picture book – Page 8

Quackers – A story about fitting in and standing out

Posted on November 3, 2015August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Quackers, by Liz Wong (Mar. 2016, Knopf Books for Young Readers) $15.99, ISBN: 978-0-553-51155-0

Recommended for ages 3-7

“Quackers is a duck. He knows he is a duck because he lives at the duck pond with all the other ducks.”

Quackers is the story of a cat who’s grown up with ducks. He doesn’t see himself as anything other than a duck, and neither do the ducks around him. But sometimes, Quackers doesn’t feel like he quite fits in. He has trouble making himself understood, he’s not in love with the food, and he really, really hates getting wet! One day, when Quackers meets Mittens, he learns that he’s what others call a cat – he’s not a duck at all! He tries to fully embrace his feline side, but he ends up missing the duck life. And that’s when Quackers learns that bringing all the parts of your different backgrounds together makes for a wonderful feeling. .

Quackers is a great book to have on hand for read-alouds and libraries with multicultural populations. It’s a great book to give to an adoptive family as a welcome home gift for baby, too! Quackers is a duck – no one thinks any differently. Once he learns that he’s a cat, though, he tries to throw himself into being a cat – but when you’ve been raised lovingly by one group, why walk away? This is the heart of the story, and it’s when Quackers realizes that he can be a cat and be a duck, he’s happiest. Kids from different backgrounds will learn that they can embrace more than one culture, whether it’s a culture they’re adopting, like moving to a new city/state/country, or a culture that they’ve been adopted into.

On a different note, Quackers works for all kids who may feel like they don’t fit in, for whatever reason. I’d pair this with Harvey Fierstein’s The Sissy Duckling to reach LGBT kids and kids being raised by LGBT families. Quackers teaches kids (and their caregivers!) to embrace themselves first and foremost – you can’t ask for a better message than that.

The art, created digitally and with watercolor, is adorable and soft, with soothing greens and teals for the water and grass. The text is set off almost like an old photo album, placed in small text boxes with a font that looks almost handwritten. Kids will love reading this book and adults will love reading it to them. Take a look at some of the art, below.

You can find more of Liz Wong’s illustrations at her website.

Animal Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Roar! A Tale of Friendship and Sleepless Adventure

Posted on October 11, 2015August 31, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Roar! by Julie Bayless (Oct. 2015, Running Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9780762457502

Recommended for ages 2-5

A little lion cub can’t get to sleep. When he tries to wake up his family to play, their snores send him roaming the savannah in search of fun. He meets a group of hippos and a group of giraffes, but his friendly “ROAR” scares them off, but he and a bunny hit it off perfectly, and spend the rest of the night yelling “ROAR!” and “MORE!” together!

Roar! is a fun tale of friendship and adventuring. Kids (and sleepy parents) will recognize themselves in the little lion cub, trying to no avail to wake up the sleepy grownups to have some fun. The little guy’s no predator, but his friendly exclamation scares off much bigger animals; when he meets a similarly spunky bunny, the fun begins.

The book mixes graphic novel-style panels with full-page spreads and shifts in perspective, making this a fun read that will keep little ones engaged. It’s interactive – I’ve read this to toddlers and preschoolers, and we’ve hollered “ROAR!” and “MORE!” to our hearts’ content as we read through the book. I had one group of toddlers demand a second reading, and the roars were wonderful!

The digital art has a beautiful sharpness to it. The backgrounds are largely dark violet-blue, with the animals crisply defined against them. There are few words to the story: mostly “Roar” and “More”, with a few snores, burps and sniffs thrown in for good measure, so there is a lot of room for interaction – kids can describe the land, name the animals the cub encounters, and veer off into their own narration.

Roar is a great storytime book, bedtime book, anytime book. It’s been kid-tested, mother and librarian approved – don’t miss it!

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

Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet

Posted on September 19, 2015September 18, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet, by Melvin Berger and Mary Kay Carson (Aug. 2015, Scholastic), $5.99, ISBN: 9780545839600

Recommended for ages 7-11

This updated edition of Discovering Mars features a new cover and updated information and discoveries about the Red Planet. Recognized as an exemplar text by the Common Core State Standards, this latest version of the book includes the Mars Curiosity Rover’s mission and detection of organic compounds on the planet, leading to increased discussions about whether or not Mars had the ability to sustain life at one point.

