​Nicole Maxwell
 
April is Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Month, an annual celebration encouraging teachers and students in classrooms and families at home to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading for pleasure throughout the month.  Consider continuing to celebrate D.E.A.R. throughout the year by reading new books, like the ones reviewed in this column, or your old favorites each day.

​Cinderella—with Dogs! Linda Bailey. Illus. by Freya Hartas. (2023). Nancy Paulsen.
When Cinderella is left behind sweeping ashes from the fireplace while everyone else is attending a ball at the palace, she wishes for a fairy godmother to get her to the party.  Instead of a fairy godmother, her fairy dogmother shows up dressed in a pink tutu. Once Cinderella clarifies that the ball she is interested in is a dance and not something to play with, her fairy dogmother uses her wand to dress Cinderella in a gown made from an old dog blanket and gives her a poodle hairstyle. The doggish twists continue as Cinderella goes to the ball (although not in the classic manner of traveling in a carriage) where she enjoys dancing with the prince and frolicking with the hoard of royal dogs in attendance. With playful cartoonlike illustrations, Freya Hartas, portrays a joyful account of the silly events in Linda Bailey’s comical retelling of this traditional fairy tale. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Don’t Touch That Flower! (Squirrel & Bird #2). Alice Hemming. Illus. by Nicola Slater. (2023). Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Squirrel wakes up one morning to the sounds of a bird calling and bees buzzing, and not knowing what is happening, shouts to his friend Bird to inquire about what he has observed. Thus begins their conversation about signs of spring. When Squirrel notices a “small and yellow and perfect” flower growing on the ground between his tree and Bird’s, he claims it as his own and decides to protect it. However, Squirrel’s ideas for protecting the flower, such as holding an umbrella over it to keep it from getting wet, go against what flowers really need to flourish. Bird patiently helps Squirrel understand what flowers need and that, like everything in nature, they are for everyone. Nicola Slater’s vibrant digital illustrations featuring these best friends and their surroundings bring the excitement of discovering early signs of spring to life! The “Our Flowers” endnote includes flower facts that encourage discussion. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones (Board Book Edition). Susan Lendroth. Illus. by Bob Kolar. (2023). Charlesbridge.
Young children can read along—or sing along to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush”—as they join four young paleontologists who go digging for dinosaur bones “on a warm and sunny morning” in this lyrical patterned text that shares the steps from setting out for a fossil dig to assembling a museum exhibit of a T. rex. skeleton. Sidebars in smaller print presenting related facts about fossils, paleontologists, and dinosaurs are integrated on the double-page spreads. Additionally, written instructions with accompanying illustrations of hand motions for acting out the story while singing along are included at the back of the book. Bob Kolar’s brightly colored cartoon illustrations featuring both male and female children of different skin tones are perfect for engaging young readers and sharing the message that anyone can study dinosaurs. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Home Away from Home. Cynthia Lord. (2023). Scholastic.
For as long as she can remember, 11-year-old Mia and her mother have visited her grandmother every summer. This summer, however, Mia’s mom is staying in Ohio to get their house ready to sell while Mia visits her grandmother in Stone Harbor, Maine, alone. Although her mom sees the move as a new start after her divorce, Mia views it as another unwanted change in her life. She is grateful to spend time at her grandmother’s, where she expects everything will be the same. However, she finds that her grandmother has befriended a new boy in town named Cayman, who acts as if he belongs at her house. When Cayman and Mia observe the eaglets in a nest on his property, they see a strange bird attacking the eagles’ nest. Mia is determined to figure out what kind of bird it is before Cayman can. Her posting of a photo she takes of it on a birder website results in its identification, but also has some serious consequences. How Mia deals with the unwelcomed effects on the birds, the town, and her relationships makes this coming-of-age story an engaging middle-grade novel.  (Gr 3 Up) 

​Once Upon a Book. Grace Lin & Kate Messner. Illus. by Grace Lin. (2023). Little, Brown.
Alice longs to go to a place that is not “frozen and gray” so she does not have to stay inside without anything to do. Suddenly, she notices the pages of a book fluttering on the floor nearby. As she starts reading about a girl who went to a place “alive with colors” and warm, birds in the illustration on the page invite Alice into their lush tropical habitat. Once the rain starts in the rainforest, she wishes to be somewhere less “steamy and drippy,” and camels invite her to turn the page and come into their dry desert. Each time Alice wishes to travel to a new setting, a turn of the page transfers her there until she finds herself in outer space and wishing to be someplace that wasn’t so lonely. For the reader, Grace Lin’s vibrant, full-color illustrations match the poetic and expressive language of her and Kate Messner’s prose to create a feeling of being with Alice in the various locations. Lin’s depiction of Alice in a dress with words from a book printed on it before she begins to read the book and the fact that the color of her dress blends into the varying environments visited effectively suggests the idea of getting lost in a book. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Snoopy Soars to Space (Peanuts Graphic Novels). Charles M. Schulz. (2023). Simon Spotlight.
This collection of eight original stories includes the previously published Peanuts graphic novel The Beagle Has Landed, Charlie Brown! (2014) and short stories of Snoopy and the Peanuts gang’s “out of-this-world” adventures, as well as a new story, “Kickoff to the Moon,” about Snoopy’s feathered friend Woodstock’s trip to the moon. The book also features some of Charles M. Schulz’s classic comic strips. At the end of the book, fans can see behind-the-scenes sketches from the creation of The Beagle Has Landed, Charlie Brown! Readers who love these stories will also enjoy the next book in the Peanuts Graphic Novel series, Adventures with Linus and Friends! (2023). (Gr 3 Up)

 The Spooky Story (Paige Proves It #2). Amy Marie Stadelmann. (2023). Aladdin.
In this second mystery in Amy Marie Stadelmann’s graphic novel chapter book series, Paige investigates the Evergreen Street Music School to determine if it is haunted like her best friend, Penn, claims. As a self-described “fact collector,” Paige begins by creating a list of facts from her friend Karla related to the supposed hauntings. Using this list as a guide in her investigation, she begins to examine the evidence with her friends by her side. Pencil drawings that are digitally colored accompany the words depicting the story of Paige’s investigation, including her diary entries of facts she discovers along the way. Readers will enjoy joining Paige as she sticks to the facts to prove whether Evergreen Street Music School is haunted or not. (Gr 3-5) 

​Stanley’s Secret. John Sullivan. Illus. by Zach Manbeck. (2023). Paula Wiseman.
Stanley is a young, brown-skinned boy who is shy and quiet. Stanley has a secret. He loves tap dancing! He dreams of performing on a big stage one day. He is too afraid to tell anyone so only performs for his pet mice, Squeakers and Nibbles. However, sometimes he helps the school janitor and dances in his tap shoes while he cleans, which is how his talent is discovered by the principal. Principal Reynolds insists that he audition for the upcoming talent show, because “talent should be shared.” After accidentally “auditioning” while cleaning the stage, Stanley begins to move toward overcoming his fear of dancing before an audience. Zach Manbeck’s colored pencil-and-gouache illustrations change in saturated tones from predominantly blue to yellow in which Stanley shines while doing what he loves. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Sunny and Oswaldo. Nicole Melleby. Illus. by Alexandra Colombo. (2023). Algonquin.
Sunny Swaroo is not fond of cats, and she hates the cat her dad adopts named Oswaldo. She refers to Oswaldo as “old and dirty and cranky,” and does not know why her Dad likes him. He is mean and hisses at her. However, her dad and Oswaldo have a special relationship. They understand and love each other. When Oswaldo, who frequently disappears all day, fails to return one night, Sunny is delighted and sleeps well, while her dad is upset and unable to sleep. Since Sunny wants her dad to be happy again, she decides to help him look for Oswaldo. Is there any chance they will find Oswaldo and that Sunny and Oswaldo can learn to like each other? Alexandra Colombo’s expressive cartoon illustrations complement the story as they clearly communicate the feelings of the characters, both human and feline. Together, the words and illustrations convey a message about the significance of family, friendship, and empathy. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Whose Egg Is That? (Whose Is That? #3). Darrin Lunde. Illus. by Kelsey Oseid. (2023). Charlesbridge.
This latest book in the Whose Is That? nonfiction picture book series by Darrin Lunde invites readers to guess whose egg is painted in its actual size against a white background on the first of a series of double-spread pages. The pages that follow include the answer and a couple of facts about the egg. Kelsey Oseid’s realistic illustrations on these pages show the animal’s nest as well as the adult and its habitat. The eggs are those of birds (robin, ostrich, penguin, killdeer), a reptile (leatherback sea turtle), a mammal (platypus)—and even a fossilized egg of a dinosaur. Readers interested in learning additional facts about eggs can check out the “Eggcellent Egg Facts” at the end of the book. (PreK-Gr 2) 

​Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends (Ready-to-Read Graphics). Kaz Windness. (2023). Simon Spotlight.
In this Level 1 Ready-to-Read Graphics book, young readers are introduced to the format of a graphic novel by having Worm and Caterpillar explain how to read their story with its panels and speech bubbles in a “How to Read This Book” section. Through simple dialogue between Worm and Caterpillar, readers learn that they are best friends. Worm believes they are best friends because they are the same, but Caterpillar points out that they are not the same for various reasons. Caterpillar also knows change is coming and worries about what will happen to their friendship when he is no longer a caterpillar. Kaz Windness’s expressive cartoon illustrations accompany the easy give-and-take of the dialogue between the animated characters to create an engaging tale of a friendship that endures despite differences and change. (PreK-Gr 2)

Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger, Sarah Duncan and Jeanne Gilliam Fain
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a reader! Superpowers like flying and X-ray vision are pretty cool, but books can send readers on adventures, allow them into the minds of characters, and help increase their brain power. Invite students to exercise their reading superpower with a book as their sidekick during the fall celebration of 2021 Children’s Book Week (November 8-14) and all year long.

Best Friend in the Whole World. Sandra Salsbury. (2021). Peachtree.
One day while walking in the woods, Roland, a lonely rabbit, comes upon a pine cone. He picks up the pine cone, names it Milton, and takes him home. The two become the best of friends. On another walk, Roland sees posters tacked on the trees about a missing friend who looks like Milton and sadly knows he must return Milton to his home. Happily, however, upon seeing the woods full of “Wanted New Friends” notices, he realizes that he can have two best friends in the whole world: Milton (really named Popkin) and Lucy, the cat who posted the original “Missing” notices. Sandra Salsbury’s watercolor illustrations clearly convey Roland’s feeling of loneliness and then happiness expressed in this child-pleasing friendship story. (PreK-Gr 2)
—CBB

Best Friends-ish (Audrey L & Audrey W #1). Carter Higgins. Illus. by Jennifer K. Mann. (2021). Chronicle.
Audrey Locke thought that second grade would be twice as good as first grade, but her best friend, Diego, has new buddies, and it seems like everyone in Room 19 except her is best at something. When Audrey Waters joins the class, Audrey is annoyed to become Audrey L for the rest of the year. After being assigned Audrey W’s “Welcome Ambassador,” she wonders about her best-friend potential, and as she gets to know her, learns lessons about friendship and acceptance. By the end of the week, the two Audreys’ relationship is clearly “best friends-ish.” Short chapters filled with lots of realistic school-day details, gentle humor, and numerous black-and-white drawings make this new series an engaging choice for readers transitioning to chapter books. (PreK Up)
—SD ​

​Blueberry Cake. Sarah Dillard. (2021). Aladdin.
Little Bear wants Mama to make him a blueberry cake, so he sets out with his red bucket to pick wild blueberries in the woods. But picking blueberries and getting them back to Mama isn’t as easy as you might think. Succumbing to the temptation of eating berries and the distractions of the woods thwarts his efforts, and Little Bear arrives home with a bucket full of wildflowers instead of blueberries. After dreaming of blueberry cake, Little Bear goes berry-picking again and gets a blueberry cake—and the reader gets a recipe to make one at home— in this delightful tale told through vivid illustrations and a simple text of speech bubbles. (PreK-Gr 2)
—SD

The Curse of the Mummy: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb. Candace Fleming. (2021). Scholastic Focus.
“It was said…” that during the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb many strange things happened. Were these situations a coincidence or a result of a curse? Candace Fleming’s straightforward narrative provides background on the history of mummification and tomb building in ancient Egypt. She details how British Lord Carnarvon, who had been financing treasure hunts in the Valley of the Kings since 1906, and archaeologist Howard Carter got caught up in uncovering King Tut’s tomb in 1922. Many stories of the whats, whys, and hows of the excavation are shared along with captioned black and white archival photographs. Each chapter ends with an “It was said . . .” section related to one purported “curse of the mummy.” Back matter includes an author’s note, map, timeline, bibliography, source notes, photo and illustration credits, and index. (Gr 6 Up)
—CBB ​

Fox & Rabbit Celebrate (Fox & Rabbit #3). Beth Ferry. Illus. by Gergely Dudás. (2021). Amulet.
This latest book in Beth Ferry’s graphic novel series invites young readers to join Fox and Rabbit in another adventure as the two friends plan a “super-trooper’” pizza party to celebrate Sparrow’s birthday. Dragon, a new character to the series, agrees to help Fox and Rabbit with heating their grandiose pizza as he tells them he struggles finding friends. As Dragon joins in the joyful celebration of Sparrow’s birthday, his new friends discover it is his birthday too. Young readers will enjoy reading the five linked stories (with alliterative titles) presented in an easy-to-follow graphic format of eight panels per page with vibrant graphite-and ink illustrations and text full of wordplay presented in speech bubbles. (PreK Up)
—JGF ​

​The Girl Who Stole an Elephant. Nizrana Farook. (2021). Peachtree.
Chaya, the twelve-year-old daughter of a village headman, has a habit of stealing from the rich to help those in need in her village, but when she sneaks into the palace and takes the queen’s jewels, she goes too far. Her best friend, Neel, confesses to the robbery and is held in the palace’s underground prison. While he awaits execution, Chaya plots an escape that frees him but leaves them both as wanted criminals. After she steals the king’s elephant, Chaya, Neel, and Nour, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, go on a dangerous adventure through the wild Sri Lankan jungle as they attempt to outrun the palace soldiers. Readers who love non-stop action will enjoy the chase, while the lush description of the Sri Lankan jungle and its exotic plants and animals gives them a peek into a beautiful South Asian Island setting. (Gr 3 Up)
—SD 

An Occasionally Happy Family. Cliff Burke. (2021). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Thirteen-year-old Theo Ripley, whose mom died two years ago, is not thrilled  to be going on a vacation with his older sister, Laura, and his dad to Big Bend National Park in Texas in July. Theo is definitely not the outdoorsy type. As he predicted, the vacation involves too hot temperatures, too many bugs, encounters with annoying hikers, and even an encounter with a bear at their camping site. When Theo and Laura discover their dad’s surprise behind this unexpected vacation, meeting his secret girlfriend, they both have conflicted feelings about this and must grapple with the idea of their dad being read to move on while they are still grieving over their mom’s death. This story about a family overcoming life’s challenges is realistic and also funny in all of the right places. (Gr 6-8)
—JGF ​

Percy’s Museum. Sara O’Leary. Illus. by Carmen Mok. (2021). Groundwood.
Percy leaves his old home in the city, where there was always something to do and friends with whom to do it, and finds himself in the middle of the country in complete solitude. However, once he discovers the busy activity of bees, ants, and birds in his backyard, he begins to carefully explore the ever-changing natural world around him, makes drawings of his observations, and builds a nature collection in a small shed in his backyard. His posting of a “Percy’s Museum” sign on the mailbox attracts attention, and he begins to make friends by inviting them to visit the museum filled with his environmental discoveries. Carmen Mok’s colorful artwork, rendered in gouache and colored pencil, complements Sara O’Leary’s joyful story of adjusting to moving to a new home, exploring nature, and making new friends. (PreK-Gr 2)
—JGF

To Tell You the Truth. Beth Vrabel. (2021). Atheneum.
Trixy, a talkative and adventurous fourth grader had loved spending time with her grandmother, a great storyteller, who has died. When she must write true stories to bring up her failing grade in English, Trixy, who struggles to find her voice as a writer, has her mind filled with Gran’s stories of her childhood. Although Gran had told her never to share her stories with anyone, Trixy writes up some of them for the assignment. The stories are good, but are they true stories? To prove that Gran didn’t just make them up, Trixy sets out on an adventurous road trip through Tennessee with her best friend, Raymond, and his father and sister to uncover the truth about Gran and her family. This engaging story explores the power of the truth in troubling times and of a family coming together. (Gr 3 Up)
—JGF

Travels to Cuba (Travels with My Family #5). Marie-Louise Gay & David Hamel. Illus. by Marie-Louise Gay. (2021). Groundwood.
Charlie and his younger brother, Max, are quite the travelers. They are used to their Cuban family leaving their home in Canada for adventurous out-of-the ordinary vacations. Now they are traveling to Cuba where their mother, an artist, has been asked to work with local school children. The boys expect to enjoy beautiful beaches, but what they experience is something quite different. During their excursions they meet kind people, eat delicious food, and listen to wonderful music, but they also encounter the poverty, hunger, fear, and rules of the communist country. Short chapters, peppered with Spanish terms and black-and-white illustrations, make this book an interesting introduction to present-day Cuba and a good read aloud choice for children in upper elementary grades. (Gr 3-5)
—CBB

​Trouble with Tattle-Tails (The Fabled Stables #2). Jonathan Auxier. Illus. by Olga Demidova. (2021). Amulet.
Young Auggie works on an island at the Fabled Stables, “a magical place full of one-of-a kind creatures.” The appearance of an empty stall is the signal that Auggie must rescue a new beast. When they are magically transported to the village of Rainbow’s End, Fen, who is a literal Stick-in-the-Mud, helps Auggie recover a pot of gold that has been stolen by two villainous Rooks, who are always trying to steal one-of-a-kind things (including Auggie’s friend Willa the Wisp in the first book in the series), before coming up with a clever plan to free the unhappy townspeople of the tattle-tails that are attached to them. After they return to the Fabled Stables with Nunya, the original Tattle-Tail, Auggie solves the problem of knowing what the Unfeeling Brute, a creature with no eyes, ears, mouth, or nose, needs by attaching Nunya to it. Whimsical, full-colored artwork adds to the fun of reading this fanciful early chapter book. (PreK Up)
—CBB 

Walls. L. M. Elliott. Photo essay by Megan Behm. (2021). Algonquin.
It is August 1960, and divided Berlin is on the frontline of the Cold War. Disappointed over not having the much-anticipated opportunity of pitching his baseball team to the state championship in Virginia, fifteen-year-old Drew has moved with his family to West Berlin for his military dad’s new assignment. When Drew meets his German cousin Mattias, who lives in East Berlin, they clash over politics and beliefs, but gradually form a tentative truce as they observe each other’s lives and find common ground, including a love of music. Every chapter features a photo essay explaining key historical and cultural happenings occurring synchronously with the book’s events as the story spans the tension-filled year before the Berlin Wall was built in August 1961. Back matter includes an author’s note, acknowledgments, selected sources, and photo credits. (Gr 6-8) 
—SD ​

The Year I Flew Away. Marie Arnold. (2021). Versify.
In 1985, when ten-year-old Gabrielle has the opportunity to leave her small village in Haiti and go to America, she has to take it even if it means leaving her parents behind while they wait for their papers. Living with relatives in Brooklyn, Gabrielle struggles with homesickness and not fitting in at school. When Lady Lydia, a witch, offers her a magic mango to make her problems go away in exchange for her essence, Gabrielle accepts. But is the price of getting her wish to be a “real” American too great? With elements of magical realism, Gabrielle’s story shares the day-to-day challenges of being a young Haitian immigrant who wants to belong while also remaining true to her identity. (Gr 3 Up) 
—SD

Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger is an assistant professor in the Early, Elementary, and Reading Department at James Madison University. Sarah Duncan is an associate professor in the College of Education at Lipscomb University. Jeanne Gilliam Fain is a professor in the College of Education at Lipscomb University.
​

​Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
What began as a yearly celebration of National D.E.A.R. Day on April 12 (the birthday of popular children’s book author Beverly Cleary, who died on March 25, 2021) has become an annual month-long celebration in April. Here is a selection of recently published books to add to family, classroom, and library collections to encourage independent reading. Join in the 2021 D.E.A.R. celebration by reading for a period of time each day during April or, better yet, keep the celebration going throughout the year. To introduce D.E.A.R., consider reading aloud the chapter about Ramona Quimby’s favorite part of the school day, what her third-grade teacher calls Drop Everything and Read, in Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Plan to have other of Cleary’s many books available for independent reading too.

Alone! Barry Falls.  (2020). Pavilion.
In this hilarious cumulative tale, trouble begins when a squeaky mouse moves into Billy’s home and he brings a cat home to get rid of it. The plan backfires with the cat and mouse playing with each other, so Billy adds a rambunctious dog, a sleeping bear, an ailing tiger, a sheep to be shorn, a hairdresser with a fussy baby, and a red balloon to soothe the baby. Nothing works. He laments in between events, “This is my hill / I live here alone! / Always have, always will.” After Billy escapes the chaos to a neighboring mountain top where a thunderstorm strikes, he realizes it’s good to have friends. Returning home, peace is restored—except on Tuesdays when the mouse, cat, dog, bear, tiger, sheep, hairdresser, and baby come around to visit him. Vibrant, action-filled illustrations that complement the rhyming narrative make this a perfect book for independent reading as well as for reading aloud. (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB

The Beak Book. Robin Page. (2021). Beach Lane.
“Bird beaks come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes,” and Robin Page’s well-designed informational picture book introduces young readers to the many ways this common feature of birds is adapted. Double- and single-page spreads feature realistic head shots of twenty-one different birds in profile (rendered in Adobe Photoshop) paired with “This beak is for . . .” sentences against expansive white backgrounds. For example, a brown kiwi with its long beak and the declarative sentence “This beak is for sniffing.”  A brief statement in smaller print adds that the kiwi’s nostrils are located at the end of its long beak, enabling the bird to sniff out worms and insects, and a small inset shows the bird using its beak and identifies it as a North Island brown kiwi. Back matter includes a double-spread chart with information about each of the featured birds and a bibliography. (PreK Up)
--CA

The Capybaras. Alfredo Soderguit. Trans. by Elisa Amado. (2021). Aldana Libros/Greystone Kids.
The hens lead a contented life in a pen with plenty of food and a comfy coop at the edge of a wetland until five hairy, wet, big strangers, capybaras, come seeking refuge during hunting season. To stay, the capybaras must accept some strict rules. Nearly wordless panels show the smallest capybara breaking the all-important “Don’t come out of the water” rule by befriending a chick and taking her for a swim on its back. The mother hen is outraged, but everything changes when the chastised chick sneaks through a hole in the fence and is chased by the farmer’s ferocious dog. And when hunting season ends, the capybaras prepare to go home, the hunters depart empty handed—and the chicken coop is empty. Young children will be delighted by the final double spread of this beautifully designed picture book with black-and-white drawings with touches of red and a gentle message about accepting others and community building. (PreK-Gr 2)
—CA

The Coldfire Curse (Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly #1). Jordan Quinn. Illus. by Ornella Greco. (2021). Little Simon Graphic Novel.
In this new graphic novel series opener, the coldfire curse, which began on the Island of Crestwood in the Kingdom of Wrenly, is leaving the dragons freezing and ill. Young dragon Cinder is sent to the northern border of Wrenly to find help. Upon arriving, she begs Rushkin, the pet scarlet dragon of the prince, “You’re the only one who can save us!” Pampered Rushkin doesn’t know that legend says he is either destined for greatness or ruin, but he decides it’s up to him to save Crestwood and the rest of the kingdom as the curse spreads, in spite of time running out and someone wanting him out of the way. Vivid, action-filled panels with short narratives and dynamic dialogue draw readers through this dangerous adventure. Shadow Hills (second book in the series) was published simultaneously. (Gr 3-5)
—NB

From Here to There: Inventions That Changed the Way the World Moves. Vivian Kirkfield. Illus. by Gilbert Ford. (2021). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The engaging narrative and full-color cartoonlike illustrations of this collective biography tell the stories behind inventions that changed the way human get from here to there by land, water, and sky. Among the innovators introduced are brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, who developed the hot-air balloon that made the first manned balloon flight in France in 1783; German Karl Benz, who patented the first gasoline-powered horseless carriage, the three-wheeled Benz Patent-Motorwagen, in 1886; and American Robert Goddard, who invented the liquid-fuel-propelled rocket in 1926. Sidebars provide additional information on the inventors and the significance of their inventions. Back matter includes a “Build Your Own Dream” section, source notes, a selected bibliography, and an index. The endpapers feature a selected timeline of “inventions that changed the way the world moves.” (Gr 3 Up)
—CA

​Ghosted. Michael Fry. (2021). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Twelve-year-old Larry, a shy loner, is devastated when his best friend, Grimm, dies while rescuing a cat in a tree during a lightning storm. However, it’s not long before he realizes that Grimm is still with him as a ghost that only he can see and hear. Larry decides that they need to complete their Totally To-Do List with unfinished tasks such as “sit in a bath of spaghetti” and “kiss a girl” before Grimm will be free to leave. As Larry works his way through the remaining tasks, coached by Grimm, he realizes that his friend had been a bully to Boogie, the biggest kid in class. Maybe this is where reparation needs to be made. Black line illustrations and quirky descriptions such as “feeding a stupid tiny hellhound” and “Terrible Taco and Tot Fight of 2021” add humor to Larry’s learning to say a final goodbye in this engaging middle-school novel. (Gr 6-8)
—NB

