Geo Librarian

OUR PLAYGROUND RULES! by Kallie George, illustrated by Jay Fleck Rodale Kids, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-5593-37874-8 Source: Nicole Banholzer PR/publisher Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & cover provided by publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Explore what it means to share space and have fun on the playground with this sweetly funny picture book of playground rules based in social-emotional learning. There are so many reasons why our playground RULES! 1. Everyone gets a turn, no matter how long it takes... 2. We play fair (even when the weather isn't). 3. We try to be patient, which is always worth it! This young picture book plays with the double meaning of rules to explore how following a few simple rules of kindness can make playtime more fun for everyone! Featuring simple text and engaging illustrations that embrace the varying needs and capabilities of the adorable cast of animal characters, Our Playground Rules! is the perfect tool to he

ANNI DREAMS OF BIRYANI by Namita Moolani Mehra, Chaaya Prabhat Two Lions, 2022 ISBN: 978-1542030410 Source: publisher/Blue Slip Media Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary & images provided by Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK Anni’s on a mission to YUM! The café across the street from Anni’s home in Little India makes the best biryani in the world. Fluffy and fragrant, spicy and succulent—Anni could eat it every day. In fact, Anni loves that biryani so much that she’s determined to uncover the secret to the recipe. She has so many questions for Uncle, the grumpy chef and owner of the café. But he isn’t providing any easy clues. So, with some careful planning, Anni sets out on a mission to find out the secret ingredients to this most special dish. Will Anni get the answers she’s looking for…before it’s too late? ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR Namita Moolani Mehra is a children’s book author, cookbook author, and a food and parenting writer.

LOVE IN THE LIBRARY by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, iillustrated by Yas Imamura Candlewick Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0430-8 Source: publisher for review Ages 6 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Set in an internment camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak. To fall in love is already a gift. But to fall in love in a place like Minidoka, a place built to make people feel like they weren’t human—that was miraculous. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tama is sent to live in a War Relocation Center in the desert. All Japanese Americans from the West Coast—elderly people, children, babies—now live in prison camps like Minidoka. To be who she is has become a crime, it seems, and Tama doesn’t know when or if she will ever leave. Trying not to think of the life she once had, she works in the c

HOPE IS AN ARROW The Story of Lebanese American Poet Kahlil Gibran by Cory McCarthy, illustrated by Ekua Holmes Candlewick Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0032-4 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by goodreads.com & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK A lyrical biography of Kahlil Gibran by award-winning writer Cory McCarthy, with glorious illustrations by Caldecott Honoree and two-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Ekua Holmes. Before Kahlil Gibran ever put his pen to the page to eventually become the world's third best-selling poet of all time, he was Gibran Khalil Gibran, a child immigrant from Lebanon who had a secret hope. That hope sprung from his experiences in Lebanon, where Christians and Muslims crashed like two strong headwinds, and in Boston, where the wealthy crashed with the poor. His secret hope: to connect all people from around the world, bringing them together despite their differences

 ABDUL'S STORY by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Tiffany Rose Salaam Reads, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5344-6298-4 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by Goodreads.com & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK A little boy who loves storytelling but struggles with writing learns that it’s okay to make mistakes in this charming and encouraging picture book from the author of Mommy’s Khimar. Abdul loves to tell stories. But writing them down is hard. His letters refuse to stay straight and face the right way. And despite all his attempts, his papers often wind up with more eraser smudges than actual words. Abdul decides his stories just aren’t meant to be written down…until a special visitor comes to class and shows Abdul that even the best writers—and superheroes—make mistakes.  REVIEW What a beautiful book!  I loved this one both in terms of story and illustrations.  The story follows Abdul's st

A DREAM OF BIRDS by Shenaz Patel, illustrated by Emmanuelle Tchoukriel Translated by Edwige-Renee Dro Amazon Crossing Kids, 2022 ISBN: 978-1662500930 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by Goodreads.com & publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK Sara has a thing for birds. They remind her of her grandfather, who loved birds, and the wonderful show the creatures would put on in his yard each day—like a cloud of colorful flowers carried by the wind. As Sara walks to school in her island town, she longs for the freedom of those birds. Then she spots a new birdhouse full of parakeets in someone’s yard. Sara feels drawn to them and unable to forget them. So what happens the next time, when she finds the door to the birdhouse unlocked? With poetic language and beautiful art, this story set on the African island of Mauritius brings to life a little girl’s deep love of nature, her brash but well-meaning choice, and ultimately, her

LINES OF COURAGE by Jennifer A. Nielsen Scholastic Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-338-62093-1 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & book cover provided by Goodreads.com & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK The stories of five kids living through World War I, each of whom holds the key to the others' futures... if they are lucky - and brave - enough to find each other. World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war. Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs for the bravery to resist Jewish deportations before his own family can be taken. Kara, from Britain, dreams of someday earning her Red Cross pin and working as a nurse - or even a doctor. Juliette, of France, hopes her family can remain knitted together, despite her father's imprisonment, as the war's longest battle str

QUEST FOR THE UNICORN HORN The Extincts #1 by Scott Magoon Amulet Books, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-4197-5250-6 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by goodreads.com & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK A team of extinct animals embark on top-secret missions around the world in this new graphic novel series Meet Scratch, Martie, Lug, and Quito, members of a secret organization called R.O.A.R., or the Rescue Ops Acquisition Rangers. When their boss, Dr. Z, finally calls on them for their first big mission, the team heads to Siberia to retrieve an ancient unicorn horn from the thawing permafrost. Scratch is thrilled at the chance to prove his worth to Dr. Z—but as soon as they land, the team runs into a mysterious enemy determined to take them down. With exciting missions, plenty of humor, and an environmental angle, this series starter from New York Times bestselling illustrator Scott Magoon is an action-packed adventure from start

SIR LADYBUG by Corey R. Tabor Balzer + Bray, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-306906-0 Source: purchased Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by goodreads.com & publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK The debut of a clever and humorous young graphic novel series about the adventures of a valiant ladybug and his friends, from Geisel Award–winning author-illustrator Corey R. Tabor. Ladies and gentlebugs, presenting the duke of the dandelion patch, champion of truth and justice, the one, the only—Sir Ladybug! Sir Ladybug never shies away from a quest, even when he’d rather be playing a video game or baking a cake. So when a caterpillar needs rescuing from a “monster” (a hungry chickadee), Sir Ladybug and his trusty friends—his herald, a roly-poly named Pell, and his squire, a snail named Sterling—hatch the perfect (delicious) plan. From Geisel Award–winning author-illustrator Corey R. Tabor, comes a fresh and funny young graphic novel series sure to delight reader

CUTE AS AN AXOLOTL: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals by Jess Keating, with illustrations by David DeGrand Alfred A Knopf, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-5247-6447-0 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by Goodreads.com & publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK The Internet pretty much runs on cute animal photos, but "cute" is so much more than clickbait kittens and insta-pups. Cute is for feathery-gilled axolotl (pronounced: ax-uh-LOT-ul), shy pygmy hippos, poisonous blue dragons, and armored pangolins. All of these animals are cute, but they've also adapted remarkable ways to survive in their unique environments. REVIEW Cute as an Axolotl  presents readers with information about 17 adorable wild animals.  As the book description points out 'cute' is highly popular especially cats and dogs.  This addition to Keating's The World of Weird Animals shares some adorable lesser known animals with young read

As a reader of children's literature, I like to pay attention to current trends.  Not only does it help me know what's popular, but it helps me select books for my school library.  One trend I've noticed recently is the growing number of books that have characters that are food.  It's not an entirely new trend, since titles like Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller and Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border and Josh Funk's Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have been around for awhile.  But I've noticed that such characters have become quite plentiful with new series such as Pizza and Taco by Stephan Shaskan and Jarrett Lerner's The Hunger Heros .  The books I'm highlighting today fall into this burgeoning category.  In fact, both books have hot dogs as main characters.  But these books, while similar in subject matter, are quite different in tone and style. FRANK AND BEAN: FOOD TRUCK FIASCO Frank and Bean #2 by Jamie Michalak, illustrated by Bob Ko