Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Springtime reading: April Graphic Novels

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, by Box Brown, (Apr. 2019, First Second), $24.99, ISBN: 9781250154088

Ages 14+

Award-winning graphic novelist Box Brown is back with the real story of how cannabis – weed, marijuana, reefer – went from being a plant used for spiritual purposes to being labeled a gateway drug that caused “reefer madness”. How did it happen, you say? Racism. Politics. Propaganda.  Scare tactics. The usual song and dance. Box Brown has done his research and, combined with his minimalist artwork, presents a tale that will have you seeing the politics of marijuana (the origin of that name is in here, too, and it’s a doozy) in an entirely new light.

The War on Drugs started long before Nancy Reagan went on Diff’rent Strokes and told kids to “just say no”, and the fallout has targeted minorities – primarily young black men – and left thousands imprisoned for minor infractions. Studies have purposely included falsified data and allowed Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, to perpetuate his war against narcotics by weaponizing moral outrage and using propaganda to get the plant a schedule 1 classification, putting it on par with heroin.

Ignatz Award winner Box Brown has a gift for nonfiction. While he’s primarily done biographical graphic novels thus far, including Andre the Giant, Andy Kaufman, and the rise of the video game Tetris, Cannabis is a thoroughly researched, fully realized, history of marijuana, from its earliest recorded uses through the present day. It’s a good add for your young adult/new adult collections and could be a good selection for a book group, especially with its increasing legality and medicinal usage.

Peter and Ernesto: The Lost Sloths, by Graham Annable, (Apr. 2018, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626725720

Ages 6-10

It’s the return of my favorite sloth buddies! Peter and Ernesto are back, and they’ve got a new adventure when a hurricane blows their beloved tree away! Peter, Ernesto, and the rest of their sloth friends must set out to find a new tree. A great tree. A tree just like the one they had, preferably. As they journey through the jungle, there are new dangers to brave: angry ants, slithering snakes, running pigs, and a very hungry jaguar! Ernesto is up to the challenge, but poor Peter… well, Peter’s going to need his best friend next to him as they lead their friends to a new tree. And maybe, a new friend or two along the way.

I love this new series! The two friends are like the Bert and Ernie of sloth civilization, with idealistic, upbeat Ernesto and cautious, nervous Peter acting as counterbalances to each other. The new animals the group meets as they venture through the jungle are hilarious, and the twist near the end will have your readers cheering. It’s emotional to see the sloths survey the damage to their tree, and it adds a depth to Peter’s and Ernesto’s characters as they take on the responsibility of shepherding their group to a new home. It’s just as emotional to see them find a new tree and the final resolution will just make you feel good. Peter and Ernesto is feel-good reading, and who doesn’t need more of that?

I can’t wait to see where life takes them next. Add this to your graphic novels collections and talk them up! Make a Best Friends display and make sure to include Frog & Toad, Elephant and Piggie, Narwhal & Jelly, and Duck and Porcupine.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A search for the Biggest Puddle in the World and a lesson on the water cycle!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Biggest Puddle in the World, by Mark Lee/Illustrated by Nathalie Dion, (March 2019, Groundwood Books), $18.95, ISBN: 9781554989799

Ages 4-7

Siblings Sarah and Charlie go to stay with their grandparents for six days; at first, it rains, allowing the two to explore the old house, but they’re itching to get outside and wander. Finally, the weather lets up, and they head out, with their grandfather, on a nature walk. Big T, their grandfather, promises to show them the biggest puddle in the world, and encourages Sarah to keep a puddle map; all the while, explaining the water cycle: the rain comes down and collects in the puddles; the water in the air become the clouds in the sky. The clouds are made up of water from ponds and rivers and the biggest puddle in the world, which, the kids discover, is the ocean!

This is a great way to lead in to a discussion and/or lesson about the water cycle. The story and illustrations are all about the joy of being a kid: they enjoy spending time with grandparents; jump in puddles; explore nature, and find ways to keep themselves occupied when stuck inside on rainy days. Big T gives them a simple, illustrative way to understand the water cycle and how puddles collect, form bigger puddles, and eventually, become part of the clouds, which bring the rain. He encourages learning, and invites the kids to use hands-on learning by exploring and mapping their day.

