Picture books

Mine! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Anne Schwartz Books

Summary:  A red apple hangs from a tree, ready to drop to the ground.  One by one, animals plan to grab that apple when it falls, each one imagining how delicious it will be, shown with a cartoon bubble and the word “MINE!”  Finally, the wind blows the apple from the tree, and Mouse, Hare, Fox, Deer, and Bear all pounce, resulting in a free-for-all that pushes the apple away.  It lands at the feet of Possum, who eyes it curiously: “Mine?”  A worm pops out, and the two say in unison, “Ours!”  40 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  With illustrations reminiscent of Eric Rohmann’s Caldecott book My Friend Rabbit, this story uses catchy rhymes and adorable (if greedy) animals to impart a fun lesson about sharing.

Cons:  Generally, apple trees produce more than one apple at a time, so it seemed like the animals could have just chilled and waited for more apples to fall.

You Are My Pride: A Love Letter from Your Motherland by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Astra Young Readers

Summary:  “I am the mother of all humanity.  I have a long history and a longer memory,” begins this poem that is addressed to humans from the continent of Africa.  The narrator traces time from the first cells that evolved into the first humans.  “Child, you are mine as much as Mount Kilimanjaro, as much as the Serengiti and the Sahara, as much as the baobab and the bush.”  And although those children are her treasure, she sends them around the globe to let their gifts shine.  Includes additional information about human evolution, specifically in Africa, and a timeline of key species and developments in early human evolution.  40 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  This loving poem with beautiful illustrations celebrates all of humanity, but especially those with roots in Africa.  The additional information makes it a resource that older kids will find useful as well.

Cons:  No additional resources.

The Umbrella by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  “Dreary. Weary. Dim. Grim. Drip. Drop. Nonstop.”  From the looks of things on the first pages, the rainy weather has been around for way too long.  But rain or shine, dogs gotta go, and so a girl takes her pup out for a walk in the rain.  When thunder booms, a curio shop provides them with some shelter, and they find a free, albeit tattered, yellow umbrella there.  On the walk home, though, the umbrella disintegrates with a crumble and a tumble, strewing yellow pieces in the grass along the sidewalk.  The rain continues through the night, and when the girl and dog go for another walk, they make a surprising discovery–new yellow umbrellas have sprouted wherever the pieces of the old one fell!  Before long, the whole town is outside celebrating with their sunny new umbrellas despite the rain.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I will definitely be reading this book to some of my preschool and kindergarten classes, maybe pairing it with Stick and Stone by the same author and illustrator.  The umbrella garden was such a fun surprise, complemented by the gray illustrations with their bright spots of yellow.

Cons:  There have been a few weeks this summer that felt like the first few pages of this book.

Little Land by Diana Sudyka

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  The story of a small piece of land began five hundred million years ago, when it was part of the ocean.  Dinosaurs walked on it sixty-seven million years ago, and ice covered it one hundred thousand years ago.  There have been many, many changes, and different forms of life have come and gone.  But the land has always survived…until humans came along.  Starting with a single house, people gradually built more and more on the land, even digging into it to create structures to support them.  The impacts grew and grew until one day “…it seemed unstoppable,” shown with an upside down black and gray illustration.  Kids start to make changes, reclaiming the land with clean-up efforts, flowers, and trees.  Even a small gift to the Earth can reap big rewards.  Includes an author’s note, a list of words that inspired the book, animals and plants in the book, a list of epochs represented, and additional resources.  48 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A gorgeous introduction to environmental concerns, covering a surprising amount of information with deceptively simple text and illustrations that reminded me a little bit of Virginia Lee Burton (and should be considered for a Caldecott!).  The last few pages and back matter will empower kids to figure out what they can do to help the planet.

Cons:  My usual discouragement and angst when I read books about the environment.

Two books about Sister Rosetta Tharpe

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

Published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll! Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock and Roll by Tonya Bolden, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Published by HarperCollins

Summary: Two picture books celebrate the life of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, an early pioneer of the music that would become known as rock and roll. Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar focuses on Rosetta’s childhood in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. When her musical mother gives her a guitar, Rosetta plays it night and day, incorporating the sounds she hears in her community to create a song that she performs at her church’s anniversary. The last few pages tell about Sister Rosetta’s career as an adult, and there’s an author’s note with a photo and additional information.

Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll! is a celebration of Sister Rosetta’s entire life, told in a rhythmic second-person narrative (“With music in your air, in your hair, in your bones, wiggling your toes–that travelin’ bag sure stayed packed.”). The celebration is all about her music, which was some of the earliest rock and roll. The book ends with a two-page timeline and an author’s note, citing her influence on such musicians as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Aretha Franklin. Both books are 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: I knew nothing about Sister Rosetta Tharpe, so I very much enjoyed these high-energy celebrations of her life, each with their own distinctive illustrations. Take a look at this YouTube video to hear how ahead of its time her music was. These books will bring her some much-deserved recognition.

Cons: There’s not a lot of biographical information in the stories and no additional resources listed, although Rock, Rosetta, Rock! does have a list of sources.

Mother of Sharks by Melissa Cristina Márquez, illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Penguin Workshop

Summary:  Enjoying her last swim of the day at Puerto Rico’s Playita del Condado, Meli is amazed to find a talking hermit crab named Jaiba in one of the tidal pools.  Jaiba takes Meli on a magical journey underwater where she sees bleached coral and rescues a mako shark that’s tangled up in a plastic net. As Meli learns more from Jaiba about sharks and environmental damage that’s affecting them, she wonders if she can grow up to help them, since she’s never seen a scientist who looks like her.  Jaiba then takes her to meet one, a Hispanic woman known as the Mother of Sharks.  Inspired, Meli returns to the beach and her mom, excited to pursue her dreams.  Includes a letter from the author, a renowned marine biologist who grew up in Puerto Rico; a glossary; a list of resources; a translation of the Spanish words and phrases used in the story; and endpapers with about two dozen different types of sharks and their names. 48 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  Gorgeous underwater illustrations (I love the cover!) depict a world that may inspire others to follow dreams of marine biology; the story offers positive affirmations that those dreams available to everyone.

Cons:  The font was small and hard to read in some of the darker-hued illustrations.

Glitter Everywhere! Where It Came From, Where It’s Found & Where It’s Going by Chris Barton, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  Since early times, humans have been attracted to things that are iridescent, like beetles and mica.  In more recent history, people have learned to manufacture this iridescence, starting with “flitter”, a mix of ground-up mica, metal, and paper that was sold in the early 1900’s.  During World War II, mica was needed for industry, so a man named Henry F. Ruschmann began making plastic glitter from his factory in Bernardsville, NJ.  This product, which has become ubiquitous in our society, has its downsides, being the very definition of microplastic, a material that is wreaking all kinds of environmental havoc.  Alternative glitters are being created, so it looks as though, one way or another, glitter is here to stay.  Includes an author’s note that talks about how he researched the book, an illustrator’s note, books for further reading, and a bibliography.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Chris Barton tells the story of glitter with some history, some science, and a lot of humor in this extremely engaging nonfiction book.  The illustrations are lots of fun, and what kid is not going to want to read about glitter?

Cons:  My vacuum cleaner and I have kind of a love/hate relationship with glitter.

Penny & Pip by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Summary:  Penny’s on a field trip to the natural history museum when “something astonishing” happens: a baby dinosaur hatches from one of the eggs on exhibit.  Only Penny notices; the baby notices, too, and it starts following Penny around the museum.  She shares her lunch, and when the baby dinosaur makes a “pip, pip” sound, she names it Pip.  When it’s time to go home, Penny doesn’t want to leave her new friend behind, but Pip doesn’t fit in her backpack.  Pip hides in the pile of stuffed animals at the gift shop, Penny pays for her new “toy,” and the two are on their way.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This award-winning team has produced another fun story with adorable illustrations that is sure to become a favorite of dinosaur aficionados.

Cons:  I suspect that Penny & Pip: The Next Day might not end quite this happily.

Remember by Joy Harjo, illustrated by Michaela Goade

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House Studio

Summary:  Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s poem celebrates life: the cosmos, the Earth, the plants and animals, and people, especially parents.  “Remember you are the universe.  And this universe is you.  Remember.”  Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade’s illustrations depict a child traveling through the universe, with images inspired by traditions from her Tlingit culture.  Includes an author’s note about poetry that encourages readers to write their own poems and an illustrator’s note with additional information about her inspirations for the pictures.  40 pages; ages 5 and up.

Pros:  This beautiful book created by two Indigenous American artists celebrates the complexity of life and the universe, reminding the reader to stop and pay attention.  A Caldecott contender for sure.

Cons:  Young readers will need some adult guidance to fully appreciate both the text and the illustrations.

This Is Not My Home by Eugenia Yoh, illustrated by Vivienne Chang

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  When Lily’s mother tells her they are moving back to Taiwan to take care of Ah Ma, Lily rebels.  What about school?  The farmers’ market?  The fireflies in the park?  Her friend Jill?  Mom asks Lily to be understanding, but Lily refuses as they pack, get on the plane, and are greeted by Ah Ma.  As Lily is reluctantly guided through her new neighborhood, she keeps up a steady narration, “This is not the farmers’ market!  This is not my school!  This is not my home!”  A turning point comes when her mother calmly explains that it may not be Lily’s home, but it is her home.  A few wordless spreads show Lily making a couple of friends at school and enjoying a moped ride through the city, as calendar pages mark the passage of several months.  The last page declares, “This is my home,” in English and Mandarin.  Endpapers show Lily’s American neighborhood at the beginning and her Taiwanese one at the end.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A cute and funny debut picture book that poignantly captures the process of reverse immigration.

Cons:  I’m not sure I could be as patient as Lily’s mother is.