Format: Picture Book Fiction

Mini Rabbit Is Not Lost

Mini Rabbit Is Not LostMini Rabbit Is Not Lost by John Bond
Published by Neal Porter Books on October 8th 2019
ISBN: 0823443582
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

Following the adventures of a young rabbit in search of berries so that he can make a cake with his mother, Mini Rabbit Is Not Lost is vibrantly and whimsically illustrated. This is the author’s first illustrated children’s book, and Bond has not yet discovered his purely original voice as a storyteller. The story has  similarities in both text phrasing and character illustration as Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back. Mini Rabbit Is Not Lost does not come across as a successful debut book, perhaps because it feels so strongly influenced by Klassen’s work. Lacking a strong moral and original humor, this book feels disappointing. Despite reading this with a critical eye, I do think that Mini Rabbit Is Not Lost is appealing to its target audience of children ages 3 – 6 years. The illustrations are eye catching and skillfully created, and the singular-mindedness of Mini Rabbit wanting to bake a cake with his mother (“Cake! Cake! Cake! Must have cake!”) is relatable to this age group. Young children will enjoy this whimsical read.

Reviewed by Jennifer Benham, Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland

three-stars

Wintercake

WintercakeWintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins
Published by Greenwillow Books on October 15th 2019
ISBN: 0062894870
Pages: 48
Goodreads
five-stars

Thomas, a furry animal (perhaps a groundhog?), has misplaced the bowl of dried fruit he needs to make his holiday cake. His bird friend, Lucy (perhaps a cardinal), flies off in a snowstorm to help him, and mistakenly identifies a thief. All comes round right in the end. I enjoyed how the tension ebbs and flows throughout the story with much depth. The illustrations are glorious and some of the ones with speech bubbles are my favorite. This is a delightful story of friendship, community, stories, and cake. A wonderful addition to holiday books that focuses more on a solstice celebration rather than Christmas. Good readaloud for primary age.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library, Liberty

Reviews: Perkins’ art, with its warm yellows, opulent blues, and soft browns of wintry forest and cozy dens, nicely complements the fine narrative arc. This could simply be a splendid holiday tale: There is cake, after all, and there are both connection and community. But the different colorings of the animals’ coats combine with light-feathered Lucy’s false, if unspoken, accusation of innocent, dark-brown Tobin to offer an allegorical storyline for readers who care to pursue it.

Cozy—and potentially provocative. (Picture book. 4-8) Kirkus, July 2019

Starred Review: A first-rate example of a longer picture book for elementary-age readers and listeners. School Library Journal, October, 2019

 

five-stars

The Scarecrow

The ScarecrowThe Scarecrow by Beth Ferry, Eric Fan, Terry Fan
Published by HarperCollins on September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 0062475762
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

“The Scarecrow” is a beautiful and tenderhearted  story  about friendship and needing a friend.

A scarecrow in a farmer’s field stands lonely and forlorn.  Some of the smaller creatures are even afraid of  Scarecrow as he stands alone, through the seasons,  in the snow covered field.  One day a small crow drops to the ground right in front of Scarecrow. Is it  injured, does it  have a broken wing, wonders Scarecrow?  Scarecrow  bends low to save the tiny crow, scooping him up and tucking him into a pocket near his heart of hay.  He then sings him the sweetest lullaby.  When the day comes that his friend takes flight again,  Scarecrow is again sad and  wishes that he didn’t have to stay tethered to his post.  But when spring finally returns, after a long, lonely  winter, Crow reappears  followed by another crow!   Soon a nest of eggs appear in Scarecrow’s pocket. When  the new baby crows are old enough to fly away,  Scarecrow  finds himself lonely  once again – until the  day that  one of the fledglings returns to build  a new nest!

A beautifully written  story about kindness  and the enduring  bonds of friendship.  This lovely story  exemplifies  the appreciation and the love that is fostered when  helping  a friend in need,

All ages will benefit from this story of kindness, love and friendship. For use anytime!

 

Reviewed by Connie M. Smith

 

five-stars

Ghost Cat

Ghost CatGhost Cat by Kevan Atteberry
Published by Neal Porter Books on June 11th 2019
ISBN: 0823442837
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

“Ghost Cat”  is a quietly, haunting picture  book about “moving on.” A boy once had a cat that has now passed away.  But,  still, on occasion,  the boy catches glimpses of his cat following him around the house.

“I’ve only seen it out of the corner of my eye, but I think it’s a cat.  I know because I used to have one.”

In fact, at times, beyond catching glimpses of his former pet, the boy can also feel the weight of the cat on his bed,  and even hear  him playing with cat toys  in the house. One day the boy sees the cat sitting by the door, and after a few minutes,  “. . . it (the ghost cat)  ” . . . turned and leapt right through the door.”  Much to the boys’ surprise, when he opens  the door, there is a kitten sitting on his doorstep – just waiting to be claimed.

Soft colors, with boldly delineated characters and expressions.  This book serves as  wonderful metaphor for letting things go of  things one cannot change (the ghost cat leaving) and being ready and willing  to open  the door to  new possibilities.

Could be used to share after loss.   A lesson for folks of any age,

Reviewed by Connie M. Smith 

five-stars

Daddy-Sitting

Daddy-SittingDaddy-Sitting by Eve Coy
Published by Clarion Books on May 7th 2019
ISBN: 1328489892
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

This book is a sweet ode to an adorable father-daughter relationship. From the perspective of the child, she is the one caring for her daddy all day, and it is her responsibility to meet his needs (much like How to Babysit a Grandma/Grandpa). The illustrations are colorful, easy to follow, and support and enhance the story. This book will be enjoyed by young kids and their fathers, but it’s missing that wow factor. It’s a cute story, I like that it features a stay-at-home dad, but it’s not a unique story line, and there’s nothing that really grabs me about it. It would be best shared with kids ages 3-6, and could be used for a Father’s Day story time.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Get Me Out of This Book!

Get Me Out of This Book!Get Me Out of This Book!: Rules & Tools for Being Brave by Kalli Dakos, Deborah Cholette, Sara Infante
Published by Holiday House on June 11th 2019
ISBN: 0823438627
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

What are the three basic rules for being brave? Ask any Navy SEAL, or any child who has read this book!

Max, a bookmark, used to be scared of images in books, like snakes. He went back to school to learn “rules and tools for looking right at scary.” After that, he used these to face down the scariest images, like sharks, cockroaches, and skeletons.

What are these rules & tools?

  1. Breathe deeply
  2. Make a plan
  3. Think good thoughts

Anyone can employ these for any situation – this book is entertaining and a great teaching tool!

Plenty of white space separates the images and text. Simple black font in several sizes emphasize emotions, like SHOOK and SCREAMED.

Author’s Note includes critical information about the influence of the Navy SEALS training methods.

Includes an actual bookmark in the image of Max attached to the back endpaper. 

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

five-stars

You Can Make a Friend Pout-Pout Fish!

You Can Make a Friend Pout-Pout Fish!You Can Make a Friend, Pout-Pout Fish! by Deborah Diesen, Dan Hanna
on April 9th 2019
ISBN: 1250064287
Pages: 24
Goodreads
three-stars

Pout-Pout Fish is feeling sad as he doesn’t think he has any friends, and he feels like he doesn’t know how to make friends. To his surprise some of the undersea creatures, help Mr. Fish to see that there is nothing to be afraid of in getting to know someone new and making friends.
This is a wonderful book for the Beginning Reader.

Reviewed by Melissa Madigan

three-stars

I Want to Be a Pilot

I Want to Be a PilotI Want to Be a Pilot by Laura Driscoll, Catalina Echeverri
Published by HarperCollins on November 5th 2019
ISBN: 0062432508
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

I Want to Be a Pilot is part of the My Community series by Laura Driscoll, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. A little girl with tan skin and long dark hair is on her way to Air Fair, a festival all about air travel. With her aunt, an air force pilot, she sees a variety of airplanes and learns a bit about what they do. The text is clear and shows a number of different types of aircraft. Echeverri’s bright and stylistic illustrations show pilots of a wide variety of skin and hair colors and even distribution of male and female pilots.

A fantastic addition to an early-reader collection.

Reviewed by Sarah Cropley, Scarborough Public Library

four-stars

Otter: What Pet is Best

Otter: What Pet is BestOtter: What Pet Is Best? by Sam Garton
Published by Balzer + Bray on October 15th 2019
ISBN: 0062845136
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

Otter is back in her latest “I Can Read” (My First) adventure! Sure, her life is plenty full already with Otter Keeper, plenty of toys, as well as many friends. But Otter wants a pet! She and Otter Keeper consider which pet really is the best choice for young Otter. Paired with cute, attractive illustrations, Otter practices her logical reasoning and decision making going through option after option to figure out what pet really is best for her. A fun book for emergent, young readers! 

Reviewed by Savannah Sessions, SAD 17 Elementary Librarian, Oxford Hills.

four-stars

The Couch Potato

The Couch PotatoThe Couch Potato by Kerry Lyn Sparrow, Yinfan Huang
Published by Kids Can Press on September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 1525300059
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

When a problem potato takes over the couch of the Russet family, stay-at-home dad Mr. Russet throws in the towel. Tired of tidying up for his family of four (and canine companion), Mr. Russet refuses to take care of the tuber and he sequesters himself in potato-free spaces elsewhere in the house. Each of his family members, though, finds a unique use for the potato amidst a home growing less and less tidy by the minute. Though a bit hard to swallow, Mr. Russet deals with the potato (and the mess), once and for all after five frustrating days. Huang’s illustrations, simply drawn in colored pencils, gouache, and watercolor, nicely illustrate the growing chaos and Mr. Russet’s frustration. This book would make a fun, silly read-aloud best suited for children in preschool – grade 2. 

 

Reviewed by Savannah Sessions, SAD 17 Elementary Librarian, Oxford Hills.

four-stars