Flying Frogs and Walking Fish, written by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: This nonfiction book is divided into all the sometimes surprising different ways mammals, invertebrates, insects and fish move. Whether it's walking, swimming. climbing, flying, rolling, or jetting, animals of all kinds are on the move. Motivating factors mostly include escaping predators or searching for food. A recap of the animals can be found at the end of the book with more information about each of the 46 animals.

Straight Talk for Librarians: An interesting foray into nonfiction that will appeal to young readers but with a rather high reading 4th-grade reading level. This could work as an effective read aloud to kick off a student animal research project, in order to get students to think about what makes animals unique and different from one another. Normally, we don't think of elephants swimming or snakes gliding through the air, but this book sheds light on these and other surprising ways 46 animals get around.

Alfie's Lost Sharkie, written by Anna Walker, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: An all-dialogue text details the plight of procrastinator tyke-sized Alligator, Alfie. This easy reader picture book describes bedtime for Alfie, in all his distracted glory. He attempts to sideline his parent's attempt to keep him on task for bedtime. A search for Sharkie is interwoven with bath time, storytime, and all the usual bedtime rituals. His parent's patience indicates this search has also become a bedtime ritual.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This could be read as a read-aloud for very young children, who will recognize their own attempts to thwart inevitable bedtime. It could spark discussion on sequencing, detailing step by step bedtime rituals. It could also work as a paired choral reading, with one reader taking the role of the parent and one reader taking the role of Alfie. The text is large and easy to read, and this would work well as an easy-reader leveled library book.

Batman's Dark Secret, written by Kelley Puckett, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: Batman has a dark secret. As a young boy, Bruce Wayne lost his parents in a dark alley. Orphaned to live alone in a large house outside of the city with a trusted butler, Alfred, young Bruce has a secret. He's afraid of the dark, and Alfred keeps the lights on all night every night so Bruce is never alone in the dark. But one day, Bruce goes for a walk and he is left alone outside in the dark to wrestle a monster-sized bat and his inner fears.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This easy reader batman book could be a read aloud to encourage discussion of childhood fears. Here Bruce Wayne's superhero origin story is made relatable to young beginning readers. The pictures are dark and capture the somberness of Bruce Wayne's story of trauma and solitude. This is sure to be a popular book among young readers, and it could be used to teach tone to young readers as the dark illustrations and text work in tandem to evoke a feeling of somber seriousness.

Hurry Up, Alfie!, written by Anna Walker, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: Hurry Up, Alfie is an age old tale of procrastination. Alfie has a difficult time focusing on the task at hand - getting ready to go to the park. But there are too many other more important activities on his agenda, such as handstands, swinging and locating a missing toy. A debate whether or not he needs an umbrella is moot, as he ends up in his underwear and playing in the water.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Moms and dads will sympathize with Alfie's parent's plight, children will recognize and get a kick out of Alfie's delay tactics. This one is probably best as a one-on-one a lap story, or a read aloud for very small children and parents. It's a logical springboard for a conversation about procrastination. It's never quite clear what Alfie's motivation is, whether is ADHD or anxiety, or good old procrastination, but this light story is carefree and light. The pictures are fun and colorful and propel the action and help carry out the theme.

One Day in the Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Tree, written by Daniel Bernstorm, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: The main character is a little boy with a whirly twirly toy who one day gets eaten by a snake in a eucalyptus tree. With every turn of the page, the boy convinces the snake that there's more room in his stomach and he should eat more. In rhyming cumulative fashion, the snake eats more and more, larger and larger animals until he burps up everything and winds up with a crummy tummy ache.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Reminiscent of folktale The Mitten, but with the sing-song repetition of the old lady who swallowed a fly, this rhyming story would be an worthy accompaniment to either story. This cumulative tale begs to be read aloud, and children will eagerly singalong and accompany with the repeating chorus. There are plenty of colorful, descriptive words and action verbs to help first graders expand their vocabulary. With bold pictures and lively verse, this one is sure to delight young children as a read aloud.

Can I Tell You a Secret, written by Anna Kang, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: Never burden a good friend with a secret is great advice from Marlene Dietrich, unless you are a young child or frog, as is the narrator of this story. Monty has a secret, which he almost immediately confesses to his audience. Small children will feel important being entrusted with Monty's shameful secret of not being able to swim. He's not quite ready to tell his parents, but with the reader's support and encouragement he might just be able to confess his problem - which ultimately is not a very big secret, as it is a big deal for him.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This simple tale is entertaining, engaging and effective for illustrating to children the importance of not keeping secrets. Monty is ashamed he can't swim, but his parents already know this and are just waiting for him to ask for help. Young kids will delight in being treated as Monty's confidant. The book lends itself to a discussion of secrets and the appropriateness of spilling the beans over keeping tight lipped. A great read aloud told in first person, young children will definitely want to reread multiple times.

