Format: Picture Book Fiction

The Digger and the Flower

The Digger and the FlowerThe Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler
Published by Balzer + Bray on January 23rd 2018
ISBN: 0062424335
Pages: 48
Goodreads
five-stars

Digger, Dozer, and Crane work together every day building a city. One day, during a break, Digger finds a small flower in the middle of the buildings. He thought it was beautiful and decided to protect it. Eventually, they built up the whole city, and the only spot not built on was the spot the flower sat on.  Before Digger could stop Dozer, he cut the flower down. Devastated, Digger finds seeds where the flower used to sit, and takes them up into the hills for safety.  He buries them in the ground. The final spread is of multiple flowers growing outside of the city.  It’s a lovely little story that can also be used to talk about environmentalism. The illustrations are simply done with muted colors and add to the beauty of the story.  Recommended for purchase.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

five-stars

Building Books

Building BooksBuilding Books by Megan Wagner Lloyd
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 2nd 2018
ISBN: 1524773670
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

Owen and Katie are siblings who are very different.  Katie does not enjoy reading but absolutely loves to build things.  Her brother loved nothing more than reading books.  They just don’t understand each other and argue over which is the best — building or reading. One day  a librarian steps in to see if she can help them see their worlds a bit differently.  Katie is supposed to read books, while Owen is ask to shelve books.  Both of them are displeased and ignore the librarian’s request.  However, through a twist of fate, while Katie is building with a pile of books, she discovers a book called Castle Engineering.  Immediately intrigued with this book, she begins to read.  Meanwhile, Owen begins building with the large stack of books and realizes he enjoys creating something new.  Both now agree that reading and building are both great things to do and settle into a big library chair and read, together.   The illustrations were created using ink and gouache, and finished digitally. The detailed illustrations are colorful and playful set off against plenty of white space.  The text is well-paced and offers a valid lesson of being open to new things and keeping an open mind.

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, ME

three-stars

Ella & Monkey at Sea

Ella & Monkey at SeaElla and Monkey at Sea by Emilie Boon
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on August 7th 2018
ISBN: 0763692336
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

Ella doesn’t like good-byes, or sailing across the sea, or playing with other children on the ship, and gets grumpier and grumpier, especially during a hurricane. The reader is never told that Ella is disgruntled, instead, we read about Monkey and his fears. Gradually Ella shows her feelings by saying, “Me too.”  We read how Ella calms him and sings lullabys to him and finally uses Monkey’s crayons to draw sunshine pictures to cheer everyone up.

    Soft, simple illustrations help calm the reader through this upsetting experience. Lots of white space keep the focus on Ella and Monkey. Text has many short, direct sentences; longer sentences are purposely broken into appropriate sections. End papers begin with a Dutch countryside and end with the city skyline.

   This book brings the European immigration experience to the youngest of readers in a gentle, compassionate way. The time frame is vague, but it has an mid 1900’s feel to it. Buy this book for the immigration lesson if you have a need, but definitely buy it it as a wonderful, reassuring story showing ways children deal with fears and anxieties through their beloved favorite stuffed animals, regardless of where they are traveling or what they are doing.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

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

five-stars

Night Job

Night JobNight Job by Karen Hesse, G. Brian Karas
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on September 11th 2018
ISBN: 0763662380
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

What better way to spend the night than with one’s dad at work! The strong father-son bond is felt during an ordinary experience that feels special as told by a boy. His father is a school janitor. They live in a small apartment. But they seem to make the best of it: they have each other and they have dreams.

    Soft, somewhat simple illustrations with lots of appropriate grayscales and shading for the night setting. Some double page spreads, some half-page panels framed by white thick borders that hold the text. Even though the father doesn’t speak, we feel he is glad to have his son with him.

    Great for discussing figurative language, first-personal narratives, but even better for providing youngsters an opportunity to think about everyday experiences that become special just because they got to spend time with an adult. This is also an excellent example of how some families have unusual routines.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

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

five-stars

Stories in a Seashell

Stories in a SeashellStories in a Seashell by Alex Nogues Otero, Silvia Cabestany
Published by Starberry Books -- Kane Press on January 1st 2018
ISBN: 1575659689
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars

What can you do with a seashell that you have found at the beach?  Max had heard stories that you could hear the sea if you listen.  Young Max decides to give it a try and finds that it is true. Not only can he hear the sea, but an entire story unfolds as he sits on the beach and listens carefully.  An imaginative tale unfolds that includes voices of pirates sailing the seas,  sounds of the waves, calls of the puffins to songs of the whales.  He also sees, mermaids, submarine captains and finally spies a little boy on the beach holding a big shell against his ear. A great story for young readers that will inspire them to use their imagination.  The palette is soft and muted by illustrations that fill up the entire page with just the right amount of text.  Originally published in Spain, this import is a solid choice for any library.

