AND THEN BOOM! Written by Lisa Fipps. Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House. 2025. $24.99 ages 10 and up

 

Reading this book took me straight back to reading Starfish, my first encounter with Lisa Fipps' remarkable storytelling. It's hard to find the right words to tell you about it. So, as I did then, I 
will include a few of the passages that made me gasp. I started reading, and could not put it down. 

 https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7130079189010543417/9068845498303028036

Joseph Oak's life is filled with sudden and inexplicable change. He immediately introduces the people in his life who make it bearable, for the most part. 

"I do have one thing in common
with superheroes. 
I have an origin story. 
So does Grandma, who's from England, 
Mom, who gets The Itch, 
my best friends, Hakeem and Nick, 
Uncle Frankie, who's not really my uncle, 
and my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Swan. 
Each of us has an origin story, 
the story of how we became who we are."

Meeting them, but for Mom, will fill your heart. What a phenomenal community they provide for each other. Joe's life with Grandmum is happy, if not easy.  Grandmum cleans houses and offices, owns the home she lived in with Grandpa, and manages to feed the two with food stamps. All that changes when Joe's often-absent mother is arrested, and Grandmum uses the house to pay her bail. When Mom jumps bail and leaves without warning, they lose the house and end up living in their old car, which has seen its best days. 

"We all have at least 
one day,

One day, 
I'm gonna be the world's best chef
at my very own restaurant, and 
the food's gonna be so good
that when Michelin reviews it, 
it'll create a fourth star just for me, 
Hakeem says. 

One day, 
I'm going to find a cure for depression, 
Nick says. 

One day, 
I'm going back to my beloved old England.
Everybody longs for home, 
Grandmum says. 

One day is 
a hope, 
a wish, 
a dream that gets you through 
ordinary days, 
hard days, 
the worst days. 

One day, 
I'll never be filled with 
the ache of hunger again."

With help from the generous, creative and kind Uncle Frankie, they are able to find an old mobile home to rent. Life is turned upside down when Grandmum dies, Mom returns, and then soon leaves. Joe is now fully on his own, and not wanting anyone to know. His best friends are always there for him, but don't know the depth of his poverty or the true nature of the life he is living. 

Being able to find the perfect words to tell this story in verse with emotion, humor and hope is Ms. Fipps' superpower. I will forever remember every character, every scene, every bit of courage displayed by Joe as he navigates unsteady ground at every turn. Using his journals and the lessons he has learned from his superheroes gives him a way to keep his head above water. AND THEN BOOM ... a tornado! 

"It's amazing 
how long you can live 
without anyone realizing 
how you live"

Have You Seen An Elephant, written and illustrated by Elina Ellis. Kids Can Press, 2024. $21.99 ages 4 and up

 

"Did you know that elephants
have poor digestive systems? 

That's why they are always full of gas! 

Have a look in my journal."

Wouldn't you think that an elephant would be easy to spot? Apparently not! 

Alex is a young explorer with a penchant for elephants; she knows a great deal about them. Since she has not seen a real one, she is preparing for a search. Backpack full and armed with her elephant journal. she sets off. She is bold in her meetings with a giraffe, meerkats, even a snake while asking for help in spotting an elephant. 

It won't take young readers long before they catch on to the joke being played on Alex. While she is intent on speaking with a rhino, observant readers will be quick to point out that there is an elephant right behind her - and it's walking away into the forest! 

When the rhino appears perplexed with the question, Alex pulls out her journal and offers a look at two pages of highly interesting information about elephants, both African and Asian. Three such spreads are shared as she searches. Moving ever onward, she perches herself in a vulture's nest, not knowing that a herd of elephants is walking beneath her. Nothing stops her in her quest, while all the while elephants can be seen on every spread. 

When she is finally ready to give up, Alex offers a clear hint at what's up next. Since elephants are so hard to find, she tells a monkey that she might just start looking for a tiger. 

"I LOVE TIGERS!

I know everything about them."

Only then does Alex ask an elephant if she has seen a tiger! Kids will be roaring. 

Digital illustrations engage readers with a myriad of details certain to tickle their funny bones. Back matter offers suggestions for creating a journal. Once finished the first, it's easy to start on another. 

Be on the lookout in September for Is This a Tiger? the second book in this promising series. 

You and the Bowerbird, written by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Maris Wicks. Roaring Brook Press, Holtzbrink Publisihing. Raincoast, 2023. $26.99 ages 6 and up

 

"Pirate steals away, 
feather in his beak. 

When Satin returns, he scours his bower. 

Where is his welcome mat?"

A young girl, who has a defining interest in birds and an artistic ability to keep a journal about them, is the keen-eyed watcher for this often-humorous tale of a satin bowerbird, aptly named Satin. A treehouse patio is her desk. It sports a pencil case, binoculars, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, her journal and two field guides, marked with post-it notes to keep the information needed front and center. 

She watches carefully as Satin collects twigs for nest making. A detailed map of the route taken to gather all manner of things that Satin will need fills the bottom half of a double page spread as his real work begins in earnest. It's looking good! Satin feels a certain something is missing. Off he flies to find it.

