Thursday, September 30, 2010

Captain Small Pig by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Susan Varley

This story feels very British, from the seemingly old-fashioned costumes of the characters, to the simple events of the narrative. Unfortunately, I didn't really like it.

Small Pig is enthusiastic about everything - including a row on Blue Lake. Turkey doesn't like anything, and says so. Old Goat isn't really interested in rowing, but indulges Small Pig in everything he asks for. The pictures are charming and lovely with soft pastel hues and a strong pastoral style, but the story just felt very blah to me. Small Pig gets and idea, Turkey phoo-phoo's it, and Old Goat lets him do it. I can see why most of the reviews are favorable - it does have a certain amount of charm and there's a certain comfort in the simple narrative of a day on the lake, but it just didn't attract me.

Verdict: You may want to add it, based on the generally favorable reviews and the pleasant illustrations, but there just wasn't enough plot for my tastes; or, I think, for my patrons. We'd like another dinosaur story from Waddell, please!


ISBN: 978-1561455195; Published March 2010 by Peachtree; Borrowed from the library

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer by Carol Brendler, illustrated by Ard Hoyt

Winnie Finn loves earthworms. But nobody else seems to recognize their many fascinating qualities. Worst of all, there's no prize at the county fair for earthworms - and no prize means no prize money to get a new wagon.

Winnie asks her neighbors about a prize for worms, but they're all busy with their own fair efforts - corn, eggs, and puppies. Which gives Winnie an idea - maybe her worms can't win a prize, but she can still earn money for a new wagon!

Instructions in the back tell the reader how to create their own worm farm and there are a few extra resources about worms and worm farming.

The story isn't exactly logical - none of the would-be Fair contestants seem to have any idea how to care for their projects on their own and their characters are pretty silly. Mr. Abernathy appears to be gardening in a three-piece suit, Mrs. Yamasaki-O'Sheridan is completely dressed in traditional Japanese clothing with a Japanese garden in the background, while she feeds her chickens, and Mr. Peasley appears to have decided to raise Afghans, a dog breed I understand is rather expensive without having researched their habits or care.

Kids won't care about the illogical events though and everyone can enjoy the silly nonsensical story and cheer for Winnie's inventiveness in earning the money for her new wagon and turning what everyone thinks is an odd hobby into a small business. Ard Hoyt's illustrations are funny and lively and perfectly suit the exuberant, nonsensical story and Winnie's own delightful character.

Verdict: A fun introduction to worm farming in a delightfully silly story. If you don't already have materials on this topic, go ahead and add it.


ISBN: 978-0374384401; Published August 2009 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Borrowed from the library

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

One Pup's Up by Marsha Wilson Chall, illustrated by Henry Cole

One pup in a tangled heap of delightfully plump puppies is up! He sets off to explore...and soon more puppies follow, one by one, drinking water, tumbling playfully, and checking out the fire hydrant. After a meal in the "Line-'em-up Cafe" the pups wind down, have their bath, and collapse into a tangled heap of sleepy puppies until...one pup's up!

Henry Cole's art is, as always, clean and full of life and humor. The splotchy, multicolored puppies are as adorable as puppies can be as they tumble and roll through the day. Some of the counting pages are easy, some are difficult with the puppies squooshed together. Chall's rhymes are bouncy and simple, although I found the switch between "pup" and "puppy" difficult in reading aloud. This story will work well in a mixed age storytime, with the varying difficult level in counting - and what child doesn't like puppies?

Verdict: Sweet pictures and a fun story. Recommended if you need additional concept books.


ISBN: 978-1416979609; Published June 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry; Borrowed from the library

Monday, September 27, 2010

Nonfiction Monday: Bug Zoo by Nick Baker

I was delighted to find this DK press book at a neighboring library while I was browsing. I recently bought two gardening/outdoor books from DK, Ready Set Grow and Wildlife Gardening and they're both very popular!

This book focuses specifically on keeping bugs as pets. I have a few books on this subject, but this is the best one I've seen, ever! There's a quick little introduction to the idea of keeping bugs as pets, spreads on the equipment and materials you'll need, and then we plunge right into...the bugs! Each featured bug has a spread of information about the bug, including detailed photographs, identification of species, and where to find them, then the next page has all the instructions you need for capture, housing, and care.

