In THE NEW KID HAS FLEAS, written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Eda Kaban, said New Kid doesn’t behave like the other kids at school. She doesn’t wear shoes, and she attracts a lot of stares during music and gym. And classmate Molly says she has fleas. Nobody talks to the New Kid, but when she and the narrator are paired for a science project, it turns out they make a pretty good team, after all. The punny text leaves plenty of room for the digital illustrations to share the spotlight, and this makes for an endearingly odd, and unexpectedly satisfying, story.
A WALK IN THE WORDS, written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott, is a quiet wonder. It’s a picture book memoir, wherein the main character struggles with dyslexia. Young Hudson loves drawing, and he used to enjoy reading, too, especially books with “big pictures and only a few words.” But as “the pictures [get] smaller and the text [gets] longer,” Hudson feels like he’s being stalked by “too many words.” Still, he loves stories, refuses to give up, and, in time, finds a way to tell stories of his own, using pictures, words, or—his favorite way—using both. The watercolor, colored pencil, and ink art perfectly illustrates Talbot’s text, and brings in a fanciful element that keeps the story light.
In ARLO DRAWS AN OCTOPUS, written by Lori Mortensen and illustrated by Rob Sayegh, Jr., Arlo loves octopuses, but when he decides to draw one, the head looks like“a tall, silly hill,” and the arms look more like roads. The discouraged boy wads up his “octopus disaster-piece” and throws it away. But when he goes over to pick it up—so as not to litter—he gets a big surprise because somebody, it seems, likes his art… ARLO’s relatively straightforward plot belies its complexity, and the story has a lot going for it, including the fun digital art.
Gravity beam! Atomic breath! Flowers?!! In ANZU THE GREAT KAIJU, by Benson Shum, all young Anzu wants is “to be a great kaiju and make his family proud.” But whereas most kaiju are born with superpowers that “strike fear into the heart of their city,” Anju’s superpower is…flowers. When he receives his assignment, he’s eager to cause some mayhem but once he finally succeeds in satisfying his family, he learns that he’d rather unleash his own brand of happiness, after all. Brightly-colored, expressive, cartoony illustrations should make this a real kid-pleaser.
HOPE AT SEA, by Daniel Miyares, is the story of a girl who loves the sea. Her Papa is a ship’s carpenter, and when he leaves aboard his newest clipper ship to make sure it stays seaworthy, Hope decides to stow away and join him. Quickly discovered by Papa, she finds plenty to occupy herself with onboard. But when a storm wrecks the ship on rocks near their home, danger and new possibilities emerge. This exalting tale of high seas adventure is accompanied by stunning pen, ink, and watercolor art. For an even richer experience, pay attention to the endpapers and the book’s cover under the dust jacket.
In GROUP HUG, written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Joey Chou, Slug needs someone to hug, and he proceeds to find a “lonely ol’ bug,” a mouse “with a case of the grumps,” a skunk who’s “lost control of his smell,” a beaver, a porcupine, a groundhog, a goose, a fox, and a moose who’s “feeling stuck," all of whom benefit from a hug that has room for all. Then along comes Bear… This sweet, nicely-rhymed story, with delightful digital art, is all about spreading the love. And the hugs.
--Lynn
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