BITSY BAT, SCHOOL STAR, written and illustrated by Kaz Windness, is about a little bat who dreams “BIG STAR dreams.” But on her first night at school, Bitsy seems to be doing everything wrong. (She hangs rather than sits, uses her feet to paint rather than her fingers, and her snacks, well, they crawl!) Finally, Bitsy has “a FIVE-STAR meltdown.” Back home, with the help of her loving family, Bitsy realizes that “everyone shines a little differently,” and she comes up with a “BIG STAR idea” to help her classmates understand. Back matter provides info on autism and an author/illustrator’s note makes it personal. Graphite and Photoshop illustrations showcase a really fun character design and palette, and they add plenty of punny humor to the buoyant text. This entertaining story never lags.
100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI, written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Lian Cho, is a humorous, quirky, and super-original counting book, featuring—yes—a hundred mighty dragons all named Broccoli, and they disperse in wide-ranging and unexpected ways. There’s plenty of subtraction, a bit of addition, and a surprise twist at the end. Vibrantly-colored acrylic and colored pencil dragons are full of life and personality. The zany illustrations are a perfect match for the zany text, and this whole zany book will keep even the most math-averse readers engaged.
REMEMBER, written by Joy Harjo and illustrated by Michaela Goade, beautifully celebrates “where and who you come from,” as well as poetry itself, which brings “the most secret dreams of your heart into existence.” The book is a call to remember “the sky that you were born under,” “the sun’s birth at dawn,” as well as “sundown and the giving away to night.” To remember your birth, the earth, and all in this life who “have their tribes, their families, their histories, too.” Who are “alive poems.” The striking, jewel-toned watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations invoke Tlingit creation stories and “the concept of haa shagoon, which is the understanding that our ancestors are united with the present and future generations.”
HOW TO GET YOUR OCTOPUS TO SCHOOL, written by Becky Scharnhorst and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, is full of punny advice for getting your reluctant octopus to school, something you know he “will love…if he gives it a chance,” but who “would much rather stay home with you and play hide-and-seek or dress-up.” Since octopuses are very, very good at hiding, and hugging, and trying on lots of different outfits, getting him there is going to take a while. And once he’s there, well, we’ll just see who has trouble letting go. Digital illustrations are full of energy and amp up the fun. Kids should have no trouble relating to this one, and the humor still leaves room for plenty of heart.
In LIA & LUÍS: PUZZLED, written by Ana Crespo and illustrated by Giovana Medeiros, when Lia and Luís open a package from their grandma, they find “a puzzle…with a secret message.” Mamãe tells them they must hurry and finish the puzzle, and Lia and Luís figure out how to do just that. They inspect the pieces closely, and learn about sorting them based on shape, color, and size. Finally, the puzzle is done and it’s time to solve the mystery. Digital illustrations are bright and clear. There’s a glossary of Portuguese words, an author’s note, and some math activities which make this picture book even more appealing for very young readers.
AS NIGHT FALLS: CREATURES THAT GO WILD AFTER DARK, written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Felicita Sala, is a lyrical look at nighttime and the creatures that inhabit it. Beginning slowly with “some young ones, who close their eyes and nestle sweetly into sleep without a whisper,” readers will turn the page to find many “other young ones,” whose thoughts “wiggle and giggle and race to burst free.” We see how “nighttime is action time,” as the “mini go ballistic,” and the “big ones go berserk.” Bumping, striking, slither-crawl-looping and swooping verbs drive this narrative, making it sing. But, for me, it’s the wondrous and wonderful gouache, watercolor, ink, colored pencil, and oil pastel illustrations that truly set this book apart. I would happily frame any spread in this book!
--Lynn
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