Picture Book Review: Hat Cat by Troy Wilson, illustrated by Eve Coy (2/22/2022)

Quick Booktalk 

An elderly man who lives alone is feeding the squirrels when a cat crawls into his hat and becomes his new friend, sticking around even when the man disappears for a little while. 

About the Illustrations 

The cool, light colors in this book give it a gentle, spring-time feel. The man's affectionate looks at the cat beautifully portray the joy the animal brings to his life. By contrast, when the man seems to be missing, the cat's face and posture help emphasize the cat's feelings of uncertain sadness. 

Story Time Possibilities

This is such a sweet story, not just about a man and his cat, but also about neighbors who step up to care for the cat during the man's apparent time of illness. It would be a great addition to a story time about pets, friendship, hats, or cats. 

Readers Advisory

This book gave me strong Mr. Putter and Tabby vibes, but with a touch more sentimentality. No one dies in the book, but really sensitive kids might worry about that and get upset, so it's probably a good idea to be aware of that. I really like the way this book respects the dignity of older people and allows the man to return to his own home rather than taking the cliche route and relegating him to a nursing home. For that reason, I'm keeping it for our home library. 

Disclosure 

I received a finished review copy of Hat Cat in exchange for an honest review.

Picture Book Review: Somewhere by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Armando Marino (2/22/2022)

Quick Booktalk

A young girl and her dad walk to the park, where she is given the freedom to explore independently and discover somewhere new. 

About the Illustrations

The pictures in this book depict nature as colorful and inviting and as a result, the little girl's foray to "somewhere" feels like a great cheerful adventure. The images of the girl with her dad are also very warm and sweet, depicting a strong loving relationship. 

Story Time Possibilities

I like this book for story time because it doesn't have many words per page and the illustrations are very eye-catching and engaging. It would be good for a father/daughter theme, or for themes such as nature, adventures, independence, trying new things, etc.

Readers Advisory

I love that this book depicts a child being allowed to explore without an adult being directly with her. This free-range approach to parenting is rare in my world, but it's what I aspire to with my kids, and I so appreciate having a book that celebrates kids' capabilities and doesn't try to scare them into staying home with unlikely what-ifs. 

Disclosure 

I received a finished copy of Somewhere from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.

Easy Reader Review: Earth by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by John Wallace (12/14/2021)

Quick Booktalk

This level one Ready-to-Read book introduces basic facts about our planet's axis, rotation, natural history and inhabitants. 

About the Illusrrations

The cheerful illustrations appear to be done in pen and watercolor. They provide strong context for the concepts covered by the text and they make the book visually appealing for developing readers. 

Story Time Possibilities

This is a good basic introduction to planet Earth for preschool and early elementary audiences. Though it's primarily intended to be read by a new reader who can sound out words, the clear writing style and bright illustrations would make it a nice nonfiction addition to a story time as well as a good classroom read-aloud. 

Readers Advisory

Parents who wish to avoid political content and/or confusing messages that attribute human life to something other than God will want to know that the back inside flap of this book includes information about climate change and that the text identifies human beings as children of the Earth. I feel pretty confident that a quick conversation with my beginning reader will be enough to help her read this book with the appropriate understanding, and I plan to give it to her.

Disclosure 

I received a finished review copy of Earth from Simon Spotlight in exchange for an honest review.

Picture Book Review: Behold Our Magical Garden: Poems Fresh From a School Garden by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Daniel Duncan (3/8/22)

Quick Booktalk 

A teacher and a group of diverse students narrate poems celebrating the garden they have created at their school. 

About the Illustrations

The pictures are a mix of fanciful drawings of plants with faces and insects with human features, more naturalistic drawings of the plants and animals in the garden, and scenes featuring cartoonish kids tending to the garden. The illustrations set a very informal and fun tone for the book. 

Story Time Possibilities

While this book is too long to read aloud in its entirety at most story times, the individual poems stand alone well enough that it would be possible to choose a handful of selections to add to a story time plan. The pictures are a bit detailed to be seen at a distance, but the poems can mostly be enjoyed audibly without losing any of the meaning. There is a poem called "Water Lines" that is written for two voices that would be fun to try with school-age kids. 

Reader's Advisory

This is a book that is probably best suited to elementary school classrooms. It's set in a school and focuses not just on the school garden, but in the back matter, on poetry forms. It strikes me as the kind of thing would lend itself to poetry assignments and reports about plants. We happen to be studying plants in our homeschool right now, so my plan is to make it available for pleasure reading, especially to my six-year-old who loves to compose her own poetry. 

Disclosure

I received a finished copy of Behold Our Magical Garden from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.