Use Your Words, Sophie! By Rosemary Wells

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Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Sophie has a new baby sister, and she’s decided to try out some different languages to communicate with her, like Jellyfish, Hyena, and Baboon.  Each time she makes the attempt, her parents urge her, “Use your words, Sophie.”  Meanwhile, Sophie’s mother and father are having trouble agreeing on what to name the baby.  To add to the chaos, the baby starts crying, and no one, not even Granny, can figure out how to make her stop.  Finally, Sophie uses her words.  “Give her to me, please.”  Then she uses them again to sing quietly to the baby.  Miraculously, the baby stops crying.  “Her name is Jane,” says Sophie.  “So I sang to her, Jane, Jane, don’t be a pain.  Now she’s happy.”  And so is everyone else.

Pros:  Rosemary Wells has created another memorable character for preschoolers.  This is Sophie the mouse’s third book.  It would make an excellent sibling gift when a new baby arrives.

Cons:  I was sorry that Jane was the final name choice for the new baby.  Just adding a “t” would have made it so much better.

Where Are My Books? By Debbie Ridpath Ohi

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Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Every night, Spencer hears a bedtime story, and every morning, the book is missing.  His parents don’t know where the books are (plus, they’re busy), and he gets in trouble when he accuses his little sister of stealing them.  Finally, he sets a trap by rigging up his stuffed narwhal to one of his books.  In the morning, he follows the narwhal to a clump of bushes where he discovers a squirrel reading the book to his friends and family.  Spencer gets his books back, but he invites the squirrels to come any time to borrow, and the final page shows him reading his favorite book, Night, Night, Narwhal to the squirrels and his sister.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  Spencer is an ingenious boy who is able to figure out how to solve his own problems.  This would be a great introduction to the whole borrowing-books-from-the-library concept.

Cons:  Those squirrels are nuts.

Founding Fathers: Those Horse-Ridin’, Fiddle-Playin’, Book-Readin’, Gun-Totin’ Gentlemen Who Started America by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Barry Blitt

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Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Who were the men who helped start America, and what exactly did it mean to be a Founding Father?  Jonah Winter takes an irreverent look at fourteen of them, giving each one a page of information that includes height, weight, shoe size, career and wealth, slaveholding status, position on the Boston Tea Party, famous quotes, and a few other facts and anecdotes.  Each page is accompanied by a full-page portrait.  The introduction or “Preamble” tells a little about this group and draws some comparisons to present-day politics and arguing over issues.  The final few pages take a closer look at some of the issues including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, religion, slavery, government, foreign wars, and taxes, then concludes with a full page of additional resources.  Grades 2-5.

Pros:  The writing is heavy on humor and kid-friendly facts.  Yet this is a great introduction to the whole concept of “Founding Fathers” (a term coined by Warren G. Harding in 1918, in case you were wondering).  It might also make you feel better about today’s Congress to learn that so much was accomplished in spite of 18th-century partisan bickering.

Cons:  There’s not much depth.  The additional resources will be needed to cover the history of the period more thoroughly.

Kate & Pippin: An Unlikely Friendship by Martin Springett, photograph by Isobel Springett

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Published by Square Fish

Summary:  When Isobel Springett found an abandoned fawn in the woods, she brought it home and put it near her Great Dane, Kate’s dog bed.  Kate immediately took to the fawn, who the family named Pippin, and Pippin followed Kate everywhere.  Before long, Pippin began spending her nights in the woods, but would return every day to play with her friend.  Pippin grew into a doe, and one day she appeared with two fawns of her own.  Although the fawns were too wild to come near a dog, Kate and Pippin continue to be friends, and still enjoy daily visits.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  Animal lovers will enjoy this easy reader, illustrated with photos of Kate and Pippin.  For more information, they can read Kate & Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story by the same authors.

Cons:  The author flirts a bit with the anthropomorphic line.

Wild About Us! By Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Janet Stevens

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Warty Warthog introduces himself and his friends at the zoo, explaining in rhyming text why each animal is perfect the way he/she is.  Rhino likes his wrinkly skin, Elephant knows his nose is supposed to be long, Chimp’s sticking-out ears are charming, etc.  Each animal gets a large illustration on a white background, every animal looking as happy as can be.  The final conclusion? “It would be such a shame if you came to the zoo and we all looked the same!” Ages 3-8.

Pros:  An upbeat message for kids to appreciate differences, joyfully illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Janet Stevens.

Cons:  If you read this aloud, you will have to endure endless laughter about Hippo’s wiggly, jiggly behind.

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali, illustrated by Raphaelle Barbanegre

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Published by Tundra Books

Summary:  In this retelling of the classic fairy tale, Snow White finds refuge from the evil queen in a house inhabited by dwarfs.  Only this time, it’s not seven dwarfs, it’s 77.  Just learning their names (Elvis, Dudley, Bilberry, Kiki…) proves to be a chore, never mind fixing three meals a day and cleaning up afterward.  After a few days of this routine, Snow White decides the queen is a better option.  She requests two poison apples, and finally gets to enjoy a well-earned sleep.

Pros:  Fractured fairy tales are always fun, and kids will enjoy the 77 rainbow-hued dwarfs on many of the pages.

Cons:  The ending seemed a bit abrupt and unsatisfying to me.  Kids may not quite get it, even if harried parents do.

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

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Published by Amistad

Summary:  Sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are back in the final installment of this trilogy.  Having started their journey with their mother and the Black Panthers in Oakland, continued it at home in Brooklyn, they conclude with a visit to their grandmother and great-grandmother in Alabama.  Narrator Delphine is concerned that her family is breaking apart.  Her new stepmother is expecting a baby, Uncle Darnell and his favorite niece Vonetta are no longer speaking, and their great-grandmother and her sister refuse to see each other, although they both enjoy relating their own versions of family history to the three girls.  It takes a near tragedy to bring the family together again, but in the end all members of Delphine’s family, even her California mother, are under one roof, and the bonds of sisterhood are stronger than ever.  Grades 4-7.

Pros:  The first two books in this series were multiple award winners, and this one is sure to be too.  Chock full of unique, well-drawn characters, rich historical details, and you-are-there settings, this is historical fiction at its best.

Cons:  This book will be more enjoyable for readers who have read the first two.

Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper

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Published by Capstone Young Readers

Summary:  When Mazie is mad at being told no, her father tells her about her great-great-great grandfather Mose who was a slave and heard “no” even more.  He learned about the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, and now Mazie and her family celebrate Juneteenth every year.  Her father talks about others who worked and fought for civil rights after they got their freedom, all the way to the present.  The last page includes a paragraph of information about the origins of the Juneteenth celebration.

Pros:  This is a great introduction to Juneteenth and the Civil Rights Movement for primary grades. The 150th anniversary is coming up on June 19. Mazie looks to be about six years old, and the facts are presented appropriately for her age.  The illustrations are very appealing.

Cons:  The information is pretty simple and basic.  Pairing this with another book like Angela Johnson’s All Different Now will give a broader perspective.

Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter, illustrated by Birgitta Sif

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Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  As the title suggest, Miss Hazeltine has opened a home for shy and fearful cats, and it’s very popular with pet owners.  Their cats have all kinds of issues from a fear of mice to an inability to pounce, but the one that is scared of everything is Crumb.  He refuses to participate in Bird Basics, Scary Noises, Meeting New Friends, or any of the other trainings Miss Hazeltine offers.  That’s okay with her.  She lets him just sit and watch, and he proves to be a good observer.  One afternoon, when the other cats are sleeping, she goes out for more milk and doesn’t come back.  It’s Crumb who knows just what to do and leads the other cats on a rescue mission.  He alone knows what scares Miss Hazeltine and how to help her overcome her fears and find her way back home.  Upon their return, the cats change the sign on the house to Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Pretty Brave If You Ask Us Cats.

Pros:  Miss Hazeltine’s approach, to allow her cats to proceed at their own pace in overcoming their fears, seems like a very comforting one to cats or children.  Kids will enjoy the cartoonish illustrations and relate to the cats’ difficulties and ultimate success.

Cons:  The cats are a little too bug-eyed to be cute in the classic cat sense.

Up In the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner with art by Christopher Silas Neal

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  A little girl and her grandmother plant a garden in spring, care for plants in the summer, and harvest in the fall.  While they watch what is happening up in the garden, there is plenty of activity down in the dirt.  Many animals make their homes in both places, some helpful to the garden plants and some harmful.  The last few pages list the sixteen animals pictured in the book and give a bit more information on their roles in the garden.

Pros:  This is a perfect beginning-of-summer book to take into the garden.  Readers will enjoy finding the different life forms pictured in the bold, beautiful illustrations.

Cons:  The picture of the garter snake about to chomp a grasshopper may give you nightmares.