By Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Based on the well known book “Fish in a Tree”, this picture book delves into the concept of learning outside the box and being a student who struggles within a standard learning system. It challenges one to have grit and understand that not everything fits into one perfect package of understanding. It travels with a young boy how has ADHD and struggles to learn with the rest of his class.
This is a wonderful adaptation for yourgers to enjoy.
By Carols Aponte
Pedrito lives in Puerto Rico with his family. HIs father is working in the U.S. preparing for his family to follow and settle there. Their family feels empty and incomplete with him. As they adjust to dad being gone, a hurricane is coming their way. They prepare and check on their neighbors and then go through the storm. Afterwards Pedrito finds a puppy alone on the street. The family takes him in and cleans him up. Will they find the dog’s family? If they do, will Pedrito be able to give the puppy up?
This is a lovely story of family, community, and resilience. Many will enjoy this compelling tale. I strongly recommend this book for any library to purchase.
A young boy wakes his dad up early one day because it Jollof Day! He joins his dad in the kitchen to chop onions and tomatoes, clang pots and pans, and dance in the kitchen while they make jollof. The cheerful illustrations, the way the text dances on the page, and the onomatopoeia makes you feel the joy in the kitchen. A recipe for Jollof Rice is included at the end of the book.
Every Monday Mabel does the same thing. Mabel thinks Mondays are the best day. She drags her chair down the hall and outside to make sure she does not miss her favorite thing. Her family doesn’t seem to understand, but Mabel doesn’t want to miss it and neither does Mikey and many more people. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The changes in font, the onomatopoeia, and the illustrations make you feel the excitement of Mabel about her Monday routine. I can’t wait to read this book aloud and maybe because I was one of those kids excited about the garbage truck!
A celebration of the women who help support and the young girl in the story. Aunties do not need to be related to you, but are the people in your life that you can turn to for advice, adventure and support. The illustrations are bright and colorful depicting a wide variety of aunties. The author’s note at the end tells about her Fierce Aunties.
A story of an unlikely pair becoming friends. Elvis and Romeo are two dogs on their way separately to the dog park. Romeo is very excited while Elvis is reluctant. Romeo is excited to run and play. Elvis wants peace and quiet. Romeo decides he is going to make friends with Elvis. Eventually Elvis and Romeo bond over sandwiches. The illustrations in the book show the movement and emotions of the dog and add to the story.
On Mazie’s first day at her new school, she put on her favorite scarf and prettiest eye patch. She was nervous but ready. The other students whispered stories about her. Maybe she was in the circus. Maybe she joined pirates. Maybe she lost her hair being scared by a shark or a tiger. Finally she has had enough. She tells them that they just needed to ask and she tells the story of what really happened. The illustrations of the book are bright and colorful. Mazie’s emotions show on her face.
The book is based on the author’s real life experience of having cancer and 3 and having her eye removed. She talks about why people may be afraid to ask and just look away, but to her this feels ruder and makes her feel invisible.
A young girl falls asleep while her father tells her a story and dreams that she wakes up as a gecko. She sets off to find out what she is. The cat says she’s a toy, the dog says food, the spider says danger. Eventually the girl wakes up to realize that she is still a child.
The book is bilingual with the text on top in English and the text at the bottom of the page in Spanish. One side of a two page spread is text and the other is the illustrations which fill the page.
By Zoey Abbott
A young boy builds on his relationship with his baby sister when she starts messing with his new kite. After he gets really angry with her and makes her cry, he feels bad and knows that he needs to repair their relationship. He has many kites and enjoys collecting them (as the title implies) but never really flies them and so he goes out and gets her one and they fly it together.
This is a nice story that emphasizes the patience an older sibling needs to have with the younger ones. I would recommend this book as an extra purchase, especially if your library needs more tales about family dynamics/relationships.
Written by Melody C. Peugh, Illustrated by Eve Farb
Lavender is a wonderful friend who always want to go on an adventure! When a girl awakes and realizes she must stay clean and tidy for an event that her mom has planned it is difficult to say no to her buddy. As the day goes on, things go a little sideways but Lavender is always there. In the end, she is found a muddy mess by her Mom who successfully gets her into a bubble bath and Lavender into the washing machine just in time.
A wonderful story with bright colors about a girl, her stuffie, and her sense of adventure. I would recommend this book to purchase if you have extra money.