Format: Picture Book Fiction

If You Find a Leaf

If You Find a LeafIf You Find a Leaf by Aimée Sicuro
Published by Random House Studio on July 12, 2022
ISBN: 0593306597
Pages: 40
Genres: Arts, Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

“If You Find a Leaf” is a picture book following a child as they collect leaves, imagining that they can use the leaves as different things. Aimee Sicuro uses a mixture of artistic media for each illustration, with the leaves always as realistic photographs collaged into the larger image. A leaf can be a hat, or a sail for a boat, or a superhero cape. The endpapers identify different types of leaves. Fun, simple, and beautiful, this picture book is recommended for ages 3 – 5, and is a recommended purchase for libraries where leaf-based picture books fly off the shelves in the Fall.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.

three-stars

Saving the Butterfly

Saving the ButterflySaving the Butterfly by Helen Cooper, Gill Smith
Published by Candlewick Press on June 21, 2022
ISBN: 1536220558
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Saving the Butterfly is an emotional read about two children suffering trauma as refugees. Both children are rescued from a boat but only the older remembers their journey and has difficulty getting past her loss. This story is probably not unique but the picture book format is sure to make a deep impression upon readers. Sadness and depression exhibited by the older sister is balanced by joy and hopefulness of the younger brother. Illustrations combine hope and sadness by using a range of colors and shadowing. While the village is shown in blacks and grays the flowers and butterfly include vibrant colors in many shades. The butterfly becomes a perfect symbol of hope even as it scares the younger brother. Readers will feel the emotional content and be grateful for the existence of a lovely creature who draws a depressed child out into her new village. The illustrations and text complement each other in a favorable way.

Readers may wonder if any services are offered to refugees like these siblings. Having minimal adult interactions seems to be a missed opportunity. As a picture book this story just touches on the reality of the refugee experience. Readers who have more questions will find lots of additional materials in public libraries and book stores. Because questions need to be answered this book should be included in primary media centers and public libraries. Intended for grade K-3 readers, this book would benefit and be welcomed by all ages. Art teachers will love the illustrations while guidance counselors will appreciate the content.

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, retired Youth Services Librarian

four-stars

Do Baby Elephants Suck Their Trunks?: Amazing Ways Animals Are Just Like Us

Do Baby Elephants Suck Their Trunks?: Amazing Ways Animals Are Just Like UsDo Baby Elephants Suck Their Trunks?: Amazing Ways Animals Are Just Like Us by Ben Lerwill, Katharine McEwen
Published by Candlewick Press on June 7, 2022
ISBN: 1536224049
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This title is attractive and informative for preschool age children. Ten animals (wild and domestic) are introduced to young readers in a simple and factual presentation. Questions are asked and answered in lovely illustrated two-page spreads for each animal. Children will identify with and see the similarities between humans and other animals. Colored backgrounds are perfect for the natural setting of each individual animal.

This is bound to become a lap book, one that toddlers will drag over to a parent or grandparent frequently. While the information is slight, the illustrations of the various animals are perfect. Each page offers opportunity to search for and identify a number of added natural items within the animal’s environment. Add to library collections where concept books are shelved. Consider for pre-K classrooms and nursery schools.

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, retired Youth Services Librarian

four-stars

Mum, Me and the Mulberry Tree

Mum, Me and the Mulberry TreeMum, Me, and the Mulberry Tree by Tanya Rosie, Chuck Groenink
Published by Candlewick Press on July 19, 2022
ISBN: 1536220353
Pages: 32
Genres: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Mother and child rise with the sun and take a bus into the country, where they spend the day picking mulberries. In the evening they return home and bake the berries into a pie. The text has an undemanding rhyming rhythm that is fun to read aloud, unspooling the gentle adventure of bus ride, rainstorm, tree-climbing and, finally, eating the delicious treat at the end. It is a sweet story that feels like a hug – it’s easy to imagine this being a book read over and over while snuggling.
Charming mixed media illustrations fill, but do not clutter, the page. They are in sync with the text and give the feel of an English countryside. Characters are white.

Four stars; a cozy addition to library shelves.

Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library

four-stars

Everything In Its Place

Everything In Its PlaceEverything in Its Place: A Story of Books and Belonging by Pauline David-Sax, Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
Published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers on July 19, 2022
ISBN: 0593378822
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Nicky finds it much easier to stay in the library with her beloved librarian, Ms. Gillam, than to go outside at recess and associate with her classmates. Ms. Gillam is supportive and accommodating but encourages Nicky to try playing outside during an upcoming week-long conference she’ll be attending. Nicky is crushed and finds solace in her mother’s restaurant where she catches up with her favorite regulars, particularly Maggie, a motorcycle-riding reader who passes books along to her young friend. When Maggie shows up one day with a huge group of motorcyclists, Nicky is awed by the diversity in the group and the way they all get along so well. She is encouraged to try her luck at the playground and even meets a new friend. Some kids stress about recess and this book would be helpful in starting a discussion about why that might be. The story is straightforward and the illustrations are nice, if a little chaotic. The book is kind and empathetic and would be a good read aloud for younger grades.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library

four-stars

Marley and the Family Band

Marley and the Family BandMarley and the Family Band by Cedella Marley, Tracey Baptiste, Tiffany Rose, D
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on February 1, 2022
ISBN: 0593301110
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Marley, recently transplanted from Jamaica to Delaware, is hoping to make music and friends at the same time through a concert in the park. The concert is in jeopardy, however, because of a threatening storm. Never fear — Marley is resilient, resourceful, and about to learn that helping strangers turns them into friends. As the rainstorm creates problems for her neighbors (cats on rooftops! Basements in need of bailing!), Marley and her siblings lend assistance.

It is a simple story with brief but descriptive text, lots of musical references (a cat named “Coda”), and lyrical text (“a drenched, dripping duet”). The brightly colored, dynamic illustrations, created with digital crayons and watercolor brushes, incorporate musical notes on almost every page. Readers are shown a diverse cast of characters, with Marley’s father and a younger brother in dreads; Mom wears a head wrap. The predictable patterns and satisfying conclusion make this a great choice for a musical story time.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library

four-stars

Jigsaw: Mystery in the Mail

Jigsaw: Mystery in the MailJigsaw: Mystery in the Mail by Bob Graham
Published by Candlewick Press on July 5, 2022
ISBN: 1536224995
Pages: 40
Genres: Mystery
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

The Kelly family receives a mystery puzzle in the mail and just as they are about to finish it, they realize they are missing the last piece. Readers will have to pay close attention to the illustrations in order to solve the mystery of the missing puzzle piece. However, the second mystery of who sent the puzzle to the Kelly family is left for the reader to imagine. This picture book about family and serendipity contains detailed watercolor illustrations that span from full-page to graphic-novel-styled panels. Each illustration complements the text perfectly. This story filled with hope and wishes that eventually things will find their right spot will appeal to many young readers.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Dyer Elementary School

three-stars

Buddy’s New Buddy

Buddy’s New BuddyBuddy's New Buddy by Christina Geist, Tim Bowers
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on July 12, 2022
ISBN: 0593307097
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
two-stars

This is the third book in Geist’s Buddy series. Buddy’s best friend has moved away and Buddy is nervous about who he will play with at school and sit with on the bus. Luckily, Buddy’s class gets a new student, Sunny, and it seems like she and Buddy will become good friends. Consider purchasing if the Buddy Series is popular in your library; otherwise, not a first purchase.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Dyer Elementary School

two-stars

Hundred Years of Happiness

Hundred Years of HappinessHundred Years of Happiness by Thanhha Lai, Phung Nguyen Quang, Huynh Kim Lien
Published by HarperCollins on April 5, 2022
ISBN: 0063026929
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

From the celebrated author of Inside Out and Back Again, this picture book features An’s relationship with her grandparents, particularly her grandmother Bá who is experiencing memory loss. An and her grandfather Ông, try to stir Bá’s memories by growing a fruit that they ate when they were married in Vietnam. The author, Thanhhà Lai, addresses Bá’s memory loss realistically and tenderly, without providing an unrealistic ending to the story. Vietnamese words are included throughout the book, as well as an author’s note about her memories of Vietnam, and a recipe in the back. This book will bring a diverse voice to grandparent/grandchild stories in any library and it would pair well with Rashin Kheiriyeh’s Saffron Ice Cream for a lesson on food and memory. School librarians and teachers could use these books as mentor texts when asking students to write about a food that reminds them of a memory or a place.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Dyer Elementary School

five-stars

Build

BuildBuild! by Red Nose Studio
Published by Anne Schwartz Books on May 17, 2022
ISBN: 0593376110
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Bold 3D objects made with wire, fabric, wood, and found objects illustrate the double-paged spreads in this entertaining picture book about construction. The images at the beginning are close-up to visualize a single word such as haul, unload, or lower. About three-quarters of the way through, the view expands and readers see a boy and realize they are not at a construction site, but with a boy playing. When the boy pulls out one piece of his structure, it causes everything to fall. The last pages feature the word “again” and shows the boy beginning a new building, but it could also be taken as an invitation to begin reading this delightfully imaginative book one more time! This book is a solid choice for school libraries with Pre-k programs and any library serving the youngest readers. Bonus: the inside of the book jacket is a poster illustrating all the machinery in the book!

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Dyer Elementary School

four-stars