Monthly Archives: June 2023

Elem. – Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar

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Hassani, Mojdeh, and Samira Iravani. Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-11061-4. $18.99. 40 pages. Grades PK-2.

Samira is a sweet young girl who is heading out to the bazaar in Tehran for the very first time, accompanied by her beloved grandmother. Samir is nervous. What will the bazaar be like? Will it be crowded? Loud? Samira begs to wrap up in her grandmother’s chador, where she will be safe and comfortable. Grandmother gently amuses Samira by explaining that wrapped in the chador with the girl, the two would look like a turtle, a kangaroo, even a giraffe. Grandmother recommends instead that the two hold hands and stick close together to get the shopping done. Samira is no longer afraid.

THOUGHTS: This mother-daughter author team wanted to write a children’s book demystifying the veil. In the author notes each describes their own memories of playing within the loving warmth and comfort of their grandmother’s chador as children. The book depicts a beautiful grandparent relationship full of love and wisdom. While amusing her young charge, the grandmother distracts Samir with comical descriptions to ease her fears. Gentle, delightful illustrations by Maya Fidawi.

Picture Book

Elem. – This is Not My Story

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Uytdewilligen, Ryan. This is Not My Story. Illustrated by David Huyck. Kids Can Press, 2023. 978-1-525-30343-2. $19.99. 40 p. Grades K-5.

Once upon a time there was a brave space captain, only he was in the wrong story. So our plucky main character interrupts the narrator and asks to be put in a different type of story. The narrator tries various genres, each with a slightly different illustration style, but none of them are quite the right fit. Eventually our protagonist realizes he belongs in all stories and in all genres; in fact, he belongs in a story about different genres. An amusing meta exploration of various genres with delightful and clever illustrations by David Huyck.

THOUGHTS: A great book to highlight the differences between various genres. A handy guide to genres ends the book, with a clever challenge to find the stories we each love best. Younger readers will find the narration interruptions hysterical. Older students will like this creative take on genres with illustrations that occasionally employ graphic novel style elements.

Picture Book 

Elem. – Very Good Hats

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Straub, Emma. Very Good Hats. Illustrated by Blanca Gómez. Rocky Pond Books, 2023. 978-0-593-52943-0. $18.99. 32 p. Grades PK-2.

Hats are everywhere! So many different things can be used as a hat. Acorns and tortellini make silly hats for our fingers, cats make warm hats for our heads, even books can be made into hats. Clouds become hats for airplanes, hats are used to serve ice cream at baseball games, and different jobs require different hats. This adorable picture book challenges the reader to think of different common objects that can take on the properties of hats of all shapes and sizes.

THOUGHTS: Absolutely adorable primary color illustrations by Blanca Gómez add to the fun in this light, humorous picture book.

Picture Book

Elem. – Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better

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Armand, Glenda, and Kim Freeman. Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better. Illustrated by Keith Mallett. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-56322-9. $18.99. 40 p. Grades K-3.

Ice cream is thought to have originated in China around 200 BCE, but was nothing like the popular treat of today. Ice cream as we commonly know it, was developed by Augustus Jackson in the 1830s. Born free in 1808, Augustus “Gus” Jackson knew from an early age that he wanted to be a cook. When he was 12 he moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. to work in the kitchens at the White House. Here he learned to make a frozen custard confection with eggs and cream. As he grew confident in his culinary skills he began to play with the recipe, eventually developing the style of ice cream that is popular today. Upon returning to Philadelphia in 1830 he opened Gus’s Ice Cream Parlor. Once a treat for only the richest Americans, Gus’s ice cream introduced the rest of Philadelphia and the United States to the delicious dessert. Throughout his lifetime Gus developed new ways to churn and freeze ice cream. He is credited with being the first person to add rock salt to ice in a wooden barrel which housed a tin canister that held the ingredients. Gus also figured out a way to store and ship his ice cream long before electric freezers were invented. This meant that he could sell his ice cream to other stores. Gus became one of the wealthiest African Americans of his time. This beautiful picture book biography tells the story of Gus’s ice cream ingenuity with detailed digital painting illustrations by Keith Mallett.

