Posted in Non-Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Playlist: The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound gives classical musicians rock star status

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Playlist: The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound, by James Rhodes/Illustrated by Martin O’Neill, (Oct. 2019, Candlewick), $29.99, ISBN: 9781536212143

Ages 12+

Concert pianist James Rhodes gives an introduction to the original rock stars: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. These forefathers of classical music are anything but fusty and boring. As Rhodes writes in his introduction, “…they were the original rock stars. They changed history, inspired millions, and are still listened to and worshipped all around the world today”. Rhodes starts off by providing his own Spotify playlist for readers to start exploring classical music, and creates profiles on each composer. The profiles are easily readable, laid out in magazine-type layout, and includes pop culture references to each composer’s music: Bach, for instance, has been referenced by or sampled in music by The Beatles, Zayn Malik, and Led Zeppelin, and used in The LEGO Batman Movie and Stranger Things. Each composer’s profile includes a profile on a word from the Spotify playlist, to give readers further context and understanding.

This crash course in Music Foundations is illustrated by artist Martin O’Neill, who creates vibrant collages using photos and mixed media, presenting a mind-blowing art installation to accompany Rhodes’ writing. Rhodes includes musical terminology in his “The Language of Music” section at the end, and there is an index.

This is a gorgeous coffee table book with a mission. It’s music history, and world history; it’s art history and a treatise on the evolution of pop culture. Don’t miss this one.

Playlist: The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound has starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist.
Posted in picture books, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Jimmy Fallon’s This is Baby is adorable!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

This is Baby, by Jimmy Fallon/Illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez, (Oct. 2019, Feiwel & Friends), $16.99, ISBN: 9781250245601

Ages 0-3

This is Baby is Jimmy Fallon’s third children’s book, and gets down to the business of naming all the important parts of a baby: eyes, nose, fingers, and toes are all accounted for, as are other baby parts, along with the biggest, most important part of baby. It’s the sweetest, most fun type of concept book, showcasing a variety of cartoony, big-eyed babies and animal counterparts, showing off heads, hair, tummies, and bottoms, and the rhyming text makes this a storytime favorite that you’ll come back to again and again. All of baby’s parts are extra-bold and in word balloons, so invite your readers to shout out the names as you point them out on yourself or the story as you read.

Jimmy Fallon’s books are made for reading out loud, and give the grownups as much fun as the kids. Your First Word Will Be Dada and Everything is Mama are all about how our kids view us (through our own eyes, of course). This is Baby is a fun spin on concept books that teach children about their bodies, and I love it. (I’m also the one that bought the Frankenstein board book to teach my kid about names for his body parts, so…) Make sure you have plenty of fun lapsit songs to accompany this book; Storytime Katie has a great collection of them. Hand out coloring pages from This is Baby and Everything is Mama afterwards!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Media, picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, TV Shows

Nick Jr’s Rainbow Rangers come to bookshelves

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Since my kids have gotten bigger, I find myself woefully out of the loop on what’s popular on Nick Jr. these days. Apparently, Wallykazam is not a thing anymore? Thank goodness for Paw Patrol, or I’d really feel out of touch. Anyway. I was invited to check out the new line of books from Nick Jr’s newest show, Rainbow Rangers, so I did my research and consulted my 4-year-old niece, who assured me that this was a good show, because they girls are all rainbow colors and there is a unicorn. This, if you don’t realize it, is pretty big praise, so I dove in.

The Rainbow Rangers are “Earth’s first responders”. Basically, they’re the Avengers meets Captain Planet, and wow, I’ve just aged myself in one sentence. They live in Kaleidoscopia, a magical land on the other side of the rainbow, and there are six of them, each representing a different color of the rainbow: Rosie Redd; Mandarin Orange; Anna Banana; Pepper Mintz; Bonnie Blueberry; Indy Allfruit, and Lavender LaViolette all have different superpowers that they use to work together and keep Earth’s natural resources safe. Their leader, Kalia, sends them out on missions, and their pet unicorn, Floof, is there to help out. ImprintReads, from publisher Macmillan, has a Rainbow Rangers book for every reader in their new line of releases.

Rainbow Rangers: Rockin’ Rainbow Colors, by Summer Greene,
(Sept. 2019, Imprint/Macmillan), $9.99, ISBN: 9781250190345
Ages 3-6

This tabbed, oversized board book introduces each Rainbow Ranger, their talent, and also works with color recognition. Each of the Rainbow Rangers is named for a color in the spectrum, after all. It’s chunky, will hold up to multiple reads and exploring little hands, and the artwork is full of bright colors and large-eyed, expressive superheroines. Way too cute, preschoolers and toddlers will love this book.

 

Rainbow Rangers: The Quest for the Confetti Crystal, by Summer Greene/Illustrated by Joshua Heinsz and Maxime Lebrun,
(Sept. 2019, Imprint/Macmillan), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250190338
Ages 3-6

This picture book is great for preschoolers and early elementary school readers, and it’s an original Rainbow Rangers story. The Rainbow Rangers have plans to celebrate Bonnie Blueberry’s 100th mission with a party, and unicorn Floof is put in charge of protecting their Confetti Crystal for the celebration, while the Rangers head off on their mission. Floof tries to contribute to the party planning using the crystal, but the crystal rolls away, and Floof is off on his own mission to retrieve it. The artwork is adorable; the characters from the show are instantly recognizable, and for those of us who aren’t quite familiar with the Rainbow Rangers, it’s a fun fantasy adventure starring a unicorn, magic, and adventure.

 

Rainbow Rangers: Meet the Team, by Summer Greene,
(Sept. 2019, Imprint/Macmillan), $4.99, ISBN: 9781250190314
Ages 3-7

The team’s origin story comes together in Easy Reader format in Meet the Team, which introduces the characters and their powers, using a little more vocabulary than the Rockin’ Rainbow Colors board book. The story also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and respecting one another, even if you don’t always agree. Sentences are longer, with a little more meat to the information; emerging readers will love sitting down with this one and digging right in.

 

Rainbow Rangers: To the Rescue!, by Summer Greene,
(Sept. 2019, Imprint/Macmillan), $4.99, ISBN: 9781250190253
Ages 3-7

To the Rescue! is the 8×8 media tie-in, recreating the first Rainbow Rangers adventure: rescuing a polar bear cub when a melting ice floe separates him from his mother. The girls fly into action, discovering how to work together and addressing climate change on an age-appropriate level: “When temperatures get hotter, ice shelves break apart”. There’s a punch-out, wearable Kaleidocom that kids can wear just like the character Rosie Redd (librarians: keep this one in your desk until you can make copies or hold a giveaway). Fonts are bright and bold, with some words getting rainbow bubble font treatment for extra emphasis.

There’s a little something for everyone here, and kids will gobble this series up. The Rainbow Rangers website also has video clips, profiles on each character, and free, downloadable activity and coloring sheets. Have them on hand!

Posted in Early Reader, Intermediate

Spooky Halloween Activities – A spooky wipe-clean doodle pad

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Spooky Halloween Activities, by Priddy Books, (July 2019, Priddy Books), $6.99, ISBN: 9780312528836

Ages 4-7

A quick Halloween goodie to crow about: Spooky Halloween Activities is a fun activity book from Priddy Books, that comes with wipe-clean pages and a dry-eraase pen. Kids can complete scary mazes, decorate a door and design a Halloween monster, or use the included stickers to design a costume and fill a witch’s cupboard. The book is spiral-bound and sturdy, and you can use any dry-erase pen if the one that comes with it goes missing, or if two kids want to work together on a creation (and since the book is spiral, it can be laid out flat to let two kids work on a page simultaneously). If you are able to invest in a few of them, are a nice, reusable handout to kids at the reference desk, classroom for quiet time, or your living room. It’s a fun, creative way to get the Halloween vibes flowing.

Posted in Uncategorized

T.S. Eliot’s Cats get the picture book treatment

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Cats movie is coming out in December; whether you’ve seen the trailer or not, whether you’re ready for this movie to come to the big screen or not, you know it’s going to be an event. Me? I’m perfectly happy to read these Faber & Faber picture books starring some of T.S. Eliot’s more memorable feline characters. There are five books in the series; I’ve received three to review, and have to say, I really enjoy them. Am I going a Cats movie storytime? I don’t know about that, but I am always down for a cat storytime.

Macavity: The Mystery Cat, by T.S. Eliot/Illustrated by Arthur Robins,
(July 2016, Faber & Faber), $9.95, ISBN: 978-0-571-30813-2
Ages 4+

Macavity is a master thief, a cheat, a sneak, a charismatic rebel who always manages to stay one paw ahead of the law. T.S. Eliot’s Macavity poem wanders through this story, amusingly illustrated by Arthur Robins, who wittily draws the marmalade tabby as a rangy, sly cat who sharp-eyed readers will catch glimpses of at the scenes of his various crime scenes. The bloodhound police dog just can’t keep up with the Napoleon of Crime.

 

Mister Mistoffelees: The Conjuring Cat, by T.S. Eliot/Illustrated by Arthur Robins,
(October 2016, Faber & Faber), $9.95, ISBN: 978-0-57132-222-0
Ages 4+

Mister Mistoffelees is the elegant conjurer, the magician, who can creep through the tiniest crack and walk on the narrowest rail. He can play tricks on humans, and is rumored to have magical powers, not just skill at sleight of hand. The little black cat is can saw a dog in half and produce kittens from his magical hat; he can be asleep by the fire while he’s heard on the roof. He’s just the Magical Mister Mistoffelees!

 

Jellicle Cats, by T.S. Eliot/Illustrated by Arthur Robins, (Aug. 2017, Faber & Faber),
$9.95, ISBN: 978-0-57133-341-7
Ages 4+

The Jellicle Cats are the party animals of T.S. Eliot’s world. With their dapper attire and their cool dance moves, the group of black and white cats head en masse to the Jellicle Ball, where they dance and sing by the light of the moon. They sleep all day, saving their energy to let it rip when the Jellicle Moon shines bright.

Each book is illustrated by Arthur Robins, who brings a wonderful, fun look to T.S. Eliot’s playful rhymes. Each cat is bursting with personality, from Mister Mistoffelees’s rainbow bow tie and wand flourishes to Macavity’s sly smile as he traps an unsuspecting mouse, to the dapper Jellicle Cats doing the Charleston under a full moon. The books are colorful and the art is bold, with chunky outlines defining the cats and their environs. The poetry is in large, bold, black font, making this an easy read for newly confident readers that like to play with language, and works really well in a storytime, where you can be playful with the words and your own movements. Add some felt Cats to your storytime! These are begging for a felt board reading.

The Kiddo (my second grader) got a big kick out of these – Macavity is a favorite, because he’s 7 and he’s all about being a rebel. I’m going to introduce these in a storytime and see how they go over; I’d love to include these in our poetry collection, because it’s making a classic work super-accessible to young learners.

Don’t miss Arthur Robins’s webpage, where you can see more of his illustration, scribbles, and cartoons he’s had featured in UK magazines.

Posted in Conferences & Events

The Tri-State Book Buzz: Coffee, Breakfast, and Books

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I attended the Tri-State Book Buzz this morning, where over 20 publishers invited librarians and educators for a morning of breakfast and kidlit, from board books to YA. There are some fantastic books to come! Let’s take a look at some of the big reveals first:

Graphic Novels

The big news here is that Random House is starting their own dedicated graphic novel imprint, Random House Graphic, headed up by Publishing Director Gina Gagliano, who is just a great person, who genuinely adores graphic novels, and wants kids to love them, too. RH Graphic is dedicated to putting a graphic novel on every readers’ shelf; meaning, they’re going to publish graphic novels for all ages and interests. The debut list looks good, with graphic novels for intermediate readers, middle graders, and teens all lined up and ready to go in the near year: Bug Boys by Laura Knetzger is about two bug friends, aimed at intermediate readers, and fans of Narwhal and Jelly; The Runaway Princess by Johan Troïanowski and Thom Pico and Karensac’s Aster and the Accidental Magic are geared for middle graders and star strong female characters, and Witchlight is a YA graphic novel by Jessi Zabarsky, about two women traveling and growing together. These are the first four books in 2020, with 8 more to come later in the year.

