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Book Reviews

Culture 1

Book #1

Fox, M., & Lofts, P. (2017). Koala Lou. Melbourne, Vic.: Penguin Random House. ISBN 978015200069

Koala Lou is the story of young Koala who grew up being loved by all; especially her mom who always tells her “Koala lou, I Do Love You.” As Koala Lou grows older; she hears these words less and less as her mom’s life is busier.  Koala Lou decides to compete and win the local Olympic Games so that she can hear those words again.  

The book is marvelously written and is one that is loved by it’s readers.  The illustrations fit perfectly to the story; showcasing different animals that are native to Australia.  The story of being accepted and wanting to be loved is one that is universal in all cultures.

Review excerpt found at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153166.Koala_Lou

From the day she was born, all the bush animals loved soft and cuddly Koala Lou, but it was her mother who loved her the most. All day long her mother would praise her beloved baby saying, “Koala Lou, I DO love you!” But the years pass and Koala Lou’s mother has many other children that take up her time. Her mother is too busy to express her love as she used to and Koala Lou longs to hear those words again, so she decides to train to win the gum tree climbing event at the Bush Olympics. Even though she loses the event Koala Lou learns that her mother loves her, “Koala Lou, I DO love you! I always have, and I always will.” – Amy Forrester

Readers of Koala Lou would also love  Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts; The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Possum Magic by Mem Fox.

Book #2

Tak, B. D., Hopman, P., & Watkinson, L. (2013). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books For Young Readers. ISBN 9780802854362

This book tells the real life story of a bear that was adopted by Polish Soldiers during World War II while they were in Iran.  The bear was adopted as cub; having lost his mother.  The solider enlist the bear into the military to make sure that it stays with the company. 

Soldier Bear is a great historical fiction book that young readers will just eat up.  The book was written on historical facts that occurred during the war; but the author did take liberties by reimaging what had occurred.  Even though the bear was adopted by Polish soldiers; the story is universal that is loved by people around the globe.

Review excerpt; which can be found at https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bibi-dumon-tak/soldier-bear/

Tak bases her novel on actual facts: Wojtek (spelled phonetically as Voytek in Watkinson's translation) was a real Syrian brown bear, really in the Polish Army and really the artillery-carrying subject of his company's emblem. But her humans are fictional characters, a group of five soldiers including Peter, the bear cub's new "mother," Stanislav, who purchases him and figures out how to feed him, and Lolek, who adopts the monkey who eventually becomes his friend. The narrative focuses on the bear's antics, which both enliven the soldiers’ lives and cause them difficulty. 

Originally published in Holland in 2009 as Soldaat Wojtek, this is smoothly translated and engagingly illustrated with sketches and helpful maps. Funny, fresh and heartwarming, it doesn't ignore the horrors of war but concentrates on the joy of having an animal friend, albeit a difficult one. – Kirkus Review

Readers of Soldier Bear would also enjoy Blackout by John Rocco; Tales of Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider; and Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Book #3

Tolstikova, D. (2015). A year without mom. Toronto: Groundwood Books. ISBN 9781554986927

This book chronicles a year in the life of a 12-year old Russian girl named Dasha.  During this year, Dasha lives with her grandparents in Moscow, Russia; while her mom is in the United States studying advertising at an American university.  We are witness how Dasha copes with this and we get to peak into her life as a typical pre-teen in Russia during the 1990s.

The book is a great graphic novel that lets the reader live the life of a pre-teen in 1990s Russia.  We are able to witness what life is like in this country where communism has recently fallen.  The reader can see how life in country so far away can at times mirror the life of an American pre-teen. 

Review excerpt can be found at https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-55498-692-7

Set amid the disintegration of the Soviet Union, this absorbing graphic memoir follows a year in the life of a 12-year-old Moscow schoolgirl left in the care of her grandparents while her mother studies in the U.S. “Grandpa wakes me up and has the tea brewed by the time I shuffle into the kitchen, but I am on my own for everything else,” Dasha explains. Working in black and white enlivened by occasional splashes of red and blue, Tolstikova (The Jacket) uses a distinctive, naïf pen-and-ink style to capture the bare streets of wintry Moscow and the lively expressions of Dasha and her friends. Readers will discover that beyond the bleak Soviet setting—before moving, her mother wrote “ads for places like Bread Factory #8”—much of the memoir is familiar pre-adolescent territory: difficulties with friends, important exams, and clothing woes. A final section reveals that Dasha will spend the next year in the States with her mother, and the story follows their first weeks there—then ends abruptly. Readers will wish the sequel were available instantly. Ages 10–14. Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. (Oct.

Readers of A Year without Mom would also like The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell; Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah and Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

Book #4

Kobald, I., & Blackwood, F. (2017). My two blankets. Richmond, Vic.: Little Hare Books. ISBN 9780544432284

The book tells the story of a young girl who moves from her home country to a new one to escape the war.  She moves into this new country with her Auntie; but still feels a lack of warmth from this new and strange country with new plants, animals and people.  While at home she hides under her trusted blanket to feel safe.  One day; while at the park, she meets a young girl who she develops a friendship with and begins to learn the language of her new country. 

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and vibrant with color.  Through the drawings we are able to deduce that the young girl moved from a country in Africa to that of an industrialized new country.  This book would be perfect for students that have moved from another country (ex. Mexico) to the United States.  It would also be one that students that just moved from a different town would be able to relate to.  This is a great picture book that will be enjoyed by many. 

Review excerpt can be found at http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2014/02/review-my-two-blankets.html

I love the symbolism in this book, so gently employed in both word and image, to give a lost immigrant child a soft, warm place to wrap herself in. The fear, the kindness, empathy and hope is palpable, and will give non-immigrant children insight into the life-changing processes if takes to leave behind a homeland and embrace one anew.

Freya Blackwood's iconic illustrations beautifully evoke the messaging in this book, with a tenderness that belies schmaltz and instead transports the heart to a place as warm as those precious blankets.

Readers of My Two Blankets would also enjoy The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi; The Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams; and The Journey by Francesca Sanna