Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanis, illustrated by Tracy Subisak

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Amah Faraway: Greanias, Margaret Chiu, Subisak, Tracy: 9781547607211: Amazon.com: Books

Amah Faraway Book Review |

Summary:  Kylie is nervous about visiting Amah in Taipei.  Even though they connect by computer every Saturday, it’s not the same as visiting in person.  At first, Amah leads the way, preparing a big dinner for extended family and sharing her beloved Taipei while Kylie hangs back.  A visit to the hot springs proves to be the turning point, and soon Kylie is comfortable enough to take the lead in exploring the city.  Everyone is sad when the visit is over, but now those online Saturday calls are more meaningful, and visits are exciting.  Includes notes from the author and illustrator and additional information about the places in Tapei that are shown in the book; endpapers include Chinese words for different objects.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A celebration of intergenerational relationships, especially those that have to overcome a geographical barrier.  Kids everywhere will relate to Kylie’s initial shyness that eventually blossoms into a contagious enthusiasm.  Chinese words are cleverly woven into the text via cartoon bubbles. The trip to the hot springs divides the book into two parts; the sentences in the first part are repeated in reverse order in the second part.

Cons:  I felt like the title of this book should have been “Amah Far Away”, which led me to the realization that I’m not clear on the far away/faraway distinction.

Where Is Bina Bear? by Mike Curato

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Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Where Is Bina Bear?: Curato, Mike, Curato, Mike: 9781250762207: Amazon.com: Books

Where Is Bina Bear?

Summary:  Tiny Rabbit is having a big party, but Bina Bear is nowhere to be found…or is that Bina with a lampshade on his head?  “No.  I am not Bina.  I am a lamp.”  Other strange objects that vaguely resemble a blue bear start appearing around the house: a table, a tree, a chair, and a bookcase.  Finally, Tiny finds Bina in the kitchen with a grocery bag on his head.  “Are you okay?” asks Tiny.  “I’m fine,” replies Bina, but when Tiny removes the bag, there’s a tear in Bina’s eye.  It turns out Bina doesn’t like parties.  “Then why did you come?” asks Tiny.  “Because I like you,” says Bina.  When the rest of the party guests head to the kitchen looking for Bina and Tiny, the only find two lamps and decide to head back to the party.  The last page shows the two lamps dancing with the rest of the group. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fun book that will appeal to both the introverts who struggle with large social gatherings and their friends who work to understand them.

Cons:  Do not try dancing with a lampshade over your head.

Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Jessie Hartland

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Paula Wiseman Books

Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution: Stanley, Diane, Hartland, Jessie: 9781534461406: Amazon.com: Books

Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution: Stanley, Diane, Hartland, Jessie: 9781534461406: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Growing up in the Garden State, Alice Waters enjoyed fresh produce from her family’s backyard.  In college, a semester abroad introduced her to the wonders of French cuisine, which she tried to duplicate for her friends when she returned home.  After graduation, she bought an old house that she fixed up and turned into Chez Panisse, a restaurant that served a single meal each night.  The restaurant was a huge success, but Alice struggled to find the fresh ingredients she remembered from her childhood and her trip to France.  She traveled through northern California, looking for small farms where food was produced in traditional ways. Using this food in her restaurant helped start the movement toward local food that is popular today.  Includes two pages of additional information, including Alice’s work with schools to produce local fresh food; a timeline, and a bibliography.  48 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  This quirky book perfectly captures the spirit of Alice Waters’ restaurant, where the staff would dance late into the night after the diners left and a friend once cooked and ate his shoe after losing a bet.  The mouth-watering descriptions of fresh food may even entice kids to eat their vegetables.

Cons:  Like Alice, I grew up in Chatham, New Jersey and ate produce from my father’s backyard garden all summer; unlike her, I did not turn out to be a world-class restaurateur or even a particularly good cook.  

