Geo Librarian

    Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 (1/29/21) is in its 8 th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen ; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators. Eight years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues. Read about our Mission & History HERE. MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors! FOUNDER’S CIRCLE : Mia Wenjen ( Prgamaticmom ) and Valarie Budayr’s ( Audreypress.com ) Platinum Sponsors : Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages , Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media Gold Sponsors: Barefoot Books , Candlewick Press , Capstone , Hoopoe Books , KidLitTV , Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. ...

  WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed Color by Iman Geddy Dial Books for Young Readers, 2020 ISBN: 978-0-525-55391-5 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Omar and his little brother, Hassan, arrived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, seven years ago. Their father was killed the day they left home, and they haven't seen their mother since they joined their neighbors who were fleeing to Dadaab. Now Omar is eleven and Hassan is nine, and Omar has quit school to look after his brother, who has an intellectual disability. When Omar is given the opportunity to return to school and carve out a future for himself and Hassan, he feels torn. He loves school and could have the opportunity to earn a coveted scholarship to a North American university--and with it a visa for himself and Hassan. But is it worth the risk and heartache of leaving his vulnerable brother for hours each day? Told in Victoria Jamieso...

THE LION OF MARS by Jennifer L. Holm Random House, 2021 ISBN: 978-0-593-12181-8 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet.   REVIEW   Jennifer Holm has outdone herself with her new book.  The characters are appealing, especially Bell, the setting is fascinating, and the situation is compelling.  Bell tells the story from his eleven-year-old point of view, which give...

  HOW BIG IS ZAGNODD? by Sandra Boynton Little Simon, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-5344-8256-2 Source: publisher for review Ages 0-3 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   Finally, a board book that dares to answer the question: “HOW BIG IS ZAGNODD?” (Spoiler alert: SO big.) From there, we zip around outer space to meet a wild variety of­ aliens—Boknuk, Fleeb, Igwak, to name a few—who are LONG or FUZZY or BRIGHT or DANCEY or SLEEPY. And then, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, there’s Steve. This hilarious new book from the out-of-this-world Sandra Boynton will have Earthlings big and small giggling with delight.   REVIEW   This short rather silly board book asks questions about made up creatures before answering them.  The questions ask about some condition related to the creature.  How big?  How long? How fuzzy? How bright? etc.  The silliness makes this a book that young listeners are likely to want to return to again a...

  ALONE by Megan E. Freeman Aladdin, 2021 ISBN: 9781534467569 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten. As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frighteni...

SCOOPER AND DUMPER by Lindsay Ward  two lions, 2021 ISBN: 978-1542092685 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The best of friends, Scooper the front loader and Dumper the snowplow take care of their town in all kinds of weather. One day a snowstorm hits, and the big city needs their help to clear the roads. Each of them must be brave in their own way to get the job done. This wintry adventure spotlights the ideas of individual strengths, teamwork, and friendship in a vehicle buddy story that boys and girls alike will love.   REVIEW   Dumper clears the roads and dumps salt to keep them clear.  Scooper loads Dumper so he can do his job.  Each has their role to play in helping the community.  When a nearby big city needs their help, Scooper loads Dumper and Dumper sets off to clear roads.  But when things go wrong it's up to Scooper to step out of her comfort zone and save the day.  This is ...

    THE PRINCESS IN BLACK AND THE GIANT PROBLEM by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham Candlewick Press, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0222-9 Source: purchased  Ages 7-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK   The Princess in Black is ready for her snowy play date with the Goat Avenger and the Princess in Blankets. It's a perfect day to build snow monsters and battle them for practice. But just when they're about to wage battle, a huge foot smashes their snow monster. "SQUASHY!" It's a giant, and it's smashing everything in its path! The giant is too strong for the three friends, so the Princess in Blankets has an idea: it's time to light the Sparkle Signal and summon help. With a rising crescendo of a plot and a delightfully surprising ending, the latest adventure in the New York Times best-selling series features all the Princess in Black's friends as heroes for the first time.   REVIEW   The Princess in Black ...

  THE GIRL WHO SPEAKS BEAR by Sophie Anderson Scholastic Press, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-338-58083-9 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   Discovered in a bear cave as a baby, 12-year-old Yanka dreams of knowing who she really is. Although Yanka is happy at home with her loving foster mother, she feels out of place in the village where the other children mock her for her unusual size and strength. So when Yanka wakes up one morning to find her legs have become bear legs, she knows she has no choice but to leave her village. She has to find somewhere she truly belongs, so she ventures into the Snow Forest with her pet weasel, Mousetrap, in search of the truth about her past. But deep in the forest there are many dangers and Yanka discovers that even the most fantastic stories she grew up hearing are true. And just as she draws close to discovering who she really is, something terrifying happens that could trap her in th...