Review of Together We Swim, written by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Together We Swim

written by Valerie Bolling
illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Chronicle Books, 2023. 36 pages.
Review written September 6, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review
2023 Finalist for the Kirkus Prize

I checked out this book because it’s one of two picture books chosen as a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, young readers category. It’s a charmingly perfect book for a youngster learning to swim.

Toes dip.

Side grip.

The text is very simple. Every spread has one or two rhyming couplets, and most of the lines are only two beats long. That simple text goes perfectly with the pictures showing a Black family outing to the pool. Dad and big sister are swimming happily. Mom is staying with the little brother. Although he’s Black, he reminds me completely of my own three-year-old nephew. He’s sweet and chubby and a little nervous about this whole thing, decked out in a floatie belt.

After some kicking and floating with a board and a pool noodle — all under Mom’s watchful eyes — he’s ready to do some swimming without the floatie.

There is a little episode:

Sink under,
Small blunder.

But Ma catches him with a

“Don’t fear,
I’m here.”

The story is maybe a little unrealistic in how far the little boy advances in one day, but it builds to swimming and grinning, with the whole family celebrating. And finishes with a warm family hug and heading home.

Filled with pride,
Off I stride.

A truly delightful picture book about a scary but satisfying accomplishment and a wonderful supportive family that helps it happen.

valeriebolling.com
kaylanijuanita.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 You Can’t Say That, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus

Biography, Creativity, Starred Review, Teen Nonfiction 0

You Can’t Say That

Writers for young people talk about censorship, free expression, and the stories they have to tell.

compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus

Candlewick Press, 2021. 220 pages.
Review written September 13, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

I’m not completely sure what took me so long to get this book read, but in 2023, the topic of censorship seems even more timely than it was in 2021. This book helps teens understand what censorship takes from them.

Leonard Marcus here collects interviews with thirteen distinguished writers for young people whose books have often been banned. Those writers are Matt de la Peña, Robie H. Harris, Susan Kuklin, David Levithan, Meg Medina, Lesléa Newman, Katherine Paterson, Dav Pilkey, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Sonya Sones, R. L. Stine, and Angie Thomas.

This is an examination of censorship from authors’ perspectives. Here’s a part from the introduction:

Here, then, from thirteen accomplished authors for young people are fresh perspectives on why writers write their books in the way they choose, regardless of the consequences; and on what can happen to a book once the author lets go of it and it enters the public square of our country and world’s wildly divergent panoply of ideals, beliefs, and expectations.

Here, too, is a chance to examine at close range what it means when any person or group, however well intentioned, seeks to limit the writing or reading lives of others.

I ended up reading this book little by little, one author interview at a time, getting inspired by each one’s passion for art and creativity. I think this look into their hearts will give anyone pause who wants to pull books from shelves.

Here’s something from former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Katherine Paterson:

When the Berlin Wall fell and Communism seemed to be on the wane, I turned to my husband and said half in jest, “Now they’ll start coming after me.” He didn’t know what I was talking about, so I explained, “There are people who have to have an enemy.” For a while after that, I did see more challenges to my books.

May this discussion of young people and art and on bringing difficult topics to young people shed light on the world of ideas and the power of reading.

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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 A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth, by Chitra Soundar

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review 0

A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth

by Chitra Soundar
illustrations by Uma Krishnaswamy

Candlewick Press, 2022. First published in the United Kingdom in 2021. 101 pages.
Review written April 3, 2023, from a library book.

A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth is a sweet beginning chapter book with stories of two clever boys solving problems in surprising ways.

The author explains at the back that when she grew up as a child in India, her favorite stories were trickster tales. She has reimagined those stories as adventures of Prince Veera and his friend Suku, a farmer’s son. She’s done a wonderful job keeping the spirit of the folktales, with the added bonus of clever children outsmarting adults.

There’s an earlier book about Veera and Suku, Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship, but I understood this one fine without having read the first.

At the start of this book, Veera and Suku are well-known for their prowess in solving problems, and Veera’s uncle, Raja Apoorva, has invited them to his kingdom of Peetalpur. This book covers four stories of their time there, with problems such as tricking a peahen into singing, winning against a powerful wrestler, unmasking a burglar, and arbitrating a dispute over a fig tree.

Chapter books for beginning readers are always fun when they have a reward of a clever twist in each story, and these fit that description nicely. Give this to kids ready for chapter books or use as a read aloud for everyone’s entertainment.

chitrasoundar.com
candlewick.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 Be the Bus: The Lost & Profound Wisdom of The Pigeon, as told to Mo Willems

Humorous, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Be the Bus

The Lost & Profound Wisdom of the Pigeon

as told to Mo Willems
with an introduction by The Bus Driver

Union Square & Co., 2023. 80 pages.
Review written June 21, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

Okay this book is completely silly and takes only five minutes to read — but it did make me laugh and compel me to read pages aloud to the other people in the office.

