Malaika’s Winter Carnival by author Nadia L. Hohn and illustrator Irene Luxbacher
Age Range: 3 – 7 years
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
In this picture book, a young girl named Malaika shows resilience when her mother marries, not only giving her a stepfather and stepsister to live with but also thrusting her into a new country with a culture much different from the one she has lived in. My Book Eyes loves details from the text and illustrations that beautifully depict cultural differences. A very relatable story. In some ways all of us have experienced the sentiment of loss for people, places or things due to circumstances beyond our control and have learned to adapt.
Step Right Up by author Donna Janell Bowman and illustrator Daniel Minter
Age Range: 7 – 12 years
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Publication Date:October 15, 2016
This picture book is a biography about a man named William Key who was born a slave in Tennessee. Because of his gentle manner when working with and healing horses, he became known as Doc. He desired to race horses. Unfortunately, his colt, Jim, was not a race horse but a smart horse. Jim learned to spell, write and count among many other things and traveled around the country with Doc entertaining a variety of people. My Book Eyes marveled at Doc’s numerous successes despite living in a skeptical and adverse society. The afterword adds a detailed account of Doc’s life, including assisting slaves’ escapes along the Underground Railroad. The photographs add to the readers knowledge about what life was like in William Keys’ days. The illustrator’s illustrations add emotion and help tell the story.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland by authors Richard B. Smith and Felix Bernard and illustrator Tim Hopgood
Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: September 13, 2016
This picture book’s text is the words to the song Walking in a Winter Wonderland. No matter how many times My Book Eyes heard various artists sing this song or listened to the tune as a jingle for a commercial, when it was time for a singalong the words “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” were belted out while the remaining lyrics were reduced to a hum. In this version of the song, some words have changed to make the book more appealing to a children’s audience. This book features the words in big bold text with illustrations that show a family enjoying the snow.
