Gardening is More Fun with Friends

Nina Soni, Master of the Garden

by Kashmira Sheth; illus. by Jenn Kocsmiersky 

192 pages; ages 7-10

‎Peachtree Publishing Company, 2021

It’s “take a daughter to work” day, and fourth-grader Nina is going to work with mom, who is a landscape architect. They are going to build a garden – raised beds. Little sister, Kavita has been working on a picture of a garden plan for a week. Nina, a list-maker, has yet to start.

 

One of the things I like in this book is that we see Nina’s lists – even when they’re in her head. Occasionally there are text-boxes, as though Nina is explaining something, such as what a word means, to her sister.

Before the first boards are nailed together, Nina is thinking how they can sell extra veggies to earn money. She’s even got a plan. It involves her friend, Jay and Kavita, but when is the right time to tell them?

The plants start growing and everything is going well until…

• A rabbit eats Nina’s chard. All of it.
• Slugs! Yuck.
• Japanese beetles nibble plants.
• And the birds are attacking the beans.

As a gardener currently engaged in hostilities with a woodchuck (he ate Every. Single. Sunflower!) I liked that author Kashmira Sheth does not spare her young gardeners from the realities of beasts and bugs. I love how she brings readers into Nina’s family life – I can almost smell the cheesy-methi parathas toasting in the kitchen. And I really like that Kashmira includes some Q&A at the back-of-the-book, where she talks about her inspiration and why it is important for readers to be exposed to diverse books written by people who share those diverse identities. Full disclosure: Kashmira was one of the instructors for the Highlights Foundation workshop on “writing chapter books” that I took last summer. Because of Covid-19 it was a remote class; I know we would have had many fun discussions about gardening around the lunch tables had it been in-person.

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Mountain Chef

Mountain Chef: How one man lost his groceries...
by Annette Bay Pimentel; illus. by Rich Lo
40 pages; ages 6-9
Charlesbridge, 2016

themes: Exploration! Adventure! Food!

Tie Sing was a frontier baby, born high in the mountains in Virginia City, Nevada.

America was a tough place to be Chinese when Tie Sing was growing up. Chinese workers were paid less than white workers, and many people with Chinese names ended up cooking in restaurants or working in laundries. But Tie Sing had BIG dreams. He got a job  cooking for mapmakers as they explored and mapped the Sierras. And he got a reputation as the best trail cook around.

So when a party of Congressmen and others who interested in creating a National Park Service hired him as their trail cook, Tie Sing wanted to fix them meals that would make them remember the beauty of the peaks. No s'mores for this crew; it was English plum pudding with brandy sauce, eggs for breakfast, box lunches, and sourdough starter in the saddle bags for dinner loaves.

What I like about this book: I love camping and hiking, and the National Parks! I enjoyed Annette Pimentel's depiction of Tie Sing - he really worked hard to plan menus and pack ingredients. I like that she shows a typical day in the life of a trail chef. And that she includes the obstacles Tie Sing has to overcome - like when a mule wanders away with the food and he has to improvise a simple (yet elegant) meal. The words and illustrations take us on the journey with Tie Sing.

I also like the back matter - and there is plenty: information about immigration, how Tie Sing kept his food from going bad, and short biographies of the people who went on the expedition. End papers feature maps of the journey.

Beyond the Book:
Make some granola for your next camping trip; it also makes a good "carry along" breakfast for when you're traveling.

Learn more about our National Parks - and if you have the chance to visit one, do it.

Take a virtual hike up Sing Peak - here is a map, and wonderful photos of what you would see if you were hiking there. During a rest break - while you catch your breath - read up on the history of Tie Sing and the adventurous Mather Party.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy from the publisher.

All the Way to Havana

All the Way to Havana
by Margarita Engle; illustrated by Mike Curato
40 pages; ages 4-8
Henry Holt Books for young readers, 2017

themes: family, cars, diversity

We have a gift, and we have a cake, and today we're going to drive all the way to the big city to see my new baby cousin.

This is the story about a boy and his family driving to Havana, Cuba in their old family car. When she rattles and shakes like a chicken, papa pops the hood and with a twist and a tinker and a bit of twine gets her back in shape. Then it's off to Havana - well, got to give the neighbors a ride. But then it's off to Havana!

What I like love about this book: The sounds! So many car sounds, from clunks and clucks to pio pio, taka taka, and a whole lot more zooms and growls. It makes you think, "Hey! that's what MY car sounds like!" I like the repetition of the phrase, "we have a gift, and we have a cake..." I like the way he boy and his father use tools at hand to repair car problems, even inventing their own solution. And I love that Margarita uses her author's note to tell more about why these old American cars are on the island. Plus, if you have a car-loving kid, the end pages are filled with antiques: 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup, 1959 Ford Thunderbird, and my favorite - 1953 Chevy 210 series (a lot like my family's first car).

Beyond the Book:

Make a list of the sounds cars and trucks make in your area. Not just on the road, but when they're starting up, and stopped at a light. Don't forget to include a car you ride in frequently. Need inspiration? Here's a library of sounds, and here's the "Car Noise Emporium" from Car Talk.

Go to an old car show. The guys with old cars around here have a meet-up every month down in town and anyone can walk by to look at the cars. They raise the hoods and vroom the engines. OR find some books or online sites that have photos of old cars from the 1940s and 1950s. 

Build a car out of cucumbers, candy bars, or other food you can easily obtain. Think about what makes a good axle and wheels. Test it going down an inclined plane. Then challenge your friends to a race. Here's a fun video of an edible car competition.

Check out this post by Margarita Engle on writing books that cross borders.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy from publisher.

Rainbow Weaver

Rainbow Weaver
by Linda Elovitz Marshall; illus. by Elisa Chavarri
40 pages; ages 6-9
Children's Book Press, 2016

themes: diversity, art, family

High in the mountains above Lake Atitlan, Ixchel watched her mother weave thread into fabric as beautiful as a rainbow.

When Ixchel asks if she can weave, Mama suggests she help count threads. But Ixchel wants to weave. She wants to help pay for her books and school.

What I like love about this book: Ixchel sets off to find her own weaving materials. She kicks aside the plastic bags that people have discarded on their way home from market, and gathers tall grasses to use on a loom she makes from sticks. When they don't work, she gathers bits of wool and twists it into yarn. Dissatisfied with that, she tries weaving with plastic bags - after all, they are everywhere!

I love that author Linda Marshall traveled to Guatamala to meet weavers and learn how they recycle unwanted plastic into products that they sell in the market place. She wrote about that trip earlier this year here. In an author's note, Linda tells how she was inspired to write this book by a friend who sells the weavers' placemats, coasters, purses, and baskets. And I love that the endpapers resemble Mayan textiles. Oh, and did I say that the book is bilingual? Lo puedes leer en español.

Beyond the book:

Read how some people are turning plastic bags into mats for homeless people. They cut the bags into strips and crochet the strips into thick mats - it takes more than 500 bags for each mat!

Want to weave a plastic rug or mat of your own? All you need is a loom - here's how to make one out of cardboard. There are links to weaving techniques - all you need to supply are the warp strings and plastic bags.

Or try making a coiled basket or coaster. Here's how.

You can find out more about Linda and her books at her website.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publishers.

Carrots, Peas, and Rabbit Stew

As gardening season moves into full swing, just about any book with a vegetable in the title - or a garden critter - catches my attention. Here are two recent titles that focus on themes of friendship, diversity, and kindness. Oh, and vegetables...

Carrot & Pea
by Morag Hood
32 pages; ages 4 - 7
HMH, 2016

This is Lee. He is a pea. 
All of his friends are peas.
Except Colin. 

Lee and his buddies are as alike as... peas in a pod. Colin, though, he's tall. And orange. And definitely not round.

He can't do the same things peas can do, like roll. So how can he join them in their games?

What I like about this book: Colin has his own, excellent traits that make him fun to play with - if you're a pea. I like that the end papers don't match, and bright, spare illustrations. Spend some time with this book and you'll start thinking about ways to involve carrots - or those "different kids" - in your play.