What we’ve got is a book of silly things that The Pigeon would say, with each page illustrated by Mo Willems.

For example:

Genius is seldom recognized.
THAT is why I wear a name tag.

DRIVE! like no one is watching.
HONK! like no one is listening.
DREAM! like no one is thwarting.

Also, better to say:
“I love you more than ever.”
than
“I used to love you less.”

There are lots of clever bits even in the front and back matter. I love the part where The Bus Driver explains that profound question, “WHY can’t The Pigeon drive the bus?”

It is a question that echoes through the ages like the long, loud honk of a horn being leaned on too enthusiastically by an irresponsible blue bird. The answers are many and almost philosophical in their complexity as they touch upon issues of safety, insurance, proper licensing, union requirements, and, of course, feet being able to reach the pedals.

My favorite pages are probably where The Pigeon compares apples and oranges. In many ways. After all, they both can be juggled.

But I suppose best of all — and the reason I really did have to post a review — is this page:

Teachers and Librarians
are too brilliant & lovely & insightful & kind & effervescent & devoted & joyful to EVER be pandered to.

I bet you know a teacher or librarian who would love this book!

mowillemsworkshop.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 The Mysteries of Thorn Manor, by Margaret Rogerson, read by Emily Ellet

Fantasy, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Mysteries of Thorn Manor

by Margaret Rogerson
read by Emily Ellet

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2023. 3 hours, 52 minutes.
Review written June 15, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

The Mysteries of Thorn Manor is a light-hearted novella sequel to Sorcery of Thorns. After Elisabeth and Nathaniel battled evil forces to save the world in the first book and discovered they had allies in each other, Elisabeth nursed Nathaniel back to health — and is still spending the nights in his room and now in his bed. (Though they’ve only been kissing so far.)

When the wards on the house set up by Nathaniel’s ancestors set a storm all around the house so they can’t even leave, they need to investigate what’s going on. They discover that the house wants Nathaniel to court Elisabeth properly as a sorcerer should — including three impossible tasks.

This story is sweet romantic fun. You should read the first book before tackling this one so you can properly appreciate it.

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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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Two New Prime Factorization Blankets

Mathematical, Prime Factorization 0

I got two new great-nephews in 2022!

They are both second sons of their families. I didn’t knit their older brothers’ new blankets because I had barely finished my nephew Martin’s blanket, and they came so close together, I settled for two little cardigans.

But for Kellen and Tobi, I decided it didn’t matter if I was late finishing (and I was) — they needed Prime Factorization Blankets!

The idea is the same as my first Prime Factorization Blanket for Arianna:

Rows of Entrelac squares (or diamonds), going from 1 to 99. 1 is white and I put rows of white squares in between the rows with other numbers. After 1, every prime number gets its own color. For composite numbers, I put sections of the colors for each factor. So 4 gets two sections of 2, 6 gets a section of 2 and a section of 3, and so on, all the way up to 99, which gets two sections of the color for 3 and one section of the color for 11.

Kellen is modeling his blanket in the picture above, and here are some more pictures of it.

First the blanket as a whole. I knew he was a boy, so I used lots of blues, with 2 being yellow.

The corner at the start with the missing square for zero:

And the right bottom corner with some numbers labeled:

I don’t think I knew Tobi’s gender when I started his blanket, and I decided to try for bright colors instead of pastels, so 2 was red. Here’s the whole blanket:

Detail for the lowest numbers:

Detail for the highest numbers:

And some primes at the top of the blanket:

So much fun! (Tobi’s parents, if you read this, I need more pictures of Tobi modeling his blanket!)

And yes, I’m happy to report that my youngest sister is now expecting a baby, and he’s going to get a prime factorization blanket, too! I learned tonight that he’s a boy, so 23 is going to be blue.

Babies and math are beautiful!

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

Children's Nonfiction Review, Science, Starred Review 0

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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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 Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan

Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction Review 0

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

by Sue Lynn Tan
read by Natalie Naudus

HarperAudio, 2022. 15 hours, 1 minute
Review written September 5, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
2023 Alex Award Winner (Outstanding books for adults that will have appeal to teen readers.)

I’m not completely sure why Daughter of the Moon Goddess is advertised for adults and not for teen readers. It’s a coming-of-age tale about the daughter of the moon goddess. The notes do say it’s the first part of a duology, so perhaps the second part has more mature themes. This part shows her growing up years, with the person she’s going to fall in love with still in question. There’s some kissing but no sex. (Just so you know what you’re in for.)

