Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

The two things I remember most about being 10 was that 1- I got new glasses with a blue frame just like my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Basil, and 2- I was just so hungry for stories like Louisiana's Way Home. It would have been the ideal story for me, and together with Anne of Green Gables and a book my cousin in Wales sent to me called The School at the Chalet, I would have been in book heaven.

The Louisiana in this book's title is, of course, Louisiana Elefante one of the three rancheros from Kate DiCamillo's earlier book Raymie Nightingale. Louisiana is the girl with the swampy lungs who lives with her Granny because her parents, famous trapeze artists called The Flying Elefantes, died when the ship they were on sank. Since then, Louisiana and her Granny have been traveling around from place to place in an old car to avoid the "authorities" who, Granny believes, would send her to live in an orphanage.

So now it was no surprise when Granny woke Louisiana up at three in the morning to hustle her into the car and leave Florida and the other two rancheros, friends Raymie and Beverly, behind. As Granny explains to her, the hour of reckoning has arrived and it's time to do something about the curse of sundering that has been passed down from Louisiana's great-grandfather, a magician.

But Granny and Louisiana don't get far after crossing the state line into Georgia before Granny is hit with terrible tooth pain. The pain is so bad all she can do is moan for Louisiana to find a dentist, which she does in Richford, Georgia. Once Granny's teeth are taken care of, the two find themselves staying in the Good Night, Sleep Tight Motel for the night. But when Granny refuses to get out of bed, the motel owner, uncharitable Bernice, forces Louisiana to use her lovely voice singing at a funeral in order to pay for the additional nights.

Outside the motel, Louisiana meets Burke Allen, a wild child with a heart of gold, who knows how to get peanuts and Oh Henry candy bars out of the motel's vending machine without paying for them and who introduces her to the joys of a bologna sandwich with orange cheese and mayonnaise on white bread. Along the way, she also meets Reverend Obertask, whose advertised healing words on his church's sign turn out to not be the magic that Louisiana so badly needs.

Then Granny suddenly abandons Louisiana at the motel, leaving only a letter telling the truth about how Louisiana came to live with her and why she has to leave. Shattered and in despair, Louisiana is totally convinced that her life is always going to be a series of goodbyes thanks to the sundering curse. Kicked out of the Good Night, Sleep Tight motel, she finds her way first Reverend Obertask, and then to the Allen house. But now that she is abandoned and alone, not knowing who she is, will Louisiana finally end up in the county orphanage Granny tried to save her from or is the Granny mirage she sees in church finally being truthful when she tells her that "provisions have been made?"

It certainly sounds like Louisiana's story could be a mighty sad one, but it isn't, well, it is, but not entirely. And that's because DiCamillo has peopled Louisiana's life with a cast of some very eccentric characters, some mean and selfish, some kind and generous, that lend some humor to the story through Louisiana's wonderful narration.

Interestingly, I never really had a handle on the character of Granny in Raymie Nightingale and the same is true here. The one thing I was certain of was that she did indeed love Louisiana dearly. So her abandonment came as a surprise, but Granny has always told her that "provision have been made" and maybe there was something about Richford, Georgia and the people there that made Granny comfortable enough to do what she had to do. Indeed, something to think about.

Louisiana's Way Home is a somewhat complicated novel, but do pay attention to her mentions of the Pinocchio story about a wooden puppet who just wanted to be a real boy, just like Louisiana wants to be a real girl. And remember, it was Geppetto who first lied to Pinocchio, but it was the boy puppet who understood that he lied out of kindness and forgave him. Louisiana's journey becomes clearer. Granny also lied to her out of kindness, but now the time has come to face her own truth, and Louisiana can't come along on Granny's journey anymore, she much go on her own. DiCamillo deftly and sensitively handles the themes around these truths so very well for her young readers - the search for home, the act of forgiveness, the need for family, and a strong sense of identity, and of course, simply belonging, and she makes doing it all look so easy even when you know it isn't.

Now, what about friends Raymie and Beverly, and Archie, King of the Cats, and Buddy, Dog of their Hearts back in Florida, you ask? No, they're not gone, not totally. But does Louisiana's Way Home work as a stand alone story? I believe so, simple because in her narration of the events in Georgia, Louisiana provides what the reader needs to know from the adventures in the previous book.

