Big Bad Bunny, by Franny Billingsley

This delightful story for very young children combines a scary story with the reassurance that mama will always be there. The story begins with a horrible bunny monster roaming the countryside. When mama mouse discovers that her youngest child is missing at bedtime, she combs the land until she finds her baby pretending to be the Big Bad Bunny. The baby declares that she isn't a baby anymore and demands some respects, but is very happy to go home with mama to her safe bed. The reader has to go back to the beginning illustrations to see if the clues are there, to realize that the Big Bad Bunny was wearing a costume. This will be a good one for lap reading or pre-school storytime. Children will want to "help" with the bunny's shouts after the first reading.

Tadpole Rex, by Kurt Cyrus

When a dinosaur's foot makes a puddle in prehistoric earth, a tadpole hatches and survives in that footprint puddle. Pictures show the dangers he faces, from carnivorous insects to larger hunters. As this tiny tadpole grows into a frog, he thinks of himself as a fierce creature, meeting triceratops, alamosauruses, and duckbills. The author's note tells that frogs lived 100 million years before these dinosaurs lived. He also warns that pollution and disappearing habitat may cause amphibians to follow the dinosaurs into extinction. This is for the dinosaur lover, the frog lover, and the child who wishes to be stronger than he is. The rhymes, the vivid language, and the sound effects make this book fun. The illustrations complement the text perfectly.

A Kitten Tale, by Eric Rohmann

Four kittens are waiting for their first snow through the other seasons. Three of them are timid, but the fourth kitten is excited and can't wait to see snow for the first time. The artwork is very simple, showing the fourth kitten always trying new things, while the others just sit back and watch. This book if for very young children who also may be afraid of new things.

I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer by Carole Boston Weatherford

This is a beautifully illustrated and well written account of Matthew Henson's life from the age of 13 when he began his first sailing adventure. It is told in the first person. Each page begins with a negative but completes with Henson overcoming that negative. For example; "I did not start as a cabin boy, climb to the ranks of an able-bodied seaman...to drift into humdrum jobs ashore. My dreams had sails." Facts about Henson's accomplishments such as learning to speak Inuit and carrying Peary to safety during during one of the polar attempts are woven into the text and speak to Henson's character. The story is a testament to Henson's determination to overcome prejudice and extreme hardships on his seven sttempts to reach the Notrth Pole. This would be an excellent book to use with character education. It is illustrated by Eric Velasquez and had starred reviews in Booklist, SLJ and Kirkus.

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Rapunzel’s tale gets on a new twist as she emerges as a take-charge personality. After her “mom” locks her in her ghastly tower, she realizes her long hair can be very useful. She uses it to escape (no need of prince charming here, in fact, he happens along after she’s freed herself and she tricks him in to continuing to the empty tower!) and teams up with an annoying boy named Jack (of the beanstalk fame!) to seek revenge on her fake mom and release her real mom from a life of slavery.

It’s lots of fun and a powerful female lead. The graphic nature adds to the adventure, more of the rough and tumble fights and stuff happen in the illustrations, not in the text. Easy to follow graphics with distinction between the narrative description (in beige background rectangles) and the dialog (in white bubbles).

Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman; Illustrated by Ross MacDonald

When you read this book, I believe you will know just the hands into which you will put this story. It tells the tale of the two dweebish outcasts – Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – whose fascination with pulp fiction and comic strips helped them escape from their Depression era teenage lives of unheated homes and missing parents. The two used their talents – Jerry’s imagination & writing and Joe’s imagination & drawing – to create a character that helped others through the end of the Great Depression, through a world war and continues to offer entertainment and escape for people today.

There is a long note at the end which offers facts about the legal battles between Siegel, Shuster and DC Comics, a bibliography at the end and a note that all dialogue between the two came from interviews.

The illustrations by Ross MacDonald are fabulous – done in the style of the era and genre.

As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson; illustrated by Raul Colón

There are good read aloud picture books about the American Civil Rights movement and good read aloud picture books about the Holocaust, but this is the first title that I’ve seen that draws a simple but effective comparison between the two events for children.

A two part narrative first tells the story of King’s childhood experience with discrimination and then adulthood determination to challenge it, ending with his call for “…all God’s children” to join the movement. The story then moves to Herschel’s childhood in Europe and experience in Hitler’s Germany and Poland, his move to America and his answering of King’s call. The two marched together from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 and were apparently admirers of each other.

There is also a good lesson on self-esteem to be learned in this title - both men were raised by strong, loving fathers who instilled their sons with self-esteem. I really like the way the men's lives were shown to parallel - one father tells a son to look up instead of down when he walks, another tells his son to walk like a prince, not a peasant. Both end up following in their father's footsteps - King becomes a preacher like his father, Heschel a rabbi like his father.

A short note at the end tells of the events after the march, to King’s assassination and Heschel’s death a few years later. Raul Colón’s illustrations during the first half are warm & earth-toned, the second half cool & blue-toned – the illustrator is quoted in a book review as saying he did so to evoke the old blue-toned black & white newsreels from World War II.

