Ninita’s Big World: The True Story of a Deaf Pygmy Marmoset by Sarah Glenn Marsh, illustrations by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Clarion Books

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Summary:  Ninita is a pygmy marmoset, the smallest kind of monkey in the world, who was born deaf and abandoned by her parents after a few weeks.  Rescued by humans, she found a new home at the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida, where she thrived. Eventually, she was introduced to a male pygmy marmoset, Mr. Big, and the two now live together at the Foundation.  Includes additional information about pygmy marmosets and the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, along with a couple of photos of Ninita. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This cute animal story with its messages of love and friendship will undoubtedly appeal to a wide variety of young readers.  

Cons:  There’s quite a bit of anthropomorphism, e.g., “Ninita wished she had a marmoset friend to share her adventures.”

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Make a Wish, Henry Bear by Liam Francis Walsh

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Roaring Brook Press

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Summary:  Why do Henry Bear’s parents insist on keeping him up late at night, feeding him chocolate cake three times a day, and suggesting he stay home from school to watch TV?  Turns out Henry made a wish on his last birthday that his parents could be more fun. It’s been a year now, and Henry is ready to go back to some rules. When he finally gets to school on his birthday (late, thanks to Mom and Dad), he meets a new girl, Marjani, and invites her to to his house, where they discover, to Henry’s horror, that they’re having candy instead of cake for his birthday dinner.  With no candles to blow out, is Henry doomed to have another year of fun parents? Marjani just might have the solution. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  There’s a moral to this story, but it comes wrapped in a beautifully illustrated (Henry’s city is inspired by Ticino, Switzerland) and humorous package, that kids won’t mind at all.  

Cons:  If Henry’s new birthday wish doesn’t come true, Mom and Dad Bear might be getting a visit from the child welfare authorities.

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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

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Published by Henry Holt and Co.

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Summary:  Ever since her mother and two sisters were killed in a car accident, Coyote and her father, Rodeo, have been traveling around the U.S. in an old school bus.  Rodeo declares anything that would remind them of their past a “no-go”, but when Coyote hears from her grandmother that a park near her old home is being destroyed, she is determined to go back there.  It turns out that, shortly before the accident, Coyote, her mom, and her sisters buried a memory box in the park. Coyote has to figure out a way to get Rodeo back to their hometown without revealing her motivation for doing so.  As they travel from Florida to Washington, they pick up an interesting assortment of people and animals who make the trip with them and become part of Coyote’s conspiracy to get back home. As they slowly make their way, Rodeo and Coyote have to both finally face the tragedy that befell their family and start to come to terms with their grief.  352 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A fun cast of characters and a comedy of errors road trip make this an engaging story that also tugs on the heartstrings.  I have seen this mentioned on a few Newbery lists.

Cons:  The journey was fun, but once Coyote got back home, the search for the memory box got bogged down in some pretty mawkish sentimentality, something I though marred two other Gemeinhart books I’ve read, The Honest Truth and Good Dog.

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Hector: A Boy, A Protest, and the Photograph That Changed Apartheid by Adrienne Wright

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Published by Page Street Kids

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Summary:  In 1976, Hector Pieterson was an ordinary 12-year-old boy living in Soweto, South Africa.  He went to school, played soccer, did chores, and hung out with his friends. On June 16, he went to school like he did every day; when he got there, he discovered a student demonstration going on to protest a new law forcing them to have half their lessons in Afrikaans instead of English.  A single moment is shown from three different perspectives: Hector, his older sister Antoinette, and Sam Nzima, the photojournalist who took a picture of Hector getting shot by police. The police confiscated all the film, but Sam managed to hide a roll in his sock. His picture of Hector’s lifeless body appeared in The World newspaper the next day, ending Sam’s career, but opening up the eyes of the world to apartheid in South Africa.  48 pages; grades 3-8.

Pros:  I didn’t know this story, and was shocked when Hector was killed at the end of it, much as Hector’s family must have been shocked by the turn of events on June 16, 1976.  This is an important book for American kids, many of whom are probably unfamiliar with South African apartheid.

Cons:  It’s difficult to know what ages to recommend this for.  It definitely could be disturbing to younger kids, and would be best read with some adult discussion.

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Popcorn Country: The Story of America’s Favorite Snack by Cris Peterson, Photographs by David R. Lundquist

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Published by Boyds Mills Press

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Summary:  Who can resist a bowl of buttery, salty popcorn?  It’s one of the top snacks in the U.S., this book tells us, with an annual consumption of four and a half billion gallons.  If you’ve ever wondered how the popcorn gets to your movie theater, you’ll find some answers here, beginning in the Corn Belt, where over ninety million acres of corn are grown each year.  You’ll learn about the different types of corn, how popcorn is processed, and what causes the hard kernels to explode into the light, fluffy snack. There’s a brief history of popcorn at the end, along with a list of books and websites for further research.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The straightforward writing with kid-friendly explanations (“plants that stretch so tall that they could tickle the chin of a young giraffe”) and lots of photos showing a diverse group of kids make this a great nonfiction choice for preschool and early elementary ages.

Cons:  I guess it’s unknowable, but I’ve always wondered how the first consumers of popcorn figured out that those hard kernels could pop.  This book doesn’t offer any speculation on that.

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Groundbreaking Guys: 40 Men Who Became Great By Doing Good by Stephanie True Peters, illustrated by Shamel Washington

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Summary:  From John Stuart Mill to Kendrick Lamar, these 40 men have become great by being good people.  As the author states in her introduction, “These men served their communities. They treated people with respect.  They lifted up others. They chose to listen and to care, even when doing so meant giving up control or feeling nervous or standing out.”  The men are from a variety of countries, mostly the United States and Great Britain, but also others like Japan, China, and Bangladesh. They contributed in all sorts of areas, including politics, literature, art, and music.  Some names will undoubtedly be familiar to readers, while others will be new, but all will inspire and possibly lead to further research. Includes source notes for each subject. 96 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  There have been a lot of collective biographies of women lately, so it’s nice to see this collection of interesting men, particularly with the theme of men who contributed positively to the world.  Each profile has a head shot of the subject. The interesting profiles and endnotes would make this a great resource to begin a biography research project.

Cons:  A timeline would have been a nice addition.

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The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Sarah Jacoby

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Published by Balzer + Bray

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Summary:  “The important thing about Margaret Wise Brown is that she wrote books.”  And some of the important things about this book about Margaret Wise Brown are that it’s 42 pages because she lived 42 years.  That it celebrates the quirkiness of both Brown and her books. That the illustrations pay homage to many of Brown’s works. That critics of her works are humorously but firmly put in their place (Anne Carroll Moore, New York City’s children’s librarian, does not fare well here).  That you may not learn everything there is to know about Margaret Wise Brown, but you will learn interestingly odd facts like that every copy of the first edition of Little Fur Family were covered in fur.  That “sometimes you find a book that feels as strange as life does…Margaret Wise Brown wrote books like this, and she wrote them for children, because she believed children deserve important books.”  42 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  Mac Barnett is not afraid to go way outside the box in this picture book that pays tribute to Margaret Wise Brown, her art, and her books.  It is full of the kinds of details that kids will love, like the fact that, as a child, Brown skinned one of her pet rabbits after it died and wore the pelt around her neck.  Or that she bought every flower on a flower cart after selling her first book, then had a big party in her flower-filled house. Any readers who aren’t familiar with Brown’s books will want to go looking for them after reading this one.

Cons:  Some will definitely find this book odd.  On the other hand, isn’t that kind of the point?

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Enemy Child: The Story of Norman Mineta, a boy imprisoned in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II by Andrea Warren

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Published by Margaret Ferguson Books

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Summary:  Norman Mineta spent his first decade living a happy middle class life with his family in San Jose.  His father sold insurance and his mother was a housewife. Both his parents were born in Japan, but second-generation Norm felt very much an American.  After World War II started, though, all Japanese Americans were seen as suspect, and in May of 1942, the Mineta family was forced to leave behind their home and business for the Heart Mountain Internment Camp in Wyoming.  They were more fortunate than most: Norm’s father eventually got a job in Chicago, and after a little over a year in the camp, the family was able to relocate there. They rented their San Jose house, and moved back at the end of the war.  During his time at the camp, Norm met a local boy named Alan Simpson at a Boy Scout gathering; the two became friends, and later reunited when both served in Congress as adults. Extensive back matter tells more about the Japanese American experience during World War II and lists many resources for further research.  224 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  The story of Norm’s journey from a seemingly all-American childhood to being held prisoner by his own country is an eye-opening one that is told in terms many young readers will relate to.  The Mineta family’s unwavering optimism and courage is inspiring.  Andrea Warren should receive some Sibert award consideration.

Cons:  It would have been interesting and informative to hear more details about some of the Japanese American families who didn’t fare so well at the end of the war.

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The Girl Who Named Pluto: The Story of Venetia Burney by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Elizabeth Haidle

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Schwartz + Wade

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Summary:  Growing up in Oxford, Venetia Burney loved learning.  Her grandfather, the former head librarian at Oxford University, encouraged her curiosity.  When Grandfather shared a news item with 11-year-old Venetia about the discovery of a new planet beyond Neptune, she thought of how frozen, dark, and lifeless it must be.  It reminded her of the underworld in Greek mythology, and so she suggested naming it Pluto. Her grandfather sent a letter with her suggestion in it to a friend at the Royal Astronomical Society; he liked it, and eventually the name was voted on by astronomers.  Fast forward more than 70 years later: on the day before her 89th birthday, Venetia, still active and curious, gets an invitation to the Observatory Science Centre, where she finally gets a chance to see the planet she named. Includes an author’s note with additional information about Venetia and Pluto–including the change in its designation from plant to dwarf planet–and a bibliography. 40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  A fun story for kids learning about space; they will be inspired to hear how a planet was named by a kid, albeit one with a wealthy, connected grandfather.

Cons:  I think we all still feel a little sad about the fate of former planet Pluto.

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Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Paneleakos

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Published by Wendy Lamb Books

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Summary:  Nova and her older sister Bridget have been in the foster care system for years.  To Nova, Bridget has been like a mother: she’s five years older, and Nova is autistic with limited verbal abilities.  As the story opens, Nova is counting down the days until the 1986 launching of the space shuttle Challenger, not only because she and Bridget are huge NASA fans, but also because Bridget is missing and has promised to watch the launch with Nova.  Nova is with a new foster family who finally seem to understand and appreciate her, and she’s placed in a sixth grade classroom where she begins to thrive.  Her story is told in chapters that alternate between third-person narration and letters that Nova writes to Bridget–they appear mostly as scribbles to others but are meaningful to her.  When Nova sees the Challenger explode on TV, she finally understands what has happened to Bridget; it’s a sad day, but one that sets her on a path of hope for the future.  Includes an author’s note with more details on the Challenger and autism, which she herself has.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Readers will gain some amazing insights into the mind of a nonverbal protagonist that may shift their assumptions about kids with autism.  There’s some depressing stuff about kids in foster care, particularly kids with special needs, but Nova’s final foster parents are nothing short of heroic.

Cons:  Another 2019 middle grade novel with themes of grief and loss.  Yay.

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