Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

Little Fox and the Missing Moon

Little Fox and the Missing MoonLittle Fox and the Missing Moon by Ekaterina Trukhan
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on March 19, 2019
ISBN: 039955565X
Pages: 32
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Help Fox solve another simple mystery in this bedtime companion to Apples for Little Fox!
The mystery-loving fox from Apples for Little Fox returns with a new case! When Fox dreams that the moon is missing, he and his friends go on a quest to find it and return it to the sky. Teamwork and companionship are highlighted in this simple, inviting mystery that allows readers to follow along.
The muted palette and clean design will calm overstimulated children at the end of their busy days.

“Little Fox and the Missing Moon is a companion book for “Apples for Little Fox,” both bedtime stories by Ekaterina Trukhan.  Little Fox becomes a detective  when he, along with his friends, must solve the mystery of the “missing moon.”  Little Fox has a nightmare about a monster who eats the moon, and,  lo and behold,  when he got up in the middle of the night to check outside his window, the moon was indeed –  missing! Little Fox grabs a  flashlight and begins his search for the missing moon.  Little Fox encounters his friends, Owl, Wolf, and Bear, along the way who help in the search.   When they all decide to go to Rabbit’s house to enlist his help as well,  they are  surprised to  find Rabbit  busily scrubbing the “dirty” moon in his kitchen sink.  Now, children will  wonder, –  just  how  will  the moon get back into the sky?”

A clever , simple, and enchanting  story that explores how friends working together  together can solve a mystery.

The illustrations are engaging, expressive and endearing – all at the same time.

This book would make a perfect bedtime story along with its companion, “Apples for Little Fox.  Also, good to read when  beginning a introduction to “what is a mystery, detective” book” –  for the Kindergarten through second graders.  Also can be utilized when discussing  “teamwork” and “companionship.”

Reviewed by Connie M. Smith

five-stars

Tornado Scientist

Tornado ScientistThe Tornado Scientist by Mary Kay Carson, Tom Uhlman
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on March 19, 2019
ISBN: 0544965825
Pages: 80
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction, Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Tornado, the very word strikes fear to the people in their path.  Author Carlson introduces the reader to Robin Tanamachi, a storm chaser. She has been obsessed with severe weather since she was a child and now is a meteorologist, tornado specialist, radar expert, and veteran storm chaser. Her goal- to understand the hows and whys of tornadoes and therefore save the lives of those caught in their path. Young scientists learn how and why these storms form and where these storms are most prevalent. Another Scientists in the Field selection that doesn’t disappoint! Solid information, supported with photographs, glossary, bibliography.  A must for every public and school library, especially now with tornadoes that are becoming the norm rather than an isolated incident. CREAM.

Good for grades 4 and up.

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray, Maine

five-stars

Honeybee

HoneybeeHoneybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann
Published by Neal Porter Books on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 0823442853
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This book follows the life of a single bee within the beehive. It so perfectly and easily explains the honeybee life cycle, from the various jobs the bees perform to how their bodies change as they age.

This book is gorgeous and informative without being bogged down with too many details. As a beekeeper, I still learned something new. The illustrations are simply stunning. When I picked the book up the first time, I thought the cover image was a photograph. Eric Rohman does a wonderfully detailed job depicting the bees and their lives. This book would be great for kids K-3rd grade.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Packs

PacksPacks: Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on January 28, 2020
ISBN: 1328577880
Pages: 46
Genres: Animals, Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

What do you call a group of wildebeest? This book will teach you this and more. This beautifully illustrated picture book explores the different types of animal groups with one overarching message: we’re better/stronger together.

The book starts with several two-page spreads with just one word for the group of animals: packs, herds, etc. The book then gets more into detail about how different animals work together. It circles back to humans with the message that we’re better together. The colorful illustrations have visible brush strokes, are colorful and gorgeous. The text is brief but informative and appropriate for the age of the intended audience. My only complaint about the text is that it’s written as if the animals are speaking, and I don’t enjoy anthropomorphizing of animals in a nonfiction book. This book would be great for kids PreK and up.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Deathless Divide

Deathless DivideDeathless Divide (Dread Nation, #2) by Justina Ireland
Published by Balzer + Bray on February 4, 2020
ISBN: 0062570633
Pages: 560
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

This is the sequel to Dread Nation and I loved both books! Its so hard to find a refreshing new concept in YA novels lately but this series has it in spades. This book catches up with the main characters of the first book, Jane and Kate, with the addition of new faces, that, thankfully only add to the story instead of being a distraction. This is supposed to be the last book of the series but the author has left it open enough for there to be many more books set in this world. I also want to mention that 99% of all the characters are people of color and it’s such a nice change! I would recommend this for 9-12 grades.

Reviewed by, Sophie Gagnon, Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta

Clean Getaway

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
on January 7, 2020
ISBN: 1984892975
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

I can‘t stop thinking about this book. A young boy embarks on what appears to be a benign road trip with his grandmother. As the story unfolds, however, some things seem out of place: his grandmother keeps changing their license plates, he’s pretty sure she didn’t pay for their dinner at a restaurant, and he definitely saw her steal some earrings. Why won’t she answer his dad’s phone calls? At the same time, she’s teaching him about his family history, Black history in America, and what it was like for her (a white woman) to be married to a Black man in the 60s.

Throughout this book, I couldn’t decide if it was a heartwarming story about family and Black history, or if I felt really uncomfortable because the main character’s grandmother was essentially kidnapping him. The more you read, the more it becomes apparent that it is both these things and more. There’s so much packed into this short novel, you won’t want to put it down. Best for 5th grade and up, this would be a great book club book.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

The Line Tender

The Line TenderThe Line Tender by Kate Allen
Published by Dutton on April 16, 2019
ISBN: 0735231605
Pages: 384
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

I find it interesting that the book is about death and sharks but the sharks don’t cause the deaths. Twelve-year-old Lucy Everhart is growing up in Rockport, MA with her dad and a close community of friends because her mother, a shark specialist, died when she was seven. Lucy and her friend/neighbor, Fred, are working on a field guide of native species as an extra credit assignment. Fred dies in a swimming accident. Allen has created an interesting story and a helpful model for how Lucy deals with her grief and relies on the support of the imperfect adults around her. The inclusion of women scientists is applauded, as is Lucy’s own budding interest in marine biology. A sketch of a different shark accompanies each chapter, reflecting Lucy’s own artwork.

Cream of the Crop
Note: I reviewed but did not receive this book.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

The Thank You Letter

The Thank You LetterThe Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera
Published by Holiday House on October 29, 2019
ISBN: 0823442500
Pages: 34
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

After her birthday party, Grace writes thank-you letters to her friends and family for her gifts. Even when a gift might not have been perfect (she receives a toy dog rather than a living pup and gloves that are too large), she’s thankful nonetheless. But when all the gift givers are thanked, Grace begins to write thank you notes to her teacher for teaching her to read and write. She thanks her cat and dog. She even thanks the sky for being blue. Soon she is receiving love notes from everyone in town. This is a sweet story (without being saccharin sweet) teaching about being grateful for the many wonderful things in your life. The illustrations are cute and clear and represent a diverse community. This book can be used to teach young readers about letter writing, (Who doesn’t enjoy getting a letter in their mailbox?) but most importantly about gratitude. Grace is aptly named as she demonstrates grace perfectly.

5 star

Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

Reviews

SLJ – VERDICT A love story about kindness and gratitude that serves as a good reminder for the young and the young-at-heart.
Reviewed by Amy Shepherd, St. Anne’s Episcopal School, Middleton, DE , Oct 01, 2019

 

five-stars

I Wonder

I WonderI Wonder by Kari Anne Holt, Kenard Pak
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on October 1, 2019
ISBN: 1524714224
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

“What do you wonder about when you look at the world?” This is the question asked of the reader by author KA Holt.  Pat Kenard’s illustrations dominate this picture book that has only a line or two of text on each page. The text either asks a question of the reader: “is my cereal afraid of my spoon?” or a statement of wonder: “I wonder if sandwiches get mad when you bite them?” As author Holt says,” some questions have easy answers, but most questions just make us wonder.” In the space of a day, the reader encounters all types of questions from- “do my toys miss me when I am gone, to What do clouds taste like?” The author reminds us of the unique workings of a child’s mind in looking at the world. Putting these queries into pictures, illustrator Pak Kenard adds to the wonder with large, soft, quiet illustrations that set the tone for the wonder a child encounters. They compliment the sparse text and let the reader take in the question or statement . This is a book that opens up all types of discussion and urges the reader to stop and look around them and ask those questions.

Good for ages K- 3.    Cream consideration

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray

five-stars

How Do You Feel?

How Do You Feel?How Do You Feel? by Lizzy Rockwell
Published by Holiday House on September 24, 2019
ISBN: 0823440516
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

How Do You Feel? by Lizzy Rockwell is an outstanding books to help 3 to 5 year olds understand their emotions. The elegant and deceptively simple acrylic colored illustrations direct the viewers eye to the single young child who is experiencing the event on the opposite page. There is plenty for preschoolers to think about internally and lots for adults to talk about with children all of whom have strong feelings that they are trying to understand with different degrees of success. This is a quietly stated, direct “feelings” book with just one question per double page spread, such as “Do you feel sad?” With seemingly increasing behavior problems in schools, this book offers  a welcome, calm approach to talking about and thinking about one’s emotions. Highly recommended for both public libraries and primary level schools by Margy Soule, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, Maine

5 stars