MADreads Reviews

Cha's story features twin brothers Doki and Kebi, Korean magical Goblins who couldn't be more different. Doki loves reading and secretly performing acts of kindness, while Kebi is happiest when exploring or playing tricks on people. This spooky tale explores their adventure to find a new haunted house in the United States. Although it’s not spooky season, this fun tale has a surprise ending that will delight adults and children alike!

A helpful author’s note explains the prominence of dokkaebi in Korean mythology, art, and history.

--reviewed by Melissa

Children born on February 29 are rare, but what if some "Leaplings" could also travel in time? Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè and her best friend Big Ben are about to find out what happens when the future touches the present, and they'll have to hope their first time-travel won't be their last!
Contemporary and futuristic settings, neurodiverse characters, and time travel add up to a really interesting read for upper elementary readers that may challenge you!

When a young girl moves to a new home, she befriends her elderly neighbor. Together they share a love of crafts and nature. As seasons pass, how will the girl deal with her friend’s failing health? Enjoy the beautiful pictures and backgrounds from award winning illustrator Julie Flett as you settle into this warm story that celebrates inter-generational friendships and finding connection.

A brief glossary and pronunciation guide to Cree-Métis words that appear in the text is provided.

--reviewed by Melissa

Last weekend was the celebration of the Lunar New Year and it is now the Year of the Dragon. How cool is that? For those of you who celebrated and those who want to learn a bit more, here are a couple new favorites of mine.

Henry, like many children on the neurodivergent spectrum, loves routine. He likes knowing what to expect and things always being the same. But this week isn’t like always. On Friday, there will be a parade. A parade means a change in schedule, loud music, and no share time like always. Henry’s days this week just feel orange - his least favorite color. This sweet book is full of the small ups and downs of kindergarten life, told through Henry’s unique perspective. Follow Henry as he navigates these changes with the help of this teacher and friends to a reassuring conclusion.

This beautiful picture book tells the story of a family who celebrates two New Years - Rosh Hashanah in the fall and Lunar New Year in the spring.

The simple text details the any differences between these two holidays - for example, one follows the Jewish calendar and one follows the Chinese calendar - as well as some of the similarities - both inspire delicious dishes! Bold colorful illustrations are full of cheerful details, and this is a great book for kids who celebrate these New Years to see themselves represented, or for anyone to learn more about different holidays.

Also available in Spanish as ¿Qué te pasó?

Fox has a problem - their kite is stuck in a tree! And unfortunately, this is the not first time this has happened, as we zoom out to see a forest filled with kites. Fox drags out a giant fan, but that just leads to a problem for Bear, when their house is filled with leaves. Fox's fix for this leads to a problem for Rabbit, and pretty soon all the animals have a problem! Finally, thanks to Elephant, all the problems are resolved and all the friends are happily flying kites. 

Winner of the 2024 Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Awards, a 2024 Newbery Honor book, and a 2024 Odyssey Honor Audiobook. Also available in Spanish.

¿Alguna vez te has perdido tanto en un libro que ni te das cuenta de lo que está pasando a tu alrededor?

This book gave me goosebumps. Setting off on a quest through two different forests, to discover two different, but equally enchanting truths about dragons, a little boy’s adventures come lavishly to life with edge to edge full color ink illustrations. This book is an exploration of Eastern and Western Dragon mythologies, both true and meaningful celebrations of the child’s mixed cultural identities. It is hard to pick a favorite line, a favorite description or depiction in these pages.

How does a child process the loss of a parent or loved one?

An American Story, illustrated by Dare Coulter and written by Kwame Alexander, is the winner of the 2024 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for outstanding illustrations by an African American artist.

In the author's note, Alexander shares that he wrote this book after realizing that his daughter's teacher had a fear of teaching kids about slavery- she had never been taught how.

This American story opens with the question, "How do you tell a story that starts in Africa and ends in horror?"

Maybe you've heard of the Caldecott medal for illustration, one of the highest honors in children's literature, awarded annually by the American Library Association? But did you know that it is named after 19th-century illustrator, Randolph Caldecott? 

An ode to fathers & sons, A Walk in the Woods  by Nikki Grimes, Jerry Pinkney, and Brian Pinkney, wends through trees and wildlife to find a special gift. The boy in the story has recently lost his father. In his grief, he discovers a note – a map!

In Sophia N. Lee’s remarkable picture book, Holding On, we meet a delightful granddaughter and her beloved Lola (the Tagalog word for grandmother). Lola loves to tell her granddaughter “If you want to hold on, you gotta sing your songs”, and Lola’s house is full of music and memories. Along with photos, special objects, favorite foods, and stories, Lola’s songs are how she remembers and shares her life and loved ones.

Change and goodbyes are hard! As Sam and his mom prepare to move from their apartment to Grandpa's trailer away from the city, they say goodbye to friends and their cherished Sunday laundromat time together with one last visit. But with a little imagination and some one-of-a-kind luck, Sam discovers that his most heartfelt wish doesn't need a magic machine to come true.

Oh, those pesky prepositions….In, Out, Up, Down, In Front, Behind….there are only so many ways to illustrate these concepts, right? Well, if including adorable, chonky knitted kittens is one of those ways, then we agree. Anna Hrachovec is a long time designer of tiny creatures known as “Mochi Mochi”, knitted (rather than crocheted) Japanese inspired toys known as Amigurumi. She has written several books of adorable patterns which can be found at Madison Public Library.

A new book about an extraordinary word-maker, There Was a Party for Langston: King o’ Letters by Jason Reynolds, brings history to life with poetic language and colorful stamped illustrations. Inspired by a photo of poets Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing (boogying!) at a party in honor of Langston Hughes, this book captures the creativity of Hughes and his impact on other artists and writers. This legendary party was “A fancy-foot, get-down, all-out bash” and SO GLORIOUS! Because everyone felt the power of Langston’s words.

Beaming with lightness and brightness, Marla Frazee’s In Every Life shows the great expanse of human experience. With sparse and lyrical text, the book reads like a poem or song. The illustrations show a wide array of people in soft vignettes, along with wordless double-paged spreads. Quietly spectacular scenes show hikers voyaging up a mountain, an adult and child looking out at an expanse of shoreline, and a trio of kids enjoying a windy and flowery hilltop.