Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters

I wonder if he's also allergic to dragons...

Look, Lenore. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters. New York : Schwartz & Wade Books, 2009.

Plot: Alvin suffers from multiple phobias, fears, stresses, and siblings. So when his father decides to take him camping, the second-grader is mortified. While his brother helps him purchase supplies, Alvin still lacks courage. His uncle offers a series of secret tips and an ultra-powerful Batman ring. The trip still seems doomed, though, even with Alvin's little sister joining in. Still, he may manage well, particularly since he is not the only one afraid of his first camping trip.

Genre: Everyday, Growing Up

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Romona and her Father, Rocket Ride

Personal Thoughts: Romona meets Year of the Rat. The title bears all the appeal of the second-grade, slice-of-life manner of Beverly Cleary with the cultural references of Grace Lin. Also, much like Lin's work, Chinese culture is an aspect of the story, not its definition. A lot of titles with minority protagonists tend to focus on the culture or, more often, prejudice against the culture. While such topics certainly need consideration, they tend to lead to a depressing story.

Alvin is Chinese. He uses Chinese terms to address his family. He eats Chinese food. He celebrates Chinese New Year. He also likes superheroes, Harry Houdini, and playing. He is a talented writer and with a good sense of humor, even though he does not quite realize it yet. He fears the dark, spiders, and acts of God. Alvin is a complete character, not just a slate for lessons on culture. Characters are fun to read about, and Alvin's perspective adds to the trials and tribulations of camping.

Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands

Save some for me!

Roy, Katherine. Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands. New York : David Macaulay Studio, Roaring Brook Press, 2014.

Plot: Off the coast of California, the local elephant seals attract great white sharks, as well as great white shark scientists. The text reviews the behavior and characteristics of the sharks with detailed illustrations. Drawings of the animals dissect each aspect of the shark while explaining how it helps the animal. It also explains why scientists attempt to study sharks and what they have discovered.

Genre: Animals, Picture Books

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Tooth and Claw, Surprising Sharks

Personal Thoughts: The world needs more shark books. Definitely more. Never less. Always more.

All joking aside, sharks books often appeal to early readers, but many just offer basic information with stock photographs. This title teaches readers about sharks in a direct, professional, and accessible manner. The images also focus on the text, making the book more coherent and visually pleasing.

Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayham

Don't care!

Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayham by Nature on PBS.

Plot: Honey badgers, also known as ratels, are one of Africa's more clever, adaptable, and aggressive animals. The creatures have to be both smart and tough, since they must contend with lions, leopards, and hyenas. However, their ingenuity often leads to conflicts with farmers and stock keepers. Scientists also wish to discover methods for co-habitating with the powerful mammals.

Genre: Documentary, Animals

Reading Level: I think it's rated TV-G

Similar Titles: Is that Skunk?, Raccoon Nation

Personal Thoughts: A good resource for those seeking more information than a viral video.

 

Saving Otter 501

Ees a baabee odda

Saving Otter 501 produced by Nature on PBS.

Plot: Sea otters, once common throughout the Pacific coast, now struggle to survive. Some fail to, leaving their pups orphaned. This is the story of one such otter. Otter 501 was found at a very young age. Too small to hunt, groom, or swim, she would never survive in the ocean on her own. So sea otter rescuers set out to raise her for release. They receive help from Toola, another rescued otter with skills in parenting orphaned otters. Even with all the help, though, 501 has a rough life ahead of her.

Genre: Documentaries, Animals

Reading Level: Rated TV-G, if recall serves. However, sensitive viewers may need caution, since some otters get hurt or die throughout the documentary.

Similar Titles: Leave it to Beavers, Yellowstone Otters

Personal Thoughts: The title offers plenty of footage of adorable baby otters. It also manages to explain the difficulties in releasing otters and potential problems for new releases. The importance of otters in their native habitat finds effective mention, as well.

Apparently, it's mustelid week at Charlin at the Library.

The Island of the Skog

And we're back to talking mouse stories

Kellogg, Steven. The Island of the Skog. New York : Dial Press 1973.

Plot: After watching their numbers steadily dwindle, the mice decide to leave the dangerous city and seek a safe haven across the sea. After a series of misadventures, they discover a nearly-deserted island. Their only neighbor is a skog, which no one can identify. The skog makes itself known by cutting the mice's ship loose, forcing them to deal with the dark-robed, big-footed creature.

Genre: Picture Books, Animals

Reading Level: Grades 1-3

Similar Titles: Lon Po Po, Amos & Boris, The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

Personal Thoughts: I grew up with the stories and illustrations of Kellogg, but I never knew about this particular title. I includes all the detailed pictures with little in-jokes I enjoyed as a child, as well as a slightly suspenseful story that I like as an adult. It is not a particularly scary book and most readers will have guesses about the skog's identity before the end, but the title still offers a good read.

Bigfoot Boy: Into the Woods

...to Grandma's house we go!

Torres, J. Bigfoot Boy: Into the Woods. Toronto : Kids Can Press, 2012.

Plot: Rufus gets to spend some time away from the city and near the woods at his grandmother's house. He quickly discovers one of his neighbors does not tolerate intruders in her forest very well, though. Still, he offers to help pick up litter in the woods. After discovering a lot of trash, he also discovers a totem that has the power to turn him into a bigfoot. Others want this power, though, and will gladly threaten what Rufus cares about in order to get it.

Genre: Comics, Fantasy, Adventure

Reading Level: Grades 1-5

Similar Titles: ChicagoLand Detective Agency, Hilda and the Midnight Giant

Personal Thoughts: The title acts as simple, well-paced comic with a means of introducing concepts such as totems to young audiences. A sequel has already been published, with another scheduled for later this year.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Re-imagining of Greek myths

Re-imagining of Japanese myths

Which do you prefer?

Riordan, Rick and Rocco, John. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods. Los Angeles : Disney-Hyperion Books, 2014.

Plot: Percy Jackson reviews the life histories of some of his most famous relatives. The epic origins of the Greek gods and their roles are discussed and illustrated with classic, empowering images. Percy then promptly deconstructs the gods' "heroics" and bad behavior with call-outs, insults, and modern allusions. As a result, the text provides a guide to ancient mythology through the lens of current viewpoints.

Genre: Mythology, Folklore

Reading Level: Grades 3-8

Similar Titles: Have a Hot Time, Hades!, It's All Greek to Me

Personal Thoughts: It is honestly difficult to read Greek myths with modern sensitivities. Mistreatment, cannibalism, treachery, and incest pepper most stories, making for awkward, mixed emotions toward the "heroes." Instead of glossing over the unpleasant aspects of the tales, Percy Jackson coats the negative with humor and snide comments to the reader. However, he still relates the myths accurately. Greek mythology influences modern storytelling, so the text may be a gentler introduction to the stories than some conventional resources.