June
is Perfect for
a Summer Reading
Adventure—Beat the Heat & Read!
by Selene Vasquez
Picture Books: Ages 5 thru 8: Kitten’s
First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes. (Greenwillow,
32 pp., $15.99). A suspense filled story of a poor kitten
mistaking the moon for a bowl of milk. Delightful charcoal
and a palette of colors compliment the irresistible rhythmic
text of this kitty’s irrepressible spirit of survival.
Picture Books: Ages 8 thru 12: Don
Quixote and the Windmills by Eric Kimmel. Illustrated
by Leonard Everett Fisher. (Farrar, 32 pp., $16.00). The
human need for passion and meaning is captured in Miguel
de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, maddened by the excessive
reading of chivalric romances. Fisher’s dramatic
signature illustrations render this immortal literary figure
with grace.
Nonfiction: Ages 10 thru 12: Jurassic
Shark by Deborah Diffily. Illustrated by Karen Carr. (Harper
Collins, 32 pp., $17.99). The deadly female prehistoric predator
Hybodus, residing in the depths of the oceans some 180 million
years ago, is a creature beyond the imagination. Astonishing
digital paintings create a lifelike visualization.
Poetry: Ages 5 thru 10: Over
in the Pink House: New Jump Rope Rhymes by Rebecca
Kai. Illustrated by Melanie Hall. (Boyds Mills, 32 pp.,
$15.95). 32 original rhymes replete with colorful imagery
and rhythmic chanting for jump roping. Playful illustrations
capture the singsong and whimsical quality of this memorable
childhood activity.#
Selene S. Vasquez
is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School
in Hollywood, Florida. She is formerly a children’s
librarian for the New York Public Library.
