Published by Tilbury House Publishers

Summary:  When Musquon goes with Grandmother to gather sweetgrass, she has to learn how to identify it among the other grasses.  Her grandmother gives her a lesson, but at first, Musquon just pulls up handfuls of grass.  Patiently, Grandmother goes through the steps again, then reminds her granddaughter that her ancestors are there to help.  Musquon closes her eyes and imagines her grandmother as a little girl with her grandmother.  When she looks at the grasses again, she can see which blades are sweetgrass.  She reaches to pick them, but then remembers her grandmother’s words: “If we never pick the first blade, we will never pick the last one.”  Musquon picks the next blade she sees, continuing until she has enough to show her grandmother.  Grandmother praises her, then says she will next teach her how to braid the sweetgrass into baskets. Includes an author’s note with additional information about sweetgrass and the Wabanaki Confederacy, and a list of the Passamaquoddy-Maliseet words used in the text, with a dictionary website for more information.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A beautiful story that celebrates sweetgrass, the Wabanaki, ecology, and the power of handing down stories and arts from one generation to the next.

Cons:  I would have enjoyed seeing a photo of the sweetgrass.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Lucian lives with his mother in a lighthouse and loves exploring the beach, looking for what his late father used to call “faraway things”: items washed up from the sea.  One day he finds a beautiful cutlass, and hangs it on his wall, dreaming about it at night, and playing with it on the beach the next day.  In the afternoon, a ship sails into view, and when three men disembark, Lucian learns that his cutlass belongs to the captain.  The men are unhappy because their ship is stuck on a sandbar–something they couldn’t see in the dark because the lighthouse wasn’t working.  The captain makes a generous offer, though: he’ll trade Lucian anything from the ship’s treasure room for the cutlass.  Lucian rows out to the ship with the men, and chooses a new light for the lighthouse from the treasures.  The final page shows him fitting the new light into the lighthouse, its beam shining over the sea to the ship that’s sailing away. 40 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  A beautifully told and illustrated story that has just the right touch of fantasy while also subtly dealing with grief and loss.  The length and themes of the story would make it an excellent choice for reading aloud to older elementary students.

Cons:  Parts of the story are pretty ambiguous: what happened to Lucian’s father and to the lighthouse?

Published by Kokila

Summary:  After a tough week at school, Fatima is ready to enjoy her family’s first camping trip, “a great American pastime”, as her father calls it.  Dad struggles to set up the tent (grumbling in Urdu) until Fatima suggests they read the instruction manual together.  A spider terrifies Fatima and her older sister, but their no-nonsense mother takes care of things.  In the morning, they decide to try cooking bacon over a fire like other American families.  Once again, Dad struggles, but Mom, who grew up using a wood-burning stove, shows the family how to make a fire.  Fatima is sad to leave, but the new experiences have given her confidence, and she enjoys sharing stories of her trip with her classmates.  Includes an illustration with a reference to @brownpeoplecamping, the organization founded by the author. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A thorough introduction to camping through Fatima’s eyes, with the message that it’s an activity for everyone.  The family enjoys Indian food, speaks Urdu, and observes their own traditions, but also is enthusiastic to try “a great American pastime”.  Pair with The Camping Trip by Jennifer Mann.

Cons:  I felt like the story could have benefited from some editing.  The many aspects of Indian culture included in the story started to feel a little didactic.

Published by Reycraft Books

Published by Dial Books

Summary:  The year of the tree continues, with two books that make connections between humans and trees.  In The Tree Told Me, a child learns lessons from a tree, one on each two-page spread.  “The tree told me to root into the ground….The tree told me that it takes a lot of time to grow up.”  The Tree in Me is a bit more abstract.  “The tree in me is seed and blossom, bark and stump, branch and trunk, and crown!”  Like the tree, there are roots that go deep, and connect with the roots of others.  “Because there is a tree, and a sky, and a sun in me, I can see that there is also a tree…in you.”  The Tree Told Me is 24 pages; The Tree In Me is 56 pages; both recommended for ages 4-8.

Pros and cons:  The Tree in Me is poetic, with a beautiful message and gorgeous illustrations that feature a lot of bright magenta and gold.  The Tree Told Me offers simple lessons that kids will understand and may be able to build on to come up with their own ideas.  Kids may struggle a bit with the more abstract ideas of The Tree in Me, but The Tree Told Me lacks the richness and beauty of the other book. 

Published by Dial Books

Summary:  “We say BOOK, you say BAG…BOOK! BAG! BOOK! BAG! We say NAME, you say TAG…NAME! TAG! NAME! TAG! Raise your hands and move your feet.  That’s the spirit, find your seat.”  This call and response rhyming book shows a diverse group of kids and teachers enjoying the first day of school, from finding seats to eating lunch to making friends.  Students get a tour of different areas of the school, including the cafeteria, playground, gym, and bus at the end of the day.  “We’ve got class from start to end.  That’s a promise…find a friend.”  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Kids will find it just about impossible to not get caught up in the excitement of the first day with this fun interactive book.  The call and response throughout the story is sure to draw in even the shyest new kindergartener.  A great addition to the back-to-school picture book list.

Cons:  Those who subscribe to the “don’t smile before Thanksgiving” school of teaching may want to look elsewhere for a first-day-of-school book.