Hey, Bruce! An Interactive Book

Hey, Bruce!: An Interactive Book by Ryan T. Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ryan T. Higgins' books are an auto-buy for our family, and this one did not disappoint. My kids giggle and take turns poking, swirling, lifting, turning, and shaking the book, etc. as the mice try and "help" Bruce take his nap. We've read it many times since the Easter Bunny first delivered it in April.

View all my reviews

 

Julián Is a Mermaid

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this beautiful picture book about a boy who goes swimming with his grandma and on the way home sees people dressed as mermaids on the train, then creates his own mermaid costume while his grandma is in the shower. He isn't sure how he is going to respond when she sees the mess he's made, but she doesn't get mad, she helps him accessorize and takes him to see a show with other mermaids.

I love how this book celebrates imagination and depicts the loving, supportive relationship between a boy and his grandmother. I love the inter-generational and diverse characters and body types depicted in the lovely illustrations. My son also loves to dress up in costumes and play pretend, and though I'm pretty sure I would not react well if he took down our curtains to make a costume, I try very hard to create an environment where he has no worries about being accepted for expressing himself. I love that this book features a scene where such support is not only possible but just the way things are. Our world would be an infinitely better place if that were true everywhere.

View all my reviews

 

A Small Kindness

A Small Kindness by Stacy McAnulty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kindness is like "a game of tag," and every one of us can pass it on to someone else.

A delightful story, with illustrations reminiscent of Trudy Ludwig's The Invisible Boy, where kindness spreads color as the tale progresses. It's set at an elementary school with a very diverse class of students (and teacher) with varying hair and skin colors, as well as a child who uses a walker and another with a hearing aid.

View all my reviews

 

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book introduces a modern Cherokee family and some of their traditions throughout the year, centered around being grateful for each season. Cherokee words are integrated into the text, then at the bottom of the page, that page’s word is spelled out in English, written out phonetically, written in Cherokee script, and defined. There is a glossary at the end of the book to explain concepts like shell shakers, Trail of Tears, gigging, stickball, etc. It’s just a fabulous book about gratitude and Cherokee culture.

View all my reviews

 

Mary Had a Little Snowplow

Mary Had a Little Snowplow by Rachel Matson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What I LOVE about this book is that the main character, Mary, is a clever girl who knows how to use tools to build things—in this case a tiny snowplow that follows her like the lamb in the original nursery rhyme. I also love that she is depicted as possibly being Asian, with classmates who have a variety of skin and hair colors. And when the text follows the rhythm of the nursery rhyme, the story rolls delightfully off the tongue. 

However, there are some pages when the rhythm falters, requiring practice and thought to figure out which syllables to emphasize, and one page where I simply cannot figure out where the rhythm went. (“The shovel bravely went SWISH/As the snow turned to muck.” What??  It doesn't fit with the "Mary had a little lamb" pattern.)

Bottom line is there is lots to love but rehearse before reading aloud!

View all my reviews

 

Rabbit's Snow Dance

Rabbit's Snow Dance by James Bruchac
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A traditional Iroquois story retold by James & Joseph Bruchac about a time when Rabbit had a long tail and short patience. A cautionary tale for anyone wanting lots of snow Right Now, no matter the season or the needs of your fellow creatures.

The repetition and chanting would make this an excellent read-aloud for preschool through elementary audiences.

View all my reviews

 

The Snowy Day

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How is it that I am today years old before I read this classic?? Or if I read it before, it was so many decades ago, I’ve entirely forgotten this sweet story of a little boy who goes out to play in the snow. Lovely! I’m so glad it was included in a pack of snow-themed books I bought for my kids through the Scholastic book program at school.

View all my reviews

 

Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, he did.)

Norman Didn't Do It!: by Ryan T. Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Norman and Mildred are best friends. The fact that one is a porcupine and the other a tree makes no difference at all. That is, until the day that a seedling begins to grow nearby. Then Norman's worries sprout and take root as well, until he feels the new tree is such a threat to his relationship with Mildred that he digs it up in the dark of night and takes it far, far away. Fixed! Except...it didn't fix anything, and now Norman feels horribly guilty and ashamed of himself. What's a porcupine to do?

As always, Ryan T. Higgins' artwork is worth many thousands of words. So much nuance and emotion conveyed with his illustrations. Brilliant, as always.

I love that this is a book depicting someone making a horrible choice, realizing the harm his actions have caused, coming up with a plan to make amends, and following through--a really critical life skill! And this book does it in such a way that it doesn't come across as preachy or afterschool-special-y. A great read-aloud for preschool through early elementary school. Or let's be honest, it's a great read for *adults* too!

View all my reviews

 

Why?

Why? by Adam Rex
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a would-be supervillain crashes through the roof of a shopping mall, everyone flees except a little girl who keeps asking, “Why?” in response to every proclamation he makes. Soon it’s just the two of them wandering the stores, her repeated question inducing him to ponder how he came to this place and time, wondering if maybe his dreams lie elsewhere. A delightful depiction of curiosity cutting through the bluster of a bully to see the wounded child inside.

View all my reviews

 

Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem

Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem by Jude Isabella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lovely picture book for older kids (or adults) about the effects of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone National Park, an ecosystem devastated by the systematic killing of apex predators in the late 1800s. There were a few spots where I felt like a little additional content would have been helpful, or at least don’t leave me hanging and searching for where the story thread picks back up. But overall an excellent book for anyone who wants to know more about the critical and sometimes surprising effects keystone species like wolves have on their environments.

View all my reviews

 

The Rabbit Listened

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When birds knock Taylor’s magnificent building block creation down, Taylor’s animal friends come by one at a time to offer comfort, but it isn’t until Rabbit snuggles up and sits quietly that Taylor feels ready to process the grief, going through all the stages and techniques suggested by the previous animals. “Through it all, the rabbit never left. And when the time was right, the rabbit listened to Taylor’s plan to build again.”

I hope I can be someone’s rabbit. 

This is one of the loveliest books about coping with grief that I've ever seen. 

View all my reviews

The Magical Yet

The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We borrowed this book from the library a few weeks ago because my daughter has been struggling with learning math, reading, and P.E., and getting very frustrated and upset because she unfortunately inherited my perfectionism without my facility for numbers and letters. We've been trying to communicate our faith in her ability to learn if she persists and doesn't give up, but nothing was really getting through until we read this book together. She LOVES it. So today I bought her her very own copy, and she squealed with wide-eyed delight.

The embodiment of the Yet as a magical creature who remains with you even into adulthood, helping you persevere, learn, and grow seems to have flipped a switch in my daughter's mind. This is not to say that she doesn't still get frustrated and try to procrastinate or stall...a LOT...but she now better comprehends that the struggle is part of the process of learning, and she's more willing to keep trying. When she gets upset because she can't do something the way she would like and howls, "I can't do it!" we can say, "You can't do it YET," and that usually helps her calm down a bit. Her reading level is improving daily, and I have hope that the math will eventually click into place in her brain. The P.E., well, we make sure she gets exercise. An Olympic athlete she is highly unlikely to be.

I really appreciate that the main character is a brown-skinned child, and other diverse characters are depicted throughout, too. I love the easy-to-read rhyme scheme that helps the story flow right along, and I love that learning is depicted as iterative, with plenty of mistakes and stumbles along the way.

View all my reviews

The Three Billy Goats Buenos

The Three Billy Goats Buenos by Susan Middleton Elya
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This lovely rendition of the three billy goats gruff has the third goat asking *why* the troll is so unhappy and mean. Instead of just tricking her, he gets the first two goats to help him pull a thorn from her toe and make a salve to put on it, then bring her some apples to eat (instead of goats!). It becomes a story of kindness, compassion, and friendship.

The text is mostly English but with many key words in Spanish. I love the rhythm and rhyming scheme and how the Spanish words flow seamlessly within the structure, letting young readers figure out many of the bilingual words based on context. The author also provides a glossary at the beginning.

View all my reviews

Tacky's Christmas

Tacky's Christmas by Helen Lester
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Tacky the Penguin and his friends are back in this tale of Christmas preparations and mistaken identity. It's a lucky thing Tacky gave his friends shaving cream and happened to be squirting it onto their faces as the Hunters (a bear and two wolves) approach. Soon both penguins and hunters are having a Christmas party together, no longer predators and prey, since the Hunters think the penguins are "Sandy Clawz" and elves.

The story is cute and has some funny lines. I am bothered by the illiterate dialogue the hunters speak, however. It dropped my rating from 4 to 2 stars. The uneducated speech and clothing* seems like it's supposed to suggest the animals are Southerners, likely from remote, rural areas--some sort of "hayseed" or "hillbilly" persona. My husband is a Southerner, and these stereotypes are offensive and hurtful.

So this was a 4-star book for me, right up until the end. Darnit!

Our copy was part of a Christmas book bundle from Scholastic, and it didn't come with a CD at the end, so I have no opinion on that part.

(*Yes, I also realize that I'm talking about a book where penguins talk, wrap presents, wear hats & scarves, & decorate for Christmas, so it's not like ANY of it is the least bit realistic.)

View all my reviews

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute story based on the rhyme/pattern of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The kids were drawn with different skin & hair colors; however, the adults were both white. The story requires a fair amount of willing suspension of disbelief, but that makes it silly & fun, so OK. The ending does rather seem like it’s trying to influence kids toward vegetarianism, which I have mixed feelings about, but overall it’s a funny book I think my kids will enjoy.

View all my reviews

Listening With My Heart: A Story of Kindness and Self-Compassion

Listening With My Heart: A Story of Kindness and Self-Compassion by Gabi Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Esperanza finds a heart-shaped rock and is inspired to share love and kindness, which comes full circle when she makes a mistake and needs help remembering to show herself kindness and compassion as well.

It's a sweet story with a direct message that models simple ways even children can demonstrate compassion. A bit more plot or character development would have bumped my rating to 5 stars, but the message earns every bit of the 4 stars! I absolutely love that nearly all the characters have varying shades of brown skin. It's a very positive, healing book to read with children.

View all my reviews

Bruce's Big Storm

Bruce's Big Storm by Ryan T. Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like all the other Bruce books, this one is absolutely delightful--funny for kids and for their grown-ups. This time around, Bruce is the reluctant host of all the neighborhood animals during a big storm. When a tree crashes through the roof and slices the house in two, the neighbors rally to fix up the house even better than before--adding a "rumpus room" (It's for rumpusing!) where everyone can hang out and play cards. My kids ask for this as a bedtime story over and over and can now recite pretty much the entire book. Or at least sections of it before dissolving in giggles. We love Bruce books so much!

View all my reviews

I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track

I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book to my daughter's kindergarten class in honor of the Transportation unit they were working on. The kids were really into it--caught up in the suspense of whether the ant was going to be smashed by the train. However, even these 5 & 6-year-olds were savvy enough to point out that an ant would most assuredly feel the vibrations of an enormous train barreling ever closer and would have gotten off the rail WAY before the train posed any kind of mortal danger. In fact, they blurted this fact out right in the middle of the story, which gave me an opportunity to respond with, "True, but you can pretend anything you want in fiction!" and then quickly move on before anyone thought about all the ways that *isn't* quite true or realized the switchman should have just picked up the ant instead of trying to redirect a TRAIN from its appointed route.

The illustrations in the book are beautiful--sort of a soft-focus photo-realism...aside from the ant who walks on two legs and carries a stick with a bag of belongings hanging from it. That part's pure "photo-fantasy," you might say.

There are some great vocabulary words in the text, and loads of rhyming words, which the kids were having fun listening for. The rhythm of the text flows along well in all but a few spots, so practicing out loud in advance is a must. The stutter-spots can be overcome if you learn which syllables to emphasize, but that's nigh impossible in the moment.

View all my reviews

Quiet

Quiet by Tomie dePaola
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I love the concept: how everyone is hurrying, even in nature, and how essential it is to take time to be quiet and still. Unfortunately, Tomie dePaola's style of artwork isn't my cup of tea, and in this case that mattered more than with many of his other books. I didn't find it restful, as it really should be for maximum impact. And my kids, who usually ask me to read books over and over (and over and over...), never requested this one beyond the first time, which tells me it didn't resonate with them either. But other reviewers have had the opposite opinion, so I'm glad they liked it!

View all my reviews

The Girl and the Bicycle

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely LOVE this sweet, wordless book about a girl who spies a bicycle in a store window and does chores all year to earn money to buy it, only to discover it's no longer available. She chooses kindness and generosity to her little brother instead, despite her overwhelming disappointment. And there is a surprise waiting for her at the neighbor's house when the children return home.

I checked this out from the library last week, and my son has been fetching it, asking to read it to me--yes, I have my kids tell ME what's happening on each page--every single night since then. That makes my librarian-mama's heart so happy!!

View all my reviews