Review of Four Eyes, by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Graphic Memoir 0

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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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle

Children's Nonfiction Review, Science, Starred Review 0

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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Review of To Boldly Go, by Angela Dalton, illustrated by Lauren Semmer

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

To Boldly Go

How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights

by Angela Dalton
illustrated by Lauren Semmer

Harper, 2023. 40 pages.
Review written March 14, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This is a simple picture book biography of Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek television series.

The book tells more about her life, including that she danced ballet when she was younger and faced racial discrimination. She also sang and toured with Duke Ellington when she was sixteen.

But the focus of this book is on the inspiration she brought to Black families by appearing on screen on equal footing with other crew members of the Starship Enterprise.

Nichelle Nichols did face discrimination in Hollywood when she worked on the show. They didn’t give her her fan mail and they cut many of her lines. She was ready to quit when she met an important fan — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He encouraged her to keep on.

“You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close,” he said. “Don’t you see that you’re not just a role model for Black children? You’re important for people who don’t look like us. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people.”

The book does rest heavily on that one incident, but it ends up being a story that children will readily understand. There’s a bonus in the back matter as we learn that Nichelle helped recruit minorities and women to NASA.

There was one thing that struck me as odd. In all the pictures from Star Trek, instead of the distinctive Star Trek vaguely A-shaped logo, the actors were wearing a star and crescent moon. At first, I thought the illustrator simply got it wrong, but now I suspect that maybe they were not able to get permission to use the logo.

angeladalton.com
laurensemmer.com

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Review of How to Write a Poem, by Kwame Alexander & Deanna Nikaido, art by Melissa Sweet

Children's Nonfiction Review, Poetry, Starred Review 0

How to Write a Poem

by Kwame Alexander & Deanna Nikaido
art by Melissa Sweet

Quill Tree Books, 2023. 32 pages.
Review written June 27, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This picture book is a wonderfully illustrated poem about poetry. It is appropriately fanciful, imaginative, and full of figurative language.

The collage illustrations show kids following the instructions on one level, and imaginative flights of fancy on the other level.

Each line or pair of lines gets a spread. Some of the lines I like best include:

Close your eyes, open the window of your mind, and climb out,
like a seedling reaching for tomorrow.

Next, listen to the grass,
the flowers,
the trees — anything
that’s friends with the sun.

Another wonderful image:

And dive deep into the silent sea of your imagination

to discover a cotton candy cavalcade of sounds —
words raining everywhere.

They tell us to let the words “dance with your joy, speak to your sorrow.”

As the book goes on, the kids who started out sitting in a circle of chairs end up playing in imaginative landscapes.

I have no doubt this book can inspire a new generation of poets. I hope we get it into their hands.

kwamealexander.com
deannanikaido.com
melissasweet.net
harpercollinschildrens.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Make Way, written by Angela Burke Kunkel, illustrated by Claire Keane

Art, Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Starred Review 0

Make Way

The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings

written by Angela Burke Kunkel
illustrated by Claire Keane

Random House Studio, 2023. 44 pages.
Review written June 13, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This is a story of the duckling statues in Boston Public Garden. But deeper than that, it’s the story of two artists — Bob McCloskey, who created the classic book Make Way for Ducklings, and Nancy Schön, who made sculptures of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack, for the Boston Public Garden.

I love those sculptures and visit them every time I go to Boston. In the front of my family’s copy of Make Way for Ducklings, I taped a photo of my firstborn at two years old, happily posing on the back of Mrs. Mallard.

So you need to read your child Make Way for Ducklings first. But after that, after your kid knows about the story, here’s a child-friendly story of how it was created.

It talks about both artists going through hard times before their art was acknowledged in any way. It tells how Bob brought ducks home in order to draw them from life. Later, Nancy purchased a duck foot from a butcher to learn how it was put together. (Wait a second. That’s not as charming a story. But it works in this picture book.)

After the book was created, a friend’s family visited Nancy in Boston. When they visited the Public Garden, the kids asked, “Mommy, where are the ducks?” Nancy decided that would be her next sculpture project.

The pictures of her working on the ducks are wonderful. I always did think she chose the most delightful poses. And they mirror the ducks in the books so well — in three dimensions.

