Archive for September 16, 2019

Sea Glass Summer

Written by Michelle Houts
Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Astounding watercolor illustrations accompany a sweet, quiet, heartwarming story that shows even the simplest things can tie us together. The main story is about a boy who spends the summer collecting sea glass and dreaming about it. He feels connected to his grandfather because he uses his grandfather’s magnifying glass to examine the bits of glass. Of course the glass collected by the boy also has stories – long before it was smoothed and clouded by the sea. The book suggests one piece came from a champagne bottle used during a ship’s christening years before. Another piece is from a shipwreck. And glass dropped by the boy after breaking the magnifying glass will no doubt be discovered by some other child years from now. The author invites the reader to imagine all the other stories the sea glass has to tell. Great for the imagination and great for remembering our connections with others.

  • Sea GlassTitle: Sea Glass Summer
  • Author: Michelle Houts
  • Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoullin
  • Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2019
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Picture book, 32 pages
  • Grade Level: PreK to 3
  • Genre: Family, History
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-8443-3

Little Lunch: Triple Treats

Written by Danny Katz
Illustrated by Mitch Vane

Silliness ensues in this adaptation of three stories from the Australian television series, Little Lunch. Six classmates find endless, hilarious adventures leading up to and during lunch. In “The Snack Shop,” the reader learns about the contents of each lunch box. Rory’s lunch box is at home. He’s already eaten all the emergency food from the teachers’ lounge, so he plots to leave school grounds and buy food at the snack shop across the street. “Grandparents Day” finds Battie afraid to tell the teacher his famous grandfather will not be able to make a speech as planned. Battie spends lunch hour hiding so he doesn’t have to share. “The Cake Sale” highlights Tamara and Debra-Jo trying to sell not-so-good slices of cake to raise money for homeless puppies. Atticus, Rory, and Battie start a rival fundraising effort. It turns into a food fight.

In a gentle way, life lessons are underscored, while the reader laughs along with the classmates. Illustrations are lively ink drawings on nearly every page, enabling even more engagement. Watch for more episodes and for more syndication of the television show.

  • Little LunchTitle: Little Lunch: Triple Treats
  • Author: Danny Katz
  • Illustrator: Mitch Vane
  • Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment, 2019
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 112 pages
  • Grade Level: 1 to 4
  • Genre: Humor, Friendship
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-9471-5