October 2024 Prime Picks
Reviewer's Choice
Reviewer's Choice
Bedtime Stories for
Privileged Children
Daniel Foxx
Monoray
9781800962095
$16.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children: Charming
Tales of Weath and
Entitlement for Tots Who Were Simply Born Better pairs wry
wit with
insights on wealth and behavior to delight all ages.
Read-aloud
parents
will appreciate the adventures of children whose magical adventures
incorporate
wry cultural and social observations. One example comes from ‘Rupert’s
Holiday’:
‘Come on, Rupert!’ said Papa. ‘We’re going on
holiday!’
‘Coming, Papa!’ said Rupert, finishing up his ceremonial matcha, and
they all piled into the Land Rover Defender.
Black and white
illustrations enhance the whimsy of a hilarious adult satire nicely
disguised
as a children’s story which profiles and illustrates economics and
elite
attitudes for all ages.
Death Valley
Rocks!
Marli B. Miller
Mountain Press
9780878427185
$24.00
www.mountain-press.com
Death Valley Rocks! is a top
recommendation for all kinds of
audiences, from budding geologists to California travelers who would do
more
than just drive through the state’s attractions.
From an
overview of
how Death Valley was formed to sites that serve as important examples
of
geologic history and wonder, destination-oriented readers interested in
a
take-along tote that pairs gorgeous photography with visitor directions
and
science insights will find Death Valley
Rocks! a take-along ‘must.’
Libraries
seeking
California books to add to either their geology or travel sections will
find
the combination of both to be appealing even to readers who may have
curiosity
and interest, but hold little prior experience with either Death Valley
or
geology.
Letters to
the Human
Race … From the Cat
Vicky Halls
Cassell/Octopus
Publishing
9781788405546
$14.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Letters to the Human Race … From the Cat
is the perfect gift for a
cat lover who ‘has everything.’ They likely won’t have this fine book,
reminiscent of Paul Gallico’s classic cat’s perspective of life, The Silent Meow.
The cat
narrator’s
‘fellow felines and I’ have put paw to keyboard to produce a series of
letters
covering common cat care errors that humans are prone to making.
From being
compelled
to eat things not normally edible (a real condition identified by
humans as
“pica”) to playing appropriate killing games with kitties, Letters to the Human Race … From the Cat
offers hilarious food for
thought in a title highly recommended for libraries and gifting to cat
servants
alike.
Young Adult/Children
Broom for Two
Jennifer Maruno
Pajama Press
9781772783209
$18.95
www.pajamapress.ca
Picture book
readers
who enjoy witchy stories of whimsical fun will find Broom
for Two an engaging picture book story that pairs Jennifer
Maruno’s delightfully compelling story of a ruined broom with Scot
Ritchie’s
fun illustrations.
The dilemma
of how a
little witch can pass her first broom-flying test with faulty equipment
makes
for a delightful adventure that illustrates friendship, problem-solving
dilemmas, and odd challenges that demand creative problem-solving.
Read-aloud
adults
will find the dual attraction of witches and underlying messages about
solving problems
and making friends to be particularly inviting.
Wm. B.
Eerdmans
www.eerdmans.com
These new
picture
book arrivals are top recommendations for libraries and read-aloud
adults
looking for creative stories with reinforcing, uplifting messages.
Sara
Lundberg’s The Cat Way
(9780802856333, $18.99) is
translated by B.J. Woodstein. It offers an inviting story of choice,
perception, and the surprises that stem from a cat’s departure from
familiar
walking territory to enter into something different.
Kids receive
a
wonderful story of surprises and discoveries that hold underlying
messages
about control and flexibility which read-aloud adults will find unusual
and
attractive.
Cristina
Sitja
Rubio’s The Most Beautiful Winter
(9780802856272, $18.99) is translated by Vineet Lal. It tells of a
sleepless
badger who misses his winter-hibernating friends, but finds new ways of
creating
winter fun on his own.
Crayon
drawings
capture the animals which pose new dilemmas and opportunities to
Badger, who
has ‘fabulous plans’ for the snowy months. This encourages new
appreciation in
readers about subjects ranging from winter attractions to cultivating
different
types of friends.
Bette
Westera &
Mies van Hout’s Fast Cheetah Slow
Tortoise: Poems of Animal Opposites (9780802856357, $18.99)
is translated
by David Colmer and pairs antonyms with poetry as it contrasts over
thirty
animal kingdom creatures.
Acrylic
inks, oils,
and pastels pair nicely with the free verse, offering young readers
both an
exciting natural history of the animal kingdom and a winning
exploration of
animal opposites and insights. The examples are organized by contrast
(‘Patient/Restless,’ ‘Dangerous/Harmless,’ and ‘Playful/Dignified’) on
facing
pages for solid reinforcement, offering good teaching and adult
interactive
value.
Nancy White
Carlstrom’s
Counting Winter (9780802855701,
$18.99) receives engaging drawings by Claudia McGehee as it considers
how
different animals face winter in diverse ways.
The effects
of snow
on mobility, eating, and more creates a contrast between animal
abilities and experiences
that is fun to read and muse upon.
Anna
Desnitskaya’s A Star Shines Through
(9780802856319,
$18.99) is a warm story of war, refugees, and contrasts between very
different
homes and immigrant experience.
How can a
refugee
family make a strange new environment into a home? Through art,
healing, and
cultivating hope in vastly revised, unfamiliar circumstances.
More so than
many
similarly-themed picture book stories, A
Star Shines Through’s winning plot draws readers with special
power.
Perhaps this is because it was inspired by Desnitskaya’s own flight
from Russia
during the start of the Ukraine War, adding an extra dimension of
insight on
this particular experience and contrasting differences both internal
and
external.
It Is Okay by Ye Guo (9780802856241,
$17.99) explores the
friendship of Goat and Bunny, who revel in their shared enjoyments but
also
admit that, in many ways, they are really very different.
Will these
differences get in the way of their friendship? Only if they pass
judgments on
these differences and consider them ‘wrong.’
Read-aloud
parents
have the perfect opportunity to help young readers explore the nature
of
friendships and differences through this intriguing story of an odd
couple.
Marine
Schneider’s Hiro, Winter, and Marshmallows
(9780802856326, $18.99) is translated by Vineet Lal and explores a bear
who is
simply too curious about the world to sleep all winter long.
When she
awakens
mid-winter and decides to explore, she discovers a new world whose
residents
seem to fear her.
Only Émile,
a boy who also is curious, has the courage to face her ... and so the
two form
an unusual friendship one winter night in an enchanting story about
differences, acceptance, and understanding.
All deserve
a place
in any library or on adult read-aloud lists as exceptional picture book
stories
promoting understanding, acceptance, and positive adaptation.
Penguin
Random House
www.penguin.com/kids
New picture
book
arrivals from Penguin provide young readers and read-aloud adults with
engaging
choices that excel in illustrative, educational, and entertainment
value,
making them lasting choices for leisure readers and elementary-level
library
lending alike.
Varsha
Bajaj’s A Garland of Henna
(9780593325117,
$18.99) receives inviting and culturally expressive illustrations by
Archana
Sreenivasan as it follows the heritage of henna artist Nikita, who is
the
latest in a line of family henna artists. That inheritance doesn’t mean
art is
an intrinsically easy choice, however. Nikita feels like giving up
after her
first botched attempt, but her pursuit of this art form produces
unexpected
results that keep her engaged and learning.
Caged by Kao Kalia Yang (9781984816358,
$18.99) receives simple,
attractive illustrations by Khou Vue as it explores the refugee camp
incarceration of a young Hmong girl who envisions a better life of
freedom and
plays with her cousins, imagining how they can escape their confinement.
