Review: These gorgeous picture books (8 from Minnesota) are made for re-reading

It’s spring in Minnesota, so it’s probably raining or about to be raining. Which is the perfect excuse for sitting down with a book.

These 10 new titles, most with Minnesota themes or authors, are just the ticket:

Rings of Heartwood, by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrated by Claudia McGehee. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 32 pages

“Nobody asked me/if I’d like to trade/my tail for legs,/ my gills for lungs,” says the frog in Minneapolis author Griffin‘s book. “My body changed/all on its own.” This is the message at the book’s heart — change is inevitable, it’s hard and, mostly, it’s good. These “poems on growing” focus on the natural world — ferns, bears and butterflies — and each is accompanied by an explanation of the science. But it’s easy to see how the poems might apply to humans, as well. McGehee’s detailed scratchboard and watercolor illustrations are a lovely complement to the text.

The Secret Recipe, by Ilan Stavans, illustrated by Taia Morley. Kar-Ben/Lerner Publications, 24 pages.

A boy visits his grandmother, who teaches him to make empanadas — but her recipe is written in a language he doesn’t recognize, and she calls the pastries “boureka.” Why? “Long ago, only the Jews of Spain and Portugal spoke this language,” she explains. Step by step, as they add the olive oil and cheese, she explains the history of their people. When the king of Spain wanted everyone to become Christian, the Jews left, taking “their secret language with them.” Through a simple story of baking, Stavans teaches the importance of preserving one’s culture, language and traditions.

Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll: The Inventive Rube Goldberg, by Catherine Thimmesh, illustrated by Shanda McCloskey. Chronicle Books, 60 pages.

In this biography, text and illustrations work together to convey the blend of physics and bizarre fun that constitute Rube Goldberg’s wild inventions. “What exactly is a spoon if not the perfect arm for a catapult?” asks Thimmesh, of Eden Prairie, and, two pages later, McCloskey’s drawing of a cat being flung through the air shows exactly what that means (“It’s a catapult, get it?”). This book is text-heavy and laden with science, but the prose is engaging and the science is broken down in a clear way, heavy on the fun. Kids will want to build their own inventions once they finish “Smash.”

Summer’s Child, by James Christopher Carroll. Creative Editions, 16 pages.

With “Summer’s Child,” Mankato publisher Creative Editions continues its string of moody, gorgeous and dreamy picture books. This book presents the coming of summer as a theatrical event, with Bear as director and Dove playing the part of the sun, Dandelion a cloud. A small child narrates the play, which involves, as any summer story should, ice cream and picnics, but also rain and storms. “And they all cheered and ran about the forest in a wildness.” It’s a lovely, ethereal book, illustrated with Carroll’s pink and purple paintings, that celebrates those free and wide-open summer days of childhood.

One Spring Up North, by John Owens, University of Minnesota Press, 36 pages.

In a wordless book, every picture tells a story and every child will tell that story in their own way. In the third book by Minneapolis artist Owens, the family from his previous books canoes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. In early spring, they paddle across a lake, but others have gone before them: Wolves crossed on patches of ice, turtles on a fallen tree and birds above, in the sky. Although he used watercolors for “One Winter Up North” and created the images digitally for “One Summer Up North,” Owens uses colored pencils and imagination to tell a full adventure here. (Owens will read from “Spring” at 11 a.m. June 21 at Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, Minn.)

String Ball, by Chris Monroe, Carolrhoda Books, 32 pages.

On the first page, Duluth artist Monroe tells you how to make a string ball (it requires a balloon, glue and lots of string) and after that the words go away and you are on your own. Follow the sneaky adventures of a frantic, spiky kitten who gets wedged inside a string ball and ... out the door it rolls! Each comical page shows what’s happening outside the ball (children playing, dogs frolicking) and inside the ball (panicking kitten with huge eyes). Monroe, author of “Monkey With a Tool Belt,” knows exactly how to make a young reader laugh.

This Sheep Needs Your Help! and This Pirate Needs Your Help!, by David LaRochelle, Candlewick, 18 pages.

Don’t be intimidated, but award-winning author/illustrator LaRochelle would like your help illustrating his new book — his two new books, actually. These “draw and erase adventures” are printed on glossy cardboard and come with a marking pen so you can finish the drawings he has begun, and then wipe them away. Draw the pirate’s tattoos, or a monster to scare off the dragon, or something tasty for the sheep to eat. (LaRochelle, who lives in White Bear Lake, recommends lemonade, apples and pizza. But you do you.) What fun these books are — wry, intriguing and about as interactive as you can get.

And, Too, the Fox, by Ada Limón, illustrated by Gaby D’Alessandro, Carolrhoda, 24 pages.

Limón‘s wonderful poem, originally included in a collection published by Minneapolis’ Milkweed Editions, gives us the essence of a fox in just a few words, while D’Alessandro’s full-spread digital illustrations capture the animal’s beauty, verve and joy. A fox wanders through a neighborhood, hunting and playing. He “takes only what he needs and lives a life that some might call small.” And he “never cares what you do when he’s gone.” This tender book is a great introduction to poetry for a small child. And oh, that we could all live like the fox.

Strong Like Me, by Kelechi Okafor, illustrated by Michaela Dias-Hayes, Candlewick Press, 32 pages.

Everyone has something that makes them special, and with little Kamara, it’s her strength. “I love the way my strength gives me a tingly feeling that fizzes and zaps,” she says. She can run fast and swim forever. She beats boys and girls alike. But her friends are jealous and they make her feel bad instead of proud. With the encouragement of her wise, adventurous aunt (who has traveled the world and swum with sharks), Kamara figures out how to feel strong, proud — and good. Dias-Hayes’ ebullient, spangled illustrations bring to life the warmth, wisdom and love of Kamara’s mother and aunt.

The Peanut Man, by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Raúl Colón, Peachtree Publishing, 48 pages.

Deedy’s tender story tells of her family’s emigration from Cuba to the United States in the 1960s. Back in Havana, she had made friends with Emilio, an itinerant peanut vendor. “He knew everyone by name. And we all knew el manisero, the Peanut Man.” But at their new home in Georgia, she was homesick and lonely, unable to speak the language. “One thing reminded me of home … baseball!” At the game, she meets a new Peanut Man, who befriends her and, for the first time, makes her feel at home. Colón’s soft, lush illustrations encourage the book’s nostalgic mood.

Laurie Hertzel is a freelance book critic and winner of the 2023 Kerlan Award, recognizing exceptional support in children’s literature.