Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus The picture book biographies reviewed in this column introduce readers of all ages to creative individuals who have made notable contributions in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Included are books that are great choices for reading aloud to spark interest and discussion in classrooms, libraries, and homes as well as for independent reading. Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrap the World: The Story of Two Groundbreaking Environmental Artists. G. Neri. Illus. by Elizabeth Haidle. (2023). Candlewick. Christo (1935-2020), a poor refugee from Eastern Europe, and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009), the rich stepdaughter of a French general, met when Christo was commissioned to paint portraits of her family. After Christo shared his “wrapped art” (objects wrapped in cloth and rope) with her, she realized that it was “revealing—while concealing” and asked, “If you can wrap cans and bottles, why not wrap everything?” They fell in love and spent the rest of their lives together, wrapping and surrounding monuments, buildings, landscapes, and even an island with fabrics. Their public art installations included 23 finished projects, some that took decades to complete. For example, ”L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” was begun in 1962 but not completed until 2021, a year after Christo’s death. Elizabeth Haidle’s stylized mixed-media artwork complements G. Neri’s text with real and imagined dialogue that expresses the collaboration of Christo and Jeanne-Claude whose realized environmental art enlivened the “What Is Art” question. Back matter includes additional biographical information, an author’s note, a collection of fun facts about the couple, and a bibliography (books, films, website). (PreK Up) —NB The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music. Roberta Flack (with Tonya Bolden). Illus. by Hayden Goodman. (2023). Anne Schwartz. Through a simple lyrical text accompanied by Hayden Goodman’s joyous gouache paintings, singer Roberta Flack (b. 1937) tells the story of her childhood growing up in a musical family in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and, later, Green Valley, Virginia. As a young child, she loved to sit at the piano in the church where her mother was the organist and pianist, imagining she was playing hymns to a congregation. “At age three, maybe four, / there was me / at the keys / of that church piano.” She dreamed of having her own piano one day. When her daddy found an old junkyard piano that he and her mother cleaned up, painted green, and gave to the nine-year-old Roberta, she was set on the path to achieving her even bigger dream: “Of a life / all wrapped up in / the majesty, / the magic / of music— / my treasure, / my gold.” Back matter of this soulful autobiography includes an author’s note with photographs and a timeline of career highlights. (PreK Up) —NB Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life. Jerry Pinkney. (2023). Little, Brown. In this moving memoir, Jerry Pinkney (1939-2021) tells of his post-World War II childhood experiences of growing up in a large, loving family on East Earlham Street, an all-Black block in Philadelphia. Jerry, who had school problems (unidentified dyslexia), was always drawing. Although drawing was the one thing he knew he was good at, dreaming of becoming an artist was not realistic. “And in the world in which I was living to be anything or go anywhere was not a dream that young Black boys often dared to have.” But, with encouragement from teachers and mentoring by newspaper comic-strip artist John Liney, who recognized his talents, Pinkney persisted in studying art and became one of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators of all time. The warm conversational tone of Pinkney’s narrative and the abundance of his rough sketchbook drawings makes Just Jerry a book to treasure along with all of his classic picture books (the covers of a few of these are shown in the “What Happened Next” epilogue). Back matter includes a timeline of key dates in Pinkney’s life and select accomplishments. (Gr 3 Up) —CA Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings. Angela Burke Kunkel. Illus. by Claire Keane. (2023). Random House Studio. As a child, Robert McCloskey (1914-2003) carved and painted. Later, after studying art in Boston, he was told by a children’s book editor in New York City “not to be so serious.” Remembering feeding the ducks at the Boston Public Garden, McCloskey began an extensive study of mallards that resulted in his sepia-toned drawings in Make Way for Ducklings (1941). Nancy Schön (b. 1928) used art to escape being bullied at school. As an adult, after hearing about a child asking, “Mommy, where are the ducks?” on a visit to the Public Garden, she was inspired to sculpt a miniature parade of the ducks from Make Way for Ducklings. Learning about her project, McCloskey came to Boston to see it and, with his approval, Nancy Schön shaped and cast in bronze Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings. Claire Keane’s nostalgic digital illustrations match perfectly with Angela Burke Kunkel’s inviting text in this biography of McLCloskey, Schön. and the very famous ducklings that were installed in the Boston Public Garden in 1987. Back matter includes an author’s note with photos, a timeline, and a selected bibliography. (PreK Up) —NB Mary’s Idea. Chris Raschka. (2023). Greenwillow. In his always innovative fashion, Chris Raschka creates an evocative ode to jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams (1920-1981). Artwork rendered in ink, oil pastel, and watercolor on a brown textured background features Mary’s hands, a keyboard, sheet music, and colorful swirls of music. The simple lyrical text with only a few words on each double-spread page and a repetition of the phrase “It was Mary’s idea” presents the life story of Mary from child prodigy to legendary jazz musician. “It was Mary’s idea to play // the piano at three. // It was Mary’s idea // to play the piano for me.” Mary always made her own decisions, including to stop playing the piano for a time before beginning her career again. “It was Mary’s idea // to start again, for people, for God, and me.” Back matter includes additional biographical information and a thought-provoking quote. (PreK Up) —CA Pitch Perfect and Persistent!: The Musical Debut of Amy Cheney Beach. Caitlin DeLems. Illus. by Alison Jay. (2023). Calkins Creek. Amy Cheney Beach (1867-1944), the first successful woman composer in America, was born into a musical family, but when she sang an anthem with perfect pitch to the delight of a gathering of relatives and friends at age two, her strict, religious mother was worried. She wanted Amy to be a normal child. “No indulgence. No spectacle. And certainly, no piano!” Caitlin DeLems’s engaging text describing the little girl’s persistence in wanting to hear, think, and play music, which won out with the help of her aunt who put four-year-old Amy up on the piano bench, is complemented by Alison Jay’s distinctive artwork done with a quick-drying oil paint with crackle varnish. This engaging biography follows Amy through her music-filled childhood to her piano debut with a symphony at the Boston Music Hall at age 16 (Mamma consents reasoning it might help Amy attract a husband), which proved to be the beginning of her breaking the glass ceiling for women musicians and composers. Back matter includes an author’s note (with photographs), timeline, musical glossary, selected bibliography, and a “To Learn More About Amy Beach” section of websites and places to visit. —NB Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll. Tonya Bolden. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. (2023). Harper. Rosetta, a little girl “making downright mighty music, music, music” with a big guitar in tiny Cotton Plant, Arkansas, moved with her mother to Chicago where she “played, played, played” and had people clapping their hands, stamping their feet, and shouting as Mama preached in churches, at outside revivals, and on street corners. This little girl also had a big voice and began “belting out the rhythm-bound Gospel sound.” As an adult, Rosetta mixed Gospel music with boogie-woogie, jazz, swing, and the blues. She took her music into nightclubs including New York City’s Cotton Club, cut records for Decca, performed at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, had a concert at Carnegie Hall, and did a European tour. She “played, played, played--and sang! / as the fabulous, / flamboyant / Sister Rosetta Tharpe!” Tonya Bolden’s lively free verse text and R. Gregory Christie’s vibrant acrylic artwork full of movement create a fitting tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973), the godmother of rock and roll. Back matter includes a timeline, author’s note, and sources. (PreK Up) —CA Tomfoolery!: Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children’s Books. Michelle Markel. Illus. by Barbara McClintock. (2023). Chronicle. In the 1850s, children’s books had pictures that were “stiff, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery.” But Randolph Caldecott (1946-1886), who filled his sketchbook with drawings of playful animals as a child in Chester, England, grew up to become the artist who transformed picture books forever: “No frilly lines, no fussy background, no crowded pages—scene by scene the story tumbles forth like life.” Michelle Markel’s text is descriptive, lively, and child friendly. “He dips his nib in the ink . . . and TALLYHO!” Barbara McClintock’s artwork completes this beautifully designed biography of Randolph Caldecott. Some of the double-page spreads include reproductions of Caldecott’s drawings, and there is a full-color wordless spread of an illustration from The Diverting History of John Gilpin (1878). Back matter includes an identification of the reproductions of Caldecott’s own art and the pages on which they appear in Tomfoolery; annotations; notes on illustrated Victorian periodicals and the “big three” of toy book illustrators: Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott, and Kate Greenaway; Caldecott’s picture books listed by publication date; and a bibliography (books and articles). (PreK Up) —CA A Tulip in Winter: A Story About Folk Artist Maud Lewis. Kathy Stinson. Illus. by Lauren Soloy. (2023). Greystone Kids. Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1970) struggled cheerfully throughout her life with undiagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, which kept her small, affected her mobility, and caused her fingers and joints to swell. Once her mother gave Maud a paintbrush, however, she began to create colorful nature scenes. After the death of her parents, she was penniless and moved in with an aunt who wouldn’t let her paint (“Too messy”), so she left to become a live-in housekeeper (and, later, wife) to fish peddler Everett Lewis, who didn’t care about her physical limitations. Using leftover paint he scrounged from the dump and wharf, Maud transformed their tiny home into a work of art. Together, they sold fish and Maud’s nature creations painted on everything from trays to scraps of wood. Eventually her arthritis made it too difficult to walk or paint, and Everett pushed her in his wheelbarrow. Tiny Maud was buried in a child’s coffin, and their cottage is now housed inside the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Kathy Stinson’s lyrical text pairs beautifully with Lauren Soloy’s colorful, stylistic folk art. Back matter includes additional biographical information and notes from the author and illustrator. (PreK Up) —NB You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!: The Storied Life of Folk Artist Elijah Pierce. Chiquita Mullins Lee & Carmella Van Vleet. Illus. by Jennifer Mack-Watkins. (2023). Kokila. When a father takes his young son for a haircut at Elijah Pierce’s barbershop in Columbus, Ohio, he tells him, “You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!” While waiting for his turn, the boy draws with his new set of colored pencils, and Mr. Pierce shares how his uncle gave him a pocketknife and taught him to carve. He says, “I would turn wood into stories” and takes him on a tour of the wood art decorating the walls of his shop. The boy leaves the barbershop with an elephant Mr. Pierce has carved for him from a chunk of wood and is full of ideas for his own art projects. Chiquita Mullins Lee and Carmella Van Vleet’s engaging narrative for this picture book biography of African American folk artist Elijah Pierce (1892-1984) is accompanied by Jennifer Mack-Watkins’s vibrant illustrations done with Japanese woodblocks that incorporate collaged photographs of pieces of Elijah’s art. Back matter includes additional information on Elijah Pierce’s life, folk art, and honors; notes from the authors; and sections on where to see his work on exhibit and detailed information about Pierce’s art appearing in this book (PreK Up) —NB Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.
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Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger and Victoria Pennington The playful storytelling approach of the books reviewed in this column make learning concepts such as numbers, colors, shapes, opposites, seasons of the year, and days of the week fun for preschool-age children. Each book holds the promise of an engaging shared experience when read aloud one on one or with a group of children at storytime. A Beautiful House for Birds (Storytelling Math). Grace Lin. (2023). Charlesbridge. In Grace Lin’s interactive, pattern-focused board book, a young Black girl named Olivia wants to paint a beautiful house for birds. She plans to start with painting the roof of a small wooden birdhouse. “How should I paint it?” She decides to paint a two-color pattern of pink and green stripes. As Olivia is painting her pattern, she gets distracted by a couple of birds. “Oh hello, birds.” Accidentally painting a blue stripe alters her pattern to green, pink, green, pink, blue. The back matter includes an ”Exploring the Math” note about expanding a child’s understanding of patterns and activities to involve children in making patterns using movement, words, and drawings. —CBB In Between. April Pulley Sayre (with Jeff Sayre). (2023). Beach Lane. “Every creature / on Earth / at times / finds / itself / in / between.” With a poetic text and beautiful close-up photographs of animals in their natural habitats, photo-illustrator and writer April Pulley Sayre explores the concept of in between. “In between meals. / In between trips. / In between homes.” Animals (mammals, birds, reptiles. amphibians, spiders, and insects) find themselves between life stages, movements and transformations and in almost-but-not yet situations. “Almost landed, / but not yet. // Almost asleep, but not yet. // Almost ready, / but not yet / living on one’s own.” Younger children will enjoy looking at the portraits of the animals and may be interested in learning their names; older children may be interested in talking about the concept of in between in the lives of humans and their own in-between times. —VP Kitty & Cat: Opposites Attract. Mirka Hokkanen. (2023). Candlewick. Learning opposites will be fun reading Mirka Hokkanen’s picture book story told entirely through opposites such as old-new, big-little, and grumpy-happy and expressive digital artwork that focuses on the differences between a kitten and a cat as Kitty is brought home. For example, playful Kitty is energetic while Cat is exhausted and just wants to be left alone to nap. Hokkanen emphasizes the emotions of each cat through their facial expressions in this humorous picture book that ends with Kitty and Cat cuddling together. A final illustration suggesting the two felines soon will be joined by a puppy will leave readers eager for the sequel, Kitty and Cat: Bent Out of Shape, out in November 2023. —CBB Noni the Pony Counts to a Million (Noni the Pony #4). Alison Lester. (2023). Beach Lane. “Noni the pony stands under one tree . . . / and watches her two friends dance by the sea.” Young children will enjoy traveling through the countryside with Noni and her pals, Dave Dog and Coco the Cat, on a glorious summer day and counting the animals they encounter—from three hens to ten ladybird beetles. With her text of rhyming couplets and colorful, detailed illustrations, Australian author-illustrator Alison Lester continues this latest Noni the Pony story by introducing the more challenging numerical concepts of dozens, hundreds, thousands, and millions and ends with Noni and her pals sleeping under millions of stars. Young children will also enjoy the three earlier books in the series, Noni the Pony (2012), Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach (2015), and Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey (2019). —VP One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival. Tony Piedra & Mackenzie Joy. (2023). Candlewick. This captivating counting book offers children a gentle lesson on survival realities in the natural world as it presents the life cycle of the red-eyed treefrog. The countdown to survival begins with a cluster of ten eggs on a leaf in the Costa Rican rainforest. “Ten tiny tadpoles / grow in their egg.” Nine of the tiny tadpoles live and wiggle free to drop into the water below as one gets scooped up by a wasp. In the water, the number of survivors dwindle as predators pluck off the metamorphizing tadpoles one by one until only one tadpole remains to become an adult. “Zero tiny tadpoles. / One tiny treefrog.” The extensive back matter includes information about the red-eye treefrog and the other species of animals pictured and identified by their common and scientific names on the pages of the book and a bibliography. —VP One, Two, Three!: A Happy Counting Book. Sandra Boynton. (2023). Boynton Bookworks. In this decidedly happy board book with a die-cut front cover featuring three hippos, Sandra Boynton’s rhyming text invites young children to count how many of her lovable animal characters are enjoying activities such as tea time, a car ride, acting in a play, and ballet dancing. “ONE is good for a quite walk. / TWO is right for a quiet walk. // THREE is nice for having tea / or for counting ONE TWO THREE.” Barnyard animals such as ducks and pigs play along with elephants, rhinos, and other animals to show how many are just right for each activity include a marching band of animals parades by. “TEN makes a celebration / LOUD!LOUD!LOUD!” Adults will appreciate the peacefulness of the ending: “And ONE is WONDERFUL after a crowd.” —VP Rainbow Days. Margaret Hamilton. Illus. by Anna Pignataro. (2023). Kane Miller. The seven days of the week are paired with the seven colors of the rainbow in Rainbow Days with Margaret Hamilton’s simple, rhyming text and Anna Pignataro’s softly colored mixed-media illustrations. Readers will enjoy following the day-by-day activities of a young child and their family and pets throughout the week. For example, “Saturday with violets / And thread for sewing through / To make my gran a violet crown / That tells her ‘I love you.’” At the end of this cheerful and gentle book, there is a cameo appearance of Hamilton and Pignataro’s B Is for Bedtime (2015), which would be another cozy choice for one-on-one bedtime reading. —VP Some of These Are Snails. Carter Higgins. (2023). Chronicle. With cut and collaged hand-painted paper images assembled digitally, Carter Higgins uses shape, color, and size to present patterns in a quirky and captivating way. The simple, rhythmic chant-like text focuses the attention of young readers on examining the images set against a white background. Readers are invited to respond to questions: “can you sort by color? / can you sort by size? / can you sort by shape or find the animals with eyes?” Interaction continues with more challenging pages to examine and questions to answer such as “who’s stripiest? / who’s spottiest / who’s wiggly wigglier wiggliest?” Readers are also encouraged to look closely at the images to see which are shapes and which are animals. Conversations are sure to be lively with this interactive picture book. —CBB Together with You. Patricia Toht. Illus. by Jarvis. (2023). Candlewick. The story of the shared experiences of a young boy and his grandmother through the seasons of the year is presented through Patricia Toht’s rhyming text, told from the perspective of the boy, and Jarvis’s colorful digital artwork. Readers learn about how the two get dressed for the weather and the activities they enjoy during each season. For example, in autumn, the boy zips up his fleece jacket while his grandmother pulls on her sweater, he covers his ears and she holds onto her hat as they walk in the wind, they fly a kite, and then enjoy a stroll hand in hand. The warm, cozy relationship of grandson and grandmother as they spend time together is clearly felt as the picture book ends. “For no matter the weather, / whatever we do, / every day’s better . . . // together with you.” —CBB Where Are the Eggs? (Storytelling Math). Grace Lin. (2023). Charlesbridge. Mei’s chickens have laid eggs in the yard. “Where could the eggs be?” Mei invites the reader to help her find the eggs on the pages of this interactive board book as she spots and describes the location of each egg in relation to an object in the yard. For example, one egg is next to the watering can and another egg is on top of an upturned wheelbarrow. In rereading the story, youngsters will enjoy pointing out the eggs and using position words to describe their locations. The back matter provides a note on exploring the math of spatial relations and some “Try This!” activities. —CBB Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger is an associate professor in the Early, Elementary, and Reading Department at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and a mom to two young readers. Victoria Pennington is a second year PhD student in the Literacy, Language and Culture program at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, and a mom to two young readers.
Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus The recently-published informational picture books reviewed in this column are good read-aloud choices to introduce STEM units on the extraordinary variety of life on Earth. These engaging books will pique the interest of children to learn more through independent research on different species of animals, plants, and fungi and stimulate lively discussions of the actions needed to help insure the survival of species and ecosystems. A Is for Australian Reefs. Frané Lessac. (2023). Candlewick. Author-illustrator Frané Lessac’s information-packed alphabetic exploration of the reefs along the coast of Australia begins with A for Australian reefs, the different kinds of Australian reefs (barrier reefs, patch reefs, fringing reefs, and atolls) and their locations; B for Biodiversity, the variety of plants and animals living together on Australian reefs and their dependence on each other for survival; and C for Coral reefs, the underwater ecosystem of reef-building coral polyps that is home to 25 percent of the world’s sea creatures. The following double-spread pages feature animals that inhabit the Australian reefs from dolphins, eels, and fish to xanthid crabs, yellowtail barracudas, and zebra seahorses. The entry for each letter includes an introductory statement and brief paragraphs of related information set against a background of Lessac’s colorful, detailed gouache artwork. A “Spot the Fish” search-and-find activity on the final page challenges readers to find 12 colorful fish (identified by their common names) pictured in the pages of the book. (PreK Up) —CA Birds Everywhere (Animals Everywhere #4). Camilla de la Bedoyere. Illus. by Britta Teckentrup. (2023). Big Picture. Like an all-things-bird encyclopedia for young readers, Birds Everywhere is an introduction to the avian world. Double spreads with Britta Teckentrup’s colorful, digitally-created illustrations and Camilla de la Bedoyere’s brief, accessible narrative cover topics such as what a bird is (including details of its anatomy); where birds live (their habitats); the history of birds (from the first bird that evolved from tiny theropod dinosaurs to the more than 10,000 species of birds alive today); different types of birds, their habitats, and behavior; the relationship of birds and people (culture, mythology, and