This is a terrific two-book series. I am even more impressed with the second book than I was with the first. This so completely encompasses the non-whThis is a terrific two-book series. I am even more impressed with the second book than I was with the first. This so completely encompasses the non-white majority in the world, I started to wonder if the first one was mostly white Europeans and Americans. But it wasn't.
The books are composed of completely engrossing personal profiles of interesting women who managed, despite dysfunction in their society or families, managed to make something of their dreams. It is written as though for girls, but anyone over the age of ten would find something entrancing in here.
This inspirational child's storybook for ages 5-9 features the beauty of the natural world plus animals and big earth-moving equipment! Even parents aThis inspirational child's storybook for ages 5-9 features the beauty of the natural world plus animals and big earth-moving equipment! Even parents are guaranteed to enjoy this one. The story is true, of a scientist who had heard the land upon which he lived once had a creek but had been bulldozed flat to make larger corn fields. The mind boggles at the necessity for this travesty.
He found photographs of the land in the time before and when an old man told him he'd fished the stream for brook trout, the scientist decided to try to find the creek. If it had been there since time immemorial, perhaps it was just waiting to be found.
The gorgeous full-color woodcuts by Claudia McGehee add immeasurably to the exciting story of discovery created by Caldecott winner Jacqueline Briggs Martin. The scientist dug the field, found the creek, built a bed, planted the sides, repopulated the waters that flowed from the head of the spring.
The actual events in this story take place in northeast Iowa. Thanks to the University of Minnesota Press for putting so much effort into making this the most beautiful and inspirational storybook published in 2017, surely. Brilliant job, everyone!...more
The subtitle of this collection is 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women, and it is beautifully done. The short passages cover every continent and every raThe subtitle of this collection is 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women, and it is beautifully done. The short passages cover every continent and every race, religion, and sexuality…that is, the stories are about girls and women with lesbians and transgender individuals identifying as female included. It is ravishingly interesting.
Each short passage is a tightly written biography suitable for 9-14 year-olds, informative, and inspiring. Many unusual job descriptions and lifelong purpose are described, expanding our horizons about the scope of what is possible. As an adult, I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did nor enjoy it as much.
This book is about rebels. It challenges us to think again about what we admire and what we don't...and why. It is a fantastic teaching tool. I can imagine a mother reading an entry alongside her preteen (of either sex, by the way) and discussing it for a short while so that the implications of each success sink in: "Why would that person be considered a rebel?" "What do you think about what that person did?" "Do you know anyone who has done things like this?" The mother is going to recognize some of the names and so can add whatever backstory is not in the book.
A few examples from the stories are
✦ Inventor Ann Makosinski, a fifteen year-old Canadian who won first prize in Google Science Fair for inventing a flashlight that doesn’t need batteries, wind, or sun--just body heat. ✦ Amna Al Haddad, weight lifter from the United Arab Emirates. She was a journalist and discovered she really enjoyed exercising! She began to work out in a gym with weights for the first time in her life as an adult. She was good at it and began training for the Olympics. ✦ Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who was murdered for reporting on the truth of what she saw in the brutal civil war in Chechnya. ✦ Jane Goodall is among the women to emulate for having her own mind and studying a subject so deeply that she became the expert. ✦ Hayshepsut was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled Egypt long before Cleopatra became Queen. Records of her were destroyed after her death, but archeologists were able to piece together a record of her successful rule, the first (and only?) female pharaoh.
Included with each biography is a full page color representation of the subject, and a quote of something they said or wrote. Next to the short bio of Misty Copeland, for instance, is a drawing of her in flight during a ballet performance with a quote that reads, “Dance found me.”
The authors, Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, studied in Italy and the United States where they founded Timbuktu Labs, a children’s media innovation lab. What’s that? you may well ask. The authors define the mission of Timbuktu as committed to “redefining the boundaries of children’s media through a combination of thought-provoking content, stellar design, and cutting-edge technology.” They designed the first iPad magazine for children. The start-up has created mobile apps and creative content for users in more than 70 countries.
It’s more than just new. It’s exciting. The first edition of this book was published in 2016. Since then it has gone through multiple reprintings, and in 2017 Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2 was published. There are apparently also coloring books, temporary tattoos, and posters that go along with the books and can be purchased separately. It’s become an industry, with good reason. If you have a girl in the family in the target age range, check it out. Just when you thought your girls were too old for bedtime stories, this may bring it all back....more
Teaching tools must be updated often now to keep pace with the chances in our awareness & social development. This geography book was published in 201Teaching tools must be updated often now to keep pace with the chances in our awareness & social development. This geography book was published in 2015, and seems to have taken into consideration most of the complaints about earlier cultural tourism. It looks like a fun book--teachers may find themselves skimming but getting caught in the interesting detail and in imagining how they would present the material in class. It is a colorful round-the-world tour of certain countries and parts of the world, e.g., A for Australia...
To my eye, it looked appropriate for 10-year-olds, but I have seen it listed for third-sixth graders, in the U.S., that would be 8-11. That seems about right.
It has a current feel. Women are shown, not all working in traditional jobs, and there is a sort of poem at the start of each new letter that can be put to a beat, if one wanted. Could be useful for class projects....more
This handbook for knights is a 6” x 4” hardcover bound with green cloth and a gold ribbon to place as you read. Hawke initially did not intend it for This handbook for knights is a 6” x 4” hardcover bound with green cloth and a gold ribbon to place as you read. Hawke initially did not intend it for wide circulation: It was begun when his wife and he decided to have some “rules of the house,” which became more like “rules for living” the more he tried to think about what was really important to share with his children.
The format and the content suit one another. Twenty chapter headings address key attributes or phenomena that face each person as they grow, accompanied by a pen-and-ink drawing of a long-lived bird and a short statement around the concept. This is followed by a longer story, parable, lesson, or illustration of the concept in action. For instance, one of my favorites was “Discipline,” pictured with a grey heron:
”In the field of battle, as in all things, you will perform as you practice. With practice, you build the road to accomplish your goals. Excellence lives in attention to detail. Give your all, all the time. Don’t save anything for the walk home.The better a knight prepares, the less willing he will be to surrender.”
The story that follows sounds like eastern philosophy: “Often we imagine that we will work hard until we arrive at some distant goal, and then we will be happy. This is delusion. Happiness is the result of a life lived with purpose.” Hawke goes further, articulating the need for discipline: “Without it, locating your saddle may take all morning.”
On that tricky question of “Honesty” illustrated by a little owl, Hawke tells us that often
“people lie because they feel the truth will cause pain to themselves or others. Do not fear suffering. The strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire. The facts are always friendly. Without a little agony, none of us would bother to learn a thing. The earth has to be tilled before the seeds can be planted.”
Hawke adds chapters on surprising things, like "Equality" (tawny owl), and his chapter on "Love" (mute swans) is heartfelt and personal. His chapter on "Death" (blackbird skull) shares a wisdom we can all use.
"Life is a long series of farewells, only the circumstances should surprise us."
In this small book we sense naked emotion and lived experience at the same time it is charming, and useful. Perhaps it is his actor's gift, to do that. Hawke’s stories are often not his own: he has chosen stories and lessons he learned from Native American myth, Buddhism, high school coaches, Bob Dylan, among others and has turned them to his own purpose. Hawke adds a list of those he considers knights at the end of the book, in which list we find the names of Julian of Norwich, John Keats, and Martin Luther King, Jr. along with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joseph Papp, and River Phoenix.
In a New Yorker interview about this book, Hawke says that he learned just enough to entertain rather than be scholarly. I sensed that lack a depth just a little at times, but we can all use what he has collected. We can imagine how purposeful and meaningful it must have been for him to pull together the more constant precepts he has encountered in his life and to have pared them all down to a few short pages. Very satisfying indeed, and an admirable attempt. We may not always agree with what Hawke has chosen to highlight or his interpretation, but placing our thinking next to his raises his challenge. This collection is well worth the perusal for teachers, parents, novelists, poets as well as middle-graders and teens.
We’ve all been there: we have one or more (sometimes many more) kids to look after or entertain for an afternoon and don’t want to be remembered as thWe’ve all been there: we have one or more (sometimes many more) kids to look after or entertain for an afternoon and don’t want to be remembered as the “boring” one. But maybe we’ve used up all our ideas or can’t use a couple so are sort of desperate for some help. Donna Bozzo is a media personality with three daughters and lots of energy. She has come up with 427 Simple Ways to Have Fantastic Family Fun, and has written them down. That’s one step beyond what most of us do and is ve-e-e-ry helpful when we feel braindead after a busy week.
Looking through this book I could see many time-tried favorites, like mud pies and singing in the rain, but she came up with a few new good ones that seemed doable and something I wouldn’t have come up with on my own. One I thought had potential was Nighttime Driveway Bowling with glow sticks in water-filled plastic bottles and a glow-in-the-dark- painted ball. Not sure your husband would agree to have us paint his basketball, but a ball of that size and weight might work well. Donna suggests an old medicine ball. (WTF?!) That sounds so Californian, but no…she lives in Illinois.
One suggestion that doesn’t require painting anything is making a map on the walk to school. Seems like it could be a useful and fun, and maybe even a multi-day project, depending on the attention span, if the child is youngish.
The book has a few pictures which helps to get some idea of what she means when she describes making a robot, for instance, out of soup cans. But one photograph showed a woman in a beekeeper’s suit holding a hive frame covered with bees. The woman is smiling through her mask, and the activity suggests you bring your kids to see the bees work. Bozzo adds “trust me” and I guess we’d have to…though unless you can come up with some hazmat suits in a small size, I might put this one off until the kids are old enough to give consent.
When I read that you can have the kids report the weather like the folks on TV, using a green screen and some downloaded video footage, at first I thought, “oh come on!” But then I started to get kind of excited about the idea…mainly because I have a green cloth already that could be used for the screening. The cool thing is that everybody learns something with this multi-day project. The kids have to realize how they can speak about weather they can’t see—at least not in back of them. We’d have a little exercise in video-making, and once the kids realize how it all works, they can use real weather outside the window to report…somehow I can see a three-year-old saying dolefully “It’s raining” in front of footage of heavy rain in the yard, or a twelve-year-old pretty quickly learning to film her friends doing real reporting in front of their own footage. This multi-day project has some real potential for fun and learning for all.
So, when you are too frazzled to think much of anything, you might want to turn to a book like this to quickly pull something together for a party or something quieter for after school. You’ll see things you’ve done before, but you’ll also see how a busy, high-energy mother of three makes it work for her family. P.S. I notice there are only 427 suggested projects in the book now, though initially the title had 439 or more projects. Wonder if some of them weren't a little...like the bee hive visit. ...more
This is another juvenile/teen title on Angela Merkel but it is unsettling in a number of ways. It gives a glowing report of Merkel: "She has become a This is another juvenile/teen title on Angela Merkel but it is unsettling in a number of ways. It gives a glowing report of Merkel: "She has become a voice of reason and intelligence not seen enough today in world politics. Hers is one of the most remarkable stories among world leaders..." You get the picture. Even if Mills is right, young kids need a more nuanced picture. It is a learning environment after all.
Anthony Doerr's highly praised second novel was published in May 2014, just months before the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy whichAnthony Doerr's highly praised second novel was published in May 2014, just months before the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy which plays such a critical role therein. The book is a useful link for today's youth to understand events and conditions in Europe during the Second World War, and the lives of individuals on each side of the conflict. A young French girl flees occupied Paris to stay with her father's brother on the French coast, and a young German orphan boy with exceptional aptitude for radios is drafted into the German army. The fact of the D-Day battle becomes their point of overlap.
Doerr’s debut story collection, The Shell Collector: Stories, was published in 2002 and he was recognized as a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers pick. Since that time he has been awarded the Roma Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other awards. Doerr has published several collections of short stories, and his first novel was called About Grace, published in 2005. This latest offering should probably be classified as a Young Adult or teen title (age 10 and up) and is garnering top marks and much praise.
Doerr has a graceful style and his careful craft in setting the scenes will entrance a younger reader. There is much sympathy generated for both the French girl, Marie Laure, who is blind, and the German boy, Werner. Werner looks on his army service as a chance to get out of the workhouse and an employment future that includes mining. His military training and his officers are presented with a jaundiced eye and ambiguity, while his cohort in the ranks have sympathies that resonate with our own.
