Abe's Fish A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln by Jen Bryant illustrated Amy June Bates*

 Three sentences in Abraham Lincoln's first official biography inspired Ms. Bryant to write this picture book. (Abraham Lincoln: A History by John G. Nicolay and John Hay, published in 1890)

Abraham is thrilled to be issued the task to fish for their dinner. On his way home he encounters a soldier returning from the War of 1812. Remembering how his mother instructed them to be kind to soldiers, he gives his fish to the soldier. He goes home without dinner and goes to bed with a growling stomach. A choice like this obviously fostered his character development and the great man he came to be. 

I love the illustrations. The book is tall and thin like Abe Lincoln! The additional facts about Lincoln are fascinating. 

Our Little Adventure at Christmas by Tabitha Paige*

 Sarah Mackenzie recently interviewed Mrs. Paige on RAR. Mrs. Paige, a certified speech pathologist, a mother, and an artist/author, has written and illustrated numerous beautiful board books. 

Each Christmas a badger decorates his favorite evergreen tree.This Christmas, however, a storm tears through the forest and rips off his treasures. Badger is sad. His friend, Red Bird, witnesses Badger's reaction and summons other forest friends to gather treasures to redecorate the tree for Badger.

Rhyming text with provided activities in the back to revisit the story.

*Highly recommend. I requested at least one other book by her via ILL.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Princess and the Grain of Rice by Tina Cho illustrated by Honee Jang

 Jeongsoon dreams of becoming a princess so she can offer food to the hungry children in her village. When she is invited to compete in the Princess Challenge, she dashes off to the palace. The girls must participate in three challenges-Manners Test, Wisdom Test, & the Sleep Test. Although Jeongsoon is nervous and fumbles through some portions of the test, she passes all of them and becomes the next princess of Korea.

The author based the princess on an actual Korean princess and incorporated Korean Joseon culture.

I loved the vivid illustrations and how the reader will be exposed to Korean culture and history. The story was a bit simplistic (but very sweet).

-Borrowed from the library.

Christmas on Exeter Street by Diana Hendry illustrated by John Lawrence*

 What a fun & delightful story!

The Mistletoe Family welcomes grandparents, uncles, friends, and strangers on the two days before Christmas. Every space is utilized for sleeping arrangements. Readers will chuckle at the creative spots Mrs. Mistletoe finds for her guests. I loved the two page spread that requires the reader to flip the book vertically to view it-a cutaway of the house where everyone is sleeping.

Consideration: Father Christmas arrives to bring gifts to the 18 children!

If  I find this book, I would like to buy it! 

The author & illustrators are British.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed via ILL.

Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop by Tamar Meir illustrated by Yael Albert*

 Italian Francesco Tirelli loves ice cream. When he moves to Budapest, Hungry, he is disappointed at the lack of ice cream shops. He opens up his own shop and befriends many customers. One of them is Peter, who is a Jew. In 1944, when the Nazis invade Hungary, Francesco decides to hide Peter and his family plus other Jews in his ice cream shop. 

The author is Francesco's daughter-in-law.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert*

 My friend, a former librarian and an avid reader, recommended this book and its sequel. I am so glad she did!

The Lechow family struggles to survive in post-war Germany. Mother and her four children live in two rooms with a reluctant host. Overtime the two oldest children find employment which creates a more hopeful situation for the family. 

Each of the children have unique and endearing personalities. Readers will be exposed to a point of view not often depicted in historical fiction books-the devastation in Germany and the hardships the German people experienced as they tried to rebuild their lives. 

The author lived in Germany during this exact time period. Some of the events in the book are based on her experiences.

*Highly recommend (its sequel, Rowan Farm).

Discuss w/ more sensitive readers: Before the story begins, Margret's twin brother was shot (and their  dog, a Great Dane). Margret relates the incident to the reader. Although his death affects her tremendously, it is not a focal point of the story.

-I own this book.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi*

 Theo, a man in his eighties, appears in the southern town of Golden. The residents find him kind and generous but elusive. 

When he views portraits of the residents on display in the local coffee shop, he decides to buy them and give them to their "rightful owners" (the subjects). Over the months he listens to their stories and then generously assists wherever they have need. Does he have ulterior motives for his kindness? Who is he?

I love this story about a man who experiences forgiveness from the Source of Life and determines to live out the love Christ has shown to him. Also, all the characters have experienced hardship and are flawed human beings. The ramifications for their decisions are displayed accurately. It reveals that God meets us where we are at and loves us while we are yet sinners. 

Spoiler alert: I am not sure if I like how the author ends Theo's life.

Considerations: Although God is mentioned throughout, only one time is Christ mentioned as the answer. Sometimes I felt like "Theo" was the god and he was the answer, a few characters swear-the type that would swear in real life.

I loved every minute reading this book-for the character development, the characters' stories, the word choice and writing style. It is one I will contemplate for years to come. Superb 1st novel!

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library

Peak by Roland Smith*

 I researched online for "clean books" for teen boys on behalf of my thirteen-year-old. This title was one that appeared on a list. My son really enjoyed this book and recommended it to me.