While gone, a female bowerbird named Pea shows interest in the development of the nest. Pirate, a grumpy older bowerbird, swoops close, scaring Pea away and stealing the feather left behind by Satin. Satin is quick to replace what was meant to be a welcome mat. Pirate also steals the sock replacement, right out from under Pea. Leaving the nest means it is vulnerable to further thieving. Satin returns to devastation ... and once again, no welcome mat. 

With help from the watcher, Satin rebuilds and sends off Pirate in full retreat. Now, he has time for wooing a lady friend with the mat, a song and dance, and other enhancements. It works! 

"Before long, 
nestlings 
become 

fledglings, 
full bloom. 

And in time, adults in 
search of mates."

It was obviously a stressful courtship, but the end result is charming. Informative and engaging, with labeled sketches sure to attract budding journalists, this book will surely attract readers. Brightly colored digital artwork provides context for the information shared. The appended "Bower Power" back matter and appealing endpapers up the learning. This is a terrific read-aloud. 
                                                                                          

Chloe's Nature Journal, written and illustrated by Miri Leshem-Pelly. Creston Books, Firefly. 2023. $18.99 ages 7 and up

"When the mantis was back in the bush, 
I could hardly see it. Its green color helps
it hide in the leaves. 
More camouflage! 

The animals are HIDING. 

Question: If I look closely, 
will I find more animals?" 

A school assignment given early in the school year has Chloe creating a science journal to describe all she sees in her own backyard. The teacher specifically asks for all animals found there. Chloe wants to lead the way by finding the most!  

Once Chloe begins, she is surprised to find she cannot find a single one! They are not on the tree branches, in the grass, under the leaves, in the bushes, on a tree trunk, or on the ground. Where are they? By the second day, Chloe is determined to use her detective skills to impact her search. She sees clues that they have been there, but it isn't until she uses her magnifying glass that she finally spies a 
camouflaged spider on tree bark. 

As she makes her discoveries and adds illustrations to the journal's pages, she also includes the many questions she has about what she is seeing first-hand. After doing her research, she includes what she has discovered, and sets it apart with a Mystery Solved! stamp applied next to her answer. 

It takes a great deal of patience, close observation, and a knowledge of the scientific method (though that is not implicitly mentioned). It is great to watch the development of a young scientist as she tackles an engrossing school assignment. 

Reading this nature journal shows young readers that keeping such a record is a creative pursuit while also providing a space to share a lot of interesting scientific research. The backdrop for the entries looks like a lined notebook, adding authenticity.                                             

The Nature Journal: A Backyard Adventure, written and illustrated by Savannah Allen. Viking, Penguin Random House. 2023. $25.99 ages 3 and up

 

"Scrapbooks. Nature journals. 
Pictures. All dusty and torn, but 
full of the adventures that his dad
took before Tim was born. 

Tim read and read his 
dad's journals ... 

... until he couldn't keep his eyes open."

Tim and his dad love being together. Tim wants to be like his dad was when he was a boy; a boy who loves the outdoors and creates a journal that reflects all he is observing and collecting. He so aches to share what he has done with his father, who is too busy doing chores to listen right then. 

A trip to the attic, when he grows tired of waiting, allows Tim a chance to look at his dad's many saved treasures. After falling asleep while checking things out, Tim has an exciting dream about seeing the many places his father has visited. From a day in the rainforest canopy, to a camel ride in the desert, to an underwater swim equipped with snorkels, and a trip to the top of some snowy mountains, Tim revisits his father's favorite places. 

Upon awakening from his dream, Tim quickly draws pictures of his own imagined adventures. His father comes searching for him, with an apology and a chance to see what Tim has been doing. Dad's response is what every young child hopes for. 

"He looked at Tim's drawings closely and smiled
proudly. "You know, of all my adventures, being 
your dad is my favorite one. What do you say we 
add some pages tomorrow?""

Well done, Dad! 

Digital artwork highlights a love for the outdoors and their time spent together. Plenty of white space makes the love the two have for each evident both inside and outside. The full-page spreads that accentuate Tim's dream are filled with bold color and action. Be sure to check out the endpapers ...

Why not get outside with your kids and create a nature notebook together before school starts again? It might be a lot of fun making memories that last a lifetime. 
                                                                 

Darling Baby, by Maira Kalman.Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2021. $23.99 ages 3 and up

"Today we saw a 
HOLE in the GRASS. 

Do you know how it got there? 

The Bunny dug it. I am pretty
sure because bunnies live in 
HOLES in the GROUND."

What a wonderful baby gift for a new grandparent! Maira Kalman's journal notes reflect on summer days spent with her grandchild. The moments are priceless in terms of the warmth of memory, and beautifully described by this accomplished writer. She captures these moments in word and picture with tremendous appeal and charm. 

As she shares her memories, she encourages the child, who cannot yet walk, to be aware of all that surrounds the two; to take in the sights and sounds, the smells and colors; to watch with abandon the world as it is. The vivid colors are a reminder of the beauty they share together on their walks. The book swells the love felt between a grandparent and a grandchild. 

"The fish. 
     The birds. 
         The bunnies. 
  The sun. The stars. 
All of these things 
          stayed.
It was fine to 
            see them
            without you. 
                  But not the SAME."