Review of Good Books for Bad Children, written by Beth Kephart, illustrated by Chloe Bristol

Good Books for Bad Children

The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom

written by Beth Kephart
illustrated by Chloe Bristol

anne schwartz books, 2023. 44 pages.
Review written October 26, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

Good Books for Bad Children is a picture book biography of one of the giants of children’s literature — Ursula Nordstrom, the editor behind hundreds of classics.

The book begins with some spreads about her lonely childhood, early fondness for books, and time in boarding school. Then she couldn’t afford college and got a clerk job in the textbook department at Harper & Brothers publishers. But that led to meeting the head of the Department of Books for Boys and Girls in the cafeteria. And that led to becoming her assistant. And that led to becoming the head of the department four years later in 1940. And that led to many fabulous children’s books being created over the next decades.

The author doesn’t give us a list of books she edited. (I would have liked one in the back, but it surely would have taken up too much space.) Instead, she keeps it interesting for child readers and gives us a story behind the publication of several classics: encouraging Crockett Johnson about Harold and the Purple Crayon, listening to the first line of Goodnight Moon on the phone, laughing with Ruth Krauss over lines for A Hole Is to Dig, and more.

Here’s my favorite spread in that section:

Sometimes Ursula would find a way
to help her writers and artists end their stories.
Like when Maurise Sendak
came to her with a tale about a boy named Max
who goes on a wild stomp of an adventure.

The problem?
Maurice didn’t know how to get Max back home.

“Well, why did Max want to go home?” Ursula asked and asked again.

“Well, he wanted to be where someone loved him best of all,
but he couldn’t really say that,” Maurice said at last.

“Why not?” Ursula asked.

It was the perfect question,
which led to the perfect ending
for Where the Wild Things Are.

I also love the way the author gets across Ursula Nordstrom’s attitude that children need all kinds of books, because there are all kinds of children out there. Indeed, she worked to make good books for bad children.

I was already a fan of Ursula Nordstrom because of reading Dear Genius, a book of her letters collected by Leonard Marcus. I’m happy that now children can learn about this lovely person who made a big difference in the world.

bethkephartbooks.com
chloebristol.com

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Review of The Forest in the Sea, by Anita Sanchez

The Forest in the Sea

Seaweed Solutions to Planetary Problems

by Anita Sanchez

Holiday House, 2023. 92 pages.
Review written April 11, 2023, from a library book.

This is another example of a children’s book that taught me all kinds of science I didn’t know. In this case, it’s the science of seaweed.

The book begins with a story of cows on Prince Edward Island whose lives – and milk – got better when they had seaweed added to their food. In a later chapter, I learned that adding certain kinds of seaweed to cattle feed can keep them from producing methane — and methane from cows is a major force behind climate change.

I learned that there are many different kinds of seaweed, and that they aren’t actually part of the plant or animal kingdoms, but a type of algae. They are fundamental to oceanic ecosystems, and I learned about the Sargasso Sea, which is all about dense mats of floating seaweed called sargassum, sort of a golden floating inverted rain forest, full of a rich variety of marine life.

But this book especially focused on many areas of research using seaweed to solve human problems. This paragraph from the back of the book sums many of them up:

Imagine what the future might hold. Biodegradable plastic made from seaweed. Cars fueled with seaweed. You might drink clean, safe water filtered by seaweed. Maybe you’ll live in a house roofed with insulation of compressed seaweed, or wear clothing made of seaweed fabric. Someday this book might be printed on paper made from seaweed. There’s no end to the possibilities.

It all adds up to a book packed with interesting facts and generously illustrated with photographs.

HolidayHouse.com/BooksforaBetterEarth

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Review of The Girl Who Heard the Music, by Marni Fogelson with Mahani Teave, pictures by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

The Girl Who Heard the Music

How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought Hope New Hope to an Island

words by Marni Fogelson
with Mahani Teave
pictures by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Sourcebooks, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written May 1, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This picture book biography tells the story of Mahani Teave, a girl from Rapa Nui, one of the most remote inhabited islands on earth. They didn’t even have a piano on the island when she was born, but when Mahani was nine, a retired music teacher moved to Rapa Nui with a piano, and Mahani was hooked. She got further lessons after the teacher left, but had to go off the island for more training. She became a concert pianist who performed all over the world.

