This is a story about the life of an emperor penguin chick, mostly told from inside the egg. The chick and father await mama’s return from feeding with the egg mostly tucked under the father’s belly on his feet. The chick describes what he hears and feels from inside the egg until near the end of the story when he “CRACK” comes out of his shell to greet his father and returning mother.
This simple story with its warmly colored illustrations gives some great details about the emperor penguin interwoven with the flow of the story. Young students will be learning without even realizing it. An author’s note expands on the information given in the story, which will certainly lead to further research for many interested young penguin enthusiasts. Recommended
This story follows a brother and sister, who become bored one stormy summer day and start to argue. Their grandmother offers advice “Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing.” They come to realize that their imaginations can take them anywhere as they imagine themselves flying over their city, which is full of color. They relive this experience many times over through the fall and winter and they realize that they can use their imaginations in a wonderful way.
Grandmother “had learned to fly from the people who came before. They were aunts and uncles and cousins who were brought here on huge ships,their wrists and ankles cuffed in iron.” She reminds them “But, nobody can ever cuff your beautiful and brilliant mind.”
They move to a new neighborhood and remember their grandmother’s advice when they feel lonely. They aren’t alone for long as they share with their new friends, who ‘One by one they too learned to fly.”
This is a poetic piece that reminds all of us to close our eyes and use our imaginations. There are so many possibilities and the challenges can be overcome. We have that power to look to a brighter future.
Text is accessible and accompanying illustrations are bold, bright and engaging. The author’s afterward gives credit to Virginia Hamilton’s “The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales” for her inspiration. The Main characters are Black and supporting characters are diverse. This is the second book by the author/illustrator duo of Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael Lopez (“The Day You Begin”) and it is just as richly created. Highly recommended.
Dominguita loves to read, especially the books that remind her of the books her Abuela (grandmother) brought from Cuba and shared with her. But, her grandmother now lives in Florida with her sister, because she has a hard time remembering things. And, the class bully makes reading in peace difficult. So, Dominguita decides to become a knight (like the hero, Don Quijote, from her grandmother’s book). She figures that her knighthood will do two things: 1). show the class bully that girls can be knights and 2). help her feel closer to her brother and grandmother, because her brother agrees to write the story of her life as knight to send to Abuela.
Being a knight is hard work and Dominguita has some mishaps along the way. But, she has the encouragement and help of the adults around her. She also gains two new friends along the way. And, her trusty steed, aka dog, is a loyal sidekick in her adventures.
The characters are diverse and the story is accessible for younger readers, who will cheer for Dominguita (or Dom Capote, the fearless knight). Black and white illustrations help move the story along and an author’s note at the end explains the tale of Don Quijote and its connection to our heroine, Dominguita.
A book reminiscent of the old “Your mama so…” sayings, but with some very surprising and positive twists. Told in rhyming text, this picture book looks at a mama that can do and be anything. She dresses beautifully, is a brainiac and fights injustice. She is as strong as a Marine and so funny. Yet, she can sometimes be “cray-cray”. But, that’s ok, because she wouldn’t have it any other way”.
Colors are vibrant and most characters are people of color. The universal theme of love and joy shared by a mother and child are celebrated in exuberant text and illustrations. My only caveat is the use of “your mama” over and over. Will young children understand that it’s a twist on a tired, old joke? I’m not sure. The illustrations are contemporary as is much of the language. Perhaps, young readers will overlook the redundant use of that tired phrase.
I chose this book because (1) Our students love the Mother-Daughter Book Club series and (2) I already have books 1 and 2 in the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series. I haven’t read the first two in the series but was pleased that the author filled in enough detail that I didn’t go into the story feeling lost.
As in The Mother-Daughter Book Club, one of Frederick’s themes is “family.” The close-knit Lovejoy family (their last name says it all!) has gathered for their yearly family reunion, this time in New Hampshire. Our protagonist, Truly, adores her cousins, but with a love-interest this summer, she’s anxious for them to leave so the best summer of her life with R. J. can begin. When the week is up, the unexpected happens when her mom signs her up for mermaid camp with her cousin. It was at this point in the story that I lost interest — it was an odd choice for the author and at that point, the book fell flat for me.
Carol Olivia Clementine lives with Mama Rose and not her parents, who live far away. Although, she misses her parents, she knows she is loved and cared for by Mama Rose. The story progresses through two birthdays with Mama Rose as she and Carol Olivia Clementine go through their days like any other family. Mama Rose combs her and reminds her to do her chores and eat her peas. And, Carol Olivia Clementine refers to Mama Rose as her “home”.
