Picture books

Stink Fights, Earwax, and Other Marvelous Mammal Adaptations by Laura Perdew, illustrated by Katie Mazeika

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Published by Nomad Press (released August 13)

Stink Fights, Earwax, and Other Marvelous Mammal Adaptations by ...

Stink Fights, Earwax, and Other Marvelous Mammal Adaptations ...

Summary:  Beginning with four haiku about adaptation, the author then moves to a one-page explanation of what animal adaptation is.  From there, it’s a look at individual animals who have interesting adaptations:  ring-tailed lemurs’ stink fights and whales’ earwax from the title, as well as elephants’ ears, star-nosed moles’ noses, giant anteaters’ tongues, and more.  Each two-page spread includes an illustration and a few sentences describing the adaptation and how it helps that animal.  Includes an activity to explore how humans adapt; a page called “Connections” which is a list of fun facts about mammals; and a glossary.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fun introduction to animal adaptation (specifically mammals) with playful illustrations and facts that are sure to pique the interest of young readers.

Cons:  There’s not a lot of information or additional resources; some facts, like “Elephants have an excellent sense of smell” don’t get any additional explanation.

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Accordionly by Michael Genhart, illustrated by Priscilla Burris

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Magination Press

Accordionly: Abuelo and Opa Make Music: Genhart PhD, Michael ...

Summary:  The narrator of the story has two grandfathers who love to play their accordions, Abuelo in a mariachi band, and Opa in a polka band.  The boy’s family loves going to performances or listening to each grandfather play at his own home.  The first time the grandfathers get together, though, there are a lot of awkward silences.  The two men don’t speak the same language and can’t seem to find anything they have in common.  Finally, the boy gets out both accordions, and the grandfathers joyously connect over music–music the entire family gets to enjoy.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A short and sweet story to celebrate diversity in families and the power of the universal language of music.

Cons:  It seemed unlikely that both grandfathers would have brought their accordions to their first get-together with the whole family.

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111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl by Rina Singh, illustrated by Marianne Ferrer (CitizenKid series)

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Published by Kids Can Press (Released October 6)

111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl by ...

Summary:  Growing up in India, Sundar Paliwal watched his mother as she spent hours fetching water, cried over her hungry children, and ultimately died of a snakebite when he was still a child.  As an adult, he worked in a marble factory and witnessed the environmental devastation this work caused.  When his oldest daughter died, he planted trees in her memory.  This gave him the idea to plant 111 trees to honor any girl born in his village.  There were celebrations whenever a boy was born, and Sundar believed that girls should be celebrated as well.  After winning an election to be head of the village, Sundar put his many ideas into practice, and today, there is plenty of food and water, and girls go to school with boys until they are 18.  He continues to plant 111 trees any time a girl is born.  Includes five pages of back matter with additional information, photos, and ways kids can help Sundar’s work.  36 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  I’m a huge fan of the CitizenKid books and review them whenever I can (look for another one coming soon).  Like others in the series, this one profiles a real person who has made a difference in a part of the world American kids may not know much about.  It also empowers kids to see how an ordinary person can do extraordinary things in their community, and gives them ways that kids can contribute.

Cons:  I’d like to see a world map in all the CitizenKid books showing where the story takes place.

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Bright Dreams: The Brilliant Ideas of Nikola Tesla by Tracy Dockray

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Published by Capstone Editions (released August 1)

Bright Dreams: The Brilliant Ideas of Nikola Tesla by Tracy ...

Bright Dreams: The Brilliant Ideas of Nikola Tesla by Tracy ...

Summary:  Growing up in the 19th-century Austrian empire, Nikola Tesla was fascinated by electricity and dreamed of studying engineering.  Although his father wanted him to become a priest, Nikola eventually got his way.  He was so focused on his questions about electricity, though, that he flunked out of engineering school.  Tesla eventually emigrated to America, where he worked with both Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to develop his ideas about AC (alternating current) electricity.  In spite of his brilliance, Nikola lacked the social and business skills to make his inventions a success, and died a poor man at the age of 86.  His life and ideas have experienced a revival in recent years, including the naming of the Tesla car.  Includes a timeline, bibliography, and additional sources of information.  32 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  This is a good introduction to Nikola Tesla’s life, and would serve as a good starting point for research for elementary kids.  Plenty of sidebars help explain some of the more technical aspects of Tesla’s work.  

Cons:  Thomas Edison sounds like a pretty terrible person.

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Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi

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Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me: Greenfield, Eloise, Abdollahi ...

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me: Greenfield, Eloise, Abdollahi ...

Summary:  When Jace and his family get a new puppy, they want to give him a cute name, but the puppy informs them that he’s too deep for that.  Jace gives him the name Thinker, and Thinker lives up to his new name, creating poems for all kinds of situations.  Jace tells the dog that he has to be quiet in public, but sometimes Thinker can’t hold back, like when Jace takes him to school for pets’ day.  Most of the poems are in Thinker’s voice, with Jace chiming in occasionally, and most are free verse, with one haiku and one rap.  Includes an author’s note with some additional thoughts about poetry.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This is a fun and accessible introduction to poetry for young kids with bold, colorful collage illustrations.  

Cons:  The title made me think that Jace would be the narrator.  The fact that Thinker could apparently talk in what otherwise appeared to be a realistic setting was a little confusing to me.

