Taking a stand
The Hate U Give By Angie Thomas (Balzer + Bray; $17.99; 458 pages; ages 14-up)
Without overt mention, the Black Lives Matter movement is present in this raw, honest and timely debut novel. But don’t expect a one-sided view of headlines or one-dimensional villains and victims. Instead, a complex mix of difficult circumstance emerges, seen from multiple perspectives. Sixteen-year-old Starr is negotiating two worlds — a swanky suburban prep school and a blighted urban neighborhood. After her childhood best friend is shot by a cop, she finds herself in danger. Starr is the sole witness. Parents, gang members, white kids and black, ex-cons and police interact to reveal chasms of misunderstanding. Guns, drugs and riots lay bare endemic poverty and racism. Can protest and activism work? The title, originally derived by Tupac Shakur from the acronym THUGS, is ironic, Starr’s story being about love, not hate, and about her own valiant struggle to give hope a chance.
Little Wolf’s First Howling By Laura McGee Kvasnosky and Kate Harvey McGee (Candlewick; 32 pages; $15.99; ages 3-7)
Little Wolf is finally ready to howl at the moon. Big Wolf is there to teach him. Gorgeous gouache paintings capture a darkening Yellowstone landscape in this multilayered picture book about growing up and more. There on a high ridge, in a touching father-son scene, Big Wolf demonstrates proper howling, while Little Wolf insists on ending with a flourish. Big Wolf patiently encourages Little Wolf to try again before succumbing to the charms of improvisation himself. There is lovely natural history here in the habits and habitat of wolves, but they are also anthropomorphized for purpose. Like his human counterparts, the son is not content to simply copy the dad. Little Wolf wants to make howling his own. In its nod to individuality and originality, this wise book is not just about growing up but also about being yourself.
Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz By Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 352 pages; $16.99; ages 10-14)
The gas chambers of Auschwitz are only a small part of this harrowing tale about one boy’s remarkable survival. In 1945, at age 4, Michael Bornstein was the youngest child liberated by Soviets from the camp. Recently spurred by a surprising discovery on a Holocaust-denial website, he determined to reconstruct and share what happened to him and the Jewish community of Zarki after Nazis invaded Poland in 1939: restrictions, massacres, deportation, liquidation. His daughter helped with writing and research. What stands out are warm family ties, severed by war, and consummate evil, both arbitrary and systematic. Tenderness and terror live side by side in the long-suppressed, ever more important memories of one refugee who long ago found safe haven in America.
Mighty, Mighty Construction Site By Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle; 40 pages; $16.99; ages 2-5)
Kids love building machines. My grandson’s first multisyllable word was bulldozer. He will be entranced by this picture book that shows how the excavator, crane truck, dump truck, cement mixer and, of course, bulldozer work together on a “giant job.” (And some extras help too, two happily female.) Jaunty rhymes and sunny pastels make a case for this “mighty, massive SUPERCREW — there is nothing they can’t do.” Comic-style facial expressions capture emotion — enthusiasm for challenges ahead, determination for the tough task, and pride when day is done. It’s fun to follow along step-bystep as a building goes up. Who knew? Clearing the land, trenching, making foundations, placing beams and so on. It’s also fun to follow along machine by machine as each plays its part. Parents and teachers can easily point to this construction site as a concrete example of cooperation and teamwork.
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets By Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth (Candlewick; 56 pages; $16.99; ages 8-12)
Today is it for National Poetry Month, but this stunning anthology extends the spotlight, offering homage to 20 poets from several times and many places. Basho and Rumi represent ancient times, and Emily Dickinson the 19th century. Moderns include Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Sandra Cisneros, Walter Dean Myers, Naomi Shihab Nye and Mary Oliver. Don’t look for their work here. Instead, discover original poems by Alexander, Colderley and Wentworth that reference the celebrated poets — their styles and substance. “Majestic” goes to daybreak, a theme favored by Maya Angelou. And in “No Idle Days,” a doctor-poet makes rounds like William Carlos Williams. Pithy thumbnails provide biographical context, and joyous mixed-media images, visual unity. Organized around writing, experience and gratitude, these reverential poems (none entry level) will send well-read fans back to points of inspiration.
Smarty Marty Steps Up Her Game By Amy Gutierrez; illustrated by Ariana Killoran (Cameron Kids; 132 pages; $13.95; ages 8-12)
San Francisco Giants in-game reporter Amy Gutierrez writes about the girl she might have been in this first-in-aseries chapter book, a welcome follow-up to the picture book “Smarty Marty’s Got Game.” Mad about baseball, 11-year-old Marty plays softball. She is also official scorekeeper for her brother’s Little League team and its stand-in announcer when the regular is a no-show. Play-by-play action serves as backdrop for what’s going on off the field. A bully tries to scare Marty away from the mike. It’s a bit didactic, but sweetly so, especially as Sammy comes clean. Black-and-white illustrations follow a trend, depicting racial diversity in a small town. Another sign of social progress, how Marty, like Gutierrez, breaks into baseball announcing, a realm mostly reserved for guys. Go girls!