Janet Dawson

Blogger at A Kids Book A Day

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Graphic novels for budding scientists

5 days ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

Barnacle Bay by Jana Curll (Greystone Kids, 76 pages, grades 1-4). When a slightly crabby crab meets a slightly lost larva, Crab reluctantly becomes Larva’s tour guide around the bay. As they travel and meet all kinds of different sea creatures, readers will effortlessly learn plenty of interesting facts about marine life. Packed with both information and clever marine-related wordplay that was appreciated and enjoyed by this reviewer, the story winds up with Larva transforming overnight.
Bridging the language barrier

6 days ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

Tíos and Primos by Jacqueline Alcántara (Nancy Paulsen Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A girl is nervous about visiting her father’s relatives in Honduras, especially since she doesn’t speak much Spanish. As they go from one tío’s house to the next, she feels more and more shy as she sees things she wants to ask about but doesn’t know how. Finally, they get to the home of her abuela, who has invited all the relatives over for a party.
Horse Power

1 week ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

The Trouble With Sunshine by Yamile Saied Méndez (Scholastic Press, 272 pages, grades 4-7). Dorani has gotten in trouble (again), this time for reading a banned book at school. But when her mother suffers a fatal heart attack on the way to pick her up, Dori is wracked by guilt and grief. Forced to leave her beloved Miami friends and family to go live with her seemingly cold and uncaring aunt on a Montana ranch, Dori finds an unexpected bond with a traumatized horse named Sunshine.
Disabilities

1 week ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea (Penguin Workshop, 304 pages, grades 6 and up). James Robinson was born with strabismus, or misaligned eyes.
Inspiring stories for tough times

2 weeks ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (Anne Schwartz Books, 40 pages, ages 4-9). Based on a story told by environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, this folktale features a hummingbird whose new nest is threatened by a wildfire. The other animals run to the river, too terrified to move, but the hummingbird takes action to put out the fire, even though she can only carry a single drop of water in her beak.
Family Secrets

2 weeks ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

No Purchase Necessary by Maria Marianayagam (HarperCollins, 256 pages, grades 5-8). Ajay’s problems start when he gets a 79 on an English assignment. Since his parents expect nothing less than straight A’s, he’s afraid to tell them about his grade. Desperate to make friends at his new school, Ajay accepts a dare from cool kid Jacob to steal a candy bar, only to discover there’s a million dollar prize inside the wrapper.
A beginning reader bonanza

3 weeks ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

Dino Poet: a graphic novel by Tom Angleberger (Harry N. Abrams, 96 pages, grades 1-4). When a Coelophysis takes a break from writing poetry to have a froggy snack, the frog in question tells him that he hates his poem. The frog then proceeds to give the dinosaur poetry pointers, like how to express his emotions and use his senses to perceive the world.
Celebrating citizen activism for Earth Day

3 weeks ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

Whales in the City by Nancy F. Castaldo, illustrated by Chuck Groenik (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 40 pages, grades K-4). “Before there were ships and streets and buildings and a city called New York, we were here.” Whales narrate the first half of this book, explaining how they were slowly driven out of the Hudson River by pollution. The few that survived headed for the cleaner waters of the North Atlantic.
Summer reading

3 weeks ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

A Day at the Beach by Gary Schmidt and Ron Koertge (Clarion Books, 224 pages, grades 3-7). These 28 stories take place over the course of a single summer day at Rockcastle Beach on the Jersey Shore. They’re divided into four sections by time of day, bookended by a brother and sister going for early morning and evening runs on the beach.
Culture shock

1 month ago | kidsbookaday.com | Janet Dawson

Speak up, Santiago! (Hillside Valley Graphic Novel, book 1) by Julio Anta, illustrated by Gabi Mendez (Random House Graphic, 224 pages, grades 3-7). Santi is spending a month with his Colombian American abuela Emma to try to improve his Spanish. His parents hoped to raise him to be bilingual, but because he struggled with speech as a baby, they focused on getting him to speak English. Now he’s studying Spanish but is extremely self-conscious about his level of fluency and his accent.