 

GRAPHIX WEEK! Scholastic has a week of graphic novels programming coming up in December (the 9th-13th) for their TeachGraphixWeek celebration. There’s going to be classroom activities, Twitter chats, and a live Facebook broadcast with Raina Telgemeier, Kazu Kibuishi, and more, which assures that my Corona Kids will be losing their minds. For now, there’s a link to sign up for more information; the sites from previous Graphix Week haven’t been updated for this year’s content just yet.

Speaking of Graphix, the big news is that Lauren Tarshis’ I Survived books are getting the Graphix treatment! The first two books release in February (I Survived the Titanic) and June (I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916), and this will surely send the kids into a frenzy. I found out from Ms. Tarshis herself a couple of weeks ago, when one of my Corona Kids and I were wondering why this series hadn’t gotten the graphic novel treatment yet; we Tweeted at the author, who responded, lightning-fast, with a copy of the Titanic cover, causing my Corona Kid and I to dance with joy. (Side note: Tweet your authors! They are amazing people and the kids love to be acknowledged!)

Graphix is also taking on the Geronimo Stilton graphic novels, with the first one, The Sewer Rat Stink, coming in May and written by Origami Yoda writer (and HUGE Stilton fan) Tom Angleberger! (The Stilton graphic novels have been, up until now, published by Papercutz).

For the Shannon Hale/Raina Telgemeier readers, Graphix has a realistic fiction story, Nat Enough, by Maria Scrivan, coming in April. Nat is a sixth grader who feels like she isn’t cool enough for her best friend, and tries to change, but will figure out, along the way, that she’s just fine as is.

 

Macmillan (shout-out to First Second!) has some good graphic novels, too. I’m interested in Go With the Flow, a middle grade novel about body positivity, resistance, and feminism when a group of girls push back when their school invests more money in their (male) athletes’ comfort than in restocking menstrual products in their school. Breaking the menstrual taboo for middle grade is so important, especially when so many middle and high school bathrooms are sorely lacking in feminine hygiene product availability (don’t get me started on this). I’m definitely looking forward to this one. Romper has a good article and sneak peek for you.

Also coming from Macmillan/First Second: John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators (my son has nicked my BookExpo copy; if I can get it back, you’ll get a review from both of us), the first in a new series, coming in February.

 

Finally, Amulet, the children’s publishing imprint for Abrams, has a new Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tale! Major Impossible is the ninth book in the series and tells the story of John Wesley Powell, a one-armed geologist who explored the grand canyon.

Picture Books

There are TOO many picture books to shout out individually, so I’ll put up a couple of highlights. Let’s just say that end of 2019/beginning of 2020 is going to be a very good year.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton, whose Youngest Marcher and Mary Had a Little Glam are some of my recent favorites, is coming out with Just Like Me, “an ode to the girl with scrapes on her knees and flowers in her hair, and every girl in between”. Sounds like storytime magic happening to me!

Picture Book Biographies

Aretha Franklin is getting a picture book biography treatment from Katheryn Russell-Brown and illustrator Laura Freeman. Bloomsbury is publishing A Voice Named Aretha in January 2020. Mary Walker, who learned to read at the age of 116, is also getting a picture book biography; Random House Children’s Books is publishing The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read, by Lorrain Hubbard and illustrated by Oge Mora, in January; Disney/Hyperion has Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Eric Velasquez, coming in February. Sourcebooks has a picture book biography of Jennifer Keelan, the young activist who participated in The Capitol Crawl in 1990 at the age of 8 to demand passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jennifer, who has cerebral palsy, climbed out of her wheelchair and up the steps of the Capitol. Annette Bay Pimentel authors, Ali Haider illustrates, and Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins writes the forward.

Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, by Matthew Cordell, debuts in May from Holiday House, created by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell. It’s the only authorized picture book biography on Fred Rogers, and I can’t wait to see it. If you haven’t read A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers, illustrated by Luke Flowers (from Quirk Books), please get a copy on your shelves. Introduce our kids to Mister Rogers; we need him back.

Little Bee’s Grandpa Grumps is an adorable multi-generational story about a little girl and her grumpy grandpa who comes to visit from China. The two bond over cooking, and there’s a recipe at the end. The art is Pixar-inspired, and absolutely adorable. Grandpa Grumps, by Katrina Moore, with art by Xindi Yang, pubs in April.

 

Disney Book Group has Love, Sophia on the Moon, a book I think I’ll have to buy my niece. Sophia writes a letter to her mother, telling her she’s run away to the moon., where there are no time-outs and early bedtimes. Mom responds with a sense of humor. Who hasn’t wanted to run away to the moon? Heck, I think about it even now.

 

Holiday House is also publishing In My Garden; originally written in 1962 by Charlotte Zolotow and reimagined by Philip Stead. It’s a lovely, intergenerational story about a child and older adult who spend time in a beautiful garden as the seasons pass.

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh, by Supriya Kelkar and illustrated by Alea Marley, is already out, and is a beautifully illustrated book about an Indian American boy, a practicing Sikh, who matches his patka – his head covering – to his emotions and occasions. I haven’t seen this one yet, so I’ll be requesting it and reading it ASAP.

 

Rainbow Fish author Marcus Pfister has a new book out! Who Stole the Hazelnuts? starts off with a terrifying scream when Squirrel discovers that someone has stolen his hazelnuts! The art on this is hilarious, and Squirrel’s face is my entire mood on some days. I mean, honestly. Tell me you can’t relate:

 

We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade is the beautifully illustrated and narrated story of the Standing Rock Pipeline protest, from a Native American child’s perspective. Due out in March, this is a book I’m going to make sure we have on our shelves.

 

Look at this adorable book! Oliver the Curious Owl is a young owl who wants to know all the big questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? He decides to go on his own adventure to see if he can learn some answers to his questions. I’m already planning owl storytimes for this book by Chad Otis. The book won’t be out until August 2020. I can wait. I can wait. I won’t be patient about it, but I can wait.

 

STEM

Picture books, nonfiction books, there are all sorts of ways to work STEM/STEAM into kids books, and there are some really good ones coming.

Chris Ferrie, my favorite kidlit science guru, has My First 100 Science Words, introducing the littlest readers to awesome science words like food chain, fluorescence, and cell. Illustrated by Lindsay Dale Scott, it’s the cutest little science book I’ve ever seen. (Until, let’s be honest, his next book.)

 

Charlesbridge has a great Winter/Spring line, with loads of STEM/STEAM books in the works. Mario and the Hole in the Sky is about Mexican-American scientist and Nobel Laureate Mario Molina. Publishing simultaneously in English in Spanish, by Elizabeth Rusch and illustrated by Teresa Martinez, Mario publishes in less than a month: you can get it in November. Earth Hour, by Nanette Heffernan and illustrated by Bao Luu, invites kids to take part in Earth Hour, where communities all over the world are encouraged to turn off non-essential electricity for one hour. Earth Hour is publishing in January, with activities and ideas for kids all over the world; there’s more than enough time to prepare Earth Hour activities for March, when Earth Hour happens. You’re Invited to a Moth Ball is a collaboration with scientist Loree Griffin Burns and photographer Ellen Harasimowicz; it’s a “nighttime insect celebration” with advice on how kids can throw their own Moth Ball. Sterling is releasing The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer, by Marcie Wessels and illustrated by Beatriz Castro, in March.

Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann have Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera coming in April from Holiday House, and the artwork is just breathtaking. It’s the story of a honeybee’s journey through life, and the detail is just wonderful.

 

Sterling has three adorable STEM/STEAM stories coming soon: When Grandpa Gives You A Toolbox (March 2020), by Jamie L.B. Deenihan and illustrated by Lorraine Rocha; where a young boy wants storage for his dolls, receives a toolbox from his grandfather, and overcomes his disappointment when he discovers that he can use the toolbox to make a storage box by himself. Invent-a-Pet (May 2020), by Vicky Fang and illustrated Tidawan Thaipinnarong, a a STEM and coding story about a girl who decides that the best pet you can have is the one you make on your own. 

 

There were SO MANY BOOKS. This is just a quick rundown of some of the picture books and graphic novels to come. Up next, middle grade and YA.

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

My First Book of New York: See All the Sights!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

My First Book of New York, by Ingela P. Arrhenius, (Sept. 2019, Walker Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536209907

Ages 3-7

Artist Ingela P. Arrenhuis is quickly becoming a favorite early childhood author illustrator of mine. Her Christmas and Halloween board books and her large picture book, City, are adorably illustrated, with bright, bold, eye-catching colors that early readers and learners are immediately drawn to. Similar to City, My First Book of New York is an oversized book and gives readers an armchair tour of the boroughs I love so much, with bright white and orange endpapers loaded with New York icons: the Statue of Liberty; the Flatiron Building, subway cars, pizza, hot pretzels, and more. Each spread introduces readers to a different area of New York: 4 of the five boroughs are spotlighted (sorry, Staten Island), with New York City getting most of the space: Rockefeller Center, Chinatown, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Central Park, Wall Street, Times Square, and Broadway all get their moments to shine here, as do activities like shopping, structures including the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Grand Central Station, and destinations like museums. There is brief text introducing the attraction to place readers; the left hand page is a full-page illustration of each selection; the right hand page is dedicated to placing the reader within that area by showcasing attractions around it: shopping, for instance, features an illustration of shoppers crossing Fifth Avenue; on the right hand side, illustrations of Tiffany & Co., Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Saks Fifth Avenue windows, FAO Schwarz, Union Square Greenmarket, a SoHo boutique, and a limousine all place the reader.

This is the first in a series, and I’m looking forward to it. My First Book of London, Austin, Texas, or Chicago, anyone?

Posted in Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction, Tween Reads

Humanimals demonstrates ways animals and humans are similar

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Humanimal: Incredible Ways Animals are Just Like Us!, by Christopher Lloyd/Illustrated by Mark Ruffle, (Nov. 2019, What on Earth Books), $19.99, ISBN: 978-1-912920-01-3

Ages 7-13

Christopher Lloyd‘s latest nonfiction introduces readers to all the ways we’re not that unique: animals are just like we are. Breaking down big areas like Community, Feelings, and Intelligence into finer points like teamwork, showing off, love, grief, self-awareness and invention, Humanimals reminds us not to discount the animals we share the planet with: we have as Lloyd writes in his introduction, “we need a new word, one that helps us understand how much we have in common”.

Christopher Lloyd gives readers a blend of animals and behaviors we know – honeybees work together; termites create vast cities; cats arch their backs and stiffen their tails to show aggression – and introduces behaviors readers may not be aware of: ravens roll down hills for fun; fish and leafcutter ants are farmers; orcas, baboons, and elephants all experience grief and mourning; chickens can communicate with one another. With bold, colorful artwork by Mark Ruffle, and easy-to-read sentences for more confident readers, this is a nice nonfiction add for your animal fans and natural history readers. It builds bridges to understanding animals, and encourages kids (and adults) to pay attention to the world they share.

Humanimal is a good choice for STEM and Discovery Clubs, too; encourage kids to talk about animal behaviors they’ve observed that remind them of human behavior. I love telling kids about seeing lizards that do push-ups to show off when I was in Florida.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Clyde is laugh-out-loud hilarious fun from Jim Benton

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Clyde, by Jim Benton, (Apr. 2019, Yoe Books), $9.99, ISBN: 978-1-68405-447-3

Ages 7-11

Jim Benton is big news in my libraries.  Kids are still devour his Franny K. Stein and My Dumb Diaries series, and every now and then, I’ll even catch a mom rocking an It’s Happy Bunny sweatshirt or tee. He’s consistently hilarious with a wink to the snarkiest of mindsets, making him aces in my book. So when I was invited to review his graphic novel, Clyde, about a bear who loves being bad, I bounced off the walls a bit.

My excitement was rewarded. Clyde is straight-up hilarious. Clyde is a bear who just wants to be a bad guy. He doesn’t have a nice word for anyone, and life in friendly Cubville isn’t cutting it for him. He wants to go somewhere bad: “bad as bologna… left out on the counter to spoil’, so he sets off for Grizzly City. He gets beaten up by a butterfly who, at it turns out, is trying to get away from the mean streets of Grizzly City, and encounters a grizzly who’s so intimidating, Clyde farts with every sentence the bear growls at him. Is Clyde deterred? No way! But a call from his brother, Tinkledirt, telling him his grandmother is in fish jail, sends Clyde back to make things right.

Is this a redemption tale? Heck no! It’s a tale that’s meant to enjoy and laugh at, because Jim Benton’s humor is fantastic: surreal, sarcastic, and carries just a bit of an uplifting message about helping out your friends and your family. The artwork is bright, with bold outlines, and keeps it simple; the writing is fast-paced and carries at least one belly laugh per page. Clyde is all of us in a bad mood; he just doesn’t apologize for it. The text is perfect for intermediate readers, with short sentences, and words that your emerging readers can easily pick up in the dialogue. (I just had to explain what a bikini was to my second grader, but other than that, he was good.)

I demanded my second grader put everything down to read this, and he loved it. Get this one for your graphic novel fans; they’ll demand more Clyde, too. Visit Jim Benton’s author website  for more about his books, including his Catwad graphic novels (which, it looks like I’m ordering for the kiddo).

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade

She-Ra Chapter Books are here!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Origin of a Hero (Book 1), by Tracey West/Illustrated by Amanda Schank, (April 2019, Scholastic), $$5.99, ISBN: 978-1-338-29842-0

Ages 7-10

Once upon a time, it was the 1980s, and I was a He-Man/She-Ra fan. I’d turn on the TV when I got home from high school, and keep it on in the background as I did my homework, talked on the phone, and got on with my day. Years later, She-Ra relaunched on Netflix, and despite an initial redesign uproar, it’s gotten pretty rave feedback. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet (my TBW – To Be Watched – list is almost as terrifying as my TBR), but I have to find a way to make that happen now that I’ve read the first chapter book in the new series, Origin of a Hero.

Not a mere relaunch, but a continuation of the original He-Man and She-Ra universe, Origin of a Hero introduces us to Adora and Catra, two girls being raised by a group known as The Horde. The Horde is at odds with The Rebellion, a group of princesses who are fighting to keep their world, Etheria, safe from The Horde. But Adora and Catra don’t hear that story: to them, The Horde is fighting the good fight against the evil, awful princesses. Adora and Catra are like frenemies, because Adora is the golden girl and the apple of the Shadow Weaver’s eye – the mother figure to both Adora and Catra – where Catra is jealous, but too fond of breaking rules and taking the easy way out to excel. Adora stumbles on an artifact – a sword – that gives her a vision of a warrior in white, and calls to her about honor, and she’s confused, but drawn to the sword. Meanwhile, a princess named Glimmer and her best friend, Bow, go searching for ancient artifacts and guess who they bump into? When the group is set upon by a giant robot insect, they seek shelter in an old ruin with the word “Eternia” written in runes that only Adora can read. Once inside the ruin, Adora finds that there’s more to the sword than just visions: it gives her the power to transform into the legendary She-Ra!

What a great beginning for a new generation of She-Ra fans! Adora has her nemesis origin up and running, because we all know Catra is bad news. She’s learned that Fake News has formed her life thus far; being raised to believe that the princesses are evil and The Horde is good, and being faced with the destruction and devastation wrought by The Horde when she meets Glimmer and Bow in the Whispering Woods. More of the original universe’s story is yet to be revealed, but with a second book, Island of Magical Creatures, already available and a third book, Song of the She-Witch, coming on November 5, I’m hooked and ready to commit to this series – and get my library kids in on it. And I’ll be pulling up She-Ra on Netflix to see if it lives up to the hype. The books are illustrated in two-color pink and white, with swords, stars, and runes decorating the borders of each page. This is an intermediate series to get in on now; the books are coming out pretty regularly and the series is starting its fourth season on November 5. Check out the trailer.