Table of contents for December 2022 in Booklist Reader

A round this time of year, I think back to family gatherings at my grandparents’ house. I remember feelings of excitement, but also a dash of apprehension about seeing my cousins and other extended family members; people that I knew well, but also didn’t really know. Conversations grew more fluid amid aromas of rolls baking, the seductive mix of ingredients on our plates as proteins, vegetables, and various sauces and gravies intermingled, and the eager anticipation of dessert. During the post-meal exhaustion, all apprehension was gone. We ate. We bonded. We made big plans (most plans, like hiking across the Grand Canyon with my cousins, haven’t happened yet, but I’m still holding out hope!). I hope Food & Memories (p.6) sparks your senses and memories of food, and that during…

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) “Lena is a polio survivor whose father is an illusionist with a traveling circus. One day she rescues Jewish stowaway Alexandre. Growing to be more than friends with WWII looming, the two are torn apart when disaster strikes. A beautiful story mirroring the horrors of war with the innocence of young love, this is for fans of historical fiction and circus tales like Water for Elephants.” —Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX NoveList read-alike: The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff December 2022 - The top ten books published this month that library staff across the country love. A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson (Berkley) "Moving back to his parents house after getting fired and dumped feels…

Ada and the Galaxies. By Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv. Illus. by Susanna Chapman. 2021. Candlewick/MIT Kids. K–Gr. 2. In this joyful and dazzling exploration of our universe on every scale, young Ada escapes New York’s light pollution and stargazes with her grandpa, poetically pondering all that the universe may hold. Fox: A Circle of Life Story. By Isabel Thomas. Illus. by Daniel Egnéus. 2021. Bloomsbury. Gr. 1–3. Death is demystified in this touching story told via an omniscient narrator who guides readers through the life cycle, following a mother fox through life, death, and new life through decomposition. How Beautiful. By Antonella Capetti. Illus. by Melissa Castrillón. 2021. Greystone Kids. PreS–Gr. 2. This collaboration highlights the wonder to be found in tiny, overlooked things, as a young caterpillar searches…

The Dog That Nino Didn’t Have. By Edward van de Vendel. Illus. by Anton van Hertbruggen. 2015. Eerdmans. In dense, saturated autumnal tones, van Hertbruggen quietly depicts a young boy’s loneliness, exemplified by his “not dog,” an imaginary friend rendered in scratchy, thin outlines—a sharp contrast to the lushly colored backgrounds. Expansive landscapes and cluttered rooms contribute both to the hominess of the boy’s surroundings and the emotions only hinted at in the text. The Honeybee. By Kirsten Hall. Illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. 2018. Atheneum. Lively, bright, and playful, Arsenault’s vibrant, free-wheeling artwork for this joyous ode to the humble honeybee features scores of bees in jaunty shirts and collars, buzzing throughout the colorful flowers that bend and bloom all over the pages. Honey yellows and golds in smudgy lines…

Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs. By Beth Ricanati. 2018. She Writes. Ricanati’s memoir with recipes reminds us that taking a break from life to create something nourishing is a great way to reconnect with one’s self, spiritually and mentally. The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart. By Emily Nunn. 2017. Atria. In the wake of multiple personal tragedies, Nunn visited friends and family, cooked for them, allowed them to cook for her, and slowly came to learn that accepting the smallest acts of human kindness in times of greatest need was not only one of her issues, but a universal one. Crying in H Mart. By Michelle Zauner. 2021. Knopf. After losing her mother in her midtwenties, Zauner lives through…

Anthony Cloyd Nigel and the Moon. By Antwan Eady. 5hr. HarperAudio. Gr. K–2. In this sweet, sensitive picture book depicting a young boy’s big dreams as he searches for career role models, newcomer Cloyd delivers a clear and straightforward performance that taps into Nigel’s youthful hope and yearning. Billy Crudup Characters: An Ancient Take on Bad Behavior. By Theophrastus. Translated by Pamela Mensch. 1.5hr. Blackstone. Tony- and Emmy-winning actor Crudup has long been praised for his performances on stage and screen both large and small. This year he took on a new challenge in his first audiobook narration, a bright and wry interpretation of this brief, classic volume. Crudup’s skill at depicting a wide range of characters comes into full view in voicing these short sketches. Lavanya Gandhi Such Big…

