A sweet new novel by Kevin Henkes finds its two main characters both annoyed by their parent(s). Amelia’s mom is dead, and her dad definitely does NOT understand her. Mr. Albright(ironically, just the opposite) does not readily express his feelings, either. Thank goodness she has Mrs. O’Brien, her neighbor, a grandmotherly figure who keeps house for her and her dad. Casey’s parent’s are getting divorced and he is thoroughly disgusted by them both. Fortunately, his Aunt Louise is a steady caring figure in his life. The two become friends and help each other to navigate in a seemingly uncaring world. I would recommend it for 4th grade and up.
Archive for the ‘Children’s Readers Advisory’ Category
Sweeping Up the Heart
April 10, 20192018 NY Times/NY Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s books
November 14, 2018
On November 2, the NY Times/NY Public Library’s top 10 best illustrated children’s books of 2018 were announced. Topping the list is Dreamers by Yuyi Morales, with gorgeous colorful collages and is a story about a mother and child who leave Mexico to begin a new life. Dreamers is an autobiographical tale of Morales’ own immigration from Mexico to the U.S. with her son. You can check out this and the other titles in the November 11 NY Times Book Review, as well as on the website.
The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling
May 8, 2018
This children’s picture book by Timothy B. Ering debuted in early 2017, and is a wonderful story about the power of music. Captain Alfred is sailing home with some new ducks and a very special surprise for his wife in his fiddle case : a duckling egg. But a fierce storm hits the small boat and the newly hatched young duckling finds himself alone, floating in a fiddle case. He happens upon the fiddle in the water, and embraces it, and it makes the most beautiful sound. It tames the huge dog that Alfred stumbles across once on land. And the wife, fearfully waiting on the porch for her husband to return from sea, hears the sound as well and races to the duckling’s rescue. And guess who else hears it? A perfect story for this year’s summer reading program!
Mock Caldecott
January 31, 2018
The youth librarians of Rockland County held a Mock Caldecott event yesterday to choose the most distinguished children’s book with respect to artistic excellence. It was quite an interesting experience: four groups were formed with 10 books each to whittle down eventually to one winner. Then the 4 winners were ranked by the entire group as a whole. The results were: winning with the most number of first place votes was “Blue Sky White Stars“, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; a picture book about patriotism whose original art was beautifully done in oils on canvas. Our honor award book with the most second place votes was “Windows“, written by Julia Denos and illustrated by E.B. Goodall. This is a story about a late afternoon- early evening stroll through the urban neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts. A young boy walking his dog peeks into neighbors’ windows to see the small scale theater that takes place within each. So on Monday, February 12, we will find out how close we came to the ALA Caldecott Committee’s choices for a winner! Here is a clip of the process of writing Windows, and a review of Blue Sky White Stars…
Loss of a pet & parent titles for youth
June 17, 2017
The NY Times Book Review this weekend has profiled five new books for youth that deal with loss: four picture book titles that tackle the loss of a pet, and one teen novel that deals with the loss of a mother. Splotch by Gianna Marino & Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket both look at the loss of a pet goldfish; Hey, Boy by Benjamin Strouse deals with a boy and a dog, and Colette’s Lost Pet by Isabelle Arsenault takes a glimpse at a young girl’s attempt to fit into a new neighborhood by inventing the loss of a pet bird.
The teen novel is Speed of Life, by Carol Weston, which I have read and enjoyed. A young teen loses her mother suddenly and must deal with her father dating again. To make matters worse, her dad’s girlfriend has a daughter, Alexa, who is about the same age as Sofia, the protagonist, and is less than thrilled about her mom dating Sofia’s dad. Plus Alexa is not very friendly to Sofia, who turns to an advice columnist, “Dear Kate” for help in dealing with her loss. Recommended for teens in grades 7 and up.
