Category: Reviews

A Moving Picture Book That's Sure to Please

12/17/2020

When I received my copy of EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY, a beautiful picture book book written by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, and published by Candlewick, I couldn't wait to pour over its pages. It did not disappoint! Immediately, I was transported into Evelyn and Daniela's world, which mirrored my own when I was their age and moving away from the city to the suburbs.
Evelyn's building with its iron staircase railing, the empty rooms of an apartment where friends once spent hours at play, the boxes being moved, Evelyn's afro puffs--all of it reconnected my neurons, causing me to relive a moment I had long forgotten.

The tears that ran on the day I moved and left my best friend behind rolled anew as I read EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY.

But I know that tomorrow everything will be different. Evelyn will be in a new home that doesn't match mine.

This story with its lovely text and soft illustrations will move any reader. Why? Because losing something dear always hurts. And haven't we all lost something, especially this year?

I will be surprised it EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY doesn't win some of the highest kidlit honors to be handed out in 2021--not just because Meg Medina writes like an award-winning author, and not just because Sonia Sánchez captures the girls' emotions with a vibrant and deft digital paintbrush, but because this book, this story, is worthy. In a word, the words in EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY are moving.

It's already garnered starred reviews from the likes of Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, Horn Book, BookPage, and landed on numerous lists naming the best books of 2020. But more important than the praise, the reason every elementary school guidance counselor and parent should have a copy of this book on hand when a child is experiencing grief is because EVELYN DEL REY infuses hope, and shows that change does not have to mean the end of something held dear in our hearts.

Purchase your copy today.

Publisher's blurb: Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special.

Watch the trailer!

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Lions & Cheetahs & Rhinos! OH MY! Launch Party Day Seven!

8/21/2020

3 Comments

Animal artwork by Lerato from Malawi

OH MY! Kid Interviewer:
Madeline

Hi, Madeline! So nice of you to join us.

Thank you, Mrs. Mann, for having me!

The pleasure is all mine! Do tell about the interview you had with Moira Donohue, coauthor of LIONS & CHEETAHS & RHINOS! OH MY!

I did a Zoom interview with Ms. Moira Donohue. I liked being on Zoom with her because she is so friendly and paid attention to me when I talked. It makes me know she’s listening to my question and not taking it lightly. I learned a lot from her about animals, good sources, and about her work. I found out we put some of the same information in both our books!

That's cool! So I heard that Moira's publisher mailed you a review copy of LION, CHEETAHS & RHINOS! OH MY!, and that Moira sent you a signed bookplate. Did you enjoy reading the book?

LION, CHEETAHS & RHINOS! OH MY!, her newest book, was AWESOME!!! The writing was well said and I wouldn't change anything. But what really caught my eye was the illustrations. Were those really made by kids!?! Those pictures look professionally done. The artwork is so realistic and the illustrations capture the actions and behaviors of the animals.

So would you recommend the book to your classmates?

I would recommend the book to my classmates because It tells interesting facts about the animals and the pictures are impressive because they are made by kids, just like us.

Pages from Madeline's book, her third-grade school project

I heard you wrote a book for a school project that is similar in scope to John and Moira's book. Do tell a little about it, why you chose African animals as your research area, and what you enjoyed about the process.

This past year at school, I got to make a digital book on any topic as an individual project. I chose to write about African animals because I really like animals and almost all of my favorite animals live in Africa. The research I did about the 11 animals I chose was the hardest part of making my book. It took a long time, but it was neat to find out some facts I didn’t know. As part of my project, I was supposed to illustrate the book because I love art. Since we missed so much school in the spring [because of COVID-19], I ran out of time to do all the artwork for so many animals. I used digital photographs instead. It was still really fun to choose the photos, design the layout of the book and pick lots of different colors. So it was still a big art project and that was my favorite part.

Do you think you might like to be a writer or illustrator of books for younger readers when you grow up? If so, why?

