Tiny Reading Week
44. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Another 1001 Children’s Books read. Possibly a reread. Probably a reread, but the original read was back forty or so years ago.
I liked it. I liked all the details about life during that time. I loved the story about the boring Sunday that Pa felt compelled to top. I loved the stories about the wolves and the snow and neighbor visits and the food they ate.
And the size of this book is lovely for read-alouds. Bigger than a picture book.
Now I must decide if I wish to pass this on (mailing it would be pricey, I think) or catalog it for my school library.
45. Little Black Ant on Park Street by Janet Halfmann
Brilliant. What a fantastic book for children! A closeup view of the ant’s world, along with cool details about black ants. Must order a nice copy for my school library.
46. The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? By Padgett Powell
Is there any other way to write a review of this book? Do you enjoy reading question after question after question? Is part of you fascinated to read a book written entirely in questions? Are you already tiring of this technique?
1 | Comment (0)Two Weeks of Great Reads
22. Happiness in a Troubled World by Howard Cutler
Benefits of diversity: Groups of people are better at making decisions than even the best experts under the right circumstances. The conditions necessary for the crowd to be wise are diversity and decentralization of decision making power.
When living in more homogeneous communities, people feel happier and get more accomplished.
So how can we relate to others in a more inclusive way?
23. Tap Dancing on the Roof by Linda Sue Park
A new kind of poetry (to me). Sijo. It’s from Korea (like author Park’s family). Not rhymes or syllables, but stresses. Different. Each line of sijo has two halves, with three stresses in one and four in the other. Sijo is about relationships and small moments. In English, sijo is formed into three long lines or six short ones. The last line (or lines for six short ones) contains a twist or pun or wit.
Here’s my favorite:
“Wish
For someone to read a poem
again, again, and then,
having lifted it from page
to brain—the easy part—
cradle it on the longer trek
from brain all the way to heart.”
24. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert
Eat, Pray, Love was a great read. In Twitter-format: Gilbert gets dumped and sets off around the world to feel better.
In the process, Gilbert met another love. Now, she must decide: Shall she dare to marry again?
And she spends nine months traveling around the world getting a second opinion. What is romantic love? What does it mean to marry? How can marriage be a happy experience?
25. Oso pardo, oso pardo, que ves ahi by Bill Martin
Libro classico.
26. Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day by Pat Mora
Ordering this for my school library.
27. Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman
I like it. It’s pretty. The words are lovely. But, hey, did anyone ask the kids what they think?
28. Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Are we supposed to admire Diego Rivera? Or is this a cautionary tale?
29. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
I’ve heard lots of happy buzz about this book. I liked it, but I didn’t love it and I wanted to love it. Fun puzzle of a plot that fits together perfectly. Characters that intrigued me. I don’t know why I didn’t love it. Probably just an off day.
30. Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
Our main character is trying to forge ahead but it’s hard when your brother dies unexpectedly. She meets the new neighbor across the street who helps her with her situation by using an analogy to carrying an open umbrella long after the rain has stopped. The neighbor and our main character work together to close their umbrellas and to help others close theirs.
31. Easier than You Think by Richard Carlson
Lots of short ideas on how to be happier. Audiotape.
32. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
This year’s Caldecott winner. Deserved.
33. Margaret Wise Brown: Author of Goodnight Moon by Carole Greene
Short bio for children about Margaret Wise Brown. She wrote a lot of kids’ books though she died at 42. (Her cause of death is a little unclear: “While she was in France, she became very ill. She had to have an operation. It went well. Each day, Margaret felt better. She wrote funny letters to her friends. But on the morning of November 13, 1952, something went wrong. Margaret blacked out. A minute later, she died.”
34. My Abuelita by Tony Johnston
Great story about a boy and his grandmother. The pictures are so strange that they are beautiful.
35. Dear Zoo: A Pop-Up Book by Rod Campbell
One of the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read. Kids love popups.
36. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
Another 1001 CBYMR for the youngest of readers.
37. Avocado Baby by John Burningham
Yet another 1001 CBYMR. I knew the author, but I’d never heard of the book. I easily found a copy at the public library. The Hargraves were quite worried their new baby would not be strong, just like the rest of them. But the baby got hold of some avocadoes and, next thing you know, this little guy is taking care of bullies and fighting off robbers.
38. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton
This is the Sue Grafton I remember loving way back at the middle letters of the alphabet. Kinsey is back working on an old mystery. I like how Grafton moves backward and forward in time.
39. All Stations! Distress! by Don Brown
Bluebonnet 2010-11. Titanic goes down. Nice text makes this book accessible for even early chapter book readers.
40. Gracias/Thanks by Pat Mora
Wouldn’t this make a good introduction to thankfulness at writing workshop at school? Got to order it.
41. The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
I never dreamed that this book would blow me away. Hagar Shipley is ninety-ish and at the end of her life. The book tells both stories of her last days as well as stories Hagar remembers about her life. What a tough bird she is, hard on her older son, indifferent to her husband. This is a book that feels very, very true. I recommend it highly and I’m adding it to my list of best reads ever. One question that nags at me: Is Hagar a relative? Can I blame it on her (and my) Scotch blood?
42. Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler
The day will come one day when there will be no more new Anne Tyler and the world will be a sadder place for it. But for now, we have Noah’s Compass, Tyler’s latest. Noah’s Compass tells the story of Liam Pennywell, a man who has been asked to retire from teaching, divorced, widowed, somewhat estranged from his children, a man who goes through the motions and can’t figure out any other way to live.
43. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
There is hope in the world. This is the story of hope. William Kamkwamba tells the story of his life growing up in a tiny African country where most people struggle, now and then, with obtaining enough to eat. No electricity, no water, no amenities. Kamkwamba’s family hasn’t enough money during the famine to send him to school so he hangs out at the small library and there he learns how to use wind power to make electricity. Amazing story.
1 | Comment (1)Challenges for 2010
Updated 01.17.10
20/100
16
Ten Golden Rules
20/20
The BFG
Home of the Brave
Calvin Coconut
Happiness Project
Ten Golden Rules
Too Much Happiness
How of Happiness
Living Oprah
January—Religious Freedom:
A Second Busy Reading Week in 2010
15. What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
You know Malcolm Gladwell. He’s The Tipping Point author. He looks at events and tries to help us figure out why and when and how-to-do-it-again-better. What the Dog Saw is a collection of Gladwell’s articles. I wanted to hit the save button several times as I read this book. One article I had to reread was “Most Likely to Succeed.” It compares finding good teachers to finding a good NFL quarterback. Apparently good teachers are the most important thing in enhancing student performance: “…many reformers have come to the conclusion that nothing matters more than finding people with the potential to be good teachers.” It is also hard. It’s hard to find those good teachers. What does it take? How does one become a good teacher? A few qualities this article examines are regard for student perspective, the teacher’s ability to allow students flexibility in becoming engaged in the lesson; personalizing the material, making the material live for each student; and, most important, feedback, “direct, personal response by a teacher to a specific statement by a student.”
Just one of twenty or so little articles Gladwell wrote about issues you thought you knew about, you thought you understood…but that science tells you to reexamine.
16. The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky
Here they are, the twelve hows:
1. Expressing gratitude
2. Cultivating optimism
3. Avoiding overthinking and social comparison
4. Practicing acts of kindness
5. Nurturing social relationships
6. Developing strategies for coping
7. Forgive
8. Increasing flow experiences
9. Savoring life’s joys
10. Committing to your goals
11. Practicing religion and spirituality
12. Taking care of your body
Happiness is my focus this year. I feel quite certain I will come back to this book and this list.
17. The BFG
Add this book immediately to your Must-Read list. What kid would not like this book? This book has everything…warm, lovable characters…wicked monsters…royalty…action…kindness…humor of the sophisticated type as well as humor of the loud body noises type….I’m adding this today to my list of best reads ever.
18. Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury
Calvin is Henry Huggins. Calvin is Tom Sawyer. Calvin is the all-American boy we’ve come to know and love. In trouble most of the time, but somehow it’s not really his fault.
So we know this character, but do we? Calvin lives in Hawaii. His dad is a pop singer who hit it big and left the family for the mainland. One of Calvin’s new friends has just come to Hawaii and is having difficulty fitting in because he is white.
I like it. And it is my first official 2010-2011 Bluebonnet book. Nineteen more to go.
19. Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
Make that eighteen more Bluebonnets to go. Home of the Brave is book two. Kek escapes from his warring homeland in Africa to live with family in icy cold Minnesota. Kek sees America with fresh eyes and bravely starts to make a new life here, quickly befriending a foster girl and a thin cow, hoping his mother has survived and will be reunited with him. Told in free verse (a device which serves well to reflect Kek’s real voice).
20. Living Oprah: My One-Year Experiment to Walk the Walk of the Queen of Talk
If reality tv is all the rage in the television world, then attempting one-year challenges is all the rage in book world. Robyn Okrant set out to try to follow Oprah’s precepts, those presented on her show and in her magazine and online, for a year.
I heard about this last summer and have been waiting for the book ever since. I was not disappointed. Okrant is respectful of Oprah, and, though she finds many of Oprah’s pronouncements overly enthusiastic, she also discovers many wise tidbits of advice.
(Happiness side note: Okrant’s happiness level dropped abysmally as the year progressed, primarily from increased levels of stress in attempting to follow all of the Oprah manifestos.)
21. What Difference Do It Make? Stories of Hope and Healing by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent
Last week, I finished Same Kind of Different as Me, posted a review on my blog, and attended a book club meeting where we discussed the book. At the book club, we were told there was a sequel and there was some talk of trying to obtain the sequel and read it. We unanimously reveled in the book.
I was overjoyed then to see a publisher’s representative posted a comment on my blog about my review. She mentioned the new sequel and offered to send me a copy. I replied and, to my astonishment, I found a beautiful copy of the new book in my next day’s mail.
I will warn you that sequels often disappoint me. I’m not even one to read all the books in a series; I will often read the first book and then stop, not wanting to experience the disappointment of a follow-up book.
This book was not a disappointment. I picked it up at noon and leisurely read it and thought about it all afternoon. It answers some questions we pondered at our book group (included are some photos of Denver’s artwork and we learn more about Ron’s experiences with his father) but it also includes stories of people who were affected by the first book and felt called to take action.
I’m happy that I can recommend it to others. It’s the best kind of book about real Christianity, the kind that pops up in surprising places, that moves in waves of love.
1 | Comment (1)First Reads of 2010
1. The Happiness Project, Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
I’ve been waiting and waiting for this book to be published. I first heard about it when I kept getting snippets in the wonderful Google e-mail I receive every day about items of interest about happiness. I love happiness. I’m fascinated with happiness. I suppose you could say that just thinking about happiness makes me happy. So I couldn’t wait to read this book.
It was not a disappointment. I’ve been reading the author’s blog about the project on an almost daily basis, so the book felt, well, a little short. But that is okay. It was a good book. It gives readers lots of lovely ideas about how to be happier. Even if you just try one idea and it works for you, I’d say that would be worth the price of the book.
I resolve to use these ideas and try them myself. I’m going to read through the book one more time and this time I’ll write down a few notes.
2. No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beavan
The title says it all. Beavan decides to stop talking about living a greener life and do something. He challenges himself to try to put nothing in the trash can, to use no electricity, to drive nowhere, and to buy locally for a year. What he learns is surprising and useful.
3. Super Freakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
If they keep writing such long titles, someday we’ll be able to read the cover and we won’t need to even open the book. A little book of fascinating essays for the over-50 crowd who grew up on Guiness Book of World Records.
4. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Completely outside my comfort zone. (Seemingly) endless references to sex and (seemingly) endless profanity. Nevertheless, a brilliant depiction of a young man in 2009. I want to wash out the narrator’s mouth and put him (and most of the other characters in the book) in timeout while simultaneously thanking the author for showing me this world. Though I really never want to go there again.
So how do I rate this book? It’s brilliant, I know. Just not the kind of brilliant that I like. Guy brilliant. Especially young-ish guy brilliant.
5. Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places by Bill Streever
I had to put on my Snuggie while I read this book; we may have global warming, but the places Streever visits in this book are darn cold. This book is just the right mix of travel narrative and armchair philosopher.
6. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
Chapter One did not impress me. I set it aside for several days only to pick it back up after seeing it on fifty recommended reads lists of 2009. Okay, let me give it another chance.
Glad I did. The story is a thoughtful one. Parenting. Caring for others. Coming of age. Atonement. Loss. Carelessness. Lots to think about here.
I loved the story, but I loved, more than that even, how much Moore enjoyed word play. All her characters, even the most dour, can’t seem to help themselves, throwing a pun or a crazy story about words in their conversations. I must have read some paragraphs three or four times, loving the way Moore decorates her tale.
7. The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living the Good Life by M.A. Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas
For future reference, here are the ten golden rules:
1. Examine life.
2. Worry only about the things you can control.
3. Treasure friendship.
4. Experience true pleasure.
5. Master yourself.
6. Avoid excess.
7. Be a responsible human being.
8. Don’t be a prosperous fool.
9. Don’t do evil to other people.
10. Kindness toward others tends to be rewarded.
8. Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle by Chris Hedges
It’s end times for academics. Hedges bewails the plethora of in-your-face-ness in America: wrestling, tv, even government and universities. Thoughtful discourse is found tedious, he moans. “We are chained to the flickering shadows of celebrity culture….”
No one who spent an hour in our country could deny this. It’s obvious. Hedges spends two hundred pages visiting all the most worrisome spots in American culture, pleading his case that America is in trouble. Bread and circuses everywhere, but more: bread tainted with toxins and circuses of the depraved.
Yes, America is definitely the land of spectacle these days. But does that mean doom for the country?
Like most books of this sort, Empire is long on problems and short on solutions. A careful look at the stats that prop up Hedges’ treatise shows the author is prone to the very thing he is ranting against; Hedges’ book is filled with, well, illusion and spectacle.
10. Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
Munro’s new book of short stories is filled with human beings. Just when you think you’ve found a character above reproach, though, Munro says to look again, and you find the ice has melted in your hands. You get the sense that Munro is very, very good at seeing into the hearts of people and finding we all come up short. The title is a cruel twist on the stories inside; an objective observer of these lives doesn’t find much happiness at all here. But is that really the case? It’s something—a little glimmer of happiness, maybe, perhaps some small happiness that comes from making it through troubles—that keeps these people moving along through their difficult lives.
11. Home Repair by Liz Rosenberg It was suggested to me that I read this book. A friend of the author had read my blog and told me this book might be one I’d like. I’ve been wary of books offered up to me. Lately I’ve had nothing but disappointments.
Not this book. Not sure how the friend of the author knew this, but this book was an absolutely perfect match for me…a main character, Eve, who has been widowed and now abandoned by a second husband, leaving his family during a garage sale, no less. Left with two kids to raise. A shaky job. Odd and unstable friends. A cranky mother.
Doesn’t sound like we’re going to see a happily-ever-after ending here. But strangely we do, though not in ways we’d ever expect. The author has that wonderful ability to take life seriously while also laughing it off. A lovely read.
12. Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, An International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent
I’ve had this book on my wishlist for a long time but it was my daughter-in-law who finally got me to read this book. She suggested we go to a face-to-face book group and this book was the book to be discussed. She read it first and raved about it. I finally got to it this week and I agreed with her. Wonderful story. Can’t wait to talk about it on Monday night.
13. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I know a lot about Henry VIII. I know quite a bit about his first wife, Katherine. I’d say I know an enormous amount about his second wife, Anne Boleyn. I’d even say I know tons about Thomas More. But what did I really know about Thomas Cromwell? Not much.
So, this book. All about Thomas Cromwell. And Henry. And Katherine. And Anne and More. Even though I generally knew the story, every page, every sentence felt new. An excellent book. I honestly cannot imagine anyone who would not be enthralled with this one.
14. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Add this to your list of wonderful don’t-miss-them books. This is a collection of short stories that are loosely linked together and that all take place in Pakistan. Brilliant, all.
1 | Comment (1)This Week’s Reads
286. Guess Again! by Mac Barnett
Since I read this book to 32 classes, 650 kids, I think it should count in my total reads for the year.
Though it only has 32 pages.
And even though every page has only twenty words on it.
But it is a deep book. So it should count. No, scratch that. Not deep. But clever. Yes, I think we can agree that it is quite clever.
Over the heads of most of my youngest library visitors. But, hey, they got some of it. Enough that it is now on the top 10 Most Checked Out Books list. And that’s what really makes it count.
287. Generosity by Richard Powers
I call myself a big Richard Powers fan. I’ve only read one Powers book, but it was a wham-doozy. I often list it on my favorite all-time reads. It was brilliant, with clever word play and subplots that intertwine and characters who are—very strange—scientists and stories about human genes and computers, none of which I really know much about. It was fun and unexpected and, really, brilliant.
And now I’ve finally completed my second Powers, though, truth be told, it was actually a listen not a read.
So what do I think? Am I still a raving Powers fan?
I’d say this one, though it began and proceeded with a powerful hit, would not quite ring my bell. I was waiting for the big, wonderful final ending that tied everything together and it didn’t happen. Or, possibly, it did happen, but it was so over my head that I just didn’t get it. I don’t want to give away the whole story (stop here if you are worried about spoilers) but I didn’t really understand our main heroine’s meltdown. What does that say? I imagine that I will reflect on this a little more (And that’s always the sign of a good book).
288. Bad Things Happen: A Novel by Harry Dolan
We started this one on CDs, on the way home from the Texas Book Festival. We got about 1/3 into the story before we ran out of time. I was intrigued enough with the book that I found it in print at the library and finished it this Thankfully Reading Weekend.
I don’t read many mysteries. I get lost in the plot. I’m really more of a character-driven-story-girl.
And I will admit that I got pretty lost at several points, but I think I got most of the story. I’ll just say the story involves authors and editors who wished they were authors and murders. One person is actually murdered with a book (not giving much away here).
Definitely my kind of murder mystery.
289. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I need to make myself a bumper sticker or a t-shirt so as to announce it to the world: I FINISHED THE BOOK THIEF. Finally.
Five tries. First time, I hated the idea of Death as main character. Gave the book away. Second time, I got irritated with all the sad, miserable people. Turned the book back into the library. Third time, I tried listening to it on CDs. The narrator’s voice was too supercilious for me. Fourth time, I again bought a copy. Found the choice of books Liesel was stealing to be poor choices. Gave book away again.
Every time I gave up, I ran across a rave review of the book.
I was determined to read the entire book this time.
All the things that bothered me the other times I tried the book…they still bothered me a bit. But the book’s powerful story outweighs its irritations. From this book: Death is a sympathetic character. Love wins. Even people who come across as cruel have a good side. Death is the great equalizer. Compassion can beat back wickedness. Words can save you.
1 | Comment (0)More Catching Up
270. Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt by Leslie Kimmelman
I love this book. In simple words, it tells the story of the eminently capable President Theodore Roosevelt, a man who fought in wars, dealt with business leaders, and ran America, but failed to rein in his daughter, Alice. The story neatly parallels Teddy’s successes with his failures to control Alice. The pictures show a mischievous Alice and a bewildered Teddy and include bubbles of their conversations.
