Hand-me-down magic: Stoop sale treasure by Corey Ann Haydu, illustrated by Luisa Uribe

  Del (short for Delfina) is so excited that her cousin Alma is coming to live in their apartment building. They are best friends and it will be wonderful to have even more family together! The minute Alma shows up, Del is ready to show her the wonderful treasures in the second-hand shop on the bottom floor, the neighborhood, and everything!

Alma loves her cousin and is thrilled to be living in the same building. At the same time, she is a little shyer than Del and misses her big bedroom, living by a lake, and having a little more peace and quiet. On top of that, Del is always talking about magic and Alma just doesn't see it. She starts to feel like she doesn't belong in her family at all - and Del doesn't help, always telling her what she's doing wrong and how to change.

When Del discovers "magic" earrings and seems to have nothing but good luck, Alma loses her temper and instead of apologizing, she does something awful. Now she feels even worse! But with the loving help of Abuelita, the two cousins make up their fight and learn to be kinder to each other. Del realizes that Alma doesn't need to be told what to do all the time - but she does need to hear that she belongs with her family, even if she is different.

Black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the story, but the cover portrays Del with dark hair and brown skin and Alma with light brown hair and light skin. Spanish is sprinkled throughout the story and a consistent them is that of family - how they fit together even when people do things differently or think differently. The apartment houses an extended family - the shop on the first floor, Abuelita on the second, Del and her family on the third, TiTi Rosa and her little girl Evie on the fourth, and Alma has just moved onto the top, fifth floor. Some casual references imply that at least some of the family have a background in Puerto Rico.

Verdict: This is a simple and sweet beginning chapter book, with just a hint of magic, and a wonderful depiction of a loving and multi-ethnic family.

ISBN: 9780062878250; Published June 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Margaret's Unicorn by Briony May Smith

  I'm not really a fan of unicorns, but I have a lot of kids who are - they like "pretty" unicorns, not so much the humorous ones though. I am a fan of Briony May Smith's rustic, cozy and fantastical art, which I first encountered in Imelda and the goblin king. So put Smith and unicorns together and I am there!

Margaret, a sturdy little girl with flyaway brown hair, plaid skirt, and cozy red sweater, narrates the story of the magical events of one year. In the autumn she moves to a new home "in the mountains" with her parents and goes out to explore on her first day. There she sees a herd of magical unicorns in the clouds and finds a dappled grey unicorn colt, complete with long, silky tail, left behind.

With the help of her grandmother and parents, Margaret cares for her magical new friend. She comes to love the beauty of the mountains and makes new friends there, but her unicorn is always with her. When spring comes and the unicorns return, Margaret sadly lets her friend go, back to his herd. She sees him once more time, the following year, when he is grown and stops briefly to see her then goes back to his herd. She tells her friend, Abbie, "That was an old friend." and the two happily return to Margaret's new home.

This is a little lengthy for a storytime read-aloud, but unicorn fans and those who love heartwarming, magical stories will be delighted by the beauty of nature and the unicorns in this joyful story of friendship and new experiences.

Verdict: A must-have for your elementary unicorn fans, it also makes a lovely read-aloud for older listeners.

ISBN: 9781984896537; Published September 2020 by Schwartz and Wade Books; Purchased for the library

Pika Country: Climate change at the top of the world by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and Marlo Garnsworthy, photographs by Dan Hartman

  Pikas are adorable. Let's just get that out of the way. They look like guinea-pig sized rodents at first glance, but a closer look shows their resemblance to rabbits, their relatives. They live high in the mountains and spend their days collecting green stuff to make hay.

Some new things I learned about pikas, that made me like them even more, was that they don't seek out the sun - it's too hot for them! They are crepuscular, coming out in the early morning and late evening. They also look adorable with a mouthful of green stuff. Although that's not really a new fact.

After introducing the general behavior and habits of the pika, Patent explains how they are affected by climate change and how that in turn affects other alpine animals. The complex relationship between pine trees, pikas, and all the way up to bears is carefully shown, as well as the current and projected effects of climate change, from damaging insects to shrinking habitat. The text is arranged in short paragraphs, interspersed with photographs and illustrations.

There is a more in-depth explanation of climate change and a glossary in the back, as well as the ubiquitous "what you can do" suggestions. These really annoy me - show me a kid who has a say in whether or not their family flies somewhere! Many kids don't have access to "delicious and healthy vegetarian and vegan options." Turning off lights is about as effective as writing songs and poems. Anyways, I really find these things annoying, but they seem to be de rigueur in any books referencing climate change now.

Verdict: I've only seen one book on pikas and it's old, so this is a nice addition, despite the hackneyed environmental suggestions and lack of sources. Especially of interest to kids living in areas near or on mountains.

ISBN: 9781970039023; Published September 2020 by Web of Life Children's Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Lost in the imagination: A journey through nine worlds in nine nights by Hiawyn Oram, illustrated by David Wyatt

 I knew this was unlikely to be the kind of thing one added to a library - it's from Candlewick Studio, which created the Ology books and is categorized as a gift book. I just wanted to read it, it looked so cool!

It opens with a note to the reader, saying that Candlewick Studio was given a collection of notes, stories, and drawings by Emily Furness, niece of "the late prize-winning theoretical physicist and professor Dawn Gable." The framing story is that Dawn Gable, estranged from her brother due to her obsession with science and neglect of the magic they shared as a child, is gifted a book by her niece and nephew on her birthday. Annoyed, she tosses it into the fire where, instead of burning, it glows and somehow produces a dragon-like creature named Hyllvar, who claims to be a descendant of Nidhogg.

Against her better judgment, Dawn accompanies the dragon through nine magical worlds, each described in magical detail in her collected papers and stories, and although she is at first frightened and angry, she eventually comes to appreciate the magic and beauty of the worlds she is privileged to visit. The story ends with a note from Professor Dawn D. Gable, talking about the wonders of magic and how her magical journey changed her life. On the last page, a newspaper clipping recognizes "Maria Knowles" for winning a literary prize for fantasy established by Dawn Gable, who also wrote fantasy novels under the pseudonym of Hyllvar Hunt.

The pages of this oversized volume are rimmed in dark blues, making the sketches and images stand out strikingly from the page. There are sketches of Hyllvar's strange machine, notes of adventures, and then the worlds themselves. Each "world" has a page introducing it, with a detailed sketch of the area, a larger artistic picture, and then a drawing of Gable's encounters and adventures there. She travels to the lost city of Kor, an ancient ruin in Uganda, where she encounters "Princess Ayesha" who has magical powers and dwells in the Fire of Eternal Youth and Beauty. The next world is imaginary, Mecanopolis, where all life has become extinct and sentient machines have created their own utopia. Frightened of being trapped in their museum of humans, Gable flees and finds herself next in Camelot. An intricate drawing of the Round Table and descriptions of its knights are included here. She next visits Hyllvar's own world, Wyvern Abbey and the Dimskye Mountains where dragons, wyverns, griffons, unicorns, chimeras, and many other dangerous "monsters" dwell. Here Hyllvar leaves her, telling her she must make the choice to continue her journey with the machine alone.

Notes on Kor

She then visits Atlantis, as seen through Captain Nemo's submarine, and escapes just in time to enter the worlds of Swift's imagination, Lilliput and Laputa. The last two worlds she visited are drawn from myth, Buyan, the first island, from Slavic mythology where she sees a variety of mythological creatures and deities, from a gamayun to Koschei the deathless and Valhalla in Asgard. As she enters Valhalla, the machine fails and she makes a leap of faith to trust Hyllvar to carry her to the ninth world. There she admits to a traumatic childhood experience when her brother nearly fell to his death from a roller coaster. In her final letter, opening herself up to imagination and magic again, there is a background that features artifacts from each of the worlds she has visited.

I didn't care for the framing story. I don't know that kids will particularly relate to the idea of a middle-aged woman who has lost her capacity for imagination and frankly it irritated me. To paraphrase Justine Larbalestier, there's no moral superiority in reading fiction. From an adult perspective, to castigate a woman trying to succeed in the sciences, a heavily male-dominated profession, for not enjoying magic and fantasy like she did as a child is just... wrong. You can be a perfectly wonderful person and still not want to celebrate your birthday, travel to magical worlds and nearly get killed, or somehow manage to become a prize-winning physicist, write a series of wildly popular fantasy novels, and yet still be called "professor" rather than "doctor" which jumped out at me. Ahem.

However! Frankly, I doubt that most kids will even bother to read the framing story and if they do will quickly forget it. The important thing here is the lovingly detailed drawings of various imaginary and mythical worlds and this is what fantasy fans are going to be absorbed in. How I wish this book had been around when I had an Atlantis-obsessed fan! Kids can spend hours absorbed in the details of the worlds and will doubtless be inspired to draw, write, and create their own worlds, made-up or based on other stories they've read.

Verdict: Unlike the Ology books, there are no little pieces to be lost, but as a gift book this is both a little oversized (13" high) and with a fragile spine and paper-over-board construction. While it would do fine in a library, it will probably be quickly read to pieces. Ideally, it would be a gift to any fantasy fan who loves imagining and creating worlds. Pair with books on creating your own fantasy maps or suggest to a fan of RPG and you're sure to have a happy reader.

ISBN: 9781536210736; Published October 2020 by Candlewick Studio; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library as a prize.

Counting creatures by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sharon King-Chai

This is technically a picture book, but it's so... fragile that it's not something I'd add to a library, hence why I'm posting it at this weird time, as I clean out my stash of books for review.

Julia Donaldson, a popular picture book creator from the UK, offers a simple, rhyming text that counts up the babies of a variety of creatures. It follows a simple formula, "This (creature) has... x babies" then a brief couplet describing their actions, followed by "Who has more babies than that?" The text is not particularly memorable and is often difficult to read, on dark backgrounds. As a nonfiction fan, I also have to point out that, like all these counting books, they are generally not even remotely accurate as to the number of babies these animals have. However, the real point here isn't the text, but the art.