The story is lovely, and narrator Natalie Naudus does a good job immersing you in the tale. Xingyin has grown up with her mother on the moon. As a teen, she learns that her mother was exiled there for drinking the elixir of immortality that had been awarded to her husband, a great archer, who had saved the world by shooting down some extra suns that were burning the world. What the moon goddess kept hidden, though, was the reason she drank the elixir — it was because she was having trouble in childbirth and the doctors said that she and her baby were going to die. But she kept Xingyin (who is also immortal) hidden from the celestial emperor and empress so they wouldn’t punish her as well.

But when Xingyin accidentally accesses her magic, it brings the attention of the empress to the moon. Xingyin must leave her home and go out into the world, never revealing who she is.

Xingyin ends up in the celestial kingdom as a servant. She is determined to somehow, some way work to save her mother and set her free from the eternal imprisonment.

Then she meets a young man who turns out to be the crown prince. He is holding a competition to find a study companion. But what can there be in common between two people whose families are in enmity?

That’s only the beginning. Xingyin ends up having many adventures, no damsel in distress, but one who has inherited the amazing abilities of her archer father.

The whole tale is told with a mythical feel. Although I had a strong feeling where the plot was going, there were some surprises along the way. And though this book had a satisfying resolution, there were enough threads left hanging to make me glad to read it’s the start of a duology.

This is a gentle romantic fantasy tale with a heroine you’ll be happy to cheer for.

suelynntan.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 Friends Beyond Measure, by Lalena Fisher

Contemporary, Mathematical, Picture Book Review 0

Friends Beyond Measure

A Story Told with Infographics

by Lalena Fisher

Harper, 2023. 40 pages.
Review written March 17, 2023, from a library book.

Friends Beyond Measure is a simple picture book story – illustrated with charts and graphs.

It begins with a Venn diagram on a spread that says, “It started the day we met.” We see the two girls meeting at a carnival and a big Venn diagram on the opposite page shows lots of things about the girls, with many things in the intersection of common interests. We see right away that Ana (“Me”) likes charting.

And all the rest of the charts are shown as Ana’s doing. I think my favorite is the line graph charting volume (of a party) vs. comfort, and we can see that Ana is much happier with loud parties than Harwin is. But they decide together to stay for cake and then leave.

However, things get sadder when the girls learn that Harwin is going to move across the ocean to England. Then instead of charts of fun things they’ve done together, we see charts about how few days left and a flow chart of what would happen if Ana tried to sneak in Harwin’s suitcase and the mixed emotions of trying to be happy for her friend but sad for herself.

The final chart is a map of things they’re going to do together in the future, all over the world.

It all adds up to a fun book with a sweet friendship story — and lots of different kinds of charts. There’s an explanation of the different kinds at the back. I think that there’s a certain kind of kid who may just take off making their own charts after reading this book. For the rest, it does expose them to different ways of presenting information.

lalenalab.com
harpercollinschildrens.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 83 Days in Mariupol, by Don Brown

History, Starred Review, Teen Nonfiction 0

83 Days in Mariupol

A War Diary

by Don Brown

Clarion Books (HarperCollins), 2023. 128 pages.
Review written September 15, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

Don Brown has written several graphic novels about several awful historical events. I’ve reviewed The Great American Dust Bowl and Drowned City about Hurricane Katrina. I’ve read another he wrote about 9/11. When I picked up this one, I was shocked to realize it had been long enough ago for him to write and publish a graphic novel about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Specifically, this book is about the 83-day siege of the Ukrainian City of Mariupol that began February 24, 2022.

This graphic novel describes what it was like for civilians in a city under siege, how they fought back, how some escaped, and how some survived.

It’s not a happy story by any means. Mariupol is still under Russian occupation today.

At the back, there are three pages of source notes and five pages of Selected Bibliography. As in his other books, Don Brown has done the research to let teens know what it was like to live through this disaster. So although this is not a happy story, it is a true story and an important story. The graphic novel format makes the story accessible to everyone, including teens and older kids. I hadn’t realized how little I knew about it until I read this book.

The last page of the main text has a background of smoke telling us this:

The city of Mariupol is ruined. Ukrainian officials estimate that the brutal 83-day siege killed 20,000 civilians and destroyed 90 percent of the city. The World Health Organization warns it could now face outbreaks of cholera. Remaining residents are forced to work for the Russians in exchange for food while cats and dogs feast on corpses.

This book shines light on an ongoing atrocity. I recommend reading this book not for pleasure, but for awareness.

harperalley.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.

What did you think of this book?