Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

Yang Warriors

Yang WarriorsYang Warriors by Billy Thao, Kao Kalia Yang
Published by Univ Of Minnesota Press on April 13, 2021
ISBN: 1517907985
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Following the Vietnam War, the CIA conducted a secret war in Laos that relied on the Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of Communism from spreading throughout Southeast Asia. Tens of thousands died or fled. Ban Vanai was a refugee camp set up for the Hmong people and other tribes of Laos in 1975 in Northeast Thailand.

Author Kao Yang and her family lived at Ban Vanai when she was a child.  Her story is about her ten cousins who trained daily as warriors in the event they might have to defend their families. They balance stones on their heads, sit for hours in the hot sun, and wield magical swords as part of daily drills in the camp.

After a week without fresh vegetables, the warriors decide to risk everything, including punishment from both family elders and the guards for leaving  the camp  to get  for fresh food for their families.

While on the surface it appears to be a story of children finding a way to pass the days in a refugee camp, it is a story of never giving up, of working as a group in times of great need, the comradery this group of “super heroes” shows to each other and their people as they struggle to maintain their culture and dignity.

Illustrations by Hmong artist Billy Thao bring the Yang warriors and their camp to life with the colors of the region and the feel of the camp.

An authors note gives truth to both her culture and her childhood.

There are not many stories about refugee camps and even fewer about those in Southeast Asia. This one should not be missed.

Grades 3-6

Reviewed by Kathy George

Gray Public Library, Gray Maine

 

five-stars

1 2 3 Cats

1 2 3 Cats1 2 3 Cats: A Cat Counting Book by Isabella Kung, Lesléa Newman
Published by Candlewick Press on May 4, 2021
ISBN: 1536209953
Pages: 26
Genres: Animals, Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Board Book
Goodreads
five-stars

 

Perfect board book that is sure to find its way into public library collections as well as be gifted as a baby present.  1 2 3 Cats is presented in the perfect size for toddler hands.  The dark shades of the cats and the amount of white space make the board book just right for babies to focus on the illustrations.  Readers, both adult and child will appreciate the rhyming text and simple concepts.  Best of all are the mannerisms of individual cats as they play and interact.  The numbers are large and bold while the background is minimal.

Be sure to include this title where board books are collected and use for baby story times.   This playful rhyming board book is sure to be a success with all audiences.  Cat owners will be on the lookout for a look alike to their own cat while they enjoy a baker’s dozen of the cuddly creatures.

 

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

Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas

Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric SeasOut of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas by Elizabeth Shreeve, Frann Preston-Gannon
Published by Candlewick Press on May 11, 2021
ISBN: 9781536214109
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Before the text begins, Elizabeth Shreeve cleverly has readers guess, among hippos, dolphins, and sharks, which two animals are the closest relatives? Shreeve, complimented by Preston-Gannon’s illustrations, impressively chronicles life on Earth from its beginning until mammals arrive on the planet. The kid-friendly text makes the subject entertaining and easy to follow. The time periods (noted at the bottom) and notes accompanying various creatures are a nice addition. This will surely be the go-to book for teachers and parents when teaching evolution.

The total package is simple and effective.—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A book to be read over and over for its intriguing story, illustrations, and captions. —School Library Journal (starred review)

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

How to Apologize

How to ApologizeHow to Apologize by David LaRochelle, Mike Wohnoutka
Published by Candlewick Press on May 11, 2021
ISBN: 1536209449
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Apologizing is important. Doing it well is equally important. This book runs through a variety of reasons why we apologize but also how to apologize. It has a lot of good information in it, but it is also really funny and fun. A snail apologizes to a sloth for stepping on his toes because he was running too fast. The gouache illustrations are colorful, detailed, and funny. They really add the humor to the instructional and informative text.

Recommended for readers 3 and up and for Cream of the Crop. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

The Little Library

The Little LibraryThe Little Library by G. Brian Karas, Margaret McNamara
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on March 23, 2021
ISBN: 0525578331
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Jake is nervous about going to the new library and about meeting the new school librarian. All his classmates are super excited, but Jake would rather stay back and sharpen pencils. Jake was a slow and careful reader, and he often felt overwhelmed by all the books and the flurry of going to the library. The new school librarian, Beck, notices Jake in the corner, and they bring Jake a book about woodworking. Jake takes the book and reads it over the remaining part of the school year. Beck often checks in with Jake and renews the book for him. When the school year is ending, Jake is dismayed at the idea of having to return the book and also at not being able to visit the library. So Jake builds a little library for outside the school building using the skills he learned in the book Beck gave him. After school closes, Beck sends Jake the woodworking book — they’ve removed it from the library collection because of low circulation before Jake picked it up.

This book has so many things going for it. The librarian is nonbinary, there is a diverse representation of kids presented in the classroom, and Jake builds the little library with his grandfather and not a parent. The illustrations are colorful and bring the story to life, but it’s the actual story that really makes this book.

Recommended for readers 4 and up and for Cream of the Crop. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Unsettled

UnsettledUnsettled by Reem Faruqi
Published by HarperCollins on May 11, 2021
ISBN: 0063044706
Pages: 352
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Unsettled is a well written story told in verse that is bound to capture the hearts of readers.  When Nurah’s family relocates from Pakistan to Georgia life become a challenge.  As a middle school student, she is aware that everything is different from her home and finds herself isolated.   Nurah’s story is not surprising yet it is revealing in many specific situations, several that are heartbreaking.  This strong central character is portrayed as a sensitive and introspective Muslim girl who is not without flaws.

The storyline flows like a river, it weaves in and out of places of joy and sadness.   There are henna designs throughout the book but it is the chapter introduction pages that reveal the intricate henna illustrations depicting staging of growth.  This story is truly told in text and illustrations, it belongs on all public library shelves. Middle grade school media centers should add Unsettled to their collection.  An amazing coming-of-age story concerning immigration that will benefit all readers.  The back pages include a glossary as well as a recipe for Kabab.

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

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Franklin Endicott and the Third Key

Franklin Endicott and the Third KeyFranklin Endicott and the Third Key by Chris Van Dusen, Kate DiCamillo
Published by Candlewick Press on June 8, 2021
ISBN: 9781536201819
Pages: 112
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Book 6 in Tales from Deckawoo Drive series. True confession – I love everything this team of Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen puts out! And I didn’t think I could like any book better than Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem. But along came Franklin Endicott and the Third Key…

Franklin Endicott is a worrier. (Aren’t we all these days?) One night, when his worries cause nightmares, he befriends Eugenia Lincoln, the lady next door (and one of my all-time favorite characters!), who is also up in her kitchen fighting insomnia. Together they visit Buddy Lamp’s Used Goods shop to get a key duplicated and wind up with an extra key that nobody knows what it goes to – which worries Franklin. After returning it to the shop, Buddy Lamp shares a book of stories which helps Franklin, (and maybe Eugenia?) deal with his other worries. The power of words and stories is a central theme, but Kate also weaves in the importance of family and friends plus the power of learning to let go. Van Dusen’s illustrations are perfect, especially the ones of Eugenia. Mercy Watson plays a cameo role as a reading therapy pig.

 Professional Review

The latest book from “Tales from Deckawoo Drive” might be DiCamillo’s most charming offering yet in the series. . . . The tale is as uplifting as it is literary, and the author tells a genuine story that may inspire readers to be like Franklin, a child open to receiving his very own mysterious, ­life-changing key. . . . DiCamillo pens a glorious love letter to childhood uncertainty and the powerful and transformative world of reading.

—School Library Journal (starred review)

And from Chris Van Dusen’s Facebook page: A brand new Tales from Deckawoo Drive hits the stores today! And it might be my favorite so far. Kate’s story is simply wonderful and it was an honor to illustrate her words. I love this sweet little book.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for KidsAncestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Andrea L. Rogers, Art Coulson, Brian Young, Carole Lindstrom, Christine Day, Cynthia Leitich Smith, David Alexander Robertson, Dawn Quigley, Eric Gansworth, Erika T. Wurth, Joseph Bruchac, Kim Rogers, Monique Gray Smith, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tim Tingle, Traci Sorell
Published by Heartdrum on February 9, 2021
ISBN: 0062869949
Pages: 320
Genres: Short Stories
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

An anthology of short stories and poems themed around an intertribal powwow, written by major Indigenous authors including Joseph Bruchac, Carole Lindstrom, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Traci Sorell, this book is a must-buy for every collection. The stories and poems all revolve around the theme of community. Some are humorous, some more serious, but all of them celebrate Native culture.

I also really appreciated the various glossaries at the back of the book that defined words from various Nations, including Cree, Choctaw, Navajo, and Ojibwe. The author bios and notes at the end of the book add to the collection, really emphasizing the fact that this book is something special and that the publishing industry should be doing more to promote Indigenous authors.

Written for kids aged 8 to 12, though teens and adults will enjoy it as well. If this middle grade book is not already in your collection, I highly recommend getting it!

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

five-stars

The Girl From the Sea

The Girl From the SeaThe Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag
Published by Graphix on June 1, 2021
ISBN: 1338540572
Pages: 256
Genres: Romance
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

Fans of Ostertag’s Witch Boy series will be very happy with this new graphic novel. Actually, just about anyone would be happy with it because it’s a perfect middle school to teen romance that combines selkie mythology with a teen who is reluctant to let her friends and family know that she is gay. Great character development, beautiful and clever illustrations, plenty of friend drama, some boating action, and a heart-straining but satisfying resolution make this hard to put down. Suggest this for fans of Noelle Stevenson and Kat Leyh.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Blackout

BlackoutBlackout by Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Dhonielle Clayton, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Quill Tree Books on June 22, 2021
ISBN: 0063088096
Pages: 256
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

During the 2020 pandemic, author Dhonielle Clayton was inspired by the world’s metaphorical blackout to create a series of stories about a literal blackout in NYC featuring black teens in varying romantic situations. Clayton reached out to fellow writers Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Toon to help write the stories. While each story features its own characters in differing locations, the theme throughout is life at an unexpected standstill and self-realization. The authors do a great job of creating instances that tie all the stories together, like some characters know each other, and most of them are attempting to get to a party in Brooklyn, while keeping each story a standalone (with the exception of Jackson’s piece which is told in 5 separate acts). While each author has their own voice, the differences between stories are never jarring and flow smoothly together.  All in all, the authors have created a book full of black joy and possibility.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars