Mother Jones and Her Army of Children by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Schwartz & Wade

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Summary:  Mother Jones tells her story, beginning with some of the things that have made her mad: conditions for coal miners in West Virginia, factory workers getting shot at for protesting for fair pay, and young children working ten-hour days in Philadelphia factories.  It was these last that inspired her to set out with 100 children on July 7, 1903, determined to march from Philadelphia to New York City, and then on to Theodore Roosevelt’s “fancy-schmancy” Long Island summer home to speak with the president himself. They traveled 100 miles in the hot summer sun, demonstrating in towns as they went.  By the time they reached New York, many of the kids had given up and gone home, but 37 of them marched in a torchlight parade up Fourth Avenue. After a trip to Coney Island, Mother Jones sent most of the children home, approaching the Roosevelt mansion with just three of the boys and two other men. They were turned away at the gate, but the Children’s Crusade had shone a spotlight on child labor, and laws began to change.  Includes an author’s note, four photos, and a bibliography. 40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  An inspiring story that will show kids the power of some unlikely people:  a 66-year-old woman and 100 poor children taken from factories. The text does a masterful job of using Mother Jones’s voice and incorporating many of her quotes into the story.  The author’s note gives full credit to Mother Jones for being instrumental in changing labor laws for both children and adults.

Cons:  Theodore Roosevelt certainly doesn’t come off too well in this story.

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Run, Sea Turtle, Run: A Hatchling’s Journey by Stephen R. Swinburne, photographs by Guillaume Feuillet

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Millbrook Press

Image result for run sea turtle run swinburneImage result for run sea turtle run swinburneSummary:  A leatherback sea turtle tells of her journey from the time she hatches out of an egg until she reaches the water.  Close-up photos show the turtle and her siblings as they emerge from their nest and race for the water. A Google search tells me that only one in 1,000 baby turtles make it to the sea, but happily we are spared seeing what happens to this turtle’s brothers and sisters.  The last page shows a fully grown leatherback emerging from the waves: “Someday I will come back to this same beach. I will lay eggs of my own.” Includes a page of information on the sea turtle life cycle; how you can help sea turtles; a link to a YouTube video of Stephen Swinburne singing a song about sea turtles (which didn’t work, but I found it by searching on YouTube); and books and websites for additional research.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Preschoolers will love the photos of turtles and enjoy learning about them from the simple text.  The extra material at the end would make this a good research resource for primary grades.

Cons:  This book is only available with a library binding, which costs $27.99 on Amazon and $21.99 on Follett. 

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Alice Across America: The Story of the First Women’s Cross-Country Road Trip by Sarah Glenn Marsh, illustrations by Gilbert Ford

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Published by Henry Holt and Co.

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Summary:  Alice Ramsay fell in love with driving the minute she slid behind the wheel of her first car.  She enjoyed it so much that she entered a two-day endurance run to test her driving skills. After the first day, a publicist for carmaker Maxwell-Briscoe asked Alice if she’d be interested in driving from New York to California to show the public that their cars were so safe and well built that even a woman could drive one across the country.  Alice agreed, inviting three friends along. Two months and 4,000 miles later the four women pulled into San Francisco, having endured muddy roads, flat tires, potholes, and a bedbug-infested hotel. Alice lived to be 96 years old, enjoying driving and the distinction of being the first woman to drive across America. Includes additional information on Alice and the history of cars; several photos; a map on the endpapers showing the route; and a selected bibliography.  48 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  A fun and informative story of cars, cross-country driving and four adventurous women.  The back matter would make this a great choice for research.

Cons:  It would have been nice to incorporate the map into the illustrations more rather than having to refer to the endpapers.

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Old Rock (Is Not Boring) by Deb Pilutti

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Published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

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Image result for old rock is not boring amazon

Summary:  Tall Pine, Spotted Beetle, and Hummingbird all think Old Rock must be bored, sitting in the same spot day after day.  But Old Rock has been around, and he has a lot more interesting stories to tell than his friends could have guessed. For instance, Hummingbird is not the only one who has flown.  When Old Rock erupted out of a volcano, he soared through the air into the world. He’s also seen dinosaurs, traveled in a glacier, and somersaulted down a mountain. Now he enjoys spending his days in the field, visited by his friends, who conclude that it’s a nice spot and that Old Rock is definitely not boring.  Includes a timeline of Old Rock’s adventures, going back 18 billion years. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A delightful story that can be appreciated on many levels: geological history, intergenerational sharing, or simply enjoying the present moment.  

Cons:  Tall Pine hardly seems in a position to give Old Rock a hard time about staying in the same spot all the time.

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Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! By Sarah Kapit

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Dial Books

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Summary:  Three years ago, Vivy Cohen met MLB player VJ Capello.  He showed her how to throw a knuckleball, and she’s practiced it almost every day since then.  When her social skills class homework is to write someone a letter, she writes to VJ about her baseball hopes and dreams.  She enjoys the experience so much that she continues to send letters telling him about her new baseball team, where she’s the only girl, and how her autism sometimes makes it difficult to be on a team.  A month later, VJ writes back, and they begin a correspondence filled with encouragement, advice, and friendship. Turns out VJ is having troubles of his own following a disastrous game 7 in the previous World Series.  Being a Black knuckleballer makes him sometims feel as much of an outsider as Vivy does. Both VJ and Vivy have to overcome obstacles that threaten to end their baseball careers, but by the end they’ve each managed to claw their way to play for another season.  336 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Who doesn’t like a good baseball story?  And this one, completely written in the format of letters, is a quick and breezy read, but still offering plenty of substance about Vivy dealing with the challenges with her autism and the team bully (who is also the coach’s son), keeping her brother’s secret about being gay, and dealing with a serious injury and a protective mom.  

