Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger The books reviewed in this column are designed to captivate young minds as adults share them with babies and toddlers. Explore stories that ignite curiosity about nature, enjoy interactive guessing games, and find soothing bedtime tales. Start inspiring a love of reading in little ones today. All About Nature: Animals, Insects, Plants, and More! (The All About Picture Book Series #2) Huda Harajli. Illus. by Jane Sanders. (2024). Callisto. “Nature is all around us!” “Nature is everything in our world not made by people.” Huda Harajli presents facts about the natural world using simple language that toddlers can understand. Each page covers different elements of nature such as the sun, air, water, the ground, plants, animals, weather patterns, and seasons. Jane Sanders' colorful illustrations featuring children outdoors exploring the world around them vividly make these facts more accessible for young readers. After reading this engaging, interactive informational picture book, children will want to share with others what they know about nature and be eager to learn more. All of Those Babies. Mylisa Larsen. Illus. by Stephanie Laberis. (2024). Beach Lane. Mylisa Larsen’s story in rhyme introduces readers to the world of baby animals, sharing their unique and sometimes surprising names. “Echidnas have puggles. / Geese hatch their goslings. / Humpbacks have calves. / Codfish have codlings.” Stephanie Laberis’ cheery illustrations, rendered digitally, picture the baby animals first with their mothers and then in action as they grow. Young children will be captivated by the story’s shift to human babies showing them growing just like the baby animals. “[F]or babies are babies, / but everyone knows . . . // that everyone, / everyone, / everyone / GROWS!” This picture book entertains but also educates, fostering a sense of wonder and excitement about the natural process of growth. Eye Guess: A Forest Animal Guessing Game. Phyllis Limbacher Tildes. (2024). Charlesbridge. Phyllis Limbacher Tildes’ lift-the-flap board book presents close-up images of the eyes and a part of the face of forest animals and some interesting facts about them that invite young readers to play a who-am-I? game. Answers are revealed by opening the fold-out page to reveal the animal in its habitat and its name in bold type, making the reading of the book a fun and interactive experience. This guessing game format is sure to captivate young children, keeping them entertained while they learn about eight animals: duck, turtle, frog, racoon, bobcat, mouse, owl, and wolf. The colorful and detailed images will help children develop their observational skills and gain knowledge about different animals as they engage with the book repeatedly. Eyes, Nose, Belly, Toes: My First Human Body Book. Krupa Bhojani Playforth, MD. Illus. by Becky Paige. (2024). Callisto. This informative and interactive board book is a kid-friendly first book about the human body. The introduction aimed at adults mentions the research on how children start making observations about bodies at a very young age and offers tips for reading the book with children at different developmental stages. Using simple sentences and speaking directly to the child, Krupa Bhojani Playforth explains parts of the body in a way that is easy for them to understand. For example, “This is the head. Can you point to yours? The head has many parts: hair, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.” Becky Paige's vibrant illustrations feature a diverse array of toddlers and images that focus on different body parts and their functions and invite the interest and participation of young children. Hey! What’s That? Sandra Boynton. (2024). Boynton Book Works. Sandra Boynton’s interactive board book featuring her signature cartoon animals engages readers in a captivating guessing game in which they explore different textures. Following Boynton’s directions to place a finger through a hole to turn the page, the finger becomes a part of an animal. For example, after feeling the yellow tactile element through the hole on the front cover and turning the page, the double spread picture shows a yellow elephant with a textured ear—“It’s a bumpy yellow elephant!”—and the child’s wiggled finger becomes the trunk of a companion grey elephant. Each page is designed to stimulate curiosity, encouraging children to guess what comes next. Children and adults alike will enjoy returning to this book again and again. Hush, Little Dozer. Rebecca Colby. Illus. by Katya Longhi. (2024). Little Simon. This board book written in the rhyming format of the traditional lullaby “Hush, Little Baby” and filled with rich vocabulary that includes action words like churn, level out, excavate and hoist will capture the attention of young children and spark conversations. The lively text and colorful illustrations depict various animated vehicles (bulldozer, loader, dump truck and more) as they cheerfully do their work at a construction site. For example, “Scoop, little loader. / Shovel dirt. / Dig and excavate / the earth.” At the end of the busy day, the weary vehicles are ready to bed down for the night—although youngsters may want to read the book one more time. Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories 0-3 Months. Lily Murray. Illus. by Jane Foster. (2024). Kane Miller. This first book in a series of sturdy board books features double-page spreads of Jane Foster’s bold black-and-white patterned artwork paired with rhythmic stories in verse by Lily Murray. The four stories to read to babies during the first three months of life are “Elephant’s Song,” “Panda’s Day,” “Whale Plays,” and “Bunny’s Burrow.” The stories about Little Elephant, Little Panda, Little Whale, and Bunny that continue in the books for babies 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 months old in the series become more involved and interactive. Toddlers will continue to enjoy having these first stories for babies read to them again and again after their first birthdays. The Little Things (Emily Dodd’s Love You Books). Emily Dodd. (2024). Templar. In this heartwarming padded board book, Emma Dodd’s rhyming text and colorful digital artwork illustrate that the simple things in life are what matter the most through the touching depiction of a giant panda and its cub interacting during a day. The story gently explores themes of love, connection, and kindness, emphasizing that what truly matters is the time spent together and the bonds formed by sharing precious moments, whether by playing together, cuddling, or simply being there for one another. The narrative also highlights the value of expressing emotions and making amends, showing that saying sorry and giving friends hugs can strengthen relationships and bring individuals closer. The Mommies on the Bus. Hannah Eliot. Illus. by Alrin O’Callaghan. (2024). Little Simon. In this lively board book, Hannah Eliot adapts the rhythmic verses of the classic nursery song "The Wheels on the Bus" to take young children along on a bus ride “all around the town” that showcases some of the wonderful things mommies do. Alrin O’Callaghan brings the story to life with vibrant, colorful illustrations that depict a diverse array of mothers in various scenarios from queuing up with their children for the bus to doling out snacks, to ensuring the kids are safe, and teaching them good manners until their stop is reached and it is time to exit the bus. This fun read-aloud or sing-along book that highlights the nurturing and caring nature of mothers during an outing will become a favorite. Run, Run, Run! Taro Gomi. (2024). Chronicle. “It’s time to race! / Ready, set, go!” In this board book originally published in Japan, Taro Gomi uses his signature graphic design style of simple sentences and vibrant, minimalistic artwork against a white background to tell the story of a young boy’s participation in a foot race from start to finish. As the race begins, the boy sets off with determination. But the race is too short for him and he keeps running down bustling city streets, through quiet neighborhoods, past farms in the country, and into a forest. Along the way, the runner encounters an array of animals and interesting sights, adding layers of discovery and adventure to the narrative. Finally, the boy ends up back at the site of the race—for an unexpected finish to his race experience that will delight young readers. Tell Me About Oceans (Tell Me About #2). Lisa Varchol Perron. Illus. by Jennifer Falkner. (2024). Little Simon. This Tell Me About board book addresses those intriguing questions about the ocean that children ask, questions that sometimes leave adults stumped for answers. For example, set against a colorful double-page illustration showing a child and adult at the beach is the rhyme “Tell me why the ocean’s blue / beneath the sunny sky. / Water scatters beams of sun, / and blue light meets your eye.” A sidebar provides additional scientific information. The book explores other phenomena such as surface waves and tides as well as the diverse flora and fauna of the ocean. The format of the book encourages children to ask more questions and fosters a sense of wonder about the natural world. You’ll Always Be My Chickadee. Kate Hosford. Illus. by Sarah Gonzales. (2024). Chronicle. Kate Hosford portrays the sweet and nurturing relationship between an adult and a child in this picture book of lyrical verses that capture moments of love and connection made during a day shared outdoors. Sarah Gonzales’ expressive illustrations, created with gouache, watercolor, and pencil crayons, complement the narrative, bringing each scene to life with gentle colors and delicate details that evoke a sense of comfort and warmth. One of the enchanting verses reads, "Clearest water, coldest river, / plunge and surface, shout and shiver. / Warm ourselves when we are done. / You’ll always be my midday sun." These poetic lines beautifully capture the essence of the bond between the adult and child, highlighting moments of shared adventure, love, and joy. Where’s the Fox? (Where’s The). Ingela P. Arrhenius. (2024). Candlewick. The creators of this sturdy board book series have addressed the problem of the wear and tear that babies and toddlers often inflict on lift-the-flap books by designing the flaps with durable felt material that will withstand the enthusiastic handling of little hands. On each double-page spread, Ingela P. Arrhenius poses a question asking where a specific animal is. A lift of a colorful felt flap reveals the animal hidden underneath. For example, “Where is the woodpecker?” is answered with “Here it is!” when the child lifts a green, leaf-shaped flap. Adding a personal touch young children will love, the final page shows the four discovered animals (fox, mole, woodpecker, and hare) and the question “And where are you?” Upon lifting the flap, the child sees themself in a mirror. “There you are!” Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger is an Associate Professor in the Early, Elementary, and Reading Department at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
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Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus Poetry is for everyone, and for this column we reviewed 14 recently published poetry books for preschoolers to young adults that will delight, inform, and invite them to think about the world around them and how they interact with it. We encourage teachers to read aloud poetry every day, incorporate it across the curriculum, and add poetry books to classroom libraries. Black Girl You Are Atlas. Renée Watson. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. (2024). Kokila. “Black girl you are Atlas. The way no one expected you to be the fulfillment of prophecy. But it is you, always, who holds the world up.” In this poignant, semi-autobiographical collection of 38 poetry and prose entries, Renée Watson explores issues of sisterhood, gender, race, and class through the reflections of a Black girl, Renée, as she grows up. She succinctly substantiates the collective wisdom of women in “Sisterhood Haiku, I” with “And what would we do / without the knowing women? / How could we survive?” and two other haiku about sisterhood. Ekua Holmes’ vibrant mixed media collage artwork is a perfect match to the content and tone of this mesmerizing book. (Gr 6 Up) —NB Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends. Lee Bennett Hopkins (Ed.). Illus. by Lita Judge. (2024). Eerdmans. This anthology of 14 poems, each giving thanks for a different pet and accompanied by a playful watercolor-and-colored pencil illustration by Lita Judge, quickly engages the hearts of readers. Eric Ode implores, “Watch over every tiny part. / Whatever sniffs / or scurries . . .” in a poem about a gerbil; Joan Bransfield Graham murmurs, “Blessed are / the soft of fur, / the long of ear . . .” in a poem about a rabbit; and Charles Ghigna gets in a quip about a pet snake with “But heaven knows I’m grateful that— / this one belongs to you!” The last three poems in which a mouse dreams, an old calico cat rests, and an old dog snuggles “into me” provide a perfect wind down to slumber. (PreS Up) —NB Climbing the Volcano: A Journey in Haiku. Curtis Manley. Illus. by Jennifer K. Mann. (2024). Neal Porter. On a trip with his family, a young boy climbs to the summit of a dormant volcanic mountain. From awakening at dawn at their campground to bedding down on their return, the boy narrates their outdoor adventure entirely in haiku with verses such as “how do you / climb a mountain? / one step at a time” and “I made it / to the summit— / jumping even higher!” Jennifer K. Mann’s childlike artwork adds interest-catching details of their day’s hike. Back matter includes information about Oregon’s South Sister volcano, the geology of the Cascade Mountain Range, supplies for a mountain hike, the difference between traditional Japanese haiku and English haiku (usually with 10 to 14 syllables total), and the flora and fauna (with common and scientific names) pictured in the book. (PreK-Gr 2) —CA Eating My Words: And 128 Other Poems. Brian P. Cleary. Illus. by Andy Rowland & Richard Watson. (2024). Millbrook. Brian P. Cleary uses wordplay and rhyme in this collection of 129 laugh-out-loud poems in varied forms such as limericks, acrostics, haiku, sonnets, and villanelles with informative sidebars and colorful, cartoon artwork by Andy Rowland and Richard Watson. For example, “At the Bus Stop” is accompanied by sidebars about alliteration and list poems and a spot illustration picturing the last line, “Shawn shows Cheyenne the green, scaly, slimy bug he found in his bed this morning.” The final selection, “A Recipe for Poetry,” ends with “. . . it’s time to eat your words!” Back matter includes a glossary of poetic terms, further reading, and an index organized by poetic forms. (PreK Up) —NB Grace Notes: Poems About Families. Naomi Shihab Nye. (2024). Greenwillow. Naomi Shihab Nye reflects on her life in this touching semi-autobiographical memoir in verse through more than 100 new free verse poems that focus on her mother and their complicated mother-daughter relationship, culture, and personal identity. Part One, “No Age Is Empty,” begins with the poem “How Parents Ever Get Together Anyway” that details how her American mother met her Palestinian husband while working in a psychiatric hospital in Kansas. “The only thing they had in common was / hope / and open minds.” The poems then shift to an exploration of family secrets, dreams, and the grace that comes with forgiveness. Part Two, “Sometimes We Need a Bigger Family,” expands to include poems about friends and family and ends on a note of resilience. (Gr 6 Up) —NB Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them. Melanie Crowder & Megan Benedict. Illus. by Khoa Le. (2024). MIT Kids. After posing the questions “Can you ever really see the wind?” and “Can you ever really know the wind?” in an introductory poem, Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict explore winds of the world in 14 expressive poems, each paired with a sidebar of information on how the wind forms, its geographic location, and its related weather system and presented against a stunning double-spread illustration by Khoa Le with accurate wind lines showing the movement of the wind. Back matter includes sections on the origin of wind, the naming of winds, and the use of some local traditional poetic forms; a map of where each of the winds blows; a glossary; and books for further reading. (Gr 3-5) —CA Hoop Queens 2 (Sports Royalty). Charles R. Smith Jr. (2024). Candlewick. In this follow-up to Hoop Queens (2003), Charles R. Smith Jr. pays tribute to 13 contemporary WNBA stars with dynamic poems complemented with photo-illustration artwork. Smith uses clever wordplay and rhythm to highlight the skills of these women athletes in profiles presented in different poetic forms against vibrant double-page backdrops. For example, Skylar Diggins-Smith is featured in the alliterative poem “S-S-S-Skylar” (“Southpaw / Skylar / sly / skittery / snaking . . .” with text laid out in a sweeping “S” shape), and in “Smooth Like What” for A’ja Wilson, “smooth” is reiterated ten times (A’ja game smooth like / chinchilla fur. / Left hand smooth like / the hum of a cat’s purr.”). Back matter includes “Poem Notes” featuring biographical information on the 13 ballers and Smith’s rationale for using specific poetic elements for their verses. (Gr 3 Up) —NB In and Out the Window. Jane Yolen. Illus. by Cathrin Peterslund. (2024). Philomel. Jane Yolen’s robust collection of over 100 new and previously-published poems invites children to consider things to see and experience in poems grouped from “in” and “out” points of view in six sections: At Home, Animals, School, After School, Career Poems, and Calendar Poems. Each section is introduced by a thought-provoking poem about poetry such as “Why to Write a Poem,” “The Poem in Your Heart,” and “If There Is No Poem Today.” In the final poem, “From the Writer to the Readers: Saying Thank You,” describing how plants and animals show gratefulness in their everyday actions, Yolen sets the example for readers to also say, “Thank you. / Thank you. / Thank. / You.” (index by title) (PreK Up) —NB The Mighty Pollinators (Step Gently, Look Closely #7). Helen Frost. Photos by Rick Lieder. (2024). Candlewick. This latest book in their series on observing the natural world begins with Helen Frost’s poem “Almost Invisible” about pollen, “fine powder, at the heart of a flower,” and Rick Lieder’s close-up photograph of the anthers of a flower on a blurred yellow background. Frost’s playful, lyrical verses and Lieder’s exquisite nature photography introduce readers to nine mighty pollinators: bees, ants, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, bats, fireflies, and wind. Back matter includes informative sections on what pollen is, what pollination is, observing pollinators, and suggestions on helping pollinators. The photographed pollinators in each selection are identified by common name in a note on the back endpaper. (PreK Up) —CA Poemhood: Our Black Revival. Taylor Byas, Erica Martin & Amber McBride (Eds.). (2024). HarperTeen. This expansive young adult anthology explores Black history, Black folklore, and the diversity of the Black experience through the poetic contributions of Black poets “who are now ancestors” (James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, Langston Hughes, Etheridge Knight, Audre Lorde, Claude McKay, and Phillis Wheatley) and more than 25 modern poets. Each poem is accompanied by an outro, a brief closing section written by the editors that provides information and context for the poem and often includes a quote from the poet about its creation. As Taylor Byas, Erica Martin, and Amber McBride point out in their insightful introduction, Poemhood is, indeed, “a patchwork quilt of poetry that highlights and celebrates the Black experience—old and new.” Back matter includes biographical notes on the editors and contributing poets. (Gr 9-12) —CA Poetry Comics. Grant Snider. (2024). Chronicle. In graphic novel format with bright cartoonlike illustrations in panels of poems organized in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter sections, each ending with a “How to Write a Poem” verse, Grant Snider inspires a young girl and boy (as well as readers) to create their own poetry. The Spring section opens with the girl writing, “I want to put down / on paper the feeling / of fresh possibilities” and ends with the advice “Find a quiet place / … A poem will rush in to fill the space,” in “How to Write a Poem #1.” The Winter section begins with “A new page— / my words huddle close / to keep warm” and ends with “How to Write a Poem #4” that takes her writing “somewhere undiscovered.” On the final page, “A Year of Poetry,” the girl celebrates with her cat. (Gr 3-5) —NB Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak (Sometimes I Feel Like #3). Danielle Daniel. Illus. by Jackie Traverse. (2024). Groundwood. Danielle Daniel’s 12 poems about different trees take young readers through the four seasons from spring to winter while focusing on a specific physical attribute for each tree such as maple trees have flowing sap and cherry trees have dainty pink blossoms. Many of Ojibway Jackie Traverse’s realistic illustrations, done in acrylics and gouache, feature a child identifying with the tree. For example, “Sometimes I feel like an oak, / solid, mighty and stout” shows a child hanging from a branch. Back matter includes spot illustrations of the trees paired with an emotion such as the birch with optimism, the cedar with healing, and the pine with peace. In an author’s note, Daniel explains that she believes, as did her Algonquin ancestors, that trees are sentient beings that can teach us how to care for each other. (PreK-Gr 2) —NB This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake. Nicholas Ruddock. Illus. by Ashley Barron. (2024). Groundwood. Nicholas Ruddock’s poems reflect helpful and respectful encounters that humans have with 15 animals. In “Snake,” the opening poem, children relocate a tiny, fragile snake they almost stepped on “to a nearby woods, / no longer under heel.” In “Hummingbird,” a young girl assists a helpless bird in extricating its beak from a screen.The final poem, “Winter,” reports on what each of the 15 animals is doing during this season including that “the moose has moved into the woods / knee-deep in fallen snow” . . . “while curled up in a nest of moss / lies our tiny fragile snake.” Each of Ashley Barron’s vibrant mixed media illustrations spans across a double spread and adds visual details to the experiences humans have with animals in the poems that read aloud well. (PreK Up) —NB Windsongs: Poems About Weather. Douglas Florian. (2024). Beach Lane Douglas Florian’s collection of 20 rhyming poems gives young readers a witty and informative introduction to types and elements of weather (rain, hail, snow. fog, tornadoes, lightning, thunder, and more) as well as general topics (weather, atmosphere, weather instruments, meteorologists). The verses on backgrounds of saturated colors vary in poetic form and are paired with Florian’s childlike mixed media illustrations, most picturing children out in the weather, on facing pages. For example, the illustration for “Tornado” shows two children and their cat being tossed around by a twisting tornado, and the final poem, “Climate Change,” pictures three activists holding up “our blue planet Earth.” Back matter includes a glossary, weather websites for kids, and selected sources and further reading. (PreK Up) —CA Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.
Sandip Wilson The books in this column feature perspectives on historical events that provide context and detail for readers that can deepen their understanding of the influences of war and conflict on the lives, hopes, and dreams of children, families, friends, communities, and people worldwide. Code Name Kingfisher. Liz Kessler. (2024). Aladdin. In 1942, the parents of Jewish 12-year-old Mila and 15-year-old Hannie send them from their home in Amersfoort, Holland, to live under false identities with a family in another Nazi-occupied city. In present day England, 13-year-old Liv’s 93-year-old grandmother, Bubbe, who is silent about her life during World War II, moves into an assisted living community. These two stories are woven together in chapters that alternate from present day to 1942-1945. The voice of Liv is heard as she discovers clues to Bubbe’s long-kept secrets of her childhood in an old chest in her grandmother’s attic while working on a family history project. The uncertainties of life in the Netherlands under German occupation are presented from the point of view of Mila (and occasionally that of her friend Willem) and through Hannie’s epistolary journal entries to her mother about her work in the Dutch resistance under the code name Kingfisher that involves dangerous assignments to rescue Jewish children by taking them to safe places. The novel’s suspenseful twists highlight the terror Mila and Hannie face as they discover they can trust no one. Lisa Kessler adds a contextual “Code Name Kingfisher Historical Note.” (Gr 6 Up) Do You Know Them?: Families Lost and Found After the Civil War. Shana Keller. Illus. by Laura Freeman. (2024). Atheneum. Perspectives on how formerly enslaved people reconstructed their families have been neglected in the narrative of the U.S. Civil War Reconstruction era. “After the war ended, everyone was missing someone.” Lettie, too, was missing her family that had been sold long before enslavement was abolished. She was saving the pennies she earned working to place an ad in the Richmond Planet seeking information about her family. As Lettie learned to read with her Uncle Charlie, she pored over the “lost” ads placed in the newspaper and picked out words to use in her own ad one day. Hoping people who could not read would hear a familiar name, she also read the newspaper advertisements in church meetings. Finally, after years of saving, Lettie had enough money, fifty cents, to place an ad. Laura Freeman’s stunning double spreads, rendered digitally in rich colors, convey the hope people held of seeing loved ones again and the joy they felt for one another upon hearing news of reunions. An author’s note provides a context for this historical picture book. Lettie is a fictional character; the ads pictured actually appeared in post-Civil War newspapers. (PreK Up) The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets and Helped Win World War II. Candace Fleming. (2024). Scholastic. In 1940, as the Nazis advanced across Europe and bombed London nightly, workers at Bletchley Park (code name Station X) intercepted German radio transmissions and cracked codes and ciphers including the more complex ones produced by the Nazis on the enigma machine. They transcribed, translated, and indexed the messages. Working in around-the-clock shifts, this secret work consumed the lives of some young women over the next five years. Candace Fleming’s engaging text, complemented by captioned archival photographs, tells the stories of ten overworked, stressed, isolated, lonely but determined and dedicated teenagers with different skills whose work at Bletchley Park provided critical information to the British government and military about German war plans and movements. “TOP SECRET” sections inserted throughout the book explain the technology and science of code breaking and deciphering. The stories of the young women who made up more than half of the ever-swelling work force at the Park remained secret for 30 years after the war’s end. Back matter includes an author’s note, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources (books, magazine and newspaper articles, other documents and videos), source notes, and an index. (Gr 6 Up) The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Joshua M. Greene. (2024). Scholastic Focus. With short chapters and numerous two-to-three page insets with information and captioned archival photographs that provide historical context, Joshua M. Greene provides middle grade readers with an informative account of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising from the perspective of Vladka Meed (1921-2012). In 1940, the Nazis force her Jewish family out of their home and into to the brick-walled ghetto. She has an approved job outside the ghetto but witnesses the Nazi brutality and deportation of residents to death camps that accelerates daily. In 1942, after her family disappears from the ghetto in one of the roundups, Vladka realizes that dying at the hands of the Nazis is only a matter of time and decides to join the underground. As the resistance movement gains strength in 1943, she is tasked with smuggling women and children out of the ghetto and weapons into the ghetto for the uprising that began on April 19. Greene ends the book with an account of Vladka and her husband’s post-World War II activities and their dedication to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive. Back matter includes a glossary, acknowledgments, and photo credits. (Gr 6-8) Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman. Joanna Lapati. (2024). Eerdmans. The oldest of nine children, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman (1843-1864) “wanted something . . . different. She wanted something more” than the life available to a woman on a farm in New York. She cut her hair, put on her father’s old clothes, and set out in 1862 to volunteer for the newly formed 153rd New York Regiment in the Union Army as Lyons Wakeman. Joanna Lapati’s stunning scratchboard illustrations for this picture book biography include sepia-toned excerpts from Wakeman’s letters home recounting the regiment’s service guarding Washington D. C. and campaigns in Louisiana. In a letter dated April 14, 1864, after a two-day march in retreat, Lyons wrote “. . . I feel thankful to God that he spared my life . . . I pray to him that he will lead me safe through the field of battle and that I may return safe home . . .” Back matter includes an author’s note, more about Wakeman and the Civil War, a timeline, further excerpts from her letters (1862-1864), and a glossary explaining the items in a Civil War soldier’s pack pictured on the endpapers. (Gr 3 Up) Heroes. Alan Gratz. (2024). Scholastic. Living on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor in 1941, 13-year-old Frank McCoy (a white child whose father is a Navy pilot) and Stanley Summers (the child of a Japanese American mother and white father who is a flight crew chief at the air station) are collaborating on a superhero comic book. Frank’s failure to stand up to bullies because of his fear of being hurt, however, prompts Stanley to ask, “How can you write about heroes, if you can’t be one.” When Japanese Zeros attack the harbor on December 7, they are caught in the middle of the bombing and strafing. Frank and Stanley manage to swim from the sinking ship they were touring, the USS Utah, but upon reaching the safety of their neighborhood bunker, they realize that Stanley is now the enemy. Alan Gratz’s detailing of the moment-to-moment terror the two boys face and their actions provides a perspective on how war and racism force children to make decisions in this riveting novel of friendship, transformation, and courage. Back matter includes a map of Pearl Harbor showing the location of ships, oil tanks, and air fields and an author’s note that separates fact from fiction and provides contextual information on World War II in the Pacific. (Gr 6-8) Lion of the Sky. Ritu Hemnani. (2024). Balzer & Bray. Twelve-year-old Raj, a Hindu, who shares a passion for kite flying with his best friend Iqbal, a Muslim, is looking forward to winning an upcoming kite flying competition. He is equally excited about the approach of Indian independence that will free the country of British exploitation. When families learn of the terms of the 1947 partition creating Pakistan and a separate India, however, celebration turns to animosity, terror, and bloodshed. Raj’s family must flee their home in Sindh, in what is now southeast Pakistan, and travel east into what has become India. Hardship follows them as they seek refuge in Bombay where they are considered outsiders. Raj faces bullying in school and his father and brother, Vijay, try to find work as tailors. Ritu Hemnani shows how Raj faces the challenges of displacement by using his love of spices to help his mother sell her fabulous, aromatic food to support the family. This novel in verse, one of ingenuity, devotion, and perseverance, offers perspectives on the effects of political decisions and conflicts on children and their families. Back matter includes an author’s note, glossary, and acknowledgments. (Gr 3 Up) Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II (Operation Kinderspion #1). Adam Gidwitz. (2024). Dutton. As part of the Kindertransport rescue of children, Jewish 11-year-old Max leaves Berlin on a train to Holland followed by a boat ride to England in 1939. He surprisingly finds he is traveling with two mischievous and snarky immortal spirits only he can see and hear on his shoulder: Stein, a Jewish dybbuk, and Berg, a German kobold. Max vows to return to Berlin to reunite with his parents. He is living with the wealthy Jewish Montagu family, but suffers the antisemitism of bullying teachers and students at the elite St. West’s School. Deciding that becoming a spy for the British is the only way to get back to Berlin, he shows ingenuity and resourcefulness in coming up with a plan to do so. Alan Gratz’s novel, with its fantastical and humorous characters and details about English intelligence, shows perspectives on children’s resilience, courage, determination, and use of their unique talents to overcome challenges. Back matter includes a section separating fact from fiction in the novel, an annotated bibliography, and acknowledgments. The ending will leave middle graders eagerly anticipating the release of the second book in this duology, Max in the Land of Lies. (Gr 3 Up) The Night War. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. (2024). Dial. In 1942, 12-year-old Miriam (Miri) escapes a Nazi roundup of Jewish people in Paris with Nora, the baby that neighbor Mrs. Rosenbaum handed her. A nun hides them, gets her false papers under the name Marie, and arranges her escape in the dead of night to a convent school in Chenonceaux, a border village near still unoccupied Vichy France, but Nora is secreted to a Catholic family while Marie is sleeping. As Marie is still adapting to a puzzling new life in the school, Sister Dominque takes her to Château de Chenonceau, a castle under Nazi guard, supposedly to help with the gardens but, in reality, for the purpose of having Marie help Jews escape to freedom through the castle. Marie befriends a woman in black only she can see and hear who lives in the castle and learns that she is the ghost of imperious Catherine de’ Medici, who may be able to help her find Nora and escape to freedom. In this layered novel of complex characters and events, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley illustrates decisions children have to make living in uncertainty and terror as Marie adapts to an unfamiliar culture while hiding her identity and finding unexpected allies. An extensive author’s note addresses which parts of the story are true. (Gr 3 Up) Uprising. Jennifer A. Neilsen. (2024). Scholastic. In 1943, 12-year-old Lidia whose Catholic family lives next to the ghetto in Warsaw where Jewish families must live, longs to take part in resisting the grip of destruction and terror Nazi occupiers have had since the invasion in1939. Her father serves in the Polish Army defending Poland against the encroaching Russians, and her brother, Ryszard, secretly works in the resistance. Emboldened by the uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto in April 1943, Lidia joins the resistance. With her deep knowledge of the streets of Warsaw, resourcefulness, and courage, she becomes indispensable when the Warsaw City Uprising breaks out August 1,1944. Jennifer A. Neilsen’s account of the daily activities waged above ground and the use of the sewer system as an effective means of escape until the end of the Uprising, October 2, 1944, details the intelligence and indomitable strength of the resistance fighters in this middle grade novel of friendship, courage, and determination based on the true story of Polish Resistance fighter Lidia Janina Durr Zakrewski (1924-2011). Back matter includes archival photographs of Lidia and her family and an author’s note. (Gr 3 Up) Sandip Wilson is a professor in the School of Education and Department of English of Husson University, Bangor, Maine.
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AuthorsThese reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG). Archives
May 2024
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