Nonfiction

A picture book potpourri

~ Janet Dawson ~ 3 Comments

Everyone Gets a Turn by Marianne Dubuc (Princeton Architectural Press, 60 pages, ages 4-9). When friends Bear, Mouse, Turtle, and Hare discover an egg, each one wants to take it home. The egg provides the answer: “Everyone gets a turn!” Mouse found the egg, so he brings it home first, getting to know the egg and learning how to keep it comfortable. Next is Bear, who gets a surprise: the egg hatches, and Little Bird arrives. Hare and Turtle figure out how to feed and care for a young bird, and by the time the visit with Turtle ends, Little Bird has built her own home and is ready to take care of herself. There’s a housewarming party, at which time Little Bird declares she will henceforth be known as Clara, and the five friends and neighbors “continue to grow, each in their own way.” The story could hardly be any cozier or more heartwarming, and the longer page count and graphic novel format will make it appealing to older readers as well as younger kids. I’d love to know the story of how this came to be published by the Princeton Architectural Press.

The Bicycle: How an Act of Kindness Changed a Young Refugee’s Life by Patricia McCormick and Mevan Babakar, illustrated by Yas Imamura (Balzer + Bray, 40 pages, grades 1-4). Mevan tells the story of her childhood, beginning with idyllic early years surrounded by family in Kurdistan. When the Iraqi government begins persecuting the Kurdish people, Mevan and her family are forced to flee, first to Turkey, then to Russia, and finally to the Netherlands. Mevan learns to make herself as invisible as she can. In the Netherlands, she watches people outside her window riding bicycles, but she rarely leaves the apartment herself. It feels like no one sees her, but it turns out that Egbert, the building’s handyman, has noticed her, and one day he brings her a red bicycle. His gift makes Mevan feel “a hundred feet tall,” and before long, she’s outside riding with the rest of her neighbors. An epilogue describes the miraculous reunion she had with Egbert as an adult, including a photo of the two of them, and an author’s note describes her life as a refugee, how it has made her feel like an outsider, and the miraculous power of kindness. This is a touching if bittersweet memoir with an emphasis on the power of one person’s kindness to make a difference. I like how the epilogue ends, describing the ripple effect of her story of finding Egbert: “In a world where there are many people running from war, from hunger, from hatred, people everywhere, of every age, asked themselves: What’s one kind thing I can do?”

The Elephant and the Sea by Ed Vere (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Gabriel is an old elephant when we meet him on the first page, sitting in the harbor and remembering his younger days. Back then, he loved to visit the lifeboat crew and dreamed of helping sailors at sea, singing “Heave away, haul away, heave-HO!” But then Gabriel grows…and grows, and the other animals say he’s too big for the lifeboat. He refuses to give up his dream, though, and spends his days collecting driftwood and building. When a storm hits that’s too strong for the lifeboat crew, Gabriel is ready with his own boat that he uses to haul in the entire fleet. “Brave Gabriel, our hero!” the animals hail him. “Can we join you?” “Of course,” Gabriel replies. “But we might need a bigger boat.” And Gabriel enjoys a career of lifesaving, bringing us back to the old elephant remembering. It’s a cute story with a nice theme of perseverance and determination, with a fun “Heave away” repeating refrain. This would make a nice companion to read with Swashby and the Sea.

In which we learn what some Caldecott artists have been up to

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Being Home by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Michaela Goade (Kokila, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A family decides to move from the crowded city to the Cherokee reservation, where they can be close to nature, family, and community. The narrative begins on moving day in the city, continues through their journey, and finishes up in their new home, where they’re greeted with a feast and lots of children for the young narrator to play with. There are kid-drawn pictures showing a map of their trip, while other illustrations incorporate people, animals and symbols from the Cherokee Nation. Pink is the main color used to celebrate this family’s new life.

Both Traci Sorell’s (Cherokee) beautiful poetry and Michaela Goade’s (Tlingit) gorgeous illustrations celebrate indigenous communities that honor nature and help each other out through their connection. There’s always so much to see in Goade’s art, so be sure to take your time to appreciate how the colors she uses and shapes and figures she weaves into the main illustrations help tell the story.

Signs of Hope: The Revolutionary Art of Sister Corita Kent by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Harry N. Abrams, 40 pages, grades 2-5). A student narrator describes what it was like to study art with Sister Corita Kent, learning to pay attention, breaking the rules, making prints inspired by words and pictures from magazines. Sometimes the students would take field trips to museums to learn about Pop Art, or to protests, where Sister Corita’s signs spoke out about peace and justice. After studying with Sister Corita, her students were ready to go into the world to express themselves through their own art. Includes an author’s note with biographical information about Sister Corita Kent, an illustrator’s note, a timeline, and additional resources.

