Reviewed by Emily Naik Ganesh and the Little Mouse is inspired by a myth of Hindu gods, Ganesh and Karthikeya, racing around the world. Joshi adapts the original myth to include themes of friendship, family, and perseverance for a modern audience. Ganesh was born with the head of an elephant, which sometimes makes him feel…
Reviewed by Dani Quast Did you ever feel guilty as a kid for not using all of your crayons equally? Did you ever consider that some less-used crayons might have felt left out? The Day the Crayons Quit will make you remember the joys of coloring, but will add a quirky twist on how our…
Reviewed by Jennifer Langreck Do you remember believing in fairy tales or scary creatures when you were young? In Tracey Baptiste’s fantasy novel The Jumbies, Caribbean lore becomes reality. The twelve-year-old protagonist Corinne doesn’t have to believe in the creatures she hears about in the local stories, but she does have to confront them. The…
Reviewed by Racha Kassir The Turtle of Oman recounts how a third grader Omani boy named Aref refuses to move with his parents from Oman to the U.S. Ann Arbor, Michigan for three years while they obtain their doctorate degrees. Aref gives his mom a hard time while packing. No matter how large the suitcase,…
Reviewed by Eileen Graves Opening with a dedication “to all the cats in my life,” Eric Carle tells a story about a little boy, who is looking for his lost cat and discovers a world full of different, beautiful cats. It is more about diversity than anything, and it gets the point across very well.…
Children's Literature at UMN 