Two Most Excellent, Wonderful, Lovely, Fun Picture Books!

I am so surprised and impressed that I'm getting a post out. LOL I ended a job, went to Canada, and then started a new job. And now I am so happy to present these two incredible books.

Where the Wee Ones Go: A Bedtime Wish for Endangered Animals by Karen Jameson, Illustrated by Zosienka

From the publisher, Chronicle Books: available April 2022

Wee readers will connect with wee endangered-animals in this mesmerizing bedtime book by Karen Jameson (Woodland Dreams, Farm Lullaby), promoting environmental awareness and encouraging the very sweetest of dreams!

When stars are out and the moon's above,

where do the wee ones go, my love?

Where do the wee ones go?

Where do endangered animals go to sleep? Immerse yourself in the lush beauty of this bedtime picture book and find out. From the Pacific Ocean to China's mountains, the Australian outback, and beyond, each baby animal has a warm, safe place to fall asleep.

With a variety of baby endangered animals and their mamas gracing each gorgeous spread, readers will be transfixed by richly-illustrated scenes that span the globe and capture each creature's unique habitat. Snuggle close like a sweet panda, curl up like a cozy koala, and drift off like a drowsy elephant, letting the sweeping environments and soothing bedtime rituals of this gentle animal lullaby lull even the most restless little dreamers into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Lovely to read, just lovely.

I was fortunate enough to read this at a book signing this past weekend. The last page gave me goosebumps. 

It’s so lyrical: beautiful and soothing text and illustrations. And I even learned something! It really is a treasure, this book, a wonderful addition to all bookshelves.

 

Monsters in the Briny by Lynn Becker, Illustrations by Scott Brundage

From the publisher Sleeping Bear Press: available April 2022:

What do you do with a grumpy kraken, a sickly sea serpent, and a tearful gigantic tortoise? You sing them a tune, of course! Following the sea shanty rhyme of "What Do You Do With . . . ," a ship's crew of sailors has to contend with a coterie of mythical sea creatures, all demanding comfort and attention. As each creature threatens to swamp the ship, the quick-thinking crew knows just what to do to save the day, from serving pancakes to mopping a sweaty forehead to sharing an umbrella to keep the rain away. But what happens when the sailors have had enough? Back matter includes information about the sea creatures featured, music and lyrics, along with a brief history of sea shanties

This book is so much fun to read! And sing! The words and illustrations are expressive and colorful, lifting the story to the next level. With this book, you can read to your child, sing to your child, and encourage participation, too. I don’t think it’ll take that much cajoling for anyone to sing along.

If you’re able to catch Lynn Becker reading it at a bookstore, like I was, you’ll be engaged, enjoy the musical accompaniment and be ready to sing the song yourself. I believe there is an awesome book trailer out there, as well as a video with book loving folks singing the story.

Another excellent addition to all bookshelves. Trust me.

 

Two more quick reviews - one MG, one PB

Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega

From the publisher, Scholastic Press: available April 2022

A magical adventure for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Nevermoor, about three witchlings who must work together to do the impossible if they have any hope of earning their full powers.

Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.

And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can't wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn't placed in one of the five covens. She's a Spare!

Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle to seal their coven and cement themselves as sisters, it doesn't work! They're stuck as Witchlings—and will never be able to perform powerful magic.

Seven invokes her only option: the impossible task. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they'll gain their full powers. If they fail... Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever.

But maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all….

I am always a sucker for witch stories, fantasy, something that takes me away to another place. This did exactly that. Along with the books listed above, I’d add The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol.

All the witches have the areas they excel in and get sorted into covens. Three do not and are called the Spares. I liked how the three very different girls are thrown together and have to sink or swim together to do the impossible task. It’s more than an adventure, it’s a mystery with good witches and bad warlocks, nice families and not so nice families, rich and not rich. There was a small part at the end that felt a little preachy, but that might be an adult perspective. There is a very nice full circle moment when the girls find out what their names mean and why they got those specific names. And the names are all very unique.

I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick

From the publisher Scholastic Inc: available April 2022:

When Colin Kaepernick was five years old, he was given a simple school assignment: draw a picture of yourself and your family. What young Colin does next with his brown crayon changes his whole world and worldview, providing a valuable lesson on embracing and celebrating his Black identity through the power of radical self-love and knowing your inherent worth.

I Color Myself Different is a joyful ode to Black and Brown lives based on real events in young Colin's life that is perfect for every reader's bookshelf. It's a story of self-discovery, staying true to one's self, and advocating for change... even when you're very little!

First a funny story – I read this book – it is an advanced reading copy and it wasn’t making sense and I felt like it was backwards. When I got to the end, I discovered it WAS backwards. LOL Not sure how it got printed that way, but it was an adventure and then really made sense when I read it the correct way. Even though it was from the back of the book forwards. Someone else got this ARC and theirs started at the beginning, so mine was just a fluke. Anyway… onto the story.

This felt like a very special book from the start. It was inspiring to see a child embrace being different, being adopted, being special. He loved his brown skin and he loved his family. He was proud of it and that made all the difference. It’s a profound story.

There is a spread with other people who inspired him and changed the world and gave him confidence to be himself, like Toni Morrison and Muhammad Ali They are listed in the back and with their accomplishments.

Reading Kaepernick's bio in the back was eye opening. Seeing the different ways he has made an impact and difference, just like his heroes, was touching to read.