The House Before Falling into the Sea

As the conflict that became the Korean War was erupting, many people were forced to flee from the violence. In The House Before Falling into the Sea, a young girl’s family welcomes one group after another to shelter in their home at the base of the Korean peninsula. The sacrifices she is asked to make and the disruptions to her life at times grate on her. With the help of her parents, she accepts that its okay to be scared and that as a group they can hold each other up.

The image a rock reappears throughout the story; from the travelers looking like stones, suseok (stone art), the stony beach, and finally the stone commemorating the generosity of the Tak family in welcoming those displaced by war. In the words of Umma, “Our visitors are not stones we can toss to the sea.”

A gently told story of time and place not often seen in picture books. Use when teaching about the Korean War, displaced people, or on a unit on kindness and compassion.

Beautiful illustrations show dark and light, the fear and the peace of a home that stood as a refuge for family and friends fleeing south.

A Boy and His Mirror

Chris gets teased for his long curly hair, but he likes it. When he looks in an ornate mirror to reassure himself, an African woman mystically appears. She reminds him that in a faraway land his hair is the hair of a king. Chris learns that acting like a king isn’t about swagger and bling it’s about how you treat others. Chris steps up into a leadership role on the playground encouraging others to “stop judging, quit calling names. Be a little more chill. Stop playing games.” The story ends with Chris playing with his new group of friends.

Lovely illustrations portray a diverse cast of children with expressive faces. The story encourages the concepts of positive self-image as well as acceptance and kindness to others. The only drawback is the unexpected appearance of the mirror that does not fit the flow of the story.

Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement

Year after year as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, we hear about the same heroes; MLK, Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks. There are many other Americans who stepped up and made a difference during the Civil Rights Movement. This book focuses on twelve women who through their actions furthered the fight for equality and justice during the Civil Rights Movement.

In the book, you will hear about; Ella Baker, Ruby Bridges, Claudette Colvin, Dorothy Cotton, Fannie Lou Hamer, Coretta Scott King, Diane Nash, Rosa Parks, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Gloria Richardson, Jo Ann Robinson, and Sheyann Webb. The twelve women each have a page long biography detailing their work, their struggles, and their successes. Each biography is concise yet comprehensive enough to paint a picture for the reader.

Recommended for elementary libraries.

The Together Tree

Rumi starts at a new school and doesn’t feel like he fits in; not in class and not at recess. At recess while the other kids played, Rumi sat beneath a shady old willow tree, twirling a stick. Everything was different at his old home. Some of his classmates started making fun of him and it escalated to bullying. When a student threw a rock and hurt Rumi, his classmates realized their behavior was hurtful and gradually they all joined Rumi under the tree to create beautiful drawings in the dirt. The story ends with the bully being invited to join the group under the tree.

A beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of being a new student from a different cultural background and how teasing escalates to bullying.

Kelp Finds a Way to Help!

Fans of the original Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima are sure to like this Pre-Level 1, Ready to Read early reader. Kelp meets up with his friend Pixie to help walk Crabbie. When Crabbie gets lost, Kelp and Pixie use their problem solving skills to find him. Characters are also in the Netflix adaptation of Not Quite Narwhal.The text uses short sentences with easy text. The cute and colorful illustrations mimic the animation from the Dreamworks series.

Lawrence and Sophia by Doreen and Brian Cronin

Lawrence is a boy who is scared to venture out of his yard. Sophie is a bird who is scared to venture down to the ground. One day Sophie is feeling brave and walks down to the end of a branch and finds Lawrence. They start spending time together in the yard – Lawrence on the ground and Sophie in the tree – sharing things they love with each other. Sophie moves her nest to be closer to Lawrence. Lawrence builds a tent to be closer to Sophie, but still neither will venture beyond their comfort zone. When a big storm hits, both are worried enough for the other to go beyond their fears to find and protect their friend.

By Doreen Cronin, the author of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type and Diary of a Worm. A precious story of how the strength of friendship can bolster someone to step into situations outside their comfort. Highly recommended.

Just Snow Already! by Howard McWilliam

A young boy gets excited one morning when he’s told it might snow. He checks outside – nothing yet. He fixates on the idea of snow and all the fun he will have. Outside the house, the day goes on with increasingly exciting people and occurrences. The mail carrier spills her mail, the fire truck comes to get a cat from a tree, a Safari Park Truck crashes, and monkeys escape. The rest of the neighborhood is caught up in the excitement, but still the boy’s day is ruined because there is no snow. Finally, SNOW! The neighborhood has become a fun carnival, and at last, now that there’s snow, the boy is ready to dive in.

Impatience and fixation leads the young boy to miss all the excitement happening in his neighborhood. Colorful animated illustrations become increasingly entertaining. A fun winter read.

Ichthyosaurs by Kate Moening

Ichthyosaurs looked like a fish or dolphin, but were actually reptiles – the largest marine reptiles that ever lived. In this title, the reader will learn physical characteristics, behavior, diet, and the extinction story of the ichthyosaur.

Bellwether Media’s Ancient Marine Life series is perfect for the young paleontologist who is ready to explore beyond dinosaurs. The informational text uses short sentences, supporting graphics, and bolded glossary terms to support developing readers. Size comparisons are made in relation to objects kids can visualize like a couch, a car, or a bus. Endpapers include glossary, index, print resources, and Factsurfer’s curated digital resources. The maps are one confusing feature. The maps on page 5 show the continent configuration during the period in which the animal lived without indicating how long ago it was nor explaining why the continents are different than they are currently. The location map at the end of the text does not indicate if it represents the location of fossil finds or presumed location of the extinct animal’s habitat. All in all, an attractive and engaging series.

Mosasaurs by Kate Moening

In Mosasaur, the reader learns what made this extinct reptile interesting and unique. This giant, slow moving snake-like reptile with double jointed jaws was as big as a semi-truck.

Bellwether Media’s Ancient Marine Life series is perfect for the young paleontologist who is ready to explore beyond dinosaurs. The informational text uses short sentences, supporting graphics, and bolded glossary terms to support developing readers. Size comparisons are made in relation to objects kids can visualize like a couch, a car, or a bus. Endpapers include glossary, index, print resources, and Factsurfer’s curated digital resources. The maps are one confusing feature. The maps on page 5 show the continent configuration during the period in which the animal lived without indicating how long ago it was nor explaining why the continents are different than they are currently. The location map at the end of the text does not indicate if it represents the location of fossil finds or presumed location of the extinct animal’s habitat. All in all, an attractive and engaging series.

Archelon by Kate Moening

A turtle as long as a car? That’s the archelon, the largest turtle to ever exist, fossils of which interestingly are found only in the Northern Great Plains of the United States. In Archelon, the reader learns how this giant turtle was the same and different from today’s turtles. One misleading word choice – when describing diet, the book says the archelon ate fish, jellyfish, and mollusks. Jellyfish, and the squid pictured to represent mollusks, both belong to the phylum Mollusca.

Bellwether Media’s Ancient Marine Life series is perfect for the young paleontologist who is ready to explore beyond dinosaurs. The informational text uses short sentences, supporting graphics, and bolded glossary terms to support developing readers. Size comparisons are made in relation to objects kids can visualize like a couch, a car, or a bus. Endpapers include glossary, index, print resources, and Factsurfer’s curated digital resources. The maps are one confusing feature. The maps on page 5 show the continent configuration during the period in which the animal lived without indicating how long ago it was nor explaining why the continents are different than they are currently. The location map at the end of the text does not indicate if it represents the location of fossil finds or presumed location of the extinct animal’s habitat. All in all, an attractive and engaging series.