July 2008
Great Summer Reads
By Mary Quattlebaum
babies/toddlers
Look at You!
by Kathy Henderson, illustrated by Paul Howard
Candlewick, 2008, $6.99
A simple rhythmic text and soft-toned watercolors follow a multicultural group of busy babies as they crawl, sway, wobble and toddle throughout the day. The board-book format is perfect for little hands.
City Lullaby
by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Carll Cneut
Clarion, 2007, $16
“In the stroller, Baby’s sleeping” but will the “ten horns beeping,” “nine phones ringing” and “eight dogs barking” soon awaken her? Vibrant illustrations and a rhyme-rich text capture the noisy energy of a big city. Little ones will get a kick out of the countdown to one – and the small brown bird whose “twitter” breaks through Baby’s slumber.
ages 3 – 6
Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach
by Melanie Watt
Kids Can, 2008, $15.95
An outing to the beach is fraught with fears for a tremulous rodent. Will Scaredy Squirrel encounter tribes of jellyfish? Herds of sea monsters? Little ones nagged by their own worries can relate to, and even feel superior to, Scaredy who finally makes it to the shore and forgets all his fears in the fun of building sand castles and floating in the ocean.
The Boy Who Wouldn’t Swim
by Deb Lucke
Clarion, 2008, $16
“[H]ot, sweaty, and irritated,” Eric steams with his giraffe raft beside the pool while the whole town cools off in the pristine water. When his younger sister learns to swim and even dive, the boy feigns nonchalance, but “under his thick coating of sunblock, [he is] green with envy.” Finally, at the end of the season, Eric takes a reluctant plunge and likes the pool so much that he now refuses to leave. The end pages show the parka-clad lifeguard still on his perch as Eric continues to swim in falling snow. Funny turns of phrase, great comic timing and gouache paintings that capture summer’s vivid blues, pinks and greens infuse this “try it, you’ll like it” tale with humor and color.
ages 7 – 10
Black Stars in a White Night Sky
by JonArno Lawson, illustrated by Sherwin Tjia
Wordsong/Boyds Mills, 2008, $16.95
Zipping off the tongue, sizzling in the ear, these 74 poems beg to be read aloud. And for all their word wizardry, many are nuanced and thought provoking. Take “Hip-Hop Handsome Han,” for example. The poem begins with a description of a guy who “leaps like spit/off a frying pan–/like hail off the lid/of a garbage can–” but evolves into a reflection on the healing power of music for those “born/with a danger horn.”
A Kid’s Guide to Washington, D.C.
Revised by Miriam Chernick, illustrated by Richard Brown
Harcourt, 2008, $14
This kid-friendly guide will enliven family trips to local museums, parks and historic sites. Did you know that three of the first five presidents died on July 4? Or that an early Georgia O’Keeffe painting of alligator pears (now known as avocados) hangs in the National Museum of Women in the Arts? These and other fun facts, as well as intriguing photos, illustrations, games and puzzles, make this a go-to book before, during and after a visit to one of the places listed.
Prisoner for Liberty
by Marty Rhodes Figley, illustrated by Craig Orback
Millbrook/Lerner, 2008, $6.95 pbk.
Looking for a good Fourth of July read-aloud? Prisoner for Liberty offers a stirring true tale of courage and self-sacrifice. Born free and now fighting for the American cause, 15-year-old James Forten is captured by a British warship in 1781. The British often sold African-American prisoners into slavery. Would that happen to James? Imprisoned for seven months, James gives his chance to escape to a sick friend but manages to survive to become a wealthy, well-respected Philadelphia businessman. Dramatic paintings and a carefully researched author’s note and afterword provide helpful historic context.
Naming Liberty
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jim Burke
Philomel/Penguin, 2008, $16.99
The fictional story of a young girl in a late 19th century Eastern European family alternates with a biography of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the Frenchman who designed and built the Statue of Liberty. The girl’s immigration story is on the left side of each double-page spread; Bartholdi’s is on the right. Stunning oil paintings highlight parallels between the two stories, including the family’s arduous trip by train and boat to America and the statue’s journey, packed in 214 crates, from France to New York City.
ages 11 and up
Cassie Was Here
by Caroline Hickey
Roaring Brook, 2007, $16.95
Bree gave up her imaginary friend a long time ago, but her family’s move to a new neighborhood prompts Joey’s return one summer. Joey soon takes a back seat to mysterious Cassie, who, at 13, is two years older than Bree. But when Cassie cuts and streaks Bree’s hair and starts flirting with her older brother, Bree wonders whether it’s better to have a reliable imaginary friend or a moody real one. Funny and poignant, this debut novel by a local author will resonate with tweens.
The Quantum July
by Ron King
Delacorte/Random House, 2007, $15.99
This thriller starts strong, with teenager Danny Parsons unwittingly about to “unleash the power of the quantum world.” And the book continues to build momentum as it explores quantum physics, alternate universes and the Buddhist beliefs of his father’s best friend. With his younger sister disappearing before his eyes and his family coming unglued, Danny must reconcile these elements quickly – or lose everything.
Mary Quattlebaum is a mother and the author most recently of Sparks Fly High, a colonial American folktale. You can contact Mary at www.maryquattlebaum.com, which has information on her 15 award-winning children’s books and presentations at schools and conferences.