August 2020 Prime Picks
The
Culinary Corner
Chow!
Dolly Chow
ACC Art Books
9781788840750
$25.00
www.accartbooks.com
Chow! is illustrated by Huang Kuo-Shung.
It blends recipes with
notes on table etiquette by Dolly Chan as it explores basic Chinese
recipes in
English and Chinese.
The author
was raised
in Shanghai in the early 20th century. She cultivated culinary skills
that made
her private banquets a focal point for Chinese and Western friends
interested
in experiencing traditional Chinese foods.
From Fried
Chicken
with Pepper and Brown Sauce to Crab Omelet and Duck Tongue Soup, this
collection excels in exploring classic dishes that will especially
appeal to
readers looking for something different that defines the foundations of
Chinese
cuisine.
No photos,
but this
intriguing classic production doesn't need them. The simple recipes and
easy
instructions stand alone as excellent introductions.
Feeding the
People:
The Politics of the Potato
Rebecca Earle
Cambridge University
Press
9781108484060
$24.95
www.cambridge.org
Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato
is a vivid global history
of the potato that considers not just the potato's spread around the
world, but
how its dissemination reflected capitalism and free market evolution.
Most
culinary
histories focus on recipes and food. Relatively few include any degree
of
political focus or consideration, but this book's details surrounding
the
influences on the potato's spread is especially intriguing. It fills in
many
gaps essential for understanding the underlying social and political
forces at
work in food choices, growing, and perceptions, and it includes
campaigns both
for and anti-potato.
Political
activist
William Cobbett, for example, despised potatoes and saw them as the
"root
of filth and slavery." His fiery feelings about their oppressive
qualities, as well as other insights into the spud, are outlined in an
exceptionally lively coverage that no culinary history fan or
collection should
be without.
Reviewer's Choice
150 Nature
Hot Spots
in Canada
Debbie Olsen
Firefly Books
9780228102427
$29.95
www.fireflybooks.com
150 Nature Hot Spots in Canada: The Best Parks,
Conservation Areas and
Wild Places features a wealth of parks, nature destinations,
and Canadian
regional 'hot spots' filled with wildlife, and invites visitors from
Canada and
other countries to partake, depending on their special outdoors
interests.
Each listing
receives
gorgeous color photos, a sidebar of bullet points on what makes the hot
spot
'hot', and all information needed to visit, even down to GPS
coordinates.
Descriptions
embrace
geologic and natural history, describe seasonal atmosphere, and show
how
visitors can best explore the park or hot spot via recommended paths
and
observations.
From best aurora-viewing spots to coast to coast delights, 150 Nature Hot Spots in Canada is the travel planner any outdoors nature enthusiast needs to plan a trip that takes best advantage of Canada's byways. This award-winning Alberta-based travel writer injects personal familiarity into the subject: another plus in a book filled with travel ideas.
Drawing
&
Painting Botanicals for Artists
Karen Kluglein
Rockport
9781631598579
$26.99
www.quartoknows.com
Drawing & Painting Botanicals for Artists:
How to Create
Beautifully Detailed Plant and Flower Illustrations comes
from a notable
botanical artist and workshop instructor who provides step-by-step
instructions
for drawing leaves, flowers, and berries in intricate detail.
Botanical
information
is included in the artistic exploration, from key terms to
understanding a
plant's distinct textures and appearances and how they can translate
into
drawing efforts.
This is no
casual
'how to draw' piece, but an in-depth survey that presumes more than a
casual
interest in botanical art and how it's created.
Aspiring
artists who
want a set of clear instructions, intricate observations of various
plants, and
botanical details will find Drawing &
Painting Botanicals for Artists the perfect item of choice
for serious
botanical illustration efforts. Nothing is left to wonder: it covers
everything
from paintbrush choices and mediums to understanding how different
plants and
flowers lend to different representation techniques.
Very highly
recommended, Drawing & Painting
Botanicals for Artists is packed with color photos and
examples throughout.
Its wide-ranging approach makes it the item of choice above most
botanical art
books.
Step Back
Joseph L. Badaracco
Harvard Business
Review Press
9781633698741
$28.00
www.hbr.org
Step Back: How to Bring the Art of Reflection into
Your Busy Life
will reach business book readers interested in integrating reflective
thinking
into business pursuits, but is also recommended reading for those
outside of
the business world, who would cultivate quick reflections for maximum
creativity and problem-solving results.
Joseph L.
Badaracco,
a Harvard Business School professor, argues that reflection can be
integrated
into even the busiest of daily schedules, encouraging moments of
contemplative
relaxation that translate into big steps in tackling problems from a
different
perspective.
Chapters use
interviews with over a hundred executives and business professionals to
integrate the words of wisdom from philosophers and writers as they
review easy
routines and ideas for reflection that can be customized and utilized
for
maximum benefit.
This book
may come
from a business publisher and perspective, but it is recommended
reading beyond
the business community alone. Step Back will
attract self-help and other readers with its many practical routines
and
admonitions.
Young Adult/Children
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewick.com
These new
picture
books are highly recommended picks for adults looking for standout
leisure
reads for kids. Each offers a superior blend of artistry and adventure
that
will attract and hold young reader attention.
The child's
excitement over the plans for the day and the mechanics of moving from
an urban
to a mountain environment creates a fun account of a shared nature
experience
outdoors that lends to father/child interactions and discussion.
Emma Dodd's What Matters Most (9781536210170,
$14.99) asks "What matters most to you? What matters most to me?"
as
it follows an adult and a young horse who explore their world. Does
value lie
in having lots of stuff, or a minimalist existence? Does it mean being
brave,
or sometimes admitting fear? The fun milieu of the horses exploring
these subjects
and the backdrop of bigger-picture thinking will delight adults seeking
a
gentle story to teach the very young about basic life values.
Naomi
Howarth's What's That Noise?
(9781536213522,
$16.99) tells of Mangus the Arctic seal, who experiences a strange
rumbling
sound in his world. He enlists the help of his friends to identify this
problem
and seems to have it solved...until another rumbling noise disturbs
paradise.
Kids will enjoy the lovely full-page paintings of Arctic wildlife and
the fun
discussions that blend natural history insights with the fictional tale
of
seals, walrus, and other Arctic creatures who explore their worlds.
Randi
Sonenshine's The Nest That Wren Built
(9781536201536,
$16.99) receives especially gorgeous drawings by Anne Hunter as it
surveys the
life cycle of wrens using a 'House That Jack Built' cumulative tale
that builds
upon the wren's habits. Some built-in rhyme enhances the gentle story
that will
delight parents looking to foster an appreciation of poetry and nature
like: "There are the feathers, petals, and
thread/placed on the moss to soften the bed/that waits in the next that
Wren
built."
Welcome to Your World by Smriti
Prasadam-Halls (9781536206227,
$16.99) enjoys lovely drawings by Jaime Kim as it surveys animal
parents and
babies around the world and different environments that house them. A
gentle
rhyme weaves a tale around a new mother's discussion with her baby
about the
wonders of a day. Forests, butterflies and bees, blue oceans, and more
each
receive an exceptionally lovely series of drawings by Kim, who nicely
captures
these different natural worlds.
The Same But Different Too by Karl Newson
(9781536212013, $16.99) features
whimsical, fun drawings by Kate Hindley as it explores contrasts
between people
and the ways they are different, even as humans are connected by their
species
and interests. The pleasing contrasts between ways in which individuals
are
"the same but different, too" creates a gentle lesson that parents
will enjoy using as read-aloud wisdom to their kids.
James Howe's
Houndsley and Catina at the Library
(9780763696627,
$15.99) is illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay and will appeal to young
chapter
book readers looking for a vivid tale of friendship and change.
Three best
friends
have always gone to the library, but it's closing because the librarian
is
retiring and there's nobody to take her place.
The three
decide to
tackle this problem to keep their favorite space accessible. Readers
will find
their skills in considering and developing new options to be fun and
engaging
as the trio struggles to resolve a major adult-sized problem.
Maribeth
Boelts's Kaia and the Bees
(9781536201055,
$16.99) is illustrated by Angela Dominguez, who reviews the story of a
brave
girl who has one bugaboo: bees. It's a major problem for her because
her father
is a beekeeper, and she's always being called upon to participate in
his
important job. Also, because thousands of bees live on her roof as a
result of
his efforts.
A fun story
enhanced
by lovely, whimsical drawings outlines the problem, employing the first
person
insights of Kaia as she faces her fears and finds 'magic happening in
her own
kitchen' as a side benefit.
Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg by Brenna
Burns Yu (9781536204926,
$16.99) tells of mouse sisters who find an egg in the meadow and embark
on a
mission to hatch it by sitting on it to keep it warm.
They have
big dreams
for the egg's inhabitant, but an egg takes a long time to hatch. And
it's a lot
of work, posing dilemmas they hadn't anticipated.
The gentle
story of a
lost egg and an ultimate mission to handle it creates a story perfect
for
beginning readers moving from two-line picture books to something that
satisfies
just before chapter book skills begin.
Yasmeen
Ismail's Joy (9781536209341,
$16.99) receives
simple yet appealing drawings by Jenni Desmond as it explores a
playful, bouncy
kitten's fun game with yarn.
A very easy
rollicking rhyme lends to parental read-aloud with the very young as a
kitten
in a tangle bounces, shakes, rolls, and runs with the fun.
The
involvement of
understanding cat parents in the kitten's play and mishaps will enhance
the charming
story.
Atinuke's Catch That Chicken! (9781536212686,
$16.99) receives engaging, colorful drawings by Angela Brooksbank as it
tells
of Lami, the best chicken catcher in her village.
The other
village
children have different abilities or attributes, but Lami holds her own
special
skill, until one clever chicken challenges her identity.
Is she
really braver,
faster, or smarter than a chicken?
A clever
child's
problem-solving abilities are tested in this celebration of village
life and
rural mishaps.
Jancee
Dunn's I'm Afraid Your Teddy is in the
Principal's
Office (9781536201987, $16.99) is especially appealing,
between its lovely
colorful, whimsical drawings by Scott Nash and the unusual story of a
stowaway
teddy who comes to school and gains the principal's unwelcome attention
for
being naughty.
Good reading
skills
will enhance this story of a bear who gets his fellow stuffed animals
to sneak
into children's backpacks all across town, wrecking havoc on the school
when
they escape.
A hilarious,
zany
story emerges which is particularly compelling for its unexpected
moments and
uniquely revolutionary bears.
All are
outstanding
leisure choices that lend particularly well to shared read-aloud
experiences.
How to Give
Your Cat
a Bath In Five Easy Steps
Nicola Winstanley and
John Martz
Tundra
9780735263543
$17.99
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
How to Give Your Cat a Bath In Five Easy Steps is a hilarious survey of what can
go wrong with the idea that
kitty needs a bath. It will prove especially fun reading for kids
familiar with
cats and their disinclination to bathe human-style.
As the young
protagonist follows simple instructions for preparing the bath for Mr.
Flea,
steps to success are revised in a fun manner. Whimsical and fun
drawings by
John Martz add creative visuals that will attract young readers.
Parents
looking for a
fun story about cats and kids will find How
to Give Your Cat a Bath In Five Easy Steps
lends to read-aloud and independent pursuit alike, pairing very simple
descriptions with a fun story that kids will relish.
The Little
Kitten
Nicola Kileen
Simon & Schuster
9781534466968
$16.99
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
The Little Kitten is a gentle, amusing
picture book story about a
lost kitten discovered by Ollie and her cat Pumpkin. The two are set to
adopt
their new charge until they see the "Lost Kitten" posters hanging on
trees in the forest. It becomes apparent that their real rescue mission
involves returning the lost pet to its rightful home.
It's
especially
pleasing to see a Halloween theme wound into an overall fall story
about animal
rescue. Black and white and orange illustrations are simple, yet
engaging. Parental
read-aloud assistance will enliven this story for the very young, while
those
with rudimentary reading skills will find it an accessible, tender
story about
love.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
These
picture book
stories are standouts from the crowd, excelling in whimsical subjects
and
presentations that will delight young leisure readers looking for
something
different.
Gina Cascone
and
Bryony Williams Sheppard's Unicorn Yoga
(9781534111066, $16.99) reaches ages 3-8 with 32 pages of fun drawings
and a
zany story by a mother-daughter writing team.
Anyone
familiar with
yoga positions may know some of their descriptions, but when a yoga
class is
conducted by a unicorn, everything changes.
Kids are
taught ten
poses and concrete information on yoga and mindfulness as the
entertaining
story evolves.
