Posted in Toddler Reads

Can’t get enough baby books!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Twirl has some adorable new baby and toddler books out this month!

My Books, by Xavier Deneux, (Aug. 2024, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9791036369049

Ages Birth-3

High-contrast artwork with punches of color for extra fun punctuate this fun look at having the right book for the right situation. A little rabbit has lots of books, each with a special mission: the yellow book accompanies the bunny on a camel ride in the desert; a blue book accompanies Bunny on a sailing voyage; a green book ventures into the forest. Die-cuts let readers explore with little fingers; foil overlays emphasize spreads. One-two sentence explanations on each spread place readers and set the stage for deeper text. A great little board book that grows with your little ones, this will be a book they’ll return to again and again, while learning that a good book can accompany you anywhere. A fun introduction to colors and concepts!

 

 

My Big Book of Happy Sounds, by Marion Cocklico, (Aug. 2024, Twirl Books), $22.99, ISBN: 9782408052461

Ages Birth-3

This is such a fun series. My Big Book of Happy Sounds is the companion to My Big Book of Nature Sounds (2023) and My Big Book of Sounds (2019) and includes over 100 sounds organized into areas that invoke happiness: morning sounds like birds singing, morning kisses, and hellos; garden sounds like birds chirping, rolling in the grass, and backyard bowling; together sounds, like laughing, cuddling, and baby babbling. Each button maps to an area of the book, noted by a colorful icon at the top left hand of each page. At the press of a button, little ones can hear all the sounds illustrated on the pages, all clearly labeled. Colorful illustrations show a nonstop parade of fun activities. Perfect for lapsit exploration or to enhance a storytime, these sturdy pages and buttons will hold up to multiple reads.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Linden: where the giving tree gets love, too

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Linden: The Story of a Tree, by Colleen Muske, (Apr. 2024, Marble Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781958325100

Ages 4-7

If you’ve ever read that other book about the tree and wanted a happier ending for that steadfast friend, have I got a book for you. Linden: The Story of a Tree is the story of a tree, and it’s the story of a community that loves and gives love. Planted as a sapling, Linden grows in the courtyard by a building, where animals and people alike adore him. The bees love Linden’s flowers; people curl up in his branches and play music in the courtyard where Linden can sway his branches in the breeze, dancing with his neighbors. During the holidays, his neighbors dress him up with lights and sing songs with him. But Linden isn’t forever, and when he becomes ill, his people rally around him, writing poetry, knitting scarves, and playing music for him, and Linden leaves behind a precious gift before he goes. Muske writes a gentle, bittersweet story about the life of a tree and its place in the center of a community; she imbues the people in the story with a sense of responsibility and with care, and breathes life into Linden so that he becomes a loving, feeling, central part of the community.  Watercolor and gouache artwork show a thriving community; Linden’s bark and branches have gorgeous texture and make him stand out from the rest of the story. Endpapers show a series of photos of Linden’s life; black and white and color photos show the passage of time. Linden is more than a story about the life cycle of a tree; it’s a story of love, loss, and moving forward. I loved this book.

Don’t forget to visit Marble Press’s Resources page for Linden activities and coloring pages.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Here and There brings connection

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Here and There, by Thea Lu, (Apr. 2024, Eerdman Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9780802856234

Ages 5-8

Two people live very different lives, but happenstance brings them together for a moment. Dan owns a cafe on a coastal town, and Aki is a sailor, always on the go. Dan is a homebody who draws comfort from his routine, but every now and then, he wonders what more there is “out there”. Aki  “lives life like a nomadic gull, always on the wing”; he loves the color of his world, with all different sights to see, but sometimes he wonders what it might be like to have a place to call home. Each, in his own way, feels distanced from the world. They each find joy in the connections they make: Dan, with the travelers who visit his cafe, and Aki, from the people he encounters when he goes ashore. As each man looks over their keepsakes, readers will discover that Dan and Aki have crossed paths once, and that it is a special memory for both. Here and There is about connection and life: Dan’s keepsakes are like “little windows, each opening a piece of the world to him” and Aki’s photos are like “little houses, each bringing a sense of home”. Dan looks out, while Aki looks in, and the one time they met, they felt less alone. Dan’s illustrations are rendered largely in shades of brown, for his homebound-land living existence, and Aki’s are shaded mainly in blue, noting his oceanic life. The spare text reads beautifully, yet with an aching loneliness as each character goes about his solitary existence, warming as the two interact with others. A lovely story about yearning connection and a great addition to picture book collections. Here and There has a starred review from Foreword Reviews.

