Funny book teaches youngsters about skulls

Skulls!

Written by Blair Thornburgh and illustrated by Scott Campbell

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019

Children are often frightened of skulls. They show up at Halloween and in scary movies. But “Skulls!” by Blair Thornburgh and Scott Campbell isn’t scary at all.

In fact, the numerous pictures of cartoon people with glowing white skulls make “Skulls” a funny book for youngsters.

Thornburgh’s words are friendly, conversational and educational. She teaches the reader that everyone has a skull and skulls are good things.

Skulls protect your brain, give your face a good shape, let your jaws snap, and hold your teeth in place. They have holes in them for sound, light, air, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Most important of all skulls aren’t trying to be scary. They’re just doing their job.

Thornburgh tells the reader you’re not scared of skulls. You love all the things your skull does for you. Shout to the world, “I love my skull!”

The book concludes with a page of “Cool Skull Facts.”

“Skulls!” will appeal to kids, who will laugh at all the illustrations, and learn a lot about skulls. Maybe it will even help children feel less afraid when they see a skeleton at Halloween.

About the Author

Blair Thornburgh is the author of several books for children and teens. A graduate of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University, St. Paul, MN, she lives outside of Philadelphia. Visit her online at blairthornburgh.com. 

About the Illustrator

Scott Campbell has illustrated many children’s picture books, including “Zombie in Love,” by Kelly DiPucchio, “XO OX: A Love Story,” by Adam Rex, “If Dogs Run Free,” by Bob Dylan, and “Sleepy the Goodnight Buddy” by Drew Daywalt. He is the author-illustrator of “Hug Machine.” Scott lives in Los Angeles. Visit him online at scottc.com.    

'My Grandma and Me' tells story of growing up in Iran

My Grandma and Me
Written by Mina Javaherbin and Illustrated by Lindsey Yankey
Candlewick Press, 2019

Mina Javaherbin wrote "My Grandma and Me" based on her memories of growing up in Iran and her close relationship with her grandmother, who lived with her family. It is a sweet story with many details about how Mina and her grandma spent their days. The illustrations are soft and beautiful, recalling Persian rugs with their many pretty patterns.

The author writes in first person, telling how she followed her grandma everywhere. "When she swept, I swept. When she cooked, I cooked. When she prayed, I prayed like her, too."

The story tells about Iranian culture and values in a natural, easy way. Mina says she woke up at dawn with grandma when she got up for namaz, her morning prayers. She crawled up onto her grandma's back when she knelt down to pray.

They watched for the bread delivery boy together. He came on his bicycle with bread piled high in his basket. Mina and grandma lowered baskets down with ropes. The bread boy put the loaves inside, and they hauled it back up.

She played with her best friend Annette while their grandmothers talked, laughed and drank coffee. Their grandmothers knitted blankets together and watched Annette and Mina play hopscotch in the alley. They donated the blankets to her grandma's mosque and Annette's grandma's church.

Her grandma sewed chadors, Muslim women's garments, for different occasions. Mina draped them on a table to build a rocket ship. She'd tie one around her neck and fly from the moon to planets. Grandma gave her cookies and listened to her space adventures.

When she was older, she wore a chador grandma made for her and they walked together to the mosque. Her grandma prayed that Annette's grandma would go to heaven.

The next day, Annette told her that her grandma had also prayed that Mina's grandma would go to heaven.

The author concludes her story saying "I've never loved anything or anyone the way I loved my grandma. She was kind, generous, and full of love. I still want to be just like her.

This beautiful book is a nice way to teach children a little about the Muslim culture, while also sharing a story about a child's love for her grandmother.

About the Author

Mina Javaherbin has written several award-winning picture books, including "Soccer Star," illustrated by Renato Alarcao, and "Goal!" illustrated by A.G. Ford. She lives in Southern California.

About the Illustrator 

Lindsey Yankey studied illustration at the University of Kansas and is the author-illustrator of "Bluebird" and "Sun and Moon." She lives in Lawrence, KS.  

Goode rises from slavery to win patent for cabinet bed

Sweet Dreams, Sarah

Written by Vivian Kirkfield and illustrated by Chris Ewald

Creston Books, LLC, 2019

Sarah E. Goode was born into slavery, but she later built furniture and became one of the first African American women to win a U.S. patent. 

When Sarah was a slave, she dreamed of a better life. Her father was a carpenter, and she thought she could build furniture, too, one day.

After the Civil War ended and the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, Sarah moved to Chicago with her family.

Later, she married a kind stair-builder named Archibald Goode. They started a family and rented out rooms in their house.

Sarah saved as much as she could because she wanted to open a furniture store. Finally, she and Archibald opened a store. They sold furniture that they had built.

She kept hearing her customers complain about how crowded their homes were. They worked at low-paying jobs and could afford only one-room apartments.

Sarah got the idea to make a bed that folded up when it wasn’t being used. That way families would be able to give their children their own beds.

She worked at it and worked at it, and finally built a bed that folded out of the cabinet doors of a desk: a cabinet bed.

Getting the patent wasn’t easy. The first time she applied for one, it was denied. Her idea wasn’t different enough from other similar inventions. She rewrote her application to explain how her cabinet bed was unique.

This time she won the patent: the S.E. Goode cabinet bed, awarded July 14, 1885.

Kirfield's picture book biography tells Goode's inspiring story in a simple way for young readers. Chris Ewald's full-page illustrations in warm browns bring the story to life.

About the Author

Vivian Kirkfield has written several picture books: "Passover Plate" (Holiday House); "Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book" (Pomegranate); "Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe" (Little Bee Books, January 14, 2020); and "From Here to There: Inventions That Changed the Way the World Moves" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, fall 2020). She is a retired kindergarten teacher with a master’s degree in early childhood education. She lives in Amherst, NH.

About the Illustrator

Chris Ewald has illustrated several picture books. He also works in games and animation. He studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He lives in Austin, TX.

Little Boy Learns to Find Joy When Life Brings Change

Waiting for Chicken Smith

Written and illustrated by David Mackintosh

Candlewick Press, 2019

A little boy is at his family’s summer beach house, and he can’t wait for his friend Chicken Smith to show up, too. Every year, Chicken Smith stays in the cabin next door with his dad and his dog, Jelly.

The narrator remembers Chicken Smith throwing a tennis ball for Jelly to retrieve and riding a bicycle without brakes. His sister Mary Ann keeps calling out to him, but he ignores her because he’s waiting for Chicken Smith.

He remembers going to the lighthouse with Chicken Smith, eating sandwiches Chicken’s dad made, and looking for whales with Chicken’s binoculars. They’d swim all day and sometimes Chicken let him on his dad’s surfboard.

Last year, Chicken Smith gave him a piece of driftwood carved into a whale. So, this year, he’s bought Chicken a crazy shell at a gas station.

He notices that Chicken’s cabin looks different, all shut up tight with cobwebs in the windows. A sign on the front porch says, “Summer Rental Inquire at Shop.”

Finally, he decides to follow his sister when she calls again. They go to the lighthouse and his sister calls out, “Look! There he is!”

And for the first time, he sees a whale. He and Chicken had never found one even with binoculars.

Then he and his sister race back in time for dinner. At the cabin, they look at a whale book and make plans to hunt for shells tomorrow.

The narrator hopes Chicken Smith will be back next year, but if he’s not, he thinks he’ll give the crazy shell to Mary Ann.

The illustrations are old fashioned-looking and lovely, helping tell this story of childhood friendship, the magic of summer, and the inevitability of change.

About the Author Illustrator

                                                                                                                                                                   

David Mackintosh has worked as an illustrator, designer, and art director with some of the most celebrated names in children’s publishing. His picture book “Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School” was short-listed for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. “Waiting for Chicken Smith” is his first book with Candlewick Press. He lives in London.

Sweet Story Introduces Much-loved Pig Mercy of Series

A Piglet Named Mercy

Written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Candlewick Press, 2019

Mr. and Mrs. Watson live ordinary lives in an ordinary house in an ordinary town. They are happy, but one day Mrs. Watson wishes something different would happen.

Her wish comes true when a piglet shows up at their door. Mr. and Mrs. Watson fall in love with the adorable piglet.

Their neighbors Eugenia Lincoln and Baby Lincoln see the piglet arrive. Disagreeable Eugenia doesn’t approve, but Baby is delighted and warms a bottle of milk for her.

The piglet turns out to be anything but ordinary as she leaps out of Mrs. Watson’s arms, jumps onto a chair, and swipes a piece of toast from the kitchen counter.

The Watsons are charmed by the piglet’s antics and name her Mercy because she is a wish come true.

The characters are expressive and the gouache illustrations bright, bold, and colorful.

Kids who love the Mercy Watson chapter books and their younger siblings will enjoy this picture book, a prequel to the popular series.

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo has written many books for children, including the Mercy Watson and Deckawoo Drive series. Her books, “Flora & Ulysses” and “The Tale of Despereaux,” are both Newberry Medal recipients. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she lives in Minneapolis.

About the Illustrator

Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of many children’s books, including “The Circus Ship” and “Hattie & Hudson,” and the illustrator of the Mercy Watson and Deckawoo Drive series. He lives in Maine.     

Amusing Story Teaches Youngsters about Friendship

The Song of Spring

Written and illustrated by Hendrik Jonas

Prestel Publishing Ltd., 2019

As spring arrives, all the birds are singing and attracting bird friends in “The Song of Spring.”  All except one little bird who can’t remember his song of spring.

But he wants a friend too, so he cries out, “woof.” Instead of a bird friend, a dog answers. The little bird is disappointed, but the dog encourages him to “have another go.”

He tries again, but this time it comes out, “oink,” and he attracts a pig. 

The story continues as little bird calls a cow, a cat, a goat, and a donkey. The animals can't figure out what little bird should do.

Finally, a pretty girl bird shows up looking for a friend. All the animals rejoice, especially little bird who flies to her side as he realizes he’s found not only one friend, but many.

Even though this picture book was originally written in German, it reads smoothly and makes a fun read-aloud for adults to read to youngsters.

The illustrations are bold and funny, like the story. The animals are rendered with expressive faces as they show sympathy to little bird and climb around in a tree.

About the Author-illustrator

Hendrik Jonas is a Berlin-based illustrator whose work has appeared in The Times and The Guardian. This is his third children’s book.

A Boy Rescues a Starfish in Lovely New Book

On Gull Beach

Written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Bob Marstall

The Cornell Lab Publishing Group, Apex, N.C., 2018

“On Gull Beach” tells a story of a boy discovering a starfish on a beach, and then watching as a group of gulls play with it, tossing it from one to the other. Finally, they drop the starfish and the boy gently returns it to the ocean.

The story is told slowly in rhyming couplets and picks up momentum as the boy chases after the gulls.

It begins:

              As I was walking on Gull Beach,

              I saw a starfish within reach.

              But as I bent by wave and spray,

              A gull flew down, snatched star away.

As the tale picks up, the boy watches as the gulls pass the star from bill to bill. He chases them.

              I raced more swiftly, running after,

              Following their gullish laugher.

              Ran by rocks and smooth sea glass.

              Stumbled over dunes and grass.

Finally, he sees a gull drop the starfish, and he reaches up to catch it.

              My fingers touched her rays, and caught her!

              Saved her from that gullish slaughter.

The story concludes as the boy returns the starfish to the ocean.

            There she sank down in the sea.

Hurrah for starfish! Huzzah for me!

As I walked home from Gull Beach.

Bob Marstall illustrates the story with beautiful full-page watercolor paintings. He shows the excited looks of the gulls and the worried face of the boy. And he adds small details: shells, crabs, colored stones, grasses in the sand, and sanderling shore birds.

The author, Jane Yolen, is an award-winning poet and author and has been called a modern-day Hans Christian Anderson.  

At the back of the book, information is included about several sea birds and crabs. Children also learn what they can do to help preserve beaches and wildlife.

“On Gull Beach” is the third and last in the On Bird Hill and Beyond series for The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, an environmental organization at Cornell University dedicated to the study and conservation of birds.

Thirty-five percent of net proceeds from the sale of this title goes directly to the Cornell Lab to support projects such as children's educational and community programs.

About the Author

Jane Yolen was born and raised in New York City, and now lives in Hatfield, MA. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, several Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille.

About the Illustrator

Bob Marstall is a nature illustrator and landscape painter. He has illustrated many children’s picture books and enjoys visiting schools. He used to be a classroom teacher. He lives in Easthampton, MA.