Here Comes the Band by Shadra Strickland

I was super excited to get my hands on today's read. Marching bands are so amazing, and it's so fun to see them coming onto the field before a game, at a pep rally, or in the parades. It's really a treat to hear one play and watch the musicians...and the rest, too. So fun! I'm hoping this book carries that same energy. 

HERE COMES THE BAND

by Shadra Strickland

Illustrated by John Holyfield

Denene Millner Books

Picture Book

42 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING SEPTEMBER 19th!!!

From Ezra Jack Keats Award and Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Shadra Strickland comes a dazzling picture book about a young child who watches in awe as an HBCU band takes the field and works its magic.

The game is tied at seven.
A hush falls over the stands.
Get up and stand up, everybody!
Here comes the band!

Everyone has their favorite part of a football game, but at a historically Black college or university, halftime is game time when the band takes the field in this glorious celebration of the tradition and pageantry of an HBCU band.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Get ready to smile because these pages promise tons and tons good vibes.

This is a read, which really digs into the atmosphere of a marching band and lets it come across masterfully. The illustrations aren't only bright and bold, but they bring the musicians to life. From backward bends to astound to radiate glows on the expressions...even the concentrated looks make a listener wish they could run alongside this group and enjoy every moment with them.

The text carries lyrical style to fit right into the musical flow. It's never forced but slides along as effortlessly as the illustrations. The author incorporates all sorts of sound words and rhythm to let the beats hit and the imagination soar. This also allows listeners to get involved and 'read' right along with the tale. 

I'm also glad to see a picture book surrounding this theme and bringing across the same atmosphere that these bands hold in real life. It's a subject which inspires and opens the door to the fun possibilities music holds...one that is often forgotten.

This works great as a read-aloud and not a calm one. Even reluctant listeners are sure to enjoy it and dream of marching right along with this group themselves one day.

And here they are...

Shadra Strickland was raised in Atlanta. She graduated from Syracuse University and later completed her MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Shadra won the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 2009 for her illustrations in her first picture book, Bird, written by Zetta Elliott. Strickland co-illustrated Our Children Can Soar, written by Michelle Cook and winner of a 2010 NAACP Image Award. She has published with Lee and Low Books, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Candlewick, Chronicle Books, and Little Brown. Her books have received recognition from the American Library Association, Junior Library Guild, and other prominent literary lists. Shadra currently heads the illustration department at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. She has also developed an online picture book class on Craftsy.com. Visit her online at ShadraStrickland.com.

John Holyfield is a renowned fine artist and illustrator of numerous books for young readers, including Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud; Meet Miss Fancy by Irene Latham; Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens by Nina Noland; and The Hallelujah Flight by Phil Bildner. John lives in Virginia. Visit him online at HolyfieldStudio.com.

Art Attack by James Ponti

Today's read comes from a well-known and enjoyed author in the middle grade spy/mystery realm. This is the third book in his latest series....I think it's his latest, but you never know when a new one will begin with him. I've enjoyed this series so far and posted my thoughts on the 2nd one HERE. No doubt, this latest addition will be just as enjoyable as the last, since this author's works tend to be top-notch.

But let's just dive in and find out!

ART ATTACK

The Sherlock Society #3

by James Ponti

Aladdin

Middle Grade Mystery

320 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING SEPTEMBER 8th!!!

The Sherlock Society goes undercover in the Miami street art scene to find an anonymous graffiti artist in this third book in the hilarious, New York Times bestselling Sherlock Society middle grade series from Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti!

The Sherlock Society’s latest case is tracking down stealth graffiti artist Funky Munky—well-known for their artistic statements calling out local politicians—on behalf of a developer who wants them to create a mural for a new hotel. Their investigation leads Alex, Zoe, Lina, and Yadi deep into the very colorful south Florida art scene.

But finding someone who doesn’t want to be found is challenging, and it doesn’t help that Miami Art Week is coming up, bringing lots of attention—and lots of new artists—to the area. The Sherlock Society’s best bet is an elaborate sting operation, which involves them picking up spray cans themselves. Can they trap their quarry without exposing themselves?

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

When these four friends (and Grandpa) take on a case, the fun begins.

