Nonfiction Monday

 

Mi papá es un agrícola / My Father, the Farm Worker by J. Roman Perez Varela with illustrations by Jose Ramirez is an award-winning tribute to the thousands of harvesters whose labors allow us to put food on our tables.

The life of a farmworker is portrayed in a deeply personal telling as a son relates a typical day in his father’s life from sunrise to long past sunset as “He walks, leaving thousands of steps over Mother Earth.” Back bent, hands cracked, he toils on. Even when there is defeat in his eyes, there is also hope for his family’s future.

The language is simple, but this heartfelt story is rich with a depth of understanding that comes from Varela’s own experiences as a first-generation Mexican American who hand-picked crops to survive, while working hard in school to secure a better life.

Ramirez brings a sensitivity to the illustrations that enrich the narrative through the use of strong lines and bold colors.

The subject of this narrative is farm laborers; however, it speaks also to the shared dreams, and dedication of families from across a multitude of cultures who struggle to make a life for themselves.

Mi papá es un agrícola / My Father, the Farm Worker is an important reminder of what we owe to these men, women, and children whose work is often invisible. 

Highly recommended for home and school libraries.

A QUICK NOTE

I always love hearing from new folks who have discovered one of my books. And I had to share this lovely 5-star review of GRACIE JANE that was recently posted to Amazon by a reader who is a parent, teacher, and book reviewer.

She described the story as "Funny and Engaging Story, So relatable. 

You'll find the link HERE.

 Review of the Book: I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, teachers and anyone who loves a good story. Gracie Jane and Fifi La Rue's story is humorous yet interestingly engaging. This is the type of story every child would want to listen to or read to wind down before bed because it gives that feel good energy, or just to explore the relatable adventures of the dog and how its new owner felt about it. It actually feels like the reader is experiencing through Gracie Jane's eyes. The illustrations are colorful and enhances the story as it captures the expressions and actions of the characters in the story in a realistic manner. I laughed throughout the story and could not keep the smile off my face some minutes after.

I definitely will consider adding this to our library or buying as a gift for friends who have younger kids.

Picture Book Friday

 Hello everyone!

I'm delighted to announce that two of my picture books are now available as eBooks at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

GRACIE JANE has a heart as big as the Western sky, and she's always ready to lend a helping hand. So, she doesn't think twice about rescuing Fifi La Rue and taking the lost pup home.

After all, how much trouble could one little dog be on a great big ranch?

It's nonstop fun and excitement when one good deed turns this cowgirl's life upside down!​

​ WILL ROGERS MEDALLION 
AWARD 2019 

 JUST LIKE GULLIVER

The adventure of a young groundhog who is frightened of his shadow until a fun-filled
journey through the woods and farms surrounding his burrow allows him to discover his courage on Groundhog Day.

An author's note provides factual information about Groundhogs. Cross curriculum connections for: Folklore, Shadows, Groundhog Day, and Groundhogs.

    Mom’s Choice Awards® honoring   

   Excellence Gold Seal recipients 

Nonfiction Monday

 

Tumble, written and illustrated by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, tells a visual story of a tumbleweed’s journey.

The illustrations are the highlight here where the minimalist rhyming text (only about 25 words) provide a concise summary of the action. The narrative traces the tumbleweed through growing and flowering to the moment it breaks free to scatter seed as it races before the wind.

Following the story is a double page spread with names and images of plants and animals that share the habitat of tumbleweeds. An additional page provides more facts and a step-by-step illustration of the tumbleweed’s lifecycle.

The simplicity of word and picture makes this a perfect book for young readers and an excellent introduction to a study of this unique plant.

 Recommended for home and school libraries.

Nonfiction Monday

 

A River of Dust: The Life-Giving Link Between North Africa and the Amazon by Jilanne Hoffmann with illustrations by Eugenia Mello

 

"I am dust, the dust of North Africa. Not just any dust though. For I connect continents."

Hoffmann tells readers a wonderous story of how the dust of the Sahel makes its vital, life-giving journey from the plains of Africa to the rainforests of South America. The Sahel is a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert on the north and the savannahs to the south. It stretches unbroken from the Atlantic coast of Mauritania to the Red Sea coast of Sudan.

 Each year, winter winds lift 182 million tons of dust high into the atmosphere to begin a 6,000-mile journey. Much of that dust, about 85%, settles into the ocean to nurture sea life. But approximately 28 tons fall to earth in the Amazon basin. This dust is rich in phosphorus, a vital nutrient for plant growth. The heavy rainfall of the Amazon washes this mineral from the soil creating a deficit of up to 90% in some places. Without the annual renewal of this essential component the ecosystem could fail.

 Hoffman conveys this important information in a beautiful poetic voice told in the dust’s point of view that reads like the epic tale it is. Then she concludes the book with a section entitled Questions for Curious Minds. Here she delves deeper into a variety of topics:

How did dust help scientists solve the mystery of the Amazon’s lush rainforest?

How does dust from the Sahel affect Atlantic Ocean ecosystems?

How does NASA measure the river of dust high in the atmosphere?

How do scientists seek to understand our complex global ecosystems?

How did South America and Africa drift apart?

An Author’s Note shares Hoffman’s own story of how she became fascinated by this subject and came to create the book.

Mello’s lovely artwork deftly weaves word and image together with motion and color.

Hoffman demonstrates how the smallest thing—a speck of dust—can make a life-changing difference. That truth reminds us of our own important place in maintaining the health of the world around us.  

RIVER OF DUST will be a valuable addition to the curriculum on a variety of STEM subjects—geography, geology, ecology, environmental science, global warming, NASA, atmospheric research, plate tectonics, and more.

Highly recommended for home and school libraries.

Picture Book Friday

 

“Once we were part of outside and Outside was part of us.” so begins Outside In by Deborah Underwood, with illustrations by Cindy Derby.

 

This lovely story offers readers a thoughtful contemplation of nature’s gifts. Outside In is an invitation to slow down and remember the many ways in which nature provides for us even when we’re too busy to notice.

 There’s a sweetly melancholy tone as the story begins in a time and place where we were a part of nature and nature was an intimate part of our daily lives shown by a child running in the woods.  Then comes an acknowledgement of how that relationship has changed. Now, even though the child is outside, she’s in a car racing through a landscape that is unacknowledged.

 But nature’s not going to be ignored—there are reminders all around us—the flash of lightning through a window. There’s the magic of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. We hear it in the song of birds and the rattle of rain on the roof. We smell it in the sun-warmed earth and blossoming flowers. We taste it in the food born of sun and rain. Nature waits…and…if we are wise, we answer.

Underwood’s lyrical language conveys the natural world in a style perfectly suited to young readers. Simple vocabulary and short sentences that sometimes stretch across the double-page spreads make this a book that emerging readers can access.  And parents will enjoy reading this more than once to children eager to revisit this stunning work.

Derby’s illustrations create a sense of beauty, mystery, and enchantment that beguile the eye and are a wonderful complement to the text.

 I can imagine Outside In finding a home in classrooms, libraries, and homeschool collections. It’s a wonderful introduction to a nature walk, a discussion of the many ways nature intersects with our lives, or a conversation starter.

Highly recommended for home and school.

Picture Book Friday

 Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo is an entertaining first-day-of-school book sure to give you a case of the giggles.   

 

Something’s terribly wrong! Even the new kindergarteners can tell. Where’s their teacher? A search for the answer turns up two clues— “Mr. S”, written on the blackboard and…a sandwich on the desk. Could it be Mr. S? With no other answer in sight, the students organize and work their way through the day’s lessons. ABCs come first with A is for avocado toast, B is for bagel and so on. Art lessons, and story time are followed by music class complete with an imaginative chorus of Mary had a little ham.

 Arnaldo spins this tale of classroom antics with a wacky sense of the absurd, but a glance out the window reveals a second tale unfolding. Prior to the children’s arrival a man is seen writing “Mr. S” on the board just as a massive tree falls on his car in the parking lot during a violent storm. He rushes out and page turn after page turn tells another story as chaos ensues with lightning strikes, firefighters arriving…

Could this be the illusive Mr. S? The author merrily leads readers down a path of assumptions until she pulls the two narratives together with a surprise twist at the end to solve the mystery!

Arnaldo’s brilliant use of illustration to tell the two stories makes this a wonderfully visual experience that invites readers both young and old to look beneath the surface of the classroom tale. The clever narrative will make this a read aloud favorite sure to be requested time and time again.

 Recommended for anyone looking to add some laughter to their day!