BOB by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead.  Illus. by Nicholas Gannon.  New York:  Feiwel and Friends Books, 2018.  ISBN 978-125016662-3 hb. $16.99   Gr. 4-5   JUV

It's been five years - half of her life - since Livy visited Gran in Australia.  She doesn't remember much about the things she enjoyed last time she was here, but when she opens her closet, someone remembers her.  There's a short green creature, dressed in burlap, talking to her about a promise she made to help him find his way home.  As Livy re-learns about her friend, Bob, she also learns about friendship and keeping promises.  Bob is very literal, which leads to some humorous situations, but he is also connected to nature and the five-year drought in the area.  Everything comes around in the end, and it's a pleasure reading the well-constructed story to get there.  The quiet sepia-colored illustrations are few in number, but check out the book cover which reveals a small triangle of color.  Beautiful.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

VERNON IS ON HIS WAY: Small Stories by Philip C. Stead.  New York: Roaring Book Press, 2018. 64p.  ISBN 978-1626726550 hc. $19.99    Gr. K-3    E PIC

Stead offers three related stories about Vernon, who is an introspective character, and his very kind friends, Skunk and Porcupine.  "Waiting" is almost wordless, but Stead's simple, translucent illustrations get the point of the story across to readers. Readers won't be able to hold back a smile at the end of each small story. "Fishing" takes a look at the adventure of fishing in a whole new way, again retaining the subtle humor of the story.  "Gardening" is all about friendship and the activities friends will go through to make someone happy.  Vernon's very slow, thoughtful way of interacting with the world will have a calming effect on his audience.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

ZOLA'S ELEPHANT by Randall deSeve.  Illus. by Pamela Zagarenski. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2018. ISBN 978-132888629-3 hc. $17.99.   Gr. K-2   E PIC

"There's a new girl next door."  The narrator knows her name is Zola and that a very large box was moved into her house - probably containing an elephant.  Zola is likely to be feeding her elephant because the smell of toast is coming from her house.  There's also the sounds of running water and hammering - which could mean that Zola and her elephant are taking a bubble bath or building a clubhouse.  All these imaginings make the narrator feel left out of the fun, until gathering the courage to knock on Zola's door and become her new friend.  Readers will enjoy trying to guess what's in the box - probably NOT an elephant.  Zagarenski's illustrations are unmatched in their depth of emotion, whimsical quality, and colorful expression.  Her art won Caldecott Honors for SLEEP LIKE A TIGER by Mary Logue (2012) and RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman (2009).
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

IZZY GIZMO by Pip Jones.  Illus. by Sara Ogilvie.  Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers, 2017.  32p.  ISBN 978-16826302 hc. $16.95    Gr. K-3    E PIC

Izzy is a young inventor who carries her tool box everywhere in order to enhance everyday experiences, such as cooking and cleaning.  Her Grandpa tolerates her devices, even the ones that don't work.  Izzy has a tendency to be angry when machines don't work.  One day she was walking off her frsutrations, when an injured bird fell to the ground.  Izzy took the bird to the vet and then began inventing things to make his rehabilitation easier.  She tried to make new wings, but failed again and again.  With encouragement from Grandpa, Izzy found parts from various sources and finally succeeded in making wings that worked.  Grandpa's guiding hand saves the day with a funny, surprise ending.  If this story isn't cute enough, the oil pastel illustrations put the book over the top with added details of Izzy's extravagant inventions.  Readers are drawn to the side stories on each page which lead to extended discussion of physical science, nontraditional families, and community.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

APPLE IN THE MIDDLE by Dawn Quigley.  Fargo, ND: North Dakota State University Press, 2018. 264p.  ISBN 978-194616307-3 hb. $25.95   Gr. 6-8   JUV

Apple Starkington, the cultural product of a Minneapolis suburb, has always felt like she didn't quite belong.  She speaks with an Australian accent when under pressure, is kind of sensitive about her tan skin, and doesn't like her name ever since someone told her that an apple is Native American on the outside, but white on the inside.  She comes from a white dad and an Ojibwe mom, but has always lived with her dad because Apple's mom died giving birth to her.  This summer she's being re-acquainted with her grandparents on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in North Dakota.  The grandparents give her space to adjust to a very practical way of life, a subtle sense of humor, a community of extended family that makes sure everyone is cared for, unconditional love, and an acceptance of people and nature that she has never experienced before.  Finding the other half of her heritage is just what Apple needed to accept herself and give her the confidence to choose a path in the world.  Since Michigan and Wisconsin are also home to Ojibwe tribes, Apple opens up their world to all of us.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

THE KING OF BEES by Lester Laminack.  Illus. by Jim LaMarche.  Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers, 2018. 32p. ISBN 978-1561459537 hc. $17.99    Gr. K-3    E PIC

Flip through the pages and "read" the watercolor and ink illustrations to enjoy some visual storytelling before you read the text.  LaMarche and Laminack make a great storytelling team for this timely story about Henry and Aunt Lilla, who raise bees on their farm.  Henry's too young to wear the bee suit and tend the bee hive, so he asks lots of questions from a safe distance where he can see everything.  Aunt Lilla tells him that instead of talking, bees communicate with a series of movements called a dance.  When Henry sees the bees swarming, he worries they may leave the farm instead of forming a hive in the new box Aunt Lilla made - and takes action with a dance of his own.  After reading this sweet story about how important bees are to humans, readers may want to pursue the topic further.  The publisher has provided resources at http://peachtree-online.com/resources/the-king-of-bees.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

THE THANK YOU BOOK by Mary Lyn Ray.  Illus. by Stephanie Graegin.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., 2018. 32p.  ISBN 978-0544791367 hc. $13.99   PreS - Gr. 1   E PIC

Kindness is the theme of this book, demonstrated as the author takes us through a child's day from waking up in the morning until going to bed at night.  At the same time, she integrates the seasons into daily activities, beginning with summer and continuing through fall, winter and spring - two timelines - seamlessly working together in the same story.  Readers are reminded to appreciate things as large as sunlight and stars, along with things as small as "zippers that zip jackets when warm days turn to cold."  The illustrations complete a sentence or concept on each two-page spread, making the story perfect for reading aloud to youngsters.  Check out some older books by Mary Lyn Ray that are equally good to read:  PUMPKINS (1992), MUD (1996), ALL ABOARD! (2002), STARS (2011), A VIOLIN FOR ELVA (2015).  Go to her website www.marylynray.com for a complete listing of her picture books.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI  49855