Sharon King-Chai's art and paper engineering is exquisite. Lush, vibrant colors crowd the pages while delicately cut lift the flaps expand the book. The cardboard cover itself has die cut shapes, revealing a clutch of owlets and some flashes of color later in the book. There are also foil overleaves scattered throughout to add some shine. The bat's wing lifts to reveal her baby and a delicately paper cut stand of trees flips open at the endpages to show a peaceful meadow scene. A pile of blazing orange, yellow, and pink leaves lifts in sequence to reveal a huddle of mouse babies, and there are peepholes through trees, glimpses behind bushes, and more. At the end of the book, readers discover even more to find, when they learn that the spider's babies are scattered throughout the book.

This is a beautiful book, but there is simply no way it's going to last in any library collection. While some of the delicate flaps can be reinforced at their hinge, there's no way to reinforce the die-cut pages and many of them have multiple peep-holes. The binding itself feels light and flimsy, a thin scrape of paper over cardboard with a fragile spine.

Verdict: This is lovely, but because the text can be difficult to decipher and the flaps fragile, it's unlikely to last even if used only in a professional storytime collection. Save this one for a special gift for a very careful little person - or for the collection of an adult who appreciates beautiful picture books.

ISBN: 9780593324530; Published November 2020 by Dial/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library as a prize book

Bear by Ben Queen, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton

I enjoy Todd-Stanton's fantastical art in his picture-book length graphic novels, and I was interested to see this new book he created in conjunction with Ben Queen.

Bear has a special job. His siblings are K-9 workers, but he's a guide dog for the blind. He's well-trained and dedicated to his job, taking care of Patrick. Patrick is twenty-eight, repairs vending machines, and likes to read. He's also blind. He applied for a guide dog to make him more efficient in his work, and he and Bear bonded from the first day they met. They're the perfect team, until something terrifying happens to Bear - a sudden black patch blocks out the light and he's lost and panicked.

Patrick calls Meg, who runs the organization that trained Bear, and the two are worried about Bear's health and make plans to get him checked out immediately. But Bear is confused and terrified. If he can't do his job, will they take him away from Patrick? If he can't do his job, is he still special? He falls easy prey to the malicious story told to him by Uncle, the leader of the raccoon band hiding under the house, and runs to the woods to find magic to heal him.

Bear's quest leads him to new friends, family, and many revelations about himself and his senses. He learns that he is more than his job and that Patrick needs him no matter what. He also makes friends with a different kind of bear and the two travel together through the woods, town, and city.

As Bear's sometimes frightening, sometimes beautiful journey progresses, Patrick and Meg bond as they search for Bear and learn about each other.

Finally, there is a happy conclusion for all; Bear is able to resume his job, but he has gained the self-confidence and knowledge to allow him to consider himself worthy whether or not he gains his sight. Patrick and Meg have gained a new understanding of each other and a deep friendship, and the raccoons, well, they are raccoons!

Queen talks in the end about some of the more philosophical and scientific background to the ideas of sight, perspective, and mental pictures and mentions that he consulted blind individuals for accuracy.

Verdict: This is a beautiful, intense story but I'm not sure exactly who the audience is. If you have fans of graphic novels like Mouse Guard, that would be the best bet. It's fine for younger kids, although there are scary moments there is minimal blood and it's more atmospheric than graphic terror. The philosophical tone and reflection may appeal more to introspective readers though, who are likely to be older.

ISBN: 9781684155316; Published August 2020 by Archaia; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Hotdog! by Anh Do, illustrated by Dan McGuiness

  I didn't care for the author's WeirDO series, but this one, while equally silly, was a little more to my taste.

In the first chapter, we meet Hotdog, a long dachshund, who wakes up one morning with a "very stuffy nose." He then talks about the things he can and can't do, as a very short, very long dog, and his plans for kite-flying with his friends. In the next chapter we meet his friends, Lizzie the lizard, who's a chameleon and good at blending into things and Kevin, a plump and extremely relaxed cat, who is frequently dressed up by his humans. When a small baby bird falls on Kevin's head, the friends are in a quandary. The baby bird is too small to fly, Hotdog can't climb a tree, Kevin is wearing an awkward cow suit (and he's too relaxed to climb anyways) and Lizzie is extremely brave - except about heights.

Hijinks ensue as the three quirky friends try to track down Winston's mom and get him back home. The ensuing adventures include poopy diapers, a treacherous lake journey, and a disastrous farm trip. However, all ends well, and the three have a new friend and lots of new adventures to look forward to.

This is not a graphic novel per say, it's what is usually called an illustrated chapter book. There are some speech bubbles and copious illustrations, but the book is not primarily told through the art. The art is two-toned in green and gray and shows cartoonish animals, as well as highlighted green words, exclamations, and a certain emphasis on poop.

