224-227. Some Early Chapter Books

224. Fox Has a Problem. Corey R. Tabor. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [early reader] 

First sentence: Fox has a problem. It is not a new problem. But Fox has an idea. A big idea. 

Premise/plot: Fox's problem changes throughout this new early reader by Corey R. Tabor. His problem? His kite--one of many kites--is stuck in a tree. A problem sure enough, but is his solution a true solution? Maybe. Maybe not. Is Fox smart enough to find a true solution? Maybe. Maybe not. But with a little help from his friends, all of his problems might find solutions...

My thoughts: I laughed out loud. I'm not lying. I laughed so hard when reading this one. It was such a DELIGHT. There are more in the series that I am excited to read now. I loved, loved, loved it.

225. Mindy Kim and the Summer Musical. Lyla Lee. Illustrated by Dung Ho. 2023. [July] 96 pages. [Source: Library] [early chapter book; series book]

First sentence: My name is Mindy Kim. It's finally summer, and my best friend, Sally, and I have really fun plans.

I've read the first book and the ninth book--none of the books in between. I normally don't read books out of sequence, but, I was intrigued with the 'summer musical' story. I love, love, love musicals. And this one is Cinderella--one of my favorites.

Mindy Kim, our heroine, is trying out for the summer musical (it is a children's production). The book shows her life at home and 'on set.' Plenty going on behind the scenes as well, and not just about the musical itself. 

I may have enjoyed this one even more if I was familiar with all of the characters--family, friends, etc. But I enjoyed plenty. I would recommend this series.

226. Bad Luck Lola (Hola, Lola) Keka Novales. Illustrated by Gloria Felix. 2022. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [early chapter book]

First sentence: The delicious smell of bacon and waffles woke me up in the morning. I knew what that meant--Sunday!

Premise/plot: Lola breaks a mirror her grandmother gave her. She's convinced for almost the entire book that bad luck is coming and is already starting to ruin everything.

MY thoughts: I wanted to like this one because of the Texas setting. But her superstitious woes irritated me so much. I wish I'd started with any other book in the series but this one.

227. Dance of the Feather (Hola, Lola) Keka Novales. Illustrated by Gloria Felix. 2022. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [early chapter book]

First sentence: Happy birthday to you.

Premise/plot: Lola is given tickets to the ballet for her birthday (by her grandparents). Lola then has a sudden desire to dance, dance, dance. But when she doesn't immediately--a few lessons in--get a big role in Swan Lake (like why is she in the production at all???) she finds a way to be cheerful as a chicken.

My thoughts: This book irritated me too. I don't understand how someone who has only taken a few lessons, at best, and mid-course at that. (Just randomly showing up to ballet class and joining in) has been given any part no matter how small. There's a LOT of time between dance class number one and recital number one. And this isn't even a recital, but a production of a ballet--Swan Lake. I do have a tendency to overthink things.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

221-223. Picture Book Parade

221. Bear With Me. Kerascoët (Sebastien Cosset and Marie Pommepuy). 2023. [June] 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book] [near wordless picture book]

First sentence: Bear with me!

Premise/plot: Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways. This is a near wordless picture book starring a growing girl (she's an infant on the first spread and starting school towards the second half) and her beloved bear. Throughout the book, you see her growing up. This sequence is beautifully illustrated and super relatable. The conflict in this one--well, one of two conflicts, perhaps--is WHAT will she do at school without bear? (And perhaps just perhaps what will Bear do all day without her while she's at school.) 

My thoughts: I don't always love wordless books, but this near-wordless picture book charmed me from page one. SO much story is expressed on each spread. SO much emotion. So many relatable experiences--from both sides. For example, the sequence where the dad has had ENOUGH and is putting his foot down, so to speak, and washing Bear in the washing machine. Those two pages express so much just through illustrations alone. But I think my favorite pages deal with the girl's attempt to take the Bear with her. Literally, "Bear with me." 

I loved this one so much. It was super cute and adorable. It was very relatable.

222. The Together Tree. Aisha Saeed. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book] [school, bullying]

First sentence: Rumi joined Ms. Garza's class on the first warm day of spring. 

Premise/plot: Rumi, the new student, is bullied by his classmates. He spends his time during recess drawing underneath a tree. Soon he's not alone. It doesn't happen over night, nor quickly enough for Rumi, perhaps, but unlikely friends can become good friends.

My thoughts: This is a picture book that addresses bullying AND reaction to bullying. The focus isn't so much on the person bullying and the person being bullied as it is the bystanders who witness bullying situations. 

This is a message-driven book. Unfortunately, bullying continues to exist in this world despite all the calls for kindness and compassion. Still every book that promotes kindness and compassion is welcome.

I liked this one. The illustrator has long been one of my favorites. 

223.  Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance! Hervé Tullet. 2023. [May] 64 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book] [interactive]

First sentence: Ready? Place your hand here. Close your eyes. Concentrate. Wiggle your fingers gently to warm them up. Heads up, your turn now....

Premise/plot: This is an "interactive" book that may [or may not] appeal to young children. It invites them to follow the instructions of the book, be directed by the illustrations. It is written in second person, present tense. 

My thoughts: I may not be the right audience for this one. I wanted to be. I just wasn't. I do think it has potential to appeal to young ones. (As do most books). I think if there was more tapping and less swooshing or sweeping, it might have been more enjoyable to me.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

217-220. Board Book Parade

217. Big Kids No Everything. Wednesday Kirwan. 2023. [April] 36 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Big kids NO everything. There are small nos, and there are big nos. Loud nos. And quiet nos. 

Premise/plot: This book celebrates toddlerhood?! Full of puns surrounding the word "no" (no/know). The point it is celebrating is that saying no is a big step to growing up. The scenes capture all the relatable everyday moments of life. The NO of not wanting to wear [particular] pants. The NO of a hangry tantrum. The NO of not wanting to take a bath. My favorite NO however is the "timid no" of a girl surrounded by squirrels after her snack. 

My thoughts: The text is super-simple. It is the illustrations that carry the story--in my opinion. It is the illustrations that provide context, context, and more context. The text cannot stand alone, again this is just my opinion. Is no something to be celebrated? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it a reality for many/most? Probably. Definitely. Whether it is celebrated by parents or not, I think there are recognizable and relatable moments captured in the art. 

Super-sensitive readers [aka monitors] should know there is cartoon nudity (nothing is seen) on one of the spreads. A little toddler [girl, presumably] is running AWAY from a bathtub.

 I really enjoyed this one!

218. Baby Animals First Sounds. Alexandra Claire. 2023. [February] 20 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Chirp. Hummingbirds ask for lunch with a "Chirp, Chirp" sound. "Please feed us soon, 'til our tummies grow round." BAA. Two lambs in the field are sister and brother. They say "Baa, baa" when they talk to each other."

Premise/plot: This board book features some familiar animals (pigs, cows, sheep) alongside more unique animals (hummingbirds, mice, snakes). It isn't exclusively farm animals either. 

My thoughts: This one is written in rhyme. It features some photographs of animals. It's basic. 

219. My First Book of Fruit. Fred Wolter. 2023 [March] 20 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Apple. There are more than 7,500 different kinds of apples in the world. Banana. A small bunch of bananas is called a hand of bananas! A single banana is called a finger. 

Premise/plot: Concept book about fruit that is filled with I-didn't-know-that-facts. For example, did you know that wood from the pear tree is often used to make musical instruments??????

My thoughts: I didn't know I needed this book. But every spread had a fun, often new-to-me fact. (Though not all facts were new to me.) I liked the simple text and the super bold illustrations. It's also a fun shape. 

220. My First Book of Veggies. Fred Wolter. 2023. [March] 20 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Carrot. Carrots can be orange, black, purple, red, white, or yellow. Purple broccoli. Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, just like cauliflower and Brussels sprouts! 

Premise/plot: Concept book about vegetables that is filled with facts. Did you know that the number of rows on a corn cob is always an even number?!?!?! 

My thoughts: I was familiar with most of these facts about vegetables. But I also fell in love with the illustrations of the vegetables. I never thought vegetables could be cute and adorable. Loved that they included mushrooms. (Even though as the book points out, mushrooms are not technically vegetables.)

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

216. See the Ghost

See the Ghost: Three Stories about Things You Cannot See. David LaRochelle. Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. 2023. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [early chapter book] [early reader]

 First sentence: See the ghost.

Premise/plot: This is the third book in the series. The first two are See the Cat and See the Dog. All the books have the narrator speaking directly to the characters and directing the story. The characters interact with the narrator and amuse the audience--usually. The first story is about a ghost (invisible to readers and characters). The second story is about the wind (again invisible to readers and characters). The third story is about a fairy (again invisible to readers and characters). Though some characters are invisible, plenty of action happens.

My thoughts: I don't love, love, love this one as much as the first two books. The first two books are super-special to me. I just love and adore them. I do care about the characters. This one, like the first two, offer plenty of giggles and laughs. I still "really like" this one. I'm reminded that even books I merely "really like" can sound like gushing when I'm in the right mood. I do recommend all three books. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

212-215. Picture Book Parade

212. When Rubin Plays. Gracey Zhang. 2023. 56 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book; music appreciation; cats]

First sentence: In a small town by a big forest, there was a little orchestra...a little orchestra that played beautiful sounds. Rubin loved these sounds. They drifted around him and lifted him up, warm and light. Rubin felt like flying. 

Premise/plot: Rubin LOVES, LOVES, LOVES music. He finds it incredibly emotionally moving. He wants to learn to play the violin. But he needs practice. Lots and lots of practice. The sounds the violin makes when he plays it...well...less than ideal...for a human audience. But he plays to a VERY appreciative audience of cats. When it is time to perform for humans, well, the kitties may just crash the party to the delight of all.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one! I liked the story and the art. I absolutely loved the color palette of the illustrations. Absolutely beautiful! I was so happy to see all the kitties!!! 

213. Luli and the Language of Tea. Andrea Wang. Illustrated by Hyewon Yum. 2022. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

First sentence: The playroom was quiet. Luli couldn't speak English. Neither could the others. All around the room, children played alone. Last time, Luli had played by herself too, until she had an idea. 

Premise/plot: The setting for this new picture book is the free childcare at a place offering English as a Second Language lessons for adults. Luli, the protagonist, has the idea to make friends and bring them closer together by offering tea--“Chá!”

All of the other kids recognize this word and are delighted to join her because of the similarities between many, many languages for tea.  

My thoughts: I liked this one. I had never thought of tea as a universal language before, but, it makes sense once you read the book and the back matter. I also don't necessarily link tea--actual tea--with children. But I think this depends completely and totally on one's culture. The book celebrates diverse cultures and SHARING. 

214. I Cannot Draw A Bicycle. Charise Mericle Harper. 2023. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

First sentence: This is my shape. My shape can make a lot of things. I can draw a cat. I can draw a skateboard. I can draw a horse. 

Premise/plot: Cat and Horse star in this silly picture book. Horse wants the book to draw a bicycle. The book can't having never seen one. Horse doesn't seem to have a clue how to draw a bicycle either. The book tries...and tries...and fails.The end.

My thoughts: I want my time back. I'm sure this book will find readers who are happy to have read it. There will probably be at least a few who will giggle at the silly antics. But for me personally, this was odd and strange in a way that didn't quite work. I'm not really sure why "the book" is an invisible entity interacting with the characters. When I first read it, I thought it was a dialogue between Cat and Horse. I didn't "get" that Book was also a character. I still don't get *why* that is. I found it unfunny the first time. But a puzzler the second time. 

215. YOU Can't Be a Pterodactyl! James Breakwell. Illustrated by Sophie Corrigan. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

First sentence: "You can be anything you want to be," the teacher said to the class.

Premise/plot: Did the teacher mean what she said? If she did, why did she and ALL the students in the class make fun of Tommy (the protagonist) for saying he was going to be a pterodactyl when he grew up???? The book essentially explores why he wants to be a pterodactyl when he grows up. His dad is supportive of his imagination and even joins in. 

My thoughts: This book makes no sense at the end. It has a twist ending. But I can't unpack what it means. Perhaps because I'm too literal, too stuck in my ways. It's impossible for a boy to grow up to be a pterodactyl. 

The book is silly but I'm not sure if there is a hidden message there. 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers