Instead of a review today, I’ve put together a list of books dealing with grief and loss.
You can find it here.
Grief and loss
A Day for Sandcastles by JoArno Lawson, illustrated by Qin Leng
Published by Candlewick
Summary: The team behind Over the Shop is back with a wordless story about a summer day at the beach. A bus is shown driving down the highway on the title page. It pulls into a beach parking lot, and one by one members of a family emerge: a boy, his younger sister, the youngest brother, Mom and Dad. The kids get to work building sandcastles and continue to persevere through many obstacles all day long. The ocean washes one castle away, a lady’s hat blows onto another, a toddler plows through a third. Each time the kids survey the damage, then get back to work. As shadows fall, they put the final touches on their best one yet, then everyone heads back to the bus for the ride home. 48 pages; ages 4-8.
Pros: A perfect summer book that captures the small moments of a day at the beach. There are so many details and interesting people to see you’ll want to take your time poring over the illustrations.
Cons: It seemed a shame that none of the family members went for a swim in the ocean.
Pretty Perfect Kitty-corn by Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Published by Harry N. Abrams
Summary: “Unicorn is perfect. Everybody thinks so.’’ His best friend Kitty-Corn agrees and decides to paint his picture. Unicorn stands like a statue, “the way everyone thinks he should,” but Kitty-Corn feels like something is missing. Unicorn tries a variety of poses, but nothing is quite right until finally, “That’s it! It’s perfect!” exclaims Kitty-Corn. When Unicorn takes a look, he’s horrified to see that he has apparently sat in some paint and has been painted with paint bum. Worried that Kitty-Corn won’t want to be his friend if he’s not perfect, Unicorn sits in a corner feeling like a big, ugly goof. Kitty-Corn assures Unicorn that she likes him the way he is, then proceeds to sit in some paint herself, and the two friends enjoy a messy romp together. 48 pages; ages 4-8.
Pros: With its purple, pink, and glitter cover portraying a unicorn and kitty, this book will sell itself, AND it has an excellent message about friendship and self-acceptance.
Cons: I felt like the title should have been Pretty Perfect Unicorn.
Grow Up, Tahlia Wilkins! by Karina Evans
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Summary: Tahlia has an eventful 48 hours when she gets her period on the last day of seventh grade and has to be ready for Noah’s big pool party the next day. Her mom’s out of town so it’s up to her best friend Lily to help Tahlia navigate the stormy waters of puberty. Together the two plot ways to get their hands on some tampons, then try to figure out how they work. When they end up at dinner with Noah’s family the night before the party, Lily saves Tahlia from an embarrassing stain issue by “accidentally” spilling a virgin strawberry margarita all over her. The pool party goes surprisingly well…until Lily divulges a devastating secret of her own that makes Tahlia see how selfishly wrapped up in her own problems she’s been. The last chapter fast forwards to the first day of eighth grade when a more mature Tahlia reaches out to a new girl on her first day of school. 293 pages; grades 4-7.
Pros: This felt very true-to-life in a Judy Blume-esque way. Tahlia’s total focus on herself and the enormity of her problems was spot on for a middle school kid, and the friendship and puberty issues rang true and were very funny as well.
Cons: After all the build-up to the party that “will make or break my entire summer”, the summer sounded pretty ho-hum.
Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play Among Figures of Speech by Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek illustrated by Richard Jones
Published by Candlewick
Summary: This poetry collection kicks off with “A Disappointment” in which the speaker sees a tree clowning on one leg and spinning a pie until a friend informs them that it’s just an old squirrel’s nest. From there, the 27 poems are divided into four sections: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, and imagination is allowed to reign freely. The poems are written in free verse, many just a single verse, and are illustrated with beautiful somewhat abstract paintings of nature. Includes an afterword with messages from both poets inviting readers to let their imaginations run wild. 72 pages; grades 4-8.
Pros: These poems written by former Poet Laureate Ted Kooser and acclaimed poet Connie Wanek are simple but beautiful in their use of imagery and metaphors that kids will relate to. They’re short enough for elementary kids to be able to read and analyze them, yet rich enough to be used in classrooms into high school. This book has gotten six starred reviews and was included on Betsy Bird’s spring Newbery predictions list, so look for it to get some awards consideration.
Cons: I wish there had been some information about how the two poets worked together.
