Format: Picture Book Fiction

THOMAS EDISON Lighting the Way

THOMAS EDISON Lighting the WayThomas Edison: Lighting the Way by Lori Haskins Houran, Gustavo Mazali
Published by HarperCollins on November 5th 2019
ISBN: 0062432885
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

This charming biography of Thomas Edison starts off disclaiming a common belief.  Edison did NOT invent the light bulb, but made it better so everyone could use it.  Before he improved it, the light bulb would only stay lit for seconds before it burned out.  Edison studied and experimented and finally came upon a solution to make it usable for everyone in their homes and factories.

This book follows his life as a young boy, and how his love of inventions and making discoveries shaped his amazing contributions to the modern world.  He pursued his dream, becoming a full time inventor!

Children will be charmed with the simple color illustrations, and hopefully encouraged to follow their dreams.  A timeline and actual photos of Edison follow the story. This short book, only 32 pages, is an excellent first biography for children.  It is intended for adults to assist with the reading, as some words will be too difficult for beginning readers.

Reviewed by Irene Hall, Witherle Memorial Public Library, Castine

five-stars

Make a Wish, Henry Bear

Make a Wish, Henry BearMake a Wish, Henry Bear by Liam Francis Walsh
Published by Roaring Brook Press on April 30th 2019
ISBN: 162672332X
Pages: 40
Goodreads
three-stars

On Henry’s last birthday, Henry wished that his parents were more fun. Be careful what you wish for! For the past year Henry is not allowed to go to bed early and is often late for school, and he can’t wait for his next birthday to roll around so he can wish for more responsible parents. While 4-6 year olds will find enjoy Henry the bear being allowed to stay home and watching TV and eat chocolate cake for breakfast, I thought the plot would have been clearer if told in a chronological order rather than the reader learning about the birthday-wish-gone-wrong two-thirds of the way through the book. The artwork is beautiful with a European feel to the cartoonish illustrations. A fun book to give or read for a child’s birthday and brainstorming what birthday wishes they might make.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library, Liberty

three-stars

No Room for a Pup

No Room for a PupNo Room for a Pup! by Elizabeth Suneby, Laurel Molk
Published by Kids Can Press on October 1st 2019
ISBN: 1525300296
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

A clever retelling of the Yiddish folktale, It Could Always Be Worse. Mia wants a dog but her mother says that there is NO ROOM for one in their small city apartment. So Grandma hatches a plan with Mia and comes to visit with her squawking parrot Roger, the class bunny, a neighbor’s cat, and even grandma’s book club accompanied by their pet pig. Mother is relieved when they all leave and decides there might be room for one little dog. The book has a consistent format throughout building up to the gratifying conclusion. I will use No Room for a Pup for a readaloud during preschool Story Time, inviting kids to join in when mom cries “NO ROOM.” The full-color illustrations of the animals are adorable and characters are fashionably dressed people of varying ages and races. The picture on the last page of only the “pint-sized” pup and Mia will surprise and delight readers of all ages. Primary students could compare and contrast this book with It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale by Margot Zemach.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library, Liberty

Reviews: Perfect for young ones yearning for a pet.―Kirkus Reviews; 4.8 out of 5 on Amazon

five-stars

Peg + Cat: Peg Up a Tree

Peg + Cat: Peg Up a TreePeg + Cat: Peg Up a Tree: A Level 1 Reader by Jennifer Oxley, Billy Aronson
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on November 12th 2019
ISBN: 1536209686
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

The unexpected twist of a girl being stuck in a tree instead of a cat and the cat attempting to rescue her will amuse most readers. Cat’s bumbling but good-hearted attempt at building a ladder results in both being stuck in the tree along with their friend Ramone, and then Peg’s yo-yo saves the day. The Peg + Cat is a popular PBS TV series so many kids will be familiar with the characters and won’t mind that Cat is purplish-blue. I was glad to see Ramone depicted as a person of color and who knows how to construct a ladder with parallel sides and rungs. The Level 1 Reader is written at about an end of first-grade/beginning second-grade level with short sentence structure, repetitive words, and in three chapters, with the longest third chapter consisting of half the book. A Table of Contents could have been included. A good addition to any Early Reader library collection.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library, Liberty

four-stars

The Great Santa Stakeout

The Great Santa StakeoutThe Great Santa Stakeout by Betsy Bird, Dan Santat
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 133816998X
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

A really good STEM book doesn’t look like a STEM book. In this one, all the planning concepts and engineering are hidden in an entertaining Santa story. Freddy is obsessed with Santa: Santa costumes at birthday parties and Valentine parties. He collects everything Santa: boot book ends, posters, and even underwear. Try reading that page with a straight face to a group of youngsters! He now wants a selfie with Santa, fresh out of the chimney. And he has a plan. Of course, Santa fools him, but Freddie is not discouraged; he simply makes another plan for next year. 

Don’t miss the endpages – they’re detailed plans of Freddy’s plans – this year’s in the front, and next year’s in the back, making good bookends to the story. And take a peak under the cover!

Full color illustrations, double spreads with close-ups of Freddie’s face with various expressions are visually entertaining.

I field-tested this with first and third grade classes. Seventeen third graders gave it 5 stars (two gave it 4, and one gave it 3). All first graders said keep it for the library, except one student who said I should NOT put it on our shelves because too many students would all want to borrow it and they would argue about who would get it first.

Quality and original Santa stories are hard to come by; this one fits the bill.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Librarian, Old Town Elementary School

five-stars

The Rhythm of the Rain

The Rhythm of the RainThe Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker-Smith
Published by Templar Books on August 20th 2019
ISBN: 1536205753
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

The water cycle has never been so gorgeously depicted as within the pages of The Rhythm of the Rain. The text follows a jarful of water that Isaac pours into the mountainside pool near where he plays. Traveling down the mountainside, over a waterfall, past animals drinking by the water’s edge, its journey continues through a riverside city and is eventually washed out to the ocean, where it is swallowed by a whale, blown out through its blowhole, turned over in a great wave, evaporated in the heat of the sun and rained down in a torrent upon a mountainside.

The text is light; the pictures are stunning. Full-bleed illustrations depict life all over the world, all dependent upon water. Beautiful. A great addition to any school or public library. Grades PreK and up.

Reviewed by Kelly Greenlee, Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland

 

five-stars

The Knight Who Said “No!”

The Knight Who Said “No!”The Knight Who Said "No!" by Lucy Rowland, Kate Hindley
Published by Nosy Crow on September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 1536208132
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

Ned is lonely, the only child living in his medieval village. He’s an agreeable fellow, though, always answering “Yes!” when asked to do something. Until one day he wakes and feels a little different, a little mad, a little hot, maybe even a little mischievous.  On that day, Ned says “No!” and everything changes. When the dragon swoops into town, Ned refuses to hide inside as he usually does, and when the dragon refuses to roar, the two discover they are both lonely and find friendship in each other.

The colorful cartoon illustrations are charming and fun. Characters have telling expressions and little treasures can be found on each page. The story is told in playful rhyme, and children will delight in chiming in with the  repeated “Yes!” or with the occasional No!” The overall message is a good one: sometimes even the most agreeable kids can be a little bad-tempered, and that’s okay.

Reviewed by Kelly Greenlee, Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland

 

four-stars

Dasher

DasherDasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever by Matt Tavares
Published by Candlewick Press on September 10th 2019
ISBN: 1536201375
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

Dasher is a reindeer in a traveling circus with a cruel owner. She dreams of escape, into the cool nights and soft snow that her mother has so often described. When her gate is left open, she leaps at the chance of escape and soon runs into Santa and Silverbell, Santa’s horse, who is tired from pulling the too-heavy sleigh. Dasher offers to help, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Children will like this new take on the story of Santa’s reindeer, but parents might find it shallow. The story is carried by Matt Tavares’ gorgeous artwork. The story itself is on the weak side, barely acknowledging surprising details, like Dasher’s reaction to her first time in flight. That the remaining reindeer in Santa’s entourage are Dasher’s family, saved from circus living, is unimaginative, neat and altogether too expedient.

Dasher is a good addition to a Christmas collection, particularly a collection that may feel tired and in need of new life. Will Dasher go down in history? Not likely.

Reviewed by Kelly Greenlee, Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland

 

 

four-stars

Little Penguin’s New Friend

Little Penguin’s New FriendLittle Penguin’s New Friend by Tadgh Bentley
Published by Balzer + Bray on October 1st 2019
ISBN: 0062699954
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

Little Penguin’s New Friend is an easy reader that tackles preconceived notions and things not being as one might expect them to be. Penguin and his friends are excited for polar bear’s first visit to the Antarctic, but they all have ideas about what polar bears do and don’t do. When she finally arrives, it turns out that polar bears do, in fact, tell really bad jokes as suspected by Franklin, the killer whale. The text in this book is simple and appropriate for beginning readers, but the content misses the mark a bit. The bad jokes and puns will mostly be lost on younger readers (I had to re-read one several times to get it). The illustrations are colorful, engaging,  and follow the story well. This book is best used for one-on-one sharing or perhaps with a smaller group where you know they may actually understand the jokes. A secondary purchase where easy readers circulate well and need expansion.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta

three-stars

How to Hide a Lion at Christmas

How to Hide a Lion at ChristmasHow to Hide a Lion at Christmas by Helen Stephens
Published by Henry Holt & Company on September 10th 2019
ISBN: 1250230799
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

“How to Hide a Lion at Christmas,” written and illustrated by Helen Stephens, is the fourth book in the “How to Hide a Lion” series. Iris has a pet lion that she likes to take everywhere. All the people in her town and school are used to Lion, but her parents say that she can’t take Lion with her to her aunt’s for Christmas because everyone will be scared of him. Iris is sad and Lion hates to see her sad, so he follows her to her aunt’s home. He sneaks onto the train, misses his stop, and hijinks follow, including a meeting with Santa Claus.

Beautifully illustrated with a fun sketch-like style and bright colors, the book is silly and amusing. Readers will enjoy following along as Lion finds his way to his friend. A good additional purchase for your holiday collection if you need more Christmas picture books.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

four-stars