Nonfiction

We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition by Reem Kassis, illustrated by Noha Eilouti

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Crocodile Books

Summary:  This introduction to Palestine and Palestinian culture includes chapters on geography, cultural symbols, creative minds, agriculture, cuisine, performing arts, and history and religion.  The author has written cookbooks (the food section is particularly strong) and seeks to preserve her Palestinian culture for her daughters.  Each section contains “Did you know?” and “Fun fact” sidebars, as well as an illustration or two. The difficult history of Palestine is woven throughout the text, not only in the history section.  Includes an index.  112 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  I enjoyed learning more about Palestine, which, of course, is all over the news, but is probably a culture that is not well known to most Americans, including myself.

Cons:  I would have liked more back matter, especially additional resources.

Stone Age Beasts by Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Following a four-page introduction to the Stone Age, the book gets down to business with a series of two-page spreads on some of the large animals of the era.  Each one includes a portrait with a few paragraphs of information and some sidebars, including one with fast facts, a map showing the animal’s range, and a size comparison to a human.  There are old favorites like the woolly mammoth and saber-toothed cat, along with some that may be less familiar, such as the elephant bird and giant short-faced kangaroo.  A final page looks at why the animals disappeared and how we learned about them.  Includes a glossary.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Dinosaur fans will enjoy learning about gigantic beasts from another time period, particularly the ferocious illustrations that dominate each page.  The information is engagingly written and presented.

Cons:  The Stone Age seems scary.

Tomfoolery!: Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age Children’s Books by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  In this follow-up to Balderdash! John Newbery and the Birth of Children’s Books, Michelle Markel looks at the man who was the namesake for another famous children’s literature award.  Despite a weak heart, Randolph Caldecott loved being outdoors, hanging out with animals, and capturing what he saw on paper.  His father sought to quash his love of art with a career as a banker, but Randolph kept drawing.  When offered a chance to illustrate children’s books, he went against the prevailing fashion of stilted decorations and created art with plenty of action and animals.  Kids and adults loved his work, and Randolph became an international success, his work continuing to influence illustrators 150 years later.  Includes a list of the Caldecott reproductions included in the illustrations; a list of annotations; a picture of the Caldecott medal; additional information about illustrated Victorian periodicals and the big three toy book illustrators (Caldecott, Walter Crane, and Kate Greenaway); and a list of books by Randolph Caldecott.  44 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  This exuberant book brings Randolph Caldecott to life with beautiful illustrations inspired by his art.  It seems only fitting for this to be considered for a Caldecott medal or honor.

Cons:  There’s a great illustration of several Caldecott medalists reading their own books; I wasn’t able to identify all of them, and I wish the back matter had included a list.

Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Summary:  When Albany (CA) High School junior Charles created a “fake” Instagram account for posting racist memes, he thought it was a way to be funny that his friends would appreciate.  But some of the Black girls he targeted found the account in 2017, and the discovery ripped the school and the community apart.  The school administration tried both traditional methods of discipline (suspension and expulsion) as well as a disastrous restorative justice mediation session to try to bring healing.  A messy combination of lawsuits, school board confrontations, and conversations among the kids themselves eventually allowed them to move on, but the reverberations continue to affect the students, now young adults, and the community.  496 pages; grades 9-12.

Pros:  I don’t usually review young adult books, but I loved Dashka Slater’s The 57 Bus, and a long train ride gave me some extra time to dive into this book.  Like her previous book, this one looks at a hateful incident through the eyes of teenagers, emphasizing the devastating impact on the victims, while digging into the motivations of the perpetrators.  All the kids are presented sympathetically, even the boys, who, with one striking exception, came to see, at least to a certain extent, the harm that they caused.  There are no easy answers, and diving into the complexity of the issues would make this an amazing book discussion choice for high school and possibly older middle school students.

Cons:  It was sadly evident how ill-prepared educational institutions are to deal with cyberbullying and social media in general.

When Moon Became the Moon by Rob Hodgson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Rise x Penguin Workshop

Summary:  In 11 very short chapters, readers learn about the moon–how it was created, its orbit, craters, phases of the moon, and its relationship to Earth.  Most chapters are just a few sentences, illustrated with colorful anthropomorphized celestial bodies that talk with cartoon bubbles.  Kids will gain a greater appreciation for the moon and its effects on Earth and may be inspired to dream of traveling there some day after reading the final chapter on space exploration.  64 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Fans of Stacy McAnulty’s Our Universe series will enjoy this book with its colorful illustrations and humorous, easy-to-understand information.  

Cons:  No back matter? Lunacy.

Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Diana Sudyka

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Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  There are lots of books about plants’ life cycles, but this one focuses on fungi, which grow from spores, not seeds.  The text begins with how the spores travel and reproduce, then describes all kinds of fungi, showing readers a colorful array that they can see, as well as cutaways that show the underground fungal world.  Specific species are described in greater detail with a smaller font.  Fungi can be poisonous, but they can also help humans in a variety of ways.  Includes additional information and a glossary, list of sources, and additional resources.  48 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  A fascinating and beautiful look at a wide range of species that many readers may have noticed in passing but will now have reason to examine more closely.  Diana Sudyka is one of my new favorite illustrators this year, illuminating the text with bursts of colorful mushrooms and other fungi.  

Cons:  The zombie ant fungus may give you nightmares.

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art Is Changing the Tide by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Catia Chien

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  Chinese artist Ai Weiwei spent his childhood in a labor camp after his father, a renowned poet, was targeted by the government.  They lived in an underground hole, where Ai would create sculptures from the dirt.  He grew up to be an artist, studying in the US before returning to China where he was imprisoned for criticizing the government.  After his release, he moved to Germany where he uses his art to bring attention to the plight of refugees, people displaced from their homes the same way he was.  One of his most famous works was created from lifejackets left behind by refugees landing in Greece.  Ai’s art “challenged the world to see differently…[and] invited the world to take action.”  Includes four pages of additional information and photos.  48 pages; grades 3-8.

Pros:  A beautiful and moving tribute to Ai Weiwei’s work with illustrations in shades of blue and orange that incorporate photos of refugees and his art into the pictures.

Cons:  I think this would be a very difficult book for kids to understand without having a considerable amount of background knowledge.  I was pretty confused by the story until I read the information at the end. 

Come and Join Us! 18 Holidays Celebrated All Year Long by Liz Kleinrock, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  Throughout the year, a class learns about the holidays different kids celebrate as part of their cultures.  Each child describes the holiday in a paragraph, with colorful illustrations showing a family celebration.  There are sure to be some new ones to many readers, including Obon, Makahiki, and Vesak, as well as some that may be familiar like the Jewish High Holidays, Kwanzaa, and Día de Los Muertos.  At the end of each holiday description is a question for discussion, like “What kinds of stories do you tell on your holiday?” and “Do you gather with family to celebrate your holidays?”  Includes an author’s note about her own childhood experience celebrating Jewish holidays and not observing Christmas, as well as a glossary.  40 pages; grades K-5

Pros:  A fascinating look at other cultures and the special days they observe with appealing illustrations and interesting questions that will help make connections with readers’ own experiences.

Cons:  This felt like kind of a lot to read all at once; it might be better to do a little at a time, or to use it as a resource for learning about specific holidays.

Game of Freedom: Mestre Bimba and the Art of Capoeira by Duncan Tonatiuh

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  Manoel dos Reis Machado, a.k.a. Bimba, loved capoeira, a sport involving martial arts-like moves done to musical accompaniment.  Involving predominantly Black players, the sport had been banned in Brazil by the all-White government who considered it barbaric.  In 1932, Bimba became Mestre Bimba when he opened a school to teach the art of capoeira, introducing a rigor and discipline that eventually made it appealing to a wealthier clientele.  It took twenty years of hard work, but in 1953, Mestre Bimba and his students were invited to do a demonstration for the president of Brazil.  This removed the last of the discrimination against capoeira, and although Mestre Bimba passed away in 1974, the sport is widely popular throughout Brazil today.  Includes a glossary, an author’s note, photos, and a bibliography.  48 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Illustrated in Duncan Tonatiuh’s trademark folk-art style, this fascinating biography will have readers heading over to YouTube to see some live demonstrations of capoeira.  Tonatiuh has won both the Pura Belpré Award and Robert F. Sibert Medal, and this book could be a contender for both.

Cons:  I saw some recommendations for as young as preschool, but I would say this is definitely for upper elementary and middle school kids.

The Bees of Notre-Dame by Meghan P. Browne, illustrated by E. B. Goodale

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House Studio

Summary:  It’s springtime in Paris, and while most people are out enjoying the warm weather, Sibyle is on the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral taking care of the bees that live up there.  They enjoy the spring weather, too, going out into the city to find the abundant flowers.  No one is expecting the fire that sweeps across the cathedral’s roof one April morning.  When the fire is finally extinguished, Parisians rally to restore their ancient treasure…working hard to rebuild, just like the bees.  Includes additional information about the bees that live on the roof of Notre-Dame and the 2019 fire at the cathedral, as well as a few photos and a list of recommended reading.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  The lyrical text and detailed illustrations of both the cathedral and the beehives introduce two topics that readers will find intriguing.

Cons:  The ending felt abrupt.