Amy Wu and the warm welcome by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua

 Amy Wu is a delightful character and in her previous adventures has tackled perfectionism and dumplings and finding her own identity as an Asian-American child. In her latest book, she welcomes a new friend to school and learns that being welcoming can mean different things.

Amy Wu's intimate classroom of five children is expanded to include a sixth when her teacher introduces Lin, a recent immigrant from China. Amy and the other children welcome him, but he doesn't say a single word all day long; not responding to Amy's invitation to her dumpling party, joining in their imaginative play, or speaking up at show-and-tell. But Amy notices that when his family picks him up he becomes animated, chattering in his native language to his sister and father.

With the help of her family, Amy sets in motion a plan to really welcome Lin at her dumpling party, creating a banner with Chinese words and practicing them with her grandmother's help. But even with practice, when everyone arrives she just can't bring herself to say the words out loud. She joins in the dumpling party and Lin's quiet kindness encourages her until, at the end of the party, she is ready to present her banner and say "huan ying ni" and make Lin welcome in his own language.

A final spread shows Lin happily joining his new classmates in their game, followed by an activity designed to welcome new students to school or your home. An author note talks about her experience as a bilingual child and the difference it makes to welcome people in their own culture and language.

Chua's bright and colorful pictures show cheerful Amy, her diverse classmates, including different skin tones and a child wearing a hearing aid, and Amy's cartoon-cute white kitten. I didn't like this title quite as much as the two previous titles, both of which I think translate more easily to classroom or library activities, creating your own dumplings and/or dragons, but the welcome banner is a nice idea. I think this one would work well with a little more gatekeeping to guide kids into thinking about their experiences and other's feelings in moving to a new place, especially with a different language.

Verdict: I wouldn't purchase this title on its own, but make sure you have all three and recommend them to classroom teachers to initiate simple discussions on diversity and social-emotional learning for younger children.

ISBN: 9781534497351; Published May 2022 by Simon & Schuster; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

What's cooking in Flowerville? Recipes from balconies, rooftops, and gardens by Felicita Sala

 This combination of story and recipes is similar to Prestel's title from 2021, Pie for Breakfast. Sala's green and brown-toned watercolors take readers to the container gardens, yards, and rooftops of Flowerville with corresponding recipes for the produce the people are growing and the seasons. I will freely admit that I would probably never eat anything included in this book, but I do enjoy reading the recipes and admiring the pictures of fruits, vegetables and gardens.

In spring, a diverse group of adults and children gather in a community garden and a brown-skinned, barefoot child is shown harvesting asparagus, along with a recipe for asparagus quiche. Jumping forward to July, a trailer camp with bare, dry ground is shown - but lush vines of cucumbers in containers with a recipe for tzatzika. In September, we go indoors to where a curly-headed parent with scruffy chin and a Pink Floyd shirt is making pear and ricotta pancakes for their two tousle-headed children. In January an elderly white couple use the herbs and lemons from their balcony garden to make lemony bean dip. In March the year has come full circle and two children, one white, one with darker skin, visit their white-haired grandfather and make herb falafel with tahini sauce from the forest of indoors herbs, waiting for the end of the rainy season so they can go outdoors and camp.

Flowerville is show next as a sea of white and brown rooftops, with the pink of blossoming trees popping up between the houses, then a green park, covered with families picnicking and playing. Final spreads include "gardening actions" showing people from the book harvesting, watering, sharing, and recycling. There is a page of illustrations of seeds, a page of gardening tools, and a lovely spread of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

One of the garden actions includes a boy peeing into a watering can, with the caption "Peeing in your gardening can helps the soil!" which is, actually, true but I can see quite a bit of giggling over it. You have been warned.

Most of the families I know interested in gardening, in my small, Midwestern town, tend more towards canning and preserving their produce - the setting for the story is not clear, but from the lack of snow it must be a fairly temperate climate, probably France since the book was translated from the French. The recipes are also a little more involved than most would be interested in trying, and I have a hard time seeing kids getting excited about, say, "butternut squash cake."

However, I do see an audience for this that would enjoy exploring seasonal gardening, new recipes, and even if they don't actually cook, just appreciating Felicita Sala's art and the descriptions of the seasons, produce, and recipes.

Verdict: A fun, diverse addition, although not a necessary purchase.

ISBN: 9783791375182; English edition published April 2022 by Prestel; Review copy provided by publisher

This week at the library

Houseplants... they do not always live happily in my house

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Aquanauts
• Family Storytime (2 sessions)
• Art Workshop (after school visit)
• Lapsit
• Bookaneers
• Literacy Night (school collaboration)
• Book-a-Librarian sewing
• Teen Advisory Board

Projects

• Monthly report
• Managers' meeting
• Hope Squad meeting
• Summer reading planning meeting
• Picture book collection development - still working on the FUN neighborhood
• Updated reader's advisory bookmarks

Classic Rereads: The Saucepan Journey by Edith Unnerstad, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin

I have searched for many years for the Peep-Larssons Go Sailing by Edith Unnerstad. Recommended by Noel Perrin as one of those rare, but exquisite books, I've never quite managed to get my hands on a copy. But I finally decided to read another in the series, The Saucepan Journey, and located a copy via inter-library loan. It turned out to be the first in the series!

The Larssons are poor. They have so many children there's scarcely room to turn around in their tiny apartment, let alone sleep. When their father's rich half-brother dies and leaves them only two draft horses and drays, Mrs. Larsson comes up with a novel idea - Mr. Larsson, who is an inventor when he's not a traveling salesman, will turn the wagons into caravans and they will spend the summer touring the countryside. Where does the Peep come in? Well, Mr. Larsson has designed a marvelous saucepan, and they will finance their journey by selling it along the way.

It's a wonderful summer. They meet a down-on-his-luck hot dog man, an eccentric old woman, a man who might be a murderer. They discover thieves, wonderful lakes, and fascinating Swedish towns.

Who will read this? Families who enjoy classic family stories such as Taylor's All of a Kind Family, Sidney's Five little Peppers, Eleanor Estes, and Streatfeild's Magic Summer will love this. It won't appeal to kids who are used to the more fast-paced adventures of contemporary children's literature and media, but you might be surprised how many kids are willing to relax and try something different. It's a perfect family summer read, and may be especially appreciated by families who struggle economically or who want their children to be familiar with a wide range of people in different walks of life.

Bring it back? For my library, it would be a great fit. Even if you're not fascinated by Scandinavian children's literature, as am I, this is a wonderfully nostalgic summer read. While it lacks racial diversity, not surprising for the time period and location, it portrays a family that is poor in economic resources but rich in imagination, ingenuity, and love. The original illustrations are colorful and appealing and it's a strong family story that will appeal to readers who like this type of lazy summer reads.

Availability? It's fairly common in smaller libraries - worldcat lists multiple holdings. Used copies also proliferate online for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, it was last reprinted in the 60s so you're unlikely to find a shiny new copy that will stand out on the shelf.

In short, I am busy: Autumn storytime

 

Rhymes, songs, and movement

• Baby bear counts one (felt numbers)
• Squeaky door by McDonald (storytelling)
• Fall is not easy by Marty Kelley
• Apples in a basket
• Leaf rhymes
• Apple rhymes
• Leaf streamers
• Die cut paper leaves, ribbons, popsicle sticks
  

Vocabulary and concepts

• seasonal changes, autumn, fall
• hibernation, migration
• counting

Toddler listeners (*nonfiction)

• Kitten's Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes (laminated big book version)
• Time to sleep by Denise Fleming
• Tap the magic tree by Christie Matheson

Preschool listeners (*nonfiction)

• *Every Autumn comes the bear by Jim Arnosky
• *Rainy, Sunny, Blowy, Snowy by Jane Brocket
• Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
• *Hush up and hibernate by Sandra Markle
• *Snuggle down deep by Diane Ohanesian
• *Snack snooze skedaddle by Laura Purdie Salas

School-age stories (*nonfiction)

• Winter is coming by Tony Johnston
• Round Robin by Jack Kent
• Goodbye summer, hello autumn by Kenard Pak
• Those darn squirrels by Adam Rubin

In short, I am busy: Chomp! Storytime

 

Rhymes, songs, and movement

• 5 fat peas
• 5 hungry ants
• Jumping beans
• These and more are available online
• Craft: Cardboard circles to decorate as cookies, pancakes, etc.

