Monthly Archives: January 2025

Elem. – Two Together

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Wenzel, Brendan. Two Together. Chronicle Books, 2024. 978-1-797-20277-8. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-1.

In this companion to They All Saw a Cat (2016) and Inside Cat (2021), a dog and a cat explore the wilderness together as they take the long way home. They find a toad, cross a stream, discover a pear tree, wake a bear, and so much more. The illustrations, however, are the true star of this story. The cat is depicted in thin, scribbly colored pencil lines, while the dog is rendered in broad acrylic brushstrokes. Everything they come across in their journey is portrayed in a combination of these two styles, indicating that each creature sees the world differently. These differences do not, however, keep them from curling up together at the end of the day.

THOUGHTS: This is a skillful exploration of perception, differences, and friendship that belongs in every elementary library. The lyrical, rhyming words would make this a delightful read aloud choice. Don’t miss this newest title by Caldecott Honoree Brendan Wenzel!

Picture Book  

Elem. – Crick, Crack, Crow!

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Lord, Janet. Crick, Crack, Crow! Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Peachtree, 2024. 978-1-682-63629-9. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

A mischievous crow flies away from his nest one morning looking to stir up trouble. He steals a button and a piece of cat food; he teases some songbirds and a dog. He finds a plastic lid to use a sled, and he gets stuck in (and then escapes from) the barn. However, as his antics continue, they get riskier and riskier, and he soon finds himself in a dangerous situation. Lively, ornate illustrations add to the drama as it unfolds, and back matter includes additional information about crows as well as recommendations for further reading.

THOUGHTS: The repetition of the words “crick, crack” and the rhythmic pace and occasional rhyming words make this an excellent choice for a read aloud. It would also be a great way to introduce onomatopoeias, as there are countless examples throughout the story.

Picture Book

Elem. – Amazing Animal Features (Series NF)

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Hansen, Grace. Amazing Animal Features. Abdo Kids. 2024. $22.95 each or $137.70 for set of 6. Gr. PreK-2.

Different Ears of Animals. 978-1-098-26625-7.
Different Eyes of Animals. 978-1-098-26626-4.
Different Spokes & Spines of Animals. 978-1-098-26627-1.
Different Tails of Animals. 978-1-098-26628-8.
Different Teeth of Animals. 978-1-098-26629-5.
Different Wings of Animals. 978-1-098-26630-1.

The reviewer received and read Different Tails of Animals from the series Amazing Animal Features. Animals, like humans, are uniquely different, even those within the same species! Animals have different physical features – from eyes to ears, wings to feet! Amazing Animal Features focuses on a specific feature from a variety of animals and discusses how the animal uses their feature. For example, a tail can be used for balance, climbing, grabbing, and so much more! This easy to read beginning nonfiction book is filled with large photographs showcasing the specific animal feature and how it is used by different animals.

THOUGHTS: The photographs in this book are beautiful, large, and brilliantly taken to show off the different features of the animal. Young readers will enjoy looking at these photographs and learning about a variety of animals.

591.1 Animal Physiology

Elem. – Farm Animals (Series NF)

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Farm Animals. Bellwether Media, 2024. $17.95 each or $143.60 for set of 8. Grades PreK-2.

Rathburn, Betsy. Chickens. 979-8-886-87758-8.
—. Cows. 979-8-886-87759-5.
—. Ducks. 979-8-886-87760-1.
—. Turkeys. 979-8-886-87765-6.
Sabelko, Rebecca. Goats. 979-8-886-87761-8.
—. Horses. 979-8-886-87762-5.
—. Pigs. 979-8-886-87763-2.
—. Sheep. 979-8-886-87764-9.

What is that sound you hear? Why, it is a farm filled with animals! The series Farm Animals is filled with many different animals one may see on the farm, presented in a way that is easy for young readers to understand. The reviewer received and reviewed the title Goats. Did you know some animals have beards and horns? Goats do, which is what this book is filled with! Young readers will explore goats and their life on the farm, filled with beautiful up-close photographs, large text, and labels to assist their exploration. Readers will be able to see what goats look like, different body parts, what they eat, and different things they may do! Young readers who like goats and farm life will enjoy this book!

THOUGHTS: Bright photographs will attract elementary readers, especially those who love animals and/or farms.

636 – 636.5 Farm Animals

Elem. – Duck Duck Taco Truck

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Lavoie, Laura. Duck Duck Taco Truck. Illustrated by Teresa Martinez. Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2024. 978-0-593-64463-8$18.99  Unpaged. Gr. K-2. 

Two ducks are ready to hit the beach with their taco truck; they intend to make money to buy a boat and relax from too much paddling. But when they arrive, they find their usual spot taken over by a goose with a truck, selling pizza, fries, and falafel. It’s Ducks vs. Goose. When customers arrive and line up for goose’s truck, the ducks sadly accept defeat. But Goose is overwhelmed and asks the ducks for help. The three join forces and menus, creating new foods for the hungry crowds. A final scene depicts the three friends in a speedboat aptly named “Duck Duck Goose.”

THOUGHTS: This silly take on competition and complementing one another shows characters who forgive, help each other, and enjoy the ‘foods’ of their labor.  At times the rhyme seems forced, and the newly-created foods are perhaps too-mashed-up. A supplemental purchase.

Picture Book

Elem. – How to Cheer Up a Friend

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Calmenson, Stephanie. How to Cheer Up a Friend. Illustrated by Shannon McNeill. Beach Lane Books, 2024. 978-1-665-91024-8. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-2.  

A young boy knows his elephant friend is sad but is unsure what to do. Rhyming text depicts answers, some helpful, some not. “Do you tickle his trunk/ to get him out of his funk?” Maybe pampering, or silly jokes, maybe a hug. But honor his choice: “if he says no, let it go.” Maybe a walk, or letting him talk–and talk even more while venting frustration. The text wisely adds: “He might have many troubles to tell./Don’t interrupt. Just listen well.” The text gives realistic attempts at helping a friend, showing that patience and listening are the ways to connect and help. 

THOUGHTS: A fine addition to social-emotional learning offerings, this book can help young readers know how to be a friend when a friend is sad. 

Picture Book

Elem. – Life is Beautiful

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Bingham, Winsome. Life is Beautiful. Illustrated by Molly Mendoza. Beach Lane Books, 2024. 978-1-534-46995-2 $18.99 Unpaged. Grades K-2.

Granny Dee lives in the heart of Harlem and takes three trains and one bus to visit her granddaughter Missy each weekend. Exuberant Granny Dee frequently reminds Missy that “Life is beautiful,” and these two make the most of their time together. Together the two enjoy nail-painting, bubble baths, silly-straw-sipping, getting out to new and familiar places, and “eating our way through the city.” Then one week Granny doesn’t arrive. Momma explains that Granny Dee is “getting too old for the trains and buses.” So Missy and her mother take those trains and buses to visit Granny Dee, in bed with a nurse by her side. Granny Dee is readying herself and her family for her departure: “Earth is a rented space; heaven is home.” When Granny Dee is gone, Missy and her Momma determine to grieve and celebrate Granny Dee’s life by living out her maxim “Life is beautiful” as they continue the weekend traditions that Missy and Granny Dee shared.

THOUGHTS: The soft watercolor illustrations joyfully express the strong connection between Missy, her grandmother, and her mother. A comforting message of love overcoming loss, this is a top choice for libraries serving young children. 

Picture Book

Elem. – Lost

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Staake, Bob. Lost. Anne Schwartz Books, 2024. 978-0-593-70702-9 $18.99 Unpaged. Grades K-2.

A young girl searches for her lost (red) cat. After making “Lost” signs, she distributes them throughout her neighborhood, in the process meeting others with tales of lost pets, including a (green) bird, a (blue) dog, and a (yellow) giraffe. The black and white scenes allow the colors of the animals–and the people (with pink or red faces)–to stand out and aid the reader in ‘finding’ them, which the girl does, leading to a happy reunion for all of the pet-owners. The girl unwittingly lures the dog and bird with a hot dog; they return to her home where she makes “Found” signs to hang in the neighborhood. When readers spot the cat high in a tree, they will be glad to see the giraffe return to help the cat down. 

THOUGHTS: This is a feel-good lost and found tale emphasizing the importance of connection between people (as well as their pets).  

Picture Book

YA – Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses

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Emmel, Katrina. Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses. Delacorte Romance, 2024. 978-0-593-70814-9 $12.99. 276 p. Grades 7-10.

Riley Thomas has had enough upheaval.  Her parents decided to take new teaching positions at a different college, and they’re taking Riley and her younger brother along with them. That means a new school, a new town, and a new state. Moving from California to Nebraska is a huge change, and Riley’s sure she’ll never like it. She had summer plans and senior year plans. Now all of that is gone. In addition, her parents decided they would all take a week long Oregon Trail family bonding experience, and her luggage is lost. There are few people her age on the trip–one is Colton Walker, the highly knowledgeable and apparently smug tour guide, who quickly sizes up Riley as a “prairie princess” with new boots, new clothes, and California origin. Colton loves his Nebraska life and his family’s business running tours of the plains.  He’s used to the quiet, the wide open spaces, and never getting close to anyone on the tours. Jake Wheeler, on the other hand, welcomes any chance to charm a girl, and brief flings are his forte. As soon as she arrives, Jake has his eyes on Riley, and Colton begins to see other sides to her as well. 

THOUGHTS: The ensuing (far-fetched) ups and downs of their falling in love is predictable and perfectly appealing to fans of Hallmark movies.  

Romance

Elem./MG – Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back

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Chan, Ruth. Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back. Roaring Brook Press, 2024. 978-1-250-85533-6. 285 p. $22.99. Grades 4-8.  

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back introduces the reader to Ruth Chan who is living in Toronto, Canada at the beginning of the book. Her parents are originally from Hong Kong, and they will be moving back there to be reunited with her mom’s family. Ruth is not super happy or excited about this because it means leaving everything she has ever known, leaving her friends behind, plus she doesn’t speak great Cantonese. At night, Ruth’s dad comes into her room and tells her about his family, what is was like growing up, and how hard everything was. As Ruth embarks on this journey in her new home, she learns more about herself, her family, and finds out that she is capable of a lot more than she gave herself credit for.

THOUGHTS: This is an amazing graphic novel that really showcases how hard it was for Ruth to move her entire life to a new country. It also shows how beautifully she was able to navigate through that experience, with actual pictures at the end of the book.

Memoir
Graphic Novel

It’s 1993, and Ruth is moving with her family from Canada to Hong Kong for her father’s new job. After saying goodbye to her friends, her home, and her life in Canada, she arrives in China lonely and apprehensive. Although Ruth has a large family in Hong Kong, her Cantonese is marginal at best, and she has trouble understanding Chinese etiquette. Even the food takes some getting used to, especially the dish with chicken feet as part of the recipe! Ruth doesn’t feel like her parents understand her struggles; her father works a lot, and her mother, who loves being back home, is often out with her friends and family. When her grades start to slip and Ruth’s new friend abandons her, her overwhelming frustration and sadness reach a peak. Her mother opens up about her own experience as an immigrant, and Ruth’s father acknowledges her struggles, giving her the emotional support she needs to help her navigate the challenges of her new life​.

THOUGHTS: The book humorously reflects on the author’s own journey of perseverance in the face of upheaval. This memoir highlights themes of resilience, patience, and the emotional impact of being uprooted from one’s familiar surroundings​. Flashbacks to her parents’ stories are rendered in sepia tones and parallel the experiences Ruth is facing during her adjustment to her new life. This is a solid purchase for middle grade libraries.

Graphic Novel
Autobiography