When You Can Swim

 

When You Can Swim

by Jack Wong

A celebration of learning to swim among a diverse cast of children and families who each experience the mysterious joys of water in nature. In this exploration of what it truly means to swim, sandpipers, tannin-soaked lakes, and the feeling of a small waterfall on sun-soaked shoulders are all introduced. But what about those who are afraid of the water’s mysterious ways and resist learning to swim? Painting a compelling picture of the many joys and surprises that the water holds, artist and author Jack Wong has delivered an empowering, poetic journey that invites children to discover their confidence within to receive the warmth and wonder of the natural world.

Just in time for summer.

I Was Born a Baby

I Was Born a Baby

by Meg Fleming

This adorable read-aloud story introduces baby animals who share what they are called and what they grow up into, and shows ow some baby animals share their names with several other species.

In a Jar, Out of a Jar

In a Jar

Out of a Jar

While in Marcero’s In a Jar, little bunnies Llewellyn and Evelyn collected things they loved. When moving homes separates them, they remain connected through teir collections. In Out of a Jar, Llewellyn is trying to contain his huge emotions. When he is extremely frightened, exuberantly excited, or steaming mad, he shoves all his color-coded emotions into jars and locks them in a closet. Yet, it isn’t long before he discovers the dangers of his methods.

Again, Essie?

Again, Essie?

by Jenny Lacika

Rafael tries to save his toys from his baby sister, Essie, by building a wall from shoeboxes, toilet paper rolls, and other household objects in this playful exploration of spatial sense and geometry.

Visit the Brighouse branch for our new STEAM picturebook area, where you will find Again, Essie? and lots more! 

Kumo the bashful cloud

Kumo the basful cloud

by Kyo Maclear

When Kumo sees some unfamiliar clouds, she worries they won’t want her around, but she takes a breath and nervously floats over to them. They happily embrace her, and soon other clouds join in their glee, “until there are clouds and clouds everywhere, joining together, becoming the whole sky.” 
Kumo’s duties end for the day with her wafting into a well-deserved “delicate, dreamy sleep,” having learned that both being seen and being unseen can be good. Sprinkled with Japanese vocabulary, Kumo will impart a new appreciation for clouds and show readers how it can sometimes be frightening to step into the world, then reassuring them that others are willing to help when we overcome our bashfulness.

Kumo (which means “cloud” in Japanese) is a touching fable. Kumo wants nothing more than to float in the corners of the sky unnoticed. She prefers to “remain soft and invisible,” but when Kumo is called upon to do her cloud duty, she must face her fear of not being enough and grow confident in all she offers.

At first, Kumo tries to move forward by closing her eyes, but she gets stuck. She has to “pull her fluff together” and carry out her duty with her eyes open to explore the rich landscape of cities, mountains, gardens, and fields.

 

Reviewer: Fiona Raye Clarke

Publisher: Tundra Books

DETAILS

Price: $24.99

Page Count: 64 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 978-0-73526-728-2

Released: September

Issue Date: October 2022

Categories: Kids’ Books, Picture Books

Age Range: 4–8

 

My Night in the Planetarium: A true story about a child, a play, and the art of resistance

 

by Innosanto Nagara

There aren’t a lot of picture books that portray what it’s like for a child to live under dictatorship. Innosanto Nagara, the Indonesian-born graphic artist and acclaimed author/illustrator of A Is for Activist and Counting on Community, tells his own story of facing dictatorship and oppression in My Night in the Planetarium. At the age of seven, he watched his father, a playwright, put on plays that indirectly lampooned the corrupt and violent rulers of his country in the 1970s and 1980s. Sometimes the youngster acted in the plays. Ultimately, this love gives both parents and children the strength they need to survive and thrive in the most difficult of circumstances.

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey

 

Lost and Found Cat

by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes

In August of 2015, an Iraqi family fled their home, traveling by car and on foot along with their cat, Kunkush. When the family reached Greece, Kunkush escaped from his carrier. They searched for him for hours, but finally had to continue on their journey. Volunteers found the feline a few days later and became determined to reunite him with his owners.