Skip to main content

From Story Time: Summer Week 1

By
Stories in the Park
By Alison Murray
New York, NY : Little, Brown and company, Hachette Book Group, 2018. Picture Book.

A funny and touching celebration of difference, based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling. Dino Duckling can dive, swim and fish just like his duckling brothers and sisters. But when the time comes for the family fly south for the winter, Dino Duckling finds he really is different! --Editor

Stories in the Park
By Tom Fletcher
New York: Random House Children's Books, 2025. Picture Book.

The reader helps Little Dino make new friends while avoiding the task of waking up the Big Dinosaur. --Editor
Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time
Written by John Schu
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book.

Children's literacy advocate John Schu and Caldecott Honor recipient Lauren Castillo celebrate the power of finding the perfect book--in a story that's more relevant than ever. With a sea-horse kite in hand, a child heads out with Dad to the library. On the way they stop at a park, joining lots of people, some of whom are flying kites, too. At the library, a person toting a big pile of books hands over a story on a favorite subject: the sea horse. All around, there are readers poring over books, each with their own questions, ideas to explore, hopes for the future, and imaginations ready to spark. With a warm, lyrical text and tenderly expressive illustrations, John Schu and Lauren Castillo invite us to imagine the myriad ways that books can foster connection and understanding -- and how they can empower children, through their own passions, to transform the world. --Publisher

Canopy Capers and Summer Story Time
Written by Mark David Smith
Illustrated by Lily Snowden-Fine
Toronto, ON: Owlbooks Kids, 2021. Picture Book.

A recent heavy rain has exposed a bit of something in the yard, which Caden notices and resolves to dig up. He attempts to enlist the help of the adults in his life, who humorously dismiss his discovery. His classroom teacher jokes, "If you had found one of those, I'd eat my hat." Well, against all odds Caden has found "one of those," namely the bones of a woolly mammoth. And the story does wrap with some hat-eating (albeit with a twist). Martha, Caden's next-door neighbor, is the only adult who encourages him to keep digging. Working together and using Martha's truck winch, they haul the biggest bones out of the earth and try to assemble the pieces, which results in several funny combinations. In the end, Caden succeeds in getting his parents' attention, and they're amazed by the giant mammoth skeleton inexpertly pieced together in their own backyard. Even more so, they're amazed and impressed by the tenacity and drive of their young son. Not only has he connected the pieces of the mammoth, Caden has also brought his family together, which is the real treasure Caden finds by the end. The rich-but-restrained illustrations perfectly complement the book's deadpan humor in this kid-empowering story that is also a celebration of scientific inquiry and discovery. --Publisher

Book Babies
Written by Eleni Tassopoulos Wehner
Illustrated by Danamarie Hosler
Concord, MA: Barefoot Books, 2025. Board Book.

Come along with Roscoe & Ivy as Roscoe transitions to a new pair of shoes! Roscoe really, really loves his puppy shoes. They're so soft! So comfy! So ... PERFECT! When his puppy shoes get to be too small, it's time for a new pair of dinosaur shoes. Dinosaur shoes?! Those shoes are different, and new things can be scary. It's a good thing Roscoe's gentle big sister Ivy knows how to help him get used to his new shoes. --Publisher
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

By Anonymous
There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

By Anonymous
J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Super Boba Cafe

By
Super Boba Café By Nidhi Chanani New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 215 pages. 14-year-old Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time with her Nainai. She loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Café. But she can't help but notice that her grandmother is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night without telling Aria where she goes. Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Café. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat, Bao, surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She knows this will help Nainai's shop, but she is apprehensive to get back on social media after a terrible cyberbullying experience she had back home. As the shop starts to get busier, Nainai is more and more anxious about her secret project. This prompts Aria to investigate with help from her Nainai's neighb...
Post a Comment
Read more