Visit Thea Lu’s website for some exciting ideas for kids’ crafts.

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

Tales from the TBR: The Adventures of Penguin & Panda

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Surprise!, by Brenda Maier/Illustrated by Fanni Mézes, (Apr. 2024, Marble Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781958325056

Ages 6-10

Geared toward emerging readers, this sweet graphic novel is the first in a new series and perfect for readers who love Mo Willems’s Elephant and Piggie and Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly stories. Penguin and Panda are best friends who go on easygoing adventures. Surprise! contains four short stories, all with an emphasis on friendship and gentle humor: the two go on a picnic, play hide and seek, take an art class, and try to keep a surprise secret from the other. Penguin is little bit high-strung and Panda is imaginative and kind, always looking out for Penguin. The dialogue between the two characters is lively, funny, and kind. Illustrations are adorable, with Penguin sporting ponytails and a pink sweater, and Panda’s body language is open and expressive. Consider adding this to your intermediate graphic novel sections if you haven’t already. There are two Adventures of Penguin and Panda available now; a third will be on shelves in October. Visit Marble Press’s Resources page for free downloadable worksheets and activities.

Posted in Early Reader, Non-Fiction, picture books

The Shape of Things: How we created maps to understand our world

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World, by Dean Robbins/Illustrated by Matt Tavares, (Aug. 2024, Knopf Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593479254

Ages 4-8

An extraordinary discussion on the development of maps, Robbins provides an insight into human history as Tavares illustrates how different eras created maps to make sense of their world. Beginning with the first cultures to make maps using cave drawings and mammoth tusks, Robbins describes how mapmaking developed with humans, going from rocks to papyrus and ink to digital technology; as humans explored the planet, maps became more detailed, including paths connecting cities, rivers, and oceans. Flat, one-dimensional maps gave way to globes and tools like the compass, Gunter’s chain, and satellites, and computers. Robbins skillfully explains how humanity came together with the goal to explore and define the world we share; Tavares’s digital illustrations show realistic depictions of people through different eras creating various maps, allowing readers to see the changes in landscape, cultures, and technology. The story of maps is the story of mankind, beautifully told here. Endpapers depict shards of an early map and a  car-mounted smartphone GPS. Back matter includes an illustrated mapmaking timeline, a bibliography, and notes on mapmaking. Developing mapmakers will return to this book again and again.

 

“Map lovers and readers interested in the development of knowledge and technology will be drawn to Robbins’ look at how we, over millennia, have documented Earth’s shape.” —Booklist

Dean Robbins is a journalist and children’s book author. His previous books include, The Fastest Girl on Earth!, Two Friends; Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, Miss Paul and the President, and Margaret and the Moon. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his family. To learn more, visit https://deanrobbins.net/

Matt Tavares is a New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of over twenty titles. His books have been featured in: ALA Notable, Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, and twelve were chosen for the Society of Illustrators Original Art exhibit. His artwork has been exhibited at the Brandywine River Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, and the Mazza Museum. Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters. Visit his website: matttavares.com

Instagram:
Dean Robbins: @deanprobbins
Matt Tavares: @tavaresbooks
Facebook:
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Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

Tales from the TBR: Realia by Ulric Alvin Watts

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Realia, by Ulric Alvin Watts, (Oct. 2020, Smashwords), $2.99 (e-book), ISBN: 9781005273897

Ages 8-12

Graeme Pendlebury is the smartest kid in his fifth grade class, which means he’s got to be the smartest kid in his K-5 school, right? He sees himself going to MIT after high school, because that’s where “high-tech, cuttingedge, things that obviously very smart people must have worked on”, and he’s very interested in robots, solar-powered race cars, new personal computing technology, and the Internet. Set in the late ’90s, Watts’s young hero is a child prodigy who’s ripe for a sci-fi adventure, and he finds one during a trip to the Computer Museum at MIT, where he receives a valuable gift and meets a mysterious new teacher at school whose classes are strange at best. Once Graeme’s blissful fog brought on by his good fortune clears, he realizes that there is a something very strange going on, and it’s up to him to save the human race. Kirkus sums it up best by calling Realia “Isaac Asimov meets a sci-fi version of Goosebumps”. There are aliens, conspiracies, and space and time travel, all set in a time before social media and starring a fifth grade boy who’s ahead of his class and possibly, his time. It’s a relatively short and quick read that sci-fi fans will enjoy. Currently, it’s available as an ebook; if you have Libby/Sora/e-book readers, consider a purchase.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Tales from the TBR: Akash and Mila and the Big Jump