Rabbit Stew
by Wendy Wahman
32 pages; ages 3-7
Boyds Mills Press, 2017

Rusty and Rojo toiled and tilled in their vegetable garden all summer long.

And at long last, the time is ripe for them to make their prizewinning Rabbit Stew!

What I like about this book: I love the illustration of them harvesting green beans, purple kale, and crunchy orange carrots for their "splendid" Rabbit Stew. They harvest a few things that one would not expect in a stew... however, it will be marvelous, they assure readers. Meanwhile, a white rabbit is hiding in the garden. I don't want to spoil the ending, but will say that no rabbits are harmed in the making of this story.

Beyond the Book: What makes you different from all of your friends? Think of the skills you contribute when playing games or creating imaginative scenarios. Maybe you love animals, so when you play "store" you are the pet shop owner...

Have you ever eaten a rainbow? Try finding fruits and vegetables of all different colors for a salad. Maybe red lettuce, yellow tomatoes, orange peppers, green beans, purple carrots?

Rusty and Rojo have a pet rabbit named "Stew". If you have pets, what names have you given them - yes, you can include the stuffed animals inhabiting your room. 

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies provided by publishers.

Garvey's Choice

Garvey's Choice
by Nikki Grimes
120 pages; ages 8-12
WordSong (Highlights), 2016

Garvey is a jokester, a bookworm, the loyalist of friends. He loves reading about space and listening to blues. (extra credit for loving Mr. Spock of Star Trek)

Garvey's dad wants to toss a football with his son. Or a basketball. Or even just spend time talkin' sports. He'd rather see Garvey running out for a pass - or just running around the block - than head in a book. Why can't Garvey be an athlete like his sister?

Garvey's mom understands; when things are quiet she pulls out the chess set and teaches him moves that will "make his brain strong". Joe understands - they've been buddies since they were little kids. Even the new kid, Manny, understands.

So when Garvey discovers his voice, will his family come to the concert?

This is a sweet story of growing up. It's told in a verse form that is short and sweet: tanka. Five lines, 31 syllables, like this: 5/7/5/7/7. Here's one that I particularly like:

Stories are breadcrumbs.
Just follow the trail of books
and you will find me
lost among the galaxies
of scorched stars and ships to Mars.

Photo credit: Aaron Lemen

Nikki Grimes is a poet and artist; she's written so many books that if you wrote down all their titles it would take nearly five pages! She was recently awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her body of work which has, over a period of years, made a lasting contribution to children's literature.

Check out her gallery of artwork at her website. And definitely check out some of her books from your library.

We'll be hanging out on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers over at Shannon Messenger's blog. Hop over to see what other people are reading.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Shmulik Paints the Town ~ Author interview & Book Giveaway!

Shmulik Paints the Town 

By Lisa Rose; illus. by Catalina Echeverri

32 pages; ages 3-8

Kar-Ben, 2016 

Themes: imagination, multicultural, humor

Israel’s Independence Day is coming up and on Monday, the mayor drops by Shmulik’s art studio. 

“Can you paint us a mural on the wall and decorate the park around it?”

“Certainly!” says Shmulik. 

On Tuesday Shmulik heads out to check the wall with his dog, Ezra. But it’s much too pretty a day to waste painting. On Wednesday, Shmulik can’t think of a thing to paint so he puts it off til the next day. And so the week goes, with Shmulik procrastinating day by day. 

What I like love about this book: Shmulik the procrastinator. Don’t we all have a bit of Shmulik inside us? I love Ezra, who takes matters into his own hands – er, paws. And I love the bright illustrations and splatters of color everywhere. It made me want to dig out some paints and a brush and have at it. 

Beyond the book: 

Imagine you are chosen to paint a wall and a park for Independence Day. What would you paint? 

How many excuses can you think of for getting out of painting the garage -  or doing your homework? 

Can animals paint? Koko the gorilla paints pictures, and so do animals at the zoo. Watch animals painting at the Houston Zoo.

