Synopsis "Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with… Continue reading Book Review: Brown Girl Dreaming
Tag: Children’s Literature
Book Review: Amina’s Voice
Synopsis "Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she's in middle school, everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the "cool" girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more… Continue reading Book Review: Amina’s Voice
Children’s Review: Firebird
Synopsis In Firebird, ballerina Misty Copeland shows a young girl how to dance like the firebird. Copeland, who is an American Ballet Theatre soloist, writes to a young dance with fragile confidence. She encourages the young girl that through hard work and determination, she too can reach the same highs Copeland has in her career.… Continue reading Children’s Review: Firebird
Children’s Review: The Flute Player
The Flute Player is a retelling of an Apache folktale. As the story goes, a young boy and girl met at a social dance and instantly knew that they liked each other. The boy told the girl he played the flute and that she might hear him sometime. Whenever they were separated between the fields, he… Continue reading Children’s Review: The Flute Player
Children’s Review: Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away
Synopsis Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away by Ketch Secor is such a joyful book! Lorraine and her grandpa "Pa Paw" love music and spend their days singing and playing instruments of all sorts on his farm in Tennessee. One day their instruments, including Lorraine's favorite penny whistle, disappear. That same evening a… Continue reading Children’s Review: Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away
Children’s Review: The One Day House
Synopsis The One Day House by Julia Durango is a sweet story about a little boy named Wilson who wants to help his elderly neighbor, Gigi, fix up her home. Every day he promises her that one day he will paint her home bright orange like the sun, fix her windows so she doesn't have to… Continue reading Children’s Review: The One Day House
Children’s Review: Mommy’s Khimar
Synopsis In Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, a young girl cherishes the multi-colored headscarves her mother wears. The scarves ignite her imagination and she uses them for pretend-play, envisioning herself to be a shining shooting star, a mamma bird to her little brother, a superhero or a queen. The khimars, or hijabs as we learn they… Continue reading Children’s Review: Mommy’s Khimar
New Series Coming Soon
Hello all! Those of you who have been following my site for a while now are likely aware that I am completing a Masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Arizona. This semester, I am taking an elective course on children's and young adult literature. This means I will be reading and… Continue reading New Series Coming Soon
KidLit Review: Island of the Blue Dolphins
This year, one of my pseudo-resolutions is to start reading more children's literature. I love to hear what other people's memorable childhood books are so that I can compare them to the ones that I have read, and make lists for new ones I want to research and maybe read for myself. Island of the Blue… Continue reading KidLit Review: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Book Review: Zen Shorts
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth is the sweetest children's book I have ever read. Stillwater, a giant panda "with a slight panda accent" arrives in the backyard of three children one day when the wind blows him off course. He ends up staying and, over the course of a few days, spending time with… Continue reading Book Review: Zen Shorts
