Category: Books Too Good To Miss

Books Too Good to Miss

2/21/2022

Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
As reviewers, one of the tasks we undertake each January is weeding our crowded bookshelves to make room for new releases. We add some books to our personal collections and put some aside for the grandchild or special friend we know will love them. We will send the others to schools and libraries, but before we do, here is our list of books we didn’t get reviewed in 2021 that are too good to miss.

Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country. Atinuke. Illus. by Mouni Feddag. (2021). Candlewick.
Atinuke’s accessible guide to the fifty-five countries of Africa is organized into five sections: South, East, West, Central, and North. Each section includes a double-page spread featuring a list of the countries in the region, an introductory paragraph, a “welcome” in regional languages, and a colorful map followed by one-page entries for each country. (PreK Up)

Ambushed!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield (Medical Fiascoes). Gail Jarrow. (2021). Calkins Creek.
On July 2, 1881, four months into his first term as the twentieth president of the United States, James Garfield (1831-1881) was assassinated by Charles Guiteau. President Garfield suffered for eighty days before succumbing to infection following faulty diagnoses and primitive medical care. This medical thriller with Gail Jarrow’s gripping narrative includes primary source insets, captioned archival photographs, and extensive back matter. (Gr 6 Up)

Bei Bei Goes Home: A Panda Story. Cheryl Bardoe. (2021). Smithsonian Kids.
Cheryl Bardoe’s photobiography of Bei Bei covers the first four years of the giant panda’s life from birth at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, in 2015, to relocation at China’s Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in 2019. Double-page spreads feature full-color photographs of Bei Bei, one or two paragraphs of narrative text, and a side bar of panda facts. (PreK Up)

The Book of Math: Adventures in the World of Shapes and Numbers. Anna Weltman. Illus. by Paul Boston. (2021). Kane Miller.
In this oversize book, readers venture into the world of shapes and numbers by exploring forty illustrated double-page spreads full of fascinating facts about topics such as “I Spy Pi,” “Weird Measurements,” “The Secrets of Prime Numbers,” and “Puzzling Paradoxes.” (Gr 3 Up)

Cold-Blooded Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #3). (2021). Algonquin.
When the owner of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead at the unveiling of the store’s annual Christmas window display, twelve-year-old amateur sleuth Myrtle Hardcastle follows clues that appear in the display to learn that Leighton’s career as Professor of Archaeology was destroyed by the death of a student during a secret society initiation at the local college. As suspects keep dying, Myrtle risks her life to connect past events to the present murders. (Gr 6-8)

Disasters by the Numbers: A Book of Infographics. Steve Jenkins. (2021). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Steve Jenkins’ fascinating introduction to natural disasters, including earthquakes, blizzards, locust plagues, pandemics, asteroid impacts, and climate change, is organized in four categories: Earth, Weather, Life, and Space. One-to-four-page entries feature an introductory paragraph and a wealth of information explained with infographics (maps, charts, graphs, and accessible explanatory text). (Gr 3 Up)

Fish and Sun. Sergio Ruzzier. (2021). HarperAlley.
Bored Fish swims to the ocean’s surface and meets Sun. When Sun sets after a day of playing hide-and-seek, Fish sadly swims back home. On the following day, Fish returns to the surface, Sun rises, and the two friends make plans to play all day every day. A simple text (in speech balloons) and colorful sequential artwork make this early reader a good introduction to stories in graphic novel format. (PreK-Gr 2)

The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem. Colleen Paeff. Illus. by Nancy Carpenter. (2021). Margaret K. McElderry.
Cholera outbreaks in the 1800s that killed more than 37,000 people were caused by poop-polluted water, not foul air as Londoners believed. In 1858, engineer Joseph Bazalgette (1819-1891) built a gigantic sewer system to safely reroute raw sewage and clean up the Thames, and “the great stink” and plagues abated. Back matter includes an informative “Poop Pollution Today” update and timeline. (Gr 3 Up)