The real and digital watercolor artwork is soft, with earth tones and faded colors, allowing nature to calmly take its place as the focal point of the story. Grasses gently move in an imagined breeze; the ocean stretches across a spread as Big T watches his grandchildren and their dog play, boots left on the sand.

A nice bridge between fiction and nonfiction, and a good addition to science storytime.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A loving Moon watches and wishes…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Moon Wishes, by Patricia Storms & Guy Storms/Illustrated by Milan Pavlovic, (March 2019, Groundwood Books), $17.95, ISBN: 9781773060767

Ages 4-7

A sweet bedtime story, a loving meditation from caregiver to child, Moon Wishes sees a gently illuminated moon overseeing nature, animals, and humans alike, and wishing all that’s good upon all it touches. The poetic text reads like a parent or caregiver’s loving murmur to a sleepy child, with phrases like, “If I were the moon, I would paint ripples of light on wet canvas and shimmer over dreams of snow…”, and “…if I were the moon, I would make myself big and bright and strong with love so that I could shine on you”. It’s soothing and gentle, comforting and and perfect to read to the little ones curled up in your lap or surrounding your storytime circle.

The watercolor illustrations give a dreamlike depth to the authors’ voices, presenting gently illuminated landscapes, a kind-faced moon lighting the way for animals and humans alike. The colors are soft and bright, landscapes moving from snowy icebergs through waters, forests, and towns. A lovely addition to picture book collections and bedtime storytime.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Want to catch a unicorn? It’s not easy!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

How to Catch a Unicorn, by Adam Wallace/Illustrated by Andy Elkerton, (March 2019, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $10.99, ISBN: 9781492669739

Ages 4-8

The latest How to Catch… book from Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton is all about catching the mythical, magical unicorn. Narrated by the unicorn, this rhyming tale takes readers on a wild unicorn chase through a zoo, where a group of kids try their best to use traps, treats, and tricks to capture the unicorn. The unicorn deftly maneuvers around each attempt, keeping his magic safe and entertaining readers with fun storytelling in rhyme, bright and bold colors, and, naturally, glitter fart jokes.

This is a fun book with bright, rainbow colors and cheery artwork. The unicorn is constantly on the move throughout the book; have your kids point out where they find him as the book progresses – his hindquarters are in most spreads, giving movement to the story as he escapes yet another trap; he also shrinks down and shows up in shadow, switching things up to keep readers excited and engaged.

Read and/or display with Do You Believe in Unicorns? by Bethanie Deeney Murguia and Kenny Loggins’s picture book take on his song, Footloose. I’m going to keep adding books from this series to my collection, because they’re just fun reading.

Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Magical, Mysterious, Cosentino!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Mysterious World of Cosentino: The Missing Ace, by Cosentino with Jack Heath/Illustrated by James Hart, (Jan. 2018, Kane Miller), $5.99, ISBN: 978-1-61067-750-9

Ages 7-11

Australian illusionist Cosentino has a series of intermediate-middle grade novels that have hit American bookshelves, likely powered by his success on America’s Got Talent. The first book, The Missing Ace, starts off with Cosentino performing at his rundown old theatre, when an Ace of Spades – no, seriously, the Ace of Spades – runs in and begs the magic man to save him from the evil, two-headed King. Trying to be a nice guy, Cosentino gets involved… and gets tossed into a dungeon. Guess who’s going to escape?

This is an illustrated intermediate-level middle grade novel that adventure and magic fans will get a kick out of. It’s got a fairly frenetic pace, and crazy, colorful characters, not the least of whom is Cosentino, himself. Kids don’t have to know who he is to enjoy the book – he’s a magician, and the book includes oodles of magic tricks that he performs throughout his adventure; there’s a bonus card trick and illusion explanations (don’t read ’em if you don’t want to know!) at the end, and the 2-color illustrations are wacky and larger than life, with big fonts and expressive characters.

Could be a fun add to fiction collections where kids enjoy magic tricks. Show them this clip from America’s Got Talent: Champions to introduce them to Cosentino and his escapes!

Posted in Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

A whodunit with a twist: The Color of Lies by CJ Lyons

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Color of Lies, by CJ Lyons, (Nov. 2018, Blink YA Books), $17.99, ISBN: 978-0-310-765356

Ages 14+

This is one heck of a mystery. High school senior Ella lives with her grandmother and Uncle Joe after an accident orphaned her as a toddler. Her father’s best friend and business partner, Darrin, treats her like a favorite niece and has cultivated her father’s business into a solid foundation to keep Ella safe and comfortable. That all changes when Max shows up: Max, the journalism student consumed with Ella’s story, because what Ella’s been told isn’t how it happened. Max knows, because Max was there that night, too.

This is a wild ride. You think you know what’s going on, and CJ Lyons politely smirks and shakes a finger in your literary face, crafting a plot that left me dumbfounded. Adding a main character with synesthesia – a condition that wreaks havoc on the senses, and, in Ella’s case, allows her “read” people through their colorful auras – adds nice depth to the characters. There is a lot of storytelling here – at times, to the detriment of pacing – but overall, this is a good mystery, with a touch of romance, that teens will like.

CJ Lyons’s author webpage includes medical and forensic links and the opportunity to download some of her work for free.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

Survival nonfiction: Lost in the Antarctic (and a giveaway!)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Lost in the Antarctic: The Doomed Voyage of the Endurance, by Tod Olson, (Jan. 2019, Scholastic), $7.99, ISBN: 978-1-338-20734-7

The latest entry into Tod Olson’s Lost series takes a deeper look into Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 voyage to the Antarctic aboard the fated ship, the Endurance. Shackleton and a full complement of 28 men and a few dozen sled dogs boarded the ship, ready to attempt the first crossing of the Antarctic continent; nature had different ideas as the ship and crew endured oceans of ice that trapped and eventually crushed the ship, leaving the men to fend for themselves on the ice.

This is not a gentle story. Tod Olson writes of desperate men trapped in horrific conditions, fighting to survive; the story has riveting, gritty moments that will make the brutal world of the Antarctic come alive. Photos and details from primary sources, including Shackleton’s own journal, make the story come alive for readers. Have readers who love Lauren Tarshis’ I Survived series (seriously, who doesn’t)? This is the next step. Want to make fiction readers love nonfiction just as much? This is the series for you and them.

I don’t know how I wasn’t aware of this series before: there are four books so far, and each book comes with incredible resources, including free, downloadable discussion guides and supplemental information – including multimedia resources – on Tod Olson’s author site. You can go directly to the Lost in the Antarctic resources here.

Get this series on your shelves now! You’ll be happy you did, and so will your readers.

Tod Olson is the author of the historical fiction series How to Get Rich and the four books in the Lost series–Lost in the Pacific, 1942; Lost in Outer Space;  Lost in the Amazon; and Lost in the Antarctic. He has written for national magazines on the Columbine school shooting, homeless teens, the murder of Matthew Shepard, and many other stories of interest to children and young adults. Tod holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Vermont with his family, his mountain bike, and his electric reclining chair. To learn more, and to download free teaching resources, visit his website: todolson.com.
 
Praise for previous titles in the Lost series
 
★”A riveting, completely engrossing true survival story.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“Engaging… A great choice for collections.” —School Library Journal
 
One lucky winner will receive Lost in the Antarctic, courtesy of Scholastic, Inc. (U.S. addresses). Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance!
Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

I give you… STEVE, TERROR OF THE SEAS!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Steve, Terror of the Seas, by Megan Brewis, (March 2109, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-61067-825-4

Ages 3-7

Steve is the cutest, friendliest little fish in the sea, so why is everyone so afraid of him? Steve swims around the sea, explaining to readers that it’s not easy being Steve as creatures large and small swim away in terror. Could it be the company he keeps?

Steve, Terror of the Seas, is straight-up hilarious, relying on the end reveal to bring home the joke. Sharp-eyed readers may be able to guess beforehand, but make that reveal dramatic: get out hand puppets or felt boards for this one. The writing keeps the joke running, with Steve baring his little teeth, wondering if they’re “too bad”, or puckering up to a group of retreating fish as he utters possibly the best phrase in the book, “Finding love has been a challenge”.

The book presents fun facts about pilot fish (like Steve), and some other scary denizes of the deep, including pufferfish, viperfish, toadfish, anglerfish, and my favorite, the not-very-threatening blobfish. Being that Steve is a pilot fish, we get some facts about them, too… including their relationships with sharks, like Steve’s best friend, George.

The artwork is adorable and works hand-in-hand with the text to provide a reading experience with a great punchline. Make sure to sing Baby Shark and Slippery Fish for this storytime!

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

Makers… Get Tinkering!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Forgive the stretch between updates, all; I’m home this week, with my little guy, who’s on Midwinter Recess. He’s currently got a Lego stronghold of army men fighting across two rooms, so I used the break to get some writing in.

Did you know that this week is National Engineers Week? It is, and with many of us facing looming Science Fair deadlines, I’ve got a book for you. NatGeo, lifesaving publisher of all the things my own kids and library kids have needed for reports and projects, now has a book called Make This! Building, Thinking, and Tinkering Projects for the Amazing Maker in You, 

Make This! Building, Thinking, and Tinkering Projects for the Amazing Maker in You,
by Ella Schwartz/Photos by Matthew Rakola,
(Feb. 2019, National Geographic Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9781426333248
Ages 8-12

This is a perfect book to start off a basic maker program, or a book to add to an already robust program. Most of the materials needed are already in your home: I did three projects today with my first grader! (Pencil Pusher, Silly Noisemaker, and Kazoo, if you’re curious.) The basics of tinkering are here; you can take all of these projects to different levels with questions about the process of making and considering results (we talked briefly about the scientific method as we made predictions about using pencils as wheels, for instance, to propel a pile of books across a table).

Projects are broken down into 8 areas: Simple Machines; Materials; Systes; Optics; Energy; Acoustics; Forces; and Motion. Each area has a spread explaining the concept, followed by several projects further exploring each area. There are questions to consider, fast facts, a list of materials, and a step-by-step of what to do to complete your project. Each project also has a difficulty level and maximum number of people to work on each project.

A foreword explains the nature of making, and sections on makers and makerspaces assure every kid that there is no “maker profile”: you make something, you’re a maker! There are some handy suggestions on materials to keep handy if you want making to be a regular activity in your home, library, or classroom, and there are some spreads dedicated on using the book and starting with a toy challenge. Safety is always paramount, so there’s cautionary messages about having an adult nearby to help out; really, we’re just window dressing, though: kids can easily make these great projects. Afterwords have some info on more complex, advanced making (3-d printers and robotics), and introduce readers to real-life makers: scientists, conservationists, and photographers are makers, too!

This one is yet another win for my Science Projects section and a guaranteed “program in a book” add to my STEM shelf.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Cover Reveal: A Crazy Much Love by Joy Jordan Lake

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Author Joy Jordan-Lake has her very first picture book debuting in September: A Crazy-Much Love is all about adoption, and the crazy-much love that just grows and grows. And I’ve got a cover reveal, right here!

A Crazy-Much Love, by Joy Jordan-Lake/Illustrated by Sonia Sanchez, (Sept. 2019, Two Lions),
$17.99, ISBN: 9781542043267
Ages 3-8

From Goodreads: “How MUCH is the crazy-much love?” This simple question is answered as a parent recounts the journey of adopting her daughter and the many milestone moments that follow. From the child’s first bath and first time riding a tricycle, all the way to her boarding that big yellow bus, the crazy-much love grows SO MUCH that it spills out the windows and busts down the doors. A warm, lyrical celebration of the deep love parents hold for their children, and a comforting message for kids about how there can be only one special YOU.

I can’t wait for this one. Get this on your Fall radar!