My Name Is Bilal (2005)

My Name Is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin (2005) is the story of two Muslim siblings who encounter ridicule upon entering a school new to them. “Bilal wished his family had never left Chicago. At his old school, there had been lots of Muslim kids. Here, it seemed there were none.” As one might expect, there’s an aggressive bully at this school. He mocks the headscarf that Bilal’s sister, Ayesha wears. Bilal is so afraid that he tells the class his name is Bill. However, his teacher is also Muslim and knows Bilal. This teacher gives Bilal a book about Bilal Ibn Rabah who was tormented by residents of Mecca because he would not worship their gods. The story not only inspires Bilal to stand up for his sister, but to also invite the bully to play basketball. Lastly, Bilal discovers another Muslim boy. On the final page is the salat, a special type of prayer recited five times during the day. 

The Wanderer (2019)

The Wanderer by Peter Van Den Ende (2019) is a large, wordless, picture book of intricate black and white drawings of fantasy sea creatures. I didn’t understand the story, so I can’t do a good job of describing it. On the first page, it looks to me like two people fold a huge piece of fabric into a simple boat. One of the people is wearing a costume with cape, head covering, and horns. Next, the tiny boat floats away from a giant ship by the name of Exporatio. The boat floats through page after page of ocean landscapes, often under water. It contacts a variety of sea creatures that seem to be a fanciful conglomerations of body parts from human, animal, bird, and sea life. At the end of the little boat’s wandering journey, it arrives at a place where the Exploratio seems to be  docked. There’s no evidence of any inhabitants in the boat until the end when a person resembling one on the first page materializes. The final page and inside cover is a map of the boat’s journey. 

Tackylocks and the Three Bears (2002)

Tackylocks and the Three Bears by Helen Lester (2002) is a funny story about penguins who put on a play for a class of very young, fuzzy penguins. Five of the six penguins act as announcers and the bears. A more enthusiastic and less conventional penguin named Tacky has to play the role of Goldilocks. The penguins learn their lines but seem not to have had a full dress rehearsal. Tacky stumbles through his scenes like a veteran slapstick comedian. The young audience, bored by the bears’ careful performances, laugh and cheer for Tacky. The last page reads “Tacky was an odd bird, but a nice bird to have around.” The illustrations by Lynn Munsinger are perfect. They bring home the hilarity.

Josefina Javelina: A Hairy Tale (2005)

Josefina Javelina: A Hairy Tale by Susan Lowell (2005) was a disappointment for me. I’d only read one other book by Susan Lowell, The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit (1994), which I loved. The text and story were well crafted. The art was beautiful. A Hairy Tale was without the same charm. Josefina dreams of becoming a ballerina. One day she moves to Pasadena to visit her cousin Angelina. She auditions at the Big Break Talent Agency only to find a wolf in sheep’s clothing. As she and her cousin run from the wolf, Josefina accidentally enters the spotlight. She becomes a star, a star who misses her roots. It’s an ok plot made even more mediocre by Bruce MacPherson’s caricatures. Over the top cartoonish illustrations make this silly story even more ridiculous. 

*Hey, Al (1986)

*Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks (1986) is a fun story with illustrations by Richard Egielski that earned a Caldecott Medal. The book in my hand is the seventh printing (1993). “Al, a nice man, a quiet man, a janitor lived in one room on the West Side with his faithful dog Eddie.” One day, they argued about their poor living conditions (yes, Eddie talks). The next day, a giant bird pops its head through Al’s bathroom window and offers to take him and his dog to a better life. That better life is on an island in the sky. They’re warmly greeted by a variety of birds, which, after finishing the book, feels a little creepy. In fact, the two-page spread illustrating this welcome has a single, subtle clue about what is to come. The island is paradise, until it’s not. Al and Eddie make it back home. The final sentence reads, “Paradise lost is sometimes Heaven found.” 

Night of the Moonjellies (1992)

Night of the Moonjellies by Mark Shasta (1992) is a true story. It takes place in New London, Connecticut. Most of the story is about a refreshment stand called Mar-Gra’s owned by Shasta’s grandmother and her sister. Marc helps out during a long, busy day at the stand. He is a child, yet so his jobs are filling jars of condiments and straws while grownups prepare hamburger patties, fried clams, and lobster rolls. 

At the end of the day, at the end of the story, Mark and his grandmother “headed out to the dark sea” on friend Tyler’s boat, the Periwinkle. They’re in search of a tiny moonjelly that Mark found on the beach earlier in the day. Tyler knows where the stranded moonjelly belongs. Indeed, “Thousands of moonjellies stretched along the sea in every direction.” In the author’s note at the end of the book, we learn that the scientific name for moonjelly is Ctenophore. “They usually grow no larger than a child’s Riski and in New England are most plentiful in late summer. . . Moonjellies are harmless. They are also bioluminescent, meaning they are able to create light, like fireflies.” 

This book won the Marion VannettRidgway Honor Book Award in 1993. The paintings in this story fill every page with a soft, colorful narrative, appropriately representing the author’s fond memories. 

As Warm as the Sun (2019)

As Warm as the Sun by Kate and Jim McMullan (2019) fooled me at first glance. The title font was so similar to Don Freeman’s Corduroy books, that I thought he was connected to this story. He’s not. The illustrations, which appear to be watercolor, fill each large page with colorful pictures of a French Bulldog, Toby, in his home environment. The text font is large and there’s only one or two sentences per page. The plot is simple. Life is good until another French Bulldog joins the family. There’s something about this book that left me satisfied. Was it the color pallet, the minimalist text? I don’t know. Maybe I just like dogs.