I'm giving away a copy of the book - but first, let's talk to the author, Lisa.

Sally: What inspired this story? 

Lisa: My cousin paints pictures using dog paw prints.  She drips the paw in paint and then stamps it over the canvas and then creates paintings based upon the prints.  Owners love to have this very unique work of art.  Also, sometimes people bring their old and sick dogs to her so that they can have a lasting memory their beloved pet.

At first, this wasn’t even Jewish themed story and it wasn’t working. After putting the story aside for long time, I attended a story structure workshop by Shutta Crum and figured I figured out how to revise it.  Victory!  My advice: Never to throw out stories that aren’t working.  Simply, put them aside—you never know when you will learn how to revise it.  It may take days…or years…but it will come. 

Sally: I love that Shmulik is a procrastinator. How did he get his wonderful name? 

Lisa: I have to admit I didn’t name my character Shmulik - although, I do have a cousin named Shmulik. 

Sally: Were you delightfully surprised by the wild bright splatters of paint in the illustrations? 

Lisa: It is a little known secret that authors have very little control.  In fact, I never even spoke to the illustrator until after the book was released.  The illustrator didn’t know about my cousin’s paintings and the inspiration for the story.  However, I’m so pleased with the illustrations!  I can’t wait to give Catalina a BIG HUG! 

Sally: Talk about the need for diversity in children’s books.  

Lisa: Many times people don’t buy diverse books, because they lack the awareness.  I decided to help this change by making the writing community more aware of the issue. I’m Jewish.  However, I taught in Detroit and many of my stories are inspired by my African American students.   My experience gives me a unique perspective of understanding two communities. One thing I’ve observed is how both communities can lack an understanding of each other - not  because of hate, but because of just living divided.

I believe the way to end ignorance is with knowledge.  To help bring attention to this issue, I started “MISSING VOICE picture book discussion group” on Facebook. I call it MISSING VOICE because I want it to mean more than just race -  to also include religion, and little known historical facts and people. Once a month we read a new picture book and discuss it. Then, at the end of the month, there’s a live chat with the author on our Facebook page. You can find out more about Lisa at her website. 

Book Giveaway: If you want a chance to win a copy of Shmulik Paints the Town just follow these rules.

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. send me an email to sueheaven(at)gmail(dot)com  - or click on my profile and send an email from there.
3. to be eligible for the giveaway you have to live in the continental US 

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by the publisher. 

Two books by Transgender Teens

This winter I read a couple of memoirs that really made me think about gender and sexual identity. Both, written by teens who grew up within miles of each other, are coming-of-age stories set in the south.

As I was reading, one thought kept pushing to the front: gender-questioning kids - and their parents - need to see these books. Both of these books raised as many questions as they answered. Both Katie and Arin shoot straight from the hip and get to the heart of their stories. I truly think that these books can save kids' lives - but only if they have the opportunity to read them. If we are truly going to embrace diversity in children's and young adult literature, then stories like these must find a place on the shelf.
  
Rethinking Normal: a Memoir in Transition
by Katie Rain Hill
264 pages; ages 12 & up
Simon & Schuster, 2014

What happens when you're born into the wrong body? For Katie, that realization came at a young age. She realized that a serious mistake had been made: she was a girl who had been born in the body of a boy. As a toddler, she knew something was "off", but at that age a kid's gender isn't a serious concern. If little boys to play with dolls and little girls roughhouse, adults don't think too much about it.

But add a couple years, and other kids start to notice. Katie, named Luke by her parents, didn't fit in. She had a graceful walk, a girlish voice, and no interest in football - and that didn't go over well in Okay, Oklahoma. Now Katie was judged and bullied, and it made her life miserable to the point where she wished she was dead.

When she started high school, and after reading an article about another transgender girl, Katie finally found the courage to talk with her mom. I think the line that broke my heart is when her mom asked, "Can't you just be gay?" Fortunately for Katie, her mom became an ally, and supported her (now) daughter's desire to be called "she" and dress like a girl. There is a lot of heartache in Katie's story, and a lot of poor decisions, miscommunication, and just plain not knowing where to go - things that would be true in any coming-of-age story. But when your coming-of-age also means realizing you are a completely different person.... that is a deeper story.