Verdict: It's a rather scattered story, with digressions and threads that are dropped and picked up chapters later, but the characters are nice, if a bit scatty, and the overall tone is humorous and upbeat. Kids who like nonsense and lots of pictures will enjoy this - hand it to fans of Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face, Bad Guys, Beaver Brothers, Ricky Ricotta, and Branches like Kung Pow Chicken.

ISBN: 9781338587203; Published May 2020 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Cookie & Broccoli: Ready for school! by Bob McMahon

  I freely admit that I don't really "get" the obsession with talking food. However, it's a real thing that kids love - we recently read some of Terry Border's books in book club and there's been a whole slew of titles in this vein this year.

This latest series introduces two opposites - shy Broccoli and extrovert Cookie - who meet up on the first day of school. In four short chapters and an epilogue, the two meet, have some initial confusion and disagreement, and eventually make a whole group of friends, banding together to make each other better. Along the way, they get the vegetables and baked goods together, play a joke on a talking rock, and form a shy friends club.

The art mainly features yellow Cookie and green Broccoli, both with big cartoon eyes, but Cookie with a large, generous mouth (with teeth) and Broccoli with a smaller mouth, suited to their quieter nature. There's lots of wacky text in large fonts and with silly decorations, especially when the two start making silly noises. There's not a lot of detail, but in some panels which include other creatures there are a lot of silly jokes in their speech bubbles (a waffle says they're too shy to talk to their Belgian cousin) and a cynical blueberry occasionally interjects wry commentary.

As I said, I personally am not a huge fan of the talking food thing. What do they eat for lunch? What happens when they start rotting or crumbling? I find it difficult to suspend my disbelief. At least the author didn't assign genders to the food, which I appreciate. I also didn't care for the implication that Broccoli needs to be "fixed" because they're shy - although Cookie suggests that Broccoli can help them by "stopping me when I get too loud and silly." there's no actual signs that this is a thing that happens. However, most of these are really adult concerns, not things that will jump out at kids.

Verdict: This is a fun beginning chapter graphic novel series that will appeal to fans of Terry Border, Charise Mericle Harper, and Elephant and Piggie. Librarians looking to bolster their beginning chapter book offerings in the graphic novel realm will want to be sure to get this new series.

ISBN: 9780593109076; Published July 2020 by Dial; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Rum Pum Pum by David L. Harrison and Jane Yolen, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar

 In a vibrant green jungle is a menacing, black-striped tiger. He has sharp claws, sharp teeth, and glowing yellow eyes - but no friends.

When he discovers a strange object, and thumps it with his "long, sinuous tail" it makes a fine sound. The tiger has been asking animals to be his friend in tiger speech, saying "Rrrrrrrrhhhh," and now he decides that his new friend's "rum pum pum" must be an overture of friendship.

As he continues on his walk through the jungle, he meets a monkey with a long, pink face, a grouchy rhino, bright green parrot, and sticky-tongued chameleon. They are finally joined by a tremendous gray elephant and the new friends parade down the road until an argument breaks out.

The disagreement over who the brand-new friend belongs to is solved when a boy comes out of the forest and recognizes and plays Drum. The Drum tells the story of the tiger and his new friends, and then in the evening light Boy returns home with his Drum and Tiger and his new friends curl up together to sleep.

A note from the authors adds a little information about the animals and the drum, called a tabla, and a brief reflection on how tigers are endangered and need friends.

 This has a rhythmic beat to it, not surprising considering both the authors are poets. The repeated lines have a folktale feel to them as well. This makes me a little uncomfortable, with the long history of white authors co-opting the stories of native peoples, but it's not actually a folktale so I guess it doesn't matter.

Verdict: Although the text is fairly lengthy, the repetition and rhythm will make this an excellent read-aloud and the rich illustrations are attractive with expressive faces and movement.

ISBN: 9780823441006; Published September 2020 by Holiday House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

In the dark: The science of what happens at night by Lisa Deresti Betik and Josh Holinaty

  This is a really interesting book, grouping together what might seem a lot of disparate subjects with the common theme of night.

It starts with a brief introduction of all the exciting things that happen at night, and then jumps into the science of sleep. There's a brief comic strip telling the story of a teenager who broke a world record for staying awake - and why that world record no longer exists! With colorful charts, graphs, and blocky chunks of colors, readers will learn about different kinds of sleep, what your brain does while you're sleeping, dreams, and more.

The next section tackles nocturnal creatures and how they adapt to life at night. Bonus, it also includes a definition of crepuscular, one of my favorite words! Readers learn about night vision, echolocation, and how different animals sleep. There's a section on light pollution, and then the book moves on to plants. This was really fascinating. It talks about how plants "sleep" and I learned a new word, nyctinasty!

The last section features the night sky and covers the auroras, the light of stars and planets, and ends with "last thoughts before bed" summarizing the book. Back matter includes a glossary, sources, and an index.

Verdict: A unique and intriguing offering the succinctly covers a subject not often seen in children's literature. Recommended for middle grade nonfiction buffs who like science.

ISBN: 9781525301094; Published September 2020 by Kids Can Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library; or, Holidays begin

 I only worked a couple days this week and took the rest of the week off. I had a lot of catch-up work to do and a board meeting with our virtual charter school. I still have a fair amount of planning and other work to do before the end of the year, but I'm working all the days we're open for the next few weeks, plus the Saturday after New Year's. Things will be a bit disordered through the end of this year, as I catch up on last-minute reviews and clean out all my stored reviews, ready to schedule new ones. I'm working at the library Mon-Wed of Christmas, Mon, Wed, and Saturday of New Year's and remotely on Tuesday, and then thankfully this year will be done.

Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert

 This gorgeous graphic novel series opener is blurbed by Kazu Kibuishi, and this is most apposite for it is sure to appeal to Amulet fans.

Lizard-like creatures play in a cave and awaken something terrible... and the story begins. Bea and her cat Nimm live a happy and peaceful life with their adopted grandfather, the Pig Wizard. But then Bea meets Cad, member of the long-lost race of Galdurians, and her adopted grandfather disappears. Strange signs and creatures are seen, and they begin a dangerous and seemingly hopeless journey to find the Pig Wizard and save the last of the lights that keep their world from being plunged into darkness and overtaken by the evil shadows that threaten it.

Bea is scared and worried, Cad seemingly indifferent to the dangers that surround them. They struggle to understand each other and to face the many dangers in their journeys through increasingly unstable lands. The story ends on a note of tragedy, but with hope for the future and a repayment of kindness from a mysterious creature.

This has lovely, otherworldly illustrations. Soft, glowing lights show strange creatures, from humans to anthropomorphic animals, that populate a world with no natural light. Readers will be drawn in by the excellent world-building, the growing camaraderie between the mismatched characters, and the exciting plot.

Verdict: This isn't particularly ground-breaking, but it's excellently done, both in text and art, and if you have readers desperate for the next Kazu Kibuishi (which, by the way, has no projected pub date as of now) they will devour this new series. And then, of course, be desperate for the sequel to this one! So it's a self-defeating cycle really.

ISBN: 9780062990464; Published September 2020 by HarperAlley; Purchased for the library

Playing Possum by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

 I loved this sensitive and funny picture book on so many levels.

It's the story of Alfred, a possum, who freezes and plays dead at the slightest hint of danger. He's a very nervous possum. A series of humorous illustrations show Alfred frozen in his desk at school, whilst swimming, and of course whenever he tries to make friends. Then one day, while looking for a book, he meets Sofia. Sofia is an armadillo and when she is scared (which is pretty much always) she curls up. Cue a frozen Alfred and curled up Sofia.

Once the two have slowly unfrozen and uncurled, they realize how much they have in common and with patience and understanding begin to become friends. As they gradually relax and come out of their shells (ha ha) they realize that there are other animals who feel anxious too and they can help them. They befriend fainting goats, hedgehogs, skunks, and an octopus and with kindness and understanding, the world becomes a better place for everyone.

Scratchy illustrations show a hairy armadillo, untidy possum, and a plethora of nervous and seemingly uncongenial animals slowly learning to be friends and explore the world together.

A note from the author explains the difference between truth and imagination, talking about some of the animals included and their real-life behavior, and gently urges readers "...wild animals can't control their behavior. But people can, and sharing kindness and patience can change things for the better." The glossary includes a sketch of each nervous animal and their defensive reactions.

As a nonfiction fan, I love that Reinhardt is so clear on the differences between real and imaginary, especially in animal behavior. I like that the anxious animals are not magically "fixed" and a lot of time and patience are shown in the process of them making changes in their behavior. Finally, the book is funny without poking fun at the creatures and one can picture Alfred and Sofia laughing over the book themselves.

Verdict: A kind and gentle story that would make a funny read-aloud as well as a good addition for social-emotional learning.

ISBN: 9781328782700; Published July 2020 by Clarion; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library; or, School visits

 I packed all my virtual school visits into this week. Last week our schools were virtual and the following week is the last week of school before winter break and I'm going to take a few days off. So, school visits. I did 3 from home - it was the school with the worst internet connection, and I've never gotten a good angle where the light doesn't reflect - but the kids seemed to have fun (I don't see video for this school). I also processed more school holds, wrote content for take home kits, finished Facebook posts through the end of the year, and did various program planning. Next most urgent project is updating the early literacy and STEAM calendars for next year.

A field guide to getting lost by Joy McCullough

  Sutton is all about the facts. She is currently immersed in issues with coding a robot and doesn't care for emotional interruptions into her ordered life. But even she has to admit, just to herself, that she's a little disappointed her mom, who's a scientist in the Antarctic, won't be home for her tenth birthday. Add in her dad's increased interest in the woman he's been dating and she's feels... off.

Luis spends his time immersed in stories, writing and reading about brave deeds and fantastical adventures. Too bad he's never likely to have any of his own, considering his life-threatening allergies, fear of dogs, and his mom's constant worries about him.

Two kids who are more unlike each other could hardly be imagined, but their parents are serious about a relationship and they'll have to make the best of it. Luis is willing to reach out to Sutton and their first "family date" is to a fantasy and science fiction museum. Sutton tries - she really does - but she just doesn't understand fantasy and she's more and more uncomfortable. Her dad gets upset with what he sees as her not trying and now she feels like she's losing her dad too.

Sutton and Luis are both very nervous about the next "family date" they're going on, especially since it involves a hike in the outdoors. Sutton has to give up her tablet, Luis has to brave bees and dogs. And then they get lost. Together. Can them make it alone - and maybe find some common ground after all?

It was nice to see two very different kids finding some common ground and handling big changes in their lives. Their parents love them both and are really trying to do the best for their kids, but sometimes they just don't get it. However, this was just a bit too... out there for my audience. It felt out of touch to me as an adult and I think it will to many of my kids as well. Sutton's dad is a professional musician and her mom is a scientist who researches penguins. They divorced so her mom could pursue her career. Luis' dad is dead and was an immigrant from Guatemala, where he and his mom visit frequently. They live in Seattle. I am... very skeptical about a professional musician being able to afford the kind of lifestyle Martin and Sutton have. In Seattle. Regardless, in my small Midwest town, this is just as much of a different world as another country. Even more so perhaps, as it depicts families that are at least financially stable, in a very urban and diverse environment, with parents who, while they sometimes misstep, are extremely emotionally mature and show excellent parenting. This just... isn't the major experience of the kids I see. These are privileged kids and I frankly found the descriptions of a blended family to be unrealistic at best.

Verdict: Objectively, I'd agree that this is well-written. I can see teachers using it in a class and discussing the diverse characters, metaphors and symbolism, and how the characters navigate change. It has universally positive reviews. However, I think the only kids who would read it would be reading it almost as a fantasy and not as something they'd relate to personally. There's nothing wrong with this, but I wish there were more realistic books about kids dealing with divorce and blended families that my audience could actually relate to.

ISBN: 9781534438491; Published April 2020 by Atheneum; Review copy provided by publisher

Snail has lunch by Mary Peterson

 This is a short, heavily illustrated chapter book from the Aladdin Pix line. I believe most of these titles are now being offered in collections - this one can be purchased in a bind-up with the sequel, Snail finds a home. The description says "a new line of illustrated chapter books" but this was originally published in 2016, so I think they moved on to other things when they didn't get as much response as Scholastic's Branches series.

In Snail has lunch, Snail, a blue-shelled creature with long stalks and cartoon eyes, lives in a rusty bucket. He likes it there and refuses to move or explore elsewhere, no matter how much his friend Ladybug tries to coax him out. When the farmer walks off with Snail's rusty bucket, he is forced to explore and finds himself in the wonderful garden Ladybug told him about. Ladybug is there as well and she introduces Snail to new friends, tastes, smells, and ideas. Will Snail find a new home or will he return to his old bucket?

The art is created digitally and is bright, cheerful cartoons. There's not much detail and the simple shapes of the plants, creatures, and farmer are set against a white background. The text is a smaller, lighter font that can sometimes be hard to discern against the bland backgrounds and there are also additional speech bubbles.

I can see why this never took off - it just doesn't have the appeal and layout of Scholastic's Branches series. It's a cute story, but without much substance and the art isn't particularly memorable.

Verdict: If you are in need of more easy chapter books, it's an ok additional purchase and the new bind-ups are available in prebound. However, if you just want some gentle garden stories for young readers, Poppy and Sam by Cathon is a more attractive series.

ISBN: 9781481453028; Published 2016 by Aladdin; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Wild! by Courtney Dicmas

[Originally published 2015]

To be completely honest, I haven't felt very enthused about the picture books I've seen from Courtney Dicmas. I haven't been able to really get into her art style. However, when I got this new set of board books she has written and illustrated I had a very different reaction. I think her art is really suited to this medium - the bigger picture books seem to have a lot of white space and make her art too minimalist, fading into the background.

Wild! shows animals in four different daily activities; at play, eating, taking baths, and at bedtime. Wild! Bathtime has a simple rhyming text but paired with the wacky pictures is hilariously funny. When it says "Let's scrub our hands, and our faces," we see a mother cat and kitten washing their faces with tongue and paws and when it continues onto the next page, "And all those other...hard to reach places!" there's a troop of monkeys picking at each other's fur.

Wild! Mealtime shows another set of funny animal couples, parent and child, at mealtime. The mother snail has veggies for her baby, while the mother chipmunk warns her baby, with bulging cheek pouches, "Just take it slow." It ends with a naughty raccoon baby who's been hiding his peas - or so he thinks!

A series of playful animals are featured in Wild! Playtime from zooming otters to the harried father lion on the front page. Several of the animals are linked to natural behavior in the wild like dancing cranes and hopping kangaroos.

Wild! Bedtime is, I think, the funniest and features some of the more unusual animals. A perky little bunny shows up with her "teddy" to her mother's horror - it's a real bear! A flock of cygnets settles in on a swan's back, and "Kiss you, and turn out the light." is matched with an anglerfish, complete with glowing light.

