When Dad's hair took off by Jorg Muhle

Gecko Press's books are always unique. Not always something that will appeal to my audience, but always something different. They've recently done a handful of quirky, hilarious chapter books that have, I think, fairly wide appeal and this falls into that category.

Dad, a white man with a quiff of brown hair, opens the story looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, having just finished brushing his hair. A few brief sentences explain that "Dad's hair was sick of being brushed and combed." So, it takes off. On the next page a bald Dad, small hairs radiating around him like confetti, shrieks out "Horrors!" the word blazoned on a yellow facing page. The rest of the story plays out the joke, with Dad, adding a blue bathrobe to his ensemble, chasing his hair through increasingly convoluted and weird situations. Finally, he gives up, resigned to growing a beard and "all the other hair that nobody needs-in his ears and nose for example." He glares at the postcards his hair sends from other countries but finally, one stormy day, his hair returns and the story ends with a dad-worthy pun.

The deadpan delivery of the brief sentences and goofy cartoons make this a silly story that will appeal to a wide audience. It will probably fit best in beginning chapter collections, due to it's length, but I'd also recommend it as a read-aloud and a quick, funny read for kids (and adults) who want a laugh.

Verdict: This is the kind of quirky book that is not necessarily a classic, but will stick in kids' heads as a favorite childhood read-aloud. Fortunately, it should be fairly easy to track down when it starts showing up in stumpers ten years down the road! Recommended.

ISBN: 9781776575206; Published September 2023 by Gecko Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Unseen Jungle by Eleanor Spicer Rice, illustrated by Rob Wilson

One of my favorite adult nonfiction reads is Never Home Alone by Rob Dunn. It's a fascinating exploration of microbes, insects, and the things that share our homes and bodies. So I was delighted to discover this new nonfiction series that is basically a humorously illustrated version of my favorite book for middle grade readers!

Colorful cartoons dot the pages of this sometimes gross, sometimes funny, but always informative book. It begins with an introduction that explains the different kinds of microbes, from bacteria to algae, and including the controversial virus. The book's chapters each focus on a different area where microbiomes flourish and include interviews with scientists. In "House" we meet zombified house flies, learn about how cats communicate with anal gland secretions, go deep into dog doo, and learn about roaches and bed bugs. Then we go out to the "yard" and learn about cicadas, caterpillars and birds and the microbes that live in on and on them. In "food" readers will learn, whether they want to or not, what goes on inside bees, how cow fats and their microbes cause pollution, and hear the stories of Harry and Sally (nematode and bacteria) and Hamilton the aphid bacteria. Humans, of course, have their own bacteria, good, bad, and indifferent and you'll learn all about them, plus bonus explanations of microbes that can be transferred from animals like rabies and Toxoplasma gondii.

Back matter includes fun drawing exercises, references to explore for more information, and a dense, chapter by chapter bibliography.

Verdict: Hand this to kids who love science, especially the grosser aspects, and also those who enjoy a good narrative nonfiction with plenty of facts to share with friends and adults! Recommended.

ISBN: 9781536226461; Published May 2023 by Mit Kids Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Browsing the beginning chapter books: Bad kitty gets a bath by Nick Bruel

Genre: Humor; Animals; Graphic blend

Protagonist: Animal (female)

Reading level: 600s

Series: Multiple titles in a variety of formats

Originally reviewed in May 2021

Review: Bad Kitty originally debuted in a picture book in 2005, featuring an alphabetic array of naughtiness. In 2008 she made her chapter book debut in Bad Kitty Gets a Bath. At the tail-end of 2020 she made a fresh appearance in full-color.

My first reaction upon learning that Bad Kitty chapter books were being reissued in color was pure outrage. Why? Well, as it happened I had just purchased a complete set of replacements of the chapter books in prebound editions. I refused to even look at the new ones, just in case they were so irresistible I should be tempted to purchase the whole series again (which I couldn't afford to do anyways.) However, since I missed reviewing this seminal work the first time, I am finally biting the bullet and taking a look.

The original story featured the unseen family of Kitty preparing to give her a bath, despite all cats' hatred of baths. Readers learn how cats prefer to lick themselves, the dire events (involving Poor Puppy) that led up to the need for a bath, and the even more dire consequences. Narrated in what is now Bruel's trademark style, the story is full of deadpan humor, Uncle Murray's facts about cats, and black and white illustrations of Kitty. There is also a glossary, editorial interjections, and lots of commentary (only some translated for the protection of viewer's ears) from Bad Kitty.

This is not, strictly speaking, a graphic novel although it includes speech bubbles and occasional panels. It's one of the earlier graphic blends, with chunks of text and narration broken up with illustrations.

So, now to the new edition. The first thing I determined is that the text has not changed, nor has the basic structure of the illustrations. In fact, it is, as advertised on the front, the same book but simple colorized. I think the kids can live without seeing Bad Kitty in color, so I do not feel a need to buy the whole series all over again. Phew. Also, the color editions are not (or not yet anyways) available in prebound and the pages are those slick graphic novel type pages that usually end up by falling out of the books.

Verdict: Bad Kitty chapter books are a must. Prebounds are recommended. Full color reissues would make a nice present for the Bad Kitty fan in your life.

Revisited: As of 2023 the full color reissues and the full color new titles are still available only in hardcover. If purchasing back issues, I'd dig around for the prebinds, but new titles should be added despite the less-than-stellar binding. 

Bad Kitty is published by Roaring Brook. Full color reissues will continue to be published going forward with new titles (Bad Kitty gets a phone in December 2021) published in full color as well.

Recommended prebound edition: 9781442071568

Full-color reissue: 9781250765338

This week at the library

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Outreach storytimes (3 sessions)
• Pokemon Club
• Winter Wigglers
• Lakeland School field trip
• Family Craft Night
• Family Storytime
• Teen Advisory Board

Other events

• Marketing committee meeting
• Rotary presentation
• Autism support group
• Gearbox Labs student workshop
• Sign language workshop for homeschoolers
• Gearbox Labs educators workshop

Notes

  Another wild whirlwind of a week. I worked every night except Tuesday, which I had off because I worked long days on Friday and Saturday. Saturday evening I picked up my sister and next Monday I'm going in for surgery. I'm looking forward to FREEDOM after my hysterectomy! I will be taking at least a couple weeks off of work and my staff are covering the last few programs. Because of surgery and a lot of other reasons, I did as few programs as possible in December, so when I come back we'll be focusing on preparing for next year and various projects.

In other news, I just discovered that Need a house? Call Ms. Mouse! WAS REPUBLISHED LAST JUNE!!!

What I am planning to do while recovering

I have no idea if I will get to these or not, but I pared my to read and review pile down as much as possible and plan to hopefully get through most of this by the end of the year.

Library books (18):

• Cooking with monsters: The beginning guide to culinary combat
• My life as a cat 1
• Superman vs. Meshi 1
• I'm the catlord's manservant 1
• Witch's printing office 1
• Are you afraid of the dark? The witch's wings and other terrifying tales
• Short history of the world in 50 lies
• Story of seven lives: the complete manga collection
• Zooni tales: Keep it up plucky pup
• Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis
• Big money: What is is, how we use it, and why our choices matter
• Quinnelope and the cookie king catastrophe
• Stories of the islands by Clar Angkasa
• Super Boba Cafe 1
• Punycorn by Andi Watson
• Mysterious glowing mammals: an unexpected discovery sparks a scientific investigation
• I am a dinosaur by Jarod Rosellao
• Winter tales: Stories and folklore from around the world

Review copies (highlighted - read, to be reviewed) (62)

