April Recommendations

Recommendations this month are devoted to recently published and upcoming picture books, all created by the fabulous PBRockiteers22. Read on for PART ONE of this fun and diverse collection:

REVOLUTIONARY PRUDENCE WRIGHT, written by Beth Anderson and illustrated by Susan Reagan is the story of how, in 1775, one Captain Prudence Wright organized and led a group of women to “[break] free from traditional female roles” in order to capture a British spy and further the war effort of the patriots in the early days of America’s fight for independence. Anderson spins a fascinating tale of courage, leadership, and norm-busting behavior in the face of British attack, and Reagan’s digitally-drawn, watercolor illustrations do a fine job of bringing this little-known piece of history to life.

In LITTLE SEED, by Benson Shum, Mother Earth gives Little Seed “a great big hug to show her love.” In turn, Little Seed wants to hug the whole world, but his arms are too small. So, instead, Little Seed learns how to perfectly hug panda, lion cub, elephant, octopus whale, and others—though, wisely and respectfully, not “an armadillo who wants to be alone.” This sweet board book, with its cheerful cartoony (in the best way) illustrations, is perfect for preschoolers.

MIGHTY MAHI, written by Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw and illustrated by Dorothy Shaw, is “the true story of an injured turtle found on a Florida beach, told from the turtle’s point of view.” With poetic text, dynamic illustrations, and a plethora of fascinating back matter, this picture book presents a compelling, entertaining, and informative story kids will surely relate to.

In EMET’S BOX, words and pictures by Jeni Chen, Emet is passionate about painting, so he does it “everywhere” and “all the time.” He loves “all the colors in the whole, wide world!” and his creations clearly make him very happy. Until grown-ups begin telling him to focus on “more important things;” and because grown-ups usually know best, Emet listens. But then his world turns gray. This is a sweet story about following your heart and doing what you love that’s sure to resonate with creative kids everywhere.

In HATTIE HATES HUGS, written by Sarah Hovorka and illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee, Hattie loves all her relatives, but she doesn’t want to be hugged. Sure enough, from the moment she steps out of her car at the family reunion, whiskers scratch, perfume overwhelms, and too many arms squeeze. Luckily, Hattie finds the one person who understands how she feels, and Great Grandma’s strategies allow Hattie to connect with her relatives on her own terms. The empowering text is engaging, and Lee’s use of color and textures in her art is particularly nice.

TOFU TAKES TIME, written by Helen H. Wu and illustrated by Julie Jarema, shows how Lin is making tofu from scratch with her NaiNai. She’s hungry, but there are so many steps! From seeds to soy milk, from curds to a molded block that must be sliced and seasoned and cooked to perfection, it takes a lot of patience before happiness can fill Lin’s belly. The lesson that “good things take time” is served up with a fun text, imaginative illustrations, and solid back matter to explain more about tofu and the author’s personal experience making it with her own grandma as a child.

--Lynn