Milo and Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Stinky Socks
© 2009 by Amy Wummer.

Mysteries provide a perfect entree for exploring a wide variety of critical thinking skills. With their emphasis on clear observation, logical thinking, and well-drawn conclusions, mysteries support many Common Core State Standards (CCSS). They also lend themselves to an array of interesting writing assignments, an important component of the CCSS and one on which many states are placing particular emphasis.

This month’s column features some of our favorite mysteries, along with ideas for expanding the learning possibilities presented by each title and/or series. Employing the Common Core State Standards doesn’t mean that learning can’t be fun. Kids love mysteries, so why not use them to teach new skills in thinking, researching, and writing? We guarantee that these titles will spark student interest.

Elementary School

A to Z Mysteries, Books D-G (The Deadly Dungeon, The Empty Envelope, The Falcon’s Feathers, The Goose’s Gold). Written by Ron Roy. Narrated by David Pittu. 3 CDs. 3:25 hrs. Listening Library. 2005. ISBN 978-0-3072-0735-7. $30. K-Gr 3
From A to Z, these beginning chapter book mysteries maintain a comfortable format with each audiobook combining three or four stories from the series. Each “case” title is a letter of the alphabet and continuity is nicely incorporated with Pittu narrating them all. His conversational and friendly voice fits the pacing as Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose band together to solve each case. Listeners will be asking for all the letters of the alphabet.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Instructional Extension: Connecting the theme or subject of a story to research can strengthen both the listening experience and learning. For example, to discover more about the birds in The Falcon’s Feathers, use the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All about Birds website (www.allaboutbirds.org). Enter the search term “falcon” to find information about the peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, and prairie falcon.

Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues. Written by Donald Sobol. Narrated by Greg Steinbruner. 2 CDs. 1:18 hrs. Recorded Books. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4281-7221-0. $25.75. Gr 3-5

This title, one in the classic series about 10-year-old detective Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, features ten new cases for the Idaville mystery solver. Encyclopedia, his police chief dad, and his group of friends follow the trail of each case to its satisfying end. The familiar format of presenting clues for listeners to put together gives opportunities for thinking and problem solving. Steinbruner’s pacing is comfortable, highlighting the simple sentences and pausing before each solution to build suspense,

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters.

Instructional Extension: The University of North Carolina’s excellent Learn NC website (www.learningnc.org/lp/pages/3031) offers several activities to enliven lesson plans for the first book in this series, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective. The rubric for a good mystery story and the Mystery Worksheet are adaptable to any book in the series and provide a jumping-off point for writing projects.

The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case: A Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Book for Young Readers. Written by Alexander McCall Smith. Narrated by Adjoa Andoh. CD. 1 hr. Listening Library. 2012. ISBN 978-0-4490-1142-3. $15. K-Gr 3

Intrepid female detective, Precious Ramotswe, is introduced here as a child, solving her first case. Andoh’s excellent narration presents the lilt, cadence, and authenticity of Botswana culture. Adult fans of the well-known #1 Ladies Detective Agency will be listening along to find out how Precious came to become a world-famous detective. Sure to provide fun for family and classroom audiences.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths, from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Instructional Extension: Classroom discussion and research about Botswana could follow listening to this mystery. Facts and information about the country can be found in many online encyclopedias, books, and the Botswana embassy website (www.botswanaembassy.org) where the country’s history, a video gallery, and visitor attractions are included. Students may choose one topic to share with the class to highlight any study about Africa.

Milo and Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Stinky Socks. Written by Lewis B. Montgomery. Narrated by Chantale Hosein and Vinnie Penna. CD. 48 min. Live Oak Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4301-1199-3. $15.95. K-Gr 3

Milo has just received his Dash Marlow Super Sleuth kit when he discovers his first mystery. Working, somewhat reluctantly, with new neighbor Jazz, these two young detectives set out to determine who stole Jazz’s brother’s lucky socks from his high school locker. The pair use their critical thinking skills to find the socks before the big baseball game. Penna and Hosein’s performances are appropriately young and their pacing heightens the tension and excitement of this first mystery in Montgomery’s series.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Instructional Extension: Dash Marlow instructs his followers to use these “Super Sleuthing Skills: Observe, Think Logically, Draw Conclusions.” A fun writing project can be built around any one of the “Milo and Jazz Mysteries” by using flow maps to organize the sequence of events with the goal of producing a summary of the story that includes at least three details from the book to answer the questions posed in the standard.

Middle/High School

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity. Written by Mac Barnett. Narrated by Arte Johnson. 3 CDs. 2:55 hrs. Listening Library. 2010. ISBN 978-0-3077-1042-0. $30. Gr 4-6

When 12-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective, he must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information. Arte Johnson gives Steve’s predicament a matter-of-fact, almost sardonic tone, with methodical pacing and understatement that provides listeners with laugh-out-loud enjoyment of this wholly improbable story. Fans will also enjoy the other titles in this series, The Ghostwriter Secret and It Happened on a Train, also available from Listening Library.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.7 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Instructional Extension: Visit this go-to website that provides thorough information and multiple ideas for classroom extensions as well as descriptions of mystery series, novels, and picture books: Carol Hurst Children’s Literature—Mysteries in the Classroom Fiction, Non-Fiction and Activities for Pre-School through Ninth Grade (www.carolhurst.com/subjects/mysteries.html).

Pair the following two titles for an interesting comparison of Victorian and contemporary girl sleuths:

The Case of the Missing Marquess, an Enola Holms Mystery. Written by Nancy Springer. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren. 4 CDs. 4:31 hrs. Recorded Books. 2006. ISBN 978-1-4193-8985-6. $51.75. Gr 5-8

Smart and resourceful, 14-year-old Enola is determined to avoid the finishing school her older brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, have selected for her when her mother suddenly vanishes. Setting off for London on a bicycle, Enola stumbles upon another missing person’s case—a young marquess who seems to have been kidnapped. Kellgren delves into this adventure with her customary gusto and superb pacing, providing a host of excellent 19th-century character voices. Lucky for listeners, this is just the beginning of a long series, all narrated by the incomparable Kellgren.

The London Eye Mystery. Written by Siobhan Dowd. Narrated by Paul Checquer. AudioGo. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4056-5462-3. $25. Gr 6-10

Ted’s cousin Salim comes to visit from Manchester before moving to New York with his mother, and Salim’s only wish is to ride the London Eye, the massive wheel erected to mark the new millennium. Ted (whose brain is “wired differently”) and his older sister Kat watch Salim board the Eye and are stunned when he doesn’t get off. What follows is an intricate, intriguing, and thrilling race against time as Ted uses his keen observation skills to find his cousin. Checquer’s measured pacing accurately portrays Ted’s personality and reinforces the family conflicts, and his variety of British accents provides context for American listeners.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact.

Instructional Extension: After listening to this mystery, students may be interested to learn more about “Interesting Things You Never Knew about The London Eye” by visiting http://ow.ly/gHXMI. The LondonNet site (http://ow.ly/GHXEM) not only includes facts, but also provides links to other London attractions such as the Tower of London. This is a good place to start a class project investigating London’s most important historical places.

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour. Written by Michael D. Beil. Narrated by Tai Alexandra Ricci. 6 CDs. 7 hrs. Listening Library. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7393-7960-8. $50. Gr 4-6

Three friends attending the all-girls Catholic school, St. Veronica’s, become embroiled in a mystery of major proportions when they try to help a strange older woman who lives next to the church. A precious artifact has gone missing and the girls must use their best math and language skills to discover its whereabouts and expose the villain. Ricci personifies the voices of the young sleuths and creates believable voices for the supporting characters. Listeners may want to follow along with or refer to the print edition to see the graphs, charts, and other puzzles that serve as clues. Three more mysteries featuring these girl detectives provide additional fun.

Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Instructional Extension: Girl detectives are an interesting group, from the classic Nancy Drew to Harriet the Spy to the young women in the previous two examples. Students can prepare a chart to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between girl and boy detectives in their methods of solving cases, leading to an interesting writing project.

Sharon Grover is Head of Youth Services at the Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI. Lizette (Liz) Hannegan was a school librarian and the district library supervisor for the Arlington (VA) Public Schools before her retirement. They are co-authors of Listening to Learn (ALA Editions, 2011).

I was listening to NPR, and I heard a review of Carolina Clay [The Life and Legend of Slave Potter Dave] by Leonard Todd. I thought, this is just an incredible story. It’s hard for me to know why it affected me so much, but my daughter’s a potter, and I’ve worked with clay all my life. He was a writer and I’m a writer, but I’m not heroic like Dave.

What made him heroic?

He dared to write on pots at a time when he could have been killed for that, and he signed his name. That’s just an amazingly courageous act—and subversive. But it’s also quiet, because he wasn’t saying anything—he was writing it. His ability and his talent gave him that kind of confidence and power, because he knew that if he was killed, who was going to make the 40-gallon jars?

You grew up in Cincinnati during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Did that help draw you to Dave’s story?

Oh, absolutely. I grew up in a neighborhood where I still live, close to downtown Cincinnati, which was predominantly African American at the time. All my friends were African American. We all remember the race riots, which happened about a block away from where we lived. I remember hearing things breaking and being with my African-American friends, and their parents being super-nervous and coming out all the time and telling us to stay on the grass and not to leave the yard.

Not much is known about Dave. How’d you find so many details about him?

It’s funny, I was talking to a friend of mine who writes biographies, and she doesn’t put anything in them that isn’t a fact. My biography really crosses that line and some people may not consider it a biography, which is fine with me.

The Library of Congress calls it a biography.

I couldn’t write the story of Dave without putting in things that I didn’t know he said or anyone else said, because there isn’t any record of that. There isn’t really another way to write the story, because all you have are bills of sale [of slaves] and these cryptic couplets [that he etched] on pots.

Your book feels so incredibly personal.

It’s interesting that you said that. When I worked on this book, I spent a lot of time feeling choked up and I couldn’t talk, or if the phone rang, I choked up.

What touched you the most?

It was the separation, the scenes where people are separated from people they love.

So many children and spouses—including Dave’s—were sold at the drop of a hat, and they never saw one another again.

That’s what really choked me up more than any sort of physical violence.

Do today’s kids understand how dehumanizing slavery is?

In a lot of ways, we’re failing our kids. Just recently, I went to a school to talk to a group of fourth graders, and one asked what I was working on.

I told her a little bit about Dave, and I showed her a slide of the woodcut of him on the auction block that’s in the book, and she said, “You mean he was being sold?” They’d done a whole unit on slavery, but she didn’t know that. And I said, “Yeah, slaves were bought and sold,” and she was stunned. Then she looked at me, and said, “Well, I hope the people that bought him were nice.”

What do you hope kids take away from the book?

I just want kids to realize there are a lot of ways to do what you believe is the right thing to do, and it doesn’t have to be screaming and yelling and fighting, or in any way violent.

There’s a woman who saved my mother during the Holocaust. She was a very quiet person and nobody’s ever heard of her. If I had to pick somebody, she’s the hero of my life. But she did what she did because she thought it was the most ordinary thing to do.

It’s very ordinary to want to write and read and express yourself. But because of the times, Dave couldn’t do that. So he became a quiet hero. If more kids knew about things like that, maybe they’d feel stronger themselves—and they could also do the right thing.

To read a starred review of Etched in Clay (Lee & Low), turn to page 117.

Tales of the Heart

BURKS, James. Bird & Squirrel on the Run! illus. by author. Scholastic/Graphix. 2012. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-545-31283-7.
Gr 2-6–Stalked by a ferocious feline, two critters with polar-opposite personalities–carefree Bird and scared-of-everything Squirrel–flee together south toward safety, and their hair-raising, humor-filled, save-each-other’s-skin adventures gradually transform an uneasy alliance into deep-felt friendship. Burks’s graphic novel sparkles with crisp color artwork, quip-cracking dialogue, and plenty of heart.

BUZZEO, Toni. One Cool Friend. illus. by David Small. Dial. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3413-5.
PreS-Gr 3–A “very proper” tuxedo-wearing boy discovers a kindred spirit at the penguin display at the aquarium, pops the critter into his backpack, and goes about making Magellan feel at home, all under the large-size nose of his seemingly oblivious father. A hoot, with perfect comic interplay between the wryly straight-faced storytelling and supple-lined artwork.

CRUMMEL, Susan Stevens & Dorothy Donohue. City Dog, Country Dog. illus. by Dorothy Donohue. Marshall Cavendish. 2004. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-2-223-42222-7; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-5538-7.
K-Gr 4–After meeting at art school in France, best pals Henri T. Lapooch and Vincent van Dog must surmount discordant personalities and preferences to find common ground. Filled with clever references to the canine characters’ true-life inspirations (Toulouse-Lautrec and van Gogh), this Aesop-based story blithely blends upbeat text, vibrant collage artwork, and a resounding moral (“Vive la difference!”). Audio version available from Spoken Arts Media.

DICAMILLO, Kate & Alison McGhee. Bink & Gollie. illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick. 2010. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3266-3; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5954-7.
Gr 1-3–Two girls–one tiny, tousled, and puckish; the other tall, tidy, and coolly self-possessed; both delightfully quirky and headstrong–embark on three hilarious adventures that showcase their differences while celebrating the special bond they share. Droll dialogue, splattered-with-color cartoons, and perfect comic timing add up to a whole lot of fun. The zany escapades continue in Bink & Gollie, Two for One (Candlewick, 2012). DVD and audio version available from Weston Woods.

ESBAUM, Jill. Tom’s Tweet. illus. by Dan Santat. Knopf. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85171-1; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95171-8; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98472-3.
K-Gr 2–Coming across a fallen-out-of-the-nest baby bird, a scruffy stray cat exclaims, “Hello, breakfast,” but “Dadburn it!,” the quivering tot is just too skinny to consume, and “Consarn it!,” too helpless to leave on its own. In this riotous read-aloud, rousing rhymes and rambunctious caricature-style cartoons describe how Tom goes from chompers-ready predator to tweety-cuddling chum.

GORBACHEV, Valeri. How to Be Friends with a Dragon. illus. by author. Albert Whitman. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-3432-8.
PreS-Gr 2–Simon loves everything about dragons, and while listening to his older sister expound upon the basics of befriending these beasts (from “be nice” to wear your seatbelt if he takes you flying), the boy envisions imagination-soaring interactions with a smiling green-scaled companion. Engaging narrative and airy artwork gracefully balance realism with fantasy, humor with gentle affection.

GREY, Mini. The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon. illus. by author. Knopf. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-375-83691-6.
Gr 1-4–The nursery-rhyme twosome runs away to 1920s New York City, where they find fame as vaudeville stars, turn to crime after going broke, and are tragically separated after an unsuccessful heist. However, true love withstands the vagaries of fate, resulting in a joyful reunion years later. Colorful collages and snappy narrative shine with playful details and invigorating élan.

HOWE, James. Otter and Odder: A Love Story. illus. by Chris Raschka. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $14. ISBN 978-0-7636-4174-0.
Gr 1-3–Gazing into the “round, sweet, glistening eyes” of his soon-to-be dinner, Otter finds himself falling for his food source, Myrtle the fish. Can this star-crossed, cross-species couple overcome wagging tongues and innate predator-prey instincts to find their happy-ever-after ending? The lyrical narrative and childlike artwork convey wise truths about following one’s heart and cherishing love.

KOSTECKI-SHAW, Jenny Sue. Same, Same but Different. illus. by author. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-8946-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4668-1116-4.
K-Gr 2–When pen pals Elliot and Kailash begin to exchange drawings and letters, they discover that even though they live in two different countries–America and India–they have much in common. Jewel-toned mixed-media illustrations dynamically depict details of both worlds, encouraging readers to identify aspects unique to each culture while appreciating the universality of shared interests and affection.

LANGSTAFF, John, retel. Frog Went A-Courtin’. illus by Feodor Rojankovsky. Harcourt. 1955. Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-15-230214-6; pap. $7. ISBN 978-0-15-633900-1.
PreS-Gr 4–An amphibian dandy gallantly woos the lovely Mistress Mouse, wedding preparations are made, and the couple celebrates with animal and insect guests until a pouncing cat brings an end to the festivities and prompts an early honeymoon departure. This sprightly retelling of a folk song harmonizes toe-tapping couplets with spellbinding homespun artwork. Audio version available from Weston Woods.

LEAR, Edward. The Owl and the Pussycat. illus. by Jan Brett. Putnam. 1991. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-21925-2; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-698-11367-1.
PreS-Gr 4–Lear’s whimsical poem about two seemingly mismatched lovers unfurls against a lush-hued, lavishly imagined Caribbean setting. Mingling detailed realism with fanciful charm, the sun-shimmering paintings depict the tender courtship between dashing fowl and dainty feline aboard their “pea-green boat,” while another romance–a tale of two tropical fish separated and reunited–plays out beneath the ocean’s surface.

MILLER, Bobbi, retel. Miss Sally Ann and the Panther. illus. by Megan Lloyd. Holiday House. 2012. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-1833-6.
K-Gr 3–When the feted American folk heroine meets a mean-as-tarnation varmint in the woods, a tree-felling, gorge-clawing, Milky Way-curdling brawl ensues, a “conbobberation” that lasts until both combatants prove their mettle, smile at one another, and become “great and glorious friends.” A rip-roaring tall tale with tongue-tingling language and bold-as-brass artwork.

PINKWATER, Daniel. Bear in Love. illus. by Will Hillenbrand. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4569-4.
PreS–Someone has been leaving tasty treats for Bear, causing him to sing jubilant songs and to leave his own sweet offerings. Kindness adds to kindness until the two finally meet–it’s a shy bunny–to share their mutual enthusiasm for food, music, and one another. This charmer soars with scrumptious storytelling and sweet-as-pie paintings.

RICHARDSON, Justin & Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three. illus. by Henry Cole. S & S. 2005. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-6898-7845-9; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2410-4.
PreS-Gr 3–Two male penguins forge an enduring bond, construct a nest, and start a family by caring for an abandoned egg. Set in New York City’s Central Park Zoo and based on a true story, this tale pairs enchanting sherbet-hued watercolors and fine-tuned text to speak volumes about the importance of tolerance and the power of love.

RUNTON, Andy. Bright Lights and Starry Nights. illus. by author. (Owly & Wormy Series). S & S/Atheneum. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-5775-1; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5439-2.
K-Gr 3–Two unlikely besties embark on a star-gazing camping trip marked by mishaps that test their verve and their nerve before finally catching sight of an awe-inspiring vista and winning a few new pals. Starring an amiable round-eyed owl and a spunky comma-shaped worm, this wordless sequel to Friends All Aflutter! (Atheneum, 2011) conveys events and emotions with ebullient drenched-in-dusky-hues cartoons and pictograph thought bubbles.

SAUER, Tammi. Nugget & Fang: Friends Forever or Snack Time? illus. by Michael Slack. Houghton Harcourt. Apr. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-85285-0.
PreS-Gr 2–Nugget and Fang are boon companions until Nugget swims off to school and is taught that minnows can’t be buddies with sharks (as per the food chain). They part ways, but when Nugget’s life is endangered, faithful Fang gets the chance to prove his affection. Tongue-in-gill text and buoyant deep-water-hued cartoons send a heartfelt message about friendship.

STEAD, Philip C. A Home for Bird. illus. by author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-711-1.
PreS-Gr 4–While out foraging for “interesting things,” a toad instead finds a friend (an illustration shows the wooden-looking bird falling off a cuckoo clock on a passing-by pickup). Worried that his pal’s stony silence is symptomatic of homesickness, Vernon takes Bird on a daring quest to locate his abode. Deadpan text and effervescent artwork relate a smile-inducing tale of altruism and empathy. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

STEIG, William. Amos & Boris. illus. by author. Farrar. 1971. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-374-30227-6; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-312-53566-7.
K-Gr 5–While sailing the high seas, a venturesome mouse falls overboard and is rescued by an affable whale. Despite vast disparities in size and stomping grounds, the two mammals forge a friendship that resurfaces years later when Boris ends up in dire need of Amos’s assistance. Lighthearted watercolors and an eloquent narrative create a wise, witty, and wonder-filled tale.

WEEKS, Sarah. Woof: A Love Story. illus. by Holly Berry. HarperCollins/Laura Geringer. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-025007-2.
K-Gr 2–Smitten by a pretty white cat with sparkling green eyes, a dog tries to articulate his feelings to her, but his “woofs” and “grrrs” only send her scampering up a tree…until he digs up a “shiny brass [trom]bone,” trumpets his emotions with passionate gusto, and wins her heart. A read-aloud romp with breezy rhymes and exuberant collage artwork.

WILLEMS, Mo. City Dog, Country Frog. illus. by Jon J. Muth. Hyperion/Disney. 2010. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-0300-4.
PreS-Gr 2–On a glorious spring day, a tail-wagging pooch meets a smiling amphibian and amity blossoms. Through the seasons, City Dog returns to frolic and reminisce with his pal. When winter’s visit finds Country Frog no longer there, spring’s return brings the comfort of remembrance and a new companion. Spare text and touched-with-light watercolors create an uplifting ode to friendship.

Easy Readers, Endearing Friendships

BELL, Cece. Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. illus. by author. Candlewick. 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5475-7.
K-Gr 2–When the evening doesn’t go as planned, single-minded Rabbit overreacts, but logical Robot remains unruffled and demonstrates how to roll with the punches, until he runs out of steam and Rabbit comes to the rescue. Funny situations, nuts-and-bolts visual high jinx, and a satisfying meeting-of-minds resolution leave readers rolling with laughter.

HOWE, James. Houndsley and Catina: Plink and Plunk. illus. by Marie-Louise Gay. Candlewick. 2009. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3385-1; pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6640-8.
K-Gr 2–Though best friends, a floppy-eared dog and snowy-furred cat have dissimilar interests–he likes canoeing while she likes bicycling. After a few frustrating outings, they discover that they must help one another overcome fears in order to share these favorite pastimes. Part of a charmingly illustrated and invitingly told series featuring two winsome characters.

LOBEL, Arnold. Frog and Toad Are Friends. illus. by author. HarperCollins. 1970. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-023957-2; pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-444020-2; ebook $4.99. ISBN 978-0-06-197410-6.
K-Gr 3–Frog is outgoing and spontaneous while Toad is more staid and set in his ways, but these companions share a tried-and-true friendship filled with heartwarming empathy and a genuine appreciation for one another’s foibles and fortitudes. The first in a series of grin-making adventures, told with accessible language, packed-with-personality artwork, and everlasting child appeal. Audio version available from HarperFestival.

WEEKS, Sarah. Mac and Cheese and the Perfect Plan. illus. by Jane Manning. HarperCollins. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-117082-9; pap. $3.99. ISBN 987-0-06-117084-3.
K-Gr 2–In this second adventure about two feline friends, happy-go-lucky Mac is determined to get curmudgeonly Cheese out of the alley and off to the seashore, but when Cheese’s hemming and hawing causes them to miss the bus, he grudgingly finds a way to placate Mac and make some fun. Rhyme-filled text and comical artwork shine with humor and affection.

WILLEMS, Mo. Let’s Go for a Drive! illus. by author. (Elephant and Piggie Series). Hyperion. 2012. RTE $8.99. ISBN 978-142316482-1.
K-Gr 2–Meticulous-minded Gerald the elephant formulates a plan for the perfect road trip, sending ever-peppy Piggie scrambling to gather supplies. When one small detail (they don’t have a car) derails the undertaking—as well as Gerald–Piggie cheerfully comes up with a new plan. Kinetic cartoons, zesty text, and an unforgettable friendship combine in this laugh-out-loud addition to a never-miss series.

True Tales

BUCKLEY, Carol. Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends. photos by author. Putnam. 2009. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25443-7.
K-Gr 5–After years in the entertainment industry, Tarra retired to Tennessee’s Elephant Sanctuary but never paired off with a pachyderm pal like the other inhabitants. Surprisingly, the role of BFF was filled by a feisty stray dog. Crystal-clear photos and straightforward text describe how the two unlikely but devoted companions romp and play, communicate, and look after one another.

HATKOFF, Isabella, Craig Hatkoff, & Paula Kahumbu. Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. photos by Peter Greste. Scholastic. 2006. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-439-82973-1.
K-Gr 5–Stranded on a coral reef by a 2004 tsunami, a baby hippopotamus was rescued, transported to an animal sanctuary in Kenya, and placed in an enclosure occupied by a 130-year-old tortoise. The long-lasting bond that ensued has amazed scientists and inspired many. Engaging close-up images and compelling text relate events with clarity and an emphasis on hope. The story continues in Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship (Scholastic, 2007).

JURMAIN, Susan Tripp. Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the True Story of an American Feud. illus. by Larry Day. Dutton. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-525-47903-1.
Gr 2-5–As different as “pickles and ice cream,” tall, shy Thomas and short, loquacious John were the best of friends, working together to shape their newly born nation, until a passionate disagreement about presidential powers caused a political and personal rift that only time–and true affection–could overcome. Vivacious text and witty pencil-and-watercolor artwork blend historical detail with winning humor. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

LARSON, Kirby & Mary Nethery. Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival. illus. by Jean Cassels. Walker. 2008. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-9754-4; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-8027-9755-1.
K-Gr 3–Left homeless by the devastating storm, a dog and a cat–dubbed Bobbi and Bob Cat for their bobbed tails–wandered the streets of New Orleans for months, surviving only by sticking together, until they were finally rescued by animal shelter volunteers. Simple narrative and soft-toned realistic paintings tell a stirring tale of companionship. DVD available from Nutmeg Media.

THIMMESH, Catherine. Friends. Houghton Harcourt. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-39010-9; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-76921-9.
K-Gr 2–Strikingly photographed instances of remarkable animal amity–an elderly orangutan cuddling with a cat, a lion cub and piglet snuggled up and snoozing, a polar bear romping with a sled dog–are paired with simple rhyming verses that elucidate the wonders of friendship (prose paragraphs provide background information). This audience-grabber will inspire discussion along with “oohs” and “awws.”

Photo montage: Background from the first Clifford book;
Norman Bridwell by Rich White.

Imagine walking down a street. Exhausted after a workout. Heading toward your car. A dog suddenly appears a quarter of a block ahead. But not just any dog. This one is 66 feet long and 44 feet high.

That’s what happened to me.

That briefest flash of time between seeing Clifford and realizing that I was looking at a parade balloon was magical and delicious. As editor of the Clifford books from 1984 to 2009, I’ve had many magical moments with the big red dog.

I’ve read most of the Clifford books dozens of times. I’ve read some of them hundreds of times. I’ve read them as an editor to prepare them for publication, as a mother to entertain my daughter, and as a Sunday school teacher to spark conversations about pro-social behavior.

The Clifford books are about kindness and good works. They are about making mistakes and being forgiven for them. They are about unconditional love. And they are funny. I still crack up whenever I turn to the page in Clifford the Big Red Dog where a sheepish Clifford holds a car in his mouth, and the text reads: “He runs after cars. He catches some of them.” The artwork is expressive, poignant, and endearing.

So how big is Clifford? Very big. More than 126 million Clifford books are in print in 13 languages. And an animated Clifford TV series is in its 12th season on PBS Kids. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Clifford book, Clifford the Big Red Dog.

And February 15 is the 85th birthday of Clifford’s creator, Norman Bridwell. Kind, modest, and easy-going, Norman, both author and illustrator, is as lovable as his pup. He lives with his wife of 54 years, Norma—that’s right, Norma—in Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard, in a 120-year-old farmhouse. The doors and shutters are painted red in honor of Clifford. Norman and Norma have two grown children (Emily Elizabeth, who appears in the Clifford books, and Tim, who appears in The Witch Next Door) and three grandchildren.

Earlier this year, I spoke to Norman about his remarkable career, his knack for creating pitch-perfect humor for young children, and what makes Clifford (and his creator) tick.

Dog days: Bridwell and his daughter,
Emily Elizabeth, circa 1964.

How would you describe Clifford?
He’s a loving dog. He’s very loyal to Emily. And she’s loyal to him. He tries to do the right thing. He has good intentions, but his size makes him clumsy, so he causes damage. And then he’s forgiven. All children would like that—to be forgiven for the mistakes they make.

Do you see any of your own characteristics in him?
You know, people have said, “Clifford is a lot like you,” but I’m not really that good. I’m not really that nice.

Well, I would disagree with you, Norman. I worked with you for, like, 25 years and I think you are that nice!
That’s kind of you to say. I don’t like to hurt people. I do my best to avoid that. No matter which side you’re on, I’m on it. I really feel I don’t really deserve this. If there’s such a thing as success being handed out to people because they are good and deserving, I don’t really deserve it. I’ve just been very fortunate.

Do you identify with Clifford’s awkwardness when he gets into trouble for being too big?
Well, I was… I am pretty clumsy. I’m constantly bumping into things. Or I toss something, and I think it’s going to land on a chair, but it slides off the other side.

I think I’m going to do something clever, and it winds up a disaster. I guess I am like Clifford that way. I was terrible at sports. I was the last one chosen to be on any team. I have many unfond memories of being forced to go out on the basketball court during gym class and trying to shoot a basket and embarrassing everybody.

How did you come to create Clifford?
Clifford began as an art sample to show editors. I was hoping I could get a job as an illustrator. I did about 10 paintings. One was of a little girl standing under the chin of a big red dog and holding out her hand to see if it was still raining. I was rejected everywhere I went. One editor, Susan Hirschman, said that my work was too plain. She said, “You may have to write a story, and then if they buy the story, you could do the art. She pointed to the sample of the girl and the dog and said, “Maybe that’s a story.”

In about three days, I tried to think of all the things that would happen if you had a giant dog. I made him a little bigger than in the sample, and my wife, Norma, named him Clifford after an imaginary playmate she had when she was a child.

I made a dummy, and Norma made a cover for it. I took it to a publisher, where it went into a slush pile. Lilian Moore saw it and knew it wouldn’t be taken by that publisher, but she also knew that Scholastic was starting to publish original paperbacks for its book clubs. Beatrice de Regniers accepted it.

What did you get paid for the book?
I got $1,000 for the book and I think $750 to do the art.

The original price of the book was 35 cents. How long did it take you to earn out your advance?
Two years.

Three days is a very short time to write a book. Is it easy for you to write?
The first one was easy. The others got more difficult. The second Pbook I did was called Zany Zoo. It wasn’t a Clifford book.

How did the second Clifford book come about?
I said to Beatrice, “Would you like to see another one?” And she said, “Yes, if you have an idea, bring it to me, but I’m not going to just take anything.”

I wrote Clifford Gets a Job, and it did well, so I said to Beatrice, “Maybe I should try another one.”

And she said, “Well, you know, we’re not running a Norman Bridwell book club.” She said, “You can try some more, but don’t count on my taking them.”

The Clifford books did surprisingly well. One day Beatrice called me up and said, “You know, we’ve changed our minds. We do want to do a Norman Bridwell book club.”

She said again, “Don’t expect everything to be accepted,” and she stuck to that.

Do you remember any titles that she rejected?
You know, it’s been a long time now. They weren’t very memorable… Clifford trying to clean up, trying to protect the environment. That was too preachy. She didn’t like that.

I said to her one time, “Maybe I should be putting a message in these books,” and she said, “You’re not a message person. You just entertain them.” So I did as I was told and just tried to make kids laugh.

What’s your process?
When I have an idea, I sketch it out in thumbnail sketches—just the action from page to page. When I have the drawings done, I think of the words that go with them. As you know, the words don’t exactly match the picture, which, I think, is funny to the children. The words don’t just describe what is going on, but the kids can figure it out.

What is your studio like?
Cluttered. It’s filled with Clifford products Scholastic has given me [such as plush toys, puzzles, games, clothing, and stationery]. I have a desk and a telephone. With an 11-by-14-inch pad and a pencil, I’m in business. I had a studio built kind of late in life, around 12 years ago. I thought I’d jinx myself if I built one before.

How did your kids respond to Clifford while they were growing up?
It was just something that Dad did. It wasn’t anything really special. They had other books that they liked much more than Clifford. In fact, on the Internet, my son says his favorite children’s books were by Dr. Seuss. My daughter didn’t realize Clifford was popular until she went to college. I’d given her a Clifford reading rug that she put in her dorm room. The other girls saw it and said, “Oh! Clifford!” When my daughter asked, “How do you know about him?” they said, “Everybody reads Clifford!”

The original Clifford books were black and red, measured eight-by-six inches, and had a landscape orientation. In the ’80s, the books were reformatted to a full-color, eight-by-eight format. Would you talk about that?
I guess the original books didn’t show up well in bookstores. When Dick Krinsley joined Scholastic, he converted the books to eight by eight so they could be displayed on a rack.

It amazes me that some people have said, “You know, I liked the early art better.”

Some artists object to changes in a book’s original design or format. But you were very cooperative.
If I thought my work was beautiful or very artistic, I might feel differently, but I feel that the purpose of my drawings is to get the point of the story across. So I am perfectly willing to have somebody else’s advice on color and format.

What was it like to grow up in Kokomo, Indiana?
It was quiet. It gave me plenty of time to think. I walked to school in the morning, I walked home from school at night, and, all that time, I was making up stories in my mind. Imaginary people. Imaginary places. And then in the evening I’d sit down and draw pictures to go with the stories I thought of during those walks.

I was a very gangly, skinny kid. My nicknames were Muscles because I had none—I was just a skeleton with skin—and Ovaltine, which is a chocolate drink that kids were supposed to drink to make them gain weight.

So you have always been a visual storyteller, even as a child.
Drawing was the only thing I was really interested in. My father would bring paper home from the factory. They were order forms that were plain on the back. I would draw all kinds of characters and adventures. I wasn’t really good at anything else. My high school shop teacher took the tools away from me after about three weeks. He said, “You’re going to hurt yourself! Go get some paper and sit over there and draw.” I did, and I was very grateful for the chance to do that.

Did you go to art school in Indiana?
Yes, I did. I went to art school for four years, but it didn’t prepare me for the real world of commercial art. I had to learn that when I got to New York.

Why did you move to New York CIty right after you graduated?
I couldn’t find any work in Indiana, but I had friends who were going to Cooper Union. They said, “Better to be out of work in New York than out of work here. Come along.” So I went along and wrapped packages at Macy’s for a while. I worked for a lettering studio and then for a necktie fabric-designing firm. And then finally, I got work making cartoons for filmstrips and slides.

What kinds of cartoons were they?
They were for sales meetings and promotions. A writer would write a script and the cartoonists would try to add humorous situations. We did work for Arrow Shirts, American Standard Plumbing, and Maxwell House Coffee—all sorts of products. The hardest part was convincing the salesmen that what we were drawing was going to be funny. They usually didn’t get the jokes.

Working on those cartoons must have been good training for a future picture book author and illustrator.
I had a lot of fun trying to inject humor into a very dry script. It was good practice.

Nobody ever said, “Hey, that’s good,” or “Thank you.” You just did it. It went out the door. You never heard anything about it. But when I did the books, children began writing to me. I thought, “This is great. Somebody noticed.” Kids let you know if they like something.

The Clifford books have humor young children can enjoy and can understand. It’s very hard to write humor for that age group. What’s the secret of your success?
I read one time about a silent film comedian whose name I can’t recall now, but he was very popular. He was a very funny guy, and then somebody told him how good he was, and he got to thinking about it. And when he started thinking about what he was doing, he ruined it. Instead of acting upon his natural instincts, he began planning, and things fell apart.

Do you have a favorite Clifford book?
I always liked Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors. A lot of children have neighbors who complain, “Don’t come into on my yard! Don’t step on my lawn!”

I thought that could happen to Clifford. The characters look like my mother’s neighbors back in Indiana, but the fact is, they were very nice, considerate neighbors. I hope they never noticed that the grouchy neighbors look like them.

Grace Maccarone is Holiday House’s executive editor.

Drawing from Mei Li.

Of course, this year is even more special. As the Caldecott Medal turns 75, the party is even bigger, and it will keep going until the awards celebration at ALA annual in Chicago in late June. It’s wonderful, and, because of the enduring value of the Caldecott award, it’s not just recreational. This award matters, bringing a broad readership to the winning books and keeping them in print for years to come. It’s also not just recreational because evaluations like these are at the heart of what librarians do every day as they choose materials for their collections.

Of course, this award is not without controversy—what award is? Among the issues is that the Caldecott is decided by committee, leading some to think the best books get left aside in the search for the ones everyone will agree on, and some of the choices don’t hold up over time. But the highly controlled judging process itself is key, and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) continues to protect the integrity of the librarian judges and the privacy of the proceedings. (For the rules, see the Caldecott Medal Manual.) Getting to a decision requires artful mastery.

There will always be books that didn’t win the Caldecott that many argue should have. That is part of the fun. SLJ contributing editor Rocco Staino is collecting librarians’ picks of what’s gotten missed over the years in a series of video interviews we’ll post on SLJ.com in the months to come. There are also deeper reflections on the early award winners in a series of articles from
The Horn Book, rich discussion coming from bloggers, and much more in the pipeline.

I look forward to more conversation on where picture books fit into the lives of our kids. SLJ’s Trevelyn Jones, for one, hopes they’ll be better used to help kids appreciate and talk about art, even long past what’s considered to be the standard picture-book audience ages and on into the seventh and eighth grades. As a parent, I keep tapping the Caldecott winners and honor books as I read to my children, reaching for works that will enrich their language and their sense of what the world looks like and those that will spark their imaginations or transport them. I am delighted, for instance, by the pull of 1988 winner Owl Moon (illustrated by John Schoenherr, text by Jane Yolen) in the heat of the summer.

I had a special encounter with one Caldecott winner, Thomas Handforth’s Mei Li, when I visited Lisa Von Drasek, formerly at Bank Street, now the curator of the University of Minnesota’s Children’s Literature Research Collections in Minneapolis. Von Drasek showed me just a few of the choice pieces of art in the collection, including draft drawings of Caldecott-free Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and one from Mei Li (pictured). Mei Li, the winner of the second Caldecott Medal in 1939, was in the process of being digitized so it can be accessed more often for research.

It’s delightful that librarians made Mei Li a winner and now a librarian is preserving the art for the future. That’s the kind of difference librarians can make.

Rebecca T. Miller
Editor-in-Chief
rmiller@mediasourceinc.com

The continuing conversation about whether Dewey’s days are numbered (“Are Dewey’s Days Numbered,” Oct. 2012, pp. 24–28; “Summer Project: Kill Dewey,” Aug. 2012, p. 14) has been useful as I consider how to make my library’s collection more accessible. While I believe that Dewey still has its place, I’ve thought about fresh ways to meet the needs of my middle and high school students. As a result of the debate, I’ve added a lot more subject heading labels to my shelves, especially highlighting topics of high interest, and I’ve adjusted Dewey in the 800s section.

I abridged Dewey to 19 numbers in relation to literature, essentially eliminating the geographic/cultural separation of authors and literary eras, making this subject area an easy one for browsing. Instead of 810s for American authors, 820s for British authors, etc., all poetry by one author is under 821, and all collections of poetry are filed under 821.08, regardless of nationality or time period.

In addition, all literary criticism, without regard to the type of literature, is now shelved under 829 in the manner we file biographies, with the letters of the writer first, then the letters of the criticism’s author. A work of criticism on Elie Wiesel is now assigned the number 829 WIE BLO, with WIE placing all criticism on Wiesel together. BLO represents the critic’s last name. This book formerly was labeled 848.914 BLO. These changes make it easy for students to browse literary works by their author without knowing nationality or date, and to find literary criticism about Maya Angelou without deciding whether she is a poet or an essayist. Her poems are found with poetry, essays with essays, but all criticism about one author is shelved together.

I used the 820s because Shakespeare is too important to adjust. Shakespeare’s plays continue to be shelved under 822.33 SHA TEM (for The Tempest), and literary criticism for Shakespeare is shelved under 829 SHA and then the critic’s name.

A brief letter can’t describe the plan. We have 375 books in the 800 section, and it took seconds to reassign most books. Adjusting the online catalog records was also quick, but relabeling took longer.

Bill Fabian
Information Literacy Teacher/Librarian
McGinnis Middle School/
Buena Vista High School
Buena Vista, CO

Save Dewey redux

Sigh. I’m sure Scarlett Middle School’s library isn’t the only school library in Michigan in which the Dewey decimal system is used and taught. I wish Ms. LaPrise’s blanket statement (Letters, Dec. 2012, p. 10), “In Michigan, the students are frustrated because Dewey is not taught in their schools,” had been edited, as it is false.

Anne Colvin
Media Specialist
Scarlett Middle School
Ann Arbor, MI

Illustration by Aurélia Fronty from
I Have the Right to Be a Child (Serres), Groundwood.

Stories connect people who live in different places, during different times, or who have different interests. Books tell stories in words, pictures, or both all the world over.

The titles on the 2013 Outstanding International Books List will remind readers that heroism can look different in different places, but that its essence is the same regardless of where you live. These stories show us that being different is sometimes painful but may be a cause for celebration; that looking closely at the past helps children understand their current lives a bit better. These books also remind us that laughter is potent around the world. Readers will find books from France, India, Norway, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, and more.

All of the titles originated or were first published in a country other than the United States and were subsequently published or distributed in the U.S. These books not only represent the best in children’s literature from around the globe, but also introduce American readers to other perspectives. Their originality and appeal, and the quality of the presentations make them outstanding choices for most collections.

Kindergarten–Grade 2

COAT, Janik. Hippopposites. illus. by author. Abrams/Appleseed. BD $14.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0151-1. France.
Each spread introduces both predictable and surprising contrasting concepts with a hint of humor as a hippo is the focus; an unexpected tactile experience is also added. Bold colors and shapes bring fresh thinking about the world of opposites.

DALY, Niki. The Herd Boy. illus. by author. Eerdmans. Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-8028-5417-9. UK.
Muted shades of green and brown with occasional oranges and reds reflect the South African world of young Malusi, the good shepherd who takes his grandfather’s herd of goats from the kraal to pasture, protecting them while dreaming of one day becoming president of his country.

DAVIES, Nicola. Just Ducks! illus. by Salvatore Rubbino. Candlewick. RTE $15.95 ISBN 978-0-7636-5936-3. UK.
“Quack-quuuack” begins this story of a young girl’s daylong observations of mallard ducks–with information points about them juxtaposed throughout fluid mixed-media illustrations–until she imagines the next morning’s cacophony of quacking.

DUBUC, Marianne. Animal Masquerade. illus. by author. Kids Can. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-782-2. Canada.
More than three dozen animals accept an invitation to a masquerade party. As each guest arrives, they are portrayed individually in their cleverly designed costumes, which suggest the next arrival. Childlike illustrations will have readers guessing who will show up next.

GRAHAM, Bob. A Bus Called Heaven. illus. by author. Candlewick. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5893-9. Australia.
Young Stella discovers an abandoned bus with a sign that says “Heaven” and with the help of neighbors transforms it into a vibrant community center. Droll watercolor and ink illustrations enlarge the celebration of diversity and neighborliness.

HOVLAND, Henrik. John Jensen Feels Different. tr. from Norwegian by Don Dartlett. illus. by Torill Kove. Eerdmans. Tr $16. ISBN 978-0-8028-5399-8. Norway.
John Jensen is not sure why he feels out of place, perhaps because he is an alligator in a world of humans, but his elephant doctor helps him celebrate his differences. Told with a light touch and expressive illustrations, this book might help readers rethink dissimilarities.

KRISHNASWAMI, Uma. Out of the Way! Out of the Way! illus. by Uma Krishnaswamy. Groundwood. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-130-4. India.
The lively text chronicles the changes over the years as a village path becomes a busy city road. In the middle of the path a tiny sapling grows into a giant tree that nurtures the people who gather under it. The colorful folk art captures the diversity of life in India.

MACLEAR, Kyo. Virginia Wolf. illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Kids Can. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-649-8. Canada.
When Virginia is feeling particularly glum and wolfish, her sister Vanessa resorts to painting the imaginative garden Virginia describes as Bloomsberry. Digitally assembled art conveys the emotional swings and love the girls feel toward each other; loosely inspired by the lives of writer Virginia Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell.

MACKINTOSH, David. The Frank Show. illus. by author. Abrams. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0393-5. UK.
Grandpa Frank is uninteresting to his grandson, until Frank becomes the center of attention at a school show-and-tell telling tales of leading an army and his tattoo. Frank and his grandson are alternately depicted in gray and colorful images, to signal distance and acceptance.

MILLARD, Glenda. Isabella’s Garden. illus. by Rebecca Cool. Candlewick. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6016-1. Australia.
Explore the seasonal growth cycle of a garden with lyrical language, rhythm, and rhyme in a cadence reminiscent of “This Is the House That Jack Built.” Each page is energized with mixed-media folk art in bright colors and a touch of Picasso-like children’s faces.

ROGERS, Gregory. The Hero of Little Street. illus. by author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-59643-729-6. Australia.
A young boy dodges some bullies by entering the National Art Gallery. When a dog escapes from inside a van Eyck painting, the boy follows the pup into the 17th century through another canvas. Their adventure is told in lively, wordless cartoon style.

SCOTT, Nathan Kumar, retel. The Great Race. illus. by Jagdish Chitara. Tara Books. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-9-3803-4015-9. India.
This Indonesian trickster tale of an overly confident mouse deer who challenges fellow jungle creatures to a race has highly stylized illustrations and a surprise but satisfying ending. The back matter provides information and photographs explaining the traditional art from the state of Gujarat in India.

SERRES, Alain. I Have the Right to Be a Child. tr. from French by Helen Mixter. illus. by Aurélia Fronty. Groundwood. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-5549-8149-6. France.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’s code of rights for children is explored in stunning naïf acrylic illustrations and easy-to-read text. The child narrator’s voice, clear and straightforward, brings this important document to life for the youngest reader.

SIF, Birgitta. Oliver. illus. by author. Candlewick. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7636-6247-9. UK.
Oliver, a bespectacled loner, is happy playing alone or with his puppets. Quirky illustrations in muted browns and greens, with a mouse and future buddy, Olivia, hidden in most spreads, invite multiple readings.

TOLMAN, Marije & Ronald Tolman. The Island. illus. by authors. Lemniscaat. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-9359-5419-4. Netherlands.
Luminescent wordless spreads depict a questing bear setting out, swimming from one extravagant island to another, meeting and traveling with a variety of animal friends until finally finding a violin-playing soul mate.

Grades 3–5

HARTNETT, Sonya. Sadie and Ratz. illus. by Ann James. Candlewick. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5315-6. Australia.
Young Hannah calls one of her hands Sadie and the other Ratz. Brief chapters and black line drawings reveal Hannah and her hands’ mischief, especially when they behave badly with her brother. The unexpected conclusion is humorous and satisfying.

I SAW A PEACOCK WITH A FIERY TALE. illus. by Ramsingh Urveti. Tara Books. Tr $18.50. ISBN 978-9-38034-014-2. India.
A 17th-century English poem is given new life with multiple meanings through brilliant illustrations and graphic design. Die cuts on each page carry viewers forward and encourage predictions as black-and-white textured drawings offer different perspectives that engage readers.

IBBOTSON, Eva. One Dog and His Boy. Scholastic. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-35196-6. UK.
In this riveting survival adventure, a boy, his beloved dog, and an endearing cast of homeless animals journey across England to find safe homes. The exciting tale is full of slapstick humor, hair-raising chases, and a satisfying conclusion.

LAIRD, Elizabeth, retel. Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings. illus. by Shirin Adl. Frances Lincoln. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-84780-253-8. UK.
A retelling of the classic 10th-century epic poem written over a period of 30 years by the poet Ferdowsi, with its legendary heroes, kings, warriors, demons, and princesses, is made accessible to children in this beautifully designed and illustrated book.

LANTHIER, Jennifer. The Stamp Collector. illus. by François Thisdale. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55455-218-4. Canada.
Inspired by two Chinese writers, a young prisoner and a guard transcend their circumstances and form a friendship. Inspired by foreign stamps on letters received by the prisoner, they hope for freedom and discover the strength of their stories.

MCKAY, Hilary. Lulu and the Duck in the Park. illus. by Priscilla Lamont. Albert Whitman. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-4808-0. UK.
Lulu sneaks an abandoned duck egg into class knowing her teacher has a strict rule against animals. When the egg begins to hatch, Lulu worries about the consequences. This is a gentle school story generously illustrated, adding to the drama and humor.

MORPURGO, Michael. Shadow. Feiwel & Friends. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-312-60659-6. UK.
A man and his mother escape the Taliban in Afghanistan and seek asylum in England but are arrested. While awaiting deportation, Aman’s friend Matt, Matt’s grandfather, and a courageous spaniel, Shadow, work together to rescue them. This story provides hope for civilians entangled in the complexities and horrors of war.

ROSEN, Michael. Bananas in My Ears: A Collection of Nonsense Stories, Poems, Riddles, and Rhymes. illus. by Quentin Blake. Candlewick. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7636-6248-6. UK.
Hilarious bits of nonsense about siblings Nat and Anna are divided into sections: Breakfast, Seaside, Doctor, and Bedtime and enhanced by comical illustrations. Children will enjoy getting to know the author and illustrator, both former British Children’s Laureates.

THEMERSON, Stefan. The Table that Ran Away to the Woods. tr. from Polish. illus. by Franciszka Themerson. Tate. Tr $10.95. ISBN 978-1-84976-057-7. Poland.
Textured images complement the rhymed and fluidly placed verse about a writing table that escapes and returns to the woods where it takes root. A note explains the historical background of the fable, originally written in Polish and published in Paris.

VAN LEEUWEN, Joke. Eep! tr. from Dutch by Bill Nagelkerke. illus. by author. Gecko. pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-877579-07-3. Netherlands.
A birdwatcher and his wife raise an abandoned child who has wings instead of arms. When the bird-child flies off without saying good-bye, the couple search for her and meet other people who have been touched by this unusual creature. Black-and-white drawings add to the book’s charm.

VOAKE, Steve. Hooey Higgins and the Shark. illus. by Emma Dodson. Candlewick. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5782-6. UK.
What better way to earn money than to capture a shark using ketchup. Or display the world’s biggest sea urchin masquerading as a World War II mine. Hilarious happenings augmented with exaggerated drawings seem to be the realm of Hooey and his best friend, Twig.

Grades 6–8

ABIRACHED, Zeina. A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return. tr. from French by Edward Gauvin. illus. by author. Lerner/Graphic Universe. PLB $29.27. ISBN 978-0-7613-8568-4. France.
Set in an apartment foyer during the civil war in Lebanon, this story follows Zeini and her brother, who are supported by their neighbors, while they wait for their parents to return home. The black-and-white graphic setting subtly explores the universal effect of conflict, especially on children.

CHADDA, Sarwat. Savage Fortress. Scholastic/Arthur Levine. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-38516-9. UK.
When Londoner Ash and his younger sister vacation in India, a powerful, magical gold arrowhead causes them to become involved with demons battling to take over the world. This action-packed adventure novel is woven together with rich Hindu mythology and ancient history.

DE GRAAF, Anne. Son of a Gun. tr from Dutch. Eerdmans. pap. $8. ISBN 978-0-8028-5406-3. Netherlands.
In alternating voices, siblings Nopi and Lucky tell their harrowing stories of abduction and enslavement as child soldiers in Liberia’s civil war. Supported by back matter including artwork and writings of former child soldiers, this fast-paced novel holds fast to children’s point of view.

DOYLE, Roddy. Greyhound of a Girl. Abrams/Amulet. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4197-0168-9. UK.
This unusual ghost story involves four generations of women in one family who come together to take a dramatic midnight journey into their past. The distinctive writing with its lilt of Irish dialogue lends authenticity to this haunting family story.

ELLIS, Deborah. My Name Is Parvana. Groundwood. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-297-4. Canada.
In the last book from “The Breadwinner” series, Parvana, now 15, is helping in a school for girls in Afghanistan. Her fate is revealed as she is imprisoned and interrogated at a Coalition military base. This compelling story provides insight into personal loss during conflicts.

GLEITZMAN, Morris. Now. Holt. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-9378-0. Australia.
Felix, now 80, is caring for his granddaughter Zelda. She, coping with abandonment and bullying, and he, trying to come to terms with his past, must together face a modern holocaust. A satisfying conclusion to Felix’s story started in Once and continued in Then (though this title stands alone).

SERRANO, Francisco. La Malinche: The Princess Who Helped Cortés Conquer the Aztec Empire. tr. from Spanish by Susan Ouriou. illus. by Pablo Serrano. Groundwood. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-111-3. Canada.
Hernán Cortés gained an advantage during his conquest of the Aztecs when an indigenous slave woman became his translator and ally. What is known of this controversial woman who played a pivotal role is presented in brief chapters with culturally reflective illustrations.

TANAKA, Shelley. Nobody Knows. photos by Hirokazu Kore-eda & Kawauchi Rinko. Groundwood. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-140-3. Canada.
Twelve-year-old Akira must care for his three siblings after they are abandoned by their mother. Invisible to the people around them, forced to exist on the edge of society, they have only one another to turn to for support and hope when tragedy strikes. Illustrated with stills from the film.

Grades 9–12

ELLIS, Deborah. Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War., Groundwood. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-181-6. Canada.
This informational book includes interviews and photos of Afghan youth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, a country continually at war. The stories told to the author show how these people have survived with courage and hope even when living with violence and oppression.

MASTER, Irfan. A Beautiful Lie. Albert Whitman. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-0597-7. UK.
Set against the backdrop of the partition of India in 1947, 13-year-old Bilal lies to his dying father, an ardent supporter of a united India, about the impending separation. In spite of the time’s violence, Bilal’s affection for his father and his supportive community are uplifting.

WEIN, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity. Hyperion/Disney. RTE $ 16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-5219-4. UK.
War and espionage, friendship and loyalty are explored in this story of Julie, fighting for her life after being captured by the Nazis, and Maddie, trying to find and save her. Their final meeting tests the verisimilitude and depth of trust and loyalty and love.

Members of the 2013 USBBY Outstanding International Books Committee: Maria Salvadore (Chair), Washington, DC; Marilyn Carpenter, Spokane, WA; Peg Ciszek, Northbrook, IL; Brenda L. Dales, Oxford, OH: Margaret Pyterek, Glenview, IL; Robin L. Smith, Nashville, TN; Martha Walke, South Strafford, VT; Caroline Ward, Cos Cob, CT; Deborah Wooten, Knoxville.

BIRCH , Dinah. The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 4th ed. 816p. appendix. charts. chron. websites. Oxford. 2012. pap. $19.95. ISBN 978-0-19-960821-8. LC 2012004182.
Gr 8 Up–This fourth edition offers 5500 alphabetically arranged entries that have been diligently revised or updated since the third edition. Changes include expanded coverage of lesser-known areas of English literature, such as black British, African, postcolonial, gay and lesbian, women’s, and children’s literature. Significant upgrades were also made in entries covering science fiction, biography, and American and travel literature. Back matter now includes a chronology of literary works extending from Vercelli, Exeter, Cædmon, and Beowolf to the  pro-democracy Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 and lists of Poet Laureates, Children’s Laureates, and literary awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Carnegie Medalists, the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, the King’s and Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, and the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry. Most entries are clear and concise but they can be lengthier when the situation requires it. The entry on William Shakespeare, for example, fills nearly two-and-a-half pages. Many entries have in-text cross references and others direct readers to links on a companion website. The end result is an inexpensive, relatively lightweight volume packed with facts about English literature that some students will approach with the same level of enthusiasm others exhibit when they browse through the World Almanac or Guinness Book of World Records. To compress this treasure trove of facts on English literature into a single, compact volume is a major accomplishment.–Margaret Myhre, Foley Library, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA

GALL , Timothy L. Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. rev. ed.  5 vols. 3400p. appendix. bibliog. charts. illus. index. maps. notes. Gale. 2012. PLB $696. ISBN 978-1-4144-33905. Online: Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gr 6-9 –The newest version of this ubiquitous, relentlessly utilitarian encyclopedia records statistical and other changes in the geopolitical world since the 2007 edition. Notably, along with numerous minor tweaks, additions include optimistic new entries for Kosovo, South Sudan, and the Palestinian Territories, plus analyses of the events and effects of the world economic crisis and the Arab Spring through the first quarter of 2012. Presented in a format that Gen-Xers and their Boomer parents will recognize from their school days, the information is gathered beneath numbered headings in rigidly organized, alphabetically arranged “country” articles that are grouped by continent, headed with fast facts, and capped by source notes. The endpapers feature color maps and flags. The separate volume devoted to the U.N. offers lists of countries and proper names. Concise, informative word portraits of each country describe distinctive physical characteristics, populations, history, infrastructure, and (in less detail) cultural highlights. Also, in providing such a thorough study of the U.N. and its work, this resource promotes a supranational point of view more strongly than better-looking but more assignment-oriented encyclopedias such as the The World and Its Peoples sets (Marshall Cavendish). Though the changes in this edition are relatively few, this resource is essential for reference collections that lack sufficient access to online country resources.–John Peters, Children’s Literature Consultant, New York City

GROSSMAN, Mark. Constitutional Amendments: An Encyclopedia of the People, Procedures, Politics, Primary Documents, and Campaigns for the 27 Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. 2 vols. 1144p. appendix. bibliog. charts. further reading. illus. index. notes. photos. reprods. Grey House. 2012. PLB $225.ISBN 978-1-59237-999-6; ebook ISBN 978-1-61925-003-1.
Gr 9 Up–This encyclopedia’s coverage of amendments focuses on passage and ratification and includes objective introductions, transcripts of relevant congressional debate, primary-source excerpts from articles and court rulings, biographical sketches of people most involved in their crafting and passage, and “America at That Time” sections that look at culture and life when each amendment was passed. Although the premise is good, the material suffers from numerous flaws. The 10 amendments of the Bill of Rights are grouped in a single chapter, which limits treatment of the laws, court cases, and societal norms that have defined them. A much more significant problem is that most of the background and analysis relies upon and cites dated scholarship and sources. This deprives users of current research and fails to adequately address important developments, such as the Supreme Court’s incorporation of Bill of Rights protections into state actions through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment, which have occurred in the last 50 years. Many of these dated sources are written in an old-fashioned style that will have little appeal to students, and some discussions of legal issues are so complex that even the most advanced high school students will struggle to understand them. Photos and illustrations are poorly reproduced and many lack captions. Most student research about constitutional amendments is centered on the changes they brought rather than on their creation and ratification, and this set pays scant attention to those changes.–Mary Mueller, formerly at Rolla Junior High School, MO

HAMON , Gwenaëlle, ed. My First Atlas: Discovering Our World. tr. from French by Susan Allen Maurin. 80p. index. maps. Auzou. 2012. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-2-7338-2148-0.
K-Gr 2—At first glance, this atlas is enormously appealing, with a colorful graphic style and not too much text. The first section, “Our World,” features a simple world map and basic information about climate, plants, and population. Next come the continent sections, each of which offers land and country maps and snippets of information about the climate, plants, animals, history and population, and customs of the area. An activity such as a quiz or maze and a folktale wrap up each section. Unfortunately, the information is simplified so much that it is scattershot and comes across as discrete factoids instead of giving readers a cohesive sense of each continent and its people. In addition, the text contains several typos that emphasize the slipshod production.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

HUDSON , David L., Jr. The Handy History Answer Book. 3rd. ed. 560p. charts. illus. index. maps. photos. reprods. Visible Ink Pr. 2012. pap. $21.95. ISBN 978-1-57859-372-9.
Gr 8 Up–This update of the 2006 edition retains the question-and-answer format of previous editions, with answers ranging from a single paragraph to about a page in length. Topics are an interesting mix of events, people, and ideas, and chapters are arranged chronologically. Most topics are unchanged, but sports, which was formerly covered in “Culture and Recreation,” now has a section of its own. New questions are added throughout, most of which fill gaps in information, provide more diverse coverage of ethnic groups and international topics, or discuss recent events–the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for example. Some questions about ongoing controversies, such as the Guantanamo Bay prison, have been revised, and a few questions regarding obscure and dated topics have been removed. Changes include the addition of bullet points and lists to improve clarity, a smaller but still easily read font, and the removal of the chronology and bibliography. This edition also adds maps and replaces almost all of the black-and-white illustrations, but the new ones are small, dark, and minimally captioned and thus add little to the text. Although generally well written and succinct, this book offers little background and analysis and much of its information can be easily found in other sources, including online. There is not enough new material to justify replacement for libraries that hold the second edition, and, while the format may draw browsers, the material lacks the depth to be useful to researchers, making it additional even in libraries that lack the earlier work.–Mary Mueller, formerly at Rolla Junior High School, MO

MILLER , Wilbur, ed. The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia. 5 vols. 2712p. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. reprods. SAGE. 2012. PLB $560. ISBN 978-1-4129-8876-6. LC 2012012418. Online: SAGE Reference Online
Gr 9 Up–The first four volumes of this alphabetically arranged set are a collection of articles describing the events and history of various U.S. crimes and punishments, from the Salem Witch Trials to the Enron scandal. Each book contains a complete alphabetical listing of the set’s contents. Volume One also offers a chronology from 1275 to 2012 and a reader’s guide that groups the one- to four-page articles into broad categories such as biographies, crimes, legal documents, the history of the criminal justice system, most dangerous cities, and court cases. The signed articles feature topical subdivisions, are enhanced by black-and-white, informatively captioned photos, and conclude with cross references and further readings. Volume Five presents primary-source materials dating from 1609 to 2011. These include documents relating to a Plymouth Colony adultery case, Nat Turner’s jailhouse confession, and Nixon’s presidential pardon. This volume concludes with a thorough glossary, a resource guide, and an index for the entire set. While not an absolutely necessary purchase, the set could be useful where social issues are part of the curriculum.–Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

MORSE , Jenifer Corse. Scholastic Book of World Records 2013. 320p. charts. index. photos. Scholastic. 2012.pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-545-42517-9.
Gr 4-7–Kids love lists, trivia, photos, and the “latest and greatest” anything. With a lenticular cover and more than 300 pages of full-color pictures, this book will be well used and well worn by curiosity seekers as well as those looking for tidbits of trivia to impress their friends. It’s not a tough sell as it packs in plenty of pop-culture factoids (like Adele’s record-setting music and Disney’s successful films) and a healthy dose of 21st-century technology (plenty of trivia here about texting, apps, and social media sites as well as the hottest video/computer games). The book opens with records concerning social media and the Internet, followed by biggest money makers and pop-culture topics. State records, nature, sports, and U.S. records round out the title, providing both interesting and useful information. Obviously records go out of date even before the book can be released (this one still includes Lance Armstrong’s seven revoked Tour de France titles). Still, children will eat this book up; be sure to buy enough copies for your anticipated audience.–Sharon Verbeten, Brown County Library, Green Bay, WI

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANIMAL ENCYCLOPEDIA: 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More! rev. ed. 304p. bibliog. charts. diags. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. photos. websites. National Geographic.2012. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-1022-5; PLB $33.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-1023-2.
Gr 3-6–Covering the animal kingdom in a 304-page book is no easy task; the recorded number of species and sub-species is mind boggling, as well as in constant flux (as extinction takes away, conservation and discovery replenish). This update of the 2000 edition offers more than double the content. It crams in useful fast facts about at least 2500 animals, while easing the information overload with “Field Reports” on high-interest animals and some rather spectacular whole-spread photographs. Before the title dives into the different classes of the animal kingdom, an introductory chapter discusses life cycles and young, senses and communication, migration, homes and habitats, and adaptations for survival. Information about the endangered status of some species and about conservation efforts is also included. Because the book aims to represent as much animal diversity as possible, entries are not listed alphabetically but by animal group within the larger class. Users seeking a specific animal will be reliant on the index to discover whether the animal they want is included or not. Side boxes tend to get buried among the entries, but since the encyclopedia is designed for browsing and discovery, that is a minor issue. The decision to use photographs instead of illustrations, which make up the bulk of the previous edition, adds to the vibrancy of this volume. An excellent addition to school and public libraries alike, for both reference and circulation.–Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA

 MURDOCH, Emily. If You Find Me. 248p. St. Martin’s Griffin. Mar. 2013. ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-02153-3; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-03327-7.
Gr 9 Up–Following a bitter custody battle, Carey’s mentally ill, junkie mother kidnapped her and disappeared. Living in a broken-down camper hidden deep in the woods of Tennessee, Carey, now 14, takes care of her younger sister, Janessa, who is selectively mute, while their mother seeks her next fix. When protective services intervene, Carey’s father, a man she only knows through her mother’s lies, reclaims the girls and takes them to live with him, his new wife, and his stepdaughter. Over the following weeks, the sisters encounter luxuries often taken for granted: square meals, running water, warm beds, and a loving family. Carey even experiences first love with a boy from her past. But she doesn’t feel she deserves this happily ever after because of a terrible secret: she did something horrific in order to protect her sister. Would her new family still want her if they knew the truth? Murdoch’s debut is beautifully written. The deep bond between the sisters is almost physically palpable, as is their intense longing for love and acceptance; they will quickly endear themselves to readers. This absorbing title will find a captivated audience with fans of Caroline B. Cooney’s “The Janie Novels” series (Delacorte) and Sara Zarr’s books.–Alissa J. Bach, Oxford Public Library, MI

 ROWELL, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. 328p. St. Martin’s Griffin. Mar. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-250-01257-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-03121-1.
Gr 9 Up–In this novel set in the 1980s, teenagers Eleanor and Park are outsiders; Eleanor, because she’s new to the neighborhood, and Park, because he’s half Asian. Although initially wary of each other, they quickly bond over their love of comics and 1980s alternative music. Eleanor’s home life is difficult; her stepfather physically abuses her mother and emotionally abuses Eleanor and her siblings. At school, she is the victim of bullying, which escalates into defacement of her textbooks, her clothes, and crude displays on her locker. Although Park’s mother, a Korean immigrant, is initially resistant to the strange girl due to her odd fashion choices, his father invites Eleanor to seek temporary refuge with them from her unstable home life. When Eleanor’s stepfather’s behavior grows even more menacing, Park assists in her escape, even though it means that they might not see each other again. The friendship between the teens is movingly believable, but the love relationship seems a bit rushed and underdeveloped. The revelation about the person behind the defacement of Eleanor’s textbooks is stunning. Although the narrative points of view alternate between Eleanor and Park, the transitions are smooth. Crude language is realistic. Purchase for readers who are drawn to quirky love stories or 1980s pop culture.–Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

 SHEPHERD, Megan. The Madman’s Daughter. 420p. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212802-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212804-1. LC 2012004281.
Gr 9 Up–Based on H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr. Moreau and told from the point of view of the mad doctor’s 16-year-old daughter, this dark novel blends the basic premise of the original with new insights, characters, and terror. Dr. Moreau fled London to escape scandal and possible arrest, leaving his wife and daughter destitute. When her mother dies, Juliet has just enough money to survive until she is fired from her hospital cleaning job for rebuffing the advances of one of the doctors. She runs into her old friend and her father’s assistant, Montgomery, and convinces him to take her to her father’s island. The perilous trip on a pirate ship and the rescue of Edward, a castaway, ends with a very cold welcome from her father, who grudgingly allows her to stay. Over time, Juliet realizes that everything she has heard about him creating strange semi-human creatures is true. The teen must face dangers, uncover the secrets behind her origin, and unravel her feelings about Moreau’s experiments. The fast-paced book is rife with excitement, romance, and intrigue. Juliet is both a strong heroine who can take charge and a young woman who is beset by doubts and rash acts. Dr. Moreau is thoroughly detestable and Montgomery and Edward are handsome, flawed, and mysterious. The surprising ending is satisfying. While knowledge of Wells’s novel would perhaps lead to a more satisfying reading experience, this title stands alone.–Janet Hilbun, Texas Women’s University, Denton, TX

 CHENG, Andrea. Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet. illus. by author. 144p. bibliog. maps. photos. Lee & Low. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-60060-451-5. LC 2012027280.
Gr 5 Up–The pain of slavery and its disregard for human worth reverberates throughout this beautifully written, beautifully illustrated account of an enslaved potter in South Carolina in the 19th century. Cheng’s sensitive verses, written in the voice of Dave and the people involved in his life, share the man’s innermost feelings, the sensation of shaping clay on the potter’s wheel, and hints at conflicts within a slave owner’s mind. But even with a master who seems to have some appreciation of Dave’s talents, the ugliness of slavery takes over. The matter-of-fact, unfeeling way in which Eliza, Dave’s first wife, is sold off speaks volumes. Dave’s need to communicate and be noticed comes out in the risk he takes by inscribing some verse and words on the pots he creates. This deep need squelches any fear of reprisals when literacy was a punishable offense for slaves. Motivated by her belief that everyone needs to read Scriptures in order to be saved, the slave owner’s wife started Dave on his quest to read. Through all of the adversity, he stoically carries on despite being sold, despite having loved ones repeatedly taken from him, and despite losing a leg in a train accident, always spurred on by the need to communicate. Cheng has created a passionate homage to the human spirit, which speaks volumes in this brief book. Her woodcuts add another layer to the drama that unfolds in the telling. A powerful and uplifting biography.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

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The following titles are reviewed in the February 1 print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

Fiction

ABRAMS, Amir. Crazy Love. 326p. Kensington/KTeen. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7356-7.

ANGLER, Evan. Swipe. 276p. Thomas Nelson. 2012. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4003-1836-0. LC 2011026611.

ANGUS, Jennifer. In Search of Goliathus Hercules. 350p. Albert Whitman. Mar. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-2990-4. LC 2011037135.

ARNTSON, Steven. The Wrap-Up List. 240p. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-547-82410-9.

BACON, Lee. Joshua Dread. illus. by Brandon Dorman. 258p. Delacorte. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74185-9; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99027-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98721-2; LC 2012003155.

BAKER, E. D. Unlocking the Spell. Bk. 2. 261p. (The Wide-Awake Princess Series). Bloomsbury. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-841-0.

BARNES, Jennifer Lynn. Nobody. 400p. Egmont USA. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-321-5.

BAVATI, Robyn. Dancing in the Dark. 320p. glossary. Flux. Feb. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7387-3477-4.

BECKER, Helaine. How to Survive Absolutely Anything. 200p. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55455-188-0.

BERRY, Nina. Otherkin. Bk. 1. 310p. Kensington/KTeen. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7691-9.

BRADLEY, F. T. Double Vision. 248p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210437-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210439-7. LC 2012005734.

BRIDGES, Robin. The Unfailing Light. Bk. 2. 308p. (Katerina Trilogy). Delacorte. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74024-1; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89902-7; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90830-6. LC 2012014775.

BURGESS, V. L. The Mapmaker’s Sons. illus. by Jon Berkeley. 166p. Move. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-9854810-0-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-9854810-1-8.

CARTER, Caela. Me, Him, Them, and It. 369p. Bloomsbury. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-958-5.

CARTER, Rachel. So Close to You. 314p. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208105-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208107-0.

CHILDS, Tera Lynn. Sweet Shadows. 328p. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-200183-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219027-7. LC 2011044626.

COONEY, Caroline B. Janie Face to Face. 344p. (The Janie Novels). Delacorte. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74206-1; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99039-7; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-97997-2. LC 2012006145.

CORRIGAN, Eireann. The Believing Game. 374p. Scholastic. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-29983-1.

COUGHLIN, T. Glen. One Shot Away: A Wrestling Story. 328p. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208323-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208325-8. LC 2012019091.

DAHL, Michael. The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo. Bk 1. ISBN 978-1-4342-4041-5; ISBN 978-1-4342-4257-0.LC 2012004508.
–––– . Duel of Dragons. Bk 2. ISBN 978-1-4342-4039-2; ISBN 978-1-4342-4254-9. LC 2012004508.
ea vol: illus by Luigi Aime. 72p. (DragonBorn Series). glossary. Stone Arch. 2012. PLB $22.65; pap. $6.95.

DANESHVARI, Gitty. Ghoulfriends Forever. Bk. 1. illus. by Darko Dordevic. 260p. (Monster High Series). Little, Brown. 2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-316-22249-5.

FARRAR, Josh. A Song for Bijou. 324p. Walker. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-3394-8.

FINNEYFROCK, Karen. The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door. 272p. Viking. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01275-6.

GALE, Eric Kahn. The Bully Book. 240p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212511-8; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212515-6.

GIFF, Patricia Reilly. Gingersnap. 148p. Random/Wendy Lamb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-83891-0; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-93891-7; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-307-98029-8.

GRIFFIN, N. The Whole Stupid Way We Are. 350p. S & S/Atheneum. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3155-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3158-4. LC 2012002595.

HARRINGTON, Kim. The Dead and Buried. 296p. Scholastic/Point. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-33302-3.LC 2011043877.

HASAK-LOWY, Todd. 33 Minutes: …Until Morgan Sturtz Kicks My Butt. illus. by Bethany Barton. 210p. S & S/Aladdin. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4500-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4502-4. LC 2012009604.

HAVARD, Amanda. Point of Origin. Bk. 2. 324p. (The Survivors Series). Chafie. 2012. Tr $23.99. ISBN 978-0-9833190-4-7. LC 2012930279.

HICKS, Betty. The Worm Whisperer. illus. by Ben Hatke. 186p. Roaring Brook. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-490-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-846-0.

HIGGINS, Jane. The Bridge. 342p. Tundra. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-77049-437-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-77049-438-1. LC 2012930536.

JACOBS, John Hornor. The Twelve-Fingered Boy. Bk. 1. 264p. (The Twelve-Fingered Boy Trilogy). Carolrhoda Lab. Feb. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-9007-7; ebook $12.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0950-7. LC 2012015292.

KATZ, Farley. Journal of a Schoolyard Bully: Cyber Bully. illus. by author. 256p. St. Martin’s Griffin. 2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-312-60658-9.

KEEBLE, Helen. Fang Girl. 358p. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2012. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208225-1; ebook $7.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208226-8.

KEMMERER, Brigid. Spark. Bk. 2. 358p. (Elemental Series). Kensington/KTeen. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7282-9.

KIMMEL, Elizabeth Cody. Legend of the Ghost Dog. 200p. Scholastic. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-39127-6; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-46999-9.

KRESS, Adrienne. The Friday Society. 304p. Dial. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3761-7.

KRESS, Nancy. Flash Point. 498p. Viking. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01247-3; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-101-59034-8.

KROVATIN, Christopher. Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones. 324p. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207740-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207742-4.

KUHN, Krystyna. The Game. tr. from German by Helena Ragg-Kirby. Bk. 1. 315p. (The Valley Series). IPG.2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-907410-56-7.

LABAN, Elizabeth. The Tragedy Paper. 312p. Knopf. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-87040-8; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-97040-5; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98912-4. LC 2012011294.

LAZEAR, Suzanne. Innocent Darkness. Bk. 1. 391p. (The Aether Chronicles). Flux. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7387-3248-0.

LEICHT, Martin & Isla Neal. Mothership. Bk. 1. 320p. (Ever-Expanding Universe Series). S & S. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2960-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2962-8. LC 2011026283.

LIDELL, Alex. The Cadet of Tildor. 408p. Dial. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3681-8; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-1015-9235-9.

LINDNER, April. Catherine. 312p. Little, Brown/Poppy. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-19692-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-21471-1.

LU, Marie. Prodigy. Bk. 2. 374p. (A Legend Novel). Putnam. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-256769. LC 2012003773.

LUPICA, Mike. True Legend. 304p. Philomel. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25227-3; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-101-58141-4.

MCGOWAN, Maureen. Deviants. Bk. 1. 320p. (The Dust Chronicles). Amazon. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-61218-367-1; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-61218-773-0.

MCMANN, Lisa. Island of Silence. Bk. 2. 406p. (The Unwanteds Series). S & S/Aladdin. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0771-8; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0773-2. LC 2011029418.

MCNICOLL, Sylvia. Crush. Candy. Corpse.: What Really Happened in the Forty-First Hour? 224p. Lorimer.2012. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-4594-0062-7; Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-4594-0063-4. LC 20129000329.

MEYER, Marissa. Scarlet. Bk. 2. 464p. (The Lunar Chronicles). Feiwel & Friends. Feb. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-312-64296-9.

MILLER, Kirsten. The Darkness Dwellers. Bk. 3. 404p. (Kiki Strike Series). Bloomsbury. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-159990-736-9.

MITCHARD, Jacquelyn. What We Saw at Night. 242p. SohoTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-61695-141-2; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-1-61695-142-9.

NADIN, Joanna. Paradise. 258p. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5713-0; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6202-8.

NAIDOO, Vahini. Fall to Pieces. 320p. Amazon. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6217-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6219-4. LC 2011048166.

NEIMARK, Gillian. The Golden Rectangle. 144p. S & S/Aladdin. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8042-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8527-3.

NICHOLSON, Lorna Schultz. Rookie. 142p. ISBN 978-1-4594-0024-5.
–––– . Vegas Tryout. 140p. ISBN 978-1-4594-0070-2.
ea vol: (Podium Sports Academy Series). Lorimer. 2012. pap. $9.95.

ODYSSEY, Shawn Thomas. The Magician’s Tower. Bk. 2. 304p. (The Wizard of Dark Street Series). Egmont USA. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-425-0; ebook $15.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-426-7.

OH, Ellen. Prophecy. 320p. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209109-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209111-6.

PAULSEN, Gary & Jim Paulsen. Road Trip. 114p. Random/Wendy Lamb. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74191-0; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99031-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98857-8. LC 2012014284.

PEACOCK, Shane. Last Message. 237p. ISBN 978-1-55469-935-3.

WILSON, John. Lost Cause. 257p. ISBN 978-1-55469-944-5.
ea vol: (Seven the Series). Orca. 2012. pap. $9.95.

RESNICK, Jacqueline. The Daring Escape of the Misfit Menagerie. illus. by Matthew Cook. 320p.Penguin/Razorbill. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59514-588-8.

REX, Adam. Unlucky Charms. Bk. 2. illus. by author. 400p. (Cold Cereal Saga Series). HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-206005-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-206007-5.

ROBERT, Na’ima B. Far from Home. 352p. Frances Lincoln. 2012. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-1-84780-006-0.

RYAN, Darlene. Pieces of Me. 232p. Orca. 2012. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-4598-0080-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4598-0082-3.

SCHMIDT, Tiffany. Send Me a Sign. 374p. Walker. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-2840-1.

SCHROEDER, Lisa. Falling for You. 368p. S & S/Simon Pulse. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4399-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4401-0. LC 2012012993.

SLATER, Adam. Skinned. Bk. 2. 288p. (The Shadowing Series). Egmont USA. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-262-1; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-381-9. LC 2012012542.

STONE, Tamara Ireland. Time Between Us. 384p. Hyperion/Disney. 2012. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-5956-8. LC 2011053368.

SULLIVAN, Laura L. Delusion. 340p. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-68836-7; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-68882-4.

TERRY, Teri. Slated. 345p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-16172-8.

THOMAS, Erin. Haze. 175p. (Orca Sports Series). Orca. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-4598-0070-0.

THOMSON, Jamie. Dark Lord: The Early Years. illus. by Freya Hartas. 286p. Walker. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-2849-4.

VERRICO, Susan. Privateer’s Apprentice. 196p. Peachtree. 2012. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-633-8. LC 2011020976.

WILLNER-PARDO, Gina. Prettiest Doll. 240p. Clarion. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-68170-2; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-68171-9.

YOUNG, Janet Ruth. My Beautiful Failure. 304p. S & S/Atheneum. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-5489-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4669-4.

YOUNG, Moira. Rebel Heart. Bk. 2. 432p. (Dust Lands Series). S & S/McElderry. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3000-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3340-3.

YOVANOFF, Brenna. Paper Valentine. 304p. Penguin/Razorbill. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59514-599-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-10160-408-3.

Nonfiction

ADLER, David A. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. 144p. bibliog. chron. illus. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. Holiday House. 2013. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2365-1.

BAILEY, Diane. Democracy. ISBN 978-1-4222-2137-2.

DAVIDSON, Tish. Theocracy. ISBN 978-1-4222-2143-3.

HEITS, Rudolph T. Communism. ISBN 978-1-4222-2136-5.

PULDITOR, Seth H. Fascism. ISBN 978-1-4222-2139-6.
ea vol: 64p. (Major Forms of World Government Series). bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. notes. photos. websites. Mason Crest. 2012. PLB $22.95.

BATTEN, Jack. Oscar Peterson. 144p. bibliog. discography. index. notes. photos. Tundra. 2012. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-77049-269-1. LC 2011940582.

BONDY, Halley. Don’t Sit on the Baby!: The Ultimate Guide to Sane, Skilled, and Safe Babysitting. 128p. illus. index. websites. Zest. 2012. pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-0-9827322-3-6. LC 2011942757. é

BOSHIER, Rosa. How to Analyze the Works of Virginia Woolf. ISBN 978-1-61783-459-2. LC 2012016734.

HINDS, Maurene J. How to Analyze the Works of Toni Morrison. ISBN 978-1-61783-458-5. LC 2012016736.

PETERSON-HILLEQUE, Victoria. How to Analyze the Works of Sylvia Plath. ISBN 978-1-61783-457-8. LC 2012016735.
ea vol: 112p. (Essential Critiques Series). bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. notes. photos. websites. ABDO. 2012. PLB $34.22.

CURRIE, Stephen. The Black Death. ISBN 978-1-60152-480-5. LC 2012021114.
–––– . The Renaissance. ISBN 978-1-60152-189-7. LC 2011048993.
ea vol: 96p. (Understanding World History Series). chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. websites. ReferencePoint. 2012. PLB $27.95.

DELANO, Marfé Ferguson. Master George’s People: George Washington, His Slaves, and His Revolutionary Transformation. 62p. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. notes. photos. reprods. websites. National Geographic. 2013. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-0759-1; PLB $27.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-0760-7. LC 2012024295.

DEMI . The Great Voyages of Zheng He. illus. by author. 64p. Shen’s. 2012. Tr $21.95. ISBN 978-1-885008-45-9.

DOBSON, Jolie. The Duct Tape Book: 25 Projects to Make with Duct Tape. 144p. diags. illus. photos. Firefly.2012. pap. $14.95. ISBN 978-1-77085-098-9.

DOWN, Susan Brophy. Irena Sendler: Bringing Life to Children of the Holocaust. 112p. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Crabtree. 2012. PLB $33.27. ISBN 978-0-7787-2553-4; pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-2556-5. LC 2012008274.

GEVINSON, Tavi Ed. Rookie Yearbook One. 352p. Drawn & Quarterly. 2012. pap. $29.95. ISBN 978-1-77046-112-3.

GREEN, Jen. Conservation. ISBN 978-1-4329-6516-7; ISBN 978-1-4329-6522-8. LC 2012000824.
–––– . Food and Farming. ISBN 978-1-4329-6517-4; ISBN 978-1-4329-6523-5. LC 2012001033.

MORRIS, Neil. The Landscape. ISBN 978-1-4329-6518-1; ISBN 978-1-4329-6524-2. LC 2012001036.

SOLWAY, Andrew. Transportation. ISBN 978-1-4329-6520-4; ISBN 978-1-4329-6526-6. LC 2012001043.

SPILSBURY, Richard. Towns and Cities. ISBN 978-1-4329-6519-8; ISBN 978-1-4329-6525-9. LC 2012001039.
ea vol: 64p. (The Impact of Environmentalism Series). maps. photos. chron. further reading. glossary. index. websites. Heinemann/Raintree. 2012. PLB $35; pap. $9.99.

GRIFFITHS, Andy. What Body Part Is That?: A Wacky Guide to the Funniest, Weirdest, and Most Disgustingest Parts of Your Body. illus. by Terry Denton. 192p. appendix. diags. index. Feiwel & Friends.2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-312-36790-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-466-82759-2.

HAVEMEYER, Janie. Njinga: “The Warrior Queen”. illus. by Peter Malone. 32p. bibliog. charts. illus. maps. photos. reprods. Goosebottom. 2012. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-0-9834256-6-3. LC 2011941874.

HOLZER, Harold. Lincoln: How Abraham Lincoln Ended Slavery in America. 240p. appendix. bibliog. chron. notes. photos. Newmarket. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-226509-8.

KACER, Kathy, ed. We Are Their Voice: Young People Respond to the Holocaust. 232p. (The Holocaust Remembrance Series for Young Readers). further reading. glossary. illus. photos. Second Story. 2012. pap. $16.95. ISBN 978-1-926920-77-1.

LANDAU, Jennifer. How to Beat Psychological Bullying. ISBN 978-1-4488-6809-4; ISBN 978-1-4488-6826-1. LC 2011041623.

PETERSON, Judy Monroe. How to Beat Cyberbullying. ISBN 978-1-4488-6810-0; ISBN 978-1-4488-6825-4. LC 2011043256.

SONNEBORN, Liz. How to Beat Verbal Bullying. ISBN 978-1-4488-6811-7; ISBN 978-1-4488-6828-5. LC 2012003926.
ea vol: 48p. (Beating Bullying Series). photos. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. websites. Rosen Central. 2012. PLB $29.25; ebook $29.25.

LEGRAND, Eric with Mike Yorkey. Believe: The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand. 214p. photos.HarperCollins/Harper. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-222582-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-222584-9.

LINCOLN, Abraham. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. illus. by James Daugherty. 48p. Albert Whitman. Feb. 2013. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-4550-8.

LLANAS, Sheila. How to Analyze the Works of Suzanne Collins. ISBN 9781617834561; ISBN 9781614789574.LC 2012013118.

VAN ZEE, Amy. How to Analyze the Works of C. S. Lewis. ISBN 978-1-61783-455-4; ISBN 978-1-61478-956-7.LC 2012007215.
ea vol: 112p. (Essential Critiques Series). bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. notes. photos. websites. ABDO. 2012. PLB $34.22; ebook $34.22.

MICHAEL, Ted, Nic Cory, & Mara Jill Herman. So You Want to Be a Superstar?: The Ultimate Audition Guide.152p. further reading. websites. Running Pr. 2012. pap. $10.95. ISBN 978-0-7624-4610-0. LC 2012932845.

MILLER, Brandon Marie. Women of the Frontier: 16 Tales of Trailblazing Homesteaders, Entrepreneurs, and Rabble-Rousers , rev. ed. 272p. Chicago Review Pr. Feb. 2013. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-883052-97-3.

SCHROEDER, Andreas. Robbers!: True Stories of the World’s Most Notorious Thieves. illus. by Rémy Simard. 160p. (It Actually Happened Series). bibliog. further reading. index. Annick. 2012. PLB $21.95. ISBN 978-1-55451-441-0; pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-55451-440-3.

SKRYPUCH, Marsha Forchuk. One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way. 128p. further reading. index. photos. websites. Pajama Press. Feb. 2013. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-927485-01-9.

WATKINS, Angela Ferris, ed. Martin Luther King Jr.: A King Family Tribute. 96p. index. Abrams. 2013. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0269-3. LC 2012008320.

PULLMAN, Philip. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version. 400p. bibliog. Viking. 2012. Tr $27.95. ISBN 978-0-670-02497-1; ebook $14.99. ISBN 978-1-101-60103-7.
Fifty tales are retold in this witty, fast-paced, and entertaining collection. In fairy-tale tradition, Pullman adds his own modern phraseology and an occasional event to the “originals” when he believes it will be an improvement. The conceits of the genre are respected and adhered to but the subtle changes make the stories compelling. It is charming to think of the Brave Little Tailor as “a weapon of mass destruction.” This and a few other modernisms enliven the narratives. Pullman effectively makes use of other sources to tell the stories: an Uncle Remus conclusion for the ending of “The Cat and the Mouse Set Up House” and the epigram in “The Robber Bridegroom” from “Mr. Fox,” which is similar to Much Ado About Nothing. He attributes and incorporates the original tellers and writers as collected by the Grimms as well as authors of other variants and other folktales. Each selection is referenced by type, source, and similar tale. Mention of the psychologist Bruno Bettelheim and scholars such as Maria Tatar, Jack Zipes, and Marina Warner point to varying interpretations of the stories. The introduction conveys his purpose and presents some history of the Grimms and information about the fairy-tale conventions found in their tales. Others have presented the complete tales (Zipes) and annotated tales (Tatar) and there are countless picture-book adaptations. Pullman’s collection is noteworthy for the energetic pace of the stories and the subtle adaptations that make it accessible to modern readers. This is a collection for librarians and teachers to read aloud and to encourage listeners to imagine and retell in their own words.–Jackie Gropman, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, VA

TATAR, Maria, ed. The Annotated Brothers Grimm: Bicentennial Edition. tr. from German by editor. 576p. bibliog. further reading. illus. notes. Norton. 2012. Tr $35. ISBN 978-0-393-08886-1.
Fifty-two tales, many well-known and loved, some unfamiliar, and nine specifically for adults, are extensively illustrated with art from the works of Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane, Wanda Gag, Leslie Brooke, and others. Each tale is accompanied by copious annotations that highlight the changes from one Grimm edition to another, views and translations of other scholars, and Tatar’s own historical or cultural analysis. The preface, expanded from one and a half pages in the 2004 edition to six pages here, is a discussion of the significance of fairy tales that, through many retellings, have a “shared cultural repertoire.” A.S. Byatt’s thought-provoking introduction is a personal homage to the genre and discusses the conceits found in the tales, the psychological need in all societies for “untrue stories,” and an appreciation of their magic and mystery. The section called “Reading the Grimms” is a look at the origin of the tales, including Asian and European variants, and the brothers’ method of collecting. A biographical section includes information about the men’s personal lives, their interest in law and politics, and their other literary pursuits. The last section is a delightful compilation of brief essays by fairy-tale fans about the usefulness, delight, and pervasiveness of the tales. Rounding out the collection are an extensive bibliographies of books and illustrations. Academic enough for the scholarly and thoroughly engaging enough for general readers, this browsable collection will enchant fairy-tale lovers everywhere.–Jackie Gropman, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, VA

ZVIRIN, Stephanie. Read with Me: Best Books for Preschoolers. 184p. bibliog. further reading. illus. index. websites. ALA. 2012. pap. $18.95. ISBN 978-1-937589-03-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-937589-07-3. LC 201002405.
Zvirin has selected and annotated more than 300 books for adults to enjoy with preschoolers. She made her choices by talking to librarians as they compiled their lists of “best books” as well as by using blogs and listservs. She purposely does not suggest well-known classics such as Goodnight Moon in order to draw attention to titles published in the last decade. Her organizational plan is centered around common themes, running the gamut from books about “ME” to families, friendships, and make-believe. The annotations are thoughtful, yet casual and chatty, pointing out the reasons why children would enjoy a particular title. While Jim Trelease has long been recognized for his choices in his Read-Aloud Handbook (Peter Smith Pub., 2006), he covered a much wider age range and included many chapters with information about literacy and fostering the love of reading. Update a professional collection with Zvirin’s book or hand it to new
parents as a guide to their child’s early listening and reading adventures.–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

 HENKES, Kevin. Penny and Her Marble. illus. by author. 48p. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Mar. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208203-9; PLB $14.89. ISBN 978-0-06-208204-6. LC 2012000708.
PreS-Gr 2–In the latest installment in the series, the young mouse is pushing her doll’s stroller down the block when she spies a marble on her neighbor’s lawn. After furtively looking around, Penny drops it in her pocket and races home. At first she delights in her new treasure, enjoying how smooth it feels between her fingers and how fast it rolls across the floor, but then she is overcome with guilt for taking something that doesn’t belong to her. Henkes’s nuanced watercolor and ink illustrations capture the shame-filled mouse hiding behind curtains. As she continues to worry, she loses her appetite: “The oranges in the bowl looked like big orange marbles. The peas on her plate looked like little green marbles.” After a dream-filled night, Penny decides to put the marble back where she found it. When confronted by Mrs. Goodwin, Penny’s “cheeks were hot. She could not speak,” but her kind neighbor reassures her that she put the marble on the grass hoping someone would pick it up. Readers will empathize with Penny and her conflicted emotions. The short sentences with plenty of repetition and superb pacing make this title perfect for beginning readers. A treasure.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

 MESHON, Aaron. Take Me Out to the Yakyu. illus. by author. 40p. glossary. S & S/Atheneum. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4177-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4178-1. LC 2011050907.
K-Gr 2–A young boy compares and contrasts the game of baseball as it is played and enjoyed by fans in the United States and in Japan. He has the good fortune of experiencing the action in both countries. “My American pop pop takes me to watch baseball at the stadium./My Japanese ji ji takes me to watch yakyu at the dome.” Everything from transportation to and from the ballpark to snacks, souvenirs, and the appropriate cheers is included, as well as differences in the actual play. A glossary of both baseball and “Other Fun Words” is appended, as is an informative author’s note outlining other differences. The bright and cheerful acrylic illustrations feature shades of blue for the U. S. and reds for Japan, making it easy to distinguish between the two. The pages are nicely designed with clean lines and no clutter. A lively and enjoyable read for baseball fans, and a great choice for those compare-and-contrast lessons.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

 ROSENTHAL, Amy Krouse. Exclamation Mark. illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. 56p. Scholastic. Mar. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-43679-3.
Gr 1-5–Through a perfect pairing of clever design and tongue-in-cheek humor, Rosenthal and Lichtenheld effectively demonstrate the function of the exclamation mark (as well as the period and question mark) in this tale about a depressed punctuation mark that just doesn’t fit in. On an unadorned backdrop of lined paper, several periods and one exclamation mark are lined up in a row. Clearly, he stands out in a crowd. Like Elmer in David McKee’s classic tale, the exclamation mark struggles with his difference and tries to blend in. When the downcast punctuation meets a question mark who overwhelms him with inquiries, our hero finally finds his voice and tells the other to “Stop!” From there, he builds his confidence in making declarative statements and leaves the group “to make his mark.” Rosenthal shines in her play on words (“It was like he broke free from a life sentence”). Lichtenheld’s minimalist style is deceivingly simple; a curlicue or crumpled line, combined with an amazingly impressive circle with eyes and a mouth, is all that’s needed to convey emotion when the exclamation mark is “confused, flummoxed, and deflated.” This fun-to-read tale will find a ready home in language-arts lessons, reminding burgeoning elementary-age writers which punctuation personality belongs in which type of sentence–without the tedium that accompanies traditional grammar lessons. This one is a must-have!!!–Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, Farmington Hills, MI

 SCHMID, Paul. Perfectly Percy. illus. by author. 40p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-180436-6. LC 2011030447.
PreS-K–Percy is a porcupine with a problem. He loves balloons, but when he plays with them, they meet an unfortunate end. Big sister Pearl offers a creative, albeit “not very practical,” solution of sticking marshmallows onto his quills. Determined to find a better way, Percy “thought things all day. He thought thoughts through the night.” Inspiration strikes at breakfast, and the following page shows the prickly fellow sporting a cereal bowl on his head as he happily runs along with his favorite toy. The simple sentences are invitingly conversational in tone (“What’s a little porcupine to do?”). Schmid’s winsome charcoal and pastel illustrations show a charming, roly-poly character with dots for eyes and a tiny dash for a mouth. Percy’s features droop when he looks at his “trezr” chest full of deflated balloons, but a proud smile appears when he comes up with his own idea. A good choice for toddler storytimes.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

 WELLS, Rosemary. Time-Out for Sophie. illus. by author. 32p. Viking. 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78511-7. LC 2012015263.
PreS–When Mama gives her young mouse a bowl of macaroni and cheese, the toddler tosses it on the floor. Sophie repeats the behavior with a second serving, earning a time-out. Then, while “helping” Daddy with the laundry, she throws the basket of folded clothing on the floor twice for another time-out. But when she grabs the glasses off Granny’s nose, the elderly mouse stops reading to Sophie and takes a time-out for herself with her eyes closed. Sophie gets the message, returns the spectacles, and is rewarded with a cozy read on the sofa. The last page shows her in the bathtub, creating more mischief, in typical toddler fashion. As in her “Max and Ruby” (Viking) and “Yoko” (Hyperion) books, Wells’s signature artwork is vivid and pleasingly simple, and the characters are endearing. Reminiscent of Noisy Nora (Dial, 1973), this is a charming addition.–Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT

 WRIGHT, Joanna. Bunnies on Ice. illus. by author. 32p. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-404-2. LC 2012001187.
PreS-Gr 1–This budding champion (a white snow bunny) loves to ice skate so much that she patiently waits for perfect conditions.  When the other bunnies are doing summer things, she is planning what she will do when the snow falls. She proceeds to wait through the fall as she dresses her scarecrow with a pair of skates. Then when the snow arrives and the conditions seem right, she heads for the ice with her family as her support team. She boasts about all the maneuvers she hasn’t quite perfected yet, all while proclaiming her champion status. After a rigorous workout of not-so-perfect figure eights and leaps, she rewards herself with après skate indulgences, including hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows, and a warm bath. After her busy day, this little bunny goes to bed, ready to try again tomorrow. Wright has created a charming and determined character. The youngster’s fortitude and enthusiasm are admirable even if she isn’t as accomplished as she makes out to be. The dark-outlined illustrations are painted in soft hues. This sweet story about a bunny who is determined to follow her dream is a great addition.–Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT

 DEFELICE, Cynthia. Nelly May Has Her Say. illus. by Henry Cole. 32p. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson. Mar. 2013.RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-39899-6. LC 2011018484.
PreS-Gr 3–Nelly May Nimble lives in a tiny house with her parents and her 12 brothers and sisters. One day she announces that it’s time to earn her own keep, so she ventures off to the hilltop home of Lord Ignasius Pinkwinkle to hire out her services. Lord Pinkwinkle agrees with one condition; the master of the house has special names for things, and Nelly must use those names when she speaks to him. At first, Nelly obliges, addressing Lord Pinkwinkle as “Most Excellent of All Masters,” and using his silly monikers, such as “long-legged limberjohns” for trousers and a “flaming pop-and-sizzle” for his fireplace. But when Lord Pinkwinkle’s “fur-faced fluffenbarker’s wigger-wagger” catches fire, Nelly has to wake him and announce the fire before the house burns down. Can she remember all those silly names before a catastrophe happens? Cole’s illustrations juxtapose Nelly’s homestead in the “Bottoms” and Lord Pinkwinkle’s “roof-topped castleorum” with deft humor and a folk styling that is sure to appeal to young readers. Nelly is spirited and clever, most surely not just another “fuzzy-dust-and-fooder” that his “Most Excellent Master” thinks she is. With one smart heroine and witty wordplay, this book, which is based on the English folktale “Master of All Masters,” will delight.–Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools

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The following titles are reviewed in the February print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

Fiction

ATINUKE . The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird. illus. by Warwick Johnson Cadwell. 96p. Kane/Miller. 2012.pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-61067-052-4. LC 2010943436.

BAR-EL, Dan. Not Your Typical Dragon. illus. by Tim Bowers. 40p. Viking. Feb. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01402-6.

BEISER, Tim. Miss Mousie’s Blind Date. illus. by Rachel Berman. 24p. Tundra. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-77049-251-6; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-77049-363-6. LC 2011938763.

BOUDREAU, Hélène. I Dare You Not to Yawn . illus. by Serge Bloch. 32p. Candlewick. Mar. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5070-4.

BRANFORD, Anna. Violet Mackerel’s Remarkable Recovery. Bk. 2. illus. by Elanna Allen. 128p. (Violet Mackerel Series). S & S/Atheneum. Feb. 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3588-9; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3589-6; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3590-2. LC 2011023703.

BREEN, Steve. Pug & Doug. illus. by author. 32p. Dial. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3521-7.

BROUWER, Sigmund. Justine McKeen, Pooper Scooper . Bk. 3. illus. by Dave Whamond. 64p. (Orca Echos Series). Orca. 2012. pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-55469-931-5; ebook $4.99. ISBN 978-1-45980-317-6. LC 2011942591.

CLARK, Leslie Ann. Peepsqueak Wants a Friend! illus. by author. 32p. HarperCollins/Harper. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207804-9.

CLAYTON, Dallas. An Awesome Book of Love! illus. by author. 56p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211666-6.

COCCA-LEFFLER, Maryann. A Vacation for Pooch. illus. by author. 32p. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. Feb. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9106-9.

COFFELT, Nancy. Uh-Oh, Baby! illus. by Scott Nash. 40p. S & S/Aladdin. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9149-6; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-7166-5. LC 2010029299.

CORBETT, Susannah. One Cool Cat! illus. by David Roberts. 32p. Trafalgar Square. 2012. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4052-3035-3.

COVELL, David. Rat and Roach Rock On! illus. by author. 40p. Viking. Feb. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01410-1. LC 2012015577.

DESMOND, Jenni. Red Cat Blue Cat. illus. by author. 40p. Blue Apple. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-60905-248-5.

DOBBINS, Jan. A Farmer’s Life for Me. illus. by Laura Huliska-Beith. 24p. score. w/CD. Barefoot. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-84686-790-3. LC 2012014538.

DON, Lari, retel. Never Trust a Tiger: A Story from Korea. Bk. 2. ISBN 978-1-84686-776-7.
–––– . The Tortoise’s Gift: A Story from Zambia. Bk. 1. ISBN 978-1-84686-774-3. LC 2011032859.
ea vol: illus. by Melanie Williamson. 48p. (Animal Stories). Barefoot. 2012. pap. $7.99.

EMPSON, Jo. Rabbityness. illus. by author. 32p. Child’s Play. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-84643-492-1.

HANNA, Virginie. Shelby the Flying Snail. tr. from French by Susan Allen Maurin. illus. by Amandine Piu. 32p.Auzou. 2012. pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-2-7338-1946-3.

HANSEN, Justin Larocca. Monster Hunter. illus. by author. 32p. Sky Pony. 2012. Tr ISBN 978-1-61608-968-9.LC 2012015602.

HANSON, Warren. It’s Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones! illus. by Tricia Tusa. 32p. S & S/Beach Lane. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1229-3; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3621-3.

HARLEY, Bill. Lost and Found. illus. by Adam Gustavson. 40p. Peachtree. 2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-628-4. LC 2011020972.

HARRINGTON, Janice N. Busy-Busy Little Chick. 32p. glossary. Farrar. Feb. 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-374-34746-8. LC 2012004871.

HIMMELMAN, John. Katie and the Puppy Next Door. illus. by author. 32p. Holt. Mar. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9484-8. LC 2012006323.

HOBAN, Russell. Rosie’s Magic Horse. illus. by Quentin Blake. 40p. Candlewick. Feb. 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6400-8.

HOWARD, Martin. Germs!: An Epic Tale on a Tiny Scale! illus. by Colin Stimpson. 32p. Trafalgar Square. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-84365-119-2.

IS THAT YOU, WOLF? illus. by Steve Cox. 22p. Barron’s. 2012. BD $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7641-6560-3. LC 2012931805.

JONES, Allan. The Ice Gate of Spyre. Bk. 2. illus. by Gary Chalk. 160p. (Six Crowns Series).HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-200633-2; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209842-9. LC 2012022888.

JORDAN, Mary Ellen. Lazy Daisy, Cranky Frankie. illus. by Andrew Weldon. 24p. Albert Whitman. Mar. 2013.Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-4400-6.

JUDGE, Lita. Red Hat. illus. by author. 40p. S & S/Atheneum. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4232-0; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4233-7. LC 2012002600.

KAPLAN, Michael B. Betty Bunny Didn’t Do It. illus. by Stéphane Jorisch. 32p. Dial. Feb. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3858-4. LC 2012014367.

KIMURA, Ken. 999 Frogs. tr. from Japanese. illus. by Yasunari Murakami. 48p. NorthSouth. Mar. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-7358-4108-6.

KIRK, David. Oh So Tiny Bunny. illus. by author. 40p. Feiwel & Friends. Feb. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-250-01688-1.

KOOLEN, Maayken & Nickie Theunissen. The Kidnapping of Mona Lisa. tr. from Dutch. illus. by authors. 14p. Clavis. 2012. BD $16.95. ISBN 978-1-60537-139-9.

KRAUSE, Ute. Nick and the Nasty Knight. tr. from German by author. illus. by author. 32p. NorthSouth. 2012.Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-7358-4091-1.

LALLEMAND, Orianne. The Wolf Who Didn’t Want to Walk Anymore. tr. from French by Susan Allen Maurin. illus. by Eleonore Thuillier. 32p. Auzou. 2012. pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-2-7338-2149-7.

LANGE, Willem. The White-Footed Mouse. illus. by Bert Dodson. 32p. Bunker Hill. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-59373-109-0.

LANGREUTER, Jutta. There’s No One I Love Like You. tr. from German by Rebecca Morrison. illus. by Stephanie Dahle. 32p. NorthSouth. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-7358-4126-0.

LARSEN, Andrew. Bye, Bye, Butterflies! illus. by Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli. 32p. diags. maps. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2012. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55455-220-7. LC 20129011290.

LATIMER, Alex. Penguin’s Hidden Talent. illus. by author. 32p. Peachtree. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-629-1. LC 2011020996.

LODGE, Jo. Come and Play, Mr Croc: A Flap and Pop-Up Book. illus. by author. 18p. Trafalgar Square. 2012.Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-340-93118-9.

LUNDE, Stein Erik. My Father’s Arms Are a Boat. tr. from Norwegian by Kari Dickson. illus. by Oyvind Torseter. 32p. Enchanted Lion. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-59270-124-7.

LYNN, Sarah. 1-2-3 Va-Va-Vroom!: A Counting Book. illus. by Daniel Griffo. 32p. Amazon. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6162-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6163-0. LC 2011036696.

MACCARONE, Grace. The Three Bears ABC: An Alphabet Book. illus. by Hollie Hibbert. 32p. Albert Whitman.Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-7823-0.

MACLACHLAN, Patricia. Nora’s Chicks. illus. by Kathryn Brown. 40p. Candlewick. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4753-7. LC 2012942387.

MAIER, Inger M. Ben’s Flying Flowers. illus. by Maria Bogade. 32p. Magination. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-4338-1132-6; Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-4338-1133-3. LC 2011040290.

MANUSHKIN, Fran. Big Brothers Are the Best. ISBN 978-1-4048-7137-3. LC 2011029604.
–––– . Big Sisters Are the Best. ISBN 978-1-4048-7138-0. LC 2011029605.
ea vol: illus. by Kirsten Richards. 24p. (Siblings Are the Best Series). Picture Window. 2012. PLB $21.32.

MARTIN, David. Peep and Ducky. illus. by David Walker. 32p. Candlewick. Feb. 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5039-1. LC 2012942391.

MARTIN, Don, Magy Martin, & Paige Krabill. They Call Me Fat Zoe: Helping Children and Families Overcome Obesity. illus. by Kathy Voerg. 48p. (A Let’s Talk Book Series). New Horizon Pr. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-88282-377-5. LC 2011928852.

MASSINI, Sarah. Trixie Ten. illus. by author. 32p. Holt. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9520-3. LC 2012011487.

MIYANISHI, Tatsuya. Mr. Reaper. tr. from Japanese. illus. by author. 32p. Vertical. 2012. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-935654-28-5.

MORA, Pat. The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe. illus. by Steve Johnson. 40p. Knopf. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86838-2; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96838-9; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-449-81706-3. LC 2011040784.

MULLARKEY, Lisa. TJ Zaps the Freeze Out: Stopping the Silent Treatment. Bk. 3. ISBN 978-1-61641-907-3.
–––– . TJ Zaps the New Kid: Stopping a Social Bully. Bk. 1. ISBN 978-1-61641-905-9.
–––– . TJ Zaps the One-Upper: Stopping One-Upping and Cell Phone Bullying. Bk. 2. ISBN 978-1-61641-906-6.
ea vol: illus. by Gary LaCoste. 80p. (TJ Trapper, Bully Zapper Series). further reading. glossary. websites. ABDO/Magic Wagon. 2012. PLB $27.07.

PEDERSEN, Laura. Unplugged: Ella Gets Her Family Back. illus. by Penny Weber. 32p. Tilbury. 2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-88448-337-3. LC 2012024397.

REIDY, Jean. All Through My Town. illus. by Leo Timmers. 32p. Bloomsbury. Mar. 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-785-7; PLB $15.89. ISBN 978-1-61963-029-1.

REYNOLDS, Aaron. Pirates vs. Cowboys. illus. by David Barneda. 40p. Knopf. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85874-1.

RIVARD, Émilie. Really and Truly. tr. from French by Sarah Quinn. illus. by Anne-Claire Delisle. 24p. Owlkids.2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-926973-40-1. LC 2011943507.

ROBERT, Na’ima B. Going to Mecca. illus. by Valentina Cavallini. 28p. glossary. Frances Lincoln. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-84780-153-1.

SCANLON, Liz Garton. Happy Birthday, Bunny! illus. by Stephanie Graegin. 32p. S & S/Beach Lane. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0287-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4553-6. LC 2011018590.

SHERMAN, Caroline. A Dog’s Life. illus. by Donald Wu. 24p. Amazon. 2012. RTE $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6200-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6201-9. LC 2011048165.

SIMON, Norma. All Kinds of Friends. illus. by Cherie Zamazing. 32p. Albert Whitman. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-0283-9. LC 2012017376.

SINGER, Marilyn. Tallulah’s Toe Shoes. illus. by Alexandra Boiger. 48p. Clarion. Mar. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-48223-1.

SLEGERS, Liesbet. Fall Leaves. ISBN 978-1-60537-122-1.
–––– . Winter Snow. ISBN 978-1-60537-123-8.
ea vol: tr. from Dutch. illus. by author. 12p. Clavis. 2012. BD $5.95.

SLEGERS, Liesbet. Happy Easter! tr. from Dutch. illus. by author. 30p. Clavis. 2012. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-1-60537-114-6.

SMYTHE, Theresa. Chester’s Colorful Easter Eggs. illus. by author. 24p. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. Feb. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9326-1.

SNYDER, Laurel. The Longest Night: A Passover Story. illus. by Catia Chien. 40p. glossary. Random/Schwartz and Wade. Feb. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86942-6; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96942-3; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98781-6. LC 2011011009.

SPECK, Katie. Maybelle and the Haunted Cupcake. illus. by Paul Rátz de Tagyos. 64p. Holt. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9468-8; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4299-6399-2.

SPRINGSTUBB, Tricia. Phoebe & Digger. illus. by Jeff Newman. 32p. Candlewick. Mar. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5281-4. LC 2012942614.

STOEKE, Janet Morgan. Letting Go. illus. by author. 32p. (The Loopy Coop Hens Series). Dial. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3768-6.

THOMPSON, Lauren. Polar Bear Morning. illus. by Stephen Savage. 32p. Scholastic. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-439-69885-6.

TOLMAN, Marije & Ronald Tolman. The Island. tr. from Dutch. illus. by authors. 32p. Lemniscaat. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-9359-5419-4.

TRENC, Milan. Another Night at the Museum. illus. by author. 32p. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. Mar. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-8948-6. LC 2011043473.

TRICE, Linda. Kenya’s Song. illus. by Pamela Johnson. 32p. Charlesbridge. Feb. 2013. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-57091-846-9; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-57091-847-6; ebook $6.99. ISBN 978-1-60734-589-3. LC 2012000787.

VAN GENECHTEN, Guido. Little Snowman Stan: Can’t We Share? tr. from Dutch. illus. by author. 30p. Clavis. 2012. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-60537-121-4.

WATSON, Tom. Stick Dog: A Really Good Story with Kind of Bad Drawings. illus. by author. 192p.HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211078-7; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211079-4. LC 2012019093.

YUNGER, Joshua. Hippo and Monkey. illus. by author. 48p. Bunker Hill. 2012. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-59373-107-6.

Nonfiction

ALBER, Merryl. And the Tide Comes In…: Exploring a Georgia Salt Marsh . illus. by Joyce Mihran Turley. 32p. diags. maps. Taylor Trade. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-9817700-5-5.

AZIZI, Sara, retel. The Knight, the Princess and the Magic Rock: A Classic Persian Tale. illus. by Alireza Sadeghiam. 32p. Wisdom Tales. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-937786-01-4.

BELLISARIO, Gina. Let’s Meet a Firefighter. illus. by Ed Myer. ISBN 978-0-7613-9025-1; ISBN 978-1-4677-0802-9; ISBN 978-1-4677-1046-6. LC 2012022479.
–––– . Let’s Meet a Librarian. illus. by Ed Myer. ISBN 978-0-7613-9027-5; ISBN 978-1-4677-0803-6; ISBN 978-1-4677-1047-3. LC 2012022460.
–––– . Let’s Meet a Police Officer. illus. by Cale Atkinson. ISBN 978-0-7613-9024-4; ISBN 978-1-4677-0804-3; ISBN 978-1-4677-1048-0. LC 2012010393.

HEOS, Bridget. Let’s Meet a Construction Worker. illus. by Mike Moran. ISBN 978-0-7613-9023-7; ISBN 978-1-4677-0799-2; ISBN 978-1-4677-1043-5. LC 2012019101.
–––– . Let’s Meet a Teacher. illus. by Kyle Poling. ISBN 978-0-7613-9026-8; ISBN 978-1-4677-0805-0; ISBN 978-1-4677-1050-3. LC 2012022481.
ea vol: 24p. (Cloverleaf Books-Community Helpers Series). further reading. glossary. index. websites. Millbrook. Feb. 2013. PLB $23.93; pap. $6.95; ebook $17.95.

BRAUNSTEIN, Leslie. I’m in Love with a Big Blue Frog. illus. by Joshua S. Brunet. 28p. discography. w/CD.Imagine/A Peter Yarrow Bk. Feb. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-936140-37-4.

BURLEIGH, Robert. Look Up!: Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer. illus. by Raúl Colón. 32p. bibliog. further reading. glossary. websites. S & S/Paula Wiseman Bks. Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-5819-2; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-81107.

CLAY, Kathryn. Farm Dogs. ISBN 978-1-4296-8651-8. LC 2011049861.
–––– . Goats. ISBN 978-1-4296-8649-5. LC 2011049978.
ea vol: 24p. (Farm Animals Series). further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Capstone/Pebble Bks.2012. PLB $24.65.

DE CAPUA, Sarah. Serving on a Jury. ISBN 978-0-531-26042-5. LC 2012000628.
–––– . Voting. ISBN 978-0-531-26043-2. LC 2012000628.
ea vol: 48p. (A True Book Series). bibliog. chron. glossary. index. photos. websites. Children’s Press. 2012. PLB $29.

DE LA BÉDOYÈRE, Camilla. Great White Shark. ISBN 978-1-60992-370-9.
–––– . Hammerhead Shark. PLB $17.95. ISBN 978-1-60992-371-6.
ea vol: 24p. (Discover Sharks Series). photos. glossary. QEB. 2012. PLB $25.65.

FERRER, J. J. The Art of Stone Skipping and Other Fun Old-Time Games: Stoopball, Jacks, String Games, Coin Flipping, Line Baseball, Jump Rope, and More. 192p. illus. index. Imagine. Feb. 2013. pap. $14.95. ISBN 978-1-936140-74-9. LC 2012015052.

FRANKEL, Erin. Dare! Bk. 2. ISBN 978-1-57542-399-9. LC 2012006159.
–––– . Tough! Bk. 3. ISBN 978-1-57542-400-2. LC 2012006160.
–––– . Weird! Bk. 1. ISBN 978-1-57542-398-2. LC 2012006157.
ea vol: illus. by Paula Heaphy. 48p. (The Weird Series). Free Spirit. 2012. RTE $15.99.

GOSMAN, Gillian. I Have an Ear Infection. ISBN 978-1-4488-7413-2. LC 2011051401.
–––– . I Have Chicken Pox. ISBN 978-1-4488-7411-8. LC 2011049712.
–––– . I Have Pinkeye. ISBN 978-1-4488-7410-1. LC 2011049574.
–––– . I Have Strep Throat. ISBN 978-1-4488-7412-5. LC 2011050677.
ea vol: 24p. (Get Well Soon! Series). diags. photos. glossary. index. websites. Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2012.PLB $22.60.

GRIMM, THE BROTHERS. Snow White and Rose Red: A Pop-Up Fairytale. illus. by Rachel Cloyne. 18p. Tango.2012. BD $19.99. ISBN 978-1-85707-881-7.

HARRIS, Trudy. The Royal Treasure Measure. illus. by Ivica Stevanovic. 32p. (Math Is Fun! Series). Millbrook.2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-6806-9. LC 2011045862.

HUGHES, Langston. Lullaby (For a Black Mother) . illus. by Sean Qualls. 32p. further reading. photos.Houghton Harcourt. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-36265-6.

KRULL, Kathleen. Louisa May’s Battle: How the Civil War Led to Little Women. illus. by Carlyn Beccia. 48p. bibliog. further reading. maps. websites. Walker. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-9668-4. LC 2012016633.

KVATUM, Lia. Saving Yasha: The Incredible True Story of an Adopted Moon Bear. 32p. further reading. maps. websites. National Geographic . 2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-1051-5; PLB $25.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-1076-8.

LATHROP, Tom. The Misadventures of Don Quixote. illus. by Jack Davis. 32p. LinguaText. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-942566-58-1.

LEWIS, J. Patrick. World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of. illus. by Anna Raff. 40p. Candlewick. Mar. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5402-3. LC 2012942612.

MACAULAY, David with Sheila Keenan. Jet Plane: How It Works. illus. by David Macaulay. 32p. Roaring Brook/David Macaulay Studio. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-764-7; pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-767-8. LC 2011962160.

MORSE, Benjamin. The Oldest Bedtime Story Ever. Bk. 1. illus. by author. 80p. (The Bible Beautiful Series). further reading. notes. Orson. 2012. Tr $30. ISBN 978-0-9858135-0-5.

MOULD, Chris. Fangs ‘n’ Fire: Ten Dragon Tales . illus. by author. 96p. Trafalgar Square. 2012. pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4449-0616-5.

NOVESKY, Amy. Imogen: The Mother of Modernism and Three Boys. illus. by Lisa Congdon. 32p. further reading. photos. websites. Cameron. 2012. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-937359-32-4.

PRELUTSKY, Jack. Stardines Swim High Across the Sky: and Other Poems. illus. by Carin Berger. 40p.HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Mar. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-201464-1; PLB $18.89. ISBN 978-0-06-201465-8. LC 2011025993.

ROSEN, Michael. Bananas in My Ears: A Collection of Silly Nonsense Stories, Poems, Riddles & Rhymes. illus. by Quentin Blake. 96p. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6248-6.

SAYRE, April Pulley. Here Come the Humpbacks! illus. by Jamie Hogan. 40p. Charlesbridge. Feb. 2013. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-58089-405-0; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-58089-406-7; ebook $6.99. ISBN 978-1-60734-586-2. LC 2012000785.

SHANNON, George. Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? illus. by Julie Paschkis. 32p. Holt. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9197-7. LC 2012010162.

STONE, Tanya Lee. Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell. illus. by Marjorie Priceman. 40p. bibliog. photos. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. Feb. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9048-2. LC 2011043528.

YIM, Natasha. Sacajawea of the Shoshone. illus. by Albert Nguyen. 32p. (Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses Series). bibliog. chron. maps. photos. reprods. Goosebottom. 2012. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-0-9845098-6-7. LC 2011941875.

BiblioBoard. BiblioLabs LLC. Version 2.0.1. 2012. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Free. $9.99 to $15.99 for individual anthologies. 

Gr 10 Up–As first glance, the Biblioboard app is equal parts inspiring and overwhelming. It offers more than 100 anthologies, and, within each curation, access to free content.

The 60-plus volumes in Brontë Sisters: A Historical Collection provides selections under “Novels,” “Poetry,” “Biographical Works,” “Critical Essays,” and “Images.” It affords a rare glimpse into the sisters’ lives through traditional biographies as well as a series of well-organized letters to and from Charlotte, Anne, and Emily, their father, and friends. Readers can also examine portraits of the women, their home, and a reproduction of each sister’s pen name signature, all of which are likely to ignite a discussion of a woman’s place in the literary world of the 19th century. It would be difficult to find a more complete anthology of the Brontës’s work in one place with such a small footprint.

John Keats: A Historical Collection presents such telling works as A Day with Keats, by his contemporary May Clarissa Gillington Byron. There are also romantic gems such as Keats’s Letters to Fanny Brawne, written to his fiancée from Rome before the English poet succumbed to tuberculosis at age 25.

Keats’s poems are represented as is his correspondence. Completing the anthology, which totals more than 70 volumes, are “Memoirs,” “Critical Essays,” “Souvenirs,” and “Images.” Viewing pages of the original editions of the poet’s work evokes the romanticism these verses warrant, while the color illustrations add a dimension and context not often found in other resources.

On the topic of Socrates: Father of Western Philosophy, there are a number of biographical and contextual essays that offer a look at the philosopher’s daily interactions and the era in which he lived. Scholarly revelations about Socrates’s influence on the writings of Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes are also presented. The depth and language of these works makes them most suited for advanced placement or college students, but items such as the reproduction of a papyrus Fragment of a Third Century Copy of Plato’s ‘Republic’ provides relevance for any reader.

While some may value these collections as primary source material or historical artifacts, there is much here for students of literature and philosophy to peruse. They’re sure to find something that speaks to them.—Danielle Farinacci, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, San Francisco, CA

Pyramids 3D: Wonders of the Old Kingdom. Zahi Hawass and Sandro Vannini. Touch Press/ Heritage World Press/ Laboratoriorosso; 2012; Version 1.0.1, iOS, requires 5.1 or later. $13.99.
Gr 6 Up–On opening this app, viewers soar over the Giza Plateau under the bright desert sun while the sounds of birds and the wind are heard in the background. In all, there are nine “Places” to visit at this ancient necropolis from King Khafre’s Tomb to The Great Pyramid. Tapping on the entrance to a monument will bring viewers inside. Once there, they can take a virtual tour of the pyramid or tomb, methodically following arrows and using the floor plan as a guide, or touching the floors and walls to move about independently within the labyrinths. The “Expert Intros” for each location, the only audio provided within this app, are informative, yet all too brief.

A menu at the top of each screen provides an index of sites to explore and “Quick tips” explains how to navigate within the monuments. Illuminated areas signal statues, wall carvings, and drawings that offer additional information. A tap on a picture label provides a description of the work. Throughout the app, scenes offer a “Then and Now” feature allowing users to toggle between the clean lines, vibrant colors, and smooth surfaces that artists imagine these walls and items had millennia ago, and the fading colors and damage wrought by time, and in some cases, vandalism.

An “Objects” option presents viewers with a collection of 40 artifacts, each of which can be enlarged and rotated 360 degrees. The clarity of detail is noteworthy. Particularly stunning is the “Golden Mask of Tutankhamun,” which shines as users tip their iPads to fully appreciate the pairing of ancient artistry and modern technology. Other artifacts include statues and statuettes, a gold-handled knife, and a piece of jewelry. For each item, details (size, material, etc.) and notes are provided.

The accompanying text offers chapters on topics ranging from “A Brief History of Ancient Egypt” to “The Discovery of the Solar Boats.” Fascinating details along with a timeline and numerous images of the site and artifacts are included. A postscript by the author and noted Egyptian archeologist Hawass discusses recent political developments in Egypt, the plans for the Giza Plateau, its protection, and continued excavation.

Both the spectacular photography by Sandro Vannini and superb 3-D imaging will impress viewers, who will undoubtedly wish the app contained a larger collection of images and locations to explore. A splendid production.–Deirdre Reddington, Uniondale High School, Uniondale, NY

Exclamation Mark (Rosenthal) ©2013 by Tom Lichtenheld

Preschool to Grade 4

BEAN, Jonathan. Building Our House. illus. by author. Farrar. 2013. p. 71.

DEFELICE, Cynthia. Nelly May Has Her Say. illus. by Henry Cole. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson. Mar. 2013. p. 92.

HENKES, Kevin. Penny and Her Marble. illus. by author. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Mar. 2013. p. 76.

MESHON, Aaron. Take Me Out to the Yakyu. illus. by author. S & S/Atheneum. Feb. 2013. p. 82.

ROSENTHAL, Amy Krouse. Exclamation Mark. illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic. Mar. 2013. p. 85.

SCHMID, Paul. Perfectly Percy. illus. by author. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. p. 85.

WELLS, Rosemary. Time-Out for Sophie. illus. by author. Viking. 2013. p. 90.

WRIGHT, Joanna. Bunnies on Ice. illus. by author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 2013. p. 90.

GRADES 5 & UP

CHENG, Andrea. Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet. illus. by author. Lee & Low.2013. p. 117.

FORMAN, Gayle. Just One Day. Dutton. 2013. p. 102.

MURDOCH, Emily. If You Find Me. St. Martin’s Griffin. Mar. 2013. p. 110.

ROWELL, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. St. Martin’s Griffin. Mar. 2013. p. 113.

SHEPHERD, Megan. The Madman’s Daughter. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. p. 113.

Reference

SNODGRASS, Mary Ellen. World Food: An Encyclopediaof History, Culture, and Social Influence from Hunter-Gatherers to the Age of Globalization. M.E. Sharpe. 2012. p. 68.

DVD

Hi! Fly Guy. Weston Woods. p. 51.

Show Way. Weston Woods. p. 52.

Cape Spin. Video Project. p. 52.

AUDIO

Barber of the Beasts. CD Universe. p. 59.

Bully Bystander, Bullied. CDBaby. p. 60.

Great Unexpected. Recorded Books. p. 54.

Necromancing the Stone. Recorded Books. p. 56.

Ozomatli Presents OzoKids. Hornblow Grouop/Megaforce Records. p. 61.

Path of Beasts. Listening Library. p. 57.

Personal Effects. Brilliance Audio. p. 57.

Sophia’s War. Recorded Books. p. 58.

We Are America. Live Oak Media. p. 58.

Hi! Fly Guy (Weston Woods) ©2005 by Tedd Arnold

 Hi! Fly Guy. DVD. 7 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-47807-6. $59.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-47823-6: $29.95; CD with paperback book, ISBN 978-0-545-47822-9: $18.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-47806-9: $12.95.
PreS-Gr 2–Fly Guy’s adventures begin with Tedd Arnold’s Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book (Cartwheel, 2005), and the sweet series for beginning readers soars to new heights with this outstanding DVD version. Buzz is looking for a smart pet to take to the Amazing Pet Show, and finds one talented fly for his jar. Is it a pest or a pet? Despite the naysayers, Fly Guy proves himself to be one fine flyer and a loyal pet. MacLeod Andrews gives an energetic and varied vocal performance and the animation by Soup2Nuts is hilarious. Best of all, the accompanying music and the Fly Guy song set the scene for a completely satisfying production. Rusty Young and Jack Sundrud’s musical stylings include a sliding clarinet, a guitar, and a harmonica as they steal the show while providing a spot-on match for Fly Guy’s humor and loop-the-loop aerial act. Special effects, from burps to buzzes, further enliven the text. Children will love the DVD and the CD as read-along aids or as pure, joyful entertainment. A delightful interview with the author follows the production. A brilliant marriage of text, art, and music.–Lonna Pierce, MacArthur and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Binghamton, NY

 Show Way. DVD. 12 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-47811-3. 59.95. CD, ISBN 978-0-545-47810-6: $12.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0545-47827-4: $29.95.
Gr 2-5–A Show Way was a quilt that had messages stitched into it showing the family’s journey North to freedom, offering hope and a guide for slaves in the South. That theme of “leading the way” is a thread running through Jackqueline Woodson’s carefully woven story (Putnam, 2005). Soonie’s great-grandma was only a child when she was sold away from her parents. The patchwork quilts that she pieced contained clues leading to freedom. She passed her skill and knowledge on to her daughter, and so it went—generation after generation of strong women, each adding their own piece to the patchwork of their family history. From slavery to civil rights to the author’s own daughter, viewers follow this celebration of the guiding influence that strong women can have in a family. Woodson has chosen each word with particular care, and the personal warmth shines through as she reads her own work with a smile in her voice. Hudson Talbott’s amazing multimedia illustrations joyously play on the quilt theme in wonderful spreads of both patterns and history. To see the author’s own child included in the illustrations at the end of a quilted line of strong women, her face the center of the “North Star” pattern, is heart-touching. There is also a brief interview with the author as she talks about her ancestors and the process of writing the story. This is a wonderful homage to the power of knowing your own history and being true to those who have shown you the way to follow your own dreams.–Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA

 Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle. DVD. 86 min. Prod. by the Electron Project. Dist. by Video Project. 2012. ISBN unavail. $89.
Gr 9 Up–The political, social, and cultural dimensions of the campaign to establish the United State’s first offshore wind farm in Massachusetts’ famed Nantucket Sound is chronicled in this excellent program. This debate, which began in 2001 and went on for more than 10 years, is a complex tangle of regional and national political bedfellows, environmentalism, elitism, and localism. From the fisherman to the Kennedys, from Bill Koch to the Native American tribes, from Ken Salazar to Green Peace, the whole spectrum of concerned citizenry expresses their varied points of view—with plenty of inaccuracy and hypocrisy to go around. While there is a pro-clean energy leitmotif throughout the documentary, the directors do depict supporters and detractors with a fair hand. Through a satirical soundtrack and flashy graphic representations, viewers get a fuller sense of all the factors that inform a local campaign with national consequences. It is a humorous study in government process, media spin, grassroots advocacy, and the burgeoning field of eco-capitalism. Cape Spin is highly recommended for use in history, civics, environmental science, or political science classes at the high school, community college, and university level.–Vincent M. Livoti, University of Maine at August

 The Great Unexpected. By Sharon Creech. 5 cassettes or 5 CDs. 5:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2004-1, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-205-8. $51.75.
Gr 5-7–Two seemingly unique communities are entwined through history and fate in a way that only Sharon Creech can manage in her story (HarperCollins, 2012) about friendship. Naomi Dean, who has a habit of always being around when trouble starts, lives with her guardians in the little town of Blackbird Tree, and is best friends with Lizzie Scatterding, who “could talk the ears off a cornfield.” Things get interesting the day that the charming young Finn boy drops out of a tree and sets in motion some very strange and unexpected events. While the two girls puzzle over his appearance and compete for his attention, two ladies in Ireland are planning a few unusual things of their own. How the author ties all of the characters on both sides of the Atlantic together is slightly contrived, but her hints and clues keep the plot moving smoothly and logically. There are locked trunks, dogs, significant trees, Finns, and black birds in both communities, although the birds are called rooks in Ireland. Heather O’Neill and Erin Moon give each character a delightful and recognizable voice; Naomi’s is sweet and charming, Mrs. Kavanaugh’s is elegant, Mr. Farley and Crazy Cora sound elderly and gruff. Only the sing-song voice of Lizzie sounds out of place and slightly bothersome. As usual, Creech’s language and descriptions are vivid and beautiful. Rich symbolism abounds, and many common threads are woven together at the novel’s conclusion.–MaryAnn Karre, West Middle School, Binghamton, NY

 Necromancing the Stone. By Lish McBride. 9 cassettes or 9 CDs. 11:45 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012.cassette: ISBN 978-1-4498-4678-1, CD: ISBN 978-1-4498-4679-4. $97.75.
Gr 9 Up–After killing Douglas Montgomery, an evil necromancer, in an act of self-defense, Sam LaCroix inherits all of his property, including his house and James, the pukis or house spirit. Sam also thinks he has absorbed all of Douglas’s ability to raise the dead. He’s struggling with his new powers, dealing with his friend Ramon’s transformation as a werebear, trying to train with his girlfriend Brid’s werewolf brothers, and adjusting to his place on the supernatural Council, when his sister is threatened. Sam knows the person is trying to get to him, and when Brid’s father, Brannick, is murdered, the killer appears to be a necromancer. Sam doesn’t realize that Douglas is back from the dead and, with the help of James, he may finish the job he started with Sam. If Sam can’t prove he didn’t kill Brannick, he may lose the support of the pack and be at the mercy of his worst enemy. In McBride’s witty and sarcastic sequel (2012) to Hold Me Closer Necromancer, (2010, both Holt), Jonathan Todd Ross captures Sam’s witty sarcasm and good-natured vulnerability and Chris Sorensen perfectly voices Douglas’s cold-heartedness. The author carries on with the themes of family, loyalty, betrayal, and redemption, and adds to this the theme of accepting responsibility. This volume is as darkly hilarious, horrifically suspenseful, and heartbreaking as the first book.–Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY

 Path of Beasts: The Keepers Trilogy, Book 3. By Lian Tanner. 6 CDs. 6:39 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library.Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-71091-8. $34.
Gr 3-6–After their perilous adventure in Spoke in City of Lies (2011), Goldie Roth and her friends have just returned to Jewel and are eager to see their homes and families again in the final title (2012, both Delacorte) in Tanner’s trilogy. Their joyous reunion is interrupted by the discovery that the Fugleman has taken over the city, with a mercenary army as well as his Blessed Guardians to enforce his orders. When the Fugleman brings a canon to the doors of the Museum, its up to Goldie and her friends to save both the Museum and the city, and to defeat the Fugleman once and for all. Their only hope lies at the end of the Beast Road, a path Goldie will walk knowing that no one has ever survived the journey. Fans of the previous titles will relish this thrilling and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Claudia Black returns for the final installment, providing the perfect vocal talent. Her smooth, pleasant voice for the third-person narration blends with shifts in pitch and accent for immediately recognizable characters. Not to be missed.–Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, CA

 Personal Effects. By E.M. Kokie. 8 CDs. 9:08 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-0637-0. $54.97.
Gr 9 Up–Matt has had a rough time coping since his brother’s death in Iraq left him alone with his abusive father. When his father tries to keep him from looking through his brother’s personal effects, Matt can no longer just do as he’s told. Convinced that his things will give Matt insight into TJ’s “real” life, Matt secretly defies his father and discovers that his brother had a secret significant other in Wisconsin. Needing to deliver TJ’s final unmailed letter, Matt heads for Madison to seek out C, only to find that there was even more to TJ’s secret than he’d thought. Matt must choose a path for his own future. Will he follow in his father’s footsteps or will he defy him and accept who TJ truly was. Kokie’s stellar debut novel (Candlewick, 2012) is narrated by Nick Podehl who easily captures an unsure teenager’s emotional struggle. As Matt strives to find his own self-worth and uncover his brother’s TJ’s secrets, Podehl draws listeners in and keeps them invested in Matt’s story. He fluidly evokes the wide gamut of emotions that Matt experiences, while still maintaining a sense of underlying grief throughout. The expert narration coupled with a powerful and heartfelt story make this audiobook a must have for all high school and public library collections.–Jessica Miller, West Springfield Public Library, MA

 Sophia’s War. By Avi. 6 cassettes or 6 CDs. 7:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2043-0, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2042-3. $66.75.
Gr 5-9–Set in 1776 during the American Revolution when New York was under siege by the British, Avi’s tale (Beach Lane Books, 2012) of resistance features an amazing female protagonist, trials aplenty as she tries to avenge her brother’s death, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sophia’s family believes in freedom and desperately wants America to govern itself. Her brother goes off to fight, is captured, and ends up dying in a filthy hold of a British prison boat. John Andre, a charming English officer who is billeted with Sophia’s family, fails to intervene to save her brother. Despite having a schoolgirl crush on Andre, Sophia is conflicted by his failure to save her brother. After witnessing the execution of Nathan Hale, Sophia is determined to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of the commander of the British forces in America. Sophia uncovers some crucial information and sets out to reach West Point before Benedict Arnold can turn it over to the British. Avi’s outstanding text and Angela Goethals’s spot-on narration make the Revolutionary War come alive for listeners, providing a real sense of the time period. A perfect choice for school and public libraries.–Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

 We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart. By Walter Dean Myers. CD. 33:51 min. with hardcover book. Live Oak Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4301-1112-2. $29.95.
Gr 3 Up–The sweeping scope of Myers’s free verse poems (HarperCollins, 2011) is captured beautifully and interpreted dramatically on this CD by a diverse cast of narrators. This eminently patriotic book celebrates free expression and attempts to paint with word pictures the depth and breadth of the varied American experience. Rarely are all ethnicities given voice in a treatise on American freedom, liberty, and values, but the panorama of people who built America is well represented here. In fact, the book alone, without the CD, falls flat with its oddly-proportioned, crowded murals in a sea of white space. It is only with the soaring music, stirring sound effects, and talented team of multicultural readers that this book’s meaning and powerful purpose come to life. When a Native American voices Tecumseh’s words to the accompaniment of reed flute and eagle flight, listeners understand their intent. From Jimi Hendrix’s guitar riff to the sound of boxes of tea being dumped in Boston Harbor, meaning is enhanced. Not a young child’s picture book, the complicated concepts, vocabulary, and mature images are best for older students. Charles R. Smith Jr.’s book, I Am America (Cartwheel, 2003), is a better fit for earlier grades. Annotated quotations and art notes provide helpful references, as do the author’s and artist’s prefaces. Useful for biography units or civics classes, the chorus of voices, music, and sounds tell the unique story of America and its people in 33 breathless minutes. Truly inspirational.–Lonna Pierce, MacArthur and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Binghamton, NY

 The Barber of the Beasts. Performed by Zak Morgan. CD. 40:26 min. with booklet. Prod. by MyKazoo. Dist. byCD Universe. 2012. ISBN unavail. $9.89.
K-Gr 3–Zak Morgan, a former Grammy Award nominee, presents 13 original songs and one cover on his fourth family music album. With his background in children’s literature, Morgan writes some very clever lyrics for his songs and exhibits a fondness for puns. Having total creative freedom on this project, Morgan has explored classical and orchestral music utilizing violin, viola, cello, upright bass, piano, harmonium, oboe, flute, piccolo, trumpet, tuba, trombone, drums, tubular bells, glockenspiel, and percussion. The songs, in blues, sea shanty, jazz, Western, hard rock, and easy listening musical styles, feature guitars, bass, ukulele, mandolin, esseharpa, accordion, concertina, and harmonium. The instrumental performances are outstanding, as are Morgan’s vocals: his versatile voice handles ultra-smooth and very gravelly tones with equal assurance. “Overture” and “Winter March” are instrumental pieces. “The Barber of the Beasts” and “Minor Miners” are performed in operatic and classical styles, with a boys’ group in the latter that sounds like the Vienna Boys’ Choir. Among the other songs are “First Grade,” “Snow Day,” “The White Shark’s Chum,” “The Case of the Dry Markers,” “Nancy Jane,” “The Cricket & the Coin,” “Mr. E,” “Swinging on a Star,” “Let Me In,” and “Wash My Hands.” The booklet includes a glossary of words from the songs. An excellent and creative production.–Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX

 Bully, Bystander, Bullied: Which One Are You? Performed by Lyle Cogen. CD. approx.18 min. Prod. byMaZac Music. Dist. by CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $9.99.
Gr 1-8–This concept album from singer/anti-bullying activist Lyle Cogen challenges kids to determine what role they play each day in school. Two pieces, “Bully, Bystander, Bullied: Which One Are You?” and “No Put Downs,” are from her one-woman musical play “Sticks and Stones.” Opening with the Latin-infused production number “Bystander,” Cogan shows the bystander’s point of view and encourages the change necessary to become more involved to help those being bullied. “You Ain’t Nothing but a Bully” is a techno-pop/rap about what motivates the bully’s behavior. “Don’t Laugh at Me,” the pop tune/ballad by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin, gives the viewpoint of the victim of bullying. With a defiant attitude, Cogen recites the unifying poem for the album, “Bully, Bystander, Bullied: Which One Are You?” The hip-hop tune “No Put Downs” offers an alternative behavior to bullies. The album closes with the Billy Steinberg/Tom Kelly classic ballad “True Colors,” adapted so it fuses the text to form a pop/rap song to appeal to a wide range of musical interests. Cogen is an impassioned, polished performer. While probably not a golden ticket solution, this could be a very useful tool in combating bullies by encouraging boys and girls to place tags on the various roles and encourage bystanders to speak up.–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

 Ozomatli Presents OzoKids. CD. approx. 37 min. Hornblow Group/Megaforce Records. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.98.
PreS-Gr 3–The Grammy award-winning Los Angeles-based Latin fusion group, Ozomatli, continues to defy being pigeon-holed. Never afraid to try new things, they accepted a challenge from PBS television to shed gang-violence and explicit lyrics and record several education-focused songs. Their new album is aimed at youngsters yet maintains a gritty, urban edge that should have wide appeal. Fusing Latino, hip-hop, reggae, techno pop, and rock, these 14 original tunes will teach youngsters and please grownups, too. The sophisticated and engaging arrangements feature a wide variety of musical styles and instrumentation. “Trees” explains what’s necessary for a tree to grow. “Germs” talks about good and bad germs. “Exercise” espouses its importance and various forms. “Water” lists the many forms it takes. “Pirana” encourages facing fears. Among the catchy numbers are “Moose on the Loose” (a techno rap), “Balloon Fest” (a cha-cha), “Like It’s Your Birthday,” “Let’s Go to the Movies” (features a strong percussion beat), “Spelling” (a fusion-infused spelling lesson), and “Changito” (a high-octane song sure to get kids up and moving). Rock on, Ozo!–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

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The following titles are reviewed in the February 1 print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

DVD

Art

Behind the Color Wheel: Using Color in Art and Design. DVD. 24 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning Seed. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55740-665-1. $109.

Drugs & Alcohol

Performance Enhancing Substances in Sport. DVD. 21 min. with tchr’s. guide. Prod. by VEA. Dist. by Insight Media. 2012. ISBN unavail. $129.

Guidance–General

Before You Hook Up: Dating Rights and Responsibilities. DVD. 22 min. with tchr’s. guide. Human Relations Media. 2012. ISBN 978-155548-572-6. $149.95.

Children and Divorce: Children Teaching Children About Divorce. DVD. 46:46 min. Professor Child. 2012. ISBN unavail. $34.99.

How to Say NO and Really Mean It. DVD. 20 min. with tchr’s. guide. Human Relations Media. 2012. ISBN 978-155548-579-5. $149.95.

Guidance–Careers

Do You Have What It Takes? Fashion Design Careers. DVD. 22 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning ZoneXpress. 2012. ISBN unavail. $79.95.

Job Interview Secrets. DVD. 17 min. with tchr’s guide. Prod. by VEA. Dist. by Insight Media. 2012. ISBN unavail. $129.

Health

54321+8 Countdown to Your Health. DVD. 24 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning ZoneXPress. 2012. ISBN unavail. $79.95.

Get Off the SoFAS! Avoiding Solid Fats & Added Sugars.

DVD. 36 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning Seed. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55740-607-1. $99.

Nutrition Labels: Reading Between the Lines.

DVD. 21 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning Seed. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55740-619-4. $89.

Pass on the Salt: Shaking the Habit. DVD. 20 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning Seed. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55740-618-7. $89.

The Top 5 Food Mistakes Most Teens Make and How to Fix Them. DVD. 25 min. with tchr’s. guide. Human Relations Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55548-930-4. $149.95.

Language Arts

Chowder. DVD. 12 min. with tchr’s. guide. Nutmeg Media. 2012. ISBN 1-933938-91-9. $49.95.

Wind Flyers. DVD. 7 min. with tchr’s. guide. Nutmeg Media. 2012. ISBN 1-033938-90-0. $49.95.

Science

The Atomic States of America. DVD. 70 min./90min. Video Project. 2012. ISBN unavail. K-12: $89, public library:  $39.95.

Geologic Journey II, Episode 2: Along the African Rift. DVD. 51 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Prod. by CBC and 90th Parallel Prods. Dist. by Bullfrog Films. 2010, 2012 release. ISBN 1-93777-229-2. $250.

Social Studies

Families of Italy (Families of the World Series). DVD. 30 min. with tchr’s. guide. Master Communications. 2012. ISBN 978-1-60480-155-2. $29.95.

Audio

Many of these titles are available for download and/or in Playaway format. Check distributors’ websites, playaway.com, and audio download retailers for availability and price.

Language Arts

Ask the Passengers. By A. S. King. 7 CDs. 8:05 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-449-01511-7. $50.

Bear Says Thanks. By Karma Wilson. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-4703-2919-8, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2918-1. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-4169-5856-7: $16.99.

Burn for Burn. By Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. 6 cassettes or 6 CDs. 7 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012.cassette: ISBN 978-1-4640-0759-0, CD: ISBN 978-1-4640-0760-6. $66.75.

Button Down. By Anne Ylvisaker. 3 CDs. 2:56 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-0626-4. $54.97.

Fish in the Sky. By Fridrik Erlings. 6 CDs. 6:53 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-0630-1. $54.97. 

Flock: Stork Trilogy, Book 3. By Wendy Delsol. 8 CDs. 9:45 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-0631-8. $54.97.

The Forgiveness Garden. By Lauren Thompson. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-4703-2982-2, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-038-3. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-3126-259903: $16.99.

The Freedom Maze. By Delia Sherman. 8 CDs. 8:19 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-499-01463-9. $55.

The Infects. By Sean Beaudoin,. 8 CDs. 8:48 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-0634-9. $54.97.

Island of Silence: Unwanteds, Book 2. By Lisa McMann. 7 cassettes or 7 CDs. 7:45 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2986-0, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2977-8. $77.75.

Jump into the Sky. By Shelley Pearsall. 7 CDs. 8:24 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-449-01404-2. $40.

L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. By L. Frank Baum. 4 CDs. 4:30 hrs. Tantor Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4526-1027-6. $47.99.

Library Lily. By Gillian Shields. CD. 6:10 min. with hardcover book. Spoken Arts. 2012. ISBN 0-8045-4243-0. $29.95.

Little Blue Truck. By Alice Schertle. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2925-9, CD ISBN978-1-4703-2924-2. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-1520-5661-2:$16.99.

Malcolm at Midnight. By W.H. Beck. 5 cassettes or 5 CDs. 5:45 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2070-6, CD: ISBN 987-1-4703-2071-3. $51.75.

Poison Princess: The Arcana Chronicles, Book 1. By Kresley Cole. 11 cassettes or 11 CDs. 12:30 hrs.Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2988-4, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2980-8. $108.75.

Seconds Away: A Mickey Bolitar Novel. By Harlan Coben. 7 CDs. 7:46 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-0498-6. $74.97.

Secrets of the Magic Ring. By Karen McQuestion. 3 CDs. 3:29 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-3111-2. $49.97.

Skylark. By Megan Spooner. 9 cassettes or 9 CDs. 11 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4618-4477-8. CD: ISBN 978-1-4618-5576-1. $97.75.

Vertigo. By Kristina Dunker. 6 CDs. 6:48 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-8088-1. $49.97.

The Villain Virus: NERDS, Book 4. By Michael Buckley. 5 cassettes or 5 CDs. 5:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012.cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2609-8, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2610-4. $51.75.

Yours Truly, Lucy B. Parker: Take My Advice! By Robin Palmer. 5 CDs. 5:14 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-5879-8. $49.97. 

Music

Apple Apple. Performed by The Harmonica Pocket. CD. approx. 49 min. CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.

Backyard Astronauts. Performed by Mr. Richard. CD. approx. 32 min. Prod. by Bark Records/Mr. Richard. Dist. by AV Café. 2012.ISBN unavail. $12.

A Boy and His Guitar. Performed by Mr. Billy. CD. 40 min. Prod. by Flying Bounce House Records/Mister Billy. Dist. by AV Café. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.95.

Call Me a Nerd! CD. Performed by The Nerdz. 36 min. Call Me a Nerd. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.

Escalator. Performed by David Tobocman. CD. 30 min. Prod. by Elsewhere Records. Dist by CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $12.98.

Go! CD. Performed by The Alphabet Rockers. approx. 38 min. School Time Music. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.99.

Green and Bumpy. Performed by Deep Friend Pickle Project. CD. approx. 41 min. Prod. by Green and Bumpy Music. Dist. by CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $12.97.

Huh-uh. Performed by Barry G and the Dream Jam Kids CD. approx. 24 min. Prod. by myKaZoo Music. Dist. by CD Universe. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.99.

I Am Sleepy with Sukey Molloy. CD. 43 min. Sukey Molloy. 2012. ISBN unavail. $12.99.

I Can Do It! Performed by Patty Shukla. CD. approx. 36 min. Prod. by Patty Shukla Kids Music. Dist. by AV Café. 2012.ISBN unavail. $14.

Imagination. Performed by Sulinha Boucher. CD. 40:62 min. Sulinha.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.

Playing in the Band. CD. 44 min. Prod. by Little Rockers Music. Dist. by CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.97.

Reading Rocks! Performed by Johnnette Dowing. CD. 49 min. Prod. by Wiggle Work Records. Dist. byCDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.

Social Studies

The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure. By Martin W. Sandler. 4 CDs. 3:53 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-5197-3. $54.97.

Illustration by Jean Tuttle

After 20 wonderful years as a teacher librarian, I’ve gone over to the dark side. I’ve become a suit—an administrator—and the very worst kind, a district IT administrator! (Cue Darth Vader’s theme song.) Before you turn away in horror and disbelief, here’s a quick tell-all from the Evil Empire. I’m going to share some shocking (and instructive) secrets from the Death Star of Administration, explaining why principals should be your best friends and colleagues. I’m also going to stop using Star Wars metaphors.

My fade to gray didn’t occur overnight. I have worked as an instructional technology facilitator in Vancouver’s (WA) public schools since 2008. During the first three years, I was also Skyview High School’s full-time teacher librarian. Then, in 2011, my role changed: I spent half of my time in the library and the remaining half in the IT department. Depending on the day of the week, I was either “The Man” or I was working for him. And despite enjoying the opportunity to blame myself for whatever was wrong either with management or with teachers, in 2012, I was finally asked to make a choice between those two options. I think you’ve heard about receiving an offer you can’t refuse….

While I still see myself as a teacher librarian, last July, I became a real-live administrator with a spiffy title—manager of instructional technology and library services. During the last few years, I’ve been able to reflect on many of my own beliefs and assumptions about working with administrators. As a former teacher librarian, I’m also well aware of other perceptions that teachers have regarding management. Speaking now as a teacher—and not as a manager—I’ve come to realize that the reality is far more complex than a simple equation of us vs. them. Teacher librarians have far more in common with principals than we realize. I’d like to share some ways to find common ground with our friends in the corner office.

When I was in grad school, Joyce Petrie, my wise and now long-departed professor at Portland State University, explained in detail how library administration and building administration are a lot alike. She was right. Now, speaking from experience, I teach my University of Washington graduate students that school librarians often have more in common with principals than with their fellow teachers. Why is that? Like principals, we manage budgets, purchase materials, evaluate employees, and make executive decisions, ranging from selecting materials to determining instructional outcomes. Unlike many teachers, we know virtually everyone in the school by name and maintain positive working relationships with all of them. We also excel at putting a wide variety of district policies and programs into practice. Most importantly, like principals, we’re often the only ones in our schools who do the jobs that we do. I often hear teacher librarians say that they feel misunderstood, isolated, and even lonely in their positions. Empathy check: Do you think principals just might feel the same way?

If it hadn’t been for my many wonderful teaching colleagues, I wouldn’t have been the 2012 Washington State Teacher of the Year. But it all began with my Skyview High principal, Kym Tyelyn-Carlson. Over the course of five years, our professional friendship evolved beyond library advocacy and became a two-way exchange between educators who both cared deeply about the success of our school. We discussed everything from staff socials to strategic planning. When she called me into her office in May 2011 and told me she was nominating me for teacher of the year, it was less about my librarianship than it was about her perception of me as an educator. Well beyond my library role, I had become a trusted confidante, consigliere, and colleague. Kym isn’t an exception. I’ve enjoyed good and frequently great relationships with the six principals I’ve worked with during the last two decades. I’ve always seen them as allies rather than adversaries.

Before addressing the opportunities for media specialists to connect with principals, I’d like to dispel some common misconceptions. First, there’s a widespread belief that building and district administrators always think the same way. More often than not, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Get a principal to talk off-the-record, and you’ll find out for yourself. Despite the mysterious district meetings and the inscrutable binders on their shelves, principals struggle with translating district policy into practice as much as we do. In more than one meeting, I’ve heard them express frustration, uncertainty, fear, and powerlessness in the face of the same issues that teachers confront. Like other educators, building administrators are concerned about daily challenges such as poverty, student readiness, literacy, fear of violence, and assessments. In addition, many district policies and programs are often created with insufficient input from or consultation with building administrators. Like many teacher librarians, principals are the ones who must explain and train faculty in the policies and practices created by managers like me.

And what of the conspiracy theory that administrators are “all in it together”? Ask any superintendent: they’d retire and die happy if they could only get their administrative leadership teams to plan, work, and lead based on an authentically shared set of values and priorities. Even the highest-functioning educational administrations grapple with issues of nurturing and maintaining social capital—communication, relationships, leadership, and sustainability. Just like individual schools, district programs and departments work with specific challenges, leadership models, and cultures.

Are there bad principals? Yes. And bad teachers? Of course. Are there tyrannical administrators and administrations? Yes, probably. Do administrators circle the wagons when challenged? Yes, in the same way that teachers and librarians do when they’re threatened. Do administrators meet in secret to devise evil plans? Unlikely. I have found that most district conspiracy theories are often conflated with honest mistakes, incomplete planning, imperfect implementations, and/or poor communication. Speaking for my district, our leadership team cares deeply about students and it respects and values teachers and staff. We work very hard to get it right. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we could have done better.

This is where teacher librarians come in. By cultivating strong relationships with principals and even district administrators, we can strengthen library programs, not to mention improve schools and districts. I am wearing a suit because of relationships with both teachers and administrators, built on shared work, planning, and success. Here is a quick list of ways to create those relationships, even when you’d think it might be impossible.

Seek out win-win opportunities. Identify what keeps principals up at night and then offer to help. Right now, three big trains are barreling down the tracks—Common Core, new teacher and principal evaluation systems, and 21st-century student skills. In addition to running a school, principals are accountable for these vaguely defined and game-changing reforms. Choose one, learn as much as you can about it, and then offer to help your boss. Join them on district or regional teams. Offer to provide leadership in your building. You’re likely to be surprised at just how enthusiastically they say yes.

Give before you receive. Teacher librarians often conceive their relationships with principals as quid pro quo, beginning with the question “What will you do for me?” rather than, “What can I do for you?” Pay it forward with the goal of building trust, rapport, and a valuable relationship. Many years ago, I took up an offer by our former chief information officer to lead our district’s library automation project. I had a vested interest in the job being done right, and she wanted the implementation to go smoothly. Thanks to our partnership, the project was a success. A few years later, she asked me to join her team as an instructional technology facilitator.

Bridge the gap. Because of our hybrid roles, teacher librarians can effectively bridge the artificial divide between teachers and administration, and promote communication, collaboration, and advocacy between and across various roles and functions. In the same way that my recent leadership role blurs the definition of “The Man,” teacher librarians can provide unique building and even district leadership. Teachers often grapple with crossing a line by appearing too supportive of administration. As a teacher librarian, I never saw a line because my job was different. I necessarily had to see things from a systems perspective that included not only building administration and teachers, but also district interests. That’s why some of our teacher librarians currently lead a district task force to develop a digital citizenship program. They are working with administrators to develop a systemic digital content strategy, and they’re participating in state and district groups connected to the Common Core. Like principals, the best teacher librarians see the big picture and can build partnerships that ensure success.

Identify successes. Most teachers hesitate to call attention to their work or to be praised for it. But principals always want to be able to share good work with parents, peers, and their bosses. When teacher librarians see innovation, creativity, and greatness in the classroom, they should share those stories with the principal. Principals appreciate the ability to see and value success in others. More importantly, they value hearing about good things beyond the library program. In addition to building rapport with your principal, everyone wins. Teachers get the recognition they deserve. The principal better understands the great work that’s going on. And the school may well get some praise at the district’s next meeting. As a proponent of creativity in the classroom, I made it a point to highlight innovative teachers who dared to emulate Apple and its slogan “think different.” More often than not, Kym would nod in agreement. In those moments, we were of one mind, not about libraries, but about great teaching.

My friends and colleagues keep checking up on me and asking how I like my new job. I tell them it tastes like chicken. To me, the only significant difference between what I’m doing now and what I’ve done for years as a teacher librarian and an instructional technology facilitator is that there’s a different title below my name. Sad as it might seem, that changes a lot in my relationships with others, both among teachers and administrators. To many teachers, I’ve gone over to the dark side. To some administrators, I’m now part of the club. But here’s the reality—there’s no dark side; and there’s no key to the executive washroom. Thankfully, my teacher librarian colleagues still see me (and themselves) for what we are—occasionally lonely, frequently misunderstood, and loving the jobs that we do. Just like principals.

Mark Ray (Mark.Ray@vansd.org) is the manager of instructional technology and library services at the Vancouver (WA) Public Schools.

McGraw Hill SmartBook

Despite the much-publicized grumblings about CES being less relevant this year due to the direct absence of big players like Microsoft, Apple, and Google, there were clear trends and several standout products at the January Consumer Electronics Show, which will likely impact K–12 education. Here’s a short list of highlights from CES, starting with an overarching trend that’s bound to affect a wide range of devices in coming years.

The future of display technology, foretold. Just the other day, I eyed a ceiling-mounted projector in my library that cost over $5,000 back in 2000 and still works, but just can’t cut it in today’s wide-screen, HD world. Considering the prospect of replacing it, I wonder, where will it end? Well, thanks to CES, I think I know: Ultra HD. It’s the display standard that’ll set the new bar for virtually all screens in the future.

Also known as 4K or Quad HD, Ultra HD was originally driven by digital cinema’s requirement for a high-def display dense enough to look good on really huge screens. Ultra HD displays, those boasting a horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 pixels (a common one is 3,840 x 2,160), are definitely headed for a living room TV near you. At about 8.3 megapixels, Ultra HD has four times the pixels of HDTV. It’s not just about TV, though: Panasonic debuted a 20-inch Windows 8 tablet at CES with 4K resolution, and Qualcomm announced that its newest Snapdragon 600 and 800 mobile processors are now engineered to handle Ultra HD, too, so expect Ultra HD to make its way onto the screens of even the smallest personal devices. We’ll also see more OLED screens in the marketplace, with their richer colors and higher contrasts. Samsung has introduced super-thin, bendable, nearly unbreakable OLED displays. The technology, called Youm, could make curved screens and other yummy new display form factors commercially possible. Plus, Youm mojo could prove valuable in school settings where only the toughest screens survive. Some think Ultra HD could be the ultimate display resolution, the finest display we’ll ever need… or want. Do I believe that? No. But it should satisfy us for a while.

Adaptive ebooks and courseware. Imagine textbooks that actually revise themselves on-the-fly to adjust to an individual reader’s comprehension. That’s the idea behind SmartBooks from McGraw Hill Education. They’re multi-platform etextbooks, readable online or off, that adapt to how students respond to periodic review questions, reinforcing material that needs more attention. The company uses student behavior models to create the most efficient path toward subject area mastery. McGraw Hill Education is yet to set SmartBook prices, but expects them to be comparable to standard ebooks. Pearson was also reportedly at CES promoting similar adaptive products.

Gaming pioneer Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, also believes that software that adapts to learners—keeping them on the optimum edge of their ability—maximizes academic achievement and learning enjoyment. That’s the idea behind his company, BrainRush. See how it works yourself: I challenge you to visit www.brainrush.com and take one of their sample lessons. Unless you immediately nail the drill, you’ll feel the software adjusting to your mistakes. I took the lesson on South American countries and could sense the software repeatedly trying different ways to get me to stop confusing Guyana with nearby French Guiana. Eventually, I caught on. And Paraguay is north of Uruguay… duh.

Robotics for students of all ages. Fans of Lego Mindstorms robotics kits, popular in classrooms and homes for well over a decade, will be happy to hear that a new set, Lego Mindstorms EV3, is scheduled for release this spring. The $350 kit reportedly includes 17 different bot designs. Builders can follow plans on paper or tablets, or they can invent new robots freestyle. The kit includes a variety of new and improved sensors and capabilities, has a Linux-based, programmable brick that aspiring hackers can mess with, and is compatible with Mindstorms NXT components. Students can remotely control their robotic creations with apps for iOS and Android, and curricular support is available at www.legoeducation.us.

While the Mindstorms kit is recommended for ages 10 and up, younger kids can have hi-tech fun with Cubelets from Modular Robotics. Cubelets are blocks that simply snap together; no wiring or programming is needed. Each block has either a sensor, logic, or action function. Put them together in different ways and they do different things. Kits start at $159.95.

The XO Learning Tablet. Remember the One Laptop Per Child initiative and the so-called $100 laptop from back in 2005? Well, the One Laptop Per Child nonprofit has now unveiled a commercial product, the XO Learning Tablet. Manufactured by Vivitar, it will be available in the U.S. through retailers, including WalMart, sometime next fall for a price rumored to be around $149. The 7″ tablet will feature front-and rear-facing cameras and can function as a standard Android tablet in parent mode, or a heavily skinned, child-centered, and career-focused Android tablet for kids as young as three. When it’s in child mode, young users choose a professional aspiration—say scientist, for example—and then get access to a vetted set of apps relevant to scientific pursuits. (Alas, school librarian is not currently a career choice.) A robust parental dashboard gives adults full control over their child’s access and provides detailed reports on how the tablet is being used.

And who knows what else? One of the great things about CES is that, warts and all—and no matter how cringe-worthy its keynote address might happen to be—the annual trade show retains its spirit of playful innovation. That was demonstrated this year by the number of creative products at CES that were funded through the grassroots online platform Kickstarter. Who can foresee how these products, no matter how whimsical they seem now, might wind up touching the future? Consider the Puzzlebox Orbit Brain Controlled Helicopter. While it may seem like nothing more than an impractical plaything today, the company is encouraging the development of the open-source BCI (brain-computer-interface) that controls the toy copter. BCI technology is already impacting “serious” fields like vision science and prosthetics, and—who knows?—it could even wind up affecting the most serious profession of all, education.