But she didn’t have any permission for this project before she worked on it. So we’ve got a spread showing Bob and his wife looking over her small-scale models.

My favorite page, though, is after she made a full-scale Mrs. Mallard and three ducklings. Bob thought they might be too large. So she brought them outside.

And as Bob stands, quietly observing, three children run — quack, quack, quacking — to come and pat the ducks.
Bob looks at Nancy.
And she knows she has her yes.

I love that page because I’ve seen for myself that children can’t resist those wonderful ducks.

This book owes its brilliance to the original amazing children’s book Make Way for Ducklings, but it is still brilliant. Fans of the original will love learning the story behind the story, and any family traveling to Boston should give it a read.

angelakunkel.com
claireonacloud.com
rhcbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Just Jerry, by Jerry Pinkney

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Just Jerry

How Drawing Shaped My Life

by Jerry Pinkney

Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 146 pages.
Review written 3/23/23 from a library book.
Starred Review

Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney had the words to this book almost completely written before his death in 2021, but the pictures were only in sketch form. However, Jerry’s sketches still make wonderful illustrations for a book, so the editors took what he had made and put it together. And what he made includes at least one sketch for almost every page. The print is in a font that’s easier with kids with dyslexia to read, something Jerry wanted in particular.

This book tells the story of a kid growing up in a Black neighborhood in Philadelphia, surrounded by friends and having adventures. However, he wasn’t so happy about school, because he had dyslexia before it was common to get a diagnosis. He only knew that he had trouble reading.

But a wonderful and understanding teacher noticed how much he loved to draw and let him get extra credit by drawing pictures for the class. And that was the first of many ways adults noticed his passion and encouraged him.

The summer before eighth grade, he got himself a job selling newspapers across from an art supply store. He spent his first earnings on a sketchpad and started sketching in between customers. Before long, he was selling his sketches along with the papers. And that led to meeting an artist who drew a comic in the very papers he was selling. With encouragement from people like these, he began to envision his art as a way to make a living some day, despite his difficulties with reading.

I love the way the book ends. It’s not a spoiler alert if you know that Jerry went on to a distinguished career illustrating and writing children’s books.

I couldn’t even begin to dream of my art being shown in a place like the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I’d never even been to a museum.

But all that time I’d put into drawing, I was drawing my dream. And one day, more than fifty years later, the Philadelphia Museum of Art mounted a solo exhibition titled Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney.

Mother had turned out to be right. She had always said that I would make something of my name.

I had the privilege of hearing Jerry Pinkney speak more than once, and every time he left me with a smile. This book does the same, making me happy that the boy we read about went on to make so many other children happy with his wonderful art.

justjerrypinkney.com
lbyr.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Muhammad Najem, War Reporter, by Muhammad Najem and Nora Neus, illustrated by Julie Robine

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Graphic Memoir, Starred Review 0

Muhammad Najem, War Reporter

How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria

by Muhammad Najem
and Nora Neus
illustrated by Julie Robine
colors by Shin-Yeon Moon

Little, Brown and Company, 2022. 314 pages.
Review written May 10, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

This amazing graphic memoir tells the story of a Syrian kid who decided to let the world know what was going on in Syria — from the perspective of kids who lived there.

The war in Syria began when he was only eight years old. When he was thirteen, his father was praying at the mosque and was killed by a missile. His father had always been one to listen to everyone he met. He’d bring home their stories and tell his kids, “Everyone has a story.”

So when Muhammad got to be fifteen, he wanted to imitate his father and tell the world the stories of kids still living in the war zone of Syria. He began taking videos and posting them online. People warned him not to show his face, but he wanted to prove that real kids were being affected by the fighting. He hoped if the world knew what was happening, they wouldn’t be forgotten.

And then one day, Nora Neus of CNN contacted Muhammad. It turned out to be a few days before a big siege of Eastern Ghouta, where he and his family lived. But they moved to another part of Syria during a cease-fire, and CNN did an online article about him. That article went viral, and the world began to pay attention. Though there’s plenty of tension, because the fame makes Muhammad a target, and throughout the book his life is in danger.

This graphic memoir tells Muhammad’s story in a riveting way. It’s a story of a kid making a difference while lives were being uprooted all around him.

muhammadnajem.com
noraneus.com
julierobine.com
lbyr.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Penguin of Ilha Grande, by Shannon Earle, illustrated by Renato Alarcão

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Starred Review 0

The Penguin of Ilha Grande

From Animal Rescue to Extraordinary Friendship

by Shannon Earle
illustrated by Renato Alarcão

Charlesbridge, 2023. 32 pages.
Review written March 14, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

This picture book tells a sweet story that is also true about a man in Brazil who rescued a penguin covered with oil — and then that penguin became his devoted friend.

His grandson named the penguin Dindim, and after Dindim was strong and recovered enough Seu João tried to set him free, back in the ocean. But Dindim kept coming back.

In February, Dindim finally did leave, and we see Seu João missing all the daily activities where the penguin used to accompany him. But four months later, he was back.

Dindim lived with Seu João for seven years. They swam together, showered together, ate together, and walked on the beach together.

Each year, Dindim changed his feathers, honked goodbye, and headed to sea. For four months, he lived in the wild. No one knows exactly where he went. But every year, right before Seu João’s birthday in June, Dindim came home.

Part of what makes this book so sweet are the pictures of the adorable penguin and his friend in the beautiful setting by the ocean. I mean, creatures don’t get more adorable than penguins, and these pictures are a delight.

This is one of those books that it’s tricky to decide where to shelve it in the library. It tells a true story, so it’s nonfiction. But it’s also a picture book for an early elementary audience, so we hope young kids will find it when browsing. I hope those who read this will make a point of looking for it!

shannonearle.org
alarcao.com.br
charlesbridge.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Sisters in Science, by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Sisters in Science

Marie Curie, Bronia Dluska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood

by Linda Elovitz Marshall
illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso

Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written March 31, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

I’ve read several books about Marie Curie, but I had never heard about her older sister Bronia who made her career possible.

And Marie also made Bronia’s career possible. This picture book explains that the sisters made a pact.

Yet, to achieve their dreams, Marie and Bronia needed to study in a real university, one that accepted women, like the Sorbonne in Paris, France.

But how could they possibly pay?

They concocted a plan:

Bronia would start at the Sorbonne immediately, while Marie would work as a tutor to pay for Bronia’s education.

When Bronia finished, they would switch. Marie would start, and Bronia would pay.

Marie and Bronia made a pact!

The book goes on to tell about both their lives and how they helped each other at crucial times.

Besides Marie’s stellar achievements, which most of us have heard about before, we learn that Bronia and her husband founded a hospital in Poland. And the x-ray machines that Marie developed were used there.

I love that this book about sisters is illustrated by twin sisters. The lovely illustrations make heavy use of scientific symbols, giving wonderful effects.

rhcbooks.com

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Review of The Tryout, by Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Graphic Memoir, Starred Review 0

The Tryout

written by Christina Soontornvat
illustrated by Joanna Cacao
colors by Amanda LaFrenais

Graphix (Scholastic), 2022. 272 pages.
Review written January 12, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

I will keep saying it: Graphic novels are the perfect format for memoirs of middle school. And memoirs of middle school are perfect reading for kids currently going through it, to understand they are not alone. The Tryout will take its place with Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, and Shannon Hale’s Real Friends as wonderful encouraging books for middle school readers, looking at the middle school years from the perspective of adulthood.

This graphic novel memoir tells about Christina Soontornvat’s experiences in middle school in a small town in Texas, where she and her best friend Megan were among very few students of color. Her father was from Thailand and her mother’s whole family from Texas. Megan’s father was from Iran. They’d been kindred spirits for years, and both decided to try out for cheerleading.

But they didn’t have classes together, and when they both decided to try out for cheerleading, Megan chose a different partner. Was Christina going to lose that friendship?

The tryout itself was the same as happened at my high school — the kids tried out in front of the student body, in this case, the whole seventh grade. Yes, that was as much pressure as you can imagine. Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao beautifully portray the anguish all the potential cheerleaders experienced.

With these books, it’s always fun to see pictures at the back of the author when she was actually in middle school, and I really enjoyed these. Yes, she survived the experience!

A wonderful graphic memoir about middle school that kids are going to love.

scholastic.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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