We Will Live in This Forest Again – PPBF

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Joanna

Title: We Will Live in This Forest Again

Author & Illustrator: Gianna Marino

Publisher: Neal Porter Books, 2020

Ages: 4-8

32 pages. 

Genre: narrative nonfiction

Themes: forest, wildfires, northern California, forest animals, regrowth, restoration, ecology

Opening:
We have always lived in this forest. Its trees and shrubs were filled with birdsong and the rustle of animals.

Synopsis:

When wildfires consume their forest home, the animals must flee–but as the flames subside, they return and look to new beginnings . . .

At first, they didn’t notice the spark flying above the dry treetops.
But then the smoke blew from the north, and the flames began to grow. . .

As a Northern California resident, Gianna Marino witnessed the 2017 Sonoma wildfire firsthand when it came within inches of destroying her property. Her personal experience is palpably reflected through her portrayal of dignified animal silhouettes and stark, ashen landscapes in the wake of the flames. The book closes with an essay describing her encounter with the wildfire. Accessible information on wildfires, including a list of recommendations for further reading, is also included.

Why I like this book:

I have interviewed Gianna and reviewed other books she has created. She has a distinctive, beautiful art style and as a new norther California resident who experienced my first forest fires/smoke last summer here, I so appreciate the hopeful ecological message of We Will Live in This Forest Again. This story of recovery and resilience will comfort young readers concerned about forest fires, reassuring them that in time new growth will sprout and, like the wildlife in the story, we can rebuild. If you have a soft spot for the fragile ecology of the forest and other ecosystems, you will connect immediately with this book, and gain appreciation for what it takes to protect the natural world. 

Gianna’s lush watercolor illustrations explore the bittersweet cycle of burning and rebirth in the forest, following a lone deer as it sees its only home scorched by flame–and later, returns to find new plants already sprouting, the promise of a day when the air will be filled with birdsong once again.

This is a story full of hope and love for our natural world, which we share with some many other animals.

Resources/Activities:

Great back matter on the 2017 California fires, with extra wildfire facts, and further reading recommendations.


MORE WILDFIRE INFO.

www.ducksters.com/science/earth-science/forest_fires.php

www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-wildfires

http://www.ducksters.com/science/earth-science/forest_fires.php

www.smokeybear.com/en/smokey-for-kids

www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/how-it-works/wildfire-and-wild-things

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in Book recommendation, children's books, Children's literature, conservation, Perfect Picture Book Friday, Picture Books | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

FIRST FRIEND – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Joanna

Title: First Friend, How Dogs Evolved from Wolves to Become Our Best Friends

Author: Kersten Hamilton

Illustrator: Jaime Kim

Publisher: Farrar Strauss Giroux, Feb. 9th 2021

Ages: 4-8

40 pages. 

Genre: narrative nonfiction

Themes: dogs, evolution, wolves, best friends, pets, nomads, stone age,

Opening:

Long, long ago when
nomads who hunted through Europe and Asia
fought lean, hungry wolves for their prey.

Synopsis:

First Friend is an exploration of how the wild wolves became dogs, and how we learned to communicate and grow alongside the creatures we love. How did dogs become our best friends? This picture book uses a nonfiction narrative format to explain to kids how wolves evolved into dogs. The story begins in the Stone Age. A young girl and wolf pup meet and play but once they both grow up, their friendship must end, for humans and wolves are rivals hunting the same prey. Many, many years pass and a young boy living in a hut meets a wolf pup. They interact more closely with the boy scratching the pup and sharing his food, but like the girl, the relationship does not last although the pair watch each other from afar. Over time, more children and wolf pups befriend each other. Their relationship evolves to something more intimate; trading items, drinking from the same water hole, sleeping side by side, and finally, traveling together to a new home.

Long, long ago, when the world was new…a girl met a pup.

Why I like this book:

I think this is my favorite new picture book so far this year. The word choice is lyrical and cyclical with just the perfect amount of repetition. The illustrations are luminous. The text and illustrations feel so beautifully crafted and matched. Kids will join in the refrain, which seamlessly transitions us through human epochs. Thus the text tells two parallel stories, the evolution of wolf to dog and the evolution of homo sapiens.

The sun went down, the world turned around, and years and years went by.
And then….

In those early homo sapiens days, everyone knew that wolves and children could not be friends. Still, they learned from each other—how to hunt, how to trade, how to survive, how to play. And years and years went by, (agin and again) and the world spun and changed. Over millennia, the human communities evolved from a nomadic hunting lifestyle to a more sedentary one, at which point, a boy fished with a wolf, and a girl traded with a wild dog, and animal and human grew up side by side. . .into the best friends we are today. 

This is a delight to read to oneself or aloud. The text is melodic and poetic and you practically sing the story. The illustrations evoke distant times, and transition, and family and partnership, and truly add layers to the lovely narrative. Check out how the wolf’s den mimics the human dwellings on this page:

I adore the last page spread also, which is now in present times, and a beagle puppy and a little girl run toward one another full of anticipation and love. As you can imagine, the endpapers are a delight too. The front endpapers show cave art and the back endpapers childish chalk drawings of a pup and his girl.

I can’t imagine a child who won’t love this, especially as the author carefully centers this story more around children building up the relationship with the wolves rather than adult humans domesticating them. It made the relationship between them feel more realistic.

Resources/Activities:

At the end of the book, back matter includes more facts about the wolves’ progression from competitor to companion as well as a select bibliography. This is a great classroom read when looking at human and animal evolution, and a great gift to a child before getting their first (rescue) pup!

I would definitely have older elementary children write stories about a child and a wolf pup, taking care to set them in the context of the historical time.

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

Posted in children's books, Children's literature, narrative nonfiction, Perfect Picture Book Friday, resources & activities for elementary school teachers | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Rosie Loves Jack – YA Book Recommendation

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Joanna

Title: Rosie Loves Jack

Author: Mel Darbon

Publisher: Peachtree Publishing, March 1st 2021

Ages: 13+

Genre: contemporary YA fiction

Note: adult themes: ableist behavior/language, taking advantage of young women, discussions of rape, sex trafficking, mentions of alcohol and drug abuse, & other scenes of a sensitive nature

Themes: romance, Down’s Syndrome, cognitive disability, innocence, abuse, human trafficking, fatphobia, love, determination

Quote:
Mum told me, ‘Above everything Rose, you are a human bean…. we love the same…. we think the same… and we are as important as each other.’ The words in my head are the same as yours. Sometimes they just come out wonky.

Synopsis:

Rosie loves Jack is the story of a teenage girl in the UK called Rosie. Rosie lives with Down syndrome and has a boyfriend called Jack whom she loves. Jack has problems of his own though which means he can get quite violent. After Jack goes too far one day he’s taken away to attend an anger management course in Brighton. Rosie’s parents think she should forget him. Rosie resolves to find Jack herself, taking the train to London alone by public transport. As she copes with transportation setbacks, she encounters assorted strangers—some kind and some with unsavory intentions.

Why I like this book:

Rosie’s first person POV expresses her determination, frustration, and innocence, as well as sadly others’ patronizing and rude reactions to her disability that are no doubt realistic. Rosie is probably one of the most determined YA protagonists I have read in a while. Utterly single-minded and brave in her resolve. I think most people would have given up on a journey when all their trains would have been cancelled, after they lost all their money, but she didn’t. She had to find Jack because what they had together was meaningful and she couldn’t give it up due to her father’s concerns.

This portrayal of Jack and Rosie’s love felt very authentic. For several years when I live din London, I lived next door to a young couple with Down’s syndrome and they were one of the most devoted couples I knew. I think Rosie Loves Jack is especially important because it shows how people that suffer from Down’s Syndrome can still have a normal life, Rosie goes to college, she has a healthy and supportive relationship, she has great friends and a family that are looking out for her. And while she is taken advantage of, she ultimately shows herself capable of taking care of herself. I loved how Rosie stood up for herself in all the situations when people looked down on her or assumed things about her based on her disorder. It was also a huge feat to navigate public transport, given that many teens who have only been driven everywhere would struggle with this.

Her positive outlook of life is admirable and inspirational. Because of her empathy and kindness she makes friends easily, though I would like to have seen the secondary characters a little more developed. While the people she encountered had back stories of their own, struggles, and thus the book this book touches on lots of important subjects from bullying to fatphobia, human trafficking and homelessness, sometimes I felt these stories merited more depth to add to their credibility.

I personally would have liked to have seen more interaction between Rosie and Jack, not just flashbacks and perhaps a little less of the subplot of the less likely dark travel encounters though I realize people with intellectual disabilities can be targets of abuse.

I love that there is no happy neat resolution and I also love that Rose states at multiple times throughout the story that she isn’t Down’s syndrome, she is Rose. What a terrific mantra for anyone. There are not so many YA novels with representation of teens with cognitive disabilities and I think this is a strong addition with two well-represented neurodivergent characters. Rosie’s voice rings true with, for example, how smells have colors and busy places with light, color, sound and movement make her head buzz and interrupt her internal monologues.


Mel Darbon spent a large part of her childhood inventing stories to keep her autistic brother happy on car journeys, and brings years of experience to Rosie’s very authentic voice. I do think this is a good addition to our diversity shelves.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Posted in Book recommendation, diversity, young adult | Tagged | 2 Comments