Picture books

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Summary:  CJ and his nana have a Sunday morning routine.  After church they walk to the bus stop, board the bus, and take a ride.  The book follows them on their bus ride one Sunday.  CJ wishes he didn’t have to go.  He’s envious of his friends who have cars, and who get to go home after church.  But every time he complains, his nana points out all the good parts of their day.  The rain is giving the thirsty trees a drink.  The bus breathes fire and the friendly bus driver can pull a coin out of CJ’s ear.  The dirty city just makes the rainbow in the sky seem more beautiful.  By the time they climb off the bus, CJ is glad to be going to the soup kitchen with Nana to help serve the friends who look forward to seeing them every week.

Pros:  The text is brief, but the writing is beautifully descriptive (“The outside air smelled like freedom, but it also smelled like rain, which freckled CJ’s shirt and dripped down his nose.”).  Nana is an inspiring character who gently points out the good in everything without being annoying.

Cons:  The guy with the tattoos really should give up his seat on the bus to Nana.

My Pen by Christopher Myers

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Disney-Hyperion

Summary:  “All you need is your imagination,” declares the cover of the book.  Christopher Myers then goes on to explain all that his pen can do.  It can ride dinosaurs, put an elephant in a teacup, and tell stories in the margins of the pages.  Sometimes it makes mistakes, but it can draw a new face every morning.  “There are a million pens in the world and each one has a million worlds inside it,” concludes Myers.  “Let those worlds inside your pen out!”

Pros:  A fabulous celebration of creativity and imagination.  The illustrations may be Caldecott-worthy.  Kids will be inspired to get out their pens and see what they can do.

Cons:  If you’re expecting a story with this book, you’ll be disappointed.  It’s more of a creative jumpstart.

Counting Crows by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey

~ Janet Dawson ~ 4 Comments

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Crows are counted in groups of three up to twelve in rhyming text. (“One, two, three/crows in a tree/three roly-poly bugs/three ripe mangos/three for the counting crows/three, by jango!”).  When a cat counts the twelve crows tails, it’s time to fly away.

Pros:  The rhymes are very catchy, reminiscent of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Simple but striking illustrations, all in black, white, and red.  The groupings of the crows could be used as an introduction to multiplication as well as counting.

Cons:  Crows = kind of annoying.

New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Holiday House

Summary:  When Ella Mae’s family scrapes together enough money to buy her a new pair of shoes, she is dismayed to learn that black people can’t try on shoes at the store.  She watches a white girl try on her shoes, while Ella Mae’s mother has to trace around her foot to figure out her size.  The first day she wears her shoes to school, she feels bad about her experience at the shoe store all day.  Then she and her friend Charlotte come up with a brilliant plan.  For weeks, they do chores for people, asking for payment in used shoes.  Finally, they display all the shoes in their barn, then put a sign up announcing people can buy a pair for ten cents and another used pair of shoes.  The people in their community are thrilled that they’ll never have to use the shoe store again.

Pros:  I loved this powerful story about segregation.  Instead of the girls feeling victimized by it, they come up with a solution and work hard to make it happen.

Cons:  The solution is inspiring but a bit simplistic, and a larger conversation about segregation would be helpful when reading this.

Home by Carson Ellis

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Published by Candlewick

Summary: With a single sentence on each page, Carson Ellis explores the concept of home.  Some of her homes are real (“Home is an apartment”), and some are fanciful (“Atlantians make their homes underwater”).  Each page is beautifully illustrated with many rich details.

Pros:  This book is a feast for the imagination.  Kids will enjoy poring over the illustrations. There could be many ways to extend this into activities, such as researching homes around the world, or designing homes for different people or creatures.

Cons:  There’s not a straightforward narrative, and kids looking at this book on their own might find it a little confusing.

