It’s a cute, simple story outlining the differences between rabbits and hares. Cartoon-like illustrations depict a conversation between a hare and a ground squirrel as they walk through the dessert. The hare takes objection to being called a rabbit by the ground squirrel, and in the process of arguing his point he gets so riled up that when the coyote that’s been stalking him throughout the book finally pounces with a, “Gotcha, Rabbit!” the hare punches him out with an, “I’m a hare! So there, Jackal!” The back of the book lists some other animals that are similar, but not the same, and outlines distinguishing differences; and also offers readers a Can-you-find-them list of other desert creatures that made appearances in the illustrations so they can go back and hunt.
Can You See Me? by Gokce Irten
I like the concept of the book, but I wish it made its point clear more consistently. It’s about the idea that size is relative and how something that may seem small to a person could seem huge to an insect. It tries to draw relative comparisons, such as pointing out that some fleas can jump up to 100 times their own height, and then declaring that would be like you being able to jump to the top of the Eiffel Tower. But then it says that the Eiffel Tower is 1063 feet tall, and since I don’t know any 10-foot tall people, that comparison doesn’t compute. And the comparison to “If your foot could grow as fast as a caterpillar can…” comes out as a bit awkward, because it’s not comparing to how a caterpillar’s foot grows, but the whole caterpillar, but for the person it’s got the foot growing independently of the rest of the human. It’s just a bit clunky.
Thankful, by Elaine Vickers
In Thankful, it’s the time of year for an annual family tradition – paper thankful chains to last the family through December. Each link in the chain is one more thing to be thankful for. The creation of the chain focuses on the good things in life and the physical chain is a visual reminder to be thankful for the wonderful things in our lives.
A young girl starts on her own in her room reflecting on both the concrete and the nebulous things in her life she is thankful for. From the initial thankfuls of home and family, the girl lets one idea leads to yet another. The thoughts generated as the book chronicles a child’s daily life experience that will resonate with many young readers.
The combination of two-dimensional characters placed in three-dimensional settings give the illustrations a charming feel reminiscent of a diorama.
My Voice is a Trumpet, by Jimmie Allen
In his wonderful debut title, Jimmie Allen, platinum-selling country music artist, encourages us to listen to the many voices around us but to also use our voices to trumpet our commitment to improving ourselves, our community, and our world. With rhythmic rhyming text, the book itself sounds like a anthem encouraging us to,
SAY NOT TO HATE by using this voice, and ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE— a magical choice
Highly recommended for all elementary libraries.
Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter, by Veronica Chambers
This non-fiction book puts the recent events of history concerning the Black Lives Matter movement in the larger context by showing it as a continuing part of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. The author approaches the subject from many angles. She shows how #BlackLivesMatter took off & became a huge rallying cry reaching its peak in June of 2020. She shares the stories of many lives cut short by police violence, but also tells us about the people who fought back by marching, speaking out, and getting involved at the local level. The story looks at social media and its influence on the current movement – as well as how it was different during the Civil Rights movement. There is a section with the art and music that came out of the protests. It looks at politics and the small things people have done and can do to continue moving forward to a more just society. Even having lived through the recent events, I found it helpful to have it all condensed and shared in such a comprehensive way. I liked the comparisons and contrasts to the earlier movement for social justice. It is definitely approachable for middle and high school students with a nice balance of images, captions, and text. The timeline section was a clear way to review historic and recent events. The book also includes suggestions for further reading, a bibliography, and an index. This would be an excellent addition to secondary libraries.
Long Distance, by Whitney Gardner
Long distance friendships are always a challenge. When Vega moves away from her best friend in Portland, Oregon to face new challenges in Seattle, Washington her fathers try to ease the transition with a bit of time at a summer camp with the purpose of helping people find new friends. Camp life is awkward at times and mysterious at others. Not all appears to be what it claims to be at this unusual camp. I found this to be a fun, surprising graphic novel. I like the author’s use of clues to some of the mysteries embedded in the illustrations. The reader really needs to pay attention to the images, not just the text in order to uncover what is REALLY going on at this odd summer camp. Eyes play an important role in hinting at secrets the characters are hiding. The artwork is crisp & bright. Students who like Raina Telgemeier’s style will enjoy this. The plot twists from a fairly standard realistic fiction story to one with sci-fi elements by the end. Even though parts of the book are fantastic & unrealistic, the larger message of the challenges of finding new friends will resonate with middle and high school readers.
The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Reindeer by Bella Swift
Peggy the Pug’s family is not feeling very cheery this Christmas. Business is slow, Ruby doesn’t like her teacher, Chloe feels like she is losing her friend, and Finn has lost his bandmate. Peggy wants to help them be happy again. She decides that she needs to talk to Santa and to do that she needs to become a reindeer. She tries to give herself antlers, she eats carrots, and finally decides to talk to the reindeer at the school Christmas fair. Each thing that Peggy tries seems to make more work for her family at home.
This is short chapter book with sketched illustrations and is a part of an 8 book series. The book was originally published in Great Britain.
The Wonder of Wildflowers by Anna Staniszewski
In Amberland, only recognized citizens have access to Amber, the naturally occurring liquid that when consumed daily, gives people both improved health and enhanced abilities. The borders are tightly sealed and the few non-citizens invited to live and work in Amberland are at a disadvantage and not allowed to partake in Amber. With Amber becoming increasingly scarce, there is an outcry by some to preserve the remaining Amber and limit newcomers.
Mira and her family must navigate her role as invited outsider while they wait for their citizenship request to be approved. How will Mira respond when faced with the many types of inequity she witnesses as both an outsider and finally a new citizen?
While the magical aspect of Amber place this book in the genre of fantasy, the complex social justice concepts provide a powerful opportunity to reflect and discuss the issues of privilege, discrimination, immigration, and equal rights.
Wishes by Muon Thi Van
This story about a family searching for a new home is told through the perspective of a young girl. The entire story is only 75 words, but the illustrations by Victo Ngai and the simpleness of the words make a powerful story. So much of the story is told through the illustrations. This is based on the author’s life and shows the family packing up and fleeing in a bote. The author’s note at the end tells about the author’s family’s escape from southern Viet Nam in 1980 and ways that we can help refugees today.
My Two Border Towns by David Bowles
A young boy and his father cross the border to Mexico every Saturday. Each week they cross the Rio Grande. On this visit they go to Tio Mateo at his jewelry store, plays soccer, has a sweet treat from the paletero, and visits the pharmacy. On their way back home, they make one more stop, they check in with and drop of supplies for friends on the bridge who are refugees and stuck between the United States and Mexico. The watercolor illustrations by Erika Meza are colorful and eye-catching.