GOOD LITTLE WOLF BY NADIA SHIREEN
By lbryant, on April 12, 2012
Rolf’s best friend old Mrs. Boggins says that he is a good little wolf. However, when Rolf bumps in to the Big Bad Wolf in the woods, the question of whether or not Rolf is a real wolf is brought up. Rolf humorously fails each of the tasks the Big Bad Wolf gives him. Much to the Big Bad Wolf’s surprise, Rolf shows him that a proper wolf can also be a good wolf when the Big Bad Wolf makes the mistake of threatening Mrs. Boggins. Maybe Big Bad Wolf will change his ways now that he has seen a different path…
This story would make a great giggly wolf storytime when paired with Emily Gravett’s Wolves and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.
Reviewed by Jennie Tuttle, Wickes Library
Recommended for ages 4 and up
Silly Goose’s Big Story by Keiko Kasza
By lbryant, on April 9, 2012
Goose always has a good story to tell his friends. One day though, they tire of Goose always getting to be the hero in the story. As they argue, a hungry wolf comes and captures Goose while his friends escape. Goose then comes up with his biggest tale ever about a Wem (wolf eating monster) and his friends pitch in and save Goose from becoming lunch. Goose is so happy his friends are there to play the role of hero today! This is a very cute book about friendship.
Review by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library
Recommended for ages 3 and up
I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery by Cynthia Grady
By lbryant, on March 7, 2012
“I need the music of my forebears from Afrik, but take the mending to my lap and work beside the Missus’ chair.”
The words of each poem are written in unrhymed verse with ten lines of ten syllables that mimic the square shape of a quilt block. As in the three layers of a quilt, the author uses three references in each poem: a religious, a musical, and a sewing, or textile art reference in addition to the imagery that each poem brings.
From the cotton fields of the Deep South to a small home in the North, these poems, and quilt blocks, tell the story of the pain and sorrow, the joy and hope of African Americans living in slavery.
For more picture books about story quilts –
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
The author tells the story of how the skill of making quilt maps, and the telling of the stories of the quilts, was passed down from mother to daughter in her family.
The Patchwork Path: a Quilt Map to Freedom by Bettye Stroud
Hannah and her father use the pattern in a patchwork quilt to guide them from a southern plantation to freedom in the Canadian North along the Underground Railroad.
Reviewed by Cheryl Kay, Hoyt Library
Recommended for ages 8 and up
DEAD END IN NORVELT BY JACK GANTOS
By lbryant, on February 22, 2012
“And in 1962,” I said, looking up from the paper and bemoaning my fate, “the longest grounding of a boy named Jack continues to go unnoticed by history.”
Grounded by his parents for accidents not his fault and on loan to his scrappy old neighbor for the summer, Jack Gantos believes that his chance for fun in the small town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania has just slipped through his fingers. However, transcribing obituaries for the town’s medical examiner and history expert Miss Volker while also acting as her underage driver provides Jack with more excitement than his emotional bleeding nose could have ever expected. Will he ever be able to balance the orders of his proud homebody mother with the requests of his adventurous father and the desire to escape the house to adventures with Miss Volker? Will his nose ever stop acting up and dripping blood over everything? And is there something strange about the rash of deaths among the remaining original town settlers?
The treasure of this semi-autobiographical book for me is the sharp zingers that the characters, particularly Miss Volker, fire out. For example, Miss Volker says that Mr. Spizz is “so stupid. Honestly, when he makes alphabet soup it spells out D-U-M-B.” It is such cracks that will have the reader laughing out loud with enjoyment. The 2012 Newbery Medal Award-winning book will tickle the funny bone of those readers who like a bit of sarcasm and clever retorts from their characters.
Reviewed by Jennie Tuttle, Wickes Library
Recommended for ages 10 to 14
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh
By lbryant, on February 22, 2012
As a little boy Diego Rivera loved to draw and this love led him to become one the world’s most famous painters. He grew up in Mexico but then traveled as a young man to study the many different methods of painting. After living and studying in Europe, he was invited back to Mexico to paint murals as a part of a major mural program. The murals were about Mexican history and Mexican people. He painted murals for the next 25 years and really developed his own style. Most were painted in Mexico but some of his murals can be found in places such as Detroit and San Francisco. The author of this book was inspired by Diego Rivera and poses several questions throughout the book as to what Diego would paint if he were here today. This book is a great introduction to this artist and his heritage.
This book won the 2012 Pura Belpre’ award. This award honors a Latino writer and illustrator whose books celebrate Latino culture.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library
Recommended for ages 8 and up
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
By lbryant, on February 9, 2012
This is a Cinderella-like book that will take you on a magical journey. Liesl is locked in an attic by her evil stepmother during her father’s illness and eventual death. She befriends a ghost named Po, its pet named Bundle and eventually a delivery boy named Will. When one of Will’s deliveries goes terribly wrong, the strongest magic in the world ends up in Liesl’s possession. These characters will capture you heart and remind you of the power of love and hope.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library
Recommended for ages 8 to 12
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane W. Evans
By lbryant, on February 9, 2012
The darkness. The escape. We are quiet. The fear….we run. A family silently crawls along the ground. They run barefoot through the dark woods, sleep beneath the bushes, and take refuge in the home of strangers. Readers are enthralled as the illustrator contrasts light and dark colors as symbolism; dark greens and blues for fear and oppression, and vivid golds and yellows to express joy. Using sparse text, this picture book reveals a family’s courageous journey from slavery to freedom, a long awaited source that communicates to younger readers the risks and the triumphs of a people finding freedom on the Underground Railroad.
The author, one of the winners of the 2012 Coretta Scott King Book Award, provides notes at the end of the story about the Underground Railroad, which parents and teachers can use to expand discussion with young students about the history of slavery in the United States.
Reviewed by Rhonda Farrell Butler, Children’s and Teen Services Coordinator
Recommended for ages 4 and up
Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan
By lbryant, on February 9, 2012
Can one person change the world? After you read this story of Irena Sendler, you may just believe so.
This is a story about Irena, a social worker who risked her life to save over 2500 kids from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. People were dying of starvation and disease and Irena knew she had to get the children out. With promises of being reunited, parents would hand their children over to Irena to rescue. Irena would keep careful records of all the children’s family names and she buried this list in jars in a friend’s backyard. Sadly, very few of the children’s parents survived. This is a forgotten story about a very courageous woman.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library
Recommended for grades 4 through 6
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (The Chronicles of Prydain Book 1)
By lbryant, on February 6, 2012
Enter the land of Prydain and meet a boy named Taran, assistant pig keeper. Learn of his adventures and meet the very interesting characters he journeys with along the way fighting evil and protecting his land. He begins his journey as a boy and ends it as a hero. This book series remains an excellent example of great fantasy literature for children and I recommend it to any fan of fantasy fiction!
Series titles in order:
1. The Book of Three (1964)
2. The Black Cauldron (1965), a 1966 Newbery Honor book
3. The Castle of Llyr (1966)
4. Taran Wanderer (1967)
5. The High King (1968), winner of the 1969 Newbery Medal
Reviewed by Kristine Swanson, Butman-Fish Library
Recommended for ages 8 and up
Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
By lbryant, on February 2, 2012
Emily March was the middle sister, and she was sick of it. Her older sister Charlotte always got to pick first because she was the oldest. Then, her younger sister Anne got to pick next because she was the youngest, and she shouldn’t always get the left overs. But that meant that Emily the middle March always had to take what was left.
As English homework, Emily has to find a classic book that is nearly perfect, give three things she loves about the book and one thing she would change about the book. Which book to choose? After rejecting several of the favorites on her bookshelves, Emily settles on Little Women. She has no trouble coming up with three things she loves about the book. But what to change? The thing with Beth? How things end for Jo? Amy winding up with Laurie, the boy next door instead of Jo? With a V-ROOM! and a WHOOSH!, Emily finds herself in front of the fireplace in the March house, surrounded by Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—Emily is still the middle March sister with Meg and Jo older and Beth and Amy younger. It’s 1861, and the March girls are trying to figure out what to get for Marmee, sewing their clothes, making do, taking Christmas breakfast to the Hummels, meeting Laurie, and dealing with Aunt March. Emily has no idea how she came to be with the March sisters, but since she was there, she figured she might as well do what she could to make a happier ending for the March sisters.
Reviewed Kathy Thornhill, Zauel Memorial Library
Recommended for grades 6 and up
The Girl Behind the Glass by Jane Kelley
By lbryant, on February 2, 2012
Twins Hannah and Anna, along with their older sister Selena and their parents, moved into the big house on Hemlock Road while construction on their new home was completed. It used to be someone’s home but, years ago, something happened there, and now the house is just plain creepy. As twins, the girls agree on everything. But after moving into the house on Hemlock Road, they disagree on things for the first time in their lives. It’s like someone or something is trying to drive them apart. Anna settles in to the house, their new school—where for the first time, the twins are in different classrooms. Hannah senses things that no one else seems to notice—like the hemlock tree in the yard that seems to wave its branches shush shush shush. Or at night, if she listens hard enough, it’s almost like someone is trying to talk to her, someone no one else can hear, someone wanting revenge, and wanting Hannah’s help. Is the house haunted, or is Hannah crazy, or does someone in the house want Hannah for a best friend. . . forever?
