Book Review

"Her name was Swatch, and she was a color tamer."

Do you have a hard time choosing just one color to call your favorite? Then meet Swatch. This young girl collects breathtaking colors from all over and places them in jars. One day, she stumbles upon the color she hasn't yet collected: yellow. But yellow doesn't want to be tamed. Will Swatch continue to try and tame yellow, or will she let it roam free?

This picture book is perfect for exposing pre-kindergarten students to a beautiful array of colors. It will be sure to capture their attention with its vibrant artwork.

Find Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color in the Library

Aseel, Kids World

"Can you yawn like a Pteranodan?"

This self-designated "Help-Your-Child-to-Sleep Book" offers illustrations of sleepy dinosaurs as a backdrop for its quiet interactive text. With tips from a certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, this book offers struggling parents a guide to help settle down rombitious young ones. Encourage your child to do as the dinosaurs do- fall sleep. Young dinosaur fans, particularly those between ages 2 and 5, will find this a perfect bedtime story.

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Celeste Kids World

"But in Mississippi you never knew what little thing could spark a flame and get you killed. Registering to vote. Voting. Or even something as little as whistling at a white woman."

 Jim Crow laws are still affecting Mississippi in 1955 as with the rest of the Deep South. African American's are legally free, but in Mississippi the color of your skin still means everything. Rose Lee Carter, the 13 year-old African-American narrator shares her dreams of moving out of her grandparent's sharecropper house and to live up north. But to where? To Chicago, where her Mama left her and her brother for a husband and a new set of kids? Or to St. Louis with her Aunt Belle, a Civil Rights activist that supports the controversial NAACP?

Throughout the book we read about racism in the South and how some African Americans like Rose Lee's grandmother are content with their lives working for a white family and okay with the law that deemed, "separate but equal". But, Rose Lee Carter and those in her community are forced to see things differently when an African American boy, Emmett Till, is found murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman.
 
Would you stand up for what you believe in even if you might be killed? Or would you stay in the shadows and hope that nothing changes?

Rose's voice comes through as a witty and intelligent young girl that tries to see hope in the darkest places. This heart-felt, but raw historical novel is recommended for sixth grade and up.

Find Midnight Without a Moon in the Library.

Victoria, Kids World

"No animal is too small, large, cute, ugly, slimy, furry, feathered, stinky, or dirty... Bog Hollow to the rescue!"

A new chapter book series is hitting Library shelves. The Bog Hollow Boys are part adventure, part ecology exploration, and part mystery. This kid team made up of Ace, Daryl, Ethan, and Nellie (yes, a girl) invesigate suspicious events at Bog Hollow State Park. Together they rescue animals in need from natural hazards and human dangers such as poachers- when they are not in trouble themselves!

These short chapter books will fit perfectly in the hands of 3rd grade and advanced 2 grade readers who love slightly irreverent antics. No real new ground has been broken here, but older fans of the Wild Kratts will likely want to take a look at this series of self-designated animal protectors.

Find the Bog Hollow Series in the Library

Celeste, Kids World

"Iz tak unk gladdenboot?" "Unk gladdenboot!"

This 2017 Caldecott Honor picture book leaves a lot to the imagination. Written entirely in seemingly nonsense words, readers follow a group of bugs discover, celebrate, and eventually abandon a flower throughout its life cycle. Half of the fun of this title is guessing what each bug is saying and what each nonsense word means, what part of language it is, and perhaps making up nonsense dialogue of your own. The other half of the fun is reveling in the wonderful illustrations and learning to connect pictures to text no matter their meaning. Without being heavy handed, Du Iz Tak? hands each reader a lesson in language and storytelling they are sure to never forget!

This title is wonderful for older preschool and younger elementary school students alike, with each age group garnering a different lesson from the text and illustrations.

Find Du Iz Tak? in the Library.

Brittany, Kids World

“He was beginning to have new ideas about how the earth was formed and how animals evolved in order to survive.”

This picture book depicts Charles Darwin as a young man when he sails the HMS Beagle in 1831. The five-year voyage would bring him to exotic places that would spark his curiosity about biology and geology. It teaches us that we should keep our eyes open because we never know what we can learn in the world!

Thermes brings Darwin to life with bright colors and detailed maps of his travels with a time-line of his journey in the front and back of the book. This biography is recommended for all elementary school students, especially those in the lower grades.

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Victoria, Kids World

“M - Moon. Crescent moon in the sky, Bend like me --- Watch clouds float by.”

A colorful ABC board book that doubles as a yoga primer. Each page offers an animal pose with a simple rhyme, inviting little ones to make the shape and be the animal. The poses are simple and convey the intuitive nature of yoga. Back material recaps the origin of each pose used here and explains “What is yoga?” for a young audience and their co-yogis.

This book is recommended for fairly limber caregivers who are stuck indoors with children age 8 and under. Offer the kiddos a new way to be active, entertained and possibly a bit more self-regulating.

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Mary Jo, Kids World

She packed up her things in a big sack, and as she left she shouted back…LEAVE ME ALONE.

With her huge family in the way, their Grandmother can’t get one bit of knitting done before winter comes. So after making her bed, sweeping the floor, and packing her things, she sets out on a quest to be left alone to finish her work. Apparently this task is easier said than done, because each new group of distractions is more annoying than the last!

Young kids with their parents will enjoy yelling ‘Leave Me Alone’ together as they read the story aloud. Short and sweet but full of fun, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

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Naomi, Kids World

"Step by step, she has made a difference... one disagreement after another."

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also known as the Notorious RBG, was the first Jewish woman on the United States Supreme Court and, at nearly 84 years old, she still serves on the Court today. Learn about Ruth's childhood and the injustice she personally faced as a woman and as a Jewish person and how this inspired her to break barriers and stand up for not only herself, but for others facing injustice as well. To become the change you wish to see in the world, there is no better place to start than with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Hand this title to readers of all ages, particularly those in elementary school, who have a strong voice, a passion for justice and politics, or who want to learn more about one of the most important female figures of modern times.

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Brittany, Kids World

"An apple for a pretty thing?"

Most readers are familiar with the story of Snow White, so there will be no real surprises in plot here. However, knowing what is coming just adds to the artful suspense in this graphic novel. Phelan frames his retelling of Snow White in New York City during the late 1920s/early 1930s. Here, Snow White is the daughter of the "King of Wall Street," and the evil stepmother a "Broadway Queen."

Fans of Phelan's Storm in the Barn will find this a tad more sinster in tone.  Deliciously dark, the art leaves much of the acts of violence to the imagination, depicting the omnious results, and is all the more powerful for it.  The fantastical fairy tale is enriched by its historical dressings. The magic mirror has become a stock printer, which is not only a great introduction with the technology of the time, but an ingenious metaphor. Tuberculosis, the stock market crash, the display windows all feature prominently in the plot line. The art stays true to the time period as well, depicting appriopriate room furnishings and clothing.

True to Phelan's style, there is not a lot of text bogging up the pages of this graphic novel, and many panels rely solely on the art to move the story along. A sly "quick" read that invites multiple re-readings to pore over subtlies in the evocative art. This graphic novel is recommended for grades 4 and up.

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Celeste, Kids World