Tag Archives: Friends

How To Be A Lion

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Leonard, a gentle lion, and Marianne, a poetic duck, are best friends.  They are perfectly happy going for long walks and having philosophical talks.  One day, a pride of fierce lions comes prowling around and they question whether it’s right for a lion and a duck to be friends.  Leonard learns that there are many ways to be a lion and that it is not necessary to be fierce and chomp your friends!  This sweet and thoughtful story stresses the importance of being yourself and not backing down to criticism.  Simple, soothing drawings emphasize this exceptional friendship. mjw

Title: How To Be A Lion Author: Ed Vere Illustrator: Ed Vere Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-525-57806-2 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London Subjects: Bullies, Ducks, Lions, Poetry

My Name Is Victoria

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This is an engaging alternate history for fans of Queen Victoria (1819-1901).  Miss V. Conroy joins the household of the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace at age ten.  Miss V. is to be Victoria’s companion and also a spy for the both loving and cruel John Conroy, the comptroller of the household. Princess Victoria lives in the palace under the Kensington System, which is designed to keep her isolated and obedient, under the strict control of all the adults around her.  The second half of the story follows the two girls between the ages of about 16 and 18.  As their friendship deepens and Prince Albert arrives on the scene, the very complex situation leads to a surprising ending.  The story is accurate enough to feel plausible. mjw

Title: My Name Is Victoria Author: Lucy Worsley Publisher: Candlewick Press Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, U.K. Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-0-7636-8807-3 Hardcover pages: 384 Age range: 14 up Genre: Historical Fiction, Biography Book setting: England Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Subjects: Female friendships, Princesses, Queen Victoria (1819-1901) childhood and youth, Siblings

Inkling

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Ethan’s dad is a comic artist with writer’s block and Ethan has a graphic novel project at school that is giving him trouble.  When an ink blot from his dad’s sketchbook comes to life, it makes quite an impact on Ethan’s family and friends.  This is a funny and interesting story.  How can an ink blot be such a lovable character? mjw

Title: Inkling Author: Kenneth Oppel Illustrator: Sydney Smith Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-5247-7282-6 Hardcover pages: 256 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Toronto Awards: Both author and illustrator have won the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature. The illustrator has won the Kate Greenaway Award. Smith has won the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award Subjects: Books, Creativity, Drawing, Humor

Three Little Monkeys

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Tim, Sam, and Lulu are naughty, lively little monkeys that belong to Hilda Snibbs.  Each day when she returns home from doing her errands, she finds that the monkeys have made a bigger mess than they did the day before.  This delightful story is illustrated with detailed, mixed media and collage. mjw

Title: Three Little Monkeys Author: Quentin Blake Illustrator: Emma Chichester Clark Publisher: Harper Collins Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-06-267067-0 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: England Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: England Awards: Blake has won the Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award, 2002 Subjects: Animal behavior, Manners, Monkeys, Pets

When A Wolf Is Hungry

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Edmond Bigsnout is a lone wolf living in the woods who has a hankering for some rabbit – a city bunny. Wearing a tuxedo and carrying a knife, he hops on his bike and heads for the city. He stops at a tall apartment building where a miniature rabbit lives on the fifth floor. The residents in the elevator mistake him for a friendly new neighbor. He has to return to the woods several times to get new weapons because the residents find innocent uses for them. He finally gets to the roof of the building and is invited to the party all the animal residents are having. The rabbit says, “Please join us! We won’t eat you!” Vegetarianism wins out and the ending is happy for everyone. Clever illustrations add to this big bad wolf with a twist. mjw

Title: When A Wolf Is Hungry Author: Christine Naumann-Villemin Illustrator: Kris Di Giacomo Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.  Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Original Title: Quand le Loup a Faim Original Publisher: Editions Kaleidoscope Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5482-7 Hardcover pages: 34 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S. Illustrator’s residence: Paris Awards: 2018 Batchelder Honor Subjects: Apartment houses, City life, Humor, Neighborliness, Rabbits, Wolves

The Baghdad Clock

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This story, narrated by a teenage Iraqi girl in the midst of the first Gulf War mixes dreams with real life and fantasies with reality.  She huddles in an air raid shelter with her friend Nadia and the two imagine a world not torn apart by war.  They share dreams, hopes, desires, and first loves.  As they grow older and the bombs continue to fall, their friends begin to flee the country.  The use of metaphor, dream interpretations, and soothsayers helps build the narrative and the sense of place and time.  mjw

Title: The Baghdad Clock Author: Shahad Al Rawi Publisher: Oneworld Publications, London Copyright: 2018 Original Language: Arabic Translator: Luke Leafgren Original Publisher: Dar al Hikma Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-78607-324-2 Hardcover pages: 288 Age range: 14 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Baghdad, Iraq Author’s ethnicity: Born in Baghdad Author’s residence: Dubai Awards: 2018 Shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction Subjects: Air raid shelters, Biography, Coming of age, Persian Gulf War – 1991, Teenage girls

Old Hat

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Harbet’s favorite hat is the colorful one with pompoms and earflaps that his nana knit for him when he was a puppy. Unfortunately, his friends wear Carmen Miranda fruit bowl hats and mock him, “OLD HAT!” He tries a new hat like theirs, but it is already outdated. They cry, “OLD HAT!” He tries a traffic cone, a saucepan, a pink work boot and many more, but he cannot win. Finally Harbet takes off his hat to reveal a surprise and his friends are filled with envy. Harbet discovers how much more fun it is to stop following others and to think for yourself. The pencil, watercolor, and acrylic ink illustrations of the hats are cheerful and hilarious. mjw

Title: Old Hat Author: Emily Gravett Illustrator: Emily Gravett Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2018 Original Language: English  Original Publisher: Original Copyright: Macmillan Children’s Books. Great Britain ISBN: 978-1-5344-0917-0 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Brighton, England Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: Brighton, England Subjects: Fashion, Hats, Peer pressure, Self esteem, Self respect, Teasing

Bambi: A Life In The Woods

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This is an exquisite new collectible edition of the classic story.  Bambi lives in a woodland thicket.  He and his family and friends discover the wonders and the dangers of the woods.  Superb oil paintings feature gold foiling.  The story inspired the beloved 1942 Disney film. mjw

Title: Bambi: A Life In The Woods Author: Felix Salten (1869-1945) Illustrator: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2014 Original Language: German Translator: Whittaker Chambers Original Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc. Original Copyright: 1928 ISBN: 978-1442-9345-2 Hardcover pages: 192 Age range: 10 up Genre: Fiction Author’s ethnicity: Austrian Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S. Illustrator’s residence: San Francisco, U.S. Subjects: Deer, Forest

The Murderer’s Ape

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This thrilling mystery is narrated by a gorilla named Sally Jones who can read and type on a 1908 Underwood No. 5 typewriter. She is an engineer working for Chief Henry Koskela who is falsely accused of murder. Sally Jones embarks on a whirlwind journey from Lisbon, Portugal, to the Maharaja of Bhapur’s magnificent court in India to clear the chief’s name. This suspenseful adventure is accompanied by detailed black and white drawings. Maps of the voyage appear on the endpapers. mjw

Title: The Murderer’s Ape Author: Jakob Wegelius Illustrator: Jakob Wegelius Publisher: Delacorte Press Copyright: 2017 Original Language: Swedish Translator: Peter Graves Original Title: Mordarens Apa Original Publisher: Bonnier Carlsen Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-1-101-93175-2 Hardcover pages: 624 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Mystery Book setting: Portugal, India Author’s ethnicity: Swedish Author’s residence: Sweden Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swedish Illustrator’s residence: Sweden Awards: 2018 Batchelder Winner, International Youth Library White Raven Selection Subjects: Detective stories, Gorilla, Human-animal relationships, Music, Sailing

Bicycling To The Moon

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Purdy the cat and Barker the dog live in a sky blue house on top of a hill. Purdy dreams big. He wants to bicycle to the moon, win the singing contest, fly south with the migrating birds, be Supercat, and search for treasure. Barker is Purdy’s good friend, who likes to garden and take care of the house. The twenty short stories take place over a year and are accompanied by clever, quirky cartoon-style illustrations rendered in oil pastels, crayon, and watercolor. This laugh out-loud chapter book about two very opposite friends was written by Finland’s top children’s writer. mjw

Title: Bicycling To The Moon Author: Timo Parvela Illustrator: Virpi Talvite Publisher: Gecko Press.  Wellington, New Zealand Copyright: 2016 Original Language: Finnish Translator: Rith Urbom Original Title: Maukka ja Vaykka Original Publisher: Werner Soderstrom Ltd.  Finland Original Copyright: 2009 ISBN: 978-1-776570=32-4 Paperback pages: 128 Age range: 7-9 Genre: Fiction Author’s ethnicity: Finnish Author’s residence: Finland Illustrator’s ethnicity: Finnish Illustrator’s residence: Finland Awards: Author has been shortlisted for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.  Illustrator has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and was awarded the Finlandia Junior Prize in 2006 Subjects: Cats, Dogs, Fishing, Gardening, Honesty, Loyalty, Short stories, Weather

Yokki And The Parno Gry

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This traditional Traveler-family folktale tells of Yokki, a young boy who inspires his hard-working family with a tale of a magical white horse. His family experiences hard times and there is no work to be had. They travel from town to town looking for work mending household objects and trying to sell wooden spoons and beautiful paper flowers that they make. At night, they gather around a fire to tell stories they have heard on their travels. Yokki tells the best story about the Parno Gry, which is a horse that comes to take them to a new and better land. Colorful and gentle detailed mixed media illustrations bring Yokki’s family to life in this imaginative Romani folktale. An author’s note gives information about Romani and Traveling People. mjw

Title: Yokki And The Parno Gry Author: Richard O’Neill and Katherine Quarmby Illustrator: Marieke Nelissen Publisher: Child’s Play Inc. Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-84643-927-8 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Romani (O’Neill) Author’s residence: England Illustrator’s ethnicity: Dutch Illustrator’s residence: Netherlands Subjects: Fairytales, Folktales, Gypsies, Horses, Mythical animals, Romanis, Storytelling, Traveling people

Macy McMillan And The Rainbow Goddess

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Sixth grader Macy McMillan, who is deaf, is facing big changes. Her house is for sale and her mother is about to remarry, adding a stepfather and six-year-old twin stepsisters. Macy’s mother has Macy go next door to help 86-year–old Iris Gillan pack, as Iris is moving into an assisted living facility. Iris doesn’t know sign language, but through notes, books, and cookies, Macy and Iris, the rainbow goddess, develop a beautiful friendship. This heartwarming story is written in free verse. There are many book references throughout, like The Tale of Despereaux, El Deafo, and Anne of Green Gables. mjw

Title: Macy McMillan And The Rainbow Goddess Author: Shari Green Publisher: Pajama Press Copyright: 2017 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77278-017-8 Paperback pages: 240 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Verse Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: British Columbia, Canada Awards: 2018 Schneider Family Book Award Subjects: Deaf children, Intergenerational, Special needs, Step families, Stories in verse