​The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus
Jen Bryant
Illustrations by Melissa Sweet
 
Along with artist Sweet’s delicate watercolors and astounding collages, Bryant introduces readers to the life of Peter Mark Roget who gave us the thesaurus. From boyhood, shy but determined Peter observes everything, becoming obsessed with making lists of related words. He’s interested in plants and animals, classifying them like his hero, Linnaeus, but expanding his lists at every opportunity. He travels in Europe, becomes a doctor, and later a professor, but his crowning achievement is his Thesaurus (1852). People love it and make it a bestseller; vocabularies flourish, for writers and the public. Sweet’s collages teem and tumble with words and images intersecting in delightful and unexpected ways. Colors, thoughts, planets, ships, darkness and light--Roget’s listed anything that could help people experience the power of words. So, writers of all ages, when you use a modern thesaurus--in a book or online--be sure to thank Roget for helping you find “just the right word!”
2014, Ages 8 up

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

​School’s First Day of School
Adam Rex
Illustrations by Christian Robinson
 
It’s August--schools will be opening soon. Nervous? Watch “Frederick Douglass Elementary” being constructed and finished just in time. A man called Janitor gets it ready for its first day: placing the furniture, washing windows, buffing floors till they shine. But this is a story with a twist--the school’s worried about being invaded by kids. “You’ll like the children,” Janitor tells him. The school’s not so sure. Will the day be a success? Kids of all kinds come flooding in to meet teachers and make new friends. Follow Robinson’s patterned, crayon-bright illustrations to see lessons, games, lunchroom spills (and a few glitches like a surprise fire alarm). Children run everywhere, trying the school’s lockers, drinking fountains, and jungle gym. As the sun goes down, climb to the roof where the school admits he’s had an exciting day. Janitor tells him he’s lucky to be a school--and the school thinks Janitor’s probably right!
2016, Ages 4 to 7

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

Flashlight
Lizi Boyd

In this wordless book, explore a midnight forest by flashlight. A grey-outlined boy emerges from a tent to be your guide, each cone of light revealing wonders like ferns, owls, bats, or ponds with fish and beavers. As the moon travels the night sky, a porcupine climbs a tree and the rufous coat of a fox lights up. What’s that? A deer watching you, while mice make off with some nibbled apples. Readers can peer closely at the unlighted parts of the pages and even look through die-cut holes at a moth, a blossom, or little bugs. Suddenly, the boy trips and animals take over the flashlight, illuminating parts of its owner, showing his yellow boots, tan shirt, and blue jeans. It’s a forest full of enchanting details that adults will love as much as kids. Turn to the final endpapers, black with one glowing red newt--then enjoy this magical forest again and again!
Ages 3 up, 2014

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

Night Animals
Gianna Marino

Why are these pages so dark? It’s July--time for camping out overnight. Three pairs of glowing eyes in a forest introduce a skunk and an opossum who’s crept inside a tree to hide. From what? Night animals, of course! Then, to a weird “aaaaarrrrrrrooooo …,” a furry white wolf appears, running from something huge and hairy--it’s a scary bear with long, sharp claws. The little possum tries his playing-dead trick, but watch a bat silhouetted against the moon--he’s telling the terrified quartet there’s nothing to be afraid of. Notice a lighted tent-shape with a voice asking, “Did you hear something?” It’s another kind of night animal, flashing a bright yellow triangle of light! Turn the page to see the paralyzed possum on the ground, with other eyes watching him from a tree. Who knew camping out could be so exciting? Check inside the jacket for an illustrated chart about each adorable gouache-and-ink night animal.
Ages 3 to 7, 2015

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

​Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Story and pictures by Javaka Steptoe
 
Follow Basquiat, the Brooklyn child of a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father, as he draws compulsively and dreams of becoming a famous artist. His mother draws with him and takes him to museums; his father introduces him to jazz. When he’s seven, Jean-Michel is hit by a car and suffers a long, painful recovery, but keeps on drawing and painting--finding art everywhere. He’s broken-hearted when his beloved mother must leave the family because of mental illness. A teen-ager now, Jean-Michel moves to Manhattan, creating collages and paintings: weird, messy, but beautiful. His art is personal, political, and public. He’s noticed! A comet blazing across the art world, Basquiat becomes famous, then dies at twenty-seven. In this Caldecott-winning book, Steptoe has evoked--not imitated--Basquiat’s radiant art, using paint and collage on scrap-wood found in downtown haunts. Kids (and adults) may not know Basquiat’s extraordinary work. If not, it’s time to look him up!
2016, Ages 6 to 10

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

​Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin
Story and Pictures by Duncan Tonatiuh
 
Charlie lives in New York City; his primo (first cousin) Carlitos lives in rural Mexico. Read their letters to each other and admire the illustrations in flat but fascinating Mixtec style. Tell them apart by Charlie’s baseball cap and Carlitos’ tousled hair. Learn 28 Spanish words from comparisons like getting to school by subway or bicycle. Favorite snacks? Carlitos makes quesadillas, while Charlie favors a pizza slice. When it’s hot, Carlitos jumps into a nearby rio, but his primo enjoys cooling off when a fire hydrant’s opened. Of course, Carlitos gets to shop in a colorful market; Charlie shops with his mom in a supermarket. Best is street entertainment: Carlitos loves fireworks and mariachis outside a tall cathedral, while Charlie and friends watch a New York parade. Both cousins decide it’s high time for a visit. Kids will realize that, no matter where they live--or whether their traditions include trick-or-treating or posadas with a piñata--people are People!
2010, Ages 4 to 8

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

​Mama and Papa Have a Store
Story and Pictures by Amelia Lau Carling
 
In 1938, Carling’s parents fled from war in China and emigrated to Guatemala City. Her memoir of a typical childhood day begins when Amelia hears her father opening the shop’s red doors. Outside she sees vendors setting up paintings and sweets. Inside, Santiago and Maria have come from their Indian village to choose colored thread for weaving gorgeous Mayan designs. Amelia watches Mama cooking lunch--she smells fish sizzling alongside piles of corn tortillas. Later, her siblings sail paper boats in the street after a sudden rainstorm. (When the power goes out, Papa lights gas lamps; the children make shadow puppets with flashlights.) Now it’s time to wait on the many customers, as Papa counts with his abacus. The day ends with Amelia dancing on the tiled floor--“Clic, clac, clac.” Lovely watercolors evoke sounds, smells, tastes, and beautiful patterns--a feast for the senses! Sampling traditions from Spanish, Mayan, and Chinese cultures, readers learn about an immigrant family’s contributions to their adopted country.
2016, Ages 7 up

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

They All Saw a Cat
Brendan Wenzel

“The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws.” So begins an imaginative look at a cat from many different perspectives. A little boy sees him as a furry pet with a red collar and a brass bell, yet a fox chases him as prey. A fish perceives the cat though a watery film, while a mouse sees red for danger, pointy teeth, and cruel yellow eyes. Be surprised at the myriad of dots representing a bee’s compound eyes and by a flea’s-eye view from a waving sea of cat hairs. Imagine the vibrations felt by a worm as the cat walks over him on rich brown earth--a pattern of glittering dots is picked up by a bat’s radar. Yes, “the cat knew them all, and they all knew the cat.” But how about the cat himself? Peer into a stream with him and wonder if he recognizes what he sees!
2016, Ages 4 to 8

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

Du Iz Tak?
Carson Ellis

“Du iz tak?” Two damselflies observe a tiny green sprout and wonder what it is. Insects have a language of their own, which they speak as Ellis takes readers on a journey through the seasons from insect perspective. Borrowing a “litter” from a woodlouse, they climb up the growing plant to build an ingenious “furt” that even has a pulley to haul up water. A giant spider spins a net over their fort, only to be hauled off by a huge bird of prey. Will they rebuild? Follow details on every page to see the seasonal changes in Ellis’s utterly charming gouache and watercolor illustrations. Especially delightful are night scenes where an elegant cricket soulfully plays his violin on a sawed-off branch--in autumn he’s joined by a beautiful moth dancing under the waning moon. Snow descends; all is white and deserted. But one day, a little fly discovers new green shoots. “Du iz tak?”
2016, Ages 4 to 8

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.