Screaming hairy armadillo and 76 other animals with weird, wild names by Matthew Murrie and Steve Murrie, illustrated by Julie Benbassat

  While National Geographic is pretty much the top dog in the browsing nonfiction world, now and then I find another publisher has popped out something really eye-catching and this collection of animal facts, arranged around the theme of "weird names" from Workman, is definitely a top pic for this year.

An introduction clearly and succinctly explains the importance of naming, how animals are named, and the difference between scientific and common names. The animals are organized rather subjectively into funny, magical, fierce, delicious, and just plain weird names. Within each chapter, there are 2-3 pages per animal, explaining their scientific and common name and a variety of interesting facts about the animal. Some are accompanied by photographs, but most include drawings. The backgrounds are bold colors, with an inset detailing the species, habitat, and an additional fact about the animal.

Readers will learn about the striped pyjama squid, ba humbug, fried egg jellyfish, lionhead rabbit, chicken turtle, and, of course, the screaming hairy armadillo. There are several collective spreads that go into more detail on a particular group of animals like peacock spiders, wasps, or animals of Madagascar.

Back matter includes more interesting animal name trivia, instructions on how to discover and name an organism yourself, a funny common name generator, glossary, handful of websites for further reading, and a note on conservation.

Verdict: This is an ideal book to teach kids about scientific nomenclature, as well as a fun browsing title and would also make a nice gift for kids who like to learn interesting facts and share them. Just be prepared to google lots of photographs of creatures like the yeti crab and vampire squid!

ISBN: 9781523508112; Published September 2020 by Workman; Purchased for the library

This week at the library; or, Holiday week

 I worked Monday, a half-day remotely on Tuesday, and at the library again on Wednesday. We were closed for the holiday Thursday - Friday, and then I worked Saturday. There's a lot of tension right now, with people traveling for the holidays or gathering in groups and concerns over the pandemic. Our school district made the difficult decision to go virtual for two days, Monday-Tuesday, and then extended that through the first week of December, in order to have some breathing space for the large number of people quarantined. Everyone is wondering if we'll make it through the last weeks before Christmas. A lot of our neighboring libraries are going back to curbside or closing, but our larger building has so far made it possible for us to remain open. Our staff were also generally relieved that the governor's mask mandate was extended. Although many people are not following it (especially in wearing masks correctly) it is some backup and that makes a difference.

Winter reading challenge videos (My editor took out some of my best bits, but has promised to put them in a blooper video. Heh heh heh.)

The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn

Meg has been friends with Beatrix (Bea) since kindergarten. She has some anxiety issues and in their small town there's limited opportunities to meet other people anyways, so it's always been easier to just go along with Bea. But they started middle school last year and Bea is... not so nice. She's always been a bit bossy, but she's taken to giving Meg the silent treatment and freezing her out of their friend group whenever she doesn't agree or go along with Bea's ideas as enthusiastically as Bea wants.

Now the two are growing even farther apart. Bea is absorbed in dance and in her desire to move to modern and contemporary styles, rather than the classical ballet her mom prefers. Meg wants to pursue her love of science and has been accepted into a special 7th grade science class. But it will mean not taking dance with Bea. Then a new girl moves to town. She's weird and quirky, has bee hives (Meg is terrified of bees) and is an immediate target for Bea and her overbearing, bullying mother. Meg is sort of interested in being friends with Hazel, but Bea makes it clear that if she "chooses" Hazel over her, Meg's social life is over.

Things get even more complicated when Bea's mother starts a campaign to get Hazel's bees banned and Meg finds herself doing a science project about bees with Hazel. Meg's parents don't seem to understand what's happening - and Meg's mother in particular has her own issues with Bea's overbearing mother. There are many stumbles as Meg struggles to make her own choices and be her own person apart from her friends, but eventually she finds herself in a happier and more mentally healthy place in her life and ready to move forward.

 I have mixed feelings about this sophomore effort from McDunn. It's true that McDunn is just a really good writer. This is spot-on about the angst and feelings and roiling worries about friendship in middle school. It's also very realistic about the handful of overbearing people who can take over in a small town and run things to suit their own narrow-minded ideas. There were many spots where I wanted to stop and say something was stereotypical, like the "quirky" new girl coming in with free and easy ways who wakes up the locals. But McDunn is such a good writer and she always tips things away from the stereotype to add a different aspect. Part of the plot of Meg's emotional growth involves her standing up not just to Bea but also to Hazel, who starts out as bossy as Bea, but in different ways. I'd say the bee aspects of the plot were an unnecessary complication and the town council meeting was very unrealistic, but small towns can - and do - devolve into endless complications over minor details like this and people are incredibly ignorant about bees. I had a whole outdoor program screaming about being stung by "bees" when they were hornets the whole time. I even caught one in a clear plastic bin to show them the difference and they STILL say "remember that time we were at the park and got stung by bees" *headdesk*.

Verdict: I think, ultimately, I would say that McDunn's skillful writing keeps this from devolving into stereotypes, but that there are so many similar books this just doesn't stand out as much as her debut novel. I'd recommend for middle school and upper elementary if you have a lot of kids who like this type of friendship-focused, more serious story, but otherwise I'd look more towards diversifying my collection with different offerings.

ISBN: 9781681197517; Published March 2020 by Bloomsbury; ARC provided by publisher; Currently testing on a sixth grader

Epic! Originals Undersea mystery club: Problem at the playground by Courtney Carbone and Melanie Demmer; Creature campers: The secret of shadow lake by Joe McGee and Bea Tormo

 Epic! is an ebook and audiobook provider, primarily used by schools. They've started producing some of their own books, via Andrews McMeel (they are probably familiar to most librarians as the publishers of comic collections and series like Phoebe and her Unicorn and Big Nate).

I looked at two samples from their early chapter books. The first, Problem at the playground, is a little mermaid mystery. Violet, the daughter of the mayor of Aquamarina, and her best friend Wally the narwhal, are excited to see the new playground. But all the screws are gone and the playground is destroyed, much to the disappointment of the crowd and the the leader of the engineers, Ms. Rivet Rogers. Violet and her friends investigate the mystery and solve it, finding the real culprit after suspecting prankster Gill Sharkfin, a mischievous merboy. Colorful digital illustrations show a variety of merpeople with skin colors ranging from brown to purple. There are short sections afterwards, talking about the science of engineering and some of the sea creatures mentioned. The text is fairly simple and the font large - about on par with Kitty Princess, Critter Club, and other beginning chapter books.

The secret of shadow lake is a slightly higher reading level - closer to Magic Tree house. It features Norm, a Bigfoot boy who is not happy about having to attend Camp Moonlight after having gone through a growth spurt that has made him uncomfortably tall as well as other hormonal changes. He feels better when he meets up with some other oddball campers; Oliver, a small and nervous human (the only one at camp), Hazel, a hyperactive jackalope, and Wisp, a small fairy with one small wing who can't fly well. They decide to work together to overcome their individual difficulties and pass their canoe test, but there's a cartoonish villain lurking in the background, eager to kidnap Norm for his museum! This had more fully fleshed-out characters, albeit somewhat cartoonishly portrayed, but the lengthier text gives more room for detail of course. The illustrations are fewer and more cartoonish than the mermaid story.

Both series are available in paperback and hardcover, which I assume to be paper over board because of the price point. However, the books I borrowed from another library had a slightly different ISBN than the hardcover. The covers felt and looked like a prebound copy, but the joints of the binding were already separating and I didn't see any indication of who had done the binding. It's too small a library to have full cataloging either, so that will remain a mystery!

Verdict: If you need more fill-in beginning chapter series, both are acceptable. There are plenty of better books out there, but if you're going for quantity, these are attractive, humorous, and have nice hooks that will grab kids.

Problem at the playground: ISBN: 9781524855475; Published October 2019

Secret of shadow lake: ISBN: 9781524855468; Published October 2019

Small Readers: A pig, a fox, and a fox by Jonathan Fenske

 Although they are award-winning, Fenske's Fox easy readers are generally not my favorites. They're just a little too mean-spirited for my taste, although the kids find them hilarious. I prefer the squirrels and Crabby. However, I was still excited to see a new book in the series.

I actually rather liked this one more than some of the others. Fox has got a stuffed fox toy and sets out to trick pig in three chapters and some bouncy rhymes. Unfortunately, Fox's tricks always backfire, with painful results. Finally, with Fox sporting a black eye, bruises, scratches, and a bandage, he decides he has had enough fun for one day and to put his stuffed fox friend away, back in the box!

Fans of the series characters will recognize the sneaky but eventually regretful fox and the guileless pig, who helpfully goes along with all the "fun" with their good "friend" fox, with disastrous results - for Fox!

The one thing that I really do not like about this book is that the publisher has completely changed the layout and binding. The simple panels and speech bubbles (Fox has bubbles, Pig has squares) are squeezed from an easy reader format, 9x6 inches with an option for hardcover, library-bound, and paperback, down to 7x5 inches with only a paperback and a paper-over-board hardcover. They appear to have moved the series from Penguin Young Readers to Penguin Workshop and are rebranding it as an easy-to-read book to "build a bridge between beginning and confident young readers" rather than a traditional easy reader. However, it's basically the same reading level as the previous books (if you use lexiles, it's about 20 points higher). If this is meant to be a new series, a la Scholastic's Acorn and Branches books, the publisher did a very poor job and I highly doubt that they will see anything close to the success of those lines. Hopefully Scholastic will purchase the rest of the rights to Fenske's work and put them into their own, reader-friendly format.

