The Circus Ship was my five-year-old son's "graduation" book from Maine's Raising Readers program. I can see why it made a good choice -- not only is author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen a Mainer, but Maine gets a mention in the book as well.

The story itself is loosely inspired by an actual event, described in the end notes of the book, in which a ship containing a few exotic animals (and a lot of people) sunk off the coast of Maine in 1836. That tragedy is given a more optimistic and heart-warming twist here, in which the "receiving town" learns to accommodate the fifteen animals that show up on their beach after the ship sinks, and even help to hide them when their cartoonish-villain owner wants them back.

Even though the illustrations here often have a cartoonish feel, I didn't find them cheesy -- there is still a lot of attention to detail and color nuances that flesh them out. The story is written in verse as well, which adds a degree of fun to an already fun story. 

Both my kids and I enjoyed this one, especially near the end when we have to try and find all of the animals hiding in one picture.

Scrounged From: My son's doctor's office

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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Stormy Seas is a timely look at young refugees of the past, especially considering the current refugee crisis in which more than five million people have fled Syria, half of whom are children. This book helps to show us that refugees are not new at all -- the young people featured in this book fled from Germany, Cuba, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, and Afghanistan, all due to violence, government oppression, or other threat of persecution.

Each of the five sections shares the story of one person's flight, the reasons for leaving, and a first-person account of their time on the boat. We are then given a summary of what has happened to them since these events. More than one of these desperate refugees were turned away from the country they had initially been trying to reach.

This book is well designed, with many photos and quotes set off from the main text, as well as maps and other illustrations to create visual interest. But what interested me the most were the stories of these refugees, who are humanized in these pages rather than appearing as statistics. 

In the introduction, the author tells us:

     "If you're reading this, you--like me--have probably won the lottery. Not the giant-check, instant-millionaire kind of lottery. The other lottery win--the really valuable one. That random, lucky break that means you were born in or immigrated to a relatively peaceful and prosperous place in the world."

It's not always something we're forced to think about, but this book helps young adults appreciate their situation by sharing the stories of others, and hopefully encourages empathy in our response toward those who simply want to survive.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Mary Beth Leatherdale
Illustrator: Eleanor Shakespeare
Pages: 64
Content Advisory: Some depictions of violence, and of squalid conditions on the boats.

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If you're not already familiar with violinist Joshua Bell, but think his name sounds familiar, it might be because of an interesting experiment he participated in about ten years ago, which involved playing his $3.5 million violin in a crowded subway station to see how many people would stop and listen. The Washington Post has more about that here.

But that's not what this book is about -- The Dance of the Violin is about Joshua as a young boy, and the story focuses on his decision to play a very difficult piece of music in a competition when he was twelve years old.

What I really like about this story is that it involves him making a mistake, but then stopping and asking to start again. It doesn't focus on "who wins" or on doing everything perfectly (though additional information about the context of this event is given at the end of the book). 

I was really inspired as I read about Joshua deciding to try again after his mistake. As a perfectionist, I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking I'm better off not doing something than risking a failure (even a small one). Joshua's attitude is commendable and a great example of taking pride and joy in one's efforts (and delighting in music itself) rather than aiming solely for a win -- and that one flub obviously hasn't stopped him from having a wonderful career since then! 

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Kathy Stinson
Illustrator: Dušan Petričić 
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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Ten Cents a Pound is a short, poetic, back-and-forth conversation between a mother and daughter, portraying their bond and love for each other. The mother gently encourages her daughter to dream, to learn, and to leave the village to attend school, while the daughter highlights the hard work her mother does and thus her reluctance to leave her.

The book simultaneously draws attention to the difficulties of living with low wages, while optimistically looking forward to the opportunities and possibilities of the future due to education.

The lovely illustrations are both realistic and wistful, and while this story may require some additional explanations for young children, it paints a beautiful picture of determination and potential. 

(Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Nhung N. Tran-Davies
Illustrator: Josée Bisaillon
Pages: 24
Content Advisory: None

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Dolphin Adventure is a short chapter book about a true experience Wayne Grover had while scuba diving. Two dolphin parents surprise him by bringing their baby to him with a hook stuck in its back, in hopes that he can help it. 

We get to experience Wayne's response and his thoughts during the process, the parents' anxiety, and the baby's fear, as well as an interruption by sharks! 

I found this to be an inspiring story that encourages compassion for animals, as well as giving us some very neat glimpses of dolphin behavior. If you enjoy this one, there is a sequel called Dolphin Treasure (though the dolphins don't feature as prominently there as they do in this one).

Scrounged From: HomeschoolClassifieds.com (Sonlight Core A)

Format: Paperback
Author: Wayne Grover
Illustrator: Jim Fowler
Pages: 80
Content Advisory: The baby dolphin's wound is described in order to detail how the hook is removed.

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