Sports Illustrated Kids: Hockey Then to Wow! by the Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids. 80 p. Then to Wow series. Liberty Street/ Time Inc. Books, September 26, 2017. 9781683300113. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher)
The NHL turns 100 this year and SI Kids knows how to celebrate! This third installment of the Then to Wow series is sure to please fans of the sport and invite new young fans. It is as attractively designed as the previous installments the last being, Baseball Then to Wow! with its embossed cover featuring a line-up of famous players from eight decades.
The end-pages are decorated with a top-down view of a hockey rink. As in Baseball, there are four chapters and the first two cover the basics and the players, the third is called, Face Off and covers coaches, strategies, global games, units, records, women's hockey, goals, dynasties and the Stanley Cup. The final chapter, Fan Fun covers things like play-off beards, video games, fan fashion, cards and stories about the items fans have taken to throwing "over the boards," which happens to be against the rules.
It's interesting to note that while the first rules for hockey were published by The Montreal Gazette in 1877, as noted in the timeline, there is no mention on it (or anywhere else in the book) about the formation of the NHL, except to say that in 1918, the NHL added two blue lines on the ice.
There's plenty to goggle over as double-page spreads show the evolution of the sports equipment (current skates can cost over $1000!) through the sweaters, the sticks and the arenas. The goalie pads are particularly interesting in that they now resemble body armor rather than mattress padding.
Hockey Then to Wow! is a great addition to any collection!
As Strong as Sandow: how Eugen Sandow became the strongest man on Earth by Don Tate. 40 p. Charlesbridge, August 22, 2017. 9781580896283. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher ALAAC17)
Eugen Sandow was born Friedrich Muller in 1867. He was frail and skinny growing up in Prussia in the 1800s. But he transformed himself into a healthy, hulky, hunky specimen as an adult. It was after a trip to Italy, where he viewed sculptures of ancient athletes that he was inspired to become strong like them and began to exercise. He exercised through his teens and left for university, where he studied anatomy. He ran away from college to join a circus, where he worked as an acrobat. When the circus ran out of money, he supported himself by posing for artists. Eventually, he came under the tutelage of Professor Attila, a professional strongman. By the time he was twenty, he changed his name to Eugen Sandow and went on the road billed as the Strongest Man on Earth.
Author/illustrator Don Tate brings the father of modern bodybuilding to vivid life with simple flowing text born of extensive research and mixed media illustrations that depict the period and Sandow's life with a muted palette and much humor. Additional information as well as a photo is supplied in an Afterword. A page is also devoted to encouraging young readers to exercise and stay active. Four exercise suggestions are provided. In an author's note, readers discover that Mr. Tate's own interest in bodybuilding and competing helped inspire the book. Backmatter continues with a list of 18 books and websites for further reading, quotation sources and photo credits.
Strong as Sandow is a fine addition to any collection. I plan on adding it to a unit on picture book biographies for my sixth graders come fall.
Voyager's Greatest Hits: the epic trek to interstellar space by Alexandra Siy. 74 p. Charlesbridge, June, 2017. 9781580897280. (Review from gifted finished copy.)
I finished a unique debut novel the other day called See You in the Cosmos. In it, the main character, an eleven-year-old boy named Alex is obsessed with space in general, but with the journey of the Voyagers and their payload, the Golden Record, in particular. Carl Sagan is his hero. He has even named his dog, Carl Sagan. I was reminded that I had this book sitting on my tbr pile and pushed it to the top. The two books make for a great fiction/ non-fiction pairing.
Voyager's Greatest Hits is a beautiful book from the covers, which open up to reveal a Voyager rocket seemingly headed to the center of swirling stars (It is not captioned, so I don't know if it's real or photoshopped but it sure is pretty.) to the endpages. The front endpages show a close-up of the label on the Golden Record - "The Sounds of Earth." Side 1. NASA. United States of America. PLANET EARTH! Etched in the black section surrounding the label are the words, "To the makers of music. All worlds. All times. The back endpages feature the directions for playing the record. In between are chapters called Tracks. Clever subheadings break up the chapters, excuse me, tracks. Some of them are song titles, such as Rocket Man or On the Road Again, or just plain fun, like, Slingshot in Space, or The Junk on the Bus.
Each chapter is well-organized and chock-full of information from the historic discoveries through the ages that paved the way for Gary Flandro to consider the problem of gravity-assist rocket trajectories in 1965 (p.5) to the conception needing a whole lot of math to the collaboration of scientists all over the world to its construction and launch. There are plenty of well-captioned, full-color photos that intrigue and boggle the mind. The tone is light and conversational. Backmatter includes an author's note, glossary, websites and books for further reading, source notes and an index.
This book is a great addition to any school, public or STEM classroom library!
The Search for Olinguito: discovering a new species by Sandra Markle. 40 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, January, 2017. 9781512410150. (Review from purchased copy.)
I'm a great fan of Sandra Markle's work. She not only writes accessibly but beautifully about her subjects, but they are always unique and fascinating. (Great Leopard Rescue, The Great Monkey Rescue, The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats, to name but a few.)
This short book highlights and celebrates scientific curiosity. What is science, after all, but the work of curious people? People who are careful observers who also have open minds, and, in many cases in the past, a good deal of courage and commitment. (Galileo springs to mind as does Semmelweis.)
In The Search for Olinguito, scientist Kristofer Helgen, who worked for the Smithsonian and was in charge of its mammal collection, noticed that a pelt of an animal classified as an olingo looked rather different than the rest of the olingo pelts. Olingos are mammals that are related to raccoons. They live in Central and South America. (p.7) He wondered if this was just a case of specimens from different regions or whether it was a different species. Museums around the world house olingo specimens as researchers have been studying them for over a hundred years. Thus he set out on what would be a ten-plus year quest to establish the fact that there indeed was a new species in the raccoon family tree!
The storytelling is compelling here as Markle deftly explains the science; folds in past research and not only connects all the dots in Helgen's work, but brings the scientist to life. His work required a load of patience, lots of travel as well as a campout in the cloud forest in Ecuador.
Plenty of full-color photos and maps illustrate the story of scientific sleuthing in action. This is perfect for any science class or career-readyness unit and is just the ticket for getting students excited about science. Backmatter includes an author note, source notes, tips for being a science detective, a glossary and three websites and a book for further reading. The book is beautifully designed as well, with green backgrounds decorated with green leaves lending a color to the already vibrant text.
I do have one question though - why is it that while it was the reddish fur that first attracted Helgen's attention (photo, p. 9), subsequent photos of the olinguito(s) they found in the cloud forest do not appear to have that distinctive red coat?
Malala: activist for girls' education by Raphaele Frier. Illustrared by Aurelia Fronty. Unpgd. Charlesbridge, February, 2017. 9781580807853. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
I'll make this short and sweet. Make room for this picture book biography on your middle school shelves, your elementary school shelves, your classroom library shelves and public library shelves. Have I forgotten any?
While biographies of this brave young activist abound, this vibrantly illustrated, present-tense picture book shines. I consistently add picture books to my school library's biography section and encourage students who need to read a biography to explore subjects through a picture book biography before committing to a 100+ page biography. While Malala is consistently high-interest, students will find the attractive, folk-style illustrations (Aurelia Fronty also illustrated the gorgeous Wangari Maathai: the woman who planted millions of trees.) and succinct and simple text appealing. They will also love the many pages of back-matter if they are doing research. Included are photos, a time line, a map, geographical and cultural information, excerpts from speeches and suggestions for further reading.
Truly a first-purchase!
The Ultimate Guide to Gardening: grown you own indoor, vegetable, fairy and other great gardens by Lisa J Amstutz. 112 p. Craft it yourself series. Capstone Young Readers/ Capstone, April, 2017. 9781623706494. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher)
I was lucky to live in a two-family house with my maternal grandmother. She enjoyed gardening and baking and introduced me to both. I believe she planted the seeds of two of my most favorite activities because I continue to enjoy tending my own gardens and lawn as well as cooking and baking. What a great gift!
Children need to be outside and moving. They need to learn how the world works. They need to know the wonder of nature and how we are connected to it and each other. They also need to feel useful. All of this is the work of childhood. This colorful and inviting DIY manual is just the ticket to get yourself and the young people in your life off the couch and growing and caring for living things together.
There's a brief introduction to the basics followed by four chapters that groups the types of gardens into: Edible; Indoor; Creative and Enchanted gardening. Each chapter features 9 - 11 different planting projects, each one more appealing than the last. Really, you will have trouble choosing which one to try. If you want to get your child to eat their vegetables, consider growing them!
Each project gets a double-page spread featuring a clear, full-color photo of the finished garden and a list of items needed on the verso. The recto page lists step-by-step instructions, an additional photo and a text box featuring tips or extra information. Especially appealing are the projects that recycle or up-cycle items you might have around the house. Watering instructions are provided for some of the trickier plants.
This is a fine addition to any school, public or home library. Art teachers and public librarians can build an activity around any of the projects. Parents will find endless uses.
SI Kids: My First Book of Soccer. By Beth Bugler and Mark Bechtel. Illustrated by Bill Hinds. A Rookie Book. 48 p. Liberty Street/ Time Inc. Books, May 16, 2017. 9781683300021. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
This colorful fourth entry in the Rookie Book series joins older siblings, My First Book of Football, My First Book of Hockey and My First Book of Baseball. It's attractively designed featuring a cartoon girl and boy providing commentary and humorous asides. Hilariously, the boy runs onto the title page in a football uniform despite the fact that the hip girl explains on the front end-pages, the fact that soccer is called football all over the world except the U.S. A. The basic rules are explained using real men's and women's soccer teams and players in posed and action shots to illustrate the concepts.
The background pages are brightly colored, the fonts are varied, fairly large and prone to exuberance. The layout is the same as the other books framing the sections by soccer halves and counting the time down as explanations range from field layout through positions and skills like dribbling, tackling, passing, etc.
This is another fabulous, kid-friendly introduction to a sport. Perfect for newbies, oldbies, gym teachers, coaches and parents alike. Collect all these for any school or public library collection.
The Hidden Life of a Toad by Doug Wechsler. 48 p. Charlesbridge, March, 2017. 9781580897389. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
A conversational text featuring short sentences that neatly incorporates scientific terminology, follows the life cycle of a toad through three years - from embryo floating in spagetti-like gel through maturation and the fertilization and laying of her own eggs. The book is attractively designed with a colorful blue background, easily read font and size and full-color photographs spread over one and a half pages that beautifully illustrate each phase from embryo onward. The photos are all super-up-close and absolutely fascinating. Sometimes, scale can be lost in up-close photos and the author indicates the relative size in the text and in a photo at the end of the book. It boggles the mind that the embryos one is staring at are actually smaller than the space inside the letter o. Then one wonders how the author/ photographer actually got these shots. (See next sentence)
The backmatter is plentiful. It includes an illustrated glossary, an explanation of the differences between a frog and a toad, more toad facts, information about saving toads, a page explaining how the author obtained the photos and three books and three websites, including the author's own, for further reading. Perfect for your budding naturalists, fact-hounds and report writing!
This is a first-purchase for school and classroom libraries for any age. The students I read this to were absolutely fascinated from beginning to end. Then, they asked for the book and pored over it again.
Be the Change: a Grandfather Gandhi Story by Arun Gandhi and Bethan Hegedus. Illustrated by Evan Turk. unpgd. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, August, 2016. 9781481442657. (Review from copy borrowed from public library.)
This was displayed on the top of the book shelf in the picture book section of the library. Since I've had picture book biographies on my mind lately, I grabbed it unaware that the authors had an earlier picture book about Grandfather Gandhi. I subsequently ordered that one through ILL and will review it soon.
I am a firm believer in "never too old for picture books." I have also been toying with the idea of getting kids into longer biographies through picture books.
This is the story Gandhi's grandson relates about how, after a year spent living on his grandfather's ashram, he continued to struggle with some of his grandfather's teachings, specifically how waste is a violent act. In fact, one afternoon, Arun impulsively decides to fling his pencil stub into the brush. When Grandfather Gandhi finds out, he sends Arun back to the brush, in the dark, with a flashlight to find the stub. Arun does so and feels shame but admits to his grandfather that he does not understand. Grandfather Gandhi spends an hour each day helping his grandson to understand.
When I think of the waste that occurs daily at my school, of lockers, at the end of the year, being emptied of unopened supplies and my students attempting to throw them out rather then cart them back home, I cringe! We teachers collect the supplies rather than allow them to be thrown away, but still the mindset is rather horrifying.