Melissa Stewart’s style is a natural fit to celebrate Sister Corita’s joyful, playful art. The first-person present-tense narration brings an immediacy to the story that’s as vibrant as the illustrations. The text may be a bit confusing to a reader not familiar with Sister Corita Kent, but the author’s note adds helpful details about her life. I was disappointed that Matthew Burgess’s excellent Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Corita Kent wasn’t included on the resource list.

Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor (Balzer + Bray, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Ursula is a catfish who happily enjoys the beauty of her undersea world. But her view gets flipped when a fish asks her why she’s upside-down. “Just look around,” says the fish, and when she does, Ursula realizes she’s the only creature swimming her way. She tries turning over but gets so disoriented that she leaves the water altogether. A bat comes along and rescues her, and back in the water, Ursula observes the bat hanging upside down from a tree. “Upside down?” says the bat. “Says who?” This gives Ursula the confidence to go back to her old ways, and she’s happy once again, seeing things her own way. An author’s note introduces the upside-down catfish of the Congo River Basin and asks readers to consider that we might be the ones who are upside down.

Another cute picture book by Corey Tabor that involves flipping the book around a couple of times like some of his other works. My favorite is still the Caldecott honor book Mel Fell, but I’m sure kids will enjoy getting to know Ursula (and Vern the bat), and the story delivers a nice message about doing your own thing.

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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Made In Asian America: A History for Young People by Erika Lee and Christina Soontornvat (Quill Tree Books, 320 pages, grades 5-8. This young readers’ adaptation of Erika Lee’s The Making of Asian America (2015) begins with an introduction that details the absence of Asian American history in most schools and some of the kids who have worked to bring attention to that. The main narrative covers American history from Columbus to Covid, relating the stories of people who immigrated to the U.S. from many Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, and more. Different people had different reasons for coming, depending on their country’s history and political situation, but almost all experienced racism, discrimination, and broken promises when they arrived. Like many other immigrants, they worked hard doing backbreaking labor to survive and to try to build a better future for their children. In more recent times, Asian Americans have become known as the “model minority,” a label which carries its own baggage. The Covid era showed that racism still simmers right beneath the surface of American society, as it exploded with the news that the virus originated in China. Asian Americans have a history of fighting for civil rights, both for themselves and for other groups experiencing discrimination, and that fight continues today, as explained in the last chapter. Includes notes from both authors as well as almost 30 pages of source notes and an index.

I learned so much from this book, which really drove home the point that Asian Americans are largely missing from American history. The writing is clear and engaging, and many of the profiles describe ordinary people whose stories are often both heartbreaking and inspiring. It was fascinating to get a brief history of so many different countries and to learn why different groups immigrated to the United States.

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller (Philomel Books, 160 pages, grades 2-5). While Magnolia is looking forward to turning 10, she’s less excited about the summer ahead, which will mostly be spent at her family’s Bing Qi Ling Laundromat. When her mom’s friend moves to New York City from California, she brings along her daughter Iris, who is just Magnolia’s age. At first the girls feel strange around each other, but soon they bond over the sock board, where Magnolia has displayed all the stray socks that have been left behind at the laundromat. They decide to canvass the neighborhood to find each sock’s owners, using clues from the socks themselves to help them. As they solve each mystery, the girls learn more about their neighbors and hear some interesting stories about Magnolia’s parents, who turn out to have a fun and adventurous side that Magnolia hasn’t been aware of. A major fight threatens to destroy their new friendship, but Magnolia finds a way to repair things and, in the process, gains a deeper understanding of her new best friend.

With a 10-year-old protagonist, a larger font, and plenty of illustrations, this would make a good introductory chapter book. It was interesting to read this right after finishing Made in Asian America, as Magnolia’s and Iris’s families, from China and Vietnam respectively, are working hard to give their kids a better life in America and experience racism at various points in the story. Their resilience and close family ties make this a warm and engaging story with a fun and quirky cast of characters.

Oh! 2 books about H2O

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Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us by Olga Fadeeva, translated from Russian by Lena Traer (Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 56 pages, grades 2-5). Each spread in this book asks a question about water, covering a wide range of topics from weather to oceans to pollution. How much water is there on Earth? How do rivers form? How are seas and oceans different? How powerful is water? Each question is answered with a few straightforward, engaging paragraphs and illustrated with acrylics that emphasize the blues and browns of water. This is a fun book to browse and would make an excellent addition to any elementary unit on water, although there was a sad lack of additional resources at the end.

