Among librarians, speculation about potential Newbery and Caldecott winners begins almost as soon as last year's winners are announced. This year, Brian Wildsmith's Jungle Party is already getting long looks as a potential Caldecott winner. Wildsmith, a well-beloved and much-honored author and illustrator has outdone himself in Jungle Party, the story of a crafty python who invites all the animals to a party so he can swallow them in due course. Wildsmith has an extraordinary gift of being able to combine brilliant and subtle colors to ravishing effect. As the animals do tricks to amaze their fellows, the quirky combinations of a dun-colored lion and a purplish-owl with red wings; or of a dusty gnu and two acrobatic guinea fowl are both novel and satisfying. Though python's evil trick works, along comes elephant to save the day. A fine introduction to art and animals for young children.
Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...
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