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:
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Matt Tavares: @tavaresbooks
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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.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Scorch, Hedgehog of DOOM, is fierce (and cute)!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Scorch: Hedgehog of Doom, by Cate Berry/Illustrated by Margherita Grasso, (July 2024, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645678670

Ages 4-7

An adorable class pet wants everyone to think she is ferocious, but Class 402 just thinks she’s so darn cute! No matter what she does: sink her fangs into a mango; wields an apple slice like a sword; or storm her little cliff to squeak at her observers, it doesn’t matter; everyone loves to coo at Scorch. When she accidentally finds herself in the snake tank next to hers, she’s got to rely on being both adorable and ferocious to earn everyone’s respect. Author Berry wrote Scorch’s story with the hope that readers will see themselves in her: a flexibility that allows for multiple aspects of a personality – and the self-awareness to embrace those aspects. Grasso’s digital illustrations show a spirited, tiny hedgehog with a determined expression: she clutches her fists; she sees herself consumed by flames of energy; she gnashes her little teeth, and still manages to be the cutest thing in the room. Endpapers depict classroom drawings of Scorch and her slithery neighbor. An all-around fun read that kids will enjoy for multiple readings.

Scorch: Hedgehog of Doom has a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Posted in Toddler Reads

Check out this high-contrast board book series that grows with your baby!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Kane Miller has the inside line on a board book series that grows with your baby: author Lily Murray and illustrator Jane Foster have new, high-contrast board books made for cuddle time. Originally released in the UK, the publisher has brought them to the U.S. Let’s take a look.

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (0-3 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649105

Ages 0-12 months

Four rhyming animal stories make up this first board book: an elephant uses her trunk to sing a special song; a panda snoozes and spends a day at play; a playful whale spends the day with under-the-sea friends, and a bunny spends the day exploring before retiring to her burrow for bedtime. Developed for babies 3 months old and younger, the high-contrast black-and-white illustration work is perfect for baby’s developing brains. The animal illustrations include contrasting shapes and patterns to help babies develop visual focus, and the simple rhyme is easy and soothing to read: “Little whale dives through the seas, / Where turtles swoop and glide. / She meets a friendly starfish / Who asks to hitch a ride”.

 

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (3-6 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649112

Ages 0-12 months

As baby gets a little bigger, Foster adds a splash of color to her illustrations and Murray includes fun activities in the storytelling to engage baby and caregiver: “Now here comes an octopus / Tickling your tummy. / Tickle, tickle everywhere / Tickling’s so funny!”; “There’s Panda! Smiley Panda, / Waving back at me. / I see Panda! Hello, Panda! / And Panda sees me”; “Little Elephant, stomp your feet. / Little Elephant, waggle your nose. / Little Elephant, flap your ears. / Little Elephant, touch your toes!” Caregivers will enjoy tickling and identifying noses, feet, and ears during lap time and cuddle time. The animals from the Baby’s First Stories 0-3 months return, providing comfortable continuity, and the rhymes incorporate movement, questions, and answers while adding blue backgrounds and details to the black and white images and patterns help developing eyes grow stronger and continue creating neural networks.

 

 

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (6-9 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649129

Ages 0-12 months

The animal friends celebrate baby’s new milestones with stories about daily routines: Panda goes through a morning routine of waking, washing up, and getting dressed; Bunny enjoys a tasty lunchtime; Elephant has a bath after playing in the mud all day, and Whale gets ready for bed. As baby reaches 6-9 months, these rhymes parallel a baby’s busy day and include questions like, “Have you finished, Little Bunny? / Let’s clean you up, don’t wait!” and playful phrases like, “Gently, gently, with a towel, / Rub-a-dub-a-dub! / All clean, Little Elephant…  / …till the next time you find mud!” A cheery splash of orange joins the blue, black, and white illustrations and makes the animals’ patterns stand out, easily recognizable. An adorable way to go through the day’s activities and teach babies about routine.

 

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (9-12 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649129

Ages 0-12 months

New friends, additional color, and more complex stories await developing babies and toddlers. Murray and Foster introduce new animal friends, including a tortoise and a duck, all sporting vibrant, high-contrast patterns. Playful text and question and answer formats make reading interactive, inviting readers to search for Bunny, help cheer Panda up and scratch his nose, find Elephant’s missing clothes, and guess where Whale’s friends are hiding. Active phrasing and rhyming text keeps babies engaged, and fun wordplay allows for playful storytimes: “Who’s this coming now, / Creeping oh so slow? / Plod-plod-plod! It’s Tortoise! / Where did Bunny go?”

Each book is easily read and enjoyed by a variety of ages while offering a grow-as-you-go approach to the special milestones of baby’s first year. Bold, high-contrast artwork and fun, rhyming text that becomes more complex keeps baby’s attention while assisting development. The series is an excellent addition to early childhood collections and makes a great gift for a new baby.