Format: Picture Book Fiction

Drawn Onward

Drawn OnwardDrawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, Matt Rockefeller
on October 8, 2024
ISBN: 0063277166
Genres: Adventure, Emotions & Feelings, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Magical Realism, Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
four-stars

Drawn Onward, by Daniel Nayeri, with extraordinary illustrations by Matt Rockefeller, is a near-wordless picture book with a heavy influence of The Legend of Zelda. Nayeri gives us the story of a boy grieving the loss of his mother. In this lush, fantasy world, the boy is tasked with gathering ingredients from a recipe his mother used to make. His father is surprised as the boy angrily bursts out the door to go on a quest. What is next, is a fantastically illustrated journey of grief and finding oneself, and then returning home and finding the love that’s there.

The title is a palindrome, the sparse text that is included in the book is a palindrome, and the arc of the story and the elements in the illustrations are palindromes themselves. The entire book mirrors the wave of grief and a “v” like structure of leaving, the moment of finding, and returning home. Unfortunately, it took me almost five entire reads through and a deep dive on the internet to understand this, remotely.

It’s an extraordinary tale with an important message about grief, as well as unbelievable  illustrations by Rockefeller. Highly recommended for upper elementary students, given the complexity. It’s clear that a massive amount of work was put into this publication, but the creative use of the palindrome text within the pages actually made the story more difficult to understand. With graphic novel style panels, it seems like it might have been better geared more towards graphic novel readers.

Some kids and educators will love this, and others will be daunted by it. Overall, it is meant to be explored and read multiple times. It is meant to be flipped through and examined from cover to cover. With such deep themes of love and death, I wonder if typical picture-book-aged children might find it overwhelming.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

 

 

four-stars

Doctor Fairytale

Doctor FairytaleDoctor Fairytale by Catherine Jacob, Hoàng Giang
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536238813
Genres: Fairy Tale, Fiction in Verse/Poetry, Folklore, Humor, Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Doctor Fairytale has a busy day! A little girl dressed in her doctor’s coat and supplies drives around the kingdom with her canine companion helping her patients and their maladies. On each page, Doctor Fairytale helps someone in need: Cinderella needs to soak her feet after dancing all night, Rapunzel’s headache calls for a new hair-do, Snow White needs help waking up! Kids will love the experience of guessing which fairytale the Doctor is there to help next. Although, all of a sudden, Doctor Fairytale herself is feeling unwell.

Catherine Jacobs does a wonderful job writing rhyming verse that flows from one page to the next. “My mom made me a cup of tea and off I went to bed. I took some special medicine to calm my pounding head. But then I heard a noise outside–a knock at our front door. I peered out from my window, and just look at who I saw… We’ve come to visit you!” [the fairytale characters] cried. At the end of the book, they all wish Doctor Fairytale to get well soon and she falls fast asleep. Hoang Giang’s illustrations make this book truly shine with the saturated watercolors and elaborate sketched borders around the text boxes. This is a delightful bedtime story, and I was pleased to see a version of Cinderella with darker skin and textured hair.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop. 

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Pavlo Gets the Grumps

Pavlo Gets the GrumpsPavlo Gets the Grumps by Natalia Shaloshvili
Published by Candlewick Press on 2024
ISBN: 1536235547
Genres: Animals, Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

A kitten named Pavlo wakes up in a bit of a mood. He doesn’t want to to the park, nor go swimming, nor go to see a movie. His mother observes that he must have the grumps. Mama cat suggests that they go out anyway and Pavlo’s friends at the park gently bring him out of his funk.

With a universally applicable theme and soft, fuzzy-looking images created with acrylics and watercolors, Ukrainian-born author Natalia Shaloshvili has created a fun read-aloud gem. It would be an excellent pair with Laura Dockrill’s Gray, another recent picture book that puts a positive spin on less-than-positive emotions.

Highly recommended!   Suggested reading level: 3-7 year-olds.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

Olivette Is You

Olivette Is YouOlivette Is You by Nico Tortorella
Published by Random House on 2024
ISBN: 059338153X
Genres: Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

Simple rhyming text and effervescently cheerful illustrations introduce us to Olivette, a kid who can do, and be, anything. The message of the book is not only that Olivette is “all of it”, but so is everyone else.  One memorable two-page illustration shows a diverse row of children, and even Olivette’s dog, lined up at a table with their own nesting dolls showing the many different aspects of their individual personalities, from artists and athlete to doctors and scholars.
All the illustrations, done with Adobe Photoshop, are exceptionally inclusive.

An example of one of the most representative rhymes is:
“No matter where we come from,
What we look like,
How we speak,
We aren’t that different, after all.
We are equally unique!”

This book would make for an extremely cheerful, positive read-aloud for 4-8 year-olds.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

The Last Stand

The Last StandThe Last Stand by Antwan Eady, Jarrett Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey
Published by Alfred A. Knopf on 2024
ISBN: 0593480570
Genres: Farm Life, Cultural / African American
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
five-stars

An unnamed young teen boy helps his grandfather harvest and sell fresh produce at the last remaining farm stand in their all-Black neighborhood. Poignantly, their’s is the last stand open in what was once a thriving five-stall location. When the grandfather becomes ill, his grandson works hard to continue business as usual by loading up a wagon and peddling it to the farm stand with his bicycle. The grateful neighbors bring gifts of jams and baked goods to wish his grandfather well. The grandfather does recover and the last pages show that the grandson takes over the stand as an adult. Significantly, one of the other stands has also reopened by then, showing some signs of recovery for Black farmers, as well.

The author’s note at the end of the book explains the reality of the plight of small-scale Black farmers. He hopes this book will help to bring this issue to light. The illustrations are done with handmade stamps and digitally edited.

Highly recommended as an engaging way to introduce 3-7 year olds to important social issues.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine

five-stars

Peace on Earth

Peace on EarthPeace on Earth by David Litchfield, Smriti Prasadam-Halls
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536235709
Genres: Adventure, Emotions & Feelings
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

What does peace on earth look like? This picture book shows how we can find peace in nature, friendships, and adventures. But sometimes peace can be hard to find when hurtful words are used. At that point, it takes bravery and kindness to come back together and rekindle the peace that once was. While the text of this book is simplistic (and sadly repetitive when peace is hard to find), the illustrations in this book are stunning – full of detail, color, and whimsy. This book could be useful for children navigating difficult relationships or having trouble with peers. Recommended for ages 5-8 (Kindergarten to 2nd Grade).

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

three-stars

Still Life

Still LifeStill Life by Alex London, Paul O. Zelinsky
ISBN: 0063229552
Genres: Arts
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

In a still life painting, nothing moves – ever. This quirky story is narrated by a stuffy artist explaining his still life painting. He repeats his mantra that still life paintings never move, while to the contrary, an adventure featuring mice, dragons, a knight, and a princess unfolds before the reader’s eyes.  This book is silly and fun, with the text telling a different story than the illustrations.  Though, some knowledge of still life paintings (and sarcasm) may be helpful to fully appreciate the humor. The illustrations are a clever mix of traditional and digital styles. Recommended for ages 5-7 (Kindergarten to 1st Grade).

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

four-stars

Tiny Jenny: Little Fairy, Big Trouble

Tiny Jenny: Little Fairy, Big TroubleTiny Jenny: Little Fairy, Big Trouble by Briony May Smith
ISBN: 0593650476
Genres: Fairy Tale
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Tiny Jenny is a wingless fairy born to a family of wrens. She creates some mischief growing up in the forest, and is encouraged by a wise owl to go find the fairies to learn more about herself. She finds the fairies to be bullies, stealing from her friends and wreaking havoc in the woods. Instead of choosing to join the fairies and gain her wings, she stands up to them, daring to eat the mushrooms from their magic circle. With the circle no longer intact, the fairies are forced to leave the forest and Tiny Jenny returns to her family of wrens, and is (almost) never naughty again. The illustrations are lovely, celebrate nature, and are visually captivating. This story has so many lessons or potential parallel experiences (such as bullying, acting out, and feelings related to being adopted). The story is a bit long, and does paint the entirety of the fairy species as being “bad”. Recommended for ages 5-8 (Kindergarten to 2nd Grade).

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

four-stars

The Magic Callaloo

The Magic CallalooThe Magic Callaloo by Sophie Bass, Trish Cooke
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 1536235571
Genres: Cultural / African American, Fairy Tale
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Once upon a time, there was a tiny village that had a special gift – a Callaloo plant that granted wishes. The people of the village cared greatly for the plant, helping it to thrive and sharing the magic. One day, a very selfish man wanted the Callaloo all for himself so that he could have endless wishes. He became so lazy that he failed to care for the plant, which had withered away with the exception of one leaf. Meanwhile, a married couple back in the village longed for a child so much, that when an old wise woman told them where the plant had been taken to, they traveled in search of the plant, battling snakes and dragons, in hopes of getting one last wish fulfilled. With the last of the remaining Callaloo magic their wish was granted, and they named their daughter Lou. Lou was beautiful, with luscious Afro hair reminiscent of the Callaloo plant. The selfish man captures Lou and forces her into a life of slavery. Until one day, the wise old woman visits Lou, and gives her a roadmap home by braiding her hair. This story is a cultural and moving re-telling of the classic “Rapunzel”, with bright, colorful, vibrant illustrations, and it would be an excellent addition to any picture book collection. Recommended for ages 7-9 (2nd to 3rd Grade). Cream of the Crop nominee.

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

five-stars

They Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom

They Call Me Teach: Lessons in FreedomThey Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom by James E. Ransome, Lesa Cline-Ransome
Published by Candlewick Press ISBN: 0763681555
Genres: Cultural / African American, Historical Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

A young slave that goes by “Teach” was fortunate to become educated by studying with his Master’s son. Before she died, his mother reminded him that every day is a chance to make something of yourself. This moving story showcases a week in the life of Teach: teaching reading to other slaves, stealing glances at his Master’s newspaper, forging a pass to freedom, and reading from the bible “Let my people go.” A poetic tale of the bravery and resistance during slavery, and the importance of and right to education. Illustrations are beautiful, soft, sketchy, and full of emotion. This would be an excellent addition to any picture book collection or as part of a larger classroom lesson plan. Recommended for ages 6-9 (1st to 3rd Grade). Cream of the Crop nominee.

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell

five-stars