Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
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
I’m Trying to Love Math by Bethany Barton is told in alternating black-and-purple fonts, and an unnamed narrator (assumed to be a human) and a purple alien have a discussion about math, with the alien pointing out all the ways that the narrator has used math in his explanations: such as fractions and ratios. Math is
Sir Circumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan. Sir Circumference is a silly story that uses finding pi as a solution to a problem: the Knight Sir Circumference has been turned into a dragon. Characters named Radius and Lady Di of Ameter help him by finding a potion with poetic instructions telling
Circles by David Adler, illustrated by Edward Miller. Adler’s book introduces circles and then describes a hands-on method of learning what a diameter and radius are (tracing a plate, then folding symmetrically and drawing lines). Subsequent pages continue the hands-on directions to draw and define major and minor sectors of a circle and how to draw
Happy Pi Day to You! All About Measuring Circles (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Bonnie Worth, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu. Happy Pi Day to You features The Cat and the Hat who helps introduce circles and pi to a few children using rhymes (which follow the ABAB pattern). A few of the rhymes are forced,
World War II had so many complex behind-the-scenes happenings that I am constantly surprised by the pure breadth of the war effort and the means employed to bring an end to it. Unbreakable: The Spies Who Broke the Nazi’s Secret Code by Rebecca E. F. Barone (Henry Holt, 2022) tells the story of the spies,
Whatever Happened to the Metric System?: How America Kept Its Feet by John Bemelmans Marciano (Bloomsbury, August 5, 2014) is a glimpse into the complicated history behind the rise of the metric system, especially the impact of the metric system on America. Why is America the only country in the world who has not converted to
Sometimes when I finish a book that I loved I can’t wait to sit down and gush about how great it is. Other times, I love it but I just know I won’t be able to give it proper credit: I struggle to explain just why it is so incredible. Shapes in Math, Science, and
Perfect Square by Michael Hall (Greenwillow, 2011) is a book my son (currently 4) and I discovered a few months ago before the Cybils even began. Whenever he sees it on a shelf in the library he calls out in excitement, “Look, Mommy! The Perfect Square book!” (And somehow, we keep seeing it everywhere!) In Perfect Square, a
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and classically illustrated by Jules Feiffer (1961) is a book for the clever reader. The book is full of wonderful wordplay, cliché, word stereotypes, and logic puzzles for a young child (and the adult!) to chuckle over and enjoy. In the story, the young Milo is bored of school
I don’t often have the urge to seek out a young adult novel, but this month has been one of them. I’m pleased to say that I really enjoyed the two I chose. After deals with a teenage mother, and An Abundance of Katherines deals with a genius teenager dealing with yet another break up.
Because of my positive experience reading Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book, I thought I’d try some more Japanese literature. Amanda wrote a positive review of The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa and I noticed that this was the selected book for the Japanese Literature Book Group run by tanabata at In Spring it
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