Author Archives: Anne Hales

Bravo, Little Bird!

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This is a lovely picture about about relationships; the relationship between an old man and old woman, between the old man and a bird, between an old man and his grandson, and between a grieving family and a community. Music the tie that binds all these relationships together.

An old man plays the piano as his wife paints and hums. The piano music drifts down into the valley and attracts a bird. When the bird adds his song, the old man exclaims, “bravo, little bird!” The old man’s grandson and the bird’s babies join the songs. When the old man dies, the bird, the grandson, and the wife no longer feel like music. A cardinal from the valley below comes to see why the music has stopped. With the encouragement of the little bird, the cardinal brings the music from the valley up to the old woman and the boy, reigniting their music.

With its rich, descriptive text and lovely pictures, Bravo, Little Bird! is highly recommended for all collections.

Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop

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This book is a celebration of how a black barbershop plays an important role in the black community. The ‘shop is a sound booth, a gallery, a sports show, a comedy club, a playground, a showroom, a classroom, and a studio where community shares wisdom, joy, and love. Each spread begins with, “The ‘shop is our…” and continues with a description. Word choice and cadence reflect the culture of a black urban barbershop.

The illustrations are bright and cheerful and depict the shared experiences at the barbershop. Characters are mainly brown skinned boys and men with a variety of hair styles..

We Are the Builders!

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In We Are the Builders!, Ramla, a young woman wearing a hijab, walks through a diverse neighborhood identifying ways people young and old can make a difference in their communities. Each of ten identified community roles is described in poetic verse and includes an invitation to join in helping through that role. The book recognizes that improving a community requires the engagement of multiple roles.

The endpapers explain that We Are the Builders! is a picture book version of the authors social change ecosystem map. Through identifying the role that best fits our interests and strengths, we can change the world for the better.

Tricky Chopsticks

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Jenny Chow just can’t get the hang of chopsticks and everyone in her family knows it. Her struggle has her feeling like an outsider in her extended family. Jenny’s cousin is having a party featuring the family’s annual chopstick challenge. Some onomatopoeia and Chinese characters accompany her unsuccessful practice attempts. Jenny realized that trying the same thing again and again will not help her improve.

Jenny gains inspiration from a set of tongs and fashions her chopsticks with a rubber band and folded star; acting like a training wheels. Through persistence and practice Jenny successfully participates in the chopstick challenge, an important family tradition. Her family is there to cheer on her success.

Tricky Chopsticks is a story highlighting family traditions and ingenuity when faced with a challenge.

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Sourgrass

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Neighbors Sophia and May are best of friends who know they can always rely on each other to be there. One day their adventures together take them beyond their yards to a nearby field. There they find a wild blooming field of sourgrass. May shares, “My mom says it show up every spring, keeping a promise.” Sharing sourgrass becomes a sweet representation of their deep bond.

May moves away, straining their bonds of friendship, withering their joyful connection, and leaving Sophia with only their imaginary friends. Frequent letters soon dwindled to nothing. Sofia begins to wonder if she has been forgotten. Spring brings the promised return of the sourgrass and with it all of her wonderful memories. Inspired by the sourgrass’s promised return, Sophia reaches out again to May by letter hoping that the promise of their friendship will also be kept. The story ends with a return letter from May and a glimpse of a little redheaded girl who could fill the void of May’s absence.

Sophie is a dark skinned girl with cornrows and May, a light skinned girl with brown hair. Pastel illustrations convey the connection and the feelings of the two friends.

The Little Puppy

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Ollie was excited to have a play date with her grandma’s new puppy, Milo. She learned, however, that puppies need supervision or they can be destructive. After Milo chewed up Ollie’s drawing, Ollie needed time alone and went for a walk. Milo followed her and they ended up having a fun time playing fetch, going to the pond, and jumping in mud puddles.

Cute black and white illustrations with red accents. Some pages contain cut outs, connecting of the theme from one page to the next. Review by Kathy Beach, teacher.

In the Groves

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The story of Clara, a young girl visiting her family in California. They want to take her to all the touristy places but she wants to go to the citrus groves with her grandfather so she hides in his truck and tags along with him for the day. She loves seeing him work and hearing all of his stories. While sharing the day together, Clara’s imagination takes flight and the stories she creates with her grandfather are retold again to her family that night. This book includes a number of Spanish words in the text and explores the culture of a family of farm workers. Review by Kathy Beach, teacher.

This book is perfect for a unit celebrating family stories, immigration stories, or the important role of farm workers.

This is How We Play: A Celebration of Disability and Adaptation

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This is a very joyful book about disability and adaptations involved in the lives of those affected by differences in their bodies or minds. It emphasizes the concept that even though people have a disability, they are still able to play, sing, dance, and enjoy life with the help of others or some sort of tool or adaption.

Backmatter includes a helpful list of different disabilities, a guide for grown-ups, how to teach kids about those with a disability and an explanation from the authors about why they wrote the book.

Recommended for all age levels. Review written by Kathy Beach, teacher.

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples

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Written like lyrics with rhythm and rhythm, Bridges Instead of Walls is Mavis Staples memoir of growing up in a musical family and going on to successful performance career. Each part of Mavis’s life is treated as almost its own song, reinforcing the musical theme in her life. The Staple Singers, Mavis’s family’s performing group started as gospel group and eventually expanded to add message music that supported the Civil Rights Movement.

Mavis sees her life as a series of bridges, many of which were built from the music in her life. Born in Chicago to a poor black family that moved north during the Great Migration, Mavis met Elvis, Dr King, and Prince; she sang for presidents and princes; and earned accolades and awards for her music. Recommended for collections looking for books on music in the Civil Rights Movement.

The book includes a recommended listening list, recommended viewing list, and a timeline.

The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World

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In the Terezin ghetto where Jewish people were confined during World War II, survival was not guaranteed. A teacher named Irma Lauscher asked a fellow prisoner to risk his life to smuggle in a sapling to help the children celebrate Tu BiShavat, the New Year of the Trees. This sapling planted in a pot then later in the ground. Water was scarce, so the children shared a few drops of their water every day. It became known as Etz Chaim, The Tree of Life. The tree survived, but many of the residents of Terezin did not. Many died in the ghetto and many others were shipped off to concentration camps. The horrors of the Holocaust is summed up in the books words, “The children were the future of the Jewish people. And the Nazis wanted a future without Jewish people.” The tree survived and after the war, Irma saw that seeds from the tree were planted all over the world in memory of the children in the ghetto. In 2007, the tree died after taking flood damage, but it’s 600 descendants around the world thrive.

The Tree of Life focuses the story on life, hope, and strength in unity during a truly horrific time in history. Pair with This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin.