Joy Ride by Sherry Duskey Rinker and Ana Ramírez González
Review copy provided by Candlewick Press
Published 4/26/22
(This was published last year, but I received it for review in April 2023.)
Joy and her grandfather build a bicycle together, and she loves it until some other kids tease her for not having a trendy new bike like theirs. She becomes so angry she tosses the homemade one into a ditch. It turns, out, though, that changing herself to fit in isn't that much fun, and she realizes that she owes her grandad an apology. This is a very different book for Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site author Rinker, and I really enjoyed it, as did my girls ages 5, 7, and 9. I liked that this was a different bike story, not just another tale about perservering when learning to ride.
Published 2/14/23
Kayla imagines her bicycle as a wild horse to be tamed. The illustrations reveal her fantasiesy always showing the shadows of the girl and the bike as a cowgirl and horse. The actual events of the story - trying to ride, falling off, trying again, and eventually succeeding - are typical of stories about learning to ride a bicycle, but the horse-themed references and vocabulary give it a fresh flavor. I really enjoyed this creative take on a perennially popular topic.
Published 3/7/23
A girl (Bonnie) and her dog (hence the bark) sail away on a ship in this poetic litany of sailing terms. Though the poetry is pleasant to the ear, there isn't enough context here to help young readers learn sailing terminology. I requested this after my kids read Swallows and Amazons in hopes that it might reinforce some of the vocabulary they learned there, but it's really just sailing jargon arranged into verse, with a glossary tacked onto the end. I didn't really like the pictures, which felt busy and hard to take in.
Published 3/7/23
This nonfiction title describes in brief the various habitats in which different birds live. Each page includes a few lines of main text and many little blurbs with additional facts. Names of birds are highlighed in bold, and they are depicted with realistic-looking digital illustrations. My three-year-old son is very interested in learning facts about nature, and this kind of visually appealing book is perfect for a pre-reader like him to look at while an older sibling reads aloud the information.
Published 4/26/22
(This was published last year, but I received it for review in April 2023.)
Joy and her grandfather build a bicycle together, and she loves it until some other kids tease her for not having a trendy new bike like theirs. She becomes so angry she tosses the homemade one into a ditch. It turns, out, though, that changing herself to fit in isn't that much fun, and she realizes that she owes her grandad an apology. This is a very different book for Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site author Rinker, and I really enjoyed it, as did my girls ages 5, 7, and 9. I liked that this was a different bike story, not just another tale about perservering when learning to ride.
Wild Blue by Dashka Slater and Laura Hughes
Review copy provided by Candlewick PressPublished 2/14/23
Kayla imagines her bicycle as a wild horse to be tamed. The illustrations reveal her fantasiesy always showing the shadows of the girl and the bike as a cowgirl and horse. The actual events of the story - trying to ride, falling off, trying again, and eventually succeeding - are typical of stories about learning to ride a bicycle, but the horse-themed references and vocabulary give it a fresh flavor. I really enjoyed this creative take on a perennially popular topic.
Bark Ship Bonnie by Stephanie Staib and Fiona Lee
Review copy provided by Harry N. AbramsPublished 3/7/23
A girl (Bonnie) and her dog (hence the bark) sail away on a ship in this poetic litany of sailing terms. Though the poetry is pleasant to the ear, there isn't enough context here to help young readers learn sailing terminology. I requested this after my kids read Swallows and Amazons in hopes that it might reinforce some of the vocabulary they learned there, but it's really just sailing jargon arranged into verse, with a glossary tacked onto the end. I didn't really like the pictures, which felt busy and hard to take in.
Birds Everywhere by Britta Teckentrup
Review copy provided by Big Picture PressPublished 3/7/23
This nonfiction title describes in brief the various habitats in which different birds live. Each page includes a few lines of main text and many little blurbs with additional facts. Names of birds are highlighed in bold, and they are depicted with realistic-looking digital illustrations. My three-year-old son is very interested in learning facts about nature, and this kind of visually appealing book is perfect for a pre-reader like him to look at while an older sibling reads aloud the information.
A Bed of Stars by Jessica Love
Review copy provided by Candlewick Press
Published 4/4/23
A boy who is afraid of the dark at bedtime goes on a road trip with his dad to camp out in the desert where he discovers the beauty of the night sky. This book is by the same author as Julian is a Mermaid, but the subject matter is very different. This story focuses on things like building a fire, studying plant life, and father/son bonding. This has a much more traditional feel to it than many contemporary picture books, and I thought it was a gentle comforting read.
Published 4/11/23
Penelope wants to be the school student-librarian, but her loud voice seems to stand in her way. The illustrations drive home her high volume levels by printing all of her words in giant bold letters inside of speech bubbles. This feels like a strange topic for a picture book. I don't think most people associate libraries with silence anymore. There are other scenarios that would have made more realistic settings for a story about learning to speak at the appropriate volume. I'm donating my copy of this one.
Published 4/4/23
A boy who is afraid of the dark at bedtime goes on a road trip with his dad to camp out in the desert where he discovers the beauty of the night sky. This book is by the same author as Julian is a Mermaid, but the subject matter is very different. This story focuses on things like building a fire, studying plant life, and father/son bonding. This has a much more traditional feel to it than many contemporary picture books, and I thought it was a gentle comforting read.
The Loud Librarian by Jenna Beatrice and Erika Lynne Jones
Review copy provided by Atheneum Books for Young ReadersPublished 4/11/23
Penelope wants to be the school student-librarian, but her loud voice seems to stand in her way. The illustrations drive home her high volume levels by printing all of her words in giant bold letters inside of speech bubbles. This feels like a strange topic for a picture book. I don't think most people associate libraries with silence anymore. There are other scenarios that would have made more realistic settings for a story about learning to speak at the appropriate volume. I'm donating my copy of this one.
Let's Go Puddling! by Emma Perry and Claire Alexander
Review copy provided by Candlewick Press
Published 4/25/23
Parents (two mothers and a father) and toddlers (two girls and a boy), plus a baby, who all live in the same apartment building suit up and head outside to stomp in the puddles on a rainy day. I love how the joyful faces and appealing colors of this book make going out in the rain feel like a joyful experience. A more typical representation of rain in children's books is as an annoyance or obstacle, and I appreciated that this one looked at it as a fun opportunity to enjoy nature.
Published 4/25/23
Parents (two mothers and a father) and toddlers (two girls and a boy), plus a baby, who all live in the same apartment building suit up and head outside to stomp in the puddles on a rainy day. I love how the joyful faces and appealing colors of this book make going out in the rain feel like a joyful experience. A more typical representation of rain in children's books is as an annoyance or obstacle, and I appreciated that this one looked at it as a fun opportunity to enjoy nature.
