The boy who would be king
Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King By Bonnie Christensen (Holt; 32 pages; $17.99; ages 6-9)
The thesis of this intimate picture biography is clear: A poverty-stricken mama’s boy from Mississippi blends gospel, country, jazz and blues into something completely new. The writing is superb, candid and lyrical, right from the start: “Things were different back then. One door for blacks, another for whites, whites up front, blacks in back, right side of the tracks, wrong side of the tracks. But music, it was everywhere.” The Presley trajectory is then presented by key dates from birth through stardom. Pathos is a constant. At times homeless, his dad in jail, young Elvis sings at church and school, neutralizing schoolyard taunts with his yet-to-be discovered talent. Derived from old photos, scanned and colored, the sometimes Hopper-esque art captures time, place, and circumstance to celebrate a groundbreaking entertainer, global icon and real person.
Echo: A Novel By Pam Muñoz Ryan (Scholastic; 590 pages; $19.99; ages 10-14)
A Grimm-like tale bookends this grandly original novel. Tale’s plot: Young Otto, lost in the forest and found by three spellbound sisters, carries forth their special harmonica and fondest dream — to be free and loved. Between are three lengthy cliffhangers about three musical kids: Can young Friedrich free his father from Dachau? Can an orphan save his little brother in Depression-era Pennsylvania? Can a Mexican American do right on a Southern California farm during World War II? Their far-flung lives converge in a story set at Carnegie Hall in 1951 and replete with answers. Of course it is Otto’s harmonica that joins them, fulfilling its promise of hope. Elegiac but ultimately uplifting, “Echo” harmonizes magic, history and mystery to underscore the power of story (and music) to counter injustice, access courage and enable happy endings.
Heather Has Two Mommies By Lesléa Newman; illustrated by Laura Cornell (Candlewick; 32 pages; $16.99; ages 3-7)
In 1989 this picture book broke new ground. The first children’s book to feature a same-sex couple, it was self-published. Mainstream houses said no. And there was controversy, with library challenges across the country. Now, 25 years later, a major publisher finally offers an update for a new generation and an evolving nation. The DIY look and didactic sensibility are gone. Upbeat storytelling introduces a girl headed for her first day of school. She has “two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two hands, and two feet.” And yes, two mommies, too. Cheery watercolors show her loving home and diverse class, a rainbow of kids and family structures. It’s all fresh and natural, inevitably building toward a sign-of-progress conclusion: “The most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other.”
Knit Together By Angela Dominguez (Dial; 32 pages; $16.99; ages 3-5)
Old-fashioned arts and crafts are made new again in our repackaged 21st century “maker” culture. In this delightful picture book, a mother and daughter undertake a hands-on project. “I love to draw. Mom doesn’t draw. She knits,” reports a small girl. But she too wants to work with needles and yarn. What ensues? Frustration. Turns out she is too young for success. Multimedia cartoons document the mess with gentle humor. Not to worry: A lovely resolution awaits as mother and daughter eventually play to their strengths. Here a San Francisco author-illustrator demonstrates what can happen with creative collaboration. This simple feel-good charmer is also an ode to all mothers, but especially the knitting kind. Happy May 10!
In a Village by the Sea By Muon Van; illustrated by April Chu (Creston; 32 pages; $16.95; ages 4-10)
In this brooding picture book, dark and richly detailed paintings portray a Vietnamese village by the sea. There, mother and small child await return of a fisherman — the man of their small house. His fortunes are imagined on a canvas rendered, yes, by the family’s artistic cricket. But fantasy imitates reality, depicting the loneliness felt in a “roaring and flashing” ocean storm and the worry of those on a cliff-edged shore. The tender tale unfolds in familiar patterned verse, akin to nesting dolls: “In that house, high above the waves,/ is a kitchen./ In that kitchen is a bright glowing fire./In that fire is a pot of steaming noodle soup,” and so on. As Northern California residents, both author and illustrator draw inspiration from their shared heritage to honor a traditional way of life, thanks to them not forgotten.
Water Rolls: Water Rises. El agua rueda, el agua sube By Pat Mora; illustrated by Meilo So; translated by Adriana Dominguez and Pat Mora (Children’s Book Press; 32 pages; $18.95; ages 6-11)
Beyond scarcity in this drought year, water is also muse for 14 mini-poems in both Spanish and English. Never mind short showers and brown lawns. Emphasis here is on awe — seasons and places shaped by water. Lovely mixed-media landscapes provide context from the hot desert canyon to an autumn birch forest. Global coverage encompasses a Venetian canal, fishing boats off Goa in India, an oasis in the Sahara, China’s Qutang Gorge, the Strokkur Geyser in Iceland and Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. The poetic form is always the same with three lines of free verse, for example, “Water rolls/ onto the shore/ under the sun, under the moon.” (That’s the local Pacific Coast!) A tip for grown-ups: Such accessible poems easily serve as an invite for kids to play with words themselves and appreciate life-giving water all at once.