Verdict: I really hate this binding. I hate that the text and art is squished down into a tinier format, making it difficult to read. I hate that it's a cheap binding and won't hold up to the many, many circs I expect to get out of my easy readers. I hate that it will not match the rest of the series - or any other easy readers. In short, while the story itself is fine and I actually like it better than previous books with these characters, I am really unhappy with what the publisher has done with the format and as far as I'm concerned this is now a novelty item I wouldn't add to a library collection.

ISBN: 9780593382561; Published September 2020 by Penguin Workshop; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to library prize books

The camping trip by Jennifer K. Mann

This is purely a guess, but I feel like there are a lot more books showing kids in urban or completely rural areas than there are showing kids in suburbs or small towns. And there really aren't many showing a typical camping trip. There especially aren't many showing kids of color in the outdoors. So I was on this book right away when I first heard of it.

Ernestine is very excited to go camping with her cousin Samantha and her aunt Jackie. She gets a sleeping bag and the other basic things she needs and they set off on a trip out of the city. With the car packed, they drive out of the city and set out on a long journey to Cedar Tree Campground. There they see trees, make their first attempt at putting up a tent, and Ernestine has her first experience of swimming in a lake, not a swimming pool. Ernestine also goes on her first hike and finds out it's a lot harder than walking on the sidewalk to school! The weekend goes on this way, with all sorts of new experiences, from finding a banana slug to eating tofu hot dogs. Ernestine has her first experience of sleeping outside (scary but wonderful) and finally conquers her fears of the lake. She says goodbye to her aunt and cousin and is reunited with her dad, happy to be home but already looking forward to going camping next year.

Ernestine and her family are all Black. She appears to live solely with her father while Samantha lives with her mother. She's a city kid and is definitely nervous about some of the new experiences she faces, but she's willing to try and her cousin and aunt are kind and helpful, comforting and not pushing her as she tries new things.

The art is drawn mostly in panels, with some separate illustrations of supplies, Ernestine ready with her backpack, and other little vignettes. The art was drawn in pencil and then colored in digitally and collaged, giving a fun depth to the pictures, especially of the natural areas.

Verdict: This is a great book for kids who have never been camping before or those who want to revisit a fun family experience. It's long for a storytime read-aloud, but would be great to read with an elementary school class or one-on-one. It also fills a gap, showing warm family relationships and outdoor experiences in a Black family. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781536207361; Published April 2020 by Candlewick; Purchased for the library

Grow: Secrets of our DNA by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton

  Davies teams up with Sutton to bring us another scientific picture book. This one is all about the way things grow and how their growth is patterned in their DNA. The opening page shows a profusion of flowers, from seedlings to full bloom, a collection of domestic animals, from baby to adult, and a boy with curly hair and tan skin from infant to adulthood.

Different ways of growing are illustrated with a variety of living things, a bristlecone pine that grows slowly so it can live in the challenging mountain climate, quahog clams that grow slowly in the cold and dark of the ocean. A group of children with curly black hair and tan skin, march through the pages, investigating the different creatures. Most pictures feature one girl, her hair tied back in exuberant puffs, as she gardens, walks through different landscapes, and shows her own growth cycle, revealing a Black mother and white father whose DNA creates her and then moving on until she herself is pregnant, with a biracial partner at her side.

A simple but detailed explanation of DNA follows, showing how it affects genetics from hair color and texture to eye color. Similarities and differences in genetic code are shown, from how our code is similar to a chimpanzee to how different it is from a rose. The book ends with a full spread of a museum and the thought that we are connected to all life through our DNA, with a final picture of the little girl drawing a spiraling strand of DNA.

There is an afterword explaining more about how human bodies grow, but no sources or bibliography. I'm ok with that - this is more of an introduction than a research title. The lovely art and poetic text, although factually accurate, is more about introducing the reader to the idea of DNA and genetics and some vocabulary than being a scientific introduction to the topic.

Verdict: A unique and lovely approach to the complex topic of genetics. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781536212723; Published September 2020 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

This week at the library; or, More school visits

 Finishing up another slew of school visits before Thanksgiving. More school requests. Moved tables and displays. Getting ready for the winter reading program. More recordings. Our school district decided Friday morning to go virtual for Monday-Tuesday before the holiday and many other libraries in our area are going back to curbside only, so there was a bit of a scramble to keep up with things. We are fortunate in having a space large enough to safely distance and that most of our patrons are taking precautions, so we remain open for now.

Webinars

• HarperCollins Winter 2021 Book Preview

Program round-up for November

Winter reading instructions - lots of hard work from my associate to piece all this together, as we did it in a bunch of short chunks. 

More Unboxing Videos

Finn and the intergalactic lunchbox by Michael Buckley

 Buckley, author of popular adventure and fantasy series including N.E.R.D.S. and Sisters Grimm, has produced a new science fiction epic that's a wild ride from start to finish.

The story opens dramatically, with a blue-skinned extraterrestrial named Dax and her robot partner Highbeam fighting for their lives and their planet against the Plague, a destructive and deadly horde of locust-like creatures. Dax manages to toss a dangerous weapon and Highbeam through a wormhole and then...

