Sir Ladybug

Sir Ladybug

Sir Ladybug knows that the quest finds the knight and doesn't shirk away from a monster in the form of a chick-a-dee that would really like to eat a caterpillar who would rather not be eaten. The caterpillar, squire, herald, and Sir Ladybug all seek refuge within the shell of the squire, a Snail named Sterling, where they pass the time playing video games and baking cake. Will Sir Ladbug's Lemon Layer Cake convince the Chick-a-Dee to be best friends with his intended meal? Will the friends ever leave the safety of the shell? Find out in Corey Tabor's Sir Ladbug!

Special shout out to William Carlos Williams for inspiring "The Slice of Cake"

so much depends

upon

a slice of

cake

Title: Sir Ladybug

Author: Corey Tabor

ISBN: 978-0-06-306906-0

Published 2022 by Balzer + Bray

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Thunder and Cluck: Smart vs/ Strong

Thunder and Cluck: Smart vs/ Strong

Thunder and Cluck: Smart vs/ Strong

I love that this book starts with the characters talking to the reader, making sure they are well prepared to read a graphic novel and follow the dialogue (and thought bubbles). 

Thunder and Cluck make a great pair, but Thunder (much like a rabbit/hare situation) decides that he would obviously win any game they might play being that he is much stronger and larger, but Cluck invents a new game and uses his smarts to evade Thunder which leads to a challenge that takes both strength and smarts to get out of it. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the Thunder and Cluck books and predict kids will love them too!

Title: Thunder and Cluck: Smart vs/ Strong

Author: Jill Esbaum

Illustrator: Miles Thompson

ISBN: 978-1-534486584

Published 2021 by Simon Spotlight

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

The Weird Sisters: A Note, A Goat, and a Casserole

 The Weird Sisters: A Note, A Goat, and a Casserole

The Weird Sisters: A Note, a Goat, and a Casserole makes for a laugh out loud, can't put it down kind of read. When the sisters move into the neighborhood and open their own pet emporium, complete with possums and fire ants, their first customer, Jessica, discovers a note near the door that seems to be a bit menacing, telling the sisters they should leave the neighborhood. But, things are not at all as they seem. And the note's not the only thing - the realtor painting the house and the goat's pen - a kid that can write! This book is full of puns that will keep the reader guessing, right up to the end. I'm looking forward to introducing the readers in my school to the Weird Sisters and I can't wait to read the next books to see what these characters get up to next. The next book looks to be coming out in April of 2023 - and the title has my wheels turning already - A Robin, a Ribbon, and a Lawn Mower.

https://www.marksmithbooks.com/ 

https://www.karirust.com/

Title: The Weird Sisters: A Note, A Goat, and a Casserole

Author: Mark David Smith

Illustrator: Kari Rust

ISBN: 978-1-77147-456-6

Published 2022 by Owlkids Books

This book was received from the publisher for review

Cornbread & Poppy

 Cornbread & Poppy

Much like the characters, Cornbread and Poppy, we are experiencing our first major snow storm of the season here where I live. Unlike the characters, I did not hike to the top of a mountain to stock up on supplies to make it through winter, but this book is a perfect one to have on hand to enjoy some reading time on a cold winter's day. 

This pair reminds me of the ant and the grasshopper but with an added twist at the top of the mountain. And more problem solving on the part of the procrastinating character. I love that this book values each character's strengths and helps the reader to embrace the unexpected. I hope that all readers are stocked up on the most important supplies for winter: lots of books!

https://www.matthewcordell.com/ 

Title: Cornbread & Poppy

Author: Matthew Cordell

ISBN: 978-0-7595-5487-0

Published 2022 by Little, Brown and Company

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Layla and the Bots: Making Waves

Layla and the Bots: Making Waves

Layla and the Bots helps make coding and problem solving accessible to even the youngest readers. Layla and the Bots encounter a dolphin named Splash at the Surfside Rescue Center. They learn from Dr. Sophie that Splash needs surgery and in order to be healthy enough to get the surgery, Splash needs to start eating more. The bots come to realize that Splash is happy to eat when listening to music so Layla and the Bots design a code to recognize Splash's squeak of displeasure that will indicate when to switch to a new song. Will their code recognize Splash's squeaks? Will Splash eat enough to be healthy and get surgery? Find out in Layla and the Bots: Making Waves!

https://vickyfang.com/books/layla/

Title: Layla and the Bots: Making Waves

Author: Vicky Fang

Illustrator: Christine Nishiyama

ISBN: 978-1-338-58301-4

Published 2022 by Branches: Scholastic, Inc.

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Jojo Makoons: Fancy Pants

 Jojo Makoons: Fancy Pants

The Jojo Makoons series does a beautiful job of seamlessly integrating Ojibwe and Michif words and culture throughout the story of a young girl navigating school and life, and figuring things out as she goes along. She sometimes takes things said very literally a la Amelia Bedelia and likes to show people when she's being "helpful" with her smiles and head tilts. Young readers will love Jojo Makoons and her bear ear hair and this story, in particular, tells the relatable tale of figuring out what it means to be fancy as Jojo prepares for a trip off of her familiar reservation to the exotic land of Wisconsin for a family wedding. She's heard that dairy is a pretty big deal there and anticipates getting cheese on everything. Readers will fall in love with Jojo!

Title: Jojo Makoons: Fancy Pants

Author: Dawn Quigley

ISBN: 978-0-06-3015400-1

Published 2022 by Heartdrum Harper Collins 

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Mermaid Days: The Sunken Ship

 Mermaid Days: The Sunken Ship

This Acorn level book from Scholastic is just right for early readers ready to branch out to independent reading. The speech bubbles are color coded to match the character who is speaking and I especially loved the information interspersed from Mr. Burbles, the librarian, about octopus legs and the neurons they contain that relay information - so neat! The how to draw section at the back and inclusion of a story prompt add to this story in ways that readers can come back to again and again. 

http://www.kylelukoff.com/ 

@KyleLukoff

Title: Mermaid Days: The Sunken Ship

Author: Kyle Lukoff

Illustrator: Kat Uno

ISBN: 978-1-338-79459-5

Published 2022 by Acorn Scholastic Inc. 

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Ballet Bruce

Ballet Bruce

 

You can never go wrong with a Ryan T. Higgins Bruce book and the details in the illustrations for each of Bruce’s jaunts to town to find the different elements of a full ballet complement really make the story. The words “The ride home is long too” is accompanied by an illustration of one of the busy beavers from the other illustrations but this time with a bag of nails that has ripped open and left a trail of nails through which Bruce has just rode his motorbike and popped the tires. Similarly, parents may relate to the tutu shopping experience when “Bruce does not know which tutu to buy. So Bruce buys all the tutus.” Especially after a long day of running back and forth to the store. Bruce always tends to find himself grumpily doing whatever the geese want or need and I’m always ready for the ride, no matter how many there are. 

ryanthiggins.com 

@RyanT_Higgins

Title: Ballet Bruce

Author: Ryan T. Higgins

ISBN: 978-1-368-05960-2

Published 2022 by Disney Hyperion 

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Your Friend, Parker

 Your Friend, Parker

This story of two modern day friends staying in touch over a vacation by letter writing highlights some neat destinations across our country like sand sledding in New Mexico and the aquarium in Georgia. The authors also note another letter writing relationship from the past between Zora Neale Hurston and Dorothy West and the impact those letters have on our understanding of the time of the Harlem Renaissance. This book will make an excellent addition to the shelves of any library and I’m hoping we get more adventures with Parker and Gia in the future!

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Parker-Curry/158438640 

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Jessica-Curry/158506161 

@_parkercurry

Title: Your Friend, Parker

Author: Parker Curry & Jessica Curry

Illustrator: Brittany Jackson & Tajae Keith

ISBN: 978-1-6659-0259-5

Published 2022 by Simon Spotlight 

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Tiny Tales: Shell Quest

 Tiny Tales: Shell Quest

I fell in love before I even started the book. On the top of the verso (the page across from the Title Page with the copyright and publishing info at the bottom), there was a how-to guide to reading comics, i.e. read left to right, this kind of bubble indicates thought, speech, whispering, etc. This is the kind of thing that kids certainly pick up on, for the most part, but laying it out in a learning fashion, let’s just say I’m a fan. 

Story itself - adorable. A slug who, but for the lack of a shell, looks an awful lot like a snail runs into a pair of snails and wonders why he doesn’t have a shell and decides that if he did, he would surely fit in with these new friends far better so he goes on a quest for a shell (as the title indicates). 

Another love for me is the inclusion of some nonfiction factual info and resources as a bit of a post script. The last page gives some info about similarities and differences between snails and slugs, as well as poking fun at the Greek name Gastropods - “stomach foot”.

https://www.stephwaldo.com/ 

Title: Tiny Tales: Shell Quest

Author: Steph Waldo

ISBN: 978-0-06-306783-7

Published 2021 by Harper Alley, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers  

This book was borrowed from the public library for review

Marco Polo Brave Explorer

 Marco Polo Brave Explorer

I’ll admit that when I read the description of this book, I wrote it off, I didn’t think it would be a book I would enjoy, but, you also can’t go wrong with Cynthia Lord. And she did it, she made a character who is a Christmas tree ornament turned toy that can be borrowed from the public library into a lovable, problem-solving, hero who not only gets itself out of a pinch but rescues another toy, and helps a family realize what a hot mess the area behind their garage couch has become as their sock (and lots of other stuff) stealing cat has been creating a nesting area for years! I also really liked the growth of the human characters through the book but Marco Polo was certainly the star. Dazzle Makes a Wish looks to be the next Book Buddy book to come and Dazzle made an appearance in this title as she sneezed and spewed glitter everywhere, so I can only imagine the second book will be a hit too!

https://www.cynthialord.com/

Title: Marco Polo Brave Explorer

Author: Cynthia Lord

Illustrator: Stephanie Graegin

ISBN: 978-1-5362-1355-3

Published 2022 by Candlewick Press

This book was borrowed from the public library for review.

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey

 Full disclosure that I came to this reading as a fangirl of Erin Entrada Kelly as I found her Newbery Medal winning book “Hello, Universe” to be groundbreaking and I got all the feels reading Newbery Honor winner, “We Dream of Space” so my expectations were high and I was not disappointed by “Surely Surely Marisol Rainey” the follow up to “Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey”. On the very last page, there is a note to “Be on the lookout for more adventures with Marisol!” and I can’t wait. 

Young readers will relate to Marisol’s hesitancy around the unknown, for example - kickball. Marisol experiences very real emotions of anxiety, jealousy, and eventually pride in overcoming her concerns and experiencing some success worthy of a “Way to go, Marisol” from Coach Decker. 

Of note, Marisol’s father works as an electrician on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and as such is present in her life in the form of a video call on a computer screen at set times each week. While this must be difficult, the family finds a way to build some consistency for both parent and children, and following the Covid pandemic where many people communicated with relatives and children learned on and off screen, I think kid readers will totally “get” this set of circumstances. 

Marisol’s mother is from the Philippines and Marisol makes note of some of the Filipino food she enjoys - lumpia, pancit, and chicken adobo. As an adult reader, it makes me want to broaden my horizons to try lumpia and pancit - maybe kids will think the same!

There are several opportunities for kid readers to experience some windows and mirrors, depending on their personal experiences, whether it’s learning about the foods of the Philippines or about some of the various job opportunities on oil rigs. Overall, I think readers will like seeing what Marisol gets into next and I’m already looking forward to reading more from Erin Entrada Kelly.

www.erinentradakelly.com 

@erinentrada 

Title: Surely Surely Marisol Rainey

Author: Erin Entrada Kelly

ISBN: 978-0-06-297045-9

Published 2022 by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

This book was borrowed from the public library for review.