I might like to become a writer and illustrator of books for young readers when I grow up because I enjoy listening to stories and making up new stories and I love to draw and paint. I also like to research and learn about things that happened in history. That would be fun to write about.

You're on your way, Madeline! Thanks again for stopping by. It was great having you!

It was fun!

Madeline is 9 years old and will be in the fourth grade when school starts in the fall. She enjoys learning about many subjects in school. Madeline loves reading, drawing, painting, making crafts, playing soccer, dancing, making I-Movies, and playing with her friends!

Win a chance to receive a signed copy of this book by leaving a comment anytime during the party's duration!

Ten African animals, including lions, zebras, giraffes, and elephants, are brought to life in colorful artwork, accompanied by fun nature facts. Written by John Platt and Moira Rose Donohue, each animal portrait is painted by a student from the How to Draw a Lion program. Established in 2018 by New York artist John Platt, How to Draw a Lion is a nonprofit art education program that provides art classes for children in sub-Saharan Africa (Sleeping Bear Press, August 15, 2020).

"A successful combination of factual prose and appealing artwork."
School Library Journal
Purchase your copy today!

All images used with permission from Madeline's mom and Sleeping Bear Press.

3 Comments

TAG YOUR DREAMS

4/3/2020

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A Review

Written by award-winning children's book author and poet, Jacqueline Jules, and illustrated by award-winning illustrator, Iris Deppe, each free-verse poem in Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence paints a picture of young people persevering while doing what children do best--playing.

One poem shows a girl and boy wanting to play tennis, but alas, they must wait beneath the lights of night for their turn on the courts. In another poem, a girl is called a name that makes fun of her size. Yet, she swims majestically proud despite it. In another poem, a girl joins her Nana and Pops on a slow pace hike along a trail lined with "sycamore trees wrapped in mottled bark."

No matter the mode of play, no matter the season, no matter the child's gender, every poem in Tag Your Dreams shows a young person learning persistence and patience while perspiring.

"Round and round. Faster and faster.
Sometimes I’m on. Sometimes I’m out.
Who cares as long as
the game keeps moving,
and I still have the chance
to jump back in."

One boy, while confidently riding his bike, swerves to keep hitting a squirrel: "Boom! Blood on my lip. Bent wheel. Broken finger. But no cast. No sling." Soon, he's pedaling again. A girl up to bat recalls how her past indecisiveness about whether or not to swing ended up poorly for her. This time, she decides to keep her eye on the ball and "send fear sailing over the fence."

Parents, physical education instructors, and teachers alike will enjoy having this collection of poems on hand, for each poem highlights the internal voice of a child learning persistence while engaging in play. Young readers will also enjoy Iris Deppe's simple illustrative style. Each image shows all kinds of children playing together--whether one participant is sitting in a wheelchair or leaning on crutches, or another is blond-haired or brown-skinned, or whether the player is female or male. That in itself is tagging a dream.

Released by Albert Whitman & Company April 1, 2020. Order your copy HERE.

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Fort Building Time

2/16/2020

0 Comments

A Review

Forts. I can still see the pattern of my mother's green square sofa cushions that made for a perfectly-sized fort with a roof that fit both myself and my little sister. Then there was the one that Trudy and I built in the woods. Little did we know that we were using poison ivy vines to bind together the branches! (We never revisited it, but it was pretty sweet to look at from the distance.) I also remember how many contented hours my daughter and son had in the small patch of woods in front of our house as they used whatever materials were on hand and designed and redesigned their fort, no matter the weather.
What better activity to capsulize the joy of childhood than building a makeshift fort. And Megan Wagner Lloyd celebrates that simple joy in her picture book illustrated by Abigail Halpin, Fort Building Time.

In the winter, mitten-wearing kids join forces to build a snow fort. In the spring, despite the rain, they build a fort among the trees. In the summer, a driftwood fort makes for a perfect place to dry their beach towels. And in the fall, they go all out with the most-inspiring fort a group of kids could dream up.

