Each month we post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ at our previous month’s meeting and nominated for our year-end Distinguished List. Members can see full reviews of these books and many more in the May edition of BayViews. Not a member? Join, come to our (currently virtual) monthly meetings, and hear about these Outstanding books “in person”!
Picture Books
The Rock From the Sky written and illustrated by Klassen, Jon; Candlewick, 2021.
Five chapters compose this longer form picture book, and the events appear to take place in the space of a day. Turtle, Armadillo, Snake, and a one-eyed alien all make appearances in the various chapters. The dead-pan humor combined with the muted color palate makes this a compulsive read. (Grades PreK-3.)
Early Readers
I’m On It! written and illustrated by Tsurumi, Andrea; Disney/Hyperion, 2021.
In this entry to the “Elephant & Piggie Like Reading” series, Goat climbs up on various stacked items, followed by Frog on another stack, until they crash down into the pond. The text emphasizes prepositions such as beside, between, inside, under, and across. (K-2.)
Fiction
Clues to the Universe written by Li, Christina; Quill Tree/HarperCollins, 2021.
A sweet and poignant story of two seventh graders discovering a deep friendship as they take on school bullies, the science fair, and trying to recover from different types of parental loss. (3-7.)
Merci Suárez Can’t Dance written by Medina, Meg; Candlewick, 2021.
Cuban American seventh grader Merci Suárez continues to unintentionally shake things up at school and at home. Masterful character progression make this sequel shine, possibly even brighter than the Newbery Award-winning original. (4-7).
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