Category: Book Reviews

Unstoppable Me

Unstoppable MeUnstoppable Me by Susan Verde
on July 23rd 2019
ISBN: 0374307385
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

Susan Verde has perfectly captured the energy of that child that cannot sit still, the one in perpetual motion. And rather than showing everyone around that child with exhausted faces and hands thrown up in the air, the book shows how this energy can be used for good and celebrated and lived with (the parents calmly eating dinner while their little embodies sound and motion is priceless). Kids who are high energy will love the normalizing of this state of exuberance and parents of this/these kid(s) will nod their heads in recognition and understanding of what it is like to live with a small human who is bouncier than a rubber ball,  faster than a speeding train, and  louder than a marching band. Joyner’s illustrations focus on one boy but locate him within a diverse community of children and adults who seem happy to have his zest for life in their lives. This book would make a wonderful read-aloud and the cover, with the boy, arms outstretched to embrace the world in all of his vigor and joy, invites the reader to open the book and meet him. Highly recommend.

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

five-stars

Coming Up Clutch: the Greatest Upsets, Comebacks, and Finishes in Sports History

Coming Up Clutch: the Greatest Upsets, Comebacks, and Finishes in Sports HistoryComing Up Clutch: The Greatest Upsets, Comebacks, and Finishes in Sports History by Matt Doeden
Published by Millbrook Press (Tm) on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 151242756X
Pages: 64
Goodreads
three-stars

Full of vivid photos and engaging writing, this book filled with exciting moments in sports will appeal to upper elementary and middle grade sports enthusiasts. Cycling through a series of upsets, comebacks, chokes, and clutch performances, Doeden covers many sports and many performances from 1919 to 2017. He also ponders the science of “clutch” and the reality of its existence offering a pro and con viewpoint. No matter if it truly exists, there are plenty of thrilling moments in sports when a person steps up and carries her/his team to a victory and that alone will cause people to continue to turn on that game, show up to that stadium, and debate that one key moment where the tide was turned.

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

three-stars

Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation

Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps ConservationEavesdropping on Elephants by Patricia Newman
Published by Millbrook Press (Tm) on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1541515714
Pages: 56
Goodreads
five-stars

“I see my responsibility as being able to listen,” says scientist Katy Payne. As part of the Elephant Listening Project, Katy has listened to African Forest elephants for years. She knew that eavesdropping  could help scientists protect these important species.”

Katy Payne had listened to whales for some fifteen years . When she got back to Oregon, she was sitting in the elephant barn at the Washington Park Zoo in Portland, listening to the elephants. She wondered if these creatures communicated as whales did, using infrasound – sounds too low for humans to hear. The scientist in Katy had to know. Thus, the Elephant Listening Project was created and still works to study the calls of forest elephants. This middle school book examines the plight of the architects of the forest. It is filled with information on this key species. One third of the African rain forests come from the seeds dropped by elephants. Their daily activities help the forest flourish.  Could this information on the way they communicate help protect them, could the combination of sound and behavior help scientists decode what elephants are saying to each other? The information is still being collected today. This book of 56 pages is filled with photos supporting a clear, concise text. It also includes QR codes to allow the reader to see and hear the forest elephants.  This is a must for collections on conservation of both forests and species.

Reviewed by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray

five-stars

The Magic of Letters

The Magic of LettersThe Magic of Letters by Tony Johnston, Wendell Minor
Published by Neal Porter Books on April 23rd 2019
ISBN: 0823441598
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

When an award winning author meets an award winning illustrator, the end result is magic! Tony Johnston introduces the reader to the wonder of letters and the magic and power letters have. Beginning with letters, she suggests that the reader say them until they become friends.Then put them together to create powerful words, magical words ,enchanted words. Finally, by putting words together, you can read anything or write down your deepest thoughts. Minor’s illustrations are large and colorful and support the power and feelings that letters possess. An award winning combination have created a book that will engage and excite both  the reader and the listener to explore the value and beauty of words. Use this in those early days of the school year, to those beginning the reading journey and to those who wish to remember the excitement of the power of words. Good for K- 3.

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray

 

five-stars

It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity

It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender IdentityIt Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book about Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn, Noah Grigni
Published by Henry Holt & Company on June 4th 2019
ISBN: 1250302951
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

It Feels Good to Be Yourself is an informational picture book written by Theresa Thorn and illustrated by Noah Grigni which introduces the concept of gender identity to young children by showing four different children–brother and sister, Ruthie and Xavier, as well as their friends Alex and JJ. Ruthie is a transgender girl and Xavier is a cisgender boy. They both have brown skin, hair, and eyes, and appear to have a black mother and a white father. Alex is non-binary and has blue hair and freckled skin. JJ is also non-binary, with short, brown curly hair. They also use a wheelchair.

Thorn introduces the words transgender, cisgender, and non-binary with simple definitions that tie concretely into one of the four characters shown. Thorn uses language that is digestible even by young audiences but doesn’t talk down to readers or compromise the meaning of what she is describing. Thorn goes on to describe a little more about how genders are assigned and how a child might come to realize that their identity is different or the same to what they have been told to that point in their life. Throughout, Thorn reassures readers that whatever they identify as, however, they express themselves, and however much it all changes, it still okay and that they will be loved no matter what.

The text is accompanied by Noah Grigni’s watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations, which bring diversity on each page with bold color and lines. The bright color they use invites readers into the story to explore a variety of different ways to express themselves.