The featured bugs include wood lice (or pillbugs, or roly-polys, as we called them), slugs & snails, aphids, caterpillers, worms, earwigs, ladybugs, spiders, crickets & katydids, pseudoscorpions, mosquito larvae, dragonfly larvae, and backswimmers. I was disappointed not to see mantises, which were a favorite bug pet when I was a kid, but I believe they can be difficult to find and are not as common as the bugs listed here. I was happy to see cockroaches were not listed. I do not like cockroaches. At all.

Like all DK books, every page is packed full of information, photographs, ideas, projects, and illustrations. This particular volume has the fun addition of little word balloons here and there to add a few giggles. There's also a detailed index and a very clear page of contents.

Verdict: Highly recommended! Weed your old bugs-in-a-jar books and buy a couple copies of this excellent volume instead. Perfect for summer messy crafts projects as well as everyday research and bug keeping.


ISBN: 978-0756661663; Published May 2010 by DK; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Cat's Pajamas by Wallace Edwards

Hmm...not sure how I feel about this book. As you can see from the cover, the art is elaborate and ornate, with rich colors and details. Each page on the inside has a single illustration framed in a simple square border. The book opens with the definition of an idiom and each picture illustrates a different idiom. One or two sentences below the picture use the idiom in a sentence. The illustrations not only demonstrate the idiom, but also often include a humorous trick or play on the idiom. For example, the sentence "When it came to cartooning, Elsie had a lot to draw on" is illustrated by a picture of an elephant covered with cartoon drawings and holding a bunch of colored pencils. Small jokes are also included in some of the pictures. A list at the end, titled "Letting the cat out of the bag" explains the idioms in alphabetical order.

On the one hand, we are rather fond of guessing games and seek and find books here at my library. On the other hand, I feel this one is a bit complex for most children and the best audience is probably at least 2nd grade and up. It seems like a lot of picture books I'm seeing now are really designed with older kids in mind - or even adults (I'm looking at you Lane Smith). On the one hand, younger children will probably enjoy looking at the detailed pictures. On the other hand, what I really want more of in my picturebook section at my library are books that are great read-alouds for preschool and toddler storytime and books that will appeal to the preschool and toddler crowd.

Verdict: This would be an excellent choice for an elementary school library or a classroom, especially if you're teaching idioms. I think it's less useful in a public library collection and really depends on what you need in your collection. If you have Graeme Base fans, they will eat this one up!


ISBN: 978-1554533084; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Way of the Ninja & Making the Moose Out of Life

I reviewed The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear last year and basically didn't like the text, but loved the illustrations. I still don't like the text and I still love the illustrations! The ninja likes to play with his friends, cowboy and bear. But the ninja likes to do adventurous things, like jumping on beds and climbing trees. He persuades his friends to join him, instead of allowing them to choose what to play (picking flowers or painting pictures). They both get hurt and the ninja makes fun of them so they leave. Then the ninja is lonely and misses his friends - he goes to find them and works out a way that he can be adventurous, but not hurt his friends and join in their games. Everyone lives happily ever after. The pictures are adorably exquisite and I love that they handily translated the Japanese characters in a couple of the spreads. But the platitudes are just too much. I realize the story may be meant to be read tongue-in-cheek, but I don't think kids will see it that way. Of course, the fact that the text is didactic and cliched doesn't detract from kids enjoying this series and most parents WANT "issue" books anyways. I just don't like it personally.

Verdict: Add this one if you already have the original. It's popular with many parents and kids don't care about the didactism. And the pictures are lovely!


The Way of the Ninja by David Bruins, illustrated by Hilary Leung
ISBN: 978-1554536153; Published September 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates
[Nominated for Cybils]

This one I don't think even issue-happy parents will be clamoring for. The blocky, photoshopped illustrations tell the story of a moose who doesn't like to get wet, cold, or really enjoy anything outdoors. He searches for what he feels he's missing through meditation, on the internet, and "Praying to the Moose above". Finally, he realizes he needs to "take life by the antlers" to find what he's missing. He promptly sets sail in a convenient sailboat, gets caught in a storm, stranded on a desert island, and decides to make the best of things instead of giving in to circumstances. He creates a Robinson Crusoe-like life on the island with his new turtle friend Tuesday, gets rescued by a ship and enjoys a long cruise home, then happily greets his friends and invites them to go cliff-diving.

