Format: Picture Book Fiction

Zola’s Elephant

Zola’s ElephantZola's Elephant by Randall de Sève, Pamela Zagarenski
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on October 9th 2018
ISBN: 1328886298
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

A new girl moves in next door to our narrator – another little girl.Thus the begins the back and forth conversation between our narrator and the reader. Our little girl tells us that her neighbor has an elephant, who eats toast, takes baths , plays hide and seek and other fun things. that is the reason the two girls will surely never meet and be friends. As each reason they should not meet is imagined, Zagarenski in her signature style shows the reader on the facing page what is really happening. Eventually, they meet and of course, become friends. The text is sparse and direct, as someone making an excuse for not meeting a potential friend might say, the truth is in the illustrations. This is a picture book where the illustrations support the text. Zagarenski creates thru color and atmosphere, beautiful, fanciful imaginative illustrations that the reader can pour over. Her signature images of bees, foxes, crowns and wheels are included in her message of friendship.It is a beautiful book for its story and its art.

grades pre-k- 3

submitted by Kathy George, Gray Public Library

five-stars

All the Animals Where I Live

All the Animals Where I LiveAll the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead
Published by Roaring Brook Press on March 20th 2018
ISBN: 1626726566
Pages: 48
Goodreads
five-stars

Philip Stead has written a story that is part memory and part imagination. He tells the reader of his move from the city to the country and the animals that he encounters. He then takes the reader back to his childhood, to his grandmother who made him a stuffed bear- that he still has and the quilt she covered him with- the ones with chickens on it. This is the memory part of the book. Now he invites the reader on an imaginary journey – if his grandmother had been an animal- she would have been a hummingbird. She would have introduced herself to the animals in the neighborhood.

This is a storybook , the text is soft and needs to be read slowly, like a story is told. The illustrations are soft and quiet, they support the story and they too should be looked at slowly and savored. This is a story to be enjoyed and talked about. Discussions on what wildlife lives in the reader’s neighborhood, about grandparents and their role in the readers life , and to be always observant in our lives.

grades K-4

Submitted by Kathy George

                             Gray Public LIbrary

five-stars

Tough Cookie

Tough CookieTough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway
Published by Henry Holt and Company on September 11th 2018
ISBN: 1627794417
Pages: 34
Goodreads
three-stars

The Sugar Cookie Man is not sweet nor tender, can’t run fast, can’t build a proper gingerbread house, so what is he good for? Fox tries to eat him, chase him, and then helps him find what he is good at for the benefit of Christmastown.

End papers show numerous holiday characters that can be found throughout the story if one has a careful eye. Full-color art “created with oils on board sprinkled with Adobe Photoshop.” Some pages have double-spread, some have silhouettes, some have closeups, and others show large sections of the town.

Recipes for a gluten-free  “Tough Cookie” recipe, and a non-edible Tough Cookie ornament are included.

Encourages self-discovery and perseverance in finding one’s place.

Good for libraries needing Gingerbread Man variants.

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

three-stars

Little Fox in the Snow

Little Fox in the SnowLittle Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London, Daniel Miyares
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on November 13th 2018
ISBN: 0763688142
Pages: 40
Goodreads
two-stars

What would a winter day in the life of a young fox be like? This book attempts to bring the reader into his survival struggles.

The narrative gives an irregular rhythm, some phrases flow, others are jarring and abrupt with intermittent rhyming. Some of the phrases are literal, others are figurative: “You’re a blur of fur…The sinking sun sets your coat aglow.” and “eyes flare up lie struck matches.”

Ink and watercolor illustrations take the reader into the fox’s forest domain, and begins and ends the day right in the safe, dark den. Some readers may recognize the yellow/pink/reds in the distance as sunrise/sunsets; others may think the forest is on fire. Text in bold font is appropriately placed on white spaces of the double-page spreads.

Some readers may recognize the nature of life (foxes need to eat mice and rabbits); other may be horrified at the death of the cute cuddly bunny.

In one scene, the fox smells a vixen, but instead sees a wolverine. The vixen is not mentioned again until he dreams of her later. In several places the word ‘foxling’ is used, but if the fox is that young, would a vixen be of interest to him yet?

This book could be used for food web and predator/prey studies, although several sources I examined about wolverines and fox did not indicate that wolverines eat foxes. Wolverines will eat large animals and dig into dens and eat hibernating animals, but I could not find that fox was specifically listed as one of their dietary staples. As much as the wolverine adds drama to the fox’s day,  and though their eyes may glow at night, the illustration show them glowing red.

Fans of Jonathan London may want to purchase this, but the inconsistencies are a distraction.

Libraries needing picture books on fox may want to consider Laurence Pringle’s “The Secret Life of the Red Fox” c2017.

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

two-stars

Mermaid School

Mermaid SchoolMermaid School by JoAnne Stewart Wetzel, Julianna Swaney
Published by Knopf BFYR on July 17th 2018
ISBN: 0399557164
Pages: 32
Goodreads

The first day of school covers all sorts of emotions: excitement, fear, nervousness and lots of questions for all children, but what if you are a mermaid or merboy, how do you do the first day of school? Ms. Wetzel introduces mermaid school in a rhyming text that is easy to read aloud or silently. Her students are just like their 2 legged counterparts – making friends, learning their “a,b,seas”, lunch, music and art. This is a fun read. It is fun to listen to and fun to look at. There is lots of room on each page for soft, calm illustrations to soothe the first day jitters whether you are of land or sea. Readers understand that going to school for the first time or as you progress through the grades each year will bring up lots of feelings that are universal on land or below.

If you are looking for a first day of school book that is a little different – this is the one for you. Good for parents and teachers to read on that first day.

rating 4       grades pre-k-3

submited by: Kathy George

Gray Public library

Dinosaur Expert

Dinosaur ExpertThe Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara, G. Brian Karas
Published by Schwartz & Wade on July 17th 2018
ISBN: 0553511432
Pages: 40
Goodreads

Dinosaurs, girl power, and science combine in the newest addition to the Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series.

Mr. Tiffin and his students are back in another picture book, and this time the focus is on dinosaur-loving Kimmy. During a field trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to share what she knows about the Stegosaurus and the Archaeopteryx and even the ginormous Titanosaurus. That changes when one of her classmates questions whether girls can be paleontologists. Kimmy starts to feel shy. What if they can’t? What if no one wants to hear what she has to say? It will take some help from Mr. Tiffin–and from a famous scientist–for Kimmy to find her voice again.

Join Mr. Tiffin’s class as they learn about dinosaurs big and small, feathered and scaly, winged and ocean-dwelling. And root for Kimmy, the dinosaur expert . . . who might just learn something about herself.

Readers who have visited Mr. Tiffin’s classroom in Margaret McNamara’s other books: How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin, The Apple Orchard, and A Poem in Your Pocket, will join the class as they go to the Museum of Natural History on a fact finding mission about dinosaurs. Kimmy is passionate about these creatures and begins to share all sorts of facts with her class until a fellow student tells her that girls can’t be scientists! To prove his point, her shows her the names of the paleontologists credited for the discoveries they are looking at – all men! Kimmy  is brought to silence until Mr. Tiffin shows her a special exhibit.

McNamara’s strength in this picture book as in her others, is dispensing information on a chosen subject in a manner that the reader can understand and through Mr. Tiffin guides each reader to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses all the while being encouraged to be the best they can be.

Brian Karas, with his signature illustrations, brings Mr. Tiffin’s class to life. This selection can be used with STEAM curriculum for dinosaurs units and famous women scientists as there is an omage to women paleontologists in the book. It is also a book to be used in dealing with the feelings and struggles children deal with in a school situation.

A picture book for grades K-3  rating:5

submitted by :
Kathy George
Gray Public Library

If you Had a Jetpack

If you Had a JetpackIf You Had a Jetpack by Lisl H. Detlefsen, Linzie Hunter
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on April 24th 2018
ISBN: 0399553290
Pages: 40
Goodreads
four-stars

“If you had a jetpack” is a fun cause-and-effect picture book, similar to “if you give a mouse a cookie,” but with more chaos and busier illustrations. Written by Lisl H. Detlefsen and illustrated by Linzie Hunter, the story follows two bunnies who create jetpacks and fly them around. It starts off with the bunnies flying the jetpacks around school, then to their grandmother’s house, and eventually into space!

The illustrations are colorful and filled with animals doing silly things. Kids who enjoy detailed illustrations will have fun looking over all of the different things going on in each page. The text is humorous and could be used to introduce the concept of adverbs. Recommended for preschoolers to third grade, this picture book is fun, but not a must-buy. If your child really enjoyed the “if you give a mouse a cookie” series, they may like this crazier version.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

four-stars

Stegothesaurus

StegothesaurusStegothesaurus by Bridget Heos, T.L. McBeth
Published by Henry Holt & Company on June 12th 2018
ISBN: 1250134889
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

“Stegothesaurus,” by Bridget Heos and illustrated by T. L. McBeth, follows three stegosaurus brothers as they go about their lives. But one brother is not a simple stegosaur. He is a stegothesaurus! Whenever his brothers use one word, Stegothesaurus uses three different words to say the same thing. When an allosaurus jumps out to attack them, his brothers run away, but Stegothesaurus is frozen, thinking of different ways to describe the allosaur’s pointy and terrifying teeth!

McBeth’s illustrations are simple and colorful and very humorous! Kids will repeat the words that Stegothesaurus uses to describe things (don’t be surprised if the next time it’s hot out, your child says it is “blazing, blistering, broiling!”) Heos takes an idea that has been done in the past (“Thesaurus Rex” comes to mind) and makes it original and very funny. This book is a must-buy for a library’s picture book collection, or for kids who enjoy funny read-aloud books. With the hilarious plot, quotable dialogue, and simple and silly illustrations, I can see this book becoming a favorite for many children.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

five-stars

Archie and the Bear

Archie and the BearArchie and the Bear by Zanni Louise, David Mackintosh
Published by Clarion Books on September 18th 2018
ISBN: 1328973417
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

Archie and the Bear is a charming story of identity, cooperation, and ultimately friendship. The boy, Archie, wears a bear suit and believes he is a bear. The bear believes he is a boy and wears a sweater. After their meeting in the forest, they walk together, eat honey sandwiches and learn how to do bear and boy things. Ultimately they share their homes with each other and settle down under a cozy quilt to stop the shivers. A lovely example of imaginary play.

With the whimsical artwork of illustrator David Mackintosh, this book will appeal to preschoolers three to five years of age. The colors are on the cool side, reflecting the winter setting. The text is large enough for prereaders to follow along with.  This title is only available in hardcover and considering the target audience, it would be better suited in board book form. 

Overall, Archie and the Bear would be a quality addition to any library collection.

Reviewed by Liz Davis, Children’s Librarian, Waterville Public Library

four-stars

Step by Step

Step by StepStep by Step by Loreen Leedy
Published by Holiday House on May 8th 2018
ISBN: 0823439399
Pages: 32
Goodreads

“Who walks in the mud? A puppy.” Loren Leedy’s Step by Step leads the youngest of readers on a journey to learn who makes what footprint. Each of the animal’s footprints cascade across the pages with a question and clue along with it.  The answer is revealed when they turn the page and find the animal in question. Leedy’s illustrations are quite realistic although the background colors are slightly on the muted side. highlighting the featured animal. 

Not only will the reader benefit from learning the shape of the footprint, the correct term for each animal as a newborn is presented. For example, the reader learns “fawn”, sea turtle “hatchling”, rabbit “kitten”, and so forth. At the book’s conclusion, more in-depth information is given about each of the animals from birth to “toddler.”

This is a wonderful title to read for an animal storytime. Parents and caregivers will be asked to read it over-and-over again. Step by Step is certain to become one of any toddler’s favorite books.

Reviewed by Liz Davis, Children’s Librarian, Waterville Public Library