Picture books

Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon, illustrated by Mark Siegel

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary:  After the Night of Broken Glass, Oskar’s parents put him on a ship to America.  His father’s last words to him are, “Even in bad times, people can be good.  You have to look for the blessings.”  Oskar arrives in New York City on the seventh day of Hanukkah, which is also Christmas Eve.  He has to walk over one hundred blocks to find his Aunt Esther.  As he walks, he looks for blessings.  An old woman feeding pigeons gives him a loaf of bread to eat.  A boy playing in the snow gives him a pair of mittens.  And Eleanor Roosevelt herself gives him a few kind words.  As night falls, and the Hanukkah candles begin to glow in windows, Oskar at last reaches his destination and finds a new home.  Grades 1-3.

Pros:  A beautifully illustrated, moving story about finding good in the world during a bleak time in history.  An author’s note explains that the events of Christmas Eve 1938 are historically accurate, including Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to New York City.

Cons:  While very young children would enjoy this story, it does require at least a basic explanation of Nazi Germany and the beginning of the Holocaust.

Happy Hanukkah!

My Family Tree and Me by Dugan Petricic

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Published by Kids Can Press 

Summary:  A boy traces his family tree from both sides.  Starting at the beginning of the book, we meet his father’s family back to his great-great grandparents (who look to be of European descent).  The last page of the book shows his mother’s great-great grandparents (apparently Chinese).  Working forward or backward, the reader is introduced to great grandparents, grandparents and parents, until the two families meet in the middle with a two-page family portrait of the narrator with his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  Studying the pictures, it’s easy to see how physical traits have been passed down from both sides of the family.  Ages 3-7.

Pros:  A fun introduction to family structure and inherited traits.  Kids will be inspired to trace their own family trees.  The cartoon illustrations with somewhat exaggerated features will produce some chuckles.

Cons:  It’s a pretty basic introduction to the topic and doesn’t take into account today’s wide diversity of family structures.

 

Sonya’s Chickens by Phoebe Wahl

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Published by Tundra Books 

Summary:  Sonya loves her three new chickens, and is very responsible about taking care of them.  She gives them food and water every day, cleans the coop, and is thrilled when she finds the first warm brown egg.  One night, she hears a loud squawking and is heartbroken to discover that a fox has found a hole in the fence and gotten one of her chickens.  Sonya’s father comforts her by telling her a story about how the fox needs food to feed his family.  “Even though it’s sad for us,” he explains, “we can understand why he did it.”  The family has a chicken funeral and fixes the fence, and Sonya goes back to taking good care of her chickens.  She is rewarded one day when one of the brown eggs hatches, and she now has three chickens again.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  The cycle of life and death on a farm is well explained in a story that young children will be able to relate to.

Cons:  It’s not clear how two hens manage to produce a fertilized egg that hatches.

Simple Machines by D. J. Ward, illustrated by Mike Lowery

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Published by HarperCollins 

Summary:  Machines make work easier.  The six simple machines—lever, wheel and axle, pulley, screw, ramp, and wedge are all around us, helping us in our everyday life.  This book looks at each simple machine in turn, describing how it works and showing common examples.  Compound machines are briefly explained.  End matter includes a lever activity called “Seesaw Cents”, a glossary, and a couple of websites to check out for more simple machine information.  Grades 1-5.

Pros:  I am a huge longtime fan of the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science series.  Started in 1960, it’s an amazing resource for explaining scientific concepts to young children.  There are two levels (Simple Machines is level 2); level 1 could be used with preschoolers, and level 2 is appropriate for all elementary grades.  They provide basic but thorough explanations told in a down-to-earth tone with plenty of real-world examples and fantastic illustrations.  I challenge anyone to find a basic scientific concept that hasn’t been written about in a Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book.  (Okay, I once tried to write an article for The Horn Book on this series, but it was turned down for being too promotional.  Gee, imagine that).

Cons:  You might not get all your questions about how simple machines work answered in this book.  It’s a good starting point, not a comprehensive treatise.

North Woods Girl by Aimee Bissonette with illustrations by Claudia McGehee

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Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press 

Summary:  Grandma doesn’t look like other grandmas.  She’s tall and bony, and she likes to tuck her pants into her boots and go tramping through the woods.  She doesn’t bake cookies, but she knows how to grow and can tomatoes and string beans.  Grandma’s daughter worries about her living alone in the woods, but her granddaughter knows she would be unhappy if she had to live away from the animals and birds that she loves.  As the two of them lie in the snow out by the pond on a moonlit night, the little girl hopes that she grows up to be just like Grandma.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  A beautiful intergenerational story illuminated with lovely illustrations showing Grandma’s cozy cabin and the woods surrounding it.  This would be a great mentor text for characterization.