I'm not quite sure what the point of this story is. Sure, you could hand it to kids who spend their lives vegetating in front of the tv, but I don't really see them turning it off and going outside to explore based on this. Or the same things for kids who are scared to try new things. The book is very humorous, but the humor is waaaay over the heads of most kids. They're unlikely to pick up on the Robinson Crusoe joke (most adults are unlikely to pick up on this for that matter) or the finding yourself humor, or the golf ball epiphany. I think this story really had adults in mind - probably best as a graduation gift.

Verdict: A fun graduation gift, but not recommended for a children's library collection.


Making the moose out of life by Nicholas Oldland

ISBN: 978-1554535804; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stanley's Little Sister by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Bill Slavin

Nobody asked Stanley if he wanted a cat in his house. His house wasn't supposed to have cat! But a cat there is. Stanley tries to be friendly anyhow, but it just gets him into more and more and more trouble. Stanley's friends give him lots of advice, but none of it works...until something unexpected happens.

The illustrations aren't my personal favorite, but they'll definitely appeal to kids with their scratchy, cartoonish quality and the humorously splay-legged dogs.

There's a nice rhythm to the plot as it builds and kids will enjoy listening to each disaster that strikes Stanley until he finally makes friends with the cat.

Verdict: There are quite a few "dealing with new sibling" picturebooks out there using the "new cat in a house with a dog" analogy, but if you need another one, this is a humorous look at the issue that kids will probably enjoy.


ISBN: 978-1554534876; Published September 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Hockey Opposites by Per-Henrick Gurth

I'm still not a fan of this series. I think the juxtaposition of everyday opposites (in/out, smiles/frowns) is confusing when paired with sports terms (defender/winger, home team/away team) and the blocky pictures don't make it clear what the sports terms mean. This, however, may well be because I simply don't understand how hockey works, other than that the main goal is to get the little black thing in the net. This one would probably be snatched up in an area where hockey is popular and by parents who are fans themselves and want to share their enthusiasm with their toddler.

Does anybody else use this series in storytime or with toddlers? How do they react to the concepts included?

Verdict: Optional, depending on your library area could be advisable.


ISBN: 978-1554532414; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Friday, September 17, 2010

Thunder from the sea: Adventure on board the HMS Defender by Jeff Weigel

This is an historical sea story I'm much more excited about!

(Much more excited than what, you ask? I'm not quite sure. Maybe that John Paul Jones biography I was reading. This is what happens when you write 3 months worth of daily blog posts in advance and then, ahem, reorganize them constantly)

Jack Hoyton is only twelve when he enlists in the Royal Navy, but his first few months at sea change him forever, as he and the HMS Defender fight against Napoleon's forces.

The story doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of life at sea in the early 1800s. Brutal punishments, cramped spaces, bad food, and the daily dangers of sailing are increased by battles with the French and even betrayal from among Jack's new friends. Weigel conveys the danger, emotion, and history without being too graphic, so this is appropriate for 5th grade and up.

The riveting, action-packed story is filled in with accessible panels of historical information about daily life as well as politics and historical events. In addition to the exciting story and historical context, Weigel gives the characters depth and perspective, making their different circumstances and motivations live for the reader. The panels are clearly defined and the art is crisp and bold. I especially appreciate the very readable text - there's plenty of dialogue, action, and description crammed into the story, but you don't need a magnifying glass to read it!

Verdict: Buy it! Give it to kids who like comics, lots of action, history, or just a good story!


ISBN: 978-0399250897; Published May 2010 by Putnam; Borrowed from the library

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Kitten's Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes

These pictures are cool. There are probably fancier art terms to use, but I feel I've worn out fascinating, so...

The text is very simple - just rhyming quartets of all the different animals eating in the woodland, "Hummingbird sips/Caterpillar munches/Rabbit nibbles/Squirrel crunches." Very suitable for a toddler audience.

But the pictures are just soooo cool! It's mixed media, specifically "self-hardening clay, acrylic paint and mixed-media collage." It all blends together to create a rich and colorful landscape of autumn.

The different animals are exquisitely textured in clay, with various natural objects - leaves, acorns, bark, etc. scattered about the scenes. The paint blends it all together into a gorgeous scenic stroll through the autumn landscape.

Toddlers will enjoy the rich colors and intricate art. They'll especially enjoy playing hide-and-seek with the kitten, finding her hidden in each page. Perfect for an autumn storytime or browsing through with your little one.

Verdict: Highly recommended for your library's picturebook collection! You should also get the earlier volume, Kitten's Spring if you don't have it already. I look forward to finding more books by this ingenious artist.


