Four Biographies and some Non-Fiction

Samuel Morse, That’s Who! The Story of the Telegraph and Morse Code by Tracy Nelson Maurer, illustrated by el primo Ramón 

 For a picture book biography, this is a little dense with paragraphs of text on each page. But, for older children, especially those who have an interest in communications in general and the Morse Code in particular, this is great! Ramón’s whimsical depiction of Morse as a man with a smirk on his face matches the playful story that Maurer tells about Morse, his many inventions, frequent failures and ultimate success story. And little-known fact: being a telegraph operator was one of the few jobs open to women in the middle of the nineteenth century.  

Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty 

Emily was born in 1813 and after studying science and math in high school (highly unusual!), she married an engineer. Washington Roebling worked for his father’s company and was assigned as chief engineer for the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. When Washington became ill, Emily took over the engineering job, carrying messages from Washington to the crew and eventually learning the engineering points so she could be more confident in giving instructions. The Brooklyn Bridge was a new type of bridge construction and once the bridge opened, there were many who did not trust it to hold them up. Using her brains and her outgoing personality, Emily convinced the people of Manhattan and Brooklyn that the bridge was safe. It is still standing today! 

Wild Horse Annie: Friend of the Mustangs by Tracey Fern, Pictures by Steven Salerno 

Born in 1912, Velma Johnston, aka Wild Horse Annie, lived on a ranch and loved the wild mustangs that wandered on the vast territory of land out west. As she grew older, more people moved onto the land and soon the ranchers did not want the wild horses to enter their land. Annie worked tirelessly to pass laws to protect the dwindling numbers of mustangs still roaming our national lands. She was influential in getting a law passed to protect the mustangs. Fern has filled this book with facts about mustangs, Annie and life on a ranch in the twentieth century. Salerno matches the words with his colorful paintings of Annie and her mustangs. 

Go for the Moon: A Rocket, A Boy and the First Moon Landing by Chris Gall 

Chris Gall began building rockets during the time of the Apollo program at NASA and closely followed the moon landing as well as the other space exploration programs. In this book, he gives us two stories: the story of his own rocket building and interest in the space program juxtaposed with details about the first moon landing and exploration. Many scientific details are given with extreme specificity. Drawings are accurate and support the text in both detail and design. A great book for any young person who is interested in space, rockets or just the unknown.  

Moon: Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis 

 
Sun: One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

Telling the story in first person from the perspective of the moon or the sun, McAnulty and Lewis use words and pictures to give the highlights of the moon and sun, howthey  formed, what they do for earth and how humans have visited the moon (not the sun!). The moon is given a female gender and the sun is male. McAnulty finishes with endnotes in each book that give more details for those who want to know more about the moon and the sun. Lewis’ drawings are whimsical and perfect for the lighthearted text. 

Wild Orca: The Oldest, Wisest Whale in the World by Brenda Peterson, Paintings by Wendell Minor 

 Mia and her family are listening for whales off the coast of Washington State. In telling Mia’s story, Peterson conveys many facts about the Orcas who travel up and down the Pacific Coast. End notes tell more about whales and how readers can sponsor whales. Illustrations are beautiful paintings of the sea and the orcas swimming, soft pastels contrasting with the dark orcas. The most fascinating fact to me: each whale has a specific sound that serves as the whale’s name. Other whales will call that sound when interacting with that whale. How cool is that? 

Some Great Books for Summer

Did you Eat the Parakeet? By Mark Iacolina 

When the little girl cannot find the parakeet, she blames the cat: Did you eat the parakeet? Did you laugh and say Bon appétit? Did he become a tasty treat? These and other clever rhymes make up the gist of the words, which tell the story through pictures. Hint: the parakeet is on the girl’s head. Love this book, fun to read when teaching about rhyming and making inferences.  

The Little Guys by Vera Brosgol 

The acorns are taking over the world. They are little, but they are strong. They are little, but they are many. No matter what they need to do, these little guys can do it. Nothing stops the little guys, so watch out, here they come! 

I Love You More Than… by Taye Diggs, illustrated by Shane W. Evans 

A sweet love story between a man and his son. Working together the words and the illustrations express the love a father has for his boy. More than singing or going to the movies or the beach. All of these expressions of love are accompanied by the pictures The liner blurb describes this as a good book for fathers and sons who do not live together, but the text does not indicate that the two are separated. Definitely a book worth sharing! 

Bedtime for Little Bulldozer by Elise Broach, illustrated by Barry E. Jackson 

Little Bulldozer has human parents, who get him ready for bed just like any other little boy. The only problem is that he is unable to sleep. He tries snuggling with his stuffed animals, and reading to himself, but he just can’t’ fall asleep. Finally, he trundles down the hall to where his sisters, a steamroller and a steam shovel, are sleeping soundly. In their cozy room he is able to fall asleep. What to do when you can’t fall asleep? Follow the lead of Little Bulldozer! 

How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? By Vanessa Bayer, illustrated by Rosie Butcher 

While told in lighthearted, simple text, this story deals with serious stuff. In an afterword, Bayer describes her own diagnosis with leukemia and how she treasured her friends who stuck with her through her more than two years of treatment. A very gentle reminder of how we should act when a friend is going through an illness.  

Bug Off! A Story of Fireflies and Friendship by Carie Best, Pictures by Jennifer Plecas 

Have you ever had a potential friend treat you in a rotten way? Maude has. Trying to please Louise so she can join the Bug of the Month Club, she goes overboard in her speech about fireflies and Louise gives her a hard time. After all, fireflies may be insects, but as Louise insists, they are not bugs. In the meantime, the reader will learn a multitude of facts about fireflies and maybe a thing or two about turning the other cheek and making friends in spite of rude behavior.  

Just a jumble of new books

Just have not had time to get these organized. Here are a few, more to come this week!

When You Grow up to Vote by Eleanor Roosevelt with Michelle Markel, 

Illustrated by Grace Lin

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote this little gem several decades ago. It has now been republished with updates by Michelle Markel. Who are our public servants? How does the government work? Why should we vote? This can be used as a resource for class projects or read a chapter at a time to help children understand the workings of the government. It is a great reminder of why we need to always vote.

Lucy Fell Down the Mountain by Kevin Cornell

First, it is terrifying as a young girl is falling down the mountain, so you have to suspend your belief in harm. Next it’s mystifying. Why would a rope from a mountaineer save Lucy as she is falling? Hmmm. No one knows. Finally, it is a bit disgusting as Lucy is saved by rolling into a huge snowball and barfing when the ball comes to a rest next to a chalet. Have to say, I am not a fan of this book. The art work is somewhat appealing, but the story is a little much for me, an perhaps for the primary grades as well. Who knows? This may be the book of the year for some kids!

Tessa Takes Wing by Richard Jackson, Pictures by Julie Downing

Baby Tessa wakes up early, jumps out of her crib and flies around the house, playing with big sister’s toys and reading her books. With the help of Bingo, the dog, she gets back to the crib just in time, before anyone else awakes. A fantastical dream of flying and maybe a way for the younger sister to get something before the older sister, for once. Have fun flying, Tessa!

Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

A picture/chapter book, with illustrations and photographs of all the major space missions from the last 60 years. This will fascinate any girl or boy who still dreams of space travel. Chapters cover what we learned in space, who are scientists and astronauts are/were and even take on workplace discrimination against women and people of color. Each chapter includes Fun Facts and Fast Facts so the child who does not want to read all of the text still has something to look at and can gather some facts for sharing.

Little Chef by Matt Stine and Elisabeth Weinberg, Illustrated by Paige Keiser

Lizzie, aka Little Chef is preparing a special meal for her grandma who is also a super chef. The day includes a special fortifying breakfast, a shopping trip to the Farmer’s Market and cooking up a storm in the kitchen with mom and dad. Food and relationships often go together and in this book, it is certainly true. The recipe at the end allows more little chefs to find and use their own secret ingredients.

Every Last Bubble Must…Pop! By Jason Carter Easton, illustrated by Matt Rockefeller

Dewey is trying to catch the last bubble, but it flies too high, so he jumps on his trampoline, climbs to the roof of his house, takes a hot air balloon and finally commandeers a rocket to the moon. All in vain, as the bubble flies higher and higher out of his reach! Finally, back in his own home, he sees the bubble and knows its fate. Read if you want to find out what this is.

What are we thankful for? Books!

Just a few books to read. Not all can be used for lessons about thankfulness, but we can be thankful for all books. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

I Need All of It by Petra Postert, illustrated by Jens Rassmus

Jim and Dad are sorting laundry when Dad finds a stone, a button and a key in Jim’s pocket. When Dad wants to throw these items away, Jim’s imagination goes into overtime to explain why he absolutely needs these three items. A good jumping off story to get children to use their imaginations and tell tall tales. 

 

Olympians: Hermes: Tales of the Trickster by George O’Connor

Continuing in his tradition of illustrating graphic novels for the epic lives of the Greek gods, O’Connor has tackled Hermes, the messenger of the gods and a divine trickster. For any chld who is interested in the stories of the gods, this is a perfect summer read.

The Boy and the Whale by Mordicai Gerstein

An unnamed boy and his father find a whale tangled in their fishing nets. At first they assume the whale is dead, but soon find out it is alive, but barely. The boy wishes to continue to try to save the whale from the net, but his father thinks it is too dangerous and besides, if they cannot save their net, then he has to borrow another net in order to continue fishing and making a living. The boy disobeys his father and untangles the whale. Many moral issues presented here. When is it okay to disobey and adult? What is more important, our lives or an animal’s life? How can we support nature? Gerstein has presented a great moral story with beautiful images of the sea, the sky and the whale. 

If Wendell Had a Walrus by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Matt Phelan

Wendell imagines what it would be like to have a pet walrus, meets Morrell who would like to have a pet whale and they have a whale of a time all summer, telling jokes, riding bikes and imagining their lives away. A great summer read to get those creative juices flowing. What kind of pet would you like to have?

Lost in the Library by Josh Funk, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

Patience and Fortitude are the names of two large stone lions that sit outside the entrance to the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue. At night Patience goes in the library, always managing to return at daybreak, so no one will miss him. But, one day, Patience does not return and Fortitude must go in search of him within the library, finding him in the children’s section learning new stories to tell Fortitude when they are bored. While I love all libraries and those for children in particular, I found this book to be of limited interest to those who are not immersed in the world of libraries or this fantastic example of libraries as it is portrayed here. 

 

If I had a Horse by Gianna Marino

This book is an outstanding sensual experience from the minute your eyes light on the cover. A young girl dreams of a horse and the things she could do if she only had a horse. The drawings are ethereal in soft shades of teal and orange, yellow and pink, purple and mauve. The book ends with this sentiment: “If I had a horse, I would be fearless. Like Him./ And together…/we could do anything.” Can I look at this book every day?

Neymar: A Soccer Dream Come True by Nima Javaherbin, Pictures by Paul Hoppe

A child dreams of being a remarkable soccer player. Thanks to his father’s coaching and advice and his own ability to work hard to follow his dream, the dream of playing great soccer comes true. Basing her story on the life of Neymar da Sliva Santos, Javaherbin is careful to emphasize the hard work, hours of practice and perseverance that pays off for Neymar in the end. She also shares the love of family and camaraderie that Neymar’s family experiences. The pictures are realistic but of rather mixed quality.

How to find an Elephant by Kate Banks, Pictures by Boris Kulikov

Banks and Kulikov are a great team, working together on the Max books previously reviewed here. In this somewhat realistic fantasy, a young boy is bored and decides to go on an elephant hunt. On his way, he swings in a tree with a chimpanzee, takes a dip in a pond with a hippopotamus and shares his lunch with a colorful macaw. The elephant is cleverly disguised on every page and will make a fun search and find item with young readers.

Don’t Tell by Tom Booth

Did you hear about the super-secret book? Find out about the super-secret book AND who told the secret! If you have a hard time keeping secrets, check this out!

Brave Enough for Two by Jonathan D. Voss

Jonathan Voss was the illustrator for the award winning The True Story of the Bear who Inspired Winnie the Pooh. In this, the first book he has written and illustrated, he introduces Hoot, a stuffed Owl, and Olive, his girl. Hoot, in both looks and sentiment, reminds one of Winnie the Pooh. Olive is a girl who likes her adventures inside of a book, but Hoot convinces her to be brave and in the end, it is Olive who must be brave for both of them. Great story, great illustrations!

Biographies

There are so many good picture book biographies these days. Here are three stand alone picture books along with a raft of pocket picture book biographies just out in English.

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk toward Freedom by Gary Schmidt, Illustrated by Daniel Minter. 

There are rare times when the words and pictures in a picture book combine to make a true work of art. This book is an exemplar of this happening. Schmidt writes with both strength and poetry to tell the story of Sojourner Truth as she endured separation from family as a slave and then finally stood up for herself and her children, using the laws of New York State before slavery had ended and then the laws of the nation once slavery was abolished. Minter uses a limited color palette to illustrate this book with both stark, realistic paintings and dreamy, impressionistic art to convey the horrors and joys of Sojourner Truth’s life. The book ends with a short biography as well as notes from both the author and illustrator. This will be a welcome addition to my library.

Howard and the Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut’s Tomb by Tracey Fern, Pictures by Boris Kulikov

Do you know a child who is fascinated with mummies? Here’s a book for you to share. Howard Carter found mummies fascinating from a young age and was able to start searching for mummies when he was only 17! From there, he was hooked and spent his life mostly in Egypt pursuing archeology. Here he is depicted as a slightly eccentric man with a passion. A great book to share with girls and boys who are just beginning to know the world and develop passions of their own.

Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World by Gary Golio, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

Carlos Santana, born in 1947, was a musician who combined the traditional music of Mexico with the blues of an electric guitar. Trained as a musician by his father, Carlos lived his life for music. The illustrations by Gutierrez are both realistic and magical, using colors and icons found in Mexican paintings from the early 20^th century, drawing the reader in to Carlos’ life. The text is less magical and often seems dry, especially compared to the subject matter and the illustrations. The end notes include a selected discography, which would be a great way to share this book with children. 

     

Pocket Bios:

Small hardcover books, 5” by 8”  with  a short biography of a famous man or woman. Each pocket biography includes a brief introduction, short vignettes about important events in the life of the person being portrayed, a timeline, and a map with a key and important people from the story. These were originally published in France by Quelle Histoire (quellehistoire.com) and are now published in English by Roaring Brook Press, a subsidiary of MacMillan. Each book has a unique author and translator, but lists several illustrators. These illustrators, who overlap throughout the books,  are: Bruno Wennagel, Nuno Alves Rodriques, Mathieu Ferret, Claire Martin, Paul Cotoni, Aurélie Verdon, Guillaume Biasse, Iris Mangin, Clara Morineau, Iris Mangin,  Aurélien Fernandez,

Muhammad Ali by Claire L’Hoër, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Blackbeard by Clémentine V. Baron, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Coco Chanel by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Charlie Chaplin by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Cleopatra by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Albert Einstein by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Abraham Lincoln by Albin Quéru and Romain Jubert, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Nelson Mandela by Albin Quéru and Romain Jubert, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Isaac Newton by Patricia Crété, Translated by Catherine Nolan

Rosa Parks by Clémentine V. Baron, Translated by Catherine Nolan

    

Many of the people portrayed in these biographies led exciting lives. The language used to tell the story of these lives is somewhat lifeless, with mostly short declarative sentences, many of which start with either a person’s name or he or she, making it less than interesting for children to read. Whether these short sentences are in place because of the translation of the work from the original French or because the authors and editors believe it will make these books easier to read is unknown. I would recommend them as supplementary sources for children doing reports. They are filled with facts and as stated above have extra material at the end of each book. But, they are not books that will encourage children to read more books.

Note: While Abraham’s birth mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is not named  but his stepmother, Sarah Johnston Lincoln, is. Both of these women are important influences in his life and both deserve to be mentioned.

   

Some things I learned in these books:

·      Nelson Mandela earned a law degree while in prison in South Africa, having been arrested for opposing the government.

·      Rosa Parks finished her high school education after she married. Throughout her school years, she only attended all-black schools.

·      Cleopatra could speak more than five languages.