Uncle John’s City Garden by Bernette G. Ford, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Published by Holiday House
Summary: The narrator describes how she and her two older siblings spent a summer helping Uncle John in his garden, a plot of dirt in the middle of the city’s projects. Each one chose their own vegetables to plant: okra for the narrator, tomatoes and onions for her sister, and corn and lima beans for her brother. Their mother told them they were growing succotash, which they loved. As the summer went on, the garden grew, and even a big thunderstorm couldn’t stop it from flourishing. Right before school started again, Uncle John had a big barbecue, with the best succotash ever to go along with the ribs and burgers. Each family member got to take home a bag of vegetables, and Uncle John and the kids looked forward to working in the garden again next summer. Includes an author’s note telling about her childhood inspiration for the story and a recipe for succotash. 32 pages; ages 4-8.
Pros: A simple story that shows how a garden–or a person–can thrive in even the most unlikely setting. As always, Frank Morrison’s illustrations are delightful and should be considered for some sort of award.
Cons: I was sorry to learn in the author’s note that she never actually got to spend the whole summer helping her Uncle John.
Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins, illustrated by Daniel Miyares
Published by Chronicle Books
Summary: The three sections of this book describe things that are big, small, and in-between, but they are not necessarily the first things you think about for each concept. Big: “The SUN and its SHINE when it asks you to rise, the DONUT your brother got because you picked last and only got the hole.” In-between things include “the TEETER-TOTTER not when it’s up or when it’s down but when two smiles meet in the middle,” and an example of small is “the PLIP of a raindrop and the PUDDLE where it falls for a butterfly to sip.” Chapter 4 is “Everything”, and consists of a foldout page that reads, “the bluest SKY, the bittiest BUG, and you in the middle of it all.” 98 pages; ages 4-8.
Pros: This beautifully illustrated concept book could serve as inspiration for kids to expand on what they think of as big, small, and in-between.
Cons: The 3-D foldout papers that begin each chapter will likely not last long in a library book.
Maddie and Mabel by Kari Allen, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Published by Kind World Publishing
Summary: Maddie and Mabel are two sisters who (usually) love to play together. Their story is told in five chapters, each of which could stand alone, but which also tie together. In one of the chapters, Mabel gets tired of Maddie’s bossiness and the two have a fight. Maddie shows readers how to apologize and before long the sisters are happily back together. A few pages at the end offer suggestions for discussion. Book 2 is due out in October. 80 pages; grades K-3.
Pros: This beginning chapter book reminds me of Laurel Snyder’s Charlie and Mouse series. There are no adults around, so the two girls have to work things out on their own. Each page has just a few sentences, but the stories are emotionally satisfying despite their brevity.
Cons: Those older siblings sure can be bossy. And those younger ones can be a pain in the neck.
Hilde on the Record: Memoir of a Kid Crime Reporter by Hilde Lysiak
Published by Chicago Review Press
Summary: Readers familiar with the Hilde Cracks the Case series will already be acquainted with Hilde Lysiak, who wrote this memoir at the age of 14. The daughter of a New York Daily News reporter, she started tagging along with her dad when she was 4. When the family moved to suburban Pennsylvania, Hilde knew enough about journalism to start her own newspaper. She started off with human interest stories, but was soon reporting on more serious issues, including a local murder that she got an exclusive on (and also described how police were trying to cover up the crime). Hilde and her somewhat unconventional family were targeted by social media critics, and she has dealt with depression and an eating disorder. Ultimately, she opted to discontinue her journalism career, but has continued to speak out about the importance of a free press. 163 pages; grades 4-8.
Pros: This book came to me via interlibrary loan right before I came down with Covid, and it was a perfect read while I was home. Hilde is an engaging writer who doesn’t shy away from difficult times she’s had, and I found her determination and hard work inspiring. I also admired her family’s do-your-own-thing approach to raising their kids, which seems to have been successful.
Cons: I was a little sad to learn that Hilde has discontinued her journalism career and look forward to hearing about what she does next.
The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books
Summary: Jacqueline Woodson looks back on her childhood summers in Brooklyn where kids played freely on the streets all day long. Children of all ages and races gathered for playground games, frolicking through the water from an open fire hydrant, and enjoying treats from the ice cream truck. People were kind, the older kids helping younger ones who got hurt, and everyone pooling their money for ice cream. When suppertime came, mothers called their children home in a variety of languages, and the kids made plans for the next day as they left. Jacqueline ran home, already excited about tomorrow “and the many tomorrows to come. Not just in Brooklyn, not just in the summer…but everywhere I’d ever go and always.” 32 pages; grades K-3.
Pros: Turns out Jacqueline Woodson and I were born the same year, so I really grooved with the 1970’s vibe which is perfectly portrayed by Leo Espinosa. This would make an excellent mentor text for memoir writing. Anyone who has ever pondered the question, “Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?” will feel like they’ve arrived with the Brooklyn streets portrayed here.
Cons: Could lead readers to some unfortunate fashion choices like plaid bell bottoms and white tube socks.
A Kids Book A Day 