I note that many adults often like to read fiction that can be labelled Young Adult (e.g., The Hunger Games, and the Twilight series) and it is becoming common to mesh adult and teen titles in marketing. This is a charming story, if such a thing can be said about war. However, I did not feel it added depth to my understanding of the conflict in Europe. Doerr brought the history of the two protagonists to the present day, which might also help younger readers to place the event in time, and find some grounds with which to relate to the material.
Simon & Schuster was kind to send me an audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Regarding the audio production, Zach Appleman has a pleasant American accent and he did a good job pacing the narration. His pronunciation of French and German words and accents were not authentic though, oddly enough, his pronunciation might make the words more recognizable to younger readers.
This review has been extensively edited from an earlier version, though the sentiments are the same....more
This is less a children's book than a teen or adult title, though it is shelved in the Children's Section. It is gloriously, uproariously, deliciouslyThis is less a children's book than a teen or adult title, though it is shelved in the Children's Section. It is gloriously, uproariously, deliciously manipulative instructions given by someone with a wealth of experience, learning from children themselves, I expect.
How to achieve power over a younger sibling, how to humor one's parents, how to steal that doll you crave from your friend--this is the advice from the sage elder. Accompanied by the most gorgeous drawings ever, and a mere fifteen pages or so, this is a sweet treat for parents to soothe their souls: probably your clever child hasn't figured out all the tricks yet....more
In this second in the Lewis Barnavelt series, a figure comes back from the grave when Lewis enables an old Civil War amulet. In a way, these books areIn this second in the Lewis Barnavelt series, a figure comes back from the grave when Lewis enables an old Civil War amulet. In a way, these books are amulets of a sort: they bring the very powerful voice of John Bellairs back from the grave to enable, energize, and strengthen the individualistic muscle in every kid--to fight back against bullies and to accept who they are and how they look. Bellairs is a man who can bridge that gap between childhood and adulthood, and help kids over the rough bits. He would like to warn kids against taking on more "magic" or adult decisions until they are older, but knows he can't stop them if they try. And he will help to undo the damage by sharing antidotes and explaining outcomes.
Moments of suspense and terror are interleaved with moments of deepening friendship and understanding among Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmermann and Lewis and Rose Rita. The fear of bad outcomes is thus couched in the warm embrace of helpmeets. I particularly admire the way Bellairs presented Lewis' confusion and ambivalence after he fought Woody and won--Lewis wasn't at all sure he should feel proud of beating someone bloody, and though he was glad Woody didn't bother him anymore, he felt sorry for Woody. Ah, so. That is the adult teaching the child reader, and guiding him/her to better decision-making.
Wish Bellairs could have stuck around: his wonderful imagination seems to get through to kids using humor and fear, warmth and generosity. But we have his books and for that we should be grateful. Do you think kids are too knowledgeable about the world that his books no longer hold as much appeal? Perhaps the ideal reader is getting younger? Do teachers still find Bellairs relevant? ...more
This is the second Bellairs book I have read, and so far it is my favorite. Immediately at the start we are involved in a road trip, at the end of whiThis is the second Bellairs book I have read, and so far it is my favorite. Immediately at the start we are involved in a road trip, at the end of which comes a mystery in an old farm house. The familiar fears and concerns of 12-year-olds do not strike one as childish in this case, for we are dealing with spells, witches, and evil storekeepers, and none of us can ever claim mastery over those things. We follow the clever deductions of a spunky Rose Rita, who temporarily loses the guidance of her travelling companion, the purple-loving Mrs. Zimmermann, but who finds a loyal friend in a nearby farming family.
"Be careful what you wish for," "Be specific," and "Be happy with what you have and who you are," are all lessons one can take away from this story of a teen growing up. But I don't think I'm alone when I lavish praise on the serious note Bellairs introduces in the final pages of this teen read. He is not being frivolous by comparing a magic ring to a nuclear bomb--the analogy is apt here and truly takes the mind for a short spin on issues which will require deep thought from adults who are now kids reading the story today....more
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. December 1774. The Continental Congress of the colonies had recently proposed a boycott on British imports and New HampshirPortsmouth, New Hampshire. December 1774. The Continental Congress of the colonies had recently proposed a boycott on British imports and New Hampshire residents were enforcing it. Committees of Inspection made sure they did. Committees on Communication carried important information between the provinces, and in mid-December 1774, Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth to tell them the cache of gunpowder for use by Massachusetts’ residents had been taken by British soldiers.
Thus begins this young adult historical novel, centering on the perspectives of three teen schoolmates at the Latin Grammar School of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. DeMitchell conveys a marvelous sense of place and time, for even today we are able to visit the buildings she speaks of and can immediately connect to the cold and windy weather. Portsmouth is remarkably preserved, as those who have visited the Strawbery Banke Museum can attest. The Town of Portsmouth was named one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2008 Dozen Distinctive Destinations.
Best of all, by using the distinct viewpoints of three boys, DeMitchell outlines confusion among the populace about allegiance to the crown or whether residents should unshackle themselves from British rule. Each of the boys must make his own decision about the events that unfold after Revere’s warning, but the historical import of the colonists’ raid of a gunpowder stash in the Newcastle fort is clear to us today. Only four months later, battles in Lexington and Concord are now regarded as the beginning of America’s Revolutionary War.
This novel is an aid for young adults (ages 10-16) to understand the complexity of the issues facing residents in pre-revolutionary America. The drama is quite close and clear to the reader, and gives one a strong sense of history. It could be a useful teaching tool in conjunction with a classroom curriculum module and I thrill to think of the fabulous field trips that can be taken in conjunction with studying this period of history. The buildings are relatively close together in Portsmouth and Newcastle (short bus rides), and the atmosphere is old New England braced by sea air.
I am not sure why, but when looking through the Children’s Department of a bookstore a couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to read this book. PerhI am not sure why, but when looking through the Children’s Department of a bookstore a couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to read this book. Perhaps it caught my attention because when I saw it, it had been newly published in a gorgeous jacket featuring a black and white hand-cut woodblock picture with red binding tape as part of the New York Review Children’s Collection. I didn’t act on my wish to read it and gift it to a nephew until a friend recently revealed he, too, read children’s books for fun. And what a wonderful gift it is—from Pinkwater to all of us.
First published in 1976, Lizard Music is a wild ride for a prepubescent kid: a young boy is left in the care of his sister while his parents vacation alone together. But shortly after his parents leave, his sister takes off on a vacation as well, leaving our hero, Victor, home alone. Very directly, Victor decides to do several things that he’d always been curious about, like staying up late, watching scary late-night movies, smoking…
This novel chronicles a magnificent moment in a child’s life when the imaginary and the real begin to distinguish themselves and a young boy begins to perceive how his upbringing has served him, and what he still has to learn. I found it a marvelous escape that entranced even these old eyes, and think for a youngster (8-11 years) it would be a miracle of revelation and delight. ...more
John Bellairs captures youthful uncertainty and insecurity so completely, one cannot help but wonder about the man himself. But he also has an unrestrJohn Bellairs captures youthful uncertainty and insecurity so completely, one cannot help but wonder about the man himself. But he also has an unrestrained joy evident on the very first page of this book by giving his pudgy main character purple corduroy trousers that go “whip-whip” when he walks.
A friend introduced me to John Bellairs, and shared a 1974 edition graced with drawings by Edward Gorey. A ten-year old orphan travels by bus to stay with an uncle who “smoked, drank, and played poker. These were not such bad things in a Catholic family…” but his Baptist aunts had warned the young boy about his red-bearded uncle—he also practiced magic. Thus begins the marvelous, funny, involving story of Lewis and Jonathan in New Zebedee, Lewis’s search for friends, his introduction to sorcery, and the House with the Clock in its Walls.
After reading this novel, I wanted to know more about the author. Wikipedia says that he initially wanted to write this story as an adult book, but at the time (early 1970s) the market was limited for such books so he adapted it for young readers. Learning this, the mind races to imagine how he would have presented an adult novel. His sense of the absurd was exceptional and he knew everything about human frailties and fears, so this reader wishes he’d been able to share whatever he wanted with us. Apparently he wrote and rewrote this novel before it was published as a young adult novel in 1973 and instantly was recognized as the masterpiece it remains.
There is a website devoted to things Bellairs (!) at bellarsia.com. The site was created by longtime fan Jonathan Abucejo who explains his interest and plans for the website in a web interview. Some of the Bellairs books have been made into audiobooks and some into films, so those of you who find yourselves mesmerized by this talented storyteller will have hours of pleasure searching for his lasting legacy.
Finally, nearly every picture I’ve seen of the man Bellairs has him smiling widely. Whatever personal disappointments he had in his life was just grist for the mill. I think he would find it endlessly amusing (and gratifying!) to know he is so sorely missed.
----------------- Later. Just noticed there was a passage in the book I'd marked and it made my mind wander far away:
Before the mirror lay a beautiful hooked rug. Jonathan claimed that Mrs. Zimmermann's great-grandmother had made it. The pattern of the rug was "Autumn Leaves." Scalloped-edged leaves, bright gold and deep blood-red, with some green ones thrown in for contrast. The rug seemed to float before the mirror, and the leaves swam in the pool of bright sunlight...Lewis liked to stand on it in the morning while he was dressing. It made him feel that he was free of the earth, if only for a little while.
Hmmm. Great visual. Might try something like this....more
It is one thing to be creative sitting in your room with a blank piece of paper, and it is another to be stimulated to thought by the beginnings of doIt is one thing to be creative sitting in your room with a blank piece of paper, and it is another to be stimulated to thought by the beginnings of doodles given one by Taro Gomi. I simply adore the spur to creative thought that Taro Gomi gives us. It was the first doodling book I came across, and it remains the best I've seen. There are a slew of other doodling books out there now, but this remains the classic. Not so fine as to stump a "naive" artist, and not so complete as to stymie a creative graphic artist on the rise. Bravo! ...more
I read this when it came out, before the world discovered it, and before the awards. I was as charmed as the rest of the world, and think this is one I read this when it came out, before the world discovered it, and before the awards. I was as charmed as the rest of the world, and think this is one book I would keep in any collection as the best of the best. A friend, however, has written a better review, and I urge you to read what he has written....more
This is a glorious book to savor and read again and again just for the chance to revel in the beauty of words. It's not just a kids book, though it isThis is a glorious book to savor and read again and again just for the chance to revel in the beauty of words. It's not just a kids book, though it is sold in that department and though kids would love to have it read to them. The words speak for themselves, are arranged as artfully as poetry on a page, and are accompanied by the most beautiful and skillful illustrations by Ben Shahn. What a collaboration! I recommend it for everyone, and hope, even if you don't add it to your library, that you take the opportunity to look for it, and in it....more
A gorgeously-produced book with an evocative text. In his own words, a young boy tells how he manages the terror that comes with Baghdad under siege. A gorgeously-produced book with an evocative text. In his own words, a young boy tells how he manages the terror that comes with Baghdad under siege. We can smell the heat and taste the dust as he talks of playing soccer in the streets with friends, and can hear the clamour of the city. We can especially enjoy the beauty of his written language as he writes some words for us to savor. The beauty of his calligraphy is so exquisite, one's heart breaks a little. This is a book we should all have in our libraries.
A beautifully illustrated and lovingly crafted story about a brave woman who saved the Basra library books from destruction during the bombing in IraqA beautifully illustrated and lovingly crafted story about a brave woman who saved the Basra library books from destruction during the bombing in Iraq. In simple sentences, complex emotions are expressed. This would be especially good for sensitive children whose parents are in some way connected with reconstruction in Iraq....more
Roald Dahl has always intrigued me. An early precursor of the Shrek phenomenon, he writes for children as though they were little adults, or writes foRoald Dahl has always intrigued me. An early precursor of the Shrek phenomenon, he writes for children as though they were little adults, or writes for adults that admit to an inner child. I admired him for that, and thought him terribly risqué. Fantastic Mr Fox is typical Dahl: witty, clever, and amusing. Oh, what dinner partner he would have made! ...more
Loading...
