Willows vs. Wolverines by Alison Cherry

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Aladdin

Summary:  Izzy Cervantes is apprehensive about her month at Camp Foxtail, even though her best friend Mackenzie is going with her.  Things seem a lot different from Camp Sweetwater, where Izzy has been a leader for the past several summers.  For one thing, she and Mackenzie are put in different cabins.  But she’s excited to learn that her cabin, the Willows, has a traditional prank war with the Wolverines, one of the boys’ cabins.  At Camp Sweetwater, Izzy was known as a prank queen, but the other Willows, all Foxtail veterans, don’t seem interested in her ideas.  So Izzy invents an older brother, Tomas, claiming he was a Wolverine and a pranking champion.  She pulls off a pranking victory, and finds herself in the middle of a popular group of Willows.  But their friendship comes with a price, and Izzy can’t understand why Mackenzie is acting so cool toward her.  By the end of the month, Izzy has learned a lot about friendship, telling the truth, and herself.  352 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  A highly readable summer book, filled with a host of diverse characters, and a narrator whose voice rings true.  Readers will be ready to sign up for summer camp after reading about the activities and hijinks and Camp Foxtail.

Cons:  There are a lot of characters to keep track of.

Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins

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Published by Disney-Hyperion

Summary:  Rupert the mouse has the brilliant idea to write a wordless picture book.  His friends Nibbs and Thistle want to help, but the can’t stop talking about the book.  And that means words.  They have other ideas, like about what makes a “strong” illustration (it involves lots of bicep flexing), and what characters to have in it (a strong, silent bear; a cute kitten; a cucumber?).  Finally, Rupert is so frustrated, he lets loose with a page full of words, venting to his two friends.  They inform him that he needs to be quiet in a wordless book, and he storms off in a huff.  40 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  Sure to be a hit at storytime, this is purely silliness, told mostly through the cartoon dialogue of the three mice.  Kids who enjoy this will also want to try Higgins’ previous book, Hotel Bruce, that introduces Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs.

Cons:  I love wordless picture books.

And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner, illustrated by Jaime Kim

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  The sights, smells, and sounds of summer vacation are celebrated, starting with the cookie crumbs and eraser bits cleaned out of a cubby and end-of-year hugs given on the last day of school.  Then it’s time to enjoy the Fourth of July with a parade down Main Street and fireworks at night.  Small pleasures are savored, like the ice cream truck, evening games of hide-and-seek, and lemonade stands.  When the weather gets too hot, it’s time to head out to the lake for some swimming and camping.  The family snuggles down in the tent on the last page, planning the next day’s adventure.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The brilliant acrylic paintings and cute kids will draw readers in to this happy celebration of a favorite time of year.

Cons:  Many readers will have a very different experience of summer than the idyllic, lazy-days-at-home one pictured here.

Walk With Me by Jairo Buitrago, translated by Elisa Amado, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng

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Published by Groundwood Books

Summary:  A girl asks a lion to accompany her on the way home from school.  As bystanders scream and faint, she bravely walks down the street, to the sitter’s house to pick up her younger brother, to the “store that won’t give us credit anymore”, and home to cook dinner and wait for their mother to come back from working at the factory.  As night falls, she gives the lion permission to return to the hills, “but then come back when I call”.  She, her mother, and brother all fall asleep in a single bed, a cracked wall above their heads.  The final page shows a framed photo of the whole family, including a father whose bushy blond hair resembles a lion’s mane.  35 pages; ages 4-10.

Pros:  Readers will need to study the pictures to figure out what is happening in this deceptively simple story.  Is the lion real or imaginary?  There are Spanish words in the pictures…where does this story take place?  Kids will empathize with the narrator and a life that forces her to grow up quickly.

Cons:  It felt like the text might have been more poetic in the original Spanish.  Something may have gotten lost in the translation.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney

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Published by Little, Brown

Summary:  Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney takes on another classic folktale, emphasizing the bullying aspect of troll vs. goats.  Each goat takes its turn trip-trapping over the bridge, until the biggest goat comes along.  A pullout page gives extra emphasis to his confrontation with the troll.  Pinkney explains in his author’s note that he didn’t like the traditional ending of this tale, so he has invented a new one.  It doesn’t necessarily seem like a happy ending, but a careful reader will see some troll-goat cooperation going on in the endpapers.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: Pinkney continues his string of folktale successes.  The language is perfect for a storytelling-style read-aloud, and the watercolor illustrations provide plenty of details to examine.

Cons:  That is one scary-looking troll.

Under Locker and Key by Allison K. Hymas

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Published by Aladdin

Summary:  Jeremy Wilderson calls himself the “retrieval specialist” of Scottsville Middle School–if someone steals your wallet or a teacher confiscates your phone, Jeremy will get it back without leaving a trace of evidence that he was there.  So when eighth-grader Mark hires him to find his missing key, Jeremy isn’t a bit suspicious, and it is mission accomplished within 24 hours.  But when he overhears teachers discussing the stolen master key that opens every locker in the school, he realizes that he’s been duped.  By the next day, locker robberies are sweeping the school, and Jeremy knows who is responsible.  But how can he bring down Mark without indicting himself?  There’s only one person who can help him: self-styled sixth-grade detective Becca, who also happens to be Jeremy’s #1 nemesis.  Can the two enemies come together to catch a thief?  256 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Part of Aladdin’s MAX imprint targeting middle grade boy readers (I’m guessing, since two other titles in the series are entitled I Am Fartacus and 33 Minutes Until Morgan Sturtz Kicks My Butt), this is a fun middle school adventure told in Jeremy’s humorous voice. Recommended for fans of Swindle and The Great Greene Heist.

Cons:  The plot occasionally drifts into too much talk and not enough action.

What’s Your Favorite Color? by Eric Carle and Friends

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Published by Henry Holt

Summary:  As a follow-up to What’s Your Favorite Animal?, Eric Carle and 14 other children’s book illustrators tell what their favorite color is and why.  Carle favors yellow, which should surprise no one familiar with his bright suns.  He also finds it the most challenging color to work with because it can easily become muddy.  Other illustrators cite a hue that evokes a memory or a mood.  Surprisingly, gray is the only color that was chosen twice (by Rafael Lopez and Melissa Sweet, who clarifies that it is “Maine morning gray”).  Each illustrator has created a picture to go with his or her choice.  Uri Shulevitz concludes the collection by choosing all colors.  One color may be lonely, but all together they will have a colorful party! The last two pages have thumbnail photos of each artist as a child, along with a brief biography.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This book could be used in many ways–to introduce illustrators, as an art book, or to prompt kids to write about their own favorite colors.

Cons:  Kids might not appreciate this book as much without some adult guidance.

 

The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler

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Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Between the end of day and the fall of night is the blue hour.  Blue animals from around the world are shown as they slow down for the night, or start to wake up if they are nocturnal.  A blue fox wanders through the Arctic, while poison dart frogs croak to each other from their water lilies.  Forget-me-nots, bluebells, cornflowers, and violets fill the night air with their fragrance.  As a blue whale surfaces, the last of the blue light fades, and the world moves into darkness.  Front endpapers identify 32 different shades of blue, and the back ones show where all the animals from the book live on a map of the world.  42 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The stunning illustrations, almost all in various shades of blue, are worthy of Caldecott consideration. Combined with the soothing text, they make a perfect bedtime book.

Cons:  It would have been nice to have a little information on the different animals at the end of the book.  What, for example, are vulturine guineafowl?

A Song About Myself: A Poem by John Keats, illustrated by Chris Raschka

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  At the age of 22, John Keats went on a walking tour of Scotland. He wrote a letter to his younger sister describing the trip and included this four-verse nonsense poem about “a naughty boy” who travels “to the North”, and all the things he finds when he gets there.  Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka has illustrated the poem with his usual bright paintings, including a detailed, labeled map of New York City and Scotland on the endpapers.  An author’s note at the end tells more of Keats’ life and how he came to write this poem.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  A perfect introduction to a poet who might not generally be accessible to kids.  The short lines, rhyming words, and colorful illustrations make this a good first poetry book for younger readers.

Cons:  A written explanation of the map on the endpapers would have been useful.