Now, that the four sleuths had their photo in the newspaper for helping solve the last case, they're facing all sorts of requests for help. Or maybe, the sudden influx of jobs is due to Grandpa's fancy, new website? Either way, the four find themselves picking and choosing their next case during lunch in the cafeteria. When they get an offer of $20,000 to locate the mysterious graffiti artist Funky Munky so a new building complex can use him to paint a mural on the wall, they're on the case. While they have a bit of help thanks to Grandpa's connections, they've been offered the large sum of money for a reason; Funky Munky has kept his/her identity locked tight for years. Worse yet, Funky Munky seems to have paused their work...or switched over to bananas. The friends aren't sure what the activist is up to but follow clues to an empty warehouse, where they meet more trouble. But these sleuths are determined and clever, and even someone as sly as Funky Munky might not be able to outmaneuver them.

This is a smooth, quick-paced read, which carries mystery, action, friendship, school drama, and family goodness. Each of the four friends has their talents, their weaknesses, and packs personality. This creates a fun back-and-forth on every page as they try to solve the mystery, while dealing with other aspects of life, too. But then, Grandpa, their families, and even the police and other characters add to the atmosphere to make each moment interesting. While the friendship between these four is inspiring, it's the family interactions which add lovely richness. Of course, Grandpa is always up to his antics and drives the most amazing vehicles. But even the parents step in with support and help, while also setting boundaries and holding to punishments when the rules are broken. It creates a wholesome foundation, which doesn't forget to bring in factors such as responsibility and consequences to the mix as the four friends test limits to solve the case. There is plenty of action as well as tense situations, but it all stays based in reality, which makes it even that much more enjoyable.

Fans of mystery, adventure, and teamwork are going to enjoy this one quite a bit.

And here he is...

James Ponti is the New York Times bestselling author of four middle grade book series: The Sherlock Society following a group of young detectives; City Spies, about an unlikely squad of kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award–winning Framed! series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award lists, and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle Grade. James is also an Emmy–nominated television writer and producer who has worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History, and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. Find out more at JamesPonti.com.

Family Feast by Brooke Graham

Today's read just happens to have a cover with my favorite color, and this caught my attention instantly. Add that it's themed around food, and it definitely struck me as having promise. I'm easily enticed.

After reading the blurb, I can't wait to meet this girl's family, since they supposedly act like a jungle-full of animals. It reminds me a bit of my aunts and uncles when I was a child. My uncles were very enthusiastic when it came to creating nonsense and teasing anyone they could. It was pretty over-the-top whenever they got together. Trust me, I'm understating things here. So, I'm curious to see if this girl's family is just as ridiculous or not.

Let's open it up and find out!

FAMILY FEAST

by Brooke Graham

Illustrated by Kristen Willis

EK Books

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING SEPTEMBER 29th!!!

Tallula’s friend Mia is coming for dinner — but will her family mind their manners or behave like animals?

Tallula’s family is so embarrassing! They fight like screeching cats, they’re louder than a herd of elephants and they have worse table manners than wild hogs. Tallula would prefer a family like Mia’s — proper, polite and quiet. When Tallula finds out Mia is coming to Family Feast, when all Tallula’s relatives gather together, her tummy flip flops. So she devises a plan to help her family learn to behave — but will it work?

Celebrating diversity, acceptance, love and cultural differences, Family Feast is a humorous, multicultural story about the importance of family — and enjoying a good meal!

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Cats, elephants, wild hogs, and even a gorilla slide into family fun while bringing across a warming message.

Tallula's family is not the quiet and polite sort. Not at all. Whenever they are underway together, she wishes she could step far away...it's so embarrassing. They are loud, obnoxious, speak with their mouth fulls, and exhibit other bad habits. It's so much different than the family of her best friend. They are always proper and polite. So, when Tallula's mother invites her best friend to join them at the annual family feast, Tallula knows this is going to end with one less best friend for her. But she might be able to turn things around if she puts in the effort.

