VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 OCTOBER APRIL/MAY 2010 jlgmonthly
Well Done Last year at this time, it was my pleasure to thank Susan Marston and her review staff on the outstanding work they do selecting books for us. Once again, in the first issue of JLG Monthly post–ALA Midwinter, Randy Asmo, JLG has reason to rejoice. We take pride in our ability to identify President of the best new children’s and young adult books well before those Junior Library Guild books begin to receive other accolades. And we’re thrilled when the authors and illustrators who have created those wonderful books are recognized for their outstanding work. Junior Library Guild would like to congratulate: • Rebecca Stead, recipient of the 2010 John Newbery Medal for When You Reach Me • Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award for Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal • Kekla Magoon, recognized with the 2010 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award for The Rock and the River • Rafael López, winner of the 2010 Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award for Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros, written by Pat Mora • Nora Raleigh Baskin, whose Anything but Typical received the 2010 Schneider Family Book Award in the Middle School category • Francisco X. Stork, whose Marcelo in the Real World received the 2010 Schneider Family Book Award in the Teen category • Deborah Heiligman, author of Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, which received the 2010 YALSA Excellence in Non ction Award and was named a 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor book • Many others, whom space will not permit me to name Congratulations, Susan and staff, on another successful year.
Inside this issue:
April Books ...... 2 JLG News & Notes ...... 32 May Books ...... 34 Index of April and May Books ...... 64 June Forthcoming Titles ...... 64 Junior Library Guild 7858 Industrial Parkway www.juniorlibraryguild.com • 866.205.0570 Plain City, OH 43064 PS PRIMARY SPANISH • GRADES K¤3 APRIL
Carnival in Latin America / Carnaval en Latinoamérica
by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Rosen • ISBN: 9781435893665 • Dewey: 394.25098 • 24 pp • 8" x 8" Scheduled Month: April 2010
In the days leading up to Lent, cities around the world come alive for carnival. Parades of costumed revelers and elaborate oats ll the streets, and people, young and old, dance to the sound of samba and calypso. Full-color photographs of celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad and Tobago, New Orleans, and more. Glossary. Index. Link to list of Web sites for more information.
JLG REVIEWERS SAY: Kerrie Logan Hollihan writes, “When I started working on Carnival in • A simple bilingual introduction to an important part of Latin American culture. Latin America / Carnaval en Latinoamérica, I expected • Provides a brief history of carnival, then showcases many di erent countries, each chapter to hold 100 describing how traditions vary by region. words—not much room for • Readers are sure to enjoy the vibrant photographs of the festivities and participants’ target vocabulary, much less explaining a concept. colorful, often intricate, costumes. Then I learned that each page would display both my text and its Spanish version. After format changes, that left me packing vocab and content into far fewer words! “Carnival is a brilliant event. To capture its color and vitality, I used short verbs and nouns. With just an entire continent to cover, I had to choose which countries to highlight. Carnival in Rio was an obvious choice. But which other celebrations are out there? Once I found the Kiddie Carnival on the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, I knew that was a ‘keeper.’ “I loved the challenge of introducing kids to this spectacular holiday, con mucho gusto!”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Ra and Rosi: Carnival! by Lulu Delacre
Celebrate! It’s Cinco de Mayo! / ¡Celebremos! ¡Es el Cinco de Mayo! by Janice Levy
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Bilingual picture book. Curriculum areas: Language arts. Spanish. Genre: Non ction. Social studies. Main focus: During carnival, Latin Americans Topics: Carnival. Latin America. Social life celebrate life by going to lively parties and and customs. Parades. Costumes. Traditions. colorful parades. Sensitive areas: None.
Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
2 jlgmonthly • APRIL/MAY 2010 866.205.0570 APRIL GRADES PreK¤K • KINDERGARTEN K
My Garden written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow • ISBN: 9780061715181 • Dewey: E • 40 pp • 10" x 10" Scheduled Month: April 2010
A young girl knows what she’d have in her garden: rabbits made of chocolate, seashells that grow more seashells, and owers that would change color by her thought alone. “Sometimes in my garden, good, unusual things would just pop up—buttons and umbrellas and rusty old keys.” ere’s no need to water or weed in this garden, and only one simple tool can make it grow. Full-color art done in watercolor paints and ink.
