Category: Book Reviews

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for BreakfastInterrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein
Published by Candlewick Press on October 26, 2021
ISBN: 9781536207781
Pages: 40
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The second sequel of Interrupting Chicken. Papa is awakened early by Interrupting Chicken, who wants to have cookies for breakfast but instead snuggles in with a book of nursery rhymes and then proceeds to interject cookies into the rhymes. Silliness abounds and makes this book a good choice for lap reading or Story Time. Infused with the same  charm and bold art as Interrupting Chicken and Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise. 

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

There’s a Mouse in My House

There’s a Mouse in My HouseThere's a Mouse in My House by Ross Collins
ISBN: 178800826X
Genres: Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

A sequel to There’s a Bear on My Chair. This time the table-has-turned and the mouse is an uninvited guest in the disgruntled bear’s house. Most of the simple rhymes end with an “o” sound (some work better than others) until the end of the book when Bear decides “Hey … these mice are nice!” The illustrations are hilarious. The many children who like There’s a Bear on My Chair  will enjoy this one, too. Adults will relate to his inability to rid his house of mice.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

Zonia’s Rain Forest

Zonia’s Rain ForestZonia's Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal
Published by Candlewick Press on March 30, 2021
ISBN: 9781536208450
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Zonia, a young Indigenous girl who lives in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest begins her days by greeting all her animal friends. (The text doesn’t label the different animals but there is “Zonia’s Friends in order of appearance ” at the end of the book.) On her way home, Zonia stumbles upon a patch of deforestation and decides she must protect her home. More extensive information for about the Ashaninka people and the threats to the Amazon are also at the back of the book. This is a good introduction to the Amazon rainforest and environmental awareness for preschoolers. The impish girl and cutesy animals will delight readers and the youngest will enjoy finding the electric Blue Morpho butterfly in each two-page spread.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

Nano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small

Nano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) SmallNano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small by Jess Wade, Melissa Castrillón
Published by Candlewick Press on September 15, 2021
ISBN: 9781536217667
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This book introduces readers to the tiny building blocks that explain atoms, the elements, and other essential science concepts. Some explanations are very clear, e.g “tiny ” doesn’t just mean “litte” – it means more than a quintillion times smaller than a grain of sand. While others left me wanting more of an explanation, e.g. how did someone separate one layer from graphite to create graphene and why is it so strong? “If you made a tightrope out of graphene, an elephant could walk along it without breaking it.”  I also have mixed feelings about Melissa Castrillón’s pencil and digitally colored muted illustrations. Overall,  nanoscience is certainly a fascinating field, and this is an excellent introduction for getting young children interested in science and the the work of scientists.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

Principal Tate is Running Late!

Principal Tate is Running Late!Principal Tate Is Running Late! by Henry Cole
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on July 6, 2021
ISBN: 0063025744
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals, Humor
Goodreads
three-stars

Hardy Elementary school’s organized school day begins on a chaotic note when the unthinkable happens; Principal Tate, a large white chicken, is late!  A cast of cute animals, signature Cole style, must step up since the beloved, positive Principal Tate is missing at the start of the day.  Miss Dee the school secretary herds a line of community members to other activities, like pottery, cancels the scheduled fire drill and the rest of the Hardy school staff takes up the slack assisting students, cleaning up messes and making sure the school song is song.  There are lots of rhyme to the text, although different parts of the story have different rhythms.  Teachers looking for a beginning of school way to encourage class cooperation will find this a fun book to share.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian, Springvale Public Library

