Chronicle Books – Page 2

Dancing Hands: Friendship and Filipino Sign Language

Posted on June 14, 2023June 13, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language, by Joanne Que & Charina Marquez/Illustrated by Fran Alvarez, Translated by Karen Llagas, (July 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797213323

Ages 3-5

Sam is a young girl who is captivated by her neighbors, whose hands “move as if to music”, using sign language to speak to each other. Mai, one of the new neighbors, befriends Sam and teaches her “hands to dance” as they become best friends. Learning Filipino Sign Language helps the two friends communicate, and the story grows into a tale of friendship, shared interests and dreams. Que and Marquez’s spare narrative, told from Sam’s point of view, is perfect for younger, newly confident readers; Alvarez’s pencil and graphite complement the story with color and simple line work; shifting perspectives show the progression of the girls’ friendship as we move from a distance to close up, looking down to see the girls grow closer; readers feel like they’re a third person in this friendship huddle. Endpapers illustrate Sam and Mai demonstrating different words in Filipino Sign Language. Back matter includes more information on Filipino Sign Language, and sign languages used all over the world.

The University of the Philippines has four videos available on YouTube teaching basics in Filipino Sign Language; it could add a fun and educational element to a storytime. The ladies at Jbrary have some American Sign Language (ASL) videos on their YouTube page, including this video on singing Hello and Goodbye using ASL.

Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Just Between Us journals open up conversations between daughters, fathers, and mothers

Posted on June 4, 2023June 3, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Just Between Us: Father & Daughter – The original bestselling no-stress, no-rules journal, by Jonathan Jacobs & Sofie Jacobs, with Meredith Jacobs/Illustrated by Nate Padavick ,(Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9781797216119

Ages 10+

Father-daughter team Jonathan Jacobs and Sofie Jacobs come together to tell some stories and provide thought-provoking prompts for dads and daughters to communicate. Suggested guidelines help set comfortable boundaries while encouraging open sharing, with pages set side to side for dads and daughters. There are fun prompts that call to mind those “how much do you know about me?” memes we’ve all done through e-mail and social media, and Free Spaces allow for journaling feelings, memories, or stream-of-consciousness writing. Fun illustrations encourage the writers to envision what they’d like to see about themselves on the front page of a newspaper or their social media pages. With Father’s Day coming up, this would be a great way to connect. Not suggested for a circulating collection, but a great suggestion to have in your pocket.

Just Between Us: Mother & Daughter – The original bestselling no-stress, no-rules journal, by Meredith Jacobs & Sofie Jacobs/Illustrated by Molly Baker, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9781797222219

Ages 10+

Mother and daughter first collaborated on the Just Between Us journal over ten years ago; this revised edition allows for updated prompts and greater writing and creative space. Spaces like “a drawing of my dream outfit” let moms and daughters show their playful side, and “Things I would love for us to do together” breaks down the walls and allows for a wish list that mom and daughter can create together: and then act on it. I miss the playful illustrations that were in previous editions, but I appreciate the copious writing space to allow both writers to put their hopes, dreams, feelings, and ideas on paper. An excellent suggestion for summer journaling.

Intermediate, Non-Fiction, picture books

New in the Nature Book series: A Shell is Cozy

Posted on May 6, 2023May 6, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Shell is Cozy, by Dianna Hutts Aston/Illustrated by Sylvia Long, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781797212470

Ages 5-8

Enjoy a study on the world of shells in the newest entry in Aston and Long’s Nature Books series. Ink and watercolor illustrations bring the many types of shells to life; Aston moves between brief and meaningful observations – “A shell is cozy”; “A shell is everywhere”; “A shell is athletic” – and more informative explanations to explain her observations. Cursive font poses the initial observations; smaller, print text the explanations. Each shell is labeled, helping facilitate understanding and knowledge. Aston writes to educate and to delight, including facts like jazz musician Steve Turre using “the same shell instrument… as his Aztec ancestors did…”, or that sea scallops “clap” their shells to swim away from predators. A great addition to a long-standing, popular natural world series.

Create an activity pack with a seek and find sheet from Education.com, a set of seashell identification cards from Cara Ratner on TeachersPayTeachers, and this field journal from the American Museum of Natural History.

A Beetle is Shy, by Dianna Hutts Aston/Illustrated by Sylvia Long, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797215877

Ages 5-8

The softcover edition of the 2016 book, A Beetle is Shy, hits shelves this week and is a good choice for libraries that need a backup or whose budgets are facing some challenges. Here, Aston and Long introduce readers to the many types of beetles: their life cycles, their sizes, where and how they live. They touch on the beetle’s prehistoric origins, with a beautiful rendering of beetles preserved in amber, and discuss the many areas of the world where beetles are on the menu! The ink and watercolor art is breathtaking, with vibrant colors truly showing off beetle’s jewel-like appearances. Scripted verse observations, like “A beetle is tasty”; “A beetle is prehistoric”; “A beetle is a digger… a runner… a hopper… or a swimmer” lead to brief informational text to explain. A great addition to your nature, STEM, and insect collection.

Do you have bug fans, or want to do a program on insects? You can put together a fun learning activity pack with this Beetle Mania activity from Education.com, a beetle coloring sheet, also from Education.com, a Build a Stag Beetle activity from Teaching Resources by AJ, and a beetle lifecycle activity sheet from itsMamaMiller, both from TeachersPayTeachers. DK has a good Beetle Facts for Kids webpage, and NatGeo Kids has fact pages on both the stag beetle and the dung beetle.

picture books, Preschool Reads

You Rule!: The best things is life are measurable in words!

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

You Rule!, by Rilla Alexander, (Apr 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211794

Ages 3-5

Sure, you can measure quantitatively – length, width, height – but measuring things with your heart is just as important and can be incredibly descriptive. You Rule! follows a child and their dog through the day as they help a caterpillar become a butterfly. They dash through spreads filled with common kids’ questions; imaginative, effusive responses help expand emotional vocabulary: How ready are you? Responses go from “not at all” to “fired up” and “rarin” to go”; How happy are you? calls forth responses like “exhilarated”, “pretty much ok”, “pleased as punch”, and “walking on air”. Bright, bold rubber stap and digital collage illustrations create eye-catching spreads and the positive affirmations for questions and responses make this a feel-good book to read again and again. Put this one in your collections and consider posting some of the words and phrases around your children’s area to keep these uplifting ideas in front of kids.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Underpants humor is a win: I Made These Ants Some Underpants

Posted on April 14, 2023April 12, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I Made These Ants Some Underpants!, Derick Wilder/Illustrated by K-Fai Steele, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9781797202167

Ages 3-5

When a kid gets a day-of-the-week underwear set from his mom, there’s only one thing to do with the lackluster gift: share the wealth! Gathering his art supplies, he gets to work making bright orange underwear to spread far and wide. From his sister, to a line of ants and a pirate. all the way to a robot and the monster under his bed, the boy makes underwear for everyone, but no one seems that thrilled… which brings him to his own hilarious conclusion. The rhyming story is a delight to read, and underwear-based stories are always a home run with my storytime kids. The watercolor, ink, and pencil artwork is cartoony and bold, with expressive characters to keep the joke rolling. Details in the child’s room clue readers in to the underwear recipients. Endpapers show the before-and-after of household items and the Underwear Rampage. Kids will delight in hearing this one again and again.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Love is the muse in Maurice

Posted on April 11, 2023April 9, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Maurice, by Jessixa Bagley, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211732

Ages 5-8

Maurice is a canine concert musician-turned-busker, motivated by love in this moving tale about the ultimate inspiration. Introducing Maurice as a musician who once played to large music halls until “times and things changed. They always do”, Maurice now brings joy to everyone around him as a street musician. He lives a quiet, kind life and draws inspiration from the many birds who share his apartment: “Though his own joys were small, they were his whole world”. He has named them all; he speaks lovingly to all of them, and they inspire him. Sadly, as “the melody of life change[s] once more”, Maurice’s busking cup runs dry and he must let the birds go, leaving his heart empty. Bagley’s stunning gatefold spread shows the beauty the birds flying off into the sunset and the devastation on Maurice’s face as he watches them leave. Moving toward a resolution, we learn that “hearts remember” kindness. In concert, Maurice is surrounded in the darkness of the concert hall and alone under the spotlight; as a busker, he is bathed in warm colors, surrounded by other canines who delight in his music, really delivering the message that Maurice is motivated by love and sharing his gift. A good choice for collections.

Maurice received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Uncategorized

Happy Book Birthday to Tiny T. Rex and the Grand Ta-Da!

Posted on April 10, 2023April 9, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Tiny T. Rex and the Grand Ta-Da!, by Jonathan Stutzman/Illustrated by Jay Fleck, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9781452184883

Ages 3-5

Tiny T. Rex and best friend Pointy, face a series of challenges when they enter a talent show. The two work on figuring out their strengths, ultimately deciding to put on a magic show like their hero The Amazing Presto. As the two work the kinks out of their act, they sweetly build each other up with positive self-talk, and readers will get big laughs out of the humorous moments where they practice on their friends. When Pointy comes down with a case of stage fright, Tiny T. Rex has her friend’s back. Adorable characters, bright colors, and an hilarious marriage between Stutzman’s story and Fleck’s illustrations are a home run for readers. With strong themes of friendship, planning, and practice, Tiny T. Rex makes for perfect storytime reading. If you haven’t already pre-ordered this, make sure you add this to your collections.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Ode to a Bad Day: We’ve all got them!

Posted on April 8, 2023April 7, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ode to a Bad Day, by Chelsea Lin Wallace/Illustrated by Hyewon Yum, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9781797210803

Ages 5-8

Related in a series of dramatic odes to the minor aggravations that make up a difficult day, Ode to a Bad Day puts a humorous, relatable spin on the moments that can push any kid – or adult, let’s be honest – to the edge. From the beginning of a Bad Morning (“All I see is gray ahead. / Can’t I stay inside my bed?”) that gets worse when there’s “Too Much Milk in My Cereal”, the slings and arrows of “Getting Dressed”, and being “Late Again”, through the trials of weathering the “Line Cutter” and discovering the “Missing Pudding Cup” at lunch, all the way through to the optimistic hope for tomorrow: “A day where fish are oopsy-free! A day where lines are led by me!” Soft pencil and watercolor artwork present an amusing, dramatic heroine in a tutu skirt, leggings, and green shirt; her facial expressions and body language are immediately recognizable to readers as she contorts and glares her way through each hurdle. Endpapers show the star of the show and various animals from her day in an aggrieved series of moves.

Hilariously adorable, this is a perfect rhyming accompaniment to Judith Viorst’s classic, Alexander the the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day. A good addition to your storytime collections; great for a full readaloud or for short odes to enhance a storytime.

Toddler Reads

Cute baby books for the Spring!

Posted on March 11, 2023March 10, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Adorable books for the littlest ones are coming your way! Board books, squishy books, books to inspire and inform: they’re here and they’re wonderful!

How Are You?, by Édoudard Manceau, (March 2023, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9791036353246

Ages 0-3

A colorful, expressive round face goes through a series of feelings in this board book that begins with the question “How are you?” The figure responds, discussing how their mood changes throughout the day; the expression changes to illustrate a full range of feelings, from “Sometimes I’m very well” to “…I get angry”. Tears, smiles, and frowns help little ones create a frame of reference for the emotions described, and the ending question: “How are YOU?” lets little ones and caregivers share their own expressions. The purple face pops off a black background, with bold white text for easy reading. Print emoji expressions and have them ready for children to express their own feelings, or let them express themselves with crayons and paper. TeachersPayTeachers also has some great, free resources, including this feelings chart from The Reading Roundup and this emotions match from Simply Special Ed.

Get Up, Stand Up, Adapted by Cedella Marley/Illustrated by John Jay Cabuay, (March 2023, Chronicle Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797219424

Ages 2-4

Bob Marley’s beloved song reaches young readers and learners in this inspirational board book, adapted by Marley’s oldest child. A multicultural group of children play and go to school together, but when when bullies threaten, the children band together, standing up for their rights and teaching the bullies that there is a better way to live. The children come together with their community at a local park, where they display a Bob Marley “One Love” banner and celebrate their power in making a difference. Vibrant illustration and bold, colorful lettering deliver Bob Marley’s eternal message to a new audience. Marley’s songs have often been adapted to children’s books because of their messages of peace, community, and justice. Play a song or two during a quiet play period to introduce them to his message.

You Are New, by Lucy Knisley, (March 2023, Chronicle Books), $9.99, ISBN: 9781797219677

Ages 0-2

The board book adaptation of Lucy Knisley’s 2019 picture book is absolutely precious. The rhyming tale of being a new baby is charming and captures the excitement and amusement of having a new baby in the home: “You can open wide and yell. Sometimes you make funny smells. You get mad and scared and blue. It’s tough when everything is new”. Colorful illustrations show a diverse, cartoony group of babies and grownups cuddling, playing, sleeping, and discovering together. Bold black fonts with colorful emphasis make for easy reading. A great choice for lapsits and cuddle time.

Baby Basics: My Big Touch-and-Feel Colors, by Marion Billet, (Apr. 2023, Twirl Books), $22.99, ISBN: 9791036353109

Ages 0-3

Who wouldn’t love a cuddly book? My Big Touch-and-Feel Colors is an oversized soft cloth book with different textures so little hands can explore colors by using their senses. Yellow bees buzz around a satiny sun; blue dragonflies lazily fly around a nubby cloud. Discover a fuzzy gray owl’s belly against a black sky with white constellations, or rub a downy pink bird’s wing as they fly over purple and pink flowers. Vibrant colors and bold color names make things easy to identify, and the soft cloth of the book is soothing and can be carried around. This one probably isn’t the best choice for circulation, but it will fit nicely in with your learning toys: just keep a mesh bag handy to launder it.