Hide and Go Beak (The Great Mathemachicken, book 1) by Nancy Krulik, illustrated by Charlie Alder

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Published by Pixel + Ink

Amazon.com: The Great Mathemachicken 1: Hide and Go Beak: 9781645950325: Krulik, Nancy, Alder, Charlie: Books

Summary:  Chirpy is an adventurous chicken, who, unlike her siblings, wonders about life outside the coop.  One day, the kids who feed the chickens leave the gate open for a minute, and Chirpy sees her chance.  She escapes from the coop and ends up following the kids on to the school bus.  At school, she’s fascinated by lessons on simple machines and counting by twos.  Returning home, she discovers that her brother Clucky has followed her lead and escaped the coop.  A fox is rumored to be on the loose, and the chickens are anxious to help Clucky get safely home.  Chirpy uses her new STEM skills to lead a team of chickens in making a fox trap.  When Clucky comes running with the fox hot on his tail, the chickens spring into action and trap the fox under a basket.  Safely back at home, they congratulate Clucky and name her The Great Mathemachicken.  Includes instructions for making a wheel-and-axle whirly-swirly toy.  96 pages; grades 1-3.  

Pros:  With 11 chapters, this will make beginning readers feel like they’re reading a “real” chapter book, yet the large font and plentiful illustrations make it a manageable task.  Chirpy is a bold heroine who proves the value of learning about STEM topics.

Cons:  I struggled to spell “mathemachicken”.

Playing With Lanterns by Wang Yage, illustrated by Zhe Chengliang, translated by Helen Wang

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Published by Amazon Crossing

Playing with Lanterns: Yage, Wang, Chengliang, Zhu, Wang, Helen: 9781542029841: Amazon.com: Books

Welcoming the New Year with a blog tour: Playing with Lanterns – Mom Read It

Summary:  Zhao Di and her friends live in northern China, where the new year is celebrated for 15 days.  A highlight is the lanterns, traditionally given by uncles, that are lit and carried through the dark nights.  The children gather each night, chasing each other, waving their lanterns, and enjoying fireworks.  On day 15, Zhao Di feels sad that the holiday is coming to an end.  The lanterns are smashed and burned.  The next night, Zhao Di misses going out with her friends, but remembers that the new year will be celebrated again next year.  Includes an author’s note with additional information about the Lunar New Year and the lantern tradition.  40 pages, ages 4-8.

Pros:  Another good resource for the Lunar New Year, this one translated from the original Chinese.  The illustrations celebrate the color and magic of the lanterns.

Cons:  The first three pages of the story are in the first person (“We spent the first day of the new year at home.”); after that it switches to Zhao Di’s third person narrative for the rest of the book, which felt like an unnecessarily awkward transition.

Friends Are Friends Forever by Dane Liu, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield

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Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Friends Are Friends, Forever: Liu, Dane, Scurfield, Lynn: 9781250778185: Amazon.com: Books

Friends Are Friends, Forever

Summary:  Dandan finds out her family is moving just days before Lunar New Year.  She and her best friend Yueyue try to enjoy every moment of the celebration.  They stuff themselves with Nainai’s delicious dumplings.  When the grown-ups start to play cards, the two girls make red paper snowflakes, put them in pans of water, and set them outside, where they see fireworks in the night sky.  The next morning, they hang their frozen snowflakes from trees, and Yueyue gives Dandan red paper to take with her.  Dandan struggles in her new home, feeling lonely as she tries to learn English.  Her classmates laugh at her when she wears a silk dress on her birthday, but one girl, Christina, compliments the dress.  Soon the two girls are friends, and Dandan invites Christina over for Lunar New Year.  She pulls out Yueyue’s gift, and the girls make snowflakes and put them in the freezer.  The next morning, they hang them on a tree outside, and Dandan remembers Yueyue’s parting words, “Friends are friends, forever.”  Includes an author’s note about Lunar New Year and her own experiences moving from China to the U.S. and instructions for making snowflakes.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A heartwarming story of immigration and cherished friendships in the old home and the new, just in time for Lunar New Year (today).  The cartoon-style illustrations add a light note.

Cons:  Kids might struggle to cut paper that’s been folded four times, as per the snowflake instructions.

