Our Children's Librarian columnist, Julie Booker, brings us a new view from the stacks every month.
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Just What to Do, by Kyle Lukoff, with Canadian illustrator Hala Taboub, is a sweet book about how to help someone through difficult times. "When my brother's cactus died, I knew just what to do." The character shows him offering a cactus drawing, which doesn’t cut it. “Could you tell me a joke instead? I really want to laugh,” says his brother. Then a cousin's goldfish dies, and a well-chosen library book is not the answer. The cousin just wants a hug. And so the pattern goes, with the protagonist continually missing the mark. Then their best friend's grandma dies and the best friend is unable to articulate what they need. So they hang out, spending time together figuring it out, which turns out to be just the right thing.
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I Know How to Draw an Owl, by Hilary Horder Hippely, illustrated by Canadian Matt James, shows Belle in class as her teacher demonstrates how to draw an owl. Belle sketches the bird accurately and Ms. Rio wonders how. Belle doesn't want to say. She has a secret. The story zooms out to the community where kids live in buildings and houses, revealing Belle’s home—a car. Each night, lying under blankets next to her mom, she listens to a hooting owl watching over them. One night, it swoops close enough to be seen by Belle, as if to say, “I like sharing my home with you.” This tale has a beautiful ending with the girl extending a loving watchful eye, like the owl, to a new classmate, who also secretly sleeps in a car.
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The Island Before No, by Christina Uss, is super fun. Canadian illustrator Hudson Christie has created compelling pictures with bright clay figures. A land of walruses live in perpetual “yes-ness,” saying yes to everything from birthday cake for breakfast to wearing an itchy hat. But then—crash!—a boy in a sailboat lands smack in the middle of their beach volleyball net with the new word: NO. No to sharing the last donut and many other situations which take advantage of the yes-inclined walruses. The walruses try to say the new word, but it comes out: “Niff, Nop and Nerp.” When the kid asks to borrow their toothbrush or to paint the cat, all they can do is say what they've always said— “yes.” When more kids show up, chaos overtakes the island, forcing the walruses to finally learn to set boundaries.
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Salvatore and the Goats of Mount Etna, by Uschi Muller, illustrated by Canadian Brittany Lane, is about animal nature/instinct, trust and letting go. It's Salvatore's first day in the mountains by himself, herding his family's goats. He lives in the shadow of Mount Etna, an active volcano in Sicily. The goats know before Salvatore that the volcano is about to erupt. Their erratic behaviour scares Salvatore, who tries to control the herd, but he decides to trust them and follows them to safety. The afterword talks about animals' sixth sense, and the scientists who are researching the sensory capabilities of animals. The global project ICARUS outfits animals with transmitters on collars and records their movements during volcanic activity.
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Into the Goblin Market, by Vikki Vansickle, illustrated by Jensine Eckwall, is a wonderfully dark fairy tale, with a nod to Red Riding Hood. This large distinctive-looking picture book features wood block printed illustrations, black and white, with a few red-coloured objects (like Mina’s red hooded cape). The rhyming text tells of sisters Millie and Mina. Mina is nervy and wants to explore life beyond the farm, particularly the Goblin Market where magic wares are sold, so she sneaks out one night. When Millie wakes to find her gone, she sets out to save Mina from danger. In the market, a wolf appears, hovering nearby, as Millie encounters a witch, a piper and others who beg her to buy! Buy! Buy! Forced to make a choice, she picks the wolf, who reveals itself to be Mina under a spell. The moral: look out for one another and don't sneak out at night!
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On her first day as teacher-librarian, Julie Booker was asked by a five-year-old if that was her real name. She's felt at home in libraries since her inaugural job as a Page in the Toronto Public Library. She is the author of Up Up Up, a book of short stories published by House of Anansi Press.
