Reviewed by Amanda Smith

“If you are looking for a book, and the librarian happens to be an alpaca – BEWARE!” because Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians! (Gnome Road, 2024). In this vivid romp, Kristi Mahoney takes readers on a wild trip through the library with a cast of diverse characters and a plucky purple alpaca, all while sharing fascinating and funny facts. For instance, did you know alpacas’ padded feat are perfect for quiet libraries (and sneaking), and that alpacas like to hum all the time (not so perfect for libraries)?

The multi-award-winning illustrator team of Chantelle and Burgen Thorne envisioned the most marvelous alpaca librarian, complete with turquoise eye-shadow and a string of brass bells and tassels. Her calm smile, dashing front teeth, and expressive ears will win over young readers. The pages are saturated with color, texture and little details, like all the different library book covers, which are sure to give little listeners lots to focus on while enjoying the alpaca’s antics.

Kristi Mahoney’s debut, Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians combines animal facts, like the sound a mad alpaca would make, with humor and heart in a trifecta of terrific storytelling that will leave readers hee-hawing with delight time and time again.

On Writing:
While the most common POV for picture books is third person, Kristi opts for a second person POV which draws the readers close and include them in the action. This POV also amps up both humor and tension because it reads like a conversation. If you feel like your jokes are falling flat, try a revision in a different POV. Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians is a terrific mentor text for testing out second person.

The final page-turn of Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians introduces the premise and main character of Kristi’s next book in the series, Owls Make Terrible Teachers (Gnome Road, 2025). Even though this page was not in the original manuscript, Kristi had the idea and draft of the second book ready to go, and was able to add this page once she got the go-ahead from her editor. Do you have an alternative ending in your back pocket, should an editor request a sequel?

To learn more about Kristi, visit her at kristimahoneybooks.com and read more about this 24 Carrot Writing regular contributor here.

Review by Amanda Smith

In Between Two Brothers by Crysal Allen (Balzer+Bray, 2024), eighth-grader Isaiah (Ice) Abernathy’s big brother Seth is a Junior in high school and Scarboro’s high school cross country hero. Seth is also Ice’s best friend, understanding “Shy Guy” inside Ice, and assuring him that he is not “Soft Serve” as a bully labeled him, but that his gentle, creative spirit is hard core.  The two brothers vow to make their last year together, before Seth sets off for Texas A&M with a full-ride scholarship, their best year ever. But when Seth is in a serious car accident that leaves him comatose and with severe brain-swelling, Ice’s world is rocked. Seth's prognoses seems hopeless. However, Ice refuses to give up on his brother and rallies therapists and friends to unlock Seth from his body and rewire his brain. And as Ice fights for Seth’s voice, “Shy Guy” shrinks and Ice finds his own voice too.

This tender story, based on true events, doesn’t shy away from reality. Allen brings the reader into the gravity of Seth’s condition, including feeding tubes, muscle atrophy, and voice boards, but offers hints of humor in all the right places to keep this heart-breaking story from becoming too heavy. And hope is woven throughout in sweet friendships, community, faith, and the bond between two brothers.
 
On writing:
Between Two Brothers is an excellent mentor text for writers with a story that is rooted in painful personal experience. In her author’s note, Allen states that even though the “...heartaches, the anger, the hopes, and triumphs...” are real, all the details of the story (characters, plot, and setting) are fictitious. Focusing on the universal truths, helps the author to keep a necessary distance in order to tell the story honestly but without it being overwhelming.

The way in which Allen deals with medical language and descriptions is another lesson writers can take away from this novel. Like painting with a dry-brush, Allen offers just the right amount of medical and legal jargon to keep a reader engaged in the story.  She sometimes employs adult characters to explain information to Ice, which means the language is automatically kid-appropriate. At the same time, the gravity of Seth’s injuries and the scary and painful reality for him and his family are never candy-coated. It is this restraint in language that allows for a realistic telling, filled with light and hope.

Review by Amanda Smith

What a thrill to introduce you to a new humor-and-heart, sibling story: Missy and Mason visit the Museum of Natural History, where Missy spots a Woolly Mammoth and declares with all the passion of a six-year-old that she wants a mammoth of her own. Through a series of hilarious interchanges Missy, the ever-optimist, makes her case for why Malcolm the Mammoth would be an excellent pet, each time interrupting Mason just as he is about to explain why she can’t possibly have a mammoth.

Missy Wants a Mammoth (Pixel+Ink/Holiday House, 2024) will captivate young readers with funny banter between a vibrant girl and her very realistic, know-it-all big-brother. Colorful illustrations by Ariel Landy are filled with lots of movement and fun moments, and include some hidden surprises. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they anticipate Missy’s impending disappointment, but they will be delighted by her enthusiasm, perseverance, and huge pay-off!

On Writing:
In Missy Wants a Mammoth, Pam Vaughan’s two characters shine as two completely different individuals, with their own unique voices. The text throughout is written as dialogue, with no exposition, yet both Mason’s and Missy’s personalities are consistently identifiable: the dreamer and the realist. Vaughan accomplishes this by giving exuberant optimist, Missy, vivid imagery, playful vocabulary, and enthusiastic interjections, while Mason, the earnest voice of reason, sounds almost academic with level-headed vocabulary. Take another look at your characters’ vocabulary and whether it differs and contributes to their unique personalities.

Find out more about Pam Vaughan here, and don't miss her guest blog, The Funny Thing About Aspens (and Writing).
Find out more about Ariel Landy here.

Review by Kelly Carey
At first, I was wary to read this middle grade novel. Simon is the sole survivor of a school shooting and that plot line felt heavy. But Erin Bow fills SIMON SORT OF SAYS (Disney Hyperion, 2023) with quirky characters in hilarious escapades that allow readers to laugh in the face of tragedy.  She puts an angry peacock in a hearse, lets loose a herd of emu, and anoints a holy squirrel. If that is not enough, she introduces the possibility of faking a message from aliens using a microwave. The humor cushions the tough emotions of this book.

Yes, Simon survived a school shooting. But this book is about how Simon works through the trauma and the symptoms of PTSD, and how his ordeal affects his family. For starters the family has fled to the National Quiet Zone in the hopes of being anonymous. But as Simon makes new friends, the specter of his truth looms large. This is a story about hope, family, and friendship…and a deranged peacock. But mostly the hope stuff.

On Writing
Erin Bow proves that humor is a smart foil to stories that cover tough topics. Use this novel as a mentor text for wrapping weighty subjects in a soft cocoon for young readers – like you hide medicine for your dog in peanut butter. You can also study this book for the sheer humor alone. Bow hits just the right funny bone for the middle grade reader as she places unique characters smothered in heart into ridiculous predicaments.

This is also a wonderful mentor text for exploring secondary characters. Consider the supporting cast Bow puts around her main character and how they propel the plot forward and offer a point-counterpoint to Simon’s perspective. She makes Simon’s mother a funeral director and his father a Catholic deacon. This allows the book to naturally explore themes of death from both a secular and religious lens. Use SIMON SORT OF SAYS to consider how the characters in your manuscript aid you in telling your story, elicit reactions from your main character, and add depth to your plot.
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Don’t be scared of writing about harsh topics, and don’t run away from reading SIMON SORT OF SAYS. You’ll be happy to meet Simon and learn how simple acts can repair a damaged heart. 

To learn more about Erin Bow visit https://www.erinbow.com/ or find her on social media @erinbowbooks. 
Click here to purchase Simon Sort of Says. 

Review by Kelly Carey
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The beautiful possibilities that can grow from a planted seed are lyrically told in Nell Plants a Tree by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Daniel Miyares (Balzer & Bray, January 2023). Children at a country house enjoy climbing branches, discovering hatching birds, and racing to tag the tree’s trunk. Interspersed through the playfulness are single line reminders that for the tree to exist, Nell needed to plant and nurture its growth. Gorgeous illustrations swathed in warm color move the reader from heartwarming interactions with the full-grown tree to Nell planting, watering, and caring for the tiny seed.  Nell’s devotion to the tree and her family make this book a celebration of love and traditions shared across generations. Nell Plants a Tree shares the satisfying and peaceful recollections of a family experiencing the simple pleasures of life together. 

On Writing
Flashbacks in a picture book. How could that possibly work? And yet Wynter masterfully proves that using a repetitive structure and two distinct writing styles can open the opportunity to tell a story that travels happily and effectively from present to past and back again. Wynter uses the word before as a marker to separate the present and past. When she takes readers to the past, the longer lyrical structure of the present voice gives way to single, sparse and straightforward sentences. For example, in the past, “Nell picks up a seed”, is set against the present, “Before a hush and a point at a nest filled with eggs”.  The result is a beautiful delineation of time. If your picture book requires a long span of time, it may be helpful to explore Wynter’s flashback method.

