Tag: Teresa Martinez

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

More books for your Earth Day displays!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Earth Day is coming to a close, but we can celebrate our Pale Blue Dot all year ’round. Let Earth Day be the kickoff to a Spring full of environmental awareness for your libraries and communities!

The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle, by Maddalena Bearzi/Illustrated by Alex Boersma, (May 2025, Roaring Brook Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781250901675

Ages 6-10

There’s bits and pieces of knowledge most of us have about sea turtles: they lay eggs on the beach, the hatchlings hatch, and there’s the “race for life” to get to the ocean before the predators get the hatchlings. What happens after a turtle hatchling makes it to the water? Bearzi, a marine biologist and conservationist, details the life of a sea turtle for readers. Beginning with the hatching, Bearzi continues the story to show readers that making it to water isn’t the end of a sea turtle’s struggle; there are predators in the water and there are humans, whose fishing nets don’t always allow for a turtle to escape. Bearzi also discusses migration patterns and brings the turtle’s life full circle by having the main sea turtle return to the same beach where she hatched, this time to lay her own eggs. Boersma’s realistic illustrations are breathtaking, evoking emotion and awe with each spread. Back matter includes a section on spotting the different types of sea turtles, ways to protect sea turtles, information about sea turtle researchers, and a bibliography. A must-buy for your nonfiction collections. The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Together, a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature’s Diversity and Our Own, by Roz MacLean, (March 2025, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99 ISBN: 9781250864512

Ages 4-8

A class trip to a forest is a study in interconnectivity. Each of the class interacts with their environment in their own ways, illustrating how we each relate to our surroundings. Sasha, a student with a white cane who codes as being blind, listens to the differences in bird sounds as they change position; the surrounding trees and plants creating “sound shadows”. Angel, a student who gets “caught up in the moment” and “often misplaces things”, is much like a squirrel, who buries more seeds than he will need to get through winter, just in case he forgets where he saved everything. Student Joy appears to suffer from anxiety, is worried about her class assignment, but the soothing network of her classmates – her ecosystem – sustains her just as the orchid sustains its environs. A moving meditation on how we all come together to create a diverse and vibrant world and how we are connected to our planet. A good addition to picture book collections. Mixed media illustration includes a diverse and inclusive group. Use this book to encourage discussion. Together, a Forest has a starred review from Kirkus. Download a free activity kit from MacKids School and Library.

 

How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up, by Ruth Spiro/Illustrated by Teresa Martínez, (March 2025, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623546205

Ages 4-8

You know, sometimes it’s just up to kids to get things done, especially when grown-ups don’t want to listen. That’s where this “How to Explain” series comes in handy, and climate change is a particularly important one for kids to be aware of AND about how to talk to grown-ups. Written with the assumption that kids are in charge, Spiro – whose Baby Loves Science series we love! – offers comic book panels, simple and factual explanation (so grownups can understand!) and Pro Tips to fall back on when stubborn adults insist that climate change isn’t a real thing. Martínez’s illustration offers helpful diagrams for visual explanation and comic book dialogue to keep everyone engaged. It’s a tough job, being a kid, especially when you have to explain everything to those spacey grownups: stock your collection with this series to help a kid out. Download an educator kit, a Kid Expert certificate, and badge from Charlesbridge’s website.

 

History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment, by Kate Messner/Illustrated by Justin Greenwood, (March 2025, Random House Books for Young Readers), $9.99, ISBN:  9780593705308

Ages 8-12

This series does gangbusters in my library, which is no big surprise, because it’s penned by Kate Messner. Here, Messner gets to the truth behind the Earth Day history and myths. Messner gets into the first Earth Day in April 1970, but gets to the roots of the holiday with discussions on Indigenous populations who developed sustainable farming practices, environmental activists going back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and the science behind global warming. Messner’s straightforward discourse has the ability to empower a new generation to take up the cause: plant a tree, throw out some trash, recycle the bottles! Greenwood’s black and white illustrations go from the realistic-factual to comic book panels depending on the ideas he communicates. A home run for graphic novel fans and more visual readers that will find a great home in nonfiction collections.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Back to school stories to soothe everyone’s nerves

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Two more back to school stories to make the days a little brighter. And we can all use that.

