Tag Archives: Animals

The Color Of The Sun

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This story takes place in one day of Davie’s life in Tyneside, his small town home.  He takes off on a journey after what appears to be the murder of a boy he knows.  Half real and half imagined, he meets characters from his town, which has rival gangs,. Davie thinks he knows who the murderer is.  As the story progresses, it gets harder to fathom what is real.  The ending is brilliant and leaves readers feeling positive and hopeful.  The book is beautifully written. mjw
Title: The Color Of The Sun
Author: David Almond
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
Original Publisher: Hachette Children’s Group. U.K.
Original Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0785-9
Hardcover pages: 224
Age range: 12 up
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Book setting: England
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
Awards: Hans Christian Andersen Medal, Carnegie Medal
Subjects: Adventure, Coming of Age, Death and dying, Violence, Young adult boys

The Elephant

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The illustrations of the elephants in this book are done in watercolor, acrylic, pencil, and crayon. They are accurate, strikingly detailed, and beautifully rendered.  They make the book!   Here, we join a young boy as he learns interesting facts about Asian and African elephants.  Elephants are intelligent and have amazing memories and excellent hearing.  They walk on their tip-toes and are either right-tusked or left-tusked.  Tusks can be as long as two seven-year-old children from toe to toe.  An introductory note describes modern threats to elephants and a map shows where these fascinating animals live today. mjw
Title: The Elephant
Author: Jenni Desmond
Illustrator: Jenni Desmond
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books.  New York
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-59270-264-0
Hardcover pages: 48
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Nonfiction, Information book
Author’s ethnicity: British
Author’s residence: London
Illustrator’s ethnicity: British
Illustrator’s residence: London
Subjects: Africa, African elephants, Asiatic elephants, India, Zoology

Vanishing Colors

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In this haunting story, a young girl and her mother take shelter in their roofless house to sleep. The mother tells the story of a large bird that flies from the mountains to protect them.  Dark illustrations show that the city is ravaged by war.  The bird reminds the girl of happy memories and colors that were there before.  The girl and her mother can leave when the girl sees all the colors in the rainbow, which makes a bridge across the sky.  The book ends with the mother and child walking on, holding hands, under a rainbow. They will stay together and help each other. mjw
Title: Vanishing Colors
Author: Constance Orbeck-Nilssen
Illustrator: Akin Duzakin
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: Norwegian
Translator: Kari Dickson
Original Title: Fargene som forsvant
Original Publisher: Vigmostad & Bjorke
Original Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5518-3
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 5-9
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Eastern Europe
Author’s ethnicity: Norwegian
Author’s residence: Norway
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Turkish-Norwegian
Illustrator’s residence: Norway
Awards:  2020 USBBY Outstanding International Books List
Subjects: Destruction, Emigration and Immigration, Homelessness and poverty, Migration, Parents, Refugees, Social issues

The Whale The Sea And The Stars

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Gerda the blue whale listens to her mother’s beautiful song.  She sings that if Gerda ever gets lost, she should look to the stars and they would guide her.  When Gerda leaves home, she travels from warm equatorial waters to freezing polar waters. She meets penguins, a grouchy octopus, seagulls, orcas, a polar bear, and a narwhal.  Gerda wants to stop traveling and find a special place of her own. She eventually hears someone singing her mother’s song.  It is Lars, her brother.  She has found the most beautiful bay filled with more and more whales: Beluga whales and grey whales, beaked whales and bowhead whales, humpback whales and right whales, all living happily.  She knows her journey is over.  The luminous illustrations were drawn by hand on a graphics tablet and finished using natural color palettes and textures. mjw
Title: The Whale The Sea And The Stars
Author: Adrian Macho
Illustrator: Adrian Macho
Publisher: Floris Books, Edinburgh
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: Czech
Translator: Peter Kavecky
Original Title: Gerda Prise Velryby
Original Publisher: Albatros Media A.S.
Original Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 978-178250-559-4
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Slovak
Author’s residence: Bratislava, Slovakia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Slovak
Illustrator’s residence: Bratislava, Slovakia
Subjects: Marine life, Narwhal, Penguins, Polar bears, Stars, Whales

