Format: Picture Book Fiction

Hello Crabby!

Hello Crabby!Hello, Crabby! (A Crabby Book #1) by Jonathan Fenske
Published by Scholastic Inc. on April 30th 2019
ISBN: 133828150X
Pages: 48
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Crabby lives on the beach and he’s not happy! The sun is in his eyes, and salt and sand are also irritating Crabby, they are in his teeth and his shell, making him a very grumpy crab! Crabby’s friend Plankton tries to cheer Crabby up. Plankton tries many methods – he even bakes Crabby a cake! The end papers also include directions kids can follow to draw their own Crabby! A fun and engaging read for the early reader.

Reviewed by Melissa Madigan

three-stars

Ginny Goblin Cannot Have a Pet

Ginny Goblin Cannot Have a PetGinny Goblin Cannot Have a Monster for a Pet by David Goodner, Louis Thomas
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on July 23rd 2019
ISBN: 0544764161
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

If you can’t have a goat for a pet, how about giant monster or fire-breathing monster or petrifying monster? No? Well, then, compared to those, maybe a goat IS the best option! 

The reader is invited into the story from the second page, “Maybe if we help Ginny…”.. Text is well-spaced in dark brown font  and is large enough for beginning readers to attempt reading. A few dark pages have text contrasted in white. Sentences vary in length with some interesting words such as ‘unequivocally’ and ‘tentacles’. 

Simple, cartoonish illustrations done in gouache and pen & ink rely on eyes to show emotions. Mostly white background helps keep the reader’s eye drawn to the important elements

This book could provide much humor with lower elementary ages in discussions of pet acquisition! A good purchase where ‘Ginny Goblin Cannot Open This Box’ is popular.

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

 

four-stars

Nya’s Long Walk: A Step at a Time

Nya’s Long Walk: A Step at a TimeNya's Long Walk: A Step at a Time by Linda Sue Park, Brian Pinkney
Published by Clarion Books on September 3rd 2019
ISBN: 132878133X
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

Although similar to other picture books about African children having to walk to get water, this story adds suspense of the little sister falling ill during the walk. Set in Sudan, fictional Nya represents many real villagers’ struggles for safe drinking water.

Brian Pinkney’s signature sweeping, swirling full-color illustrations intensify the emotion and sense of the dry, hot land.

This could be paired with Christine Ieronimo’s “ A Thirst for Home” (2014); William Kamkwamba’s “Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” (2012); Herb Shoveller’s “Ryan and Jimmy and the Well That Brought them Together (2006); or Susan Verde’s “The Water Princess” (2016). For libraries owning these titles, “Nya’s Long Walk” would be an additional purchase.

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

four-stars

Bug Off! A Story of Fireflies and Friendship

Bug Off! A Story of Fireflies and FriendshipBug Off!: A Story of Fireflies and Friendship by Cari Best, Jennifer Plecas
on June 25th 2019
ISBN: 0374380627
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

Let’s take a vote. How many of us think fireflies are bugs? Well…they are beetles, and beetles ARE insects, and bugs are insects, but fireflies and bugs are two different classes of insects. Confusing? It is to Maude, a newcomer in the neighborhood. She’s trying to make friends, and when she sees a poster advertising the Bug-of-the-Month Club, she thinks it’s the perfect way to meet other children and share her new passion for fireflies. However, it’s not at all confusing to club leader Louise, who rejects Maude’s bid for membership based on the fact that fireflies are NOT bugs!

The text weaves in basic information about bugs and lots of information about fireflies and how to create a firefly-friendly environment. It’s not preachy or dry – just the right balance to inform and entertain. The cartoonish, full color illustrations show mostly night scenes with the contrasting bright yellow fireflies and proportionately large white eyes of the children.

This book could be used to initiate a study of animal kingdom orders and classifications, but probably more useful as a how-to-be-a-friend’ story. Now, could we have a discussion about the terms firefly vs lightening bug?

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

five-stars

Dinosaur Farm!

Dinosaur Farm!Dinosaur Farm! by Penny Dale
Published by Nosy Crow on June 4th 2019
ISBN: 0763699365
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

“Dinosaur Farm!” by Penny Dale is a picture book that has different dinosaurs running a farm. The dinosaurs are plowing, building, digging, and picking things. What a busy farm! The illustrations are bright and busy. The text does not rhyme, but has a bouncing cadence, and a lot of onomatopoeia like “clatter,” and “rumble.”

The front and back papers identify various dinosaurs and farm equipment, though many kids will probably already be experts in both subjects. The book is aimed at kids age 3 to 6 and would make a fun read-aloud. The story itself is fairly basic, so this book is not a must-buy for your library collection, but if you have extra money in the budget, it would make a good additional purchase.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

three-stars

Biscuit’s Snow Day Race

Biscuit’s Snow Day RaceBiscuit’s Snow Day Race by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, Pat Schories
Published by HarperCollins on October 1st 2019
ISBN: 006243621X
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

The silly puppy Biscuit is back in this Shared First Reader for children in grades preK-1.    Biscuit’s owner has plans to build a snow fort for her friends.  Biscuit looks like a helper with digging, “woof, woof” and finding the sleds “woof, woof”, but really Biscuit wants to go down the hill in a sled.  The layout provides a large font, 2-3 simple sentences and plenty of white space.  New readers will be successful due to the repeated “woof, woof” and the details of the illustrations.  Biscuit’s owner presents as white, but her group of friends represents a mix of cultures.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library

four-stars

Pete the Kitty goes to the Doctor

Pete the Kitty goes to the DoctorPete the Kitty Goes to the Doctor by James Dean
Published by HarperCollins on September 24th 2019
ISBN: 0062868330
Pages: 32
Goodreads
two-stars

Pete the Kitty has a bellyache.  He doesn’t have a fever so his Dad has him get some rest.  Pete the Kitty tries to play with his trains and paint a picture until Dad tells him to get dress.  Pete the Kitty is going to the doctor which scares him.  They wait in the waiting room; Pete gets checked out, receives a sticker and is sent home to rest.  The positives of this story are that Pete the Kitty is popular and this offering will support parents in explaining a trip to the doctor.  The doctor is female and Pete the Kitty has overcome his fear of going to the doctor.  Parents may also appreciate that this trip to the doctor did not result in medication being prescribed.  Unfortunately, the layout of the story has a few drawbacks.   The story line meanders in the beginning and Pete the Kitty doesn’t hear about going to the doctor until page 14.  New readers need the main topic of the story at the beginning for comprehension purposes.  For school age children, discussion may need to be made on why he needs to stay home from school and go to the doctor when he doesn’t have a fever, hasn’t thrown up or  broken out in a rash.    Even though it is cartoon logic and similar to the other Easy Reader Pete the Cat books, it seems out of place that the adult cats have clothes and Pete the Kitty is in pjs at home, but when he is told to “get dressed”, he only dons a scarf which is taken off at the doctor’s office.   Children wanting Pete the Cat books will probably think it’s “groovy”.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library

 

two-stars

Jorge el Curioso De basura a tesoro/Curious George Tase to Treasure

ISBN: 9781328586469
three-stars

Curious George helps to clean the city and finds many treasures in others’ trash. The Green Light Series has a place in middle school. It’s a level 2 reader. I shared this with the Spanish teachers at my middle school. They loved that it was written in both English and Spanish on the same page. It’s great for having students either break down each page in either language by coving up one language. It’s a lower level so it’s less intimidating.

 

Reviewed BY Jeri Fitzpatrick GNGMS Gray

 

three-stars

Amelia Bedelia Under the Weather

Amelia Bedelia Under the WeatherAmelia Bedelia Under the Weather by Herman Parish, Lynne Avril
Published by Greenwillow Books on December 31st 2018
ISBN: 0062658921
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

Amelia Bedelia Under the Weather is an I Can Read! book from the Amelia Bedelia series. The book features Amelia as a child and in a contemporary world. In this title, Amelia is not feeling well, so she stays home from school. Her father says that he is sorry that she is “under the weather” to which Amelia replies, “I am not…I am under my covers,” introducing the word play for which these books are known.  As Amelia goes through her sick day, she learns a few more idioms, “raining cats and dogs,” “green around the gills,” picturing each in her head. Lynne Avril’s bright illustrations pair well with the text, painting pictures for the images conjured in Amelia’s head to accompany the figurative language expressed in daily life. A solid addition to the Bedelia canon and a nice title for any emerging reader who knows the boredom of a sick day and has struggled with the intricacies of the English language. For grades 1-2.

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

three-stars

Good Morning, Snowplow!

Good Morning, Snowplow!Good Morning, Snowplow! by Deborah Bruss, Lou Fancher, Steve Johnson
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on October 30th 2018
ISBN: 1338089498
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

In Good Morning, Snowplow!  by Deborah Bruss, rhyming text tells the quiet story of a snowplow driver working with his dog in the cab throughout the night to clear the roads. Paint, pencil, pen, and collage by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson bring beauty and texted illustrations to this mood piece.  While there are many picture book stories about snowplows, this one features an Asian American plow driver and a female driver in another truck. This will be appreciated by adults who hope to settle children down or who are looking for a quiet book that matches the peaceful feel of a snowy day. For action and a storyline, readers will want to share Katy and the Big Snow by Burton.

Recommended as a quiet mood piece by Margy Soule, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, Maine 

three-stars