed portraits and cartoon bubbles make this entertaining and highly readable, while the text imparts plenty of information.

Cons:  Five months hauling a barge with 3,000 tons of garbage.  Eww.

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

The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Claire A. Nivola

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Candlewick

Image result for secret kingdom nek amazon

Image result for secret kingdom nivola

Summary:  Nek Chand grew up in a tiny village in the Punjab region of Asia, collecting stories from family members and the traveling minstrels who visited during holidays.  Those stories inspired him to create his own world from rocks, sticks, and clay.  As a young man, he was forced to leave his home in 1947 when the Punjab was divided into India and Pakistan, and those who practiced the Hindu religion had to leave Muslim Pakistan.  Nek settled in the city, but longed for his home.  He found a deserted plot of government land and created a secret kingdom from trash that he found along the roads.  He kept his creation hidden for 15 years until government officials discovered it and threatened to tear it down.  When people from the city came to see it, though, they knew it was a work of art worth saving.  They convinced the officials to preserve it, and have continued to do so following Chand’s death in 2015.  Includes an author’s note about Nek Chand and an extensive bibliography.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  A fascinating story of an artist who worked to create his vision without much hope of ever profiting from it or even being able to share it with others.  The beautiful illustrations bring the story to life, including a foldout page with photos of the actual “secret kingdom”.

Cons:  A map of the region and additional historical information about India and Pakistan would have been useful.

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

Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayre

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Greenwillow Books

Image result for thank earth sayre amazon

Summary:  April Pulley Sayre writes a thank you note to planet Earth with poetry and photographs.  She looks at the materials that make up Earth (air, rocks, water), the shapes (curves, lines, and patterns), and living things (plants, animals).  Every part of earth is celebrated, even storms and things that sting, with a conclusion of “Thank you for beginnings, for endings, for lifetimes. Thank you for being our home.”  Back matter includes two pages of suggestions on how kids can turn their thank you’s into action for the earth, including a list of resources and organizations.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  As always, Sayre’s nature photography is up close and gorgeous.  This would be a perfect book to share with young kids on Earth Day, maybe with some follow-up action.

Cons:  The poem seemed a little clunky to me.

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

Teddy’s Favorite Toy by Christian Trimmer, illustrated by Madeline Valentine

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Image result for teddy's favorite toy amazon christian trimmer

Summary:  Teddy has many cool toys: a fire truck, blocks, puzzles, action figures; but his favorite is Bren-Da, Warrior Queen of Pacifica, a Barbie-like doll in a pink dress.  Not only does Bren-Da have the best manners, but her sick fighting skills and variety of put-together looks make her queen of the other toys.  When one of Bren-Da’s legs falls off, Teddy does his best to repair it, but he’s running late for school and Bren-Da gets left in a bunch of tape and plastic.  Alas, his mother mistakes her for garbage, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s trash day.  When Teddy tells his mom where he left Bren-Da and asks if she’s seen the doll, his mom realizes what has happened.  Busting some pretty sick moves herself, Mom manages to track down the garbage truck and rescue the Warrior Queen of Pacifica.  That night, Mom, Teddy, and Bren-Da enact an extra-long, magnificent battle to celebrate.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fabulous read on many levels, celebrating favorite toys, diversity, and an amazing role model of a mom that Teddy is clearly watching and reenacting with his toys.  The pictures are a lot of fun, particularly Bren-Da’s various “looks”.

Cons:  Dolls kind of give me the creeps, especially when their limbs break off.

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

Vincent Comes Home by Jessixa Bagley and Aaron Bagley

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Image result for vincent comes home amazon

Image result for vincent comes home bagley

Summary:  Vincent has a pretty idyllic life as a ship’s cat, traveling from one place to another and observing them all from the deck.  When he hears sailors talking excitedly about a place called home, Vincent is curious, and hopes to visit it someday.  When that day arrives, Vincent can’t understand what all the fuss is about.  Home looks just like many of the other places they’ve been.  For the first time, he gets off the boat and follows a member of the crew, observing through the window how happy he and the others are in their houses.  The cat realizes sadly he doesn’t have a home; then he hears a familiar song and is reunited with the ship’s captain, who scoops him up and says the magic words, “Let’s go home.”  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A charming story about the pleasure of coming home after exciting adventures.  The illustrations are delightful, and cleverly identify the captain by showing a bar of music in the early pages that is used again to recognize him at the end.  A very cool world map shows the ship’s travels from one continent to another.

Cons:  The crew is all male and the member Vincent follows is identified as “a crew man”.

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

Grace for Gus by Harry Bliss

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Grace for Gus: Bliss, Harry, Bliss, Harry: 9780062644107: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  In this nearly wordless picture book, Grace is determined to help her friend Gus, the class guinea pig, get a new friend.  After school, she does her homework, eats dinner and helps her dads do the dishes, says good night, then climbs out of her bedroom window, violin in hand.  Her first stop is a subway station, where she opens the violin case and performs; from there, it’s on to Central Park to draw caricatures; finally, she returns to the subway, where she breaks into an impromptu dance routine on the train.  People cheer and give her money for all her efforts, and the next day, she is able to fill the “Gus Buddy Fund” jar in her classroom.  The final page shows Gus with his new guinea pig friend.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  There is so much to look at in this book that will be fun for children and adults.  Look for Woody Allen, Alfred Hitchcock, Donald Trump, Tintin and Snowy, Charlie Brown, and Calvin’s friend Hobbes in the pictures.  Grace herself looks a lot like Marcie from Peanuts.  Keep an eye peeled for other details like a “Jimmy Hoffa Found” headline and the “Tax Relief” billboard behind Trump.  Once is not enough to catch all that this book has to offer.

Cons:  Many of the allusions that adults will enjoy will go right over the heads of most kid readers.

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

The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Orchard Books

Image result for word collector reynolds amazon

Image result for word collector reynolds

Summary:  Some people collect stamps or coins, but Jerome collects words.  He loves the sight and sound of them.  His collection consists of scrapbooks, in which his words are arranged by category (“Dreamy”, “Scientific”, “Action”).  One day, though, he slips, and his words go flying.  They’re all mixed together, and Jerome discovers he likes them even better that way.  Putting unlikely words together results in poetry; simple words like “sorry” and “thank you” are surprisingly powerful.  At last, Jerome gathers all his words into one big bag, and scatters them into the wind; then enjoys the sight of children running around gathering up his words.  The final endpapers offer this advice from the author: “Reach for your own words. Tell the world who you are and how you will make it better.”  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This could be used in a variety of ways in an ELA curriculum: vocabulary and poetry come to mind, and I’m sure there are others.

Cons:  The final scattering of words seems pretty messy.

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

 

Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Bryan Collier

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Simon and Schuster

Image result for between the lines how ernie amazon

Image result for between the lines bryan collier

Summary:  Growing up in segregated North Carolina, Ernie Barnes wasn’t allowed to go to art museums.  He loved to draw, though, and his mother often took him with her when she worked at a wealthy lawyer’s house so that Ernie could see the paintings hanging on the walls.  In high school, his size caught the attention of the football coach, and he did well enough on the team to earn 26 college scholarships.  After college, he played professionally, but his first love was always art.  In 1964, he quit football to pursue painting full time, eventually winning fame for his portrayal of sports scenes (he was the official artist of the 1984 Olympics) and African Americans that he remembered from his childhood.  Includes an historical note, notes from the author and illustrator, and a substantial list of additional resources.  48 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  The large, beautiful illustrations by Bryan Collier pay homage to Ernie Barnes, and include copies of some of his work.  Barnes’s story is an inspiration to follow your dreams.

Cons:  Although a few of Barnes’s works are reproduced with the endnotes, Sugar Shack, one of his most famous that is mentioned several times in the notes, isn’t shown.

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