Because of Winn-Dixie used to be my favorite Kate DiCamillo novel, but now I have to say it is Louisiana's Way Home. Somehow I felt that it was a more personal work of hers that any other, and it just felt more like it really came from the heart.

You can download a Teacher's Guide for Louisiana's Way Home thanks to the publisher, Candlewick Press.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

For seventh grader Zoey Albro, living in Vermont in a trailer with her mother, three siblings, step father Lenny and his father Frank, life really isn't easy. It's her job to get Bryce and Aurora up, dressed and out for school every morning. And after school, Zoey has to care for  them while her mother works in a low wage job waiting tables in pizza shop, then make sure the kids get dinner, eaten in their bedroom so they don't get in Lenny's way or disturb Frank's constant TV watching, and get them to bed, and hope sleep isn't interrupted one of by Bryce's nightmares that began after they moved in with Lenny.

Zoey's dislike for Lenny is no secret, but it is mutual. She hates that he constantly berates her mother for doing things wrong, ignores her, Bryce and Aurora, and only paying attention to his son Hector. And now, Lenny has lost his job.

So, even though she would like to do it, there just isn't any time for Zoey to work on her homework, not even the latest assignment - a debate prep packet on the topic Which animal is best? That's easy for Zoey, who knows that being an octopus is the best, and she already has all the information she needs to support her argument. She often thinks that if she had all those arms, she could do so much more to make life easier for the kids and her mom. Besides, an octopus has the ability to camouflage itself when it needs to hide, something she would really like to be able to do, especially at school.

Where her teachers are always disappointed that she hasn't done the required work, her only friends are Silas, a loner who loved to go hunting with his father, and Fuchsia, a girl with her own serious issues. Zoey never speaks in class, preferring to try to be invisible, and yet, always subjected to bullying by the other kids in school.

Filling in the debate prep may have been an easy task for Zoey, but then, of course, she would have to speak in front of the class. First, she forgets her packet, then when given another chance, she lies and says she has forgotten it again. When her Social Studies teacher, Ms. Rochambeau, discovers the Zoey's debate prep packet in the trash and reads it, she begins to see her in a different light and insists that she join the debate team, even offering to drive her to where the school bus lets Bryce and Aurora off in the afternoon so she can still babysit them.

At first, Zoey has not interest in participating in the debate club, and having to work with who make no secret of what they think of her. But the more she learns about the art of debating, the more she begins to understand the way her stepfather has been manipulating and verbally abusing her mother and why her once strong, independent mother has become cowed by his treatment.

But can Zoey put her new debating skills into practice and convince her mother to leave Lenny and their toxic relationship before it is too late? And where would they go?

I had a hard time collecting my thoughts about this novel. Certainly, from a teacher's perspective, I thought it was great - here was a teacher who looked beyond the obvious and found the real Zoey, a girl who needed support, encouragement, but mostly validation.

The Benefits of Being a Octopus is told from Zoey's point of view, in the first person present. Her narration is open and honest, at times, brutally honest. Zoey is a smart, strong, courageous girl with way too many responsibilities put on her shoulders by the (supposed) adults around her, who should have been taking care of her, not the other way around.

Braden has put Zoey in a difficult life - she and her family seem to have alway lived in poverty. She's never known her father, though Bryce and Aurora's father was in the picture for a while before leaving, and only baby Hector belongs to Lenny. Clothes and toys are bought second hand and Zoey's mom is eligible for public assistance. This is real realistic fiction and Braden's writing is as hard-hitting and matter of fact as Zoey's story.

And yet, it is also a book with a message of hope. It would take a lot of strength to get up every morning and face Zoey's day, but she does it without too much resentment but a lot of humiliation. Gradually, thanks to the rules of debate and Ms. Rochambeau's belief in her, that changes and Zoey can see her way out of the terrible circumstances they are in because of being so poor and dependent on Lenny for a roof over their heads.

Zoey may have wished she has eight arms so she could get everything done herself, but in the end, it is a combination of her own resilience and determination, and the arms of those around her reaching out that ultimately help her find her way in this well crafted coming of age novel.

My only regret: The Benefits of Being an Octopus is a book I wish I had had to share with my students when I was teaching 4th grade in the Bronx.

You can download a very useful Educator's Guide for this book on Ann Braden's website HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Leatherdale

Just as they did with Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices, Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale have once again created an anthology of Native American voices from Canada and the United States. This time, however, it is devoted to the voices of indigenous women only. For Charleyboy, this work is "a love letter to all young indigenous women trying to find their way, but also to help dispel those stereotypes so we can collectively move forward to a brighter future for all."

#NotYourPrincess is divided into four sections, all of which contain a collection of  poems, prose, art, and photographs by women and teens detailing some of the issues that have impacted their past, present and future as Native women.

In the first section, "The Ties That Bind," is about the ties to the past, recognizing a heritage and identity marred by the trauma and humiliations of the residence schools where Native children were taught to feel shame about who they are, and forced to assimilate to white society, or the shame felt at having everything taken by the government and wearing blankets in an attempt to protect themselves and to hide their shame. But, as Lianne Charlie (Tagé Cho Hudän) shows in her picture montage, #LittleSalmonWoman, Native women are their past but they are their present, too and it's in the present that things can change, accented by the last two entries of this section, In Her Words by Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe) and Jen VanStrander  (Western Band of Cherokee).

The next section, "It Could Have Been Me," looks at the way victimization of indigenous women has always been perpetuated on Native women and those who now refuse to accept being victims and fight back. Even as young Native women are disappearing, are hurt and abused, actress Imalyn Cardinal (Cree/Dene) states flatly "I Don't Want to Be Afraid." And in "The Things We Taught Our Daughters," Helen Knott (DaneZaa/Cree) tackles domestic and sexual abuse and the way keeping silent was taught from generation to generation, and that now, it is time to speak up, to not accept this kind of treatment. As if in answer to Knott's is a poem by Patty Stonefish (Lakota) called "It Could Have Been Me" that ends with the word "I will not believe I am weak-/ I know I am indomitable./ I have the privilege of another day." I think this poem really shows the strength and the determination of young Native women refusing to be the victim anymore.

The third section, "I Am Not Your Princess," considers cultural appropriation in We Are Not a Costume by Jessica Deer (Mohawk) and the kind of erasure that happens when an indigenous person doesn't fit peoples preconceived ideas of what a Native person should look like, as in A Conversation with a Massage Therapist by Francine Cunningham (Cree/Métis), or the refusal to be stereotyped in Stereotype This by Melanie Fey (Diné), and What's There to Take Back? by Tiffany Midge (Hunkpapa Lakota) in response to a call for submissions about recreating Tiger Lily into "a real image of Indigenous womanhood."

Section four, "Pathfinders," looks at Native women who are forging a different, more positive present and future for themselves and their children. In the poem When I Have a Daughter, Ntawnis Piapot (Piapoy Cree Nation), tells her future daughter "Don't wait. Don't whine. Don't pine./  Go for it. Work for it. Earn it" even if it means being shunned and ostracized, have the courage to stand up and fight for justice. Which is exactly what 13-year-old Annalee Rain Yellowhammer (Hunkapapa, Standing Rock Sioux) did when she signed on to try and stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. In Defender of Mother Earth, this young activist writes "We demand 'rezpect' for out water, our land, and our voices. This is followed by photographs of successful Native athletes in Living Their Dreams. There are other successful women contributing to this section, but they point out that being a pathfinder isn't without obstacles and difficulties that must be overcome simply because they are Indigenous women. But these women have forge a path that celebrates their identity as strong, independent Native women following their dreams, leading the way for future generations.

#NotYourPrincess is not necessarily an easy book to read, but certainly one that should be read by Native and non-Native people, male and female. Native girls and women reading it will find a celebration of the multiple identities of their womanhood, of "taking control of how they and their traditions are seen" and of shattering stereotypes. It is impossible not to be affected by these contributions of different women, but it is also not an easy book to review. There is so much in the short one and two page offerings of women expressing themselves so freely, that just talking about it doesn't do justice to what is contained between the covers. My advice: Read #NotYourPrincess

Pair this with Dreaming in Indian for a more well-rounded though far from complete look at what it means to be Native in today's world.