Cons:  I can’t help thinking there must be a real “North Woods Girl”, but there was no author’s note.

Alphabet School by Stephen T. Johnson

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Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

        

Summary:  It’s been quite a few years since Stephen Johnson received a Caldecott honor for his Alphabet City but he’s back for a similar foray into a school.  From the easel that forms an A to the yellow lines on a blacktop that make a Z, Johnson has found the shapes of letters in the classroom, library, gym, cafeteria, and playground.  Readers will be on the lookout for letters and numbers all around them and may be inspired to try to make an alphabet book of their own.  Ages 3-7.

Pros:  The artwork is unique and beautiful.  Kids will enjoy finding the shape of the letter in each picture, then looking to find those shapes around them.

Cons:  I would have liked a description of how the distinctive artwork was created.  It’s a cross between a photo and a painting.

Look and Be Grateful by Tomie dePaola

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Published by Holiday House 

Summary:  “Open your eyes, and look.  Open your eyes, and see.  And say thank you, for today is today.  Be grateful, for everything you see.  Have gratitude.  Today is today, and it is a gift.  So, be grateful.”  That is the entire text of this little book, illustrated in Tomie dePaola’s distinctive style.  A young boy wakes up, looks at the world around him, and is shown on his knees praying with his little sister on the final page.  All ages.

Pros:  May Thanksgiving find you as full of gratitude as this book.

Cons:  Gratitude and turkey can be a dangerous combination.  Go easy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Who Done It? By Olivier Tallec

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Each two-page spread poses a question: Who didn’t get enough sleep?  Who played with that mean cat?  Readers have eight to ten choices of kids and animals to figure out who looks sleepy or scratched.  There are twelve questions at all, and answers to all are given at the end.  Ages 3-5.

Pros:  This unique book helps preschoolers sharpen their powers of observation.  The cartoon illustrations are fun, and kids will enjoy playing detective.

Cons:  Be prepared for episodes of hilarity over “Who forgot a swimsuit?” and “Who couldn’t hold it?”

The Bear Report by Thyra Heder

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Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  The wordless first few pages show a bored Sophie rushing through her homework so she can watch TV.  For her assignment to write three facts about polar bears, she scribbles, “They are big, they eat things, they are mean.”  As she settles down in front of the TV, a polar bear named Olafur shows up to tell her, “We’re not all mean.”  He then whisks her away to the Arctic where he shows her the beauty of his home, and shares how he spends his days fishing, swimming, and listening to whales.  As the two of them finish their day watching the Northern Lights, Sophie promises her new friend she’s going to go home and tell everyone about him.  The last page shows her immersed in research, surrounded by books, notes, and a map of the Arctic.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  Nothing like a little excitement to encourage curiosity and learning.  You can almost feel the Arctic chill from the beautifully detailed illustrations.

Cons:  Melting polar ice caps.

 

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophia Blackall

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Published by Little, Brown and Company 

Summary:  When Cole asks him for a bedtime story, his mother tells him the tale of Harry Coleburn, a veterinarian who rescued a bear at a train station.  It was 1914, and Harry was traveling from Winnipeg to basic training before going overseas to be an army veterinarian.  The bear, named Winnie for Winnipeg, went with him on all his travels, proving himself to be a most intelligent and entertaining addition to the troops.  Finally, it was time to go to the front, and Harry knew he couldn’t take Winnie with him. Winnie moved to a new home in the London Zoo, where he was later discovered by Christopher Robin Milne, and found his way into stories written by Christopher’s father, Alan Alexander (A. A.) Milne.  The story unfolds in much the same way the Winnie-the-Pooh books do, with a parent telling a child a story.  At the end, the mom/author reveals that Harry Coleburn was her great-grandfather and is her son Coe’s namesake.  Six pages of photos of Harry, Winnie, Lindsay, and Cole are included at the end.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  Lovely illustrations illuminate Lindsay’s fascinating and endearing story to her son.  The revelation of the family connection is an interesting bonus, and the photos enhance that.

Cons:  Two excellent, well-illustrated picture books telling this exact same story (see Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally Walker) in the same year seems like a bit of an unfortunate glut on the market.