Category Archives: Recommendation

The Kite Collector

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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.

Me & Lavender

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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.

Let’s Monster Up!

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By Cyndi Marko

This adorable book is a tale about monster friends who support each other. Seth is afraid of everything but when his friend Ruthie finds that her turtle is missing, Seth has to “monster up” and face many fears to help his friend.

With bright graphics and a simple story, Let’s Monster Up! will be a wonderful book to encourage readers to face their fears, achieve their dreams and support others. I recommend this book for young readers.

Shell Song: Based on a True Family Story

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By Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson

Shell Song is a wonderful reflection upon a family’s story that occured at the beginning of WWII when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Told from the viewpoint of a granddaughter this is a tale that discusses a love of two countries as well as internment. Shigeki Fujimoto survived the Sand Island and Honouliuli Internment Camps where prisoners were subjected to extreme weather and living in tents. He collected shells and saved them. This collection is now a family heirloom.

This book is insightful as well as nicely illustrated. Many ages could read it and enjoy it at many levels. I would highly recommend this book and feel deep discussions could be created.

I am NOT Your Hat!

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By Lisa Bentley

This is a story about friendship and how it is not always as it seems. An outgoing bird has a shy friend, Dot, who sits on their head. No one seems to notice this pink character that is hiding something for Bert. They think Dot is a hat. At first, Dot doesn’t mind as they don’t necessarily want to be noticed but eventually, they get frustrated exclaim that they are not a hat and fly away only to leave Bert’s secret out in the open for all to see.

This is a fun story about friendship and how being shy or outgoing is okay. It also a tale of forgiveness and saying sorry. I would strongly recommend this quirky yet insightful tale for young readers.

Kindness Rocks

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Written by Megan Murphy, Illustrated by JiaJia Hamner

A young boy is having a hard day and as he took a walk he found a rock that was painted and said It’s okay. And, as many of us assume, he creates his own rock for someone else to find and the chain reaction continues.

This is a very colorfully illustrated book that would be wonderful for a collaboration with any art teacher and students. It has a great kindness message and gives kids a way that they can encourage others, spread warm thoughts and be artistic. In the back there are instructions on painting rocks and how to choose the best rock and paint for success. I would recommend this title for any library.

Kersplash! A Cloud Bursts

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Written by Jessica Kulekjian, Illustrated by Zoe Si

This is a wonderful non-fiction title about the water cycle that is well written and with clear illustrations for young readers. Any teacher would be excited to see this book in the library for check out as it is easy to read and gives opportunities for smooth transitions to discussion on the topic. I would highly recommend this book for any elementary library.

Unnaturally Blue

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Written by Dorson Plourde

Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler

This is a stunningly beautiful picture book that delves into feelings of sadness and depression. The main character feels that she no longer fits with the other kids in the pool and so she swims down to the bottom of the pool, pulls out the drain cover and plunges into another world where she is able to cry blue tears enough to fill an entire pond. The content seems quite maturely written and thus, I would recommend this picture book for older readers. The images are quite stunning and the art is fantastic. “You can’t cry in the pool. It’s already blue.”

Freya and the Snake

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Written by Fredrik Sonck

Illustrated by Jenny Lucander

This is a tale about a girl and her family who see a snake nearby. Freya feels that the snake is harmless and should be left alone but her parents are concerned about her younger brother getting too close and the snake causing him harm. Her father ends up killing the snake and Freya is quite upset by this and will not talk to him. In the end, she and her dad resolve their differences and she is more understanding of the situation. This book is translated from Swedish and I am unsure as to if it is a good translation into English. I feel that there could have been different word choices. For example, It uses the word murderer quite a bit including this last part on the last page: “My dad loves me. I love him. I love a snake-murderer.” While the book reflects loss, mourning and anger, I would not recommend this book for an elementary library purchase.

Seoul Food

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Hana, a young biracial girl is excited that both her grandparents will be visiting. She wants to cook a perfect meal that blends her African American and Korean roots. Hana’s mother and father offer suggestions and encouragement as she wrestles with ideas. The blending of the two food traditions with lots of love results in the creation of Kimchi Gumbo. Hana’s dinner is a huge success and so is the family gathering.

Seoul Food uses a young girls efforts to incorporate her grandparents’ cuisine into a single meal to symbolize both the challenges and the joys of blending two cultures. The cute illustrations clearly portray the characters’ emotions. The recipe for Kimchi Gumbo is included at the end.