There's a very clear message about family love and acceptance as well as the problem of bending to perceived social norms. This aspect comes across with warmth and sympathy, and ends on a very good note. But it's the other side of this book, which makes it so much fun. Tallula's view of her family sinks in right after the first page. The illustrations mold the family members into the animals she sees them as, and they cause some light but obvious chaos. The artist pulls a clever trick, too, to keep it clear that this is the girl's perception. While the human version of the family is always in full color, their animal forms take on a blue, sketch-like style. It acts as a constant reminder that they may not be as bad as Tallula believes them to be.

Humor coats every page to keep this interesting, and it creates a lovely read aloud which will bring a smile to listeners' faces. The text fits the age group nicely and rolls along smoothly to keep the direction clear while the illustrations bring everything to life. It's an enjoyable read on many fronts.

And here they are...

Brooke Graham is a children’s author, primary school teacher and mother. She enjoys writing stories that tug on the heart strings and help children cope with life’s ups and downs. In her spare time Brooke likes to bake, spend time with family and friends, and go for long walks with her dog, a Hungarian Vizsla named Naava.

Kristen Willis is a picture book illustrator and graphic designer who holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Hons). With a childhood fuelled by biscotti and sugar cane, Kristen uses illustration to eternalize family memories and stories. Traditionally trained as a fine artist and graphic designer, she flexes her creative muscles in illustrating children’s picture books, blending pigments and pixels.

Happy Book Birthday, Dominic Bean and the Mammoth Melt by Emilie Christie Burack

September is here! I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling it. We're smack dab in the middle of that heat dome and have several days of around 100 degrees still this week. While I'm irritated that I can't start reaching for my morning sweater, yet, my poor cows are beginning to stare at the grass as it dies around them. I'm just hoping rain pops its head in for a few minutes soon, or it might be time to start 'haying' (bringing hay bales out to the cows). Which is also fine. I'm just whining. We've had wonderful harvests the last two years, but still.... That means starting up the tractor, driving out hay, fighting off Ms. Red as she tries to head-butt the bale while my little tractor is bringing it into position. That fun usually doesn't start until late October. 

Enough complaining? 

That's why I'm ready to start off the month with some mystery fun. I'm not sure if this one hits the fantasy/scifi direction or not...if there is a real mammoth? But either way, it look like this pair is up to all sorts of antics. Plus, there's the cows staring in each corner. My cows appreciate that.

So, let's open this one up and see what's inside!

DOMINIC BEAN AND THE MAMMOTH MELT

by Emilie Christie Burack

Groundwood Books

Middle Grade Mystery

275 pages

ages 8 to 12

At first, twelve-year-old Dominic Bean is not happy when he and his sister are “dumped” with eccentric relatives on a New Hampshire cattle farm while their scientist parents work on a secret project in the Canadian Arctic. Coping with what he sees as parental abandonment, plus the pressure of bullies, schoolwork and wrangling Harriet (a stubborn pregnant Highlander cow with long, sharp horns) bring out the worst in Dom.

But the sleepy farm turns out to be full of surprises. A developer is trying to buy the Bean family land to build an Arctic-themed amusement park under a plastic dome. Dom’s nemesis at school, Edith, turns out to have a way with Harriet. And reading his dad’s old journal leads Dom to an ancient woolly mammoth tusk that his father once found in the farm’s bog.

Dom learns that his jam-making aunt and whiskey-distilling uncle are in fact in cahoots with his parents on a secret project in the old milking barn — a project that, if successful, will “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth and possibly help save the planet.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON     /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

With Bean involved, chaos is guaranteed, but then, his entire family packs surprises.

Dominic Bean is anything but thrilled with his life. After he and his sister have been left in the middle of nowhere with his farm-happy aunt while his scientist parents work on their top secret project somewhere else, nothing is working out anymore. Even his teacher is out to get him as she refuses to answer his questions during class. The pent-up frustration ends with a flying canteen, which places him in suspension for the last week of school before summer break. But all of that is forgotten when a suspicious, black car heads toward his crazy uncle's farm. He's sure his uncle is in huge legal trouble, but there's so much more brewing than that. Someone is trying to buy the land to build an amusement park. And if that wasn't insane enough, Bean has reason to believe that his parents, aunt, and uncle are up to something huge...physically huge. And extinct. Even Bean can't believe it when he finds himself teamed up with his latest arch-enemy, the girl who might have been the target of that canteen, to see if they can figure everything out.

