Witch & Wombat

October 10, 2023October 10, 2023

Witch & Wombat by Ashley Belote
Published by Random House Children's Books on July 4, 2023
ISBN: 0593569636
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Wilma, a young witch, cannot wait to get her first cat, but when the pet store is out of kittens, Wilma brings home a wombat! Even though both Wilma and Wombat try to make Wombat into a cat, they fall short, much to the reader’s delight and hilarity. But when Wilma opens her mind, she discovers that Wombat is a very good companion. The digitally rendered, colorful illustrations are graphic novel-like and peppered throughout with speech bubbles. This tale encourages readers to tale that encourages readers to accept ourselves and embrace what makes us different. It’s delightful and will be a good story time selection.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

On Air with Zoe Washington

October 10, 2023October 10, 2023

On Air with Zoe Washington (Zoe Washington, #2) by Janae Marks
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on February 14, 2023
ISBN: 0063212315
Pages: 293
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

The sequel to Cream of the Crop nominated book, From the Desk of Zoe Washington. Now that Zoe has seen her biological father exonerated and released from prison, she wants to get to know him better. She starts her own podcast to spread the word about people who’ve served in the prison system. She also hopes that her podcast will raise some money. There is a diverse cast of characters with different experiences in this engaging coming-of-age story.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

The Tree and the River

October 7, 2023

The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker
Published by Candlewick Press on March 14, 2023
ISBN: 1536223298
Pages: 32
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars
In Aaron Becker’s latest wordless book, we watch an interaction unfold between nature and the growth of civilization. What starts as a house built and populated by one family becomes two communities (one red, one blue). As it evolves, the settlements become walled fortresses, and eventually grow into steam-punkish cities. Through this transformation, the natural world is subsumed but eventually has the last word (or image, in this case). It feels like a fantasy but reads like a fable, a cautionary tale about taking from the land without giving back.

Becker’s line drawings (created with pencil, gouache, and digital paint) tells the story of The Tree and the River, with his award-winning expertise. Each detailed, full-bleed, double-spread image tells the story of that moment, but with the continuity and detail that creates a through-line for attentive readers. This is a book designed to provoke thought, questions, and critical thinking. It is a wonderful book for one reader to pore over slowly, page by page, or for a class “read-aloud”; it could work with a middle school social studies class learning about the elements of civilization.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS Young School Librarian, Saco ME

A is for Australian Reefs

October 7, 2023

A is for Australian Reefs by Frané Lessac
Published by Candlewick, Candlewick Press on June 13, 2023
ISBN: 1536228303
Pages: 48
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Nonfiction, Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars
Many alphabet books are done in service to an interesting subject that doesn’t bear up well under the pressure of having to come up with a compelling entry for each letter of the alphabet. A is for Australian Reefs is a marvelous example of an alphabet book that is delightful in its own right and has fascinating and factual entries for even the most challenging letters (looking at you, xanthid crabs!). The book is well-organized; within the alphabetical order, the author has carefully selected entries that take the reader from the big picture (A is for Australian Reefs, B is for Biodiversity) to individual species and subspecies.

Each full-bleed two-page spread illustrated entry starts with a prominent image of the letter (which contains a depiction of the exemplar for the entry), a broad overview of the entry subject and a number of interesting detailed facts within each entry on the subject, many focused on the important role many species play in balancing the ecosystem. Did you know that “sea cucumber poop contains several substances that fertilize coral, helping it grow”? The illustrations are realistic and whimsical, drawing the reader from fact to fact to fact.

Readers between ages of 7-10 who love browsable nonfiction and are interested in ocean life will find this a terrific read. This beautiful book is specific to Australia but wider issues like conservation and coral reef protection are included. Teachers looking to discuss nonfiction or conservation and ocean life could introduce the text to students by reading the generalized entries at the top of each page, and simply browsing the illustrations. Highly recommended.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS Young School Library Saco, ME

How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

October 7, 2023October 7, 2023

How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford, Frank Morrison
Published by Candlewick Press on April 11, 2023
Pages: 40
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars
It is 1936 and MacNolia Cox is a finalist in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC where she, and another girl from New Jersey, are the first African American students to compete in the contest. MacNolia Cox is a compelling character students will identify with. Concise, declarative sentences describe Cox’s experience coming from a strong and African American community in Akron, Ohio, where her accomplishments were celebrated. In segregated Maryland and Washington, DC, Weatherford lets the facts speak for themselves, and the history feels present. Morrison’s illustrations show us a young woman that holds her head high in the face of systematic racism designed to weaken her resolve; his use of historic details remind us of the “when”.

The front matter and back matter contain a select bibliography and epilogue that provide context and enrich the reader’s understanding. Weatherford doesn’t editorialize but the author’s voice comes through the words spelled out in the prose, and will lend an interactive element to a class read-aloud for younger students and as an opportunity to offer powerful context to older students, around spelling bee time (January/February). If used as a read-aloud with older students, do include Weatherford’s electrifying foreword.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS Young School Librarian, Saco

Fish and Worm

October 7, 2023January 17, 2024

Fish and Worm (I Can Read Comics Level 1) by Sergio Ruzzier
Published by HarperAlley on May 23, 2023
ISBN: 0063290359
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Early Reader, Graphic Novel
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars
This I Can Read! Comics leveled reader brings new meaning to “playing with your food”. In the usual mealtime struggle, Fish is told by his mother to eat his dinner, which Fish is disinclined to do. (He’d rather have cake.) After Mom leaves, a discussion with his dinner leads to fun and frivolity. Children will love the resolution.

The simple vocabulary, hilarious plot and appealing art in Fish and Worm will delight new readers. This title is a great way to introduce younger readers to the concept of graphic novels. The language of comics (panels, word balloons, etc.) is introduced clearly and well in the front matter, in “Cartooning Basics”, which also includes a “How to Read Comics Guide”. Highly recommended for all libraries.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS Young School Library, Saco

Soon, Your Hands

October 7, 2023

Soon, Your Hands by Elizabeth Lilly, Jonathan Stutzman
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on 2023
ISBN: 0593427076
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars
Soon, Your Hands is a message from a wise caregiver (told in first person) who enumerates the many ways the child’s hands will discover new experiences and skills. It is told in the present, with an eye to the future. The reader watches three young children, as each explores the world around them in this picture book by Jonathan Stutzman.

As the story progresses, we learn much about each child’s family and interests through Lilly’s watercolor and ink illustrations, which contextualize the abstract concepts of the text: “Soon your hands will discover the world”, as Reyna waves to her father’s plane as it takes off. We do not learn the names of the children until nearly the end of the book, when they are depicted as adults in occupations, seen now as a progression from their childhood interests.

A two-page American Sign Language Glossary in the back of the book illustrates and explains how to sign some of the ASL words Reyna uses with her family, which could prompt a rereading of the book. Children may evaluate the characters’ actions (baking a cake, using ALS, caring for a kitten, etc.) and say, “I could do that!” The gentle and rhythmic pace of the prose makes it a very good bedtime story nominee. Recommended for public library collections.

Spark, Shine, Glow! What a Light Show!

October 7, 2023January 17, 2024

Spark, Shine, Glow! What a Light Show! Spark, Shine, Glow!: What a Light Show by James Yang, Lola M. Schaefer
Published by Greenwillow Books on May 23, 2023
ISBN: 006245711X
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars
This informational picture book does an impressive job of explaining what light is, and how different aspects of light and its function are a part of our everyday lives. Schaefer uses broad strokes to explain light, and impressively, does it all in rhyme. The endpages show simple line drawings of different kinds of light, natural and artificial. A glossary in the back explains some of the concepts used in the book more fully. The well-paced text and dynamic illustrations offer the just-right level of explanation to science for younger audiences. Readers a little older may find the book leaves many questions about light unanswered.

This could be an excellent introductory text for a unit on light for K-2 classrooms. Recommended for school libraries and public libraries looking for STEM books for young scientists.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS Young School Librarian, Saco

Gloria’s Promise: A Ballet Dancer’s First Step

October 7, 2023

Gloria’s Promise: A Ballet Dancer’s First Step Gloria's Promise: A Ballet Dancer's First Step by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, Robin Preiss Glasser
on March 21, 2023
ISBN: 059318100X
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars
Young ballet dancers looking for a story that reinforces their dreams of breathing in the rarefied air of the American Ballet Theatre will enjoy this book. The reader follows Gloria who is auditioning for the summer program of the ABT school. The “promise” of the title is defined as talent by one of the ballet teachers, who states that all the auditioners have talent. Gloria hopes that she possesses enough of the other qualities necessary to gain a spot in the program: persistence, practice, and determination.

The illustrations are charming and pretty, showing Gloria and the other dancers in lively, dynamic action. Gloria appears to be white with a diverse cast of fellow dancers. Readers will appreciate Gloria’s determination and immersion in the world of ballet, and root for the (promised) happy ending. A solid story and a solid marketing tool for the American Ballet Theatre.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS Young School Library, Saco ME

Little Daymond Learns to Earn

October 7, 2023

Little Daymond Learns to Earn by Daymond John, Nicole Miles
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on 2023
ISBN: 0593567277
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars
Daymond John of Shark Tank fame has written a children’s picture book about entrepreneurship and financial literacy.The protagonist of the story, Little Daymond, doesn’t have enough pocket money to purchase a desired poster of a pop star at a street fair. With advice from his mother about earning more money (“Think about what you’re good at and how you can use that to solve a problem!”) and with help from his friends, Little Daymond comes up with a solution that enables him to earn the money for the poster.

The illustrations are engaging, showing Little Daymond and his diverse group of friends having fun as they work together to solve the money problem. Most numerical sentences are illustrated in a way that makes the math accessible to younger readers. (If Little Daymond only has four dollars, he is shown with four one-dollar bills in his hand.)

The back matter includes “Little Daymond’s Guide to Money” with a simplified five-step checklist for starting one’s own business and “What is Money”, showing readers how they can use their money. In addition, there is a URL for education games and activities around financial literacy.

You are never too young to learn about how money works. Children can always use helpful books asking questions about earning money and what that money can buy, in (mostly) realistic situations.Sometimes the writing feels clumsy but the language and vocabulary is age appropriate to teach readers ages 4-8 about aspects of financial literacy. Recommended for collections where financial literacy picture books are desirable.