Tag Archive | non-US author

I is I AM THE WIND: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere, edited by Jacob & Webb (Poetry) #A2Z

Apr10
Six painted panels - a swimming whale, three birds against a cloudy sky, a fox walking in starry night, bright flowers in sunshine, a raven flying away from wave, and flames flaring upward - surround title "I Am the Wind: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere"

“This poem can …
Open magical doorways
Pick a lock to your heart
Steal away on stormy seas
Make a dragon weep
Launch rockets to the moon
Offer somewhere to hide
Light a candle in the dark
Befriend a rainy day
Catch a slippery character
Awaken the explorer within
Be everything you wish for

Let the journey begin.”
(“This Poem Can …” by E.R. Murray, pg. 1)

April is Poetry Month, and this wonderful, wide-ranging collection of poems from Ireland is the perfect way to celebrate.

Mostly contemporary with a few traditional rhymes (“Molly Malone”) and famous poets (W.B. Yeats, Padraic Colum), these poems examine what’s important to kids: family, the world outside their door, friendship and aloneness, pets and wild creatures, worries and hopes.

“Hold my hand – I hear
A girl from my class saying to me
I am a little scared – she knows
Hearing voices saying words I don’t know
She holds my hand tightly
Smile is the only language I know.”
(“Friends” by Monika Nowakowska, pg. 26)

Gathered into thematic sections, poems on similar subjects are often featured on facing pages, and poems in Irish appear with English version, too.

Look for the free I Am the Wind poetry kit at the publisher’s site www.littleisland.ie for more information about these poems and writing activity prompts for poetry practice.

What is your favorite poem about?
**kmm

Book info: I Am the Wind: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere / edited by Lucinda Jacob & Sarah Webb; illustrated by Ashwin Chacko. Published by Little Island Books, 2024 US. [Lucinda’s site https://www.lucindajacob.com/] [Sarah’s site https://www.sarahwebb.info/about/q-a/] [Ashwin’s site https://whackochacko.com/work/] [publisher site https://www.littleisland.ie/products/i-am-the-wind-irish-poems-for-children-everywhere?variant=48294748324167] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

B is A BITE OF PEPPER, young vampire finding herself, by Balazs Lorinczi (YA Graphic Novel) #A2Z

Apr2
On roof's edge near a streetlamp, a seated dark-haired girl wearing a bat-winged backpack looks back at a standing blonde girl who watches a leashed vampire puppy chase butterflies in the sky, on book cover of graphic novel A Bite of Pepper, by Balazs Lorinczi.

Skateboarding,
loving on her pup,
does she have to lock in her future already?

As a born-vampire, teen Pepper isn’t immortal – yet. Once she takes a bride (any gender) and they turn together, their age and appearance will be set… forever.

Despite her mom’s pressure to choose, she’s not ready yet, not grown into her true self. Just-younger half-brother Jeb may defy tradition and turn immortal first – the upcoming human-vampire Gala is when many announce their brides and turn each other.

Meeting college art student Ana is refreshing – she really appreciates Pepper’s skateboarding talent and adores immortal puppy Shroom. Pepper’s mom hires her to work in the family bookshop, so the pair happily get to spend more time together.

Ana’s art class illustration project of Pepper’s amazing skateboard tricks is turned into an edgy skateboard brand by Jeb, who looks to the rich vampires’ Human Relations Council for start-up funding.

Will the Council help if neither Jeb nor Pepper are full vampires yet?
Does Ana really like Pepper for herself or just as a skateboard model?
Do they all have to become real adults right now!?

In a human and vampire world where B+ juice keeps vampires healthy without human blood, Pepper has to decide how much of her self she’ll let others control.

Lorinczi portrays his characters in pink, black, and lavender rather than the usual black and red.

Other “non-traditional” vampire books you’d recommend?
**kmm

Book info: A Bite of Pepper / Balazs Lorinczi. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2025. [author/illustrator site https://balazslorinczi.carrd.co/] [publisher site https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Bite-of-Pepper/Balazs-Lorinczi/9781665970464] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

A is for AROUND THE WORLD ON 80 HORSES, by Jill Newton (nonfiction) #A2Z

Apr1
Book cover of Around the World on 80 Horses, by Jill Newton. Shows an English jumping horse with rider, black stallion, pair of Clydesdale draft horses in harness, barrel-racing horse with rider, pack horse , and prancing palomino horse, surrounding title with globe in background.

Clydesdale and Kabardian,
Shetland and Ferghana,
Appaloosa and Lipizzaner and Paso Fino – so many amazing horses!

Gallop across the globe as horses are introduced by the geographic region where they developed the particular characteristics that make each horse breed unique.

Trot into the world of horses and humans at work and in sport together through history, meeting famous real-life horses and those of legend.