Another. By Christian Robinson. Illus. by the author. 2019. Atheneum. PreS–Gr. 2. In Robinson’s solo debut, a young Black girl follows her cat through a portal to another dimension, where they meet nearly identical versions of themselves during their search for a stolen toy. At the Pond. By Geraldo Valério. Illus. by the author. 2020. Groundwood. PreS–Gr. 2. In a book where meaning is reflected in the use of color, a boy and his dog find a pond replete with swans. But after leashing one of them, the boy understands he must set the swan free. The Balcony. By Melissa Castrillón. Illus. by the author. 2019. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman. PreS–Gr. 2. Using only seven words, Castrillón tells a rich story of a girl’s adjustment after moving from a house…

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao. By Kat Zhang. Illus. by Charlene Chua. 2019. Aladdin. PreS–Gr. 2. When little Amy tries to make bao, hers are always too small or too big, or they have too much filling or not enough. But today is the day she will succeed! This detailed book lays out step-by-step the full-day procedure of how to create, fill, pinch, and steam yummy bao. Dim Sum for Everyone. By Grace Lin. Illus. by the author. 2001. Random. PreS–K. This early work from multi-award-winning Lin follows three sisters on a tasty visit to a dim sum restaurant with their family. In the double-page spreads that follow, the family is seated at a table, they choose small dishes of food from the carts wheeled to them by servers,…

The Atlas of Disease: Mapping Deadly Epidemics and Contagion from the Plague to the Zika Virus. By Sandra Hempel. 2018. Quarto/White Lion. This atlas uses maps to illustrate disease patterns, from the cholera epidemic in 1854 to recent outbreaks of Ebola, including information about transmission, symptoms, prevention, treatment, and global strategy. Biographic Austen. By Sophie Collins. 2018. Ammonite. The Jane Austen edition of Ammonite Press’ Biographic Series includes four major sections (life, world, work, and legacy), using simple cut-out illustrations to highlight facts, figures, and Austen’s own words. This infographic series also covers musicians (Biographic Bowie), artists (Biographic Monet), and cultural figures (Biographic Coco). Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World. By Ian Wright. 2019. The Experiment. This collection of popular maps from the website…

Me and My Fear. By Francesca Sanna. Illus. by the author. 2018. Flying Eye. PreS–Gr. 1. A translucent, marshmallowy figure envelops a girl and keeps her from being able to approach her classmates, but once she starts feeling less afraid, the creature shrinks. Ruby Finds a Worry. By Tom Percival. Illus. by the author. 2019. Bloomsbury. K–Gr. 3. A bright yellow, scribbly shape follows Ruby and gets bigger the more she worries whether it will ever go away. But seeing a similar blue shape following a new friend makes Ruby’s more manageable. A Shelter for Sadness. By Anne Booth. Illus. by David Litchfield. 2021. Peachtree. PreS–Gr. 3. The boy in this book treats his transparent, soft sadness gently, building it a place to stay and choosing to spend time with…

A Visit to William Blake’s Inn, the first picture book winner, illustrates an older conception of the role of artwork in a book for children. The Provensens’ paintings—antique-looking spreads with period clothes, copious animals, and cutaway views of the eponymous building—serve a more decorative function. Willard’s lilting and odd poems (which are notably quite long) echo the rhythms of William Blake’s romantic poetry, and the strange and imaginative circumstances described in the verses are just the ticket for daydreamy, creative children—and, importantly, they have a singular charm that doesn’t need the artwork to come across. Undoubtedly, the Provensens’ contributions elevate the whimsy of the book as a whole, but they’re not necessary for grasping the poems themselves. Grasping those poems is, of course, only part of the experience of reading the…