240. The Horseback Librarians. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Alexandra Badiu. 2023. [April] 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book] [Fiction based on true story]
First sentence: The sun is barely poking its head over the horizon. A young woman on a tan horse called Sand, saddlebags packed full of surprises, has already begun her rounds. She is delivering books to readers in the backwoods of Kentucky.
Premise/plot: Anna Mary (rhymes with library) delivers books in the Appalachian mountains during the Great Depression. The book follows her journey over the course of several days. She makes one or two stops per day in this book. Her last stop is a schoolhouse.
My thoughts: I wanted to love this one. I didn't quite. Readers are reminded a million times--okay probably six times--that Anna Mary rhymes with library. She brings books to individual families; she's more than someone who delivers books: she's a family friend. She chats, visits, reads aloud, shares meals, etc. She also seems to bring books to a schoolhouse. The book keeps things very simple and not all that detailed. It might be serviceable as an introduction, but it won't satisfy those who actually want to know more about this program. Not much context is given in the actual story though there is an author's note.
The illustrations are very bright and colorful.
241. Fox in Winter. Corery R. Tabor. 2020. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Early reader]
First sentence: Fox does not like winter. In winter, Elephant and the Birds go south.
Premise/plot: Fox does not like being all alone in the winter. He misses his friends. Can he scheme a way to bring them back? Can he fight winter and win? Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps he can find something to like about winter....if he looks hard enough.
My thoughts: I LOVED this one so much. It was such a fun read. The illustrations were hilarious (in my opinion). I loved the idea of him fighting winter.
242. Feeding the Ducks with Lily and Milo. Pauline Oud. 2023. [May] 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book/board book]
First sentence: Lily and Milo are going to feed ducks in the park. Before they go outside, they put on their coats. There are two coats: a purple coat with flowers and a little orange coat. Which coat is Lily's? And which one is Milo's?
Premise/plot: Lily and Milo are friends. This is apparently the latest in a long-running series starring these two animals. In this adventure, they will feed the ducks...or will they??? The text is 'interactive.' The text has scripted-in questions for little ones to answer. Of course plenty of other books allow for questions and answers, but this one is more scripted. (I couldn't help hearing the narrative in the voice of the narrator of Peppa Pig).
My thoughts: This is neither a board book or a picture book. The pages aren't a sturdy cardboard (like a board book), but they aren't paper either. They are VERY thick paper. So if your little one has "outgrown" board books yet doesn't seem quite ready for traditional picture books, perhaps this is perfect for you.
Readers do need to pay careful attention to the illustrations. I needed to read this one twice because I was lazy the first time around. Apparently. Parents can either let readers be completely surprised by the twist ending and then come back to hunt for clues, or, they can build in questions of their own the first time through. Do you see what I see? What is Milo doing? Should he be doing that?
© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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