Finn hates his life. After his dad walked out and disappeared, his mom moved him and his unicorn-obsessed sister Kate to a run-down house in a new town. At his new school, he tries to stay out of trouble and under the radar but, as we meet him in the first chapter sitting in the principal's office, it's not so easy. Especially when a nasty bully like Lincoln Sindana keeps beating him up for no reason. Not to mention the weird feelings he gets whenever he sees Julep Li, the coolest girl in school, in his opinion.

When Finn and Lincoln are stuck in the principal's office until they "become friends" they aren't expecting a wormhole, robot, and all manner of craziness. Before they know what's happening, Finn has become half of an intergalactic weapon/portal, the other half of which is suck in his sister's unicorn lunchbox, Julep Li turns out to be even cooler than he could have imagined, and he's stuck with Lincoln in trying to battle an alien invasion. Even Principal Dooley gets plenty of opportunity to show his bravery as he battles the locust leader to try and save his students. Along the way Finn learns more about Lincoln's family and gets some mysterious hints about his own father as well.

In many ways, this is somewhat stereotypical. Lincoln bullies Finn because his prospective stepbrother and stepmother are abusing him, there's a clueless principal who blames them both for the fights that are instigated by Lincoln, an intelligent robot, and lots of non-stop action. However, there's nothing like a formula that works! There are some nice touches of diversity - Lincoln's dad is Indian, Julep is Asian and has an older brother with a serious illness (he provides occasional transport in his van that's been adapted for the times when he can't use his legs) and some stereotypes are flipped. Julep is a quiet, studious girl but it turns out she's studying cryptography and is obsessed with Bigfoot. Each character has strengths that are brought to bear in the final battle - Julep's imagination, Lincoln's anger and need to punch things, and Finn's ability to fix stuff, which he has previously been putting to use in their run-down house.

There's a journey to other planets, lots of weird aliens, and some quick jumps into politics and rebellions. There's also bloodthirsty unicorns, weird inventions and weapons, and a satisfying conclusion with a jump to the next book that will keep readers waiting eagerly to find out what happens next in the Finniverse.

Verdict: Buckley is an expert adventure writer and this new sci-fi series is sure to appeal to fans of Max Brallier, not to mention Buckley's own fans - I have new kids who discover his work every year and are eager for more. Recommended for middle grade reader who like lots of action, humor, and a great story.

ISBN: 9780525646877; Published April 2020 by Delacorte; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Sparkleton: The magic day by Calliope Glass, illustrated by Hollie Mengert

  To be honest, I find pretty much all unicorn chapter books completely inane. However, kids absolutely devour them. I purchased this series for the library before I had time to read it, and then thought I'd better check it out, if a little belatedly.

Sparkleton, a shaggy little purple unicorn, is very bored by his magic studies. He wants to DO magic, and is sure that when he gets his special power it will be wish-granting, like his perfect older sister Nella. Nella loves rules and always does what Gramma Una tells her, but when Sparkleton begs her to grant his wish and give him wish-granting powers, she agrees.

Of course, things go wrong almost immediately as he meets up with his friends - Willow, who loves bad ideas and Gabe, who is a bit of an Eeyore. Against Gabe's better judgment, he gives in and lets Sparkleton grant his "wish" which of ends up putting a cloud over his head, literally. Sparkleton's next attempts at wish-granting turn the other foals the wrong colors, cover them in a wave of mud, and make one of them too heavy to walk, let alone fly, which was what she wished for.

Eventually, when everything is a huge mess, Gramma Una tells Sparkleton that if the wishes aren't reversed, by the wish granter, by sunset, they will be permanent! Things get worse and worse and just when he's about to try forbidden goblin magic, Nella shows up and insists that Sparkleton start fixing things. Sparkleton finally realizes that the problem was he was thinking about himself, not the other unicorns, when granting wishes. The other unicorn foals are nervous about Sparkleton trying anything else, but Nella gives him another chance and lets him grant her wish to undo everything - and it works!

Some chapters end with a question or encouragement, "One more chapter to go! Are you feeling sparkletastic?" and at the back there is a countdown of the book's chapters, pages, and words. There are also questions to think about. The pages are sprinkled with colorful digital illustrations of the various unicorns and their goofy adventures.

Verdict: I found this trite and I didn't care for the relationships pictured, with Willow urging Sparkleton to get into trouble and both of them ganging up to override Gabe's good sense. Or Sparkleton's bravado - he's not really sorry for messing up! However, kids will find it funny and most caregivers won't have a problem with the bland morals. I'm not exactly recommending this, but if you gotta have unicorn series you might as well get this one.

ISBN: 9780062947918; Published June 2020 by Harper360; Purchased for the library

Small Readers: See the cat: Three stories about the dog by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

  As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I was sure that it would be hilarious and I absolutely had to buy it - in fact, I was so sure I bought two copies! And I was not wrong. The same duo that brought us Moo! brings a clever meta reader to delight young readers and listeners.

In simple Dick and Jane fashion, the book begins, "See the cat." There's just one problem - the picture on the facing page is of a dog, the yellow dog from the cover. "I am not a cat. I am a dog." As the incorrect text goes on, Max gets more and more annoyed, especially when the text says he is a cat wearing a green dress, riding a unicorn, and his name is Baby Cakes!

In the second chapter, things get dangerous as the narration produces a snake. A mad snake. A ready-to-bite snake! Luckily, Max has got a pencil and his wits about him and averts danger at the last moment. In the final chapter, Max has had it with this nutty narrator, and is ready to stage a protest. He wins a well-deserved nap and all ends well.

Wohnoutka's cartoon art, showing plump yellow Max with a bulbous black nose and skeptical eyes, fits neatly into the minimalist tone of the story. Just like LaRochelle conveys humor with just one or two words, the artist matches this with Max's alarmed, indignant, and embarrassed expressions.

Although this has very few words, the more subtle humor and Max's longer speeches makes this a little more complex than it seems at first and I'd give it to readers who can handle Elephant and Piggie.

Verdict: Hilarious and perfect for reading aloud and alone, buy as many copies as you can!

ISBN: 9781536204278; Published September 2020 by Candlewick; Purchased two copies for the library

Smug Seagull by Maddie Frost

  Funny crabs, that's what we need more of. Definitely.

Turn the page after a chaotic beach scene and meet Smug Seagull. "Don't waste your time looking at the boring copyright stuff." Just take a look at this amazing seagull and watch them swipe all the food! Sandwiches, chips, no matter what snacks are out there, this gull is the best.

Until a crab shows up on the scene. With a delicious-looking french fry. Hmm, maybe this seagull will just swipe that snack too! Or... not.

Well, no worries, seagull is still the best and is off to swipe more snacks. But... oh no! "I've lost my swipe." Will Smug Seagull get their swipe back? Or will the crab teach them an even better way to get snacks?

Careful readers will delight in comparing the wild chaos the opening endpages, with Seagull swiping snacks right and left. to the ending set, as seagull peacefully picks up marshmallows, having learned a better method from the crab. Chaotic, exuberant speech bubbles give a Pigeon-like flavor to Seagull's wild declarations, and colorful cartoons show a diverse range of families enjoying the beach, with or without Seagull snatching their snacks.

Verdict: A silly and fun read-aloud that's sure to tickle your audience's funny bone, while teaching them gently that it's better to ask than just take.

ISBN: 9780316523196; Published May 2020 by Little Brown; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

The Tinaja Tonight by Aimee M. Bissonette, illustrated by Syd Weiler

 This is a new nonfiction series from Albert Whitman. I was very interested to see how it was handled, as I don't really think of them as a nonfiction publisher. The idea is that the series, "Imagine this," focuses on various subjects from unusual perspectives and will inspire kids to think and imagine.

A tinaja is a pool where water forms in the desert - either from rainfall or melting snow. They might evaporate quickly or last a little longer. This book recounts a night in the desert, showing the different animals visiting the tinaja. The text is poetic and a little meandering, with short paragraphs expounding on the different animals, from javelinas to coyotes.

The art is shadowed with the blues and purples of nights, but still manages to incorporate lots of bright swatches of oranges and reds. It's more representative than detailed, with creatures slipping in and out of the shadows.

An author's note talks about the history of tinajas and there is a page of additional resources and titles about deserts.

This is an interesting new series and seems well-researched and put together. I'm not sure I'm sold on the art style, especially since the heavy use of dark colors would make this a difficult read-aloud, but if you want more books on deserts this is certainly different. 

Verdict: I don't have much call for nonfiction about deserts, but I'm intrigued enough by this series to look at some of the other titles.

ISBN: 9780807579497; Published September 2020 by Albert Whitman; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library; or, Doing all the things

A word worm story from my virtual school visits.

It's always busier when you get back after vacation! I had reports to write, bills to process, lots of school and reader's advisory requests to put in and/or collect, special projects I'd promised teachers, and lots of virtual school visits (9 I think?). I got started on recording spots for our winter reading program that is starting in December. A lot of things happened and that's all I will say about that.

• Webinars
• SEWI performer's showcase (virtual) - I only managed one session, will have to listen to them later.
• YSS regional meet-up and update (virtual)

Night of the living Ted by Barry Hutchison, illustrated by Lee Cosgrove

 Lisa Marie and her brother Vernon are taking a trip downtown to buy their dad a present. It's not as fun as it sounds though - Vernon isn't the best big brother, insistent on reminding everyone that Lisa Marie is only his stepsister and then there's his "incessant" moaning. Lisa Marie is smart, interested in the world around her, and kind even when people are mean, but Vernon never appreciates her.