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Akash and Mila and the Big Jump, by Anthony C. Delauney/Illustrated by Chiara Civati, (Apr. 2024, Mascot Kids), $18.95, ISBN: 978-1637558607)

Ages 4-6

“Dadvisor” Delauney’s back with another story of overcoming fears and supporting one another. Akash and Mila are two friends excited to start their first gymnastics class, but Akash falls during a springboard jump. He’s embarrassed, which leads Mila to feeling self-doubt. Neither want to continue participating until their classmate, Dash (readers of Delauney’s books will recognize the character) comforts them by telling them he felt the same when he started gymnastics, and introduces them to his friend, Lulu. Together, Lulu and Dash provide encouragement to Akash and Mila, telling them that ““Making mistakes is okay. / We know they’re never planned. / But now you get to choose. / Do you want to try again? / We’ll support you no matter what happens in the end”. The two friends try again and receive cheers from their friends as they succeed. Civati’s illustrations are colorful and cheerful, with diverse characters. The rhyming text is appealing to younger readers. A good additional purchase for collections.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, picture books

A story to garden by: The Soil in Jackie’s Garden by Peggy Thomas & Neely Daggett

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Soil in Jackie’s Garden, by Peggy Thomas/Illustrated by Neely Daggett, (May 2024, Feeding Minds Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781948898164

Ages 5-8

Jackie is a little girl who gets a group of friends together to garden and celebrate the fruits of their labor in this fun cumulative story that is loaded with fun, easily readable facts about gardening, composting, plant life cycles, and more. The group is inclusive and diverse, encouraging readers to see themselves doing the work in a community garden. The verses play with language, inviting readers to join in and squirm like a worm, smack their lips, and buzz like bees, while callout boxes on each spread expand on the verses with factual text: “These are the worms – squirrrm! / that stir the soil in Jackie’s garden” is accompanied by a fact box with two sentences about worms. Readers familiar with stories like The House That Jack Built will easily recognize the format, and new readers will love the familiarity of having repeat verses, giving them familiarity with the story. Back matter includes information on the soil cycle and how to make a compost pile. Create a great gardening display with Kalee Gwarjanski’s Miss MacDonald Has a Farm , Lois Ehlert’s Planting a Rainbow, and Anna McQuinn’s Lola Plants a Garden!

Posted in Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

Colossal vehicles keep the world moving

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Colossal: Heavyweights of the Vehicle Universe, by Stéphane Frattini/Illustrated by Studio Muti, (Aug. 2024, Twirl Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9782408052478

Ages 5-8

Learn about the world’s largest vehicles and machines in this oversized book filled with facts and figures. There are 28 different machines included in here, including Cadillac One, trusted with carrying the President of the United States, Bagger 293, an excavator and heaviest land vehicle, and the International Space Station. Detailed illustrations are accompanied by interesting, easy-to-read facts and diagrams to show scale and detail. Did you know that Bigfoot 5, the biggest monster truck, weighs about the same as two elephants Or that a cruise ship like Harmony of the Seas has 18 decks, a helipad, and 20 restaurants, cafes, and snack bars? Colorful drawings feature cross-sections to show interior areas like the inside of a passenger airliner and spacecraft crew module, and readers will be amazed scaled illustrations that show a tractor and 30 cars weighing the same thing on a scale. An exciting addition to elementary nonfiction collections.

Colossal is the companion to Incredible: Stars of the Plant World by Benjamin Flouw and Spectacular: Miracles of Nature by Philippe Nessmann and Alex Asfour.

Posted in Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

When Beavers Flew: Geronimo!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

When Beavers Flew: An Incredible Story of Rescue and Relocation, by Kristen Tracy/Illustrated by Luise Uribe, (July 2024, Random House Studio), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593647523

Ages 5-8

In 1948, the town of McCall, Idaho was growing and coming up against beavers. They were everywhere. Idaho Game Warden Elmo Heter came up with a plan to relocate the beavers to an area where they could develop a wetlands habitat unmolested. After multiple attempts to transport the animals via horse and mule, he landed on a solution: parachute-drop the beavers in boxes made to pop open when they hit the ground. Tracy’s narration is light, even playful; sensitive to animal lovers by concentrating on Heter’s desire to relocate the beavers to a place where they will flourish and the care he took to create boxes that would keep them safe. Digital illustrations are soft, with earthy colors and include sketches of Heter’s journal entries. Back matter includes an author’s note, sources for additional reading, and a photo of Heter. A positive story about a little-known moment in conservation and environmental history.