Learn more about horses from nose to tail, how they evolved different sizes, colors, and temperaments, and meet their interesting relatives.

The most ardent horse fancier will find much new information in this book, where the author/illustrator challenges readers to find all 80 living breeds of horses in its pages, including those that roam free to this day.

Download the free activity pack and printable Horse Bingo game at https://childsplaybooks.myshopify.com/products/9781786288080 .

What’s your favorite fact about horses?
**kmm

Book info: Around the World on 80 Horses / Jill Newton. Child’s Play, Inc., 2024. [publisher site https://childsplaybooks.myshopify.com/products/9781786288080] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

Ice caps vanished, father not returned – her only hope against TERRA ELECTRICA: THE GUARDIANS OF THE NORTH! by Antonia Maxwell (MG fiction)

Jun18
Book cover of Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North, by Antonia Maxwell. Atop a hill, a girl in summer clothes shoots magenta-colored lightning from her hands. Standing with her are a howling wolf and gigantic polar bear roaring at the Northern Lights above them. Two ravens fly to them through the magenta night sky, forest and high mountains in the distance.

Only she and her father survived the electrical sickness that killed everyone in their far-north village, where snow never ever comes now, Arctic animals long gone, polar ice caps melted away.

When he doesn’t return from weeks of hunting, 12-year-old Mani decides to search for her father, urged onward by the Polar animal spirits she meets after donning her late mother’s ancestral wooden mask.

The science man Leo is still alive, but his eyes show the Terra Electrica sickness. Somehow, Mani’s touch when holding a flashlight cures him!

Leo says they must travel north to The Ark where the other scientists are, to see if her father is there and figure out why Mani isn’t affected by the Terra Electrica. Maybe they can save the rest of humankind…

Their journey is long and dangerous, dragging their sled of supplies across muck that used to be iced-over, making a raft from driftwood and plastic bottles to cross a bay, encountering people who don’t trust Ark scientists or anyone coming from the Terra Electrica-affected zones.

Whenever she can, Mani goes back into the world of the mask, to hear wisdom from Ooshaka the polar bear and Crow and Eagle and Wolf, to seek her ancestors in the old land of ice, to listen for her mother’s spirit…

Oh! This large group also heading for The Ark says they have things to trade… things like weapons!?

Is her father really at The Ark?
What caused the Terra Electrica?
Can Ooshaka’s advice help Mani survive?

Mani’s perils due to extreme climate change remind us of the power we have in our present time to prevent future disaster.

How far north have you gone?
**kmm

Book info: Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North / Antonia Maxwell. Neem Tree Press, 2024. [author site https://www.antoniamaxwell.com/about] [publisher site https://neemtreepress.com/book/terra-electrica-the-guardians-of-the-north/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Large, small – meet them all! ATLAS OF DOGS, by Dobiasova, Sekaninova, Sedlackova, and Kralik (MG Nonfiction)

Jun3
Book cover of Atlas of Dogs, by Ester Dobiasova, Jana Sedlackova, Stepanka Sekaninova; Illustrated by Marcel Kralik. As 3 happy children watch, 6 dogs run an agility course counter-clockwise around the title, including a Doberman pinscher, a Nordic hunting dog, a cattle dog, a Chow Chow, an Airedale terrier, and a Norwegian Dunker hound.

Samoyed, chow chow, English bulldog!
Schipperke? Munsterlander? Blue Gascony basset?

In this large illustrated atlas, dogs themselves tell us about their many different breeds: sighthounds; scenthounds; pointers and setters; terriers; sheepdogs and cattle dogs; retrievers, flushing dogs, and water dogs; spitz and primitive dogs; dachshunds; pinschers, schnauzers, molosser breeds, and Swiss mountain dogs; and companion dogs.

You’ll meet dogs whose breeds you know well – beagle, German shepherd, Great Dane – and many that you may never have encountered – komondor, Prague ratter, stabyhoun, vizsla.

Several breeds popular as pets, like spitz, dachshunds, and collies, have a scorecard of intelligence, obedience, activity level, guarding skill, barking level, best family type to live with, and ideal home so you can make a good fit between dog and pet owner – with shelter dogs named as always the best first choice.

Throughout the book are issues of “Dogs’ Post Daily” news highlighting outstanding dogs through history, like loyal Hachiko in Japan, the puppy Honey who ran for help when her master’s car rolled into a deep ravine, Greyfriars Bobby the night watchman, and Barry the St. Bernard mountain rescuer of the Alps.

Be sure to find the dog to human years (no, not 1 to 7) conversion chart, as well as sections on record-holding dogs, dog speech, and how to take care of dogs.

A wonderfully illustrated informational book from Albatros in the Czech Republic, who brought us the equally delightful Atlas of Cats (recommended here: https://booksyalove.com/?p=14643).

What’s your favorite breed of dog?
**kmm

Book info: Atlas of Dogs / Ester Dobiasova, Stepanka Sekaninova, Jana Sedlackova; illustrated by Marcel Kralik. Albatros, 2021. [Stepanka’s page https://www.albatrosmedia.eu/writer/stepanka-sekaninova/] [publisher site https://www.albatrosmedia.eu/book/atlas-of-dogs/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.

Oh, wow! EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT DINOSAURS IS WRONG! by Nick Crumpton and Gavin Scott (MG nonfiction)

May9
Book cover of Everything You Know About Dinosaurs Is Wrong! by Dr. Nick Crumpton and Gavin Scott. Many dinosaurs large and small perch upon, walk through, look at, and fly across the bold capital letters of the title.

Roaring, green, scaly, gigantic – our mental images of dinosaurs are NOT RIGHT!

So much has been discovered in the past decade that we need to correct our old dino info.

Among the many WRONG facts that “everyone knows” about dinosaurs that need updating are

– Dinosaurs weren’t very smart (incorrect)
– Long-necked dinosaurs all looked the same (no)
– Tyrannosaurus could outrun you (also no)
– Raptors slashed their prey (nope)

Dinosaur-hunting expeditions now go beyond the usual deserts to Antarctica, sea cliffs, and deep inside mines.

Recent discoveries include dinosaurs that lived in trees or underground, those that cared for nests full of eggs, and sharp-toothed ones that ate both meat and plants.

Using new equipment and techniques to examine fossils discovered long ago, paleontologists can now tell us that some dinosaurs had feathers or fur, that they weren’t cold-blooded, and that some specimens need to be renamed because they are actually young or teen specimens of an already-named dino!

My favorite new fact: that brontosaurus and apatosaurus were indeed two different dinos, not two different names for the same one.

Lots of new names and great information for dino-lovers to learn in this oversized well-illustrated book, also available in paperback July 2025.

What’s your favorite dino?
**kmm

Book info: Everything You Know About Dinosaurs Is Wrong! (Everything You Know series) / Dr. Nick Crumpton; illustrated by Gavin Scott. Nosy Crow US, 2023. [author site https://www.nickcrumpton.com/] [artist site https://www.gavin-scott.co.uk/] [publisher site https://nosycrow.us/product/everything-you-know-about-dinosaurs-is-wrong/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.

Look up high with A CAT’S GUIDE TO THE NIGHT SKY! by Stuart Atkinson & Brendan Kearney (nonfiction picturebook)

May8
Book cover of A Cat's Guide to the Night Sky, by Stuart Atkinson, illustrated by Brendan Kearney. A brown-striped tabby cat sits at lower right, her large eye gazing at constellations Canis Major the Great Dog, Taurus the Bull, Cygnus the Swan, Lyra the Lyre, Gemini the Twins, Canis Minor the Little Dog, Auriga the Charioteer, Crater the Cup, Aquila the Eagle, and Sagittarius the Archer encircling the title clockwise, with the Milky Way spanning the starry sky behind them.

Dark night, twinkling stars,
bright planets,
the Milky Way!

Felicity the cat is here to help you see the wonders of the night sky and know what you’re looking at.

You’ll learn important skywatching words like constellation and asterism. Did you know that the Big Dipper is an asterism within the constellation of Ursa Major: the Great Bear?

Different constellations are visible each season as the Earth moves around our star, the Sun. Felicity tells us the Greek story behind each constellation’s name and where you should look for it in the night sky.

Sagittarius the Archer is also called the Teapot, and Ophiucus means Serpent-Bearer in ancient Greek – but Felicity says “I don’t know anyone who sees a man holding a snake. It’s more like a child’s drawing of a house.” (pg. 27)

Along with the stars in the sky, you might see planets, shooting stars (meteor showers), the Northern Lights, satellites and the International Space Station, or even galaxies if you use binoculars or a telescope.

Felicity’s good advice for safe night viewing includes what to wear and bring, where to go to star-gaze, and who to go with, as well as a good glossary and index.

What’s your favorite thing to see in the night sky?
**kmm

Book info: A Cat’s Guide to the Night Sky / Stuart Atkinson; illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Laurence King Books US, 2018. [author site https://stuartatkinson.wordpress.com/writing/] [artist site https://www.brendandraws.com/] [publisher site https://us.laurenceking.com/products/a-cats-guide-to-the-night-sky] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Where does your PENCIL come from? by Hye-Eun Kim (picturebook)

May7
book cover of Pencil, by Hye-Eun Kim. Shows a large pencil sketching a many-colored forest, tree by tree.

A few leaves, many leaves, a whole tree!
Small trees, more trees, a whole forest!
Many animals, many birds…and a noisy machine…

This wordless picturebook traces the journey of a single pencil from sapling to forest tree to sawed log to factory to art supply store.

A young girl chooses that pencil, then draws marvelous trees extending from the tree stumps, a forest that the displaced animals want to visit!

Drawn in colored pencil and marker, first published in the illustrator’s native Korea and dedicated to her daughter: “May your small tree grow into a large forest.”

Includes helpful advice on how to read a silent book to others.

It’s Children’s Book Week! When you look for this charming book at your local library (https://search.worldcat.org/libraries) or independent bookstore (https://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder), check out the many art styles of today’s picturebooks.

If you chose just one colored pencil, what color would it be?
**kmm

Book info: Pencil / illustrated by Hye-Eun Kim. Toon Books, 2025. [publisher site https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763419/pencil-by-hye-eun-kim/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.

Such a good dog! BOO LOVES BOOKS, by Kaye Baillie and Tracie Grimwood (Picturebook)

May6
Book cover of Boo Loves Books, by Kaye Baillie, illustrated by Tracie Grimwood. Below title of "B o pawprint L o Heart e s Books" are a large tan and black medium-furred long-nosed dog and a small round-faced red-haired girl with 2 short side-ponytails and a plaid school uniform dress. They are lying on their tummies on the floor, looking at a picturebook together and smiling. More picturebooks are stacked nearby.

Everyone in her class loves to read, except Phoebe.

She doesn’t know all the letter sounds and doesn’t like being wrong, so she just keeps quiet.

What’s that? Miss Spinelli’s class will go someplace away from school – to read?!

Phoebe worries at home and on the bus and at the animal shelter. She doesn’t know much about dogs – how can she read to one?

Very, very shy Big Boo is scared of Phoebe? Miss Spinelli stays with them: “Your voice is all he needs.”

Big Boo doesn’t care when Phoebe gets stuck on a word, so they keep reading together!

A lovely story about the power of reading and being accepted, this 2020 release by an Australian author and illustrator duo is well worth finding, especially now during Children’s Book Week https://everychildareader.net/cbw/.

Is there a reading to shelter animals program near you?
**kmm

Book info: Boo Loves Books / Kaye Baillie, art by Tracie Grimwood. New Frontier Publishing, 2020. Distributed in USA by Lerner Books. [author site https://kayebaillie.com/] [illustrator site https://traciegrimwood.com.au/] [publisher site https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/20570] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Get to know CHARLES M. SCHULZ, creator of Snoopy and Peanuts, in a manga biography! by Yuzuri Kukui (Graphic novel nonfiction)

May5
Book cover of Charles M. Schulz: The Creator of Snoopy and Peanuts, by Yuzuri Kukui. Manga Biographies series. Centered above title is a manga image of young Charles Schulz sketching a cartoon as his characters Lucy, Linus, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Woodstock dance on pages flying off his desk.

Snoopy!
Charlie Brown!
Linus! Lucy! Woodstock!

We all recognize the characters of Peanuts, drawn by Charles Schulz, but how much do you know about the cartoonist’s life story?

A doodler from childhood, “Sparky” improved his techniques with a drawing course by mail during high school, delighting family and friends with his cartoons.

Returning to St. Paul after army service during World War II, Schulz worked at multiple jobs trying to get into the cartooning business.

Finally, a New York newspaper syndicate accepts his comic strip about little kids and a dog! Its original name was like another published comic, so the editors change it to “Peanuts.” Sparky hates the name, but is ecstatic that his work whose characters are named after his coworkers will be seen in newspapers across the US!

He rushes home to propose to lovely red-headed Donna – who says she’s decided to marry someone else… so Sparky threw himself into producing a daily comic strip.

Peanuts’ popularity grew as it appeared in more and more newspapers, then the Sunday color comic pages, then books. At age 32, Schulz won top cartoonist of the year!

His family grew, too, so he and Joyce and their five children moved to the warmer climate of southern California.

In 1960, Linus began the Legend of the Great Pumpkin, followed by Charlie Brown’s unrequited love for “the little red-headed girl” whom we never see, then “A Charlie Brown Christmas” animated television special.

Go with Snoopy to the moon, learn about Sparky’s family, and enjoy his enduring comic characters in this loving tribute, originally published in Japan with editorial supervision by Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates.

Who is your favorite Peanuts character?
**kmm

Book info: Charles M. Schulz: the creator of Snoopy and Peanuts (Manga Biographies series) / by Yuzuri Kukui; translated by Mari Marimoto. Udon Entertainment, 2024. [publisher site https://store.udonentertainment.com/collections/manga/products/manga-biographies-charles-m-schulz-the-creator-of-snoopy-and-peanuts] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.