WONDERFALL by Michael Hall (Greenwillow Books, 2016) Fall comes as a gentle breeze that jiggles an oak tree full of leaves in various shades of green. Acorns fall from the tree: Plink. Plunk. Plop. “Peacefall.” The days grow longer, the colorful oak more beautiful, with bright pops of orange, red, and the changing colors of the season. “Beautifall.” Digitally-rendered… Read more »
October 2016
ONE NORTH STAR, A COUNTING BOOK
ONE NORTH STAR, A COUNTING BOOK By Phyllis Root and illustrated by Beckie Prange and Betsy Bowen ONE NORTH STAR is so much more than a counting book, it is visual and poetic trip through Minnesota’s “bog and marsh, along river and lake, across prairie and into woods.” The images and words compliment each other… Read more »
Juana is pronounced WHO-AH-NAH
I wonder if young readers have ever considered how hard it might be for a child from another country to learn English. Very hard, if you believe Juana, the young, feisty heroine of this charming chapter book. Written and illustrated by Colombian-born Juana Medina, Juana & Lucas (Candlewick Press 2016) is chock full of the… Read more »
I DISSENT, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
I DISSENT, RUTH BADER GINSBURG MAKES HER MARK (Simon & Schuster, 2016) “Speak purposefully and carry a big legal pad. . . . Read this and be inspired to work for justice through the legal system.” (Kirkus Reviews) About this picture book biography of Ruth Ginsburg, I don’t dissent, I agree. This is a powerful, important… Read more »
Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion
PUG Meets PIG (Beach Lane Books/S&S, 2016) by Sue Lowell Gallion, illustrated by Joyce Wan Life is good. Pug has a nice home, a bowl with his name on it, and a yard where he works. He even has a soft bed all his own. It’s everything he needs and a little bit more. Until… Read more »
Super Powers, Superheroes: Peter Powers, Jo Schmo, and Freddie Ramos
PETER POWERS and His Not-So-Super Powers by Kent Clark and Brandon T. Snider, illustrated by Dave Bardin (Little, Brown and Company, 2016) Peter Powers comes from a “Super” family. Mom, Dad, older brother, Gavin, younger sister, Felicia, and Baby Ben each have an amazing superpower. Peter has powers, too, but his super power is, well,… Read more »
Review: Learning How to Be The Best Man
Richard Peck’s latest middle-grade fiction, THE BEST MAN (Sept. 20, 2016, Dial) is full of his trademark humor and intelligence and tackles 21st-century life in lieu of his usual historical fiction. He mentions cell phones, computers, and a printer that spews out hall passes whenever a certain teacher walks by. But it’s not only technology… Read more »