Reviewed by Kathy Thornhill, Zauel Memorial Library
Recommended for grades 4 and up
Always Neverland by Zoe Barton
By lbryant, on February 2, 2012
Ashley’s Christmas vacation is only a day old, and already she can tell it’s going to be a very llloooonnnnggg vacation, and she’s going to be bored unto death with her busy parents working ALL the time. Why, they don’t even have time to get a REAL Christmas tree from a tree farm. They are going to wind up with one that’s been sitting around for months from a Christmas tree stand.
With all her friends out of town for the holiday, Ashley has nothing to do—until one night, she wakes up and finds Peter Pan in her bedroom wrestling with his shadow. Since his original adventure with Wendy Darling—involving Peter’s shadow needing repair—Peter Pan has been bringing girls to Neverland to take care of the Lost Boys. But Ashley is different from the Wendys of the past—she’s a 21st century kind of girl, and she’d rather be hanging out with Tiger Lily and the mermaids or fight Captain Hook and his crew than fixing meals, cleaning and sewing for the Lost Boys. Ashley’s presence in Neverland shakes things up, and not everyone is in favor of the changes.
Reviewed by Kathy Thornhill, Zauel Memorial Library
Recommended for grades 4 and up
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
By lbryant, on January 30, 2012
This wordless picture book tells the story of Daisy, a small dog, and her beloved red ball. When an over-exuberant playmate damages the ball, Daisy is despondent. Author/illustrator Raschka uses loose and flowing watercolor illustrations to perfectly convey the touching story of Daisy’s emotions from joy to sadness to recovery as the happy ending provides a new toy and a new friend with which to share it. Young children will be pulled in by this story told through pictures. A Ball for Daisy was awarded the 2012 Caldecott Award medal for the quality of its illustrations.
Reviewed by Linda Bryant, Hoyt Library
Recommended for ages 3 to 5
2012 Award and Honor Books by The American Library Association
By lbryant, on January 30, 2012
Caldecott Medal
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Caldecott Honor Books
Blackout by John Rocco
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Me…Jane by Patrick Donnell
Newbery Medal
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Newbery Honor Books
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books
The Great Migration: Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield
Never Forgotten by Patricia C. McKissack
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom illustrated by Shane Evans
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Pura Belpre Author Award
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Pura Belpre Author Honor Books
Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller by Xavier Garza
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle
Pura Belpre Illustrator Award
Diego Rivera: His World and Ours illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Books
The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred illustrated by Sara Palacios
A Month of Sundays by Ruth White
By lbryant, on January 13, 2012
Fourteen-year-old April Garnet Rose has never met her father. He ran off with a carnival singer before she was born. Suddenly deciding to leave Virginia for Florida in search of a job, her mother leaves Garnet with her father’s family, whom she has never met, and they didn’t know about Garnet until she came to stay.
Aunt June (her father’s family names everyone after the months) believes everything happens for a reason, and she thinks Garnet has come to help her in her search for God. Each Sunday brings another church, where Aunt June and Garnet encounter faith healers, snake handlers, people who speak in tongues and Silver Shepherd, a 15-year-old youth minister who is the cutest boy this side of heaven. Garnet now has her own room, and a family—cousins, grandfather—things she has only dreamed of, living with only her mother.
Just as suddenly, Garnet’s life changes again, meeting her long lost father, finding Aunt June has cancer, and she must confront everything she has just learned about God, family and love—and if all things happen for a reason, find the reason for such a senseless accident.
Set in rural 1957 rural Virginia, A Month of Sundays is a heartwarming tale of faith, family, friendship and the strength that comes from having those three things.
Reviewed by Kathy Thornhill, Zauel Memorial Library
Recommended for grades 5 and up
Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2011 by School Library Journal
By lbryant, on January 7, 2012
Around the World by Matt Phelan
*Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (*This title is meant for teen readers.)
