Nonfiction

Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem by Jude Isabella, illustrated by Kim Smith

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Kids Can Press

Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem ...

Bringing Back the Wolves in 2020

Summary:  In 1995, nearly 70 years after they had disappeared due to hunting, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park.  The results provide a fascinating study on how changing the top of the food chain affects all kinds of species in an ecosystem.  The first and most obvious change was that elk, which had multiplied without a natural predator, were now being hunted for the first time in years.  As their numbers went down, the trees they had eaten were allowed to grow.  Bigger trees meant that beavers were able to return to the park in greater numbers.  Coyotes got bumped down from the top of the food chain to the middle, lowering their numbers and allowing more smaller animals to thrive…which in turn attracted more birds of prey.  The book also briefly touches on other factors such as drought and fire that also affected the ecosystem.  Today there are more than 500 wolves in Yellowstone, balance has been restored, and scientists have had the opportunity to study the effects of reintroducing an apex predator.  Includes a glossary, additional resources, and an index.  40 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  I was planning to read this book in small chunks (I’m reading some books on my phone these days), but the story was so fascinating that I finished it in one sitting.  The text is engagingly written and the illustrations add to the information, not only with pictures of the various animals but diagrams showing how they are connected to each other.

Cons:  Several sidebars were labeled “It’s Elemental”, which I think referred to other elements besides the wolves that affected the ecosystem, but it wasn’t 100% clear.

If you would like to order this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

Winged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery by Meeg Pincus, illustrated by Yas Imamura

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Published by Sleeping Bear Press

Winged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery: Meeg Pincus ...

19 | March | 2020 |

Summary:  In 1976, Canadian scientist Fred Urquhart published an article in National Geographic describing the migration of the monarch butterflies–answering a question that had puzzled scientists for decades.  But Dr. Urquhart didn’t solve this mystery by himself.  Citizen scientists all over the United States and Mexico helped by tagging butterflies and discovering the places where they spent the winter in Mexico.  Today, another mystery about the monarchs needs solving: how to keep these butterflies from dying out.  Pesticides have destroyed much of the milkwood they need to survive.  Readers are encouraged to become part of the solution to this problem, just as ordinary people did for Dr. Urquhart’s research.  Includes additional information and ideas for how to help monarchs.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  This engagingly written science book shows readers how ordinary people can make real contributions to scientific research and help solve global problems.  The back matter gives concrete ways that kids can make a difference.

Cons:  No list of resources for additional research.

If you would like to order this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer by Suzi Eszterhas

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Published by Owlkids (Released October 15)

Buy My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer Book ...

Summary:  Suzi Eszterhas shares how she became a wildlife photographer, beginning with her experiences as a child taking pictures of her cats in her backyard.  Over the years, she has traveled around the globe, often living in a tent and enduring difficult and occasionally dangerous conditions (no showers, lots of insects, airsickness while taking aerial photos, a charging gorilla) to capture the photographs that have appeared in her many books and helped raise awareness for endangered species.  Many of her photographs appear in the text. The final pages answer some of the questions she is most frequently asked. 32 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  As a Suzi Eszterhas fan who has promoted her books to kids over the years (most notably Moto and Me), I am delighted to learn that she’ll have this up-close-and-personal look at her life coming out in the fall.  Kids will enjoy reading about her adventurous life and seeing her photos of a wide variety of animals. Clearly, wildlife photography has been a boys’ club for a long time, and Suzi explains how she had to prove she was tough enough to be a part of it–which this book makes very clear she has done successfully.

Cons:  I got this copy off of NetGalley, and it didn’t include all the photos…however, I feel confident they will be excellent and highly appealing to kids.

If you would like to pre-order this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

Q&A: Wildlife Photographer Suzi Eszterhas | Sierra Club

 

A Bowl Full of Peace by Caren Stetson, illustrated by Akira Kusaka

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Published by Carolrhoda Books

A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story: Stelson, Caren, Kusaka, Akira ...

Summary:  Sachiko’s family cherishes Grandmother’s bowl, which is always filled with food at dinnertime.  As the war drags on, food becomes scarcer; still, the family still gathers and offers thanks for what they have.  August 9, 1945, begins like other hot summer days for the family, but an atomic bomb dropped on their city of Nagasaki changes life forever.  Sachiko’s youngest sister dies, and slowly over the course of the next several years, her remaining siblings and father sicken and pass away. The family leaves for awhile after the bombing, and when they return, Sachiko’s father miraculously finds Grandmother’s bowl in the rubble.  Each year, the remaining family members fill the bowl with ice and watch it melt, remembering the suffering they endured. Finally, Sachiko is the only survivor. She continues to help others remember and work for peace, work that inspired Caren Stetson to write her award-winning book Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story in 2016 and this picture book for younger readers.  Includes author’s and illustrator’s notes; photographs; and a list of books for further reading.  40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  This beautifully written and illustrated story deserves a place in any curriculum studying peace or the history of World War II.  Sachiko’s story makes the abstract concept of war more personal for kids.

Cons:  It is a tragic story to be sure, and one that kids may need some guidance to understand and process it.

If you would like to pre-order this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Sarah Green

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Published by Calkins Creek

Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the ...

Coming Soon: The Fight Of The Century - sarah.green

Summary:  When Woodrow Wilson was elected president in 1912, Alice Paul decided to convince him that U.S. women should be given the right to vote.  After a parade the day before his inauguration and multiple visits to the White House failed to garner any results, Paul and other suffragists began a silent protest in front of the White House.  She was eventually arrested and spent seven months in jail, where she staged a hunger strike. Finally, in early 1918, Wilson agreed to support an amendment for women’s suffrage, and the rest is history as the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote became law on August 26, 1920.  Includes additional information about Alice Paul and Woodrow Wilson; a timeline of women’s suffrage in the U.S.; photos; and a lengthy bibliography. 40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Using the format of a prize fight with Paul and Wilson as the two worthy opponents adds an element of fun to this story, but doesn’t take away from the informational value.  The extensive back matter makes it a great research resource.

Cons:  Readers with no background knowledge may find the format a bit confusing.

If you would like to buy this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

 

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything by Annette Bay Pimentel, pictures by Nabi H. Ali, foreword by Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins

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Published by Sourcebooks

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with ...

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with ...

Summary:  From the time she was a young girl, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins realized her cerebral palsy kept her from doing everything her sister could–and she was determined to change that.  She and her family became activists, joining protests for disability rights all over America. Upon hearing that members of Congress didn’t want to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they decided to go to Washington, D.C. to join the protest there.  When Jennifer saw some of the adults sliding from their wheelchairs to crawl up the steps to the Capitol building, she wanted to join them. Photos of her climb were shown around the world and helped get the ADA into the news, and finally, passed by Congress. Includes two pages with additional information about disabilities, accessibility, and activism; a page on life before and after the ADA; a timeline of the Disability Rights Movement; the photo of Jennifer; and a bibliography.  32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  This excellent resource tells Jennifer’s story in a way that’s accessible to all readers.  Her determination and activism from such a young age may inspire others to get involved in causes they feel passionate about.  If they do, the back matter will give them a good start.

Cons:  It seemed like a photo and biography of the adult Jennifer belonged on the back flap with the author and illustration information.

If you would like to buy this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

 

 

Breaking Through: How Female Athletes Shattered Stereotypes in the Roaring Twenties by Sue Macy

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Published by National Geographic

Breaking Through by Sue Macy: 9781426336768 | PenguinRandomHouse ...

Summary:  While few women athletes from the 1920’s are widely remembered today, it was an important decade for women’s sports.  In chapter one, we meet Olympic diving gold medalist 14-year-old Aileen Riggin, one of the first American women to compete in the Olympics, held in 1920, the same year U.S. women finally got the right to vote.  Subsequent chapters look at each year in the decade, profiling women athletes, and also looking at the men (and sometimes women) who tried to discourage them from competing. There are plenty of photos and sidebars, and each chapter ends with two pages of other events that occurred during the year, offering a big of historical perspective.  An epilogue summarizes what has happened in women’s sports since the end of the 1920’s, with brief profiles of women athletes from 1930 until the present. Includes an author’s note, additional resources, source notes, and an index. 96 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A fresh and interesting look at sports, written in an engaging style that will draw readers in.  Boys and girls alike will be inspired by these women who competed, often in multiple sports, against a backdrop of criticism and naysaying, opening up opportunities that continue to this day.

Cons:  The font seemed unnecessarily small, and a high-powered microscope may be needed to decipher the source notes and index.

If you would like to order this book from the Odyssey Bookshop, click here.

 

My Ocean Is Blue by Darren Lebeuf, illustrated by Ashley Barron

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Published by Kids Can Press

Image result for my ocean is blue darren

Image result for my ocean is blue darren

Summary:  A girl and her mother explore many different aspects of the ocean.  It can be shallow or deep; slimy or sandy; sparkly or dull. It can splash, crash, echo, squawk, or be silent. It appears and disappears with the tides.  She finds things that are pink, orange, grey, green, and red in and around the ocean, but mostly it is deep, endless blue. 32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  This follow up to My Forest Is Green will make kids want to go to the beach and look closely at all that is in and around the ocean.  The collage illustrations are filled with great colors and textures that really capture the feel of the seashore.

Cons:  I turned the last page, eagerly expecting additional information and sources about the ocean…nothing.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell by Selina Alko

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Published by HarperCollins

Image result for joni the lyrical life of joni mitchell

Summary:  “Joni Mitchell painted with words” begins this story of iconic singer Joni Mitchell.  Growing up in Canada, Joni loved art and music, often feeling a bit alienated from her parents who were “cautious and fixed in their ways”.  After surviving polio at age 10 (the same epidemic that sickened Neil Young), Joni began to pursue music in earnest, buying her first guitar in high school.  Moving from Toronto to New York to California, Joni found inspiration wherever she went: the clouds from her window on an airplane to write “Both Sides Now” and the view from her NYC apartment for “Chelsea Morning”.  Missing Woodstock to perform on TV prompted her to write “Woodstock”, and the aforementioned Neil Young’s song about staying young forever inspired “The Circle Game”. “I sing my sorrow, and I paint my joy,” Joni said, and this quote is illustrated by a collage of her albums spanning 1968 to 2007.  Includes an author’s note, discography, and bibliography. 48 pages; grades 1-5.

I looked at this book from both sides now, and:

Pros:  Any Joni Mitchell fan will appreciate this lyrical story of her life.  The illustrations are a gorgeous mix of painting and collage that perfectly capture Joni’s spirit and her music.  I particularly liked the one of her performing to an audience of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, and Pete Seeger.

Cons:  There are probably few 21st century kids who know who Joni Mitchell is.  

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

 

On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring by Buffy Silverman

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Published by Millbrook Press

Image result for on a snow melting day amazon

Image result for on a snow melting day buffy silverman

Summary:  “On a drip-droppy, slip-sloppy, snow-melting day…squirrels cuddle.  Snakes huddle. Clouds break. Salamanders wake.” The rest of the text of this book takes this format, describing a type of spring day, then showing signs of spring with a subject/verb combination.  The photographs illustrate each phrase, portraying plants and animals in early spring. The final two pages give more information about each of the photos; there’s also a glossary and list of books for further reading.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a great catalyst to start a conversation about looking for signs of spring.  The photos are sure to inspire kids to think of what they’ve noticed in their own neighborhoods.

Cons:  Like my other recent Millbrook Press review (Run, Sea Turtle, Run), this only comes in an expensive library-bound format: $23.88 on Amazon; $21.04 on Follet.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.