All Aboard! Planes by Radka Piro and Diarmuid O Cathain

 This is a really fun exploration of planes and how they work. Karl the kiwi, a pink pear-shaped bird, looks sadly at the other birds and wishes he could fly. Then he gets the idea to go to the library and starts learning about aerodynamics. Blocks of text walk readers through the forces that keep planes in the air and moving, what training pilots need, and how airports work. There's also a quick section on historical planes, the effect of weather conditions, other flying machines, and what the future might hold. The book ends with a spread showing the cockpit of a plane and an invitation to "fly" the plane.

The pages are thin cardboard, but this is not by any means a traditional board book. The chunks of text make this something to share one-on-one with a child interested in the science of flight or for a fluent reader to browse through on their own, not something I'd use in a storytime.

Verdict: This book does a great job of explaining complicated concepts simply and the addition of the kiwi makes it fun without being too childish. A strong addition to collections of vehicles, I will be looking for other books in this series to add.

ISBN: 9788000070995; Hardcover/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $14.20

Published August 2024 by Albatros Media; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Guess what it is: Shadow Play and Hide and Seek in Nature by Helena Harastova and Serafima Kosikava, translated by Andrew Oakland

 This is an interesting set of guessing game titles, using strategically placed cut-outs to encourage kids to guess the answer to various natural objects.

Hide and Seek in Nature features animals and plants. Each spread follows the same layout. On the left, a page with a solid background color has a simple sentence or two around a cut-out showing part of an image to identify. For example, "It seems like we're deep in the jungle... Who can that be, grinning at us?" On the right, there are four options to identify the image seen through the cut-outs with a question for each object like "Are they monkeys?" The left page folds out to reveal the answer to the riddle, showing the plant or animal in context and giving a few simple facts about it.

Some of the answers can be narrowed down by very close examination, or by looking at the slice of image not hidden by the fold-out page, but it's not possible to choose a single definite answer as no clues are given and multiple images are identical to the cut-out image.

In Shadow Play it's equally difficult to guess the image that matches the shadow seen through the cut-out page, especially as some of the "correct" answers show shadows that don't actually match the item they outline. They're also shown sideways or upside-down.

Both books have thin, cardboard pages and would technically be classified as board books, although they are very different from the traditional board book. I, personally, being someone who likes there to be one correct answer, found these exasperating and frustrating. I think a certain number of children will agree with me. However, I also think there's value in having books that make you think and ponder and realize that sometimes there just isn't one correct answer!

Verdict: These won't be for every kid, but they will be fun to spark discussion about perspectives as well as inspiring kids to observe nature.

Hide and Seek in Nature ISBN: 9788000072883; Hardcover on Baker & Taylor for $11.96

Shadow Play ISBN: 9788000072876; Hardcover on Baker & Taylor for $14.20

Published November 2024 by Albatros Media; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

This week at the library

Programs

• Teen homeschool hangout
• Homeschool hangout
• Family Storytime
• Teen After Hours: Beast Edition
• Lakeland School visit
• Family Storytime
• STEM Challenge: Slime

Self-directed activities

• Favorite character election activity

Meetings, hosted events, etc.

• D&D registration opens
• Baker & Taylor facility tour
• Girl Scouts
• UR Action Trunk or Treat
• Managers' Meeting

Notes

• It was a very full week, ending with the last gardening projects on Saturday. I am too tired to go into details, but the Trunk or Treat went really well and I am not going to combine it with slime again next year.

Hello, I'm a pangolin by Hayley and John Rocco

 This title is part of a new series, "Meet the wild things" which profiles different animals. The first couple titles caught my attention immediately and I purchased Hello, I'm a Quokka while requesting this title for review. I have plenty of patrons - kids and adults - who are interested in pangolins and it's not an animal you usually see in picture books.

The pangolin narrates the story, speaking directly to the reader, and explaining facts about pangolins. Rocco's lush illustrations are placed against plain colored backgrounds or simple settings and are realistic but humorous.

The pangolin compares itself to an anteater, armadillo, and artichoke (with googly eyes) and then we look directly into its face. Readers see the pangolin curled up in its burrow, slurping out ants, and a close-up of its scales (which readers are invited to count). A brown hand is shown with the pangolin to illustrate the similarity between its scales and a human's fingernails. There's also a narrative feel, as the pangolin explains its defensive strategy while looking nervously around and then curling into an impenetrable ball, much to the annoyance of a hungry lioness who arrives on the scene and is scared off with a "swish" of the pangolin's tail.

