Tag Archives: picture book

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.

Cold

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written by Tim McCanna and illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

What is “cold”? It is many things – a desert at night, a bat-filled cave, a deep ocean or a meadow with snowflakes falling. it is a feeling and a promise. And, it is a place where animals and humans live and can thrive.

Told in eloquent rhyming prose and accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, the concept of “cold” is described in a way that draws in the reader, who can imagine the feeling of being cold as they turn the pages. The story is calm and the detailed illustrations convey that gentleness in a beautiful manner.

Explanations of cold and climate change are added to the end, giving some good scientific information in short, accessible paragraphs. Why we have winter and how animals are adapted to the cold weather is clearly noted. The notes on climate change are concise and factual and the empowering suggestions for helping to fight it are realistic for kids and their adults.

This book will be a great addition to your library as a sweet wintertime read aloud as well as a start to a winter weather or climate change lesson. Highly recommended.

Hap-Pea Valentine’s Day

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by Keith Baker

Peas in many shades of green share the love in this book that is chock full of hearts of all kinds. Peas are shown in various scenes, happily sharing valentines and love. There are chocolate hearts, candy hearts, heart flowers, heart spaghetti and so much more. Vocabulary is heart-themed and rhymes (most of the time).

Illustrations are confection-colored with vivid splashes of green hues, which draw the eye in to the details, of which there are many.Tucked away on each two page spread are a sweet cupid pea and a ladybug, adding to the fun of this Valentine’s Day book.

Add this book to your holiday collection and prepare to purchase the other books by Keith Baker. Your young readers will be asking for more! Recommended.

And Tango Makes Three

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written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole

Roy and Silo are a penguin couple. They build a nest of rocks together just like the other penguin couples at New York’s Central Park Zoo. But, unlike the other penguin pairs, they cannot produce an egg – they are both males. They try to hatch a rock, which doesn’t result in a chick. Their keeper, Mr. Gramzay, solves that problem by giving them another couple’s second egg to hatch (penguins will only hatch one egg, but sometimes lay two). Little Tango hatches and is loved by her parents.

This story is based on a true occurrence at the Central Park Zoo, where Roy, Silo and Tango made their home for many years. This is a gentle reminder that there are loving, diverse families in the world and acceptance of those differences is natural. In this case, it is a family of a tiny penguin chick and her two loving fathers, who “knew just what to do” as they take care of their adopted offspring.

Accompanying illustrations are softly hued watercolors and add to the gentleness of the story. Originally published in 2005, this book is still fresh and necessary. It is a very organic approach to tolerance and the notion that diverse families exist everywhere, even in a penguin colony. New additions include educator notes and afterward by author Eliot Schrefer. Highly recommended.

Giant Parsnip Soup

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by Daniela Sosa

Two friends discover a giant parsnip and think of all kinds of wonderful things to make – a rocket? A slide? A car? They decide on parsnip soup. The rest of this counting story includes the ingredients and growing group of friends that enjoy the soup at the end.

This lovely book is simply written and filled with colorful collage illustrations. Characters are diverse and text is accessible. Share this story with your younger students, who will delight in the active group of chefs that create a shared soup. Recommended.

Sunken Ship (Tiny Habitats)

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by Amy Hevron

in 1733, a ship sank in a big storm as the crew swam to safety. As the years go by, we see the changing habitat, resulting in a thriving artificial reef that sustains a rich variety of marine life. Based on the sinking of the San Pedro (as noted in the afterward), this delightful book looks at Year 1, Year 10, Year 100 and the present day. Not only does the ship provide a wonderful place for the myriad of sea life, the wood itself enriches its resting place as it decomposes.

Students will enjoy the colorful, smiling creatures as well as the funny speech bubbles while they learn some solid science. The back of the book contains a note about artificial reefs and the original San Pedro shipwreck as well as additional reading suggestions and selected sources. Add this book, and the first book, Log Life, to your library. This charming book will hook your kids into more exploration of tiny habitats. Highly recommended.

The Hawk Shadow

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written by Jan Bordeau Caboose and illustrated by Karlene Harvey

Serenity accompanies her brother, Big Ed, on a fishing trip to the Hawk River. As they walk, the siblings chat and tease each other and Big Ed explains the significance of the river’s name. It is named for the the Hawks, Gekek, Keepers of the River and their Protectors. Big Ed and Serenity arrive at the edge of the river and cast their lines, his from a beautiful new fishing pole and hers from a spruce branch made by their father. Serenity is daydreaming as she fishes when a Red Tailed Hawk (Gekek) suddenly appears, swooping over her and screaming, before flying off over the river. Serenity looks around and her brother is no longer there. Gekek, the Red-Tailed Hawk, returns, screams and flies up the river again. Serenity follows and finds her brother, his foot caught between rocks in the river. She doesn’t know what to do until Gekek swoops down over her pole. Serenity holds the pole out to Big Ed and he grabs hold. Together, they work to return him to safety on the river bank. They lay on the river bank for a few moments before heading back home, thankful for the protection of the Spirit guides.

This lively story is wonderful for many reasons. We are given a glimpse of the culture and lives of the Anishinaabe people, an exciting rescue and the loving relationship of a brother and his younger sister. All of this is set in a picture book with vibrantly colored illustrations that transport the reader to the trails and river banks of the Hawk River. Highly Recommended.

Monster Hands

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written by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan; illustrated by Dion MBD

Milo reads some bedtime stories and makes the mistake of reading one about a monster under the bed. Now, he’s POSITIVE there’s a monster under his bed! He knows what to do. He reaches out to Mel, his friend across the street. Placing their flashlights under their hands, they sign to each other. Milo explains his dilemma about the monster under his bead and Mel gives advice and suggestions. Finally, they team up to make hand shadow monsters together to scare away any would-be monster that might be lurking under Milo’s bed. Phew! Such a relief! The story ends with Milo and Mel sharing a signed hug, because monster hands can also give hugs.

This sweet story incorporates ASL in a very natural way as part of the story as Milo and Mel work out how to chase away those monsters. Children will enjoy a story about a situation that might be all too familiar to them – seriously, who hasn’t had a monster under their bed at one time or another? The illustrations are bold and seamlessly incorporate signs along the way. Add this to your collection as it will be a hit. Highly recommended.

Finding Mr. Trunks

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written by Annemarie Riley Guertin and illustrated by Andrea Alemanno

Mr. Trunks is at the airport with his person, Libby, and her family when disaster strikes. Libby drops him! She doesn’t realize it and rushes off with her family, leaving Mr. Trunks behind. Luckily, a baby picks him up and he boards a plane to Italy with the baby’s family, who realizes that Mr. Trunks has tagged along with their family by mistake. With the help of social media and the kind family he is traveling with, Mr. Trunks finds his way back to Libby. He had a lovely trip along the way, which was followed by many interested folks. #FindingMrTrunks

This lovely picture book shows that social media has a positive side where people connect to bring Mr. Trunks and Libby back together again. And, Baby’s Mom does a great job of chronicling his adventures along the way. Characters are mix of human and anthropomorphic animals. engaged in typical travel fun. Recommended.