I would have loved this book more if I hadn’t already read last year’s book about Alice Roosevelt, a remarkably similar story of Alice’s exploits.
A sample:
“Teddy knew how to handle the Russians and the Japanese
when they couldn’t stop fighting each other.
Teddy got them to shake hands and make up.
He got a Nobel Peace Prize for that.
Teddy knew how to handle the planet.
He helped create a system of national parks
so that the land and wildlife were protected.
But Teddy Roosevelt didn’t always know
how to handle his oldest daughter, Alice.
He told her that while she lived under his roof,
she had to obey his rules. What did Alice do?
She simply decided to spend her time over his roof!”
271. In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage by Alan Schroeder
Augusta Savage, even as a young girl, loved to play with clay, to shape figures from it. Her father, a preacher, disapproved and punished Augusta when he caught her. When the family moved, she was happy to discover a potter who shared his clay with her and encouraged her work. A teacher at her school suggested she go to New York and there she was admitted to a prestigious school where she learned to sculpt.
In Her Hands tells Augusta’s story, in little scenes with her parents and teachers. An author’s note at the end tells more of Augusta’s story and provides photographs of two of her most famous sculptures.
From the book:
‘”Tell me, Miss Savage—what do you know?”
Augusta was confused. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, I think you do.” Mr. Borglum smiled. “What matters most to you? When you think about your life, what comes to mind?”
Augusta had never been asked that kind
of question before. She closed her eyes and
thought for a moment. Green Cove Springs—
that was what she cared about. The place where
she’d grown up, with its clay pits and its smelly
sulphur springs, and the school she’d gone to,
and all the kids she used to play with—Maisie and
Margaret and Pee-wee….’
272. Balarama: A Royal Elephant by Ted and Betsy Lewin
Every year a special elephant is chosen to lead the parade in a big celebration in India. Balarama is the latest elephant to be so honored.
Both Ted and Betsy Lewin are children’s picture book illustrators. In this book, both draw parts of the story. They have very different styles, with Ted painting big beautiful and realistic illustrations, and Betsy doing cartoon-like drawings.
A little:
“Balarama moves majestically toward one of the palace gates, leading a mile-long procession. Band after band and unit after unit of guards and soldiers march smartly past the stage, following Balarama onto the packed streets of Mysore. Throngs of people push forward to see Balarama in his first ceremonial parade.
We are bursting with pride. He is doing great.”
273. A Young Dancer: The Life of an Ailey Student by Valerie Gladstone
Iman Bright is a young dancer. She has been taking dance classes at the Ailey School in New York since she was four. The story is told from Iman’s point of view. She matter-of-factly describes the rigors of learning dance. But Iman comes across as a girl who enjoys many other activities—friends, the violin, her studies at school—a well-rounded girl.
The photographs reveal the astonishing moves Iman can make, with great beauty and joy. The text is easy to read. Who wouldn’t want to meet this young dancer?
A little:
“Ms. Jamison is considered one of the most famous members of the Ailey company. I’ve seen her dance in videos and she is amazing.
She’s very direct and funny when she gives corrections. In one part of the dance, she said I looked more like I was delivering groceries than proudly showing the way to God. A big difference.”
274. The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan by Christy Hale
Isamu Noguchi spent many years of his childhood in Japan as a biracial child. His experiences there led him to become a sculptor who combined the best of both worlds in his art.
Using a minimal amount of text with large illustrations, the author-illustrator tells the story of Noguchi’s childhood.
A sample:
“At school he tried to join in play
but others teased and turned from him.
Left out and alone, Isamu made
a different kind of joy.
He molded clay to form a wave,
then painted it blue like Mama’s eyes.
Holding soft earth in his hands
he almost forgot his loneliness.”
275. Where Else in the Wild? More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed…and Revealed by David Adler
Where Else in the Wild? is a book of clever photographs with camouflaged animals hidden among the world in which they reside. Each photograph contains a clue written as a poem. The camouflaged animal is revealed by lifting the page.
The poems are delightful. My favorite has to be “Ambushed.” The information about the animal is expounded upon on once the reader opens up the oversized page. Each animal selected is fascinating and remarkable.
A bit:
“If there were Olympic Games for underwater camouflage, the scorpionfish would take the gold! One of nature’s camouflage champions, the scorpionfish is the opposite of what most people expect of a tropical fish. It is not sleek, graceful, or brightly colored. Its color is a mottled mixture of gray, brown, and black. This strange-looking fish blends so well into a reef or rocky ocean bottom that you’d have trouble finding one, even if you knew exactly where to look!”
276. Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gillman
Susan and her friend, Claire, set off for a round-the-world trip, but everything came to a screaming halt when Claire was beset with mental illness. This is the story of Susan’s trip, taken over thirty years ago.
I love travel memoirs, but I really liked this one more than most of my recent reads. I’m amazed at the details Gillman provides; it felt almost like a trip back in time.
277. Beautiful Ballerina by Marilyn Nelson
With beautiful pictures and beautiful words, Beautiful Ballerina presents the beautiful story of those who dance at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. The text is concise and the photographs used to illustrate the text eloquently depict the beautiful movement that is ballet.
A little:
“To the traditions of port de bras and
arabesque, of pirouettes,
jetes, and pas de deux,
you bring a tiny hint of Africanness,
juju and beautiful joy danced in your every move.
Beautiful ballerina,
you are the dance.”
278. The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota by Constance Van Hoven
This book sounds like the book is a silly parody. After all, what do you think of when you think of Minnesota? Well, perhaps snow. What else? The mind of this Texan draws a blank.
Using a twelve days of Christmas format, the author reveals there is much more to Minnesota than just snow. Like Norway pines. And hockey sticks. And lumberjacks. And walleyes. Lots more. Just so you know.
The pictures are bright and colorful. The text is written in the format of letters, making it very kid-friendly.
I can see that this is a book I’d love. If I lived in Minnesota.
A sample:
“Hey, Mom and Dad,
We went up north to the lake! That’s what Minnesotans say when they head out to one of the more than 10,000 lakes in the state. The most common lake names? Mud and Long. There are hundreds of those. There are lots of Twin Lakes, too, but only one Lake Hannah and two Lake Sarahs….”
279. Yellowstone Moran by Lita Judge
Tom Moran wanted to visit the West. He was a painter who longed for adventure. Unfortunately, he had never ridden a horse nor camped out. So when he decided to travel with a group bound for Yellowstone, he experienced many trials. It was all worth it to him when he finally arrived and was able to paint the wonders of the West for those back East who would never get to visit Yellowstone themselves.
The book is illustrated with pictures that imitate Moran’s style. The author includes both a bibliography and an author’s note that explain where she obtained her information.
A little:
“Tom Moran had dreams as big as the Montana sky.
He stood in a camp in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, waiting nervously. Though Tom knew the men in the camp were scientists, they looked more like bandits. They eyed him suspiciously. He worried he must look like a greenhorn, but he wasn’t about to admit that he had never ridden a horse, never shot a gun, and never slept in the open air. Tom had just traveled two thousand miles to join this expedition into the land called the Yellowstone. He had to convince the team’s leader, Dr. Hayden, to let him join them.”
280. Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford
I had huge expectations for this book. After all, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is my all-time favorite read. Surely, Crawford must be a fan.
Shop Class was a huge disappointment, possibly due to my huge expectations. It reads with a mix of stilted verbosity of academia and the incomprehensible vocabulary of mechanics. I kept reading, hoping to see why others liked it, and it did not happen for me.
Love to know what others liked about this book. It is the rare read that I finished despite terrible initial misgivings.
281. Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
Surely readers of this book would know the comings and goings well of Miss Jessica Darling and Mr. Marcus Flutie and would pick up this book in hopes of a happy ending, at last. I dare not spoil any Darling/Flutie fans’ trips through this book by revealing any plot points (and I include myself in this group) but I will say I do not see a Sweet Sixths in McCafferty’s future. Quite obviously, if you liked Charmed Thirds or even Fourth Comings, you will like this book. More of the same Before Sunrise kind of chitchat.
282. Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir by Susan E. Isaacs
Isaacs is an actress and a screenwriter. I hate celebrity memoirs, but Isaacs has enough of the writer in her for me to let this one slide under my radar.
So what did I think of it? I admired her for her honesty but she seemed like a raging neurotic, jumping into relationships, jumping out, loving God, blaming God.
My instincts told me from the get-go: Walk away from this book. Some good parts, but not enough to have a whole book.
283. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson
It says second edition, but that still is not current enough. This is the edge the Internet has over books…immediacy. I learned a few new things…podcasting…annotating Flickr…Technorati…but, overall, I’d have done better to see information on the net.
284. The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak by Tomek Bogacki
Serving on a panel for the Cybils Award has been wonderful for me; I have visited many intriguing places, I’ve learned about many fascinating events in history, and I have met many exemplary people.
Janusz Korczak is one of those exemplary people. He ran an orphanage for poor children in Poland during the Nazi years. His orphanage was a model for others. He allowed the children to make their own laws which everyone, even the adults, were expected to follow. He started a newspaper to which children were asked to contribute. He spent time with the children and taught them gardening, sports, and, most importantly, love.
The author of this book of Korczak’s life tells his story in simple words, with simple pictures. There are historical notes, author’s notes, and a list of sources and acknowledgments to provide information about how the book came about.
285. River of Dreams: The Story of the Hudson River by Hudson Talbott
I must be honest. I was not really interested in finding and reading this book. What did I care about the Hudson River?
I was wrong. This is a fascinating story of a river and the life it has supported over the years, Native Americans, the Dutch, those who used its link with the Erie Canal, the railroaders, writers, artists, and, now, environmentalists.
The pictures are beautiful paintings. The author also includes diagrams and maps and timelines to help the reader better understand the story.
Two Inspiring Reads
268. Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
How could I have hoped that this book would surpass Kidder’s last book? Impossible, really. I loved his last book and rated it one of my best reads of the year.
So the standards were high. If I take that off the table, and simple evaluate this book on its own merits, I nevertheless must admit to a bit of disappointment. It was a good read. But not a great one.
Why?
Kidder has chosen Deo, a refugee from Burundi, as the subject of his latest book. Deo is truly a hero. He has survived a genocide and has returned to Burundi to improve health care in that country.
I think my disappointment stems from Deo’s story. Perhaps at Deo’s bidding, much of the sensational details were omitted from the tale. Deo’s struggle to survive seems easier, somehow, than I’d anticipated.
Please ignore my disappointment. This is a wonderful story, well worth reading. A good story, if not a great one.
269.Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
Chan is the voice of our deepest conscience: Are we doing all we can to bring others to Christ? Are we driven to be all God wants us to be?
And, of course, we must answer, No. And, of course, we must resolve to do better.
Chan helps us with inspiriting, uplifting, truly amazing stories of others who are out there doing all they can to bring others to Christ and becoming all God would have them become.
Chan also gives us verse after verse of Bible wisdom to guide us and provoke us and send us on our way.
A powerful read.
Mostly Children’s Nonfiction Picture Books
222. If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States by David J. Smith
If the World Were a Village is one of my favorite all-time books. I’ve always wanted to use that book at school to talk to kids about what people are like all over the world.
So I was very happy to see this new book, a sequel of sorts. And it is satisfying for someone such as me who loves statistics and who is always trying to figure out what makes people the way they are.
Smith reduces the 306 million people in the United States down to a village of 100 people. He does this to make it clearer to children (and grownup readers) what the people of the US are like.
A few random facts that interested me from the book:
“In 1900, 96 percent (of American immigrants) came from Europe….In 2000, 15 percent came from Europe, 49 percent came from Latin America, 31 percent from Asia and 5 percent from other places.”
“…Americans are not the top users of cell phones…the highest number, 158 per 100 people, in Luxembourg.” Why, I wonder.
“Americans are also the world’s top users of water….You’d need an Olympic-sized swimming pool to hold the water each American uses, on average, each year – about 456,000 gallons….” Whew! That’s a half million gallons of water for each person!
And in one day, Americans use 4 million plastic cups. Scary!
Another scary fact: “Sixty-five people (out of our 100) are overweight.” Oh dear.
I wish the pictures had helped tell the story a little more. For me, I would have liked pictures that enhanced the difficult concepts a bit more. A great place for thinking maps.
223. Jackson and Bud’s Bumpy Ride: America’s First Cross-Country Automobile Trip by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff
Love this story!
In 1903, Dr. Horatio Jackson made a bet that he could drive all the way across the United States in a horseless buggy in less than three months. Jackson hires a mechanic to go along on the ride with him and they set off.
Remember what things were like then? No paved roads. No maps. No gas stations. Maximum speed of 30 mph. Not even a windshield to keep the bugs out of your mouth.
The author chooses to zoom in on the events of several days during the sixty-three day trip. The pictures and the text are hilarious. Here’s a sample:
May 23 – San Francisco, California
“Good-bye! Good luck! Be careful!” shouts Jackson’s wife, Bertha, who will be returning to Vermont by train.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Jackson pats the car. “This trusty machine will get us there with no troubles at all!” (Picture shows the two men setting off in the tiny car.)
(Turn the page and we see the two men standing next to the car. The wheel is off and the mechanic, Crocker, looks a little bewildered.) About fifteen miles later…Bump, bump, bump, Ka-plooey!
The pictures are a definite plus here. Love this book!
Comments from children:
“I really liked the pictures.”
“I liked how the dog followed them.”
5, 5,5, 5, 5, 5,5,5,5,5,1,0
224. Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport
How many people have been encouraged to be better human beings because of Eleanor Roosevelt? This is the story of her life. The author uses quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt to add strength to her story. The story is a powerful one and this is well told, with simple words that should be clear to young children. The line breaks the author uses make the text seem like poetry. The pictures show the feelings Eleanor had as she grew bolder and braver.
Here’s a little bit of the book:
‘Eleanor’s parents died before she was ten.
She and her brother went to live
with their grandmother Hall
and two aunts and two uncles
in a big, dreary house.
Her grandmother did everything
she thought was right for a little girl,
except hug and kiss her.
“I never smiled.”’
The enormous picture of Eleanor’s face on the front cover is very appealing. I also love how the author highlights Eleanor’s words by writing them in large type. The author also includes a timeline and a list of selected research sources.
225. Creature ABC by Andrew Zuckerman
If Zuckerman were only the author of this book, he would have little call for pride in his accomplishment; the entire text of the book consists of less than fifty words, all of which are simply labels to the photographs (though I suppose, if you count the glossary at the end, we might up that to about four hundred.) But it’s not the text that draws you to the book. It’s the photographs. They are, in a word, brilliant. Alive. Vivid. A surprise here and there. (What does he use for “u”, you might ask. A surprise.)
So a good review of this book might simply be a series of photographs, with an accompanying label. Perhaps it might start like this:
Aa astonishing
Bb breathtaking…
Okay, you get the idea. Marvelous work.
226. Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis by Robbin Gourley
This book falls right on the line between fiction and nonfiction. It consists of little excerpts from the childhood of Edna Lewis, a girl who grew into one of the best chefs in the world. Each scene depicts Edna and her family picking fresh fruits and vegetables on the farm where Edna grew up. Each scene includes conversations that might have taken place between Edna and her family members and concludes with a song or a snippet of folklore or a short poem about the fruits and vegetables.
The story resonates with rhythm and the joy of country living and country cooking. The pictures are bright and busy. The author’s note at the end tells of Edna’s life and outlines the research the author did to write the book. There is a short list of Edna’s cookbooks and, best of all, the author includes a few of Edna’s recipes.
A bit from the book:
‘A warm breeze is blowing, and it’s cherry-picking time. Everyone races to the trees and up the ladders to fill buckets and bellies with the ripe fruit.
Edna says, “A deep-dish cherry pie—that’ll be the reward for all our hard work.”
Brother says: “Look at that bird in the cherry tree.
He’s eating them one by one.
He’s shaking his bill, he’s getting his fill
as down his throat they run.”
227. Camping with the President by Ginger Wadsworth
I don’t think I would have ever run across this book if I had not been a Cybil judge and it had not been nominated for best nonfiction picture book. The publisher is a small one and the topic is a small story.
I’m glad I did. It’s a lovely book, with a well-told story and engaging pictures. Camping with the President is the story of a camping trip taken by President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir to Yosemite in 1903. They slept on the ground and ate from food prepared over an open fire. They hiked through the mountains and stood next to sequoias and looked at waterfalls.
The book strikes me as exceptionally authoritative. In an author’s note, Wadsworth spends two pages telling how she obtained the information for the book. She has an additional page of source notes. In addition to the story of the camping expedition, she also provides additional information about Roosevelt, Muir, and Yosemite at the end of the book.
My husband and I visited Yosemite two summers ago. It gives me a happy feeling to think that we walked where Roosevelt and Muir once walked, that we saw sites these two men saw. And I am thankful that because of these two men and others like them we had the privilege of doing so.
From the book:
‘While the President chewed his way through a platter of steak and fried potatoes, Muir spoke of the need to provide “government protection…around every wild grove and forest on the mountains.” He urged Roosevelt to set aside land, including the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and the state-run Yosemite Valley, which they would visit the next day.
The President had never met anyone who talked as much, or as fast, about the importance of nature. In fact, Muir seemed to live on words, not food! As Roosevelt listened, he heard a noise in the trees above him. Was it a dreaded Secret Service man, guarding him in a tree? He listened again. Then he chuckled. In his notebook, the President wrote “owl.”’
Comments from children:
Israel, 6, said, “I liked how they went hunting.”
Destany, 6, said, “I liked the pictures.”
Sydney, 6, said, “I liked it when they went fishing.”
Jamye, 7, said, “I liked the cover.”
Vanessa, 6, said, “I liked when he cooked.”
Tucker, 7, said, “I liked the part where the men were by the big tree.”
Robyn, 6, said, “I liked it when they were at the top.”
Leyah, 7, said, “I liked the part where they are camping.”
1, 5, 5, 5, 1, 0, 5, 5
228. The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass
The first page of the book:
“There once was a man whose love of nature was as wide as the world.
There once was an artist who needed to paint as much as he needed to breathe.
There once was an islander who lived in a cottage at the edge of Mississippi, where the sea meets the earth and sky.
His name was Walter Anderson.
He may be the most famous American artist you’ve never heard of.”
This book is two books; it’s a close-up of Anderson’s daily trip to Horn Island, adventuring and painting, and it’s a complete biography of Anderson’s life. Together, they make for an excellent book.
Anderson has been called the American Van Gogh. He painted extensively and kept voluminous journals. He, like Van Gogh, used brilliant color, and he, like Van Gogh, suffered from mental illness.
The illustrations in this book are beautifully painted and the story of Anderson’s life is told with love and respect and admiration.
The author’s note is a biography of Anderson’s life and an explanation of how she came to write the book. She came to live in Anderson’s town and her husband worked as director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art there. She includes a bibliography at the back of the book as well.
Comments from children:
Sydney, 6, said, “I liked the part where he painted the room and the horse.”
Leyah, 7, said, “I liked the first part.”
Jayme, 7, said, “I liked his painting.”
Destany, 6, said, “I liked when he painted the horse.”
Vanessa, 6, said, “I liked when the boat dropped the bananas and he let the raccoon eat it.”
Robin, 6, said, “I liked when he painted the room.”
Israel, 6, said, “I liked when he dropped the bananas.”
5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5,
229. Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation by Jacqueline Jules
Fun, fun fun. Sure we have heard of the Articles of Confederation and the Virginia Compromise and the New Jersey Plan, but who really remembers much about them? This book could help lots of kids (and adults, on occasion) better understand how our system of government came about.
After the war for independence, there really wasn’t much of a United States of America. There were just thirteen separate states. Problems. One big problem was money. Each state printed its own. States wouldn’t accept the money of other states. And who would fight for these thirteen separate states?
Finally, fifty-five men came together from twelve states (no Rhode Island) to figure things out and the result was the amazing Constitution of the United States. It still works today because of the brilliance and cooperation of those who met together to create this document.
Cold hard facts are the text of this book, but it is the fun illustrations that really explain and expound upon the the subject. It is the illustrations that kept me reading along. Very kid friendly. And for a subject that can be way over the heads of many ten year olds.
An afterword explains the process of the Constitution in detail as does a notes section that expands upon the most complicated parts of the book in a clever question-answer format. The book also includes a web link to the Constitution with an invitation to read the document for oneself and a lengthy bibliography.
Here’s a sample:
‘(text) This wasn’t an easy idea to accept, especially for the small states like New Jersey and Delaware, who were afraid the big states would outvote them in Congress.
(from the cartoon balloons) Pennsylvania: “Sure, the number of delegates will be based on population. What’s wrong with that?”
Delaware: “Everything! If you have more delegates, you’ll have more votes than I do.”
North Carolina: “But you’re not even half my size. Why should you have the same number of votes?”’
229. Pony Island by Candice F. Ransom
I knew the story of the horses on Chincoteague from my childhood as my teacher read all the books by Marguerite Henry aloud to us when I was in fourth grade. This book tells about the stories of the wild horses on the island, from how they arrived to today, in short spurts of verse.
The pictures are brilliant with color. The text is simple, perhaps too simple.
Here’s a taste:
“Big ship wrecks.
Stormy sea.
Cargo horses
Swimming free….
Empty island.
Room to roam.
Birds and beaches.
Brand-new home.”
Comments from children:
Sydney, 6, said, “I liked the part with the fire.”
Jayme and Vanessa and Leyah, 6, said, “I liked the part where the horses swam across the water.”
Robin, 6, said, “I liked the pictures.”
Tucker, 6, said, “I liked the part where the horses go through the water.”
Israel said, “I liked the rainbow pictures.”
All of the kids liked the words. They liked how the words rhymed.
5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
230. What Can You Do With an Old Red Shoe? A Green Activity Book About Reuse by Anna Alter
Recycling is big. As it should be. This is a book filled with ideas of how to reuse items that are generally thrown away, including a flip-flop, tin cans, old crayons, wrapping paper, toys, and, from the title, old red shoes.
The directions are clear and easy to follow. The end products are good choices for children, including stamps, new crayons, planters, and candles.
One bit from the book:
“What Can You Do With a Flip-Flop?
1. First, Sarah cleans the sand and dirt off her flip-flop and cuts the foot straps halfway down.
2. Then, she turns it over, centers the cookie cutter where the top strap intersects the bottom of the shoe, and traces the shape using the marker.
3. Next, her mom uses scissors to help her cut out the shape she traced.
4. When they are finished cutting, Sarah paints the bottom of her flip-flop and presses it onto a piece of paper.
Now Sarah has a new stamp for making art!”
There are additional tips for reusing and recycling items in the back of the book.
Each suggestion is featured with a short poem that leads into the project. All the pages are heavily illustrated to make clear the steps of the process.
This book would be great as a lead into a lesson about how to recycle.
Comments from children:
About half were seven and half were eight. There were nine girls and three boys.
The pictures looked cool, one girl told us.
One girl said, “I liked on every page how it told you to make things.”
One boy liked the ideas.
“People might check it out a lot so they could keep making things.”
“I would check it out a lot.”
“I liked it, but some of the pictures did not have enough details.”
5, 5, 5, 2, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 0, 5, 5
231. Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Juliana Hatkoff
Children love animal stories. And I mean LOVE.
It may be a universal thing. I heard the other day that putting a picture of a cat or a dog on your blog creates a tremendous increase in your blog traffic.
So there is a built-in love-it factor in this book. Add a little more for the love-dolphins crowd (and they are numerous). Then add a little more for the fact that the dolphin has had to overcome a disability. You end up with lots of appeal for this book.
The illustrations are photographs of the dolphin. The text is heavier than is usual for a picture book, but it would still make for a good readaloud for the youngest of children.
Odd side note: This is the only book that has come back (so far) from my ILL requests with a cannot fill note. And then what happened? I found the book at my book fair this week. Happy day!
231. Faith by Maya Ajmera
With simple text and lots of photographs, Faith shows ways that people of many religions around the world practice their faith. The photographs have short captions that explain the common practices of religions. The common practices include helping others, visiting holy places, reading holy books, singing, celebrating with festivals, and caring for others.
These practices are examined in more detail in the back of the book. The book also includes a glossary.
Comments from children:
“I pray every night, so I like the Faith book,” one first grader said.
“This book is easy to read.”
232. Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee by Marissa Moss
Maggie Gee was one of only two Chinese Americans to serve as a WASP in World War II. This book tells her story.
The text is clear and the pictures are bright and colorful. I liked the way the book talked about family stories both true and not-yet-to-be-true. The difficulties Gee faced as a minority and as a woman during that time were mentioned, but were not the entire focus of the book.
The author’s note adds more to Gee’s story. The last page of the book shows photographs of those mentioned in the book.
A bit of the book:
‘The day that I earned my wings and was made a WASP, I was so proud that I felt as if I could fly without an airplane. I sent my mother a postcard. All I wrote was: “Some stories are true, some are not. This is a true story.” My family’s stories flew with me, but now I was living out my own true stories.’
The author’s note adds more to Gee’s story. The last page of the book shows photographs of those mentioned in the book.
Comments from children:
“I liked the pictures.”
“It shows you something that used to happen.”
“It’s a true story.”
“Interesting. Fascinating.”
“I like facts.”
This was from a group of two eight year olds and four seven year olds.
5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
233. Redwoods by Jason Chin
I can see myself picking this as my favorite nonfiction picture book. I love the text and the pictures perfectly complement the text. Redwoods serve as a fascinating subject yet have not been overdone as a subject.
The text information is supplemented with an author’s note explaining his interest in the subject and a note about the danger to redwoods. No bibliography which is disappointing but not absolutely necessary.
There really is only one obstacle to adding this to my shortlist: What do kids think? I must try this book out on my primary students.
A bit from the book:
“The coast redwoods are among
the oldest trees in the world.
Their ancestors lived about 165 million
years ago, during the Jurassic period.”
(Illustrations show a boy reading a book about redwoods, getting on a subway, and sitting and reading the book on the subway while in the windows behind him lurk three green dinosaurs.”
Comments from children:
“I thought it was pretty nice seeing the pictures and what he was imagining.”
“I think the pictures are pretty.”
“I liked the words because they talked about the real forest.”
“I got a good idea of how tall the trees were.”
“The trees were cool.”
“I liked how the girl picked up the book at the end.”
“I liked the words because I could understand what they were saying.”
5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5,
234. Wrestling the ABCs: Creating Character and Fostering Fitness by Tom and Veronica Davids
Kids are always begging me for books about wrestling at my library, but I have the strong feeling that this is not the kind of wrestling book they are seeking.
I know nothing about wrestling, so this book was honestly the first time I have learned anything about it, other than what I’ve heard about it through the grapevine.
It looks like something kids would like to do. A lot of tossing and flipping down and pinning. Definitely not a sport for the reading crowd I hang out with.
The illustrations were for me the best part of the book. They are little cartoons and are very clever and funny. I’m not sure what the kids would think of it, but the little rhymes on each page were a little too ta-da-da-da ta-da-da-dee for me. The information about famous wrestlers did not light up a single bulb in my mind; surely, there is one wrestler in the world I have heard of? But perhaps not.
A few things I questioned:
“A wrestler’s uniform consists of a singlet, headgear, and wrestling shoes. Knee pads, mouth guards, and tights are optional.” Hey, what about the feather boas and the hip boots?
“Wrestling teams travel all over the world, bringing their different styles and cultures to share with others. Wrestling makes the world a wonderful place.” Wrestling makes the world a wonderful place? Hmmm. Is that so?
“C is for your coach,
Who trains and teaches you.
With conditioning and calisthenics,
He’ll make a champion out of you!”
Conditioning and calisthenics? Isn’t there an extra syllable in there somewhere, Dr. Bill?
For me, as with all the nominees, the final test is with the kids. Let’s see what they think about this book.
235. Mermaid Queen by Shana Corey
Loved this author and this illustrator’s work together on a previous book about Alice Roosevelt. This one was even better. The wonderful text, printed in big and small fonts, with curls and swirls, combined with the fun illustrations makes for a great book.
I’m happy to learn about the life of Annette Kellerman, who began to swim to strengthen her legs weakened by debilitating disease. She loved dancing and was the first to create what came to be known as water ballet. She later revolutionized bathing apparel.
Here’s a sample:
“When they arrived in London, they went to Soho and the Strand, Picadilly and the Palace, hoping to put on a show. But everywhere they went, people just scoffed.
A girl swimmer?
Too plain. Too plump. Too weird.
Too wet. Too bad!”
Comments from children:
The four kindergarten boys liked the splashing water, but they were not interested in the swimming.
236. One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin by Kathryn Lasky
Charles Darwin was a child who was allowed to explore and he grew up, despite his terrible conflicts with schools, to be a man who explored the world of nature.
Lasky, as she has done in every book, writes the story of Darwin’s life brilliantly. Darwin feels as round and human as any fictional character. He comes across as both a student easily bored and a thoughtful observer.
The pictures make Darwin feel even more real, smart yet bumbling.
I loved the richness of the writing and the fun of the pictures. A bibliography is included at the end.
A sample:
“He was told it was something no clergyman should do. That it was a wild scheme. That the boat was unsafe. That the voyage would be useless. That this was a most unsuitable occupation and would ruin his character. And if all that were not enough, he would surely get horribly seasick and furthermore the natives would probably eat him. In spite of all these objections from his father and sisters and aunts and uncles, Charles still wanted to go.”
237. Pippo the Fool by Tracey E. Fern
The people of Florence wanted their cathedral to be complete, to be crowned with a beautiful dome. They initiated a contest. Many tried to design a dome, but all were failures until Pippo the Fool appeared. Pippo was the object of derision to many, but his design was flawless. It took Pippo many years to complete his work, but it was spectacular when finished.
This is the kind of story that we adult nonfiction readers crave these days, what we call a piece of nonfiction that reads like a story. Children crave it, too, I think.
Pippo the Fool is a lovely story, with excellent complementary illustrations.
A bit:
‘Finally the judges turned to Pippo’s plans. They could not believe their eyes. Surely this was the craziest idea yet! Pippo’s dome seemed to float over the cathedral like a great balloon. It had no columns, no earth, no scaffolding to support it.
“How do you plan to build such a dome?” the judges asked. “What will hold it up?”
Pippo would not tell. He was worried that Lorenzo would steal his idea.’
Comments from children:
Half were seven and half were eight, with five girls and three boys.
“I didn’t like the pictures and the words were too long.”
“I liked the building he made.”
One person liked the pictures.
Not many were interested in a builder.
238. The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton
So how would you illustrate a book about the two brothers who invented day-glo paint? But of course. And, boy, are day-glo colors effective in the telling of this story and its illustration.
Bob and Joe Switzer never set out to be inventors. Joe wanted to be a magician. Bob wanted to be a doctor. They did not realize their dreams, but a greater future lay ahead of them; they gained fame as the inventors of day-glo paint.
The story of the two brothers is a serendipitous tale of how inventors invent, of how one thing unexpectedly leads to another, of how dreams are realized even when one thinks they have been traveling down the wrong path.
I love how the illustrator used just a bit of day-glo here and there to make a point. Beautiful and fun.
Just a bit:
“After Joe got married in 1938, he and his wife, Elise, moved into a run-down old farmhouse so he would have room for his own laboratory. It wasn’t the best place for a young family, as their baby boy liked to chew on chemical-splattered shoes.”
Comments from children:
“I liked the paint.”
“I liked the story.”
Four kindergarteners, two boys and two girls rated the book.
5, 5, 5, 5, 5
239. What Darwin Saw by Rosalyn Schanzer
I know, I know. It looks like a comic book. It sounds like a comic book.
It’s not a comic book.
Or, at least, it’s not your grandfather’s comic book. So to speak.
What Darwin Saw is the story of Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, a trip that changed the way people saw the world. It looks like a comic book. It sounds like a comic book.
But this is no Superman here. The text enclosed in little speech balloons comes from primary sources, often. This is the textbook comic book. Or a comic book textbook. Something like that.
A sample: A view of the Amazon, with monkeys and parrots and frogs hanging from trees, alligators swimming close to Darwin’s rowboat, and in the speech balloons coming from Darwin’s mouth: “Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval forests, undefaced by the hand of man.” Huh? I am imagining the reaction of a fifth grader.
The pictures tell the story, or help tell the story. All the complex ideas are made clearer with the pictures in this book.
The book concludes with an author’s note explaining the making of the book and a bibliography.
240. Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Woo
Paula Woo! How well I remember her previous book, Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds. What a fantastic story.
So I could not wait to read this one, another biography of an Asian American. This time Woo tells the story of Anna May Wong, an actress in Hollywood in the 1930’s through the 1950’s. Wong did not like the stereotypical roles of an Asian American woman she often had to play, but it was not until near the end of her career that she decided to stop playing those roles.
The story of Wong is well told, with clear words and expressive pictures.
A little, from the very beginning of the book:
‘Anna May Wong struggled to free herself. Tight ropes bound her to the railroad tracks. A plume of smoke puffed into the sky as a train rumbled toward her.
“Stop daydreaming!”
Startled, Anna May opened her eyes. The train vanished. Steam, not smoke, hissed from a nearby boiler filled with dirty clothes.
“Get back to work,” snapped her father. “We have a full day’s worth of laundry to clean and press.”‘
There is an author’s note, giving more information about Wong, along with a list of sources and films viewed at the end.
241. Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole by Deborah Hopkinson
An exerpt:
“Matthew Henson
was born in a Maryland cabin,
at a time when boys dreamed of finding glory,
of planting flags at the ends of the Earth,
making the unknown known,
and recording their names into history books.
Young Matt had that same hunger to explore,
but most folks would have laughed at his dreams.
For Matt was born in 1866, just after the Civil War,
a time when poor black boys like him
had few chance to roam the next county,
to say nothing of another country, the seven seas,
or the top of the world.”
The line breaks in this book make the worlds read like poetry. Each double page has a quote that emphasizes the ideas on the pages.
The story tells the most important events of Henson’s trip with Peary to the North Pole. The book concludes with an author’s note telling more about Henson, a time line, and a list of resources.
242. Pharaoh’s Boat by David Weitzman
In 1954, a crew of men found a secret wall. As they began to dig at the wall, they were amazed to discover a boat built almost 4,600 years ago.
This book is the story of the unearthing of that boat, the process the men went through to rebuild it, and the amazing patience of the leader of the men.
I don’t know why, but books like these go right over my head. Lots and lots of things were unclear to me, but it may just be my own lack of understanding.
An example:
“The rope lashing did more than just hold the hull together. When sewn ships like this were launched, the wood soaked up water like a sponge and expanded. At the same time, the rope shrank as it got wet, pulling the planks together and closing any little spaces between them to make the ship watertight.”
Comments from children:
“I liked the pictures but there were too many words.”
“I liked the whole idea of how they made the boat. I liked the ropes, the ax, and how it was put together.”
0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 5, 5, 1, 3, 1, 1
243. Life-Size Zoo by Teruyuki Komiya
I like this book so much. I pushed it off on several parents seeking books for their kids. How could someone go wrong with this book?
Here are things I liked about it: An information sheet about the animals on the front endpapers. A table of contents created to be like a zoo map (oh so clever). A part of the animal presented in full life-size. Things to look for on the drawing, up close. Cool facts about the animal.
And what great choices for animals: a panda, zebra, tiger (those scary teeth), gorilla, rhino (with a horn made of hair?), anteater (what a nose!), koala (much smaller than I would have expected), and more.
244. Nic Bishop: Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop
The photographs are incredible. The text is pretty darn good, too.
Nic Bishop: Frogs won last year’s Cybil nonfiction picture book award. Does that hurt this year’s Nic Bishop entry? Or does it help it?
Just a dollop:
“There is no mistaking a butterfly. Its colorful wings skip in the air like petals blown by the wind. Blues, reds, and yellows dance in the sunlight. Some shimmer like tinsel.”
Only one of the kindergarten boys said he would like to check out this book over and over. One boy said he would check it out for his mother!
A lot of kids said they would check it out a lot. But one boy said he thought some of the pictures were too creepy.
They liked the pictures a lot and seemed to understand the text.
5, 5, 5, 5, 0
245. Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock
“Bubbles are soft and squishy and full of air. They shimmer. They float. And they are very handy. Animals make bubbles, ride bubbles, breathe bubbles, and even live in bubbles. Animals use bubbles in amazing ways.”
Each two page spread tells about another way an animal uses bubbles. There is a paragraph full of fascinating text and an overblown picture to help explain the difficult parts, with a speech bubble (of course!) to add a little more information.
The back of the book has additional facts about bubble makers along with a glossary and a list of acknowledgments to those who helped the author in writing the book.
246. Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
“You can’t live with such fears and keep on whistling. The waiting builds up in you like a tide. You start wanting it to be done with. You find yourself saying to the sky, Just do it. Do your worst. Get it over with. She could feel the coming tremor of it running through her spine, asleep or awake….”
Well. Year of the Flood. If one-quarter of the horrible things that happened in this book were to occur in the world, I would hate to still be around. A dystopia as bleak as The Road. Almost as bleak as The Road. The Road is bleak.
Let’s see if I can reveal a little about the plot. The creatures of the earth are changing rapidly. A corporation is using biotechnology to merge species for their own purposes and to inflict disease on those it doesn’t like. At the same time, a cult has developed that holds the creatures of the earth as sacred.
The story is told from the points of view of Ren and Toby, two young women, in alternating chapters. Other important characters are Ren’s friend, Amanda; Zeb, Ren’s stepfather; Jimmy, Ren’s boyfriend; the Painballers, a group who seem almost without human feeling after being punished in subhuman ways; and Adam One, the leader of the cult, the Gardeners.
The story shifts from year five to year ten and on up, to year twenty-five, the year of the flood. A natural disaster (“the waterless flood”) occurs in year twenty-five and most of humanity is destroyed.
Every page made me think, about human life, about relationships, about ecology, about kindness and cruelty. A very thoughtful, if scary book.
247. Haunted Houses: The Unsolved Mystery by Lisa Wade McCormick
An absolutely perfect haunted house book for an elementary school library. The pictures are spooky without being horrifying and the text is mysterious and provocative but not nightmarish. The text is simple enough for even young readers to attempt it. It tells just the barest of facts about haunted houses, just right for elementary readers.