Hard-boiled Bugs for Breakfast and Other Tasty Poems. Jack Prelutsky. Illus. by Ruth Chan. (2021). Greenwillow.
Popular and prolific Jack Prelutsky’s latest child-pleasing anthology includes one hundred four delightfully humorous poems complemented by Ruth Chan’s black and white cartoon artwork. There are verses about icky food choices such as crunchy hard-boiled bugs and a stew of discontented vegetables, creatures both real and imaginative such has a poor revolving dormouse and a kangarooster, and quirky humans doing odd things such as kids bowling with Ping-Pong balls and a spaghetti lover spending a lifetime mining for spaghetti in the macaroni hills (and finding only gold). Included are some shape poems and a series of clever animal haikus. My favorite: “I know I’m slow, / But, sandwiched between two shells, / It’s hard to hurry.” Prelutsky is a master of clever rhymes and inventive wordplay. The rhythmic meter of his poems invites reading aloud. (PreK Up)
—CA

​Never Show a T. rex a Book. Rashmi Sirdeshpande. Illus. by Diane Ewen. (2021). Kane Miller.
As a young girl (shown selecting the book Dinosaurs: Stuff You Never Knew You Never Knew from a bookshelf on the title page) settles down for some bedtime reading, she imagines the problems and possibilities that might arise from showing a T. rex the book. Reasoning that the dinosaur wouldn’t know what to do with it, she decides you’d have to teach the T. rex to read. This would lead to borrowing lots of books from the library and staying up at night to read, and read, and read. The dinosaur might become very clever and that would lead to more unexpected consequences, all imaginatively revealed in the colorful, giggle-inducing illustrations. “Amazing!! Can you IMAGINE?!” And when young children see her next choice from the bookshelf on the final page, they can ponder what the imaginative girl will make of it. (PreK-Gr 2)
—CA

Road Trip!: A Whiskers Hollow Adventure. Steve Light. (2021). Candlewick.
This romping road trip in Whiskers Hollow begins after Bear has a little accident with an acorn in his red 1940s Chevy pickup and needs a new headlight. “Rabbit, let’s go—road trip!” Along the way, Bear invites Mouse, a natural worrier, and Donkey, who leads them across a rickety bridge and through a bramble tunnel to Elephant’s Old Junk Tree, a junkyard filled with “tires, tricycles, a guitar with broken strings, a motorcycle, and lots of wrenches.” The hilarity continues when the friends serendipitously locate the headlight, and it’s time for the return trip. Steve Light’s colorful illustrations in pen, ink, and gouache will have young readers chuckling as they connect with this lively story dedicated “to friends everywhere.” (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB

​The Thingity-Jig. Kathleen Doherty. Illus. by Kristyna Litten. (2021). Peachtree. 
Bear discovers a heavy Thingity-Jig (“… a springy thing. / A bouncy thing. / A sit-on-it, hop-on-it, jump-on-it thing”) in the alley one night. When he asks his friends for help, they won’t get up, so he builds a Rolly-Rumpity to wheel it home, a Lifty-Uppity to put it on the Rolly-Rumpity, and a Pushy-Poppity to free the Rolly-Rumpity when it gets stuck in the mud. Once Bear gets home, he wakes his friends by plopping down the Thingity-Jig loudly beside them. They jump, bounce, hop, leap, and climb all over it before Bear flops down onto the couch, too tired to play and ready to “snorty-snore.” Penciled, ink textured, and digitized illustrations accompany the humorous storyline with its clever wordplay that will catch the imagination of young readers. (PreK-Gr 2)
—NB

Wild River. Rodman Philbrick (2021) Scholastic.
Twelve-year-old introvert Daniel Redmayne and classmates Mia, Imani, Deke, and Tony, chosen for Project Future Leaders from Byron James Regional Middle School, spend their first day white-water rafting down Crazy River in Montana under the supervision of rafting guides Sky Hansen and Cindi Beacon. That evening, nestled in their tents, they are awakened by the thundering roar of water rushing from a broken dam and destroying everything in its path. The campers escape, but their counselors don’t. They have dwindling supplies, few survival skills, no cell phone reception, and no search team looking for them. Over the next week, the odds escalate against them as Deke, a perpetual bully, and his protégé, Tony, sabotage their moves at every chance, resulting in another tragedy. Daniel and the remaining participants realize that they must work together if they are to survive. (Gr 6-8)
—NB