Blackout by John Rocco
A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book
One hot summer night in the city,
all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His
sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and
Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up
to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can
be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in
the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much
fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The
boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time
to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored,
everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal.
The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again.
Using a combination of panels and
full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and
back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares
aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.
Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011
In his characteristic heartwarming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she finds that her dream has come true.
One of the world's most inspiring
women, Dr. Jane Goodall is a renowned humanitarian, conservationist,
animal activist, environmentalist, and United Nations Messenger of
Peace. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), a global
nonprofit organization that empowers people to make a difference for all
living things.
With anecdotes taken directly
from Jane Goodall's autobiography, McDonnell makes this very true story
accessible for the very young--and young at heart.
