My one gripe with this book is that I find the character of the substitute librarian completely unbelievable, because I can’t imagine any librarian taking his attitude. Still, I know many other adults who do hold such ideas, and who often pass such attitudes to young readers, though perhaps more subtly than does the character in the book. The story tells of a boy visiting a book mobile only to be confronted by a librarian who tells him all the books he wants to read aren’t for him, trying to channel him into his own narrow idea of what is appropriate reading for him. The boy accepts what is offered him, but then subverts the efforts of the narrow-minded librarian by reading under a nearby tree where other patrons are reading (a girl, a robot, a cat, etc), and trading books with the girl who’s reading the book he wanted to read in the first place. When a dinosaur shows up and scares the librarian into giving him the book he wants, regardless of his own opinions, the young boy learns to find his own voice and insist on getting what he wants. The story takes things to the extreme to make the point about those more subtle attitudes.
Category Archives: Reviewer’s Library Type
The Little Butterfly that Could
The bright, cheerful, silly illustrations will draw readers in to read about the message of perseverance and believing in oneself to tackle a big job. It tells of a butterfly lost on in the ocean partway through his seasonal migration. Much of the book is a conversation between him and whale giving him a pep talk. When he finds out he’s got 200 miles to go things seem daunting, and he comes up with all sorts of excuses and protests, but the whale convinces him to believe in himself and keep trying, and eventually he finds his friends, just it time to learn about going dormant for the winter.
Puppy Bus
It’s cute. It’s about a boy who’s not excited about the first day of school, but then when he gets on the bus, he realizes he got on the wrong bus. All the other passengers are puppies, and he finds himself at puppy school. Though he doesn’t speak Bark, he goes along with things and finds himself having a rather good day, learning how to play fetch and dig and howl. The next day he’s all excited to return, but this time finds himself on a bus filled with kitties.
Bright
Rachel Kim knows what success feels like. She’s been in a famous K-pop group, Girls Forever, for several years, establishing herself as one of its stars. Rachel has traveled the world and given everything to the group but is intrigued when approached with a few independent job opportunities. With the entertainment group’s blessing, Rachel embarks publically into the fashion design of purses while also privately dating a very connected young gentleman. But not all group members are happy with Rachel’s success. Girl drama mixed with suppressed passion and a little bit of paparazzi scandal propels this semi-autobiographical story. Rachel will learn that sometimes being on a new path is scary, with the unknown around the corner, but you have to try something new to get new results. Anyone who follows K-Pop will enjoy this Bright romp.
My Pet Feet
My Pet Feet provides readers with a glimpse of what the world would be like without the letter R. A young girl awakens to greet her pet ferret, Doodles, who has now been turned into her pet ‘feet’ since the letter R is missing from the alphabet displayed on her wall. She sets out to find out what happened to the missing letter but the town is in R-less chaos. She has to escape many silly R-less obstacles such as a policewoman on a galloping hose, a fiend instead of her friend Lucas, and a flock of cows (crows with cow bodies). She climbs a cane (crane) to escape the pandemonium when Doodles runs away to help lead the way to the R thieves.
I highly recommend this book for young elementary students. The play on words provides an effortless opportunity to build letter knowledge and phonological awareness with young readers. Young readers will also enjoy searching the colorful illustrations to find all of the R-less mayhem like the motorcycle driving on ties rather than tires.
A Grand Day
A Grand Day is a celebration of the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. Children, parents and grandparents gather to enjoy one another’s company while sharing a wide variety of activities. Families are seen enjoying breakfast on the porch, gardening, making sidewalk chalk art, and visiting the park to play, have picnics, and read. The text is brief and rhyme helps detail the excitement the children feel while sharing in each adventure.
I’ve never seen anything like illustrator Samantha Cotterill’s amazing layered, three-dimensional illustrations. She is celebrated for her diorama-style illustrations which are quite unique and really fun to look at. I also appreciated the diversity of family members and one child uses a wheelchair. I recommend this book to help highlight the bond between family, “Family ties so strong and true / Part of me / is part of you.”
Star Fishing
I love the illustrations! They are sweet and fanciful, and very suited to the bedtime story this is. It tells of a child who cannot sleep, but finds a dangling star that invites him to the moon to play with a little rabbit who can’t sleep either. They keep wondering if they are the only ones who can’t sleep, but every time they cast their star line down, they real in another animal who can’t sleep, until the whole gang discovers that the stars aren’t sleepy either. After a fun night of playing among the stars they worry about little rabbit being alone again when they leave, so they create constellations to remind her of her friends, crab, big bear, little bear, fox, and rabbit before being sent off to sleep once more. I confess, as an adult reader, I was a bit disappointed in the simplicity of the plot, I wanted more to happen, but I don’t think the young children who are the target audience will care. They enjoy a story more through their hearts than their heads.
Bravo, Bucket Head!
The Lester-Munsinger duo have teamed up again to share the story of shy Mousetta, who is so shy she walks backward and hides within her parents’ clothes or wherever else she can, feeling mousey next to her cool, gorgeous, awesome field mates. The only way she can work up the courage to attend a workshop that promises to make her feel more outgoing is to wear a bucket on her head. At the workshop she is joined by Lampshade Head, Wastebasket Head, and Blankey Head, but before instruction can begin an emergency alarm warns of foxes in the area, and even the instructor takes cover, hiding in a garbage bin. Realizing that someone better do something if they’re not to end up as fox food, Mousetta tries three times to get enough oomph into her voice to get the others to join hands and charge the foxes.
Scared by the aliens with strange heads and backwards feet, the foxes flee, and Mousetta discovers that her equally shy classmates were none other than the mice she envied, who apparently also feel shy at times. Mousetta is finally comfortable enough in her own fur to lead the parade in celebration of her team’s triumph over the foxes.
A Mermaid Girl
So many children’s books address the theme of feeling like one doesn’t fit in and having the courage to be oneself, and that is fitting, as it’s a struggle we all face at one time or another. This one has the added benefit of addressing this common theme through the experiences of a group often underrepresented in our libraries. It tells of a girl who is so excited to be heading to the pool with her mom in her new burkini, feeling like “a dainty seahorse, or a splendid pineapplefish,” ready to enjoy a day as a mermaid girl. Her joy vanishes when other swimmers point out that her swimsuit doesn’t look like a “real” swimsuit, and question whether she’ll even be able to swim in it. Her mother reminds her of the brave mermaid girls who have come before her and the many more that will come later, and that to stand out is to be full of the things that make you you. With a boost of courage, she joins in and her friends see that she can do all the things they can do, until they want to be mermaid girls, too (even Sam).
A Little Ferry Tale
The illustrations are sweet in a slightly vintage sort of way that suits the story where the main character is a ferry. This little ferry finds herself jealous of the other boats at which her passengers marvel: the rough and fearless tugboat, the speedy speedboat, and the carefree and graceful sailboat. She knew her strengths (being patient and quiet and careful), but no one ever cheers for those things, so she decides to try to be more like the boats she envies. She’s sad when her attempts don’t prove successful, but in the end, she find her strengths allow her to succeed where her flashier friends fail. When fire on a nearby island threaten the animals, quiet and patient and careful are just the things that are needed