Month: January 2019

Outrageous Animal Adaptations

Outrageous Animal AdaptationsOutrageous Animal Adaptations: From Big-Eared Bats to Frill-Necked Lizards by Michael Rosen
Published by Twenty-First Century Books (Tm) on January 1st 2018
ISBN: 1512429996
Pages: 96
Goodreads
five-stars

This book includes everything a nonfiction book for young readers should have: an engaging topic, excellent research and well-documented sources, a gorgeous design, and great writing. Rosen’s chatty style and sense of humor adds readability to this book of animals who have adapted to their environments in unique, odd, funny, and/or fascinating ways. Twenty-four animals are included in the book in 3-4 page chapters with a beautiful, clean lay-out of photograph with an interesting fact in a red circle, “Adaptation” in a dark green square, “Classification” in a lime green rectangle, and “Curious Fact” in a black circle. The color scheme carries throughout the book with most of the easy-to-read text on white or lime green pages.  It would have been nice to have even more photographs, but some of these animals are outside of the normal sphere of the NatGeo photographer, so it is understandable.

It is evident that Rosen is passionate about the topic and any reader lucky enough to pick up this book will be enthralled with the quirky creatures captured in its pages. Recommend for readers in grades 5-8.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

five-stars

A Parade of Elephants

A Parade of ElephantsA Parade of Elephants by Kevin Henkes
Published by Greenwillow Books on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 0062668277
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

This gentle, clearly defined picture book is perfect for one on one sharing with the youngest readers.  Five elephants, each a different pastel color, go round and round, march in a line, go in and out, over and under and finish the day by blasting stars from their trunks to populate the night sky.  The layout of large font, repetitive text and simple sentences lends itself well to new readers practicing their reading skills.  Unsure if a return read will be elicited, but generally, as younger readers feel accomplished they move on to the next book, this may not be a problem.    Henkes keeps the same elephants for all the spreads and the placement of text changes per the action on the page. Useful for preschool circle times about elephants, opposites or colors.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library, Springvale

four-stars

Inside the World of Roblox

Inside the World of RobloxInside the World of Roblox Published by HarperFestival on October 30th 2018
ISBN: 006286260X
Pages: 72
Goodreads
three-stars

A guide to the characters, history, and game play of the online game Roblox. People who know nothing about the game will definitely learn about its creation and platform as well as how to start playing. Fans of the game will enjoy the listings of top games to play and favorite hats as well as getting a peek inside the Roblox headquarters. The last page of the book includes a guide to socializing within an online game like Roblox for both younger users and parents; this is a nice inclusion. The large size, bright format, and eye-catching cover will make this a widely circulated book, until the binding falls apart.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

three-stars

Wed Wabbit

Wed WabbitWed Wabbit by Lissa Evans
Published by David Fickling Books on February 27th 2018
ISBN: 1338185276
Pages: 256
Goodreads
five-stars

This fantasy, adventure story for readers in grades 4-6 may start as a realistic, grief story, but quickly throws the reader into a whimsical, yet dark world that conjures up a mix of Wonderland, Willy Wonka, Candyland and the bubbly, brightly colored Teletubbies.  Ten-year-old Fidge, short for Iphigenia, has tried to support her mother in watching her 4-year-old sister Minnie since their father died two years ago.  As they are packing for a vacation trip, her patience wears thin.  Fidge kicks Minnie’s beloved stuffed bunny, Wed Wabbit, into traffic and her sister is hit by a car trying to retrieve him.  Minnie is rushed to the hospital and Fidge is sent to her Uncle’s family to wait where her dotted- on agoraphobic, germophobic cousin Graham pushes her to the breaking point.  And then the lightning strikes and the children find themselves in a world resembling Minnie’s favorite book “The Land of Wimbley Woos” where all the color coded Woos speak in rhyme and Wed Wabbit is soaking up all the colors.  As Fidge and Graham identify the problems in Wimbley land and try to escape back home, they learn how to help each other, identify the strengths of others (the Wimbley Woos, of course!) and see their situations in a different way.  Evan’s comic timing is just right and the characters are ones you would want to have as your friends.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library, Springvale

five-stars

Drawing School, volume 1

Drawing School, volume 1Drawing School, volume 1 Published by Walter Foster Jr. on August 1, 2018
ISBN: 9781942875659
Goodreads
three-stars

Volume one in a series of Drawing School books by artist Nila Aye (published by Walter Foster Jr, no author listed). Separated into sections “At the beach,” “Under the sea,” “On the farm,” and “At school,” Aye includes two or three objects per double-page spread and walks her reader through 4-6 steps per illustration. The illustrations are bright and pretty easy to follow for those with confidence to fill in some gaps of instruction. It would be nice to include a female farmer or sailor and a male teacher and no child is probably burning to draw a string bikini, but other than those small bugaboos, this book (and the rest in the series) is well-bound, bright, and will have great appeal to those looking for beginning drawing books.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

three-stars

Stickmen’s Guide to Science

Stickmen’s Guide to ScienceStickmen's Guide to Science by John Farndon
Published by Hungry Tomato (R) on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1541500598
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

A solid introduction to general scientific theories and concepts. Using photographs, illustrations, and stickmen, Farndon and Matthews touch upon physics, chemistry, astronomy, oceanography, geology, biology, physiology, anatomy, and psychology with a page dedicated to each. There are a few specific scientists and natural philosophers mentioned, but this book sticks to the terms and processes of the type of science discussed on the double-page spread. There is a graphic novel feel to the book and that, together with the small size and short bursts of information in a colorful design, will appeal to upper elementary and early middle school readers who want to do some light exploring. The language is clear but the author does use many strong scientific words that could trip up emerging readers. The index could have been more thorough and there is only one woman mentioned (from 1999) though there are several photographs of female scientists.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

three-stars

Grump: the (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Grump: the (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven DwarvesGrump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Liesl Shurtliff
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on May 29th 2018
ISBN: 1524717010
Pages: 304
Goodreads
four-stars

Born too close to the surface, Borlen is nothing like his mine-dwelling, dark-loving, rock-crunching dwarf parents. Well, the rock-crunching is still applicable, but the deeper into the caverns and mines Borlen goes, the sicker he feels. He craves the light and fresh air of the Surface and thrills at the possibility of seeing things like leaves and flowers and trees. His intolerance of all things darkly dwarf, including his mining crew of six other dwarfs, and his poor attitude earn him the nickname “Grump”. When, by chance, he does make it to the Surface, he is befriended by Queen Elfrieda, known to the audience as the Evil Queen in the story of Snow White. But what does Grump know of humans? He is thrilled by the delicious gems she feeds him and the adoring interest she pays him without seeing her nefarious intent. When she learns that taking a dwarf by the beard binds him to the whim of the taker, she commands him to do as she says. He is able to flee, but not before leaving her the gift of a magic mirror with which she brings about the famous demise of that girl with skin as white as the driven snow. When Grump meets Snow White, she, too, takes him by the beard, unbeknownst to her, and since she has a purer heart, she does it with no malevolent intent; in fact, it leads to her happily ever after, as we knew it would. Shurtliff is a talented writer who challenges her middle grade readers with wonderful vocabulary and who creates endearing characters, even the villainous ones. She deftly spins her fractured fairy tales so that in the end you find yourself asking: is this really the way that it happened? Definitely add to juvenile and middle grade collections and, if you don’t already have them, add her other titles Jack, Rump, and Red too.

