The Origami Master by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer

Illustrated by Aki Sogabe. A warbler in a tree observes an origami master creating origami during the day. At night, the warbler flies inside and creates his own origami masterpieces. Shimi eventually captures the bird in order to learn its secrets. In the end, Shimi comes to realize the importance of freedom and friendship. The bright, vivid colors of the origami paper, trees, etc. will work well for read alouds. There is a "Make Your Own Origami Bird" activity at the end of the book. In addition to being a wonderful multicultural title, this picture book also contains a simple moral for children.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

A young child barely escapes a vicious murderer and becomes a foster child, of sorts, of the graveyard. He becomes Nobody Owens, Bod for short, and lives a life unlike any other storybook boy. His life in the graveyard may surprise most readers; Gaiman does not paint a bleak, scary life for Bod. On the contrary, he is loved, protected, nurtured, and enriched in many ways. Also, he is not completely unfamiliar with regular life; at one point, he must attend school in the local community, which creates some interesting plot points, as well. As Bod grows, he learns he is still under threat from the murderer that sought him as a toddler. Bod must be brave, strong, and clever to deal with this most nefarious and undeserved enemy.

Gaiman's story is not the usual murder mystery; it is quickly paced without being rushed, and full of interesting characters and unusual situations. Fans of horror and mystery will devour this book. I recommend it to middle school.

What to do About Alice by Barbara Kerley

Alice Roosevelt was a plucky girl and a fun character for a book! Why haven't we seen her before?
This tells the story of the less-than-proper oldest daughter of Teddy Roosevelt and her antics growing up in and around prestidential politics. When her father was elected to the presidency, she was 17 and soon took on an ambassador level assignment and traveled the world spreading good will and collecting gifts from all her admirers. Despite her dad's constant requests to tone down her antics, she remained one of his confidants and a stalwart in Washington until her death in her 80's.
Thorough author's note and sources at the end.

Crazy Like a Fox; A Simile Story by Loreen Leedy

A not-so-complex but clever story, told entirely in similies, of a fox and a lamb. Other animal friends are shown in the story spouting thier own similies that describe the action.
Fun, bright, child friendly illustrations add to the building action that culminates into a big birthday party for the lamb.

Clever grammar exercises and activties are included in the back.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

This story begins in May of 1776 when the mistress of two young slave girls dies. They were to be freed in her will, but a nefarious relative shows up and claims them. They travel to New York where the earliest days of the American Revolution play out while Isabel, the older girl, tries to make sense of their lives. Her younger sister is physiclly and mentally impaired. Her new owners are harsh and cruel. They are also Tories. Isabel agrees to spy on them for the Patriot cause and helps uncover an assassination plot against George Washington. The plight of slaves in the early days of our history is clearly exposed here. Many details of daily life are described. The initial defeats of the Patriot army and nightmarish conditions in the British-run prisons are also graphically detailed. The book is well written and does what all good historical fiction should: it puts meat on the factual bones of the past. Highly recommended for grades 6-8.

Frogs by Nic Bishop

Fabulous photography and fun facts make this a superior science book for elementary and middle school students. Frogs as large as newborn babies, frogs you can see through, a frog that ate seventeen young cobras at one sitting: these are some of the creatures that Bishop brings us. The high resolution close-up portraits of many kinds of frogs are impossible to resist. An author's note explains how he was able to take these amazing pictures. Index and glossary included.

Wanda Gag : The Girl Who Lived to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray

Here is a picture book biograpy for the younger set. In 1928 Wanda Gag created what some have called the first modern picture book, Millions of Cats. The story of her life is one of overcoming hardships. Although she experienced a happy childhood, her father died when she was fifteen, making it difficult for her to pursue her dream of drawing as a profession.How she accomplished that dream makes for an inspriring story. Every page of text has a quotation from Gag's diaries. The pictures are brightly colored and appealing. Grades 1-4.

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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