Seb and the Sun by Jami Gigot

August 27, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Seb and the Sun by Jami Gigot
Publisher: Ripple Grove Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Seb is determined to find some light for his sleepy coastal town. It is so far north, the sun does not shine in winter and the days are cold, dreary, and dark as night. So Seb embarks on a mission to find the sun. Along with his friend Walrus, he makes a plan, collects supplies, and rows far out to sea. Will Seb be able to find the sun and bring its light and warmth back to his town?

No one is ever too young to make a difference.

There was so much kindness embedded in Seb’s community. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how nicely everyone looked after each other during the long, cold, dark days of winter in the far north. It was such a safe and close-knit town that a kid could wander around asking for all sorts of things before his journey began without anyone giving it a second thought. I was delighted by the warm and cozy atmosphere this created for me as a reader.

While I definitely wouldn’t expect a fantasy story to answer every single question I had, I would have preferred to see a little more world building here. For example, I kept wondering how Seb knew where to find the sun or what he was planning to do if or when he found it. Including a few more details about this sort of thing would have encouraged me to give this a full five-star rating.

I appreciated how subtle the fantasy elements of the plot were in many places. They could have been interpreted in multiple ways, including ones that didn’t require the use of magic at all. This meant that the darkness that enveloped Seb’s town could also be seen as a metaphor for any number of possibly scary or unsettling things a kid might be dealing with. I always love it when picture books can pull something like that off.

Seb and the Sun was a magical read that I’d recommend to adults and kids alike.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Fate of Fausto by Oliver Jeffers

August 23, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Fate of Fausto by Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

There was once a man who believed he owned everything and set out to survey what was his.

“You are mine,” Fausto said to the flower, the sheep, and the mountain, and they all bowed before him. But they were not enough for Fausto, so he conquered a boat and set out to sea . . .

Combining bold art and powerful prose, and working in traditional lithographic printmaking techniques for the first time, world-renowned talent Oliver Jeffers has created a poignant modern-day fable to touch the hearts of adults and children alike.

Greed tarnishes everything.

Fausto was honestly one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever met, but that was a good thing. Fables often need these types of flat protagonists in order to make their points obvious, and he served his purpose well. The fact that he was consistently portrayed in the same way over and over again no matter how many chances he had to change only made me wonder what the narrator was planning to do with him. Surely they had something special up their sleeves!

Figuring out the most appropriate age range for this tale was tricky. Most picture books are written for young children, yet the themes discussed in this one were far too complex and abstract for little ones. Middle grade readers would be the youngest audience I’d expect to connect with the storyline, and even there I noticed some things that would probably be more meaningful for teen or even adult readers. It would have been helpful if the author had been clearer about who they were and weren’t writing this for.

The ending was unusual but perfectly suited for the plot. I loved the fact that Mr. Jeffers took so many risks here. They paid off beautifully and have made me incredibly curious to read more from him. It’s always wonderful to find storytellers who know how to surprise their audiences and push the envelopes of the genre or genres they write in.

I’d recommend The Fate of Fausto to older readers who love fables.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Watercress by Andrea Wang

August 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Watercress by Andrea Wang
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Gathering watercress by the side of the road brings a girl closer to her family’s Chinese Heritage.

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book

Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl’s parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.

At first, she’s embarrassed. Why can’t her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family’s time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.

Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author’s note in the back shares Andrea’s childhood experience with her parents.

Some memories should never be forgotten.

This picture book couldn’t have done a better job at discussing difficult subjects with children from a wide range of ages. Each scene included information that could be interpreted in multiple ways depending on the age of the reader and how much they’d already figured out about the main character’s family. All of these interpretations were equally true. I loved the fact that some of them were softened a little for younger audiences who might not be ready for every single detail of the past yet.

Ms. Wang packed an exquisite amount of detail into every scene, from the sharp sting of cold water as the main character stepped into a puddle to gather watercress to the moment she learned the story behind why her parents insisted on performing this ritual every time they spotted free food growing in a ditch on the side of the road. I was so mesmerized by the plot that I felt as though I were experiencing it alongside this family. The author couldn’t have done a more thorough job of drawing the audience into the mixed emotions that were soon to flood her characters’ minds as they dove into topics they had never felt brave enough to talk about with each other before.

While I can’t mention the specific things the characters discussed without giving away spoilers, I can say I was pleased with the hopeful ending. The plot was so serious and sad earlier on that I wondered how the author was planning to wrap everything up, especially since this tale does have some autobiographical elements to it even if they were fictionalized. I thought she did a wonderful job of balancing out the truth of the past with reassuring kids about how much the meaning of something small and seemingly ordinary can change over the course of time. It’s as important to understand the sometimes heavy weight of history as it is to remember that the future is still unwritten!

Watercress is a must-read for any family who is interested in finding empathic ways to explain tough topics to their youngest members.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Triple Threat by Lara Sleath

August 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Triple Threat by Lara Sleath
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Charli Reily needs to be a Broadway star. It’s the only way she can escape her sucky new life in the crappiest part of Vancouver. Here, her only friend is Logan, the boy with the biceps from across the road, who has the latest high-top runners and enough street smarts for them both.

To get to Broadway, Charli needs to be a triple threat. She has to be able to dance, as well as act and sing. When the owner of the local dance shop offers to teach her for free, she finally feels like she’s inching toward her dreams. Not that Logan’s happy. He doesn’t want her flitting off to Broadway. He wants her to stay in the hood with him.

Then Charli does something seriously bad. She confesses the shameful details to Logan without realizing that she’s given him the ammunition to start blackmailing her.

Soon she faces a choice–stand up to him and risk her future? Or get sucked into a downward spiral of doing increasingly messed-up things.

It’s not as hard as it may seem to live your dreams.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how the adults in Charli’s life reacted to her mistakes. Not only were their reactions great indications of their upstanding characters, they were also filled with genuine kindness. This is something I’m always excited to come across, especially in the young adult genre where grown-ups are so often portrayed in less flattering ways.

I would have liked to see more development of Charli’s relationship with Logan. They both struggled to find emotionally healthy coping skills for their problems. Logan also had issues with poor communication and an urge to control the main character in ways that made me shudder. This storyline continued to intensify over time, so I was surprised to see how quickly it was resolved. There was so much more the author could have done with it.

The ending was otherwise realistic and well done. I appreciated the fact that it acknowledged the obstacles Charli was facing while also giving her some sensible ways to overcome them that also happened to fit Canadian culture well. It was lovely to catch those subtle cultural references, although the plot could be understood perfectly well without them, too. While I would read a sequel if one is ever written, I also felt pretty satisfied with everything I’d gotten to know about these characters.

Triple Threat was a wild ride. Anyone who enjoys stories set in Canada should take special note of it.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Anybody’s Game: Kathryn Johnston, the First Girl to Play Little League Baseball by Heather Lang

August 19, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Anybody’s Game: Kathryn Johnston, the First Girl to Play Little League Baseball by Heather Lang
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In 1950, Kathryn Johnston wanted to play Little League baseball, but an unwritten “rule” kept girls from trying out. So she cut off her hair and tried out as a boy under the nickname “Tubby.” She made the team―and changed Little League forever. This is a story about wanting to do something so badly, you’re willing to break the rules, and how breaking those rules can lead to change.

Baseball is for everyone.

I appreciated the honest tone of this picture book, especially when it came to how difficult it was to push back against sexism in the 1950s because of how ingrained it was everywhere. Kathryn was such a brave girl for finding a clever way around the rules that allowed her to play her favorite sport. Her trendsetting changed the lives of many other kids who would eventually follow in her footsteps.

It would have been helpful to have more details included in the final scene. I was feeling sad right before I read it, so the leap to a much more hopeful emotion to end with left me wishing to know everything that happened between those two moments. This was a minor criticism of something I otherwise enjoyed. It’s simply something I’d want to research on my own before reading it to little ones who may have just as many questions as I did about what Kathryn’s life was like between those two moments.

The plot twists were exciting, especially since Kathryn knew that she wouldn’t be allowed to play baseball anymore if anyone figured out how she’d managed to be invited to join a boys-only baseball team in the first place. I earnestly hoped she’d be included for as long as possible. She’d worked so hard to master her sport and prove her worth to her teammates and coach.

I’d recommend Anybody’s Game to anyone who is a fan of baseball or who has other interests that break stereotypes.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Gretchen Over the Beach by R.W. Alley

August 18, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Gretchen Over the Beach by R.W. Alley
Publisher: Clarion Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

On a breezy summer day, Gretchen and her family head to the ocean. Gretchen wants to swim with her older brothers and sister, but everyone ignores her. When the wind steals her new sun hat, she catches it by its ribbon and is lifted into the sky, far, far above the beach, where a friendly seagull is happy to play. This ode to imagination is one of four small books each featuring a different sibling and season, created by children’s book veteran R. W. Alley.

Who wouldn’t want to enjoy the beach on a nice day?

Gretchen was such a playful and spunky kid. No matter what happened to her, she always kept a positive attitude as she continued to try to enjoy her surroundings. I giggled at some of the solutions she came up with for her problems. She certainly gave her options a lot of thought before she decided how she wanted to respond to the disappointments of the first few scenes.

I didn’t like the way Gretchen’s parent and three older siblings ignored her repeatedly during their relaxing day at the beach. None of them made any effort at all to include her in their plans no matter how often she asked. While I understand the need for family members to spend some time apart doing their own thing, it felt unkind to me to see her brushed aside so many times when she was clearly yearning for positive attention. I would worry a little about it setting the wrong precedent for some families that are already trying to figure out how to include a preschooler in the exciting plans of their older brothers or sisters.

With that being said, I appreciated the emphasis on imaginative play and making your own fun in a tricky situation. Gretchen found so many creative ways to amuse herself with all sorts of ordinary items that can be found on many beaches. Sometimes she stretched the boundaries of what those items are capable of so far that this almost felt like a fairy tale! She had a wonderful imagination that was clearly being used to its full effect.

Gretchen Over the Beach was a thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Forest Baby by Laurie Elmquist

August 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Forest Baby by Laurie Elmquist
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

From a carrier, a baby peers out at the trail. Leaves rustle overhead, and a turtle stretches toward the sun. Everything shimmers with light, including the jeweled wings of a dragonfly and the star-shaped lilies. This delightful board book takes the reader on a hike accented by the soft sound of footsteps on the trail and grounded by the rhythmic rocking of mother and baby moving through the forest. Travel along on their serene journey with Laurie Elmquist’s lyrical verse and Shantala Robinson’s warmly painted collages. A beautiful book that will be treasured by anyone who loves the outdoors.

No one is ever too young to appreciate nature.

It was beautiful to experience a forest scene through the perspective of a toddler who was seeing, smelling, touching, and hearing everything for the first time. Small things like maple trees shedding their seeds or a turtle who wandered nearby were enough to cause excitement for this character. Those moments made me smile and wonder what this family might discover next on their nature walk.

I would have preferred to see a little bit of conflict included in the plot. While I understood the gentle approach it took in order to appeal to the youngest age range that can possibly sit and listen to a brief story time, the storyline would have been stronger if the characters had been given some sort of challenge to overcome even if it were a mild one like an approaching thunderstorm. As peaceful as their forest walk was, this was something I’d struggle to read over and over again due to how few things happened in it.

The ending was satisfying. I appreciated the way it wrapped up this particular excursion while also making the audience wonder what this mother and child might see the next time they spent an afternoon in the woods or had some other adventure. It could have easily led to a sequel or simply allowed readers to come up with their own theories about what happened next. I always like it when that happens.

Forest Baby was a sweet and mellow take on what an autumn hike can be like for a young family.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

The Doll by Nhung N. Tran-Davies

August 16, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Doll by Nhung N. Tran-Davies
Publisher: Second Story Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A young girl and her family arrive in an airport in a new country. They are refugees, migrants who have travelled across the world to find safety. Strangers greet them, and one of them gives the little girl a doll. Decades later, that little girl is grown up and she has the chance to welcome a group of refugees who are newly arrived in her adopted country. To the youngest of them, a little girl, she gives a doll, knowing it will help make her feel welcome. Inspired by real events.

Every act of kindness matters.

There was so much compassion included in the plot. Some scenes were straightforward about the many benefits of caring about the suffering of others, while others encouraged the audience to think things through for ourselves when needed. This was a wonderful way to speak to readers of many different ages and ability levels, whether they are already naturally compassionate or are still working to improve this skill.

With that being said, the intended age group this picture book seemed to be written for felt a bit too large to me. Some portions appeared to be written for preschoolers, while others touched on serious topics like why refugees are forced to leave their home countries that would be more interesting and appropriate for older elementary students. While I appreciated the fact that the author tried to reach so many different ages, I do think the story would have benefitted from reducing its scope a little so that it could go into more detail about issues related to this type of immigration. It’s an important subject that older kids should definitely be educated on.