ISBN: 978-1554533411; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Daily Comet: Boy saves earth from giant octopus! by Frank Asch, illustrated by Devin Asch

Hayward Palmer likes facts. Unfortunately, his dad works at The Daily Comet. Hayward knows none of that stuff is real. Elvis sightings? Bigfoot? Aliens? His dad just makes it all up.

Or does he? It takes a giant octopus, aliens in teacups (and saucers, naturally) and a street gimmick with surprising properties to change Hayward's mind...and give him the best school report ever!

This book hilariously blends tabloid headlines, 1950s era, with mischievous pop culture references and black and white art mimicking doctored photographs for a slyly humorous look at a know it all kid who gets a jolt to his preconceptions.

The text is lengthy - it's not really a read-aloud, unless you are able to do it in several sessions. Readers will need to have a little knowledge of classics tabloid stories, like Elvis sightings, Bigfoot, etc.

Verdict: Recommended for collections that serve elementary age students. Not an essential if your picture book collection focuses on read-alouds or younger children.


ISBN: 978-1554532810; Published September 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Monday, September 13, 2010

Yay library programs!

I started our children's programming up again today. We're going to have Make it and Take it every Monday at 3:30. Kids age 6 - 12 come and make a craft, then pick a book from the new books I show off to check out. I was so happy (and relieved) that my two regular attendees from last spring showed up again! They're good friends, both in second grade now I think? and had lots of fun with paint and glitter and buttons making artist trading cards. Two new kids came, both boys, also second graders. They lost interest sooner, but had fun anyways. My goal is to average about 10 kids. *crosses fingers*

aaaand I've just realized that I TOTALLY FORGOT to take or send any flyers to the two parochial schools in town. I usually get some attendance from there. Have to fix that tomorrow. As well as writing two grants, second-in-a-row 8am staff meeting, morning shift on the desk, still trying to get my storytime plans just right for Thursday, new preschool visiting schedule (I've never done that before) and evening teen program. To which one teen said she might come.

Nonfiction Monday: Ultimate Trains by Peter McMahon, illustrated by Andy Mora

New train book! Train books are always good - you can never have too many. This one is a little different than your average train nonfiction...

Ultimate Trains is the first in a new series from Kids Can Press called Machines of the Future. It focuses on new designs in trains, specifically maglevs. The book begins with a table of contents, introduction, and safety note, since there are EXPERIMENTS included. After an illustrated timeline from the invention of the wheel to the Canadian Pacific Railway, the book explains steam engines - and gives instructions on how to build your own miniature steam engine, then explains the evolution of diesel and electric engines, the trains most commonly in use today. There's a brief discussion of how trains are environmentally responsible, and then we move right into the main part of the book: trains of the future, magnetic levitation trains, or maglevs. Interesting train facts, experiments, interviews, explanations of how magnets work, and descriptions of maglevs in operation today and possible trains of the future going under the ocean or out to space (shades of Timothy Zahn anyone?) fill the rest of the book, ending with a glossary and index.

I was disappointed that there were limited photographs in the book, which is mostly illustrated digitally (or so it looks to me, I am no expert). I think most kids prefer photographs in their nonfiction and I would have liked to see "real" trains. This book may appeal to serious train fans among younger children, but is best suited for older elementary or middle school kids interested in science and technology. The experiments are clearly written and well-illustrated - some would be suitable for younger children, but most would be better used with older elementary or sixth grade students.

The discussions of future trains, their impact on the environment, and their benefits was interesting and well-written, but I would have liked to see more opposing viewpoints. There's only a brief paragraph on the problems with these high-speed trains, saying that they use most of the trip accelerating and decelerating, require constant computer monitoring, and are vulnerable to wind shear, as well as track being expensive. I would have liked to see more discussions of safety issues (I personally wouldn't want to travel hundreds of miles an hour on something controlled by a computer, considering that we can't even get the internet to work at our library half the time...) and maybe some practical discussions of trains as public transportation. I've lived in a medium-sized city, medium-sized town, and small town, all without owning a car and having to depend on public transportation or my own legs. I have serious reservations about the practicality of public transportation. Anyways, that's a discussion for another time.

Verdict: This is an upbeat, interesting, and well-designed book about contemporary and future trains and transportation. It won't have the wide audience of most train non-fiction, which is usually aimed at preschool or early elementary students, but the topic and presentation should draw interest from older elementary students and some middle school and even high school students interested in science. Recommended.

ISBN: 978-1554533664; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates


Sunday, September 12, 2010

Binky to the rescue by Ashley Spires

Binky. Is. Back. Yay!! In the first Binky story, we met the intrepid space cat, who valiantly defends his family from aliens (bugs) despite the dangers, including the occasional "poot" of space gas. Now, in his neverending pursuit of aliens, Binky has, *gasp* fallen into outer space! Now Binky is up against the most dangerous alien of all....wasps. Will he survive? More importantly, will everyone make it back safely from...outer space?

There are so many nice things about the Binky series. First, it's very funny in a way that kids of all ages and adults can appreciate it. There's enough subtlety and irony that adults can enjoy it, but not so much that kids feel like it's going over their heads - or talking down to them. Binky has a genuinely original premise, lively narration, and snicker-worthy dialogue. The art isn't too complicated for beginning readers and the text and art perfectly complement each other. The text itself is in a nice block printing that's very accessible for new readers. Finally, it's got a simply lovely binding, a rare thing in a graphic novel.

This series is very popular in my library and I'm thrilled to see a sequel! Long may Binky fight against the aliens and explore outer space!

Verdict: Highly recommended, specifically for beginning and intermediate readers.


ISBN: 978-1554535972; Published September 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Don't touch that toad and other strange things adults tell you by Catherine Rondina, illustrated by Kevin Sylvester

"Meh. Another facty book about how stupid grown ups are. I will just skim it," I said to myself.

One hour later I had read it from beginning to end.

"Yeah, but who actually believes all this stuff anyways?" I said to myself.

Two days later, I realized I had quoted it to three different people, at least twice each.

Yep, we need this one.

With suitably kooky and humorous illustrations, Rondina walks us through Healthy Habits - did you know sugar doesn't make kids hyper? Wet hair has absolutely nothing to do with catching cold? Next up, we have Weird Science. Can you really scare someone to death? Is yawning contagious? How often should you brush your hair? Can a chicken live without its head? Next we have Food Fallacies. Does eating carrots improve your eyesight? Will you really get cramps if you go swimming after eating? Finally, we have Animal Tales, with the ever-popular will a toad give you warts? As well as other burning questions, like Is a dog's mouth cleaner than a human's? Will a falling cat always land on its feet? And Why do lemmings walk off cliffs - or do they? The book ends with a sly list of "Parentisms" just for fun.

This is a perfect book for reluctant readers or kids who like lists of facts, science, or debunking anything (in other words, every eleven-year-old that ever lived). The questions have a funny or silly scenario about the question, then a well-written explanation of whether or not it's true - or if it's unproven either way. This is a great one for school booktalks as well as fact displays or to hand out to your almanac and Guiness book of world record fans.

Verdict: A must-have for libraries serving elementary and middle school kids. Just don't be surprised if you find your young patrons quoting it back to you for the next couple months!


ISBN: 978-1554534548; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

There are some books that you see all the time on the library shelves, they have a constant circulation, and one day you realize you haven't read a single one. This especially seems to happen to me with juvenile series. I did read some series when I was a child - Encyclopedia Brown, some Boxcar Children, etc. but was never very interested in beginning chapter books after I finished all the easy readers. So, the other day a kid asked for something to read like Magic Tree House. Usually, by the time a kid has gotten to the end of Magic Tree House they've gotten to a higher reading level and want something else to read. If not, I just pass them Canadian Flyer by Frieda Wishinsky. This kid definitely wanted a read-alike and I found myself at a loss. So, I decided to read some.

The first Magic Tree House story, Dinosaurs Before Dark tells how Jack and his younger sister Annie discover a mysterious tree house that transports them through time - back to the dinosaur age! With the help of a friendly dinosaur they manage to escape, learning some interesting facts about dinosaurs along the way as well as picking up a mysterious clue to the owner of the tree house. Fast forward through a couple books, and Dolphins at Daybreak, the tenth adventure, has Jack and Annie off on a mission to the beach at the request of Morgan le Fay, who apparently owns the tree house and is at odds with Merlin. Jack and Annie accidentally turn on the mini submarine they are looking at and take an exciting and scary trip through a coral reef and are rescued from a shark by two dolphins. Zipping way, way ahead to the secondary series, the Merlin Missions (which are a higher reading level), in Night of the New Magicians Jack and Annie are now apparently working for Merlin and have acquired a little magic. They travel to the 1889 Paris World Fair to rescue four "magicians" from an evil wizard. The magicians turn out to be famous inventors and Jack and Annie learn about their inventions and their life philosophies.