I've read a lot of books with nasty siblings and freely admit that I was delighted when Vernon got his comeuppance. So, they go to Create-a-Ted, because the store is giving away free bears. Lisa Marie is worried about the previous owners (she's a big teddy fan and is also in the habit of fixing the stuffing machine for the owners) and the new owner is creepy, to put it mildly, but they end up making an Elvis bear for Lisa Marie's dad and creepy Halloween bears for each other.

Halloween night, after a rather uncomfortable trick-or-treating session (Vernon's nasty friends steal Lisa Marie's candy and, as usual, he's too wimpy to stand up for her) Lisa Marie is awoken by her witch bear... coming to life.

It turns out that the "new" store owner (he tricked the old ones into leaving) has stolen a scientific invention that brings stuffed bears to life and sent all the creepy bears out into the town to steal for him. Not only that, they have evil magic and the witch bear turns Lisa Marie's parents into a toad and a slug! Things seem bad, but then they get worse - the bear Vernon made is a combination of all bad things, from demon to vampire - and it's got an even more evil plan to take over the town and then the world!

Luckily, with the help of Elvis bear and Lisa Marie's smarts, they just might have a chance - if only Vernon can do the right thing for once and stick up for his little sister.

Goofy black and white cartoons are scattered throughout the book and while there are some Britishisms, and it's definitely got that wacky British humor, it's not foreign enough to turn off the (admittedly insular) majority of my library audience.

Verdict: Funny, gruesome, and very satisfying! The story ends satisfactorily, but with enough loose ends to make room for the sequels. Hand to fans of Attack of the fluffy bunnies, Mo O'hara, and Tom O'Donnell.

ISBN: 9780593174289; Published May 2020 by Delacorte; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Small Readers: Emma every day: Crazy for apples by C. L. Reid, illustrated by Elena Aiello

Easy readers are often overlooked in the search for diverse materials, which may be one reason why there just isn't much in that arena. However, those who specialize here should be familiar with Capstone Publishing, specifically their Picture Window imprint, which specializes in intermediate easy readers focusing on a wide variety of diverse characters, from ethnicity to disability.

This new series, Emma Every Day, presents a brown-haired white girl who is Deaf. She uses both sign language and a cochlear implant. The book opens with an introduction to the characters - Emma's parents and older brother, her best friend Izzy (Black), and her pet goldfish. She likes lots of typical 8 year old things, like reading and swimming. There's a manual alphabet for fingerspelling and a simple description of Emma as Deaf and using ASL and a Cl, both of which are written out.

The story is very simple, focusing on Emma and Izzy taking a trip with Emma's dad to the apple orchard. They learn that Farmer Bell has a daughter who is Deaf, pick apples, ride the wagon, and then there is a little confusion when their apples are spilled and spoilt and the Farmer says Candy will fix it - who turns out to be his daughter! The story includes several words in fingerspelling, and at the end there are some additional signs used in the book. There's a glossary and some discussion and writing questions.

One notable thing about Capstone's diverse offerings is their dedication to own voices. The author and illustrator bios at the back introduce C. L. Reid as a Deaf person, who uses both ASL and a Cl.

This is a higher level easy reader, 490 on the lexile scale, which would make it intermediate for my collection. It would appeal to readers who like other titles in this imprint, like Katie Woo, Sofia Martinez, and Pedro. Personally, I find them rather bland (except Sofia, which is quite funny), but a lot of kids like these simple, comforting slice-of-life stories.

Verdict: I'm excited to see Capstone branching out into disabilities as well as ethnic diversity. We have a large, historic school for the Deaf in the neighboring town and quite a few kids in my town are interested in sign language and learn it to talk with friends, so this will be very popular in my library.

ISBN: 9781515871828; Published 2020 by Picture Window/Capstone; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Lone wolf by Sarah Kurpiel

  Sometimes I come across a book that's just so perfect I absolutely have to have it for the library and Lone Wolf is that book.

Maple, an adorable husky with a fine, fluffy black tail, perky ears, and a friendly smile, is happy living with the Parkers, a white family. Jax plays with her, Avery (in a motorized wheelchair) reads to her, Mom and Dad give her treats and take her on walks.

But. When the people on their walks keep asking if she's a wolf, she gets worried. Even though the Parkers explain that she's not a wolf, she's a husky, she starts wondering if maybe... she is a wolf. After all, she looks like a wolf... and she can do lots of wolfy things. If she's really a wolf, shouldn't she be living in the wild? So she runs away to the forest.

However, it's nothing like home! No soft flower beds to dig in, no flip-flops to hunt, no one to play with, and no one to come when she howls. She finds her way back home and there she finally discovers her pack - and realizes that even though some people may think she looks like a wolf, she's part of the Parker family pack and that's right where she belongs.