In addition to flashbacks, Wynter also employs cadence and rhythm. She does this so successfully that you’ll want to tap your foot along to the lyrical passages. You’ll have to read some pages twice, sure that there must be a rhyme. But instead, you’ll find an artistry in Wynter’s choice and placement of words. Each accented syllable hits at exactly the right place. That in and of itself is impressive, but Wynter not only picks the right sounding word for your ear, but she also finds the words that conjure memories that will tug at your heart. The combination is brilliant. If you are thinking rhyme but unsure, perhaps lean into rhythm instead and use Wynter’s writing as a seed to sprout your own creative masterpiece.

To learn more about author Ann Wynter visit her here. 
To learn more about illustrator Daniel Miyares visit him here. 
To purchase a copy of  Nell Plants a Tree visit here. 

Review by Kristi Mahoney

​The Loud Librarian (Atheneum 2023), written and illustrated by two debut creatives, Jenna Beatrice and Erika Lynne Jones, is an uproariously funny and sweet story. It features Penelope, a LOUD and boisterous girl, who is thrilled when she’s picked as class librarian. But unfortunately, LOUD does not mix well with libraries. When Penelope’s booming voice brings disaster to the library, Penelope must find a way to keep her dream job while still staying true to herself. The Loud Librarian is a delightful read with an extremely endearing main character, lots of giggle-worthy moments, and a unique ending filled with both heart and humor. Add to that the incredible and vibrant illustrations of Erika Lynne Jones and you may just feel like shouting from the rooftops about this book — the LOUDER the better. Penelope would approve. 

On Writing:
This book is an interesting mentor text for its truly unique ending. As is the case in many picture books, author Jenna Beatrice has made sure the main character has a clear goal – Penelope wants to be the student librarian. Jenna also has made the problem clear upfront – Penelope is LOUD and libraries are for quiet voices. In addition to these important elements, Jenna effectively uses the rule of three several times and sets up Penelope for a deep dark moment. But, when the time comes for Penelope to change in the end, Jenna makes the bold and admirable choice to keep that from happening.

Sometimes with stories featuring flat arc characters (characters that don’t change and remain true to their original convictions), the writer will opt for someone else changing, such as the attitudes of those around the main character in order to produce a satisfying ending. Yet, in The Loud Librarian, this also doesn’t happen and it works anyway.

Does Penelope still want to be a librarian in the end? Yes, very much so.

Is Penelope still LOUD in the end? Yes, absolutely.

Do others still think it’s a bad idea to be super LOUD in the library in the end? Yes, indeed they do.

With all this being true, how then, does Penelope get to keep her job as student librarian and also remain true to herself?  
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Without spoiling the ending, Jenna ultimately finds the perfect solution to this quandary and it’s this lesson that makes The Loud Librarian an excellent mentor text. Picasso is attributed with saying, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” Perhaps as writers we need a reminder that it’s not only okay to listen to this advice, but sometimes it’s exactly what our story needs. 

To learn more about author Jenna Beatrice visit her website or find her @jbeatricebooks. 
To learn more about illustrator Erika Lynne Jones visit her website or find her @ErikaLynneJones. 
To purchase a copy of The Loud Librarian click here. 

​Bless The Earth: A Collection of Poetry for Children to Celebrate and Care for Our World (Convergent, 2024), edited by June Cotner and Nancy Tupper Ling and illustrated by Keum Jin Song, is a book you will want to keep tableside, bedside, or anywhere you can page through again and again!
 
Filled with original poems, as well as some classics, it encourages readers to celebrate the beauty, the miracle, and even the fragility of this world. The artwork dances lightly around each poem, giving it space, until every so often a full-page spread takes your breath away. One of those spreads showcases 24 Carrot co-founder Amanda Smith’s own poem “Wonder” – a poem in which she asks:

​​And that is the thing about this thoughtful poetry collection. It spotlights the tiniest amazing things, right alongside those most enormous. The land and sea and sky, creatures of all kinds, and also our part in it all. The final section entitled “Caring for our World” is the perfect way to end – a hopeful, inspiring culmination of a most beautiful book.
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​Poetry is always a wise writing teacher. This collection is a lovely one to study for word choice, imagery, sensory language and more. There are poems about bees and butterflies, the moon and the stars, forests, the sea, the seasons, and more. And every poem, even those that touch upon similar topics, is unique in its form or style or voice.  Poetry helps us see things in a new way – and these particular poems just might help you find new words to describe the world around you.

To learn more about the editors of this book visit June at https://www.junecotner.com/booklist.php and Nancy at ​https://www.nancytupperling.com/www.nancytupperling.com/.

​To purchase a copy of the book for yourself click here. 

​Review by Annie Cronin Romano

Scroll (Christy Ottaviano Books, 2023) is a heartwarming picture book about a young girl, Lulu, who is learning calligraphy and Chinese characters from her grandfather. When she practices drawing the Chinese character for “door,” the story takes an imaginative twist as Lulu and her dog, Dumpling, step through the portal and into a village occupied by personified Chinese characters. As Lulu and Dumpling explore, they encounter several friendly characters…and one fiery dragon. Upon “returning home,” Lulu shares her adventure with her grandfather by showing him all the Chinese characters she has practiced drawing. In terms of styling, Hui Li only uses a few traditional full-page illustrations, opting primarily for a graphic novel format with speech bubbles and panels showing the events of Lulu’s adventure as it unfolds. The engaging images feature a palette of reds, browns, and black, selectively adding other colors to reflect the tone and events of the story. This picture book illuminates the beauty and deep connections formed in passing down a culture’s traditions from one generation to the next, as well as serving as an introduction to Chinese writing. 

​Review by Kelly Carey
 
Name calling is never advised unless the moniker assigned is a sweet term of adorable endearment. In Mary Lee Donovan’s Let Me Call You Sweetheart: A Confectionery of Affection, illustrated by Brizida Magro (Greenwillow Books, 2022) each page is filled with delicious slurp-worthy nicknames shared in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and Kadazan Dusun. It is not hard to imagine the giggles and smirks traded between a reader and listener as the often silly but devotedly loving names are listed in rhythmic, rhyming text illustrated with round-faced characters in charming scenes. Like conversation hearts traded on Valentine's Day, each flip of the page offers up a new way to let a little someone know how special they are to you. 

On Writing:
Take a list of any like-themed words, in Donovan’s case she has chosen terms of endearment, add rhythm and beat, and you have a joyful picture book that begs to be reread. The finished book may seem simple, but on closer study the careful beat created by the writer’s hand is behind every sentence and rhyming couplet. Without that tapping cadence the words might be a mere list, but Donovan has arranged them to take full advantage of a joyful sing-song melody that claps along as the story is read. The addition of beat elevates the words and brings magic.

Pull out your rhyming text and consider whether it offers a foot tapping beat. Like a heartbeat keeping your story alive, make sure your text, like Donovan’s, has a healthy dose of cardio. 

To learn more about author Mary Lee Donovan visit her here. For more about illustrator, Brizida Magro visit her here. To purchase a copy of Let Me Call You Sweetheart: A Confectionery of Affection go here. 

Review by Kelly Carey

​With Nordic phrases and a herd of expressive yaks, author Lu Fraser and illustrator Kate Hindley deliver a wonderful rhyming story in The Littlest Yak (Peachtree, 2020). While the theme of someone small wanting to be big is universal, Fraser injects fresh humor into the story using a plucky yak named Gertie and a snowy mountain setting. Gertie concocts a “growing-up plan” that includes eating veggies, exercise, and reading books (“because grown-ups have big things to think and to know”). When her plan doesn’t work and a tear from a frustrated Gertie plops “from her cheek to the snow” readers will sympathize with the sad little yak. Sadness will turn to cheers when a rescue mission is perfect for the grippy little Gertie. She'll learn she's just the right size and readers will agree that The Littlest Yak is just the right book to convey an age-old message in a unique way. 

On Writing:
Universal childhood themes make books relatable, but how do you choose a topic that has been written about before and make it special? Fraser does not shy away from selecting the common topic of a small character wishing to be big, but what pops her book out of the its-been-done-before pile is the choice of a distinctive main character, an unusual setting, humorous word choices, and a rollicking rhyme.

​Fraser introduces readers to a yak (just that word alone is reading fun!) named Gertie who she describes as having “the curliest, whirliest wool on her back” and “splendidly grippy” hooves. By injecting fun and whimsy and heart into her main character both in the descriptive words she uses and the silly actions she assigns to her main character, Fraser elevates her story from universal to distinct. Going the extra mile, Fraser employs a rhyme that gives her story a melodic quality. The final dose of magic comes courtesy of Hindley’s charming illustrations. If you have a manuscript that centers on a well-worn topic, use The Littlest Yak as a mentor text to guide you in finding its singular spark. 

To learn more about Lu Fraser visit her here. 
To find out more about Kate Hindley visit her here. 
To get your own copy of The Littlest Yak click here.