This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

📚Save the Date: BookFest@BankStreet 2018 is coming

If you're looking for a fun, bookish way to spend Saturday, October 20, 2018 in NYC, look no further that BookFest@BankStreet. It's a day chockablock with some of your favorite authors and their books, with panel discussions and autographing tables. There's refreshments in the morning, with time to chat, and a box lunch with more socializing. All in all, it's a great day and, in fact, it is one of my favorite autumn events and it's only a mere $75.00. So if you're interested, it's time to register and you can do that HERE.

FYI: here's a copy of this year's Schedule of Events for your perusal:

Click to Enlarge

The Book Discussion Sessions are a chance for you to participate in talking about your favorites with a qualified leader. Click HERE for a list of discussions and the books that will be discussed from which you can chose what you would like.

Won't be in NYC on October 20th, no problem, Book Fest@Bank Street 2018 will be live streamed by and thanks to

Hope to see you there!

Picture Books to Share on Grandparents Day

Grandparents are such special members of families and Sunday, September 9, 2018 is Grandparents Day, a day to honor them. It's also the perfect time to explore some picture books about the wonderful relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

Disney-Hyperion, 2018, 40 pages

A young American boy is dropped off at his Thai grandfather's house for the afternoon. He's not too happy to be there since grandson and grandfather have nothing in common with each other. They don't even speak the same language. They don't even eat the same food: grandfather eats ramen with chopsticks, grandson eats a hot dog and french fries. Bored, the grandson pulls out his art supplies and begins drawing. Grandfather quickly gets his bottle of ink and brush, and both begin drawing their ideas of a superhero warrior. At last, grandson and grandfather have found a connection in their love of drawing, and creating "a new world that even words can't describe." It's wonderful, until a dragon appears and separates them again. Will they be able to draw themselves back together again? This almost wordless picture book has so much to say about intergenerational relationships and how wonderful they can be when the grands find common ground. The mixed media illustrations, both color and black and white, really capture the different emotions and changing attitudes experienced by grandson and grandfather throughout. There is a bit of Thai dialogue, the translation of which can be found on the copyright page. This book was a delight to read with my young readers and it really elicited a conversation about their own, different relationships with their grandparents.  

Sing to the Moon by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, 

illustrated by Sandra van Doorn

Lantana Publishing, 2018, 40 pages
Available October 1, 2018

A young Ugandan boy wishes to go to the moon or maybe just Zanzibar, to the old spice markets, and to eat a monstrous feast. But when he wakes up, he finds heavy rain and hours of nothing to do ahead of him. But to his surprise, his Jjajja (grandfather) has been waiting for him. The two begin working in their storeroom while Jjajja tells his grandson about his childhood best friend and the things they used to do. Later, while making fish stew together, Jjajja tells his grandson about fishing with his own father as a boy. As evening draws in, Jjajja says it's time for their night adventures and reveals a stack of books filled with age old fables about African kingdoms and lost cities. And finally grandfather and grandson go outside to listen to the night sounds of the world around them. It is the end of a perfect, shared day with Jjajja. Told in gentle rhyme by the grandson, this is a endearingly serene bedtime story based on rainy days the author spent with her family in Uganda and she has included much Ugandan culture and tradition in the pages. The grandfather's stories, whether age old or just from his life, demonstrate the importance of handing them down to a younger generation in order to build that important connection between past and present that they need in order to realize their place in the continuum.Van Doorn's beautiful but simple folk art style dry pastel illustrations add the perfect dreamlike feelings evoked by text. A lovely story that will be enjoyed again and again.

Ocean Meets Sky written and illustrated by

Terry and Eric Fan

Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2018, 48 pages

I always look forward to books by the Fan Brothers because they are always so magical, and this one didn't disappoint. On what would have been his grandfather's 90th birthday, young Finn looks out the window and can hear his grandfather say "it's a good day for sailing." And to honor his grandfather, Finn decides to build a boat and go on the journey they had planned together. After it's done, Finn falls asleep and waking up, he finds his boat has already begun the journey. Looking for where ocean meets sky, Finn asks a golden fish (who looks strikingly like his grandfather) if he knows where it is. The golden fish leads him to Library Island with roosting bookish birds, then to an island of giant shells, through a sea of moon jellies, and to what may be the magical place where ocean meet sky. After exploring in his little boat, Finn hears a voice calling his name. It's his mother waking him up from his nap for dinner. Looking out at the sea, Finn decides it had indeed been a good day for sailing. Beginning with the front endpapers and ending with the back endpapers and all the pages in between, the graphite and digitally colored illustrations have a dreamlike quality that transports readers alone with Finn on this imaginative journey. Be sure to look carefully at the page showing grandfather's study to get hints about Finn's journey.

