I Begin With Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau by Julie Dunlap, illustrated by Megan Elizabeth Baratta

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Tilbury House Publishers

Summary:  This biography of Henry David Thoreau looks like a nature journal, with lots of watercolor sketches of the flora and fauna Henry observed through a year in Concord.  A timeline running along the bottom of all the pages takes the reader through changes he would have seen through the seasons.  Beginning with his childhood and continuing through his years as a teacher, writer, activist, and naturalist, the story of Henry’s life is closely tied to Concord and the surrounding countryside. Includes additional information about Thoreau’s Kalendar that he was working on at the time of his death which was a record of his observations of nature over many years, and which has been used recently to track climate change.  There are also instructions for making your own Kalendar and a fairly extensive list of resources.  96 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  This beautiful volume combines lots of illustrations with an engaging narrative that integrates the seasons of the year with the story of Thoreau’s life. The additional information makes his work relevant today and encourages kids to pursue their own explorations of the natural world.

Cons:  While Henry’s abolitionist work is celebrated here, there’s no mention of the disturbingly racist ideas of his mentor Louis Agassiz.

A Song Called Home by Sara Zarr

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Balzer + Bray

Summary:  Lou’s unhappy about her mother’s remarriage to Steve, which means a move out of San Francisco to the suburbs, leaving her old school and best friend, and dealing with her 15-year-old sister’s rebellion about all the changes.  She misses her dad, but also feels relieved not to have to deal with his drinking.  When a guitar mysteriously appears outside her door on her birthday, she assumes it’s a gift from her dad and decides to learn how to play it for the school talent show, hoping that her performance will help reconnect her with her father.  A new friend becomes part of her act, and kind neighbors help her with her guitar and provide a haven for both Lou and Casey.  Slowly, the whole family starts to adjust to their new situation, and by the time the talent show arrives, Lou has learned some important lessons about the people she cares about and who care about her.  356 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  I was fortunate enough to bring this book with me while flying to Washington, DC, and it sustained me at the airport, on the flight, and into the next morning when I finished it.  The family portrayals are so well done, with each character having both good traits and flaws.  I don’t know if it’s Newbery material, but I am definitely putting it on my own short list.

Cons:  I couldn’t put it down and then was sad when I was done with it so quickly.

A Good Place by Lucy Cousins

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Four insects are seeking a good home: Bee wants flowers, Ladybug is searching for leaves, Beetle needs dead wood, and Dragonfly is looking for a pond.  Each time one thinks it has found the perfect place, humans turn out to have made it less than ideal because of garbage, traffic, or pesticides.  Finally, a passing butterfly hears about their dilemma and leads them to a beautiful garden a boy has created.  The garden has flowers, leaves, a pond, and even a dead log.  All four celebrate on the last page.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  And just like that, I have a book to read tomorrow to a class of preschoolers starting a gardening unit.  Lucy Cousins has created four endearing insect characters with a gentle environmental message that even the youngest readers will grasp.

Cons:  It would have been nice to have a little back matter about creating a garden.

Drawing Outdoors by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng, translated by Elisa Amado

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Published by Greystone Kids

Summary:  A girl tells about her school, which has “almost nothing.  A blackboard, some chairs.”  What it does have is an imaginative teacher who greets them at the door every morning.  On this particular day, the teacher leads them outdoors for a day of drawing.  Even the twins who walk a long way and don’t like school are excited for the day’s adventure.   They stop at a river, where a teacher points out a Brontosaurus!  The kids are excited and start sketching it.  From there, they head to a rock where the teacher spots a Triceratops and a stream with a Stegosaurus.  When the sun disappears, the teacher looks up to see the Pterodactyls who are blocking it.  A scary T-rex in the woods sends some of the kids scurrying back to school, but others stay and enjoy a snack on the back of an Ankylosaurus.  As the girl heads home with a smile on her face, the reader can see all the dinosaurs surrounding the school in the background.  36 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Dinosaur fans will love these illustrations and a story that celebrates the power of imagination and good teachers.

Cons:  I wish we had gotten a look at some of the students’ dinosaur drawings.

Serengeti: Plains of Grass by Leslie Bulion, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander

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Published by Peachtree Publishing Company

Summary:  Each two-page spread depicts a scene from the Serengeti, with a four-line poem and a paragraph of additional information.  An introductory page describes the ecosystem of the Serengeti, and a note at the end gives additional information about the poetic form, which is derived from an East African form called the utendi.  Also includes a glossary, a reading list, and information on Serengeti stewardship, including three organizations that are working to preserve the Serengeti.  48 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  A beautiful science and poetry book, with gorgeous paintings of the Serengeti that will catch the eye of any animal lover.  The additional information about the poems and the Serengeti makes this an excellent resource for language arts, geography, and science.

Cons:  I wish there had been some information about the humans who live in that area.

Happily Ever After Rescue Team (Agents of H.E.A.R.T., book 1) by Sam Hay, illustrated by Genevieve Kote

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Published by Feiwel and Friends

Summary:  Evie wants nothing more than to be allowed to help out in her parents’ new diner, especially on the day a judge for the Golden Coffee Cup Best Café Contest is supposed to stop by.  But despite her creativity with food (especially ice cream), Evie is accident prone, and after spilling two large blueberry smoothies, her stepmother sends her outside.  A girl Evie’s age has left an old book of fairy tales in the diner, and when she opens it, Agents C (Cinderella), R (Rapunzel), and B (Beauty) come to rescue her.  They have their own ideas about granting wishes, though, and Evie desperately needs some help controlling them.  That help comes in the form of Iris, the original owner of the book, and her cousin Zak.  The three have a series of madcap adventures as they try to undo the damage the fairy tale agents have done and get them to understand what it is Evie wants.  In the end, all of Evie’s wishes come true…except for one, which will undoubtedly be the premise for book number two.  226 pages; grades 2-4.

Pros:  This illustrated chapter book provides lots of laughs and adventures.  Woven into the story are recipes, crafts, and other activities that kids will enjoy.  Perfect for elementary kids who are ready to move on from early chapter books but still like plenty of illustrations.

Cons:  The princesses were pretty annoying.

Donors Choose for Summer Reading

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

As I’ve written here before, I am finishing up my second year at an elementary school in Springfield, Massachusetts. According to the Massachusetts Department of Education profile, 93% of the students at my school are low-income, 95% high needs, and for 30%, English is not their first language.

This is the first year the school library has been open in quite a few years, and these students love their new library. They often stop me in the hall to share with me how much they enjoyed their library book or to tell me how excited they are about their upcoming visit to the library. It’s been a joy to watch them develop as readers and to see some of them get hooked on a series or fall in love with a particular book.

I have two Donors Choose projects active right now to try to get funding so I can give every student in grades PreK-2 a new book at the end of the school year. In June I plan to share with them different summer reading programs, and I would like to kick off their summer reading with a new book.

Donors Choose is an organization that matches teachers’ projects with donors. I’ve had nine projects funded in the last two years, all for library books, and it has made a huge difference for my collection. I don’t usually ask for personal donations, but this summer reading project is particularly important to me.

If you’d like to make a donation, you can click here to give to the PreK and kindergarten students and here for grades 1 and 2 (click on the blue “Give” button when you get to the site). Thank you in advance, and I assure you your contribution will make some young child in Springfield very happy.

Dog Says, Cat Says by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

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Published by Dial Books

Summary:  In rhyming text, a dog and cat alternate talking to their owners throughout the day: “It’s morning! Do you have to go? I’m bringing you my ball/It’s morning? Well, your bed’s so soft, I may not move at all.”  The dog enthusiastically leaps into all things dog-gy: barking at the mailman, playing fetch, and rolling in the mud, while the cat perfects the art of standoffishness and showing superiority to the dog.  When nighttime comes, the dog is ready to settle down in his bed, while the cat prowls through the house, then finally snuggles in with the dog.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fun book for pet lovers that reminded me of Elisha Cooper’s Yes and No, with the dog and cat leading very different lives but coming together as night falls.  The bouncy rhymes and illustrations capture both the high energy of the dog and cat’s more languid nature.

Cons:  Failed to change my opinion that dogs make superior pets.

A Perfect Fit: How Lena “Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

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Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  Raised by her grandparents in Lithuania, Lena Himmelstein learned sewing from her grandmother and from her grandfather, the definition of real success: helping another person.  When she was 16, Lena followed her older sister to America, where she got a job as a seamstress.  She studied English and fashion and married a man named David Bryant, who died shortly after the birth of their son.  To support the family, Lena bought a sewing machine and started her own business.  When a pregnant woman asked for a gown that would grow with her, Lena remembered her grandfather’s advice and found a way to help her customer.  Her reputation grew, and soon she opened her own shop and a bank account.  At the bank, she accidentally signed her name as “Lane” instead of Lena.  Lane Bryant became famous for clothes made to help women of all sizes and shapes.  “Everyone said Lena was a great success.  And when she thought about her grandfather, she knew that it was true.”  Includes an author’s note and a list of sources.  32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  Mara Rockliff’s engaging writing and Juana Martinez-Neal’s fashionable illustrations bring Lena Himmelstein Bryant’s story to life, with a heartwarming emphasis on how helping others is the true definition of success.

Cons:  Too bad this wasn’t released in time for Women’s History Month.

Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros

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Published by Quill Tree Books

Summary:  Isaac and Marco are neighbors and best friends, but could hardly be more different: Isaac is a gifted basketball player who struggles with schoolwork, while Marco aces every test but is small and unathletic.  One thing they have in common is complicated relationships with their fathers.  Isaac’s mom has forced his dad to move out due to a drinking problem.  Marco constantly feels like he is a disappointment to his sports-crazy father, who is remarried with a stepson and hardly ever gets in touch.  The two tell the story of their early middle school days in alternating voices, as Marco becomes determined to make the basketball team, and Isaac focuses on becoming a better student.  The final showdown at a basketball tournament allows them to help each other and to come to terms with who their fathers really are.  292 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  While this follow-up to the Belpré Award-winning Efrén Divided is about Latino characters, the story is quite different, focusing more on issues that many kids will relate to: school, sports, friends, and family.  The alternating points of view allow readers to share the perspectives of both main characters, who are both trying to overcome shortcomings with hard work and a tremendous amount of heart.

Cons:  Both main characters were almost too good to be true for a couple of sixth graders.  It also seemed unrealistic that Marco would be able to master enough basketball skills in a week to make the team and that Isaac would ace Marco’s honors math homework through sheer hard work and determination to help his friend.