THOUGHTS: A delightful picture book biography about a lesser-known inventor and chef. Includes Bibliographic references, author notes, and a recipe to make your own homemade ice cream.

Picture Book
Biography

MG – The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor

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Hartman, Aubrey. The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor. Little Brown and Company, 2023. 978-0-316-44822-2. $16.99. 314 p. Grades 3-8.

Poppy Woodlock’s parents make a living by restoring historic properties. Moving frequently is a part of Poppy’s life. At each new school she finds her niche through books. Poppy loves to dress as different characters, loves to read, loves to find friends with similar interests. The latest move brings the Woodlocks to Oregon to fix up the massive Lark-Hayes Manor. Poppy feels the manor is magic, and imagines herself crossing into a fantastical new adventure as she tours the building for the first time. Poppy is excited to find new friends at her middle school. A bit shy and quiet, Poppy has developed a tried-and-true method of figuring out how to fit in. Poppy always appears in her new school clutching a copy of her favorite book: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Someone always notices the title and starts a conversation, and Poppy finds a group of friends. The only problem is the kids at Chatlain Middle School don’t seem all that interested in books. Lonely and neglected by her overwhelmed parents, Poppy longs for a friend. Though forbidden from entering Lark-Hayes Manor by herself, Poppy is eager to find some true magic that will help her to fit in. As she carefully tours the massive home she distinctly hears a voice. Following the sound, Poppy discovers a water nymph lurking in the crumbled ruins of the manor’s pool. The water nymph offers to grant Poppy a magical wish, but explains that magic comes at a price. Poppy decides to wish for a winged-lion like Aaslyn in Narnia. The nymph asks what magic she can trade for the wish. Poppy, a true believer in the magic of books, quickly offers up her copy of Wardrobe for the chance to witness true magic. True to her word, the nymph delivers a winged lion cub to Poppy. Distracted by the daunting task of raising a lion cub, and keeping this magic a secret, Poppy doesn’t realize that the nymph has continued to take books from Poppy’s collection. As each volume disappears, so too does the memory of the book itself. Soon Poppy’s family members are not acting like themselves. Poppy’s mom can’t remember favorite recipes, her history teacher removes all of his ancient Greek classroom decorations, and her rebel brother begins to conform to his classmates in Chatlain High. Poppy realizes it is up to her to stop the nymph from destroying the people she loves, the books she cherishes, and in fact, all of literature for humans. Threatened with losing everything, Poppy finds her voice and becomes a strong leader.

THOUGHTS: This middle grade fantasy novel is sure to be a hit with book lovers. Are any of us truly ourselves without the stories and characters we love? Are we shaped and formed by the books we read? Poppy’s adventure shows us a glimpse of a world without books, stories, and the community they are capable of creating. A tribute to the power of books.

Fantasy

Tags: Fantasy, Family, School

 

Elem. – This Book Is My Best Friend

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Robinson, Robin. This Book Is My Best Friend. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-1-665-90681-4. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2

Sunny and Aarush love to read for different, yet similar reasons. When they both reach for the same book, what ensues is a fun look into why this book is their best friend. Sunny loves this book because it’s about a robot and she wants to be a robot when she grows up. Sunny loves it when her mom feels well enough to read this book to her, and having a best friend can help things seem less lonely. Aarush loves this book because there are mice in it, and that’s their favorite animal. Aarush needs a quiet space to go when their twin siblings are causing chaos in the house. By the end of the book they learn that this book can be both of their best friends, and best friends read together!!

THOUGHTS: I adored this book! There is great commentary on loving the same book as someone, for different reasons. The illustrations are wonderful, and I found myself continuing to go back through the book looking for things that I missed. The scene of Sunny and her mother in the hospital, while her mother gets treatment for something isn’t mentioned in the story but I wanted to note it in case you read this with students whose parents are sick. Highly recommend this book for an elementary collection, and it would make an amazing read aloud for any class, young or old!!

Picture Book

Elem. – Harmony & Echo

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Barrager, Brigette. Harmony & Echo. Random House Studio, 2023. 978-1-9848-3042-5. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-2. 

Harmony & Echo follows two young mermaids who are getting ready to perform in their first dance recital. They are best friends who have a lot of things in common, except Harmony is more relaxed and doesn’t worry about a lot. Echo worries about all kinds of things, especially this upcoming dance recital. Echo is worried that she won’t remember the steps and will mess up in front of everyone. Harmony comes up with a plan to help Echo. If Echo gets scared all she has to do is squeeze Harmony’s hand and she will squeeze it back which means that Echo is doing great! The night of the dance recital, as they go through the routine Echo has to squeeze Harmony’s hand, but Harmony squeeze’s hers right back and they finish the dance recital!

THOUGHTS: This is a wonderful book about friendship and confidence told using these two sweet mermaid girls. This book would fit in wonderfully in any elementary school collection.

Picture Book

Elem. – The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination

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Montague, Brad. The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination. Illustrated by Brad and Kristi Montague. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-32347-2. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-3.

The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination introduces us to special agents called figments who help to maintain the world’s creativity. There are many different types of figments, such as invisible figments, rock figments, even merfigments! They all have a special job at the Bureau, but none of them are as special as Sparky. He is in charge of the mail and every letter, card, or package gets sorted through his office. However, Sparky has a secret… he writes poetry. One day as he is going to his office to start his job, he notices that the Cave of Untold Stories is starting to collapse. Even though Sparky is terrified of Brenda with her scales and teeth, he zooms down to help her and save the Cave. Will Sparky be able to save the cave? Will he convince people not to keep their songs, poems, and stories to themselves?

THOUGHTS: This is a beautifully charming picture book about imagination, not being afraid, and embracing who you are. The illustrations are charming and add to the overall feel of the story. The reader will want to come back several times just to look at all the little details that they may have missed on their first read. This would be a great book for a creative writing prompt, or even an art class (as the front of the Bureau is top secret and no one knows what it looks like). Highly recommend this book for either a fun read aloud or the beginning of a fun lesson.

Picture Book

Elem. – Whose is THAT? (Series NF)

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Lunde, Darrin. Whose is THAT? Charlesbridge, 2023. $17.99 ea. Set of 3. unpaged. Grades K-2.

Whose Egg is THAT? 978-1-623-54329-7. (2023)
Whose Poop is THAT? 978-1-570-91798-1. (2017)
Whose Footprint is THAT? 978-1-580-89834-8. (2019)

This interactive book asks the question, “Whose egg is that?” giving an illustrated clue and a clear, actual size, illustration of the egg. Turn the page and find the answer along with interesting facts about each animal. Author Darrin Lunde is a mammalogist at the Smithsonian.

THOUGHTS: This interactive title makes me want to check out all three books in the series.  This would be a great book to share with K-1!

MG – Mixed Up

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Korman, Gordon. Mixed Up. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-82672-2. 256 p. $17.99. Grades 4-8.

Reef Moody has a lot to deal with. Not only is he still grieving the death of his mother, but he is also adjusting to a new house and a new family. Jen, his mother’s best friend, took him in after his mom’s death since he had nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, Jen’s son Declan is making his life a living nightmare. On top of that, Reef has been forgetting important memories of his mother which is particularly devastating. In their place are different memories, memories he doesn’t remember making. Across town, Theo Metzinger is having the same problem. His memory has been failing him lately. Theo cannot remember how to take care of the plants in his beloved garden. Some days, he has trouble finding his way home from school. Instead of his own memories, Theo keeps seeing memories of someone’s mother in a hospital bed. Reef and Theo meet each other one day after Reef sees the cupola of Theo’s school on TV. Reef has never been to that school, but he recognizes the cupola from his memories. They quickly realize they have been swapping memories with each other. The boys discover they were born on the same day at the same hospital, and that could be the key to why this phenomena is happening to them. Together they embark on a scientific adventure to regain their memories and stop the swap.

THOUGHTS: This is the first book I’ve read where a main character is grieving the loss of a parent to COVID-19, making it timely and relatable as many students are still reeling from the pandemic. The characters are likable and realistic; readers will be rooting for them. Like many of Korman’s books, the chapters are told in alternating points of view between Reef and Theo. This is a must-buy for middle grade libraries.

Fantasy