Month: December 2020

Invisible Differences

Invisible DifferencesInvisible Differences by Julie Dachez
on August 31, 2016
ISBN: 162010766X
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

This is a terrific graphic novel about a young French woman who learns in her twenties that the social difficulties she has experienced her entire life are a result of being on the autism spectrum; she is diagnosed specifically with Asperger’s Syndrome. We meet Marguerite and see how easily she is overwhelmed by her surroundings at work, parties, outside, etc. Her office rides her for not being social enough, despite the fact that she’s a solid employee. Her relatives and boyfriend are impatient and imply that the trouble she has with social situations is all in her head. She finally reads up on the symptoms of ASD and recognizes herself enough to seek help and diagnosis. The book gets even more interesting here as it becomes critical of France’s understanding of ASD. You root for Marguerite because getting this diagnosis is so crucial to her acceptance of herself and each dismissal by a doctor or friend feels like such a blow.

Beyond being a touching story with great character development, Invisible Differences includes a section in the back that describes Asperger’s in more detail and an extensive resources section. I would love to see this in all high school libraries.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

 

five-stars

Old Rock (Is Not Boring)

Old Rock (Is Not Boring)Old Rock (Is Not Boring) by Deb Pilutti
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 0525518185
Pages: 40
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
How could an old rock have anything BUT a boring life? Although it might look boring to Tall Pine, Spotted beetle, and Hummingbird, Old Rock has a story to tell. He takes them back to the time he flew out of a volcano, then seeing dinosaurs, and more recently, watching a small seedling grow into a tall pine.

This story serves as a quick geographical history of the world, and could be used with lower-middle school students as an intro to the earth. A chart on the last page identifies each of Old Rock’s experiences with the time frame: 18 billion years ago when the earths’ crust was formed, 66 million years ago seeing T. Rex, up to the present day of sitting in a forest with a hummingbird, a beetle and a pine tree, and “They are not bored.”

Simple but full-color illustrations keep the focus on the text.

This book could also be used for point of view and opinion writing with lower and middle elementary readers.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

four-stars

Chowder Rules! The True Story of an Epic Food Fight

Chowder Rules! The True Story of an Epic Food FightChowder Rules!: The True Story of an Epic Food Fight by Anna Crowley Redding, Vita Lane
Published by Islandport Press on October 13, 2020
ISBN: 1944762825
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
Which is better: Manhattan Clam Chowder or New England Clam Chowder? That question has been argued for decades. Mainer Cleveland Sleeper, Jr., thought there was only one way to enjoy the traditional comfort-style  milky broth. But when people from New York City tossed in tomatoes, Cleveland saw red, and called it vegetable soup. He sought to have a law passed, but failing that, he proposed a culinary duel. And the winner was….

Great imagery and prose: “…it was the entire stature of Maine in a single bite…”

Full color illustrations show many of Maine’s famous icons, and perspective is given by including a map of the United States, and having the Statue of Liberty hoisting a tomato atop her torch. These visuals assist younger readers in accessing the locals and history. 

One detail about the debate is how the state of Iowa had a huge tomato industry at the time so some residents were very much against such a law banning tomatoes. This book would be an interesting way to introduce how laws are made, advertising hype, and how to debate an issue. This would also be a fun book for Maine or culinary history for middle elementary students.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

Follow Your Breath! A First Book of Mindfulness

Follow Your Breath! A First Book of MindfulnessFollow Your Breath!: A First Book of Mindfulness by Scot Ritchie
Published by Kids Can Press on October 6, 2020
ISBN: 1525303368
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
How can we use our senses to help calm ourselves? Pedro is anxious about moving to a new house, so his mom guides him and his friends through various situations to learn about mindfulness. Told as a story, each page also has explicit instructions on how to use your senses, your breath, certain environments, even your pet, to slow yourself down and notice what’s around you.

Simple font can be easily read by middle elementary readers, but would be very useful in the hands of an adult to introduce mindfulness or extend and develop a regular habit of learning how to slow down oneself and take notice of what’s around you.  One page says, “…pay attention” in an encouraging way with specific actions to take which could be very helpful to students who hear that phrase in an not-so encouraging tone.

Readers could use the Table of Contents to select various topics, and it could be read as a story. Full color, cartoonish illustrations capture the intent of each page.

Very good purchase for children’s health collections, but adults: Beware! Adults may find some ideas YOU could use!

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Louis

LouisLouis by Julie Rowan-Zoch, Tom Lichtenheld
ISBN: 1328498069
Genres: Animals, Fantasy, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
We read lots of stories about teddy bears, but in “Louis” we hear from the bear himself. He thinks his life has been ‘downhill…from day one.”  He describes all the mistreatment and intends to leave…just as soon as…the party and show-and-tell are over, and the light is turned off in his boy’s bedroom. However, when he is scooped up and cuddled, he decides “a bear could do worse.”