Fred Forgets, written by Peter Jarvis, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: Fred is a good natured forgetful elephant who's put in a number of life threatening,
compromising situations by one mean monkey. In this very basic comeuppance/trickster tale, Fred is at the mercy of his not-so good friend Monkey until he gets so frustrated he decides to fight back in the most basic way possible using extreme force.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This silly one-note story is funny in a sadistic, Road Runner and Wylie Coyote kind of way but without the depth or humor. Although, Fred is put in a series of life threatening situations by a seemingly psychotic monkey, it's not until Fred puts on a dress and is mocked by his cohorts that this story seems to take its darkest. A twisted tale that is mildly amusing, but ultimately pointless as it only leaves the reader feeling ashamed for laughing along. But maybe that's the whole point?

Death Coming Up the Hill, written by Chris Crowe, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Ashe is seventeen years old and his world is full of war. It’s 1968, and the Vietnam War
rages on, the increasing death tolls reported each Thursday in the newspaper. The war is center stage in his home, where a different war is taking place between his protest-attending, peace-loving mother, and his hawkish, outspoken father. It seems that the only thing they ever agreed upon was getting married when they found out Ashe was expected, so the conflicts outside of the house only amplify the conflicts inside. Ashe spends his days with the new girl at school, Angela, whose family feels stable and safe, despite Angela’s brother being over in Vietnam. They share their favorite class, history, with Mr. Ruby, who is the only teacher who wants to speak openly about the traumatic times in which they all live. Ashe is terrified of both of the wars in his life, but a shocking turn of events in his family may force him to face both struggles head on.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I regret not reading this book sooner! This incredibly moving story is made so much more incredible by its format. The entire novel is written as a series of haikus, each syllable representing one of the 16,592 Americans who died fighting in Vietnam during 1968. Each short chapter is headed with a week and month, along with the death count reported in that Thursday’s newspaper. This format is perfect for historical fiction about this time period, which may interest teen readers but be less accessible in other formats. The story is emotionally charged, putting faces and real feelings to an event that is far removed from our student’s lives. It is chock-full of relevant historical details without making the reader feel like they are reading heavy nonfiction. Both the format and the compelling nature of Ashe’s story make this a very quick read, another selling point for young readers, particularly those who are less inclined to pick up a book. Add this book to your historical fiction collection today!

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali, written by Sabina Khan, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Rukhsana Ali cannot be who she truly is in her own home. At school, she is the fun-loving, crop-top wearing, academically successful girlfriend of six months to Ariana. At home, she is limited by her parents, told that he brother’s academic success is more important than hers, and constantly threatened to behave lest her actions bring shame upon her Muslim Bengali family. When she has to struggle to convince her parents to let her attend college, she knows that they will never understand her coming out to them. She’s ready to let the distance and lack of Bengali friends and family near CalTech do the hard work for her when her mother catches her kissing Ariana. Before she can really discuss the fallout with Ariana and her friends, Rukhsana’s parents whisk her away to India where she cannot escape the intolerance, rigid traditions and family expectations. Fortunately, Rukhsana finds a few unexpected allies and begins the difficult work of finding a way to escape her circumstances and live the life she knows she deserves.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I have been waiting for this book! There are an increasing number of LGBTQ titles for teens, but I had not yet seen one about an LGBTQ Muslim character struggling against religious and family expectations in pursuit of an honest relationship. Rukhsana’s story is difficult to read. The lengths to which her family will go in order to keep her within the bounds of “acceptable” is astounding and rage-inducing. Sabina Khan does not shy away from the intense feelings Rukhsana experiences or the ugly spectacles displayed by homophobic characters. Fortunately, despite having to see Rukhsana endure many difficult people and moments, the novel ultimately has a hopeful tone and a promising, if not slightly sugar-coated outcome. Rukhsana learns that she cannot count on her parents for kindness or acceptance, but she discovers in the process that she has more allies surrounding her than she initially realized. Some of these relationships are better developed than others, but they all serve to remind Rukhsana, and the reader, that not all hope is lost. This is a critical addition to all collections, especially in communities with significant LGBTQ, Muslim or Bengali populations.

