A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Calkins Creek

Summary:  Six Black Americans are profiled in five chapters: Ona Judge, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass together, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Barack Obama.  Their stories are told in verse, weaving together scenes from their lives to paint engaging portraits of their work, their dreams, their discouragements, and their successes and failures.  Each section begins with an illustration and a bit of personal history from the author, connecting his life to his subjects’.  Includes a timeline, additional resources, a bibliography and source notes for each section, and an index.  336 pages; ages 12 and up.

Pros:  Ray Anthony Shepard has written a masterful poetry collection, telling stories that will immediately engage readers.  He doesn’t shy away from telling both the terrible events his subjects witnessed and the less-than-great choices they sometimes made to fully portray their humanity.  Definitely deserving of some serious Coretta Scott King Award recognition.

Cons:  I wish there had been some information on the poetry and poetic forms used.

Remembering by Xelena González, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  The narrator is grieving the loss of her dog.  As she and her family remember him, she gathers his favorite things to create an ofrenda, or offering, for him.  Each photo she looks at reminds her of a time she and her beloved pet shared. She makes his favorite meal and pours him a bowl of water.  When everything is ready, the family celebrates their dog together on Día de Muertos.  Includes notes from the author and illustrator about the loss of their pets and additional information about Día de Muertos and how to make an ofrenda.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I’m adding this beautiful book to my list about grief and loss.  The simple text and realistic illustrations capture the bittersweet experience of grieving the loss of a pet and provide an excellent introduction to Día de Muertos.

Cons:  Keep the Kleenexes handy.

Stickler Loves the World by Lane Smith

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Published by Random House Studio

Summary:  Stickler, an eight-eyed creature who appeared in Lane Smith’s 2022 book A Gift for Nana, loves sticks.  And everything else he sees around him.  “Oh, to see it all anew!”  He gets that chance when he finds a space alien that’s just arrived to Earth (or so Stickler thinks; readers will realize it’s actually a bird with a can stuck on its head).  Stickler gives the creature a tour of all the things he loves: flowers, the ocean, the wind, rocks.  The can finally comes off to reveal Stickler’s friend Crow, who thanks Stickler for opening up her eyes to the wonders of the world.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Lane Smith’s textured illustrations gorgeously celebrate the natural world, and Stickler and Crow humorously present a message of mindfulness and appreciating the beauty all around them.

Cons:  Adults may appreciate the message more than younger readers.

Water Day by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Olivia Sua

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Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A young girl describes the excitement of water day, when a man comes to her Cuban neighborhood to deliver water.  The family needs water to bathe, cook, drink, and flush the toilet. Bisabuelita (great-grandmother) remembers her childhood when rain fell every day, filling the water tanks. “What changed? Everything. Weather. Rivers. Groundwater. Lakes.” After the water man arrives and fills their blue tank, the fish lady shows up, selling tiny fish to eat the mosquitoes that come to the water, carrying malaria and other diseases.  The girl says good-bye, knowing she will see the water man and fish lady in another five days.  Includes an author’s note with additional information about the global water crisis and mosquitofish.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Cuba’s water crisis is described succinctly and quite matter-of-factly by the young narrator who sees it as part of her life.  The colorful illustrations add a cheery note to a pretty dire topic.  The additional information helps flesh out what is going on in the story.

Cons:  I was thirsting for a list of additional resources, but the well was dry.

See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  The dog and cat from See the Cat and See the Dog are back for this trio of tales about things you cannot see: namely, a scary ghost, a strong wind, and a mischievous fairy.  The animals get scared, blown away, and transformed by the invisible beings. In the end, all is to put to rights, and a fun and happy day is had by all, both those you can see and those you cannot.  64 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This delightful series needs no introduction. I don’t usually review sequels, but I loved this one enough to make an exception.  This is one of the most popular early reader series in my library, and I can’t wait to introduce fans to the newest entry, perfect for fall.  See the Cat won a Geisel award, and I would love to see the same for See the Ghost.

Cons:  I thought the fairy’s transformations of the dog and cat could have been milked a bit more for humor.

When You Can Swim by Jack Wong

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Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  Adults show children the wonders of what awaits them once they learn how to swim.  Oceans and lakes beckon, with the beauty of nature and the adventures of jumping into the water and diving beneath the surface.  There’s diversity in the types of water and landscapes, the swimming experiences, and the people who are enjoying the water.  “When you can swim I’ll take you there,” a parent tells a child standing by the side of the pool.  “So swim, little one!”  Includes an author’s note about his own mixed experiences with learning to swim that were influenced by the experiences of his parents and grandparents.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  I learned about this book when I saw that it won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for best picture book.  It’s a beautiful meditation on the glories of swimming, perfectly complemented with gorgeous illustrations that capture the light and shadows of the water.  You could pair it with one of the other books about swimming from this summer: Our Pool or Together We Swim.

Cons:  Because it is more of a meditation than a story, it may not hold the attention of every child.

Ways to Play by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo

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Published by Levine Querido

Summary:  When Bossy Older Cousin Violet comes over, she doesn’t hold back in her opinion: Riley is playing with toys the wrong way and needs to be shown the right way.  Riley can play all day with a pile of newspapers, and instead of having dolls and stuffies to a tea party like Violet does, Riley likes to line them up by size.  Riley creates art by sharpening crayons and making little spirals with them.  Fortunately, Riley’s dog Charlie is more understanding than Violet is, and all the kids enjoy playing fetch and running around the yard with him.  “See,” Riley tells Violet, “There are lots of ways to play with toys.  And everyone’s way is the right way.”  Includes an author’s note about her personal childhood experiences, similar to Riley’s, and how she got some answers when she was diagnosed with autism as an adult.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A charming story that will appeal to many kids, both those who are neurodivergent and those who simply enjoy doing their own thing.

Cons:  Cousin Violet.

The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  Vanessa is mourning the loss of her friendship with former best friend Bailey when she discovers an abandoned museum near her house.  She decides to create an exhibit about Bailey to try to discover what went wrong between the two of them.  Although Vanessa tries to keep her museum a secret, before long her older brother and a few of her friends discover it and want to set up their own exhibits.  The group begins to bond as they create a map, admission fees, and a security system, and start inviting other kids to see their museum.  The most popular item on display is a mysterious painting Vanessa found in a back room of the museum.  Through some detective work, she eventually tracks down the artist, a move that ends up exposing the museum to adults.  This means the end of the museum as Vanessa has known it, but also an interesting new beginning.  Before long, other kids are creating their own museums all over town, including Bailey, who shows Vanessa her own take on their friendship that leads to the beginnings of a reconciliation.  304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Whew! I didn’t even touch on Vanessa’s trichotillomania, a disorder she discovers she has near the end of the story, or her active-duty military father with whom she has a complicated relationship.  There are a lot of issues explored, but Leila Sales does it with grace and plenty of humor, creating an imperfect but lovable protagonist in Vanessa and delving into a myriad of topics that will resonate with middle grade readers.

Cons:  Vanessa’s disorder takes the form of picking at her skin, especially her cuticles, which kind of made me cringe every time I read about it.

Two books for back-to-school eve

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Back to School, Backpack! by Simon Rich, illustrated by Tom Toro

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

How to Get Your Octopus to School by Becky Scharnhorst, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett

Published by Flamingo Books

Summary: An octopus and a backpack are both dealing with first-day-of-school jitters. The octopus lives with a girl who’s trying to convince him that school is fun. Octopuses are shy, though, and also good at hiding. Once he’s been discovered, the two work together to find him a perfect outfit, a process that’s disrupted when the octopus’s nerves cause him to shoot a cloud of ink. They finally make it to school, and the octopus is excited to be with new friends. When it comes time to say goodbye, it’s the girl who has some trouble letting go. Includes ten facts about octopuses.

The backpack of the second book also has a case of nerves. It has spent the summer chilling in the closet with Hamper and Winter Coat and isn’t excited to have books jammed down its throat and to head off to school backwards, not able to see where it’s going. The backpack feels like it doesn’t fit in, and the illustrations suggest that its girl is having the same experience. A hallway collision leads to a friendship between the humans and their backpacks, and the first day of school suddenly gets a lot better for everyone. Octopus is 32 pages; Backpack is 40 pages; ages 4-8 for both.

Pros: If you’re on the same schedule as I am, you may be looking for books like these tomorrow morning. Each provides a short, funny read with great visuals (I loved the picture of the octopus classroom with all the students camouflaging against various backgrounds). Backpack is a little more laugh-out-loud funny, while Octopus has more of a If You Give a Mouse a Cookie vibe. Both could provide excellent writing prompts, writing from the point of view of your backpack of some other back-to-school object, or a how-to for getting your pet to school.

Cons: I guess this means summer is over.

Follow the Flyway: The Marvel of Bird Migration by Sarah Nelson, illustrated by Maya Hanisch

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Published by Barefoot Books

Summary:  The text follows a variety of birds, starting with hatchlings emerging from eggs, and continuing as those babies learn to fly.  By the time autumn comes, they are strong enough flyers to join the flyway of birds migrating to warmer places.  Flying in groups of all sizes, they head south, stopping for a week or two to rest until the cold catches up and sends them on their way.  When they reach the ocean, they settle in and wait until spring arrives to call them back north again.  Includes additional information about bird migration, including ways to help migratory birds; a map of the four North American flyways; thumbnail portraits and additional information about the twelve birds in the book; and sources of additional information.  32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  A great introduction to bird migration, with poetic text and lots of interesting pictures of a variety of birds.  The back matter makes it a good resource to begin further research.

Cons:  The only birds covered were water birds.