I got a quick look at this book last week when a book salesman visited my library. I liked it so much that I bought it for my school library.
Given that Halloween has just passed, I’ll be very interested to see what kids at my school think of this one!
A little of this book:
“What Are Haunted Houses?
Strange events happen in
haunted houses. Some people
hear screams. Others see lights
turn on and off by themselves.”
Children’s comments:
This book was a big hit with the group of children who looked at it. The group consisted of half kindergarteners and half first graders and they were equally divided between boys and girls. They all wanted to check it out, they said. They were very interested in haunted houses. The text and the pictures were scary, they said, but not so scary that they would not want to read it. They seemed to understand the words.
248. Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi by Rachel Rodriguez
This book is the story of Antoni Gaudi, an architect from Spain. It tells how Gaudi came to create buildings that imitated things he saw in nature.
I had never heard of Gaudi or any of his buildings, so the whole book was new information for me. I liked the simplicity of the text and way the author shows how Gaudi’s work evolves and grows, how he tries ideas no one has ever tried before.
An author’s note, a list of photos available online, and a bibliography in the back adds more information about Gaudi for those who are interested in learning more.
A bit:
“He designs a gate for his friend
Guell’s country home.
A dragon perches atop diamonds and squares,
baring his fangs and slithery tongue.
Gaudi’s creations get braver.”
Children’s comments:
Children always surprise me. The group of first graders who looked through this book loved it. They liked the buildings Gaudi made. They rated this book mostly 5’s and 3’s, with a couple of 1’s.
249. Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin
Rhyming text accompanied by the waxing and waning of the moon—this is Faces of the Moon. The pictures include cutaways of the moon. As the pages turn, the moon grows from a crescent to a full moon and then back to a crescent moon again. The pictures make a complicated event clear.
A sample:
“A few days pass, and Moon’s less shy;
her smile lights the twilight sky.
The more her sunlit surface shows,
the more Moon’s WAXING CRESCENT grows.
Waxing Cresent* Moon rises in the mid-morning
and sets in the mid-evening.”
*The notes for both waxing crescent and waning crescent spell the word incorrectly.
Children’s comments:
I tried this out with a group of sixteen students, half boys, half girls, and half kindergarteners and half first graders. They loved the cutouts that showed how the moon waxed and waned. They said they understood the text.
250. John Brown: His Fight for Freedom by John Hendrix
John Brown led an attack on Harper’s Ferry in an attempt to obtain weaponry for his army, an army he hoped to use to defeat slavery. The attack did not go off as planned and Brown was hung for his efforts.
I’ve always seen Brown as a terrorist, but he is not presented this way in the book; he comes across as a man who deplored slavery, loved God, and desperately wanted to stop slavery in America.
The pictures are fun and bright and add a lot to the book. The text is a bit long winded for younger readers, but it would be perfect for an older group of readers, such as junior high or high school students.
An author’s note explains why Hendrix came to write the book and shows where Hendrix obtained his information. The book also includes a list of sources.
A bite of the book:
“Like a great fuming tornado, John swept across the plains to fight for Kansas. He fought many battles on those windy plains, but it was a dark night along Pottawatomie Creek that made him notorious. John and his sons stormed the houses of five pro-slavery settlers who had been threatening his family and other abolitionists, took the men to the creek, and killed them with broadswords. John’s ruthless tactics spread fear into the hearts of the Border Ruffians and others, but also branded John a crazed madman….”
Children’s comments:
The children, eight first grade students, who previewed this book didn’t really know what to make of it. The story was unfamiliar to them and they really didn’t even know enough about the Civil War or slavery yet to be able to really understand what was going on. The ratings with this group were a mix of 3’s and 1’s, but I imagine that upper elementary students would enjoy it a lot more.
251. Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends by Carol Buckley
Tarra was a roller-skating elephant in the circus, in a movie, and on television. Finally, she was retired and taken to live in a sanctuary for elephants in Tennessee. Usually, an elephant will befriend another elephant, but Tarra did not make a friend there for a long time. One day, however, she met Bella and, unexpectedly, the two became best friends.
The text is simple and easy to understand. The book is illustrated with photographs of Tarra and Bella.
A little:
“Bella was rushed to the animal hospital, where the vets said she had a spinal cord injury. No one knew if Bella would ever walk again, but they took Bella home and made her comfortable in the heated office above the elephant barn while they tried to nurse her back to help. Through a large window Bella watched longingly as the elephants played outside. Meanwhile, for two full days, Tarra remained standing at the exact spot where Bella had been found, waiting for Bella to return.”
Children’s comments:
One child said, “I like how a little bitty animal and a big animal are friends.” Another child said she liked how loving the pictures are. Both boys and girls liked this book. Most gave it a five, but a few thought it was a three.
252. Dinosaur by Stephanie Stansbie
Wow! I can see this will probably be very popular with the kids! The cover is a scary picture of a dinosaur with long, bloody teeth. The title is written in gold letters. Inside are pages that fold open, pockets with papers inside that pull out, windows, all containing little snippets of information about dinosaurs. It has a beautiful, fun look.
The text is actually quite high level, certainly beyond the readers at a primary school. But, like many books of this ilk, it is not really a book designed to be read, paragraph after paragraph, page after page; it’s designed to be read in little chunks, as one wishes.
A random snippet:
“As the biggest predator in its area, the Albertosaurus would not have needed camouflage to hide from attackers. But it could have crept up on speedier prey if it had blended into the trees like a brown bear. Perhaps it was speckled with spots like a hyena to blur its outline further.”
Children’s comments:
The cover was so inviting that everyone wanted to look at this book. But, when they opened it, and looked through it, the children realized it was too hard for them to read.
253. It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph by Monica Kulling
George Eastman had to leave school early and get a job to help support his family. He decided he needed a hobby and he chose photography. Cameras were enormously heavy and pictures took a long time to develop and George decided to improve this. He did and history was made.
With pictures as clever as those in a child’s story book and with text as readable as a child’s story book, this book should easily appeal to children of all ages.
‘At the stone bridge, George had a brain wave. “Bunch together, everyone,” he shouted. “I’m going to take your photograph!”
“How exciting,” said the grocer.
“You betcha,” said the baker.
“I don’t know anyone who can take a photograph,” said the blacksmith.
“What’s a photograph?” asked the cobbler.’
Children’s comments:
There was some interest among the children for this book. They were interested in learning about the old days of photography. Most of the children rated it a 3, with a couple of 5’s.
254. About Penguins: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill
About Penguins is just that: about penguins. Each two page spread contains a picture that is as detailed as a photograph and a sentence about the picture. Each sentence is clearly written and is an interesting fact that kids want to know.
In the afterword to the book, the author expands upon the sentence and provides a paragraph of information about each picture.
Here are three pages of text from the book:
“Some penguins build nests on top of the ground.
Others dig burrows under the ground.
Others have no nest. They hold the egg and then the chick on their feet.”
Children’s comments:
This book was perfect for the children at my school, PreK to second grade. Even some of the kindergarteners could read it. The pictures were inviting. The subject matter is popular with this group as well. Everyone rated it very high, with all 5’s and 4’s.
255. In the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson
I had never heard the phrase, “boreal forest.” After reading this book, I’ve learned it refers to the large expanses of forest that spread widely across the northern part of the world.
The pictures beautifully depict those who live in the forest. The text pops and crackles with onomatopoeia. The words and pictures combine to present a clear picture of this enormous forested land.
A bit:
“Grrowll! The bear needs a five-inch layer of body fat to survive a long winter sleep. In one frenzied day he gobbles 70,000 berries. His droppings spread seeds that grow into new bushes.”
Children’s comments:
The children who looked through this book liked the pictures and the text.
256. Nugget on the Flight Deck by Patricia Newman
Kids can’t get enough of our military and their jeeps and tanks and airplanes and ships. Kids will love this one.
Nugget on the Flight Deck is written in present tense, as if you, the reader, are accompanying me, the guide, on a trip up in fighter plane. The lingo is filled with jargon used by military pilots.
The pictures are action packed. The text is action packed.
I’m probably one of the people in the world who knows very little about flying or the military, but I loved reading this book.
A clip:
“Watch this. We’ll slow down and pull up hard into a high yo-yo. Hold on to your stomach! When Mookie flies by, we’ll drop down behind him. He’s in our sights now, and he knows it. Dogfight over! Give him a wave to thank him for the practice.”
Children’s comments:
This book was an unexpected big hit with half of the children in the large group who previewed it—the boys. The boys loved the pictures and loved the way the text was written, almost like a game, as one boy said. And there was one girl who really loved it, but the rest of the girls were not interested in it.
257. S is for Story: A Writer’s Alphabet by Esther Hershenhorn
You know this series. You’ve read others like it from this publisher. You like the others? You will like this one.
The author moves through the alphabet, hitting highlights of the writing process, expounding upon character and drafts and editing and genre and many more. The pictures are inviting and the text is clear.
A sample:
“G begins the French word Genre,
a way to group stories by kind.
History, Mystery,
Folktale, Myth.
Each boasts rules to mind.
Writers and readers classify stories by kind or genre, pronounced zhan-ruh. Each category has its own structure and set of rules. Genre choices for fiction include folktales, fantasy, and science fiction. Genre choices for nonfiction include essays, memoirs, and autobiographies.”
Children’s comments:
I showed this book to a group of eight first graders, all strong readers. They all liked the pictures and enjoyed browsing through the text, trying to anticipate the word for each letter and reading through the information about stories.
