No Monkeys, No Chocolate

No Monkeys, No Chocolate 
by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young
Charlesbridge, 2013, unpaged nonfiction picture book

What does it take to make a cocoa plant grow? It takes sunlight, water and soil, but also midges, maggots and fungi. Stewart and Young use everyone’s favorite treat to teach about the interdependence of plants and animals in an ecosystem.  The readable text is illustrated with child friendly watercolors that offer just the right amount of detail to make concepts clear without being overwhelming. A pair of commenting book worms at the corner of each page adds one more measure of fun to an already engaging STEM title.  

Almost Home
By Joan Bauer
Viking, Penguin Group, 264 pgs, Fiction

Sugar is a cute and very creative little girl who finds herself homeless, a very painful process in her small world. She ends up in a new city with no friends or relatives, her mom having a nervous breakdown, and a cute dog. Her story and how she survived, will truly melt your heart. I found myself laughing and crying at the same time. Her sense of humor and reasoning through the sadness in her life is so inspiring, and very worth reading. You'll love this book!!

Dear America, The Diary of Minnie Bonner, A City Tossed and Broken,
San Francisco, California 1906
By Judy Blundell
Scholastic Inc., 218 pg., Historical Fiction

Minnie Bonner is a 14 years old that lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a pub owner.
Minnie's family is poor, and they are losing the business, so her mother finds her a job as a maid with a rich family, the Sump family, who are moving to San Francisco, California. Minnie travels by train with the Sump family. They arrived in San Francisco two days before the big earthquake.We know of her life, and all that went on during that awful time, through her diary.



You will absolutely love this book is full of action and history of this beautiful city, there are also some historical facts at the end. Enjoy!

Graphic Library en Español: Luz, Adaptación, Seguridad en el trabajo Científico, Fotosíntesis, Sonido, Electricidad.
By: Emeli Sohn, Agnieszka Biskup, Donald B. Lemke y Thomas K. Adamson, Lian O'Donnell.
Capstone Press, Non Fiction, Science

This set of books is very informative and enjoyable. The graphic novel style will appeal to all ages.
I was very impressed at the amount of in-depth information, explained by a hero figure who shows all the facets of the topic, giving the scientific names of all the functions or experiments.  I think kids will really like these books. I sure did!!

 Este grupo de libros son informativos y muy agradables, el estilo de novela gráfica le gustará a niños de cualquier edad.
Me impresionó mucho la información en detalle que proporciona, guiado por una figura héroe, el cual explica toda las facetas de los temas y términos científicos y también da explicación de las funciones o experimentos.
Estoy segura que le gustará a los niños. ¡A mi me gustaron mucho!

Written in Stone

Written in Stone
by Rosanne Parry
Random House, 2013. 196 pgs. Fiction

     Pearl, a young Makah Indian girl living in the 1920s Pacific Northwest, has lost her mother and baby sister to the 1918 influenza epidemic. Her father is a harpooner for their village, which relies on whale meat and oil to live through the year. On the day Pearl is assigned to watch for the returning whalers, the ship returns--without a whale, and without her father who was pulled into the ocean and drowned. Pearl's remaining family and friends rally around her, but she still feels lost, not only missing her parents, but trying to find her place in the world. She is not a good basket weaver, would like to weave blankets but has no one to teach her the skills, with her mother gone.  Finally, when the tribe is threatened by their loss of income, and by a money-grubbing outsider, Pearl finds her place as a teller of stories, who preserves the art and lore of her people. Told in retrospect when Pearl has become an honored tribal elder, Written in Stone, is a fascinating, tender, totally respectful story of the Pacific Coast Indians, not to be missed.

Hello Mr. Hulot

Hello Mr. Hulot
by David Merveille

Hardcover, 32 pages

Published September 1st 2013 by NorthSouth

Brilliant! The wordless escapades of Mr. Hulot are a feast for the eyes. His bumbling ways are never quite what they seem. In fact, the reader must look twice at times to catch the visual puns. Quirky Mr. Hulot, with his pipe and striped socks, goes about his daily life in quite an unexpected manner. Each two-page scenario is fabulously portrayed through artistic panels full of color and illusion. Merveille's take on a classic French character is a delight for all ages.

Monster on the Hill

Monster on the Hill
by Rob Harrell

Paperback, 186 pages

Published August 6th 2013 by Top Shelf Productions
Graphic Novel

Monster on the Hill transports you to a fantastic alternate history where every village lives in "fear" of their resident monster. Each monster is unique and they are great for bringing in the tourist dollars as enthusiasts travel around hoping to witness numerous monster "attacks". But what happens to a village when its monster won't attack? What should the villagers do if it just sits up on its hill moaning and groaning and acting depressed? Local mad scientist and mouthy newsboy join forces to fix their monster with some surprising results!
Such a fun tale and absolutely great artwork! 

Spelling Trouble

Spelling Trouble
The Misadventures of Salem Hyde #1
by Frank Cammuso

Hardcover, 96 pages

Published October 1st 2013 by Amulet Books 

Graphic Novel

 

Little Salem Hyde has a bit of a spelling problem. Spell-casting to be a little more precise. She is a rather spontaneous and untrained little witch who is wreaking havoc at her new school. Her parents have forbid her from doing magic while there, but sometimes she just can't help it! This probably wouldn't be such a bad thing if she could only get her spells correct. Her aunt intervenes by hiring her a M.A.C. - Magical Animal Companion. Her M.A.C. may look like your typical cat, but he is anything but ordinary. Hopefully with Whammy's help, Salem can become a better speller of words as well as caster of spells. Frank Cammuso is brilliant at creating his characters through illustration as well as dialogue. This new series will surely be enjoyed by boys and girls second grade and up. 

Loula is Leaving for Africa

Loula is Leaving for Africa
by Anne Villeneuve

Hardcover, 32 pages

Published September 1st 2013 by Kids Can Press 

 

Poor Loula! She has had enough of her triplet brothers - they are mean, horrible, stinky brothers! Once she has packed the essentials, her toy cat, tea set and her best drawing, she is heading to Africa to get far away from those pests. No one pays attention to her as she declares her intentions, not even her parents. Loula finds an unexpected ally in the family chauffeur. He is quick to pull out a map and join in her expedition. With their combined imaginations the journey works its magic on young Loula. This charmingly illustrated picture book is sweet and touching. Children will enjoy all the sights as they make the trip across the park to "Africa" with Loula. 

Here I Am

Here I am
story by Patti Kim
pictures by Sonia Sanchez
unpaged picture book

North Mankato, Minnesota : Picture Window Books, 2014.

 

This wordless picture book shows a young boy's journey with his family from a far-off country to America. He is obviously not thrilled with the move and everything seems strange and bizarre. The language is confusing, the buildings are huge and school is difficult. He soothes himself by hanging on to a small seed he brought with him from his homeland. Then something happens that could be the worst thing ever. Or maybe it is the best thing ever as it gets him out of the apartment and meeting new people. While the illustrations are not my personal favorite style, they do have a certain charm. I am not sure that small children will catch all the nuances of the child's experience, but they will be able to peruse the pictures to get a story.