Storm (Seasons with Granddad) written and illustrated by Sam Usher

Templar Books, 2018, 40 pages

In this fourth Seasons with Granddad offering, it is a blustery autumn day and colorful leaves are flying and falling. A young boy wakes up and can't wait to go out. When his granddad suggests flying a kite, they look all over the house trying to find it, but finding instead other things that remain them of a past fun day spent together. The kite is finally found and off they go to the park to fly it with all the other kite flyers. As the wind becomes stronger, the boy loses hold of the kite, but luckily granddad catches it. A storm is coming and it's time to head home. There the boy and his granddad have their tea and talk about the day, safe and cozy while the storm rages outside. "The best adventure is an adventure shared" granddad tells his grandson, who couldn't agree more. I just love the relationship granddad and grandson have in these picture books. It's just so comfortable and loving, and you can how much they enjoy being together. Usher's watercolor illustrations, done in a palette of fall reds, yellows, blues and stormy greys add to the atmosphere of an overcast fall day, but the dreariness is broken by birds-eye view of the various colorful kites flying. Usher may follow the same structure in all his Seasons with granddad books, but they are all unique in their own special way.

Grandma's Records written and illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Walker BFYR, 2001, 32 pages

Every summer, as soon as school is out, Eric would go to spend his vacation with his grandma in Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio, in NYC. There, they listen to records and dance away their days, while grandma tells her grandson stories about growing up in Puerto Rico. They listen to a wide variety of Latin music and sometimes grandma would even let Eric pick out what they would listen to. But, he notices, there is one special song that always causes his grandma to put her hand on her heart and close her eyes as she sings along. Grandma's nephew plays in the famous Rafael Cortijo Band, and one day, they all show up for some of grandma's good home cooking. As they leave, they give grandma tickets to hear them play, and it is at their performance that Eric learns why the special song is so meaningful to his grandma when he sees everyone doing the same gesture his grandma does - putting their hand on their hearts. The song, he learns, is about coming to a new country and leaving the country you love behind, and the gesture shows that their heart is still in Puerto Rico. This is a lovely story of a grandmother and grandson connecting - here it is over music, culture, and heritage. Velasquez's illustrations are realistically painted, capturing the warm love between grandmother and grandson. There are a few Spanish sentences with translation, and the back matter includes short biographies of the musicians in the Rafael Cortijo Band. 

Our Granny written by Margaret Wild, pictures by Julie Vivas
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt BFYR, 1998, 32 pages 

In this lyrical picture book, a brother and sister list the different characteristics of granny's, pointing out that they can come in all shapes, sizes and styles, and then personalizing it by telling the reader where their granny fits in. Each characteristic follows the same format, beginning with Some grannies... and ending with Our granny: "Some grannies wear,,,/ jeans and sneakers / pantsuits/ silky dresses/ big bras/ baggy underwear/ lots of jewelry/ high heels/ sensible shoes/ or comfy slippers. Our granny wears a funny bathing suit." There is nothing mean spirited about the comparisons, there is not better or worse, simply the kind of things kids would notice. What makes this brother and sister's granny special is that she loves them and they love her, but that would be true of any granny and her grandchildren, so they are all special. Vivas' colorful watercolor illustrations compliment the warm humor of the text, offering a wide variety of diverse grannies and presents them from various perspectives. Kids will certainly look for their grannies characteristics in those listed throughout this book and that can spark some lively conversations, as it did with my young readers.

Most stories about grandparents and grandchildren show a loving relationship between the two generations, helping children feel connected to the past in a particular, personal way. But sometimes a grandparent's memory begin to disappear, cultural customs are forgotten and special occasions get lost as a grandparent ages. Sadly, that is a part of life for some families, which is why I am including the following book on a day when we celebrate grandparents.