Large, simple full-color illustrations show Louis’ disgruntled face amidst the day’s activities.

Use for humor, 1st person, and figurative language for lower-middle elementary, but most of all, read and enjoy it with a preschooler!

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Monsters 101

Monsters 101Monsters 101 by Cale Atkinson
ISBN: 0593122801
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
We often fear what we don’t know, so knowledge with a bit of humor thrown in can reassure most of us, especially when we find out the object of our fear is often more afraid of us than we of it!  Engaging ‘facts’ in 10 ‘chapters’ describe and explain monsters in the most kid-friendly way. The reader learns about their diet, activities, habitats, and even their fears!

Full of silly, colorful illustrations, graphs, side bars, charts, the opening endpaper shows a scientific-looking graph that actually identifies the chapters. The last page offers a “Monstronomy Diploma” for successfully finishing this ‘course’ and identifies the reader now as a ‘Monster Scientist.’ Format lends itself to either reading through or skipping around, but busy pages encourage taking time to scour the illustrations.

A fearful child could be encouraged to identify ‘their’ monster’s attributes throughout this book, and if not found, could make their own little book showing and describing their own monster. If monsters aren’t your thing, you might be interested in the author’s 2019 book “Unicorns 101.”

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Let’s Explore Honey

Let’s Explore HoneyLet's Explore Honey! by Jill Colella
ISBN: 1541582977
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Part of the “Food Field Trips” series by Lerner, this book first introduces honey, then takes the reader out to see an apiary in crisp, up-close photos. Clean, accessible text nicely describes each photo. Open-ended, thinking questions are posed throughout. Backmatter includes a recipe, activity, brief index and list of additional books and websites to read.

Recommended for any food collection, and as an introduction to the importance of bees in our environment. Pair with Gerald Kelley’s 2017 “Please Please the Bears.”

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

A Long Road on a Short Day

A Long Road on a Short DayA Long Road on a Short Day by Elizabeth Stickney, Eugene Yelchin, Gary D. Schmidt
Published by Clarion Books on November 10, 2020
ISBN: 0544888367
Pages: 64
Genres: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
After Mama’s expresses the need for a milk cow for their baby, Papa takes Samuel on a trading expedition. Starting with his hunting knife, they visitsone person after another, making trade after trade until he secures a milk cow. Papa treats Samuel as a partner, discussing various decisions they need to make along the way.

The phrase “Long road on a short day” is repeated by Papa and Samuel as they trod through the thickening snow and impending winter darkness.  At just 59 pages of widely-spaced lines, this is a great read aloud for elementary students to discuss and an independent read for transitional readers. Occasional full-color illustrations add to the mood and tone.

Trading up emphasizes the importance of starting small if you’re thinking big, and how different people assign different values to various objects. 

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Snow Birds

Snow BirdsSnow Birds by Jenni Desmond, Kirsten Hall
Published by Harry N. Abrams on November 3, 2020
ISBN: 1419742035
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Carefully crafted poems and illustrations so real you can almost feel the cold, they work together to make this book a seasonal top pick. 

These short poems flow off the tongue and are written in a variety of formats, with one double-page spread per bird. Each page also has that bird’s unique vocal sound written across the page. “Meet the Birds” section in the back gives a brief look at each bird and describes how they have adapted to survival in cold habitats. 

Add this to your units on migration to show that not all birds migrate. It could also be used for adaptation, seasonal, poetry forms, bird identification, or just the joy of reading aloud to early and middle elementary youngsters – and adults may find themselves also enjoying the sights and sounds of these hardy birds.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars

Black Bear’s Adventure: An Appalachian Trail Journey

Black Bear’s Adventure: An Appalachian Trail JourneyGenres: Adventure, Biography/Autobiography, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
five-stars
“Black Bear” is a Maine fitness enthusiast and former physical education teacher who invites readers to accompany her on her first through hike of the Appalachian Trail. This book describes in narrative form all the excitement, fears, challenges and success she experiences along the way. She is currently preparing for her third AT trip, and her experience on and off the trail are an inspiration to not only attempt a challenge, but to properly prepare oneself for such an endeavor  . 

The author encourages youngsters through her story, and direct words, “You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” The title and cover invite readers to pick up this book, and the writing will have them feel they are stepping right along with the author, whose trail name is “Black Bear.”

Mixed media, full color collage illustrations capture the emotions and key concepts and common hiking scenes.

The possible uses for this book are limited only by a teacher’s imagination. Use for anchor text of first-person narrative studies, Maine studies, an inspiration to stay healthy, and to follow your dreams, just to name a few!

Consider purchasing “Black Bear’s Adventure Companion Book” for individual use or classroom ideas for journaling and dreaming and recording your own adventures!

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town

five-stars