The Monkey and the Dove and Four Other True Stories of Animal Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland

Unlikely Friendships for Kids

The Monkey and the Dove, by Jennifer S. Holland, is based on a best-selling adult book by the same author, Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom.  This book is interesting and appealing, illustrated with carefully selected photos. There are five chapters, describing five inter-species friendships, with beautifully-written narratives, including context, and closure, for each friendship pair. Recommended for animal lovers.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller

This is an engaging and moving graphic novel about Annie Sullivan, describing, in flashbacks, her tragical childhood of loss and deprivation, her own partial blindness, and then her acclaimed work as Helen Keller's teacher.

Joseph Lambert created a special cartoon style--wordless, in mostly gray and black, and using simple human forms without visual details--for the period during which Helen, up to about age 8, had no language whatsoever, due to her blindness and deafness. These pages are interwoven with detailed, colorful pages showing what else is happening at the same time (such as conversations between Helen's parents and Annie), that Helen is not aware of.

Those of us familiar with some of the conventional biographies of Helen Keller will recognize these scenes, such as Helen running around her family's breakfast table, helping herself to everyone's plate, grabbing and eating their eggs. A strong pair of arms, which we know must be Annie's arms, are shown restraining Helen, repeatedly, making her sit in a chair, and hold a spoon, which Helen endlessly resists.

There is the well-known scene at a water pump, in which Helen finally understands what Annie has so long been trying to teach her--that the word for "water" represents water. And so Helen acquires language, which transforms her life. After this, their relationship deepens, and becomes a flourishing and life-long friendship and collaboration.

This beautiful book is very highly recommended.   2012.

K. Muhm

Snowmobile: Bombardier's Dream Machine, by Jules Older. Illustrated by Michael Lauritano

Snowmobile: Bombardier's Dream Machine

This is a well-written, slightly fictionalized story of the French Canadian inventor of the snowmobile, Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1907-1964). While the story itself is true to the facts, the author has added interest by imagining conversations that could have taken place, and also by placing the invention of the snowmobile in context. Being snowbound, and unable to transport his young son to a hospital, Bombardier knew the value of being able to "drive" over deep snow.
Very readable, and with appealing pen-and-ink illustrations as well as photographs, this book is highly recommended for middle-grade elementary students. 2012.
K. Muhm

Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War, by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War

This short narrative reads like a well-written novel, but it's the true story of Tuyet Son Thi Anh, a young girl who endured polio and war, and who was flown out of Saigon in 1975 by Americans, at the end of the Vietnam War.
Tuyet spent most of her early years in a Vietnamese orphange, caring for children younger than she was, and with only vague memories of her mother. After the fall of Saigon, Tuyet and hundreds of other Vietnamese children were airlifted to western countries--and Tuyet found herself in Canada.
Her memories, as told to the author, are fascinating and poignant. Having never seen a bed, a bathtub, or a fork, Tuyet had many adjustments to make. But luckily she was cherished in her new Canadian family, and has been able to survive and thrive.
An author's note at the end of the book tells of now-adult Tuyet's life today.
Highly recommended! 2011.
K. Muhm

The Scar, by Charlotte Moundlic. Illustrated by Olivier Tallec.

The Scar

This is a picture book about a young child whose mother has recently gotten sick and died. The boy is terrified that he will forget his mother's smell, or even that he will forget her, entirely.
The adults in the story want to support him, but must also cope with their own sadness and devastation.
It's a comforting story that acknowledges the child's pain, and also offers the hope of being able to go on--but without sugar-coating anyone's grief.
The red and sometimes gray charcoal and watercolor illustrations work with the text in prioritizing the child and his feelings; the adults in the story are present but mostly out of sight, except for the immensely satisfying central double-page spread, in which the grandmother reassures her grandson, with her hand on his heart, that his mother (her daughter) is "in your heart, and she's not going anywhere."
I recommend The Scar as a deep and beautiful book for preschoolers who may need it.
K. Muhm
2011

Birds of a Feather: Poems by Jane Yolen. Photographs by Jason Stemple. Foreward by Donald Droodsma, Ph.D.

Birds of a Feather

Exquisite color close-up photos set off Yolen's conversational, loving, witty bird poems. A double-page spread includes a short description, including the scientific name, of each featured bird. 2011.
K. Muhm

America Is Under Attack, by Don Brown

America Is Under Attack

Elementary school children are too young to remember September 11, 2001. Don Brown has written and illustrated a short, beautiful book which straightforwardly and sensitively tells them what happened in New York and Washington that day.

The text gives the chain of events from the points of view of named individuals who survived. The pen and watercolor paintings convey the emotions, always keeping in mind the book's young readers--compassionately, and accurately, but not too overwhelmingly.

Don Brown keeps his focus on the individuals portrayed, while minimizing mention of larger questions about the perpetrators of the attack.

I recommend America Is Under Attack as a well-written and age-appropritate introduction to the topic.

Wiener Wolf, by Jeff Crosby

Wiener Wolf

This is a beautiful, funny book for anyone who, in loving a dog, recognizes their pet's inner wolf.

The deadpan but hilarious text and engaging illustrations combine perfectly to tell a story of longing and of love. The satisfying ending balances the dog's need for adventure and security, and provides both--with a heavy dash of comfort.

