Runaway Baby Brother by Katy Hudson - OPTIONAL

Hudson, Katy Runaway Baby Brother. PICTURE BOOK. Random House, 2018. $18. 9781524718602

Chick has a new baby brother and it is not as fun as he was told it would be. His brother follows him everywhere, cries and can't do anything right. Chick escapes the hen house one day for some peace and quiet, but his brother somehow follows him even out there. Insisting that little babies cannot climb trees, Chick leaves him behind and heads off for a day of fun at the pond. On the way back home, the noises of the dark begin to scare Chick until he finds his baby brother and realizes its good to have a brother by your side who will always be there for you.

The best thing about this book is the artwork. Its cheerful and fun and the animals have great facial expressions. The premise of the story is a good one that lots of kids will relate to, but I was just not a fan of how it was carried out. I was bothered by the older brother abandoning his be-diapered baby brother in the middle of the woods all day long, and the conclusion of Chick loving on his brother felt abrupt and unearned. Overall, I think it could have been a lot better.

Pre-K, EL (K-3)--OPTIONAL. Reviewer: TC

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony - ESSENTIAL

Anthony, Lawrence The Elephant Whisperer, 248 pages. Henry Holt, 2017. $19.  NON-FICTION. Language: G (0 swears, 0”f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

When Lawrence Anthony accepts a herd of troubled elephants to his game reserve in South Africa, he is thrilled with his new acquisition, yet poorly equipped to deal with the debilitating effects of the past on these magnificent creatures.  Lawrence slowly learns to speak (elephant), to become their trusted friend and one of the worlds great conservationists. He claims “they whispered to me and taught me how to listen.” This incredible journey of real love and loss awakens a recognition of true trust and friendship. Making a conscious decision to end the life of a friend brings about inconsolable grief. Lawrence welcomes newcomers and bids farewell to others in the natural order of all things Africa.

We learn so much about the everyday reality of elephants, poaching and conservation efforts in a narrative of man’s commitment to his friends. The book is free from obscenity and mature content. All who read the novel, teens and above, will appreciate the honesty and beauty of a subject accurately and poignantly portrayed and a book well done.

MS, HS - ESSENTIAL. Raelynne, Language Arts Teacher

Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star by Chris Tougas - ADVISABLE

Tougas, Chris Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star. BOARD BOOK. Kids Can Press, 2018. $10. 9781771388399

This is a fun little board book taking a rather interesting twist on the classic "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" rhyme. Little Star is learning to go potty and the story goes over numerous places one should not tinkle--a plane, on a horse, in a hat, on the stage, etc. Throughout the book Little Star is urged to not tinkle and to hold it, until he finally is on the potty in his bathroom. Then it is in fact time to tinkle, tinkle, Little Star.

I was thoroughly amused by this book and giggled like a little kid when I read it. My own preschooler seemed a little more lost about the whole thing but then "tinkle" is not a word we used when potty training. I do think this would be a fun book to utilize in potty training but its not going to be the best option since kids cannot always connect with an anthropomorphic star doing what they do. Adults, however, will definitely laugh.

Pre-K--ADVISABLE. Reviewer: TC

Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Babysitters Club Book #5) by Ann M Martin -ADVISABLE

Martin, Ann M Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Babysitters Club Book #5), 148 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL.  Scholastic, 2017.  $11. Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG (Parental Kidnapping); Violence: G.

Dawn takes a new babysitting job –a family of three children. But it’s unlike any other job she has taken before, the mom rushes out the door without giving her any information, the house is a mess, and when she does need to get a hold of the mom –she doesn’t answer. Finally things come to a head when one of the children goes missing. In the meantime, life continues with the club as they test a possible junior member, Kristy is worried about moving, and there may be a parent marriage in the future which would join two of the girls as sisters.

Students at my school LOVE this series and its wildly popular. However, when they had the chance to buy this book at our book fair last week –they wouldn’t touch it because this book # 5 is by a different artist –Gale Galligan and the previous four are by Raina Telgemeier. This book is not a stand alone and the others in the series should be read prior. There are some real life lessons here about the role of the parent in babysitting and does involve a parental kidnapping.

EL –ADVISABLE.  Stephanie, Elementary School Librarian & Author

Snow Beast Comes to Play by Phil Gosier -ADVISABLE

Gosier, Phil Snow Beast Comes to Play, illustrated by Phil Gosier. PICTURE BOOK. Roaring Brook (Holtzbrinck), 2017. $18. 9781626725195

Snow Beasts come out in the winter, and one is a bit different from the others –he wants a friend. He tries his best, but he is just too big and too loud. It will take a special girl named Penny, who loves winter, in order to start a real friendship. Large easy to share illustrations.

This is a cute book to add to your winter stories collection. Teachers could use it as a lesson started to for how to make a friend –start with hello! Students will love the large well-crafted illustrations and they certainly do make you feel the cold –brrr!

EL(K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Stephanie, Elementary School Librarian & Author

As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman - OPTIONAL

Gillman, Melanie As the Crow Flies, 272 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Iron Circus Comics, 2017. $30. Language: PG (6 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.  

Charlie (Charlotte) is at a Christian girls’ hiking camp. She seems to be questioning God’s purpose for her being there, and a feather that greets her arrival is a message. She is concerned that she is the only girl of color and that the Women’s ceremony at the end is going to be biased, or strange or embarrassing.  She makes a friend along the way and together they express their concerns about the program.

I wasn’t completely sure what was going on in this novel - was there racism? Did Charlie feel like there might be and she was ready for when it happened? The problems she encountered (starting her period, mean girls - sort of) were similar to anyone’s issues at camp. Worst of all, it’s not even the whole story! It suddenly ends before they reach their destination, before the women’s ceremony, before lots of these problems are resolved, with no indication that it is book one or that a sequel follows. All by itself, this wouldn’t work in my school library - I’ll reserve selection choice until I read the next one - there’s gotta be a next one.  

MS - OPTIONAL Lisa Librarian

Count with Little Fish by Lucy Cousins - ADVISABLE

Cousins, Lucy Count with Little Fish BOARD BOOK CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2018. $8. 9781536200249

Little Fish helps you count to 10. Of course he is fish number 1, but then his friends join in to both show the number - in matching colors - and represent the number so the pre-schooler can count.

So many fish - lots of fun counting!  Not the names of actual fish (except flying fish), the fat fish, the fin fin fish, and the funny fish - who are upside down, we won’t address what that means - this is a super fun counting book.

Pre-K - ADVISABLE  Lisa Librarian

Where is Little Fish by Lucy Cousins - ADVISABLE

Cousins, Lucy Where is Little Fish? BOARD BOOK Candlewick Press, 2018. $8. 9780763694869 Little Fish plays hide and seek in this cute lift the flap board book. The flaps are different things that a child might see in the sea - or an aquarium. The different fish are hiding behind things like oyster shells and seaweed and coral - a nice learning tool for the child, but the fish friends aren’t actual fish, they are friend names - like curly whirly fish. A fun activity book!   
Pre-K - ADVISABLE  Lisa Librarian

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barkley Moore - OPTIONAL

Moore, David Barkley The Stars Beneath Our Feet, 304 pages, Alfred A Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2017. $17.

Language: PG (6 swears, 0 ‘f’) Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.

MS - OPTIONAL  

12yo Lolly has recently lost his brother to gang violence. He is having a hard time with everything: His brother’s empty bed in his room is a constant reminder, the punks on 125th street are always stealing his stuff and the director of the after school program he attends wants Lolly to talk about his brother’s death.  When Lolly’s mom’s girlfriend starts bring bags of Legos home from her work, Lolly loses himself and his problems in the building, and starts to find an escape.

There was a lot in this book - maybe too much - gay mom, absent father, brother’s death, gang pressure, dangerous streets, friend problems, legos, an autistic girl, a coyote in the park - some of the side stories went nowhere.  This debut novel was a good read, but so similar to other books out this year.  It’s appropriate for middle school, even with the gang violence which isn’t graphic. There was no plot related purpose for the boy body parts talk (the mature content).

Lisa Librarian

The Good Samaritan and Other Parables by Tomie dePaola - OPTIONAL

dePaola, Tomie The Good Samaritan and Other Parables  PICTURE BOOK Holiday House Book, 1987. $18. Content: G.  

This book has seventeen different parables taken from the Bible.  Jesus taught often through simple stories that had a moral.  Tomie dePaola has simplified seventeen of these stories, including the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, the Wise and Foolish Servants and the Mustard Seed.  

My fourteen year old daughter has always loved Tomie dePaola’s books and illustrations, and she loved this book’s illustrations as usual.  The simplified parables can be confusing for the younger crowd unless they are familiar with what the moral of the story is.  This is probably better as a gift as I’m not sure if parables are taught in school.  

EL (K-3), GIFT – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Lola Dutch by Kenneth Wright - ADVISABLE

Wright, Kenneth  Lola Dutch Illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright PICTURE BOOK Bloomsbury, 2018. $18.  Content: G.  

Lola Dutch likes to do everything in a big way.  She plays with her friends Crane, Gator, Pig and Bear.  She takes simple things like breakfast or going to the library and makes it into a production.  While at the library she becomes interested in artists so when they get home they recreate some of the classics with Lola and her friends as the muses.  By the end of the day though, it’s even a bit much for Lola and she just wants to snuggle with Bear.  

Lola Dutch has a lot of passion for life.  The illustrations are expressive and in soft tones.  This book will appeal to your Fancy Nancy readers.  

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Illiad by Rosemary Sutcliff - OPTIONAL

Sutcliff, Rosemary Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Illiad, 128 pages. Illustrated by Alan Lee. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (Quatro), 2017 (2005). $20.

Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.  

Paris hears of a beautiful woman named Helen and so he travels to see her.  Paris falls for Helen and gets her to come away from her husband, King Menelaus, to go home to Troy with him.  Menelaus is furious and gathers a whole big army to take against Troy.  The fighting lasts over ten years with a lot of bloodshed and brave leaders killed.   The Greek Gods favor certain people which makes the war last even longer.  Eventually Odysseus, tricks the people of Troy with the Trojan horse and Helen is returned to her original home.  

This was not an easy read for two reasons: first, there were so many names it would have been great to have a character list; second, the poetic writing style makes it so you have to read it slow and even re-read passages.  The illustrations are quite graphic and the scenes are gruesome battles where the victor tends to desecrate the body of the dead (Hector’s death is especially upsetting).  This book is broken down into different stories for each chapter, but there is a lot covered so this might be best used by a teacher in a Greek unit.  

MS, HS – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.     

Imagine That! by Judy Sierra - ESSENTIAL

Sierra, Judy Imagine That! How Dr. Seuss Wrote The Cat inthe Hat Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes PICTURE BOOK Random House, 2017. $18. Content: G.  

In the mid-50’s young readers were having a hard time transitioning from reading a few words to being able to read a whole book.  Dr. Seuss, known by his friends as Ted, was called on to solve the problem.  Ted was issued a challenge to include a list of non-nonsense words that new readers needed to know.  Ted brainstormed and came up with the idea of one his most popular books, The Cat in the Hat.  It was met with great success and Ted went on to write other beginning books for young readers.  

Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss?  This is a fun look at one of the ways that children’s books took a turn for the better.  The illustrations are fantastic because there is a mix of realistic drawings with cartoon-ish illustrations that replicate Dr. Seuss’s own work.  My two sons love this book and like to re-read it.  

EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Soldier Boy by Keely Hutton - ADVISABLE

Hutton, Keely Soldier Boy, 326 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017. $18. Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: R. 

Fourteen year old Ricky lives on his family’s plantation in Northern Uganda when he hears sounds coming from his local village.  Ricky, his brother Patrick, and some of their friends decide to go and sit at the edge of their property along the road to see if they can find any news as to what is happening.  A man comes along and seems friendly enough, but then is quickly joined by other rough looking men.  In an instant, Ricky’s family is murdered and the friends are tied together soon to become child soldiers for Joseph Kony’s rebel army in 1989.  Woven throughout Ricky’s story, is a young boy named Samuel, who in 2006 after being left for dead on a battlefield is protected by the Friends of Orphans.  

This is a heart wrenching read.  I couldn’t put it down, but I didn’t want to pick it up either.  I had to know what happened to Ricky and his brother Patrick, but the life of a child soldier was so brutal and upsetting it’s hard to read.  This is based on the true story of a child soldier named Ricky Richard Anywar during the Ugandan Civil War.  Although the violence is not gratuitous or gruesome, it is upsetting.  There are many deaths, often of children, and they are common and torturous.  Whole families are rounded up and burned and there is mention of girls getting raped.  This is one boy’s true story from an event that happened to many teens in Northern Uganda, it’s harrowing and real and although there is a lot of violence, it’s still advisable for high school.  

HS – ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://www.perma-bound.com/ViewDetail/138141-soldier-boy

Pete the Cat's Train Trip: I Can Read! by James Dean-ADVISABLE

Dean, James Pete the Cat’s Train Trip. HarperCollins Publishers, 2015. $16.99. PICTURE BOOK. 

Pete is going to take a train ride to visit his Grandma!  He is excited about seeing her but is also very excited about the train ride. Pete learns about conductors, snack bars, the engineer, the engine, the breaks, the horn and much more!  The train ride was fun and exciting but seeing his Grandma was the best part of the trip! 

This is an exciting and informative picture book that children will enjoy reading.  The illustrations are very detailed and colorful.  

Pre-K, EL (K-3) -  ADVISABLE. Reviewer: SL.  
https://www.perma-bound.com/ViewDetail/107935-pete-the-cats-train-trip

High? Low? Where Did It Go? All About Animal Camouflage by Tish Rabe- ADVISABLE

Rabe,Tish High? Low? Where Did It Go? AllAbout Animal Camouflage. Illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu. Random House Children’s Books. $9.99. PICTURE BOOK. 

In this Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library children are introduced to animal camouflage. “Camouflage helps (animals) hide. It’s the way they’re concealed, but these hidden animals will soon be revealed!” In this informational book readers learn about how alligators look like logs as they sit in wait, how little fawn have white dots on their fur and when hiding in a meadow of flowers they are harder to see, and how “some animals hide right in front of our eyes. They are hard to see ‘cause they wear a disguise!” The final page is a game of hide-and-seek where children can look for animals camouflaged right on the pages.  

This is a great informational book that is fun to explore.  The Cat in the Hat makes learning about camouflage animals fun and interesting. 

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE. SL
https://www.perma-bound.com/ViewDetail/112671-high-low-where-did-it-go-all-about-animal-camouflage

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear by Elizabeth Dale - ADVISABLE

Dale, Elizabeth Nothing Can Frighten a Bear Illustrated by Paula Metcalf PICTURE BOOK Nosy Crow (Candlewick), 2016. $16. Content: G.  

Baby Bear is frightened in the middle of the night by a roar, so in order to make Baby Bear feel better, Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear and her two siblings go on a walk in the night to see if there is any monsters.  While walking, Mommy and the two siblings are startled by some animals.  Daddy and Baby don’t notice that they are the only ones still walking, until they think they spot a monster, but really it’s just Mommy and the two siblings covered in mud from getting stuck.  When all the bears return to their beds, Baby hears the roar again, but they all realize that it’s Baby Bear’s snore.  

This is a fun read aloud because it rhymes and there is part of the story that is left until you turn the page.  The illustrations are adorable and the line that “nothing can frighten a bear” when really they are all a little spooked is cute.  This is a fun read for little people who might need reassurance from nighttime sounds.  

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://www.perma-bound.com/ViewDetail/148884-nothing-can-frighten-a-bear

Gordon: Bark to the Future! by Ashley Spires - OPTIONAL

Spires, Ashley Gordon: Bark to the Future, 72 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Kids Can Press, 2018. $16. Content: G. 

Gordon is a dog from P.U.R.S.T (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) and his team of other pets is nowhere to be found when an alien invasion of fleas comes to his home.  In an attempt to thwart the invasion, Gordon goes back in time to try and head off the fleas before they infiltrate his home.  He makes a couple of mistakes with the time machine, but in the end Gordon saves the day.  

The illustrations in this graphic novel are colorful and well done.  I liked Gordon, but I felt like I was being dumped in the middle of a story without any character or setting development.  There are other P.U.R.S.T graphic novels, but I can’t find whether or not they go in a particular order.  There needs to be more clarity about the order of these books and then I think they would be fun and much loved especially by younger readers.  

EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Caveboy is a Hit! by Sudipta Barhan-Quallen - OPTIONAL

Barhan-Quallen, Sudipta  Caveboy is a Hit!, 71 pages. Illustrated by Eric Wight CHAPTER BOOK Bloomsbury, 2017. $10. Content: G.  

Caveboy loves baseskull and is excited for the season to start.  As he is headed to baseskull, he comes across his friends Mags and convinces her to come to practice with him.  While at practice, each of the team members has different strengths and weaknesses, but Caveboy explains that that’s what makes them such a good team.  At the end of practice, Fish loses her necklace and they have to go find it.  When they work together as a team they find Fish's necklace.  

Caveboy is a kind and good friend and the theme of friendship and team work is throughout this book.  The vocabulary and length are just right for newer readers and the illustrations are interspersed throughout.  My big hang-up with this book is that they are hitting human skulls as baseballs.  Besides being morbid, it seems disrespectful and not a great visual for little kids.  

EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.