Symbolism is embedded in both the language of this parable and the gorgeous illustrations making this a picture book to share across grade levels and subjects. This is a book to share to introduce the concept of nonviolence and/or to interest students in reading further about Gandhi. A note from the authors and an invitation to visit grandfathergandhi.com conclude this meditation on Gandhi's teachings.
Rivers of Sunlight: How the sun moves water around the Earth by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm. unpgd. The Blue Sky Press/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2017. (Review from finished copy courtesy of the publisher.)
In this fourth collaboration about Earth's life-giver, the sun we learn about how it moves water around the Earth. The elegant and poetic narrative flows smoothly, as our sun, as narrator, explains its role in the water cycle. The text is enhanced by the bright palette present in the previous three companion pieces. Molly Bang's detailed, busy illustrations invite lingering. Indeed, all four books create an attractive, informative set that is indispensable to science teachers. Rivers of Sunlight is perfect for introducing a unit on the water cycle in any science class from elementary through high school. #nevertoooldforpicturebooks! Nearly six pages of back matter explain some of the concepts in greater depth, making it a suitable resource for researchers. There are no source notes or suggestions of books or websites for further reading though.
Other fun picture books to introduce the water cycle include: All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2011), illustrated by Katherine Tillotson and Water is Water by Miranda Paul (Roaring Brook Press, 2015), illustrated by Jasin Chin.
Sea Otter Heroes: the predators that saved an ecosystem by Patricia Newman. 56 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, January 28, 2017. 9781512426311. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
I will put this right out there - Sea Otter Heroes is a first purchase! The adorable sea otter who appears to be looking directly at the camera will lure your patrons/ students and the author's storytelling skills will keep them interested. Newman delivers another cogent, superb and influential book. The work of scientists is not a rusty, dusty litany of facts, figures and tedious lab experiments. Thanks to writers like Newman, Sy Montgomery, Pamela S. Turner, and more, young people can get up close and personal with real scientists and learn about a variety of careers in science.
Sea Otter Heroes tells the story of a science mystery and the scientist who worked to solve it. Elkhorn Slough (pronounced slew), is an inlet that sits between Monterey and Santa Cruz in California. Farms surround the estuary and dump tons of pesticides and fertilizer into the waters. This practice has nearly decimated the growth of sea grass, an important plant in the marine ecosystem. The run-off is known as nutrient pollution and allows algae to thrive. This overpopulation of algae prevents photosynthesis and causes the death of sea grass. This, in turn decimates the population of sea animals that rely on sea grass for food and shelter. It also impacts humans in the form of coastal erosion. For some reason, the sea grass population in Elkhorn Slough has recovered and marine biologist Brent Hughes set about studying why this happened. Just how do otters fit into this remarkable recovery? Read Sea Otter Heroes to find out.
Thanks to the publisher/ art department for the beautiful design of this volume. There's plenty of "white" space. It's actually pleasing shades of blues with watery borders. There is at least one full-color photograph, map, or diagram on each page. Pages are also broken up by inserts like "Otterisms: Built to Hunt," which convey easily digestible facts about the otter or "Seagrass Science: What is a Trophic Cascade?"
A double-page spread entitled, "Rethink Your Relationship with Wildlife" offers suggestions for young readers that are easy to start the minute they close the book. Pages containing source notes and a glossary are followed with a two-page selected bibliography. A page with books and websites that young readers might explore and an index round out this important book.
I have mentioned that this is a first-purchase book already. Now, more than ever, we need to nurture young readers' fascination with animals and nature. There is so much at stake. We need to educate and inspire our students to be curious critical thinkers and champions of the environment and more.
Under Earth, Under Water by Aleksandra Mizielinkska and Daniel Mizielinski. 112 p. Candlewick Press, October, 2016. 9780763689223. (Review from copy borrowed from library.)
Unlike in an earlier review where I had forgotten how I found out about a book, I do remember where I learned of this gem - it was chosen as an NSTA outstanding book. Yeah. I totally missed the starred review in SLJ. Sigh. Yeah, I must up my game. I used to be so good at this!