history); and bird watching tips. Five “Can You Find It?” tasks are interspersed throughout the book. For example, on a double spread with portraits of more than 20 birds (identified by common names), “All birds have wings and feather, but not all of them can fly” is followed by “Can you guess which birds can’t fly?” Mammals Everywhere, the fifth book in the Animals Everywhere series, will be released in October 2023. (PreK Up) —NB Cool Green: Amazing, Remarkable Trees. Lulu Delacre. (2023). Candlewick. Cool Green begins with a conversation between a landscaper and his granddaughter. “¿Por que, abuelo? Why? // Why am I in awe of trees? / Trees are astounding! / Let me share with you, mi niña, / some of the reasons why.” With a simple, lyrical text and stunning artwork done in acrylic paint, stamped leaf prints, and collaged specimens with embedded seeds, fronds, and leaves, Lulu Delacre introduces readers to the world’s largest living tree, the General Sherman, a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park, Tulare County, California; the Wollemi Pine of Australia; the Umbrella Thorn Acacia of the African savanna; and eight others chosen from the three trillion living trees on planet Earth. Extensive back matter includes a note from author-illustrator Delacre; a section on the importance of trees; further information on featured trees (each with its scientific name, location in the world, and characteristics) as well as arboreal relationships (living stumps, mother trees, and the “wood-wide web,” the underground symbiotic association of trees and fungi); websites; and a bibliography. Verde fresco published simultaneously. (PreK Up) —NB Destiny Finds Her Way: How a Rescued Baby Sloth Learned to Be Wild (Baby Animals Tales). Margarita Engle. Photographs by Sam Trull. (2023). National Geographic Kids. In this true story of Destiny, a three-fingered sloth living in the Costa Rican tropical rainforest, Margarita Engle elegantly unfolds the journey of rescue, rehabilitation and release by Costa Rica’s Sloth Institute of a baby sloth that has fallen from a tree in the tropical rainforest. At the Sloth Institute, she is nursed back to health and learns how to eat, climb, socialize, toilet, and hide from predators. After one year and with only one functioning eye, Destiny is released in the rainforest with a tracking collar so she can be monitored by scientists. Wildlife conservationist Sam Trull’s extraordinary photographs partner with Engle’s lyrical text to provide an engaging and informative STEM read-aloud experience for young children. Back matter includes notes from the author and the illustrator, a map of the range of the three-fingered sloth in North America and South America, facts about sloths with photographs, and resources. (PreK-Gr 2) --NB Emperor of the Ice: How a Changing Climate Affects a Penguin Colony. Nicola Davies. Illus. by Catherine Rayner. (2023). Candlewick. Catherine Rayner’s beautiful illustrations set the scene for Nicola Davies’s engaging story of the emperor penguin’s breeding cycle that begins in April with the return once again of an old empress to Halley Bay, Antarctica, and ends in September when the chicks are mature enough to leave the melting ice along with the adults and begin to find food for themselves in the ocean. Warmer seas and fiercer storms cause the breakup of Halley Bay’s stationary sea ice making the area unsuitable for the penguins to rear their young, so when it is April again, the Halley Bay colony does not return. Emperor of the Ice ends on a hopeful note with a satellite view showing tiny and large colonies of emperor penguins on snow covered Antarctica. “Somewhere down there, the empress has found a new place to raise a chick: a place where the sea ice can be trusted, where there’s ice she can rely on. At least for now.” Back matter includes notes on emperor penguins and climate change. (PreK Up) —CA Fungi Grow. Maria Gianferrari. Illus. by Diana Sudyka. (2023). Beach Lane. Fungi Grow is an inviting picture book introduction to the spore-producing organisms that live all over the world that are classified in the Fungi kingdom. Diana Sudyka’s vivid illustrations, rendered in gouache watercolor and finished digitally, complement Maria Gianferrari’s lyrical narrative that explains the life cycle of fungi. For example, a double-page spread with the text “Spores shoot / from gills / or teeth / or pores. / Spores catapult, / sail / wander with wind” is paired with Sudyka’s lively artwork showing five different species of mushrooms (identified by common names) releasing swirls of spores. In smaller print is a related fact—the spurting of plumes of spores by the cotton rat fungus is called “puffing.” Other double spreads cover topics such as where fungi grow (including some unusual places) and how some fungi are harmful while others heal and help. Back matter includes a WARNING! (in red) about never