Where is Pim? by Lena and Olof Landstrom
A sweet story for young children who believe that stuffed animals have thoughts and feelings—and that adventure is just around the corner. On the very first page, readers cannot suppress a smile while watching a small child, Pom, gleefully toss a pink, four-legged stuffed animal into the air with the simple line, "Pim wants to fly." Before the toy can fall back into Pom's loving arms, a stick and dog interrupt Pim's return trajectory. Pom and a dog begin a determined search for Pim, crawling beneath a park bench and some bushes to find a pink bag and a crumpled can. They even search the fountain, only to find a wet, pink sock—but no Pim. Eventually, a second dog returns carrying the stuffed animal, reuniting Pim and Pom and leading to the simple conclusion: "Pim doesn't want to fly any more today." Young children will enjoy searching the pages for Pim and will be surprised to discover that the story contains two dogs that are mirror images of each other. The illustrations are unique and childlike, effectively conveying Pom's varying emotions as well as the single-minded focus, good nature, and wild abandon of the dogs. ~Sally James, School Library Journal
The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein
The shadows of a summer night sing the promise of morning to a boy and his cat as they venture out into the dark yard surrounding their house. In the introductory scene just before the title page, the redheaded boy, tucked in bed in his darkened room, addresses the black cat curled above him, gazing through the window at the dusky world. "Good-night, Sylvie." Sylvie, it soon appears, is not ready for sleep and meows insistently until the two tiptoe through the sleeping house and out into the nighttime shadows. Gerstein's roughly sketched scenes with well-chosen detail are done on gray art paper, a fine choice for these shadowy night views. The early indoor scenes are boxed against the outer page. Heading for the open door, Sylvie hints, "It's coming…hurry." The dark outside opens fully on a spread and is soft and comfortable with shadows everywhere. "Are those shadows roses? Are those lilies and sunflowers? Where are their colors?" Soon the shadows reveal a great variety of animals that begin to echo Sylvie's hint. "It's on its way…here it comes…It's almost here." Eventually a glow appears above the trees, the shadowy animals slip away, and the world gathers color, leading to a full burst of sun. Boy and cat rush into the house to announce the beautiful day. Gerstein adds a personal note about his early childhood discomfort with the outer night world and his lifelong love of sunrise. Children will surely respond to his simple scheme, beautifully crafted with spare text and with much to enjoy in the homely views of house and yard.~Margaret Bush, School Library Journal
The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski
A sweet-faced girl in a red hood borrows a special book from her teacher. As she runs home, oblivious to what is happening, the words escape. While a fox nets the jumbled letters, readers can discern "once upon a time," "wizard," "bears," etc. At home, the child is disappointed, thinking the book lacks a story. Then she hears the whisper: "You can imagine the words…the stories….There are never any rules…imagining just is." She develops an approach, looking more closely at the pictures and asking herself questions from her vantage point at the border. Ironically, this is not a wordless experience for readers; the girl develops opening sentences for the next seven magical compositions. Zagarenski's signature wheels, teacups, crowns, and tigers populate these richly layered, golden scenes, full of texture and mystery: an elephant and lion float by on a quest, a wizard blows bubbles that become real creatures. During the girl's return trip to school, the fox requests help reaching grapes. Those familiar with Aesop may be surprised that no trickery is involved. The endpapers reveal the edited fable; the listening fox has also learned about imagining and reimagining. Stories about storytelling can be hard sells to children, who generally prefer the familiar arc of a sustained narrative. However, the mixed-media art is so stunning in this Caldecott-honor artist's first foray into writing that they will make an exception. ~Wendy Lukehart, School Library Journal
I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel
From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boys' clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz's story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers. ~Amazon
Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon by Kate DiCamillo
Welcome back to the world of Mercy Watson and friends! In this installment, the fearless and unflappable Francine Poulet, animal control officer extraordinaire, is called upon by the bejeweled Mrs. Bissinger to capture a screaming, ghostly raccoon. When Francine faces the raccoon, she unexpectedly panics and ends up in the hospital. Her self-confidence lost, she resigns her position because she no longer knows who she is. "She was not an animal control officer. And she was not a Poulet, because Poulets never panic." Then she meets Frank, an observant boy who not only knows the whereabouts of the still-at-large raccoon but encourages her to face her fears and live up to her true calling, to remember "she was the genuine article…solid as a refrigerator." Encouraging readers to believe in themselves, this short chapter book pairs illustrations on almost every page with brisk dialogue and short, descriptive sentences. With plenty of white space and a large font the title is tailor-made for young readers transitioning to chapter books and will be enjoyed by "Mercy Watson" (Candlewick) fans and new readers alike. ~Ramarie Beaver, School Library Journal
Road Trip and Field Trip by Gary and Jim Paulsen
Father-and-son writing team Gary and Jim Paulsen pick up where their Road Trip left off. Ben has been invited to try out for a special hockey academy. But Dad wants Ben to catch up to the school field trip instead. So Ben, Dad, and their dogs, Atticus and Conor, jump into their truck. Ben concocts a secret plan to make the tryout, but Atticus and Conor are on to him. Ben and Dad’s road trip turns into a wacky adventure full of new friends and surprises. ~Amazon
The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
What if your favorite characters came to life? Billy’s spending the summer in a lakeside cabin that belongs to the mysterious Dr. Libris. But something strange is going on. Besides the security cameras everywhere, there’s Dr. Libris’s private bookcase. Whenever Billy opens the books inside, he can hear sounds coming from the island in the middle of the lake. The clash of swords. The twang of arrows. Sometimes he can even feel the ground shaking. It’s almost as if the stories he’s reading are coming to life! But that’s impossible . . . isn’t it? ~Amazon
Starring Jules (as Herself) by Beth Ain
Readers who can't wait for the next Clementine, Gooney Bird, or Judy Moody will be pleased to meet feisty seven-year-old Jules Bloom. She and her family are in a restaurant when a casting director invites her to audition for a mouthwash commercial. Jules works hard to learn her lines and worries about all the things that could go wrong. She tries to make new friends while inadvertently patching things up with her ex-best friend. Her greatest challenge comes when she learns that the mouthwash has an orange flavor, which she detests. Of course everything works out, and Important Lessons about friendship and life are learned. The child's lively voice will hold the attention of young readers, but she often sounds older than seven. The large-print text is interspersed with cheery line drawings; Jules's lists, such as "Things I will NOT do at my audition: 1. Burp into the microphone when I mean to sing into the microphone"; and playful chapter titles like "Take Six: promising playdates, spaghetti with peanut butter, and other distractions."~Amelia Jenkins, School Library Journal
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
When Alex and Conner's father unexpectedly dies, the twins lose the person who always had the perfect story to cheer them up. Then, on their 12th birthday, their grandmother gives them the book of fairy tales he used to read to them. Suddenly it seems to come to life, and the youngsters find themselves falling into the Land of Stories, seemingly with no way to get out. Desperate, they follow instructions in a mysterious journal: if they gather eight items from various residents in the kingdoms of the Land of Stories, they can complete the Wishing Spell and have one wish granted. After scaling castle walls, diving deep into the home of mermaids, and meeting characters from all of the beloved fairy tales, they are stymied by the Evil Queen, who has escaped from Snow White's dungeon. With the hope of using the spell gone, the twins appear to have no way home until they meet Fairy Godmother, their own grandmother. In a way, they find comfort from their grief over their father's death when they realize that they have been following his journal and that he grew up in this land. The writing quality in this adventure is inconsistent and detracts from the fast-paced story. The deep sadness of the twins comes through, but they are somewhat one-dimensional, since Alex is so much the nerd and Conner, the class clown. The plotline, however, pulls readers in and is entertaining, and Colfer's passion for fairy tales shines through. Turn to Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark & Grimm (Dutton, 2010) for higher-quality writing in a recent fractured fairy-tale novel. ~Clare A. Dombrowski, School Library Journal
Plunked by Michael Northop
When a young slugger gets hit by a pitch, he needs more than practice to get back his game. Jack Mogens thinks he's got it all figured out: He has his batting routine down, and now that he's in sixth grade, he has a lock on a starting spot in Little League. (Well, almost. Okay, not really. It's a two-man race, though, so he has a shot.) And if he can manage to have a not-totally-embarrassing conversation with Katie, his team's killer shortstop, he'll be golden. But when a powerful stray pitch turns his world upside down, Jack discovers it's going to take more than a love of baseball to get back his game. ~Amazon