One of the transgender friends Katie becomes close to is Arin, born into a girl's body he never felt comfortable in. Arin tells his story in:

Some Assembly Required: the Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
by Arin Andrews
256 pages; ages 12 & up
Simon & Schuster, 2014

Arin, beginning life as Emerald, preferred playing tag and other active, outside games. But by the age of three, he was enrolled in dance classes. "My tap movements were more like stomps," he recalls. As for leotards and tutus and bunny ears and fishnet stockings - he loathed them all. His letters to Santa listed wishes for a backpack, legos, a pocket knife... but gift boxes held frilly skirts and Barbie dolls because that's what people expected a little girl to want.

It's hard for a young child to understand why he feels different... it's not like Arin knew he was a guy. But one day, in fourth grade, he forgot running clothes and needed to do a mile run for gym class. A cousin lent Arin some of his: skintight tank top and black shorts. When Arin slipped them on it was like putting on a superhero suit - no zippers or buttons or other fastidious nonsense. Just simple running clothes.

What really horrified Arin, though, was the talk all moms give their fifth-grade daughters. When he heard what would happen every month, he burst into tears... that was something that happened to girls. Not him.

Like Katie, Arin looked for answers on the internet and read articles about other transgender teens. That's how he learned about Katie. And it was those articles, shared with his mother, that helped her finally understand that the daughter she called Emerald didn't feel like a girl at all.

Both Katie and Arin speak from the heart, and their books are eminently readable personal accounts. They do not mince words or dance around hard topics: they tackle issues of body image, dating, gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. They write about their feelings. And they write about their relationship with each other - a romance that hit the media as a story about "America's first teen trans couple".

Both books conclude with sections on tips for talking to transgender people, and resources for families including books, movies, and helpful websites.

On Monday we'll be joining the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Review copies provided by the publisher.

Three Girls; One Message-in-a-Bottle

Currents
by Jane Petrlik Smolik
336 page; ages 9-12
Charlesbridge, 2015

Bones, Lady Bess, and Mary Margaret have never met and don't know each other, but a bottle bearing a message crosses the ocean - twice- connecting their lives. Bones is a slave, working in Virginia in the fall of 1854. She was too young to remember the day her pappy had been sold to another landowner - "but she remembered everything about how she learned she was the personal property of another human being."

When Bones finds the Slave Birth Records for the plantation, she tears out the page with her name and birth date. Burdened with this incriminating evidence of her actions, she rolls the paper up, puts it into a bottle, adds a heart carved by her pappy, and seals the cork with wax. Then, in the dark of night, she sneaks down to the James River and tosses the bottle as far as she can.

The bottle bobs its way downstream and into the Atlantic where it gets picked up but the Gulf Stream current and pulled across the sea.

In August of 1855 Lady Bess finds the bottle, half buried in sand, on a narrow beach on the Isle of Wight. Could it be from pirates? Lady Bess wants to be an explorer like her father, and she's heard plenty of tales of adventure on the high seas. But no. When she unfurls the paper it says only: Agnes May Brewster. Born: July 1843. Colored slave. When a lad who works for the farm is accused of stealing, Bess discovers who the real thief is and determines to help her friend escape from jail. She gives him the bottle, adding a treasure of her own. Maybe when he reaches London he can find someone who can help solve the mystery of Agnes May.

Instead of reaching London, the bottle ends up traveling with the North Atlantic Drift back across the ocean. Mary Margaret discovers it bobbing against the pilings when she and her da go to the wharf to buy fish. It looks like a genie bottle and when she opens it she finds an engraved gold cross with pearls embedded in it, and the birth record of Agnes May.

Three very different girls whose lives touch each other's because of a bottle. Could a bottle really travel from Virginia to England and back to Boston? In back matter, author Jane Smolik writes about the history of sailors placing messages in bottles. Using ocean current charts, she figured out where a bottle tossed into the James River might land. Then she had to learn what was happening across the world in the 1850s to tie the stories together.

A fun story backed by research, sure to appeal to kids who love exploring history and mysteries. Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Problem with NOT Being Scared of Kids

The Problem with NOT Being Scared of Kids
by Dan Richards; Illus. by Robert Neubecker
32 pages; ages 4-8
Boyds Mills Press, 2015

themes: friendship, fitting in

The problem with NOT being scared of kids is ... they don't want to hang out with us.

And that's a problem, especially for a monster who is tired of being "it" all the time and wants to have a friend. And things get really personal around the holidays - especially Halloween!

What I like about this book: it really hits the heart of what it means to want a friend. I particularly love the spread showing a group of monster buddies holding a study session with their books on how to make friends. And it shows the unbridled joy of meeting that one person who doesn't care what color you are, that you have tentacles instead of hands, or that your hair is always in your eyes.

Beyond the Book: There are so many fun books about monsters, and this is the perfect time to read a bunch. Check out The Monster Who Did My Math, The Monstore, and The Problem with Not Being Scared of Monsters - plus any other cool books you find at the library, like Where the Wild Things Are.

Be a Friend to someone who is new to your school or neighborhood. What do you need to do to "be a friend"? What do you do when you want to be friends with someone?

Make a friendship bracelet. All you need is some embroidery floss or crochet thread or thin yarn, and then follow these directions. Have fun!

Do something fun with your friends. Maybe rake leaves into a pile and jump in them. Or bake some cookies.

Make some monster masks and have a wild rumpus!

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.

Over on a Mountain, Somewhere in the World

Over on a Mountain: Somewhere in the World
by Marianne Berkes; illus by Jill Dubin
32 pages; ages 3-8
Dawn publications, 2015

This book will not only have you singing along, but checking an atlas, globe, or whatever mapping app you might have. It's downright fun and a great addition to the "Over in" series that Marianne Berkes has been adding to over the years.

I like it because it's a world tour of mountain ranges - and it has animals from every region. Plus Berkes includes a handy map in case you don't have a globe at hand. Plus it's a counting song... so it's win-win all around.

The illustrations are beautiful cut paper, filled with texture and detail.

All the animals in the book act the way that Berkes portrays them. Snow leopards leap, bald eagles soar, and penguins waddle. And they live in the mountains as shown in the book. But they don't have as many babies as in her rhyme!

There is wonderful back matter for parents and curious kids. Berkes includes mountain facts, reveals the "hidden" mountain animals, and provides more information about the animals featured in the book. There's also an entire page of "tips from the illustrator" - what fun for the budding artist! And, at the back there is music and words for the song in case you're chosen to lead the next sing-along.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. Even though "perfect picture book Friday" is on summer break, you can still check out recent posts at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.

The Problem with NOT Being Scared of Monsters

The Problem with NOT Being Scared of Monsters
by Dan Richards; illus. by Robert Neubecker
32 pages; ages 4-8
Boyds Mills Press, 2014

themes: family, siblings, monsters

"The problem with NOT being scared of monsters is...
they think you're on of them." And that, it turns out, can be a real problem. Because they eat your cereal - and your homework, wear your favorite pajamas, and making walking home a real drag.

"Walking home is a drag."

What I like about this book: It's fun - and funny. These monsters remind me of needy pets... or younger friends that just want to hang out with you all the time and do what you do. But not well-trained (eating homework) and with no boundaries (taking your favorite PJs). And then they keep you awake at night with their fears (no, I won't spoil it....).

The other thing I like (but Kirkus didn't) is how the kid foists this rambunctious horde of monsters off on his younger brother. Really! What little kid wouldn't want some friendly monsters to hang out with.... at least for awhile.

Dan Richards already has a follow-up book due out this fall. Monsters have issues, too, he says - like trying to make friends with children who just keep running away screaming.

Beyond the Book - there are so many great stories about Monsters, from the truly scary to the gregarious rumpus-makers in Where the Wild Things Are.

Go on a Monster Field Trip: head to the library and find as many monster books as you can. Take them home and study them. What kinds of monsters are there?

Now grab your sketchbook and take "field notes". Draw some of the different kinds of monsters from the books. Note important things such as: kinds of food they eat, the sort of habitat they live in, what kinds of games they play. If you'd rather, make a poster of "monster diversity" in books.

Make a Monster Mask from a large paper bag. Have fun!

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) over at  Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.

Henny

Henny
by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
40 pages; ages 4-8
Simon & Schuster, 2014

theme: finding yourself

Henny was not a typical chicken. Henny was born with arms.

A typical chicken, we all know, has wings. But poor Henny. Instead of fluffy, feathery wings she had long skinny arms. Her mother loved her anyway.

What I like love about this book: the silliness of a chicken with arms - and the wonderful images Elizabeth Rose Stanton paints with her words. For example, when she runs, Henny's arms "flutter behind her like ribbons". You don't even need the illustration to see that picture!

I also like it that Stanton gives Henny some worries. For example: is she right-handed or left-handed? And what should she wear?

I like that Henny discovers so many things she can do with her arms - twiddle her thumbs, for example, or comb her comb. There's just one niggling worry: will she be able to fly? Nothing to fret over - Stanton's got that covered.

Beyond the Book: There is so much chicken silliness waiting to happen. Start with some chicken jokes. You may have heard why the chicken crossed the road, but do you know what you get when a chicken lays an egg on top of the barn roof? An Egg Roll! For more chicken jokes, go here - or make up your own.

Discover different kinds of chickens. If you have a chance to visit a farm with chickens, take along a camera or sketch pad and draw the different kinds of chickens you meet. Or visit some chicken breeds on this page.

Check out their eggs. You might know that some chickens lay brown eggs, but do you know that chickens also lay green and blue and pink eggs? Some lay dark brown eggs, some lay speckled eggs. The color depends on what breed of chicken is laying the eggs.

Do the Chicken Dance! The steps are easy: you make a beak with your hands and open-close it four times. Then you flap your wings four times, then wiggle your tail feathers four times, then clap four times. After a few repetitions, you circle round with a friend or two, or make up your own chickeny moves. Here's a video of some folks at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh demonstrating how to dance.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) over at  Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the author.

Because they Marched

Because they Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights that Changed America
by Russell Freedman
96 pages; ages 10 & up
Holiday House, 2014

If you are looking for a book to read this week, then put this one in your book bag. The photos and stories will take you back 50 years to the Selma march. In fact, the book begins with a story of the day the teachers marched - January 22... only a few days from now. It was a scary decision for them, because marching for the right to vote could mean losing their jobs. But they had to stand up for right, and stand up for their student's futures.

If you listen to the news, you know that some states are making all kinds of rules about what people need to do to vote: have drivers licenses, or special voter ID's. Those rules, they say, will keep "illegal" people from voting - people who aren't citizens. But if you live in a rural area, the drive to a state office where you can get those IDs could be a long one. And there's usually no public transportation. And if you are poor, then you might not even be able to drive. So the rules end up hurting many people who are citizens, depriving them of their right to vote for congressmen and the president.

Back in the 50s and early 60s there were a number of obstacles to voting as well - but they were intended to prevent black American citizens from voting. Obstacles like requiring a reading test, or cutting office hours to only a couple days a week for limited time.

Eventually the protests culminated in a people's march from Selma to the capital of Alabama, Montgomery. People flooded in from across the country, and Martin Luther King, Jr. led the march. Or marches - because it took three tries. Finally, on March 25 the marchers arrived after walking 54 miles, to be greeted by 25,000 supporters. A long walk may not sound very exciting - especially in the rain and cold - but this march put the spotlight on injustice and paved the way to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was a great achievement.

Unfortunately, voter ID laws created by states over the past couple years are undermining the progress this country made to ensure that every citizen born in this country, regardless of gender or skin color or religion, has a say in how we govern ourselves. This is an important book not only because of the past history, but also because of the time in which we find ourselves.

 Today we're joining the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Today is also Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday round-up. Drop by Shannon's blog to see what other reviewers are talking about. Review copy provided by publisher.

Penguin's Hidden Talents

Penguin's Hidden Talent
by Alex Latimer
32 pages; ages 4-8
Peachtree publisher, 2014

"The BIG annual Talent Show was just around the corner... and everyone was practicing."

themes: friendship, finding your own gift

Everyone has a talent except Penguin... he can't bake or read a map or knit a sweater. Bear juggles, rabbit does magic tricks, and albatross can swallow humongous fish.

What I love about this book: Penguin is a good sport. He tries many things... but they just don't suit him. So while his friends practice their acts for the show, Penguin helps organize the show.

I also love the art. I love Penguin and Bear... how simple they are and yet how much expression is squeezed into their spare illustrated selves. This sort of art gives me hope that I might discover my hidden talent.

Beyond the book: What sort of talents do you and your friends have? Can you juggle? Do card tricks? Dance on a tightrope? Build things out of blocks or recycled toilet paper tubes? Draw? Write poetry? Sing? If you're not sure, try a few things. Hint: if you've never tried to juggle before, don't start with toasters or tomatoes.

If you have a pet, what sort of talents do they have? Can they do tricks? Locate lost items? Count to three?

Put on a talent show. Gather a group of friends, and have some fun. Make some posters and invite people to enjoy the show. Does someone have the talent to make popcorn?

Today we're joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by publisher.

Separate is Never Equal

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & her Family's Fight for Desegregation
by Duncan Tonatiuh
40 pages; ages 6-9
Abrams, 2014

On the first day of school Sylvia wears her shiny new black shoes and her hair is perfectly parted into two long braids. But when she's looking for her locker, a boy points at her and yells, "Go back to the Mexican school! You don't belong here!"

But she does, because the year before her family and others won their lawsuit to stop school segregation in California. And most of the book reflects on those earlier events - which happened nearly a decade before Brown v Board of Education. When her family moved to the town of Westminster, she could not register at the public school near her home. She had to take classes in the school farther away - a shack surrounded by cow pastures, without any playground equipment or tables for eating lunch.

Sylvia's parents, outraged by the injustice, worked to find a way to make education equal for all children. With friends and neighbors reluctant to sign petitions, lest they lose their jobs, they ended up taking the school system to court.

But it was up to Sylvia to face the realities of going to a newly integrated school. She ignored the whispers and name-calling and focused on making friends and learning her lessons. Author's notes and other material at the back add context to this important story.

Check out what other bloggers are reviewing over at Nonfiction Monday.  And if you're looking for another story about girls involved in school integration, check out this post from last month.  Review copy provided by publisher.

King for a Day

King for a Day
by Rukhsana Khan; illus. by Christiane Kromer
32 pares; ages 6-10
Lee & Low, 2014

Themes: diversity; family; bullying

"Basant is the most exciting day of the year!" It's a holiday filled with feasts and music and parties celebrating the arrival of spring. And many of those people will climb to the rooftops of Lahore [Pakistan]  to participate in kite-flying battles.

This is the day Malik will fly his kite, Falcon. He will send Falcon into the sky to battle with the kite of the bully next door - the bully who throws stones at his sister and calls names. The bully's kite is huge, but Malik is sure his small, swift Falcon can win the day.

What I like about this book: The artwork is amazing - collages that incorporate lace and fabric and papers. The illustrations draw upon the folk art designs of Pakistan - and the kites are so bright I just want to make one myself. I like the kite battles, and the peek into a traditional celebration that embraces sky and skill.

Beyond the book: It's never too late to make a kite. The bold illustrations may inspire some kite designs - or if not, check out these photos of kites kids made for Basant. You'll find a video of the kite festival here (it's rather long-ish - 8 minutes).

Turn a shopping bag into a kite - just follow these step-by-step directions. Then head out to a park or field and go fly a kite! All you need is a nice day and a bit of a breeze.

 Today's review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.