Picture books

If You Were a Princess: True Stories of Brave Leaders from Around the World by Hillary Homzie, illustrated by Udayana Lugo

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Aladdin

Summary:  If you were a princess, what would you do?  These real-life princesses are smart and brave, standing up for human and animal rights, competing in sports, and earning advanced degrees in various arts and sciences.  Since ancient times, princesses have studied the stars, led others into battle, and made important discoveries and inventions.  You may not be a princess, but you can be inspired by royalty to stand up for yourself and others and to dazzle the world. Includes a paragraph of additional information about each princess and a list of works cited.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Cinderella, step aside to make way for these amazing real-life princesses from all over the world.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had requests for princess books, and I can’t wait to have this one on hand to teach kids some unexpected princess facts.

Cons:  Forced me to rethink my anti-royalist tendencies.

Digestion: The Musical by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laura Park

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Digestion: The Musical unfolds in three acts, featuring Your Body, L’il Candy, Gum, and the Baby Carrot Singers.  Starting from the moment the brain gets the signal to open the mouth and let in L’il Candy, the story continues down the esophagus and into the stomach, where Candy meets up with Gum (has he really been stuck there for years? “Nah, that’s a myth.”).  She’s consistently dismissed as junk food by the heart, lungs, gallbladder, and even the seemingly useless appendix.  But Candy persists and is eventually shown to have a nutritional core that can be used by the body.  The final number [two], “Let’s Get This Potty Started”, will leave audiences with a smile on their faces.  Includes a glossary and a literal appendix, which it turns out, is actually useful for storing good bacteria. 76 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  I laughed, I cried, I gasped aloud at this fascinating and hilarious mix of fiction and nonfiction that’s presented in both horizontal and vertical spreads.  You’ll probably want to supplement this with other material, but the basic facts are here and likely to stick in kids’ heads due to the high entertainment factor of the presentation.

Cons:  It’s tough to let yourself get too attached to a protagonist that you know is about to be pulverized by the digestive system.

The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, illustrated by Chiara Fedele

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  It’s hard to imagine music without written notes, but that was the world Guido d’Arezzo lived in at the beginning of the eleventh century.  He loved the music of his monastery, but the monks had to laboriously practice long hours to master each piece.  One day, Guido realized that the songs were made up of just five tones.  He named them from the first two letters of each line of a favorite song: ut, re, mi, fa, sol, and la (ut became do and ti was added many years later).  The other monks were unimpressed, but Guido later found a more receptive audience at a cathedral where he led the choir, and eventually with Pope John XIX.  Do-re-mi spread, eventually leading to the famous song from The Sound of Music, an illustrated version of which is included at the end of the book.  Also includes a glossary and additional information about Guido d’Arezzo and the song “Do-Re-Mi”.  48 pages, ages 4-8.

Pros:  Aww, a book about do-re-mi by Julie Andrews and her daughter!  It’s a pretty fascinating and well-told tale about something that many of us take for granted.  The illustrations made me want to go live in a medieval Benedictine monastery, no easy feat.

Cons:  Look closely at the cover or you might think, as I did at first, that it’s Maria von Trapp, not Brother Guido, singing and dancing his way through the mountains.

A Life of Service: The Story of Senator Tammy Duckworth by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Tammy Duckworth’s father worked for the UN, and she grew up all over southeast Asia.  She knew she was American, though, and dreamed of a life of service to her country.  After graduating from college, she joined the Illinois Army National Guard as a unit commander.  Her three-year commitment was up when the US declared war on Iraq.  Although Tammy opposed the war, she didn’t want to leave her unit, so she got permission to extend her service and went to Iraq.  While flying a helicopter there, she was hit by a grenade and lost both of her legs.  Her military career was over, but she wanted to continue to serve, particularly her fellow veterans.  In 2012, she was elected to the House of Representatives, and in 2016, to the Senate.  She became the first Thai American woman and the first female amputee in Congress, as well as the first Senator to give birth while in office.  And I’m happy to report that just a few days ago she became the first Illinois woman to be reelected to the Senate.  Includes a timeline, a list of projects Senator Duckworth has worked on, and additional resources.  48 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  In her fourth book this year, Christina Soontornvat relates the story of fellow Thai American Tammy Duckworth’s inspiring life of service.  The appealing illustrations help tell the story, and the back matter makes this an excellent book for research.

Cons:  I wish I had read this just a day early to get it on the blog for Veteran’s Day.

Symphony for a Broken Orchestra by Amy Ignatow, illustrated by Gwen Millward

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Published by Walker Books US

Summary:  Kids love to play music, but what happens if their instruments break and families can’t afford to fix them?  Unfortunately, they often get locked away, and the students have to put their music education on hold.  Robert Blackson, the artistic director of Philadelphia’s Temple Contemporary, discovered some of these broken instruments in a closed city school.  He had the idea to get musicians to see what kind of music they could create with them, and the Symphony for a Broken Orchestra was born, using the money raised from the performance to buy new instruments for kids.  Includes an author’s note with additional information and a link to hear the performance as well as a note from Robert Blackson.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  This true-life story provides plenty of inspiration and humor (the kids torturing those around them trying to play their broken instruments) with cute and colorful illustrations.  The performance is worth a listen. 

