Shelf Awareness--Frank's Red Hat

PB Review: Frank's Red Hat

Frank's Red Hat by Sean E. Avery (Walker Books Australia, 32p., ages 4-7, 9781761600661, May 6, 2025)

Frank's Red Hat is a hilarious tale of creativity--first scorned, then redeemed--as one inventive penguin tries to get his fellow seabirds to appreciate the finer qualities of his functional, fashionable way to keep warm.

Frank is known within the penguin community for "doing things differently" and for being "full of ideas." Unfortunately, most of his ideas are not great (such as the time he figured out how to spear multiple fish at once, only to have a resident walrus insist that Frank give its tusk back). The penguins are understandably nervous when, one day, Frank wears a red hat. Not only had the seabirds never seen a hat before but, in their "cold and colorless world," they had never seen anything red. Frank tries to explain that a hat is for "keeping your head warm--in style," but when Neville gives the hat a try, a killer whale leaps out of the ocean and eats the penguin "in one big bite." Despite Frank's assurances that the hat had nothing to do with Neville's tragic accident, the other penguins want nothing to do with the hat or with Frank.

Disappointed, Frank tries to get the penguins to appreciate his creation by making several differently colored hats in hopes of creating the perfect head covering, but the wary seabirds don't trust him at all. Frank decides to make one final, perfect hat: "The evil hat will end us all!" the terrified penguins yell, "waddling for their lives." Frank is crushed and vows to never again make another hat, until... a non-penguin someone asks for his masterpiece!

Sean E Avery (Happy as a Hog Out of Mud) uses jaunty text that is active, direct, and suitably sly. His characters feature large, round eyes with expressive eyebrow lines, and his world is rendered almost entirely in black, white, and grays, which allows the colorful hats to stand out. The clever, digitally collaged illustrations add plenty of humor and depth to the story, and readers are advised to pay attention: sight gags amplify the fun and loose ends are often tied up in the art. In fact, hints in the illustrations set up the possibility that savvy readers may guess at the resolution, and the final twist adds to the satisfying finish. Frank's Red Hat shouldserve as both a boisterous read-aloud and an excellent choice to linger with after story time. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author. Originally printed in Shelf Awareness.

Shelf Awareness--Trouble Dog

PB Review: Trouble Dog

Trouble Dog: From Shelter Dog to Conservation Hero by Carol A. Foote, illus. by Larry Day (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 48p., ages 5-9, 9780802855817)

Trouble Dog deftly tells the story of Tucker, a sweet pup with boundless energy, who, after a few failed attempts, is adopted by a woman who recognizes his potential.

Tucker loves to play. But all his romping, CRASHING energy means he's returned to the shelter so frequently, the attendant begins to warn visitors, "Not this dog. He's trouble." Months go by, until Laura finds him and wonders if "maybe he's the right kind of trouble." Laura begins to harness Tucker's exuberance with special training. She introduces "a strange, new smell" and when Tucker recognizes that smell, they play. She tries hard to trick him but "Tucker's nose never fail[s]." She introduces other smells until they are working with a conservationist in Hawaii to find invasive rosy wolfsnails. The pair continues to seek out invasive and endangered plants and animals, helping scientists to study them. Tucker becomes a romping, leaping, crashing hero, who also finds love in his "forever home."

Journalist and debut picture book author Carol Foote's text is as buoyant as her protagonist, with plenty of heart for good measure. Her story champions second--and third, even fourth--chances, along with the idea that some deeply hidden talents may need extra care and attention to flourish. Larry Day (Found) uses a loose line in his watercolor illustrations that allows his fully saturated colors to bleed and blend, creating a natural feel of movement to mimic Tucker's playful nature. Backmatter explains that Trouble Dog is based on "the true story" of Pepin and Wicket and includes plenty of fascinating facts about conservation dogs. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author. Originally printed in Shelf Awareness.

Shelf Awareness--All the Blues in the Sky

YA Review: All the Blues in the Sky

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 208p., ages 10-14, 9781547605897)

Coretta Scott King Award winner and Newbery Award honoree Renée Watson (Piecing Me Together) uses poetry and lyrical prose to sculpt All the Blues in the Sky, a deeply affecting window into healing that skillfully manages to be both heartbreaking yet full of hope.

