Ready or Not: Kid Lit Reviews

  Fat Girl, Reading by  Angie Manfredi,  http://fatgirlreading.com/ Summary:  Angie Manfredi is the  Youth Services Consultant for the State Library of Iowa. Her blog is focused on reviewing books for children and young adults with some emphasis on body image and body positivity. She addresses her use of the word "fat" on her blog and provides links to her professional details, presentations/programs, and her writing for other publications/websites. Target Audience: Educators and library professionals who are interested in trends in library services and literature for children and young adults. May be of particular interest to pop culture scholars interested in body image in children's literature. Strengths: Lengthy and comprehensive reviews with intelligent, analytical takes on both children and YA literature, good sense of humor, and strong personal perspective Weaknesses: Very specific point of view and focus on body image may limit audience exposure to ot...

  National Geographic Kids, November 2020 issue Summary: This magazine is the children's version of National Geographic magazine, published by the National Geographic Society. The first issue was released in 1975 under the title National Geographic World. It features animal facts, news and cultural information from around the world, as well as general science articles. Target Audience: Ages 6-14 Strengths:  Colorful and engaging covers, well-organized features and regular columns, easy to read articles, helpful sidebars and other design elements to make information stand out for casual readers, fosters an appreciation for the natural world and other cultures Weaknesses: Could use more articles, lots of advertising and some of it is embedded in the content making it difficult for children to differentiate between ads and educational information Meaningful/Creative Uses:  Good source for getting children excited about science and the environment. Could generate a discussi...

  World Book Kids, World Book, Inc. Summary:  This is a general reference website intended for students from kindergarten through early elementary grades. It offers articles, images, activities, and games on a broad range of topics. Target Audience: Ages 5-9 Strengths: Image-based navigation, easy-to-read language, different ways of interacting with information for various types of learners, games and activities help with integration and application of information, explains to students how to cite information according to different formats Weaknesses: Some of the navigation is hard to follow and lacks context, the interactive map feature could offer a little more in the way of available subjects and navigation options Meaningful/Creative Uses:  The database offers a lot of engaging activities, games, and project ideas for students to apply and gain greater familiarity with a topic. The maps could be particularly useful for classroom instruction.

  We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga b y Traci Sorell and read by Lauren Hummingbird, Agalisiga (Choogie) Mackey, Ryan Mackey, Traci Sorell, Tonia Weavel. Pine Plains, NY: Live Oak Media, 2019. Summary: This audio version of the lauded picture book is a celebration of Cherokee culture and language, family, gratitude, nature, and the seasons. Each season - summer, spring, winter, and fall - is beautifully described with connections to Cherokee customs. Awards:   2020 Odyssey Honor Award, AudioFile Earphones Award Target Audience: Ages 3-7 Strengths: Ambient sounds of nature and people along with music bring the story to life, extensive historical context provided as well as an explanation of the Cherokee language, narration is clear and well-paced, repetition of Cherokee words is very helpful to listeners unfamiliar with the language Weaknesses: Music at the beginning is a bit loud and overwhelms the title and other contextual information Meaningful/Creative Uses: Students could ...

  Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender. New York: Scholastic, 2018. Summary:  Caroline Murphy is a twelve-year-old girl living on Water Island, an oft forgotten part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her mother is missing, she is haunted by ghostly figures, and the other girls at school make fun of her. She feels utterly alone until a new girl arrives and she discovers that the two of them share a secret, perhaps more than one. Awards: Stonewall Book Award, Lambda Literary Award Target Audience: Ages 8-12 Strengths: Poetic prose and compelling plot with a Black LGBT protagonist, captures the culture and spirit of the Virgin Islands, offers social commentary on economic inequality, gender, and sexuality in a context appropriate for young ages Weaknesses: Some of the chapters run long which might discourage young readers, the conflict between the protagonist and her parents lacks closure, some of the supernatural elements are not fully explained, and there are lots of places where c...

  The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag. New York: Graphix, 2017. Summary: This graphic novel features a magical family, where women are witches and men are shapeshifters, but Aster challenges this tradition as a boy who is interested in witchcraft. He must overcome the ridicule of his male cousins, the rejection and exclusion of his sister and female cousins, and the disappointment and disapproval of his elders as he pursues his calling and struggles with his identity. Awards:   2018 EBSCO SEE-IT Award, 2018 Prism Award Target Audience: Ages 8-12 Strengths: Very easy-to-follow dialogue and panels; frames/pages are colored white or black to correspond with day and night, helping the reader recognize the passage of time; diverse set of characters; emphasis on finding and asserting yourself; challenges gender norms Weaknesses:  Would benefit from the inclusion of a person of size or a person with a disability; some of the page numbers are obscured by the art Meaningfu...

  King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillestad Butler (author) and Nancy Meyers (illustrator). Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 2017. Summary:  This book   is part of a series that follows a girl (Kayla) and her dog (King) as they solve mysteries. In this particular story (narrated by King), they must determine who stole the dog treats Kayla made. King, initially a suspect, senses an intruder and follows the clues to the culprit. Awards:  2018 Geisel Award Honor Book Target Audience:  Ages 7-9 Strengths: Very emotive and relatable expressions on the character's faces; fun to hear the story from the dog's perspective; chapter titles prepare reader for content; mystery easy to follow so young readers can piece together clues along with the characters Weaknesses:  Honestly could not find a weakness with this book Meaningful/Creative Uses:  This book would be great for teaching kids in first and second grades about mysteries, ded...