June Recommendations

Using a clear and compelling voice, HOPE FOR RYAN WHITE, written by Dano Moreno and illustrated by Hannah Abbo, tells how one young activist changed the world for the better. Born with hemophilia, Ryan needed blood transfusions to stay alive. In 1984, when he was still in middle school, he contracted AIDS from one of those transfusions. When Ryan wanted to go back to school, “misinformation echoed through the town.” Ryan fought long and hard for his rights, and to educate the public about AIDS. He made a difference. This is an informative and uplifting picture book with brightly colored illustrations which does a terrific job of introducing the story of this important activist to picture book readers.

HOW DINOSAURS WENT EXTINCT: A SAFETY GUIDE, written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Jennifer Harney, opens with a child in a museum asking a pretty typical question, “How did dinosaurs go extinct anyway?” While Mom begins a pretty typical answer about comets-asteroids-volcanic eruptions-nobody knows for sure, Dad interrupts to say he knows exactly how, “ahem…” Apparently, there was plenty of running with scissors, tipping of chairs, swimming after eating, not changing underwear, scratching bug bites, etc. etc. until one way or another, all the dinosaurs went extinct. The horror-stricken kid asserts they are “NEVER DOING ANY OF THESE THINGS AGAIN!” and that, apparently, is that! Short, cautionary tidbits interspersed with retorts and sounds from the dinosaurs, paired with colorful, frenetic Photoshop illustrations, combine to deliver the fast-paced humor in this book. Should be a real kid-pleaser.

THIS IS A STORY, written by John Schu and illustrated by Lauren Castillo, begins with a word, on a page, in a book, on a shelf, waiting in a library for just the right human to connect with it. Luckily, there is a wonderful librarian who is ready to connect this reader, and plenty of others—all with questions, ideas, hopes, imaginations and “hearts that can grow… endlessly”—to books that will become the way for each reader to “understand… everything.” The text is lyrical and expansive, and the warmly-colored illustrations reference many other familiar and wonderful books, making it a lovely ode to books, reading, libraries… and the power of all things literary!

SOMETHING SPECTACULAR: A ROCK’S JOURNEY, by Carmela LaVigna Coyle and illustrated by Carly Allen-Fletcher, begins 272 million years before “she” finds it. “Huddled inside a behemoth hunk of sandstone,” it splits off, hurtles through the air, endures wind, waves and ice, tumbles and erodes, rests in a ravine, is “pawed and poked,” “nuzzled and nudged,” “smoothed,” “buffed,” and “rounded,” until it becomes—something spectacular! A timeline that references the girl who finds the rock puts its formation into context for readers. This poetic and informative imagining of a rock’s formation, aided by dramatic illustrations, should excite young rockhounds everywhere!

In A BED OF STARS, by Jessica Love, a child is scared to sleep because of “how big the universe is and how it goes on and on forever.” Dad decides a camping trip is in order, and the pair head off to the desert. Among other things, the child and father discuss mountain flowers, enjoy a stop at their “favorite junkyard,” listen to the blues, and jump in the sand dunes. The text is full of sensory details and observations, and meanders in just the right way to convey the wonder of the experience. Watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations are spare yet descriptive, and it turns out that “shak[ing] hands with the universe” is exactly what this pair needs. A quiet, contemplative, and completely lovely book.

ODE TO A BAD DAY, written by Chelsea Lin Wallace and illustrated by Hyewon Yum, begins with a child calling out—in child-ranty individual odes—a bad morning, in which “eyes are crusty, bones are rusty,” and their “teeth feel dusty,” but troubles mount with too much milk turning cereal from “crispy into gushy,” then the “itchy tags” and “icky buttons of getting dressed,” scrambling to school, stinging knees, line-cutters, hiccups, and “oh bad day,” what went wrong?? This fabulous book describes, in passionate odic form, all the small annoyances in this young child’s day, but thankfully ends with hope that “a better day is on its way.” The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are spot on, highlighting all the drama and keeping the focus of this child-centric story right where it needs to be.

--Lynn

June's Book of the Month--Aviva vs the Dybbuk

June’s Book of the Month is the vividly-written middle grade novel, AVIVA VS. THE DYBBUK, by Mari Lowe.

After “the accident” happens to Aviva’s father, Aviva and her mom move to a “shabby little apartment” next to the shul. Here, Aviva’s mom Ema is in charge of the mikvah, a “little pool” which makes the women who dip into it “pure in a way that nothing else can.” There’s a dybbuk haunting the place, making petty mischief of all kinds like unscrewing door hinges and ripping up much-needed checks. Ever since the accident, Ema is “quiet, and she doesn’t go out to visit friends anymore.”

Aviva’s best friend Kayla has changed too, has “hated [Aviva] since second grade when everything went wrong.” Both girls love playing machanayim, which is “sort of like dodgeball," and when a game gets out of control, the principal insists the pair must learn to work together to plan their grade’s end of year Bas Mitzvah Bash.

But the dybbuk’s mischief escalates, and new instances of anti-Semitic vandalism raise the stakes, all of which keep the close-knit Jewish community in Beacon on edge.

This is a thoughtful, entertaining portrait of an eleven-year-old girl who faces challenges on many fronts. She’s a strong and immensely appealing hero, and readers will be rooting for her to face her truths and persevere!

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Afterward, Everything Was Different

PB Review: Afterward, Everything Was Different

Afterward, Everything Was Different: A Tale from the Pleistocene by Jairo Buitrago, illus. by Rafael Yockteng, transl. by Elisa Amado (Greystone Kids, 64p., ages 4-9, 9781778400605)

Author Jairo Buitrago, illustrator Rafael Yockteng, and translator Elisa Amado (Lion and Mouse; Drawing Outdoors) collaborate once again with the mostly wordless, deeply inspiring Afterward, Everything Was Different, in which detailed illustrations imagine how a transformative moment in history might have unfolded.

According to Buitrago and Yockteng, the Pleistocene era, which occurred "somewhere between two and a half million and ten thousand years ago," was a time when people roamed the earth, living closely with animals, hunting with spears and clubs, wearing furs or nothing at all, and "slowly becoming more like the people we are today." One observant girl is featured--she helps keep her small clan safe from predators, leads the group over treacherous paths, and takes moments to look at the stars. She also watches and learns. On a fateful day when the others leave the cave, this girl stays behind. She grabs a stick of burnt wood and transforms the wall of the cave into a story--the story of the clan--which she then performs orally. And, of course, "afterward, everything was different."

Yockteng magnificently illustrates Afterward, Everything Was Different in graphite and ink drawings. Sweeping panoramas give a sense of the immensity of the wide-open space, as well as huge beasts that dwell there. Two expressive notes at book's end, translated from the Spanish by Amado, describe the history and inspiration behind this book, and put it neatly into context. This is a moving tribute to the power of art through the ages. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.