Picture books

I Yam a Donkey! Story, pictures, and bad grammar by Cece Bell

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Clarion Books

Summary: A donkey declares, “I yam a donkey!” and a yam tries to correct his grammar. “I am a donkey.” “You is a donkey?” asks the donkey, and the rest of the book is an unsuccessful attempt to get things straight. The argument eventually attracts the attention of a carrot, turnip, and a bunch of green beans, all of whom are used as examples in the yam’s unsuccessful grammar lessons. Grades K-3.

Pros: This book is funny. Period. Don’t try to extract any educational value. The bright cartoon illustrations and comic bubble dialog will appeal to kids and the ridiculous arguments will have them rolling with laughter.

Cons: The vegetables get eaten. Sorry.

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Sean Qualls

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House Children’s Books 

Summary: “In this world, we are not perfect. We can only do our best,” says Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. When Emmanuel was born, his right leg was deformed. Growing up in Ghana, he learned to use his left leg well enough that he could hop the two miles to school, play soccer on crutches, and ride a bike. His mother was his biggest supporter, and when she died, her final words to him were, “Don’t give up.” Emmanuel used these words to inspire himself to pursue his dream…riding a bicycle from one end of Ghana to the other. Wearing a shirt reading “The Pozo” (meaning “the disabled person”), he completed his ride of over 400 miles. He’s continued to raise awareness about the disabled in his country, and was instrumental in the 2006 passage of the Ghanaian Persons With Disabilities Act. Grades 1-6.

Pros: An inspiring read for anyone to pursue their dreams, no matter what the odds.

Cons: Four miles of hopping a day.

Mad Scientist Academy: The Dinosaur Disaster by Matthew McElligott

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Crown Books for Young Readers 

Summary: It’s the first day of the Mad Scientist Academy for Ken the Frankenstein Monster, Thora the Insect, Tad the Tadpole, Scarlet the Vampire, Wolfgang the Werewolf, and Nicole the Robot. Their teacher Dr. Cosmic greets them with the news that their school pet is a dinosaur, then leads them on a Jurassic Park-style tour of the school’s dinosaur exhibit. The dinosaur models are all quite lifelike, but harmless unless someone activates them, which, of course, someone does. The kids use their cool school handbooks to acquire the dinosaur knowledge they need to safely navigate their way to the off switch. At the end they meet their class pet, Oscar the ostrich, and learn why Dr. Cosmic called him a dinosaur. These kids are sure to be back for another lesson in science. Grades K-3.

Pros: Dinosaur information presented comic-book style with a school full of monsters=a sure-fire hit.

Cons: Still trying to figure out if this book should be shelved with picture books, nonfiction, or graphic novels.

The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House by Ida Pearle

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Dial Books 

Summary: Addy’s parents come to pick up Addy and her sister from a play date. All the way home, the two girls look for the moon. Sometimes it’s high in the sky, sometimes low, sometimes it’s behind them, and sometimes up front. The sky changes, too, from pink to deep blue, to purple. The moon follows the family all the way home, where it illuminates Addy’s nighttime dance on the lawn. Ages 3-8.

Pros: Children will relate to this quiet story about a phenomenon they’ve undoubtedly observed themselves. The illustrations are the real magic of this book, though. I’ll admit I have a thing for cut paper illustrations, but these are exquisite, with a perfect palette of colors to show the changing sky of evening.

Cons: You may get a few tee-hee’s from readers on the page where the girls are depicted taking a bath.

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay by Cari Best, pictures by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary: Zulay enjoys first grade with her three best friends. Even though she’s blind, she can do almost everything the other kids do. She doesn’t like it when she has to leave the class to work with Ms. Turner, who helps her learn to use a cane. But she does like writing on her Braille typewriter, learning math with manipulatives, and singing and dancing on the playground with Maya, Nancy, and Chyng. When the teacher announces an upcoming field day, Zulay is as enthusiastic as her classmates, and decides she wants to run a race. The class is silent when she makes that announcement, but Ms. Turner is confident Zulay can do it and works with her every day to get her ready. When the big day comes, Zulay runs around the track with Ms. Turner and joyfully breaks through the ribbon at the finish line. Ages 4-9

Pros: Readers will be interested to see how this exuberant girl participates in everything that interests her even though she can’t see. The author wrote this story after seeing a visually impaired girl thriving in a first-grade classroom at a New York City public school.

Cons: The title doesn’t exactly roll right off your tongue.

The Red Bicycle: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Bicycle by Jude Isabella, illustrated by Simone Shin

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Kids Can Press

Summary: Leo works hard to save money to buy himself a red bicycle. When he outgrows it, he doesn’t want to just throw it away. The owner of the bike shop tells Leo about an organization that sends bikes to Africa. Leo puts in a full day packing bikes into a shipping crate, finishing with his own. The crate is shipped to Burkina Faso, where a girl named Alisetta uses it to help her family move goods to market and make more money. A few years later, a pig tramples the spokes of one of the wheels, and Alisetta must get a new bike. Fortunately, a man from a health clinic rescues the bike and fixes it up to use as an ambulance. At the end of the story, the bike has come to the end of that journey as well, but we can hope it will find a new incarnation. The last couple pages tell readers about organizations that will use their old bikes in this way, and gives some information about Burkina Faso. Grades 3-7.

Pros: This book is part of the Citizen Kid series of books, which claims to “inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens”.  The Red Bicycle succeeds on both counts by showing kids how the simple act of donating a bike can make a big difference in the lives of many people around the world.

Cons: Okay, this is the third book this month whose font seemed too small to me. Guess it’s time to get that bifocal prescription taken care of.

Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary: “Buckley and his mama lived in a small wooden house by the sea. They didn’t have much, but they always had each other.” Buckley’s dad is absent, and Buckley misses him. He likes to make boats, and one day he gets the idea to send a boat with a note on it, “For Papa, Love, Buckley”. For a whole year, starting on his birthday, he designs, builds, and sends boats to sea, all for Papa. On his next birthday, he has a boat all ready when he realizes he hasn’t written a note. He goes inside to get paper from his mother’s desk. When he looks inside, he finds all the boats he has ever sent. That evening, when his mother goes to retrieve the most recent boat from the seaweed where it has drifted, she finds a note reading, “For Mama, Love, Buckley”. Ages 4-9.

Pros: This book deals with loss and love with a beautiful simplicity. Papa’s absence is never explained, which makes the story relevant to any child who has lost someone they love. The beautiful watercolors of the beach are worthy of Caldecott consideration.

Cons: This is not a book to rush. Allow plenty of time for discussion.

Wednesday Wrap-Up: Science Picture Books

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

In a previous life, I was the librarian at the Museum of Science in Boston, so I kind of have a thing for children’s science books.  Happily, there are lots of good ones so far this year.  The great thing about science picture books is that they’re for everyone.  Adults may find them just right to get a good introduction to a difficult topic.

A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long.  Published by Chronicle Books.

This author-illustrator team has produced another work of art about nature.  Packed with fascinating facts about all kinds of animals’ nests and gorgeously illustrated, plan on spending a lot of time poring over this book.

Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package by Robin Page, illustrated by Steve Jenkins.  Published by HMH Books for Young Readers.

Just in case you’re wondering about what goes inside all those nests.  Another winning author-illustrator team, with phenomenally detailed cut paper illustrations and lots of amazing facts about all different kinds of eggs.

A Chicken Followed Me Home! : Questions and Answers About a Familiar Fowl by Robin Page.  Published by Beach Lane Books.

Apparently, Robin Page spent some time recently contemplating the whole chicken/egg question, because two months after Eggs was published, this book about chickens came out.  A book about chickens sounds like it would be kind of dull.  It’s not.

Water Is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin.  Published by Roaring Brook Press.

Here’s the perfect example of a book that explains a scientific concept in the simplest terms.  The illustrations by Jason Chin are lovely, and portray children in everyday situations interacting with water in all its various forms.

Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre.  Published by Beach Lane Books

And speaking of the water cycle….  The amazing photographs in this book of things you might find in your backyard (flowers, birds, trees) will encourage readers to slow down and observe the world around them.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia by Miranda Paul, illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

 Published by Millbrook Press

Summary: When Isatou Ceesay first discovers a plastic bag lying on the ground of her Gambian village, she is impressed with how light and strong it is for carrying things. Years later, she learns that goats are dying from eating plastic bags, and she starts noticing the bags are creating piles of nasty-smelling trash that collect water and attract mosquitoes. When she sees her sister crocheting, Isatou gets an idea. Before long, she’s assembled a team of Gambian women to crochet plastic from the bags into purses that they sell at the market. Proceeds from the sales can be used to improve life for all in Isatou’s village. Includes an author’s note about the real Isatou, a glossary and pronunciation guide of Gambian words, a timeline, and additional resources. Grades 1-4.

Pros: An inspiring, true-life story about the power of an ordinary person to make a difference. The illustrations are a mix of paintings and collage, and every African woman’s dress is a gorgeous print.

Cons:  Ceesay (Isatou’s last name) and the name of her village, Njau, aren’t included in the pronunciation guide.

This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary, illustrated by Julie Morstad. Published by Tundra Books.

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Tundra Books

 

Summary: This is Sadie, sailing in a boat made from a cardboard box. And this is Sadie, being a mermaid in the pool with her friends. And checking her back to make sure her wings are in place. And chatting with the birds at the top of a tree. The days aren’t long enough for Sadie to do and make and pretend all the things she thinks up. More than anything, Sadie likes stories, “because you can make them from nothing at all.”  Ages 3-8.

Pros: This brief and beautifully illustrated book is a celebration of a young child’s imagination.

Cons: Sadie seems like an all-too-rare phenomenon: a child who can entertain herself without ever having to plug something in.