Guest Blogger Henry Ryle

Henry’s book reviews

Henry’s Heart, by Clarissa Harper

This is an educational yet endearing book about a young boy and his heart. The author of the book, Charisa Harper, cleverly shows the functions of the heart and the necessities required to carry out those functions. A great book for young children looking to learn more about their bodies and more specifically their hearts. The illustrations are artfully rendered and abstract enough to draw young readers in. The book also tells the young readers how to take care of the most important muscle in their bodies. All in all, it is a wonderful book that shows the heart in a sweet and funny way. 

28 Days, by Charles Smith Jr.

Is a heartfelt and emotional book about African-Americans and what they did to fight segregation and racism. Charles Smith Jr. does an amazing job illustrating their struggle and bravery through poems, eulogies, and quotes. From Cippus Attucks to Daniel Williams, and from Brown to Rosa Parks, and from Martin Luther King to Barrack Obama. With colorful yet slightly abstract illustrations by Shane Evans, the book is an amazing read for children and young adults. The stories show the horrible racism and segregation that African-Americans had to go through before our nation realized that they were just people. This was an amazing book and a must read for all children and young adults.

Second Banana, by Keith Graves

It is a humorous but important book about a gorilla named Oop that is a helper in a circus that stars a monkey. All Oop ever does is set up the monkeys performances. Oop wants to star in the circus too but when she confronted the monkey about it he put her down. Then, right before the next performance, the monkey got hurt. Oop thought that this was her chance to perform. She messed up all the tricks, but the audience adored her. When the monkey found out, Oop thought he would be furious, but he had also loved it! From then on, Oop was included in the show. The book by Keith Graves was funny and put a great twist on one of the most important lessons of life: everyone deserves a chance because you never know how good they will be. A great book, and a great choice for children starting to learn how to be good people and contribute to society.

 Whale Trails, by Lesa Cline-Ransome

This tells the story of the Cuffee, a boat packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of a whale. One half of each page is dedicated to the Cuffee’s journey, while the other half is dedicated to what whales were sought after for years ago: blubber and blubber. However, these days, whales are majestic creatures that are a wonderful sight and something that no one would ever hunt. The story tells of several whales that spectators look for: sperm, humpback, finback, and minke whales. It is an educational story that tells the tale of whale hunters and whale spectators.