Nonfiction Monday

Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess with illustrations by Gareth Lucas is a lovely melding of fact and fun as she traces the cicada lifecycle. 

Fliess was inspired by personal experience after having been witness to Brood X and was particularly interested by the cicada’s song. Her fascination comes through on every page as she invites her readers to share her delight in these amazing little creatures.

There are some 3,000 species worldwide. Most emerge annually, but there are a few species living in North America who live a thirteen to seventeen year cycle like Brood X. Fleiss channels her rare opportunity into an instructive book that is also an entertaining read.

The clever rhyming narrative describes the activation of underground nymphs to the life of adults then concludes with the laying of eggs that hatch to release new nymphs to burrow into the ground to begin the cycle anew. The lyrical rhythm is supported by multiple text boxes that offer additional detail.

Lucas uses strong line and vivid color to highlight each moment of the process in eye-catching detail.

Cicada Symphony concludes with a Glossary, Author’s Note, labeled cicada anatomy, and further reading in Children’s Reference Books.

Recommended for all young naturalists.

NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY

 THE NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY IS JULY 27

CELEBRATE with one of these fun picture books: Mom’s Choice Awards® honoring Excellence Gold Seal recipients in 2019

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.

The Gingerbread Cowboy -- can run from the rancher's wife, he can dash past the javalinas and he can giddyup right by the cattle grazing on the mesa. But what happens when he meets a coyote sleeping in the sun?

Picture Book Friday

 

Later, When I’m Big by award-winning Dutch author, Bette Westera with illustrations by Mattias de Leeuw and English translation by Laura Watkinson is an invitation to let your imagination soar along with the young protagonist.

 

A trip with her mother to a local pool sets up this tale of whimsical adventures that might come to pass “Later, when I’m big.” The possibilities are vast—kissing an elephant, sleeping in a haunted castle, riding a bicycle hands-free around the globe, diving with a mermaid, playing with dragons, flying to Saturn. First, however, she must return to reality and face the giant diving board—"But not just yet.”

De Leeuw’s playful watercolor illustrations bring the text brilliantly to life as he celebrates the little girl’s fancy with an extravagance of his own. Flamingoes emerge on the inside front cover and provide an unexpected hide-and-seek thread drawing the readers from page to page.  Surprises abound—the toy rabbit stuffed into the child’s bag has a life of its own as it joins the little girl’s travels. There’s a lot of detail hidden here to encourage a second and third look.

Entertaining from page one—Later, When I’m Big is a wonderful opportunity to explore with young readers what they might aspire to in the future.

 

Nonfiction Monday

 

How to Eat in Space by Helen Taylor with illustrations by Stevie Lewis provides a humorous easy-to-read look at one of the most important activities aboard the International Space Station—eating!

 

What do you do when you’re speeding through space at five miles a second and you have a case of the hungries? Check out the pantry for your favorite bite—just don’t expect it to be exactly like the ones back home in the kitchen.  When food goes to space, it must be lightweight and long-lasting without refrigeration.

Taylor carefully leads young readers through the process—making a choice, prepping the food, eating, and cleanup. There are challenges at every turn because liquids don’t pour and even a tiny crumb can create problems in zero gravity. Astronauts must be well trained when they and their food float.

And foods must be carefully prepared to avoid problems. Drinks come as packaged powders in pouches ready to add water and drink through a straw. Don’t forget to squeeze that straw closed between sips so the liquid doesn’t escape! Every packet and pouch comes with a fastener to be stuck to a surface like a table or pants so it doesn’t float away!

 The abundance of information is smartly organized into efficient double-page spreads under subheadings—STICK TO THE MENU, KEEP IT TIDY, THROW A PIZZA PARTY, BE WATER WISE, GROW YOUR OWN SALAD, SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT, and more.  The conversational tone keeps the pace moving briskly along.  Bold yellow text boxes highlight relevant tips throughout.

 Lewis’ energetic illustrations, filled with vivid color and movement are further enhanced with speech bubbles which adds another level of fun. The endpapers are enlivened with actual photographs of astronauts at work aboard the ISS.

 Taylor wisely anticipates inspiring curiosity in her young readers and provides additional material at the end of her narrative to enable further investigation. There is a section—KEEP EXPLORING that provides book, online, and in person resources. SELECTED SOURCES is a list of specific titles for further reading on this subject.

 This is a wonderful resource for anyone curious about HOW TO EAT IN SPACE.

 Highly recommended for aspiring young astronauts and as an excellent introduction to a study of life aboard the International Space Station

 

Picture Book Friday

 

Cape by Kevin Johnson with illustrations by Kitt Thomas is a remarkably simple, but wonderfully thoughtful look at loss.

 

Johnson has crafted a moving narrative around a moment in a young boy’s life when a superhero’s cape, given to him by his father, becomes both his shield against the agony of his father’s funeral day and a shining light illuminating the real and wonderful moment’s they shared.

Johnson’s concise narrative uses minimal vocabulary, for the most part, a sentence or less per page. But his choice of language is so precise that he perfectly captures the big—almost unmanageable—emotions that overwhelm the child…until they don’t.

 Thomas’ bold use of red for the cape keeps the focus on the young protagonist, even when he’s portrayed as physically overwhelmed by crowds of mourners who are set apart in morose blues and blacks. His emotional struggles set loose an explosion of colors across the spectrum until they resolve at last into the warm glow of memories.

 “I remember.” Those two words sum up the heart of this honest story about losing a parent. Regardless of when that loss happens, there’s a tug-of-war that memories bring—between the pain of remembering better times and the comforting warmth found in happy recollections. That struggle and resolution is mirrored here making this an excellent read for anyone facing the death of a beloved family member or friend.

 Highly recommended—a moving  child-friendly introduction for a discussion of grief and loss.

Nonfiction Monday

 

The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic by Jennifer Thermes is a marvelous look at some of the Antarctic expeditions that opened the 19^th century.

This story of Tom Crean, a seaman who served aboard the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance, immerses the reader in the challenges and dangers faced by the men who lived and died in their quest for knowledge. There are any number of books available on Antarctic Expeditions. Most center on the well-known leaders or focus on the details of the expedition. Thermes provides a wonderful resource for young readers in this true-to-life story told from an imaginative new perspective.

 Tom enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1893 at the age of sixteen, but he stepped into history in 1901 when he volunteered to replace a man on Robert Falcon Scott's ship Discovery. That expedition lasted four years. Day after day through the long Antarctic summer, Tom helped drag 800-pound sleds to create a supply chain for the explorers. Winter freezes the ship in place, trapping the men for two years.

In 1910 Scott recruited Tom for the Terra Nova Expedition in a quest to be the first to reach the South Pole. He made the dangerous journey across the frozen landscape only to be sent back to base just 150 miles short of the goal while Scott and 3 additional men continued in a journey that would end in their death. Although Tom and two others were forced to return, they soon faced their own life and death struggle when one of the men fell ill. Tom continued alone through 35 miles of treacherous mind-numbing cold to bring help. His heroism saved his companions’ lives.

In 1914, he served as second officer on Captain Ernest Shackelton’s Endurance expedition. When the ship became trapped in the ice and sank, the men were forced to abandon ship and were stranded on a tiny island far from any hope of survival. Once again, Tom led the rescue crew traveling 800 miles in 17 days through some of the most dangerous waters in the world, then made a 36-hour trek on foot across the fierce glacial mountains to a whaling station where he found help.

 Thermes has packed this amazing work from cover to cover with fact lists, maps, timelines, illustrations of Antarctic animals and additional reading sources. 

Her narrative is compelling and turns this historical record into a page-turning adventure.

Highly recommended for the young adventurer!

 

 

Picture Book Friday

 

Today, I’m delighted to share NELL PLANTS A TREE by Anne Wynter with illustrations by Daniel Miyares.

 

This heartwarming story celebrates the way a single act, nurturing a pecan sprout, can influence a family across time.  When Nell finds a newly sprouted pecan seed, her curiosity inspires a series of decisions—planting the seed, watering the sapling, and finally planting the young tree. The maturing tree mirrors Nell’s growth from child to grandmother in this imaginative weaving of past and present.

Wynter’s cleverly structures the text around the notion of what had to happen in the past to create opportunities in the present—Before there’s a pie to savor, a nest of baby birds to admire, or a tree to climb—Nell tends a seed and plants a tree.

Miyares' warm, detailed paintings move from elegantly simple to richly detailed. From the first page to the last, the images perfectly reflect and enrich the lyrical text.

This thoughtful tribute to the value of trees immediately reminded me of the first two lines of the poem by Lucy Larcom, "He who plants a tree. Plants a hope." NELL PLANTS A TREE offers multiple opportunities to inspire a discussion of trees—their value in nature and their importance in the everyday life of people.

Recommended  for home and school libraries.