Field Guide to the Grumpasaurus, written by Edward Hemingway, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: A humorous old-timey field guide for those most at risk of encountering a timeless
menace - the grumpy child. Very young children will no doubt delight in recognizing and identifying the various warning signs and descriptors of the grouchy grumpasaurus. It takes more than a few attempts to tame the ill-behaving beast. Not every remedy is successful, and some only serve to agitate the pint-sized monster. By the end, the dinosaur is transformed into a contented pint sized boy.

Straight Talk for Librarians: There are lots of great descriptors in the pseudo-scientific field guide of the grumpasaurus. Students should easily be able to pick out the adjectives, and descriptive language. The humorous text can be used to teach tone to very young learners. Is this serious text? No, they will get the joke because they will be able to easily recognize themselves in the grouchy grump. There's a cat companion who's humorous reactions mirror the reader's response. As a one on one text, it can be used to talk about emotions and appropriate responses to anger with very young pre-K and kindergarteners. One issue is that the text was rather small for students to be able to follow along, and some pages were almost blank without much happening.

Every Day Birds, written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, reviewed by Todd Erickson

Summary: Although Every Day Birds is basically told in verse for very young or beginning readers, it's a book students can grow into, as their is short informational blurbs about each bird a the end of the book for students to dive deeper. Due to the rhyming text, this one would work well as a read aloud. Birds are presented randomly, but they appear in alphabetical order in the simple glossary of informational text.

Straight Talk for Librarians: A basic avian primer told in simple verse, the colorful illustrations of common everyday birds should be easily recognizable to even very small children. The simple rhymes should hook young readers and could even be used to launch a writing lesson for young students to make up their own backyard nature poem. Teachers could use the book as a kickoff to a walk in nature to do some amateur birding to identify some of their avian neighbors.

Zola's Elephant, written by Randall de Sève, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Zanya M.
Summary: This book is about a young girl who is hesitant to become friends with her new neighbor,

Zola. The girl imagines all sorts of things her neighbor is up to through the sounds and smells coming from her house until she comes to the conclusion that her neighbor already has a friend… an elephant! Eventually, the girl decides to meet her neighbor and they do become new friends!

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book would be great for a read-aloud in a classroom or a library. This is a very appealing book to children due to the colorful pages and images used in the book. Parents at home can use this to read with their children because it is a great way to begin learning new vocabulary. There is also the use of more complex vocabulary for young children which is why this could be used as a more advanced book for young readers. It might show readers a reason why they should not jump to conclusions if they are unsure of something or someone. In addition, this is a great introduction to various literary devices. For example, the repetition of the word, “Perfect” three times brings emphasis to the line and introduces the concept of repetition, a literary device that is simple enough for young readers to understand. This is a great read for students who struggle with making friends because this will give them more confidence to meet people and try and become more outspoken. The artwork does an amazing job of conveying the emotion and mood of the character due to the skilled use of paints and mixed media. For example, when referring to the neighbor, Zola, cool tones are used to evoke the sad and lonely emotions of her character. While the imaginative side of the story uses vibrant and bright colors to show more positive emotions. I believe that this book will greatly benefit young readers while giving them something entertaining and enjoyable to read!

Kid Amazing vs. the Blob, written by Josh Schneider, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Aryton J.
Summary: In the book Kid Amazing vs The Blob, Jimmy (Kid Amazing) is called to action when he hears the noise of someone crying. Jimmy rushes to his closet to transform into Kid Amazing. He is asked by the commissioner (his mom) if he knows what that noise is. Then Kid Amazing realizes it’s the Blob his nemesis (his sister). Then he goes to his sister’s room to see why she is crying and he finds that her pacifier isn’t in her mouth and she has a full diaper. He puts the pacifier in her mouth and tells his mom his sister has a full diaper.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Kid Amazing is a pretty good book. It has intricate art and a funny plot. The book puts us in the perspective of Jimmy, a young lad with a little sister. It gives us an insight into how imaginative he is and reminds us of the “adventures” we had as kids. Kid Amazing is relatable because the plot is realistic, it’s not actually about a superhero. It’s about a kid who’s just having fun with his imagination. This book can be used for a read-aloud by parents. It would make for a good librarian recommendation if a student just became an older sibling. It does teach a brother or sister that many times babies cry because they have a dirty diaper or need their pacifier. The protagonist did know that he needed to get his mom for some help with the diaper. I think you could put this book on a picture book superhero display because it will help young readers understand that we can all be superheroes in different ways. It’s a very clever book.