• The flying horse: 9781951836672
• Unicorn Island: Beyond the portal: 9781524878702
• Bellwoods game (ARC): 9781665912501
• Where the water takes us: 9781536224542
• Gossamer summer: 9781665912532
• Scurry: 9781534324367
• Bravest warrior in Nefaria (ARC): 9781665927758
• Misfit Mansion: 9781665903073
• Vivian Van Tassel and the secret of Midnight Lake: 9781665918190
• Superpowered animals: 9781838667221
• Three tasks for a dragon: 9781536229998
• Diary of an accidental witch: New girl: 9781664340572
• Maid for it: 9781665905770
• The rescues: Finding home: 9781636550763
• Evolution: 9781912920549
• 365 by Miranda Paul: 9781665904407
• Homegrown: 9781665942713
• Baby be: 9781534405394
• My big embarrassing elephant: 9781958325025
• Bite risk: 9781665938013
• Looking up: 9781665929622
• Fungi grow: 9781665903653
• Making tracks: Building site: 9798887770093
• Grandpa and the kingfisher: 9798887770178
• Welcome to our table: 9798887770185
• Whale of a time: 9798887770253
• Tell me about space: 9781665935579
• Stone is a story: 9781534496941
• Susie King Taylor: 9781665919944
• Little bear: Where are you? 9798887770079
• Be more dog: 9781782508328
• By myself! 9781646869954
• Everything you know about dinosaurs is wrong! 9798887770147
• Have you seen dinosaur? 9781776575138
• How to chat chicken: 9781804660430
• I'm going to be a princess: 9798887770345
• If you see a bluebird: 9781772782844
• Insectopia: 9788000069685
• Mellons build a house: 9781800660335
• Sneak! 9798888590195
• Too green! 9781646869930
• Giant-sized butterflies on my first day of school: 9780525516439
• Your one and only heart: 9780593326336
• What a map can do: 9780593519981
• Night market rescue: 9780593531723
• Little emotional: 9780593616611
• World's best class plant: 9780525516354
• When moon became the moon: 9780593523629
• Britannica's encyclopedia infographica: 9781913750466
• Absolutely everything! 9781804660768
• When I feel angry: 9781786287465
• When I feel happy: 9781786287489
• Little tiger: 9781665940986
• History club: Duel across time: 9781534485594
• I want to be spaghetti: 9780593529874
• Sick! 9781547609857
• Saving H'non: 9780593406724
• Mazie's amazing machines: 9780399547867
• Jose and Feliz play futbol: 9780593521199
• Glass scientists: 9780593524442
• Just because: 9780593622032
• Waist-deep in dung (Egalley): 9781250762351

Purchased/on shelf to read: a selection

• Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst
• Children of castle rock by Natasha Farrant
• 5 titles by Michael Gilbert
• Magus of the library 4
• Time of green magic by Hilary McKay
• Elsie Pickles 2 & 3 by Kaye Umansky
• Greymist fair by Francesca Zappia
• Deephaven by Ethan Aldridge

Cat vs. Vac by Kaz Windness

I liked Kaz Windness' previous books, but I admit I'm not quite sure what to think about this one. Is it funny or scary - or both?

A blue dog, orange cat, and yellow bird are relaxing when a delivery person drops off a mysterious package. Upon investigation, it turns out be a vacuum cleaner, which the small bird with a demented grin, flips on. The two animals flee and hide in terror, while the bird, with eyes tinged an evil red, rides it after them. However, the bird gets more than they bargained for when it attacks first the dog, and then when the bird tries to help, swallows the bird!

Using underwear to make uniforms, the cat comes up with a plan, freeing a snake from their cage and the rat that was in with them, presumably as dinner. The "pet team" (where exactly did the rat find underwear to fit them?) attack the vacuum and after a pitched battle the pets are successful, Bird is freed, and the rat has mysteriously disappeared, while the snake acquires a new bulge. The family returns, staring in horror at the destruction, while the vacuum sprawls out "dead" with crosses over its "eyes" and a mysterious bulge in the snake continues to wiggle. On the last page, the Bird, Snake, Dog, and Cat get ready to team up for their next foe, a roomba.

Windness' scratchy illustrations quickly shift over to the spooky in this quirky early reader, with the expressions on the animals' faces changing at a rapid pace from fear to anger, the bird especially giving some particularly nasty looks at their foe, the Cat. The fate of the rat is confusing - apparently it gets eaten by the snake, even though it helped out the team, and they're all ok with that? I can see more sensitive children ending up with some nightmares of a vacuum monster after this, but the cover is pretty indicative of the contents.

Verdict: I am honestly not entirely sure how I feel about this. As an adult, I am probably reading too much into it - I also thought it was hilarious, personally, but I don't know if kids would agree with me or think it spooky. I think it's probably fine in the end, and the unique art style adds a fun dimension to what can often be routine in the world of easy readers. I wouldn't hand this to kids who are more sensitive, but fans of Fly Guy and more raucous humor are sure to find it hilarious.

ISBN: 9781665937184; Published August 2023 by Simon Spotlight; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Try a bite, Trilobite! by Jonathan Fenske

I am a dedicated fan of Jonathan Fenske's hilarious easy readers and picture books, and although his stand-alone titles don't have as many fans as his series books like Crabby, I never fail to pick up a new one.

