Review of All Because You Matter, by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

All Because You Matter

by Tami Charles
illustrated by Bryan Collier

Orchard Books (Scholastic), 2020. 36 pages.
Review written 10/20/2020 from a library book
Starred Review

This picture book is a message book, but it’s written in a way that transcends the message, with poetry and lovely paintings/collages telling children that they matter.

The specific child shown in the illustrations is a black boy, and this book will work best for black boys, but that sure seems fair. And you can use this book to remember the value inherent in all young people – while enjoying the poetry and the stunning illustrations.

It’s a book for reading to your own beloved child. Here’s how it begins:

They say that matter
is all things
that make up the universe:
energy,
stars,
space . . .

If that’s the case,
then you, dear child, matter.

Long before you took
your place in this world,
you were dreamed of,
like a knapsack
full of wishes,
carried on the backs
of your ancestors
as they created
empires,
pyramids,
legacies.

The book talks about when you get older and get to school and start wondering if you matter. This part is as dark as it gets:

Or the time when your Pop Pop
turns on the news,
and you see people everywhere
take a breath,
take a stand,
take a knee.

And you hear Pop Pop’s
whispered prayers,
as another name is called:
Trayvon,
Tamir,
Philando,
and you wonder
if they,
or you,
will ever matter.

But did you know
that you do?

Did you know that
you were born from
queens,
chiefs,
legends?

Did you know that
you are the earth?
That strength, power, and
beauty lie within you?

And that takes the book to the finish with more affirmations and celebrations that you and your family always mattered and always will.

Again, all of this is accompanied by lavishly beautiful illustrations. There are author’s and illustrator’s notes making it personal.

I read another picture book with a similar message shortly before reading this one. I chose not to review that earlier book, because it had a good message, but the book wasn’t much more than the message. This book has reached a level of art in both the illustrations and the poetry. And it tells a particular story that can be universally applied. But it is particular to those who most need to hear it in today’s times. And that’s a lovely breath of fresh air.

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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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books!

Review of Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged! by Jody Nyasha Warner and Richard Rudnicki

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Starred Review 0

Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged!

by Jody Nyasha Warner
pictures by Richard Rudnicki

Groundwood Books (Anansi Press), 2020. First published in 2010.
Review written November 9, 2020, from a library book
Starred Review

We’ve all heard of Rosa Parks. This picture book tells the story of Viola Desmond, an African Canadian who protested the segregation of a movie theater in Toronto in 1946.

The story is presented simply in a way that’s easy to understand. There’s a little bit of drama added to the story as they start off by telling us she’s brave and then tell about her car breaking down on the way home. It was going to take hours to fix, so she decided to see a movie.

At first, she was told politely to move. But they ended up bringing in the police.

But I told you Viola was brave, didn’t I?

She wouldn’t budge one inch because she knew this seating rule wasn’t fair to black folks. It was just plain wrong.

So the manager and the policeman dragged her out of the theater in a real rough way.

Viola didn’t even win her court case. The court refused to face it as a segregation issue and accused her of not paying the right price for the ticket.

Still, Viola’s bravery made a big difference.

She inspired all kinds of people to fight against segregation, and by the late 1950s it was made against the law.

So come on and join me in saying thank you to Viola Desmond, a real hero, who sat down for her rights.

The book has bright, colorful pictures, making attractive to young children a story about making the world more fair.

groundwoodbooks.com

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books!

Review of The Fish of Small Wishes, written by Elana K. Arnold, illustrated by Magdalena Mora

Fantasy, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

The Fish of Small Wishes

written by Elana K. Arnold
illustrated by Magdalena Mora

Roaring Brook Press, 2024. 36 pages.
Review written March 25, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review

This lovely picture book tells a modern version of an old fairy tale that’s child-centered and satisfying.

As the book opens, Kiki Karpovich notices that all the other kids in her neighborhood are playing together, and she’s pretending not to mind. Then she sees a large goldfish floundering on the sidewalk. The fish moves its dry lips, asking for help, so Kiki springs into action.

She picks up the fish, rushes up the stairs into her home, puts the fish in the bathtub, and fills the tub with water.

Then the fish thanks her! With quiet watery, bubbly words.

The fish says he can grant her a wish to thank her, but when she wishes for lots of friends, he sadly reveals that he is a fish of small wishes. Her wish is too big, and she’ll have to think of something smaller.

Kiki thinks of two more wishes, always with the same answer. By that time, the fish is outgrowing the tub. Kiki gets to work trying to dig a pond for the fish in the courtyard. When the task is too big, she has the courage – for the fish’s sake – to ask for help. The whole neighborhood comes together to make a new fishpond.

And Kiki’s wishes are granted!