"Every season has it's own secret dreaming, cozy keeping, hush-listening, fort-building time."

Kids, ages 3-7, will love both the story and the illustrations in Fort Building Time. Each page is bright and full and indicative of the season. The prose is sparse yet inspiring. Teachers, from pre-k to first grade, who have the four seasons on the curriculum will love using this book to describe the changing weather. And what parent won't love using it as an opportunity to encourage outdoor play and the use of the imagination without electronics.

I loved this book not only because of the story and the fond memories it stirs up, but also because it shows children from all walks of life sharing in an activity that promotes friendship and inclusion with no heavy hand to tell it. It's a simple ode to kids who know how to have fun-filled fort-building times, season after season.

Fort Building Time, was a 2018 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices selection. It is written by Megan Wagner Lloyd, illustrated by Abigail Halpin, and published by Alfred A. Knopf. Purchase your copy HERE.

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A Big Mooncake for Little Star

9/2/2019

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A Review

A Big Mooncake for Little Star tells the scrumptious story of a celestial little girl who helps her mama bake a mooncake. When it's done, all big and round like a rising orange moon, Mama places it into the nightsky to cool.

There it sits, smelling quite delicious.

Little Star tells her mama she'll wait until it's time to eat it, but then...after falling asleep, she forgets about waiting. She throws off her bed covers, pats her soft feet toward the Big Mooncake and begins to nibble-nibble-nibbles at its edges.

Little mooncake crumbs fall into the darkness and sparkle there like stars.

Night after night, Little Star nibbles, and with each nibble the mooncake wanes like the phases of the moon.

Pat, pat, pat.
Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake.
Would her mama notice if she took a tiny nibble?

Will there be any mooncake left for Mama?

A 2019 Caldecott winner, A Big Mooncake for Little Star is a timeless story written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers. It is a nod (with a multi-cultural flair) to the beloved book Blueberries for Sal, written and illustrated by Robert McClowskey, published in 1948, also a Caldecott medalist. The sparse yet beautiful text and striking illustrations both make A Big Mooncake for Little Star glow. And it certainly proves true the writing adage "less is more."

Kids, ages 4-7, will delight in having this book read to them. And with a Lexile measure of 430, emergent readers will enjoy reading it by themselves. This book is sure to find a special place in the hearts of all little ones who've had to resist the too-soon nibbling of blueberries in pails or mooncakes glowing warm and smelling delicious in the nightsky.

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Bravo! BRAVE BALLERINA

8/8/2019

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A Review

Text (C) Michelle Meadows, Art (C) Ebony Glenn, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2019

Brave Ballerina brings to life the story of Janet Collins, a woman lesser known in African American history, a woman who refused to hide her identity, a woman who graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera as the first African American principal dancer at the Metropolitan Opera House, despite the closed doors that stood before her.

As a young girl, she and her family were determined not to allow the obstacles of segregation to squelch her love for dance. Her mother sewed costumes to pay for her lessons. Her family and community supported her, attending her recitals. Professionals--both white and black--recognized her talent and propelled her forward.

This is the girl
with a broken heart.
But she bounced right back
and made a new start.

Brave Ballerina is a beautifully told picture book biography published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. It is lyrically written by Michelle Meadows and lushly illustrated by Ebony Glenn, one of my favorite up-and-coming illustrators. (Read my interview with Ebony HERE.)

Children from all walks of life will love this book. They will love the simple yet poignant language of the rhyming text. They will love the illustrations with their graceful lines that will remind them of ballet dancers. And they will love the sepia tones that hint of the old photographs from the 1930s and 40s, the book's setting. But the most important reason children should read this book is because Janet Collins was a brave ballerina who had a get-back-up-again determination that will encourage them to do the same.

Click on the book cover, and purchase your copy today!

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2019

Illustrations used by permission of the publisher.

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FLASHLIGHT NIGHT: Where Art and Text Combine--Brilliantly!

7/18/2019

2 Comments

Boyds Mills & Kane, 2017

Picture book writers are advised to leave room for the illustrator when composing their text. Flashlight Night, written by Matt Forest Esenwine and illustrated by Fred Koehler. shows perfectly how this is accomplished. Koehler's art plus Esenwine's spare text equals a picture book narrative with depth, one that is sure to capture the attention of any young reader.

The illustrations shout what the text whispers.

What happens when kids with imagination turn on a flashlight at night? The illustrations answer!

Adventure lurks in the dark!

For instance, note this text with this illustration:

Brightens deck and mizzenmast,
exposes what you're sailing past.

Notice how the image adds a layer to the story that is not stated in the text. It's like biting into a chocolate cupcake and discovering delicious raspberry cream filling! YUM! The text doesn't try to control the story's narrative by stating every detail. It allows the picture to show what the pool water becomes in the rays of the flashlight--a storm-tossed sea!--and that a toy has become a pirate ship or a flotation device a giant purple squid ready to attack.

What fun!

The author left room for the artist's imagination to unveil scrumptious narrative details.

Picture books like Flashlight Night--ones that marry words and illustrations in such a clever way--are the kinds of books that kids will beg to read, heads beneath bed covers, flashlights in hand. At least, until someone yells, "Lights out!"

Flashlight Night is an ode to the power of imagination and the wonder of books. Three children use a flashlight to light a path around their backyard at night; in the flashlight’s beam another world looms. Our heroes encounter spooky woods, a fearsome tiger, a time-forgotten tomb, an Egyptian god, a sword-fighting pirate, and a giant squid. With ingenuity, they vanquish all, then return to their tree house "braver, closer, and wiser than before” to read the books that inspired their adventure. ~Boyds Mills & Kane description

Illustrations used by permission of publisher.

2 Comments

SOLO: A YA Novel In Verse

7/3/2018

0 Comments

A Review

Outsiders might consider that 17-year-old Blade has a perfect life. His family has money--lots of money. He drives a sweet ride, lives in an amazing house, and has a girlfriend, Chapel, who is absolutely gorgeous with those amazing blue eyes. But as far as Blade is concerned the only thing right in his life is Chapel. She's his lifeline to surviving each day. She's his solace, his friend. She completes him.
Still, he can't stand being his father's son. In Blade's eyes, his father is nothing short of a failed human being--a washed-up famous musician who loves nothing else but the limelight and partying hard. Being his father's son, Blade believes, ruins his life. Besides, it seems his father loves music, fame, and drugs more than him. Blade's emptiness intensified after his mother died. He still has nightmares. Nothing besides Chapel seems to make his emptiness subside. But a close relationship with her is off limits because her parents don't approve of his messed up family. They don't even acknowledge that he is making different choices.

It feels
like countless mirrors
crashing around me
in an empty space
where there's
no way in
and no way out.

And then things get worse. His father publicly sabotages his salutatorian speech on his graduation day--ruining his chance to show the world who he is, apart from his father. Blade is told that he's adopted. And he discovers that Chapel is not at all the confidant she purports to be!
Blade decides to go solo in search for his birth mom in far away Ghana. But will he find the inner happiness he's looking for? Will he make peace with his father? Will he forgive Chapel? You'll have to read SOLO, a young-adult novel in verse, with legendary concert references throughout, to find out. SOLO is poetically penned by award-winning authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess. It is published by Blink YA Books. Find below a musical video in which Randy Preston sets to music "Excuse Me," an entry found in SOLO.