258. Q is for Question by Tiffany Poirier
The philosophy section of my primary school library is empty; I can see a real need for a book like this. The author uses the alphabet book format to talk briefly yet intriguingly about ideas that philosophers discuss. The text is a nice mix of thoughtful comments and clever questions. The illustrations give the book a homemade look, but it helps the approachability of the book. Philosophy can be a daunting subject, but this book is a great introduction to it for young students.
A bite:
“Free Will
Do you feel like
you’re pulled by strings?
Is a puppet master
in the wings?
Did destiny plan
your life for you?
Or can you choose
the things you do?”
Children’s comments:
I borrowed eight GT first graders to try out some of my most difficult books, including this one. One first grader summed up what the others said, “It’s an interesting book. I don’t really understand it all, but I like it.”
259. Let There Be Peace: Prayers from Around the World selected by Jeremy Brooks
The Reverend Jeremy Brooks searched all over the world for prayers asking for peace. He focused on finding prayers written by those in the midst of conflict. I was very moved by the words, some spoken by millions, some spoken for hundreds of years, some spoken by a few.
One prayer:
“O Lord,
remember not only the men and women of goodwill,
but also those of ill will.
But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us,
remember the fruits we bore thanks to this suffering,
our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility,
the courage, the generosity,
the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this.
And when they come to judgement
let all the fruits which we have borne
be their forgiveness. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Found beside the body of a Jewish child
in a German concentration camp, 1945”
Comments of children:
This was a love it-hate it book; kids either really liked it or really hated. it. About half the group rated it a 5 and half gave it a 1. After I read the poems aloud, there was a great stillness in the room.
260. Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life: A Story of Sustainable Farming by Jan Reynolds
This book relates the story of rice farming in Bali. For centuries, farming in Bali was done in the same way, with planting, harvesting, and allowing fields to lie fallow. Then modern methods were brought in. Rice production unexpectedly fell. Farmers went back to the old ways.
I had a hard time trying to stay with the story in the book. I have some interest in the subject, but not enough for a book of this length.
A little of the book:
“Kadek strikes harvested stalks against the side of a basket. This knocks off the kernels of rice which are collected in the basket below. The rice kernels will then be tossed in large, round sieves to separate out any small pieces of stalk or other materials. Finally, the rice will be laid in the sun to dry thoroughly, before it is packed into bags.”
Children’s comments:
No one liked this book. The children said this book had too many words. No one was interested in reading about growing rice.
261. If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States by David J. Smith
If the World Were a Village is one of my favorite all-time books. I’ve always wanted to use that book at school to talk to kids about what people are like all over the world.
So I was very happy to see this new book, a sequel of sorts. And it is satisfying for someone such as me who loves statistics and who is always trying to figure out what makes people the way they are.
Smith reduces the 306 million people in the United States down to a village of 100 people. He does this to make it clearer to children (and grownup readers) what the people of the US are like.
A few random facts that interested me from the book:
“In 1900, 96 percent (of American immigrants) came from Europe….In 2000, 15 percent came from Europe, 49 percent came from Latin America, 31 percent from Asia and 5 percent from other places.”
“…Americans are not the top users of cell phones…the highest number, 158 per 100 people, in Luxembourg.” Why? I wonder.
“Americans are also the world’s top users of water….You’d need an Olympic-sized swimming pool to hold the water each American uses, on average, each year – about 456,000 gallons….” Whew! That’s a half million gallons of water for each person!
And in one day, Americans use 4 million plastic cups. Scary!
Another scary fact: “Sixty-five people (out of our 100) are overweight.” Oh dear.
I wish the pictures had helped tell the story a little more. For me, I would have liked pictures that enhanced the difficult concepts a bit more. A great place for thinking maps.
Children’s comments:
The children who previewed this book were not very interested in it. They did not like the pictures and the statistics went over their heads. Most children rated it a 3 or a 1. Perhaps it needs an older audience.
262. The American Revolution from A to Z by Laura Crawford
Boys at my school are very interested in war. There is very little out there for these boys. I noticed when I was reading all the old Newbery winners that many of the older titles dealt with fighting and war, subjects that appeal to boys. Why are these types of books no longer written about?
This is a simple alphabet book about the Revolutionary War.
A sample:
“J is for Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the United States, was the main author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president. He was a lawyer, architect, writer, inventor, and musician. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”
Children’s reactions:
This was not a popular choice among the children who previewed the book. A few boys liked the book’s scenes of fighting, but, for the most part, there was a ho-hum reaction. It seems to need an older reader.
263. Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals are Big and Little Animals are Little by Nicola Davies
I’m a person who has a great deal of trouble with scientific concepts. This book explained some principle in science, I think, and I believe I understand the principle better after reading this book, though I couldn’t tell you the name of the principle and I doubt if I could explain it very well. It has something to do with why animals cannot be enormous in size and it has something to do with volume and doubling height causing a big jump in volume. (Glad I am not being tested on the material in this book as I quite obviously am barely grasping any of this.)
The pictures are funny and helped me understand this concept better. If I really wanted to understand this concept, this book would be just the one to read, I think.
A bit:
“Here is a Little Thing. It could be anything—a car, a log, a bar of soap—but it just happens to be a creature (even if it looks a bit like a cube)….
Now let’s meet Big Thing. Big Thing is TWICE the size of Little Thing….
How many Little Things would it take to make one Big Thing?
If you look carefully, you can see that Big Thing’s surface area and cross section are FOUR times bigger than Little Thing’s. But Big Thing’s volume and weight are EIGHT times bigger.”
Children’s reactions:
The group of eight first graders who looked at this book had very little interest in this book. Perhaps this book is aiming at an older audience.
263. Darwin: With Glimpses into His Private Journal & Letters by Alice B. McGinty
The third Cybils nominee that takes on Darwin. Like the other two, this one tells of Darwin’s life. This book includes excerpts from Darwin’s journal and letters.
A bit:
“In 1831, Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle, beginning what would become a five-year trip around the world. Seasick, he got off at every stop. He explored islands and coasts. He followed rivers. He climbed mountains and hiked through tropical rainforests. What Charles saw filled him with awe and left him believing firmly in a God who had created these wonders.”
Children’s reactions:
I showed a group of eight first graders all three Darwin books. This was the least favorite, though they found the text in this book easy to understand. They liked the pictures better in the other two books.
264. My Japan by Etsuko Watanabe
This book is shows the life of a girl in Japan, told from her point of view. The pictures are as helpful as the text in telling the story. I was fascinated to read about the differences in the lives of a Japanese girl and an American girl.
A bit:
“In Japan, we sleep on futons. They are light and very easy to fold and carry. When you air them out in the sun, they feel warm and fluffy. Mmmm, very nice to sleep on!”
Reactions:
The children were mildly interested in this book. I was surprised to find they were not as interested in the book as I would have predicted. I avoided the page with naked people; a parent has leafed through the book just before I showed it to the children and she did not like that page. I would have trouble putting it into my library as that page would cause a lot of titters from kids.
265. Zero is the Leaves on the Tree by Betsy Franco
The author uses metaphors from children’s lives to explain the concept of zero. I could see this book being used a lot with students to better understand zero or as a writing prompt.
A little from the book:
“Zero is…
the balls in the bin at recess time.”
Reactions from children:
Two unexpected problems with the book: We live in the southern part of the United States and many of the metaphors involved concepts our children never experience (the sound of snowfall, for example). The younger children liked it, but the older children said they got tired of zero.
266. You Are the First Kid on Mars by Patrick O’Brien
With photograph-like paintings and detailed text, this book relates what might happen if a child were to visit Mars. I was taken by the pictures and the details of what a child might experience.
A little from the book:
“You can’t go out on the surface of Mars without a space suit. There’s not enough oxygen to breathe, and it is much too cold. You carry air in tanks on your back, and your suit keeps you warm. Gravity on Mars is less than half as strong as on Earth, so you take big, bouncing steps.”
Children’s reactions:
The children who looked at this book commented on how real the pictures looked.
They were pretty evenly divided as to those who liked the book and those who did not.
267. Tyrannosaurus Math by Michelle Markel
A tyrannosaurus, T-Math, goes through his life and solves math problems. The pictures are bright and fun and the story is compelling and fun. The ending is wonderfully satisfying.
A bit:
“When a meteorite sped toward the earth, he asked himself, ‘sphere or cube?’ before dashing to safety.
And when a volcano launched colorful rocks onto the plain, he arranged them in rows to count them swiftly before lava caught up to him.”
Children’s thoughts:
The large group of first graders and kindergarteners who previewed this book loved it. The illustrations were a big plus for kids who looked at this book. They all said they loved math, so they thought they would like this book. One boy said that he liked how you could read and learn math at the same time.
Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm
The bright pictures in this book reminded me on every page of the power of the sun. I felt a glow radiating out of the illustrations. The text focused on the connections between people and plants and light and energy.
An unusual feature of this book was a note that explains the simplifications the authors made for the sake of their young audience. Interesting. I’ve never seen a note explaining what was omitted from a book.
The children liked the bright pictures and the interactive way the text began. Some of the more complicated connections between energy and plants seemed to elude them.
A Sample:
“ Without plants,
you would have no oxygen.
Without plants,
you would have no food.
Without plants,
you could not live.
Without plants,
there would be no life on Earth.”
Children’s Comments:
Jesse, 5, said, “I liked the pictures.”
Ethan, 6, said, “I loved how bright the pictures are.”
Ramsey, 6, said, “I liked when the sun was talking to us.”
Elizabeth, 6, said, “I liked the sentences that tell what is happening in the story.”
Rodrigo, 6, said, “I liked how it exploded.”
Aria, 7, said, “I liked the dedication page.”
Cailyn, 5, “I liked the title of the book.”
Children’s Ratings: 3, 5, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 5, 5, 5, 3, 5, 5, 5, 1, 3, 5, 1
