Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

Monsters 101

Monsters 101Monsters 101 by Cale Atkinson
ISBN: 0593122801
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

We often fear what we don’t know, so knowledge with a bit of humor thrown in can reassure most of us, especially when we find out the object of our fear is often more afraid of us than we of it!  Engaging ‘facts’ in 10 ‘chapters’ describe and explain monsters in the most kid-friendly way. The reader learns about their diet, activities, habitats, and even their fears!

Full of silly, colorful illustrations, graphs, side bars, charts, the opening endpaper shows a scientific-looking graph that actually identifies the chapters. The last page offers a “Monstronomy Diploma” for successfully finishing this ‘course’ and identifies the reader now as a ‘Monster Scientist.’ Format lends itself to either reading through or skipping around, but busy pages encourage taking time to scour the illustrations.

A fearful child could be encouraged to identify ‘their’ monster’s attributes throughout this book, and if not found, could make their own little book showing and describing their own monster. If monsters aren’t your thing, you might be interested in the author’s 2019 book “Unicorns 101.”

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

five-stars

Let’s Explore Honey

Let’s Explore HoneyLet's Explore Honey! by Jill Colella
ISBN: 1541582977
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Part of the “Food Field Trips” series by Lerner, this book first introduces honey, then takes the reader out to see an apiary in crisp, up-close photos. Clean, accessible text nicely describes each photo. Open-ended, thinking questions are posed throughout. Backmatter includes a recipe, activity, brief index and list of additional books and websites to read.

Recommended for any food collection, and as an introduction to the importance of bees in our environment. Pair with Gerald Kelley’s 2017 “Please Please the Bears.”

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

five-stars

A Long Road on a Short Day

A Long Road on a Short DayA Long Road on a Short Day by Elizabeth Stickney, Eugene Yelchin, Gary D. Schmidt
Published by Clarion Books on November 10, 2020
ISBN: 0544888367
Pages: 64
Genres: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

After Mama’s expresses the need for a milk cow for their baby, Papa takes Samuel on a trading expedition. Starting with his hunting knife, they visitsone person after another, making trade after trade until he secures a milk cow. Papa treats Samuel as a partner, discussing various decisions they need to make along the way.

The phrase “Long road on a short day” is repeated by Papa and Samuel as they trod through the thickening snow and impending winter darkness.  At just 59 pages of widely-spaced lines, this is a great read aloud for elementary students to discuss and an independent read for transitional readers. Occasional full-color illustrations add to the mood and tone.

Trading up emphasizes the importance of starting small if you’re thinking big, and how different people assign different values to various objects. 

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

five-stars

Snow Birds

Snow BirdsSnow Birds by Jenni Desmond, Kirsten Hall
Published by Harry N. Abrams on November 3, 2020
ISBN: 1419742035
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Carefully crafted poems and illustrations so real you can almost feel the cold, they work together to make this book a seasonal top pick. 

These short poems flow off the tongue and are written in a variety of formats, with one double-page spread per bird. Each page also has that bird’s unique vocal sound written across the page. “Meet the Birds” section in the back gives a brief look at each bird and describes how they have adapted to survival in cold habitats. 

Add this to your units on migration to show that not all birds migrate. It could also be used for adaptation, seasonal, poetry forms, bird identification, or just the joy of reading aloud to early and middle elementary youngsters – and adults may find themselves also enjoying the sights and sounds of these hardy birds.

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

five-stars

Black Bear’s Adventure: An Appalachian Trail Journey

Black Bear’s Adventure: An Appalachian Trail JourneyGenres: Adventure, Biography/Autobiography, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
five-stars

“Black Bear” is a Maine fitness enthusiast and former physical education teacher who invites readers to accompany her on her first through hike of the Appalachian Trail. This book describes in narrative form all the excitement, fears, challenges and success she experiences along the way. She is currently preparing for her third AT trip, and her experience on and off the trail are an inspiration to not only attempt a challenge, but to properly prepare oneself for such an endeavor  . 

The author encourages youngsters through her story, and direct words, “You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” The title and cover invite readers to pick up this book, and the writing will have them feel they are stepping right along with the author, whose trail name is “Black Bear.”

Mixed media, full color collage illustrations capture the emotions and key concepts and common hiking scenes.

The possible uses for this book are limited only by a teacher’s imagination. Use for anchor text of first-person narrative studies, Maine studies, an inspiration to stay healthy, and to follow your dreams, just to name a few!

Consider purchasing “Black Bear’s Adventure Companion Book” for individual use or classroom ideas for journaling and dreaming and recording your own adventures!

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

five-stars

Be Not Far from Me

Be Not Far from MeBe Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on March 3, 2020
ISBN: 0062561626
Pages: 240
Genres: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Living near the Smoky Mountains has created a love of the forest for 17-year-old Ashley.  She’s even taken survival training, which gets tested when she becomes lost, injured, and disoriented in the woods.  She’s attending a camping party with her friends one night when she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with his ex.  Ashley takes off running in the dark and ends up falling down a ravine and crushes her foot beneath a rock.  Completely disoriented and majorly hurt, Ashley begins trekking through the forest, at first in hopes of finding her friends, but then in hopes of finding any sign of humanity.  Trusting her survival skills, including plant identification and direction finding, she works her way through the dense forest, reevaluating her life along the way.  This is a harrowing and dark tale, but ultimately hopeful as Ashley proves what you can accomplish if you never give up.  This is a page-turner and a must read for fans of Hatchet and Lost on a Mountain in Maine.  Recommended for ages 14+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Go with the Flow

Go with the FlowGo with the Flow by Karen Schneemann, Lily Williams
Published by First Second on January 14, 2020
ISBN: 1250305721
Pages: 336
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

When new student Sasha has the blood from her period soak through her white pants at school, three friends come to her rescue. As they enter the girls’ bathroom, they come to find that the menstrual product dispenser is empty (again). This event spurs the four high school friends become advocates for equality and access to female health products. The main characters are inclusive and diverse, representing different skin colors, sexual orientations, body types, and personalities, and allow just about any reader to see a glimpse of themselves in at least one of the characters. The monochromatic red illustrations are eye catching and engaging. Author’s note and informative pages about menstruation and activism are provided at the end of the book. Go with the Flow is an empowering book that aims to destigmatize menstruation. Highly recommended for all, regardless of one’s identified gender. Recommended for ages 10+.

Reviewed by Jennifer Benham, Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland

five-stars

Outside in

Outside inOutside In by Deborah Underwood; Cindy Derby
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on April 14, 2020
ISBN: 1328866823
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Recommending for cream consideration.  In an ode to nature and being outside, Underwood weaves descriptions of how the Outside influences us in everyday ways enhanced and nuanced with the beautiful watercolor wash illustrations by Derby.  Following a dark haired girl from the car into the house, The Outside beckons  her (and us) with flashes through the window, “tap-taps on the roof” and smells.  It feeds us, clothes us, provides a natural clock and steals inside with the help of spiders, bugs and snails.  The illustrations demand more than one reading to see the changes in space, details and the emotion within each scene.  Underwood uses the simple amount of text to entice readers to think about how the outside calls to us and the girl goes outside to nature in the end.  Satisfying, thought- provoking and art inspiring.  Suitable for readers in prek-3.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services, Springvale Public Library

 

five-stars

The List of Things That Will Not Change

The List of Things That Will Not ChangeThe List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
Published by Wendy Lamb Books on April 7, 2020
ISBN: 1101938099
Pages: 224
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

10 year old Bea splits her time between her mom and her dad who lives with his boyfriend.  She has acclimated well to the split and gets along well with her new family members.  However, she seems to have some anger issues that she’s seeing a therapist for.  Her therapist helps her to accept her faults and learn that good people can do bad things, and that doesn’t make them bad.  Between dealing with her eczema, her anxieties and the changes in her life, she sets a good example for how to make it through the tween years.  Stead’s characters are incredibly authentic, and even the secondary characters are pretty well developed.  Recommended for ages 8-12.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Dragon Hoops

Dragon HoopsDragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
Published by First Second on March 17, 2020
ISBN: 1626720797
Pages: 446
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads
five-stars

Dragon Hoops is the new graphic novel illustrated and written by Gene Luen Yang. Hoops is an interesting blend of memoir, sports history, and journalism. Yang reflects on his journey as a writer, he illustrates the beginnings of basketball and weaves the story of the Dragons’ basketball team and its players at the high school where he works in Oakland, CA. In less adept hands, these three threads could be confusing, but Yang is an expert and uses it to build suspense. Readers will be on the edge of their seats waiting to follow the Dragons’ battle for the state basketball title. The extra Notes section at the back of the book is a great addition. Yang adds even more information about the Dragons’ players and team; it should not be overlooked by the reader. The Bibliography is also a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of basketball. Recommended for Grades 7 and up for fans of basketball or of Yang’s previous work. 

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

five-stars