Book review: The Whole Hole Story, by Vivian McInerny, illustrated by Ken Lamug

McInerny, Vivian. The Whole Hole Story. Illustrated by Ken Lamug. Versify, 2021. Unpaged. $17.99. ISBN 9780358128816. Ages 4-8. P7 Q7

What happens to items that fall through the hole in a pocket? Zia has a hole in her pocket, but that didn’t deter her from putting items in her pocket. Before she knows it, the hole in her pocket grows so large that she falls right in! She is not scared since it is an imaginary hole. She lands on the bottom of the hole and wonders what to do with the hole. She makes a fishing hole out of it, goes fishing, catches a large fish and lets it go, swims in the swimming hole, and watches cloud animals as she drinks all the water from the swimming hole. The adventure adds more animals as the scenarios gets bigger and more creative, leading to her ending up in India, the home of the elephant. The illustrations are full of color, action, creativity and life, bringing the protagonist’s imagination to life. The colorful cover is full of adventure, enticing the reader to open the book to find out the whole story (pun intended). Keep your eyes out for puns in the text and illustrations.

Verdict: The Whole Story is an imaginative whirlwind fantasy adventure, quick paced and a bit disjointed, due to switching topics quickly, creating subject whiplash. The imaginative adventure centers around a hole where anything can and does happen. The themes of optimism, perseverance, creativity, and growth mindset are evident. Even though the adventure is very fast and busy, children could use the story as a catalyst to thinking about what they would do with a hole. I recommend this book for elementary school and public libraries.

Review by Harris.

Book review: Tell Me A Lion Story, by Kara Kramer with help from you!

Kramer, Kara. Tell Me A Lion Story. Candlewick Press, 2022. Unpaged. $17.99. ISBN 9781536218015. Ages 3-9. P9 Q7

This picture book begins with a young child asking the father for a story. After many interruptions, the father tells the story leaving room for the child (and more specifically the reader) to fill in the blanks.

Verdict: What a fun idea for a story. This would be a wonderful addition to a classroom as it could be used to explore concepts such as verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Older students could write and illustrate their own story using the fill in the blank format as well.

Review by Michelle Cottrell.

[Editor’s note: This interactive picture book has aspects of Mad Libs, where readers give humorous responses to prompts in the story.  Different reviewers identified the child as either boy or girl and either works with the story. This might be a good bedtime storybook.  ]

Book review: Inside Cat, by Brendan Wenzel

Wenzel, Brendan. Inside Cat. Chronicle Books, 2021. Unpaged. $17.99. ISBN 9781452173191. Ages 3-6. P8Q7

     “Inside Cat knows many windows,

      Finds a view wherever it goes.”

A scribbly cat with googly eyes looks through windows at the world outside and is confident that it knows all there is to know about the neighborhood.  All, that is, until the Inside Cat steps outside its cat-shaped building to see the complexity of the surrounding city and the outside world.

Verdict: Lovely, flowing text carries the cat from window to window and room to room, encouraging the reader/listener to comprehend the cat’s world.  This will be an excellent readaloud storytime book as well as a one-to-one reading book.  My only concern is that the scribbly beast with googly eyes does not truly look like a cat to my eyes.  I hope that the children reading the book will be more forgiving.  Highly recommended for preschool and public library collections as well as for family reading. 

February 2022 review by Jane Cothron.

Book review: What Would You Do in a Book About You?, by Jean Reidy, pictures by Joey Chou

Reidy, Jean. What Would You Do in a Book About You? Pictures by Joey Chou. Harper, 2021. Unpaged. $18.99. ISBN 9780063041509. Ages 4-8. P7 Q7

Have you ever wondered what a book about you would be like? Children are asked, in simple words and sentences, what they would do if they had a book about them. Children see words such as above, below, and beyond, both in action and illustrated. The rhyming poetic text reminds me of a Dr. Seuss book,though with much shorter and simpler text. We all have different strengths we employ to make the world a better place. This simple, beautifully illustrated adventure sparks the imagination as children figure out what describes them. Reidy focuses on characteristics that are kind and includes adjectives such as amazing, astonishing, and absorbing. Rich, beautifully colored illustrations on glossy paper spark the imagination. Illustrations that were created with photoshop include children of all races and abilities.