Cons:  Those not familiar with Philly’s Mummer’s Parade may not understand the reference made to the boy playing a broken drum.

Murray Christmas by E. G. Keller and A Very Mercy Christmas by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Published by Candlewick

Summary: Murray is a dog who takes his job as family protector very seriously. When the family starts doing odd things like bringing a tree into the house and hanging laundry by the fireplace, Murray tries to get things back to normal. He starts seeing a weird guy in a red suit everywhere, and then one night the guy appears in his house! Murray tries to get him out, and the ensuing chaos nearly ruins Christmas. But Santa turns out to be pretty helpful, and the two of them work to set things back to rights. Although Murray can’t figure out why this man doesn’t use the front door like everyone else, he’s happy to find a present waiting for him on Christmas morning…his own Santa hat. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Many readers will be familiar with the characters and setting of A Very Mercy Christmas. Stella wants to go caroling, but the humans are all too busy. She heads down the street with Mercy and General Washington the cat and decides to try singing a solo carol. When the animals join in (in their own ways), they’re joined by Maybelline the horse. All the ruckus brings the humans out to join in, and then they all head back to the Watsons’ for some buttered toast. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: Kids are sure to get a chuckle out of both of these Christmas books featuring some pretty loveable animals and warm holiday spirit.

Cons: Those who haven’t read the Mercy Watson books may be a bit mystified by some of the characters and situations.

I Am Golden by Eva Chen, illustrated by Sophie Diao

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Feiwel and Friends

Summary:  Chinese parents address their beloved child, Mei, a name that means beautiful, telling her all the beautiful things they see when they look at her.  Not only are her physical features beautiful, but the hopes and dreams that they see when they look at her, hopes and dreams that their ancestors had and that sent them to America.  They acknowledge that people may be mean to her and treat her as though she’s different but encourage her to remember her heritage which gives her strength and power to be golden.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Beautiful illustrations and an empowering message make this a book that may be considered for some awards.

Cons:  Feels like a book that will appeal more to adults than to kids.

Twelve Dinging Doorbells: An Every-Holiday Carol by Tameka Fryer Brown, illustrated by Ebony Glenn

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Published by Kokila

Summary:  As the subtitle suggests, this is a book that could be used for any large family gathering, although it’s based on “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.  The cumulative text begins with “a sweet potato pie just for me,” then goes on to two selfie queens, three posh sibs, all the way to eleven stinky sides (side dishes) and twelve crowded steps as an extended family gathers for a holiday meal.  Macaroni and cheese replace five golden rings with different variations as the day goes on (lots of mac and cheese, where’s my mac and cheese, and finally, who needs mac and cheese?).  The narrator and her grandmother share the sweet potato pie–just for her–on the final page.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A great holiday choice that features a joyful Black family’s gathering with colorful illustrations, all kinds of people, and plenty of yummy food.

Cons:  While I enjoyed the macaroni and cheese humor, I kind of missed the number five.

Wild Horses by Melissa Marr

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Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary:  Photographs and action words show the Salt River wild horses of Tonto National Forest in Arizona who quickly appear and disappear from the sight of humans.  In between, they are seen eating, drinking, playing or fighting (not sure which, and the text doesn’t make it clear), running, splashing, and standing with their families.  An author’s note tells a little bit about her personal contact with these horses and urges readers to preserve nature for these and all animals.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  There really aren’t enough horse books in the world, and this one has striking photos that will appeal to the youngest equine fans.

Cons:  No additional resources or specific suggestions for preserving nature.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff retold by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  Rumor has it that this is the first in a series of fairy tale retellings by the popular Barnett-Klassen duo.  The troll living under the bridge is nearly starving, living on earwax and belly button goop while waiting for the goats to cross over.  He’s a poetic sort of fellow, making up all sorts of rhymes to capture his excitement about the goats (“I love goat! Let me count the ways/A rump of goat in honey glaze.”)  The small and medium goats talk their way out of being eaten, and the big goat…well, readers are in for a surprise and will also enjoy seeing the fate of the troll.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  One can never rule out a Caldecott for Jon Klassen, and I love how the illustrations grow from a small strip at the bottom of the first page to a full-page spread when the big goat does his thing.  Kids will love the story, too, with its funny troll and just enough disgusting details thrown in.

Cons:  Barnett and Klassen’s books never really grab me until I read them to actual children, which I haven’t had a chance to do with this one yet.  The kids’ delight makes me appreciate each book much more than when I read it on my own.