Hello, Little Egg! An Oona and Baba Adventure - OPTIONAL

Hello, Little Egg! An Oona and Baba Adventure. PICTURE BOOK. Penguin Young Reader’s Licenses (Penguin Random House), 2016. $9.99. 

In Puffin Rock, where the characters live, we find puffins Oona and Baba, along with Mossy the mouse, going to play catch. Instead they find what they think is a blue rock. They quickly realize the “rock” is an egg, and spend some time trying to figure out what kind of bird it belongs to. The egg hatches with a baby guillemot inside. The friends then try to figure out a way to get the baby bird back to his mama and papa. 

A sweet although somewhat simple story of friends helping out an egg and then a baby bird in need, this book’s illustrations are great. This is An Oona and Baba Adventure book based on the TV series Puffin Rock, so fans of the show will already like the characters and stories, otherwise I’m not sure this tale would stand out on its own. 

PRE-K-OPTIONAL. Reviewer: JQ

Four-Four-Two by Dean Hughes - ESSENTIAL

Hughes, Dean Four-Four-Two, 259 pgs. Atheneum, 2016.  $17.99.  Language: G; Mature Content PG; Violence: PG-13 (war description).

Yuki Nakahara is a teenager forced into Topaz, a Japanese internment camp during World War II.  He and his good friend, Shig, enlist to fight in the war to prove that they are indeed loyal Americans.  Because of prejudice against Japanese Americans during the war, all the AJA (American Japanese) were put into their own battalion.   As the author notes, “The 100th Infantry Battalion, and the “Go For Broke” 442nd Regimental Combat Team is still the most decorated unit in U.S. military history.”   

As we follow Yuki and Shig through their battles, we get an insight into the horrors of war and the unique difficulties AJA faced.  Dean Hughes weaves a haunting tale of war and friendship that is hard to put down. Yuki’s journey takes him not only across an ocean, but is a journey of the soul as well.  The book was beautifully written and uncovered an aspect of WWII I was unfamiliar with.  This book will enlighten while it pulls at your heartstrings.  The violence is an integral part of the story, but isn’t overly graphic.  

MS/HS-ESSENTIAL.  Michelle in the Middle

Worth the Wait by Billy Steers - ADVISABLE

Steers, Billy Tractor Mac: Worth the Wait, PICTURE BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017. $8.99. 

Pete and Paul, two pigs on Farmer Bill's farm, are excited about the watermelons growing in the garden. But in their eagerness to help, they end up ruining much of the melon patch. When they discover a solitary melon growing in their own pig pen, they patiently care for it until it grows big enough to be entered in the Fruit and Vegetable Show. 

This is another story in the Tractor Mac series, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the simpleness of the story and the important message about practicing patience and some things taking time. The illustrations and the text combine to be a great story with a very classic feel. I look forward to reading more of these Tractor Mac books in the future.

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

Planet Jupiter by Jane Kurtz - OPTIONAL

Kurtz, Jane. Planet Jupiter, 278 pages. Harper Collins, 2017. $16.99.

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G. 

Jupiter and her family have always travelled from place to place living in their van and making money playing music. But the family van breaks down and their lives drastically change, which Jupiter is less than thrilled about. They leave behind Jupiter’s brother, and rent a house in Portland. Jupiter is extremely upset with not being on the road and in a situation which includes living with Edom, her cousin who was recently adopted from Ethiopia. 

This book explored some interesting themes like stereotypes or ideas people have about different countries, non-traditional families and unconventional living situations. I really liked how Edom was not afraid to tell Jupiter when she was relying on misinformation or biases about Ethiopia. Overall this story was interesting but didn’t blow me away. Jupiter was so self-centered she was hard to like as a character, though she was granted some growth of character towards the end of the book, which helped. 

EL-OPTIONAL. Reviewer: JQ

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton - ADVISABLE

Barton, Chris Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion.  PICTURE BOOK.  Illustrated by Victo Ngai.  Millbrook Press (Lerner), 2017.  $20.

During World War I, German submarines  started attacking not only British and American warships, but also desperately needed cargo ships.  Thought he idea was not new, a Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve officer, Norman Wilkinson suggested that ships be painted in what he called dazzle patterns – patterns that would confuse the submarine captains about the boats’ headings.

Barton has taken a little known aspect of World War I and brought it to a place where children of all ages can learn about and marvel and human ingenuity.  A quick internet image search will bring up many images –  fascinating images that I had never seen before  If your school teaches about art, war, or World War I, I think this would be a marvelous addition to your collection.  I can even see giving it as a gift to a former sailor or history buff.

EL, MS, HS, GIFT – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher