Category Archives: Reviewer’s Library Type

I Mean You No Harm by Beth Castrodale

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Reviewed by OHS Student, Rory C.

This illustrated biography’s intriguing premise captures and brings the reader into the atmosphere of the novel. After questioning the truth surrounding her mother’s death, Layla searches for answers with her sister. Along the way, the sisters reveal secrets about themselves and their lives while working together to solve this mystery. The premise of the novel is extremely intriguing and it completely draws the readers in. There’s also beautiful imagery which makes the novel far more enjoyable. I like the premise and idea of the story line. It was interesting and I really wanted to know the truth. Despite how good the story could be, the pacing is way too slow. I could not enjoy this book to it’s full potential. It felt as if it was dragging the whole time with so many unreasonable and useless scenes. It could not keep me attentive after the first few chapters and I lost interest for the whole novel itself. I don’t remember many details of it because of how annoying it was to have to wait until something happened. It was unbearable. If you don’t mind it being slow, then you may enjoy this book. It’s an easy read for when you don’t want to try so hard but it is most likely not going to be one of your favorite books of all time.

Whale Eyes: a memoir about seeing and being seen

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by James Robinson

Documentary filmmaker, James Robinson tells his story of growing up with misaligned eyes and his quest to have people understand him and his condition. He starts the book trying to help readers understand what he sees and the struggles that caused growing up in sports and school. He guides the reader through his life of attempted fixes, solutions, and many frustrations. Documentary filmmaking became a way to visually share with audiences (& potential future employers) how to get past the awkward moments of staring at someone whose eyes don’t track the way we’re used to them doing. He coined the term “whale eyes” because we generally have a positive response to the giants of the deep who see like he does out of one side separately from the other. His 12 minute film can be found at whaleeyes.org/watch. I loved the way Robinson gently guides the reader to see like he sees. To reframe the way we look at people who view the world in a different way from the majority. The book is full of simple illustrations. Pairs of pages occasionally turn to be read in a flip book manner. Chapters are short. It was an informative and very readable book. 
Because of the success of Robinson’s film, many other folks connected with his ideas – those with strabismus (misaligned eyes),  prosopagnosia (face blindness), stuttering, and more. People who shared his struggles to communicate all wanted his help with films about their conditions so they could be better understood. Because of that, I think many readers will be able to connect with his book. And the format is perfect for middle grade readers who can sometimes still need concrete examples to understand concepts. A lovely, readable memoir.

Eat Like a Bear

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Written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated Steve Jenkins

The life of a brown bear from month to month is detailed in text and illustrations in this informative picture book. In April, the bear awakens and wonders what to eat, because she is famished after a long hibernation. Each month, new foods are available from cow parsnips and dandelions to ants and trout. Finally, in November, the bear goes into her den to hibernate. Midwinter brings a surprise – two cubs. And, the seasons continue. The end of the book includes numerous facts about bears and an author’s note.

Beautiful collage illustrations pair with short, repetitive sentences to present solid information about the diet, life and habitat of a bear in fictional form. Kids will be enthralled with the variety of her diet and her determination, even when she doesn’t get the meal. You can almost feel her fur in the illustrations and hear the crunch as she munches the cones and moths. Buy this book for your nonfiction collection. The kids will love it! Highly recommended.

A Hat for House One Storm, Many Helpers

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Written by Audrey Perrott and illustrated by Druscilla Santiago

House was hanging out and minding his own business when a strong gust of wind came in and literally ripped his hat (roof) off. This was terrible! He felt exposed and scared. The oak tree was the first to offer help by stretching its leafed branches over house. But, another strong gust of wind blew it back. The squirrels and birds helped by adding twigs, leaves and tufts. But, ugh – more wind. Neighbors came in next and secured a large brown tarp over the house. While it wasn’t pretty, it did the job during a rainstorm and House was thankful. Finally, some roofers come in and added a nice, sturdy and colorful roof, which made the House happy. In the end, another wind came up and the House bravely said ” Don’t even think about it!”

Illustrations are bright and clean. The story is told from the House’s perspective with accompanying illustrations conveying its feelings through its windows (eyes) and door (mouth). Neighbors that come help are diverse and the weather (rain and wind) blanket the pages with their soggy power.

This rather humorous take on the effects of a natural disaster is just right. The story is a sweet reminder that community comes together after a catastrophe and things will get better! Recommended.

I’m Sorry You Got Mad

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Written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Julie Kwon

Jack has to write an apology letter to Zoe, because he knocked down her block castle. Over several rewrites, Jack works through his feelings, sharing with his teacher along the way as she guides him through the process. He finally arrives at the right words to use and Zoe accepts his apology. The story ends with Jack’s new letter to Zoe, saying how much fun he had playing with her in her new castle along with hopeful plans for tomorrow.

This book is a treasure! It methodically moves along with a young character as he opens up about why he did what he did and shows a growing empathy for the girl he hurt by destroying her block castle. Told through his repeated attempts at writing an apology to his classmate, Jack becomes a better friend and his feelings are acknowledged as well. Illustrations provide additional “oomph” to Jack’s feelings as he writes and his frustration and eventual calm are shown in the use of color and expressions. Characters are diverse. In the end, it was a deeper story and a satisfying conclusion for all concerned. Highly recommended.

Let’s fly : Barrington Irving’s record-breaking flight around the world

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Written by Barrington Irving and Chana Stifle; illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice

Barrington Irving is the first Black man and (at the time) the youngest person to complete a solo flight around the world. His life and inspirational flight are detailed in this picture book biography. Barrington, born in Jamaica and living in Florida, played football in school as a way to move past the “badgering” of his classmates. One day, his life changed when he met a Black pilot at his parents’ bookstore. The pilot, Captain Gary Robinson, asked “Have you ever thought of becoming a pilot?” This changed Barrington’s life. Captain Robinson gifted him his first lesson and after that Barrington worked hard, studied hard and practiced, earning his pilot’s license. Captain Robinson challenged him to help others like he had helped Barrington and he created an after school STEM program. He didn’t stop there, though. He wanted to inspire kids even more. So, he decided to fly solo around the world. It was hard to get the plane, plan the trip and find the funding to do it all. But, he persevered and succeeded, culminating in a record-setting flight of 26,800 miles in 97 days.

In addition to the story of his life and flight, this book shares more details such as a two page spread of the a cockpit with labels, a map of his flight path with stops, a timeline, facts, bibliography and some great quotes from Barrington. Given the extras, this book is a great fit for a variety of ages and reading levels. Illustrations are crisp and fit the text nicely.

Add this to your biography section and it will fly off the shelf! Highly recommended.

Game On!

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Written by Maria Le and illustrated by Clarice Elliott

Kids play games all over the world and this book shares a variety of those games. Games are separated into chapters that highlight ball games, board games and playground games. Three or four games are described in each chapter and include their place of origin and a sentence or two about the game. Accompanying illustrations serve to enhance the short paragraphs on each page/two page spread. Unfamiliar words are italicized and a glossary is at the front. A fun addition is at the back where readers are instructed to create their own board game.

Characters are diverse in the illustrations and there is a nice mix of cultures/countries included in the chapters. Interestingly, football is used instead of the Americanized soccer to denote that game. It makes sense, since football is the more universally accepted name. But, it might confuse some young readers. Purchase this book for your younger readers as a nice introduction to other cultures and games. They might even want to learn some of the games as well! Recommended.

Being Home

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Written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Michaela Goade

A young Cherokee girl, her mom and her dog pack up and leave the city to return to their ancestral home. She leaves behind the crowded streets, quick pace and lack of family to a place where there is room to roam, a different tempo, and that connection to her family now and from the past. Her travels are documented in her drawings as her mom drives toward their ancestral lands. When they arrive, they are surrounded by family who happily help unload their belongings, they visit and play. The tempo is slower and she is home.

Spare text and richly hued illustrations convey the warmth and excitement of the this change. The depth of her connection to her family and home is shown in the final pages as she happily engages with her relatives and her place. Sorell (Cherokee Nation) and Grade (Tlingit and Haida) combine their considerable talents to create a special story. Highly recommended.

En Los Naranjales

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by Andrea Cruz Floren

Clara travels with her parents to her extended family’s orange groves in California. She listens to family stories around the table with her cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. Wanting to make her own memories with family, she hides in her grandpa’s truck when he leaves for the fields. After she reveals herself, they spend the day there together making those memories that she needs to connect to her family there in California. He shares the family history with her, mostly good but some painful.

Based on the author’s own family history, this is a sweet story of generational connections and strong family roots. Written in Spanish with lovely illustrations and a strong message of family. Add this one to your collection. Recommended.

Dinosaur Friends!

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by Peter Curtis

Dinosaurs of all sizes romp together in this easy reader. With names like Squeak, Whack and Thud (to name just a few), these dinosaurs are friendly and full of fun. They explore the rainforest of their home, the island Paleos. Most pages introduce another dinosaur by name, with their italicized scientific names and physical attributes (attached to their names). For example: Snap is a Spinosaurus who has very sharp teeth. Whack is a Stegosaurus with a tail that can knock over the other dinosaurs. In this book, dinosaurs play chase, but they never eat each other. Who would eat their friends?

Boldly drawn dinosaurs in vivid colors explore their island home, Their cartoon-like faces are always smiling even when they have very large teeth! Each page has minimal text that early readers will enjoy. A glossary at the beginning of the book details each dinosaur’s imaginary name, scientific name with pronunciation guide and physical attributes. Young readers will enjoy going back to that glossary more than once. Add this to your collection if you need some lower level dinosaur storybooks with the bonus nonfiction content.