In this month’s compilation, we have picture books, graphic novels, and a middle grade novel:
Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheepover by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Author) Pete Oswald (Illustrator)
When a kid wants to have a sleepover, it may not come out OK, even if it is a familiar place like grandpa and grandma’s house. That is exactly what happens Sleepy Sheepy:
He goes all fired up to his grandparent’s house and does all the things he knows how to do, but when it comes to falling asleep, he can’t!
He misses home. And even though everything is meant to be comfy and ready for him, he still needs time to adjust.
Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheepover is on sale since February, 2024.
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Pages: 40 / Hardcover
EAN/UPC: 9780593465943
Another grandkid here, who wants to bond with two different sets of grandparents:
Seoul Food by Erin Danielle Russell (Author) Tamisha Anthony (Illustrator)
I distinctly remember how my two grandmothers would not get along as easily as I would have liked it: one was of Jewish descent and the other one of Syrian descent. One did not celebrate Christmas and the other thought only Arab food was the best. So, I understood easily how Hana thinks.
This girl wants to bring her Korean and Black families together, and for that she draws inspiration from the savory dishes of both of her grandparent’s home places, deciding to make something new for them (with the help of her parents, of course).
When the four grandparents come to visit, she has to find a way to bring Southern flavors (such as gumbo) to resonate as well as her Seoul counterparts. Can she bring about the best flavors and make a memorable meal?
Seoul Food is on sale since February 20, 2024.
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 40 / Hardcover
ISBN 9780593464380
Up next, a nonfiction book about the Hermit Crab:
Is This a House for Hermit Crab? by Megan McDonald (Author) Katherine Tillotson (Illustrator)
He stepped along the shore,
by the sea, in the sand . . .
scritch-scratch, scritch-scratch
Hermit Crab has outgrown his shell, and now it’s time for a new home to keep him safe from predators.
In a very nice, early reader style, he will try several different things for size, including ever-present plastic nets, until he can find a nice snug safe place to be, just in time before a predator gets to him.
The facts in the last couple of sheets were, for me, the best features of the book.
Is This a House for Hermit Crab? is on sale since February 13, 2024
Published by Neal Porter Books
Hardcover | Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780823452194
I found the next book hard to classify and very bold in its design:
The Door That Had Never Been Opened Before by Mrs & Mr MacLeod (Author)
Let us talk about the amount of collage involved in this black and white book (with hints of color), it is UNCANNY. Being familiar with the work of one incredible scissor artist, Istvanch, I can only imagine the hours it took to fit everything onto a page, properly photograph it, and make it work.
It plays with size, dimension, and perspective in ways that can be a little confusing but are engrossing to watch, a lovely piece of optic art accompanied with just the right words.
The three siblings in Grunion’s house love their place and love the space and all the nice doors they have. And of course, are curious about one door: that had never been opened before!
A door that may have a key, and may have been locked tight for a reason.
Big sister Geraldine likes to open doors and is obsessed with it. She has opened every door she ever found and went everywhere it leads. The other two siblings squabble about it but believe me, the door will open!
And the unexpected, of course, will totally happen!
The Door That Had Never Been Opened Before is on sale since February 06, 2024.
Published: Union Square Kids
Hardcover | Pages: 48
ISBN: 9781454945451
Up next, this graphic novel for middle grade was very enjoyable:
Alterations by Ray Xu (Author)
I think comics are a great way to present us with different perspectives, and this graphic novel did not disappoint!
The story is set before the internet era, probably drawn from the memories of the author: a Toronto-based story artist for television and feature films.
Kevin Lee is the son of a divorced migrant mother who works hard at her alterations and dry-cleaning store clothes shop, where she fits clothes for customers (remember those times?), and, this was not his week: being an Asian kid in Canada is not easy. He has his friends, and his comic books, but his PoPo has just arrived from China and has given him a century egg to eat at school, and that was just the start of his problems.
(Everybody lost it because of the smell, and now they call him ‘egg boy’).
His sister gives him a hard time, everyone is tired and working hard, and maybe something needs to flip inside Kevin’s mind.
When his class plans a trip to Thrill Planet, a theme park near their city, maybe things will finally come around for him…
Alterations is on sale since January 30, 2024.
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Pages: 240 / Hardcover
EAN/UPC: 9781454945840
Finally, here is a YA novel, bringing the magic of Egypt to ’80s America:
Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers (Author)
All the names in this novel are lovely and sing on the tongue: Sahara, Morgana, Deena.
Living as an immigrant with one foot in Egypt and another in America, Nedda (another lovely name) decided to make a novel about the wonders of Ali Baba’s treasure, mixing modern thought with oriental fairy tales.
When Rashad has to go with her parents to Cairo for a wedding, she has strong mental defenses against magical thinking. Still, they all disappear when her mother’s necklace begins to glow, taking her on a journey to a past filled with princes, witches, riches, and magic.
The sorceress who is trying to reach the guarded treasure has been fighting for it for many generations, and all of Sahara’s ancestors have stood in her way.
Can this now very American girl come to terms with this magical legacy as the treasure’s keeper?
Daughters of the Lamp is on sale since February 20, 2024.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 355 / Hardcover
EAN/UPC: 9780593619308
