In MOVING DAY, written by Teri Roche Drobnick and illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt, a family waves goodbye and says, “See you soon.” But the house doesn’t want to go! It’s been in place for a hundred years, but now, with a “lug and a tug,” it’s lifted from its foundation. A crowd gathers as the house is pulled around tight corners and up and down steep hills, until it “smiles” to see its family, waiting in its “new spot.” MOVING DAY offers an entertaining twist by having the house be the one reluctant to move, and there’s plenty of fun language to carry it off. Vibrant, whimsical watercolor and ink illustrations play perfectly with the text, adding details (like the house wearing Victorian shoes and carrying carpetbags) and using extreme perspectives. This move turns out to be quite the parade-worthy adventure!
THE BEAR OUT THERE, by Jess Hannigan, is an uproarious, in-your-face story of a red-headed child who addresses readers to insist—dramatically—that there is a BEAR outside. They know it for a fact. The bear is watching from the woods and the child doesn’t “have to see it to know that it’s out there.” The child points out “bear signs to watch for,” draws “super accurate” pictures of the bear, plays cards while waiting for a rescue, etc. until RATTLE, RATTLE, CREEEAK… well, you’ll see. The twist at the end wraps things up nicely and offers a few more reasons to laugh. Second person narration is really funny, very kid-friendly, and veers in all kinds of directions. Acrylic paint, collage, and digital illustrations are bold and blocky, with plenty of engaging closeups to amp up the humor. It’s perfect for storytime!
FIREWORKS, written by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Cátia Chien, leads readers on a trek through the city one hot summer day, when the warm, bright sun beats on steamy sidewalks. "Whoop! Weee! Woohoo!” a fire hydrant springs a leak and all the kids know what to do. To the bodega, through the park, then back home for watermelon in the “thirsty afternoon.” After dinner, POP! The first “flower of fire” zings and tizzle-tings across the sky. The strong, lyrical text is full of action, poetic descriptions, and sensory details that zing, just like the fireworks. The joyful mixed media illustrations emphasize the action as well as the details while also leaving much to the imagination. Great book for a warm summer night’s read.
TOTO, by Hyewon Yum, features a girl with a birthmark named Toto. Cousin Charlie thinks Toto looks superpower cool. Grandma kisses Toto (a bit sadly) whenever they meet. Mom was surprised by Toto, but proclaims it “a kiss from an angel.” The girl feels that “sometimes people only see Toto," and when it’s time for school, she starts to believe that “it’s a good idea to hide Toto for a little while.” Even when she makes a new best friend, she worries that Niko will think Toto is strange and ugly. The solution is affirming and “extraordinary!” Hyewon Yum’s work is lovely, as always. Her matter-of-fact, first person text, and pencil and watercolor art, bring this moving story fully to life with plenty of heart to spare.
In I WILL ALWAYS BE…, written by Rebecca Gardyn Levington and illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell, a girl shimmies onto a school bus, describing how she loves to “pirouette,” “pop and lock,” and “cha-cha-cha” as a dancer. In the bathtub, she “think[s] and tinker[s],” “tweak[s] and build[s],” as an inventor. She dabbles with “stickers, scissors, cotton,/pom-poms, paper, [and] glue” to “imagine something new” as an artist. In this perfectly rhymed, bouncy text, the girl also sees herself as a scientist, a writer, an athlete, and a baker. Most importantly, she knows that wherever she’s headed she will always be… herself. The colorful, mixed media illustrations are as active as the text, and nicely enhance all of the can-do energy.
HERE IS A BOOK, by Elisha Cooper, is a gentle, uplifting meditation on an artist’s process for making a book, presented by an artist who has made many wonderful books himself. In this one, the artist dreams, gardens, bakes, and enjoys her warm home, filled with "bread, raspberry jam, family, [and] a cat.” She bicycles her finished art to a bustling town, where she delivers it to her publishers office, humming with teamwork, from where it’s sent to the printer, then the books are trucked across a “country and a coast,” to a city, then delivered to a library, where a student finds it and brings it to her own home, filled with "vegetable soup, family, two cats, and humor,” where it is read and loved. This inspiring, idealized look at publishing paints a sweet portrait of the creative and logistical steps that go into creating a picture book. Cooper’s watercolor and pencil illustrations are as evocative as ever.
--Lynn
