Fish and Sun by Sergio Ruzzier

August 5, 2021August 26, 2021 ~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by HarperAlley

Fish and Sun (I Can Read Comics Level 1): Ruzzier, Sergio, Ruzzier, Sergio: 9780063076648: Amazon.com: Books

Fish and Sun (I Can Read Comics Level 1): Ruzzier, Sergio, Ruzzier, Sergio: 9780063076631: Amazon.com: Books

Summary: Fish thinks the ocean world is cold and boring, so he goes off to find warmth and light. At first, the world above the ocean seems to also be cold and boring, but then Sun appears! Fish loves Sun’s warmth, and is delighted when his new friend suggests they play hide-and-seek. Sun hides behind a cloud, then Fish shows how he can spit water. At the end of the day, Sun disappears, but Fish’s mom assures him that Sun will be back in the morning. Sure enough, the two friends have a happy reunion the next day, and make plans to play together for many days after that. Includes an introduction to reading comics before the story. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: Part of a new imprint (I Can Read Comics) from Harper that is sure to be a popular choice for kids starting out on their reading journey. Fish and Sun play together in a way that many young readers will recognize and enjoy.

Cons: Fish seems prone to drama. Good thing he has a patient mother.

Long Distance by Whitney Gardner

August 4, 2021October 4, 2021 ~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Long Distance: Gardner, Whitney, Gardner, Whitney: 9781534455665: Amazon.com: Books

Long Distance: Gardner, Whitney, Gardner, Whitney: 9781534455658: Amazon.com: Books

Summary: When one of Vega’s dads gets a new job, the whole family packs up and moves from Portland to Seattle. Vega’s so unhappy about leaving her best friend behind that her parents decide to send her to Camp Very Best Friend, where even the most introspective kids are guaranteed to find friends. Camp turns out to be a pretty strange place, from the odd bus ride there to the weirdly peppy counselors, but Vega does actually find herself making some friends. Good thing, too, because when she and some of the others start to make some disturbing discoveries about camp, they need to band together to figure out how to escape and make it safely home again. Although the lessons are unexpected, Vega learns plenty about friendship during her unusual summer, and winds up with a lot more friends than she started with. 320 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros: From the graphic novelist who brought you Fake Blood comes this fun summer read that celebrates friendship in all different forms. There’s some good suspense as the kids try to figure out what’s going on at camp, and a happy ending for all life forms.

Cons: Your kids may never want to go to summer camp again.

Sing With Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla/Canta Conmigo: La Historia de Selena Quintanilla by Diana López, illustrated by Teresa Martínez

August 3, 2021September 9, 2021 ~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Dial Books for Young Readers

Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla: López, Diana, Martinez, Teresa: 9780593110959: Amazon.com: Books

Canta conmigo: La historia de Selena Quintanilla (Spanish Edition): López, Diana, Martinez, Teresa: 9780593323304: Amazon.com: Books

Summary: Selena’s love of singing is obvious from the first page of this biography, in which she’s using a rolled tortilla as a microphone. She started at a young age, and by the time she was nine, she was singing in a band at the family restaurant with her siblings on drums and guitar. Hard economic times meant losing the restaurant and a move to Corpus Christi, Texas, where the family bought a bus and went on the road to perform. Wanting to connect with her audience, Selena taught herself Spanish so she could sing the much-loved Tejano songs, ultimately succeeding in the male-dominated field of Tejano music. The story ends with Selena’s final concert at the Houston Astrodome performing before over 60,000 people, inviting them to “¡Canta conmigo!” Includes author’s note with additional biographical information and a list of Selena’s studio albums. Available in both English and Spanish versions. 32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros: Another great picture book biography about Selena that can be paired with last year’s Selena: Queen of Tejano Music. This one emphasizes Selena’s hard work and how she overcame sexism and racism to succeed. With the Netflix series introducing Selena’s music to a new generation, there’s sure to be a big demand for both of these books.

Cons: Selena’s marriage is covered in one sentence, with no mention of her married name Perez, and her death is described in the author’s note simply as “she was killed on March 31, 1995”.

Forever This Summer by Leslie C. Youngblood

August 2, 2021 ~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Forever This Summer (Love Like Sky): Youngblood, Leslie C.: 9780759555204: Amazon.com: Books

Summary: In this follow-up to Love Like Sky, Georgie and her mother return to Mom’s hometown of Bogalusa, Louisiana to take care of Aunt Vie, who is losing her memory to Alzheimer’s. For many years Vie was a fixture at her diner, which is now being run by her two sisters. When Georgie finally gets permission to help at the diner, she meets Markie, a 12-year-old girl in foster care, who, despite a limb difference (she’s missing part of one arm), is able to be a better waitress than Georgie feels she can ever hope to be. When Markie asks Georgie to help her to find her real mother, Georgie finds herself in situations that push the boundaries of what she knows is right, even as she is trying to organize a talent show to raise money for Alzheimer’s. Mid-summer, her best friend Nikki comes for a visit, and Georgie finds herself in an even more delicate balancing act as she’s pulled in different directions by her old friend and her new one. As the summer ends, Georgie deals more or less gracefully with many changes and new discoveries, hopefully paving the way for book 3. Includes an author’s note with additional information about Alzheimer’s. 336 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros: Georgie’s story perfectly captures summer life in a small Southern town, with memorable characters and settings. Black history and civil rights lessons are woven seamlessly into the plot. There aren’t a lot of children’s books about Alzheimer’s, and this story does a great job portraying a character with the disease, and assuring readers that the person is still who they always were despite their memory loss.