The Remember Balloons written by Jessie Oliveros,
illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte
Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2018, 48 pages

Using balloons to a metaphor for memories, young James tells readers he only has a few balloons, unlike his grandpa who has more balloons than James, his little brother, and his parents put together. grandpa has lived a long full life, and James loves hearing about the memories in his balloons. For memories that they share, they each have the same color balloon, like the time they went fishing together. Then, one day, grandpa starts having a problem with his balloons. One would get stuck and he would tell the same story over and over, even though he had just finished it. Or grandpa's balloons would float away and he didn't even notice it. Eventually, grandpa has no more balloons. James is very sad to see this happen, but then his parents point out all the new balloons he has, balloons that once were his grandpa's are now his to share. Memory loss in grandparents caused by age-related dementia or Alzheimer's disease is difficult to explain to children, ever when they see it happening as James does here. I thought that using balloons to represent memories is one of the best way to explain what many grandchildren are probably witnessing in their own grandparents. Each of grandpa's memories is depicted in a different color balloon, and it's an idea kids can understand, after all, what child has witnessed balloons floating away. This is a poignant story, sensitively told, and with a hopeful ending as James becomes the bearer of his grandpa's memories to share with his family.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Eleven-year-old Cuban American Merci Suárez lives in the Palm Beach area of Florida with her parents, and her very smart brother Roli, 17. Right next to them live their Abuela and Abuelo, called Lolo, and right next to them lives Tia Inéz, with her young twins, Axel and Tomás. The three identical houses are affectionately called Las Casitas by Merci's mother.

Roli and Merci are scholarship students at a private school. Since their dad and Lolo are painters, some of their tuition is paid for in work they do at the school. Because Roli is so smart, he's pretty much left alone, but sixth-grader Merci is required to do some community service in school, and so she is assigned to the Sunshine Buddies Club. It's her job to be a mentor to Michael Clark, a new kid in school who has just moved to Florida from Minnesota. Naturally, Merci's nemesis, rich mean girl Edna Santos, really likes Michael and does everything she can think of to make it difficult for Merci to be a buddy to him. That isn't hard, since Merci doesn't want to be his buddy anyway. What Merci does want is to make some money for a new bike and to tryout for the school's soccer team.

Unfortunately, neither one seem to be possible for her. She has to watch the twins after school while Tia Inéz goes to work, for free, because as Merci says "When it comes to helping, the motto around here is family or bust." On top of that, her beloved Lolo has been acting oddly lately and getting very forgetful, and no one in the family will answer any of Merci's questions about it. Family policy is to always be truthful and honest with each other, with no secrets, but that is definitely not the case here and Merci is scared for Lolo, especially when she's asked by him not to mention anything that might happen when they are together - like a fall from his bike.

Medina has written what I thought was a real-true-to-life coming of age story. Merci is at a transitional age, no longer a child, but not yet a teen, yet she has a lot to grapple with in this novel. She finds middle school difficult, with more intense homework and the pressure to keep up her grades as a scholarship student, and it seems that everyone around her changed over the summer vacation, except her. Now they are interested in boys, and Merci still wants to play soccer and ride her bike.

But Merci also has a close-knit family who do what they can to support each other, even if money is tight and some things don't come easy. And it's a good thing, because they are going to need all the love and support a family can give in the future.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears is a wonderfully realistic novel about the complications of preteen life and learning to come to grips with the fact that sometimes life just isn't fair and being in middle school doesn't help.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher, Candlewick Press

Four More Favorite Back to School Picture Books

 

Kids in New York begin school after Labor Day and go until the end of June, so it's still back to school time for us, even though most of the country has been back for a while. Lately, we've been reading lots of back to school books (see my earlier post HERE) and would like to share a few more that have become favorites.

It's Your First Day of School, Busy Bus by Jody Jensen Shaffer, 

illustrated by Claire Messer

Beach Lane Books, 2018, 32 pages

It's the first day of school for Busy Bus, but before he can leave the bus barn, Ben the bus driver must make sure everything is in tip-top shape before they pick up the school children. There are so many things to check, but Ben does each one step by step. Ben inspects Busy Bus's tires, fills him with gas, adjusts his mirrors, check his lights and his all important STOP arm, plus all the buttons and gauges on the dashboard.  Busy Bus is set to go, but now he's feeling jittery - what if the kids don't like him? What if he gets homesick? Shaffer has managed to address a first day of school anxiety that many children have through Busy Bus - that of leaving home, getting on the school bus and going to school.  This turned out to be a real favorite with my young readers, and even though most of my kids don't take a school bus, but this did get them taking about their first day of school. Ben's safety check  reassured my kids, who are familiar with car dashboards, and it didn't take long for them know all the parts of the bus. The thing they were most curious about? The STOP arm. The lino print, ink, and digitally colored illustrations are big, bold, and brightly colored, with lots of white space around them. Busy Bus is certainly a hit.

Best Frints at Skrool written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis

Roaring Brook Press, 2018, 40 pages

Here is another school story that addresses common school fears through an alternative means - here it is through alien children from the planet BoBorp. And my kids love it (or maybe they love hearing me trying to read it without stumbling over the words). Skrool isn't terribly different on BoBorp than it is on Earth. Kids learn to sit quietly when their skreecher speaks, to keep their tentacles to themselves, to read and count, and make new frints at recess. Frints play and share their lunch with each other including new best frints Yelfred and Q-B, but no one is very frintly with lonely Omek. When Omek tries to share with Yelfred and Q-B, the result is a food fight, and before they know it, the yunch ladies have them in a time out. But Omek, Yelfred and Q-B are still hungry. Yelfred invites them to his house after skrool for some spewd and before long there are three best frints. This is a silly story about inclusion and navigating school friendships and kids will certainly be able relate to both Omek and besties Yelfred and Q-B, but will also see how easy it is to have more than one best friend. Check out the endpapers for a BoBorp glossary, how to count and how to play eye ball on Boborp. If you're lucky, your kids will soon become fluent in BoBorp just as mine did.

The Truth About My Unbelievable School... by Davide Calli, 

illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

Chronicle Books, 2018, 44 pages

If you think the school on BoBorp is strange, wait until you read this book. Henry, clad in a black suit and red tie, is asked by his teacher to give his new classmate a tour of the school. First stop is the class pet, an enormous jelly fish, Henry must climb a ladder to feed. Next is the music room, the art room, the math corner where no one understands the equations, followed by science and recess. Throughout the tour, the young girl seems completely unfazed by everything she sees, no matter how strange it is, and it is strange. The swimming teacher looks like an amphibian, the science class is building project that looks like something a mad-scientist would invent, and the Principal's office is underground, arrived at by boat. So why is the young girl so completely unperturbed, almost bored with everything she see? The explanation comes at the end, and my kids really cracked up. This book is a little different, and it didn't appeal to all the kids I read it to, but the ones who got it (and they were the older kids in the group), really liked it. The illustrations are interesting, and somewhat Gothic, but nothing should scare most young readers, but will tickle the funny bone of some. There are literary nods throughout to other books, although most kids won't get them. This is indeed a fun frolic through a different kind of back to school book.

Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus, pictures by Jose Aruego

Windmill Books, 1971, 32 pages

This isn't really a back to school book per se but I like to read it every year for my benefit and that of my young readers. It is a nice reminder that not all kids learn the same way at the same pace and sometimes the adults in their lives need to practice patience. All the other animals are learning to read to write, to draw, and to speak, but not Leo, a young tiger cub. When his dad begins to be concerned, Leo's mom tells him to be patient, Leo's is just a late bloomer, and to stop watching for him to bloom. Time goes by, winter becomes spring and Leo still hasn't bloomed. Then one day, in his own good time, Leo blooms, and he can do everything his friends can do - read, write, draw, eat, and speak in whole sentences.  I think the brightly colored illustrations really capture Leo's sense of frustration and confusion about why he isn't doing what the others animals can do. It's a look I've seen on the face of some young learners often enough. When this came out in 1971, Leo the Late Bloomer wasn't well received, but since then, we've thankfully come a long way in recognizing learning differences in children. I read this to remember that and to give any lagging kids encouragement.