Grandpa and Me
by Karen Katz (ages 0-2)
This lift-the-flap board book tells the story of a baby and grandpa getting ready to make a pizza. The reader gets to lift a flap on every other page to look for what the duo needs to find or do next. The chef’s hat is in the closet; Grandpa’s favorite spoon is behind the eggs; and when the pizza dough is in the air, the flap reveals it is above their heads. I like how the illustrations show that each step of making the pizza is a team effort and how joyful both baby and grandpa look together.
Bisa’s Carnaval
by Joana Pastro (ages 3-6)
A little girl named Clara is learning about Carnaval, the exciting holiday that happens all over Brazil, from her great grandmother, or bisa. The two shop for fabric to make a beautiful costume for Clara, her sisters and cousins, and Clara and her family gather supplies that are sparkly, colorful and fun. Carnaval arrives and everyone is excited by the parade, the dancing and singing, and the socializing. Bisa is not able to join in the festivities because she can’t walk very quickly, so Clara leads everyone to Bisa’s house so they can bring Carnaval to her. The author’s and illustrator’s notes at the end are helpful to learn more about Carnaval in Brazil and how it is celebrated differently in different regions. There is also a glossary with the Portuguese words sprinkled throughout the story.
Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me
by Eloise Greenfield (ages 4-10)
Young Jace and his family have just adopted a puppy from the neighbors across the street. Trying to decide what to name him, the puppy announces that he is deep and a poet, so a cute name will not suffice. Jace is a poet too and decides Thinker is the right name for the newest member of the family. Each poem moves the story along: from introducing other members of the family and spending time with Thinker’s twin brother from across the street to Thinker finally being allowed to go to school with Jace for Pets’ Day. Thinker tries to follow the rule of not talking but can’t help but recite a funny poem. Soon, the other visiting pets show off their abilities to dance, sing opera and walk upside down. This is a fun book of a few types of poetry throughout and each poem is accompanied by beautiful paper collage illustrations by Ehsan Abdollahi.
When You Trap a Tiger
by Tae Keller (grades 4-6)
Lily is about to enter seventh grade and is moving from California to Washington with her mom and sister, Sam, to live with their sick halmoni, or grandmother. Their halmoni has always told fascinating Korean stories about tigers, magic and more. When Lily sees a tiger on the way to her halmoni’s house, she knows it is some sort of sign. Lily is desperate to heal her halmoni, so she makes a deal with the tiger when it appears to her again. The deal goes a little differently than Lily anticipates, and she learns a lot about her halmoni and the rest of her family throughout the story. This magical realism middle-grade novel touches on many themes such as loss, grief, family relationships, making new friends and identity. When You Trap a Tiger won the 2021 Newbery Medal.
Alone
by Megan E. Freeman (grades 7-12)
Twelve-year-old Maddie’s plan of having a secret sleepover at her grandparents’ summer apartment with her friends doesn’t go as planned and she ends up staying there alone. She wakes up to discover that everyone has been evacuated from the state of Colorado and forced to surrender their cell phones, so she has no way of reaching her parents who each think she is with the other parent. She is alone until she discovers a rottweiler next door, named George, who has been abandoned in the evacuation process. With George by her side, she is a little less afraid but must figure out what to do and how to survive as the days turn into months. The story progresses quickly as Maddie faces natural disasters, wild animals and loneliness.
Bookmarks submitted by the Upper Arlington Public Library.