There is never a boring moment in these pages, but then, Dominic Bean is a whirlwind to be reckoned with. While he's very much a normal kid on many fronts, his hyper-active curiosity makes him a trouble-maker but with tons of heart. Each character packs personality, and this adds tons of energy and surprises. Bean's many questions also open up to the mystery, which will keep readers guessing at what the truth behind everything is. Then, there's the imaginative front as his parents are definitely working on the far edge of possibility. It's a fun balance of what-ifs and inspires. There's also action, tension, and more than a little humor. Add the deeper themes such as forming friendships, family relationships, and even global warming, and there is a lot to enjoy and dive into. 

The writing keeps this fun and light...just like Bean's personality. Even more reluctant readers will enjoy the zaniness mixed with the quick pacing.  It's an enjoyable read from beginning to end.

And here they are...

EMILIE CHRISTIE BURACK’s debut novel, The Runaway’s Gold, was a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a winner of the New England Book Festival. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in New Hampshire, where she is the co-founder of the New Hampshire Book Festival.

ANNA BRON is an illustrator and animation director based in Vancouver, BC. She has worked on Emmy- and Oscar-nominated projects and illustrated award-winning books, including The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice by Amy Alznauer and Salma the Syrian Chef by Danny Ramadan.

 

Face to Face by Dinah Johnson

Today's read was released last week, but I simply wasn't able to squeeze it in until now. It comes from the hand of an award winning author, which already perks interest, but the cover also had me curious. The smiling faces are very inviting, and I have a feeling that the artwork might be a treat. 

Let's open this one up and see what it's about!

FACE TO FACE

by Dinah Johnson

Illustrated by Kayla Mahaffey

HarperCollins

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 4 to 8

Celebrated Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor winning author, Dinah Johnson (H is for Harlem), and debut artist, Kayla Mahaffey, present a joyful, empathetic and gorgeously illustrated ode about the power of connecting with someone face to face. 

What happens when you come face to face with someone new?

Do you wonder what they’re thinking? Maybe they’re worried. Maybe they’re daydreaming.

Maybe they’re a new friend just waiting to be made…

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

These pages celebrate connecting with others, especially when seeing a new face for the first time. With tons of atmosphere, the moments of approaching, watching, and meeting others are presented. Every greeting...every glance holds a subtle magic, which these pages embrace and let visually unfold. The text dances in and out with lyrical support to make each moment understandable and clear, but it's the illustrations which truly bring this book to life.

Every page is like a mini-snapshot of a meeting. Sometimes, it's just a child playing alone. Other times, it showcases two or more children interacting in a focused situation such as watching a frog. At times, it's a single moment, while others add a couple pages to create a tiny meeting. The backdrop remains outdoors, giving a familiar park setting so that listeners can sink in right away. Even the children's activities are kept simple, and many are only presented with their beautiful faces. All of this works very well, since it's not about the activities but the emotions...hesitations, curiosity, wonder. 

This is an atmospheric read, which will work better for some listeners than others. But it does a masterful job at luring interested listeners in. While the first page or two had me wondering if it would move too slowly and be too obscure, the scenes bring those first moments of meeting new people across nicely and grab much more than I thought they might. And there's something about each smiling face, which draws in. There is a little message about reaching out to others even unsure or a bit insecure, which adds another, pleasant level as well.

And here they are...

Dinah Johnson is the author of Black Magic, Hair Dance!, All Around Town: The Photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts, H Is for Harlem, and several other books. She is a professor of English at the University of South Carolina. You can catch up with Dinah at www.dinahjohnsonbooks.com.

Kayla Mahaffey was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, where she strengthened her skills and painted stories influenced by her childhood experiences. She attended the American Academy of Art and studied Illustration, and during her courses, Kayla found her colorful style and furthered her passion for the arts. When she is not creating artwork, Kayla loves trying new recipes, visiting museums, and hanging out with her family, friends, and pets. You can visit her at www.kaylamahaffey.com