Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music. Willie Nelson, Bobbie Nelson, and Chris Barton. Illustrated by Kyun Eun Han. 2021. [September] 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]
I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this nonfiction picture book written in verse.
A Walk in the Words. Hudson Talbott. 2021. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
I loved this one so much!!! The story is ultimately a love song to stories...to storytellers...to books. I would recommend it to teachers and parents especially.
Boardwalk Babies. Marissa Moss. Illustrated by April Chu. 2021. 40 pages. [Source: Library]
I loved, loved, loved, LOVED this book. I thought it was all kinds of awesome. I had never thought about WHO invented incubators before I read this book. I hadn't really taken the time to stop and consider what a miraculous difference it could make. Medicine and science has certainly changed through the centuries. This book mainly spans the mid 1890s to the mid 1940s. If you are looking for a GREAT story--a true story--packed with facts, then this one might just be worth your time.
Ten Beautiful Things. Molly Beth Griffin. 2021. [January] 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]
LOVELY. That's the first word that comes to mind when I think about this book. Of course, I could just as easily go with BEAUTIFUL. I loved the emotional journey of this one. It is so easy to suppress emotions instead of actually living in them and feeling them, to find other ways of dealing with the pain and discomfort of change [or loss] other than facing them straight on. This book's approach to life is so wonderful. The writing hits me--as an adult reader--right in the heart.
There were TWO series that I fell absolutely head over heels in love with this year. One being FOX AND RABBIT by Beth Ferry.
Fox and Rabbit (Fox & Rabbit #1) Beth Ferry. Illustrated by Gergely Dudas. 2020. [April] 96 pages. [Source: Library]
Fox & Rabbit Make Believe (Fox and Rabbit #2) Beth Ferry.
Illustrated by Gergely Dudas. 2020. [September] 96 pages. [Source:
Review copy]
Fox & Rabbit Celebrate. (Fox & Rabbit #3) Beth Ferry.
Illustrated by Gergely Dudas. 2021. [May] 96 pages. [Source: Review
copy]
and the second series being SYDNEY AND TAYLOR by Jacaqueline Davies.
Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World. (Sydney and Taylor #1) Jacqueline Davies. Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. 2021. [February] 80 pages. [Source: Library]
Sydney and Taylor Take A Flying Leap (Sydney and Taylor #2) Jacqueline Davies. Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. 2021. [August] 80 pages. [Source: Library]
Sydney and Taylor and the Great Friend Expedition. (Sydney and Taylor #3) Jacqueline Davies. 2022. [February] 80 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Ways to Grow Love. (Ryan Hart #2) Renee Watson. Illustrated by Nina Mata. 2021. [April] 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]
I loved, loved, loved this chapter book. I loved Ryan and her whole family. The characterization was great. I want this new series to be a LONG one because I do not want to say goodbye to these characters.
I loved, loved, loved the WRITING. Rylant (one of my favorite authors) just has a way with words. I believed in Flora's voice from the first page. By the end of the second chapter I knew were were kindred spirits. I knew that Flora was going to end up being a good, good friend.
Secondhand Dogs by Carolyn Crimi. 2021. [July] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Secondhand Dogs reminds me of some of Patricia MacLachlan's animal stories...and then, of course, there's Kate DiCamillo. I really loved everything about this book. The writing. The characters. The alternating characters. The story. The premise--the idea of each dog being born with a special, unique gift. The emotional depth of both the animal and human characters. The ending. This one was just a treat of a book. I highly recommend.
Pencilvania. Stephanie Watson. 2021. [August] 384 pages. [Source: Review copy]
I personally loved, loved, loved it. I did. I loved everything about it. I loved the relationship between Frankie and Zora. I loved the emotional journey--highs and lows. I loved how imaginative and creative it was. It balances a super fun premise with authentic feelings of grief. This book has plenty of heart. But it isn't a heavy, heavy novel.
Honorable mentions:
See the Cat: Three Stories About A Dog. David LaRochelle. Illustrated by
Mike Wohnoutka. 2020. [September] 64 pages. [Source: Library]
It was LOVE, LOVE, LOVE at first sight. Within the first few pages I
knew this book was made for me. It is just my cup of tea. Everything
about it is just perfectly perfectly perfect. It's the exact kind of
book that I would have read to tatters and had every single word
memorized.
Happily for Now. Kelly Jones. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. 2021. [May] 288 pages. [Source: Library]
I really LOVED this one. I thought it was a great read. I enjoyed the characterization so much. I loved meeting the extended family--flaws and all. I loved getting to know all the people in the community. When well done--like this one is--a wide cast of characters is such a delight.
© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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