Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Happy Book Birthday to Amah Faraway!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Amah Faraway, by Margaret Chiu Greanias/Illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Jan. 2022, Bloomsbury Children’s Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781547607211

Ages 3-6

Intergenerational relationships, the Chinese diaspora, and childhood anxiety come together in a family story with a wonderful literary device. Kylie is a young girl living in San Francisco with her mom. Her Amah – Taiwanese for grandmother – lives in Taipei. The two connect over videochats, but when it’s time to visit Amah in Taipei, Kylie is worried. Videochats are fun, but in person? In a different country? That’s very different! Kylie is initially shy and hesitant, but a day at the hot springs changes everything, and Kylie joyfully embraces Amah and Taipei; so much that, when it’s time to go home, Kylie wants to turn right around and come back soon! Author Margaret Chiu Greanias shows the shift in Kylie’s thinking by using the same lines of the story from beginning to middle and middle to end, reversing them so that we can see how they touch differently, once Kylie has her “aha!” moment at the hot spring. It’s a wonderful literary device, brought to life with Tracy Subisak’s colorful mixed media illustration. Endpapers feature words in English and Chinese, with pronunciation and Hanzi. Illustrations move between picture book spreads and comic book word bubbles to capture dialogue. Amah Faraway beautifully captures the growing relationship between a child and a grandparent on two separate shores. Back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator and a note on Taipei.

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Working Doggos!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You have to love doggos with jobs! Here are two books about hard-working pups.

Major Makes History: From the Shelter to the White House, by Jill Twiss/Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga, (Sept. 2021, HarperCollins), $18.99, ISBN: 9780063118768

Ages 4-8

Narrated by President Biden’s First Dog, Major Makes History is all about Major’s humble beginnings, how he “rescued” Joe Biden, and became a hard-working Presidential dog, giving a nod to his mentoring by (now-departed) Biden’s other dog, Champ. Major takes readers into the daily duties of a First Dog: defending their home against the evil vacuum cleaner; having afternoon tea (out of a toilet bowl, but still… refined), even playing fun games like “Guess Who Hid My Very Favorite Toy in Your Bed?” The story touches on well-known moments from the Bidens, Champ’s, and Major’s time together, even touching on Major’s biting incident, when he mentions that he “had a friend help me to learn to behave myself a little better”. Joe and Jill Biden feature throughout the book, and Joe Biden sports his trademark aviator glasses as he strolls the grounds with Major at his side. The book has a light, fun spirit that appeals immediately to dog lovers and pet people, and Jill Twiss gives Major a funny, lovable voice that illustrator Maribel Lechuga brings to life in her colorful, lively spreads. Back matter includes a word on past Presidents’ pets and resources for adopting a shelter pet. Red, white, and blue endpapers feature stars and silhouettes of Major. Pair this with Joy McCullough and Sheyda Abvabi Best’s Champ and Major: First Dogs; for more on working dogs, consider displaying with National Geographic Kids’s Doggy Defenders series.

 

Pooper Snooper, by Jennifer Keats Curtis & Julianne Ubigau/Illustrated by Phyllis Saroff, (Nov. 2021, Arbordale Publishing), $10.95, ISBN: 9781643518237

Ages 5-8

Detective doggos at your service! These poop-sniffing dog detectives are instrumental in helping researchers track and learn more about endangered animals. Sampson, the star of Pooper Snooper, is a shelter dog adopted and trained to catch the scent of wild animal poop, so researchers can track and research them without trapping them. Sampson can locate the scat for a pocket mouse – about a third the size of a human eyelash! – much more easily than a researcher can; when he finds what he’s looking for, he gets his reward: a shiny red ball! Trained to track different animals, Sampson works in all sorts of conditions, and stays focused on his task so he can enjoy his toy. Illustrations focus on action shots and close-ups of Sampson’s nose catching a scent. The For Creative Minds section offers information on the Pacific Packet Mouse, previously believed to be extinct; a word on dogs’ senses of smell, and a Q&A with a research scientist. An interesting look at a different career!