Verdict: This lyrical thought-provoking picture book is a successful read aloud. The celebratory book sparks the imagination of what a book about a child will be like and empowers them to dream. I appreciate that the book is not career driven but more character driven, which makes it inclusive to all, no matter what situation they are in life. The illustrations may appeal to younger children more than older children.

June 2021 review by Harris.

Book review: If Only, by Mies Van Hout, translated by David Colmer

Hout, Mies Van. If Only. Translated by David Colmer. Pajama Press, 2021. Unpaged. $17.95. ISBN 9781772781960. Ages 4-7. P7 Q7

It is common for a child to want to be like their peers. Each two-page spread follows a pattern of a creature wanting to be like another creature. Starting with a child who want to be a butterfly, then the butterfly wants to be a stick insect. The cycle continues until it comes back to a creature wanting to be a child. Each page has a different color theme. After the creature wants to be another one, the first creature declares the strength that it admires in the other creature. Illustrations show only two characters on the page, including the one that is thinking and the one that want to be something else. The creature desired then goes on to want to be another creature. The child in the book is not restricted to a gender, which makes it relatable to all children. The nature themed, rich jewel-toned illustrations, explore the natural world of each invertebrate creature–butterfly, stick insect, firefly, spider, snail, etc.  The end matter contains a glossary of creatures and facts that go along with them. Instructions are included for children to make collage art of a creature that is able to do something the child cannot do along with step by step instructions, How to make self-painted paper. Originally published in the Netherlands (Canadian) and translated into English. Very well translated. The art was created with acryl-ink, gouache and collage with a garden theme.

Verdict: Highly successful, beautifully illustrated picture book, mirrors the desire children have to be someone else and to take on their strengths. Children will not only learn to appreciate their strengths; they will learn facts about invertebrates. Useful in a unit on natural history or a social emotional unit on unique strengths children have.

April 2021 book review by Harris.

Book review: No Buddy Like a Book, by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Brianne Farley

Wolf, Allan. No Buddy Like a Book. Illustrated by Brianne Farley. Candlewick Press, 2021. Unpaged. $16.99. ISBN 9781536203073. Ages 4-8. P8 Q8

Why are books important? Books can teach us facts, how to do things, how things work and take us on adventures. This book is full of jewels as encourages children to “step aboard the Book Express” and find out where it will take them. The text has catchy rhythm and is repetitious, which encourages children to join in as the story is being read. While this imaginatively illustrated adventure celebrates one’s imagination and where they can go while reading, it also teaches children about birds and other facts they can learn from books. One illustration has a page full of birds that are all labeled. There is even a nod to Georges Méliès and his film, A Trip to The Moon. The richly colored matte illustrations are engaging.

Verdict: What is better than a book and one’s imagination? This is a perfect book for a librarian to read to encourage children to check out a book. Children are challenged to figure out where the book they are reading will take them, replacing reading as a chore with reading as a way to take them on an adventure. Highly recommend. Great way to get children excited about reading.

April 2021 book review by Harris.

Book review: No Buddy Like a Book, by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Brianne Farley

Wolf, Allan. No Buddy Like a Book. Illustrated by Brianne Farley. Candlewick, 2021. $17.00. ISBN 9781536203073. Unpaged. Ages 4-8. P8 Q8

Why do we read? To explore the world of course. Follow children of all races, abilities, ages and genders as they are invited to step aboard the “Book Express” where the destination is their own imagination. When children combine their imagination with reading, the results are endless. Children will see all they can learn by reading. The artwork is magnificent and matches the text. The planets have faces, which adds personality and children will see shapes in the clouds. The illustrations were done in gouache, colored pencil, charcoal, wax pastel, and glue on mulberry and watercolor paper.

Verdict: This is a marvelous read aloud that celebrates reading and imagination. There are so many benefits of reading for pleasure. This is a perfect book to excite children to read and understand the value of books. It is one of my favorites!

February 2021 review by Harris.

Book review: When I Draw a Panda, by Amy June Bates

Bates, Amy June. When I Draw a Panda. “A Paula Wiseman book.” Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020. Unpaged. $17.99. ISBN 9781481451482. Ages 3-7. P8Q8

From the endpapers describing the right way to draw—a perfect circle, a perfect dragon, a perfect castle, a perfect panda—through a girl’s actually drawing those things, Amy June Bates brings her perspective on drawing to a young audience.  A series of not-quite-perfect drawings becomes a panda in a bowler hat.  Girl and panda explore drawing a castle, a dragon, a roller coaster, defying the powers that be to create their own art.

Verdict: Prescriptive books on how to draw proliferate on library shelves, in art classes, in classrooms, but the actual process of artistic creation is much messier.  Artists have spoken of needing to regain a child’s approach to art and this picture book skips the didactic, pedagogic approach to celebrate the messy, organic, artistic reflection of a child’s world.  The scribbled lines in watercolor, pastels, goache and color pencil mimic chalk drawings and scribbled crayons.

One problem: there is a typographical error (is it typographical if the problem is in hand-lettered captions?) on the page of unicorn horns; the word “saw” should have been “say”—something I hope can be fixed in future printings of this book.  As one of the children who could not stay inside the lines, could not draw perfect circles, I am enchanted by this book.  I recommend it for all kindergartens, elementary schools, high school art classes and public library collections.

November 2020 review by Jane Cothron.

Book review: Luci Soars, by Luly Delacre

Delacre, Lulu. Luci Soars. Philomel, 2020. Unpaged. $17.99. ISBN 978-1-98481288-9. Ages 4-6.  P7Q9

Luci, a girl born without a shadow, grows up learning to walk in other people’s shadows, hiding  instead of playing in the light.  When she comes out of the shadows to play with the other children, they—and their mean shadows—call her names and bully her for being different.  As Luci questions what shadows do, whether they hold you to the earth, she begins to fly.

Verdict: I remember being a very small child and thinking that if I could only escape the hold of my shadow, I would be able to fly.  I have wondered if other children ever felt the same way. Delacre’s artwork centers an urban setting and a family comprised a single-mother and child with close generations of extended family.  Occasional untranslated Spanish phrases firmly anchor the story in a Latin American community. As Luci’s world is narrows into the shadows, the lines in the illustrations become darker.  Color seeps in when Luci is happy and paints the world when she flies.  Luci’s Latin American multigenerational family represents a perspective not often enough found in picture books, so this is a welcome addition.  Highly recommended for kindergarten, preschool, elementary and public library collections.

October 2020 review by Jane Cothron.

Book review: Imagine That!, by Tom Burlison, illustrated by Sara Sanchez

Burlison, Tom. Imagine That! Illustrated by Sara Sanchez. Tiger Tales, 2019. $17.99. ISBN 9781680101928. Unpaged. Ages 4-8. P7 Q8

Elliot sees ordinary objects just as they are. However, his new neighbor Ruby, has a big imagination and ordinary objects become adventures. For example; she imagines a rock is a spaceship. What kind of aliens might be on the spaceship? At first, Elliot is annoyed by her imagination. However, he soon joins in and realizes how exciting it can be to use his imagination. The colorful illustrations bring her imaginings to life. The author used various fonts and boldness to make words stand out. Burlison was seven in 2018 when he entered this story, first titled The Incredible Journey, into the Book People Bedtime Story Competition and won.

Verdict: This book is filled with imagination, color and friendship. The best part of this book is that it was written by a seven-year old. I think that other children will be inspired to write their own book once they read it. The content is so good that I would have thought it was written by an adult. The friendship between the children is realistic and reflect how friendships develop. I like that Elliot learned from Ruby and started using his imagination. I highly recommend this book.

June 2020 review by Tami Harris.