It’s Not a School Bus, It’s a Pirate Ship, by Mickey Rapkin/Illustrated by Teresa Martinez, (June 2020, imprint), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250229779

Ages 3-6

It’s the first day of school, and as the school bus rolls up to the bus stop, a young boy is nervous: who will he sit with? Who will talk to him? It looks really scary in there! But never fear! The school bus driver is there to let him in on a secret: it’s not a school bus… he’s boarded a PIRATE SHIP! The school bus transforms into a magical pirate ship, taking the kids on an adventure as they swashbuckle their way to school! This fun back to school story speaks to the fears some kids have, especially when boarding a school bus by themselves for the first time: as he walks in, the artwork shows a scary interior with childlike drawings of stick figure bullies, snakes, sharks, and ghosts! All it takes is an empathetic driver to put our main character at ease by encouraging him to think of the trip as a pirate adventure, and the artwork becomes a riot of imagination and color, with a school bus pirate ship sailing the high seas of the neighborhood, with street signs like “Yo Ho Ho” and cross streets called “Shiver” and “Me Timbers”. Dogs go past in rowboats; flying fish and dolphins play in the water, and the bus passengers all become fast friends, trading pirate jokes and singing pirate songs. By the time they drop anchor at school and head into their classroom, the kids are ready for their next adventure… announced on the last page. Childlike drawings of mermaids with backpacks, crabs waving hot dogs, and shark with sunglasses decorate the endpapers.

A companion to 2019’s It’s Not a Bed, It’s a Time Machine, this is a fun adventure that takes a little bit of the fear out of that school bus ride, and adds a spark of imagination to your day.

 

Mila Wants to Go to School, by Judith Koppens/Illustrated by Anoukh Nijs, (Sept. 2020, Clavis Publishing), $14.95, ISBN: 978-1605375694

Ages 3-6

Mila is a little girl who can’t wait to go to school! Why is Daddy taking SO LONG to get her there? This adorable story of a little girl who can’t wait to start school reaches out and touches the hearts of every parent who has the hardest time letting go, especially on that first day. While Mila is full of get-up-and-go, we see Daddy take a little extra time… he has to tie his shoe before he leaves; he makes sure to greet a neighbor on the way out; and look, there’s the playground! Maybe Mila wants to have some playtime on the swings before school? Mila wonders why Daddy is being so dilly-dally, but we parents know why: it’s right there, on Dad’s face, when they arrive at school and he goes from a small smile to an uncertain frown. He even asks Mila if she’s sure she doesn’t want to go back home with him. After Mila reassures her Daddy that she may make new friends, but he’ll always be her Daddy, she heads in to enjoy her first day at school and we know that Daddy will be waiting for that clock to let him know when to get her.

Mila and her dad are characters of color. The illustrations are warm and humorous; colors are bright but not overpowering, letting the story speak for itself and providing context with body language and facial expressions. For every parent who’s heart hurts letting go, Mila Wants to Go to School is for you. Mila Goes to School is the companion to Mila Has Two Beds, published earlier this year.

 

When We Stayed Home, by Tara Fass, LMFT & Judith A. Proffer/Illustrated by Yoko Matsuoka, (Sept. 2020, Huqua Press), $19.99, ISBN: 9781-7353844-0-5

Ages 5-8

This is a different kind of back to school book, but it’s a different kind of back to school year. When We Stayed Home is a look at one boy’s experience with being home. Pictured on the cover wearing a spotted mask, he’s posing with his dog who’s wearing a dog-snout mask. In straightforward, uncomplicated text, he tells us about when he and his family stayed home “to help the helpers… when a scary virus traveled all over the world”. It’s a story kids and adults will be able to relate to, as he details all the things he’s done in quarantine: washing his hands (“All. The. Time.”), building forts, doing crazy things with his hair, and having screen time with family and friends. He thinks about everyone he misses, and admits that “even super-helpers are sad every now and then”, letting readers know that it’s okay to have mixed emotions in the middle of this global malestrom. He enjoys being a super-helper superhero, but sometimes, the mask gets annoying to wear; he misses his friends, his school, and going to the playground. An uplifting and honest story to everyone, especially those children who are attending school remotely so far this year, When We Stayed Home is a gentle book that stands as a witness to these challenging times, and will be an interesting book to look back on when this is in our past.