Note to publisher: while the covers of Shurtliff’s books are colorful and veer toward adorable, the picture of Grump on the cover is so far off the description in the book as to be off-putting. His beard was mentioned at least a hundred times and the cover is of a petulant, decidedly beardless child.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

four-stars

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle

The Adventures of a Girl Called BicycleThe Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss
Published by Margaret Ferguson Books on June 5th 2018
ISBN: 0823440079
Pages: 320
Goodreads
five-stars

Handpies! Family feuds! Stampeding pigs! A runaway Kentucky Derby horse! A man in a chicken suit! Mostly-silent monks! French cuisine! A friendly ghost! Cookies! And among all of this, a girl on a bicycle looking for a friend. This refreshing middle grade novel offers some of the quirkiest characters and scenes this reviewer has ever encountered. When Bicycle shows up at the Mostly Silent Monastery as a toddler wearing only a shirt with a bicycle on it (how she receives her name, of course), she is taken in by the not-so-silent, big-hearted, well-intentioned Sister Wanda who does all of the talking for the Mostly Silent Monks. She also does all of the schooling and socializing of Bicycle, or she tries to. When she gets it into her head that Bicycle needs to attend the Friendship Factory Camp, where she is guaranteed to make at least three friends, Bicycle knows that the only friend that she needs to make is the world-famous cyclist Zbig Sienkiewicz. So she sets off on a 4000-mile bike trip across the United States to prove her point and meet that friend. What follows is a madcap adventure like no other filled with silliness, fantastic scenarios, and plenty of delicious fried pies. Bicycle will win your heart and prove that making friends is easy when you have an open mind, a sympathetic ear, and a rumbling stomach.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

five-stars

The Dam

The DamThe Dam by David Almond, Levi Pinfold
Published by Candlewick Studio on September 11th 2018
ISBN: 0763695971
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

Two award winners; David Almond known for his stories and young adult novels including Skellig ,Kit’s Wilderness and Heaven Eyes, and Levi Pinfold whose picture book Black Dog won the Kate Greenway Medal have created a powerful picture book about the building of a dam and what was lost in the building and what was gained. Based on  a true story , a father and daughter, musicians are going into the area that will be flooded, land lost forever, to play one last time for the people, animals, birds and flowers that will no longer live on the land and for those who lived on the land in past times. But they also play for the new life that the dam creates- a lake which invites people and animals to it and the music binds the old wit the new.

The text is poetic , simple and direct, the illustrations are in browns and blues, somber and striking but not sad. The full page of the new lake formed is hopeful and makes the loss bearable. this is a visually striking book. with a message of hope delivered in a story  not commonly told in a picture book.

Use in art classes to demonstrate how art can tell express feelings and tell a story, use in music classes to explain the power of music to keep the memory of a bygone time alive and not forgotten.

The author’s note explains that such a dam was built in Northumberland, England and that musicians played for what was lost and then what was found.

So often teachers and librarians must encourage older children to take the time to visit the picture book section. Somehow children seem to think they are too old to enjoy this genre. This is one of those books that is to be enjoyed by children of all ages.

Grades 3-6

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library

five-stars

We Say #Never Again

We Say #Never AgainWe Say #NeverAgain: Reporting by the Parkland Student Journalists by Melissa Falkowski, Eric Garner, Parkland Student Journalists
on January 1st 1970
ISBN: 1984849964
Pages: 260
Goodreads

This collection of essays is written by students and teachers who lived through the school shooting at Marjory Stoneham Douglas (MSD) High School in Parkland, Florida. The student journalists of the school’s newspaper, the Eagle Eye, and the MSD TV production crew use the skills they learned in their classes to contribute to this book. Through interviews and personal accounts, the students share memories of that fateful day, but many of the essays cover other topics: the organization of the March For Our Lives movement, the participation in the March For Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., the pressure of being in the public eye, the call to activism, the need for self-care, and thoughts on how to create a new normal. For some, writing these pieces was a form of healing and for others, it was the first step in the fight that they continue today to end gun violence. The student writers share a lot of information and write about the complex feelings in their community demonstrating solid journalism skills; their work was truly a labor of love for their classmates and their community. Profiles of the writers are included in the back of the book, as well as information on the awards their work won. This book is highly recommended for budding journalists or social activists more than readers who want a historical account of shooting at MSD High School. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School