- About: We feature professional reviews of books for young readers! Let a professional librarian help you select great books for children, adolescents, and teens!
Featured
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Categories
Archives
Author Archives: BasyaK
My Fish Flew Away! by Leia Bleich
A little boy is really angry. First, his baby brother spills his blue bubbles, then sits in his new red wagon even after he tells him no. Next, he discovers his sister using his building blocks without asking—and she loses his favorite one! The little boy is so upset that night that he asks G-d to make the world upside down. And, lo and behold, “I woke up for school that very same night, and found that the whole world had changed./The dark sky was colored with polka dots and stripes, and the big, round moon was a bright, purple square…It was really cold on that summer day./So I put on my snow boots, my scarf and my hat./Once I was dressed and ready to go, I ran upstairs for supper.” But things get stranger yet. His parents are playing with his toys, his sister is washing dishes in the bathtub, and his fish is in a cage—until it takes off and flies out the window! What can the little boy do to make things normal again?
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged anger, books, brothers and sisters, Children's Books, family, Jewish books, Jewish fiction, parents and children, picture books, siblings
Leave a comment
This Is America! by Henye Meyer
The Gordon family will not go to America. At least, that is what Tcharna’s Tatte insists. Not even a pogrom will change his mind. But when his eldest son Elya (who volunteered for military service as a teenager so a yeshiva student would not be drafted) is in danger of being called up again, it is too much. The Gordon males—Tatte, Elya, and young Hershel—will go first, using Tcharna’s dowry to pay for tickets. As soon as they earn enough for Mamme, Tcharna, and little Bina-Gittel to make the trip, they will follow. And so, the family leaves Zelmya behind forever.
However, when the Gordons are finally reunited in America, they discover that their journey is only beginning. Mamme and Tcharna are dismayed that Tatte works on Shabbos: Tatte, who protested against those who came to America and lost their religious observance? Even more baffling, the head of the family insists that keeping Shabbos has no place here. New friends like the Ostroffs and Rabbi and Rebbetzin Pinsker provide much-needed spiritual strength as Tcharna acclimates to life in America. And it is a life fraught with difficulties. Making a living. Dealing with labor unrest. Coping with her father’s impatience with her dedication to Shabbos observance. Wondering if she will ever be able to marry without a dowry and with so few observant young men available. But, when all seems hopeless, an unrelated chain of events occurs that marks the beginning of change, culminating in a knock on the door one Shabbos afternoon…
Victricia Malicia: Book-Loving Buccaneer by Carrie Clickard
Meet Victricia Malicia Calamity Barrett. With a name like that, you’d think she would live up to her family reputation: “a tradition since sixteen-o-three/for every last Barrett to set out to sea,/plund’ring and looting/and pirate pursuiting.” But despite her family’s best efforts, Victricia has no taste for the buccaneering life. No matter that a parrot taught the young pirate-in-training her first words, or that she learned to read (on her own) by spending many months in front of Ye Olde Pirate Creed. Victricia has absolutely no talent for seafaring skills: “She fell from the rigging,/Tied knots that would slip./Her cooking caused rats to abandon the ship.” She’d rather be reading books that have nothing to do with her currently lifestyle anyway, much to her relatives’ consternation.
When Victricia’s bungling efforts result in catastrophe, the buccaneers vote to put her ashore on an island—until a frightening turn of events changes the mishap into a fortunate occurrence, and transforms the misfit into a hero. This is the young landlubber-wanna-be’s chance to make her dream come true: “Vic opened a bookstore for young lads and lasses/with Sea Story hours and A-B-C classes.” And her family? “…though they’re still pirates/they’re not quite barbarians–/NOW they’re the world’s first/seafaring librarians!”
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged books, Children's Books, family, humorous books, picture books, pirates, reading, rhyming books
Leave a comment
The Ogre of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson fans, rejoice. The master of unforgettable children’s literature’s second-to-last published novel is a worthy addition to her repertoire.
As the story opens, the Hag has been reduced to operating a boarding house for fellow magical creatures. Missing the old days, the elderly lady is thrilled to learn of an upcoming annual convention. The attendees are always given a special, usually pleasant task. But this year, things are different. The Hag and her companions are ordered to travel to a distant castle, slay the ogre who resides there, and free the princess he is holding captive. So, the reluctant trio–the Hag, a troll, and a wizard–make the journey, accompanied by Ivo, an ordinary human boy who insists on joining them.
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged adventure, books, Children's Books, Eva Ibbotson, fantasy, friends, friendship, humorous books, princesses, reading
Leave a comment
Forever My Jerusalem by Puah Shteiner
Puah Shteiner and her husband are returning home. After the taxi driver drops the couple off at the family’s house in Jerusalem’s Old City, she looks at her old-new neighborhood through tear-filled eyes. In the ten years since Israel liberated this part of the holy city from the Arabs following the 1967 Six-Day War, Puah has watched the rebirth of her childhood home from the destruction it suffered–and now it is hers once again. As the mother re-acclimates, her thoughts drift back to the terrible days leading up to the surrender and forced evacuation of her beloved domicile. She takes us along on the journey to that unforgettable time.
When the Bergman family first moves to the Old City, Puah is four years old. Even at that young age, she quickly learns that the situation in Israel is a difficult one. The British who control the country are not exactly friendly, and the Jewish military underground groups do not agree on the best approach to deal with matters. Even the children who gather to play in the neighborhood lot take sides and heatedly debate the question. And Puah’s looked-forward-to excursions with her Imma to the Arab shuk turn sour as the United Nations votes on Israeli independence. As the once-amiable shopkeepers show their true feelings for their Jewish customers, the frightened little girl begs her mother never to buy there again.
When I Daven by Yael Zoldan
“When I daven [pray], do you know what I am doing?” With this question, young Jewish girls and boys describe what prayer means to them. From the moment they awaken in the morning, through mealtime, school, and play, the children show us what they do when they daven. For one little girl, prayer is about singing “about how beautiful the world is.” A young boy asks “Him to help me learn Torah and do mitzvos.” Another child sums it up succinctly: “When I daven, I’m talking to Hashem. And I know that He is always listening, because He loves me. And He especially loves to hear me daven!”
Yael Zoldan has written a delightful introduction to tefillah (the Hebrew word for prayer) that young children will relate to. Large print with plenty of white space and only one or two sentences on each page make this not only a perfect read-aloud but ideal for a beginning reader. Vibrantly colored, cheerful illustrations by Shira Allen complement the text and add to the kid-friendliness. This treasure is a must for families with preschoolers, and belongs on the shelves of every library serving young children. Another winner from the author-illustrator team that gave us We Can Do Mitzvos from Aleph to Tav. Ages 1-6
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged books, Children's Books, Jewish books, picture books, prayer, tefillah
Leave a comment
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
The year is 1975, and the month is Tet. It is the beginning of the new year, when everyone–regardless of when their birthday is–becomes a year older and looks forward to a fresh beginning.
However, this is also Vietnam, and the army of the North is closing in on Saigon. To make matters more difficult, 10-year-old Kim Ha, her mother, and her older brothers have not seen her Navy officer father since he disappeared many years before. Along with the growing uncertainty that the family will ever be reunited is the increasing certainty that they must leave their beloved homeland. So, with varying degrees of reluctance, Ha and her family manage to board a ship and begin their journey to America.
For the intelligent, sensitive ten-year-old, who tells this story in free verse, and her mother and brothers, arriving in the United States is only the beginning of the struggle. After a sponsor takes them to his home in Alabama, Ha begins school. Not only must she grapple with the difficulties of the English language and its pronunciation, there is the condescending attitude of both teacher and students to contend with:
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged brothers and sisters, bullies, Children's Books, family, historical fiction, mothers and daughters, parents and children, prejudice, race relations, school stories, siblings, Vietnam, Vietnam War, Vietnamese refugees, war refugees, youngest sibling
Leave a comment
Bramble and Maggie by Jessie Haas
Bramble is one very bored horse. She gives riding lessons, and day after day she goes “around and around the riding ring with the other horses. Around and around. Around and around.” Mrs. Blenkinsop, the kindly riding instructor, is understanding, but tells Bramble that lessons have to be boring for horses. Finally, Bramble has had enough–and refuses to cooperate in one more lesson. Mrs. Blenkinsop decides that Bramble needs a person of her own, and puts up a for sale sign, but the little horse knows that not just anyone will do. Picky Bramble rejects the first two children who come to see her, and a discouraged Mrs. Blenkinsop changes the “Horse For Sale” sign to read “Horse For Free.”
Maggie loves horses, but her parents always say they cost too much. When the family sees Mrs. Blenkinsop’s sign, they decide to take a look. Maggie (even though she knows better) falls in love with Bramble at first sight, and the little horse–while resolving to be as picky as ever–finds herself returning the girl’s affection. An excited Maggie returns home to prepare for her new companion.
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged animals, books, chapter books, Children's Books, family, horses, parents and children
Leave a comment
Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
“In art class, I painted a picture of my world. My teacher mailed it across the oceans.”
So begins the marvelous pictorial correspondence between Elliott, an American boy, and Kailash, who lives in India. The youngsters compare many details of their lives–families, favorite classes, alphabets, and more. With each new picture and message from his friend, Kailash comments (using a common expression) that their worlds are “same, same, but different.” The boys conclude that “We’re best friends…even though we live in two different worlds. Or do we?”
Stunning, brilliantly hued art work by author Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw vividly portrays the environments in which Elliott and Kailash live. Illustrations on following and facing pages detailing aspects of life in their respective communities bring home the message of this magnificent book. It all ties together with a double-page spread featuring each boy’s drawings surrounding an image of his sleeping friend. With a winning combination of lovely art, simple yet eloquent language, and timely (and timeless) lesson, this book is a marvel. Ages 7-9
Published by Henry Holt and Company in 2009
Read more reviews and buy Same, Same but Different on Amazon: Same, Same But Different
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged books, Children's Books, family, friends, friendship, India, multicultural, pen pals, picture books, school stories, understanding others
Leave a comment
No Bears by Meg McKinlay
Ella is telling a story, and she knows what it needs to be perfect. Of course, it has to have words like Once upon a time. Ella also knows what it does not need: “I’m tired of bears. Every time you read a book, it’s just BEARS BEARS BEARS–horrible furry bears slurping honey in awful little caves. You don’t need BEARS for a book.” That said, our budding young author lists all the important things a story should have–fairies, princess, funny and exciting things, and so on–and begins her tale.
Once upon a time (naturally), a beautiful princess lived in a castle with her royal parents and fairy godmother and NO BEARS. Not only were there no bears in the castle, there were none anywhere in the kingdom, or the next one, or the one after that. However, in a land far away, there was a monster who wanted to capture the princess. So the creature traveled to the castle, sneaked in, and snatched her away. When the princess cried for help, she was rescued–and the king and queen threw a party for the fairy godmother, “because everyone knew she was the one who had saved the princess with her fantastical magic powers.” Or was she?
Posted in book reviews, books, reading
Tagged adventure, bears, books, Children's Books, fantasy, humorous books, parents and children, picture books, princesses, reading
Leave a comment