eating mushrooms found outside without verification by a mycologist, a glossary, examples of how fungi heal and help, fun fungi facts, a fungi life cycle infographic, sources, further reading for kids, additional resources, and blogs and websites. (PreK Up) —CA The Great Giraffe Rescue: Saving the Nubian Giraffe (Sandra Markle’s Science Discoveries). Sandra Markle. (2023). Millbrook. Over time, small populations of Nubian giraffes that roamed freely in Uganda until humans claimed most of their land dwindled as they were crowded into the northern part of Murchison Falls National Park. When oil was discovered in the area, the survival of the country’s Nubian giraffes was at even greater risk. In 2016, Operation Twiga (“giraffe” in Swahili) was formed between the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to translocate the giraffes to create new satellite population habitats and decrease the danger of extinction by tracking and studying them. This informational picture book about the logistics of moving the Ugandan herd of critically endangered Nubian giraffes that could not swim across the bridge-less Victoria Nile River is supplemented with captioned photos, maps, charts, and sidebars. Back matter includes an author’s note, additional facts about giraffes, a glossary, source notes, resources, an index, and photo acknowledgments). (Gr 3 Up) —NB How Birds Sleep. Sara Pedry & David Obuchowski. Illus. by Sarah Pedry. (2023). mineditionsUS. So how do birds sleep anyway?” is addressed by Sara Pedry and David Obuchowski’s inviting narrative about 20 bird species from the United States and other countries from around the world including Chile, Kenya, China, and Australia on single pages and double-page spreads that identify the featured birds by common and scientific names and countries and present facts about their sleep behavior. The book opens at dusk in the United States with a barn owl wide awake while thousands of tree swallows signal bedtime “in an elaborate routine” in the sky before they “funnel down into the reeds” to slumber—and ends with the barn owl nestled in his tree at dawn for a good day’s sleep while tree swallows fly out of the reeds. Pedry’s lush artwork, done by hand in layers using charcoal, ink, and gouache, augments the text with realistic portraits of the birds sleeping in their natural habitats. This soothing read-aloud also makes a perfect goodnight book. Back matter includes information about bird sleep, climate change, the backstory, and resources. (PreK-Gr 2) --NB How the Sea Came to Be: (And All the Creatures in It). Jennifer Berne. Illus. by Amanda Hall. (2023). Eerdmans. Jennifer Berne’s expressive rhyming verses and Amanda Hall’s exquisite illustrations, created with watercolor, gouache, pencil crayons, pastels, and digital materials, tell the dramatic story of the birth of the sea “[b]illions and billions of years long ago, / when the Earth was young and new” and the birth of life in the seas after the passing of more millions of years. “Life grew and life spread in this salty sea world / for hundreds of millions of years. / From its surface above to its depth far below / where it’s cold and all light disappears.” The extensive back matter includes an author’s note, an illustrator’s note, a double gatefold “Ocean Creatures Over Time” display of the diverse forms of life (identified by common and scientific name) that have existed in the oceans over time that opens to reveal a time line of the eons and eras of Earth’s history, a glossary of key terms and concepts, and resources. (PreK Up) —CA Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up. Rebecca E. Hirsch. Illus. by Mia Posada. (2023). Millbrook.. Rebecca Hirsch’s lyrical text, accompanied by Mia Posada’s cut paper collage-and-water illustrations, begins with “What is the tallest living thing?” answered by what it is not (an elephant, giraffe, or blue whale) before comparing the heights of eight trees including the world’s tallest trees (the Coast Redwood at 380.3 feet in California, US; the Yellow Meranti at 331 feet in Sabah, Borneo; and the Australian Mountain Ash at 329.7 feet in Tasmania, Australia,) against the heights of Big Ben at 316 feet and the Statue of Liberty at 305.5 feet. Hirsch explores the life cycle of these arboreal giants that “spring from old stumps or from seeds.” Under the right conditions of sunlight, water, and air, the young trees grow up fast. “They rise . . . / up, up, up to the sky!” Back matter includes a section answering questions about tall trees, an infographic on the tallest member of each of the eight tree species from the opening comparison with their locations on a world map; and a page with two activities and recommended reading for readers. (PreK Up) -- NB Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English from Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.
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