·      Albert Einstein was a vocal proponent of Civil Rights in the US after World War II.

·      Isaac Newton wrote more about the Bible than he did about science.

·      Marie Curie earned degrees in both math and physics and was named Maria, not Marie.

·      Neil Armstrong got his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license.

·      Coco Chanel’s first fashion design was a riding habit for women that was included pants instead of a skirt.

·      Charlie Chaplin and his fourth wife, Oona O’Neill, had eight children.

·      Abraham Lincoln was a Congressman before becoming President.

·      Muhammad Ali traveled to Egypt shortly after having changed his name from Cassius Clay.

·      Blackbeard was a privateer before he became a pirate. A privateer was much like a pirate, but privateers were allowed to attack and steal from enemy ships during a war.

 

Books for the very young and young at heart

 The Hugely-Wugely Spider by Ethan T. Berlin, illustrated by Karl Newsom Edwards 

A new take on the old nursery rhyme comes about when the Hugely-Wugely Spider cannot fit up the water spout. Here’s the tale about how he saves the day when a huge rain comes to wash the spiders out!

The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Using a sing-song rhyme, Cuyler extolls the virtues of the Ice Cream Truck, its treats, its music and its part in a hot, wonderful summer day. What’s not to like about that?

Singing in the Rain; based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown, Pictures by Tim Hopgood

The classic words to Singing in the Rain are set to gorgeous illustrations by Hopgood. Children with multi-colored raincoats sing and splash, dance and smile their way through a rain storm. Hopgood is hoping that we will all go out and splash in the rain.

100 Bugs: A Counting Book by Kate Narita, Pictures by Suzanne Kaufman

A counting book with a twist. Each page has 10 bugs with various “equations” from 1+9 to 2+8, etc. all the way to 9+1. In addition, each page has a particular bug to hunt for with clues about different kinds of plants where the bugs are hanging out. The end pages include details on the bugs and the plants. Math and science and counting, oh my! 

Pretty Kitty by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis

A rhyming counting book with a grouchy old man and a repetitive stanza. For those just learning to count, this is the perfect book to reinforce! As the number of kitties mount and the temperature drops, who wants to bet that the old man takes in all ten cats?

Z Goes First: An Alphabet Story Z to A by Sean Lamb, illustrated by Mike Perry

An alphabet book with some pizazz! Y and Z want to go first and have to ask all the letters if they can skip ahead. By the time they go through the whole alphabet from A to X, they are back at the end where they belong. Foiled again! Each letter has a personality, but why is W a troublemaker is what I want to know?

The Pout-Pout Fish and the Can’t-Sleep Blues by Deborah Diesen, Pictures by Dan Hanna

What do you do when you can’t sleep? Pout-Pout Fish asks his friends. Their advice results in sleep for his friends, but not for Pout-Pout Fish.  What can he do? The best advice of all: come up with his own routine. Just the right routine for Pout-Pout Fish and just the right book for little ones who have a hard time dropping off to sleep.

Dinosaur Parade by Shari Halpern

A nice book to teach opposites as well as complicated dinosaur names. Bright colors with simple backgrounds show dinosaurs who are big and small, swimming and soaring through the air, or eating meat and plants. Lots to see and lots to discuss, but simple enough for preschoolers.

Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos, illustrated by T. L. McBeth

What is a stegothesaurus, you might ask. Or you might question or wonder. Little stegothesaurus wanders around giving multiple words when one would do. Just to be clever, he often uses alliteration such as when he describes the sun as blazing, blistering and broiling. Content to show off his way with words, he finally meets his match when he runs smack into an allothesaurus. Want to know what happens next? Check it out! You’ll love, enjoy, savor it just as much as I did.

The Bear in My Bed by Joyce Wan

Totally silly or just imaginative? Is the bear real or an imaginary friend? When a little boy discovers a bear in his bed, there is bound to be trouble, fun, and lots of laughs.

The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

The detective dog’s story is told in rhyme. All about  how she solves crime after crime.

She listens to children read her a book, and chases the man who was a book crook.

The teacher’s a man in this little story, where there is crime, but nothing too gory.

What do you think of a dog named Nell, who chases down thieves with her strong sense of smell?