You can preview Pooper Snooper at Arbordale’s website, and get copies of the title’s For Creative Minds supplement.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, picture books

Fen’s Drop of Gray colors her whole world

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Fen’s Drop of Gray, by Brian Wray/Illustrated Shiloh Penfield, (Nov. 2021, Schiffer Kids), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764362194

Ages 5-8

A hedgehog named Fen loves to paint with bright colors, but one day, a drop of gray gets into her paints and colors her entire world: her paintings and everything around her lose their color, slowly turning gray and adding to her sadness. It’s not like Fen doesn’t want color in her world: she looks through her mother’s art books and tries to find rainbows in the rain, but the gray persists until her mother gives her new, colorful paints. With the color back in her life, Fen takes back her happiness and knows that when the gray tries to take her colors away again, she’ll be ready. A gentle story about how depression can sneak up on us, Fen’s Drop of Gray is Brian Wray and Shiloh Penfield’s latest intuitive story about managing emotions. Using the metaphor of a drop of gray finding its way into our colorful worlds is a great way of explaining those unexplainable “sads” that can show up unexpected, stripping the color in our lives. Try as she might, Fen can’t find her colors and she doesn’t know how to ask for help. Sometimes, all we need is someone – in Fen’s case, her mom – to reach through the gray. It’s not a cure-all, but knowing that someone is there to listen and help is the important message. It’s also important that Fen knows the gray may try to come back, and creates her own coping mechanisms for when that happens.

An important acknowledgement of childhood depression, Fen’s Drop of Gray is another must-have to put into your social-emotional collections and a good starting point for discussion.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Calm your hurly-burly hullabaloo! Meena’s Mindful Moment

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Meena’s Mindful Moment, by Tina Athaide/Illustrated by Åsa Gilland, (Nov. 2021, Page Street Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781645672869

Ages 4-8

Meena is a little girl who is excited to visit her Dada (her grandfather) – and so is her hurly-burly hullabaloo, the imaginary character that takes on the excited, can’t-sit-still feelings that Meena feels. Once she arrives in her Dada’s South Asian village, she runs rampant, cartwheeling and causing a ruckus. Dada’s neighbors aren’t happy, but he quietly sends them away and teaches Meena how to quiet her hullabaloo through mindfulness and meditation: and introduces Meena to his hullabaloo, too! Meena’s Mindful Moment is a sweet intergenerational story about mindfulness; that moment when excitement and new experiences just take over and can get a little out of control, and empowers kids to take back that control while letting kids know that we adults get the hullabaloos, too. Set in Goa, India, characters are shades of brown. The digital illustrations have texture and movement, with vibrant colors and lively fonts to denote action. The hullabaloos take on playful imaginary monster personas; Meena’s is turquoise with black and pink striped arms and legs; Dada’s is white with pink and white striped arms and legs. Endpapers show colorful mango plants, which ties into the story’s opening. A fun story about embracing your hullabaloo, but letting them know when there’s a time to be calm. A nice addition to yoga and mindfulness storytimes.

Author Tina Athaide’s website has links to educator guides for her books, including Meena’s Mindful Moment.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Arbordale Publishing’s Compare and Contrast books get readers thinking

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I haven’t written about Arbordale books in about a minute, but I am remedying that right now. The folks at Arbordale were kind enough to send me some of their new books to look over, and I love the colorful artwork and photos, interesting factual writing, and the thought-provoking activities at the end of each book. They also publish in English and Spanish, which is aces for my library kids. I’m starting off with their Compare and Contrast series, which takes a topic and encourages learners to think about similarities and differences.

Natural or Man-made? A Compare and Contrast Book, by Arbordale Publishing, (Sept. 2021, Arbordale Publishing), $10.95, ISBN: 9781643518244

Ages 4-8

Opening with an explanation of natural resources, Natural or Man-made? uses straightforward writing to explain natural resources and how we use those resources to create other resources. A tree, for instance, grows food, like nuts and fruits; we also use trees to make lumber, and build homes with them. We use plants and animals for clothing and food; we use sunlight and air by converting it to energy. Thought-provoking questions and color photos encourage readers to think about the different ways we use our natural resources. The Creative Minds section has four activities to expand on reading, you can find a PDF for Natural or Man-made‘s For Creative Minds section here, with permission for non-commercial use. (Psst… great for grab-and-go programs!)

You can find a PDF preview of Natural or Man-made on the book detail page at the Arbordale website.

 

Renewable or Non-Renewable Resources: A Compare and Contrast Book, by Arbordale Publishing, (Sept. 2021, Arbordale Publishing), $10.95, ISBN: 9781643519807

Ages 5-9

Continuing on the resources theme, we have Renewable or Non-Renewable Resources. Beginning with an age-appropriate explanation about natural resources and how they replace themselves: “within a period of time usually shorter than a person’s lifetime”, versus nonrenewable resources, which “cannot be easily replaced as it takes much longer than a human lifetime to make new”, the book elaborates on how natural resources replenish themselves and how nonrenewable resources, like oil, rocks, and minerals, lead humans to create synthetic materials to replace them when they run out – and how that impacts our planet. There’s a discussion on recycling nonrenewable resources and a cautionary word on not taking our resources for granted. A smart, respectful discussion on conservation, recycling, and being environmentally aware. Color photos throughout show a variety of renewable and nonrenewable resources; this is a great book to introduce in younger STEM classes. Create scavenger hunts and games by asking readers to find renewable versus nonrenewable resources! Find a PDF preview on the book detail page on the Arbordale website.

Donald Baiter on TeachersPayTeachers has a fun card sorting game on renewable and nonrenewable resources; Karen Jordan has a very cute song that helps with sorting the two concepts, and The Magical Gallery has natural resources clip art!

 

Penguins: A Compare and Contrast Book, by Cher Vatalaro, (Nov. 2021, Arbordale Publishing), $10.95, ISBN: 9781643519876

Ages 4-8

Penguins! Kids love penguins, I love penguins, Cher Vatalaro loves penguins! Penguins: Compare and Contrast is all about the 18 different species of penguins and where they live: and most of them live in warm climates, not cold ones! Colorful photos of each type of penguin, paired with informative text, let learners learn what makes each type of penguin alike and different, from colorful feathers to differently shaped beaks. Readers will be able to tell right away that these are all penguins, and standout features like orange and yellow patches make King and Emperor penguins very similar, yet wildly different from Macaroni and Rockhopper penguins, who sport colorful feathers around their eyes. A fun activity invites readers to match different penguins with their area of the world.

There is so much fiction and nonfiction available for penguin fans: make a great display! TeachersPayTeachers has loads of free penguin clip art available, including this Penguin Life Cycle Clip Art from Sylph Creatives. Education.com has a wealth of free penguin resources: worksheets, coloring sheets, crafts, even lesson plans. Preview Penguins: A Compare and Contrast at Arbordale’s book detail page.

 

Otters: River or Sea? A Compare and Contrast Book, by Cathleen McConnell, (Nov. 2021, Arbordale Publishing), $10.95, ISBN: 9781643519784

Ages 4-8

Otters are like puppies of the water. Look at those boopable noses! Otters: River or Sea? A Compare and Contrast Book, like Penguins, is about the similarities and differences between river and sea otters: their habitats, their physiology; appearance; eating habits, and social habits. Readers will love the colorful photos of otters at play, with their babies, in groups, and in action, and fun facts and easy-to-read writing make this a fun way to learn. There are fun otter books – fiction, like Laurie Keller’s Do Unto Otters and Lisa Connor’s Oliver’s Otter Phase; nonfiction, like NatGeo Kids’s Sea Otters and Susannah Buhrman-Deever’s If You Take Away the Otter – that will form a display that features something for everyone. Education.com has free otter worksheets and coloring sheets; National Geographic has a webpage with facts and information. You can see a preview of Otters: River or Sea? A Compare and Contrast Book at Arbordale’s book detail page.

Extra shout-out: Arbordale features a free multilingual ebook every month. Check out their website and bookmark it. Find all sorts of free resources, including downloads for each Arbordale book’s For Creative Minds section, at the Arbordale website.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Lila Lou’s Little Library gets love from Twinkl!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m so excited! My post for Lila Lou’s Little Library got some love from educational resource site, Twinkl (I posted about Twinkl around Christmas, to share their free resources for Robin, Robin)!

I love a good library story, and Lila Lou’s love of sharing books is all about passion, advocacy, and activism. I’ll repost the review here, and make sure to find me on Twinkl’s list of best children’s books of 2021!