Cons:  While I guess it makes sense that VJ wouldn’t write a lot of personal information to an 11-year-old girl, I still found myself wishing to know more about him and his life.

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Agent Lion by David Soman and Jacky Davis

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Published by HarperCollins

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Summary:  Agent Lion is at home “working”, when he gets a call from Ms. Chief from Headquarters.  Ms Flamingo’s cat is missing, and it’s up to Agent Lion to find him. The agent is on the case, traveling “the absolutely most direct route”, shown as a circuitous path through town that takes two hours.  When he finally arrives, he looks in the most likely hiding places, like the living room, bathroom, and refrigerator (well, he was actually looking for jelly donuts in the refrigerator). His witness interrogation results in Ms. Flamingo firing him, but she invites him to have a cup of tea before he leaves.  While she is in the kitchen, Agent Lion sits on the couch feeling terrible. He rearranges some of the pillows on the couch, only to have one purr at him. Agent Lion has solved the case! Jelly donuts all around! 40 pages; ages 4-8.  

Pros:  The creators of Ladybug Girl have come up with a new character that is sure to tickle kids’ funny bones.  It’s also a good introduction to mysteries, introducing vocabulary like detective, clues, and witnesses.

Cons:  The cat looks dead when he’s lying on Agent Lion’s lap.

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The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku Rhee, illustrated by Pascal Campion

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Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

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Image result for paper kingdom helena

Summary:  Daniel is just falling asleep when his parents get a call that his babysitter can’t come over.  They are night janitors at a large office building, so they have no choice but to bring him with them.  Daniel is sleepy and grumpy, but his parents tell him stories about the king, queen, and dragons of the paper kingdom.  While they talk, they work hard: mopping, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen. Daniel is angry that they have to clean up after the king and queen.  His papa tells him that some day he will be king, and his mama reminds him to be nice to the dragons when that day arrives. Daniel falls asleep dreaming of kings and dragons, and wakes up as he’s being tucked into bed.  An author’s note tells of her own childhood and parents that inspired this story. 40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  A heartfelt story about a family struggling to make ends meet that reminded me of Night Job by Karen Hesse.  The illustrations show a tiny living space–possibly a single room–and hardworking  but cheerful parents.  Their hopes that Daniel will have a better life are a reminder of the American dream that even the youngest readers will understand.  

Cons:  The “paper king” seems to have left about 100 sheets of paper on the floor of his conference room for the cleaners to pick up–pretty obnoxious.

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Packs: Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

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Summary:  The first four two-page spreads each contain a single word: “Packs, herds, huddles, and pods.”  Each shows a group of animals: wolves, buffalo, penguins, and whales. The text continues, “Together, we are better.”  Then there are lengthier descriptions of how different animals work together. Ants collect and store leaves as a group: “Together, we harvest!”  Wildebeest migrate together for protection: “Together, we travel!” The last two pages show a big group of humans, enjoying the streets, parks, and restaurants of a city: “All together…we are better!”  Includes an author’s note about protecting animals of all species; a picture illustrating and identifying all the animals in the book; and a list of books for further reading. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Kids will enjoy learning how animals work together and applying those lessons to their own groups, but the illustrations are what really make this book outstanding.  The first eight pages are especially spectacular. This is Hannah Salyer’s first picture book…hoping we will see many more.

Cons:  The theme of this book seemed a bit disjointed: it was about pack animals, but also seemed to be about humans working together, and then there was the author’s note about helping endangered animals.  All good things, but a single focus might have worked better.

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Cast Away: Poems for Our Time by Naomi Shihab Nye

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Published by Greenwillow Books

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Summary:  Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye has written 84 poems with the theme of trash.  Many are about found objects that she or someone else has discovered on the streets, beaches, in a trash bin, or some other location.  An eight-page introduction tells of her lifelong interest in keeping things tidy and some of the rewards she has discovered from picking up trash.  The poems are divided into five sections: Sweepings, Titters & Tatters, Odds & Ends, Willy-Nilly, and Residue. A final section gives kids ten ideas for writing, recycling, and reclaiming.  Includes an index of the poems by first lines. 176 pages; grades 5 and up.

Pros:  This is a fun topic for poetry.  Most of the poems are brief, but thought-provoking, and will inspire kids to look more closely at the world around them.

Cons:  While this seems like a collection intended for elementary students, I think many of the poems would go over the heads of most kids under the age of 10.  The introductory poem, “Taking Out the Trash” by Kamilah Aisha Moon feels more like an adult work.

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Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

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Image result for facts vs opinions vs robots

Summary:  A jolly group of robots helps readers understand the difference between fact and opinion.  The robot is green: fact. Green is a good color for a robot: opinion. The robot’s name is Bubba: we need more information.  Kids will also learn how to respect others’ opinions and not try to convince someone else that their opinion is wrong. Is it an awesome book?  Well, that’s an opinion question. But you can read it again if you want, and that’s a fact. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A timely topic for children of all ages, introduced in a way that is fun and easy to understand.  I can’t think of any other kids’ books on this topic, and it’s an important one. As an aside, Michael Rex and I grew up on the same street in Chatham, NJ (fact), and I am always delighted when I see one of his books (opinion).

Cons:  I’m pretty sure Mr. and Mrs. Rex know where I live, so I’m going to refrain from any negative feedback about their son’s book.

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