A month ago, on 13-year-old Sage's birthday, her best friend was killed by a drunk driver. Since then, Sage struggles to understand why "sometimes no one sees death coming," especially when it suddenly and senselessly comes for a best friend as "mangled metal wrapped around/ a street sign." Grief group at school provides a safe space. There, Sage meets Ebony, who helps her understand that when life feels like an ocean, "there is something/ to hold on to/ to keep you afloat." But healing is slow and difficult, and Sage is constantly reminded of everything her best friend will never get to do. Luckily Sage is surrounded by fellow grief group members, wise and loving adults, and even a neighborhood boy to crush on, as she begins to slowly make her way toward acceptance and healing even through horrific and ongoing loss.

All the Blues in the Sky is an intimate, intense portrayal of grief as well as the uncertainty and promise of tomorrow. Watson's hybrid style skillfully makes use of poetry and lyrical prose to crack open the heart of her protagonist, while grounding Sage in a realistic middle school experience. The author sure-handedly balances intense, engulfing sadness with moments of love and beauty, and shows how life, and death, carry on, with every person affected differently. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author. Originally printed in Shelf Awareness.

Shelf Awareness--The Interpreter

YA Review: The Interpreter

The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi, illus. by Monica Arnaldo (Kokila, 40p., ages 5-8, 9780593620441)

Olivia Abtahi (Perfectly Parvin) and Monica Arnaldo's first picture book collaboration, The Interpreter, is an earnest and endearing depiction of a child who becomes overwhelmed while serving as translator for her Spanish-speaking parents.

While some kids have only one job--"to be a kid"--Cecilia has two: in addition to school and soccer, she acts as interpreter for her Spanish-speaking parents. Cecilia goes with her caretakers to all sorts of "grown-up places" and assists with appointments, making small talk with other parents, and translating phone calls and websites. Cecilia works so much "overtime," she's exhausted! At parent-teacher meetings, an adult asks Cecilia how she's doing and she explodes. Luckily, the girl's loving, grateful parents are compassionate and quickly understand that their daughter needs help. Now, Cecilia can perform her important job as interpreter and still have time for her other, equally important job: being a kid.

Abtahi, who herself played the role of Spanish, English, and Farsi interpreter as a child, delivers a clever, straight-from-the-heart story. Her portrayal of the emotional and physical toll Cecilia experiences hits home, as does the gratifying way her parents pivot to meet their daughter's needs. Arnaldo (Mr. S.), who also translated for her Spanish-speaking parents while growing up, employs dynamic watercolor and pencil crayon art to emphasize Cecilia's two distinct roles, illustrating the girl "working" in an oversized suit and showing a frenzy of activity by overlapping and blending colored speech bubbles (blue for English, orange for Spanish). This bilingual narrative is an excellent, resonant picture book for kids and caretakers alike. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author. Originally printed in Shelf Awareness.

February Recommendations

RAMON FELLINI, THE CAT DOG DETECTIVE, written and illustrated by Guilherme Karston, is a spoofy mystery featuring a (spoiler alert) cat who poses as a dog to investigate an unfortunate fishbowl attack. The shady detective takes charge and the clueless boy hands over his fish to allow the dog/cat to investigate further. The stylized digital art ups the ante, with lots of clues that point to a fittingly noirish (offscreen) ending. Plenty of interesting angles and patterns help give it a distinctive look, and the dark backgrounds make bright foregrounds pop. This is silly, subversive fun with a fairly dark vibe.

In ADELA’S MARIACHI BAND, written by Denise Vega and illustrated by Erika Rodríguez Medina, Adela loves her family’s mariachi band—the way “the music skips and bounces,” how "her family dances and claps,” and the way “the band and the audience come together as one.” The only problem is that Adela’s not in the band. When Adela tries to play Papa’s trumpet, there’s only a small, dribbly “PFFT.” Her guitar goes “ERREEEK” instead of “PING!” And when she tries to dance—“SPLAT!” But readers will appreciate how Adela figures out a way to contribute to her family’s mariachi band sooner rather than later. Lively, mostly English text has plenty of Spanish sprinkled throughout, and the colorful digital illustrations are dynamic. An author’s note explains more and makes it personal.

THE SHIP IN THE WINDOW, written by Travis Jonker and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, stars Mabel, a little mouse who lives in a lakeside cabin with a man who has built a prize model ship, and a boy who’s not allowed to touch it. Mabel wonders what it would be like to sail it like a real ship, “navigating rough seas…using the stars to guide the way.” One day, she manages to maneuver the boat to the shore of the lake and jumps in. ’Twas a tough night to sail, but Mabel navigates it well, at least until she’s distracted by the humans loudly searching for the lost ship. The story, with its shades of Stuart Little, is engaging and evocative, as is the gorgeous art by Caldecott medalist Cordell—multiple pages are worthy of a frame.