The book gets more in-depth and serious after this point, showing a map of pangolins around the globe and explaining threats to them, from a dark figure in a night scene grabbing a pangolin to a man seen from the back filling bags of scales. A white female is next shown tracking a pangolin in the wild and then teaching a group of kids with various skin colors about pangolins.

Back matter includes a lengthier description of and facts about pangolins and some web links of organizations working to protect pangolins. There is also a note about the authors and a list of acknowledgements of experts consulted.

Verdict: This is a great nonfiction read-aloud. It has the cadences of a story, but smoothly weaves in facts about pangolins. The sections on conservation may be too long for a very young audience, but can easily be skipped and the text cut shorter as needed. In addition to the titles currently available, new titles are planned to be released next year and they will be a necessary purchase for most library collections. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780593618158; Reinforced/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $13.59

Published June 2024 by Putnam Pub; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

The Quest for a Tangram Dragon by Christine Liu-Perkins, illustrated by Lynn Scurfield

This is a unique story with a hands-on twist. The setting is swathes of inky brown, gray, and muddy greens. Plopped into the middle of it is a bright blue Little Triangle, on the search for a dragon to provide water to the thirsty land. When it runs into a little orange triangle, the two work together until they turn into... a butterfly!

As more and more shapes are encountered, they transform into various creatures, continuing their quest for the dragon. Finally, once they have gathered all the shapes together, they work hard, forming and reforming shapes until... they become the dragon!

The contrast between the scenic paintings and the brightly colored shapes really makes the shaped characters pop off the page. The book alternates between the story and plain white backgrounds showing the different shapes moving into different configurations. An author's note explains the background of tangrams, the significance of the different animals they form, a little about the history of the game, and how tangrams build math and spatial skills.

The story is deceptively simple, but can be read over and over again, finding new details and formations each time, much like playing with tangrams. A message of resilience and collaboration runs throughout it as well as the other skills taught by tangrams.

Verdict: This unique book works equally well as a storytime or classroom read-aloud. A set of "tans" is included on the jacket flap, but you can easily make or purchase your own. Recommended for public, school, and classroom libraries.

ISBN: 9781547608058; Reinforced/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $15.19

Published August 2024 by Bloomsbury; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Do fish go fishing? How animals eat by Petra Bartikova, illustrated by Katarina Macurova

 I, personally, like collections of animal facts. I also like Katarina Macurova's fun illustrations - Upside Down being one of my favorites. However, I've sadly discovered that fewer and fewer of my collections of interesting animal facts, other than National Geographic-style browsing books, are checking out in the nonfiction collection. But they seem to be doing okay in the picture book neighborhoods, so I am now adding my favorites to this collection, to make sure they find an audience.

This collaboration is a fun addition to that subject and a little more organized than I've sometimes found European nonfiction to be. It's the first book in a planned series, "My first books of nature" and a second title, Do sheep count sheep? was released at the same time.

The first spread shows a collection of animals; brown bears, platypuses, elephants, fleas, chimpanzees, moose, hummingbirds, frogs, penguins, hares, and pelicans. Each animal is eating and has a short descriptive sentence or fact with attached to them. It's a humorous presentation - the platypus (in a bathing suit) is trying to tug a fish away from the penguin who says "You're supposed to eat crayfish!" - and sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Each following spread is devoted to one of the animals seen in the initial pages. The animals are shown in both natural and humorous anthropomorphic behavior as they find and eat food. The facts scattered about the pages generally focus on their diet, but may also include random facts of interest. Like most European nonfiction, there are no sources included, but the facts are general and introductory and so I think this works well for the age range. I did notice that the book did not mention that hares are coprophagic, which I would certainly include, but the book does lean towards the cute and funny more than the factual and gross. The text is in a variety of fonts, but other than the italicized speech bubbles most of the text is large and bold.

Verdict: This is not only a fun introduction to a variety of animal diets, it's also a great car ride or waiting room book, something that offers lots of interest for kids to pore over while they wait, finding new details in the pictures and additional facts to share. A fun addition to most library collections.

ISBN: 9788000072838; Hardcover on Baker & Taylor for $15.15

Published October 2024 by Albatros Media; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

This week at the library; I'm not at the library

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• 5K outreach storytimes
• Teen Advisory Board
• Family Storytime

Self-directed activities

• Pumpkin Activity
• Pokemon Hangout
• Open Storyroom

Notes

• I took this week off to plant bulbs (and do some other things, but mostly plant bulbs. Naturally, it was in the 70s/80s). Minimal programs this week while I was gone, plus the week ended with our big annual fundraiser Trick or Trivia. Whatever happened, happened without me.

Narwhal by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Deena So'oteh

 Fleming adds a new title to her nonfiction picture books, teaming up with debut illustrator to add this fascinating picturebook about an elusive whale to her other nonfiction titles like Giant Squid and Honeybee. The book is written from the perspective of the reader, imagining that they are living the life of a narwhal "shy. swift. small (for a whale)." and the narwhals float through the story, individually and in groups, with one male the center of the story.

Their journey begins in the Arctic where the males clash with their horns, the northern lights glow, and the narwhals come up for air in cracks in the sea ice. As the narwhals hunt, migrate, avoid predators like orcas, and travel together, readers learn about their horns, which are a giant tusk or tooth, their ability to use echolocation, and the perils they face as they migrate. The poetic language is brief and encourages readers to extrapolate from the simple words the facts Fleming has woven into the story.

Somehow, I had always pictured narwhals (and their horns) as being much smaller and I was a little confused by the comparison to a lamppost (in my mind, that means a streetlight... pretty sure they are not that big!). I was also a little disappointed that Fleming chose to default to the male animal, which happens a lot in fiction and nonfiction titles. There is a very detailed collection of facts and notes at the end - two pages of dense text. This explores a lot of the scientific speculation about the use of narwhal tusks and various new discoveries about these animals. It's unlikely that preschool or elementary kids will be willing to sit still and listen to this, but it would be great background for an adult reader to have in mind so they can prompt and answer questions.

So'oteh has a lovely style for underwater adventures with every shade of green and blue blending in the bubbling waters of the ocean. The narwhals slide smoothly through the pictures giving an impression not only of grace and athletic ability but also of the closeness of the pod and how they depend on each other.

Verdict: This is a beautiful book and there's a growing interest in narwhals, thanks to various fictional series like Narwhal and Jelly and Not Quite Narwhal. There is a similar title, Narwhal by Justin Anderson, from 2022 but if you are in need of additional or newer materials this is a strong purchase for any school or library.

ISBN: 9780593377789; Hardcover/Picturebook on Baker & Taylor for $10.63

Published October 2024 by Schwartz & Wade; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Bounce! A scientific history of rubber by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen

I love Sarah Albee's books, which generally cover historical subjects but often include a scientific aspect, and this latest work is no exception.

There are two main threads throughout the book; the historical use and development of rubber and the science of rubber itself. Albee skillfully moves from the earliest uses of rubber in Central and South America to the invaders who carried it back to Europe and on to the discovery of vulcanized rubber and its effect on daily life. As she explains each historical development, she shows the science behind how rubber works and how it was developed into the material we use today with short, simple explanations.

With experienced illustrator Eileen Ryan Ewen filling the book with historical cartoons, illustrations of scientific concepts, and depictions of how we use rubber today, these two collaborators have created a unique and accessible look at a scientific concept through a number of different perspectives.

Throughout the book, Albee refers to the original use of rubber by Indigenous peoples and the art overall shows a light-hearted depiction of history. Back matter includes a note about the names of Indigenous peoples and a lengthier note from the author labeled "Some deeply disturbing details about rubber" which delves more thoroughly into colonization and current-day oppression of people who harvest natural rubber as well as the environmental hazards of vulcanized rubber and synthetic latex. There is also a timeline of events, and detailed bibliography and sources. I appreciated that Albee made a clear delineation between the Indigenous peoples who had been using natural rubber products successfully for many years and the European "discovery" and adaptation of those resources. Although the book and illustrations are light-hearted, Albee makes sure that this introduction is factual about the historical events.

Verdict: I think Albee does a great job of simplifying concepts for her audience and this is just the right amount of scientific and historical information for an elementary audience. Teachers and caregivers discussing the book with their children will also have all of the available facts of the historical and environmental damages of the rubber industry to discuss with their readers as appropriate. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781623543792; Hardcover/Picturebook on Baker & Taylor for $10.63

Published October 2024 by Charlesbridge; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

D is for Dog! by Em Lynas & Sara Ogilvie

 This trim little book is full of a delightful energy. The thick cardboard cover has a die-cut D, giving a glimpse into the endpages which are covered with grinning dogs. The book is a trim 9x6.5 inches and packs fun into ever slim page.

It's an alphabet book, but all the letters are tied to activities with dogs. So A is for Action and the picture shows a giant fluffy dog joyfully chasing an annoyed flock of pigeons. B shows a dog enthusiastically barking at a mostly indifferent cat and C "is for catching a ball in the park." and completing the rhyming couplet. The book continues through the alphabet and then, when readers have reached the Z illustrated by a pile of "zonked" fluffy puppies, the final pages show that there was a double alphabet - all of the breeds shown match the letter as well as the action! The dog for A is an Afghan hound and so on down to the fluffy Zwergspitz (or Pomeranians).

This is a simple but charming and satisfying book from the plethora of mischievous, happy, drooling, barking dogs, each with their own unique style, to the bouncing rhythms. My only caveat is that it's not ideal for a large storytime, due to the book's small size.

Verdict: This is sure to fly off your library shelves and would be the perfect gift for a dog lover of any age. If you have access to a document camera, it will be easier to use it in a large storytime so the kids can fully enjoy all the different dogs, but a small storytime of ten or fewer kids should have no problem seeing the pictures. Recommended.

ISBN: 9798887771083; Hardcover/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $14.24

Published October 2024 by Nosy Crow; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

This week at the library

Part of the audience for Preschool Fun. We fit
115 people in there!

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Preschool Fun: Hoo's Woods
• Teen Engagement
• Family Storytime
• Project Explore

Self-directed and drop-in programs

• Lego Day
• Pumpkin activity

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Managers' meeting
• Staff Work Day
• WiLSWorld Shorts: Data decoded

Notes

• The two big events this week were Preschool Fun and our staff work day. Previously, my school colleague has held the preschool fun/family fun nights at the school, but attendance was not as robust as we'd like, so we're trying them out at the library this year. There was a shortened presentation by Hoo's Woods (local raptor rehab and rescue) and then crafts and activities with the 4K teachers. I arranged my schedule to be at the youth desk that evening.
• I reorganized my staff for the work day so we started later and that way I could use some of the aides who aren't available until after school. I did a lot of work on my collection development project - and managed to get it to a good stopping point, as I'll be off next week. The other project I really wanted done was to remove the "1,000 books before kindergarten" words from our Read and Grow wall. I have really been trying to get folks to think of this program as being for listeners, of any age, with no deadlines. This will also make things clearer for folks who visit from other libraries and are confused that we have a different program.

Monster Hands by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan, illustrated by Dion MBD

I don't know if it's the weird way my mind works or what, but I have never been able to decipher sign language when I see it printed out - I can't do shadow pictures either! The image and the hand movements just don't align in my brain. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying this delightful story that's a perfect combination of friendship and dealing with night-time fears.

Milo, a plump little boy with a bowl cut and glasses, reads some classic stories before bed, including Where the wild things are and a book about "a monster under the bed." The soft blues and purples his room turn creepy as red eyes and clawing hands appear under the bed. "Milo should not have read that book." Milo signals with his flashlight to get the attention of his best friend, Mel, a slim girl with short dark hair and tanned skin. They hold a conversation, signing back and forth, as Mel encourages Milo with her own experiences in scaring away monsters. But Milo, even with shadowy monster hands, is still afraid. Together, the two friends come up with a way to scare away the monsters for good and the night ends with the two using their monster hands to send each other a hug across the street.

Even with my weird mental block, I can figure out exactly what the kids are doing and imitate it and so will kids! It's a delightful introduction to signing as well as a sweet friendship story.

Verdict: A great choice for storytime, this story seamlessly weaves Deaf culture into a warm and comforting story. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780593532294; Reinforced/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $15.19

Published May 2024 by Nancy Paulsen Books; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Little Wolf's Howl by Nelly Buchet, illustrated by Mathias Ball

 I got interested in Nelly Buchet's work after her superlatively hilarious book, Dog vs. Strawberry was such a huge hit as a read-aloud. She's a truly diverse creator, ranging from funny to touching, informational to social-emotional learning in her books.

This title pairs her with a Canadian illustrator, Mathias Ball, who is new to me. They have a distinctively colorful, swashy style that's a nice fit for this sweet story.

Broad swathes of green, red, orange, and yellow make a forested background to introduce a litter of wolf pups. Our heroine, Little Wolf, is the smallest and weakest and her howl is pitiful, making all her siblings laugh at her. She runs away and gets lost, but remembers her mother always told her to "find North" to get home. Ball shifts the art to deep turquoise and sad blues as Little Wolf, her tail tucked, sets off on her journey. Along the way she meets various friendly animals and explores the beautiful Northern forest until she finally arrives home.

Verdict: The text is a little lengthy for a toddler storytime, but this is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners with lots of opportunities for interactive discussion of the animals that live in the North, different perspectives on where we live, and, of course, howling! Recommended.

ISBN: 9781958325186; Hardcover/picture book on Baker & Taylor for $18.99

Published September 2024 by Marble Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library