Swashbarklers of the Sea By Cynthia Kremsner Ahoy, mateys! It seems everyone has heard of the notorious seadog, Barkbeard, though no seafarer has seen him yet. However, the Swashbarklers are not…
Category: friendship
BIM, BAM, BOP … AND OONA — a very different duck story
Being different can be difficult especially if you are a duck that waddles instead of runs. Coming in last … last one to the pond, last one back to the barn is not fun. “Last is a blot on my…
Splatter! Written and Illustrated by Diane Alber
Splatter by Diane Alber Red, Yellow, and Blue are three paint splatters that did not want to become a crew or a team. They preferred to make pictures with their own colors only. One day, Red suggested that they work…
Fun and Scary: A Review of Vincent Ventura #1
Lots of kids like scary stories, and the first volume in Xavier Garza’s bilingual series published by Texas-based Arte Público/Piñata Books, Vincent Ventura and the Mystery of the Chupacabras/Vincent Ventura y el misterio del chupacabras is sure to delight and…
Navigating Family and Friendship: A Review of Tillie Heart and Soul
Ten-year-old Tillie is the only child living in an artists’ live-work warehouse space. She rollerskates in and out of the artists’ work areas and climbs up to her homemade loft when she wants to be alone. But while lots about…
A Most Beautiful Gift – Give Someone a Book this holiday season
Give a book to a child, to a library, school or public. Put one in a Little Free Library! Take time to read with a child. Or an elder. Laugh together. Find hidden pictures together. Anticipate what will happen with…
Fox’s Box by Emilia Zebrowska
Fox’s Box by Emilia Zebrowska Fox finds a box and is curious as to what could be inside. Going from one friend to the next, Fox asks each what they think might be inside. One by one they look at…
Discovering a Grandmother’s Wartime Past: A Review of Skylark & Wallcreeper
When Superstorm Sandy floods much of New York City in 2012, 12-year-old Lily is visiting her grandmother Collette in a Queens nursing home, where she often volunteers to help other residents as well. This time, she’s pressed into service, assisting…
ONE TRUE WAY by Shannon Hitchcock
Coming out in the 1970’s was not safe and certainly not accepted. Girls who liked girls were not only considered weird or strange, but even immoral or mentally ill. Usually their choice was to change, pretend to change, or remain…
NSK 2019 Finalists Announced – read all about it here!
The nine finalists for the 2019 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature were announced. “The NSK Prize is the most prestigious international children’s literary award given in the United States. Roll of drums with applause and gratitude to: the 2019…