Ecosystems Picture Book: Log Life

 

Log Life 

A Tiny Habitats Book 

by Amy Hevron

Illustrations by the author 

Beach Lane Books

An imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2024

48 pages

ISBN: 9781665934985

Log life introduces readers to tiny habitats in the Pacific Northwest where giant evergreen trees can live up to 1,000 years before they fall in the forest. It takes hundreds of years for these trees to decompose, but while decomposing they become habitats for a number of plants and animals. They will become nurse logs. 

Nurse logs feed and house creatures from insects to birds and rodents, snails, frogs and salamanders. One giant tree feeds an entire system for decades. 

Illustrations entertain and educate about plant and animal life. It is a hopeful book as it shows how one tree can fall, but still offer so much life. In fact, new fir trees can sprout and begin their cycle for the next thousand years. Various animals are featured at the end in a two-page spread that readers will study again and again. Young readers may play at finding and identifying each type of animal in the early pages. 

A page about nurse-log habitats is included. Complete with selected sources and additional reading sources, this is a non-fiction treasure to own!  

Highly recommended for any fan of non-fiction books and kids who love ecology, animals and forests. 

Middle Grade Pick: Middle School and other Disasters: Worst Love Spell Ever!

 

Middle School and Other Disasters: Worst Love Spell Ever! (Book 2) 

by Wanda Coven

Illustrated by Anna Abramskaya

Simon Spotlight 

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

2023

352 pages

ISBN: 9781665937207

Book Two in the Middle School and Other Disasters series features our friend Heidi Hecklebeck as she settles into her new school, Broomsfield Academy, a school for witches-in-training. Heidi crushes on a cute boy named Hunter, but there's just one problem. Hunter is super popular and girls surround him at all times, including frenemy and now roommate Melanie! 

How will Heidi ever get Hunter to notice her with all these other girls around? It's time to get creative and, yes, magical. Heidi goes to work to find the perfect spell to make Hunter not only notice her, but fall in love with her. First, it's her magical hair potion which gives her glorious, beautiful shampoo ad-worthy hair, but it backfires when her hair won't stop growing. It's out of control! 

Heidi tries various spells to get Hunter's attention and undying devotion until it becomes obvious she's thinking only of herself. She never stops to think how she's affecting Hunter or her best friends. When they point it out to her, Heidi finally understands that she's been a selfish witch and vows to set things right. 

Illustrations by Anna Abramskaya bring Heidi and her friends to life. Middle school worthy prose and all the "feels" are captured by the author with a magical touch. Wanda Coven is clearly a witch who channels every middle school girl and her first crush. Heidi is cringe-worthy in many cases, but it's adorable and funny. Middle school has never been funnier nor sadder. 

Readers will be waiting for book three. It's not necessary to read book one to understand this book, but readers will likely read the entire series. Once they've stepped into the hypnotic world of Heidi Hecklebeck, they'll never want to leave. 

Easy to read with illustrations and tween friendly format with a font used to imitate a child's handwriting (similar to Wimpy Kid books) Worst Love Spell Ever! casts a powerful spell. 

Highly recommended grades 4 and up. 

Beautiful Picture Book: The Thing To Remember About Stargazing

 The Thing To Remember About Stargazing

by Matt Forrest Esenwine

Illustrated by Sonia Possentini

Tilbury House Publishers

2023

32 pages

ISBN: 9780884489405

Breathtaking illustrations by Sonia Possentini capture the joy and beauty of nature and the galaxy we live in. The art of stargazing is celebrated around the world by children, adults, and animals as they revel in the sculpture of the heavens.

The sky is laid out like a tapestry of pictures that ancient civilizations looked up at in awe the same way we do today. The Thing To Remember About Stargazing is to gaze with a friend or a pet or no one at all. You can stargaze all alone and contemplate "connecting the dots" of the stars. 

Gorgeous hues of muted blue, violet and purple depict the skies and surroundings for a calming palette for the poetic text. As polar bears gaze at the stars, whales swim to the surface to take in the quiet night sky. Children look up to locate constellations named centuries before they were born. The one thing to remember about stargazing, the most important thing, "...is to do it." 

This mesmerizing picture book is must have for every collection and a great first book to introduce astronomy to young children. A note about stars follows the story and urges readers to go outside and see what pictures, or asterisms, they find. Maybe they will see images they haven't spotted before. 

Highly recommended ages 18 months and up. 

Picture Book Pick: Empty and Me (Bilingual Persian-English picture book)

 

Empty and Me

by Azam Mahdavi

Illustrated by Maryam Tahmasebi

Translated by Parisa Saranj

Lee & Low Books 

48 pages

2023

ISBN: 9781643796222

Originally published in Iran, Empty and Me is the story of a little girl dealing with her mother's death. When her mother dies, the girl turns to Empty, her constant companion and only friend. Empty goes everywhere with the little girl: to school, to the playground, and at home. Empty is shown as a huge 

The girl remembers her mother when she sees a photo of them together, potting a plant. Later, the plant blooms and the girl begins to see things a little brighter. She finds a small kitten and she and Empty take it home. Now the kitten and Empty and the girl are together. Soon, she plays with another child at school. 

Illustrations match the girl's journey throughout her grief: in the beginning, gray is the main color. After the plant blooms, the girl gives Empty a yellow flower. In the pages that follow, Empty is seen with more and more yellow flowers. In the final layout, a picture of the girl, her father, the kitten and Empty are bathed in yellow sunlight coming in from a window.

The text is in Persian with the English translation below it on each page. Young readers may have never experienced a bilingual book before, especially one in Persian and English. The Persian text offers a novel nuance of the print American readers may have not encountered and it adds to the beauty of the pages.

Empty and Me is that rare book that deals with a painful subject in a graceful, poignant manner. Empty is the silent, sweet companion the little girl needs throughout her grief and hopeful healing. 

This book is must have read which is the perfect opening for young children to ask questions about death, dying and loss. While the subject matter is dark, Empty and Me is a testament to bright. 

Ages 3 and up. Especially helpful for anyone who has lost a close relative or parent. 

Picture Book Pick: Real to Me

 

Real To Me

by Mingh Le

Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

Knopf Books for Young Readers

Random House Kids

2023

40 pages 

ISBN: 9780593377499

Sometimes your first friend is imaginary to everyone. Everyone but you, that is.  A first friend laughs with you, is brave with you, is there for you and that makes them real. A young girl loves her first friend who is her constant companion until one day, her friend is not there. She looks for her friend everywhere and is sad without them. 

After time, she begins to make new friends who laugh with her and are brave with her, but that cannot erase her first, beloved friend: her friend is real to her. 

A beautiful book about a child who dreams and laughs and thinks. A child who is an introvert and who may not feel like she belongs. Her "friend" fills the void in her life, and no one can convince her that her friend is not real. Simply a lovely book full of heart and hopefulness. 

Highly recommended for all young readers. 

MG Pick: Bite Risk

 

Bite Risk

by S.J. Wills

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

2023

320 pages

ISBN: 9781665938006

"It's hard to spot the monster..."

Middle grade readers are in for a real treat: this BITING lupine story has it all! 

Set in a small town aptly named Tremorglade, thirteeen-year old Sel suspects there's something up in his town where nothing ever happens...unless of course you count the night of the full moon when all teens must lock up their parents, fearing their parents will rip them to pieces because one night per month, all kids are on alert for bite risk. Since the Disruption, years before Sel was born, adults turn to werewolves on nights when there is a full moon. 

When adults begin escaping their cages and spy drones start to appear, Sel and his friends decide to investigate. Just what is happening in their town and why is it that no one seems to ever leave? There's an underground conspiracy, a shady scientific company, an elderly friend who seems way too helpful, an online network that begins to feel sketchy, and too many weird circumstances that can't be explained. 

The kids find themselves on the run from not only the werewolves but some much more dangerous threats. Can they escape Tremorglade before it destroys them or do they stay and fight? 

Exciting and entertaining, Bite Risk will keep readers enthralled and guessing until the last pages. A quick read for even reluctant readers. this book will appeal to fans of paranormal, government conspiracies and mysteries. 

Recommended grades 6 and up. No sex. Some gore.