Okay, so this oversized volume will be very difficult to shelve. The good news is that you might not have to, much. It is sure to be a favorite. Just leave it out for students to discover and pore over.
When I shared this with my students in "Period Kahn," I made a big show of asking them where the front of the book was and how I should open it. They were intrigued and talked about how most books stand vertically but this one's words were horizontal but on both sides. Hm. I have one student (bound to be a librarian) who is obsessed with copyright dates. He spied the ISBN code on the Under Water side and decided we should start on the Under Earth side. And that makes sense.
The authors take the reader on a layer-by-layer tour of the depths of the earth and water and it is fascinating! This is not a read aloud. This is not a book you will get through in one sitting. It is a book you will pore over and return to again and again. It is a book I thought about as I took this rather long escalator, nearly vertical, ride up from the MARTA stop in Atlanta on Friday. There is an impressive spread of subway depths around the world.
Impressive is the operating word here. Text boxes are arrayed across the horizontal double-page spreads and they all stun. Prepare to spend some time on each spread. Indeed, earth science teachers could use them to introduce units. There is a ton of information both textually and visually on each.
The out-side-the-box Table of Contents will even shake things up. I'm not sure of its use for extensive research, say for a report about a particular area of earth science, but this book is sure to get kids excited about earth science and perhaps spark an idea for that research project.
Click on this link to a trailer for a nice overview of the layout and you'll see that you need to buy this for your kids.
Fannie Never Flinched: one woman's courage in the struggle for American labor union rights by Mary Cronk Farrell. 44 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, November, 2016. 9781419718847. (Purchased)
This came in my JLG subscription last week. It's size was eye-catching as was its title. I had never heard of Fannie Sellins, so I was the first to check the book out.
The book opens in 1919 with an account of shots ringing out as blackjacks bear down on a crowd of striking workers and Fannie Sellins' attempts to protect a group of children. She became the target of those weapons. The page-turn brings the reader back to 1897 with Fannie's experience working in a St. Louis sweatshop. She was a widow with four young children to support. The working conditions in these factories were dangerous. The workers were poorly paid, worked long hours and had no rights. The factories were staffed by immigrants, women and children - people with no voice and no power. After learning about seamstresses who joined the United Garment Workers of America, Fannie "stitched together a dream." She decided to organize her co-workers.
The story is riveting and accompanied by plenty of well-captioned black and white photos. It's a handsome volume save for the end-pages - the faux-denim patchwork didn't work for me, especially when everything else complemented the ecru backgrounds so well. Backmatter includes a timeline of select events in the labor movement between 1877 and 1935, notes, an extensive list of sources, website and book recommendations and an index.
This is not only an important purchase for middle school and public libraries, but one that should be included in as many book talks and Reader's Advisories as possible. Last November, I was inspired by a list of non-fiction at Horn Book (sorry, cant find the link) and did a "social justice" book talk to my eighth grade students. I had purchased and read many of the titles on the list and book talked the ones we owned. I reminded them that in four short years, they will be eligible to vote and should be familiarizing themselves with human rights issues and deciding where they stand on political issues. I encouraged them to read widely and to think for themselves.
Esquivel! Space-age Sound Artist by Susan Wood. Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. unpgd. Charlesbridge, September, 2016. 9781580896733. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher)
I just adore picture book biographies! What a fabulous way to learn about new and interesting people at any age. #nevertoooldforpicturebooks. While they are a great for the younger elementary set, they are even better for older elementary and middle school, especially if the biography is well-sourced. That picture book can be a springboard into a larger work. A delicious canapé that whets the appetite for the main course.
Juan Garcia Esquivel was born in Mexico and seemingly a born musician. Was it his immersion in music, growing up around the sounds of "whirling mariachi bands?" Or was he just born with a musical brain and curiosity? His parents had a player piano but Juan wanted to make his own music, so at the age of six, he figured out how to disable the roll and play the piano himself. From then on, he made his own music. He had no formal training. By age fourteen, he was earning money playing for a radio station. He heard music everywhere and "focused on how sounds could be arranged." Soon, he was experimenting with the new technology known as stereo sound. He eventually made his way to America.