THERE ARE NO ANTS IN THIS BOOK, written by Rosemary Mosco and illustrated by Anna Pirolli, is a meta story about a kid who thinks this “nice-looking book” would be perfect for a picnic, especially since the cover clearly states that “there are no ants in this book.” This premise, however, very quickly proves false, as one (an acorn ant), two (a dinosaur ant), three (a pharaoh ant), and seven more interesting, distinctive kinds of ants show up, to shock the narrator, who soon decides that maybe ants are cool—and worth saving from anteaters! Fun facts about all the different kinds of ants, in text and backmatter elevate this from a basic counting book into a fun outing. Uncluttered text zips right along, and bold, colorful illustrations seal the deal.

LOST, by Bob Staake, is wordless story about a girl whose cat has run off. She makes “lost” posters and soon finds that others in her community are missing pets, as well. The postman’s bird has flown away, the dog belonging to a woman on a bench has tunneled out, and a man at the grocery store can’t find his… giraffe?! The scent of a hot dog begins to return things to a satisfying, whimsical, cheerful conclusion. The busy cartoony-looking, sequential art is mostly black and white, with carefully placed color highlights to keep readers focused on the main action.

A PARTY FOR FLORINE: FLORINE STETTHEIMER AND ME, by Yevgenia Nayberg, is about how a girl sees a painting in a museum, that of an artist who looks just like her, and the girl, also an artist, decides to find out more. Through the girl’s musings, we learn about Florine and her glamorous family, who spend their time “painting, dancing, and writing poetry.” Also, “lounging around in white silk pants,” and “throwing parties!” The girl wishes she “could be like Florine,” throwing parties and not sulking in her room while it rains. Next day, the girl does go outside in the rain, where she sees “the world around [her] is full of color and full of surprise. Like Florine’s.” The text dances and sings across the page, much in the way “everything Florine painted danced and sang on a canvas.” The art is “purple socks, yellow books, skinny cats, giant flowers, darkness and light,” swooping and flying to match the text. Backmatter fills in missing biographical material, allowing the main body of the book to soar.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--After Life

YA Review: After Life

After Life by Gayle Forman (Quill Tree Books, 272p., ages 12-up, 9780063346147)

Gayle Foreman's After Life is an engrossing portrayal of grief and healing that revolves around a teen hit-and-run victim who comes back from heaven, hell, or "the whatever" and realizes that the lives of her loved ones have been drastically altered by her death.

Seventeen-year-old Amber Crane, "a white girl with honey-colored hair," realizes she's unsure of the day as she rides her bike home from school. When she arrives, Amber learns that she has been dead for seven years. Her at-the-time nine-year-old sister, Missy--now blue-haired and called Melissa--is almost the age Amber was when she died; Amber's mom freaks out and her atheist dad is now a believer and certain a miracle has occurred. Worse, her parents have separated, her "forever" boyfriend is a bartending, "druggy loser," and her once-close Aunt Pauline is now estranged and living in New Zealand. As Amber struggles to understand why she's come back, she begins to appreciate how her life--and her death--had far-reaching effects: on her friends, the school photographer, an English teacher, even a woman who works at a nearby pet shelter.

After Life tackles love and forgiveness, interconnectivity, and the possibility of a "different sort of existence" tangential to life and death. Foreman (Not Nothing; If I Stay) uses flashbacks to enrich Amber's narrative and also weaves in past and present accounts of family members, as well as people who seem at first to be only marginally involved. Earnest and absorbing, After Life describes how one individual may touch the lives of many, in life as well as in death. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author. Originally printed in Shelf Awareness.

January's Book of the Month--Poetry Comics

January’s Book of the Month is the musing, meditative POETRY COMICS, written and illustrated with sequential art by Grant Snider.

“I want to put down/on paper the feeling/of possibilities.” So begins this gentle collection of poems, broken into seasons. Spring allows for imaginings and growth, what-ifs like Reflections (in the still pond/the same world/but blurred), If I Were a Tree, and Becoming. Summer is a “festival of fireflies,” a time for “sinking baskets/to the applause/of the setting sun;” it’s time to ride a Roller Coaster and engage in Cloudspotting. Fall brings Fishing, and “stars in conversation,” and waiting for the Late Bus, while Winter offers “a new page” where “words huddle close/to keep warm.”

The text is thoughtful yet full of activity, and offers a nice balance between exploring inner and outer worlds. Pen, marker, and Photoshop illustrations are laid out in inviting panels, with plenty of earth-and-sky pastels punctuated by primaries; characters are rendered simply yet expressively. Both text and art are uncluttered and accessible, and the book feels fresh and inspirational—like an ode to creativity and pondering the universe!

--Lynn