Little Blue Truck Beep-Along Book by SChertle - OPTIONAL

Schertle, Alice Little Blue Truck Beep-Along Book, illustrated by Jill McElmurry.  PICTURE BOOK.  Houghton Mifflin, 2015.  $13.  Content: G.  

Schertle has adapted “If You’re Happy and You Know It” into a story for the Little Blue Truck friends sing and beep.  The book has a cut out pages with a fuzzy Little Blue Truck that they can beep along with the song.  It is a cute novelty book that parents will get tired of reading and beeping quickly and if I were a little kid I would want to rip the fuzzy Blue off the book so that I could play with him without the book.  So cute idea, but a couple of execution problems.

Pre-K, GIFT – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau - OPTIONAL

Resau, Laura The Lightning Queen, 336 pages.  Scholastic Press, November 2015.  $17.  Content: G. 

Every summer Mateo feels drawn to the remote hill top village in Mexico that is his grandfather Teo and his mother’s childhood home.  This year Mateo hears the true story of the two years that girl Esma, who called herself The Lightning Queen, visited with her gypsy tribe.  Those brief visits were life-changing for Teo and for the entire village, as they enjoyed the new nightly movie picture shows and grew into friendship.  Esma disappeared from Teo’s life after two short visits, but she never left his heart.  Mateo feels that it is his job to find her.

I can’t wait to share this with some of my literary friends.  This is definitely a book that an adult will appreciate much more than a student – just because of the level of sophistication and that it is character based, not plot driven.  There will be those few, more mature students who will treasure it, though; you will have to hand sell it to them, though.

HS – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Tiny Hamster is a Giant Monster by Joel Jensen - ADVISABLE

Jensen, Joel Tiny Hamster is a Giant Monster with Joseph Matsushima and Amy Matsushima.  PICTURE BOOK.  Simon & Schuster, 2015.  $18.  Content: G. 

When Tiny Hamster finds some green ooze and gets hit by lightning, he becomes a ravenous Giant Monster, stomping through the town, eating everything in sight.

Even if you have never seen the YouTube adventures of Tiny Hamster (like me), you will appreciate and enjoy reading his adventures.  This would be great inspiration for younger students to create their own adventures with writing and photography – maybe not with their personal pets, though.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen - ESSENTIAL

Nielsen, Jennifer A.  Mark of the Thief (Mark of the Thief, #1), 339 pgs.  Scholastic Press, 2015.  Content: Language: G; Violence: PG; Mature Content: G.  

Nic is a slave in the coal mines outside of Rome, but when an important Roman General sends him into a dark cave to retrieve an amulet his life changes forever.  While in the cave, Nic befriends a griffin and the amulet claims Nic in a magical bond.  When word gets out that Nic has these powers, he is sought after by the most powerful men in Rome.  

This is the first book in the series and is full of action and a fun main character.  The setting of ancient Rome is creative and I enjoyed the historical aspects hidden among all the action.  The ending was frustrating because it was a cliff hanger.  This book will appeal to middle school boys and is easy to recommend because it is clean and a fast adventure.  

MS-ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.         

Under the Freedom Tree by Susan VanHecke - ADVISABLE

VanHecke, Susan  Under the Freedom Tree  Illustrated by London Ladd. 32 pages. Charlesbridge, 2014. $18. NONFICTION.

From the publisher: "One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared 'contraband of war' and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom.  These 'contrabands' made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation in the South."
   
Though students may be able to read the short lines that comprise this lyrical story-in-verse, many will need support understanding the imagery and historical context. Every time I read through this beautiful book, something else caught my attention, giving me that treasured gift of completely engaging my imagination to reflect on and visualize the scenes being described. And I loved how the author keeps referring back to the grand oak tree that witnessed many of these events and still stands today. An Author's Note gives more facts about the events of the story and the Emancipation Oak.

EL - ADVISABLE     Reviewed by P.K.Foster, teacher-librarian
   

The Promise by Nicola Davies - ADVISABLE

Davies, Nicola  The Promise  Illustrated by Laura Carlin. 40 pages. Candlewick Press, 2014. $18. PICTURE BOOK

From the publisher: "On a mean street in a mean, broken city, a young girl tries to snatch an old woman's bag But the frail old woman, holding on with the strength of heroes, says the thief can't have it without giving something in return: the promise It is the beginning of a journey that will change the thieving girl's life--and a chance to change the world, for good."

     Described as a modern allegory, this book grew on me. It is vague on setting with few details and not much plot, and the premise is unrealistic, unlikely. Nevertheless, I found that the illustrations were like walking through a gallery of fine art, and each reading brought new thoughts and questions to my mind. Besides using the story to learn about story elements such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and allegory, the story invites the reader to explore text-to-self connections. This book is quite different than most picture books in the library. It is perfect for an introspective, thoughtful child of any age.

ALL AGES - ADVISABLE     Reviewed by P.K.Foster, teacher-librarian

Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle by Cheryl Bardoe - ESSENTIAL

Bardoe, Cheryl  Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle  32 pages. Charlesbridge, 2014. $18. NONFICTION

From the publisher: "Simple science text and dramatic illustrations give a close-up view of the fascinating world of the dung beetle. When an animal lightens its load, dung beetles race to the scene. They battle over, devour, hoard, and lay their eggs in the precious poop. Dung is food, drink, and fuel for new life--as crucial to these beetles as the beetles are to many habitats, including our own."

     Who knew there was so much to learn about dung beetles? Each spread has two paragraphs, one in larger type for the younger reader, another in smaller type with more details for the older reader. The story makes sense whether you want to read just the larger type, or all the text sequentially. With enough gross-out facts to keep even the most reluctant reader engaged, there's lots to learn about how vital this insect is. Additional facts, glossary, and bibliography are included at the end.

EL - ESSENTIAL     Reviewed by P.K.Foster, teacher-librarian

Lord and Lady Bunny--Almost Royalty! (The Bunny's #2) by Polly Horvath - OPTIONAL

Horvath, Polly.  Lord and Lady Bunny--Almost Royalty!  Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. 304 pages. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2014. $23. Language/Mature Content/Violence: G.
In this tougue-in-cheek sequel, Madeleine wants money for college but her hippy parents have not been saving for that. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bunny wants to be royalty, preferably a queen. When Madeleine's family unexpectedly inherits a sweet shop in England that may solve their financial issues, and Mr. and Mrs. Bunny travel from Canada to England to find some royalty, their paths cross for some humorous adventures.
     The illustrations are fabulous, as well as the gags about Canadians, talking bunnies (and other animals) in a world where most humans deny their existence, and writers. However, the flow of the story is choppy and disjointed, making it difficult to fully become immersed. Also, the humor may be a bit sophisticated for most middle readers, and the price is a bit steep for most small school budgets. But, if you know young Anglophiles, by all means, hand them this tale.
EL, MS - OPTIONAL     Reviewed by P.K.Foster, teacher-librarian

Odd, Weird & Little by Patrick Jennings - OPTIONAL

Jennings, Patrick.  Odd, Weird & Little  160 pages. Egmont USA, 2014. $15. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (school bullying).

From the publisher: "When the new kid joins his class, Woodrow agrees with his schoolmates - Toulouse is really weird. He's short - kindergarten short - dresses in a suit like a grandpa, has huge eyes and barely says a word. But Woodrow isn't exactly Mr. Popularity. The frequent target of the class bully himself, he figures that maybe all Toulouse needs is a chance. When the two are put together in gym to play volleyball, they make quite the team. Toulouse can serve, set, and spike like a pro. He really knows how to fly around the court. But when the attention and teasing switch back to Woodrow, he learns that the new kid is great at something else: being a friend."
     I would have rated this book advisable except for the touch of fantasy at the end, which is alluded to by the title, cover art, and chapter titles, but which no one in the story seems to be able to figure out. The descriptions of school life and interactions between the students are delightfully true-to-life, but everyone, including you, knows how this book ends, and the surrealism of it jars with the great realistic fiction preceding it. Despite this, I think many students will enjoy the tale. Try reading the first chapter aloud without showing students the cover or even the title, and let them think about who (or what) Toulouse might be.
 EL - OPTIONAL    Reviewed by P.K. Foster, teacher-librarian

The 39-Story Treehouse by Griffiths and Denton - ESSENTIAL

Griffiths, Andy The 39-Story Treehouse, illustrated by Terry Denton.  346 pages.  Feiwell (Macmillan), 2015 (U.S. edition).  $14.  Mature Content: G; Language: G; Violence: PG (cartoon-like, non-graphic).  

Terry and Andy started out with a 12-story treehouse and added 1 4more.  Now they are up to 38 incredible, wacky stories, each filled with wonders and entertainments for the boys.  The 39^th story has Andy’s piece-de-resistance – a machine tailored to write the boys’ books for them, because their publisher is breathing down their necks.  They only have a day to write their book, so the boys fire up the machine, which promptly kicks them out and locks them out of the treehouse, taking over.  The boys are desperate to find away to regain control, even if it means flying to the moon. 

I was recently in the Netherlands and two different bookstore owners asked me if I had seen these books yet in America.  Out of Australia, they are reminiscent of the Dork Diaries in style and definitely are manic in flavor.  Which means they will be highly popular with elementary boys.  By the way – the boys are up to 52 stories in Australia in Europe.  Hopefully #4 is coming to the US soon.

EL –ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

What About Moose? by Schwartz and Gomez - ADVISABLE

Schwartz, Corey Rosen and Rebecca J. Gomez What About Moose? Illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi.  PICTURE BOOK.  Simon & Schuster, 2015. $18.  Content: G.

Fox and his friends are building a treehouse in the forest and moose thinks he’s helping – but all he is really doing is shouting unhelpful orders and getting in the way.  When Moose gets trapped inside and  panics, however, the others decided to create a fun way for him to escape. 

My only gripe with this book is that it rhymes.  It is so hard to not read a rhyming book in a sing-song voice.  Other than that, however, the pictures are adorable and Moose’s predicament is hilarious.  Even young listeners will be annoyed by Moose’s behavior be the time he gets trapped and will love Fox’s solution.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher