by Joanne Robertson ; illustrated by Joanne Robertson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017
An important topic is treated with grace, love, and a smidgen of humor in this delightful, necessary book.
A picture book that tells the story of the Mother Earth Water Walkers, a group that walks to bring awareness to the importance of clean water.
Nokomis (“grandmother”) Josephine Mandamin, an Ojibwe, loves and respects Nibi (“water”), greeting it every morning with gratitude. Hearing an elder predict that clean water will soon be more precious than gold, Nokomis decides to take action. She and other women begin to walk, first around the Great Lakes (an endeavor that takes seven years), then around other bodies of water, to highlight the importance of unpolluted water. Author/illustrator Robertson, an AnishinaabeKwe, tells her true story without lecturing and fills it with bright, effectively childlike illustrations. She writes with verve and occasional gentle humor about the need to respect Nibi and to make decisions for “your grandchildren’s grandchildren.” The humor extends to the illustrations; in one image Nokomis sits with her feet in bunny slippers, using her laptop to buy new sneakers. There is a slight storyline confusion (was it Nokomis Josephine or other women who did the walking from the four points of Turtle Island?), but this is a small quibble in a book about such a large issue. The illustrated glossary with pronunciations is essential, since Robertson uses Ojibwe words throughout, a decision that enhances the book’s substance.
An important topic is treated with grace, love, and a smidgen of humor in this delightful, necessary book. (informational note) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77260-038-4
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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by Joanne Robertson & illustrated by Gal Laszlo
by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Claudine Gévry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019
A good choice for a late fall storytime.
Animal behaviors change as they prepare to face the winter.
Migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation. Spread by spread she introduces her examples, preparing in fall and surviving in winter. She describes two types of migration: Hummingbirds and monarchs fly, and blue whales travel to the warmth of the south; earthworms burrow deeper into the earth. Without using technical words, she introduces four forms of hibernation—chipmunks nap and snack; bears mainly sleep; Northern wood frogs become an “icy pop,” frozen until spring; and normally solitary garter snakes snuggle together in huge masses. Those who can tolerate the winter still change behavior. Mice store food and travel in tunnels under the snow; moose grow a warmer kind of fur; the red fox dives into the snow to catch small mammals (like those mice); and humans put on warm clothes and play. The animals in the soft pastel illustrations are recognizable, more cuddly than realistic, and quite appealing; their habitats are stylized. The humans represent varied ethnicities. Each page includes two levels of text, and there’s further information in the extensive backmatter. Pair with Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen’s Winter Bees (2014).
A good choice for a late fall storytime. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2900-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
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by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Monique Felix
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by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis
BOOK REVIEW
by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Elly MacKay
by Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard.
Rotner follows Hello Spring (2017) with this salute to the fall season.
Name a change seen in northern climes in fall, and Rotner likely covers it here, from plants, trees, and animals to the food we harvest: seeds are spread, the days grow shorter and cooler, the leaves change and fall (and are raked up and jumped in), some animals migrate, and many families celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. As in the previous book, the photographs (presented in a variety of sizes and layouts, all clean) are the stars here, displaying both the myriad changes of the season and a multicultural array of children enjoying the outdoors in fall. These are set against white backgrounds that make the reddish-orange print pop. The text itself uses short sentences and some solid vocabulary (though “deep sleep” is used instead of “hibernate”) to teach readers the markers of autumn, though in the quest for simplicity, Rotner sacrifices some truth. In several cases, the addition of just a few words would have made the following oversimplified statements reflect reality: “Birds grow more feathers”; “Cranberries float and turn red.” Also, Rotner includes the statement “Bees store extra honey in their hives” on a page about animals going into deep sleep, implying that honeybees hibernate, which is false.
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3869-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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by Gwen Agna & Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner
BOOK REVIEW
by Shelley Rotner ; illustrated by Shelley Rotner
BOOK REVIEW
by Gwen Agna & Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner
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