Preview of Things to Come

I haven't posted my usual volume of reviews this week because I've been super busy at both work and home. However, I did want to share with you some books I've recently read that I'll be reviewing soon.

Fiction Picture Books

Grandma Calls Me Beautiful by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee

A companion book to Mama, Do You Love Me? and Papa, Do You Love Me?, the Joosse/Lavallee team is back with a wonderful book about a grandmother's unconditional love for her granddaughter. Set in Hawaii, readers can also learn about the Hawaiian culture. If you're looking for a last-minute mother's day gift for a special grandmother, this would be perfect. I also have an interview w/ Barbara Joosse coming up.


Someday When My Cat Can Talk by by Caroline Lazo, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

In this very charming picture book, a little girl imagines all of the exciting things her world-traveling cat would tell her if it could talk. Through its rhyming descriptions and detailed illustrations, children also learn about different countries of the world. This is a very engaging book that celebrates the imagination.




Nonfiction Picture Book
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Éric Puybaret

This gorgeously illustrated biography tells the story of Jacques Cousteau's life. It celebrates curiosity and determination and would make a great choice for a boy.





Middle Grade Nonfiction
Brave Deeds: How One Family Saved Many People from the Nazis by Ann Alma

Told through a child's eyes, this is the moving story of a Dutch husband and wife couple who risked their lives to shelter Jews during the Holocaust. In addition to Frans and Mies Braal's narrative, sidebars give a lot of information about the Dutch resistance workers, the Holocaust, and much much more.





Middle Grade Fiction
Thumbelina: Tiny Runaway Bride by Barbara Ensor

This is a contemporary retelling of the story of Thumbelina who yearns for independence from her well meaning, yet protective mother. Hmmm...think tweens will identify with that? When she gets her wish, things don't turn out the way she expected as she tries to survive in a world where everything is much bigger than she.




Young Adult Fiction

Madapple by Christina Meldrum

One of the best YA books I've read this year, the story centers around Aslaug a sheltered teenage girl who is accused of murder. Definitely intended for mature teens, the book alternates between her trial and the story leading up to the trial. It's weird, it's twisted, it's suspenseful, it's shocking....what more can you ask for?