The California Reading Association has awarded a Eureka! Honor to Jerry Changed the Game!(Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books) by Don Tate, illustrated by Cherise Harris. The Eureka! Non-Fiction Book Award assists teachers, librarians, and parents in identifying outstanding nonfiction books for their students and children.
Read more about the award here
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School Library Journal has given a starred review to My Bollywood Dream (Candlewick) by Avani Dwivedi. Congratulations Avani!
★Dwivedi, Avani. My Bollywood Dream.
illus. by Avani Dwivedi. 40p. Candlewick. Aug. 2023. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781536228427.
Gr 2-4–Told through beautiful imagery and lyrical prose, this book soars in language, illustration, and cultural importance. A young unnamed narrator describes her love of Bollywood films. As she, Ma, and Baba travel through Mumbai to the theater, the narrator imagines life as a Bollywood movie, including choreographed dancing, heroic feats, and abundant color and food. Great imagery, metaphors, and similes—“Bollywood music is like listening to the first monsoon rain—the rhythm is steady and familiar”—parallel what the young girl sees on the screen and what she envisions in her real life. In an author’s note, Dwivedi describes Bollywood as a bridge between her and her desi community after she moved to the United States. Lyrical language depicts the depth, joy, and mystique of the very specific aspects of this elaborate style of filmmaking. The text incorporates words such as “khushi” (“with happiness”) and phrases (“Aab maaza aayega!” or “Now this should be fun!”) to bring Mumbai culture to life. VERDICT This is a well told and colorful rendering of the importance of art through film, and one young girl’s connection to her culture.–Tracey S. Hodges
On her popular blog A Fuse #8 Production, Librarian Betsy Bird has announced the Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids List: 2023 Edition, and Not a Monster (Charlesbridge), by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, illustrated by Laura González is on it! Bird calls the book “Adorable, engaging, and informative!”
Congratulations Laura!
Get the book here
Kirkus has given a starred review to My Block Looks Like (Viking) by Janelle Harper, illustrated by Frank Morrison.
The review says “By focusing on the child’s active engagement with the neighborhood, Morrison portrays the protagonist’s excitement for this space and its people in his graffiti-style art. The artist’s careful attention to detail and the shifting visual perspectives in action scenes bring Harper’s musical text to life.”
The book will be published January 2, 2024.
See the full review here
Pre order the book here
Publishers Weekly has given a starred review to Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage (Anne Schwartz Books) by Lisa Rogers, illustrated by Il Sung Na.The review says “Na exhibits sound through vibrant colors and bold shapes against line art backgrounds, varying the style of each spread and increasingly warping the flat perspective as Cage experiments, fittingly representing his inventive music and spirit.”
The book also received a starred review from BookList.
See the full Publishers Weekly review here
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Today is Different, (CarolRhoda Books) by Doua Moua, illustrated by Kim Holt , has won the Social Justice Literature Award for Picturebook Fiction.
This award is presented by the International Literacy Association to honor books that address social responsibility towards individuals, communities, societies, and/or the environment as well as invite reflection and socially responsible action by the reader.
Learn more about the awards, and see a full list of winners here
Get the book here
Publishers Weekly has given a starred review to Breaking to the Beat! (Lee & Low) by Linda J. Acevedo, illustrated by Frank Morrison. The review says “…graffiti-inflected art style makes smart use of changing perspectives, crowd scenes, and dance silhouettes to showcase a triumphant story of a child honing his talent…”
The book has also received starred reviews from Booklist, The Horn Book, School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.
Read the full Publishers Weekly review here
Get the book here
Booklist has given a rave review to The Bronx is My Home (Christy Ottaviano Books) by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris; illustrated by Kim Holt.
The book will be published Octobere 24, 2024.
Pre order it here
See the full review below:
A love letter to the Bronx, the only New York City borough with a definite article in its name. Afro-Latinx Santiago Alvarez-Rosario and his mom spend Saturday visiting all of the cool places their borough has to offer—the Bronx Zoo, Orchard Beach, Little Italy, and more. Striking down stereotypes, this joyous picture book shows the city’s northernmost town as a place of rich history and culture. It also offers eye-opening stats, such as how Pelham Bay Park is more than three times the size of Central Park and the High Bridge is the oldest bridge in the city. Passing mentions of Fordham University and the Edgar Allan Poe Park highlight some of the more recognizable sites, but much of Santiago’s narrative focuses on unsung gems. The boy’s energy is contagious, which is reflected in the effusive text. The illustrations add to the work’s liveliness. Bright colors take up full spreads. The art is digitally rendered in acrylic and pencil, giving the pages a textured feel. The expressions on the characters’ faces will bring smiles to readers’ own, especially as they slurp spaghetti at the Italian restaurant and act silly at the zoo. The endpapers feature a lovely tour guide–like map, and the back matter includes info on more sites and a selected bibliography. The fun there is in spending the day with someone you love in the place you call home will resonate with all readers. VERDICT An ode to the Bronx that natives and tourists alike will cherish, this is a great choice for picture book shelves.
Book bans are at an all-time high, most often blocking access to books featuring diversity, factual history, gender, sexuality, and the LGBTQ+ experience. Our librarians are under attack and now—more than ever—we need their presence and steadfast dedication to protect reading culture across the country.
Painted Words artists TeMika Grooms, Alex Nees, Chamisa Kellogg, Huy Voun Lee, Cherise Harris and Romina Rollhauser (cover). led by author J. F. Fox, are speaking up loud and clear to denounce book bans and support the librarians protecting kids’ freedom to read, by creating a piece, suitable for printing on a 4×6″ post card that can be printed out and mailed to elected officials.
To download art for postcards, go here.
Booklist has given a starred review to Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage (Anne Schwartz Books), by Lisa Rogers. Illus. by Il Sung Na.
This appealing picture book takes on the daunting task of introducing avant-garde composer John Cage to young audiences. Rogers eschews most biographical information, instead asking a series of child-friendly questions designed to convey a sense of Cage and his style. “What if . . . / all the sounds you heard . . . // a garbage truck screeching / feet skipping / pigeons scattering / tires whispering / cats hissing / children giggling // . . . sounded to you like music? Then you’d be like John Cage.” She describes his unorthodox musical notation style (curlicues, dots, and smudges), his compositions that relied on ambient sound (4’33”), and pieces that employed unusual instruments (blenders, washing machines, etc.). Na’s whimsical illustrations vibrantly convey the cacophony present in many Cage compositions. Employing a vocabulary of images (squiggles, slashes, lines) representing sounds and emotions identified on the endpapers, Na clearly represents the unique and experimental nature of Cage’s work. Many scenes portray cityscapes and crowded concert halls. Blues and grays predominate, although Na effectively uses explosions of intense color to represent some sounds. With back matter that includes sources, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bit more about Cage and his techniques, this makes a good introduction to Cage and a reminder that hearing things differently can be a very good thing. — Kay Weisman
The book will be published October 10, 2023. Preorder it here