three-stars

Pip and Posy: The Friendly Snail

Pip and Posy: The Friendly SnailPip and Posy: The Friendly Snail by Axel Scheffler
Published by Nosy Crow on July 20, 2021
ISBN: 1536217328
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Pip the rabbit is out gardening while Posy the mouse is having fun and playing very loudly.  When Posy’s volume scares a snail that Pip had just met, Pip tells Posy to go away.  Posy goes away, with tear in her eyes, and hides behind a bush.  Later, as Pip is gardening, he is unaware of the bird swooping in to grab the snail.  Posy saves the day by using her loud voice to scare it away. Their friendship is repaired and they both play a noisy game together.  This is a good selection for preschool settings.  There is plenty of white space on the pages, bright colored illustrations and a few sentences in large font on each 2 -page spread.   The topic of appreciating differences and the concept of loud and quiet are illustrated perfectly.  Interesting that the illustrator Scheffler’s name is on the front cover and the book spine and Camilla Reid, who wrote the text, is identified on the back cover.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services Librarian, Springvale Public Library

four-stars

National Geographic Kids World Atlas

National Geographic Kids World AtlasNational Geographic Kids World Atlas 6th edition by National Geographic Kids
Published by National Geographic Kids on August 24, 2021
ISBN: 9781426372278
Pages: 216
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction, Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Sixth edition. Rather than reporting on individual countries, the continents are divided into regions, such as Western Europe and Central Asia. At the back of the book, each country’s flag, area, population, etc. is listed. The first 55 pages, are a series of graphs and illustrations comparing the whole world. I was fascinated! I was surprised to learn that widespread use of technology and internet were attributed to English surpassing Mandarin Chinese as having the largest population of speakers. National Geographic is a recognized authority in mapping excellence and this is a solid atlas choice. I particularly liked that each continent was shown as both a physical and political map.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

Ada and the Galaxies

Ada and the GalaxiesAda and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman, Olga Pastuchiv, Susanna Chapman
Published by MIT Kids Press on September 7, 2021
ISBN: 9781536215618
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Renowned MIT physicist Alan Lightman collaborates with with author Olga Pastuchiv in this fiction/nonfiction book. Ada, who has brown skin and curly hair, can’t see stars in New York City so  is delighted to arrive at her grandparents’ Maine island house. There is lots to like about this book: the depiction of Maine and coastal environment, photographs taken from the Hubble Space Telescope mixed in with beautiful watercolor illustrations, the bond between the child and her grandparents, Ama and Poobah, and the interconnectedness with humans and the universe. Ada is a bumptious child but not unrealistic. The story was inspired by the author’s granddaughter visiting him in Maine and the story comes across as a real event.  Olga Pstuchiv lives in Maine and it is unclear how she contributed to the book – the text or the illustrations. Probably best shared individually with a budding scientist.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

Charlie Chooses

Charlie ChoosesCharlie Chooses by Lou Peacock, Nicola Slater
Published by Nosy Crow on May 18, 2021
ISBN: 9781536217278
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Charlie has a very difficult time choosing between flavors of ice cream or polka-dot or striped underwear. The most difficult choice of all was to choose a present for his birthday. He has an inspiration when a poster for a rescue dog lands in his lap, but he must choose what kind of dog. Luckily, a rescue dog rescues Charlie by choosing him. The plucky little fellow is also very good at helping Charlie make choices, including a new name. The colorful digital artwork has a retro feel which underscores this age-old problem. A smart choice for a child who gets overwhelmed by choices and for sharing with a group for Story Time.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars

Maybe…

Maybe…Maybe... by Chris Haughton
Published by Candlewick Press on September 2, 2021
ISBN: 9781536220247
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Similar in style to Chris Haughton’s other books Oh No, George! and Shh! We Have a Plan, which are favorites at my library, with bold primary-colored illustrations that tell the story as much as the simple words do. This one is folkloric in style with the mother monkey admonishing the three young monkeys to not go down to the mango tree while she is away because there are tigers down there. Hmm … MAYBE they could just look at the mangoes? As the story progresses, they get closer and closer to the mangoes and the tigers. The book builds suspense with careful pacing and the repetition of particular words making this a perfect book for  Story Time. My one criticism is that the tigers that the children will see but the monkeys do not are too hidden. I read through the book several times before I noticed them. (I will point them out when sharing with a group as it adds to the suspense.) In contrast, they are bold and scary (not too scary!) when they are chasing the monkeys back up the tree. A surprising comical ending … MAYBE…

Book reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

four-stars