When her
family
finally receives permission to leave, she finds that a wealth of
unexpected
experiences awaits her.
Yang
includes many
thought-provoking insights along the way (“That
doesn’t sound very realistic,” an old man says. “What do you know about
what is
real and what isn’t in the head and heart of a child?”),
making the story
of a young refugee’s experience and her interactions with those around
her of
prime interest to read-aloud adults.
Adam Rubin’s
The Truth About the Couch
(9780593619131, $19.99) presents a jolly discourse by a narrator who
confesses
to young readers that he’s about to reveal everything the “furniture
police
don’t want you to know.”
A zany tale
of truth,
imagination, and fun possibilities that revolve around how the couch
was
invented and used adds a very different perspective on the couch’s
importance.
Loaf the Cat Goes to the Powwow by
Nicholas DeShaw (9780593461653,
$18.99) enjoys whimsical, appealing illustrations by Tara Audibert as
it presents
a cat who loves to play with her boy—until he vanishes, one day. It’s
up to
Loaf to follow the clues about where he went.
These lead
her to an
unexpected revelation about her boy, powwows, and her continued
participation
in his life in this fun first-person cat’s perspective about a world
she’d
never imagined.
Cherry Mo’s Home in a Lunchbox (9780593661345,
$18.99) follows young immigrant girl Jun’s move from Hong King to
America,
where she knows nobody and doesn’t speak the language. This is
terrifying to
her, as everything feels strange and threatening.
When she
opens her
lunchbox, however, a surprise emerges that reminds her about home,
introducing
an unexpected new opportunity for friendship.
Mo’s
engaging story
will appeal to read-aloud adults interested in illustrating both the
immigrant
experience and the potential of making new friends even in puzzling
situations.
All are
excellent
choices for lasting library lending and read-aloud value.
A Rainy
Dragon Day
Julie Völk
Gecko Press
9781776575794
$18.99
www.geckopress.com
A Rainy Dragon Day tells of a rainy day
in which ‘nobody goes
outside.’ If being stuck indoors is the mandate, how can joy come from
confinement?
It’s easy, says the first-person dragon
narrator of this story. He
tells of his friendship with Fred and a shared adventure that takes
place when
he finally leaves his abode to discover what is good about the outdoors.
Adults
seeking
whimsical read-aloud stories that pair fantasy, friendship, and
thought-provoking fun will relish the themes of discovery that make A Rainy Dragon Day an inviting
exploration.
Simon and
Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Two new
books offer
engaging perspectives and engrossing stories for readers.
Hatherine
Rundell’s The Zebra’s Great Escape
(9781481491631,
$19.99) matches an adventurous story with equally attractive
illustrations by
Sara Ogilvie as it gives ages 5-9 an engaging tale of a young
rule-breaker and
a zebra with a dilemma.
As Mink
engages on a
mission to help her new friend, mystery, a menagerie of animal
participants,
and zany situations emerge that add life and fun to the story’s
unexpected
twists and turns.
Isabel
Strychacz’s House of Thorns
(9781665942591, $19.99)
tells of Lia Peartree, who is haunted by memories and secrets after the
Peartrees flee their ancestral home. Her oldest sister went missing
that night,
and so there is not only a remaining mystery, but recovery from trauma.
Ages 12 and
up will
appreciate the intrigue and journey which envelopes three sisters and
their
efforts to regain their lives and each other.
These are
excellent
choices that libraries interested in lasting lending materials will
find
attractive.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
John Coy’s The Secret of Fall (9781534113053,
$18.99) reaches ages 4-8 with a warm seasonal survey illustrated with
bright
drawings by Kristen Adam.
Coy’s focus
on the
sights, sounds, smells, and feel that makes fall stand out from any
other
season encourages youngsters to explore and better understand the
outdoors. It
also holds STEM-centered educational information on the science of
photosynthesis, introducing this topic for young learners.