But an especially inspiring part of her story was that she co-founded a nonprofit which built a music school on the island — built of trash from the nearby ocean!

Although the Rapa Nui School of Music and the Arts was made with tons of trash, it’s powered by nature! Solar panels turn energy from the sun into electricity, and giant barrels hold rainwater for gardens.

So this book is not only the story of a child prodigy, but also a story of fighting for the environment. Rapa Nui is near a place where ocean currents bring trash thrown into the water elsewhere. As well as helping with that mess, the island is working toward being sustainable and waste-free by 2030.

It all adds up to an interesting and inspiring story of a kid who started with a love of music and grew up to help her people and her home.

sourcebookskids.com

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Review of Caves, by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by Kalen Chock

Caves

by Nell Cross Beckerman
illustrated by Kalen Chock

Orchard Books, 2022. 40 pages.
Review written March 9, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This nonfiction picture book is a simple introduction to caves for kids.

It talks about different kinds of caves and what it’s like to explore them. (Don’t go alone!) And it looks at some notable caves around the world. The main text is simple, poetic, and evocative. Then there’s more detail in smaller print about particular caves that are mentioned.

What makes this book extra striking are the stunning paintings in this extra-large picture book. Paintings like the underwater cave in Florida or the caves lit by glowworms in New Zealand pull you in and make you feel like you’re experiencing the caves. I was amazed that this is the illustrator’s picture book debut. I hope we see much more of his work!

This book has lots of facts about caves, but is sure to leave kids extra curious about them. The notes at the end give ideas for getting involved in local spelunking groups.

NellCrossBeckerman.com
scholastic.com

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Stranded! A MOSTLY True Story from Iceland, by Ævar Pór Benediktsson, art by Anne Wilson

Stranded!

A MOSTLY True Story from Iceland

by Ævar Pór Benediktsson
art by Anne Wilson

Barefoot Books, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written September 12, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This book is so much fun! It’s a story that’s true in all essential ways, told in picture book format. Since it’s true, kids will need to go looking for it in the nonfiction section, and they’ll be richly rewarded if they do. Teachers, this would make a great story to read to a class.

The author sets up the reader with a note on the title page:

Everything in this story is true,
except for one little thing.
See if you can spot it!
I will tell you what it is at the end.

With that note, he highlights the many extraordinary parts of the story. You think, surely he’s fibbing! But no, he then tells you that part is true. (And, spoiler, the one falsehood ends up not being essential to the story.)

Here’s how the story begins:

This is a story about my grandfather:
how he got stranded on a volcanic island,
was almost turned into barbecue
and found the most important moment in the world.

He continues with a jovial tone, speaking directly to the reader. He starts out by introducing Iceland and a favorite Icelandic story that every day has one moment filled with magic, and if you can find that magical moment and make a wish, it will come true.

Then he tells about a volcanic eruption off the coast of Iceland that caused a brand-new island to be formed.

For most people, this news was met with the following thought: Oh, how interesting. I will observe this new development from a safe distance, because, as everybody knows, volcanoes are very dangerous.

For my grandfather, however, this news meant only one thing:

“I must go there!”

So his grandfather and a friend got a ride from a fisherman and went to this newly-formed island. Their main rule for exploring the island was this:

If the bottom of your boots started melting,
you probably should be standing somewhere else!

(Which is, when I think about it, a good rule for life in general, not just when you’re visiting an island that is more or less an active volcano.)

They have an amazing time exploring, and it’s portrayed with glorious bright pictures. But after exploring all through the night, in the morning, the fisherman doesn’t come back for them.

They don’t have much food or drink and it gets cold at night. So they slept next to the volcano to keep warm, planning to take turns watching for lava. But they both fell asleep — and in the morning the grandfather’s glasses in his pocket had been melted into two pieces of glass and a twisted string of plastic.

So — they have more adventures and their eventual escape from the island — extraordinary and true — is attributed to the magical wishing moment.