Other topics covered include early theories about Mars, including the ancient Romans, who named the blood-red planet after the god of war and the vocabulary mixup between English and Italian that had some people thinking that the dark lines visible on the planet’s surface were man-made waterways!

We’ve also got a history of NASA’s Mars research and the future wish list for further research and discovery on the planet. I’m thrilled with this updated edition of Discovering Mars – make sure you keep a copy handy in your home or school library, and give your kids money for this one at the next Scholastic Book Fair.

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

Military Animals with Dog Tags – Because some heroes have more than two legs

Posted on September 19, 2015September 18, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Military Animals with Dog Tags, by Laurie Calkhoven (Aug. 2015, Scholastic), $7.99, ISBN: 9780545871594

Recommended for ages 7-11

You may know that horses were on the battlefield at war time, especially before vehicles like tanks and Jeeps came along. You may have even seen recent pictures of dogs aiding our soldiers overseas. But did you know that Poland had a bear that was a private? Or that honeybees have been used to sniff out bombs?

Military Animals tells the stories of different animals who have served in the military throughout time. You’ll learn about elephants, who have aided military operations from ancient history through to the VietNam War; how rats can find unexploded land mines (without getting blown up!), and how dolphins have helped with underwater surveillance. There are beautiful photos, stories that kids will love hearing about (great for read-alouds) and reading about, and a glossary and index at the end of the book. Get this one for your animal lovers and talk about the great things animals do to help us out. Then, brainstorm things that the animals in your own lives to do help you out – for instance, my cat helps cheer me up by cuddling with me when I don’t feel well, and my dog helps protect our home.

Author Laurie Calkhoven is all over my library. She’s written some great biographies for kids, and she’s written books for both the American Girl and Heroes of Olympus series, both of which see a lot of action in my public library. Her author website has links to her books and information about author visits.

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

Our Moon gives us a new look at an old friend

Posted on September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Our Moon: New Discoveries About Earth’s Closest Companion, by Elaine Scott (Feb. 2016, Clarion Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780547483948

Recommended for ages 10-13

You may have heard the old myth about the man in the moon, or even that the moon was made of green cheese. Did you hear about a Chinese princess named Chang-o or a rabbit, though? Those ancient Chinese stories are only the beginning of what I learned from Elaine Scott’s Our Moon: New Discoveries About Earth’s Closest Companion.

Our Moon is a great biography about our one and only satellite, Luna. The Moon. We get her all of her numbers: size, speed, temperature; we learn in depth about her phases, and her origin story. Ms. Scott gives us a history of lunar research and exploration, from the Turkish philosopher Anaxagoras’ ideas about moonlight being a reflection of the sun’s light back in the 5th century B.C.E. to the modern lunar landings and space travel. The book is loaded with photographs and quick facts that make for easy reading. A glossary breaks down terms used in the book, and there are resources for further reading, both on- and offline.

This is the book I’d have wanted in my astronomy library when I was a kid. It’s a great library purchase and a great home library purchase. Our Moon will be available in February, 2016, but you can pre-order it from Amazon.

Elaine Scott is an award-winning nonfiction author of children’s books. Her author website includes information about her books, honors, and school visits.

Non-Fiction

Coco and the Little Black Dress is an inspirational story

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Coco and the Little Black Dress, by Annemarie Van Haeringen (Sept. 2015, North South Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9780735842397

Recommended for ages 6-10

Raised in an orphanage, Coco Chanel may have started life off in a decidedly life, but she learned life skills and developed a drive for success that propelled her to the heights of high fashion. Coco and the Little Black Dress tells the story of Coco Chanel’s rise to fame, beginning with learning how to sew, embroider, knit, mend, and crochet at the orphanage. She befriended the wealthy and powerful as she got older, and decided to change to outlandish and uncomfortable clothing the women wore. Starting with a pair of jodphurs for herself, she began making beautiful hats and comfortable, loosely fitted knits for women, freeing them from corsets. She created a perfume that smelled “like a beautiful woman” and finally, her crowning achievement: the little black dress – “the magic dress that shows how beautiful a woman is.”

It’s always a relief to see a biography for younger children about a strong female figure, and Coco Chanel certainly fits the bill. She was a self-made woman who gave women the ability to be free of uncomfortable clothing, to embrace their figures. The endpapers lead us right into Coco’s story, providing an early dress design at the beginning and a finished black dress to leave us with.

Author Annemarie van Haeringen is a three-time Golden Brush Award winner; Coco and the Little Black Dress, previously published in German, won the silver in 2014.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Spotlight Tour: Max the Brave by Ed Vere

Posted on September 1, 2015August 24, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Max is a fearless kitten. Max is a brave kitten. Max is a kitten who chases mice. There’s only one problem—Max doesn’t know what a mouse looks like! With a little bit of bad advice, Max finds himself facing a much bigger challenge. Maybe Max doesn’t have to be Max the Brave all the time…

Join this adventurous black cat as he very politely asks a variety of animals for help in finding a mouse. Young readers will delight in Max’s mistakes, while adults will love the subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor of this new children’s classic.

Ed Vere is an author, artist and illustrator with a long track record of success in the picture book category. Max the Brave was named one of The Sunday Times’s 100 Modern Children’s Classics. His book Bedtime for Monsters was shortlisted for the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize and Mr Big was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 (and was distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren, making it the largest single print run of a picture book). Vere was the World Book Day illustrator for 2009.

Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway to win a copy of your own! (Contest runs Sept. 1-Oct. 31.)
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Social Media:
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuNbrpUVunE
Website: http://books.sourcebooks.com/maxthebrave/
Activity Kit: http://sourcebooksftp.com/Email/MaxTheBrave/MaxTheBrave-ActivityKit.pdf
Educator guide: http://sourcebooksftp.com/Email/MaxTheBrave/MaxTheBrave-EduGuide.pdf
Twitter: @ed_vere, @jabberwockykids

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Busy Wheels’ Plane’s Royal Rescue is on a mission!

Posted on August 28, 2015August 27, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Plane’s Royal Rescue, by Peter Bently/illus. by Louise Conway (Aug. 2015, QEB Publishing), $14.95, ISBN: 9781609927912

Recommended for ages 3-6

Another book in the Busy Wheels series from QEB Publishing, Plane’s Royal Rescue tells the story of Plane, its clever captain, Captain Koala, and how they save the day for the traveling royal family. We meet Plane, who is getting ready for the day’s journey, and Captain Koala, who is talking to his copilot. The royal family is boarding a flight to the same destination, but when the jet takes off, the limousine driver discovers a big problem – the king has forgotten his crown in the car! Captain Koala and Plane step in to save the day.

This is such a fun series for young readers, and just enough detail to introduce them to the concepts of flying and the parts of a plane. There are details included throughout the story, including new vocabulary, and a Let’s Look at section that provides detailed pictures and terms for the parts of a plane and other airport vehicles. The kids at my preschool libraries will be happy to see this one Plane’s Royal Rescue join Train is On Track.

Early Reader, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Train is On Track is perfect for your transportation book lovers!

Posted on August 27, 2015January 30, 2026 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Train is on Track, by Peter Bently/Illus. by Louise Conway (Aug. 2015, QEB Publishing), $14.95, ISBN: 9781609927905

Recommended for ages 3-6

Train is in the rail yard, preparing for today’s journey. Dog checks the controls and gets the train moving, picking up and discharging passengers. But wait! During a thunderstorm, a tree has fallen onto the track and the mail truck has derailed. Can train help deliver the mail on time?

With bright colors and easy to read text, Train is on Track from QEB’s Busy Wheels series is a fun addition to any transportation library. Mr. Bently presents new vocabulary words for young learners; Ms. Conway’s art helps make the connections. A detailed spread at the end of the story, “Let’s Look at Train”, offers illustrations detailing different parts of railroad vehicles, such as the driver’s cab and switches, and several different types of trains.

The kids in my preschool libraries LOVE transportation books. Boys and girls alike, the books fly off the shelves, and I’m always on the lookout for good transportation books. This Busy Wheels series will be a great purchase for me!