Debut novelist Natalie Dias Lorenzi crafts a beautiful multi-layered story told in the alternating points of view of fifth graders, Skye and Hiroshi. The two are cousins who’ve never met until Hiroshi’s family leaves Japan so Grandfather can receive a new innovative cancer treatment in the United States, where Skye’s family lives. Thrust together by… Read more »
New & Noteworthy
A Cowgirl and Her Horse
A COWGIRL AND HER HORSE, written and illustrated by Jean Ekman Adams, is a delightful picture book about a girl and her horse, their friendship and adventures. Young readers will have fun with this book while stretching their imaginations, especially if they like horses, dogs and outlandish, zany art. Taking care of a horse is… Read more »
The House on Dirty-Third Street
THE HOUSE ON DIRTY-THIRD STREET by Jo S. Kittinger, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez, Peachtree, March 2012 A run-down dirty old house is bad enough to have to claim as home. When moving in to dirt also means “moving away” from everything that has been home, it is hard for anyone not to feel discouraged, angry,… Read more »
One Day I Went Rambling Giveaway!
Parents, teachers, and librarians! Take a moment to consider the absolutely charming premise of One Day I Went Rambling, written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Terri Murphy, won’t you? You’ll be glad you did. In the story, Zane, the protagonist sees magic in the mundane surrounding him. Pop tops are jeweled rings. Wooden crates hold… Read more »
Can I Bring Woolly to the Library, Ms. Reeder?
Can I Bring Woolly to the Library, Ms. Reeder? by Lois G. Grambling, illustrated by Judy Love, Charlesbridge, 2012. Children are clever and convincing and comedic and Grambling showcases these qualities in Can I Bring Woolly to the Library, Ms. Reeder? How could a librarian possibly resist having a woolly mammoth in her library? Especially… Read more »
It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate
Bill Traylor began to draw when he was in his eighties! Not as a child raised as a slave. Nor as a young adult during the ravages of the Civil War. Most certainly not as a young father struggling to feed his family by working as a share cropper. No. Bill Traylor saved up a lifetime of vivid memories – historically… Read more »
We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
Cynthia Levinson’s powerful We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March may well be one of the most fascinating books about the Civil Rights Movement because she sets her focus on the most unsuspecting yet influential group of individuals – kids. Levinson’s work is founded on solid research and poignant interviews with the actual children, now grown adults, who risked their… Read more »