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, Maine

three-stars

Vincent Comes Home

Vincent Comes HomeVincent Comes Home by Jessixa Bagley, Aaron Bagley
Published by Roaring Brook Press on February 13th 2018
ISBN: 1626727805
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

A lovely picture book that explores the concept of home and what it means to people, or animals. Vincent the cat lives on a cargo ship, aptly titled Domus; if only Vincent spoke Latin he would know where his home was. When he hears several of the sailors speaking highly of “Home” he wonders if he has one and if it’s better than where he is. Eager to get to the bottom of the mystery, Vincent dares to leave the ship one day in pursuit of a mate heading for “Home.” When the man arrives home, Vincent observes that “Home” does not look that special. As he continues his research, he finds that Home seems to be about the people waiting for you. Luckily, his person, the captain, has been looking for him and when the two are finally reunited, they promptly head Home. Mystery solved. Home is the person who misses you when you’re gone and who looks for you when you are lost. Husband and wife team Jessixa and Aaron Bagley beautifully convey their message through simple text and shimmering watercolor illustrations. A solid addition for any picture book collection.

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

four-stars

This Makes Me Angry

This Makes Me AngryThis Makes Me Angry by Courtney Carbone, Hilli Kushnir
Published by Rodale Kids on June 12th 2018
ISBN: 1635650720
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

This is one of four titles in a series called “Dealing with Feelings”.  It is a level 2 easy reader for children in grades k-2.  A school aged boy has small, irritating things happen as he goes through his morning routine until he takes his frustrations out by yelling at his friends at lunch.  He is sent to the principal who listens to everything and then provides him a book to draw all the things that made him angry.  He is then able to state that “I am feeling angry.”  He apologizes to the appropriate people at school and at home.  The text provides the young reader clues about feeling angry.  Beeping that sounds like yelling, heat rising inside, insides feel boiling like a tea kettle.  This would be useful to school counselors and parents as a discussion starter.  The illustrations of the boy’s facial features match the text with each level of anger expressed.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library

four-stars

On Gull Beach

ISBN: 9781943645183
four-stars

This is the third in the On Bird Hill and Beyond series, a collaboration between Jane Yolen as author and Bob Marstall as illustrator. This trilogy of books were written for the  renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In a rhyming format, a young boy is in pursuit of a starfish on a beach in Cape Cod,  but gulls are determined to thwart him as they have fun tossing the starfish back and forth. In the end, the boy rescues the starfish and returns it to the water and safety. The illustrations are simple, muted, and very appealing. The unusual appendix titled Life on a New England Beach will, perhaps, be the most wondrous portion of this offering. Information is shared about different birds along with pictures of each. Young readers are also instructed about how they can keep our beaches and wildlife safe and thriving. On top of all of this, 35% of the net profits from the books in this series go to  Cornell Lab to support projects such as children’s educational and community programs. This book will be appealing to both young readers and to their teachers and parents who will find themselves learning something about birds that, perhaps, they never knew.

 

Carla McAllister, New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester

four-stars

The Great Grammar Book

Pages: 14
three-stars

This pop-up book makes nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and pronouns come to life. `The book isn’t strong enough to go to a lot of homes, but it’s a greta resource for teaches working one on one with students struggling with grammar concepts. It a way to make a physical concrete connection with verbs by using a moving wheel. Flip up patches for nouns are used within a stort story for nouns. There is a mirror to help teach pronouns. A pop-up park to help teach conjunctions. Plurals. possives, punctuation, and complete sentences are all demonstrated in fun ways.

Reviewed by Jeri Fitzpatrick, GNG Middle School, Gray

 

three-stars

Where’s The Baby?

Where’s The Baby?Where's the Baby? by Britta Teckentrup
Published by Big Picture Press on April 10th 2018
ISBN: 0763699012
Pages: 32
Goodreads
four-stars

What a clever way to spot the babies hidden in this imaginative and wonderfully illustrated book by Britta Teckentrup.  “These slumbering sloths love hanging around in the tops of the trees, so high off the ground.”  The rhyming text that accompanies each full page spread is just lengthy enough to allow young readers time to spot the babies hiding so cleverly by their mothers.  Fun to share or just for quiet pleasure,  I never tire of her art.

reviewed by Karen Spiliopoulos, parsons Memorial Library, Alfred

 

 

 

four-stars