WE DON'T EAT OUR CLASSMATES by Ryan T. Higgins.  Hew York:  Disney-Hyperion, 2018.  32p.  ISBN 978-136800355-1 hc. $17.99      Gr. Pre-1     E PIC

There's no doubt about how hard it is for young children to behave well when they start school.  There are a lot of new rules to follow.  Teachers can be heard saying, "We don't hit our classmates," or variations of that reminder for the first few weeks of class.  The author finds it much more fun to exaggerate the issue by introducing Penelope Rex, a T-rex dinosaur, who must be reminded not to eat her delicious classmates.  Eating classmates is not tolerated by her teacher, parents or the other students, who quickly learn to avoid Penelope.  Breaking bad habits proves difficult, until the classroom pet goldfish gives Penelope a fright by biting her instead.  Penelope decides to stick to the rules and make friends of her classmates instead of eating them.  The clever text is supported by colorful illustrations that make readers laugh out loud.  Don't miss the page showing Penelope in the cafeteria, tapping her plate and telling a classmate "You can sit here," in a speech bubble outside the regular text.  This book is pure fun.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI  49855

HIGH by David Sheff and Nic Sheff.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2019.  263p. ISBN 978 0544644342 hc. $16.99     Gr. 7-12     NF 616.86

This book arrived in the mail today.  A library patron asked me to locate TWEAK: GROWING UP ON METHAMPHETAMINES yesterday.  Nic Sheff is an author/co-author of both books that talk about using drugs in your teen years and beyond.  It was a coincidence, but I was intrigued to know what he was telling teens about drug use.  I read the whole book - the scientific research of drug use written by Nic's father, bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL BOY and CLEAN: OVERCOMING ADDICTION, along side the autobiographical testimony of Nic, who experimented with alcohol, marijuana, pills, and methamphetamine.  He made the progression from experimentation to addiction, from treatment to sobriety, and relapsed to repeat the cycle again and again.  HIGH is separated into four parts:  America's Relationship with Drugs, Four Categories of Drugs, Living with Addiction, and The Struggle of Recovery.  The sections are short enough for intermittent reading, and the page design helps to lighten up the serious nature of the book. 
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

GHOST BOYS by Jewell Parker Rhodes. New York:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 224p. ISBN: 978-0316262286 hc. $16.99   Gr. 4-8   JUV

12 year-old Jerome has just been shot in the back by a white Chicago police officer who thought the black youth was carrying a real gun, rather than plastic one.  How can he be dead when he's still here with his family?  He soon realizes he's a ghost - and not the only one.  There's a whole army of ghost boys, wrongfully killed because of their skin color - including the ghost of Emmett Till, killed in 1955 for supposedly whistling at a white woman in the segregated state of Mississippi.  Emmett tells his side of the story and asks Jerome to join him in the mission to heal race relations, starting with his own family and that of the police officer who shot him.  His sister, grandmother, and parents can't see or hear him, but Sarah, the police officer's daughter can. Readers also learn Jerome's story, how he and his new friend Carlo were bullied at school, and the events leading up to the fatal shooting.  The book highlights racial profiling and provides updates to the Emmett Till murder, along with questions for group discussion.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

12 LUCKY ANIMALS: A Bilingual Baby Book by Vickie Lee.  Illus. Joey Chou.  New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2018.  ISBN 978-1250-184245 board bk. $7.99     Pre-K    JUV

Celebrate the Chinese New Year bilingually, with a board book in English and Chinese.  Lee introduces readers to the zodiac of astral animals in a twelve year cycle of personality traits.  Beginning with the rat, ox, and tiger, the book names each animal in English, in Chinese, and offers a phonetic version of the Chinese character (for English speakers).  The illustrations picture each animal alongside its name, opposite a full-view of the colorful creatures.  The layout is simple, but effective.  In addition to reading this book to babies and preschoolers, it's fun for older readers to compare themselves to the personality traits describing each zodiac sign.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

ACCIDENT! by Andrea Tsurumi. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 32p. ISBN: 978-0-544-94480-0 hc. $17.99. Gr. K-3     E PIC This lively book is full of fiasco, disasters, and calamities. It all begins when Lola knocks over a jug of juice on her parents' best chair.  Poor Lola panics and decides to run away to the library.  Along the way, she meets lots of other friends in similar situations.  This fun book emulates how a simple "I'm sorry," for a accident can prevent it from growing into something bigger; and yes, even adults have accidents!  Illustrations are large, fun and silly which adds to the story. Charlotte Dugas, Retired Director, Munising School Public Library

MICHELLE OBAMA by Alison Oliver.  Be Bold Baby series. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018.  ISBN 978-1-32851989-4 bb. $9.99    PreS - K    JUV
OPRAH by  Alison Oliver.  Be Bold Baby series. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018.  ISBN 978-1-32851990-0 bb. $9.99    PreS - K    JUV

Be Bold Baby series offers a brief biography of well known female role models, in this case, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.  These 20-page board books feature an inspirational snippet on one page and a personal quote on the next to give readers an idea of why the subject of the book is famous.  Hopefully, a caregiver or teacher will read the book to the intended preschool audience and add historical and cultural information to supplement the sparse text.   The inspiration for readers comes from the good works and positive attitudes of Michelle and Oprah.  Perhaps there will soon be additional titles in this series.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

GOT TO GET TO BEAR'S! by Brian Lies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018, 32p. ISBN: 978-0-544-94882-2 hc. $17.99. Gr. K-2 E PIC

Bear never asks for anything, but when she sends an urgentnote to Izzy to "please come at once," there is no refusing her! The weather is fine when the little chipmunk heads out with her lantern. But as the snow falls harder, she can go no further, until she meets her friend Scritch the squirrel who takes her above the snow thru the treetops. When the treetops end they have to stop, until Bingle lands nearby to fly them through the air .... and so the story goes until they all arrive at Bear's door. A funny book with beautiful illustrations, this story of friendship and celebration will delight youngsters.
Charlotte Dugas, Retired Director, Munising School Public Library