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Holes in the Sky by Patricia Polacco  PICTURE BOOK, G. P. Putman's Sons ( Penguin Random House, 2018. $18.99. 978-1-5247-3948-5 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  After Patricia's beloved grandmother passes away, her mother moves the family to San Francisco. Patricia misses Babushka terribly, and is always looking for the promised sign that she is watching over her from heaven. San Francisco is in the middle of a draught, so when a boy her age (Steven) shows up on her porch with fresh flowers, she's excited to help him make may baskets and meet all the neighbors selling them with him, but still no sign from heaven, Steven's  grandmother, Miss Eula, gets the neighborhood involved in a community project - maybe Patricia will find her Babushka's sign as she helps revitalize an old garden.  Patricia Polacco has the best stories! Remember Miss Eula from "Chicken Sunday?" Grieving is a sensitive subject, and Holes in the Sky has

The People Awards by Lily Muray, illustrated by Ana Albero , 76 pages. PICTURE BOOK/NON-FICTION. Lincoln Children’s Books, 2018. $20. 9781786030641 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS - ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH This book is a collection of more than thirty mini biographies of men and women who have had a positive impact on the world. The people range from athletes to inventors to teachers and most are well known figures from history as well as contemporary conversations. Each person is represented on a two page spread and has a short biography, four or five illustrations of important moments from their life, what award they are being given, and why they are being given that award.  This book is effective because it is highly engaging aesthetically. The illustrations are cartoons, but realistic and done in muted colors. The part I predict will hook the most readers is the description of the award they are given and why. I was a little frustrated that the table on contents has page

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss , 307 pages. FICTION. Margaret Ferguson Books (Holiday House), 2018. $17 Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL, MS — ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH A young girl shows up on the doorstep of “The Mostly Silent Monastery” with a shirt that reads “bicycle”. Bicycle quickly becomes a part of the monastery and is raised primarily by Sister Wanda who is very concerned about Bicycle making friends. Sister Wanda plans to send Bicycle to a camp for making friends, but Bicycle has other ideas. Bicycle leaves camp to go ride her bike across the country to meet her favorite famous cyclist in person in California. Along the way she crosses paths with all sort of quirky and charming characters, including a Civil War ghost and a Kentucky Derby horse, and most of these characters become her friend and cheerleader. This might be my favorite book of the year. A true adventure story that left me ant

Spring After Spring : How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement by Stephanie Roth Sisson  PICTURE BOOK, NON FICTION Roaring Brook Press, 2018, $18. 9781626728196 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) -,  EL -,  MS - ESSENTIAL  AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  Rachel Carson was always interested in animals. As a child she would rush outside in the spring to hear all the sounds of the birds, animals and insects - sounds that grew louder as spring turned into summer. Year after year she wrote, and wanted to be a writer - but college changed her focus to Biology. Her writing and her observations came together with the publication of Silent Spring which eventually lead to the Environmental Protection Agency and a change in how we feel about the environment and things like pesticides.  Sisson has illustrated her picture book like a graphic novel, with panels and word bubbles (for the sounds of nature.) Easily accessible to a 3rd grader and up, this important lesson on how appreciating the environment