Erica Lee
Schlaikjer’s Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl
(9781534113152, $18.99) will reach the same age group with a gentle
story of a
girl’s recognition of an ugly plant’s medicinal and culinary usefulness.
A wise
mother
responds to her daughter’s inquiry with an invitation to consider the
usefulness of not just this one plant, but other plants around them.
Cinyee Chiu
adds
impressive, inviting illustrations that bring Chinese culture and
nature to
life in this lovely survey of Taiwan and wild greens, including Chinese
and
Pinyin translations alongside the English text, accompanied by
information on
the indigenous Amis people of Taiwan.
Evan
Griffith’s Wild Heart: The Story of Olaus and
Mardy
Murie, Defenders of Nature (9781534112919, $18.99) will
appeal to picture
book audiences ages 6-10 with its story of two conservationists whose
interests
originated in different parts of the country.
Their
passion for
nature dovetailed with their work and their growing affection for one
another
as they joined forces to foster scientific adventures and new
educational
opportunities in conservation.
The Muries
helped
create many wildlife refuges and protected lands. Their story deserves
to be
told to a wide audience, and Anna Bron’s gorgeous illustrations assure
this
book’s attraction.
Cathy
Stefanec
Ogren’s The Little Red Chair
(9781534112902,
$18.99) is for ages 4-8 with an interest in antiques, relationships
with
special chairs, and the passage of time, which changes everything.
Mia’s
initial
attraction to a little chair undergoes changes as she grows, until the
chair is
set aside for different interests.
Will it ever
be used
again?
Alexandra
Thompson
adds inviting illustrations that profile both Mia and her world,
creating
interest among young people who become involved in her life.
Shana Keller
and
illustrator Stephen Costanza’s The Sole
Man: Jan Matzeliger’s Lasting Invention (9781534113008,
$18.99) tells of an
1800s Black immigrant who finds his many talents unappreciated in his
new
American home—especially since his English isn’t good.
Jan learns
shoemaking
to get by, but his real talent lies in inventing machinery. In this
case, he
crafts a machine to help him produce more shoes despite those who scoff
at his
achievements.
How Jan
pursued his
dream and fostered his machine to widespread acceptance makes for a
fine
biographical sketch that holds all kinds of value, from following the
experiences of a Black immigrant to achieving the impossible against
all
opinion and odds.
Just One Girl: A Fight for Equal Rights
by Trinka Hakes Noble
(9781534113046, $18.99) features compelling illustrations by Amanda
Calatizis
as it describes one fourth-grader’s impact on social change and women’s
rights.
Jillian’s
interest in
joining a Math Club (which is traditionally a boy’s territory) sparks a
wave of
reaction that prompts her to protest and take action.
This
addition to the
Tales of Young Americans historical series will delight young readers
with its
child’s-eye view of activism and equal rights.
Memories of a Dog by Devin Scillian
(9781534112995, $18.99) enjoys
engaging illustrations by Tim Bowers as it tells of family dog Topanga,
who
lends a paw to and keeps a watchful eye on his beloved family.
This
engaging
dog’s-eye viewpoint will prove delightful to young readers and
read-aloud
parents as Topanga reviews his skills and contributions to his home.
The Ocean Blue and You by Suzanne Slade
(9781534112797, $18.99)
enjoys bright illustrations by Stephanie Fizer Coleman as it pairs
lyrical text
with evocative “you are here” explorations of the undersea ocean
environment.
It’s a
companion
title to The Universe and You and
offers additional profile of a world that can be connected to young
people’s
personal interests and dreams through the magic of fine associations.
All are top recommendations for discriminating libraries and youngsters.
Tilbury House
Walker Books
Mini doesn’t
realize
this point until she misses a school field trip and discovers that what
she
hears isn’t necessarily the same as what she should
be hearing.
Color Makes the World Go Round! by
Christopher Nelson
(9781760659424, $18.99) explores the importance of color in the world
by
imagining what life would be without it.