The Caldecott-winning illustrations of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, 1985) are only part of the magic of this Christmas story. One Christmas Eve, a young boy lies awake, listening for Santa’s sleigh bells. But he doesn’t hear bells: he hears a train. And there it is outside the door, waiting to take him
Gooney Bird Greene series by Lois Lowry introduces early chapter book readers to a spunky second-grader that is anything but average. Just like her unique name, Gooney Bird has a unique personalities that helps the kids in her class learn more from their teacher than they otherwise would. Some of the books we read from
From the series title (History Smashers), it was obvious to me that Christopher Columbus and the Taino People by Kate Messner and Jose Barreiro (Random House, August 2023) was going to an accurate and historically based book about Christopher Columbus. Some books for kids glide over the negative aspects of Columbus’ journey to the Americas,
It is quite rare to see a disease like cystic fibrosis depicted in an historical fiction novel, let alone historical fiction that takes place during the middle ages! In Breath (Atheneum, November 2003), creative storyteller Donna Jo Napoli retells the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin with a twelve-year-old boy that has cystic fibrosis
In The 12 Sleighs of Christmas by Sherri Duskey Rinker (illustrated by Jake Parker; Chronicle Books, 2017), the elves take on a design challenge when they discover that Santa’s sleigh needs repairs. The elves scramble to get something made that will work for him on Christmas Eve. In the next few days, the “sleighs” they
Mr. Darcy: the swoon-worthy hero we all are waiting for. But maybe not? In The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us To Love (Quirk Books, November 2023), literature scholar Rachel Feder retells this narrative in a more accurate way. With an abundance of humor and with plenty of modern
The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (published 1920) is told with a “once upon a time” feel, with a humorous tale told casually about a doctor who can speak with the animals. What a fun concept, but what a shame this concept was written about in such an era. While the writing is
As a large-format fold-out nonfiction picture book, The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain (illustrated by Yuval Zommer; Words & Pictures, 2017) is sure to be fun for the kids to unfold out and explore. The journey is directed by a friendly narrator speaking with the personal “you” to take us from the street
AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler (Carolrhoda, September 2021) portrays the trauma of dealing with a sibling’s death as well as the effects of a school shooting, even years after the fact. Twelve-year-old Lucy still mourns her younger brother, even as she moves into a community still reeling from the school shooting during third grade. Without
A girl raised by squirrels: Why not? The new early chapter book The Girl in the Tree by by Ellen Potter (illustrated by Sara Cristofori; Margaret McElderry Books, June 2023) takes this ridiculous concept and makes a creative story about a girl in Central Park who has only known her adoptive squirrel father since she
I love a good (clean) retelling of Pride & Prejudice that gives a new perspective with a familiar and era-appropriate feeling to the classic story. Lizzy Bennet’s Diary by Marcia Williams (Candlewick, 2014) adds scrapbooking to an illustrated first-person diary-format story to give young middle-grade readers a delightful and fun introduction into the classic novel!
With the story frame of a child growing a garden, Compost!: Growing Gardens From Your Garbage by Linda Glaser (illustrated by Anca Hariton; Millbrook Press, 1996) gives the startling claim that the garden is made from garbage! Throughout the book, the kid describes just what can be put in the compost pile. To make it
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