It’s just lovely the way Kiki’s helpful kindness is it’s own reward. Lots to talk about here, a satisfying story arc, and bright, colorful pictures all make this picture book a great big win. It’s targeted to young elementary kids, but the language is simple enough for preschoolers to enjoy it just as much.

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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 Girls Who Build, by Katie Hughes

Art, Children's Nonfiction Review, Photography, Starred Review 0

Girls Who Build

Inspiring Curiosity and Confidence to Make Anything Possible

by Katie Hughes
illustrated by Kay Coenen

Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2020. 258 pages.
Review written June 8, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review

This book is amazing and inspirational. It’s a high-quality photo book full of photographs of girls who build. Each featured girl has information about them – first name, age, location, and where they learn – and then a short interview about their history with building and how building makes them feel. Many of the girls present a project they’ve made, and instructions follow to make the project.

The book has a glossary and extensive instructions about building at the front. The importance of competent supervision and safety gear are stressed.

The author and photographer, Katie Hughes, is the founder of Girls Build. I absolutely love the story she tells at the end of her introduction which explains about the camp she runs, teaching girls to use tools:

On the last day of camp, when the girls are wild, loud, and somewhat preposterous as they tour their parents and guardians around, I make sure to position myself near what is commonly called the chop saw a stationary tool that sits on its own stand and features a 12” blade. Formally, it’s known as a sliding compound miter saw. To operate it, girls must reach up to the handle, hit the trigger, and lower the blade through a piece of wood. To parental eyes, it can look terrifying. It’s time to show off, though, and each girl walks up confidently.

She does all the prerequisite measuring and safety steps, and finally rests her fingers on the trigger, ready to cut. It’s at that moment that her parents, who have clearly been holding back, look to her and say, “Are you sure you can use this?” It’s like they waited until the last second, knowing they sent her to camp for this very tool, for this very lesson, and for her to use it with confidence. They can’t help themselves – they even hate themselves for it – but the words escape their mouths almost involuntarily.

Then comes the response.

No matter if she is ten or fourteen, she simultaneously huffs and slowly, meticulously, delivers the best eye roll imaginable.

“Of course I can use a chop saw,” she mutters, as if a chop saw were a pencil or tricycle or one of those little cars kids push with their feet. Of course she can. Duh.

She then hits the trigger, her shoulders thrown back in slight defiance, her cut as perfect as if I’d cut it. Then she blows off the sawdust with a little extra swagger.

I love that swagger. And I’ve started to think of the eye roll as the Girls Build litmus test.

Did she roller eyes at her parents for doubting her ability to handle the 12” sliding compound miter saw? Yes?

Mission accomplished.

What follows are photos of and interviews with those confident girls, explaining what building does for them, encouraging other girls to build, and explaining how they made some projects.

If you give this book to a girl, be prepared to help her find a place where she can learn to build.

I didn’t use the book to learn to build (though I was tempted), but I read the whole thing for the delight of seeing those confident faces.

girlsbuild.org
blackdogandleventhal.com

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books!

Review of Sisters of the Lost Marsh, by Lucy Strange

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

Sisters of the Lost Marsh

by Lucy Strange
read by the author

Scholastic Audio Books, 2023. 6 hours, 9 minutes.
Review written March 11, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
2024 Odyssey Honor Book
Starred Review

I put Sisters of the Lost Marsh on my eaudiobook holds list because of its Odyssey Honor win for one of the best audiobooks of the year, and I was not at all disappointed. What a delightfully creepy, wonderful book! The author reads her own book with a wonderful British accent, and I was carried along through the story.

Willa is the third of six sisters, and at twelve years old she’s really the one who runs Grammy’s farm in the middle of the marshlands. As the book opens, her father, who spends most of his time drunk, has made a deal with an old neighbor that the neighbor can marry Willa’s oldest sister Grace in exchange for a fine horse named Flint.

The father is convinced in the truth of a local rhyme declaring that it’s a curse to have six daughters. Marrying one off should break the curse.

Grace does not want to marry the neighbor, and when the three oldest sisters go to the Full Moon Fayre (with Willa sneaking out to join her sisters), a frightening warning from a fortune teller suggests that Grace should run away as soon as possible.

When Grace disappears the next day, things start to fall apart. Nobody wants to give up the horse, but the neighbor insists he’s stolen if he doesn’t get his bride, and has his eyes on the next sister, Freya. Willa’s sure that Grace ran off with the Fayre, which left the same day she did. So she sets off across the marsh with Flint to warn Grace to never come back.

