Picture books

City Shapes by Diana Murray, illustrated by Bryan Collier

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Rhyming text follows a little girl around the city, finding different shapes in what she sees.  Shapes include a square, rectangle, triangle, circle, oval, diamond, and star.  The watercolor and collage illustrations are colorful and busy, making it a fun challenge to find the items mentioned in the text.  An author’s note tells of her love for New York City that inspired this book, and the illustrator’s note explains how he created the pictures (and that the girl in the book is his four-year-old daughter).  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier has created a bright visual feast on every page of a book that would make an excellent introduction to shapes.  Kids will be inspired to find shapes in their everyday lives.

Cons:  Only seven shapes are introduced.

 

 

 

Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Meilo So

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Viv is new in town, and unsure how she feels about her new home.  On her first day of school, her new teacher encourages the class to look for a problem in their community that the kids can work to solve.  Walking on the beach, Viv learns that sea turtles nest there, and that the babies often get disoriented by beach house lights and can’t find their way to the ocean.  Her own difficulties finding her way in a new place makes Viv sympathetic for the turtles.  Soon her whole class is involved in researching the turtles’ plight and spreading the word to turn out lights and close curtains at night.  Their hard work pays off, and on a night patrol, Viv gets to see a line of loggerhead turtles heading for the sea.  Back matter includes a letter to young activists, a note to parents and teachers on how to help kids make a difference in their communities, and additional information about sea turtles.  48 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  Environmental activist Cousteau (grandson of Jacques) and award-winning write Hopkinson join forces for an inspiring tale about young kids making a difference, backed up with information readers can use themselves.

Cons:  I was hoping this was based on a true story, but it seems to be fictional.

I Am Pan by Mordicai Gerstein

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary: Which Greek god has the most kid appeal? Pan, of course, the fun-loving god of noise, confusion, sheep, shepherds, goats, goatherds, bees, and beekeepers. Mordicai Gerstein combed through Greek myths to find all the ones he could in which Pan played a role. So after recounting his own birth, Pan then goes on to tell different stories about himself, including his marriage to Echo (who knew?), how he invented his famous pipes, and his pivotal role in helping the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon. The ending suggests that Pan and his deity comrades are still living among us today, a “fact” Rick Riordan fans will appreciate. A brief author’s note explains how and why Gerstein came to write this book; a list of the mythology books he used for his research is included. 80 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros: Written in comic book form with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Gerstein, this is a perfect introduction to mythology for elementary age kids. Those already familiar with the Greek pantheon will enjoy expanding on their knowledge.

Cons: Reading a book with a goofy goat-man on the cover, emblazoned with the large words, “I Am Pan!” may open you up to scorn and derision from offspring over the age of 10.

A Year of Borrowed Men by Michelle Barker, illustrated by Renne Benoit

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Published by Pajama Press

 

Summary: In 1944, when Greta was 7 years old, she and her family were told by the German government that they were getting three French prisoners of war to live on their farm. They were “borrowed men”, only there for the duration of the war, which Greta likened to the way her father has been “borrowed” to serve in the war. The men had to live in the barn with the pigs; when Greta invited them in for dinner one night, her mother was called into town and threatened with imprisonment. But despite the difficult living situation and the lack of a common language, the family and the prisoners became friends. Greta found a way to help them decorate their tiny Christmas tree, and they helped her when she accidentally melted the hands and feet of her new Christmas doll. A year later, the war ended and the prisoners were liberated, but the memory of the friendship continued on. An author’s note gives more information about her mother, Greta. 40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros: A gentle and touching introduction to World War II. Although a few wartime atrocities are alluded to, all the characters in this story are kind, wanting to help each other despite being on different sides.

Cons: Kids will need some historical context before reading or hearing the story.

Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends by Tina Kugler

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary:  As the title suggests, this book contains three brief stories about Snail and Worm, who find each other and become friends in the first tale.  The vocabulary and humor are perfect for beginning readers.  Each friend gets his/her own colored font to make it easy to keep track of the dialog.  The back cover says to look for more Snail & Worm adventures coming soon.  32 pages; grades PreK-1.

Pros:  An excellent choice for either a read-aloud or a first independent reader.  Kids will get a chuckle from both the cute, cartoon-style illustrations and the text.

Cons:  While five-year-olds will find the humor just right, it’s not quite up to Elephant & Piggie standards.

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex, illustrated by Christian Robinson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  There’s a new school in town.  Every day, the janitor comes to visit him, but the janitor assures him others will be there soon.  School’s not sure how he feels about this, and the first day of school brings both bad and good.  There are a few kids with attitude who say they hate school (School manages to squirt one of them in the nose with one of his water fountains), and a little girl with freckles who is scared of school.  School feels bad when his fire alarm accidentally goes off.  But School learns some interesting stuff, and at the end of the day, the girl with freckles makes a beautiful picture of him, complete with glitter.  As School and the janitor watch the sun go down, School is pretty sure he’s ready for another day with the kids. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Is this a brilliant idea, or what?  I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since I heard about it, and it didn’t disappoint.  There’s plenty of humor, yet a sensitivity to how different kids might feel on the first day of school.  Caldecott Honoree Christian Robinson’s illustrations perfectly capture the elementary school feel.  This would be a great read-aloud for the first day of school.