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The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann

~ Janet Dawson ~ 6 Comments

Published by Candlewick

The Camping Trip: Jennifer K. Mann: 9781536207361: Amazon.com: Books

The Camping Trip: Jennifer K. Mann: 9781536207361: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Ernestine has never been camping, but when her Aunt Jackie invites her to go with her and her cousin Samantha, she’s sure she’s going to love it.  Aunt Jackie and Samantha seem to be experienced campers, sending Ernestine a packing list in advance.  When they get to the campsite, things turn out to be a little different from what Ernestine is expecting.  The lake full of fish is different from the swimming pool back home, putting up a tent is not as easy as building a blanket fort, and tofu hot dogs with broccoli salad are not exactly what Ernestine is craving for dinner.  But it’s fun to explore nature on a hike (even if the hills are a bit steeper than what she’s used to), and the s’mores are delicious.  When homesickness hits at bedtime, Aunt Jackie takes the girls out to gaze at the stars until they’re both sleepy enough for bed.  A pancake breakfast rounds out the camping trip, and when Ernestine gets home, she decides she loves camping and is ready to go again.  56 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  Ernestine is a likeable guide to the camping experience for beginners with the G. Brian Karas-inspired illustrations showing what she is telling.  The whole book would serve as a good intro to kids who are about to embark upon their first excursion into the wilderness.

Cons:  As someone who camped out of the back of a van with my family for as long as three weeks (in tents), I’d like to give Aunt Jackie some packing tips.  There’s no excuse for having your car so full you can hardly close the hatchback for an overnight camping trip with three people.

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A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Nina Crews

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Published by Millbrook Press

A Girl Like Me: Johnson, Angela, Crews, Nina: 9781541557772 ...

A Girl Like Me: Johnson, Angela, Crews, Nina: 9781541557772 ...

Summary:  Angela Johnson’s poem and Nina Crews’ photographs follow three girls who share their dreams…which are not always enthusiastically received by others.  They’ve dreamed of flying, walking over tall buildings, and swimming deep in the ocean, but some people tell them to keep their feet on the ground and be like everyone else.  They persist, though, dressing up and leading a parade of girls through the streets and to the ocean, because “a girl like me should always be thinking way up high and making everything better than the dream”.  The last two pages include thumbnail photos of all the girls who appear in the book, sharing what they like and what their dreams are.  32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  Nina Crews’s intriguing photo collage illustrations really bring this poem to life, making it a perfect companion to Seeing Into Tomorrow, the book of poems by Richard Wright that she illustrated with photos featuring boys.  The last two pages make a nice discussion starter to talk about hopes and dreams for the future.

Cons:  I didn’t quite get this book the first time I read it, and had to go back and read it more carefully, with special attention to the illustrations.

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Boxitects by Kim Smith

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Clarion Books

Boxitects: Smith, Kim: 9781328477200: Amazon.com: Books

Boxitects – Kim Smith

Summary:  Meg is a boxitect who loves to create all kinds of structures from cardboard boxes.  Her mother signs her up for Maker School so she can be with other kids who like to build and create.  At first, Meg is the only boxitect, and enjoys this distinction among the blanketeers, egg-cartoneers, and spaghetti-tects.  But one day, Simone shows up in class.  Simone is another boxitect, and pretty soon a rivalry develops between the two of them.  Things come to a head at the school’s Maker Match, when the two are put on a team.  Not wanting to work together, they divide their space in half and each compete to see whose structure can be bigger and better.  This results in disaster, and they have to work together to salvage anything from their original design.  They don’t get first place, but together they make something pretty cool…and each one also makes a new friend.  Includes four pages showing why cardboard is a good building material and giving directions to build a tunnel and castle from cardboard boxes.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a perfect introduction to any kind of maker session for young kids, with a nice emphasis on teamwork and friendship.

Cons:  The ending was pretty predictable from the moment Simone showed up.

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Remembering Ethan by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop

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Published by Magination Press

Remembering Ethan: Newman, Lesléa, Bishop, Tracy Nishimura ...

Remembering Ethan by Lesléa Newman

Summary:   Sarah misses her big brother, Ethan, but any time she says his name, her parents tell her not to talk about him, or turn away from her.  She interprets this to mean they don’t miss him as much as she does, and thinks that only their cat, who carries around one of Ethan’s old socks and sleeps on his bed, remembers her brother.  When she shows her mother a picture she’s drawn of Ethan giving her and Buttons a piggyback ride, Mom bursts into tears and runs out of the room, her father close behind.  Sarah is sure her parents are mad at her, but later they assure her that they are just sad.  The three of them spend some time looking at pictures of Ethan in their photo album and share some happy memories of him.  Includes a note to readers by Elizabeth McCallum, PhD about helping children cope with the loss of a sibling.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This gentle and realistic look at a child’s grief and how a family copes with the loss of a child would make an excellent addition to any family therapist’s bookshelf.

Cons:  This is definitely a book that adults and children should read together, allowing plenty of time for discussion and questions.

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Under My Tree by Muriel Tallandier, illustrated by Mizuho Fujisawa, translated by Sarah Klinger

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Blue Dot Kids Press

Under My Tree: Tallandier, Muriel, Fujisawa, Mizuho, Klinger ...

Under My Tree: Tallandier, Muriel, Fujisawa, Mizuho, Klinger ...

Summary:  When Susanne visits her grandparents’ house in the country one summer, she makes friends with a tree she and her grandmother meet in the woods.  Each time she visits, Susanne makes a new discovery.  She’s initially drawn to the tree because of baby birds nesting in it.  Later on, she hugs it, climbs it, and discovers insects crawling up and down its trunk.  When she sees the leaves changing color, she knows it’s time for her visit to end.  She and her mother have one last visit with the tree that includes a hug and gathering a leaf to remember her tree all winter.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This lovely introduction to trees includes “Did you know?” and “Try this” sidebars on many of the pages to share additional facts and encourage kids to interact with their own trees.  The illustrations highlight the tree with beautifully colored leaves, and both story and picture will make readers want to head for the woods.

Cons:  Once again, a missed opportunity for back matter, which could have included all sorts of additional information and resources about trees.

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