Five pages of back matter tell about Iceland, volcanoes, the island of Surtsey, and Norse gods. All along, we’ve got bright and beautiful pictures highlighting flowing lava and northern lights.

It all adds up to a marvelous tale that will rivet young elementary school students – and teach them, too.

AevarWritesBooks.com
anne-wilson.co.uk
barefootbooks.com

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Review of One Tiny Treefrog, by Tony Piedra & Mackenzie Joy

One Tiny Treefrog

A Countdown to Survival

by Tony Piedra and Mackenzie Joy

Candlewick Press, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written August 16, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

First, a word of warning. This gorgeous picture book looks like an innocent version of the “and then there were none” counting down book where creatures innocently fall away. This one is a book about predators. So read it, by all means — your kids will learn loads about the Costa Rican rain forest — but first make sure your kid won’t get too attached to the treefrog tadpoles. It’s for a slightly older audience that’s ready to learn about the food chain.

The four pages of notes at the back begin like this:

What does it take to become one tiny red-eyed treefrog? (Agalychnis callidryas)

It takes a whole lot of eggs!
Red-eyed treefrogs do not care for their young, so laying many eggs is a survival strategy. The more eggs a mother frog lays, the greater the chances that one will beat the odds and grow into a treefrog.

Going back to the start of the book, we’ve got a beautiful picture with an adult red-eyed treefrog looking on, focused in on eggs on a leaf.

Ten tiny tadpoles grow in their eggs.

And you guessed it, on each page, a predator gets another one of these offspring. Most (but, curiously, not all) of the predators are labeled with small print on the page where they first appear, but some wait until the back of the book. First we see a social wasp that eats an egg. Then the eggs wiggle off the leaf and fall into the water in a nice spread where the reader needs to turn the book to a vertical orientation.

In the water, where they fell with a plink plink plink, there are new predators. We see the tadpoles grow and change. When they start breathing out of the water, there are new predators, and a nice dramatic spread when a large bare-throated fire heron gets one of them. And oh my goodness, the young spectacled caiman is frightening and sinister! (Remember how I said not to show this to the very youngest children? I wouldn’t use it in preschool storytime, but one-on-one, safely in a grown-ups lap, children fascinated with animals may love this book.)

And at the end, with the last tadpole escaped and back on a tree leaf, we’ve got:

Zero tiny tadpoles.

One tiny treefrog.

I can’t stress enough how gorgeous the paintings in this book are. There’s drama, especially with the heron and the caiman (so be sure your child is ready for it), and lots of fascinating details about Cosa Rican wildlife all throughout the book.

A truly wonderful book for early scientists. But I did laugh about all the eating that happens in what looks like such a sweet book.

tonypiedra.com
mackenziejoy.art

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Review of Door by Door, by Meeg Pincus, illustrated by Meredth McKean Gimbel

Door By Door

How Sarah McBride Became America’s First Openly Transgender Senator

by Meeg Pincus
illustrated by Meredth McKean Gimbel

Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written June 15, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

Here is a picture book biography of a state senator in Delaware — who is also the first openly transgender state senator anywhere in the United States.

This picture book explains her career in ways kids can understand. There is no mention of sex or body parts. Here’s how she’s introduced:

From the time she was a tot, Sarah McBride knew two things as sure as the trees lining her Delaware street.
One: She knew she wanted to change the world.
Two: She knew who she was inside.
These two truths would shape Sarah’s life.

The book tells that she had an interest in politics even when she was very young, reading books about presidents and building models of the White House out of blocks. As to the other part:

At the same time, Sarah knew who she was inside: a girl.
Problem was, because of the body she was born in, everyone saw and treated her as a boy.
When her teacher separated the class by gender, Sarah pined to line up with the girls….

When she went bed each night, her belly ached with a feeling like homesickness.
She cried and prayed to wake up as herself.

Most of the book is about her path through politics, including student government in high school and at college in Washington, D.C., but still wishing that others would see her as the young woman she knew she was.

When she did come out as trans, she was overwhelmed by messages of support and realized that her career in politics wasn’t over because of who she was.

This story is inspirational and gentle in telling Sarah’s story. There are six pages of back matter, including how to be an ally to trans people as a cis person.