Cons: There are also few books about characters with limb differences, and I wish there had been more about Markie’s.

Sounds Like School Spirit by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

August 1, 2021 ~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Dial Books

Sounds Like School Spirit: Fleming, Meg, Cummins, Lucy Ruth: 9780593108321: Amazon.com: 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.

The Capybaras by Alfredo Soderguit

July 31, 2021June 28, 2023 ~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Greystone Kids

The Capybaras - Kindle edition by Soderguit, Alfredo, Soderguit, Alfredo. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The Capybaras: Soderguit, Alfredo, Soderguit, Alfredo: 9781771647823: Amazon.com: Books

Summary: The chicken coop is a “safe, agreeable place” where life is “comfortable”, but a picture of a human carrying off a chicken by her legs shows readers a slightly different story. When the capybaras come to the coop, it causes quite a stir. They’re big, wet, and hairy, but it’s hunting season, and they have no place to go. So the chickens reluctantly grant them shelter, as long as they obey the rules to stay silent and to leave the chickens’ food and water alone. But one day a chick and a young capybara start playing together. When the “dangerous” capybaras protect the chick from the farm dog, everything changes, and the capybaras move into the coop with the chickens. At the end of an unsuccessful hunting season, the hunters return to an empty chicken coop. “No one ever knew what happened,” is the final sentence, followed by a spread showing the chickens roosting on the capybaras’ backs in the water, then having a serious conversation with a young lamb. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: Originally published in Venezuela, this picture book is simple and fun enough for preschoolers, but could definitely be used to start some interesting conversations with older ones. The disconnect between the text and the illustrations questions the meaning of such words as “comfortable” and “dangerous”. Delightfully subversive.

Cons: Made me really question not being vegan.

Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor by Kate Messner, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

July 30, 2021June 28, 2023 ~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Dr. Fauci | Book by Kate Messner, Alexandra Bye | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

Summary: From the time he was a boy growing up in Brooklyn, Anthony Fauci always had a curious mind. His family encouraged that, telling him to always gather evidence and keep an open mind when solving a problem. Although he wasn’t the biggest kid in the neighborhood, he learned to be competitive in sports, using speed to make up for what he lacked in stature. In 1966, Anthony became Dr. Fauci when he graduated first in his class from Cornell Medical School. Throughout his career, he studied new diseases like AIDS, West Nile virus, and, of course, COVID-19. Keeping an open mind, working with scientists around the world to gather evidence and look for solutions, Dr. Fauci worked tirelessly on the problem of COVID-19. The book ends on a positive note, with the vaccine rollout; Dr. Fauci is happy to get his vaccine, reunite with family, and get back to work on whatever problem comes along next. Includes additional information on vaccines and their safety; Dr. Fauci’s five tips for future scientists; a timeline of his life; a recommended reading list; and several photos of Anthony Fauci growing up. 48 pages; grades K-3.

Pros: A much-needed picture book biography of Dr. Fauci, along with timely information about vaccine safety. The information is straightforward, emphasizing the importance of hard work and critical thinking in the scientific world.

Cons: Probably appropriate for the age group, but the tone of the book is consistently upbeat, with none of the political controversy around Dr. Fauci touched upon.

Monster Friends by Kaeti Vandorn

July 29, 2021June 28, 2023 ~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Random House Graphics

Monster Friends: (A Graphic Novel): Vandorn, Kaeti: 9781984896827: Amazon.com: Books

Summary: Reggie is spending his summer house sitting for relatives, living by himself after what seems to have been some unsettling events in his recent past. He seems torn between enjoying his solitude and feeling lonely. When gregarious Emily the rabbit shows up, he has a good time hanging out with her. Emily’s got her own troubles with four sisters, one of whom makes fun of her for her vivid imagination. As the summer progresses, Reggie starts to make more connections and to accept that he may not be as adventurous as the best friend he left behind. By the end of the summer, he and Emily are good friends and he has decided on a new life path for himself. 272 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros: Younger graphic novel fans will love Reggie and his friends, all of them monsters with some surprising abilities. The illustrations are adorable and the “be true to yourself” message that Reggie learns is a good one.

Cons: I found the first chapter confusing.