But there are obstacles and eerie things going on, and tales told about the marsh, a dangerous place. Nothing is as it seems at first. Willa must show great courage along the way, and the listener is right there with her. Willa must learn to discern between superstition and actual things to fear. I was rooting for Willa all the way in this satisfying read with a touch of magic and the feel of a folk tale.

lucystrange.org

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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 Prisoner’s Throne, by Holly Black

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Prisoner’s Throne

A Novel of Elfhame

by Holly Black
read by Barrett Leddy

Hachette Audio, 2024. 11 hours, 58 minutes.
Review written March 18, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Okay, I confess. We don’t order ebooks or eaudiobooks until the day they’re published (because they don’t require physical processing), and I used my insider knowledge to check out this eaudiobook from our library the same day it came out. I didn’t do as I was tempted and stop my previous audiobook in the middle, but as soon as I started listening to this one, it was every bit as good as I’d expected after reading The Stolen Heir.

And yes! This sequence is only a duology! So no more suspense — the story is finished. (Though there are hints at where we might find drama for the next book.) And wow.

Yes, you should read The Stolen Heir first. And while you’re at it, you should read the entire trilogy that introduced us to Elfhame that begins with The Cruel Prince. I probably should have used this as an excuse to do some rereading, especially to remember side characters and how the different enchantments work, but it didn’t take long to feel like I at least generally knew what was going on.

I don’t want to tell any plot points, because that would give away things from earlier books. So let me talk about what I like in this book and in this series.

In the series in general, I like the romance, but I also like the politics. Which doesn’t sound like as much complete fun as you’ll find here, so let me reword that — I like the court intrigue. It works out to plots and counterplots and trying to figure out whom to trust. There’s a whole lot of that going on in this duology, as Oak is the heir to the High King of Elfhame, and Wren is heir to the Court of Teeth — which was supposedly defeated. In this book, we learn that Prince Oak has been cultivating people who are conspiring against the High King in order to thwart their plans — but he neglected to tell the king and his sister the queen what he was doing. So any little amount they find out makes him look treacherous.

I like that The Stolen Heir was told from Wren’s perspective, and The Prisoner’s Throne from Oak’s perspective. I also like that we can’t be sure for either title exactly which main character the title refers to. Wren has been a prisoner before, and Oak is a prisoner as the book opens. Both are heirs to a throne, and there’s a sense where you could say each is stolen away.

I like the romance in this book, building on the previous book. I like the way it’s based on who they are and what they’ve learned about each other — even when appearances don’t look good for them.

And I like that I don’t have to wait impatiently for the next book — although I very much hope there will be one, about some different characters. But I like that Oak and Wren’s story was resolved.

This series has shaped up into an amazing saga, spanning the mortal world and the world of faerie and how it all works. There is a lot of death and destruction, but you appreciate that Oak and Wren are both trying to do the right thing in this violent world. They both want to find someone who sees them, knows them, and loves them.

If you haven’t started the series yet, I highly recommend it.

blackholly.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

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 We All Play, by Julie Flett

Contemporary, Good for the Very Young, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

We All Play

kimêtawânaw

by Julie Flett

Greystone Kids, 2021. 40 pages.
Review written May 29, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review

We All Play: kimêtawânaw is exactly the kind of book I try to find for Baby Storytime: Just a few words per page, plus images of children and animals on the pages.

The pictures are animals playing. Here’s the first verse, covering several pages:

Animals hide
and hop [Little rabbits on this spread]

and sniff
and sneak [Little foxes]

and peek
and peep [Little owls]

We play too!
kimêtawânaw mîna [Now there are children]

That’s the pattern for three verses, and then in the final verse, the animals go to sleep, and we do, too.

The language being used is Plains Cree, and there are only a few words in the text, but I like the chart at the back. It’s got all thirteen animals that appear in the book, as well as “child” and “baby” and gives the Cree words for One, More than One, and for “Younger, Smaller, Cuter.” There’s also a pronunciation guide at the back, so if I use this in story time, I’ll be able to say the Cree words in the text.

I love Julie Flett’s art! It’s quiet and calming, with subdued colors, but the children and animals playing do convey joy.

This book is simple, and it’s playful and lovely, with lots of room for talking with your little one about what they see – and then playing!

greystonebooks.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.

What did you think of this book?

*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books!

Review of Billy Miller Makes a Wish, by Kevin Henkes

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

Billy Miller Makes a Wish

by Kevin Henkes

Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), 2021. 179 pages.
Review written April 29, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review

I like it when beginning chapter books feature characters and situations that match the age of the child who will be reading them. Billy Miller Makes a Wish captures second-grade situations and concerns beautifully.

The book opens with the wish from the title:

When Billy Miller blew out the eight candles on his birthday cake, he made a wish. He wished that something exciting would happen.

Not more than ten minutes later – even before the present opening had begun – a police car and an ambulance flew past Billy’s house and raced down the block. The wail of sirens stopped nearby.

