This Librarian's Quick Picks: Elementary Edition

Blackout

by John Rocco
Disney/Hyperion 2011

Summary:

Neighbors gather on the roof after the power goes out on a hot night in the city and start having so much fun not everyone is happy when the lights go back on.

Why You'll Love It:

• Rocco’s lustrous, animation-quality artwork somehow manages to get richer the darker it gets, and features one of the silkiest skies since Van Gogh's Starry Night.
• Page composition effectively intermingles boxed pages and panels with double-page spreads, generating action. Brilliantly designed, with comic bits such as a portrait of Edison on a wall and the cat running from a hand shadow of a dog.
• In the most poignant spread, the family sits on the stoop, eating ice cream: "And no one was busy at all." It's a rare event these days.

Time to Sleep

by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011

Summary:

Illustrations and text show the sleeping habits of various animals.

Why You'll Love It:

• The illustrations are rendered in torn- and cut-paper collage, with each animal is set against a white background.
•  Fascinating behaviors are detailed with explanations, such as the "white stork sleeps in flight.by taking a series of naps that last just a few seconds each." 

Aggie Gets Lost

by Lori Ries
Charlesbridge 2011

Summary:

Ben is heartbroken when his puppy Aggie goes missing while the two are playing fetch in the park, but he is determined to find his lost pet.

Why You'll Love It:

• With clear and simple language, three short chapters, and abundant artwork that details the action, Aggie and Ben’s latest adventure is sure to be a favorite among beginning readers.
• The short, succinct sentences are easy to understand, while they also reveal Ben’s emotions: “Did I pet her enough? Did I tell Aggie she was a good dog? I cannot sleep. I am too sad to sleep.”
• Frank W. Dormer’s charming, stylized artwork authentically captures the lively jaunts to the park as well as Ben’s sorrow while Aggie is missing.
• Careful observers will enjoy noticing the skunk in the illustrations well before he makes his mark on the story and will giggle all the more to see everyone holding their noses after Aggie is found.

Lost! A Dog Called Bear

by Wendy Orr
Henry Holt 2011

Summary:

When Logan's dog runs away as he and his mother are moving to a new home after his parents separate, a girl named Hannah, who longs for a dog of her own, finds him.

Why You'll Love It:

• A warm tale that is filled with kid appeal. The main characters’ parallel stories pleasingly intertwine, and it is gratifying that the story ends happily for all involved.
• Wendy Orr’s ability to convey emotions simply makes the story rich and satisfying. Logan feels “like the turkey’s wishbone being pulled apart after Thanksgiving dinner” as he deals with his parents’ separation. And Hannah’s feelings are often reflected in her ponytail, which “flips” and “quivers” when she’s happy, and “mopes” when she’s upset.
• Short chapters and frequent illustrations make this early chapter book a perfect choice for newly independent readers. 

Fractions = Trouble

by Claudia Mills
Farrar Straus Giroux

Summary:

Wilson Williams does not want anyone to know his parents have hired a tutor to help him with his math, but the secret could spell disaster for his friendship with Josh.

Why You'll Love It:

• Familiar school concerns, nicely resolved, make this another excellent selection for early chapter-book readers.
• The short chapters have believable dialogue and plenty of reader appeal.
• Karas' scratchy grayscale drawings, one to a chapter, support the story.