Format: Picture Book Fiction

Walking for Water

Walking for WaterWalking for Water: How One Boy Stood Up for Gender Equality by Nicole Miles, Susan Hughes
Published by Kids Can Press on June 1, 2021
ISBN: 1525302493
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Walking for Water

 

In Malawi when girls reach eight years old they leave school in order to carry buckets of water five times a day for their family.  Victor and his twin sister had always attended together but now she must leave.  Victor’s teacher talks about inequality and this spurs Victor to share the duties with his sister.  They alternate days and each benefits.  The solution came very quickly and I feel there would have been push-back in the community.  But this wasn’t included.  The illustrations were excellent and groups concerned with water and food resources were added for those wanting more information.  It is an excellent picture book.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

four-stars

Bruno the Beekeeper

Bruno the BeekeeperBruno the Beekeeper: A Honey Primer by Aneta Františka Holasová
Published by Candlewick Press on March 2, 2021
ISBN: 1536214612
Pages: 80
Genres: Animals, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction, Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

The subtitle of the book is A Honey Primer, and it is completely accurate. This is a long picture book that is full of information about honeybees, beekeeping, and bees in general. The book is separated into the four seasons and features information about what the bees and those who keep them do in each season. The watercolor illustrations are simply gorgeous and elevate the already wonderful nature of this book. Recommended for wide purchase and for readers of all ages. Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

five-stars

Pete the Cat Rocking Field Day

Pete the Cat Rocking Field DayPete the Cat: Rocking Field Day by James Dean, Kimberly Dean
Published by HarperCollins on May 4, 2021
ISBN: 0062974084
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Pete and friends are back for another adventure. This time they’re participating in field day at school. Pete really wants to win first prize, but throughout the day, he learns that winning isn’t always the most important part. Familiar characters and illustrations will make this one an instant hit. As with most Pete the Cat books, this one focuses on a positive message, fun, and humor. Recommended for readers 5 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

So you want to be an owl

So you want to be an owlSo You Want to Be an Owl by Jane Porter, Maddie Frost
Published by Candlewick Press on January 12, 2021
ISBN: 153621521X
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Welcome to Owl School! Professor Olaf is here to help you determine if you have what it takes to be an owl. Great vision? Silent feathers? Sharp ears? See if you really want to be an owl afterall.

This whimsical and comical book about many characteristics of owls will educate and entertain at the same time. The illustrations are cartoonish and help keep the story from being too overwhelmed with information. There is a LOT in this book — lots of text, lots of information, and lots of fun. Hand this one to kids who love humor, birds, and owls. Recommended for readers 4 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

All of the factors of why I love tractors

All of the factors of why I love tractorsAll of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell, Jenny Lovlie
Published by Greenwillow Books on March 2, 2021
ISBN: 0063019183
Pages: 40
Genres: Humor, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Frankie and his mom are heading to the library. When they get there, Frank only wants books about tractors. The librarian, Miss Squid, is happy to have Frankie getting more tractor books, but his mom is tired of reading the same things over and over. Frankie’s mom tries to convince him to get books about trucks, trains, steam rollers, anything but tractors. Frank isn’t having it. He then lists all the reasons he loves tractors, and they leave with tractor books.

The rhyming text in this book is fun and creative. All sorts of people are depicted driving tractors and other big machinery, so that is refreshing. The digitally rendered illustrations full of color and life. They help carry the story and feature a wide variety of tractors. This book will be sure the please the tractor lovers of the world. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Welcome Flower Child: The Magic of Your Birth Flower

Welcome Flower Child: The Magic of Your Birth FlowerWelcome Flower Child by Brigette Barrager
Published by Random House Children's Books on January 5, 2021
ISBN: 9781984830395
Pages: 42
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a difficult book to define – could be poetry, could be informational, but the CIP states fictional (E). It is described on Amazon as “A beautiful gift book that reveals the meaning of birth flowers for babies born each month of the year.” The book begins “Every child is a different kind of flower, and all together, make this world a beautiful garden.” Readers will learn all about the flowers for each month which are accompanied by four rhyming lines that describe the month and an “uplifting horoscope” for children born in that month. The verses are rather mundane but affirming. Fairies with a variety of skin tones fly about the gorgeous garden scenes. Children will enjoy finding their birth flowers and this book could be used during Story Time to reinforce months of the year and birthdays.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

three-stars

Wheels

WheelsWheels by Brian Lovelock, Sally Sutton
Published by Candlewick Press on June 2, 2020
ISBN: 1536211087
Pages: 32
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

There are so many vehicle books out there. So. Many. But if you have a vehicle-obsessed toddler or preschooler you’ve probably experienced feeling like you’ve read all the books and that there can never be too many books about “big things that go”.  Wheels is a welcome new addition to that genre; it’s fast-paced and loud and colorful and exciting. It’s easy to memorize the pattern in the text and kids will immediately catch on to when they’re supposed to shout. Fun (and loud) book to read to preschoolers.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten free Library, Bath

four-stars

From Ed’s To Ned’s

From Ed’s To Ned’sFrom Ed's to Ned's by Gideon Sterer, Lucy Ruth Cummins
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on June 2, 2020
ISBN: 0525648070
Pages: 48
Genres: Adventure
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This is a fun rhyming book about a neighborhood of kids moving from house to house using different modes of transportation. They climb, zip-line, parachute, and even cannon-ball blast themselves to the house next door and pick up two more friends at each stop. The illustrations are as entertaining and light as the text and the book reminds me a lot of my own neighborhood, where it wouldn’t seem out of place at all to see all the kids tightrope walking between all of our houses. The page of the kids happily surrounded by boxes is priceless. Great read aloud book, especially for active tinkerers.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

four-stars

Regina is not a little dinosaur

Regina is not a little dinosaurRegina Is Not a Little Dinosaur by Andrea Zuill
Published by Schwartz & Wade Books on April 13, 2021
ISBN: 0593127285
Pages: 32
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Humor
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
three-stars

Regina is a young dinosaur and though her mother disagrees, Regina is ready to hunt! She practices all her hunting skills—her glare, her stalk, her bite! When an unsuspected animal frightens Regina (a bee), she’s sent running back to her mom for comfort. Regina’s mom gives her a list of things she can hunt, and Regina is off and hunting! This is a cute, somewhat humorous story of growing up and being little at the same time. The ink illustrations are full of emotion and humor and really help bring Regina to life. Recommended for fans of Zuill’s previous work and dinosaur fans everywhere. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

The Midnight Fair

The Midnight FairThe Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer, Mariachiara Di Giorgio
Published by Candlewick Press on February 2, 2021
ISBN: 153621115X
Pages: 32
Genres: Adventure, Animals, Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

This is a beautifully illustrated wordless picture book about what happens at the fair during the night when it’s closed. Not surprisingly, the animals of the forest come out and take full advantage of all the fun the fair has to offer—they ride the carousel, they play the games, they eat the food. The mixed media illustrations feature gorgeous and brightly colored watercolors that really convey the magic of the fair at night. Hand this book to fans of wordless books who love a little imagination and fun in their stories. Recommended for readers 3 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars