Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

It begins with a word, it creates a community: This is a Story, by John Schu & Lauren Castillo

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

This is a Story, by John Schu/Illustrated by Lauren Castillo, (March 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536204520

Ages 4-8

Children’s librarian, literacy advocate, and author John Schu follows up last year’s This is a School with a moving tale of how stories connect communities. Beginning with a word on a page, Schu takes readers to the library, where a child and librarian connect over a book, creating a reader. Readers read together, dream together, and grow together: all because of a story, which helps us make sense of the world around us. Castillo uses ink, watercolor, and pastels to create warm images of a diverse group of readers and creates a welcoming, comfortable space a place where people can come together: the library. The choices for favorite children’s books throughout the book can be found in the acknowledgements, and would make for a great reader’s advisory list or display. Choosing to put the library at the heart of a community is a powerful statement. An excellent choice for collections and a first choice for class visit readalouds.

This is a Story has a starred review from School Library Journal. Candlewick offers a downloadable teacher’s guide on the book detail page on the publisher’s website.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

BOOP! is irresistible!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

BOOP!, by Bea Birdsong/Illustrated by Linzie Hunter, (June 2023, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063214804

Ages 4-7

If BOOP! is not the most-read book of the summer, I will take it personally. This adorable book invites readers to boop – lightly tap – dog snouts (snoots) of all shapes and sizes. The story is an interactive delight, with cheerful and vibrant illustrations of a plethora of dogs, noses held high, awaiting an engaging BOOP! from readers. Birdsong’s playful narrative extends rhyming invitations and praise no one will be able to resist: “Booper[s] extraordinaire! The boopiest booper[s] with booping flair!” A perfect readaloud that will enchant readers of all ages, BOOP! begs to be read out loud and shared. (Just remind your kiddos to ask their adults for permission before they boop a snoot.)

Have some doggie coloring pages on hand for post-storytime enjoyment, and if you have stuffies available for booping, put them out! Add songs like “B-I-N-G-O” and the chorus from “How Much is That Doggie in the Window?” for a Doggie storytime.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Ready, Set, Sleep! The World Sleep Championship of Animals is on!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The World Sleep Championship of Animals, by Daniel Napp, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684644964

Ages 4-8

Set in a game show sleeping competition, this bedtime story may have readers laughing too hard to go to bed… but it’s an excellent Pajama Storytime choice! Viktor Frog is your host and Heinz Boar is your judge as they put five animals to the test: can they fall asleep in the wackiest conditions? Who will sleep through the loud construction, steamy sauna, or raucous roller coaster challenges? Read like a sportscaster narrative, this amusing story will keep readers giggling as they see the animals doze off or stay awake in a frazzled panic. A scoreboard pops up throughout the story, providing a good opportunity for a feltboard storytime and some counting and predicting skills. Colorful cartoony artwork is kid-friendly and the animals are expressive, allowing readers to connect with them. Who hasn’t tried to sleep in complete silence and found themselves wanting? We’ve all been either too hot or too cold to fall asleep, so you’ll find readers who can relate. A good purchase for a fun readaloud.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Percy Jackson RETURNS! Cover reveal is live!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

More Percy Jackson is coming, Rick Riordan fans! Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Chalice of the Gods has a global release date of September 26th, and illustrator Khadijah Khatib’s cover is gorgeous. Puffin Books put up their cover reveal a few days ago. Take a look if you haven’t seen it yet!

 

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Posted in picture books

Kitchen Side Story: Food Fight, by Alex Latimer

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Food Fight, by Alex Latimer, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684644957

Ages 4-7

Mushroom and Grape are best friends, but theirs is a forbidden friendship: vegetables and fruits just don’t like each other. Things get pretty heated between the two groups, so Mushroom and Grape sneak off to figure out how to bring their two groups together, and Mushroom has a suggestion: seek out the Wise Old Cheese, long rumored to be at the top of the fridge where no one goes. The friends go on an epic journey to seek his wisdom and bring it back to heal the long-simmering feud. Filled with food puns, this story is all about friendship and conflict resolution, with a colorful cast of expressive fruits and vegetables. Googly white eyes and stick arms and legs make the cartoony foods as fun as they are recognizable. Front endpapers show the two food groups at odds with one another: Carrot and Banana face off with boxing gloves, Banana sporting a black eye; Cucumber threatens Orange with a grater, and Mushroom and Grape stand sadly in the middle of the fray. On the back endpapers, all is well: bathing suit-clad Pineapple and ONion frolic through a sprinkler; Pear paints a portrait of Potato, Orange presents Cucumber with a birthday cake, and Mushroom and Grape happily wave to the reader, arms wrapped around each other. A cute additional purchase where friendship and kindness stories (like the Summer Reading Theme, All Together Now!) do well.

 

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Hungry Ghost takes a deep dive into disordered eating

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hungry Ghost, by Victoria Ying, (Apr. 2023, First Second), $24.99, ISBN: 9781250766991

Ages 12+

Valerie Chu tries to be the perfect daughter. She’s studious and quiet; she’s an obedient daughter. Her mother’s obsession with food and being thin starts early, when she tells Valerie “don’t eat, just taste” a piece of her own birthday cake; she constantly monitors what Valerie eats. Val’s disordered eating mirrors most cases we hear and read about: she’s focused on being perfect, giving no one any reason to find a flaw. Val’s best friend, Jordan, has no such compulsion: curvy and confident, Jordan enjoys food and she enjoys life, earning Valerie’s mother’s quiet disdain. The two head off on a school trip to Paris where Valerie enjoys the taste of freedom, only to be called home for a family tragedy. As Valerie grieves, she has no time for perfection and her eating disorder is pushed to the side and gains her mother’s notice. Valerie must come to terms with her mother’s toxic ideas on beauty in order to move forward. Brilliantly written and illustrated with a haunting, ethereal beauty, Hungry Ghost is a heartbreaking look at the beginnings of body dysmorphia and how our families can create monsters within us. Back matter includes an author’s note and resources for eating disorders and recovery.

Hungry Ghost received a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Remy Lai’s Ghost Book weaves myth and fantasy

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ghost Book, by Remy Lai, (Aug. 2023, Henry Holt & Co.), $22.99, ISBN: 9781250810410

Ages 8-12

You’d think July Chen was invisible, but she’s not – at least, she’s pretty sure she isn’t, even if no one can quite remember her. She can also speak to ghosts; they tell her she’s the girl with the “yin-yang eyes”. July lives with her dad – her mother died the night July was born – and he often seems too preoccupied to notice her, too. July makes her first friend when she saves a ghost named William from a Hungry Ghost, but William is not really a ghost: he’s a boy who lives between worlds because of something that happened the very same night that July was born. July’s and William’s stories are entwined in ways they could never have imagined, and as Hungry Ghost month begins – and the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts swarm into the living world – July discovers that she may have to sacrifice herself in order for William to live. Inspired by Chinese mythology, Remy Lai’s newest shows a rich underworld; the ghost marketplace is a bustling otherworldly place where ghosts and human vendors interact; the two ghosts who collect souls are an amusing pair whose love of dumplings sets events in motion. A touching story of friendship and sacrifice, with a sensitive look at grief and loss as only Remy Lai can skillfully weave. Another win!

Want to learn more about Hungry Ghost Month? Check out Chinese American Family’s webpage on this year’s Festival; OFTaiwan has videos and photos, plus links to more resources.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Our Classroom Rules! is a great way to send ’em off… and welcome them back

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Our Classroom Rules!, by Kallie George/Illustrated by Jay Fleck, (June 2023, Rodale Kids), $12.99, ISBN: 9780593378786

Ages 3-6

I know there are a lot of classrooms getting ready to press pause as we’re moving into summer, but I’ve got a book for you! It’s one of those adorable reads that can send your classes off for the summer and welcome a new class come the fall. Kallie George (loved her Magical Animal Adoption Agency chapter books) and Jay Fleck (Tiny T Rex is a fave) bring a sweet classroom of animal friends together for Our Classroom Rules, a cheerful, upbeat story about all the ways these students learn and play together. The title is a cute play on words as the narrative offers classroom guidelines (the “rules”) and reasons why their classroom is great (“RULES!”): “…we try to be on time… and ready to learn”; “We listen to our teacher… and our teacher listens to us”; “We clean up. We line up. And if we mess up, that’s okay. Mistakes are part of learning”. It’s an affirming book, assuring readers that you don’t have to be THE best, but YOUR best; kindness and curiosity are the ways to succeed. Colorful, kid-friendly digital and pencil illustrations show friendly animal students coming together. It’s a lovely addition to your school stories collections and it’s perfect for Pre-K and Kindergarten classes.

 

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

Reynard’s Tale breathes new life into a literary figure

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Reynard’s Tale, by Ben Hatke, (April 2023, First Second), $22.99, ISBN: 9781250857910

Ages 10+

Foxes have been tricksters in fairy tales and myths for as long as cultural memory can hold. Ben Hatke’s latest work, Reynard’s Tale, takes readers into a wonderful medieval setting to relate a new set of trickster tales starring Reynard the Fox, Isengrim the Wolf, and a series of memorable supporting characters. The short stories all link together: Reynard on the move, Isengrim on the hunt, and Reynard smooth-talking and outfoxing (pun intended) a series of love interests… but the last joke may just be on Reynard. There’s a playful sense of adventure in Hatke’s storytelling, and his ink artwork has a fairytale quality, with Reynard sporting a large hat, a cloak, and boots. If you have animal tale fans, give them this one.

Read more about Reynard at Britannica.com. Listen to audio, watch a dramatic reading, and learn to make a fox bookmark at Oxford’s Bodleian Library’s website.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Great and Small celebrates participation for all!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Great and Small, by Alison McLennan/Illustrated by Connah Brecon, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684645558

Ages 4-8

Tiny Eunice the Unicorn wants to enter the Great Unicorn Games and win a ribbon. She’s got all the heart and dedication in the world, but her skills fall a wee bit short. But that’s okay: her friends are there to help out and support her. When things don’t go the way she was hoping, that’s okay, too: the other unicorns and her friends work with Eunice to create the Great and Small Games, where everyone was welcome to compete “no matter how big or small, fast or slow”. Cheerful illustrations celebrate the inclusivity of the story by including a diverse group of animals, including and elephant wearing dark glasses and using a walking stick, and a teddy bear in a wheelchair; the banner promoting the Great and Small Games is translated into Braille. Front endpapers show Eunice and friends walking out from a dark, overcast forest; back endpapers show a bright sky and a group of competitors, all sporting ribbons. A cheerful story of equity and inclusivity and a good readaloud choice. Great and Small was originally published in Australia in 2022.

The Kitchen Table Classroom has fun printable unicorn headbands that would be a perfect craft accompaniment to this storytime!