Highly recommended. 2011.

A Storm Called Katrina, by Myron Uhlberg. Illustrated by Colin Bootman

A Storm Called Katrina

Bootman's watercolor illustrations and Uhlberg's first-person fictional account is of a ten year-old boy and his parents who are displaced by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

The child describes what he sees, and goes through; his observations of the things his parents, and other adults say and do affects how he feels.

This picture book is a moving and well-crafted story, intended for elementary school-aged children.

2011.

Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds, by Ann McCallum. Illustrated by Leeza Hernandez.

Eat Your Math Homework

Don't be fooled by the picture-book format of this fun--and beautifully illustrated--cookbook. It's definitely for older elementary-aged children. The recipes are all about various math (NOT arithmetic) concepts, such as Fibonacci Snack Sticks, Tessellating Two-Color Brownies, and Probability Trail Mix.

The layout is superb, especially considering all that is carefully included. Recipes are clearly given and humorously illustrated, and the math ideas are well defined and explained. A few small sidebars present concept explanations with stumper-type questions (solutions are at the end of the book). Math terms are in bold font, which is effective. And, there is a glossary and an index at the end. 2011.

Yummy!

K. Muhm

Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole, by Wong Herbert Yee

Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole

Mole is at first in rhapsodies over a magic performer he sees, but then becomes disillusioned and depressed when he realizes it's all "show biz." His friend, Mouse, takes him out into nature, and shows him one miracle after another, and they are all real!

This would be a great first chapter book for the child who is outgrowing beginning readers. 2007

K. Muhm

Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance, by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Photos by William Muñoz

Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance

In 2007, over fifty terribly abused and neglected dogs were discovered in a kennel where NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his partners kept them for dogfighting. This is the story of the rescue and rehabilitation of most of them, and specifically of one young dog, Audie, a pit bull.

Audie's story of suffering, and of love and hope, is told through straightforward, sensitive language, and superb photos. He finds a smart, loving family who earns his trust. Saving Audie is a beautiful story of redemption and joy. 2011.

K. Muhm

The Parade: A Stampede of Stories about Ananse, the Trickster Spider, by KP Kojo. Illustrated by Karen Lilje.

The Parade: A Stampede of Stories about Ananse, the Trickster Spider

The Parade, by KP Kojo, is a gem for folklore lovers of any age. The stories, all based on traditional African Anansi trickster tales, have been retold for elementary-aged readers, at about a fourth-grade (or even younger) reading level.

Each story stands on its own. The tales are so well-written that the reader can almost hear them being told aloud. Lots of action, humor and humanity make this collection very accessible, and, in fact, a joy to read. 2011.

K. Muhm

Silk & Venom: Searching for a Dangerous Spider, by Kathryn Lasky. Photos by Christopher G. Knight.

Gorgeous photos by Christopher G. Knight invite readers to look--really look, up close--at the poisonous spider, the Loxosceles, also known as the Recluse. Scientist Greta Binford is curious, devoted, imaginative and brave in her quest to understand all about this intriguing, and very dangerous, spider. The book follows Greta's life and career, and her worldwide travels and adventures, offering a solid female non-traditional role model. 2011.

K. Muhm

The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties, by Toon Tellegen. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg

This is a lovely collection of short, sweet, interconnected animal stories, reminiscent of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Perfect for bedtime read-alouds, the stories are gentle, thoughtful and comforting--each one satisfying, with emotional depth. The lovely illustrations perfectly complement the stories with their beauty and innocence. This collection will be a classic. 2009.

K. Muhm

The Firehouse Light, by Janet Nolan. Illustrated by Marie Lafrance

A short history of how firefighting has changed over the last century is wrapped in the true story of a hand-blown, four-watt light bulb which was installed in a firehouse in northern California in 1901, which has not burned out yet! The illustrations are reminiscent of American Primitive, fitting in well with the text. Lovely! 2010.

K. Muhm

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Twelve year-old Lanesha, who has no parents, is being cared for, and loved, by a kind woman in her nineties in New Orleans' Ninth Ward in 2005. As Hurricane Katrina approaches, they have no way of fleeing, and must ride out the storm, and the subsequent levey breaches.

Lanesha has to find all her courage and intuition to get through the ordeal, which she does--with the help of her friend TaShon, who has been separated from his parents, and with the guidance of her mother's ghost.

The novel is a page-turner, with emotional depth and beauty. Recommended. 2010.

K. Muhm

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

There is a reason young elementary students (and adults) adore Mo Willems. It's an art to a evoke a stirring emotional truth within the necessary constraints of a beginning reader.

A great beginning reader is as tightly crafted as a perfect poem. It has to be concise, emotionally engaging, have a satisfying plot line, and the language must be simple enough for new readers to decode. The illustrations need to support the text by offering clues to the word meanings, on every page.

Willems' latest, We Are in a Book, delivers humor as well as poignancy in this limited-vocabulary story. The two characters, Elephant and Piggie, become self-conscious when they realize they are characters in this book. At first they feel powerful, but when they consider that all books eventually end, they go through a kind of existential angst. They eventually come up with a solution that the reader can choose to implement, by re-reading the book.

We Are in a Book is the twelfth title in Mo Willems' beginning reader series, "Elephant & Piggie." 2010.

K. Muhm