THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY

In the far north there is an island, a beautiful and special place that people come to visit from all over the world. One day, the fog rolls in and doesn't roll out. It covers the island and turns everything gloomy and makes it hard for our protagonist--an observant and determined bird named Warble--to see much of anything at all through his binoculars. Warble tries everything he can think of to get rid of it to no avail, and he can't understand why his bird neighbors barely seem to notice or care. But then Warble spies a little girl through his binoculars who might be just as just as observant and determined as him. Not only can she see the fog, she cares enough to take action to put an end to it as well. But how can they fight the problem alone when no one else around them seems to notice it? 

The Fog, skillfully written by Kyo Maclear and gorgeously illustrated by Kenard Pak, deftly explores standing up for what you think is right and doing what it takes to make a difference in the world. This quirky and poignant book might inspire a range of social activism, particularly in altruistic readers in kindergarten through third grades. 

LOOK BEHIND YOU

Determined to prove there is life on the red planet a young astronaut lands on Mars.  He carries with him a gift, wrapped with a red ribbon, to give to the aliens he is certain he will meet.

Alone, the young astronaut wanders the barren landscape.  The cold, silent darkness seems to stretch on forever in all directions as the astronaut climbs up and down the rocky terrain. 

Author-illustrator Jon Agee makes great use of color, using primarily black, gray, brown and red to help us feel a sense of emptiness in the landscape and to allow us to see what our young astronaut misses, a large friendly red-pink alien following behind him seemingly confused by the astronaut's presence. 

As the young astronaut’s excitement and certainty fade, making way for sadness and despair, he leaves his gift behind and continues his trek, soon discovering that he is lost. 

As he walks on in search of his space craft he is amazed to discover a flower growing among the rocks and decides that his trip was not a total waste.  As he crests another hill he finds his spacecraft along with the gift he discarded earlier. 

Aboard his ship, making the long journey home to Earth, he decides he deserves a treat for his hard work and discovery.  He opens the gift he had brought with him and discovers that the chocolate cupcake had been eaten.…

Get swept away with your little one in Life on Mars, perfect for children in preschool through third grade.

EVERYONE LOVES TACOS

It’s a crisis! A catastrophe! A calamity of epic proportions! Quick, do something RIGHT NOW, because tacos have just gone completely extinct!

And, as you may recall from author-illustrator duo Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri’s first book: Dragons Love Tacos. (If you haven’t read the original book, you might also glean this tidbit from the informative titles of both books. You should really read the original, though, because a little more context could certainly help. Plus, it’s hilarious.) Dragons love all kinds of tacos: big tacos, little tacos, beef tacos, chicken tacos-- just not the spicy tacos (that’s kind of an important detail). Yes, the dragons are deeply enamored with tacos, and the current state of emergency has rendered them completely hysterical; they’re sobbing, pacing, rolling on the ground in fits.

There’s only one solution to this problem, and I’m sure you already know what it is.

Yes, you guessed it: fire up the ol’ time machine in the garage, return to a period in which tacos were plentiful, avoid spicy salsa, quickly rescue a few dozen specimen before the dragons gobble them all up, and bring them back to the present to replenish the taco reserve. Easy peasy, right? I mean, it will be once you’ve figured out how to operate the time machine.

Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel is an enjoyable and wacky picture book ready to be shared aloud with kids in kindergarten through third grade. Just make sure you read the original too!

SPOILER ALERT

There’s nothing worse than having someone spoil the ending to the book you’re reading. I mean, unless you’re the type that’s into that sort of thing. Spoiler alert: this reviewer is.

As it happens, the young hero of Minh Lê’s picture book Let Me Finish!, illustrated by Isabel Roxas, most emphatically is not. In fact, there’s nothing he’d like more than to be left in peace to finish reading his books. This proves surprisingly difficult when every animal in the vicinity is clamoring to share very specific thoughts on his reading material.

When a long-awaited, scarlet book arrives in the mail, the exasperated boy is determined to make it to the end on his own. He’ll traverse forests, oceans, and mountains, all the while stalked by bright-eyed, garrulous, book-ruining animals. I won’t ruin the surprise ending, but spoiler alert: it’s a good one.

Ages 6+

BEAUTY IN WORD AND VISION

EMMA'S RUG by Allen Say is a cute story about how a young girl discovers art. Everyone is impressed with her young age and ability to paint and draw with amazing talent. Emma swears she just “copies” the pictures she paints, but no one believes her. Emma finds all her ideas in a rug she was given at birth. One day her mother washes the rug and Emma feels her artistic days are over. Only then does she learn she can see the same images in other things. I like this book because it impresses upon kids that art can be found anywhere. Great for Kindergarten - 3rd grades.

ANY WAY OR JUST SO?

The Just-So Woman by Gary Blackwood is about someone who has to have everything in her life a certain way. She has to have butter for her bread, but when there isn't any butter, she has to make some RIGHT AWAY! There are many things she has to do just to make her butter, and sometimes she has to ask the Any-Way Man to help her. She hates asking him for help, because he doesn't care how things are finished, and is happy with any old way of doing things. In the end, the Just-So woman sees it's sometimes okay to do some things any way. For Kindergarten - 3rd grades.