Reposted from August 2021:

 

Lila Lou’s Little Library : A Gift From the Heart, by Nikki Bergstresser/Illustrated by Sejung Kim,
(Oct. 2021, Cardinal Rule Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781735345116
Ages 5-7
A little girl who loves to read has too many books for her home, so she creates a Little Free Library for her community! A story of book love, library love, and literacy activism, Lila Lou’s Little Library is perfect for class visits and book-about-books storytime. It’ll inspire kids and grownups alike to share their love of books with their neighbors. Back matter includes tips on creating and curating your own little library, and that’s one of the things I love most about this story: it’s not just about loving books, although that’s certainly at the heart of the story; it’s about the love of sharing – the community starts to get involved, contributing to the library with their own books – and the love of librarianship. Lila Lou is a little Reader’s Advisor, selecting just right books for everyone who asks her for a suggestion; she shows readers what librarians’ real talent is. We listen, and we share information that readers want and need. Adults, children, Lila Lou is ready to help them all. It’s a very sweet story about gentle, but firm, literacy advocacy. Colorful kid-friendly artwork is eye-catching, and the storytelling will inspire readers to look over their own piles of books and share them with their friends, their classrooms, and possibly, their communities. Lila Lou’s tree stump reminds me of the librarian in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, who created a gorgeous Little Free Library from a hollowed-out tree in her yard, but there easier ways to share books with others. Talk about some of those ways, using the information at the end of the book, and the free, downloadable reader’s guide. Print out coloring pages to share, too!
I would love to see where Lila Lou goes next – maybe she’s got more book-related adventures to come?
Thanks again to Twinkl for the shout-out! Find me on Twinkl’s list of best children’s books of 2021!
Posted in Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

New school, new country, new beginnings: The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei, by Christina Matula, (April 2022, Inkyard Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781335424884

Ages 8-12

Holly-Mei Jones is a middle schooler who jumps at the chance for a new beginning when her mom announces that an exciting promotion comes with a major move: from their home in Canada to Hong Kong! But, as her ah-ma (grandmother) says, the bitter comes first, and then the sweet. Holly discovers that her new life in Hong Kong is not without its pressures: her mother’s new position comes with expectations and rules, and the most popular girl in her class is bossy and can be nice one minute, horribly mean the next. Determined to to get to the sweet part of her new life, Holly-Mei discovers that she has a lot to learn.

Holly-Mei has a big heart and a strong sense of justice which gets her into trouble and makes her such a lovable character. Kids will read all about her new life in Hong Kong with excitement and wonder – it’s like Crazy Rich Asians for kids! – and realize that in life, you have to weather the storms, no matter where you are, as they see Holly-Mei buckle under her mother’s shift into a more appearance and behavior-driven mindset. Supporting characters are there to move Holly’s story along, but have their own definitive personalities. Gemma, popular girl and Holly-Mei’s frenemy, has an interesting backstory that gives texture to her actions.

A compulsively readable book about middle school, rich with Chinese culture and likable characters, humor, and genuine feeling. Put this on your Newbery watch lists.

Posted in Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

The Faith of Elijah Cummings pays tribute to a giant

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Faith of Eljah Cummings: The North Star of Equal Justice, by Carole Boston Weatherford/Illustrated by Laura Freeman, (Jan. 2022, Random House Studio), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593306505

Ages 6-10

Congressman and civil rights advocate Elijah Cummings left an extraordinary legacy when he passed in 2019. Carole Boston Weatherford, whose numerous awards include a Newbery Medal and two NAACP Image Awards, along with NAACP Image Award winning illustrator Laura Freeman, to create a picture book biography that makes this giant of a man accessible to all ages. Beginning with the Congressman’s impoverished childhood and moving through his civil rights journey, focus on inner-city youth, and government work, we also see how Elijah Cummings’s faith and family was his anchor. Photorealistic illustrations are bold and eye-catching, and quotes from Elijah Cummings inspire readers as Carole Boston Weatherford’s narration concentrates on his humanity, choosing moments in his life like being tutored by librarians when his teachers said he would never be able to read or write well; his mother’s preaching, which inspired him to care for others in need, and the civil rights lawyer from his youth that inspired him to defend kids who needed defending. As a “Washington power broker”, he continued living in his Baltimore inner-city neighborhood and hung a campaign sign in his window so others could find him. Back matter includes an excerpt from the statement from the Congressional Black Caucus made upon the Congressman’s passing; a timeline of Elijah Cummings’s life; a bibliography, and the quote sources. Endpapers show Elijah Cummings, in profile, set against the American flag.