Dicmas' art shows animals and backgrounds created with loose shapes in pastel hues. Additional details are added in a bright rainbow of colors. Some color schemes are similar to natural coloring, like the gray elephants and pink piglets, while others show a vibrant imagination, like the pink and purple cats with rainbow whiskers. In a few of the pictures the loose art style makes the activity unclear; from an adult perspective, I know the foxes are diving into the snow (to hunt mice probably) but the minimalist art won't make that clear to a child. However, most of the pictures work quite well for an older toddler and parents will appreciate the added humor of the pop-eyed animal  parents trying to survive their offspring's shenanigans.

The rhyming text isn't always perfect and there seem to be a lot of unnecessary commas, but since the primary draw of a board book is the art, especially for the younger toddlers, that's not a major issue. The books are a nice, sturdy square, about 7x7 inches, 7 pages each.

[Revisited: We read these to pieces! They're available in a bilingual (Spanish) edition now too.]

Verdict: This is a fun series with cute illustrations and generally acceptable text. Recommended as an additional purchase if you're looking to add to your board book collection. Board books are a major part of my circulation and collection and I would happily add them.

Wild! Bathtime
ISBN: 9781846436864

Wild! Mealtime
ISBN: 9781846436840

Wild! Playtime
ISBN: 9781846436857

Wild! Bedtime
ISBN: 9781846436871

Published March 2015 by Child's Play; Review copies provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor

  There's often a bit of a gulf between some of the more... inspirational.... type of books teachers want for their classrooms and what I'd prefer to purchase for my general library population. So when I find a book that hits both levels, it's a happy, happy thing.

Corey R. Tabor, creator of the delightful Fox picture books and easy readers, is branching out into a new character - a snail! Soft, swirling watercolors with dabs of bright colors introduce Snail, a sweet pink creature with a blue slime trail and a plan - travel across the road to reach a field of lovely green cabbages. Snail slowly works across the road - nothing is going to stop him! Not a car, a group of rude ants, or a rainstorm. In fact, Snail being the kind creature he is, he invites the ants to take shelter in his shell during the rain and they have a very nice tea party.

After his little break, he's ready to tackle the road again, avoiding hungry crows, and finally makes it... only to make the depressing discovery that he's right back where he started! Does Snail have the determination to make the long journey all over again - or is there another way?

The themes of determination, resilience, and kindness resound throughout this book, as Snail makes his way towards his goal and finds some unexpected friends along the way. The soft watercolors and gentle humor make this a sweet storytime read and it has a timeless feel that will appeal to kids and adults alike.

Verdict: A nice choice for starting conversations about resilience, determination, and kindness to others as well as a fun story with delightful details to inspect. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780062878007; Published February 2020 by Balzer & Bray; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library, or, Welcome December

 Like many, I am waiting eagerly for this year to end! I only had one virtual school visit this week, our school is temporarily virtual but will be going back in-person (not counting those who opted for virtual) next week. Normally this would be a very busy week, getting ready for the annual Christmas parade and Santa reception, which is hosted at the library, but they're doing a drive-in at the fair this year instead. I worked remotely two days and this is roughly how that went.

Wednesday

• Got up around 8:30 (honestly b/c my brother called, I probably would have slept later if not)
• Turned on my computer around 9:30. Answered emails. Teacher sent a big request so I put aside my other projects and worked on this. I had the initial list that I've built in previous years and it only needed a couple hours of work to update, BUT placing the holds was a nightmare. Our remote catalog does not work well and my internet cuts out constantly, so around 1pm (I had grabbed some breakfast a few hours earlier) I screamed in frustration and sent the list to my associate at the library to place the holds instead. Then I took a break, ate some lunch, went for a walk, and got back to work.
• I finished updating all the lists and sending them to my associate to place the holds. That was approximately 100 books I researched and selected and then between us we placed approx. 400 holds.
• I organized the book club books into a google form for tomorrow's book club.
• Worked on some collection development - building an Amazon wishlist and looking at orders for next year. I wasn't really watching the time. I know I ate some dinner at some point and I think I stopped working around 8ish.

Thursday

• My brother did not call me today so I got up closer to 10 lol. The computer went on a little after 10 and I started the day with emails. Lots of little things - staff reviews, adding new virtual visits, looking at some collection development for next year, writing content for newsletters and website, making assignments for staff.
• Took a break and walked down to the local library to pick up a book for a teacher at MY library.
• Manager's meeting - joined virtually - I had a lot of connection issues, which was frustrating.
• 2:30 back to working on projects from this morning, staff evaluation, then a schedule issue, then newsletter blurbs.
• 4:30 was supposed to be my virtual book club, but nobody was able to show. This actually was good because my internet (which I get from a hotspot from work) has gotten extremely spotty. It doesn't matter for my regular work if it drops in and out, except for things like trying to place holds.... but you can't hold a meeting with a flickering connection! Another thing to fix. I spent forever fiddling with it and looking for workarounds. At 6 I went back to working on content for the library website and finished that project, then put together Facebook posts. I stopped working around 8 again.

I don't know that these were typical remote work days - the internet issues caused a lot of problems, which was frustrating. I had a lot more work I'd hoped to do, but wasn't able to get to which was annoying. I have only a few hours working remotely next week but maybe I'll get to it then.

American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar

Lekha Divekar lives in a small, Midwestern town and has always divided herself into two people. The kid she is at school, where she ignores the teasing, tries to hide the fact that she's the only Indian-American in the whole school, and basically keeps her head down all the time. At home, she's free to love Bollywood and enjoy her own culture.

When a new girl, Avantika, moves in across the street and attends Lekha's school, she's thrilled. Finally, she won't be the only Desi (Indian living abroad) in her school. But Avantika isn't at all what she expected. She's not Americanized and doesn't try to be. She's got an accent, she stands up to the bullies, and instead of hiding in the background with Lekha, she draws them both into the spotlight. Lekha's school difficulties are made even worse when prejudice against immigrants skyrockets and a local senator starts stirring up violence against them.

Lekha is running up against trouble in all quarters. She gets pressure, racism, and bullying from the girls on swim team, her mother is too scared to leave the house, and her best friend's "help" just makes things worse, when he publicizes the xenophobia her family is experiencing. Even time spent with her Desi friends and relatives isn't comfortable anymore, as she starts to realize they have their own prejudices and microaggressions against recent immigrants like Avantika.

Lekha has to make some difficult decisions and figure out how to reconcile the different parts of herself, her culture, and her friends before she can find her voice and start to move forward with her family, relationships, and her dreams.

This is kind of what I was talking about with Gillian McDunn's new book, The Queen Bea and Me. Like that book, this is also pitch-perfect for the angst and friendship troubles of middle school. However, it has an added dimension of diversity and Lekha's unique perspective and experiences. There are some hopeful signs near the end, regarding the prejudice Lekha's family has suffered - one neighbor who was previously a supporter of the xenophobic senator remembers the prejudice suffered by his own Sicilian immigrant ancestors and supports the family and one of the girls who has been harassing Lekha (the girl's mom lost her job in a factory due to "immigrants taking all the jobs") is rescued from a breakdown on the highway by Lekha's family and they come to be better friends and learn their prejudices are unrealistic.

This last feels... wrong. It's just wrong that people have to get to know people who are different to realize that they're not evil. But it's realistic. Harper and her mom may well still support Senator Winters. They may well still be racist and xenophobic, arguing that "those people" aren't like the "nice Indians" they know. But it's a small step in the right direction. Lekha is still shy. She still makes mistakes and missteps, and she recognizes that she has her own prejudices to overcome. But she's taken a big step in combining the two different sides of her life, is more comfortable with herself as an Indian-American, and has started to stand up for herself.

Verdict: This has all the friendship angst that middle schoolers know so well, but with some thoughtful and relevant commentary on current events. I think this will resonate with minority students, as well as offer more perspective to majority students on how they treat other kids and their own role as allies and what that means. There's also humor and plenty of middle school embarrassment and worries for all kids to relate to.

ISBN: 9781534439382; Published June 2020 by Aladdin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Girl versus squirrel by Hayley Barrett, illustrated by Renee Andriani

 Pearl, a cheery little girl in polka-dot shoes and overalls, has built several birdfeeders and is excited to get started on birdwatching. But, as any bird lover might expect, she gets a very strange, furry bird - a squirrel. Frustrated, she tries to bar the mischievous gray squirrel from the peanuts in her teacup birdfeeder, but no matter how cleverly she works, the squirrel keeps getting in and snatching those peanuts!

Finally, she puts all her efforts into an elaborate obstacle course, but of course the squirrel defeats it easily. Then Pearl realizes that it's actually a mama squirrel feeding her babies, and decides to feed both squirrels AND the birds, giving the mama squirrel lots of opportunities for teaching her kits how to navigate the obstacle course.

Back matter includes "some squirrelly facts." This book first caught my eye because, well, I might have a little... thing going on with the squirrels in my yard. However, I would like to point out that it is not ONE squirrel, but at least seven, with more coming and going, and they do not have the courtesy to only eat from the feeder I set up just for them, in company with the rapidly-expanding chipmunk population they get into everything. So it's not exactly a realistic story - there would have been a lot more than one squirrel, unless it was tough enough to fight off the other squirrels (yes, I've had to clean squirrel blood off my feeders) and after she emptied the teacup in 3 seconds flat, she would have cleaned out the other feeders!

Ahem.

I admit that squirrels ARE cute and clever and fun to watch, and this is a sweet and silly story that shows two girls, human and squirrel, using their ingenuity to the fullest!

Verdict: However you feel about squirrels, this story will make you giggle and maybe even get kids creating some of their own obstacle courses for the squirrels in their backyards!

ISBN: 9780823442515; Published August 2020 by Margaret G. Ferguson; Borrowed from another library in my consortium