Tuesday, April 24, 2018

New Biographies for Children and a Few Books for Spring

There are some absolutely fantastic biographies coming out these days. I especially enjoyed reading some of the books about strong, smart women who have accomplished great things, like Jane Austen, Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace. Read about these famous women and men and enjoy just a few books about spring. Maybe it's finally here!

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Who Says Women Can’t be Computer Programmers? The Story of Ada Lovelace by Tanya Lee Stone, Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
The true story of Ada, the daughter of Lord Byron, who excelled in math and wrote about a machine that could do many of the things our modern day computers can do. Ada was encouraged in math, but not imagination, by her mother who wanted her to be different from her father, who was a poet, but very irresponsible. In dreaming of computers, Ada was able to do both use her math knowledge and her imagination. And we can only imagine if women were taken seriously in the 1800s, where the computing world would be today!
Little Sid

Little Sid: The Tiny Prince Who Became Buddha by Ian Lendler, Illustrated by Xanthe Bauma
A biographical book that is told as a fairy tale or perhaps a metaphor. While Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince, he was unhappy that others were suffering. He decided to live his life practicing “kind thoughts, kind deeds and meditation.” In this way, he became known as “the Buddha” meaning “he who is awake.” A great way to introduce children to the fourth largest religion in the world.
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Marie Curie by Demi
Imagine life in Poland in 1867, not only are all school children required to learn their lessons in Russian, girls/women are not allowed to go to college. For a young girl like Manya Sklodowska, known to most of us as Marie Curie, this was an unacceptable proposition. Facing many financial and physical hardships, young Manya still made a deal with her sister Bronya that Manya would work to put Bronya through college in paris and when Bronya was finished, she would put Manya through college. With lovely stylized pictures and vignettes from Marie’s life, Demi tells the story of one amazing woman. Curie was the first person to win two Nobel prizes and is now only one of four people to have done so.
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Mama Africa! How Miraim Makeba Spread Hope with her Song by Kathryn Erskine, illustrated by Charley Palmer
A rather wordy picture book that tells the story of Makeba, Mama Africa, who sang for the freedom of her people in South Africa. While the words tell the tale, the illustrations carry the day in this book. Palmer uses color and light and darkness to indicate tone and mood. His impressionistic paintings bring the story to life and give us a glimpse into the lives of those living under Apartheid. There is always room on my shelf for one more book about a strong woman who made a difference.
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Meet Cindy Sherman: Artist, Photographer, Chameleon by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
A cross between a picture book and a short chapter biography, this tells the story of Cindy Sherman who grew up on Long Island, in a “normal” household, but somehow the artist in her must come out. Cindy works on her art in a different way than many people, taking pictures of life around her, but also manipulating the life around her to then take pictures. One clever thing here is that children were asked to view some of her photographs and give their opinion. Reading the ways these children interpret Sherman’s art is a great way to get a new view on art.
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Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, A Life in Nature by Cindy Jenson-Elliot, illustrated by Christy Hale
Renowned for his photography, Ansel Adams was a busy young man. As Jenson-Elliot writes, he sounds like a boy who would be identified as ADHD today. But, back in the day, he was taken out of school and allowed to learn on his own time. Look at the result. This book is not just valuable because it tells the story of a famous man. It is valuable because it tells us how to treat boys who are antsy to get the best results, a lesson for both parents and teachers! I love both the illustrations and the writing in this book, an all-around winner!
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A Boy, a Mouse and a Spider: The Story of E. B. White by Barbara Herkert, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Are you one of the millions of people who love Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little? Here is the story behind the story. What inspired E. B. White to write these beloved books for children? While Herkert goes into details about what White was like as a child, she glosses over his adult life. What was he like as a father? Why did he leave New York for Maine? How did he spend his time when he wasn’t writing children’s books. Although there are many unanswered questions, the story of White’s childhood and the gentle, soft illustrations draw you in just like White’s own stories did.
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Brave Jane Austen: Reader, Writer, Author, Rebel by Lisa Pliscou, Illustrated by Jen Corace
What is it about Jane Austen that makes so many generations of readers love her? Is it that she wrote about real women in a time when so many did not write about women or if they did, they wrote about the idealized version of a woman that even those who lived in the 1800s would not recognize her? Or perhaps it’s just because she is one of the greatest authors who ever lived! Pilscou has examined Austen’s background and written a picture book biography that is accessible to third grade and above. Let’s hope this will whet the appetite of a new generation of Austen lovers!
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Spectacular Spring: All Kinds of Spring Facts and Fun by Bruce Goldstone
Here’s the book that tells all about spring, what does it look like, smell like, sounds like? What holidays do we celebrate in spring? Wat are animals doing in spring? Goldstone has answers for all of these questions and more. He even includes some great crafts for spring. Have fun!
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On the Farm, At the Market by G. Brian Karas
Moving from vegetable farm to cheese dairy farm to mushroom farm and finally on to the market, Karas tells the story of several farmers and the life they lead getting food to market for us to buy and eat. I especially like the last line: “Anyone who thinks farming is a simple job should talk to a farmer—and then say “thank you!”



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