The ending was by far my favorite part of it all. It had a straightforward message that built on everything the author had decided to include in this fictionalized version of something that really happened to her as a child. I loved the fact that it trusted its audience to make certain logical leaps between the narrator’s memories and what she hoped everything would take away from her tale. It was a nice way to wrap things up in the end.

The Doll was a heartwarming read.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Big Bad Wolf in My House by Valérie Fontaine

August 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Big Bad Wolf in My House by Valérie Fontaine
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A young girl describes what it’s like when her mom’s new friend comes to stay — a moving story about domestic violence that ends on a hopeful note.

The young girl tells us that her mom’s new friend is just like the big bad wolf. At first the wolf is sweet and kind to her mom, though the girl notices the wolf’s cold eyes from the very beginning. When her mom arrives home late one day, the wolf suddenly hurls angry words and terrible names at her. From that day on her mother doesn’t smile anymore. The girl is careful to clean her room and brush her teeth and do everything to keep the peace, but the wolf is unpredictable, throwing plates on the floor, yelling at her mother and holding the girl’s arm so tightly she is left with bruises. Whenever the yelling begins, she hides under the covers in her room.

How will she and her mom cope as the wolf becomes increasingly fierce?

Not everyone in this world is loving and kind.

I was impressed by how the author’s clever use of metaphor allowed her to talk about various forms of abuse that are rarely if ever mentioned in children’s fiction, especially stories written for the youngest little ones. By framing it as a big bad wolf being invited into an unsuspecting family’s home, she was able to cover subjects like the cycle of domestic violence in ways that kids can understand without frightening them.

My only piece of constructive criticism for this tale had to do with some ambiguity about the age group for which it was written. I was never quite sure who exactly it was meant for. Some sections seemed to be geared towards preschoolers, while others were subtle enough that they seemed to be written for older kids or even preteens. This is such an important topic to cover for kids affected by it that I did wish things had been made clearer in that regard.

With that being said, the ending was wonderfully appropriate for children of all ages. The author was definitely covering some heavy subjects in this tale, but be assured that she kept her audience in mind when writing the last few scenes. I appreciated the sensitivity she showed while explaining what happened to the main character and her mother after they realized there was a metaphorical wolf living with them.

I’d recommend The Big Bad Wolf in My House to families who have experienced verbal, emotional, physical, or any other form of abuse.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Noisy Classroom by Angela Shanté

August 4, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Noisy Classroom by Angela Shanté
Publisher: West Margin Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The first day of school is coming… and I’m going to be in the noisy class. Any class but the noisy class will do!

A young girl is about to enter the third grade, but this year she’s put into Ms. Johnson’s noisy class. Everything about the noisy class is odd. While all the other classes are quiet, Ms. Johnson sings and the kids chatter all day. The door is always closed, yet sounds from it can be heard in the hallway. With summer coming to an end and school starting, the girl realizes that soon she’ll be going to the noisy class. What will school be like now?

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There were so many humorous moments in this picture book. The author sprinkled them into nearly every scene, and they only grew better over time. That was a wonderful way to approach a topic that can be a little sensitive for some kids. It’s hard to remain nervous about discussing something serious when the first few pages are already filled with laughter and joy.

This story seemed to be a little too dismissive of the idea that noisy classrooms are not going to be a good fit for every student. Some children who have sensory processing disorders, anxiety, and other diagnoses wouldn’t enjoy that type of learning environment at all. I wish this had been acknowledged alongside the encouragement to give scary things a try and not make assumptions ahead of time. This is something I’d be thrilled to read to some kids but hesitant to introduce to others depending on their personalities and reasons for being nervous about starting a new school year. The message itself was a good one. It was simply something that I would have liked to see tailored to its intended audience better and with a deeper sense of empathy for the young readers out there who need a quieter learning environment for any number of medical reasons.

With that being said, I did appreciate seeing how the main character reacted to the dreaded noisy classroom. She had thoughtful reasons for wanting to avoid it, and the creative method for getting out of it she slowly perfected over the summer made me laugh out loud. What a clever kid she was! I only grew more curious to see how she’d react to her first day back at school in the autumn when she had to face up to her fear. Her stubbornness and imaginative personality were going to be quite the match for her new teacher, and I didn’t want to miss a minute of it.

I’d recommend The Noisy Classroom to early elementary students who are a little nervous about adjusting to a new teacher this autumn.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,
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