Ro Menendez
CHILDREN'S LIBRARIAN~
ABAR EDUCATOR~ SPEAKER~
KIDLIT EDUCATOR GUIDE DEVELOPER
Reviews
Are you ever too old to have a book character friend?
Whoosh! – Get swept away by Chris Barton and Don Tate’s picture book biography of a LIVING legend!
Starting the School Year with Kindness as the Expectation
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Book Reviews Published Originally On Goodreads
¡Vamos! Let’s Go To The Market by Raúl the Third
This is a book to read alone, to read together, to read in pairs, to read with someone who only speaks Spanish, or someone who only speaks English, the enjoyment and possibilities are endless and divine! Little Lobo runs a delivery service and we get to experience his day starting off with Lobo waking up to Kooky Dooky, the rooster's crow. From the very first page readers are invited to explore all of the intricate details of the Mexican town that Little Lobo calls home. The main plot follows Little Lobo's work day, but there is so much going on in subtle and overt ways in the illustrations that weave themselves with Lobo's thoughts and actions, that readers will be looking for clues to these parallel plots. Many readers might even want to write their own parallel stories! ¡Vamos! cannot be digested in one reading, and readers will find themselves returning to it and discovering new words, new stories, new details every time they open the cover. Raul The Third includes discreet labels for many objects within this picture-book-graphic-novel hybrid, exposing English readers to Spanish, including Spanish readers as active participants of the story, creating bridges between monolingual students where they can meet in the middle, read as a team, teach each other new words, and bond over this enriching reading experience. So many times I've browsed books with titles like "First 100 words in English" and put them back because they are just no fun, it's drill and kill, and what reader would want to return to that book over and over, and learn something from it? Raul The Third has created an engaging vehicle to acquire English and Spanish, without making readers feel different, without making them stand out because they are newcomers to the US, while providing them with comforting images and stories that will remind them of home and help them relate to others in their new journey.
Love by Matt de la Peña and Loren Long
In a world that seems so hostile and the news we are all exposed to so grim, author Matt De La Peña has made it his mission to remind us where love resides and the many forms it takes. Readers of every age will find a common ground, for the story of Love begins at birth, but De La Peña, and illustrator Loren Long, don't stick to the high notes, but rather take us through the many ups and downs that life brings to us and how love, love is there for the long haul, love is always there, if we know where to look.
Loren Long's illustrations, are scenes from the every day made extraordinary, by the acts of love portrayed; a child who is not shy when offering to share food with a a man who might be homeless, a police officer playing with kids and being soaked by the park's sprinklers on a hot summer day, family trying to shelter younger children from news on TV, a street performer pouring his heart out as he sings a melody. Long made sure that we see the everyday extraordinary where love makes its appearance.
One of my favorite lines is: "A slice of burned toast that tastes like love", love is everywhere even in places we might not have bothered to look. So really look, because we all have been loved, are loved, so hard, by others, by the universe, by ourselves...and this book will help us remember. Keep this book close, for when you need it, De La Peña's words and Long's illustrations will remind us just how much we have been, and are, loved.
The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker
A story to explore giving the unknown a chance, getting to know something before we judge. Ibb is a brave&kind girl who won’t let other people’s opinions get in the way of making new friends & having new experiences.
Ibb repeatedly thinks“Maybe it’s something terrible. Could it be something else?”May we all be as open-minded as Ibb when faced with the unknown & give it a chance! I love her backpack covered with patches & keychains, & her oversized boots! This story also brings young and old together, and how we can all learn from each other regardless of age, and the power of community.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
An exploration of the journey young people go through when faced with the self-reflection "What have I done that matters? What will I do that matters? Is this all there is to my life?" Jay is what most would call a "good kid" but he's aimless, consumed by what many his age are absorbed by: gaming, the high-school-college-career path, social media, but there's also this spiritual side to him, one he hasn't explored, one he only has a hazy idea he owns, when he is around or in communication with his cousin, who lives in the Philippines, Jun.
When news travels to the US that Jun has passed away under circumstances Jay cannot accept, because it is so unlike the cousin he knew and loved (they had become estranged), his spiritual side resurfaces, and he finds himself on his way to the Philippines to uncover the truth.