This latest title includes a silly play on words and a running joke about a prehistorically picky eater. Told in simple comic panels, with colored speech bubbles, the story is at an intermediate reading level.

A brief cartoon precedes the story, explaining how to pronounce trilobite, "TRY-luh-bite" although it does not explain that they are prehistoric, extinct arthropods. Sort of like a roly-poly, which is what the purple character resembles. Bug, an orange oval with blue squiggly stripes, little horns, and wings, is just a bug. Trilobite glares morosely at the enthusiastic Bug, who presents a cupcake-like container overflowing with something green, proclaiming "I have a snack!" After a lot of build-up, Bug invites Trilobite to taste their snack, but Trilobite only eats noodles, only likes noodles, and has never tried anything else and never will. Well, maybe. But it will take a lot of convincing from Bug and a doubly surprising ending to defeat this purple picky eater!

As you may have picked up, there are several jokes that will most likely only be caught by adults, but there is plenty for kids to laugh at in this contemporary, funny take on the Green Eggs and Ham trope. There are no names or pronouns given for the characters in the story, but the publisher's description, of course, defaults to male pronouns. Trilobite's elegantly curved antennae and the goofy facial expressions of both creatures add to the quirky story and will make for a fun project for kids to write and draw their own Trilobite adventures!

Verdict: Another funny intermediate reader from Jonathan Fenske, and a strong addition to this reading level of easy readers. Both reluctant and voracious readers will be easy to try a bite of this new book! Recommended.

ISBN: 9781665932660; Published August 2023 by Simon Spotlight; Review copy provided by the publisher; Purchased for the library

Browsing the beginning chapter books: The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy by Dori Butler, illustrated by Jeremy Tugeau

Genre: Mystery; Animals

Protagonists: Dog, White family

Reading level: 600s

Series: Complete at 6 titles (A 7th title, with a different illustrator, was published independently)

Originally reviewed March 3, 2010. Updated and revised in 2018.

Review: Once upon a time, there was a group of kids in the library who wanted dog books. Stories about dogs! Books about dogs with pictures! Anything on dogs! They liked dogs! They were very enthusiastic!

And I thought, "I should review that Buddy book," so I sat down and read it that evening....and fell in love.

Buddy (his name is really King, but....) is such a marvelous, distinctive character. Even children who are reluctant to read about an anthropomorphic animal will love Buddy's realistic, humorous, and believable voice. Buddy has been sent to the P-O-U-N-D; but he's sure it's a mistake and he's desperate to get out and find his girl, Kayla, who called him the "King of crime-solving." When he gets adopted by a new family, he's determined to use it as an opportunity to escape and find Kayla, but ends up helping his new owners instead.

Although there's a lot of humor and light-heartedness on the surface of the story, it's also full of suspense, genuine mystery, and some deep issues. Buddy's confusion and torn loyalties and the misery of the boy whose family has adopted Buddy will resonate with any child who's had to endure a divorce or experienced adoption or foster care. Unlike many beginning chapter books, there's a genuine mystery and a logical sequence of clues - with an unexpected ending, just in case you thought it was too easy!

Now many years later, Buddy has a solid series of mysteries under his collar - and his backstory, from his time with owner Kayla, is being expounded in a series of easy readers.

Verdict: Dori Butler is definitely the go-to for mysteries for the younger set and this series has proved its worth over the years. Hand this one to kids who like animals, realistic stories, mysteries, and humor - there's something for everyone. A highly recommended series, widely available in a number of formats.

Revisited: This is still a generally popular series, but it is largely out of print. There are still a few paperbacks and prebinds floating around, but hopefully you purchased copies back when they were in print. I still think it's a unique series in terms of the mystery and the family dynamic and worth tracking down if you haven't seen it before.

ISBN: 9780807509104; Published March 2010 by Albert Whitman; ARC provided by the publisher at ALA; Purchased for the library

This week at the library

Two volunteers at Project Explore
testing some projects for me.

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Teen Fandom Club
• Outreach storytimes (6 sessions)
• LOTG school wrap-around visit
• Winter Wigglers
• Project Explore
• Family Storytime
• Kids Make It: Sewing
• Open Storyroom

Notes

  Well, this was another fun week. At the rate we're going, I'm kind of thinking recovering from surgery will be a vacation. Two more staff had deaths in the family and were out for funerals/compassionate leave, I had follow-up from incidents last week, wildly up and down attendance, including a record 14 kids at teen fandom club and then only the volunteers at Project Explore, then a huge group at Kids Make It. We had a meeting about a potential grant/collaboration with the school district, then a meeting for planning next year, and a gazillion things to deal with. Next week will be a lot of evenings and weird scheduling and then I'll be going out on leave.

Squirlish: The girl in the tree by Ellen Potter, illustrated by Sara Cristofori

Ellen Potter writes quirky, New York-centric stories and this new beginning chapter series is no exception. Cordelia has been raised from a baby by the squirrels in Central Park, specifically an elderly squirrel named Shakespeare. She's now eight years old and we meet her getting ready to celebrate Nut Day, when all the squirrels gather supplies for the winter. Cordelia feels she has everything she needs, between the squirrels and Viola the groundskeeper, who feeds and clothes her.

As Cordelia plays with the other creatures and hunts and hides nuts with Shakespeare, she worries about sometimes feeling like a misfit among the other squirrels. When a sneaky squirrel steals their nut stash, Cordelia leaves her safe corner of the park and goes on a wild adventure across the park, eventually meeting a whole new group of people, including a woman named Ms. Bird. Ms. Bird is impressed by Cordelia's abilities and wants to take her to her school for gymnasts. Cordelia spends the afternoon there, but she definitely doesn't fit in with the humans, especially with her squirrel-like behavior of chittering, chasing, and storing nuts in her pockets. Ms. Bird takes her back to the park and Cordelia is miserable, thinking that she doesn't fit in anywhere - not with the other squirrels and not with the human children. However, it turns out she has made a new human friend after all, and she also has her place with the squirrels. She's not completely human or squirrel - she's squirlish, a little bit of both. Black and white cartoons are sprinkled throughout the story. Cordelia is a white girl with brown hair, Viola the groundskeeper is Black, as is Isaac, the boy she befriends. Excepting a few tourists, all the people shown are thin and athletic, not surprisingly since they are almost all gymnasts of some kind.

Verdict: While I, personally, am not a fan of Ellen Potter, there are kids who will enjoy her very quirky style. This is not quite as New York-centric as some of her other stories, and while still definitely privileged and requiring a lot of suspension of belief, it will click with readers who feel weird and left out and would like to imagine living in a treehouse with squirrels! Purchase if you have readers who would enjoy this niche story.

ISBN: 9781665926751; Published June 2023 by Margaret McElderry Books; Review copy provided by publisher

Chimpansneeze by Aaron Zenz

Originally published in 2009, The Hiccupotamus was a goofy rhyming story, featuring Zenz' glowing colored pencil illustrations, following a series of mishaps caused by a hiccupping hippopotamus and ending with a silly cast list to add some humor for adults reading aloud the story.

Fast forward many years and a number of other books, and Zenz returns to his goofy jungle with a new rhyming story, this time featuring a bright red chimpanzee with an uncontrollable sneeze. The rhymes have an exuberant swing that makes this a fun read-aloud without being quite the tongue-twister that the first book was. "Then the kinkajou flew into the blue... all because of the CHIMPANSNEEZE./The kinkajou neared an elephant,/who was painting a purple gate./'Look out below!' yelled the kinkajou,/but he shouted a bit too late."

Zenz' art has the same rich colors he always presents, with vivid yellows, rich browns, and waving purple spikes of bushes. Purple paint flies, the original purple hippo makes an appearance with a bright yellow mustard bottle, a bulbous pink poodle sprays pink shampoo and bubbles everywhere, Finally the story comes full circle, with the chimpansneeze reunited with the kinkachoo, much to the exasperation of the mustard and paint-bedaubed creatures.

Readers will want to revisit the original book and they will happily be able to do so, since the original hardcover is still in print. Doing so will allow them to compare the new "cast bios" with the original and giggle over the reappearance of favorite characters and some sly allusions to changing technology.

Verdict: Sometimes you just need a fun rhyming book for storytime, with a refrain that everyone can join in with. Be ready for lots of kinkachoos and chimpansneezes and don't forget to remind kids to cover their mouths when they sneeze, be they furry, feathered, or smooth-skinned!

ISBN: 9781662518225; Published November 2023 by Two Lions; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library; New copy of Hiccupotamus ordered!

Tow on the Go! The Mambo Rescue! by Patricia Lakin, illustrated by Chiara Galletti

Full disclosure: I had to look up mambo on Youtube to see what style of music it was. It's a very bouncy, ballroom dance music, apparently one of the forerunners of salsa. With that out of the way, here's a fun new easy reader from Patricia Lakin!

Mo the tow truck, a bright yellow truck with blue accents and stylish red lights, bounces cheerfully through the snow to the rescue, zooming along a rainbow of cheerful mambo music. When he arrives at the scene of the disaster, ten different cars all trapped in the snow, he overrules the grumpy demands to be first and, with the help of mambo music, gets everyone dancing and out of the snow in no time.

The rhythm is, of course, irresistible, "Tow Truck Mo cannot go... until he plays his radio!/Mambo music makes him go. Mo zooms through piles of snow." The cute cartoons show a variety of types of vehicles in a rainbow of colors, and a cheerful Mo, dancing, swaying, and bouncing through a rainbow of musical notes.

Verdict: The combination of vehicles, bright colors, and music is a unique one; be prepared to play some mambo music for kids and listen to them singing and chanting the words as they read and play. This is from the Ready-to-Read line, which has their own leveling system, but it's an intermediate level with large, bold text and short, simple sentences. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781665920070; Published August 2023 by Simon Spotlight; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

Browsing the Beginning Chapter Books: Never race a runaway pumpkin by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Brian Biggs

Genre: Realistic fiction; Humor

Protagonists: White male

Reading level: 500s

Series: Complete with 7 titles

Originally reviewed in 2009 for Cybils

Review: The seventh and final Roscoe Riley story includes math, superstitions, candy, cats, pumpkins, and more!

Roscoe is very busy these days. There's a big contest at the town bookstore - whoever guesses the weight of the giant pumpkin will win a giant pumpkinful of books for the school library and a pumpkinful of candy for themselves! Ms. Diz, their teacher, is excited about this wonderful "learning opportunity" to learn about estimation - and pumpkins!

But Roscoe's got even more things on his mind - he's watching out for superstitions. No matter what his teacher, parents, and others tell him, he's sure that disaster is lurking around every corner. This being Roscoe Riley, it is! Just not quite the disaster he'd pictured.

I bought the first two books in the series for my library mainly because of the cute covers - I don't recall seeing any reviews. I stuck them on the series shelf and forgot about them....until a cute little boy solemnly trooped up to my desk and informed me that these were "really funny, do you have any more stories about Roscoe Riley?" I promptly bought the rest of the series and have been watching them fly off the shelf ever since, though it's taken until now for me to read one myself!

There's a lot of the classic beginning reader school story in Roscoe, the kid who gets in little troubles at school, supportive family and teachers, and a lesson learned. But Katherine Applegate ups the ante with silly jokes, a hilarious and off-the-wall conclusion, and a seamless blending of fact and fiction that both beginning and reluctant readers will enjoy. Brian Biggs' illustrations have an animated/cartoonish quality that perfectly fits the slightly zany story.

Verdict: Hand this to reluctant readers, kids who like school stories, kids who like nonfiction, and anyone who wants a good laugh!

Revisited: These have stayed quietly popular over the years and were reprinted almost ten years later. If you are looking for more humorous titles for your beginning chapter collection, they're a strong addition and, in my opinion, are better than some of the more outdated titles like Horrible Harry.

ISBN: 978-0061783708; Published August 2009 by HarperCollins; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This week at the library

Building Monster Boxes (this is one of our 
junior volunteers)

Programs

• Beastly Puppets
• Monster Boxes
• Meet a Mini-Beast
• Movie showing
• Teen after hours: Beast Edition
• Family Storytime
• Winter Wigglers
• Library on the Go outreach (3 classes)
• Family storytime
• Outreach storytimes (3 classes)
• Fact Finders
• Teen Advisory Board

Notes

• This week was a wild ride. Our long-time circulation supervisor retired, the new supervisor (promotion) took over, a new circulation associate started, we had a number of incidents, TWENTY people (kids and parents) showed up at Fact Finders, THIRTY teens came to teen after hours, there were meetings, snow, and so forth and so on. We are all exhausted.

Jerry changed the game! How engineer Jerry Lawson revolutionized video games forever by Don Tate, illustrated by Cherise Harris

 I have a much larger audience for picture book biographies than I've had in the past, but they're still generally not something I personally enjoy. However, every once in a while I come across one that is such an excellent combination of text and illustrations, with just the right amount of context for its audience, that I can't wait to recommend it!

Don Tate has written numerous excellent nonfiction and biographical picture books, and has also illustrated several as well, notably Whoosh! a biography of another Black inventor, Lonnie Johnson. In this book, he takes over as author and the illustrations are handled by the capable Cherise Harris.

Readers are first introduced to Jerry Lawson as a young child, tinkering with toys, encouraged by his parents to learn and study, and facing every day racism in the world of the 1940s. As he grew, Jerry continued tinkering, meeting his future wife as he repaired TV sets and taking classes in electronics, although he did not earn a degree. The illustrations begin to change from the classic brownstones of 1940s New York to the stylized rainbow lines of the 1960s as Jerry grows, explores, and studies. He moves to California and continues standing tall and tinkering as he works as an engineer in Silicon Valley, and through the advent of video games. The illustrations change with Jerry as he experiments with the rise of video games in the 1970s, with blocky cartridges, and Jerry Lawson sporting a stylish check suit and sideburns!

Tate dives into the world of video games, explaining how the early cartridge systems worked and how Jerry and his team worked to develop the first video game console. Although the Fairchild system was quickly overshadowed by the new Atari and other consoles, Jerry went on to start the first Black-owned video game company, and although it went out of business in the crash of video game companies in the 1980s, he remained a little-known but pivotal figure in the development of video games.

Tate's note at the end discusses the development of ideas and technology and Jerry's later life and a short note from author Cherise Harris talks about her research to make the art authentic to the time period. A timeline of Lawson's life and video game technology and a glossary are also included. There are also sources, references, and links to hear Jerry Lawson speak in person.

Verdict: Tate does an excellent job of introducing Lawson's life and work in an interesting way, not smoothing over the challenges he had to meet, but also highlighting the important moments. Harris' art is a great accompaniment, catching the flavor of the different time periods and I was especially impressed that she didn't have stylized (i.e. skinny) body types, but showed Lawson's bigger frame and a variety of body types. An excellent and unique picture book biography that should be a top choice for classrooms and read-alouds to older audiences.

ISBN: 9781665919081; Published August 2023 by Simon & Schuster; Review copy provided by the publisher; Purchased for the library

Problem solved! by Jan Thomas

I love Jan Thomas's books, but they always leave me in a quandary: Do they go in the easy reader or picture book section? I move them back and forth a lot, and right now I've decided to put those with a picture book layout in with the picture books and those with an easy reader format in that section. It doesn't help that a bunch of her best books were republished in easy reader format though...

All of which is to say, this one is in picture book layout and that's where it will go!

Like all her books, she uses simple language and minimalist art to create laugh-out-loud funny stories. Her latest works almost all tell the story through dialogue and speech bubbles, although the pages do not necessarily have comic panels.

This story starts when a rabbit, looking harassed and untidy, bemoans that they have a problem. Obviously, the problem is the toys and clothes spread out across the floor, although one could argue that living in a room all in shades of green, and owning only items in shades of orange and yellow might be a bit of an issue too... A voice responds from outside the window, "Problem?! Did I hear someone in there has a problem?!" and in pops... Porcupine Pete! He's there to solve Rabbit's problem, and at first his solutions sound good... but they all go wrong, very quickly!

He folds laundry... and feeds it to the goldfish! Stacks blocks and... flushes them down the toilet! Each fresh disaster is punctuated with Pete yelling "PROBLEM SOLVED!!!" and with Rabbit's frantic efforts to save their stuff. In the end, Rabbit manages to solve both the problem of the messy room and the problem of Porcupine Pete, although Pete isn't done helping creatures solve their problems quite yet...

Verdict: Simple text and illustrations are what make these titles so versatile. They make uproarious storytime read-alouds, and this one will definitely have both adults and kids giggling non-stop, but they are also accessible for beginning readers. Jan Thomas's books are always a must-have and the only drawback to this title is the paper-over-board format means that it will need to be replaced fairly soon, due to the many, many little hands that will be paging through it!

ISBN: 9781665939997; Published August 2023 by Beach Lane Books; Review copy provided by publisher