Have You Seen Gordon? Adam Jay Epstein. Illus. by Ruth Chan. (2021). Simon & Schuster.
It is too easy to spot Gordon, a purple tapir, in crowds in this seek-and-find book because he won’t hide, so the narrator directs readers to locate Jane, a shy blue rhinoceros—who keeps running off the pages. Gordon’s suggestion, “Ask who wants to stand out,” leads to scenes crowded with eager-to-participate creatures and “Can you find . . .” lists followed by a surprising final page. (PreK-Gr 2)

I Am the Subway. Kim Hyo-eun. Trans. by Deborah Smith. (2021). Scribble US.
“I rattle and clatter over the tracks, same time, same route, every day.” Readers join the narrator, the subway, as it makes stops at stations around Seoul to pick up and discharge passengers. The warm, expressive watercolor artwork and rhythmic text of this picture book provide portraits and tell the stories of passengers taking the subway each day. (PreK-Gr 2)

The List of Unspeakable Fears. J. Kasper Kramer. (2021). Atheneum.
During the typhoid epidemic in 1910, anxious ten-year-old Essie O’Neill adds moving to New York’s North Brother Island where her new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for incurably ill patients (including the infamous Typhoid Mary) to her alphabetized list of unspeakable fears. Haunted by a recurring nightmare of a red door with a ghostly riddle to solve, Essie must unlock family history to free herself. (Gr 3 Up)

One Great Lie. Deb Caletti. (2021). Atheneum.
Eighteen-year-old Charlotte Hodges is in a summer writing workshop with author Luca Bruni, whom she idolizes, on a private island near Venice, Italy. Although she becomes disillusioned as Bruni’s true self emerges, she successfully digs into a mystery about a poem stolen from her ancestor Isabella Di Angelo by a famous seventeenth-century poet Antonio Tasso—and discovers that sexist treatment of women artists hasn’t changed much since the Renaissance. (Gr 9-12)

Opposites Abstract. Mo Willems. (2021). Hyperion.
Mo Willems invites readers to explore the concept of opposites by responding to questions about pairs of abstract paintings. Some of the questions—“Is this light?” and “Is this dark?”—are easy to respond to; others—“Is this intentional?” and “Is this accidental?”— are more difficult to interpret. All the questions will encourage conversations about opposites and abstract art. (All ages)

Picturing a Nation: The Great Depression’s Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself. Martin W. Sandler. (2021). Candlewick.
In 1935, ten photographers documented the daily lives of people in the United States during the Great Depression. Martin W. Sandler’s commentary for this photodocumentary with one hundred four black-and-white and color photographs organized by four regions (South, Midwest, West, and Northeast) highlights the importance of this U.S. Farm Security Administration project as an historical record. Includes profiles of the photographers. (Gr 6 Up)

Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate. Melissa Stewart. Illus. by Sarah S. Brannen. (2021). Charlesbridge.
A simple narrative and double-spread watercolor illustrations tell the story of how and where twelve animals “sink into a summertime sleep called estivation.” Each animal is identified by its common and scientific name in an overlaid black-and-white notebook sketch, and a “More About Animals That Estivate” endnote provides additional information on the featured animals. (PreK Up)

The Three Princes of Serendip: New Tellings of Old Tales for Everyone. Rodaan Al Galidi. Trans. by Laura Watkinson. Illus. by Geertje Aalders. (2021). Candlewick.
In “A Note from the Gatherer of Tales,” Iraqi native Rodaan Al Galidi (b. 1971), who sought asylum in the Netherlands in 1998, states “stories are the best migrants and the finest travelers.” This collection of twenty retold tales from his childhood in Iraq, illustrated with Geertje Aalders’ intricate cut-paper collage artwork, supports this assertion beautifully. (All ages).

Two at the Top: A Shared Dream of Everest. Uma Krishnaswami. Illus. by Christopher Corr. (2021). Groundwood.
In alternating voices, this picture book with colorful folk art-style illustrations tells the story of Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986), who grew up in Nepal, and Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), who grew up in New Zealand. Both dreamed of one day ascending the highest peak in the Great Himalaya Range. Years of separate climbing experiences led to their making history together in 1953 as the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest. (PreK Up)

Up Cat Down Cat. Steve Light. (2021). Candlewick.
Steve Light’s artistically-designed board book featuring two feline companions, one black and one white, offers a first lesson on opposites: black-white, long-short, lost-found, straight-curvy, up-down, wet-dry, empty-full, and awake-asleep. With repeated readings, young children will discover the visual story being told of one day in the life of the two collaged cats and enjoy spotting the cats’ blue toy mouse in the mixed-media artwork. (PreK-Gr 2)

The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life. Amy Butler Greenfield. (2021). Random House Studio.
This well-researched biography chronicles the extraordinary life of pioneering cryptanalyst Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892-1980). Often teamed with her husband, William Friedman, and often unacknowledged for her contributions, Elizebeth uncovered enemy secrets, hunted spies, and developed U.S. government code-breaking units during World Wars I and II. Amy Butler Greenfield includes “Code Break” inserts with intriguing information on codes and ciphers. (Gr 9-12)

You Can’t Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell. Leonard S. Marcus (Ed.). (2021).
Candlewick.
Leonard S. Marcus’ in-depth interviews of Matt de la Peña, Katherine Paterson, Angie Thomas, and ten other children’s and young adult authors explore their experiences of growing up, writing, and having their work challenged or banned along with sharing wisdom on various topics. Marcus’ introduction provides background on the history of censorship and contemporary issues related to intellectual freedom. (Gr 6 Up)

Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English from 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.

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Books Too Good to Miss

2/8/2021

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Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
As reviewers, one of the tasks we undertake each January is the weeding of our crowded bookshelves to make room for new releases. As life-long book lovers, we add some books to our personal collections, and put some aside for the grandchild or special friend whom we know will love them too. As advocates of reading, we’ll send the others to schools and libraries, but before we do, here is our list of books published in 2020 that are too good to miss—books we would love to see in the hands of all children and teachers.

Butterflies Belong Here: A Story of One Idea, Thirty Kids, and a World of Butterflies. Deborah Hopkinson. Illus. by Meilo So. (2020). Chronicle.
Readers follow a shy, young girl who leads her class through the creation of a monarch butterfly garden. Alternating sections of informational text with illustrations, maps, and charts provide scientific background. At the end of the year, the girl realizes that she and the emerging butterflies have transformed into something new. Back matter includes a quick guide to making a monarch way station and more monarch resources. (PreK-Gr 2)

Catherine’s War. Julia Billet. Trans. by Ivanka Hahnenberger. Illus. by Claire Fauvel. (2020). HarperAlley.
This graphic novel adaptation of Billet’s novel based on her mother’s wartime experience tells the story of Rachel Cohen, a Jewish girl who had to change her identity and live under the name Catherine Colin during the German occupation of France in the 1940s. Using the camera she always carries with her, she creates a record of her experiences as one of the hidden children of World War II. (Gr 6-8)

Deeplight. Frances Hardinge. (2020). Amulet.
While scavenging for godware (remnants of the Undersea gods who once terrorized islanders) with best friend, Jelt, fourteen-year-old Hark finds a still pulsing god-heart. As he learns more about the nature of the gods from an old priest and sees power-hungry Jelt using the healing powers of the god-heart to transform himself into a monster, Hark must decide what to do. Hardinge’s beautifully-crafted fantasy is dark and suspenseful. (Gr 9-12)

Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z. Irene Latham & Charles Waters. Illus. by Mehrdokht Amini. (2020). Carolrhoda.
This wisdom-packed dictionary nurtures readers with reflective thoughts and positive actions from Acceptance and Ally for A to Zest for Z. Each double-page entry includes a poem, an inspirational quote, an anecdote from one of the poets, a “try it” activity, and a richly-colored illustration created with acrylic paint, digital painting, collage, and photography. Back matter includes an author’s note, sources of quotes, recommended reading, poetry resources, and an index of poetic forms. (Gr 3 Up)

The Enigma Game. Elizabeth Wein. (2020). Hyperion.
In November of 1940, fifteen-year-old Louisa Adair, an orphaned survivor of the London Blitz, takes a job caring for elderly Jane Warner (actually Johanna von Arnim, a German opera diva) at a pub in Windyedge, Scotland. When Louisa finds an enigma machine smuggled into Scotland by a German pilot, she and Jane, along with a pilot and a volunteer driver from the nearby RAF base, become involved in a code-breaking conspiracy that might help win the war. (Gr 6 Up)

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Suzanne Slade. Illus. by Cozbi A. Cabrera. (2020). Abrams.
With lovely free verse and acrylic paintings, this picture book celebrates the life of Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000), the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Growing up in Chicago, she began writing poetry at the age of seven. Brooks’ poetry reflects on her childhood dreams, “real life” challenges of poverty and racial injustice, and the joy of sharing of stories through her poetry and prose. Back matter includes an author’s note, timeline, sources for quotes, and a bibliography. (Gr 3 Up)

Fox & Rabbit (Fox & Rabbit #1). Beth Ferry. Illus. by Gergely Dudás. (2020). Amulet.
Meet Fox (who likes to try new things but fears heights) and Rabbit (who likes being prepared but is afraid of everything else). In five linked stories, they support each other in conquering their fears while having adventures. The fun of reading the expressive panels, both the wordless ones and those with lively wordplay, of this graphic novel series for emerging readers continues in Fox and Rabbit Make Believe (2020) and Fox and Rabbit Celebrate (out April 2021).

How We Got to the Moon: The People. Technology, and the Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure. John Rocco. (2020). Crown.
This well-researched book tells the story behind our country’s moon landing on July 24, 1969. Rocco’s engaging text (with illustrations, diagrams, and profiles of scientists, engineers, and others) is organized in seven parts beginning with the Cold War Space Race competition between the United States and Soviet Union in 1957 and ending with the Apollo 11 Mission in 1969. Back matter includes an epilogue, notes on the Apollo piloted missions (Apollo 7 in 1968 to Apollo 17 in 1972), and sources. (Gr 6 Up)

I Want to Sleep Under the Stars! (Unlimited Squirrels #3). Mo Willems. (2020). Hyperion. (PreK-Gr 2)
All Zoom Squirrel wants to do is sleep under the stars for the first time, but when Zip Squirrel enlists the help of other squirrel friends to facilitate this, their noisy exuberance keeps Zoomy awake instead. Special features of Willems’ wildly imaginative, cartoony beginning reader include “emote-acorns” (happy, mad, surprised, and six more), a joke, quiz, news feature, fancy words, and facts about stars. (PreK-Gr 2)

Kenny & the Book of Beasts (Kenny & the Dragon #2). Tony DiTerlizzi. (2020). Simon & Schuster.
A lot has happened since Kenny and the Dragon (2008) left off, but Grahame the dragon is still Kenny Rabbit’s best friend. When one of Grahame’s old friends, Dante the manticore, arrives in town, Kenny feels pushed out of the friendship, but they must still work together to defeat a witch, rescue another friend, and unlock a book. The Tales of Kenny Rabbit, a boxed set of the two books, was published in 2020. (Gr 3-5)

Lake (See to Learn #2). Kate Moss Gamblin. Illus. by Karen Patkau. (2020). Groundwood. The series of “Do you see” questions in Moss Gamblin’s simple, lyrical text guides young readers in carefully observing eye-catching digital illustrations as a child and an adult share activities such as fishing, swimming, canoeing, and watching the animals that live in or visit a lake throughout the year. Moss Gamblin includes a note on using the See to Learn books to initiate conversations about the treasures of the natural world. (PreK-Gr 2).

Lift. Minh Lê. Illus. by Dan Stantat. (2021). Disney Hyperion.
Iris, who loves pushing the elevator buttons in her apartment building, gets angry when her younger brother starts pushing the buttons, too. Recovering a button panel discarded in a trash can by a repairman fixing an out-of-order elevator, Iris tapes it next to her bedroom closet. Pushing this button magically opens the door to other worlds—and Iris decides to share her fantasy adventures with her brother. (PreK-Gr 2)

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel. Jason Reynolds. Illus. by Danica Novgorodoff. (2020). Caitlyn Dlouhy.
These are the rules: No Crying. No Snitching. Seek Revenge. Will takes his murdered brother Shawn’s gun with him in the elevator, which stops at each floor where a different ghost victim of gun violence from Shawn’s life joins him. By the time he reaches the ground floor, has Will changed his plan to follow the rules? This graphic novel, based on Reynolds’ 2018 Newbery Honor-winning novel in verse, is beautifully crafted and thought provoking. (Gr 9-12)

Me and the World: An Infographic Exploration. Mireia Trius. Illus. by Joana Casals. (2020). Chronicle.
This engaging book explores a plethora of information and data on topics such as common names, types of families, populations of countries, most visited cities, sports, and breeds of dogs. Entries are presented in a variety of digitally-rendered infographic formats: charts, graphs, maps, labeled illustrations, and more. Trius includes sources with web links for facts in the book. (Gr 3-5)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Carole Boston Weatherford. Illus. by Frank Morrison. (2020). Atheneum.
Expressive oil paintings and rhyming couplets celebrate the life of African American Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), who as a pastor’s child sang in her church’s choir and recorded her first gospel album at age fourteen. The Queen of Soul had a long career as a singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. She proudly sang “My Country ’Tis of Thee” at President Obama’s swearing-in ceremony. Back matter includes an author’s note and a list of Franklin’s biggest hits. (Gr 3 Up)

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog. David LaRochelle. Illus. by Mike Wohnoutka. (2020). Candlewick.
An argument between the book and Max the Dog begins as the book’s “See the cat” statement is countered by Max’s response “I am not a cat. I am a dog.” The hilarity of their interaction continues until Max successfully wins the argument when he responds to the book’s threat to have the pictured purple hippo sit on him by saying he’ll leave the book. The book acquiesces, “See the dog take a nap.” Max replies, “Thank you, book.” (PreK-Gr 2)

Snapdragon. Kat Leyh. (2020). First Second.
In this middle-grade graphic novel, while searching for her missing dog, Snap, a black tween, finds that the town witch, Jacks, has been caring for the injured dog. Snap makes a deal to help Jacks in her preparation of roadkill skeletons to sell online in exchange for learning to care for the orphaned baby opossums she has rescued. Assisting Jacks, Snap wonders if the old woman really does have magical powers and uncovers a family secret that changes everything. (Gr 3-5)

Snow Birds. Kirsten Hall. Illus. by Jenni Desmond. (2020). Abrams.
Double-spread pairings of expressive poems and mixed media illustrations create a celebration of birds with adaptations and behaviors for surviving long, cold winters. The repetition of calls and songs of the birds such as the “Fee-bee! Fee-bee!” of the black-capped chickadee and the “Tea-kettle! Tea-kettle!” of the Carolina Wren invites the reading aloud of the poems. Endnotes provide basic information on each of the seventeen featured species. (PreK-Gr 2).

Swashby and the Sea. Beth Ferry. Illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal. (2020). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The serene life of retired Captain Swashby, who lives in a small house on a small beach, is disturbed when a young girl and her grandmother move into the empty house next door. He wants solitude, but the sea seems to know just what he really needs—friends—and sets about to see that he gets them in this charming and playful picture book (PreK-Gr 2).

There Must Be More Than That! Shinsuke Yoshitake. (2020). Chronicle.
When a young girl’s brother declares “Our future is doomed” and relates all the terrible things that grown-ups have told his friend are going to happen, Grandma tells her that no one really knows what will happen in the future. There will be bad things, but also many good things. “There are so many possible futures!” Reassured, the girl begins imaginative explorations of the possibilities and also learns there will always be many choices for her to make. (PreK-Gr 2)

Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English from 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

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Books Too Good to Miss

Books Too Good to Miss

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Books Too Good to Miss

Books Too Good to Miss

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Stories that Shape Us