When Billy’s old neighbor ends up dying, he feels awfully guilty about his wish. Even when assured that Mr. Tooley was old and sick and was going to die soon anyway and it had nothing to do with Billy’s wish, more exciting-but-bad things start to happen.

Billy’s best friend is on a trip for the summer and so he’s got a lot of time with his family – including his four-year-old sister, Sal. I love the way Sal is portrayed, so lovable but so annoying. She decides to make “Symphony Cards” to give the family of their neighbor who died – using Billy’s new birthday markers. And then she doesn’t actually want to let the family have them. And that’s only the beginning.

This book is a quick read, but it will keep you smiling. I like how creatively Kevin Henkes came up with exciting things to happen to Billy, in answer to his wish.

kevinhenkes.com
harpercollinschildrens.com

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What did you think of this book?

*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books!

Review of Return of the Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner, read by Steve West

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Stand-outs, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Return of the Thief

by Megan Whalen Turner
read by Steve West

Blackstone Audio, 2020. 11 hours, 22 minutes.
Review written April 19, 2021, from a library eaudiobook
Starred Review

I once heard Megan Whalen Turner say that she feels she has failed if people only read her books once. It is now true that I have not read any of her books only once. The plotting is so intricate, reading them again gives you new appreciation of things you missed the first time. And listening to Steve West read is always a treat. His voice is wonderful to listen to, and when he’s reading my favorite book from 2020, all the more so.

The beginning books in the Queen’s Thief series have stunning reversals at the end. This last book is more a series of clever, small twists. This is the culmination of the series, so I won’t give away what happens except to say that the Medes finally invade, and the three kingdoms of the peninsula must work together to stop them, which is a challenge in itself.

The only thing better than reading this book is listening to Steve West read it.

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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 Across That Bridge, by John Lewis

Current Issues, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Across That Bridge

Life Lessons and a Vision for Change

by John Lewis

Hyperion, 2012. 180 pages.
Review written May 14, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review

I checked out this book after my pastor referred to it in a sermon. Racial issues are still front and center – maybe even more so than when the book was written in 2012, and John Lewis talks about dealing with them in a compassionate, nonviolent, and inspirational way.

The chapter titles give you a clue that this book is taking the high road: “Faith,” “Patience,” “Study,” “Truth,” “Peace,” “Love,” “Reconciliation.”

He starts the Introduction by telling who this book is for:

I have written these lessons on freedom and meditations on change for the generations who will take us into the future, for the dreamers young and ever young who should never get lost in a sea of despair, but are faithfully readying themselves for the next push for change. It is for the parents who want to inspire their sons and daughters to build a more just society. And, it’s for the sons and daughters who hear the call of a new age.

This book is for the people. It is for the grassroots leaders who will emerge not for the sake of fame or fortune, but with a burning desire to do good. It is for all those willing to join in the human spirit’s age-old struggle to break free from the bondage of concepts and structures that have lost their use. It is for the masses of people who with each new day have the chance to peel the scales from their eyes and remember it is they alone who are the most powerful agents of change. It is for anyone who wants to reform his or her existence or to fashion a better life for the children. It’s for those who want to improve their community or make their mark in history. This book is a collection of a few of the truths that I have learned as one who dreamed, worked, and struggled in America’s last revolution.

Most of this book is about the work Congressman Lewis did during the Civil Rights Movement. They were committed to nonviolent protest, even though their lives were very much at risk. And because of that commitment, he learned about lofty principles reflected in the chapter titles. Here’s a paragraph from the “Truth” chapter:

Even though we had been rejected by society, we believed that all people had the capacity to be good. We believed not only we, but the perpetrators of violence, were victims as well, who began their lives in innocence but were taught to hate, abuse, and draw distinctions between themselves and others. We held no malice toward them and believed in the power of the truth to penetrate that negative conditioning and remind people of their innocence once again. We focused on the end we hoped to see and kept our eyes on that prize. We could not waste time harboring bitterness or resentment. We knew that our focus had to be on what we hoped to create, not the indignities we were pressing to leave behind. Hating our aggressors was like looking back when we wanted to move forward. We had to use our energy to manifest our dreams, and entertaining animosity would have given more power to the status quo.

Although the issues were different in 2012 – He mentions the Occupy movement frequently – his words apply well to any social change that we want to bring about. Here is his encouragement to any protestor from any time period, in the final paragraph of the final chapter, called “Reconciliation”:

You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone – any person or any force – dampen, dim, or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. Know that the truth always leads to love and the perpetuation of peace. Its products are never bitterness and strife. Clothe yourself in the work of love, in the revolutionary work of nonviolent resistance against evil. Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this planet with its goodness. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself.

May those who work for justice and freedom heed these words for years to come.

HyperionBooks.com

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Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

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.

What did you think of this book?

*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books!