I like books. You like books. The neighborhood in Tegucigalpa, Honduras likes books. And Luis likes books in Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras. A lot. And he cannot wait for the bookmobile to come once a week. He cannot wait for the adventures he will find inside books. And he cannot wait for the happy feelings he gets by reading, then telling, the stories. Nelson Rodriguez, Leonardo Agustin Monetes, Rosana Faria, Carla Tabora, and Lawrence Schimel got together and wrote, illustrated and translated this story. They bring to life the magic of books within this picture book. I was so excited about it I could not wait until mid-September 2023 to read it and I had to read via an online reader copy. I was happily entertained by the beautiful illustrations that swirled and brought alive the colors and details of the world with a magical flourish. I was delighted to learn how a place that is not overly happy (the adults collect the sad stories and those feelings it seems), could find moments of peace and joy to carry with them. This is a book that is overwhelming in a very good way. A piece of history and current events are tied together in a neat package.
I like bats. I am not an OMG THEY ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD person, but I like them. Sure I am not a fan of their pooing over things, or getting inside houses or buildings (it is just not safe for them and can cause damage). I like them outside where they can fly about and eat bugs, fruit and be happy. Like Fiona the Fruit Bat. Well, actually she is not that happy. You see she wants to leave the cave, but it is time to fly by herself and she is not ready. In fact, she is downright scared. But her mother tells her to listen. What does THAT mean? It means, Fiona learns, that if she listens to the voice inside of her, her echolocation, she will be able to fly outside the cave, fly around and find amazing things, like the new fruit she smells on her mothers breath. Dan Riskin’s young heroine is relatable, funny and has an adorable leaf nose. We learn about echolocation through the story but also with the extras at the end. Rachel Qiuqi’s illustrations are fantastically sweet, but not overly sugary. They are good in their details and colors. They support the text and are readable as well.
And last but not least, we have a factual book with What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest?: And Other Questions about Nature & Life Cycles. Rachel Ignotofsky’s story is busy. There are a lot of facts on each page and the illustrations can be crowded. It is not something you want to read when you are not comfortable. Or in my case as an online reader copy. March 2024 will be seeing me getting copies for people and myself. And it is not just because I like birds. I mean, I do, but I like this book because it gives you all the things you wonder about while watching birds. They might not answer why birds run into windows 100 times in a row (silly robin nesting on my porch) but it shows me what that nest looks like, and how things happened before the nest starts. And all the other wonderful, crazy things that happen. There is humor in the text and even the art. Things are more cartoon, but the pages are packed full of stuff. There are boxes that help break something up, but a lot of the time things can run into each other. It is not an easy book, but one that will grow with your child.
