AN INTERVIEW WITH JOANA PASTRO AUTHOR OF BISA’S CARNAVAL ILLUSTRATED BY CAROLINA COROA (Orchard Books; $18.99, Ages 4 to 8)       SHORT SUMMARY “Trumpets, trombones, tubas, and saxophones sing louder, faster, faster, louder! It’s CARNAVAL!” With help from her bisa (great-grandma), a young girl in Brazil prepares for Carnaval: bright costumes, feathers, flowers, and plenty of glitter. But bisa must stay home. As the girl hugs bisa goodbye, the music pulls her in. Excitement is everywhere, on every sight, sound and scent. But…  Carnaval isn’t the same without bisa.  With the blow of a whistle…

  PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: Peace, Salaam, Shalom Written by Callie Metler, Shirin Rahman, and Melissa Stoller Illustrated by Kate Talbot (Spork; $17.99, Ages 5-8)       Review Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom has landed on bookshelves at just the right time when the world needs more stories about coming together despite our differences. This uplifting joint effort by Callie Metler, Shirin Rahman, and Melissa Stoller introduces young readers to characters whose faith matches those of the authors: Christian, Muslim, and Jewish respectively. Adding to the appeal is the detailed art by Kate Talbot whose depictions of the three girls, Molly,…

WORDS COMPOSED OF SEA AND SKY by Erica George (Running Press Teens; $17.99, Ages 13 and up)          Two love triangles unfold in Erica George’s YA romance, Words Composed of Sea and Sky. Michaela (Mack) Dunn’s stepfather won’t pay for her to attend a poetry workshop. However, a local contest is giving away that retreat as a prize for whoever writes the best dedication plaque for the new statue honoring the Highland Whaler, Captain Benjamin Churchill. The problem is, not much is known about Churchill even though his name is plastered all over Mack’s Cape Cod town.…

  CHICKEN CHICKENS Written and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev (NorthSouth Books; $18.95; Ages 4-8)         The charming Chicken Chickens by author-illustrator Valeri Gorbachev is back after 20 years, just in time to help a new generation of children overcome being labeled a “chicken” when feeling fearful about experiencing something new. This 40-page picture book is about twin chickens who go to a playground with Mother Hen for the very first time. The soft colors of green, yellow, and brown bring warmth to a busy playground of cats on swings, turtles in sandboxes, and dogs on seesaws. When…

  NEW HANUKKAH BOOKS FOR 2021 ∼A ROUNDUP∼       BABY LOVES ANGULAR MOMENTUM ON HANUKKAH! Written by Ruth Spiro Illustrated by Irene Chan (Charlesbridge; $8.99, Ages  0-3) The popular Baby Loves Science board book series has notched up over 15  titles in the collection touching on myriad STEM subjects from quarks to coding. In Baby Loves Angular Momentum on Hanukkah! little ones are introduced to the holiday, and in particular, the dreidel or spinning top game played by Jewish families around the world. Using the dreidel, Spiro presents the fascinating physics' concepts of torque (what makes a dreidel…

A ROUNDUP OF THE BEST NEW PICTURE BOOKS FOR THANKSGIVING 2021     Gratitude, generosity, and humor are just some of what's being served up in three new picture books for Thanksgiving this year. I've chosen these stories, though not specifically for Thanksgiving (Thankful's action takes place in December), because they present perspectives on community, connectivity, and caring that are the essence of the holiday.    THANKFUL Written by Elaine Vickers Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill (A Paula Wiseman Book; $17.99, Ages 4-8) Reading this 48-page picture book is a gift to give yourself and your young children. It feels like…

A REVIEW PLUS AN INTERVIEW WITH  DANA MIDDLETON AUTHOR OF NOT A UNICORN (Chronicle Books; $16.99, Ages 10 and up)         REVIEW Dana Middleton's third novel will delight middle-grade readers who enjoy a story that blends contemporary issues with just the right amount of magical realism and likable, relatable characters who would be fun to hang out with. Readers learn early on that the main character, Jewel, age 13, has a unicorn horn on her forehead. Her friend Mystic  likes it because it makes Jewel different, the way she feels and Nicholas believes it's cool and magical.…

  TERRIFIC TABLE MANNERS Written by Michelle Markel Illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard (Cameron Kids; $17.99, Ages 5-7)         As the busy holiday season approaches, I can't think of a more timely book to share with your children than Terrific Table Manners, a humorous 64-page illustrated manual written by Michelle Markel with art by Merrilee Liddiard. The publisher's blurb says, "Inspired by the classic Tiffany’s primer on manners for teens and featuring a familiar cast of characters, Terrific Table Manners is a modern take on table etiquette that follows the course of a proper dinner-party meal." To expand on…