An incredible book for an incredible figure, and a must-add to your picture book biographies. The Faith of Elijah Cummings: The North Star of Equal Justice has starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

Carole Boston Weatherford’s author webpage is a treasure trove of information, with resources and links to media related to her books. See more of Laura Freeman’s illustration work at her website. Find a biography, bibliography, and committee assignments for Elijah Cummings at the House of Representative’s website; visit Congress’s website to learn more about the legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by him, along with his remarks in the Congressional Record.

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

Welcome to MY World: Weird But True! New York City

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Weird But True! New York City, by National Geographic Kids, (Sept. 2021, National Geographic Kids), $8.99, ISBN: 9781426372322

Ages 8-10

Finally! NatGeo Kids has put together a Weird But True! collection of facts and photos of my backyard. Welcome to New York City, all! You know the Weird But True/Weird Facts drill, so let’s get to it. I love all the New York history the editors at NatGeo Kids have put in there, including hilarious poop facts for all (when there were horse and buggies were the main mode of transportation, street cleaners cleaned about 500 tons of manure off the streets every day. Enjoy that). I LOVE all the love for my home borough, Queens! Our Queens Museum is home of the New York Panorama and we’ve got the Unisphere in Corona Flushing Meadow Park! There are a wealth of library facts in here, which makes me happy (but hey… there are more library systems than just NYPL, which, admittedly, does have the original Winnie the Pooh toys and a giant reading room). And you know what else New York has? DINOSAURS. Our American Museum of Natural History is where the first installment of the Night at the Museum movies takes place (which figures into one of the facts in Weird But True NY).

Full of fun facts and gorgeous photos, fully indexed, and just a fun read, Weird But True! New York City is the next book you want to have in your NatGeo Kids collection (and New York librarians: this BEGS for a New York Bingo kind of program, which you can totally do virtually).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pull some cool Queens Public Library facts together to send to the good folks at Nat Geo Kids for their updated edition…

Posted in picture books

Snow Angel, Sand Angel welcomes you to Hawai’i

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Snow Angel, Sand Angel, by Lois-Ann Yamanaka/Illustrated by Ashley Kukashevsky, (Jan. 2022, Make Me a World), $17.99, ISBN: 9780593127377

Ages 4-8

Explore Hawai’i, where you can find sand and snow, depending on where you are! Claire is a girl living in Hawai’i, surrounded by Hapuna Beach and the mountains of the Big Island. When she has to do a school project on winter, she’s stumped: she’s never seen snow! Dad decides to take the family to Mauna Kea, where they can enjoy snow, but it’s not the trip Claire’s dreamed of: what she pictures in her head doesn’t quite match the movies, and having to drive through black lava fields to play in “old snow” that isn’t freshly fallen is a disappointment; so is using beach towels for scarves and old socks for mittens. When she and her family go to the beach right before the New Year, though, she discovers she can make her own winter wonderland in the middle of the sand: there are sand balls, sandmen who look great sporting beach towel scarves and straw hats, and sand angels to make! As she watches the sun set, Claire realizes that she lives in a beautiful land that has many, many faces: “… lava fields, sandy beaches, rain forests, fiery volcanoes, sacred mountains, and, yes, even snow”. Digital illustrations bring the magic of Hawai’i’s sunsets, oceans, and snowy mountains to life. An author’s note mentions the diversity found in Hawai’i, where you can find ten of the world’s fourteen climate zones and countless endangered plants and animals. There’s a glossary and a note from Christopher Myers, creative director for the Make Me a World imprint, on how Snow Angel, Sand Angel takes us to a different world.

Lois-Ann Yamanaka is an award-winning author from Hawai’i. Ashley Lukashevsky is the illustrator of Antiracist Baby by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Visit Ashley Lukashevsky’s website for more of her artwork. Visit Twinkl.com for a free Hawai’i coloring sheet; there are also many activity and coloring sheets to discover on Education.com.

Snow Angel, Sand Angel has a starred review from Kirkus.