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Bird and Diz, by Gary Golio, illustrated by Ed Young; Candlewick Press; $19.99, 26 pages, ages 4-8.

Saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker and trumpet-player John “Dizzy” Gillespie were great friends whose style of music revolutionized jazz., and Bird and Diz is a stunning tribute to their achievements. Award-winning author and New York Times bestseller Gary Golio’s flowing, rhythmic text explains how Bird and Diz crafted bebop through fast-playing and complicated rhythms. Golio uses the 1945 recording “Salt Peanuts” as his point of reference, describing the crashing of cymbals and thumping of bass notes mixing with the wailing of Gillespie’s now iconic trumpet playing and Parker’s squealing saxophone. The author’s free-verse mimics the improvisational nature of the music, and manages to explain music that is so difficult to put into words.  Like jazz, this book’s physical layout isn’t standard either – it opens accordion-style, with the front explaining Bird and Diz’s friendship, “who play together just like kids” tossing notes back and forth, like a baseball.  The backside riffs on how this surprising music is made. Caldecott-medal winner Ed Young captures jazz’s elements of fluidity and abstraction with illustrations composed of pastel, gouache and sumi-ink. The art is, by turns, explosive and fluid, appearing completely spontaneous yet bears the mark of a master at work, much like the book’s subjects. Children will run to their art sets after reading the final lines “Get out your crayons and draw!”  A tour de force that will enthrall jazz lovers and no doubt encourage a youngsters to feel the beat.

Glamourpuss; Pirate, Viking, Scientist; A Dozen Cousins; Henry Finds His Word

Nicole Claire reviews 4 new picture books!

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Growing up Pedro, by Matt Tavares; Candlewick Press, $16.99, 40 pages, ages 8-12.

Veteran baseball writer Matt Tavares (There Goes Ted Williams; Becoming Babe Ruth; Henry Aaron’s Dream) explores the improbable rise of pitching legend Pedro Martinez. Tavarez tracks the three-time Cy Young Award winner from very begining, living in the small village of Manoguaybo in the Dominican Republic, when Pedro’s older brother Ramon was the best pitcher around.  Soon enough, the brothers make their way to the Major Leagues, and Tavarez illustrates the innate talent, dedication and powerful brotherly bond that helped make this baseball dream a reality.   (Don’t worry baseball-fan parents; Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt is publishing Pedro’s own memoir, due out in May.)

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Out at Home, by Cal Ripken, Jr. and Kevin Cowherd; Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, 202 pages ages 8-12.

Out at Homeis the fifth novel in the All-Stars baseball series penned by baseball legend Cal Ripken and sports writer Kevin Cowherd. Here, two rivals must work together in order to win the championships. Mickey Labriogla is the dedicated catcher for the Dulaney Orioles, whose position on the team is suddenly jeopardized by the arrival of Zoom, an arrogant newcomer with undeniable talent. Eventually, the Orioles make it to the “Super Regionals” where they will have to face the indomitable Laurel Yankees, (Zoom’s former team) and the boys must set aside their differences if their team is to have any chance of winning. Ripken and Cowherd combine their prolific understanding of the game to craft an engaging story about overcoming adversity through teamwork. 

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The Baseball Player and the Walrus, by Ben Loory, illustrations by Alex Latimer; Penguin, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 5-8.

We’ve all heard the saying ‘money can’t buy happiness,’ and that phrase certainly rings true in this quirky tale of friendship and happiness. Here, a wildly successful baseball player feels unfulfilled and lonely, until the fateful day he decides to visit the zoo where he meets a belching, fish-eating walrus. Smitten, the baseball player wants to bring the creature home, and builds a state-of-the art walrus enclosure behind his home, where they spend many days playing catch and enjoying each other’s company. Soon, baseball season starts, and while on the road, the athlete discovers that he would rather be with his friend than sitting in faraway hotel rooms. So, he quits. Unfortunately, caring for walruses is expensive, and the bills start adding up. What will the ball player do when his companion is carted away? Debut picture book author Ben Loory explores unending devotion with words that even the youngest readers will understand, while Alex Latimer’s hand-drawn illustrations are spot-on.  

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Lullaby & Kisses Sweet: Poems to Love with Your Baby, by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Alyssa Nassner; Abrams Appleseed, $15.95, 44 pages, ages 0-3.


Babies love being read to, and they will adore listening to this lyrical collection of original poetry curated by poet Lee Bennett Hopkins. The anthology’s thirty selections are divided into five topics, ranging from food to bedtime. Parents will notice some A-list authors among the group, including Marilyn Singer, (the Tallulah series) Jane Yolen (How Do Dinosaurs….? series) and J. Patrick Lewis (World Rat Day: Poems About Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of.). The sturdy, casebound board book is perfect for exploring little hands, and artist Alyssa Nassner’s bright and engaging illustrations make this a delightful introduction to all the sensory joys of poetry.

Wish, by Matthew Cordell; Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, 48 pages, ages 3-6.

Sometimes parents wait a long time before children come along. They plan, live, cope with disappointment, until one day their wish comes true. Matthew Cordell’s charming elephant couple explores what it means to begin a family, and how adults deal with unexpected challenges. “We listen…. And we wait… but you never come. And everything stops.” will no doubt resonate with some families more than others. One day, while the patient pachyderms stroll along the beach, a crack of lightning splits the ocean apart, and a baby arrives on a small sailboat. There’s nothing preachy or overly saccharine here – Wish is a wonderful, simple and totally heartfelt way for parents to remind their children how much they are loved.

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Flora and Ulysses, The Illustrated Series  is out in paperback! Kate DiCamillo’s 2014 Newbery award winning story about a self-descrbed cynic and her furry sidekick is an uproarious tale that deserves pride of place on any child’s bookshelf. (Really, anything by DiCamillo is a surefire hit.)

Already read Flora and Ulysses? Check out Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, the latest offering from National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature where a lonely wannabe cowboy falls in love with an old mare named Maybelline. DiCamillo fans will recognize many characters from her Mercy Watson series who return here for some good old-fashioned horsing around.

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Sweep Up the Sun, by Helen Frost, photographs by Rick Lieder; Candlewick Press, 32 pages, $15.99, all ages. (Published March 10)

Haven’t we all had that dream where we’re flying with the birds? Live out those fantasies while reading award-winning author Helen Frost’s lyrical invitation to soar alongside feathered friends in Sweep Up the Sun. At its most basic level, the poem is exploring birds in flight, but it is also a rally for cooped-up children to return outdoors, to spread their wings, and take off for unexpected adventures. Stunning, in-flight photographs of Chickadees, Cardinals, White-Breasted Nuthatches are courtesy of Rick Lieder, who previously collaborated with Frost on Step Gently Out. An informative glossary (with information gleaned from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) provides distinctive characteristics, migration patterns and feeding habits of the eleven birds featured in the book. Consider this volume a lovely introduction to backyard birding, an invitation to observe these beautiful creatures often perched just outside our windows.

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literarykids:

Toad Weather, by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez; Peachtree Publishers, $16.95, 32 pages, ages 4-7.

Sometimes it rains cats and dogs. In Philadelphia, it rains toads. Actually, the wet weather brings about the annual vernal toad migration, and on one particularly rainy March day little Ally and her family head out into the streets to see something spectacular – for a few weeks each spring, millions of toads across the country head to water in order to find mates and lay eggs, and the Roxborough neighborhood in Philadelphia is the real-life setting for this migration – there are even volunteers who set up ‘Toad Detours’ to ensure that the amphibians make it across the busy roads. (Toads flood the streets en route to nearby the ponds and reservoir.) Award-winning veteran author Sandra Markle has written over two hundred books for children, and each one is a treat – Toad Weather’s text is a lyrical sing-songy ode to a city transformed by rain, and to the everyday magic that takes place right at our feet. Gonzalez’s luminous pastel and watercolor images of wet toads and earthworms evoke the sense of wonder when we find magic in our everyday surroundings.  Don’t skip the informative author’s notes that explain how dedicated groups ensure the life cycle continues for these little croakers.  

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Toad Weather, by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez; Peachtree Publishers, $16.95, 32 pages, ages 4-7.

Sometimes it rains cats and dogs. In Philadelphia, it rains toads. Actually, the wet weather brings about the annual vernal toad migration, and on one particularly rainy March day little Ally and her family head out into the streets to see something spectacular – for a few weeks each spring, millions of toads across the country head to water in order to find mates and lay eggs, and the Roxborough neighborhood in Philadelphia is the real-life setting for this migration – there are even volunteers who set up ‘Toad Detours’ to ensure that the amphibians make it across the busy roads. (Toads flood the streets en route to nearby the ponds and reservoir.) Award-winning veteran author Sandra Markle has written over two hundred books for children, and each one is a treat – Toad Weather’s text is a lyrical sing-songy ode to a city transformed by rain, and to the everyday magic that takes place right at our feet. Gonzalez’s luminous pastel and watercolor images of wet toads and earthworms evoke the sense of wonder when we find magic in our everyday surroundings.  Don’t skip the informative author’s notes that explain how dedicated groups ensure the life cycle continues for these little croakers.