Picture books

Butterfly for a King by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Lee and Low Books

Image result for butterfly for a king amazon
Image result for butterfly for a king susan roth

Summary:  The isolation of the islands that make up Hawai’i means that they are home to plant and animal species that exist nowhere else on Earth.  One of these is the Kamehameha butterfly, named for the king who united all of the islands.  In 2009, a group of fifth grade students led a successful campaign to make this butterfly the state insect, hoping to bring attention to the endangered butterfly.  Soon scientists from the state and the University of Hawai’i started working together to help save the Kamehameha.  Citizen scientists helped collect data and photos.  Since then, thousands of butterflies have been raised in captivity and released all around Hawai’i.  Includes an afterword with a map and many photos; an illustrator’s note; and a list of sources.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Another excellent nonfiction book by the Sibert Medal winning team of Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbore.  Kids will be inspired by the way elementary students made a real difference in helping with an environmental issue.  The collage illustrations enhance the text, which includes information on the formation of the Hawaiian islands, the butterfly’s life cycle, King Kamehameha, and how the scientists carried out their project.

Cons:  Even with the pronunciation guides, I struggle with how to say some of the Hawaiian words.

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho

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Published by HarperCollins

Image result for eyes that kiss in the corners amazon

Summary:  “Some people have eyes like sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns,” a Chinese-American girl reflects.  “Not me.”  Her eyes “kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.”  Her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her little sister’s.  She reflects on how their eyes show their love and admiration as readers see the warm connections among all the girls and women in the family, and she concludes that all of their eyes are beautiful.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Both the text and illustrations are affirming of self-acceptance and family love, with the pictures showing beautiful spreads from Chinese folklore.

Cons:  I would have liked to have learned more about the images in an illustrator’s note.

Stella’s Stellar Hair by Yesenia Moises

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Published by Imprint

Image result for stella's stellar hair amazon
Image result for stella's stellar hair amazon

Summary:  It’s the day of the Big Star Little Gala, and Stella wants her hair to look just right.  But it’s twisting and turning, zigging and zagging, making loopity-loops and lots of curly Q’a.  Stella’s Momma sends her off to visit her aunt on Mercury.  Aunt Ofelia’s stay-smooth style isn’t quite right, so Stella goes to see Auntie Alma on Venus.  Each planetary aunt has different ideas about her hair, but none satisfies Stella.  Finally, Auntie Solana, the aunt over by the sun, has the best advice of all: just be yourself.  So Stella does her own hair, enjoying its twists, turns, and curls, and that turns out to be the best hair-do for the big event.  Includes two pages of information about the planets and why each one has its particular hairstyle.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The eye-popping art and be-yourself message are sure to resonate with anyone who’s ever had a bad hair day, and particularly celebrates Black hair.

Cons:  I still miss Pluto.

Hello, Earth! Poems to Our Planet by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Miren Asiain Lora

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Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Image result for hello earth joyce sidman
Image result for hello earth joyce sidman

Summary:  Newbery Honor poet Joyce Sidman explores different aspects of Earth in these poems addressed to the planet itself.  There’s a sense of wonder, “How can we be here, climbing trees, walking paths, staring up at constellations…and also out in deepest space?”  There are poems about volcanoes, earthquakes, jungles, and mountains.  Taken together, the poems are a love letter to Earth, and a promise to take care of the planet.  Includes six pages of additional information about each topic addressed; resources about climate change, ways kids can help, and citizen science projects; and a list of books for further reading.  68 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  This beautifully illustrated book of poems celebrates Earth and many aspects of earth science.  The poems and illustrations are accessible to kids in primary grades, and the extensive back matter makes it useful for older kids to explore further.

Cons:  Earth doesn’t seem to have any answers for all the questions.

The Beak Book by Robin Page

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Published by Beach Lane Books

Image result for beak book page
Image result for beak book page

Summary:  Each page shows a large, colorful picture of a bird, a small picture of the bird using its beak, a sentence about how the bird uses its beak and a label identifying the bird.  Beaks are used for straining, tossing, crushing, and a host of other activities.  The final bird is a baby ruddy duckling who uses its beak, as do many birds, to break out of its egg.  Includes a two-page spread showing silhouettes of each bird relative to a human, where it lives in the world, and what its diet is; also a bibliography.  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Over 20 birds are profiled, and the illustrations are striking.  Readers will be amazed at how many different uses there are for a beak.

Cons:  The information is pretty minimal; this is probably more of a read-aloud or a book to browse than something that will help much with research.

Time for Kenny by Brian Pinkney

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Published by Greenwillow

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Summary:  Kenny’s day is described in four stories: getting dressed for school; overcoming his fear of the vacuum cleaner; practicing soccer with his sister; and getting ready for bed.  Each story is marked with a colored page, the color often showing up again through that story.  The final page has Kenny sleepily climbing into bed, making this a perfect bedtime story.  40 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  Even the youngest readers will relate to Kenny’s stories which include a loving family who enjoy Kenny’s humor and reassure him about his fears.  The illustrations are deceptively simple, with the same colors and objects appearing throughout the stories.

Cons:  Bedtime also appears deceptively simple.

Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard, illustrated by Keith Mallet

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Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Image result for runaway the daring escape of ona judge
Image result for runaway the daring escape of ona judge

Summary:  The narrator addresses Ona Judge, asking her why she ran away from slavery in the home of George and Martha Washington.  As Martha’s personal slave, Ona had fine clothes, good food, and the chance to visit some of the best homes in New York and Philadelphia.  She also never had the chance to learn to read and write and was given as a gift to Martha’s “mean and sassy” granddaughter.  Ona left Philadelphia one night and escaped to New Hampshire, where she lived the rest of her life as a fugitive, despite George Washington’s efforts to bring her back to his family.  Includes an author’s note, timeline, bibliography, and a note on the text explaining the author’s poetic use of rhetorical questions.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  This haunting text explores the question of why someone who had a relatively luxurious life, but was enslaved, would leave that life behind.  The excellent back matter provides additional context.  Older students may want to move from this book to Never Caught: The Story of Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve.

Cons:  Reviews I’ve seen recommend this book for ages 3-6 or 4-8, but I think older elementary and even middle school students would find Ona’s story thought-provoking.

Dakota Crumb: Tiny Treasure Hunter by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Kelly Murphy (released July 6)

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Published by Candlewick

Image result for dakota crumb tiny treasure hunter
Image result for dakota crumb tiny treasure hunter

Summary:  It’s after hours at the big museum when a tiny creature darts out of the shadows.  It’s Dakota Crumb, mouse treasure hunter, following his map to find the treasure marked by an X.  As he travels toward his destination, he finds a few other valuable items (a postage stamp and an action figure) that he pops into his knapsack.  At last, in the Ancient Egypt exhibit, after staring down the cat statue, he finds what he came for: the valuable purple gumdrop.  His mission accomplished, Dakota hurries back to his mouse house, which turns out to be a museum in its own right.  Dakota’s treasures are on display for the crowd of animals that comes to visit in the morning.  Includes pictures of small items in the museum that Dakota did and did not find; kids can go back to the story to see if they can spot them.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  I would have loved this book so much as a kid, when I was kind of obsessed with miniature animals and creating imaginary worlds for them (okay, I still may have some of those tendencies).  The language almost rhymes, with lots of bounce and energy to match Dakota’s, and the illustrations give an excellent introduction to what’s in an art museum.  The puzzle pages at the end add to the fun.

Cons:  I didn’t quite understand where the gumdrop had been hidden.

My Day With the Panye by Tami Charles, illustrated by Sara Palacios (released March 16)

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Published by Candlewick

Image result for my day with the panye
Image result for my day with the panye

Summary:  Fallon, accompanying her mother to a Port-au-Prince market, wants desperately to carry the panye, the basket her mother and other women and girls carry on their heads.  When Fallon tries to carry it, the panye falls to the floor, and her mother reminds her to be patient: “Little by little, the bird builds its nest.”  After buying food for the family dinner and packing it into the panye, Fallon has another try at carrying it on her head, but before long the vegetables are lying in the road.  Her patient mother loads it back again, and this time Fallon is successful.  Walking tall and proud, she arrives home where she is met with the admiration of her little sister, who is now eager to try carrying the panye.  Includes an author’s note about the panye, Haiti, and her connection (her husband is from Haiti).  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Fallon and her mother serve as excellent ambassadors to introduce readers to Haiti, beautifully pictured in the colorful illustrations.  There’s also a good lesson in patience and perseverance.

Cons:  I wish there had been translations for the French (Creole?) words in the text and illustrations.

Seeing an Aurora by Elizabeth Pulford, illustrated by Anne Bannock

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Published by Blue Dot Press

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Summary:  A father wakes his child in the middle of the night.  “We’re off to find an aurora.”  They go out into a cold, snowy night.  The child is full of questions: is it scary? Are stars in the aurora? The moon?  Finally, they reach the top of a high hill, and the colors of the aurora explode all around them.  Neither speaks, but on the walk back home, Dad tells all he knows about auroras.  Includes a note entitled “Everything Dad Knew About the Aurora”.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  This beautiful book, originally published in New Zealand, captures the feel of being out on a winter’s night, and the magic of the aurora.  The colors in the illustration are gorgeous, and the information is just right for a young child.

Cons:  Although the final note mentions that auroras occur at the North Pole and South Pole, it doesn’t specify where on Earth they can be seen.  Also, a photo or two and a list of additional resources wouldn’t have been amiss.