Category: Book Reviews

Finding kindness

Finding kindnessFinding Kindness by Deborah Underwood, Irene Chan
Published by Henry Holt & Company on October 29, 2019
ISBN: 1250237890
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Kindness is…. This book is a wonderful tribute to kindness in many different forms. The text is short and simple and will keep the youngest kids engaged. The color illustrations are well detailed and add to the story — the first sentence makes no sense without the accompanying illustration. There is a widely diverse representation of people in the illustrations of this book but that isn’t the focus of the book. This is my favorite form of diversity in picture books — people just being people together in everyday life. I love books with a positive message about kindness, and this one hits the nail on the head. It’s best for Pre-K-2nd grade and would make a great read aloud. Pair with Kindness Makes Us Strong or The Kindness Book for an explosion of kindness. Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

What is a refugee?

What is a refugee?What Is a Refugee? by Elise Gravel
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on September 24, 2019
ISBN: 0593120051
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

“A refugee is a person just like you and me.” This is an important and timely book, and it handles the subject matter gracefully and at an appropriate level. The text is simple and clearly lays out what makes someone a refugee as well as providing some reasons for people fleeing their home country. The color illustrations are simple, easy to follow, and they support the story well. There is a wide diversity of people in this book, and it does a great job at showing the commonalities between refugees and the reader. There are supplemental pages with quotes from refugee children the author met while writing the book that will help kids relate even more. These are followed by short bios of some famous refugees. This is a great book for K-2nd graders and would be an excellent launching point for further discussion.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Rain makes applesauce

Rain makes applesauceRain Makes Applesauce by Jerry Pinkney, Julian Scheer, Marvin Bileck
Published by Holiday House on December 10, 2019
ISBN: 0823443612
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This is a “restored edition” of this classic book with an introduction by Jerry Pinkney. Given this book is decades old and already recognized as excellent, I’ll keep my review short. The text is full of silly talk, and the gorgeous watercolor illustrations are exquisitely detailed. You can find something new in them with each reading. The repetitive text makes it a good selection for story time as the kids could finish each page with the “and rain makes applesauce” refrain. This book is best for PreK-1st grade. The introduction, what makes this edition unique, is wonderful and talks about the impact this book has had on Pinkney’s art and illustration career.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Fergal and the bad temper

Fergal and the bad temperFergal and the Bad Temper by Robert Starling
Published by Imprint on April 30, 2019
ISBN: 1250198623
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Fergal is a nice dragon, but when someone tells him what to do, he gets really fiery. He has a hard time processing his anger, and it gets him into trouble all over town. When Fergal’s mom helps him find a coping strategy that works, he finds there are more fun things to do with his fire.

This is a great book about big emotions and how to process them. Anger is a real and common emotion for kids, and learning coping mechanisms is so important. This book is an accessible and fun way to help kids with this process. The colorful illustrations really bring Fergal’s emotions to life, and add an element of humor to the story. This book is best suited for Pre-K to 1st graders, and it would be a great read aloud for a story time about feelings and emotions. It could also be used for an older child as a one-on-one share to spark discussion about processing anger.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Why?

Why?Why? by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Published by Neal Porter Books on August 13, 2019
ISBN: 0823441733
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Rabbit is always asking Bear, “Why?” Bear almost always has an answer. The beautiful watercolor illustrations in this book are crucial to understanding what Rabbit is asking Bear about. Each page simply has the words, “Why?” followed by Bear’s one sentence answer, “Because…” This book is a great explorartion of why we do some things, and why certain things just happen. Why do we fall? Gravity. Why does my belly hurt? Because I ate too much. Young kids will stay engaged with the simple and clear text, and there are plenty of opportunities for more discussion about why things happen. This book would be a great read aloud and would be good for a younger kids’ story time. It is best for PreK-K but could also be used for very early readers. Overall, it’s a sweet story of exploration and friendship.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

The other, better me

The other, better meThe Other, Better Me by Antony John
Published by HarperCollins on October 1, 2019
ISBN: 0062835653
Pages: 272
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Lola has never known her father, but her mother has always been there for her. Her mom’s health declines, and Lola starts to feel the urge to find her father. A school writing assignment gives her the opportunity to do just that. How will this affect her, her mother, and their family? This is a short book, but it covers so many important topics — parental abandonment, econimic inequity, bullying, friendship, illness, death, and so much more. Despite the length of the book, it covers all these topics well and with grace. This book will appeal to many readers because there are so many opportunities for kids to relate. This is an excellent book for 4th-6th grade readers, and I’m recommending it for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Emmy in the key of code

Emmy in the key of codeEmmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
Published by Versify on September 24, 2019
ISBN: 0358040825
Pages: 416
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Emmy is at a new school, and she’s trying to find her way. Both her parents are musicians, but she just doens’t love music the way they do. She does, however, find the music in math and computer science she’s started studying in school. Navigating new friendships, difficult bullies, and a love for a new subject, Emmy finds acceptance and friendship where she didn’t expect it. A combination of poetry, code, prose, and music, this is a fun and quick read that will appeal to many. Hand this to reluctact readers as the short amounts of text on some pages may make it feel like an easier read. Best for 4th-6th grade students, this is a great introduction to coding while simultaneously being an entertaining read.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Stardust

StardustStardust by Briony May Smith, Jeanne Willis
Published by Nosy Crow on February 12, 2019
ISBN: 1536202657
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

A little girl dreams of being a star, but she always seems to take the back seat to her older sister. No matter what she does or how hard she tries, her sister always seems to do it better and get all the attention. Her grandfather tells her a story about how the stars were made and how each star shines in its own way. This book attempts to encourage kids to be themselves and do what makes them shine. It just misses the mark. The story rambled too much, and the end is confusing, abrupt, and just doesn’t quite work. This book would be best for PreK-2 grade and would be best shared one-on-one.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

two-stars

I knew you could do it

I knew you could do itI Knew You Could Do It! by Nancy Tillman
Published by Feiwel & Friends on October 15, 2019
ISBN: 1250113776
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

This is a typical Nancy Tillman style book — whimsical, magical, colorful, vibrant illustrations combined with rhyming text designed to build up young children. The rhyming in this one felt pretty forced, however, and it just didn’t move me like I wanted it to. I was really hoping for a book to recommend to parents to help with kids’ confidence, and it just falls a little flat on that front. The illustrations are the best part of this book. There are several nods to classic fairy tales and fairy tale characters, and the colors are brilliant and crisp. This book would be best for PreK-2 grade and is best for one-on-one sharing.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

two-stars

A fox found a box

A fox found a boxA Fox Found a Box by Ged Adamson
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on October 29, 2019
ISBN: 1984830538
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

One day, Fox found a box — only his box is actually a radio. Every day, Fox and his forest friends danced to the music from the box. One day, the box stopped singing. It was only then that the animals really began to listen to the music all around them in the forest.

This book has a good message about music appreciation, and it opens up opportunities for discussions about how music is everywhere.The colorful, simple watercolor illustrations support the story well and don’t distract from the overall message. This book would be best for Pre K – 1st grade, and would be a great read aloud. It would make a wonderful story time where you then make music with ordinary objects.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars