Nathaniel Hawthorne’s prose style in The Scarlet Letter (first published 1850) is not for everyone. I admit, I don’t recall being impressed with the novel when I was 15 or 16 and I read it for the first time. Further, this summer I began a reread (via audio) only to stall a few chapters from
In Little Pig Joins the Band by David Hyde Costello (Charlesbridge, 2011), Little Pig does not feel like he fits in with his family, and he does not like being called “Little Pig.” When his family pulls out some instruments and starts getting a band ready, Little Pig wonders where he can fit in. After
In Pirate Boy by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Julie Fortenberry (Holiday House, 2011), young Danny asks his mother a series of “what if?” questions, particularly about Danny joining a ship full of pirates. For each question, his mother has a way to bring him home safely again. Reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown’s classic The Runaway Bunny, Pirate Boy likewise reassures
In Lola’s Fandango by Anna Witte, illustrated by Micha Archer (Barefoot Books, 2011), the young Lola wants to be like her talented, beautiful older sister. When she discovers that her mother once was a talented flamenco dancer, she is determined to learn to dance too. With her father’s help, she masters the skills needed and
In Ella May and the Wishing Stone by Cary Fagan and illustrated by Geneveive Cote (Tundra, 2011), Ella May believes herself to be extra important today since she found a specially marked rock during her day at the beach. To her surprise, her friends are not happy for her, but jealous. When no one wants
Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach (Knopf, 2011) tells the story of Jessie, one particular subway car built in the 1960s for the subways of New York City. She loves her life of carrying people around the city, but as the years go by, she becomes one of many outdated city cars. After years of neglect, she was
Even after reading Jonathon and the Big Blue Boat by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2011) multiple times, I’m still undecided about what I think of the story. The fabulous illustrations, a mix of acrylics and collages (particularly stamps, maps, and patterns from around the world), make this a fantastic book to pour over and examine the
Poor Sam the giraffe is a painfully shy young student, but in Too Shy for Show-and-Tell by Beth Bracken and illustrated by Jennifer Bell (Picture Window Books, August 2011), he finds the courage to speak up and share some of his favorite things. Although the thought of talking to his class makes his stomach hurt in the beginning,
Back to School Tortoise by Lucy George and illustration by Merel Eyckerman (Albert Whitman, 2011) is a perfect back-to-school story for the student or teacher you may know. Like many, Tortoise is a bit nervous about the first day of school. The story follows his worries and then takes him to the door of his classroom, where
Bear has to learn what it means to have and be a friend in the “Story of True Friendship” Bug and Bear by Ann Bonwill and illustrated by Layn Marlow (Marshall Cavendish Children, 2011). Bear is too tired to play with his annoying friend Bug, but when he is finally left alone, he misses his
Chameleons are fascinating in how they adapt their appearance to match their environment. In Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett (Simon and Schuster, 2011), this is taken a step further as Blue Chameleon, who is lonely, tries to adapt himself to match the new friends he meets: yellow banana, pink cockatoo, stripy sock, spotty ball, and
The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister by Linda Ravin Lodding and illustrated by Suzanne Beaky (Flashlight Press, 2011) is an anti-Tiger Mom story. (I happened to read it the first time the same week I reviewed Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, so the timing seemed quite ironic to me.) Poor young Ernestine is overscheduled with (ridiculous)after-school tasks, from
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