Cons:  Teachers, I apologize for reminding you on June 26 that there WILL be a first day of school.

Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still by Karlin Gray, illustrated by Christine Davenier

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Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 

Summary: Readers of a certain age will remember Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci,  one of the stars of the 1976 Summer Olympics. This picture book looks at Nadia’s life leading up to those Olympic performances. From an early age, Nadia was a daredevil, and her high energy level led her parents to enroll her in gymnastics. She was spotted by now-legendary coach Bela Karolyi who recruited Nadia to join the new gymnastics school he had opened with his wife Marta. Motivated by a disappointing performance at her first National Junior Championship, Nadia worked hard for many hours a day to make it to the Montreal Olympics when she was only 14. There she became the first female gymnast to earn a perfect 10…and went on to earn six more! The book ends there, but an afterword and timeline give more information about Nadia’s performance in the 1980 Olympics and her defection from Romania in 1989. 40 pages; Grades K-4.

Pros: An inspiring story of an amazing athlete, perfect for summer reading during this year’s Olympics. Nadia always seemed to me to be more serious than her predecessor Olga Korbut, but she comes across as ebullient and energetic in the illustrations here.

Cons: Because of the brevity of the story, making it to the Olympics comes across as about as difficult as snagging a spot on the high school gymnastics team.

Rules of the House by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Matt Myers

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Published by Disney-Hyperion

 

Summary: Ian is a rule-follower. His older sister Jenny is a rule breaker. When they go on vacation, Ian is delighted that there’s a framed list of the rules of the house hanging on the wall of their cabin. To his dismay, Jenny proceeds to break the rules one by one, until she gets to the final rule: never—ever—open the red door. One day when Ian is on her case about breaking rules, she opens the red door. Nothing happens. But that night, all the items she’s abused through her rule-breaking come back to get her. The bathtub with the ring around it that she didn’t clean, the stove that’s empty because she didn’t refill the woodpile, and the rug that’s muddy from her dirty feet, all decide they’re going to cook Jenny and eat her. Ian runs away, thinking smugly that his sister is getting what she deserves. But brotherly love wins, and Ian returns to save the day…and maybe learn a little more about rules. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: Award winners Barnett and Myers team up for a fun story that could be used as a springboard to discuss when rules should be followed and when it may be okay to break them.

Cons: The set-up was great, with that list of rules ending with the one about the red door, but the ending was kind of lame.

 

 

Fish by Liam Francis Walsh

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Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary: A boy and his dog are on an unusual fishing expedition in this wordless book. Instead of fish, he pulls letters in from the sea; first an F, then an I, then an S. But the H is more elusive. As he catches and tosses back a Q, a giant C looms out of the water. Finally, there’s a tug on his hook, but it’s a pretty strong tug, and he’s pulled out of the boat, deep into the ocean, where he pulls an H from a huge swarm of letters. Safely back in the boat, the boy and his dog are ready to head for shore, but the letters have a different idea. They surround the boat, and the giant C almost capsizes them. Fortunately, the dog hangs on to the letters, and at last they are able to make a safe return. The purpose of their mission becomes clear as they approach a couple of workmen puzzling over the sign they’re hanging that reads “IN”. The FISH is what they need to create a FINISH line, just in time for the huge group of runners that’s ready to cross it.

Pros: New Yorker cartoonist Walsh has created a fun story with his comic-style black, white, red, and turquoise illustrations. Readers will enjoy the “A-ha!” moment of discovering what the FISH is really for. And the dog is pretty darn cute.

Cons: As in so many wordless books, there were some puzzling elements, like the underwater letters and the giant C. Make sure you have your imagination fired up before tackling this story.

Frank and Lucky Get Schooled by Lynne Rae Perkins

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Greenwillow Books


 

Summary:  A bad day for both Frank and Lucky leads them both to the animal shelter, where they meet for the first time.  Lucky is adopted by Frank’s family, and the two of them are off to learn more about the world.  While Frank has to go to school a lot longer than Lucky’s ten sessions, both of them learn about math, science, geography, art, and more by exploring the world together.  A run-in with a skunk provides some chemistry lessons, while a hike through the woods requires map-reading skills.  The concept of infinity is learned by exploring the amount of love between this boy and his dog.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Dog-lovers will enjoy celebrating all the reasons we love dogs.  Both the text and pictures are filled with humor and the joy that kids and dogs bring to our lives.  This would also make a great beginning-of-the-school year introduction to different subjects that are learned in school.

Cons:  Some of the more sly humor may be a bit over the heads of younger readers.