Bad Island by Doug TenNapel
Bake Sale by Sara Varon
The Ferret’s a Foot by Colleen A. F. Venable and Stephanie Yue
The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists by Various Artists
Owly & Wormy: Friends All Aflutter by Andy Runton
Sidekicks by Dan Santat
Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins
By lbryant, on January 7, 2012
What if tigers disappeared forever? This book and its stunning illustrations introduce and educate children about extinct and endangered animals. The author thoughtfully explains why and how some animals are disappearing from the world. It begins with stories of extinct animals we will never see again and continues with animals which are disappearing rapidly, such as the tiger and the Asian elephant. The book ends positively by stories of the animals that have been brought back from the brink of extinction like the American bison and the whooping crane. This is an extraordinary introduction to animal conservation. It was named a “Best Book of 2011” by both The Horn Book Magazine and School Library Journal.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt
Recommended for ages 6 and up
Best Books 2011 (Non-Fiction) by School Library Journal
By lbryant, on January 7, 2012
Roots and Blues: A Celebration by Arnold Adoff
America is Under Attack: September 11, 2011: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena
Titanic Sinks!: Experience the Titanic’s Doomed Voyage in This Unique Presentation of Fact and Fiction by Barry Denenberg
Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World by Allan Drummond
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane Evans
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
Can We Save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins
Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man by Katherine Kirkpatrick
The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty
Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters by Donna Jo Napoli
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
Orani: My Father’s Village by Claire A. Nivola
Around the World by Matt Phelan
Into the Great Unknown: How Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman
Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein
Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London by Andrea Warren
The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China by Ed Young
Best Books 2011 (Fiction) by School Library Journal
By lbryant, on January 5, 2012
Outlaw by Stephen Davies
The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright
With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
Addie on the Inside by James Howe
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Wildwood by Colin Meloy
Smells Like Treasure by Suzanne Selfors
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Best Books 2011 (Picture Books) by School Library Journal
By lbryant, on January 5, 2012
Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert
Mine! by Shutta Crum
Three by the Sea by Mini Grey
Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Blackout by John Rocco
Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann
Bumble-Ardy by Maurice Sendak
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
The Loud Book by Deborah Underwood
Along a Long Road by Frank Viva
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
The Twins’ Blanket by Hyewon Yum
The Best Books of 2011 (Non-Fiction) by The Horn Book Magazine
By lbryant, on January 4, 2012
America is Under Attack: September 11, 2011: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
**Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins
Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
Orani: My Father’s Village by Claire A. Nivola
**Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
*The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet
Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story by Thomas F. Yezerski
*2011 Nonfiction Award Winner
**2011 Nonfiction Honor Book
The Best Books of 2011 (Fiction) by The Horn Book Magazine
By lbryant, on January 4, 2012
**Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
**2011 Fiction Honor Book
The Best Books of 2011 (Picture Books) by The Horn Book Magazine
By lbryant, on January 4, 2012
Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The Money We’ll Save by Brock Cole
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
*Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes illustrated by Salley Mavor
Brother Sun, Sister Moon: St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures by Katherine Paterson
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann
Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach
Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
**Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Along a Long Road by Frank Viva
**Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson
The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China by Ed Young
* 2011 Picture Book Award Winner
**2011 Picture Book Honor Book
Tom’s Tweet by Jill Esbaum
By lbryant, on December 27, 2011
Tom is a cat who develops a very unlikely friendship with tiny baby bird after deciding the baby is to skinny to eat. It is extremely entertaining to watch this big cat try to return this baby bird to his nest while comforting it. Having to feed the baby is almost too much for Tom to take. When Mama Tweet learns that Tom has such a big heart she gives him a very special job.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt
Recommended for ages 5 and up
The Lost and Found Pony by Tracy Dockray
By lbryant, on December 9, 2011
This story is guaranteed to pull at your heart strings. A little girl gets a pony she loves deeply only to have it taken away. The pony never gives up hope that he will be reunited with his little girl once again. The little girl’s promise of forever love comes full circle with the happy ending.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt
Recommended for ages 4 and up
Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! by Maureen Wright
By lbryant, on December 9, 2011
Big Bear is convinced that he is causing the leaves and apples to fall off the trees and the geese to fly south with his enormously loud sneezes. All the while the wind is trying to tell and show him she is responsible. Kids will find it funny to see Big Bear trying to nail the leaves back to the tree and all the ACHOOS make for fun aloud reading.
Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt
Recommended for ages 4 and up
The Toon Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics selected and edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly
By lbryant, on December 8, 2011
Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, two heavyweights in the cartoon/graphic novel publishing field, have compiled an amazing collection of comics originally published between the late 1930s and the early 1960s. Donald Duck, Little Lulu, Archie, Pogo, and Captain Marvel are just a few of the stars in the almost seventy stories contained in this gorgeous volume. With its large, full-color coffee table format, this treasury is meant to be poured over, shared with children and grandchildren, and cherished by comic lovers of all ages.
Reviewed by Linda Bryant, Hoyt
Recommended for ages 10 and up
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery
By lbryant, on December 8, 2011
Most of us have never heard of the kakapo, a soft, fluffy, flightless parrot which weighs nearly nine pounds. Native to New Zealand, these charming, rather humorous birds once numbered in the millions. By 1995, there were only fifty-one kakapo left on earth. This book details ten exciting days on Codfish Island where the author/illustrator team helped feed and care for the drastically endangered species. The drama, delight, and sadness surrounding a rare hatch of baby chicks are recorded, with glorious photos helping to bring the text to life. A sure-fire hit for animal lovers, budding naturalists, and conservation-minded readers.
Reviewed by Linda Bryant, Hoyt
Recommended for ages 9 – 12