Henry Holton Takes the Ice by Sandra Bradley, illustrated by Sara Palacios

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Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Henry Holton’s family loves hockey so much that the kids teethe on hockey pucks, their dog is named Gretzky and their mom drives a Zamboni to work.  It’s a foregone conclusion that Henry will put on a pair of skates as soon as he can walk.  When he does, sure enough, he is a fabulous skater.  But the whole hockey thing feels wrong to him, and he can’t figure out why until the day he sees a poster for an ice dance show.  From then on, all he wants is skates with toe picks.  No one will listen to him until his grandmother (six-time MVP in the Silver Skates League) shows him a picture of herself as a figure skater.  She gave it all up the first time she picked up a hockey stick and knew that was the thing for her.  She gives Henry her old skates to try.  When his parents see him, they know he is destined to be a figure skater.

Pros:  A fun story for the hockey-obsessed youth of Massachusetts, all about being true to yourself.  The part about his grandmother giving up figure skating for hockey was a great and unexpected twist.

Cons:  Other than that plot twist, a bit predictable.

Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Christopher Ludwick was from Germany, but he loved his adopted country of America.  When the Revolutionary War began, he decided to close up his Philadelphia bakery and do what he could to help General Washington.  Not only did he become the head baker for the Continental Army, but he helped woo the German soldiers to the American side.  The author’s note tells that the money Ludwick left in his will to educate needy children in Philadelphia is still used today to give out $200,000 in grants each year.

Pros:  A fun story that tells of a little-known but important contributor to the American fight for independence.  The cut-paper illustrations will make kids smile.

Cons: It’s a little hard to tell what would be the best audience for this book.  It seems to be written for fairly young kids, but readers would appreciate the story more with some background knowledge of the Revolution.

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  On the first page, the Bunny family arrives home to find a baby wolf on their doorstep.  Mama and Papa immediately fall in love with the cute little cub, but their young daughter Dot exclaims, “He’s going to eat us all up!” a refrain that continues throughout the book.  But Mama and Papa don’t seem to hear her as they coo over him and snap photos of Wolfie’s every move.  Wolfie grows into a toddler who adores his big sister.  One day, the parents send the two of them out to get more carrots (now Wolfie’s favorite food).  When Wolfie opens his mouth at the grocery store, Dot is sure her prediction is coming true.  But he’s not looking at her…he’s looking at the gigantic bear in front of him.  Dot’s reaction saves the day and cements the brother-sister bond between them.

Pro:  This is an unusual and highly entertaining take on sibling rivalry.  The picture of Wolfie in a bunny suit is priceless.

Cons:  I can’t help wondering how this family dynamic is going to work out over time.

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

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Published by Greenwillow Books

Summary:  What happens when a blue crayon gets a red label?  Everyone thinks he’s red.  His teacher thinks he needs more practice, the scissors think his label is too tight (“One snip should do it”), his grandparents think he needs to wear a warm scarf.  But no matter what he tries, it doesn’t work. He just can’t make those strawberries and hearts look the way they’re supposed to. Finally, he meets a new friend (Berry), who asks him to make an ocean for his boat.  And it’s perfect!

Pros:  This is a great story that kids can read at their own level of understanding.  My first thought was that it was about gender identification, but it could be about embracing yourself in many different ways.  School psychologists and social workers should definitely check this one out.

Cons:  The first time I read this, the message seemed a little heavy-handed, but I don’t think kids would see it that way.

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

Smick by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Juana Medina

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Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Smick is a dog who likes to chase sticks.  When he sees a chick, he wants to chase that, too.  The two become friends, and Smick has a new sidekick…or sidechick, as the case may be.

Pros:  Minimalist in text (the story is told with only 15 different words) and pictures, this book could be used in many different ways with kids.  They could add to the story by looking at the pictures.  Beginning readers could read a whole book themselves.  It would lend itself to a quick readers’ theater.  The bold line illustrations and wordplay add to the appeal.

Cons:  If you’re trying to fill class time with a book, look elsewhere.