JLG REVIEWERS SAY:
Kevin Henkes says, “So often, one book • Kevin Henkes’s illustrations—with their heavy outlines and pastel colors—evoke leads to another. In my book Old Bear there drawings done with felt-tip markers. Both the story and the art could be products is a sequence of illustrations of Old Bear’s dreams. The of a child’s active imagination. dreams are of the four • Every detail of the garden has kid appeal. Young readers will delight in the jelly seasons. When I was painting bean bushes, the chocolate rabbits, and the strawberries that “glow like lanterns.” the spring illustration, I thought it would be nice to • e story’s nal image is one of possibility: a lone seashell, newly planted and do a book about spring or already sprouting. It’s a lovely invitation to readers to create gardens, real or ° owers or a garden. This was imaginary, of their own. the beginning of My Garden. “Many of the characters • A circular motif— in my books use imagination: Lilly has her sun owers on the end disguises; the narrator of Birds imagines the pages, a wreath on the clouds as birds; Kitten from Kitten’s First Full Moon sees the moon as a bowl of milk. But title page, and round- My Garden is about imagination in a way framed portraits of the that the other books aren’t. garden—give the book a “My wife loves gardening—I’m sure this uni ed aesthetic. had something to do with the creation of My Garden, too. I am not a great gardener, but I • Young readers will am very good at weeding!” identify with the girl’s desire for her own garden.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Birds by Kevin Henkes
La primera luna llena de Gatita (Kitten’s First Full Moon) by Kevin Henkes
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Aston
CURRICULUM INDICATIONS Book type: Picture book. Main characters: A young girl and her Genre: Fiction. mother who have a backyard garden. Summary: After helping her mother weed, Curriculum areas: Language arts. water, and chase the rabbits from their Topics: Gardens and gardening. Imagination. garden, a young girl imagines her dream Sensitive areas: None. garden, complete with jellybean bushes, chocolate rabbits, and tomatoes the size of beach balls. Available at juniorlibraryguild.com
www.juniorlibraryguild.com APRIL/MAY 2010 • jlgmonthly 3 P PRIMARY • GRADES K¤1 APRIL
Big Red Lollipop
by Rukhsana Khan • illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Viking • ISBN: 9780670062874 • Dewey: E • 40 pp • 8" x 10" Scheduled Month: April 2010
Rubina is excited to be invited to her rst birthday party—until her mother insists that she bring her younger sister Sana, too. “ ey don’t do that here! ey’ll laugh at me!” Rubina begs and pleads, to no avail. What will it take for her mother—and Sana—to see things her way? Full-color illustrations.
JLG REVIEWERS SAY:
Rukhsana Khan says, “Big Red Lollipop is dedicated to my older sister’s children and • Big Red Lollipop is a heartwarming reminder that your sibling can be your her memory. It’s about the time I tagged worst enemy and your greatest ally. along to a birthday party my big sister was • Rukhsana Khan’s story touches on the complex relationship between a invited to. I named the bratty little sister Sana in the story from my own name, parent who has grown up in another culture and a child who is quickly Rukhsana. For years I’ve been telling this adapting to a new culture. story from my point of view, but when I sent • Sophia Blackall’s compositions place the emphasis on the characters and it to my publisher, they asked me to write it from the older sister’s point of view, because their expressions. True to the experience of childhood, every feeling is writ she’s a more ‘sympathetic character’! large and is instantly familiar. “I once told this story at a bookstore in • Blackall’s art is also delightful to look at, mixing subdued colors with front of my older sister Bushra. In the whole crowd, she laughed the loudest! Then she detailed textile patterns. came up to me and said, ‘Hey, wait a minute! You never gave me that big green lollipop!’ “I replied, ‘I know, but I should have.’” www.rukhsanakhan.com
Sophie Blackall says, “It’s been nearly four years between rst reading Big Red Lollipop and holding an advance copy in my hands. The story is wonderful; the characters are familiar and honest, and it’s a rare treat to nd a tale of wise children and fallible parents. “An illustrator has to be architect, clothing designer, landscape artist, and town planner. I had enormous pleasure drawing Rubina’s neighborhood and devising the ° oor plan of her house, designing her mother’s out ts, and lling the goodie bag from the birthday party.” www.sophieblackall.com
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Chicken of the Family by Mary Amato
My Name Is Sangoel CURRICULUM INDICATIONS by Karen Lynn Williams Book type: Picture book. Main characters: Rubina; Rubina’s younger Genre: Fiction. sister, Sana; their mother. Summary: Having to take her younger Curriculum areas: Language arts. sister along the rst time she is invited to a Topics: Sisters. Birthdays. Parties. Conduct of birthday party spoils Rubina’s fun, and later life. Immigrants. Assimilation. when that sister is asked to a party and baby Sensitive areas: None. sister wants to come, Rubina must decide Available at whether to help. juniorlibraryguild.com
4 jlgmonthly • APRIL/MAY 2010 866.205.0570 APRIL GRADES K¤1 • PRIMARY P+
I Want Two Birthdays written and illustrated by Tony Ross
Andersen • ISBN: 9780761354956 • Dewey: E • 32 pp • 10 1/2" x 9 1/2" Scheduled Month: April 2010
A royal cake, lots of presents . . . Little Princess’s birthday makes her feel special—but not as special as the Queen, who gets two birthdays, one to share with the kingdom and one to share with family. Can’t Little Princess also have two? Or four? Wait . . . wouldn’t 365 birthdays be the most special of all? Full-color illustrations.
JLG REVIEWERS SAY:
• Children will identify with the princess’s desire for more birthdays and will Tony Ross has worked as a cartoonist, a delight in discovering the aw in the princess’s plan before she does. graphic designer, the art director of an advertising agency, and a senior lecturer • e illustrations are lively and humorous. Observant readers will enjoy a in art at Manchester Polytechnic. In an secondary storyline that unfolds in the background. interview with the British Council Arts Group (www.britishcouncil.org/arts-literature-lit- • Tony Ross maximizes the absurdity of the situation, pinpointing funny matters-tony_ross.htm), Mr. Ross explains details (such as paltrier and paltrier presents) that logically arise from the how he got his start in illustration: “I was princess’s demands. trained as an illustrator at college and when I left, ther