Category: Book Reviews

Pippa’s Passover Plate

Pippa’s Passover PlatePippa's Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield, Jill Weber
Published by Holiday House on February 5th 2019
ISBN: 0823441628
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

This rhyming holiday book is sure to please Jewish families with preschool age children.  Families who follow other religious traditions will appreciate this enchanting story that offers an introductory fictional  tale about Passover.  Librarians and parents will enjoy reading the text aloud, there are many tongue twisting sentences that will tickle the funny bone of young listeners.  In spite of her shivers and shakes Pippa approaches less than friendly animals to help her find the special Passover Plate.  A little fright adds to the storyline making the book more fun than most holiday books.

The illustrations add charm, each page has several small surprises with lots of detail.  Preschoolers and K students will love to search for all the animals; some of which stand out using color while others almost melt into the environment.  Add this new Passover book to public library collections and gift to early education programs and K classrooms.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME

four-stars

The Rabbit The Dark, and the Cookie Tin

The Rabbit The Dark, and the Cookie TinThe Rabbit, the Dark, and the Cookie Tin by Nicola O'Byrne
Published by Nosy Crow on March 12th 2019
ISBN: 1536205761
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals, Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

“The Rabbit The Dark and the Cookie Tin is a clever, fun, and intriguing story for children ages 4-8.  Rabbit does not want to go to bed.  “I don’t wan t to go to bed, “said Rabbit, (with an attirtude) “and if it doesn’t get dark, I won’t have to.”  Then Rabbit has a very clever idea. He grabs a cookie tin,  containing the last cokie, and ” storms”  outside to find the dark.  The dark, which is  personified, reaches out with one dark hand to snatch the cookie, and “SNAP,” the dark is captured.   Will the dark ever be able to convince Rabbit to let him/her go free?

This book portrays  cleverness and a very playful imagination – just what  many teachers love to see in young children.  The way in which  these three very different  elements , – a cookie tin, a rabbit, and the dark,  interact  to serve up  a simple and delightful story is amazing.

This is a book to read just for fun or/and to provoke the use of imagination. Appropriate for any season of the year.  The animals in the story are expressive and brightly colored,  standing out nicely from a mostly white background. The predominantly white background  sets up a nice contrast for when an  “explosion” of dark erupts from the cookie tin.  Young children will find this story to be intriguing and surprising.

Reviewed by Connie M. Smith, Breakwater School, Portland, ME

 

five-stars

Squirrel’s Family Tree

Squirrel’s Family TreeSquirrel's Family Tree by A.N. Kang, Beth Ferry
Published by Orchard Books on January 29th 2019
ISBN: 1338187368
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Explore the secret lives of squirrels and oak trees.Squirrel gathers acorn seeds, sturdy little oak nut seeds. Anticipating future needs, she gathers acorn seeds.

What makes an oak tree an oak tree and what makes a squirrel a squirrel? In Squirrel's Family Tree, things aren't always what they seem. As squirrel searches for, finds, and hides her acorn treasures beneath the shadows of the great oak trees in the forest, little does she know the role she plays in creating the very environment she forages in.

“Squirrrel’s Family Tree”  is a realistic fiction picture book for ages 3 – 7 year olds.  Information regarding  a squirrel’s year round activites are shared with the reader in an enjoyable setting of lovely oak trees.  This story shows how both the squirrels and  oak trees  are connected in a   symbiotic relationship that allows both  to flourish and benefit, one from the other.

A nice book to use in the fall of the year when children are stomping on and crunching  the  growing number of acorns falling from  oak trees. The illustrations are lovely. They fill the pages nicely, are  well defined, yet  soft and sweet enough to endear a squirrel to a young child’s heart.

The book concludes with a two page spread  of “Nutty Facts”  about acorns and squirrels.   Here, children are introduced to  scientific terms;  two of which are:  1) “homeotherms” which is “what”   squirrels  are,  and  2) “dreys,” which are nests built in the tops of trees.

Reviewed By Connie M. Smith, Breakwater School, Portland, ME

four-stars

Say Something!

Say Something!Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds
Published by Orchard Books on February 26th 2019
ISBN: 0545865034
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

Say Something is unique in its diversity and level of kindness shown between children.  Reynolds acknowledges all children and motivates them to raise their voices concerning justice and personal power.   Interactions within this book are positive and express empathy, we all need more of the ability to reach out to others and to speak up.

The illustrations are fairly simple and direct, they appear on backgrounds featuring many dots and vivid colors.  On one page the dots turn into birds reinforcing the message to “Keep saying it…and you may be surprised to find the whole world listening”.  Imagine how that sentence sounds to a shy child who has yet to find her/his voice. 

Building self-confidence and honoring the freedom of expression needs to be part of the educational process for all youngsters.   Add this to primary school media centers, put on public library shelves and gift to K – second grade teachers.  In addition school guidance counselors would appreciate a copy to use with students.

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME

five-stars

Misunderstood Shark: Friends Don’t Eat Friends

Misunderstood Shark: Friends Don’t Eat FriendsMisunderstood Shark: Friends Don't Eat Friends by Ame Dyckman, Scott Magoon
Published by Orchard Books on January 29th 2019
ISBN: 1338113887
Pages: 42
Goodreads
five-stars

In the first “Misunderstood Shark” book, Bob the jellyfish ends up getting eaten while interviewing Shark for his TV show, Underwater World with Bob.  The opening endpapers of this sequel give us a brief recap of that by showing Bob in Shark’s stomach.  The action begins right away on the title page with Bob being burped up as his camera crew begins filming the next episode of his show.  In this episode, Shark claims NOT to have eaten Bob; that he was just giving him a tour.  While Bob and Shark argue about whether or not Shark did, in fact, eat Bob, they also teach us some actual facts about sharks.  In the end, both Bob and Shark apologize and remain friends.  This book, along with the first in the series, is a first purchase.  Great for all ages.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

five-stars

Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry)

Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry)Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry) by Gary Golio, Ed Young
Published by Candlewick Press on March 26th 2019
ISBN: 0763697613
Pages: 48
Goodreads
four-stars

Featuring hazy, dream-like collage and ink illustrations, “Smile” tells the tale of Charlie Chaplin’s youth and rise to fame.  The title page looks like a silent movie screen, which sets the scene.  Chaplin grew up in London to parents who were both performers.  From a young age, he loved the spotlight, and the book tells us of joining his first theater group at age 9 and moving on to America where he started making silent movies.  We learn how he ended up creating the Little Tramp character by chance and went on to make 80 movies.  The book also includes quotes from Chaplin’s autobiography; a list of facts; and a resource list that includes books, movies, and a website.  This is a good addition to picture book biography collections.  Best for ages 8-12.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

four-stars

A Drop of Hope

A Drop of HopeA Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese
Published by Scholastic Press on February 26th 2019
ISBN: 1338233203
Pages: 320
Goodreads
four-stars

The title and the content of this book are just what is needed right now – Hope.   Calabrese offers a suspenseful and fantastically interesting book that is full of good people in a community with a lot of hurt in need of good deeds. This title offer hope, while expressing the wishes and dreams of students and adults.

A wishing well appears to be folklore but becomes the center of the storyline.  The author has weaved several stories into the plot that help to define the primary characters and other residents of Cliffs Donnelly.  Readers become acquainted with three unlikely friends, an astounding teacher, a mysterious deceased grandfather and a very special neighbor.  Each character seems plausible and human, they become instant positive influences on the reader.

The layout is fresh, chapters have several sections with subheadings.  Grade 4-6 readers will find the layout easy to follow and enjoy the peek at content that the headings provide.  This book should find its way to  intermediate school media centers and to public library shelves.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME

four-stars

Right as Rain

Right as RainRight as Rain by Lindsey Stoddard
Published by HarperCollins on February 12th 2019
ISBN: 006265294X
Pages: 304
Goodreads
five-stars

Twelve year-old Rain and her parents move from rural Vermont to an apartment in Washington Heights in New York City. As Rain adjusts to her new life in the city, she is harboring guilt associated with the death of her older brother along with a secret that she can’t share with her parents. Grief is also ripping apart her parents’ marriage. Rain’s father spends his days in bed isolated and depressed while her mother spends long days at work. Rain spends her free time exploring her new neighborhood where she is in the minority as one of the few white residents. When Rain is recruited by the track coach to run on the girls’ relay team, she begins to make friends and feel more at home. Stoddard weaves a lot of issues into the story including themes of grief, friendship, acceptance, family and community. The book eloquently captures the overwhelming feelings related to loss and how people deal with their grief in different ways. At one point the story teeters on the edge of becoming a “white savior” book where the white main character helps save the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood community center from demise, but the book ends up striking the right balance by the end. Give this book to readers who enjoyed Patina by Jason Reynolds and The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish. (Grades 4-6) Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School

five-stars

The Strangers

The StrangersThe Strangers (Greystone Secrets, #1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on April 2nd 2019
ISBN: 0062838377
Pages: 416
Goodreads
four-stars

Siblings Chess, Emma and Finn Greystone live in the suburbs with their mother. Chess is a bit more serious and reserved than his siblings. Emma spends her time solving math problems for fun while young Finn can be a goofball at times. When Emma notices twenty-three “weird things” in one day, she begins to worry that something might be wrong. That same evening,  the Greystones are startled when a news story details the kidnapping of three children in Arizona. The kidnapped children share the same names and ages as Chess, Emma and Finn. After hearing the news of the kidnapping, Mrs. Greystone mysteriously disappears leaving the children with another family in town. Out of concern for their mother’s safety, the Greystone children investigate the strange occurrences and are shocked by what they discover. The narrative switches from Chess, to Emma and Finn giving readers a sense of what each character is thinking and feeling. The blend of mystery, adventure and fantasy will appeal to many Haddix fans. A sense of excitement builds as the characters solve codes to help locate their mother. Margaret Peterson Haddix’s new middle grade series will keep readers guessing right up until the end. If you add The Strangers to your library collection, be prepared to buy the next book in the series when it hits shelves. (Grades 4-7)

Reviewed by Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School, Falmouth

four-stars

Prince Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry and MeghanPrince Harry & Meghan: Royals for a New Era by Jill Sherman
Published by Lerner Publications (Tm) on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1541539451
Pages: 48
Goodreads
three-stars

There’s something here for many of us: Harry’s military background; Meghan’s acting career and their romance; and even though this book is aimed at middle/upper elementary, those of us who remember Princess Diana will enjoy the depth of information included about her. 

The book seems heavier with details about Harry and the text feels strained to discuss Meghan’s background. Browsers will enjoy the full-color photos, but it will take a very interested reader to access all the interesting information in the text. Backmatter includes a time-line, source notes, selected bibliography, books and websites for further reading, and a detailed index. Students needing a print source for a report would find this acceptable.

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

three-stars