Black history book list

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Just in time for Black History Month, I have created a list of 65 picture books about Black history, including biographies, nonfiction, and historical fiction, with links to my reviews. You can find the list here or go to “Book Lists” near the top of the blog home page. When you move your cursor over that, a menu of all the book lists I’ve created will appear and you can click on “Black History”. There are so many great books on this list, and I hope you will find something there that inspires you to share!

Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Versify

Just Right Jillian: Collier, Nicole D.: 9780358434610: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Jillian is smart and a talented weaver, but her shyness holds her back from showing others who she really is.  Things have been even harder since her beloved grandmother died, and the promise she made to Grammy to be herself weighs heavily on Jillian.  Deciding to compete in her school’s Mind Bender competition forces her to begin to emerge from her shell, a process that is paralleled by the eggs developing in her classroom’s incubator. When Mama gets sick and Jillian misses a crucial day of competition, she is forced to make a decision to either drop out and fade into the background or to stand up for her right to be part of the tournament.  As the chicks begin to hatch out of their eggs, the real Jillian emerges and gets to enjoy the rewards that come from courageously being herself.  224 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  I’m always appreciative of middle grade books that feature an elementary school kid.  Readers in fourth and fifth grade will definitely relate to Jillian and her classmates, and the more introverted ones will be inspired by Jillian’s journey.

Cons:  Jillian tells us that her school has given up “those scary standardized tests in May” in favor of the optional (and fun) Mind Bender competition…if only this were an actual possibility for any 21st century US public school.

Who Are Your People? by Bakari Sellers, illustrated by Reggie Brown

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Published by Quill Tree Books

Who Are Your People?: Sellers, Bakari, Brown, Reggie: 9780063082854: Amazon.com: Books

Who Are Your People? – HarperCollins

Summary:  “When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, ‘Who are your people?’ and ‘Where are you from?’”  A father sets out to give his two children some answers to those questions, explaining that their people were strong and smart; fighters and activists.  The illustrations show the faces of well-known Black activists, as well as Black people working in cotton and sugarcane fields and participating in protests at lunch counters and marches.  The last few pages celebrate a supportive community that allows the kids to dream about the ways they will change the world.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  My school celebrates Black History Month with guest readers in every classroom, and I’ve been looking for books for the younger kids.  This one is perfect, not shying away from the troubling aspects of Black history, but also emphasizing the strength and resilience of the community.

Cons:  Some back matter with additional information about the people and incidents in the illustrations would have made this a more useful resource for both younger and older kids.

Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo

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Published by Tommy Nelson

Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth: Duncan, Alice Faye, Bobo, Keturah A.: 9781400231256: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth eBook : Duncan, Alice Faye, Bobo, Keturah A.: Kindle Store

Summary:  When Opal Lee’s great grandson asks her for a story, she looks around their Juneteenth celebration and tells the kids the history of the holiday. People in Texas didn’t learn about the end of slavery until almost a year and a half after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  Juneteenth marks the day they found out, and the celebration that happened when they did.  “What was Juneteenth like when you were a kid?” the children then want to know. Opal Lee tells them of her segregated childhood, and how her family’s new house was burned down in 1939. But, she assures them, she has continued and will continue to work for freedom as long as she needs them.  As the children run off to play, she reminds them, “Freedom is for everyone.  Juneteenth is YOU and ME.”  Includes a recipe for Juneteenth Red Punch, a Juneteenth timeline, additional information about Opal Lee and Juneteenth, and a list of sources.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  With Juneteenth being a new national holiday, librarians and teachers will be looking for excellent educational resources like this one.  Opal Lee’s easygoing storytelling imparts a lot of information, aided by the bright, colorful illustrations that portray a diverse crowd of kids at the Juneteenth celebration.

Cons:  The author’s note mentions Opal Lee’s walk across the United States from 2016 to 2020 to collect signatures for a petition to make Juneteenth a national holiday.  She was 94 when President Biden signed legislation to make this happen.  I wish there had been more information about that walk, which sounds like a fascinating piece of history.