Do Not Go In There!, a glass half-full/full glass illustrated book

Do Not Go In There! is an illustrated book that looks at the two types of people. Some see the glass half full and those who see it as half empty. It’s a world made up of people who see possibilities and others who see reasons why something shouldn’t be done. Morton and Bogart are the two creatures that toss about the pros and cons in the book. They’re best friends, but like most best friends they don’t see eye to eye on everything.

Great premise, but the execution has been done better

All Welcome Here, a back to school primer that works in any year

2020 is a year that will be remembered for many different things. Absolutely every aspect of life has been disrupted to some degree. Have you been to the store and seen all of the candy that’s being marketed with Minions: The Rise of Gru on them? While that film will see daylight in the summer of 2021, there’s a fat chance that all of that candy will be around then. Books are something else that’s been put off or feel displaced during these COVID times. In theory, All Welcome Here by James Preller with illustrations by Mary GranPre could be like that, but let’s re-examine our classrooms for this back to school tale.

During any other school year this would be a normal go-to-school book

You’re My Little Baby, keeps the classics coming from Eric Carle

Eric Carle is an institution. When people mention board books for infants The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the first that they’ll say. His illustrations are some of the first styles of art that kids will recognize. If Sandra Boynton is the queen of board books then Eric Carle is the godfather. Thankfully, this is a friendly competition and the only horses that’ll be seen will be at the farm or playing with other critters who are there to amuse crawlers. From the World of Eric Carle comes You’re My Little Baby. This board book has the hallmark look of classic Carle but adds touch-and-feel or other interactive elements that will further make those crawlers learn to love to read.

You’re My Little Baby is the latest from the World of Eric Carle and is just as timeless as you remember, regardless of when that was.
There is a difference in board books-and this is near the top

Bringing Back The Wolves, the perfect nexus of art and eco education

Middle school students do not need to fear illustrated books and Bringing Back The Wolves is a great example of that. In 1926 Yellowstone National Park has so many wolves that the government offered a bounty for each one that was killed. Around that time thousands of people moving west and wolves were the apex predator to beat. They were attacking cattle with ease which drove a wedge of fear to those farmers who were trying to feed the massive amount of people. Bringing Back The Wolves takes a surprisingly detailed look at the unforeseen effects of these actions and how that environment rebounded.

Wolves, art, education and more in an illustrated book

Harlem Grown, a great good-night, non-fiction book that will inspire

You say Harlem to some people and they’ll either think of the neighborhood in New York City or the backdrop to the classic Eddie Murphy movie from 1989. Either way, they have the same setting. However, some people will associate it with Harlem Grown. I had heard about the garden in a news story a couple years ago and now it’s a fabulous illustrated book that’ll motivate some kids or simply be a great, good-night book to others.

A great, good-night non-fiction book is hard to find-but this is one of them

Beetle & The Hollowbones, a fun mildly gothy, LGBTQ graphic novel

Beetle & The Hollowbones looks like the slightly spookier sister of Steven Universe or a more linear story than one that you’d find in Adventure Time. Granted, for those Cartoon Network or comic book fans those are big things to measure up to. However, they’re also very appropriate and give upper elementary through middle school readers an instant affiliation as to what kind of reader would dig Beetle & The Hollowbones by Aliza Layne.

Fans of BOOM! Comics and witch friendly tales will dig this graphic novel

Kenny & the Book of Beasts is a fable kids will want to read

Eight years is a long time between sequels, especially for middle elementary school through middle school books. However, you can’t keep a good rabbit down as author/illustrator/worldbuilder Tony DiTerlizzi and his fans can attest to. Kenny & the Book of Beasts is the sequel to Kenny & the Dragon and is an utterly charming book that young readers will quickly embrace. This is also the kind of book that readers can enjoy without reading the first one in the series.

This is a fable that brings in non-fable readers

Displacement, historical-fiction on Japanese internment camps

Displacement is a powerful graphic novel about the history of the United States when Japanese-Americans were forcibly place in internment camps. As a story, this period of time has many earnest and worthwhile stories that can be told. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Elsinger, Steven Scott and illustrations by Harmony Becker tells the same story, but from a different perspective. The perspective in Displacement is unique in the fact that the main reason for the story to be is due to the lead character, Kiku and her ability to jump through time.

Displacement mixes time travel and internment camps
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