Nice Try, Charlie

Nice Try, CharlieNice Try, Charlie! by Matt James
Published by Groundwood Books on September 1, 2020
ISBN: 1773061801
Pages: 48
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Charlie is a fixture in town. He pushes a cart loaded with treasures, and he picks up many things other people consider to be trash. He finds ways to use things other people throw away. Charlie helps a neighbor get her cat back, and then he stumbles upon a box with an entire pie in it. He makes an effort to find the owner of the pie, but when he’s unable to find the owner, he shares the pie with his community of friends.

This is an important story because it focuses on the type of person often overlooked by many people in society. Charlie exudes kindness, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by his friends. The mixed media illustrations are beautiful and add so much depth and dimension to the story. The combination of thick strokes of acrylic paint with collage give the sense there’s actually three dimensional texture on the page (this reviewer’s 5-yr old tried to touch one page and was confused/disappointed when it was still flat). This is a wonderful story about friendship, community, and finding kindness and value in all people. Recommended for purchase and for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

In The Half Room

In The Half RoomIn the Half Room by Carson Ellis
Published by Candlewick Press on October 13, 2020
ISBN: 1536214566
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Half a cat lies on half a rug, on half a floor, in half a house. Everything in this story is half of something until a knock comes at the door. This is a whimsical and quirky story with no major plot. The text is simple and sparse. The gouache and ink illustrations are beautiful and bring the half house to half life. Hand this to fans of quirky reads. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Space Matters

Space MattersSpace Matters by Jacque Lynn, Lydia Nichols
ISBN: 1328801470
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Space matters, spaces matter. This is a fun book about perspective. Spaces make sentences, they help you to see the whole picture, they keep pudding from tasting like pickles. The text is simple and easy to follow when paired with the illustrations. The illustrations are mixed media with clean lines and bright colors. Without the illustrations, the text wouldn’t make sense at all. They are critical to the story. The premise of this book is a good one, but the concept will be lost on the youngest of readers. Recommended for readers 4 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Dear Earth…From Your Friends in Room 5

Dear Earth…From Your Friends in Room 5Dear Earth…From Your Friends in Room 5 by Erin Dealey, Luisa Uribe
Published by HarperCollins on December 1, 2020
ISBN: 0062915320
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

The kids in Room 5 write a letter to the Earth asking what they can do to help. They’re surprised when they get an answer! This begins a dialog between the kids in Room 5 (later referred to as “Earth Heroes”) and our planet. The kids talk about small changes they’re making—turning off the lights, using reusable water bottles, recycling/reusing paper, etc. As the year goes on, the seasons change, but the kids’ enthusiasm for helping the planet does not.

The text is presented entirely as letters between the class and the Earth. It is a fun way to tell the story and to share important information about helping the planet that will keep readers engaged. There are bits of humor and wit woven in as well to lighten the mood. The digitally rendered illustrations are colorful and detailed enough to bring the story to life. They include a classroom of kids diverse in race and physical ability, and all kids are shown helping the efforts together. This is a fun book about how little changes can make a big difference in the health of our planet. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

The Boy and the Gorilla

The Boy and the GorillaThe Boy and the Gorilla by Cindy Derby, Jackie Azúa Kramer
Published by Candlewick Press on October 13, 2020
ISBN: 0763698326
Pages: 48
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

A young boy is mourning the death of his mother. He begins a relationship with an imaginary gorilla who helps him process his emotions and who answers many questions young kids have about death in general. The gorilla helps the boy to know it’s ok to be sad, and that the things the boy once enjoyed with his mother will eventually feel less sad and instead a way to remember the good times he had with his mom.

The text is simple and clear. The gorilla’s text is italicized so it’s clear who is talking. the mixed media illustrations are simply gorgeous and carry the heavy emotion of the book with ease. The gorilla exudes kindness and empathy while simultaneously being strong. This is a wonderful book on a very difficult topic. Recommended for wide purchase, for Cream of the Crop, and for readers of all ages dealing with grief.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

Eyes That Kiss in the CornersEyes That Kiss in the Corners by Dung Ho, Joanna Ho
Published by HarperCollins on January 5, 2021
ISBN: 0062915622
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

A young girl notices her eyes are different than some of her friends’ eyes, and she knows her eyes are like those of her family members. The book walks the reader through the many ways the girl’s eyes are like her mother’s, her sibling’s, her grandmother’s. The text is far more poetic than can be depicted here—there are references to Asian culture throughout and this will lead to many great discussions and learning opportunities. This is an important windows/mirrors book. Some readers will see people who look differently than they do in this book, and some readers will see themselves. The digitally rendered artwork is gorgeous and colorful. It brings the emotions of a strong familial bond to life while weaving in the poetic details of the text effortlessly. Recommended for readers 4 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

I am not a penguin

I am not a penguinI Am Not a Penguin: A Pangolin's Lament by Liz Wong
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on January 19, 2021
ISBN: 0593127404
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

A pangolin sets up a sign inviting other animals to come and learn about pangolins. Immediately, there is confusion among the other animals. ” Did somebody say “penguins”? Oooo! I love penguins!” The confusion continues as the pangolin attempts to explain that it is not, in fact, a penguin—or an anteater, or an armadillo.

This is a funny and informative book. Kids will love the silliness and wit throughout the dialog. The illustrations are cartoonish, and the animals are all anthropomorphized in that they stand on two feet. The text is presented in speech bubbles so it can be a bit tricky for super young readers to follow, but this is a great opportunity to help kids begin to develop the skillset of following the dialog. This would be a super fun read aloud, especially for someone who does voices well. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

The Blue Table

The Blue TableThe Blue Table by Chris Raschka
Published by Greenwillow Books on October 20, 2020
ISBN: 0062937766
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This simple book follows the life of a blue table. First, just one child is at the table, then one parent, then two parents, then another family. The people are never fully pictured. They are implied by the items on the table—a cup of milk and some paper and crayons, then a cup of coffee and a newspaper, then another cup of coffee and a book. The book also includes the table being covered in vegetables from the garden, an apple pie being constructed, and more tasks that go along with expecting company. When an extra leaf is put into the table, the feast is ready to begin. Again, none of the people are fully depicted, though we do see their arms and hands, and those illustrations have a variety of skin tones depicted. The text is very sparse with only one phrase per page. The illustrations are watercolor and paper cut collage, and completely carry the story. Since the text is so sparse, the illustrations are essential. Obviously, the blue table is at the center of each page, and there are many small but important details depicted on each spread. This would make a great read aloud and could be used as a story time book provided everyone can see the illustrations well (so maybe not the best for virtual reading). Recommended for readers 2 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Non Stop

Non StopNonstop by Tomi Ungerer
Published by Phaidon Press on September 16, 2020
ISBN: 183866159X
Pages: 48
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

It isn’t often that I see a picture book that reads like a dystopian nightmare but here we are. Ungerer is wonderful in that you never really know what you’re going to get when you open one of his books and in Non Stop you have no idea what you’re going to get page to page. A man named Vasco is apparently a straggler after what might have been a cataclysmic event that forced people to move to the moon. He is repeatedly rescued by his own shadow from tragedy. After he adopts a young creature named Poco, they both evade disaster and end up living in a cake. I absolutely love this book. It’s somewhat alarming with its references to climate change, isolation and pollution but it will present multiple opportunities to discuss these things that might be weighing on young children. The end is reassuring and even if no discussion arises, it’s a provocative story with striking illustrations.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars

Lift

LiftLift by Dan Santat, Minh Lê
on May 5, 2020
ISBN: 1368036929
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

The illustrations by Dan Santat in this picture book are so spectacular it would be easy to overlook how perceptive and nice the story by Minh Le is. Iris is a young child who lives to press the elevator button in her family’s apartment building; it’s her job and she takes it very seriously. One day her world comes crashing down when her parents let her toddler sibling press the button before Iris can. (They seem nice enough but, wow, was it ever an act of horrible betrayal.) When it happens a second time Iris loses it and presses so many buttons the elevator breaks which has a silver lining because she retrieves the button from the trash and tapes it to her wall and then she gets to go to a space station. This book is excellent in how it describes Iris’s pain and reaction and ultimate redemption.  And it is one of those rare reads in which both kids and parents most likely will identify with the character’s mistakes and then reflect with compassion on both the people in the book and themselves.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars