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.  

This or That: What Will You Choose at the British Museum

This book will be perfect for any I Spy fanatics and it’s the perfect time for it as many museums doors are closed at the present.  There are virtual tours and exhibits of museum and other cultural spaces but sometimes you just want to hold a book.  The layout of the photos of artifacts is eye catching and engaging for readers young and old.  I enjoyed searching the page for the prompted items and wondering about others as well. Enjoy our trip to the museum!

http://www.pippagoodhart.co.uk/
@pippagoodhart

Title: This or That: What Will You Choose at the British Museum

Author: Pippa Goodhart

ISBN: 978-1-5362-1223-5

Published 2019 by Nosy Crow

What I Like Most

This feels like an updated (and lovely) version of “The Important Book”.  Each of the items that the characters likes most is representative of what she values.  Like The Important Book and many others before it, this book offers a student writing opportunity to reflect on what they like most – a great community building and getting to know you/beginning of the year book.  My favorite is the book. “It has a story about someone quite like me.” Every child needs to see themselves reflected in literature. And my next favorite is the end (which I won’t give away) but it is beautiful and as a result this would make an excellent gift for the addition of a new baby to a family.

Title: What I Like Most

Author: Mary Murphy

Illustrator: Zhu Cheng - Liang

ISBN: 978-1-5362-0940-2

Published 2019 by Candlewick Press