I love that the author includes Avery in her wheelchair (Kurpiel herself uses a power wheelchair) and shows her as much part of Maple's pack as any other family member. And Maple herself, well, she's just so adorable! Anyone who's ever met a husky knows they have a LOT of personality and definite ideas and I can just see her thinking things through and finally realizing that, no matter what she looks like, home is with her family.

Verdict: A sweet, satisfying book with a nice note of inclusion - all libraries will want this for dog storytimes and just for fun! A must-have choice and a marvelous debut book - I can't wait to see more from this author!

ISBN: 9780062943828; Published May 2020 by Greenwillow; Purchased for the library

Small Matters: The hidden power of the unseen by Heather Ferranti Kinser

 This fascinating nonfiction picture book takes a look at some infinitesimally small things, as seen through powerful microscopes.

The simple introduction and text talks about the importance of small things and each page speaks, in poetic language, of different things in nature too small to see. Readers will see the strength of the snail's radula, the ridges that make a shark's skin help it zip through the water, microscopic structures that change the colors of a butterfly's wing, and the tiny hairs that help a water strider walk on water.

Each spread shows a photo of the animal on the left and a single descriptive sentence, "Small things can HOLD UP things that are bigger." On the right is a slide of the creature seen through a microscope and a slightly longer explanation, "A water strider walks on water. Its long legs are covered in supersmall hairs that press on the surface without breaking through."

Back matter gives a simple explanation of a scanning electron microscope and the scale, or nanoscale, of things seen through it. There is a section of thumbnails of the microscope slides with a few more details of each, further reading (which of course includes Do not lick this book) and photo credits.

Verdict: This is a little expensive, coming from Millbrook, but there are only a small number of books featuring microscopes and this is so nicely put together, and accessible for young readers and listeners, that I think it's worth the cost. I would have liked a little more scientific language (I put in radula, it never actually uses that) but that's my only concern.

ISBN: 9781541578142; Published April 2020 by Millbrook/Lerner; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library; or, Vacation week

 I like to take a week off in the autumn to get my garden ready for winter. I did go to work remotely for a managers' meeting and virtual Bookaneers on Thursday though. Things I did on vacation:

• Puttered, cleaned, and organized.
• Dug new garden beds and planted tulip bulbs.
• Read and reviewed lots of books.

That was about it.

Fox & Rabbit by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Gergely Dudas

  Beth Ferry, author of a variety of picture books, tries her hand at a graphic novel with another newcomer to the scene, Gergely Dudas. Dudas has previously created several seek-and-find books as well.

Fox and Rabbit, two good friends, have a variety of simple adventures in five stories. They visit a fair, then the beach, travel to an island, grow seeds in a garden, and then together a mysterious lemon tree. Each story is connected to the next; Rabbit wins a beach ball at the fair, so they go to the beach. At the beach they find a bottle with a map to Surprise Island. On the island they discover a trunk full of seeds, which they plant in a garden. Rabbit succumbs to temptation, but they repair their friendship by growing one remaining seedling together with a surprise all its own. A turtle appears at the end of every story, asking what's going on, and there are little surprises and jokes hidden throughout the story.

The art is detailed and the font is small and rather narrow. While in many ways this mimics a typical odd ball couple easy reader, it's definitely intended for an older audience with the more complex text and art. Readers can sympathize with the little frustrations, mistakes, and joys of Fox and Rabbit while following their sweet adventures through the art and text.

Verdict: An additional purchase, unless you have a lot of beginning chapter readers who crave graphic novels. Hand this to fans of Narwhal and Jelly, Catstronauts, and Lerner's series like Hotel Strange and Whiskers Sisters. Readers who cut their teeth on classics like Frog and Toad may also appreciate this gentle series of stories.

ISBN: 9781419740770; Published April 2020 by Amulet; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

Albert Hopper, Science Hero: Worming to the center of the earth by John Himmelman

 The first thing I thought of when I saw these was the old Commander Toad easy readers of my childhood. They're not really similar, but frogs as scientists and explorers - it makes a connection.

Professor Albert Hopper, a science hero, is ready to explore the world with the help of his niece and nephew, junior science heroes Polly and Tad. Their first adventure is to travel to the center of the earth in a giant, mechanical worm named Wiggles. Unfortunately, Tad presses the ACH, or anything-can-happen button and soon they're being attacked by cave frogs, catapulted up through a volcano, chased by dinosaur fossils, and more!

Decorated by simple green and black sketches, this beginning chapter book is full of wild adventures as well as earth science facts (provided by Polly) and plenty of silly banter (provided by Professor Hopper). 

As they're worming their way through magma tubes, "Fear not," said Albert Hopper. "The advanced technology of this ship will soon counter the heat. Junior Science Hero Polly?" "Yep?" "Engage the... AIR CONDITIONER!"

When they're catapulted out of a volcano, "The magma is pulling us back down," said Tad. "Lava," said Polly. "It's called lava when it's outside of the volcano." "That was very useful information Polly," said Tad. "It solved all of our problems."

Verdict: A fun choice for fans of the author's Bunjitsu Bunny series as well as those who enjoy humorous science books. The only drawback is that the two volumes currently available are only in hardback. I look forward to introducing this one to my book club readers!

ISBN: 9781250230164; Published August 2020 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

Small Readers: The Worm by Elise Gravel

[Originally published in 2016]

I was a little doubtful when I first heard about this series, but having read it I am completely on board with its unique layout and subject.

The series, Disgusting Critters, features a number of "critters" from head lice to...worms!

The endpapers of this title are nicely wormy, with cheerful pink worms squirming across the page. A friendly pink worm greets readers and we learn many interesting facts, with longer vocabulary (skeleton, invertebrate, photoreceptors, etc.) highlighted boldly in the text. As the simple information is presented on the left side of the page, the worm carries on a running commentary on the right.

The art really makes this story. The background is a plain light green and brown, but shows up the pink worm nicely. Not only are its comments hilarious, but the accompanying art adds another humorous dimension. On the spread where we learn about earthworm vision (they have no eyes but sense light with photoreceptors) the worm buries its head in a bag, saying "No eyes? that can't be true. I'm sure I had some eyes around here somewhere. Hmm. Let me look..."

Audience on this one is a little tricky. The book is a trim size, slightly shorter than the average easy reader, but about the same length. The simple text also lends itself to the easy reader designation. However, it does have some significantly challenging vocabulary. On the other hand, it's likely to be lost in a typical juvenile nonfiction section because of the smaller format. On the whole, I'd put it in an easy reader nonfiction section, assuming you have one, and probably just in easy reader fiction if not. Fans of Elephant and Piggie will be attracted by the comic format and humor and nonfiction readers will enjoy challenging themselves to learn the facts on each page.

Revisited: This series continues to be popular and I regularly buy multiple titles of each new addition. It's done very well in our nonfiction easy readers.

Verdict: A fun start to a delightful new series which I wish I'd discovered sooner. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781770496330; Published 2014 by Tundra; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

The rescue rabbits by Eric Seltzer, illustrated by Roland Garrigue

 Seltzer, author of the popular and silly easy readers Sea cows, Space cows, and Party pigs, pairs up with a new collaborator for an even sillier story of rabbits rescuing animals in peril.

Ace, Chip, Dot, and Spot are the rescue rabbits. They are brown, yellow, white, and blue and wear clothes in a variety of styles and hues - but they all have a red and white rescue vest on! Readers are invited to join them in a day of rescues, from an elephant with a splinter to a kangaroo with a rash. But then they have their biggest rescue yet - the royal rhino family!

Prince Rhino Rex has got some serious troubles. He's got ants in his pants, chopsticks in his nose, and he's trapped in a tree! The Rescue Rabbits, having just arrived home to their rescue rabbit headquarters (the buildings have, of course, ears) are on the case. It takes some last-minute repairs to the helicopter, an emergency lift for the rhino queen, and lots of hard work before they are able to save the prince!

Garrigue's art varies from spot art with speech bubbles, to complete spreads showing wild antics like lifting an elephant with a bulldozer or searching the jungle for an animal in trouble. The animals tend to have large and very dark eyes, with bright, contrasting colors in clothes and landscape. Prince Rhino is a lumpy, grumpy, fussy child, while the queen bursts out of her dress, the helicopter, and the page. The bunnies' faces have little expression, maintaining a cheerfully bland smile for each throughout the story.

The pages are busy with words and pictures, showing action sequences, jungle scenes, and speech bubbles, with highlighted words in red, like the Rescue Rabbits Super-Truck Z100. A lumpy yellow snake wanders through the scenery, antlers and horns twist across the landscape, and fluffy clouds drift across the sky.

Verdict: This is a little long for a storytime and the detailed illustrations will be difficult in this age of virtual storytimes, but it's a fun choice for one-on-one reading or kids who enjoy perusing picture books on their own. For storytime I'd prefer Dormer's Firefighter Duckies, but this is an amusing addition, especially for readers who like silly stories.

ISBN: 9781542042635; Published November 2020 by Two Lions; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

This week at the library; or, The last week of October

 I don't know whether I'm sad that we can't have our all-day slime extravaganza or not... somewhat exhausting week, getting stuff in order for next week when I'm gone on vacation (lest you think this is exciting, I intend to spend a week at home catching up on reviews, planting all my bulbs, reorganizing my apartment, and doing virtual Bookaneers and a manager's meeting from home). Organizing virtual November visits, planning the winter reading program, and dealing with widely varying traffic patterns in the library. No people. No people. ALL THE PEOPLE. And hundreds of school holds. The long-suffering circulation staff pulled literally hundreds of picks for my winter reading promos and school holds - they had to get an extra table to hold them all! - and I can only hope that the table in the lobby with the processed and boxed holds does not collapse under the weight!

October programs and take-home activities

16 hours on desk; approximately 16 hours remote work