Two paragraphs that vividly describe his music and artistry float on the recto of a double-page spread of paint splotches and onomatopoeia swirling all around the bespectacled composer. The energetic collages depict the funky fashions of the sixties, quaint technology that was then state-of-the-art and cool cars that never seem to go out of style. If this doesn't prompt readers to dash to the nearest computer to find Esquivel's music, nothing will. I looked to see if the book was available as an audiobook. That would be so much fun! Or, perhaps a cool Weston Woods video? Maybe after it collects an award or two come January.
An informative author's note follows the story. The illustrator's note describes his inspiration along with a picture of the ancient Mexican art that inspired his style. A page of resources directs interested readers to books, periodicals, websites and videos. A full page black and white photo of the exuberant composer concludes the volume.
Alert your music teachers, art teachers and LA teachers when you add this to your collection. This is just the ticket to enliven the biography section.
Whilst scouting the shelves at my favorite public library a few weeks ago, I spied Hungry Coyote on display. I had recently read this with the kids from "Period Kahn" that I see every day so I skipped over it and looked some more. Two shelf tops over, I saw Coyote Moon and thought, "compare contrast!" So I grabbed it and Hungry Coyote and a few others and trotted back across the street to my own library.
Hungry Coyote by Cheryl Blackford. Illustrated by Laurie Caple. unpgd. Minnesota Historical Society Press, May, 2015. 9780873519649. (Review from finished copy borrowed from public library)
My first glance at the yellow-eyed coyote made me think that I was looking at a photograph. My second, took in the city skyline. As I learned from Ann Downer's book Wild Animal Neighbors, it is not unusual for coyotes to live in urban areas. This book follows one coyote and his family throughout one year, beginning and ending in the winter. The paintings are luscious and detailed. The language is spare and rhythmic. Coyote doesn't always catch his prey, and sometimes his prey is snitched sausage from a summer picnic. Young readers understand his need to feed his growing family. A half-page of additional information concludes the volume. No additional resources are provided.
Coyote Moon by Maria Gianferrari. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. unpgd. Roaring Brook Press, July, 2016. 9781626720411. (Review from finished copy borrowed from public library)
Wild Animal Neighbors and Hungry Coyote helped me appreciate the tenacity and adaptability of the coyote. Coyote Moon almost endeared me to them. This book follows a female out hunting for her family during a full-moon night. As in Hungry Coyote, the text is spare and evocative and absolutely wedded to the extraordinary illustrations. The ground-up perspective is unique and the lack of light forces the reader to lean in to peer closely in order to appreciate the incredible detail in each painting. My guys were constantly leaning in to touch the book. Just as they got used to the atmosphere, they jumped when the page turn revealed the pounce!
This picture book can definitely be used for elementary report writing because the back matter is terrific. Suggestions for further reading and websites are also included. Make room in your collection for this one. It's a keeper.
The boys did a terrific job of comparing and contrasting these lovely volumes about coyotes.
Radiant Child: the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe. unpgd. Little, Brown and Company, October, 2016. 9780316213882. (Review from purchased finished copy)
I had the privilege of attending the Little Brown spring preview, where I not only received an fng of this book, but got to view Javaka Steptoe's original art and listen to him speak about his research for the book and his artistic process. I read the fng immediately and posted a five-star quickie review to Goodreads. I also marked it as a 2016 favorite and intended to review it more fully here. I. Never. Did.
When all the starred reviews started appearing, I still somehow did not get around to reviewing it. Ugh! I am so lame! Now, it's deservedly appearing on many of the year-end "Best" lists. Last Thursday morning, I finally covered my school library's finished copy and, before displaying it on a shelf, sat down to reread it for the fifth or sixth time.
My love for this book has not diminished one iota. In fact, the finished copy is even more gorgeous. The care that went into this book shows on every page from the decorated end-pages to the portrait of Basquiat as a young man before the title page through the backgrounds for the title page and back matter.
In a note, "About This Book," Steptoe explains that he emulated Basquiat and used "bits of New York City to create the artwork for this book." His "canvases" were textured pieces of wood retrieved from dumpsters and exhibit pieces discarded by the Brooklyn Museum. The art is simply stunning. Each double-page spread invites lingering as the textures and colors meld with other media such as colored pencils and tubes of paint. I find something new with each reread.
The back matter includes a page with more information about the artist; an explanation of the motifs and symbolism used in the author/ illustrator's paintings and a note from Javaka Steptoe explaining his own connection to Basquiat and encouraging young artists to pursue their dreams.
Share this title with your art teachers. Radiant Child is a must-purchase title for all kinds of libraries.
Tiny Stitches: the life of medical pioneer Vivien Thomas by Gwendolyn Hooks. Illustrated by Colin Bootman. unpgd. Lee & Low Books, May, 2016. 9781620141564. (Review from purchased copy)
This is the story of Vivien Thomas who wanted to become a doctor. So he worked hard alongside of his father, who was a master carpenter and saved his money. But he lost it all in the stock market crash of 1929. While jobs were scarce for carpenters during the Great Depression, Vivien learned about a job opening at Vanderbilt Medical School. He hoped that by taking it, he could keep his dreams of becoming a doctor alive.
He interviewed with Dr. Alfred Blalock. Dr. Blalock wanted someone to help him with his research into treatment for patients in shock. Blalock was impressed with Vivien and offered him the job. Blalock taught Vivien how to conduct experiments and write up lab reports. Another doctor loaned him medical texts. Vivien was such a quick study that it wasn't long before he was conducting his own experiments.
He learned to suture seamlessly. He also learned that his job description was that of janitor and that white men with the same duties were earning more than he. He informed Dr. Blalock that he would no longer work for him unless he was paid comparably.
When Doctor Blalock left Vanderbilt to join Johns Hopkins, Vivien knew it would not be long before he was fired by Vanderbilt so he moved to Baltimore but could not find housing. It turned out that Johns Hopkins was more segregated that Vanderbilt but Vivien persevered.
In 1943, a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Helen Taussig, approached Dr. Blalock about finding a way to cure the tiniest cardiac patients, the "blue babies." These were babies who were born with a congenital heart defect known as Tetrology of Fallot, or four defects that prevented blood from being properly oxygenated.
After months of experimenting, Vivien realized that the solution might be a "procedure he and Dr. Blalock perfected at Vanderbilt for a different problem." One stumbling block to trying this surgery was that the needles were too long for the tiny infants' hearts and blood vessels. Vivien needed to make the needles small enough to use on a newborn. He tried his new needles out on animals and found a way to anastomose arteries using them. In November of 1944, Dr. Taussig had a baby girl who needed surgery or she would die.
On the morning of the surgery, Dr. Blalock insisted that Vivien remain in the operating room to help guide him through the surgery. The baby survived thanks to Vivien's help but Dr. Blalock got all the credit and press. Dr. Blalock became world famous and Vivien was never credited for his research until 1971. In 1976, he was given an honorary doctorate and appointed to the faculty as instructor.
Talk about injustice! What tenacity and perseverance on the part of Vivien Thomas! This is an important addition to any school, public or classroom or STEM library. The mostly double-page watercolor illustrations are fantastic. They convey Vivien Thomas' dignity and intelligence. Two pages of backmatter provides more information about Tetrology of Fallot and Vivien Thomas, followed by a glossary of medical terms and source notes.
Truly a first-purchase with cross-curricular uses.
ETA: I almost forgot! The eighth grade social studies teacher has a unit on African-American inventors. I asked him if Vivien Thomas was on the list of possible inventors to research. He was not; but after hearing my synopsis of the story, the teacher wants to add him.
The Alphabet from the Sky by Benedikt Gross & Joey Lee. 64 p. Price Stern Sloan/ Penguin Random House, September, 2016. 9781101995815. (Review from copy borrowed from public library)
Even though alphabet books are usually catalogued and shelved in the picture book section, technically, they are part of languages and should be found in the 400s. Exceptions are always made to cater to the needs of each particular library. Alphabet concept books might be more likely found by a parent or child browsing the picture book section. Personally, I lean toward cataloging them all as 400 so that a patron might see the variety and scope of choices. I happen to collect alphabet books and while my home library is not strictly ordered by the Dewey Decimal System, I have all my alphabet books together on the shelf.
I am definitely adding this one to my home library and probably to my school's.
Who isn't fascinated by aerial views? When do we really have the opportunity for bird's eye views? Even if we fly frequently, the view out of the tiny porthole window of a plane is tiny and relatively fleeting. And, except for take off and landing, really too high to identify much.
This book is the result of a Kickstarter campaign by the co-authors, who want to map the Earth's typography. Yes. Typography. That's no typo. Not topography. What letters do roads, buildings, rivers and landforms make?
The result of Gross and Lee's inquiry is this beautiful book. Other than the introduction, there are very few words in this book. Readers are invited to "read the landscape." Each double-page spread has the words, "Find the __" in the upper left hand side of the spread and a small yellow box containing the name of each town, state and latitude and longitude over a map of the US on which the town is located. There are many towns in Florida, two in New Jersey, several from Pennsylvania, a couple from Michigan and Illinois, several from California and Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas are represented with one.
Each photograph is crisp and colorful and startling in clarity. The first entry was photographed over Lake Work, Florida. The reader is asked to find the "A." It's easy enough but one is also distracted by possibilities for other letters. Indeed, the A is part of a neighborhood in which the streets also seem to form the letters, U, F, L, E, J, Y, M, B, O, Q and N. Upon closer inspection of the photo, the neighborhoods appear to float on water!
The children you share this with might want to rush through the book in the excitement of the scavenger hunt. You should let them; but leave time and an invitation to return to each spread to linger. Build inferencing skills by asking, "What do you see?"
Our small group of readers had trouble finding the L. They consulted the handy answer key at the end. Of course! Why hadn't they seen it? The final four pages contain a series of slightly-larger-than-thumbnail photos of additional letters.
This book was great fun and I can see its use in a variety of ways. I would've loved a bit more information about each spot, like what actually is that Q-shaped building? Then again, what better way to spur research than a mystery?
Whoosh: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton. Unpged. Charlesbridge, May 2016. 9781580892971. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Are you looking for a book to teach perseverance? Looking for a book with a STEM component? Looking for a book that is just plain old fun? Whoosh is the book for you!
Bless Lonnie Johnson's parents ability to put up with is penchant for collecting and tinkering! Young Lonnie shared a small house with five siblings and all the parts he collected for his inventions. He loved to build and create things. He managed to build and launch a rocket, much to the delight of his classmates but couldn't manage to pass an exam to become an engineer. The exam "said" he wouldn't make a good one. Discouraged, he returned to the drawing board. In 1968, he and his team won first place in a science fair that was held at the newly desegregated University of Alabama. He did go on to become and engineer and was part of the team that launched the Galileo rocket. But what he really wanted was to be a full-time inventor.
As with many inventions, a failure while trying to invent a more efficient and environmentally-friendly refrigeration method led to an idea for the ultimate water gun, a Super Soaker. Kids today, and maybe their parents, might be surprised to learn that toy manufacturers were reluctant to sign on to Lonnie's idea. He heard a lot of "Nos" and had to downsize from a house to an apartment in his quest to hear a "yes!"
Don Tate's energetic cartoon style perfectly captures Lonnie's buzzing energy. The design, from the mechanical drawings on the end-pages to the dramatic gatefold dramatically illustrating Johnson's success, adds to the recipe for success. The combination of engaging text and zippy illustrations make this a perfect read aloud. The class I read this to were so smitten, they asked to find out more about Lonnie Johnson and took to the Internet to read more. That's the power of a great informational picture book!
My First Book of Hockey by the Editors of SIKids. A Rookie Book. 48 p. Liberty Street/ Time Inc. Books, September 20, 2016. 9781618931771. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
My First Book of Hockey is the third in the Rookie Book series and the second of which I've read. I enjoyed My First Book of Baseball, so when I opened the package containing My First Book of Hockey, I was psyched, especially because I know very little about the game.
As in My First Book of Baseball, a young player provides color commentary starting on the end-papers as he suits up. Design and organization are similar in that each section is color coded and corresponds to the period of play. Full-color photographs, often accompanied by humorous speech bubbles, of a variety of teams and players (not identified) illustrate positions, equipment, shots, etc. Fundamental terminology, such as face-off, pass, check and icing are explained.
Quite a few action shots are highlighted with helpful arrows such as the physics of a slap shot or the split-second dynamics of a rebound.
This series is sure to be popular among young fans as well as would-be fans. Entertaining as well as educational. Surely every collection needs this series.