Jay becomes part investigator, part journalist, part family healer on his mission to find the truth about Jun's life and death. He is helped along the way by his Filipino cousin, Grace, who is Jun's sister, and Grace's friends. The mystery unfolds and just when as a reader I thought everything was ironed out, the author gives us one more wrinkle to press, and it is the hardest one to accept. I think that Jay and Jun's spirituality, was laid out for us as a buffer for the pain that this last wrinkle causes and the pain that self-reflecting on how we would have viewed the situation, if we are to be honest with ourselves, would also cause.
The writing is fast paced, with enough description of what it is like to be in the Philippines, to visualize it, without getting into so much detail you want to skip over it entirely, to get back to the action (I say this with all honesty, I am guilty of skipping over setting descriptions if they get to detailed). Jay, Jun, Grace, and Mia are believable teenage characters, teenagers who have had an awakening to the social justice issues that surround them and that they cannot continue to bear witness without contributing to change.
Through Patron Saints of Nothing readers will be exposed to, and invited to reflect upon, their place in many of our world's issues. Some of the ones that resonated deeply with me:
-diversity (Filipino ways of life, history, and thinking) and how within our differences there are many threads that bind us together.
- the immigrant experience for our elders
- being from two countries, and being treated as if you are not good enough for either
- social justice issues and our role in them, are we powerless bystanders or citizens of the world wiling to find what we have to contribute to equality?
Another powerful exploration was on passing judgement. There were various moments when Jay is reminded to not pass judgement because he does not live the lives of the people he is judging, he does not possess their experiences and beliefs, and therefore is inadequate to determine for this person what a better choice would have been. I point this out because all humans need to spend time digesting this, and young adults could use Jay's journey to reflect on their own judgmental tendencies, and grow from the experience.
Jay, Jun and Grace are gentle, not weak, but gentle souls who are blessed with an awareness about humanity we could all use a little more of. These Patron Saints of Nothing take us on a journey that is fascinating, thrilling, but also, if we are brave enough to be vulnerable and invite them in, self reflecting on how each of us is capable of creating change and how leaving things unsaid to avoid discomfort, pain, or just because we put ourselves first, can ultimately cost us opportunities with the ones we love.
Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies by Megan Lacera
Mo Romero is a non-brain-eating zombie. Mo is a vegetarian, a hiding-in-the-shed vegetarian who wants to be his true self with those he loves the most, his mom and dad. Authors Megan and Jorge Lacera don't shy away from being realistic within the fantastical-zombie-pun-filled world they have created; more often than not when a family member does not follow the cookie cutter path expected and makes it known, he or she is met with disbelief and resistance. I appreciated that the authors respected young readers enough to show that Mo's plan and hopes that he would convince his parents on his very first try to accept his vegetarian lifestyle, flopped, because such is life. Now the Laceras took it a step further than many stories I've read where children are asserting their individuality. Mo doesn't just say "I'm different.", he reminds his parents how much of a Romero and a zombie he is, regardless of his food preferences, and that is golden, so much more unites than separates us! Mo helps the adults in his life focus on how much he is their "niño" their "Mo." Again, in keeping it real for their readers, Mo's parents are understanding, but they don't jump in head first in being different like Mo, they promise to try and support his veggie gardening passion. The illustrations and general zombie plot will have young zombie fans delighting in the availability of a book that caters to their love of beings that eat brains and other human parts, and is still age appropriate. Adult readers will delight and laugh heartily at the zombified dish names (I still laugh when I remember "armpanadas"), headstones, and other references to pop culture. The Romeros will start great conversations about family, love, acceptance, and honoring differences as readers share their story.
Revenge of the Enginerds by Jarrett Lerner
The sequel to Enginerds brings back Ken's nerd crew still facing the problem of finding the very last robot that got away in book 1. Ken is determined to find it before an event of catastrophic proportions happens in their town, his crew? Not so much. Beyond the fast paced action and short chapters, that keep readers engaged, there is an exploration of friendship that does not feel didactic, the author speaks to MG readers with an honesty that will allow for self-reflection and the possibility of developing better friendships. How do you deal with the friend who is still obsessed, stuck on something you all were invested in five minutes ago, but now have moved on from? How do you let someone new into your circle of friends without losing the tight connection the original members shared and thrived on? These MG friendship dilemmas are hard to grapple with in real life, hard to navigate, but maybe through Ken's frustration with his friends, dismay at the possible loss of their tight bond, and resistance to let anyone new into their circle, readers can find ways to deal with their real life friendship situations. Lerner's writing is honest, his characters are flawed and don't always make the right decision or say the right thing, which will speak to readers' hearts.
Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper by Debbi M. Florence
This just might be my favorite Jasmine story. Starting with the title, Flamingo Keeper, I was intrigued how exactly, Jasmine, the go-getter girl I've come to enjoy reading about was going to pull this one off. Jasmine loves flamingos so very much, but she realizes she doesn't know as much about them as she should. She decides to become an expert in order to prove she can handle having her favorite bird as a pet, and she is further encouraged that this will become a reality when her grandmother sends her a daruma doll from Japan which makes wishes come true. What follows are life lessons for Jasmine: showing your love sometimes means making sacrifices, and wishes only come true if you work hard for them. Readers with big dreams and wishes of their own will find comfort in Jasmine's journey and ability to be flexible in how they are accomplished.
Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers
Touching upon the basics of what our planet Earth literally is and has, is the vehicle author Oliver Jeffers uses to offer up for exploration some universal truths that are vital for living on our planet, to his firstborn, and readers. One of the most necessary is the truth that no matter how different we may seem from one another, we are all "people". Another brilliant truth is that we all have a part to play in order to understand and make our world a better place. There is a gentle reminder of using time wisely, for it is finite for every one of us. Jeffers affirms that he will be there to answer his son's questions but doesn't pretend this will be so forever, but offers the comforting truth that we are never alone, for our Earth is full of people and we will always find someone to step up and support us. The illustrations are full of details that will have readers finding new things to point at, laugh, and be awed by. Readers of Jeffer's previous books will be delighted to find favorite characters and objects, such as the rocket ship from The Way Back Home, the Boy and Penguin from Lost and Found, and others.
Will Ladybug Hug? by Hilary Leung
For young readers ages 0-7 an engaging story that addresses consent for physical contact via hug that is not preachy or overtly states that consent is the concept being explored. Ladybug is a hugger but the narrator pauses as Ladybug encounters each of her friends and asks if that friend will let Ladybug give him/her a hug. Some do, some don't, and all feelings are honored, alternatives of showing affection and/or appreciation are explored and everyone feels loved and included. This is a wonderful story that is inviting because of Leung's ability to create engaging facial expressions for each character in each consent situation that readers can really focus on because they are set against a single color with mild intensity thanks to color-washing and a wood-like texture. This book can be used as a lap read aloud with children in your family, a classroom or library read aloud to a class of readers Kinder-2nd grade, or a toddler story time at the library, and it will not only be engaging but will also create a safe background to refer to and have conversations about how we should consider that we all may not use hugs to communicate affection and that is perfectly okay and discuss and maybe even practice other ways we can offer to show affection will honoring our friends' and family's preferences.
Real Friends by Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale has written a riveting memoir that takes the reader through the complicated dynamics of friendship and sisterhood she had to navigate during her elementary school years. The needs of wanting to be accepted, wanted, needed even, by others is explored and contrasted against the question "Is my individuality worth sacrificing in order to be part of a group?" The friends Shannon makes and the kids she went to school with are worth discussing and empathizing with, the situations are still true today, and using Hale's characters as a safe way to analyze our behaviors and reactions might save readers from a few bumps and heartaches in this thing known as growing up. The Author's Note adds value to the memoir for many reasons: it explains that Shannon suffered from anxiety and mild OCD and how today there are ways to get help, opening up a gateway to conversation about similar things readers may be going through; and it reaffirms to the reader, that although it is difficult to wait for the right friend to come along, it will indeed happen, leaving readers with a sense of true hope.
Death is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham
Death truly is stupid. It is inexplicably unfair and in our need to provide comfort, as adults we sometimes say things that result in confusion and more frustration than remaining quiet. This book takes us through the mixed emotions the loss of a dear one brings to survivors and provides relief in the affirmation that death is "stupid" a word most children are not allowed to use. It also takes us through ideas of what we can do to find some relief, begin to heal, and keep those we've lost close to our hearts. This book is a must share with any child who is going through the loss of a loved one, including the furry kind.