Vocabulary and concepts

• Counting and substraction
• Movement and regulation (wait to jump)
• Rhyming sounds and rhythms

Toddler listeners (*Nonfiction)

• Shake the tree by Silvia Borando
• Monsters don't eat broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks
• Cow loves cookies by Karma Wilson

Preschool listeners (*Nonfiction)

• Poor little guy by Elanna Allen
• One day in the eucalyptus eucalyptus tree by Daniel Bernstrom
• Barnacle is bored by Jonathan Fenske
• Plankton is pushy by Jonathan Fenske
• Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic

School-age stories (*Nonfiction)

• Woodpecker wants a waffle by Steve Breen
• A Hungry Lion by Lucy Ruth Cummins
• Senorita Gordita by Helen Ketteman
• I will not eat you by Adam Lehrhaupt
• *My awesome summer by P. Mantis by Paul Meisel
• Wild boars cook by Meg Rosoff
• Little Red and the very hungry lion by Alex T. Smith

In short, I am busy: Animals in the snow storytime

 

Rhymes, songs, and movement

• 5 little penguins
• Funny little snowman
• Hibernating bear
• I am Mrs. Penguin
• I am Mrs. Polar Bear
• These and more are available online

Vocabulary and concepts

• Hibernation, migration, torpor
• Rhythm
• Counting

Toddler listeners (*Nonfiction)

• Bunny slopes by Claudia Rueda

Preschool listeners (*Nonfiction)

• Sleepover with Beatrice and Bear by Monica Carnesi
• *Bear report by Thyra Heder
• *Little fox in the snow by Jonathan London
• *Over and under the snow by Kate Messner
• *Best in snow by April Pulley Sayre
• *Under the snow by Melissa Stewart

School-Age stories (*Nonfiction)

• Rabbit's snow dance by Joseph Bruchac
• Loud winter's nap by Katy Hudson
• Mina's white canvas by Hyeon-Ju Lee

A dragon used to live here by Annette LeBlanc Cate

It's been almost ten years since Annette LeBlanc Cate wrote and illustrated the informative and hilarious Look-up! Bird-watching in your own backyard. It's turned out to be an enduring classic for my library, included in all our bird-watching kits and regularly replaced as it's loved to pieces. I was greatly interested when I saw she had a new title coming out but I didn't know quite what to expect; with the prolific output expected of most authors today, they rarely step outside their specific genre or audience, so I was intrigued at the idea of a middle grade fantasy.

Thomas and Emily are playing around the castle while their mother is at yet another conference, when they lose an arrow and encounter a crabby, mysterious woman who just happens to let it slip that she used to know their mother... back before the dragon lived in the castle. A dragon?! Determined to hear the rest of the story, the children return again and again, making friends with feisty, grouchy Meg and her small group of quirky scribes, sharing treats, improving their penmanship, and above all listening to Meg's stories.

Meg weaves a fascinating story of a fire-breathing dragon, elves, trolls, and their mother as a young girl. Thomas and Emily are at first skeptical, finding it hard to reconcile their staid, sensible mother with the young Catherine of Meg's stories, but Emily soon believes wholeheartedly in Meg's tales, while even Thomas is drawn into the depiction of his father's heroic actions as a knight. As they listen to the story, they also pick up hints about the broken friendship between Meg and their mother, and Emily especially is determined to reunite the two friends and bring Meg back into the central life of the castle.

The story is told with a tongue-in-cheek humor, so while Emily and Thomas have archery and tapestry lessons, Thomas plans to be a knight and Meg talks about grinding rocks to make the paints for her art, Emily also yearns to wear a pointy "damsel hat" and they don Victorian-style swimsuits for a swim in the moat. Thomas hits a lot of stereotypical notes, as he decries the drawing of flowers as unfit for a knight-to-be and insists on the knights battling the dragon, but under Meg's crotchety tutelage finally admits his love of drawing a wide variety of things, including flowers. The women's long-ago quarrel hinges on a tennis game and Meg scolds Thomas for being unwilling to learn to sew, since as a knight "I'm sure there will be a lot of upkeep."

Cate's cartoons are strongly in evidence, with copious black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, showing skinny-legged Thomas and Emily, their mother as a young damsel, and even the naughty dragon, breathing puffs of smoke across the pages.

The publisher proclaims this as a "perfect family read" and while I generally don't pay much attention to publisher blurbs I have to admit that this fits this quirky story perfectly. Meg's rambling story-within-a-story will make readers chuckle as she keeps coming up with new twists and turns and intrigue younger listeners as they join Thomas and Emily in trying to decide which parts of the story are true and which are Meg's inventions. The stakes are low, the jokes are witty, and this is a cozy tale for a family to enjoy together before bedtime.

Verdict: This will be perfect for those voracious readers who are too young or sensitive to tackle the more serious middle grade fantasies and will also make a great read-aloud. If you have an audience of these strong younger readers and a culture of reading aloud, this will be a good fit for your library collection.

ISBN: 9781536204513; Published April 2022 by Candlewick; Galley provided by publisher; Purchased for the library

Jackie and the Mona Lisa by Debbie Robin Murphy, illustrated by Jen Bricking

 Cheerful and colorful pictures tell the story of First Lady Jackie Kennedy and her love of art, which inspired her to bring a wide variety of artistic experiences to the White House and finally the most famous painting in the world - the Mona Lisa. After negotiations with the French government, she convinced them to lend the Mona Lisa to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D. C. and then the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In both places, floods of people gathered to see the famous picture and, as Jackie Kennedy had hoped, stayed to appreciate the beautiful art in the museums. An afterword talks about Jackie Kennedy's contributions to the art world and the history of the Mona Lisa.

The story is briefly and concisely told, starting with Jackie Kennedy's restoration of the White House and ending with her efforts to bring the arts to the American people. Jackie is shown as a youthful, smiling figure with her signature hair style and style of dress. The artists portrayed as visiting the White House are a diverse group, including a ballet troupe with a dark-skinned ballerina, and sprinkling many people of color among the museum and White House visitors.

Frankly, this picture book represents many of the issues I see with picture book biographies and history. It's obviously intended for a young audience and it's not realistic to include the entire, complex context of the time period in a picture book. I can understand that - I wouldn't expect it to talk about Kennedy's love affairs or delve deeply into the current turmoil of the Civil Rights era. But the consistent emphasis on Jackie Kennedy's desire to bring art to "all people" and the portrayal of diverse audiences and artists paints a false picture of the time period. There are no sources or references, but based on the research I did myself, there simply weren't any ballet troupes featuring a dark-skinned ballerina that would have visited the White House at this time. I found what I believe to be the reference picture, from a young artists series of events at the White House, and the ballerinas shown are all white - moreover, based on titles like Misty Copeland's Black Ballerinas, a ballerina with skin that dark did not exist at the time. I'm also skeptical of the art portraying Black people freely mixing with white people at the museum, in the White House, and as performers. The Civil Rights Act was several years in the future and Washington D. C. has a long and troubled history of segregation and prejudice. Could these pictures be accurate? It's possible. I don't know enough about the time period to know. But with no sources or identification of the artists pictured and no context or photographs of actual museum audiences, it's impossible to tell.

I think that if kids are too young to be taught the basics of the darker side of history, they aren't ready to learn about history period. In my opinion, it gives them a false foundation to pick out the lighter aspects and introduce kids to history without giving them the context for events and people. I contrast this title with Parks for the People, which also focuses on a public figure who wanted to benefit all people but does not gloss over the troublesome aspects of Olmsted's work, which involved displacing poor, Native, and Black people.

Verdict: If you have an audience for fluffy, feel-good biographies or want some supplemental material for the time period, this could fill that need, but in my opinion it should not stand alone and the lack of sources and misleading artwork make it a title I would be reluctant to purchase or add to our collection.

ISBN: 9781534111172; Published March 2022 by Sleeping Bear Press; Unsolicited review copy from publisher

Lost and Found by Kate Banks, illustrated by Galia Bernstein

 I am a huge fan of Galia Bernstein's art (and her picture books) some of my favorites being I Am a Cat and her new collaboration with Jo Knowles, Ear Worm, so when I saw she had a new book out with Kate Banks I preordered it for the library right away and was excited to get a review copy as well. Kate Banks is probably best known for the picture books she has written illustrated by Georg Hallensleben including The Bear in the Book and Night Worker but my personal favorite is Noah Builds An Ark, illustrated by John Rocco. Anyways, a new book by these prolific and experienced creators is definitely something to celebrate!

Adorably fluffy critters, framed by lush green leaves, and William Morris-style flowered endpages are a feast to the eyes before the story even starts. (My first thought when I saw the endpages was "I want that on fabric!" and apparently Bernstein does design textiles, so I will be doing some searching...) A bunny and a wood mouse caper across the white space of the first spread, stopping in surprise when they see... a strange thing on the forest floor, a rag doll, shown on the following page. As more and more creatures encounter the rag doll, each compares it to the things they have experienced through sight, taste, smell, touch, and their own likes and dislikes. An irresistibly fluffy squirrel tries to share a nut, to no avail, but when the beaver shows up, they follow his lead and begin a journey through the woods to see where the doll came from, following the tracks of an unknown creature.

They encounter new and sometimes frightening things on their journey out of the forest, but eventually they come to a house and see a familiar figure on a wooden swing - a little girl who looks just like the doll, with brown skin, curly hair, and soft, comfortable clothes. They leave the doll for her, but return the next evening and peek through the window, seeing the girl curled up on her bed reading a story with her doll. Although they have no experience with the things they have seen, heard, smelled, and felt, they all know love when they see it and return happily to their forest.

Banks experience in writing picture books shows in every lovingly-crafted sentence and although it's a little lengthier than many modern picture books, the gentle refrains of the story and the repetition of key sentences make this a perfect storytime choice even for very young listeners. Bernstein's delicate lines show a variety of misleadingly fluffy critters (I mean, I love the fluffy squirrel, but that does not detract from my endless battle with those fluffy-tailed rats!) and her soft greens, browns, and oranges make for a deeply satisfying visual experience.

Verdict: A classic in the making, this is a lovely storytime and individual reading choice and a recommended purchase.

ISBN: 9780358004226; Published February 2022 by Clarion; Purchased for the library; Review copy provided by the publisher

In short, I am busy: Folktales

 Flannelboards, Manipulatives, and Storytelling

• Enormous Carrot (Flannelboard)
• Red Hen by Emberley (Flannelboard)
• Gingerbread boy - fractured (Flannelboard)
• Squeaky Door by Margaret Read Macdonald

Vocabulary and Concepts

• Being clever and kind
• Rhythms and repetition

Toddler Listeners (*nonfiction)

• Let's play in the forest by Claudia Rueda
• Huff and Puff by Claudia Rueda

Preschool Listeners (*nonfiction)

• Give up Gecko by Margaret Read MacDonald
• How many donkeys by Margaret Read MacDonald
• Party Croc! by Margaret Read MacDonald
• Goldilocks and the three dinosaurs by Mo Willems

School Age Stories (*nonfiction)

• The great race by Nathan Scott
• No dinner by Jessica Souhami
• Foxy by Jessica Souhami

In short, I am busy: Frogs

Flannelboards, manipulatives, and storytelling

• The Biggest thing in the world

Rhymes, Songs, and Movement

• Five green and speckled frogs
• Hop Hop Little Froggies
• These and more are available online

Vocabulary and Concepts

• Amphibian, cold-blooded, oviparous
• Self-regulation, anticipating narratives

Toddler listeners (*nonfiction)

• *Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley
• Wide-mouthed frog by Kevin Faulkner (Pop-up)

Preschooler listeners (*nonfiction)

• *Being frog by April Pulley Sayre
• Frog and Fly by Jeff Mack
• No frogs in school by A. LaFaye
• I don't want to be a frog by Dev Petty
• *Fabulous Frogs by Martin Jenkins
• Pokko and the drum by Matthew Forsythe
• That's mine! by Michel Van Zeveren

School-age stories (*nonfiction)

• Frog with the big mouth by Teresa Bateman
• Ribbit by Rodrigo Folgueira
• *Frog Song by Brenda Guiberson

In short, I am busy: Chickens

 

Flannelboards, manipulatives, and storytelling

• Little red hen by Rebecca Emberley (Flannelboard)
• Are you oviparous?

Rhymes, songs, and movement

• Here's a little egg

Vocabulary and concepts

• Chicken life cycle, promote chick hatching

Toddler listeners (*nonfiction)

• Little chicken's big day by Katie Davis
• This little chicken by John Lawrence

Preschool listeners (*nonfiction)

• Catch that chicken by Atinuke
• Chickens to the rescue by John Himmelman

School-age stories (*nonfiction)

• Fox and the hen by Eric Battut
• I got a chicken for my birthday by Laura Gehl
• Chicken big by Keith Graves
• Tyrannosaurus rex vs. Edna the very first chicken by Douglas Rees