Format: Picture Book Fiction

This Story is Not About a Kitten

This Story is Not About a KittenThis Story is Not About a Kitten by Randall de Sève, Carson Ellis
Published by Random House Studio on October 4, 2022
ISBN: 0593374533
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This story is not about a kitten, but it is about a community that values the life, and quality of life, of one small, abandoned kitten. Told through repetitive rhyming verse and bright, realistic brush strokes, the young reader will be engaged by the diversity and compassion of a group of neighbors who rally around saving a lost kitten and finding it a safe home. A good read-a-like for fans of Jan Brett’s The Mitten and Lucille Colandro’s There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Bat, librarians may discover that Randall de Seve’s This Story Is Not About A Kitten will make a perfect addition to the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s 2023 theme, All Together Now.

Reviewed by Lynn Harlan, Brewer Public Library

five-stars

Blue Bison Needs a Haircut

Blue Bison Needs a HaircutBlue Bison Needs a Haircut by Scott Rothman, Pete Oswald
Published by Random House Studio on October 18, 2022
ISBN: 0593428161
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Blue Bison Needs a Haircut is both the title and an excellent summary of this Rothman and Oswald picture book collaboration. Bison has a bit of trouble finding a place to get his signature haircut, and though friends and family try to assure him he looks great, he doesn’t truly find peace until his sister buzzes all his hair off with a lawnmower, unexpectedly giving him his new favorite look.

This book’s illustrations and text pair very well together, and the illustrations are engaging, dynamic, and expressive. The text is funny and has a few big words for kids to puzzle over, but otherwise the book flows well and the conclusion is both funny and a relief! This book would do well for a broad range of early readers, anywhere from K-3rd grade.

Reveiwed by Mary Randall, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

four-stars

Scaredy Squirrel Visits the Doctor

Scaredy Squirrel Visits the DoctorScaredy Squirrel Visits the Doctor by Mélanie Watt
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on October 25, 2022
ISBN: 0593307437
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Scaredy Squirrel Visits the Doctor is another solid installment in the Scaredy Squirrel series, in which our squirrel protagonist goes to the vet. The book is packed full of ailments that Scaredy Squirrel thinks he might have, as well as advice on how to avoid said ailments. The illustrations are cute and help clarify the text, which can be a bit overwhelmingly packed on each page. A solid addition to a collection where subject matter on visits to the doctors might be a source of anxiety. Good for readers in grades K-2.

Reviewed by Mary Randall, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

three-stars

The Lodge that Beaver Built

The Lodge that Beaver BuiltThe Lodge That Beaver Built by Randi Sonenshine, Anne Hunter
Published by Candlewick Press on September 27, 2022
ISBN: 1536218685
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

In “The Lodge That Beaver Built”, Sorenshine tells the story of Beaver, building his lodge to the lilting rhythm of “The House That Jack Built”. Along the way we meet the other denizens of the marshland and learn their relationship to the environment. It is brief but informative with the help of ink and colored-pencil illustrations that simply but accurately show what the text tells. For younger readers, this book will make them more curious about the fascinating lives of beavers. The back matter contains Beaver Facts, a glossary, and recommends online resources (websites and videos). It is too simple to support research (although the back matter helps) but it does an excellent job explaining the engineering of a lodge in a marsh. For early elementary classrooms researching Maine animals, this is a great read-aloud. You could also hand it to a naturalist who will love the way the illustrations and text work together.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

five-stars

The Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back

The Mouse Who Carried a House on His BackThe Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back by Jonathan Stutzman, Isabelle Arsenault
Published by Candlewick Press on August 30, 2022
ISBN: 1536216798
Pages: 48
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

In this beautifully illustrated book, about the bounty of sharing what you have, the main character is Vincent, a nomadic mouse. His house is small enough for him to carry but still manages to be large enough to welcome any animal in need of shelter. As the story progresses, his home grows (inside and outside) to accommodate these guests. At the climax of the story, when a hungry bear needs help, the smaller animals protest against allowing him entry. Vincent simply says, “(I)n my house, all animals are welcome.”

The illustrations (created with gouache, ink, and cut paper) support the story. The animals in need note that the house is bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside, however as more animals seek shelter, the house “grows” with architecturally different additions that pop up as the story goes along.

Preschoolers through second grade could find much to discuss in this sweet simple story about being generous and open to those who need help.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

four-stars

Books Aren’t For Eating

Books Aren’t For EatingBooks Aren't for Eating by Carlie Sorosiak, Manu Montoya
Published by Walker Books US on September 20, 2022
ISBN: 1536214965
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

A simply told story about finding that magical book that opens up the world of reading for the choosiest reader. Told from the point of view of Leopold, a goat who owns a second-hand book store and derives great joy from handing “just-right” books to various kinds of readers. Then he meets a tough customer (a fellow goat – most of his other customers are human). This goat savors the books Leopold hands to him but as a literal feast, instead of a literary one. In the end, Leopold finds the perfect book for the choosy goat to read.

The illustrations are fun with interesting details that immerse the reader more fully in the story. Young children will enjoy the silliness of the goat eating the books he should be reading. I thought Leopold was a little too invested in the goat customer seeing things his way. It is better than some other “the magic of just-right books” (talking to you, Goldie Socks and the Three Librearians) and not as good as Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don’t) by Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

two-stars

I’m a Unicorn

I’m a UnicornI'm a Unicorn by Helen Yoon
Published by Candlewick Press on September 13, 2022
ISBN: 1536219762
Pages: 32
Genres: Fantasy, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This romp of a picture book follows our narrator, a bull with one horn, through the emotional ups and downs and ups of self-identity. Using “Unicorn Facts & Myths” criteria as a guide, the bull declares himself a unicorn but begins to question this. Luckily he encounters some magical creatures that support his self-discovery. Yoon uses humor both sly and over-the top (be prepared for the poop jokes) to let readers know that it’s best to be who you are, not worry about what you’re “supposed to” look like and, equally importantly, support others who are being true to who they are.

Unicorns are (as always) having a moment, as is poop humor. Preschoolers through grade 2 will appreciate the expressive illustrations and simple language that delivers the message in a clear, creative and convincing way. This will make a fabulous read-aloud with lots of giggles.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

five-stars

Little Ellen

Little EllenLittle Ellen by Ellen DeGeneres, Eleanor Michalka
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on May 3, 2022
ISBN: 0593378601
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
one-star

In this picture book, Little Ellen uses rhyming couplets to share the message that it’s best to be one’s most authentic self through love, kindness, and caring. It starts with Little Ellen questioning what makes Ellen “Ellen” – not what she says or things, but what she does for others. Between the subplot of a secondary character that Ellen cheers up and and then leaves in a gazebo, inelegant rhyme schemes, and illustrations that are colorful to the point of sensory overload, the message is obscured.

Between rhymes that contort themselves to fit the theme and illustrations that are overwrought, this is not a useful or enjoyable book.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

one-star

Something About Grandma

Something About GrandmaSomething About Grandma by Tania de Regil
Published by Candlewick Press on August 9, 2022
ISBN: 1536201944
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

A lovely, quiet picture book about the magic of grandmas – their special gifts and their individuality. The writing is simple and carries the reader along as the narrator, Julia, a child, learns more about her grandmother while spending time with her at the grandmother’s home outside Mexico City. Julia changes from observer to fellow adventurer and finds maturity and her own maternal qualities along the way. It gently points to grandmas as individuals quietly teaching what that they know (seemingly through magic).

The illustrations use a collage of poems handwritten in Spanish (written by the author’s great-grandfather and transcribed by her grandmother) and a soft palette of blues for the nuclear family, while the grandmother is rendered in rose colors. This will make a great one-on-one read aloud for connecting generations.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

four-stars

A Very Big Fall

A Very Big FallA Very Big Fall by Emmy Kastner
Published by Clarion Books on August 2, 2022
ISBN: 035841945X
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

A fall foliage picture book about “finding the joy in change” through the perspective of three deciduous trees’ leaves: Birch (adventurous), Oak (comfortable with status quo), and Maple (covetous). A sweet story, each leaf has its own perspective, voice, and fate, accompanied by simple illustrations that reflect their differences. Our three amigos learn that change can lead down unexpected but delightful paths.

Children are fascinated by changing leaves – collecting them, jumping in them, etc. – and may enjoy this appealing tale. This is a fun fall read-aloud for the younger crowd (PreK-1) that doesn’t worry itself with the ultimate fate of leaves once they’re no longer decorative. Great for “Inevitably of Change Month”, which happens to be October (kidding!). It is a fun, frothy, fall book.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco

three-stars