Dive! The Story of Breathing Underwater by Chris Gall (Roaring Brook Press, 48 pages, grades 1-5). As we learned in the first book, two-thirds of the Earth is covered in water, so it’s only natural that humans would seek out ways to explore the oceans. Beginning with the ancient Greeks who used hollow reeds that allowed them to breathe while harvesting undersea sponges, Chris Gall moves on to diving bells, the bathysphere, the Aqua-Lung, and robot-controlled submersibles. He also explains what happens when humans travel deep into the ocean, and the catastrophic effects returning to the surface too quickly can have. The narrative is told through a lens of problem-solving, as various inventors sought to overcome obstacles to allow divers to go deeper and explore longer. There’s more information at the end about the oceans, how to become a diver, and the author’s personal experience with diving, as well as a glossary and additional resources. Although this has the look of a picture book and is recommended by some reviewers for kids as young as 4, there’s a lot of somewhat technical information that would most likely be more interesting for older readers.

Mythology

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The Monster and the Maze (Monkey King and the World of Myths) by Maple Lam (G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 240 pages, grades 3-7). Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, comes to life in a graphic tale combining Chinese and Greek mythologies. Bold, confident and fearless, the Monkey King sneaks into heaven where he confronts the gods with his request to become one of them. Although he’s a lowly beast, he’s told his wish will be considered if he can go on a quest to slay a monster. Sun Wukong ends up in Crete, on a quest to destroy the legendary Minotaur. When he finds the monster, tough, he learns that he’s not evil and is suffering at the hands of his father, King Aegeus. The Monkey King discovers the problem–an evil spirit has possessed Aegeus–and is able to convince the king to release the spirit and return to his kindly ways, making an impassioned case for beasts and monsters in the process. Sun Wukong’s work may be done in Crete, but it looks like there will be more adventures for him ahead. The two mythologies are woven together seamlessly, making a fun and extremely engaging story. Includes additional information about the mythical characters and an author’s note.

Amazing Immortals: A Guide to Gods and Goddesses Around the World by Dinah Williams (Harry N. Abrams, 208 pages, grades 4-8). Arranged by categories of power (creation, weather, tricksters, etc.), this collection of myths focuses on cultures other than the familiar Greek and Roman ones. Each two-page spread contains a brief retelling of the myth, along with gorgeous color art, created by 17 different artists. The left-hand margin contains information about the country (or region), culture, and era of each myth, which is unfortunately small enough that it took some diligent searching for me to discover. Each myth includes a fun fact or a tie-in to modern times, like Marvel movies or Rick Riordan books. The back matter includes information about the author and artists, as well as an index, a list for further reading, and an extensive bibliography, making this a great starting place for more research. It’s an amazing and visually appealing resource for upper elementary and middle school mythology fans.

A trio of musical picture books

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The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss, illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh (Beach Lane Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Ronan is a boy who rarely speaks, and when Grandfather proposes a trip to the symphony, his parents are a bit skeptical. But Grandfather persists, and the two of them drive to the concert hall and find their seats. The lights go down, the music begins, and Ronan is swept away. In the moment of silence when the music ends, Ronan opens his mouth, and utters a loud, “Wow!” The audience laughs and claps, both for the orchestra and for Ronan. An author’s note shares that the story is based on an actual event that happened at Boston’s Symphony Hall in 2019. The illustrations look more like the 1950’s than 2019, but it’s a fun and interesting story with a sympathetic nonverbal main character.

Nothing: John Cage and 4′ 33″ by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Neal Porter Books, 40 pages, grades 1-5). The story opens with a 1952 performance at the Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock, NY, where a pianist named David Tudor sits down at a piano and proceeds to do nothing for just over four and a half minutes. The word “nothing” is repeated a few times as the audience sits and wonders what is happening. The narrative then goes back 40 years to the birth of John Cage, a boy with unusually large ears and a penchant for inventing. Of all his radical compositions, his 4′ 33″ may be both the most unusual and the best-known. He wanted people to listen in the absence of sound to create their own music from what they heard around them. There’s an extensive author’s note, along with photos and a bibliography at the end.

The idea of this silent piece is fascinating and thought-provoking, stretching the boundaries of what can be considered music, and the subject is brought to life by Chris Raschka’s illustrations. The back matter seems more geared for older readers, and the concepts introduced may be a bit over the heads of the intended audience. Also, John Cage’s ears are described in a way that makes them sound freakishly large, but when I saw photos of him that seemed like an unnecessary exaggeration.

Piper Chen Sings by Philippa Soo and Maris Pasquale Doran, illustrated by Qin Leng (Random House Studio, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Piper loves to sing whenever she can, whether it’s joining the birds outside her bedroom window or performing for her stuffed animals. At school, she loves chorus, and when the teacher asks her to sing a solo in the spring concert, Piper offers an unequivocal “Yes!” But when it comes time to practice the solo, Piper gets stage fright and can’t do it. At home, she’s sad, no longer singing, until her grandmother Nai Nai has a talk with her, explaining that scary experiences can produce butterflies in the stomach, but so can exciting ones. Nai Nai is a pianist, and she tells Piper that the butterflies before a recital always settled once she started to play. Piper decides she will do the solo, and on the night of the concert, she welcomes the butterflies and feels them settle as she starts to sing. A lovely story by the Grammy-winning Hamilton actress that will show kids the importance of recognizing that fear and excitement often feel the same.

Three books about immigration

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Finding Home: Words from Kids Seeking Sanctuary by Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner, photographed by Shelley Rotner (Clarion Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Children and their families from around the world come to the United States seeking sanctuary from war, famine, natural disasters, and other dangers. Many of the photos have cartoon bubbles with kids describing in their own words how they felt when they had to leave their countries, what they miss, and the difficulties and joys in their new homes. There’s additional narrative at the end about how some of the families got to the United States, as well as resources for kids, adults, and parents, caregivers, and educators about how to make families feel welcome.

This book has some personal connections to me, because: 1. the author and photographer live near me, and I have met Shelley Rotner, 2. my Quaker meeting is part of a Circle of Care for one of the families in this book, and 3. my school in Springfield has three classes of refugee kids who have missed at least two years of school due to their circumstances. This book is at just the right level for helping kids (and adults) understand what these families have gone through and to help make them welcome in the U.S.

The Circuit: Graphic Novel by Francisco Jiménez, illustrated by Celia Jacobs (Clarion Books, 240 pages, grades 4-8). Francisco Jiménez’s memoir has been adapted as a graphic novel, telling the story of Francisco as a child, moving with his family from Mexico to California, where they became migrant workers, traveling from one farm to the next to pick cotton, strawberries, grapes, and other crops. Francisco loves to learn, but school is sandwiched between jobs, and his story is a series of losses, as he befriends kids he’ll never see again and loses his precious journal in a fire. There’s enough humor and joy to prevent the story from getting too bleak, and the story feels somewhat timeless, although I think it takes place in the 1940’s. The heart stopping cliffhanger on the last few pages will leave readers like me fervently hoping that more of Jiménez’s books will be published in graphic format.

Lost & Found: Based on a True Story by Mei Yu (Union Square Kids, 128 pages, grades 2-5). Mei Yu recounts her memories of moving from China to Canada at a young age (probably six or seven). With English words in a green font, readers can see how few words she understands at school and the scary situations that ensue: using the wrong bathroom, thinking kids are laughing at her, losing her beloved sketchbook. Mei eventually uses the sketchbook to create a collection of English words, and before long, she is able to communicate and begin to make friends. An author’s note gives more information about her experience, as well as a simple glossary of Chinese words. There’s a funny bonus story about how Mei got her beloved toy cat, who appears real to her, a la Calvin and Hobbes.

It’s a pretty simple story, but the difficulties of immigration are presented in a way that beginning readers will be able to understand, and everyone is sure to love the manga-style artwork.

Science Friday

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One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Bernard Booth, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 40 pages, grades K-4). “Wounded, worn, twisted, torn. One day this tree will fall and this story will end. Won’t it?” To learn the answer to this question posed on page 1, the narrative goes back to the beginning when a seed survives its journey to become a seedling. Its story could have ended before it began, and it could have also been ended by wind, ice, drought, and fire. But the tree survives, becoming a home to many creatures. Eventually, the tree does fall, but even when it’s lying on the forest floor, it provides food and homes to animals. Finally, it becomes part of the soil that supports a new tree seed. Includes additional information about trees and the interactions between trees and people, as well as a glossary and selected sources.

This Book Is Full of Holes: From Underground to Outer Space and Everywhere In Between by Nora Nickum, illustrated by Robert Meganck (Peachtree, 40 pages, grades 1-4). Maybe you haven’t thought a lot about holes, but you’ll start to notice them after reading this book. Whether tiny (a bleed hole in an airplane window) or enormous (the Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah), forming slowly (potholes) or quickly (sinkholes), mysterious (a wormhole) or annoyingly familiar (a hole in your sock), holes generally have interesting stories, many of which are told here. The last few pages cover English idioms that use the word hole (loophole, pigeonhole, a square peg in a round hole) and describe one last hole that’s not really a hole–a black hole. Includes a list for further reading.

Here are two STEM related titles for elementary readers to enjoy. This Book Is Full of Holes has a more unique premise, but I think I’d be less likely to use it as a read-aloud than the beautifully illustrated One Day This Tree Will Fall, which tells a fascinating story in a way that’s simple enough for kindergarteners and first graders to understand. This Book Is Full of Holes is a bit text-heavier and may lend itself better to reading on one’s own.

Birds and dinosaurs

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Brave Baby Hummingbird by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Tiffany Bozic (Simon and Schuster, 48 pages, ages 4-8). A hummingbird tells his story, beginning with his birth when he and his sister hatch from eggs the size of navy beans. They’re fed every twenty minutes until the day their mother doesn’t return to the nest. Fortunately, they’re rescued and taken to a place where a human, known only as the Voice, takes care of them until they are old enough to survive on their own. Woven into the story are facts about hummingbirds’ food, flight, bodies, and migrations, and more information is given at the end, including the author’s experience with a hummingbird rescue and ways that readers can help these birds. This lovely book provides plenty of information about hummingbirds, illuminated with beautiful illustrations of the birds at every stage of their lives and the colorful landscapes they inhabit.

The Iguanadon’s Horn: How Artists and Scientists Put a Dinosaur Back Together Again and Again…and Again! by Sean Rubin (Clarion Books, 48 pages, grades K-4). Ever since humans first realized that dinosaurs once existed, they’ve been trying to imagine what these creatures looked like. Using the dinosaurs’ fossilized remains, artists have painted and sculpted prehistoric depictions…and generally gotten things completely wrong. A case in point is the iguanodon’s horn, which turned out to be (we think) a thumb spike. Sean Rubin goes through the evolution of ideas about the iguanodon, showing how increased scientific knowledge changed perceptions about what the animal looks like. He speculates on what the next ideas may be, emphasizing the fact that, barring time travel, we will never know for sure. The endnotes give additional information about each two-page spread.

Dinosaur fanatics will love this book, both the fascinating story of how science works and the illustrations, which are at once informative and funny (I liked the cartoon bubbles showing the comments of the various wrong iguanodon models: “I DO look pretty terrible here,” “Seriously. This is embarrassing.” I felt a little bogged down reading the repeated wrong guesses, but I suspect a true paleo fan will find them captivating.

Parks for everyone

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Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoy Establishes Joshua Tree National Park by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely (Calkins Creek, 40 pages, grades 1-4). Minerva Hoyt grew up in Mississippi, where she loved to play outside and was not afraid to speak her mind. She grew up, got married, and moved to Pasadena, California with her husband. When Minerva needed a break from the city, her favorite place to visit was the Mojave Desert.

Over the years, Minerva watched as people from Los Angeles slowly stripped the Mojave of its cacti, yucca, and Joshua trees to transplant (usually unsuccessfully) to their gardens. To try to preserve this ecosystem, Minerva did something similar, but for a different purpose–she gathered plants from the desert and created an exhibit at the 1928 International Flower Show to raise awareness. Later, she worked to turn some of the Mojave into a national park. There was quite a bit of resistance to this idea from those who thought the desert was a barren wasteland, but Minerva never gave up. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the law that created Joshua Tree National Monument. Almost 50 years after Minerva’s death in 1945, President Bill Clinton established Joshua Tree National Park. There’s more information about Minerva, Joshua Tree, and national parks, as well as environmental tips and a bibliography in the back.

Tasha’s Voice by Carmen Bogan, illustrated by Floyd Cooper and Daria Peoples (Yosemite Conservancy, 38 pages, grades K-3). In this companion to Carmen Bogan’s Where’s Rodney? a young girl has a transformative experience in nature, just as Rodney does in his story. Tasha is a new girl in Rodney’s class, so shy that she can’t speak when the teacher calls on her or talk to the other kids in the class. When the class takes a field trip to the park, a ranger shows them around, then lets them explore on their own. An encounter with a small turtle helps Tasha to make two new friends and to finally find her own voice.

Be sure to read the last two pages, which include an interview with Daria Peoples who completed the artwork after Floyd Cooper passed away in 2021. There’s also a brief note about parks that includes websites for Outdoor-Afro and Latino Outdoors.

Enjoy these two books for the last part of Women’s History Month! (Although Tasha’s Voice won’t be out until April). They are a celebration of national parks, the healing power of nature, and making outdoor experiences available to groups, like women and people of color, who may not have always felt welcome there.