Geo Librarian

Ironically, I am choosing to review two books today that directly contradict the weather I'm experiencing here in Utah. It hovered around 0 degrees today. Burr! But these books brought a smile to my face in reminding me that the warmth will return and in the meantime I'll keep reading books like these and sharing them with children. Another remarkable thing is that HOT DOG just won the Caldecott Medal! Congratulations, Doug Salati! Thank you for producing such a wonderful book. HOT DOG by Doug Salati Alfred A. Knopf, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-593-30843-1 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW In poetic text combined with lovely pencil, gouache on paper and Photoshopped illustrations, Salati presents readers with a delightful reminder of the need to enjoy nature's beauty's once in a while. The story follows a dachshund getting walked around New York as his owner runs errands. Eventually t...

THE LUCKY ONES by Linda Williams Jackson Candlewick Press, 2022 ISBN: 9781536222555 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Ellis Earl dreams of one day becoming a teacher and a lawyer.  But in 1967 Wilsonville, Mississippi, those dreams huddle under the realities of poverty and segregation. Ellis Earl lives in a shack with his mother and eight siblings and niece Vera. The addition several other nieces and nephews after their mother's complications giving birth add to the crowding and hunger.  Despite his mother's and brothers best efforts, work and income is hard to come by.  But at school, Ellis Earl learns about Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright as his teacher, Mr. Foster works to instill not just knowledge but hope in his students. Ellis Earl struggles with shame for his situation, jealousy of his friend Philip, and conflict with his family. While he...

CRIMSON TWILL, WITCH IN THE CITY by Kallie George, illustrated by Birgitta Sif Candlewick Press, 2022 ISBN: 9781536214635 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 7-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Crimson Twill's unusual preferences help her stand out in the witch world.  She loves polka dots, she giggles rather than cackling, and skips rather than slinking, and dreams sweet dreams rather than nightmares.  A visit to Broomingdale's, a mall in the city, highlights her differences as she looks for a way to spend her gold coins. Her efforts lead her to visit several different floors where she looks at pets, brooms, and hats.  She picks up a lost puppy on the pet floor and spends the rest of her time looking for its owner.  She meets another young witch with colorful tastes while looking at hats before ending up at the fashion show where she finds the owner of the puppy.  She doesn't find s...

These two nonfiction picture book blew me away with their stunning illustrations.  Both book look at the importance of light, one looking at all kinds of light from lightning to bioluminescence while the other one looks only at bioluminescence.  What a remarkable way to introduce children to the wonders of the world. LUMINOUS Living Things That Light Up the Night by Julia Kuo Greystone Kids, 2022 ISBN: 9781771648882 Source: purchased Ages 4 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW What a beautiful book.  Kuo introduces young readers to the amazing kind of light called bioluminescence, the light created within the bodies of living creatures.  Combining an introductory text in larger font with additional explanatory text in smaller font the book works well with both older and younger elementary students.  A variety of creatures produce bioluminescence including foxfire (fungi), glowworms, d...

  NONI THE PONY COUNTS TO A MILLION by Alison Lester Beach Lane Books, 2023 ISBN: 9781665922289 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW This Australian import follows Noni, a pony, as she counts from 1 to 10, then dozens, hundreds, thousands, and a million.  She begins by standing under one tree watching two friends dance by the sea.  She gathers companions as she moves from one activity to another, ending up sleeping under millions of stars.  The rhyming text flows smoothly from spread to spread as Noni meets other animals on her journey. Not only is this a cute book about counting, but it's an adorable introduction to a variety of animals.  Noni, with her big eyes, and her friends are appealing companions on this journey of numbers. THIS BOOK IS MY BEST FRIEND by Robin Robinson Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9781665906814 Source:...

  GOLDEN GIRL by Reem Faruqi Harper, 2022 ISBN: 9780063044753 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade contemporary/realistic (novel-in-verse) All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW 7th grader Aafiyah Qamar loves to hang out with her best friend Zaina, play tennis, and read Weird but True facts. She struggles to rein in her desire to 'borrow' things with her 'itchy' fingers, even though most of the time she eventually returns what she borrowed.  She knows it isn't right but it's so hard to resist the temptation. Life seems great otherwise.  While returning from a visit with family in Pakistan, Aaliyah's father is arrested for a crime he didn't commit, leading to the family splitting.  Aaliyah, her mother, younger brother, and grandfather return to the states so her grandfather can receive treatment for cancer, while her grandmother remains in Dubai with her father to prove his innocence. A...

  TURKEY'S VALENTINE SURPRISE by Wendi Silvano, illustrated by Lee Harper Two Lions, 2022 ISBN: 9781542023665 Source: Blue Slip Media/publisher Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media/publisher. REVIEW After receiving a valentine from a secret admirer, Turkey decides to deliver secret valentine's to his friends in disguise.  But first, he needs some inspiration for his disguises.  A candy heart dropped in the barnyard "PURR-FECT" inspires a cat costume.  Unfortunately, his disguise doesn't fool Rooster, who then inspires Turkey to dress up as a dog to deliver a valentine to Horse.  Horse then helps Turkey to make plans to surprise Cow and so it goes, with each disguise failing to fool anyone.  While the valentines are appreciated by the receivers, Turkey is disappointed that he hasn't been able to surprise any of his friends. But one final candy heart might provide one last chance to surp...

  FRANK AND THE BAD SURPRISE by Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Jon Lau Levine Querido, 2022 ISBN: 9781646140886 Source: publisher for review for CYBILS Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Frank, the cat likes his life just the way it is, thank you very much. He has "a nice house, lots of toys, all the Whiskies he could eat, and a window that looked out at the world". So Frank's not happy when his humans (same-gender couple) bring home a puppy.  In fact, he's downright outraged, especially when the puppy interrupts his nap and he swats her and gets in trouble.  After typing a couple of letters to his humans in protest, Frank sets out to find a new home. But things don't go quite according to plan.  After several misadventures Frank realizes that maybe home can still be home even with a puppy for a companion. While the story isn't new, the author and illustrator make it feel fres...

TREE HOLE HOMES Daytime Dens and Nighttime Nooks by Melissa Stewart &Amy Hevron Random House Studio, 2022 ISBN: 9780593373309 Source: purchased Picture book nonfiction Ages 4-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW A young girl wanders into the woods, climbs into a hole in a tree and wonders, "What would it be like to live inside a tree?" The rest of the book introduces readers to some of the animals that live in trees including barred owls, deer mice, a fisher, raccoons, tree frogs, eastern bluebirds, and more.  Each two page spread shows the animal and its tree home.  Each spread also contains a larger font with simpler text that would read beautifully to younger children.  Smaller text adds details about the animal and its life in the tree often including the raising of offspring.  One of the interesting things is that the holes that these animals use are often created by other creatures o...

MY OWN LIGHTNING Wolf Hollow #2 by Lauren Wolk Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2022 ISBN:   9780525555599 Source: eARC from publisher through Netgalley All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. In this follow-up to Wolf Hollow , Annabelle struggles to come to terms with the events that led up to her friend Toby's death.  While the instigator of the trouble is gone, Andy, a participant remains, and Annabelle doesn't know what to think about the boy.  After getting struck by lightening, someone gets her heart started again but she doesn't know who. In addition, Annabelle seems to develop extrasensory capabilities especially an ability to sense what animals are feeling.  This sense comes in handy when her brother's dog, Buster, goes missing and she and Henry go looking for him.  This leads to some surprising discoveries about their neighbor, Mr. Edelman, and as well giving Annabelle more to think about regardi...

LOVE IS LOUD How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement written by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Bryan Collier Paula Wiseman book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9781534451032 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover and interior illustration provided by the publisher. REVIEW As a picture book biography, Love is Loud focuses on the lifelong work of Diane Nash as an activist. Raised to believe in herself and her value, Diane Nash learned to stand up against the rampant racism and segregation around her.  Interestingly, the author writes as if the reader is Diane, putting the reader front and center into the experiences and feelings that drove Diane to spend her life working for change. From the visit to an amusement park and seeing separate but not equal bathrooms to her involvement in the lunch counter sit-ins, the book highlights some of the key events in Diane's life, the key moments th...

YOU SO BLACK written by Theresa The S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D., illustrated by London Ladd Denene Miller Book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9781665900348 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. Video and images provided by the publisher: Simon & Schuster. REVIEW "You so Black, when you smile, the stars come out. You so Black, when you're born, the god come out." Theresa The S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. begins her poem highlighting the remarkable nature of being black.  Adapted from a spoken word poem of the same name, Theresa The S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. shares with readers the wonders and challenges of blackness.  The use of various font sizes emphasizes certain words making this a poem/book made for reciting out loud.  The illustrator takes the beautiful text and hits it out of the park with stunning mixed media collage art. Families, children, leaders, and fo...

AVEN GREEN MUSIC MACHINE by Dusti Bowling, illustrated by Gina Perry Union Square Kids, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-4549-4222-1 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Aven Green decides to enter the school talent show.  She wants to play an instrument and expects to be an expert quite quickly.  When the reality of learning to play a keyboard turns out to be quite different, Aven's confidence starts to drop.  Things get even worse after a friend hurts her feelings by calling her music "bad noise".  After trying a number of other instruments, Aven throws in the towel and quits. In an effort to encourage her not to give up, her parents take her on a road trip to see a musician perform on a guitar.  The musician, like her, has no arms.  Thanks to a talk with the musician and a gift from her grandmother, Aven finds the courage to perform at the talent show after all....

CAVES written by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by Kalen Chock Orchard Books, 2022 ISBN: 9781338726626 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW "In the shade,          of the woods                    is a hill                              with a hole."  Thus begins this remarkable nonfiction book about caves.  Combining poetry and expository text with stunning paintings makes this a book both informative and a work of art.  Each poetic spread invites readers to come into the caves and is followed by an open look at a cave with the expository text introducing information about caves and caving in general or a specific cave system.  The book covers general cave features such as water seepage and flow, stalacti...

LOVE MADE ME MORE by Colleen Rowan Kosinski, illustrations by Sonia Sanchez Two Lions, 2022 ISBN: 9781542006200 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & other materials provided by Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK An unexpectedly heartfelt tale of a friendship between a boy and an origami crane that continues throughout the boy’s life. When a boy’s grandmother shows him how to fold an origami crane, the boy and crane become instant friends. They sail around the room and play, but the crane also watches over the boy and comforts him in a time of loss. The crane is always on the boy’s nightstand—it’s the last thing he sees each night and the first thing he sees each morning. Over time, the boy grows older, and the crane becomes dusty. But even when the boy becomes a young man, the crane plays a part in the most important moments of his life. And one day, just like his grandmother before him, the man shows his own son how to fold origami a...

IVELIZ EXPLAINS IT ALL by Andrea Beatriz Arango , Alyssa Bermudez Random House, 2022 ISBN: 9780593563977 Source: purchased Ages 10-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. Iveliz wants more than anything to put the past behind her. In power free verse, the author tells Iveliz's story in her own words.  Despite the tragedy that has defined her life for the last two years, Iveliz believes that things are looking up. The arrival of her Puerto Rican grandmother whose Alzheimer's requires she leave her home, complicates things more than Iveliz could have ever expected.  The reader quickly realizes that Iveliz's claims about everything being okay aren't really accurate. Her explosions of anger at school lead to multiple suspensions.  Her belief that nobody listens to her and her refusal to even consider confiding in either her mother or her therapist make it clear that Iveliz's struggles with her mental health. E...

PIGEON & CAT by Edward Hemingway Christy Ottaviano Books, 2022 ISBN: 9780316311250 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Edward Hemingway is the acclaimed creator of many popular books: Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story, Field Guide to the Grumpasaurus, and Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship. His writing and artwork have been published in the New York Times and GQ Magazine, among others. The youngest grandson of Ernest Hemingway, he lives in Bozeman, Montana. He invites you to visit him at edwardhemingway.com . Twitter: @EdwardHemingway Instagram: @edwardhemingway A charming video on the backstory behind Pigeon & Cat: https://vimeo.com/626765984 REVIEW Cat lives by himself in a cardboard box in an empty lot behind an abandoned building.  He prefers to live alone and leaves the lot only to find food.  Things change when he finds a bird egg and it hatches to becom...