The backmatter includes helpful terms to known, a note about pronouns, resources in the form of books for kids, book for adults, documentaries, and organizations/helplines. Both Thorn and Grigni provide a note to readers in the back.

The subject of this book is critical and the execution is sublime. Essential for all libraries.

Reviewed by Sarah Cropley, Scarborough Public Library. 

five-stars

Hum and Swish

Hum and SwishHum and Swish by Matt Myers
Published by Neal Porter Books on June 11th 2019
ISBN: 0823442861
Pages: 40
Goodreads
three-stars

Hum and Swish is a simple, quiet book about a little girl with pale skin and brown hair. Jamie and her family are at the beach. Jamie is creating a sandcastle project and everyone keeps asking her questions. Finally, a woman comes to sit near Jamie and paint and doesn’t ask her any questions.

The story seems very simple on the surface, opting to show most of what is happening with the illustrations, rather than the text. The acrylic and oil paintings bring a beach-y ocean feel, with brush strokes demonstrating the swish of the ocean waves. Many children might need help articulating what the story is “about” but the illustrations give a lot for children to explore.

Recommended.

Reviewed by Sarah Cropley, Scarborough Public Library. 

three-stars

Spin

SpinSpin by Lamar Giles
Published by Scholastic Press on January 29th 2019
ISBN: 1338219219
Pages: 400
Goodreads
four-stars

This book is about the music and the mystery. Kya and Fuse are the first people to find DJ ParSec after she has been murdered. Both girls had complicated relationships with their friend Paris (DJ ParSec) and now they must find out who killed her to clear themselves. Told through flashbacks and alternating, first-person narratives, readers learn that DJ ParSec is on the brink of making it big, but she has secrets to hide just as Kya and Fuse. Topics such as media bias and racism add thought-provoking content to the mystery. This book will find fans with readers of thrillers and the short chapters make this a good choice for reluctant readers, and the music references also make it a fine choice for music fans. With many references to rap artists like Biggie and Tupac (and even old-school Queen Latifah) this book will create a running playlist in the reader’s head. Edgar Award-winner and founding member of We Need Diverse Books, Lamar Giles, brings to life young, female, Black women in the world of hip-hop. The voices of Kya, Fuse, and Paris need to be on the shelves of all libraries serving young adults.  For Grades 8 and up. 

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

four-stars

Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse

Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My NurseStrangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse by Shane Burcaw
Published by Roaring Brook Press on April 30th 2019
ISBN: 1626727708
Pages: 208
Goodreads
four-stars

The author of Laughing at My Nightmare is back with another book that is a must-have for all libraries. This second book of essays is filled with stories that highlight Burcaw’s signature humor. The title comes from the essay in which Burcaw explains that people often assume that because he is in a wheelchair, his able-bodied girlfriend must be his nurse. Many of the essays in this collection focus on their relationship and how they “make it work.” Burcaw does not shy away from the details of their relationship, even going so far as to briefly explain personal details of his sexual life. Burcaw is an important Millennial voice. He clears up misunderstandings and provides a voice to others who are wheelchair-bound or who have spinal muscular atrophy. However, most importantly he is a fabulous story-teller. Readers will laugh-out-loud as they turn the pages!  For Grades 9 and up. 

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

four-stars

How to Walk an Ant

How to Walk an AntHow to Walk an Ant by Cindy Derby
Published by Roaring Brook Press on March 26th 2019
ISBN: 1250162629
Pages: 40
Goodreads
three-stars

How to Walk an Ant is a humorous and very educational book by Cindy Derby. Amariyah, a little girl with messy black hair and paper-white skin, describes her nine expert steps for how to walk an ant. The story is filled with slightly dark humor (Amariyah gives instructions for how to have an ant funeral and a caption on the back lets the reader know that “seven ants were harmed in the making of this guide”) that will appeal to older preschool and elementary-aged children.

The illustrations feature grey and white hazy backgrounds with characters and ants drawn over them in sharp, spiky, frenetic black ink. Splotches of color, such as Amaryiah’s green shirt, pink cheeks, and colorful leashes (for the ants) liven up the visual.

Some readers may struggle with the font that the book is printed in. Modeled after a child’s handwriting, the words share a similar spiky, shaky quality with the illustrations.

Purchase where humorous and dark books are in demand.

Reviewed by Sarah Cropley, Scarborough Public Library.

three-stars

Caterpillar and Bean

Caterpillar and BeanCaterpillar and Bean: A First Science Storybook by Hannah Tolson, Martin Jenkins
Published by Candlewick Press on April 2nd 2019
ISBN: 1536201707
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Presented as a “science storybook,” this is two stories in one. A bean seed, wedged in  a crack receives enough rain to swell and grow. Leaves shoot up and roots grow down- thus begins it growing process. When enough leaves are on the plant- a caterpillar egg is laid and a hungry caterpillar emerges- thus beginning its life journey.Side by side, these two, plant and insect, grow and fulfill their life cycles. Clear, simple text supported by large muted illustrations done in mixed media make this an excellent choice to introduce the life cycle concepts to young scientists. There is an author’s note about growing at the front of the book and directions in growing a bean plant found at the back of the book. Use this selection with Pre-K- Grade-2 students in units about growing things, plants, and the life cycle of a butterfly.

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray

four-stars