January 2023 – Page 2

The Construction Crew goes to the farm!

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Construction Site: Farming Strong, All Year Long, by Sherri Duskey Rinker/Illustrated by AG Ford, (Nov. 2022, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797213873

Ages 2-5

The latest addition to Rinker and Ford’s Construction Site series features every toddler and preschooler’s favorite trucks helping out farm vehicles through the seasons. They meet new friends, like Big Tractor and Little Tractor, who prepare the soil and plants seeds; Little Skid Steer, who helps clear areas and dig holes, and Combine, who harvests the rows of corn. There’s something to do in each season, and duties are laid out in the familiar rhyme pattern that readers have come to know and love: “Summertime brings heat and sun, / and lots of work needs to be done. / Sunshine and care, all season long, / help crops grow healthy, tall, and strong”. Rinker’s rhymes and story is cheerful, and gives readers insight into farming through the seasons and what various farm equipment does; Ford’s wax oil crayon illustrations are familiar and lovable, with friendly vehicles helping one another. In short, little ones love books about cars and trucks; this is a great series, and you need this one on your shelves.

An animal board book two-fer from Katerina Gorelik

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

What Do Animals Eat? (Curious Creatures), by Katerina Gorelik, (Nov. 2022, Schiffer Publishing), $9.99, ISBN: 9780764365140

Ages 1-3

Schiffer has been publishing some great board books, and this duo of larger-format board books by Katerina Gorelik, originally published in France (2018), is the latest. What Do Animals Eat? uses high-contrast colorful images to introduce readers to different animals and what they eat: bats and birds, owls and foxes, tigers and wolves, hedgehogs and gorillas, crocodiles and elephants, pelicans, and polar bears. Brief text on how each animal eats and feeds their family is informative and just right for young learners, who will be captivated by the bold illustrations, which have a playful sense of humor. Readers will chuckle at a fox and duck eyeing one another through a hole in an otherwise secure door, and delight in the bustling activity taking place in a tree as different birds feed their young. Exclamations on each page give lend some interactivity to readalouds, letting readers munch on leaves along with a baby elephant, or gulp down a beakful of birds with a pelican. The pages are sturdy and will hold up well in circulation. Great for an animal storytime.

Print some activity sheets from Schiffer’s Resources Hub and have them ready for a post-storytime activity.

Where Do Animals Live? (Curious Creatures), by Katerina Gorelik, (Nov. 2022, Schiffer Publishing), $9.99, ISBN: 9780764365157

Ages 1-3

Where Do Animals Live shows readers where animals live and how they stay safe: moles and mice; bats and cats; dogs, owls, and squirrels; bees and hedgehogs; bears and penguins; foxes, and wolves all appear in high-contrast, bright illustrations. Readers learn about animal families and how adults protect their young while they search for food. Playful illustrations are appealing: a mole lovingly holds a carrot in her underground burrow, under root vegetables and alongside various bugs in their homes; a hungry cat eyes mice through a crack in the floor, but the mice aren’t worried: they’ve got food stored up, and their little ones are asleep, safe in the knowledge that the cat can’t reach them. Bees buzz alongside friendly spiders and butterflies, landing on flowers and near their hives; a brown bear hibernates, cuddling her cub; they’re warm inside their den while the snow falls outside. Interesting and brief informative text makes this a good readaloud choice that will keep readers engaged. Like What Do Animals Eat?, Where Do Animals Live? was originally published in French in 2018. See more of Katerina Gorelik’s work at her webpage.

Pair these with Creature Features from Big Picture Press for more fun animal facts.

Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

YA suspense: Four Found Dead

Posted on January 9, 2023December 10, 2022 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Four Found Dead, by Natalie D. Richards, (May 2023, Sourcebooks Fire), $11.99, ISBN: 9781728215815

Ages 14+

Jo and her friends are finishing up their last shift at the Tempest, the last store in a shuttered mall that’s closing for good. But at closing time, the doors are locked and their phones are locked in the safe; their manager, Clayton, won’t allow anyone to have them while on shift. The lights go out, and there’s a chilling scream: one of the coworkers has been murdered, and Clayton, unhinged, is set on killing Jo and her coworkers. A high-tension chase through an abandoned mall begins as the group tries to survive the night and find a way out. Four Found Dead is full of ’90s thriller tropes, and I loved the abandoned mall setting. The story alternates between Jo’s narration and news articles published after the night of the murders; Jo’s narration includes some backstory that fleshes her character out a bit more than her colleagues. I’d have liked some more suspense surrounding the killer, and a little more backstory overall, but overall? Four Found Dead is a fast-paced read that delivers the thrills.

Graphic Novels, Intermediate

Bad Kitty is SUPERCAT!

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bad Kitty: Supercat, by Nick Bruel, (Dec. 2022, Roaring Brook Press), $13.99, ISBN: 9781250749987

Ages 7-10

It’s always a good day when there’s a new Bad Kitty book! Supercat is the latest Bad Kitty graphic novel, where Bad Kitty is forced to endure a playdate in an attempt to be sociable. Strange Kitty brings along some superhero-loving, comic book-reading friends, and the group don their costumes to become Supercat and Fantasticat, and find themselves fighting the evil Doctor Lagomorph with the universe hanging in the balance! With sidekicks and laugh-out-loud pop culture references throughout, this may be my favorite Bad Kitty yet. Kids and grownups alike will recognize the familiar call to put the devices down and go play with friends. Hilarious and relatable moments include Bad Kitty’s playdate choices and the spot-on comic book story reenactments, as envisioned by the friends; every kid will remember a playdate gone sideways when the playdate gets rough and feelings are hurt; Bad Kitty and friends teach readers that things will happen, but it’s always important to apologize. Another adorable entry in a series that makes a seamless transition from chapter book to graphic novel.