It’s all child-friendly and may inspire other kids to go into politics to make the world a better place… no matter who they are.

meegpincus.com
meridthsayshello.com
rhcbooks.com

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Review of How Do Meerkats Order Pizza? by Brooke Barker

How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?

Wild Facts about Animals and the Scientists Who Study Them

by Brooke Barker

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022. 200 pages.
Review written March 7, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

How Do Meerkats Order Pizza? is a look at how scientists study animals and learn answers to burning questions like that. Okay, meerkats don’t actually order pizza, but it turns out that they vote about group decisions. Dr. Marta Manser and her team have been studying meerkats for more than twenty years and determined that they cooperate in this way.

The book tells us about seventeen different scientists and the animals they study and lots of cool facts they’ve learned. We also learn about how they figure things out. For example, in studying crows, Dr. John Marzluff used masks to discover that crows remembered faces — and communicated what they knew to other crows. Another story is about Dr. Natalia de Souza Albuquerque studying dogs and used large pictures with happy and angry sounds to determine that dogs know the meanings of basic human facial expressions.

The entire book is full of cartoon illustrations with cartoon animals commenting on the different scientists and facts. Some are just silly, like a horse who gets lost on wrong pages or the Antarctic midge that is convinced it’s the best animal in the book.

This book ends up being a lot of fun and super interesting at the same time. You can’t fail to learn lots of fascinating things about animals from this book, and kids might also be inspired to become scientists themselves.

simonandschuster.com/kids

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Review of Four Eyes, by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza

Four Eyes

by Rex Ogle & Dave Valeza

Graphix (Scholastic), 2023. 222 pages.
Review written July 31, 2023, from a library book.

I’m always a fan of graphic novel memoirs about middle school – it’s the perfect format for expressing the emotions, the humiliations, the ups, and the downs. And it’s a format the target audience loves, so everything together makes it a great choice.

I’ve read Rex Ogle’s memoirs such as Free Lunch and was bracing for a portrayal of abuse. But this book, has a lighter feel and showed the loving side of his home life. Which I enjoyed seeing. His family helped him get through these middle school difficulties.

What he did have to put up with was needing glasses at the start of middle school and not being able to afford a good pair.

Now, I wore glasses from fourth grade on. I don’t remember ever being bullied or even teased about them. Nor do I remember feeling different because of them. It was strange for me to see a school portrayed where Rex was the only one wearing glasses. Though maybe it felt that way.

So I took that with a grain of salt. However, the part about Rex’s best friend making friends with the cool kids — and those kids at the top of the pecking order finding reasons to reject Rex — that part made sense. And then I could believe that his glasses caused social stigma. Add to that the glasses getting broken and having to use tape to hold them together… and yeah this is the relatable stuff you can expect to find in middle school graphic novel memoirs.

May it, too, help kids know they’re not alone.

rexogle.com

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Review of Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle

Butt or Face?

Can you tell which end you’re looking at?

by Kari Lavelle

Sourcebooks Explore, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written July 27, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

I’ve now been Youth Materials Selector for my library system of 22 branches for a full year — and have gotten more requests that we purchase this book than any other nonfiction book.

What is it? Extreme close-up pictures of fourteen unusual animals. And those close-ups are either taken from their front end or their rear end. Turning the page reveals which one.

Like I said, most of these animals are a little unusual. Several insects and arachnids, and more than a few animals from Australia. I definitely was fooled more than once when I read through it.

After you turn the page, you get a more about the animal and where it lives, including little boxes with fun facts headlined either “Face the Facts” or “Beyond the Backside.” A chart at the back tells “Where they rest their BUTTS” and “What goes in their FACES.”

It’s kind of a shame this book came out in the middle of the summer, because it’s tailor-made for booktalking in the schools. I’m sure many librarians will choose to booktalk it next year, but I’ll be surprised if a lot of kids won’t have already seen it. I ordered 22 copies, and they all went to fill holds, with 5 people still having to wait their turn. (This is unusual for a children’s nonfiction picture book.)

This is a funny and playful way to learn about some of the amazing variety in the animal kingdom. Can you tell which end you’re looking at?

karilavelle.com

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