Category: Book Reviews

Drawn Onward

Drawn OnwardDrawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, Matt Rockefeller
on October 8, 2024
ISBN: 0063277166
Genres: Adventure, Emotions & Feelings, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Magical Realism, Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Drawn Onward, by Daniel Nayeri, with extraordinary illustrations by Matt Rockefeller, is a near-wordless picture book with a heavy influence of The Legend of Zelda. Nayeri gives us the story of a boy grieving the loss of his mother. In this lush, fantasy world, the boy is tasked with gathering ingredients from a recipe his mother used to make. His father is surprised as the boy angrily bursts out the door to go on a quest. What is next, is a fantastically illustrated journey of grief and finding oneself, and then returning home and finding the love that’s there.

The title is a palindrome, the sparse text that is included in the book is a palindrome, and the arc of the story and the elements in the illustrations are palindromes themselves. The entire book mirrors the wave of grief and a “v” like structure of leaving, the moment of finding, and returning home. Unfortunately, it took me almost five entire reads through and a deep dive on the internet to understand this, remotely.

It’s an extraordinary tale with an important message about grief, as well as unbelievable  illustrations by Rockefeller. Highly recommended for upper elementary students, given the complexity. It’s clear that a massive amount of work was put into this publication, but the creative use of the palindrome text within the pages actually made the story more difficult to understand. With graphic novel style panels, it seems like it might have been better geared more towards graphic novel readers.

Some kids and educators will love this, and others will be daunted by it. Overall, it is meant to be explored and read multiple times. It is meant to be flipped through and examined from cover to cover. With such deep themes of love and death, I wonder if typical picture-book-aged children might find it overwhelming.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

 

four-stars

Doctor Fairytale

Doctor FairytaleDoctor Fairytale by Catherine Jacob, Hoàng Giang
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536238813
Genres: Fairy Tale, Fiction in Verse/Poetry, Folklore, Humor, Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Doctor Fairytale has a busy day! A little girl dressed in her doctor’s coat and supplies drives around the kingdom with her canine companion helping her patients and their maladies. On each page, Doctor Fairytale helps someone in need: Cinderella needs to soak her feet after dancing all night, Rapunzel’s headache calls for a new hair-do, Snow White needs help waking up! Kids will love the experience of guessing which fairytale the Doctor is there to help next. Although, all of a sudden, Doctor Fairytale herself is feeling unwell.

Catherine Jacobs does a wonderful job writing rhyming verse that flows from one page to the next. “My mom made me a cup of tea and off I went to bed. I took some special medicine to calm my pounding head. But then I heard a noise outside–a knock at our front door. I peered out from my window, and just look at who I saw… We’ve come to visit you!” [the fairytale characters] cried. At the end of the book, they all wish Doctor Fairytale to get well soon and she falls fast asleep. Hoang Giang’s illustrations make this book truly shine with the saturated watercolors and elaborate sketched borders around the text boxes. This is a delightful bedtime story, and I was pleased to see a version of Cinderella with darker skin and textured hair.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop. 

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved The Mystery of Cholera

Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved The Mystery of CholeraEvidence!: How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera by Deborah Hopkinson, Nik Henderson
ISBN: 0593426819
Genres: Mystery, Non-Fiction, Suspense
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A thrilling non-fiction picture book on the start of epidemiology! From Deborah Hopkinson and Nik Henderson’s pencil and paper illustrations is, Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera. In the first few pages, Hopkinson accurately describes London in 1854; “Factories spew yellow smoke. Piles of horse dung line the streets. Sewage and human waste fill cesspools in yards and cellars.” More pages continue to describe the squalor living conditions at the time, and then; cholera breaks out.

Doctors everywhere blame the dirty air, but we are introduced to another doctor who thinks otherwise. Dr. John Snow is on the hunt for clues and we follow him throughout the rest of the book as he takes on the role as a medical detective. He uses maps and gathers facts to prove that cholera is spread by drinking water out of the Broad Street water pump. After going door-to-door, Dr. Snow has found evidence to support his theory. “September 8, 1854–the handle is removed from the Broad Street pump. It’s a milestone in science , a shining moment in the long fight against epidemics. And it all came down to evidence.”

Kids will LOVE the stinky descriptions of London and the thrill of  the hunt to find what is causing cholera. There are resources in the end papers explaining more about the Broad Street pump and epidemiology. There is a whole list of other infectious diseases and their on histories. Recommended for all library collections. Ages 4-8.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories

Little Red Riding Hood and Other StoriesLittle Red Riding Hood and Other Stories (Lucy Cousins Nursery Stories) by Lucy Cousins
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536234761
Genres: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Humor, Short Stories
Goodreads
four-stars

Fans of Lucy Cousins will love this new, short collection of fairy tales taken from her larger anthology, Yummy. This collection includes: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and The Enormous Turnip. Her signature illustrations make the aforementioned fairy tales engaging and also softened for the youngest readers. The Enormous Turnip is particularly condensed in this version, which is my only criticism.

This small collection of Cousins’ work will allow teachers and librarians to read her stories out loud without having to hold the large and heavy book, Yummy. I recommend this one for those who are only looking for a few of her stories, otherwise, this publication is a bit redundant.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

four-stars

The Kids Book of Black History in Canada

The Kids Book of Black History in CanadaThe Kids Book of Black History in Canada (Kids Books of) by Arden Taylor, Rosemary Sadlier
Published by Kids Can Press on 2024
ISBN: 1525307371
Genres: Cultural / African American, Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

This update of the 2003 The Kids Book of Black Canadian History is set up similarly to Dorling Kindersley books with short blurbs of text, many illustrations and maps, and numerous brief profiles of Black Canadians. The author points out multiple differences, similarities, and connections to United States Black experiences, revealing new perspectives on American history.

Opening with a definition of Black Canadian history, the book then continues through the 400 years of Black Canada, covering the Atlantic Slave Trade, slavery in New France and British Canada, the Underground Railroad, and Black Canadian involvement in the U.S. Civil War. There are entries on Black Canadian homesteaders, cowboys, domestic servants, railway porters, and World Wars I and II soldiers. The author discusses problems of prejudice and racism, immigration, and the continued fight for rights and representation in society. The final sections of the book include a chronology of Canadian Black Heritage celebrations, a section of mini-biographies, a glossary and an index.

Recommended to introduce young readers (approximately ages 8-12) to a different aspect of Canadian history, another view of the Black experience, and new perspectives on United States history.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

Pavlo Gets the Grumps

Pavlo Gets the GrumpsPavlo Gets the Grumps by Natalia Shaloshvili
Published by Candlewick Press on 2024
ISBN: 1536235547
Genres: Animals, Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A kitten named Pavlo wakes up in a bit of a mood. He doesn’t want to to the park, nor go swimming, nor go to see a movie. His mother observes that he must have the grumps. Mama cat suggests that they go out anyway and Pavlo’s friends at the park gently bring him out of his funk.

With a universally applicable theme and soft, fuzzy-looking images created with acrylics and watercolors, Ukrainian-born author Natalia Shaloshvili has created a fun read-aloud gem. It would be an excellent pair with Laura Dockrill’s Gray, another recent picture book that puts a positive spin on less-than-positive emotions.

Highly recommended!   Suggested reading level: 3-7 year-olds.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

Olivette Is You

Olivette Is YouOlivette Is You by Nico Tortorella
Published by Random House on 2024
ISBN: 059338153X
Genres: Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Simple rhyming text and effervescently cheerful illustrations introduce us to Olivette, a kid who can do, and be, anything. The message of the book is not only that Olivette is “all of it”, but so is everyone else.  One memorable two-page illustration shows a diverse row of children, and even Olivette’s dog, lined up at a table with their own nesting dolls showing the many different aspects of their individual personalities, from artists and athlete to doctors and scholars.
All the illustrations, done with Adobe Photoshop, are exceptionally inclusive.

An example of one of the most representative rhymes is:
“No matter where we come from,
What we look like,
How we speak,
We aren’t that different, after all.
We are equally unique!”

This book would make for an extremely cheerful, positive read-aloud for 4-8 year-olds.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

The Last Stand

The Last StandThe Last Stand by Antwan Eady, Jarrett Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey
Published by Alfred A. Knopf on 2024
ISBN: 0593480570
Genres: Farm Life, Cultural / African American
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

An unnamed young teen boy helps his grandfather harvest and sell fresh produce at the last remaining farm stand in their all-Black neighborhood. Poignantly, their’s is the last stand open in what was once a thriving five-stall location. When the grandfather becomes ill, his grandson works hard to continue business as usual by loading up a wagon and peddling it to the farm stand with his bicycle. The grateful neighbors bring gifts of jams and baked goods to wish his grandfather well. The grandfather does recover and the last pages show that the grandson takes over the stand as an adult. Significantly, one of the other stands has also reopened by then, showing some signs of recovery for Black farmers, as well.

The author’s note at the end of the book explains the reality of the plight of small-scale Black farmers. He hopes this book will help to bring this issue to light. The illustrations are done with handmade stamps and digitally edited.

Highly recommended as an engaging way to introduce 3-7 year olds to important social issues.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

Rover and Speck: It’s a Gas

Rover and Speck: It’s a GasRover and Speck: It's a Gas! (Rover and Speck, 3) by Jonathan Roth
Published by Kids Can Press on October 1, 2024
ISBN: 1525305689
Pages: 104
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Graphic Novel
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
three-stars

In this story, the third in the Rover and Speck series, our main characters go in search of life on a giant gas planet. Rover and Speck depart their ship excited at the chance to learn about this planet and hopefully find life until they realize the lifeforms there are dangerous! The spark-shooting space sharks zap Rover and it’s up to Speck to save Rover and get him safely back to the ship.Thankfully he meets a flock of friendly Space Jelli’s to help him along his way. These new friends problem solve and help one another along the way.

This graphic novel pairs a fictional story with non-fiction “Fun Science Facts” parsed throughout, deepening understanding and encouraging curiosity.

Ages 7-10

Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.

three-stars

Up, Up, Ever, Up! Junko Tabei: a Life in the Mountains

Up, Up, Ever, Up! Junko Tabei: a Life in the MountainsUp, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda, Yuko Shimizu
Published by Clarion ISBN: 0063242419
Genres: Adventure, Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This is an exhilarating look at the life of Junko Tabei, the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.  Starting with her early life in Japan, the book profiles a life dedicated to climbing,  and, eventually,  to the care and maintenance  of mountains necessitated by so many people determined to reach the top.  After Junko climbed Everest she continued climbing and achieved all seven major summits of the world.

The illustrations are as colorful as the story, and work in perfect harmony to create a fitting tribute to a trailblazing climber, feminist, and humanitarian. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars