Browsing the Beginning Chapter Books: Anna Hibiscus; Hooray for Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia

Genre: Realistic fiction

Protagonists: Female, African/Canadian

Reading level: 500s

Series: 5 chapter books

Originally reviewed in 2010

 

Review: Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. We're never told exactly what country, but it's probably coastal Nigeria, since the author grew up in Nigeria and Anna lives near a big city near the coast. Anna lives in a compound with her Canadian mother, African father, and a huge family of cousins, aunts, uncles, and her twin baby brothers, benevolently ruled over by her wise grandparents.

In her first set of adventures, Anna's mother tries to have a family vacation with just her immediate family - and Anna and her mother realize just how much they need all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents! An aunt who has been in America returns home and everyone is worried that she will have forgotten African ways. Anna admires the orange sellers at their gates and disobeys grandfather to go sell oranges - resulting in a painful punishment and a hard lesson. Finally, Anna desperately wants to see snow and works out a way to make her dream come true!

In her second set of adventures, Anna is picked out to sing for a large audience, but it's her twin baby brothers who save the day when she freezes. Tired of all the fuss and painful braiding, Anna decides to opt out of braiding her hair - and learns the hard way that a few hours of pain is worth it! Anna's family tries out a new generator and decides sometimes the old ways are best. Finally, Anna gets her wish to go to the other side of the city but discovers it isn't at all what she had expected.

Anna is an exuberant, sympathetic character. Her very different culture and the poverty that surrounds her middle-class family are clearly portrayed without over-dramatizing issues or confusing explanations. Lauren Tobia's illustrations bring out the humor of the stories and the various characters, helping readers distinguish the members of Anna's big, loving family. Beginning readers will be charmed by this glimpse into a fascinating, warm, exciting, lively world, very different from their own lives. I look forward to introducing our readers to Anna Hibiscus and encouraging them to try something new!

Verdict: Highly recommended! The only drawback is it can be difficult to get Kane Miller's books, especially complete series, through regular vendors. However, these are worth a little digging on Amazon, Book Depository, or ordering direct.

Revisited: The original Anna Hibiscus books were never as popular as I'd hoped they would be. My families that usually like the quieter, slice-of-life stories, did not gravitate to these. However, they do check out occasionally and are a needed note of diversity in my beginning chapter book collection as well as filling occasional requests for younger chapter books featuring children from other countries. Candlewick picked up the titles and started reissuing them in 2022, so they are readily available from all vendors now.

Anna Hibiscus
ISBN: 978-1935279730; Published June 2010 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

New edition published 2022 by Candlewick; ISBN: 9781536225235

Hooray for Anna Hibiscus
ISBN: 978-1935279747; Published January 2010 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

New edition published 2023 by Candlewick; ISBN: 9781536225259

This week at the library

Programs

• Homeschool Hangout
• Paws to Read
• All ages D&D
• Family Storytime
• Outreach storytimes (3 classes)
• Teen Fandom Club
• Open Storyroom (3 days)

Notes

  This was fall break for us, the state library conference, goodbye party for our retiring head of circulation (27 years!) and our big annual fundraiser. So basically I and my staff didn't do any programs after Tuesday. I spent one day at the conference and while it was nice to see some friends, I was, quite frankly, not impressed. I also think the profession, in general, is much less welcoming to new people and collegial in general - when I think back to the first conferences I attended, and even other conferences I attended more recently, it's a world of difference. Anyways, it did inspire me to try some of my own get-togethers again in the winter, so we'll see how that goes.

Also I have a fun picture of a kid pretending to be a tornado in the play tunnel, but it's on my camera at work and I probably won't remember to retrieve it for a few weeks. Picture me tired instead.

Browsing the Beginning Chapter Books: Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Cece Bell

Genre: Mystery; Humor

Protagonists: Male sentient plant

Reading Level: 500s

Series: Trilogy, followed by additional trilogies set in the same world/style (Didi Dodo and DJ Funkyfoot)

Originally reviewed in 2017

Review: This is one of the new series I added to our beginning chapter series this year. Angleberger teams up with Bell to present a ridiculous mystery series full of wacky problems and even sillier solutions.

Inspector Flytrap of the Flytrap Detective Agency only takes on really BIG problems. Fortunately, there's no shortage, from a mysterious art clue to a giant stinky shoe. Along the way Inspector Flytrap has to deal with his assistant, Nina, eating the clues (she's a goat), clients who don't appreciate his genius, and all manner of craziness.

The illustrations are in black, green, and gray with photographs in collage format. The text is a good match for intermediate chapter book readers, not quite as challenging as Magic Tree House, but harder than an easy reader or Branches title.

The mysteries are, at best, peripheral to the silly jokes and hijinks that fill the story. Nina eats evidence, Inspector Flytrap muses on his need for movement and excitement. A giant peg-legged pirate appears, Flytrap and Nina eat lunch from the garbage. The story ends with the last case, involving a missing rose, which turns out to be the perfect partner for Inspector Flytrap!

Verdict: I thought kids would enjoy the wacky humor of this series and it had ok circulation. When I used it in book club several kids were interested and liked the idea of the silly story. I don't think it will be a super popular title, but if you have a large beginning chapter collection it's a good addition.

Revisited: This has never been super popular; I just don't have the audience for really silly books. However, it circulates steadily and every year there are a couple kids that love it and devour all the books and companion volumes. If you have Angleberger fans, or fans of goofy humor, it will be popular.

ISBN: 9781419709654; Published 2016 by Abrams; Purchased for the library

This week at the library

Sibling (and best friend according to them) 
of kid in last week's picture. They are 
drawing whiskers on Pumpkin the cat.

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• We Explore Nature
• Family Craft Night
• Lakeland School field trip
• Family Storytime
• Kids Make It: Let's Sew

Notes

  Nobody came to Family Craft Night. I am more depressed by how upset everybody else thinks I should be, honestly. I mean... evening programs, October, school schedules, sports, it's not unexpected? I'll just repeat it in November and see if it goes better then. But if everybody else thinks it's such a big deal maybe I SHOULD be more upset... We were closed on Friday for our staff work day and my department did a lot of painting.

Browsing the Beginning Chapter Books: Astrid and Apollo and the starry campout by V. T. Bidania, illustrated by Dara Lashia Lee

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Protagonists: Male/Female Siblings: Hmong
Reading Level: M
Series: Currently 16 titles; 4 new titles released each August
Originally reviewed in November 2020

Review: I am really excited for this new easy chapter series from Capstone's Picture Window imprint. The only thing I could be more thrilled about would be if they offered series featuring kids with disabilities, and I'm confident those will not be long in coming (there's already an easy reader featuring a Deaf girl, Emma).

Many people think of the Midwest as a very white, homogenous place and while that is certainly true in many cases, especially in small towns, there are actually large groups of ethnically diverse people concentrated in various areas. In my own corner of Wisconsin, there is a large Hispanic population, small but significant group of Japanese and Koreans (mostly exchange students - we have a Kikkoman factory) and a handful of Pakistani and South Asian folks. Only a few hours north there is a significant presence of Americans of Hmong descent and after many years of them being largely ignored it's wonderful to see literature featuring these kids start to emerge.

The Hmong population in Minnesota is, I believe, larger and that's where this book is based, as is its own voices creator. The story starts with an introduction to Astrid, Apollo, and their parents and little sister Eliana. This includes their Hmong names, pronunciation, and translation. There's also a simple definition of Hmong.

The story is told in five chapters. The family is going camping and Astrid is scared of the dark - and of the frightening stories her older cousin has told her. Apollo initially coaxes her into coming along to join them and with the support of her family and her own courage she ends up having a great time. There are gently humorous moments, like sneaky raccoons and a stinky outhouse, and also an enjoyment of the beauties of nature and the night sky. The kids compare their Hmong names to the stars they see, eat both Hmong and "American" food, and say hello to other Hmong families who are also camping.

Back matter includes more detailed facts about the Hmong, a list and explanation of some popular Hmong foods (now I want eggrolls...), a glossary, and discussion and writing questions. There's also a thumbnail introduction to the author and illustrator, both from Minnesota and of Hmong descent.

Verdict: I have several readers who really enjoy these simple, slice-of-life stories and I am thrilled to be able to finally have books portraying this important and often overlooked ethnic group in our state.

Revisited: This hasn't really flown off the shelves, but it circulates steadily and is a staple when provided a wide range of titles to my schools. You may not need the full 16 titles, but most libraries should have at least a couple.

ISBN: 9781515861317; Published 2020 by Capstone; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library

Programs

• Itty Bitty Bopping Bakers
• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Pokemon Club
• We Explore Nature
• Project Explore
• Family Storytime
• Kids Make it: Let's Sew
• Open Storyroom

Notes

• Another week. We are all tired and feeling a bit worn.

Yikes! Discovery Series: What dwells in the deep? by Kelly Ward-Wills, illustrated by Steve James

I love nonfiction but it's really hard to find nonfiction board books that are both nonfiction (some of the things review journals call "nonfiction" are just ridiculous) and actual suited to a board book audience of infants and toddlers. You can, of course, argue that older children can enjoy board books as well and some do, but the vast majority of my caregivers and parents firmly view this format as "baby books" and I'm not going to waste time in a pointless effort to convince them otherwise.

Anyways, I was eager to see this new series from a small publisher and it turned out to be surprisingly good! The book opens with a boat floating on the water, piloted by a dark-skinned man with a beard with two dark-skinned children, a boy and a girl, on deck. They are looking at a leatherback sea turtle who is diving into the ocean.

Readers follow the turtle down to where it swims with a school of little striped fish and finds its food, jellyfish. As the readers go deeper, they meet a giant oarfish, vampire squid, sperm whale, anglerfish, dumbo octopus, and finally a snailfish at the deepest part of the ocean.

The text is very lengthy for a board book, but it actually works quite well. It uses simple, descriptive words with the name of the creature highlighted, so the adult reader can easily adapt it for shorter attention spans. Some sample sentences are, "What's that bright light shining in the black water?" or "Bye, sperm whale! We're going to see what dwells even deeper!"

The pages are numbered, unusual in a board book, and the final spread includes additional information about each creature. This will be useful for caregivers to read themselves so they can answer questions and incorporate the information into their read-alouds. There is a typo in the description of the dumbo octopus. The pages are made of thin cardboard, but it should be sufficiently sturdy for a board book, and the book is slightly larger than an average board book at 8.5x8.5 inches.

Verdict: This unique board book would be a great addition to any board book collection, especially one that caters to classes of toddlers and preschoolers. This makes a fun read-aloud for storytime as well, and the slightly larger size should make it work for a small or medium group. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781777081799; Published December 2022 by Eye of Newt Books; Review copy provided by publicist; Donated to the library

A river of dust: The life-giving link between North Africa and the Amazon by Jilanne Hoffmann, illustrated by Eugenia Mello

This beautiful book is a unique look at an evolving scientific concept and definitely stands out among informational and nonfiction picture books which tend not to feature a lot of earth science.

The opening spread is covered with broad strokes of green and brown, bisected by a swathe of blue and splashed with yellow and orange. Poetic language personifies two great continents, and then dives from the huge continents to a stream of white dust particles, swirling across an orange desert in North Africa. It streams past women carrying water jars, through a leaping herd of gazelle, over a great river that glows red in the light of a setting sun against the dark green of the land.

The color scheme shifts to the bright blues of the coast and the deep blues of the ocean. A whale leaps in a froth of foam and dust, and finally it drifts across the jungle, reflecting the colors of the rainbow from a flock of brilliant macaws. It filters through the trees, where people paddle their canoes down the Amazon through a lush forest, sparkling like stars in the night sky, filtering over a land that is all shades of green, from the trees to the river.

The symbolic language of the story is explained in depth in extensive back matter. This covers continental drift, how minerals and nutrients are blown across oceans by the winds, and the ongoing science around climate and the transfer of dust from the African to the American continent and its effect on the biome.

This is not a typical storytime read-aloud, but it's perfect for several specific classroom and program uses. It will work very well with discussions of weather and geology, and could be used with younger children with sand art or stories about wind, although they may not sit still for the abstract art and text.

Verdict: I will be using this with my nonfiction book club and recommending it as a class read-aloud and for an after-school group who always does a unit on geology and geography. I have a number of homeschooling families who will be very interested in it, and I'd also like to use it to explore some painting techniques. It probably won't be for every library, but it definitely fills a niche for me.

ISBN: 9781797211756; Published July 2023 by Chronicle; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to my library's ordering list

Tiny Jumper: How Tiny Broadwick created the parachute rip cord by Candy Dahl, illustrated by Maithili Joshi

I'm still rather wary of picture book biographies, although I now have an audience for them in my grade schools who do read-alouds. However, if one comes along that is truly unique I will absolutely grab it and this one fits the bill.

There are quite a few biographies of female inventors and aviators, women who fought against the limitations of history, but how many of those came from an impoverished and uneducated background?

Georgia Ann Thompson, nicknamed "Tiny" went to work when she was six, in the fields and factories. When she was 14, she saw a hot-air balloon ascension at the local state fair and determined that she was brave and strong enough to do that, convincing the aeronaut that she would draw more people to his act. She was furious at being billed as a doll and a baby, due to her tiny stature, but jumping from balloons was an amazing thrill. She became a renowned parachutist, continuing despite multiple broken bones and in 1914, at the age of twenty, she started parachuting from planes, the first one to ever do so. She demonstrated pioneering techniques in parachuting that were used by the military as well as the first use of a ripcord.

After retiring at the age of twenty-nine, she was mostly forgotten, although she worked for an aircraft company during WWII and consulted on parachute designs. Starting in the 1950s however, she began receiving awards for her pioneering work until her death in 1978. Back matter gives a simple overview of her early life and includes photographs and other historical references.

The art is colorful and does a good job of capturing Tiny's determined face. Although it's a little clean and tidy for the time period, and for factory work, she is shown disheveled and tired from her work and bruised and injured but with a delighted grin after her jumps.

This works well as a picture book biography in my opinion; it gives just enough, but not too much information. With a few simple words and images, the creators give an idea of what her long days of factory work were like, the exhilaration and danger of her jumps, and a sense of her personality shines through the story in excerpts of her own words. They also managed to refrain from focusing on her personal life, something biographies of women are prone towards. Back matter explains briefly that she was adopted by Charles Broadwick, the showman who first hired her, so they could travel together, but no other details are given.

Verdict: A strong picture book biography that would work both as a read-aloud and an inspiration point for STEM-related programming. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781499813944; Published October 2023 by little bee books; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Browsing the Beginning Chapter Books: The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp by Jonathan Auxier, illustrated by Olga Demidova

Genre: Fantasy
Protagonists: Male, White
Reading Level: 500s
Series: 3 titles, last published in 2022
Originally reviewed in 2020

Review: Auggie lives alone on an island, where he cares for magical beasts in the Fabled Stables. As the story opens, he's lonely with no one to be his friend or play with him. He tries to make friends with Fen, a magical Stick-in-the-Mud, who can turn into any tool that Auggie needs, but Fen is too grumpy. He tries to make friends with Miss Bundt, a purple-skinned woman with tattoos who is the closest thing to a mother he has, but she's busy working on projects for Professor Cake, the man who collects all the magical things on the island.

Auggie's loneliness is interrupted when the stable explodes with another space for a creature called a wisp - and this creature is in trouble! Auggie bravely goes through a magic portal to rescue the wisp from nasty hunters and, after some exciting and dangerous adventures, finds he has a real friend at last.

The chapter book is illustrated with colorful art, both full page spreads and spot art, in a style similar to Princess in Black, although it's a little more text-heavy and is at a more challenging reading level. The art shows Auggie as a brown-haired, tanned boy in old-fashioned pants, suspenders, and leather shoes. The villains wear medieval-style clothing and Miss Bundt a floor-length, plain white dress with short sleeves and an apron.

Although there are several things left unexplained in the story - why didn't Auggie make friends with the other magical creatures? What's different about Wisp that she can be a friend when the others can't? Why do the magical creatures even have genders? Wisp is literally a wisp of moonlight. Fen is a magical stick, but gets a male pronoun. Wisp is at first damaged and in pain from the iron collar she is forced to wear, but then seems fine with it? Most of these minor issues won't matter to young readers though. They'll enjoy the magical creatures and adventures and be eager to find out what happens to Wisp and Auggie next.

Verdict: Hand to fans of Beasts of Olympus and Princess in Black and other beginning chapter readers who like fantasy stories and will enjoy the plentiful art.

Revisited: It's not clear whether this is complete as a trilogy or if there will be more titles. It's not a top circulating title, but if you need more short fantasy chapters it's a great choice to add.

ISBN: 9781419742699; Published October 2020 by Abrams; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library

Tweens and teens knitting at Project Explore

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Teen Fandom Club
• Outreach storytimes (3 sessions)
• LOTG visit (after school wrap-around)
• We Explore Nature
• LOTG outreach (3 sessions)
• Project Explore
• Family Storytime
• Fact Finders
• Open Storyroom
• TAB

Notes

  I'm still tired and grouchy from covid and there was a lot of catch-up to do this week. I felt like crap on Wednesday, especially after plunging and mopping (it wasn't even successful plunging) and my awesome associate kindly did the Library on the Go outreach storytimes for me. Apparently it was miserably hot and muggy at the school, so I am doubly grateful to her!

  Our storytime provider did some amazing work at storytimes this week, offering very innovative and fun hands-on programming. I had a great turnout for Project Explore and Fact Finders. We made slime at the latter and it was extremely messy and very little book discussion happened, but it was also super fun! Even with the breaks my voice is still pretty rough; I had hoped to take a little time off this week since I'd done a lot of work while I was sick last week, but things kept happening so it didn't really work out that way and I ended up working more!

  We have a lot of interesting things to discuss and work on after our managers' meeting and some big changes coming up with the retirement of our long-time circulation manager. 

Exploring nature for curious kids: One little bug by Becky Davies, illustrated by Jacob Souva

I am constantly updating and reviewing the organization and particulars of our collections. This drives most of our staff nuts, but nobody can argue with my circulation statistics! For board books, I've both expanded and limited the collection in recent years, adding more media tie-ins, more books with tactile or toy elements (lift-the-flap, moving parts), and more holiday and religious titles. However, I've also tried to keep the book in two categories - titles that are developmentally appropriate for infants and toddlers and titles that appeal to caregivers who want popular things they've seen online, familiar characters and themes, but keep these to a minimum and in specific sections - toy, holiday, and religious.

All of that is to say, when I can I like to carefully review novelty board books and I often find the best location for them is as part of a storytime kit or circulating toy bag, rather than in the board book area itself. This title from Tiger Tales is one that I would definitely recommend as a supplemental piece for a kit.

The book is a little oversized, about 10x9, and the cover is extra thick, while the pages are a medium-weight cardboard, bendy but still sturdy. Each page includes multiple flaps of cardstock weight, and if adding this to your collection you'll definitely want an adult to bend each one open before circulating, as they are very tightly closed. The cover has a ladybug cut out.

The book is an introduction to bugs with each page having a paragraph or two of text talking about some aspect of bugs and the spread showing a habitat of bugs. Lift the flaps over various bugs, which are labeled, and learn interesting facts about bugs.

The paragraphs include suggestions for catching and observing bugs, a section on butterflies, different habitats for bugs, and generic facts. The information under the flaps is only sometimes connected to the bug or label on the flap. The only safety warnings are an alarmist note to never touch spiders, a vague reminder to leave wasps alone, and a reminder to release captured bugs quickly. Speaking of spiders, this is another aspect of the book that's very generalized; information is included about true bugs and insects, but no differentiation is made between them and arachnids like spiders, worms, or snails. This is really more a book about "creepy-crawlies" or perhaps mini-beasts.

The art is colorful and attractive and the facts are generally correct, if the terminology isn't always specific.

Verdict: This isn't a book I'd choose to teach children about insects and bugs; it's far too long and meandering. The lengthy text and multiple flaps make it unsuitable for the average board book audience. However, it would make a great addition to a kit, paired with something like Roberta Gibson's How to Build an Insect. Use this as a fun gift for a small child who's obsessed with little creatures or to share with little ones before exploring outdoor areas.

ISBN: 9781664350847; Published August 2023 by Tiger Tales; Review copy provided by publicist

My cat does ballet by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Matt Schu

This unique combination of ballet terminology and personalities with cute, fluffy cats will delight fans of both ballet and felines.

An unnamed child explains that their cat does ballet, naming each step as the fluffy orange creature glides across the floor in glissades and leaps after flies in grand jetes. The child contrasts this with a selection of children whose cats do more "normal" feline actions like destroying toilet paper, or burrowing in drawers. Eventually, the child invites all the other children and their cats to come learn ballet and the newly formed "corps de cat" performs beautifully - with, of course, one exception!

The book ends with short thumbnail sketches of the ballet personalities each child represents from Christian Holder to Margot Fonteyn and a glossary of ballet terms, illustrated by the orange cat. Schu's illustrations are delightful, showing the antics of the cats with a limited palette and sharply defined lines. Most of the action takes place against dark, night backgrounds with shafts of light illuminating the speakers and cats like spotlights.

Verdict: A quirky but fun book that will charm a variety of readers. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781665917032; Published October 2023 by Atheneum; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Browsing the Beginning Chapter Books: Animal Inn: A Furry Fiasco by Paul Dubois Jacobs, illustrated by Jennifer Swender

Genre: Animals; Mystery

Protagonists: Animals, Mixed genders

Reading Level: 800s

Series: Complete with 5 titles

Last reviewed in February 2021

Review: Usually, if I really can't find a book in our consortium and borrow it from inter-library loan, it turns out that there's a reason it wasn't owned by any of our member libraries (our consortium covers four counties). However, every once in a while I find an overlooked gem and that's what I've found in this series.

Leopold Augustus Gonzalo Tyler, the narrator and a scarlet macaw, joins Dash, the family's Tibetan Terrier as the original members of the Tyler family. They have been joined by twin boys, a little girl, an adopted chocolate lab, two gerbils, and sibling cats. Naturally, at some point in this accumulation they no longer fit in their city apartment, so Mom and Dad Tyler moved the whole menagerie to an old house in the country and they now run a combination business that offers pet boarding, training, and a spa.

The latest excitement is caused by the news that a wizard and a real, live dragon are coming to stay and the pets respond according to their personalities with Leopold and Dash determined to protect the family. With the spying work of Fuzzy and Furry, who are skilled at escaping from their gerbiltorium, the animals discover that there's no wizard and the dragon is a komodo dragon, Miss KD, who is being cared for until she can travel to her new home at the zoo.

Humorous black and white pictures dot the book, although the drawing of Coco looks more like a setter than a chocolate lab. The gerbils are illustrated delightfully and the animals' personalities shine through in their depictions.

Verdict: There's a plethora of animal-themed chapter books, but the combination of humor and animal protagonists makes this a stand out title. Recommended for most library collections.

Revisited: Originally reviewed in 2016. I purchased this and the rest of the series, which concluded in 2018 with a total of 5 titles. It is still available in paperback, with some hardcovers and collections also available. If you are looking for additional animal-themed chapter books, this is still worth purchasing.

Revisited 2023: The paperbacks, and some other editions, are still in print. This remains perennially popular with its mix of animals, humor, and mystery.

ISBN: 9781481462235; Published 2016 by Aladdin/Simon and Schuster; Borrowed via inter-library loan

This week at the library

This week sucked. I got COVID and cancelled or handed off all my programs, including my two new programs I'd been planning to debut this week, Homeschool Hangout and Family Craft Night. I didn't feel that sick - mostly just like a bad sinus infection - but I lost my voice and didn't want to pass it on (to certain people). I did feel vaguely guilty about taking a whole week off but I felt crappy and didn't feel like doing any of "my" things so I mostly just read, answered emails, and did nothing.