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COYOTE MOON: Narrative NF at its Best

2/20/2018

1 Comment

A Review

Roaring Brook Press, 2016

Coyote awakes, the moon shining full above her. She is on the hunt, for she has seven hungry pups to feed. Through a suburban landscape, she prowls, listening for unsuspecting prey. She hears a mouse scuttling beneath a stone wall.
Pounce!
The mouse gets away.
Inside an alder bush, Coyote's nose twitches. She smells geese. The geese, however, will not be had. They hiss, dive, and nip until Coyote turns elsewhere for her family's meal. Next, Coyote's eyes pierce through the darkness, and she spies a rabbit. But Rabbit is quicker than she, and finds safety in a burrow beneath a play set slide. The sun begins to rise. Coyote is yet to catch her prey. Will she return to her den without a meal for her pups? You'll have to read COYOTE MOON to find out!
COYOTE MOON is, in my opinion, so beautifully written by Maria Gianferrari that it is sure to make your toes tremble. The story, narrative nonfiction at its best, rolls off the tongue as a read aloud. The illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline masterfully capture the nuances of evening and build an element of wonder and surprise that perfectly harmonizes with the text.

Coyote looks. Her sharp eyes spy Rabbit. She slinks, silent as a shadow. Twigs crack.. Rabbit freezes. Ears twitch. Coyote lunges.

For example, on the page that reads "POUNCE!", Coyote is leaping into the air, yellow eyes gleaming, teeth bared, and padded paws seconds away from (almost) catching prey. At the sight of the page, a preschooler I read this book to, put his arm over his eyes and said, "He's gonna get me!" (Don't worry, the little chap was smiling when he said it and asked me to read it again and again.)
COYOTE MOON is sure to please young readers of all ages who love both nonfiction and animal books, though it is written for ages 7-9. The excitement and anticipation of Coyote's hunt as the evening unfolds will hold their attention, and will build an anticipation for every page turn. Teachers and librarians in search of books about nocturnal animals will not be disappointed when they purchase COYOTE MOON to add to their collection.
In 2017, COYOTE MOON was listed as a Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year in their STEM, ages 5-9 category. In addition, it was listed by the Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) as a 2017 Notable Children’s Book. COYOTE MOON was published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, July 19, 2016.

1 Comment

Zoe In Wonderland

12/1/2017

0 Comments

A Review

Eleven-year-old Zoe Reindeer loves what her father loves, their home and nursery that's filled with shrubs and plants and trees of all kinds for sale. To Zoe, it is a wonderland, not as her sister calls it, a Weirdland. And Zoe is content with doing little other than learning more about plants, especially the endangered kinds, daydreaming about Imaginary Zoe, and (most of all) spending time with her very, VERY best (and only) friend in the world, Quincy. Quincy loves all thing wonderful just as much as she does, and he never makes her feel like "just Zoe"--ordinary, plain Zoe.

One day, a mysterious man appears in Zoe's Wonderland. He would like to buy a baobab tree, but since her Wonderland does not have one, Zoe and Quincy decide to grow one from seed. They'll even make a movie about it! But when Quincy's mom gets ill and he has to temporarily move away, Zoe is not quite sure how wonderful her world will be.

He was standing in the doorway, same round face and nerd glasses, smiling. Quincy.
I felt like someone was tickling me from the inside. Silly-happy....
I was so happy that I couldn't stop myself. I dropped everything, ran to where he was standing, and hugged him tight. Tight like I'd fallen from a boat into the middle of the ocean and someone had thrown me one of those round life-savers and to keep from drowning I had to squeeze the thing until I almost squished it--that tight."

I loved this book because I saw my younger self in Zoe. I understood her unique view of the world and felt her love for the quieter things of life. As a kid, I liked to use my imagination to experience adventure. I enjoyed the peace and security that was found when alone beneath the thick branches of trees. Zoe's struggles, though small in comparison to the epoch battles that are fought by other book heroines, are the kind many young ones today are confronted with. They feel ugly, weird, like no one gets them but maybe one person out of a thousand. And when that person is removed from the equation, it can be a very scary thing. So I am sure young middle-grade readers will find themselves relating to Zoe and rooting for her, hoping that she will remain wonderful come what may.

Another reason young readers will enjoy this book is the fact that the chapters are short with each page moving steadily along Zoe's journey. Furthermore, this book is very well-written. Zoe's narration is believable and beautiful expressed. Of course, that's no wonder for ZOE IN WONDERLAND is written by Brenda Woods, a Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author, and is edited by the deft hand of Nancy Paulsen, publisher of Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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<<Previous

A Moving Picture Book That's Sure to Please

But I know that tomorrow everything will be different. Evelyn will be in a new home that doesn't match mine.

Lions & Cheetahs & Rhinos! OH MY! Launch Party Day Seven!

OH MY! Kid Interviewer:
Madeline

Pages from Madeline's book, her third-grade school project

"A successful combination of factual prose and appealing artwork."
School Library Journal
Purchase your copy today!

TAG YOUR DREAMS

A Review

"Round and round. Faster and faster.
Sometimes I’m on. Sometimes I’m out.
Who cares as long as
the game keeps moving,
and I still have the chance
to jump back in."

Fort Building Time

A Review

"Every season has it's own secret dreaming, cozy keeping, hush-listening, fort-building time."

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

A Review

Pat, pat, pat.
Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake.
Would her mama notice if she took a tiny nibble?

Bravo! BRAVE BALLERINA

A Review

This is the girl
with a broken heart.
But she bounced right back
and made a new start.

Click on the book cover, and purchase your copy today!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT: Where Art and Text Combine--Brilliantly!

Brightens deck and mizzenmast,
exposes what you're sailing past.

SOLO: A YA Novel In Verse

A Review

It feels
like countless mirrors
crashing around me
in an empty space
where there's
no way in
and no way out.

COYOTE MOON: Narrative NF at its Best

A Review

Coyote looks. Her sharp eyes spy Rabbit. She slinks, silent as a shadow. Twigs crack.. Rabbit freezes. Ears twitch. Coyote lunges.

Zoe In Wonderland

A Review

Author

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But I know that tomorrow everything will be different. Evelyn will be in a new home that doesn't match mine.

OH MY! Kid Interviewer:Madeline

Pages from Madeline's book, her third-grade school project

"A successful combination of factual prose and appealing artwork." School Library Journal Purchase your copy today!

A Review

"Round and round. Faster and faster.Sometimes I’m on. Sometimes I’m out.Who cares as long asthe game keeps moving,and I still have the chanceto jump back in."

A Review

"Every season has it's own secret dreaming, cozy keeping, hush-listening, fort-building time."

A Review

Pat, pat, pat.Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake.​Would her mama notice if she took a tiny nibble?

A Review

This is the girlwith a broken heart.But she bounced right back ​and made a new start.

Click on the book cover, and purchase your copy today!

Brightens deck and mizzenmast,​exposes what you're sailing past.

A Review

It feelslike countless mirrorscrashing around mein an empty spacewhere there's no way inand no way out.

A Review

Coyote looks. Her sharp eyes spy Rabbit. She slinks, silent as a shadow. Twigs crack.. Rabbit freezes. Ears twitch. Coyote lunges.

A Review

Author

Archives

Categories

OH MY! Kid Interviewer:
Madeline

"A successful combination of factual prose and appealing artwork."
School Library Journal
Purchase your copy today!

"Round and round. Faster and faster.
Sometimes I’m on. Sometimes I’m out.
Who cares as long as
the game keeps moving,
and I still have the chance
to jump back in."

Pat, pat, pat.
Little Star's soft feet tiptoed to the Big Mooncake.
Would her mama notice if she took a tiny nibble?

This is the girl
with a broken heart.
But she bounced right back
and made a new start.

Brightens deck and mizzenmast,
exposes what you're sailing past.

It feels
like countless mirrors
crashing around me
in an empty space
where there's
no way in
and no way out.