So, a nice little sample here. My conclusion...I don't think I would have been much interested in these myself as a child, but I can see the appeal. There's a little magic, a little history, a little adventure, some humor, basically a smorgasbord of plot and genre elements. I found the "lessons", especially in the Merlin Mission, rather obvious but many kids (and adults) like a certain amount of didactism. As far as recommending read-alikes...I'm still at a loss. What do you recommend as a read-alike for Magic Tree House?

Verdict: Undoubtedly, your library already owns them. I'm working on making sure we have 3 copies of each title (the shelf completely emptied out this summer) and replacing the grime-encrusted older copies.


Dinosaurs before dark
ISBN: 978-0375844058; Published May 2008 by Random House; Borrowed from the library

Dolphins at daybreak
ISBN: 978-0679883388; Published April 1997 by Random House; Borrowed from the library

Night of the new magicians
ISBN: 978-0375830358; Published March 2006 by Random House; Borrowed from the library

Monday, September 6, 2010

Nonfiction Monday: The Good Garden by Katie Milway & Up We Grow by Deborah Hodges

This Monday I'm looking at two gardening/farm books - with a little more than just how-to-grow or cute-outdoor-crafts going on! Deborah Hodges' Up We Grow is a composite of several different small farms, specifically co-ops, which are practicing sustainable farming. The story is arranged by seasons, from spring to winter. Descriptions of farm life, planting, weeding, caring for livestock, and selling produce are interspersed with information on how sustainable farms care for the land and animals. The text also includes questions for younger children to answer and to spur ideas of small scale farming in your own yard or home. An end note explains how a sustainable farm is defined and gives a little more information about the farms pictured in this book. The photographs mostly feature children interacting in farm life and there are plenty of animals and equipment pictured to interest younger children. This enthusiastic, optimistic nonfiction will be enjoyed by beginning readers and listeners alike and perhaps inspire adults to try a little sustainable farming themselves - or search out their closest farmers' market.

Up We Grow! A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm by Deborah Hodges, photographs by Brian Harris


ISBN: 978-1554535613; Published August 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates
The Good Garden looks at sustainable farming from a slightly different angle. This story of a fictional family explains the work of Don Elias Sanchez, who taught Honduran farmers how to move beyond subsistence farming and, using sustainable farming, create a better life for their families. The story follows one young girl, Maria Luz Duarte for one year. Their land is worn out and cannot produce enough food to feed the family. When Maria Luz' father has to leave to find a job to support his family, they worry he won't earn enough money - and they'll lose their farm, like many other families. But when school begins, a new teacher arrives. The new teacher helps the children create a school garden using compost, terraces, and natural techniques to fertilize the soil and keep weeds and insects away. Maria Luz tries the new techniques at home and also tries growing a cash crop; radishes. With the teacher's support, Maria Luz' family and others bypass the middleman, Senor Coyote, and take their crops to market themselves. Their families have enough food now - and money for medical supplies and school. The new teacher moves on to teach another school the new ideas, leaving Mariz Luz and her family with more than enough food for the winter; now they have hope for a better future.

An end note explains the life and work of Don Elias Sanchez and what it means to be "food secure" or have a "food crisis". Ideas on how kids can help are included, as well as further information on the topic. Four organizations that work on rural development are spotlighted and there is a brief glossary of Spanish words from the story. The art is lovely and inspiring and the story broken into simple chapters so even smaller children can listen.

This would be an excellent book to use in a classroom or library program to encourage children to contribute as well as think about gardening for their own families. It's long for a read-aloud, but could be broken into sections for a multi-part program or classroom series. This would make a great resource for libraries that have a charity component for their summer reading program, something I hope to incorporate some day in the future!

The Good Garden is part of Kids Can Press' CitizenKid series, which simplifies global issues for elementary age children and gives them concrete things they can do to help, without making the issues scary or overwhelming. More resource materials specifically for teachers are available at http://www.kidscanpress.com/. More information on getting involved in rural development is available at http://www.thegoodgarden.org/ or http://www.onehen.org/.

The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to Having Enough by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault



ISBN: 978-1554534883; Published September 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates