Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
The children’s novel The Windy Hill by Cornelia Meigs (published 1921) provides a unique early twentieth century portrayal of a particular summer of two city teenagers spending a summer with a dull but wealthy uncle, the intrigue of the story is predictable and lacks true excitement. Children today will not be impressed with the outdated
Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen (Heartdrum, August 2023) is a middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl with a unique heritage: she is half Jewish and half Native American, spending most of her life with her Jewish mother and devout Jewish stepfather and attending a Jewish middle school. When people start teasing her about her
As do many children, the titular character in How Are You, Verity? by Meghan Wilson Duff (Magination Press, August 2023) does not properly understand social cues in response to the common “how are you” question. With the help of older brother John, the child learns the polite ways to respond. After talking with John, Verity
The nonfiction picture book Rooting for Plants by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III (Calkins Creek, August 2023) tells the story of, as the subtitle states, “The Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector.” This unknown-to-me Black scientist provided many insights into plants and fungi over the course of his lifetime,
We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and Kids, illustrated by Julianna Swaney (Tommy Nelson 2019) takes a reader step-by-step through the process of building up a family garden by starting small. The four children narrate their process toward creating their beautiful garden, with an emphasis that making a garden requires lots of trying, failing,
With a comic-book feel to the illustrations, The Invention Hunters Discover How Electricity Works by Korwin Briggs (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019) hilariously tells the story of discovers who appear suddenly in a girl’s backyard and storm in the house, hoping to find inventions. As they try to guess the purpose of unknown
The 2023 middle grade novel Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, February 2022) offers a hopeful and dream-like success for two children fleeing slavery. Just as they feel hope of escape ebbing away, a mystery man rescues them, leading them to an island community on the edge of the swamp. Homer’s
Nature Recycles, How about You? by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Cathy Morrison (Arbordale, 2013), is a realistically illustrated picture book that brings awareness to how plants and animals reuse things in nature to survive. This includes a wide variety of examples, including a hermit using old shells and nature recycling water through the water cycle.
The middle grade novel No Place Like Home by James Bird (Feiwel & Friends, August 2023) is a heartfelt tale of resilience and the power of cultural identity. Twelve-year-old Ojibwe boy Opin faces the increasing discomfort of homelessness as he and his mother and brother make their way to Los Angeles to be with family.
Using the metaphor of a braid, or trenza, as a reminder of love for self and others, the picture book Only a Trenza Away: A Tale of Trust and Strength by Nadine Fonseca and illustrated by Camilla Carrossine (Shadow Mountain, August 2023) gives a tender lesson between a father and a daughter, emphasizing the importance
The short middle grade novel Oh, Sal! by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, September 2022) gives us the story of Billy Miller’s little sister, Sal. Billy Miller got two books from his perspective: The Year of Billy Miller (reviewed in 2015) and Billy Miller Makes a Wish (reviewed last month, June 2023). Now, in Sal’s book, we
The Book of Time by Clive Gifford and illustrated by Teo Georgiev (Quarto Publishing, August 2023) is an absolute treasure trove of information about all different aspects of time. To say it covers a wide range of topics would be an understatement — I’m genuinely at a loss for words when it comes to describing
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