After climbing a New York City skyscraper, fourteen-year-old Peak is arrested and placed on trial. His father, Joshua Woods, whom he has not seen in years, arrives just in time. The solution? Make Peak disappear from the U.S. and give him the opportunity to climb Mt. Everest so he will be the youngest person to reach its summit. Peak learns about unselfishness and what truly matters in life. 

This novel will reveal the tenacity and the stamina people who climb Mt. Everest must possess. The reader will learn a lot about climbing and acclimation.  A story that will appeal to active, adventurous readers. Although Peak is competitive and has flaws, his kindness ultimately rules his final decisions. He is a credible character. 

*Highly recommend but see warnings. This novel is labeled a "young adult". 

Topics to discuss/Warnings: Peak's arrest & his attitude, lying, a couple of swear words, a woman mentions how Josh Woods is cute and contemplates sneaking into his tent one night & says waiting until they are in higher elevation to engage in this activity is not a good idea "more than your lungs shut down", Peak's mom and dad have him out wedlock and never marry, Peak's dad, Joshua Woods, is selfish and not an involved father

-Borrowed from the library. It appears a total of four books are in this series.

A Song for Lena by Hilary Horder Hippely illustrated by Leslie Baker

 A couple of months ago on her podcast Sally Clarkson recommended this out of print  picture book.

While Lena's Hungarian grandmother makes apple strudel, she hums a specific song. Lena wants to know the words, but her grandmother explains that there are no words. The music is "just feelings from the old country". She then relates the story behind the song. Whenever they would pick apples in their family's orchard, a begger would arrive. Each time they would give him a piece of their apple strudel, and he would play a sweet song on his violin. Seeing him, sharing with him, and listening to him became an apple harvest tradition.

Beautiful, dream-like illustrations rendered in watercolor.

A recipe for apple strudel is included.

*Highly recommend. 

-Borrowed from the library.

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

 Stone-in-the Glen once was a pleasant town where the people were mostly kind and generous to each other. When a dragon burned down their library, the town and the relationships disintegrated. Fortunately, a dragon-fighting man arrives to fight the dragon. This man becomes their mayor. The people seem to be enarmoured with him and are blind to his poor leadership. He rules with fear and suspicision. The children at the Orphan House oppose his ways and resist his "spell". Meanwhile, the Orgress living on the edge of town lavishes the bitter, fearful residents with baked goods and hand-painted cards during the night. Can kindness truly overcome fear and greed?

Discuss: worldview/philosophy: Can kind acts transform people? Are books the answer to everyone's problems? Is everyone naturally good? How do rhetoric and repeated phrases influence individuals?

I do not agree with all of the author's worldviews (see questions above) but this book provides opportunity to discuss these worldviews.

The writing is elegant, lyrical and poetic. The reader will fall in love with the main orphans, Matron, Myron and the Ogress (I also liked the cobbler's wife!). I liked how Ms. Barnhill offers hints who the mayor is and how she does not reveal the narrator until the end. The narrator had a lot of voice.

For some reason the book took me longer than usual to complete (it has 390 pgs). . .it may be I was busier these last couple of weeks.

-Borrowed from the library.

Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen*

 Surviving a Lost Childhood

If I had had the time, I would have read this book in one sitting.  The writing is beautiful and the story compelling. Gary Paulsen shares his personal story of survival, beginning when he was four years old.  Since his parents were alcoholics, he roamed the streets for food, shelter, and distraction.  Although he experienced horrors and neglect, a couple of people impacted his life in a positive manner-an aunt and uncle and a librarian.  Reading this story, I was incredulous that a child and then a young man had to endure such abuse and neglect.  But the three people who interacted with him in a positive manner, sprinkled in hope . . .small gestures of kindness may truly affect someone's life in a huge way.  

*Highly recommend (see warnings).

-Borrowed from the library.

This book is only appropriate for teens and adults, but for those sensitive teens and parents: . . . . Warnings/points to discuss: can infer that his mother would make herself available to men at bars, parental neglect/abuse, alcohol-abuse, graphic war violence, he watches a woman at a carnival strip (no details were given, but it is clear what he is doing) and referred to the incident as learning about Life  from a woman named Wanda-pg. 315, minimal swearing-just a couple of words, when in the army, he shares how the medical personal examined his scrotum and penis with a tongue depressor (not abuse-just routine check-up)

The Cat Man Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

 -Award winner-Caldecott-Honor

Ambulance driver, Alaa, remains in war-torn Syria to continue to his job.  As time passes, he notices the many cats from families who had fled.  He begins to feed them.  Word about his kindness spreads throughout the world, resulting in people donating finances and supplies.  Alaa continues to rescue and to help cats and other animals.  In addition, he has recently built an orphange for children whose parents have died because of the ongoing war.

-Borrowed from the library.

Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake illustrated by Jon Klassen

 Badger has Important Rock Work to complete each day.  Thankfully his aunt Lula has given her brownstone to reside so the Important Rock Work can continue each day.  When she also permits Skunk to stay in the brownstone, Badger is appalled.  Skunk disrupts his work.  He squashes all of the boxes in his box room.  He launches a potato in the kitchen and leaves it sitting in the corner.  He invites chickens into the brownstone.  Skunk must go!

A sweet book that will cause the reader to think about kindness and friendship.

The writing is superb and clever.  The quirkiness of the story and characters is endearing.  It sort of reminds of Kate DiCamillo's unique writing style and characters.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

 A boy encounters a mole, a fox and a horse.  They ramble together, asking each other thought-provoking questions and develop an enduring friendship.  The answers and sentences are oh-so simple yet so profound.  Each page could be framed and displayed to offer encouragement to live more kindly and courageously.  

Some of the maxims did not sit well with me because of their focus on self. 

-Borrowed from the library.

Cozy by Jan Brett

 Cozy, an Alaskan musk ox, is separated from his family during a storm.  Various creatures arrive to huddle under his comforting fur.  Can the different animals (which are sometimes enemies) be kind to each other in the close quarters all winter?

This book reminded me of Ms. Brett's The Mitten book.  To teach the concept of compare/contrast, compare this book to The Mitten.  

Once again her borders extend the story and also allow for the reader to predict the events on the next page. I especially liked the end pages which I think were depicting various types of lichen. 

Strategies: compare/contrast-venn diagram, predicting

-Borrowed from the library.

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

*Award-winner- John Newbery Medal

Mrs. Olinski, a sixth grade teacher, chose Noah, Nadia, Ethan and Julian to be on the sixth-grade Academic Bowl team.  Typically the students are selected based on their high-honor roll status, but Mrs. Olinski decided to handpick the team.  As they rise to the top in the competition, people wonder how and why they make such a good team. 

Different chapters are dedicated to different characters.  Readers discover how the four are connected and how their relationships develop, transform and deepen.  

To be honest, as I read this book right before bed each night (so I was tired, which may have been half of the problem!), I had a bit of trouble keeping the characters straight- who belonged to whom and who was connected to whom.  If I had a student or tween read this book, I would would recommend that he keep a list of the characters and how they are connected to each other. 

The book switches from character's back story to the friendship development to the Academic Bowl throughout the story.  Strategy to use: monitor for comprehension

Warnings/points to discuss: One of the "mean boys" in the class writes a note on Julian's book bag calling him an ass.  The word b**** is used to  describe a female dog.  A few mentions of puberty, divorce, kids making fun of Mrs. Olinski who is confined to a wheelchair.

White Bird by R.J. Palacio inked by Kevin Czap

Julian, the boy who bullies Auggie in Palacio's book Wonder, interviews his grandmother for a school project.  He asks her to relate her story when a boy and his family hides her from the Nazis during World War II in occupied France. 
The story she tells brings to life the horror Jewish families must have experienced when separated and the courage others had who dared to help. 
Ms. Palacio has written a beautiful story that draws you into the characters and the time period.  Because it was so compelling, I read it in one sitting! 
In the back, Ms. Palacio includes tons of information about WWII via a glossary and a list of resources for further research.
I, however, did not appreciate nor see the need how she draws a direct line of the horrors of WW II and Hitler to current day Trump and the refugees. 
Warnings/points to discuss: cruelty/bullies, violence (by Nazi, two characters are shot-blood shown, Julien dies/is shot), Julien and Sara share a kiss.
-Borrowed from the library.

Stormy by Guojing

A sweet, wordless book about a stray dog finding a home with a persistent, patient young woman.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown*

Sarah Mackenzie featured this book on "book of the week" pick.  To be honest, the cover and a story about a robot did not appeal to me.   But because SHE recommended it, I decided to give it a chance! 
A ship crashes onto the rocky shores of an island.  Its cargo, robots, is smashed on the rocks.  One crate remains intact.  Some curious otters open the crate and activate the robot.  Soon the robot is exploring the island and trying to befriend the creatures.  After some false starts, the robot forms loyal friendships through her ingenuity and kindness.  Will the animals help her when she faces a terrifying situation?
I was amazed that Mr. Brown could combine sci-fi with nature/animals and create an entertaining, well-written story!  Robots and wild life do not seem like a likely pair!!
The chapters are very short.  This book will appeal to transitional readers and also reluctant readers. 
Although the story does not end perfectly, it leaves the reader feeling hopeful.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Warning: Violence may upset some younger sensitive readers.  Some animals die. A farmer shoots a beloved goose.  A robot war/battle scene is described. 

The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry illustrated by The Fan Brothers*

Whenever I read about a new book illustrated by the Fan Brothers, I  immediately check it out of the library.  They are amazing artists.  This book displays their talent and proclaims their ability share a story well via illustrations. 
Scarecrow does his job well.  No animal ventures near him.  Then one day he reaches down and saves a baby crow.  He tucks him near his heart and raises him.  His life is transformed.  When the crow flies away, he is devastated.  He cannot resume his former life, so he slips into a depressed state.  The conclusion of the story is uplifting and full of hope.
I can think of so many discussion points stemming from this book!
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.