Archive for August, 2017
Posted on August 26th, 2017 by pajamapress
“Community Soup is a short fun tale that welcomes everyone, including goats to join in making the community soup! You too can join in by following the Pumpkin Soup Recipe at the very end of the book. Alma Fullerton uses bright colors and texture in excitingly visual collages throughout the book. Each page comes alive and pops right off the page! Community Soup is wonderful for young readers looking to explore their culinary side with a little help from Kioni and her friends!”
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Posted in Comunity Soup | Tagged africa, alma fullerton, canlit, community-soup-kitchens, diverse-books, diverse-picture-books, kenya, kidlit, picture-books
Posted on August 25th, 2017 by pajamapress
“First she was a Bad Pirate (2015) and then she was a Good Pirate (2016) but now Augusta, daughter of Captain Barnacle Garrick, is on her way to becoming an even better pirate….
Readers will certainly learn a lesson from Augusta and Kari-Lynn Winters about determination and fulfilment that comes from success without the need for accolades. She may be a dog but she’s a gutsy lassy.
Dean Griffiths, who illustrated Kari-Lynn Winters’ earlier Pirate books, continues to endow the story with colour richness and opulent textures from another time…Of course, young readers will love the dogs and cats of all species with their distinguishing features of fur and shape as well as the wide array of their expressions: friendliness, fear, surprise, dismay, anger.
Aye, blow me down but Best Pirate is a treasure of a fine tale for pirate lovers on both sea and land.”
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Posted in Best Pirate | Tagged book-review, canlit, cats, Dean Griffiths, dogs, kari-lynn-winters, kidlit, picture-books, pirate
Posted on August 24th, 2017 by pajamapress
“[5/5 stars]…It was easy to fall in league with these two characters, as different and challenged as they each were as the story unfolds. Alba was remarkable for her perseverance and her drive, and Levi equally solid in his knowledge and conviction that space-time continuum and scientific discovery need not be left to the adults and titled scientists. This is a great book to share with students in discussion of friendship, resilience, perseverance, and goal-setting.”
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Posted in The Theory of Hummingbirds | Tagged book-review, canlit, clubfoot, contemporary-fiction, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade, early-readers, friendship, kidlit, mg-lit, Michelle Kadarusman, STEM, strong-heroines, talipes-equinovarus
Posted on August 23rd, 2017 by pajamapress
“My Beautiful Birds is a beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated book about a young boy coping with the loss of pets and home and adapting to life in a refugee camp….Del Rizzo’s illustrations are the perfect compliments to the story. While they are detailed enough to convey emotion well, because they appear as theatrical vignettes, they provide some distance for the reader from a story which tackles a difficult subject.”
—Patricia Nozell
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Posted in My Beautiful Birds | Tagged birds, book-review, canlit, diverse-books, hope, kidlit, picture-books, PTSD, Suzanne Del Rizzo, syria, syrian-refugee
Posted on August 23rd, 2017 by pajamapress
“Lauren’s narrative voice is honest, poignant, and spot-on in describing her often baffled perceptions as she tries but frequently fails to navigate a confusing world….Bender’s pencil-and-digital illustrations appear on nearly every generously leaded spread. Her tender, winsome depictions of Lauren, sometimes endearingly engaged but other times steamy with anger, broaden the tale and make it accessible to even children transitioning to chapter books. This nondidactic effort is a fine, affecting addition to the literature for kids on the spectrum and for those who know those kids—in short, for just about everyone.”
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Posted in Slug Days | Tagged ASD, Autism-Spectrum-Disorder, book-review, canlit, diverse-books, diverse-middle-grade-books, early-readers, kidlit, mg-lit, Rebecca Bender, Sara Leach
Posted on August 22nd, 2017 by pajamapress
“…Del Rizzo’s exquisite polymer clay illustrations add depth and a life-like dimension to Sami’s story….I appreciated that the author focused on the refugee crisis that is affecting the most innocent and vulnerable, children. She doesn’t address political themes in the book, but focuses on the humanity of the situation for children displaced from their homes in Syria….My Beautiful Birds is an excellent addition to any school library. It is age-appropriate and an introductory story about children who are displaced because of war or natural disasters.”
—Patricia Tilton
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Posted in My Beautiful Birds | Tagged birds, book-review, canlit, diverse-books, diverse-picture-books, hope, kidlit, picture-books, PTSD, Suzanne Del Rizzo, syria, syrian-refugee
Posted on August 21st, 2017 by pajamapress
“[Alba’s] goals occur in small steps, easing her into the difference between her dream and the reality without diminishing her accomplishments. Alba’s relationship with her single mother is touching…Alba’s narration is dotted with hummingbird facts, which Kadarusman—who had a club foot herself—explains in a glossary. A quick, sweet read.”
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Posted in The Theory of Hummingbirds | Tagged canlit, clubfoot, diverse-books, kidlit, mg-fiction, mg-lit, Michelle Kadarusman, single-parent-families, STEM, talipes-equinovarus
Posted on August 19th, 2017 by pajamapress
“Young readers making the transition to chapter books will once again be thrilled to read about the adventures of intrepid Pistachio and her bored dog, Maurice the Magnificent. The text is easy to read but challenging enough to engage young readers who will definitely be able to relate to the action in the story. Gay’s narration is full of dynamic descriptions: “Princess Pistachio’s dog is sleeping belly-up on his favorite plaid cushion. He is snoring like a frog with a cold.” (p. 7) Gay’s illustrations also provide a great deal of interesting information for readers. Princess Pistachio’s facial expressions are very evocative as are the various poses of Maurice the Magnificent….
This book can definitely be used as a read-aloud for early emergent readers while fluent readers can read it themselves. There are many themes to explore in Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent, including caring for pets, theatre productions, jealousy, kidnapping, friendship, and loyalty.
Highly Recommended.”
—Myra Junyk, who lives in Toronto, ON, is a literacy advocate and author.
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Posted in Princess Pistachio and Maurice the Magnificent | Tagged book-review, canlit, contemporary-fiction, dogs, kidlit, Marie-Louise Gay, mg, mg-lit, pets, strong-heroines
Posted on August 17th, 2017 by pajamapress
“Peach Girl introduces Momoko, an ambitious little girl who sets out to make the world a better place!…The illustrations by Rebecca Bender are bright, exciting and compliment the narrative very well. Plenty of peachy colors assist the light and fun tone. Readers looking for a strong female protagonist will enjoy Momoko’s adventure in Peach Girl.”
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Posted in Peach Girl | Tagged book-review, diverse-books, folk-tales, Japanese-folklore, kidlit, picture-book, Raymond Nakamura, Rebecca Bender, strong-heroines