Format: Picture Book Fiction

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

Sweety

SweetySweety by Andrea Zuill
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on March 26th 2019
ISBN: 052558000X
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

Sweety is awkward, even for a naked mole rat with thick glasses and a head gear. She doesn’t always fit in, but with encouragement from her eccentric aunt combined with her own self confidence, she finds that being true to herself is the best way to be and the way to find true friendship. Sweety is a lovable, nerdy mole rat who will resonate with inquisitive, unique kids everywhere. Zuill’s illustrations are easy to follow and include small details that children may not catch but that adults will find humorous and endearing. This book is best for one-on-one sharing or for sharing with a small group. The overarching message of embracing individuality and being true to oneself paired with creative, funny characters and witty text make this a great book to share with a wide age range of readers. A recommended purchase for all public libraries and should be considered for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta

five-stars

Just Because

Just BecauseJust Because by Mac Barnett
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on September 10th 2019
ISBN: 0763696803
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

Every parent recognizes before-bed delay tactics and Barnett captures them in his picture book in a comic look at one parent’s attempt to counter his child’s curiosity with fanciful answers that she can incorporate into her dreams. The child decides to ask tough scientific questions like “why is the ocean blue” and “what are black holes” just as her father is putting her to bed. He, in turn, answers with inventive and silly answers perfectly illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault in a palette of muted colors of mint green, coral, aqua, gold, and lavender. The best use of this book would be as a bedtime story that lead to the investigation *during the day* of the answers to the child’s very real questions; then children could be in on the joke of the playfulness of the answers.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

four-stars

One Wild Christmas

One Wild ChristmasOne Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland
Published by Kids Can Press on September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 1525302035
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

Three friends : moose, bear and beaver are at it again. In this  latest addition of the Life in the Wild series, these three    set out to celebrate their first Christmas together. On Christmas Eve they are busy cooking, decorating and wrapping presents. As busy as they are, no one remembered to get a tree! Off to the forest to find the perfect tree and they do- but bear can’t let allow moose and beaver to cut it down. How will they celebrate their favorite holiday together? Can they come together with a compromise? A fun quirky story that both makes the reader laugh and think about what is most important about Christmas. Illustrations done in photoshop are  basic, and compliment the text so our youngest readers can follow the story.There are lots of sentimental, beautifully illustrated Christmas offerings available but there is room for the funny, the silly and the zany.

Submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library

four-stars