Coming Home

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A lone Scandinavian robin migrates across Europe to Great Britain in the winter to escape the harsher northern winters and to find his mate before Christmas. The striking illustrations of the red-breasted bird were created digitally. Robin migration facts are included. mjw
Title: Coming Home
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Illustrator: Kerry Hyndman
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright: 2018
Original Language: English 
Original Publisher: David Fickling Books, Oxford
Original Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0042-3
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 3-7
Genre: Picture Book
Book setting: Scandinavia, Britain
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Devon, England
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: London, England
Subjects: Birds Christmas, Holidays, Robins

The Hawk And The Dove

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The feisty hawk is feeling sad, so he puts on a mask and gloves and turns into a gentle dove.  The world is at peace.  No more cannon-fire blasts.  Planes that dropped bombs turn into butterflies.  Warships are replaced with sailboats.  Soldiers’ guns sprout flowers.  The world is calm and joyful, but will it last?  Paper cuts inspired by Henri Matisse allow readers to see the miracle that happens every time a page is turned.  A note at the end of the book describes the book’s inspiration and the author’s ever-present hope for peace. mjw
Title: The Hawk And The Dove
Author: Paul Kornowski (1926-2001)
Illustrator: Paul Kornowski (1926-2001)
Publisher: Kids Can Press. Toronto, Canada
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: Hebrew
Translator: Annette Appel
Original Title: Hawk and Dove
Original Publisher: Zmora-Bitan, Dvir-Publishing House, Ltd.
Original Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0125-4
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Israeli
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Israeli
Subjects: Birds, Military fiction, Peace, War

Who Stole The Hazelnuts? A Forest Mystery

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All was quiet and still in the forest until there came a shrill scream.  Someone has stolen the squirrel’s three hazelnuts.  Who could cause the squirrel such distress?  He accuses the mole, the mouse, the rabbit, the hamster, and the fox, who all reply, “it isn’t me.”  The squirrel returns to his tree to discover his three nuts.  They weren’t stolen after all.  The squirrel could have hung his head in shame.  He apologized to everyone and then enjoyed his hazelnuts – they were delicious!  The watercolor paintings of the animals, especially the squirrel, are hilarious in this new rhyming book by the author of the Rainbow Fish series. mjw
Title: Who Stole The Hazelnuts? A Forest Mystery
Author: Marcus Pfister
Illustrator: Marcus Pfister
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: German
Translator: David Henry Wilson
Original Title: Wer hat die Haselnuss geklaut? Eine Räubergeschichte
Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag AG
Original Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4382-0
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Swiss
Author’s residence: Bern, Switzerland
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swiss
Illustrator’s residence: Bern. Switzerland
Subjects: Hazelnuts, Mystery, Squirrels

Hey There, Earth Dweller!

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This quirky Earth Science book takes readers through a plethora of subjects including the big bang, the history of humankind, climate change, the galaxy, and beyond. A combination of photography and mixed media illustrations add a humorous touch to this comprehensive and engaging read. mm
Title: Hey There, Earth Dweller!
Author: Marc ter Horst
Illustrator: Wendy Panders
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division/ Aladdin/Beyond Words
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: Dutch
Translator: Laura Watkinson
Original Title: Hé aardbewoner!
Original Publisher: Uitgeverij J.H. Gottmer
Original Copyright: 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58270-656-6
Hardcover pages: 176
Age range: 8-12
Genre: Information book
Author’s ethnicity: Dutch
Author’s residence: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Dutch
Illustrator’s residence: Netherlands
Subjects: Animals, Civilization, Earth, History, Humans, Nature, Plants, Space

The Secret Of The Blue Glass

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In the library, in a house in a Tokyo suburb, live the Little People: Fern and Balbo, Robin and Iris. Just a few inches high, a beloved nanny brought them from England to the Moriyama family in Japan. Since then, each generation of the Moriyama family children take care of the Little People by filling the blue glass goblet daily with milk to feed them.  Now it is Yuri Moriyama’s turn.  When World War II comes to Japan, and the older Moriyama brother becomes a fanatic nationalist, the family is divided.  Yuri and a loyal pigeon keep the Little People safe.  This tender fantasy story is full of adventure, hardship, and cultural revelations. mjw
Title: The Secret Of The Blue Glass
Author: Tomiko Inui (1924-2002)
Publisher: Pushkin Children’s Books.  London
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: Japanese
Translator: Ginny Tapley Takemori
Original Title: Kokage No Ie No Kobitotachi (Yuri And The Little People)
Original Publisher: Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers.  Tokyo
Original Copyright: 1967
ISBN: 978-1-782690-34-4
Paperback pages: 192
Age range: 12-16
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Book setting: Tokyo suburb
Author’s ethnicity: Japanese
Awards: 2019 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Shortlist
Subjects: Asian historical fiction, Libraries, Pigeons, World War II

Spur: A Wolf’s Story

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A young wolf named Spur, who is looking for food, is hurt when a shot comes from a helicopter that appears in the sky.  Spur’s family scatters for cover.  When the woods get quiet again, Spur finds another pack of wolves.  She tells them of the attack.  Although she misses her family, she feels grateful to the new pack. After a while, the roar of the helicopter returns.  She warns the other wolves and they hide.  Then, Spur hears a familiar wolf call.  It is her brother.  She splits from the pack and joins him.  Evocative artwork of wolves in their natural habitats enhances this empowering story. An author’s note tells more about culling wolves to protect livestock and to stabilize caribou populations, and the fact that there is evidence that killing wolves helps.  A resource list is also included. mjw
Title: Spur: A Wolf’s Story
Author: Eliza Robertson
Illustrator: Nora Aoyagi
Publisher: Greystone Kids Books
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-77164-341-2
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 5-9
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s residence: Montreal, Canada
Illustrator’s residence: Berkeley, California
Subjects: Caribou, Nature and environment, Seasons, Wolves

Ida And The Whale

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Ida and the whaleIda, a curious little girl, spends her days sitting in a tree house pondering existential questions. One night, she befriends a giant flying whale who takes her on an incredible journey beyond the stars. They visit many strange and wonderful places including one where everything is upside down and one where everything is still and empty. Along the way, Ida’s questions are answered and she and the whale part ways as friends. Combined mediums of watercolor, pen, and computer graphics illustrate the beautiful and philosophically situated worlds Ida and the flying whale visit on their journey. mm

Title: Ida And The Whale
Author: Rebecca Gugger
Illustrator: Simon Rothlisberger
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780735843417
Hardcover pages: 33 
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: Swiss
Author’s residence: Thun, Switzerland
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swiss
Illustrator’s residence: Thun, Switzerland 
Subjects: Emotions, Human-animal relationships, Philosophy, Whales

 

The Second Sky

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Gilbert, a baby penguin, wants to fly in the sky like an albatross.  He practices to no avail because he has big clumsy feet and small fluffy wings.  He falls on his face, his back, and his bottom.  His uncle tells him to give it up, but Gilbert knows he will find a way to fly.  He finally spreads his wings, jumps, tumbles, and splashes into the sea.  He sinks and sees stars, moons, clouds, forests, gardens, and mountaintops.  Under the sea, he flies.  He discovers the second sky in his own element.  The watercolor and pencil illustrations are beautiful with Gilbert’s movement and action. mjw
Title: The Second Sky
Author: Patrick Guest
Illustrator: Jonathan Bentley
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Copyright: 2019
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0802-855206
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: Australian
Author’s residence: Australia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Australian
Illustrator’s residence: Australia
Subjects: Determination, Flight, Penguins