The illustrations are colorful and convey the tender relationship between the two. Both characters are African American. Endpapers show “photos” of Carol Olivia Clementine and Mama Rose as well as photos of her with a man and woman (her birth parents?).
This is a lovely story of a nontraditional family. We don’t know why Carol Olivia Clementine’s parents aren’t with her. We also don’t know if Mama Rose is a foster or adoptive parent or even an elder relative. But, we do know that Carol Olivia Clementine and Mama Rose care for each other very much and that is what matters the most.
This book is perfect to read to students during a family unit or Mother’s Day. It might be relevant to share the author’s end note, which describes her own family as the driving force behind this story. This is a welcome addition in a time when many students live in a nontraditional, non-nuclear family. Highly recommended.
Ana and Andrew are great kids and their parents have noticed. So, Mama and Papa announce that the siblings can choose a pet to take care of together. They research and narrow it down to three, finally choosing a hamster. Ana and Andrew find the perfect hamster, a golden one that loves to run on his wheel. Now, the fun part comes – what to name their new pet? They decide to name him after someone who runs super fast. Their parents tell them about a famous Black track athlete, Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in track at the 1936 Olympics. They describe how important his achievement was at a time when people thought skin color made some people better than others. But, Jesse Owens showed that skin color didn’t determine a person’s abilities. Right then and there, Ana and Andrew knew that their hamster would be named Mr. Jesse. And, it was perfect!
At 32 pages, this easy reader chapter book is a great bridge between picture books and more traditional chapter books. Glossy pages and color illustrations are more picture book-like. The characters are diverse. This book is part of the Ana & Andrew series, which introduces an aspect of African American history and culture in each book. Recommended.
Fifth grade Olivia has many friends and can float easily between groups. One day, Mr. Florez (her teacher) announces the date for the annual fifth grade Variety Show. The students excitedly discuss ideas for their acts and form pairs and groups. That is where the problems begin for Olivia – none of her friends ask her to join their acts! Olivia realizes at that moment that while she has lots of different friends and friend groups, she does not have a best friend. It just hasn’t ‘clicked’ for her.
This dilemma throws her into a panic and she begins to feel isolated and alone. She turns to her family. Her mom wants to fix things for her, which is never a good idea (in a kid’s mind). Help really comes in the form of her rather hip aunt, who has Olivia over for an aunt/niece sleepover and shows Olivia videos of old television variety shows. Aunt Molly also shares her school talent show experience, when she did a solo act and felt great about it. Olivia studies the old shows, thinks about her aunt’s youthful experience and determines the best route for herself.
She returns to school and, as Mr. Florez notes student acts, announces to the class and her teacher that she wants to host the fifth grade Variety Show. Her classmates embrace this idea and her family supports her as she takes on this challenge. When asked how she even thought of the idea of hosting, Olivia replied that it jut “clicked”. In the following days, she and her friends reconnect and she happily moves between friend groups, sometimes introducing them to each other with fun results. The story ends on the night of the Variety Show as Olivia takes the stage and the curtain opens.
This is a wonderful book with a story that many kids of this age can relate to on many levels. Friendships are difficult to navigate and understand and the feeling of isolation can happen on any given moment for the tween crowd. Olivia’s emotions are clearly visible as she grapples with this problem – dreaming about it, thinking about it and talking about it with her family. The beauty of the solution is that is comes from herself. Her aunt gives her some information and Olivia works through it all and is confident in her plan and place.
Illustrations are pen and ink with muted colors and the characters are diverse. Fans of Smile and Best Friends will love this first book in the series.
When a young girl’s parents decide to simplify and downsize from their “ginormous” house with its (very) many pets, she worries that her pet-owning days are over. She learns about some wonderful new “pets” in her science class, organisms such as nematodes, paramecia and, her favorite, tardigrade (water bear). She makes a case for this new pet and her parents agree. The little girl is thrilled, because she can take her new pet anywhere – even to a new, smaller home!
This book introduces many discussion-worthy ideas that can lead in many different directions – research, narrative writing, art and science, to name a few. What does pet ownership entail? How many pets are too many? What are the many microscopic organisms around us? Can we collect and observe some of those organisms?
Text is spare and the illustrations are lively and colorful. The final page has a photo of the tardigrade and an author’s note with more information. Wow! This book is a great addition to your collection, simply due to its versatility and usefulness as a teaching tool. Plus, the kids will love the little critters inside. Highly recommended.