Recommended for grades 2 - 5

Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog by Mini Grey

Traction Man must venture to the depths of the Evil Bin with "new toy" Turbo Dog to rescue his faithful sidekick Scrubbing Brush.

This book is witty, adventurous, and shows how great a child's imagination can be. I also think it could be used to introduce children to the comic book/graphic novel format. Overall a great read!

Recommended for ages 4-8.

Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson

In addtion to telling a great story about a historical mystery, this book also offers a first class look into how a historian works. The author believes that he has found the real John Henry of the famous folk song in the person of a black prisoner who was sent to work for the C&O Railroad during Reconstruction. That story is compelling by itself, but the story of how the discoveries about John Henry were made is just as interesting. The book explains how the author tracked down elusive primary sources and then used them to connect the dots to make a coherent whole. Period photographs and illustrations, along with side notes, illuminate the text.Marc Aronson's contribution is very readable section called "How to be a Historian." An annotated bibliography, notes about sources, and an index are included. Black history and American history studies can be enhanced by this book. A creative music teacher could use it as well.Grades 4-8.

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman, illustrated by Meilo So

This non-fiction picture book details the story of the famed red-tailed hawk that nested with his mate near the top of a New York City apartment building. While many loved watching the birds, the apartment residents disliked their mess and removed the nest, thus setting off an international protest. The well-rendered watercolor paintings are a beautiful complement to this heart-warming story. Any unit on birds or the environment would benefit from the use of this title. Grades 3 and up.

House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustraed by Beth Krommes

This Caldecott winning title will have high appeal for pre-K and K-1 children. Black and white scratchboard illustrations are lighted with items in gold. A rhythmic, repetitive text helps make the dark seem friendly rather than threatening but also somewhat mystical. In each picture there are many small details to attract a child's attention. Especially charming are the cats.

Trout Are Made of Trees April Pulley Sayre

A very child-centered and eco-friendly way to explore the concept of a food web. In this case some campers set up camp by the edge of a stream and watch as leaves fall in the water and decompose and become food for other creatures. Of course those are eaten by bigger creatures. The book follows the life cycle of trout and points out that the trout eat the creatures that ate the creatures that ate the leaves. Therefore the trout are made of trees as are the people who eat the trout and the bears that also eat trout. Bears are not explained--but clearly bears eat fish. This really makes the concept easy to understand and accessible for kids. The title will encourage them to pick it up--just to see what it is about!

The collage illustrations really show what is happening and the joy experienced by the campers as they witness each stage of the events unfolding in the stream.

The acknowledgements make it clear that there were some experts involved in the making of this book. The back of the book contains a more detailed explanation of the trout life cycle. There is also a bibliography of print and electronic resources and a "Be a Stream Hero" section encouraging conservation and protection of our waterways. Recommended for K-3.

Helen’s Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s Teacher by Mefe Ferguson Delano

An abundance of well-placed and well documented sepia photographs help tell the story of “Miss Spitfire” in a way that is accessible to older elementary school students on up. Annie Sullivan’s life is chronicled, starting with her very early years at Tewksbury Almshouse continuing through her education at Perkins and on to her phenomenal teaching of and dedication to Helen Keller. There are numerous artifacts and illustrations that serve to further young students’ understanding of the topic and the time period, including a map of the various places they lived, a braillewiter, a Keller family teacup and a comic book, depicting Annie and Helen, circa 1945. Also included is a chronology of significant events in both Annie and Helen’s lives as well as a resource list of books, web sites, film, special collection and places to visit. A full page index references over 100 topics.
Additional note: The forward is written by Helen Keller’s great grand niece.

Sandy's Circus by Tanya Lee Stone illustrated by Boris Kulikov

In a year when musicians have been a popular topic for picture books, Tanya Lee Stone and Boris Kulikov have reached back to bring us the childhood and young adulthood of sculptor Alexander Calder. Focusing on Calder's amazing circus in a suitcase that charmed Paris, this creative pair has produced a delightfully engaging book. Stone's prose is somewhat overpowered by Kulikov's fascinating illustrations. His jumps in point of view and selective areas of color and black and white are a large part of the book's charm factors. With only a teasing view of the big mobiles on the last page, readers will have to consult other sources for Calder's more famous works. Sandy's Circus, though, will definitely make young readers curious to learn more about this remarkable artist. Recommended for ages 6 and up.

The Lindbergh Child: The atrocious kidnapping and murder of the infant son of America’s hero Col. Charles A. Lindbergh by Rick Geary

One of several “crimes of the century,” the kidnapping of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s firstborn son on March 1, 1932, captivated the world and tugged at everyone’s heartstrings. Following the payment of a ransom, communication between the Lindbergh family’s go-between and the kidnappers ended. In May of that year, a sad discovery was made not far from the Lindbergh estate—the body of a child later identified as Charles, Jr. Police finally made an arrest more than a year later after carefully tracking ransom bills and linking the suspect, German immigrant Bruno Richard Hauptmann, with forensic evidence and corroborating witness identifications. The circus-like atmosphere of Hauptmann’s trial in Flemington, New Jersey ended in a guilty verdict and his eventual execution. Rick Geary’s graphic illustrations quickly give us background information on Lindbergh and his historic flight and then intimately acquaint us with the layout of the Lindbergh estate and the crime’s major characters. While definitely not for the reluctant reader, Geary’s graphic technique and unique viewpoint will fascinate readers with their own artistic inclinations or an interest in crime stories.
This book is part of a series called A Treasury of XXth Century Murder.

Recommended grade levels: 6-12

The Calder Game by Blue Balliett

The third book in this series finds the three friends in “The Button’s” seventh grade class and no longer students of the beloved Ms. Hussey. While they get to go on a field trip to see the fabulous retrospective exhibit of the work of sculptor, Alexander Calder at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, “The Button” allows no notebooks or pencils, takes Calder’s pentominoes from him, and dogs Tommy whom she has decided is a troublemaker. Seemingly adding to their misery is the fact that Calder will be leaving to go to England with his father for a time. After only a few days in the little town of Woodstock, both the boy Calder and a Calder sculpture mysteriously disappear. Chaperoned by Mrs. Sharpe, Tommy and Petra are brought to England to help Walter Pillay find his son. Tommy and Petra make peace with each other in order to find Calder and soon realize that the two disappearances are related and the townspeople of Woodstock are more involved than the police seem to realize. The discovery of a broken piece of one of Calder’s pentominoes leads to his rescue and the three friends are united as the Calder sculpture is returned to its place of honor in the town square.
Strengths: Balliett continues to give the reader very real children and adults in exciting plots with the added benefit of the author’s passion for art and artists thrown in. The author’s sense of place is also very strong evoking village life in England as well as the grandeur of Blenheim.

Recommended grade levels: 5-8

Black Box by Julie Schumacher

“I understood unhappiness when it came attached to something…But Dora’s unhappiness—or whatever it was—seemed to exist independently on its own. I pictured stunted, faceless creatures manufacturing it in a cave somewhere, like a toxic gas.” (Black box, p.59) Elena’s big sister Dora is depressed. As her condition worsens, Dora eventually attempts suicide and ends up being hospitalized. As the “steady Eddie” of the family, Elena shoulders the burden of helping her sister and trying to support her very distracted parents as well. While her parents have had the wisdom to set Elena up with a therapist, she receives immediate help from a neighbor boy, Jimmy, whom she knows only slightly. Elena slowly builds her trust of the therapist, but comes to rely more and more on her friendship with Jimmy as the family situation and Dora’s condition spiral out of her control. Schumacher has captured the jerky, quirky writing style of many young adolescents in her moving account of a teenager’s descent into mental illness and its toll on her family. Chapters are rarely longer than three or four pages, but have a strong, forward narrative line that makes Black box not only emotionally affecting, but also compelling. Grades 7-12.

After Toupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Neeka and our narrator have been best friends since birth. A new girl shows up on their block calling herself “D” and blends into their friendship seamlessly. The girls call themselves “Three the Hard Way” and build a tight bond over a two year time frame. It’s 1994, the year Tupac Shakur is enduring legal issues and multiple physical attacks. D, and the rest of the neighborhood, relate wholeheartedly to Tupac’s music and their quotations frame their emotions throughout the story.When D’s real mom shows up, D must leave the tight knit community that has taken her in hope of starting a positive new life with her mom. Her departure parallels Tupac’s final attack and eventual death.Woodson weaves a beautifully simple story about friendship, family, community and how the power of can music can tie us all together.Recommended grade levels: 6-12

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

1- A shape shifting 1000+ year old snake imprisoned in a clay jar far beneath the earth imagining finding her missing daughter when she is released.2- A bitter, scarred man set out to kill a giant alligator.3- A gentle make-shift family of a chained hound dog and a mama cat and her kittens who live carefully underneath the man’s ramshackle house.Three wildly different stories are artfully woven together like a tapestry to tell a gothic Southern tale about what love can do for the human spirit.This is an animal tale at heart that tugs at your heartstrings. The fantasy elements blend in as though your grandmother was exaggerating one of her favorite tales from long ago.In the beginning the chapters of each character are so short it’s difficult to keep the reader interested. However, as the mystery begins to unravel, the reader begins to imagine how each story could possibly be connected. Patience is a virtue while reading this yarn.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Sixteen year old, Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem, the future North America that is made up of 12 districts ruled by the Capital. Each year on reaping day, two people from each district are picked for The Hunger Games, a televised survival game. When Katniss’ sister, Prim, is picked, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. The games are required viewing for the citizens of Paneam and they watch until there is only survivor. The book is violent, full of drama, and even a little romance. The story will keep readers on the edge of their seats and the ending will cause them to “hunger” for more.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Sixteen year old, Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem, the future North America that is made up of 12 districts ruled by the Capital. Each year on reaping day, two people from each district are picked for The Hunger Games, a televised survival game. When Katniss’ sister, Prim, is picked, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. The games are required viewing for the citizens of Paneam and they watch until there is only ONE survivor. The book is violent, full of drama, and even a little romance. The story will keep readers on the edge of their seats and the ending will cause them to “hunger” for more.

original post by Cherie Wasserman - YA Lit group, Fall 08