Brooke
Hecker's Letters from My Tooth Fairy
(9781534110557, $16.99) is illustrated by Deborah Melmon and tells of a
little
girl whose pen pal is a tooth fairy.
The letters
reflect
the fine art of growing older and capture fun moments as the fairy
describes: "...flying in to grab your latest
incisor, and I crash right into a crib that wasn't there before."
Kids with
good
reading skills will appreciate the hilarious evolution of this
relationship and
the letters between them, while parents will find this story
refreshingly
original and fun.
Frank Murphy
and
Carla Murphy's A Girl Like You
(9781534110960, $16.99) receives excellent color drawings by Kayla
Harren in
this companion volume to A Boy Like You.
The story
celebrates
being a girl, and provides a series of celebratory observations and
advice on
how girls can be empowered and more effective in life.
The message,
written
by a pediatric nurse and a teacher, encourages girls to explore their
wide
range of skills and opportunities to use them in the modern world.
Lindsey
McDivitt's Truth and Honor: The President
Ford Story
(9781534110625, $16.99) benefits from lovely drawings by Matt Faulkner
as it
provides a 32-page biography of Gerald Ford for ages 6-10.
From the
early life
influences which helped build a strong man to the special style of
leadership
Ford brought to the White House, this history and biographical blend
will
appeal to young report writers looking for an attractive survey of
President
Ford.
Tundra Books
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
Two new
picture book
stories are delightful explorations that offer whimsical, fun reading
for kids.
Vikki
VanSickle's Teddy Bear of the Year
(9780735263925,
$17.99) tells of Ollie, who loves his job as a teddy bear charged with
taking
care of his girl. But when Ollie finds himself at a nighttime Teddy
Bears' Picnic
where his kind go once a year to celebrate, he feels inadequate and
powerless,
as the other bears all seem to have special talents he does not.
Good reading
skills
or parental read-aloud assistance will lend to enjoyment of this
engaging story
of Ollie, his girl Amena, and the adventures he has when encountering
other
teddy bears who are very different in their lives, abilities, and
perspectives
about bear life.
Jay Fleck's Tilly & Tank (9781101917862,
$17.99)
tells of Tilly the elephant, who thinks she sees another elephant and
wants to
befriend it, even as Tank thinks he's observing another tank who may be
an
enemy.
Their two
very
perspectives about friends and enemies color their perceptions and
threaten a
friendship unless Tilly and Tank can overcome their worldviews to
engage on a
different level.
This fun,
pointed
story will especially delight adults looking to impart basic life
lessons about
friendship and adaptation within the guise of a fun encounter.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
These three
new
picture book stories are delightfully whimsical and entertaining reads
for
youngsters, and stand out from the crowd as notable new recommendations
for
parents and schools alike.
Keri
Claiborne
Boyle's Otis P. Oliver Protests
(9781534110434, $16.99) is illustrated by Daniel Duncan. It tells of a
boy who
hates baths so much, he thinks they should be banned. Otis likes dirt.
He
doesn't see why he should bathe four times a week, and decides to stage
a
protest.
His campaign
slogan ("The only thing we have to fear is
soap
itself") enlivens a story many kids will relate to as Otis
stages a
protest and challenges his mother to come up with a solution amenable
to all.
Memoirs of a Tortoise by Devin Scillian
(9781534110199, $16.99)
again pairs illustrator Tim Bowers with Devin Scillian's writing
prowess in the
story of a new world that adds to the 'Memoirs Of' series.
Oliver is
eighty
years old and faces the loss of his beloved owner Ike. Seeking wisdom
on how to
accept death, Oliver journeys to visit his mother, who lives five
gardens away,
in search of answers.
Parents
looking to
teach kids valuable lessons about love and loss will find Memoirs of a Tortoise to be a wonderful,
gentle story spiced by
colorful drawings throughout.
Gail Bush's Our World is Whole (9781534110274,
$16.99) receives enjoyable drawings by Jennie Poh as it discusses the
kinds of
interactions and connections between people that make life worth living.
A young girl
observes
the links between people in her world and begins to understand the
simple
pleasures that foster these relationships. Easy, lyrical text brings
her
experiences and reflections to life in a multicultural story of change,
differences, and celebrating life's meaning.
Will You Be
Friends
With Me?
Kathleen Long Bostrom
Worthy Kids/Hachette
9781546033804
$7.99
Will You Be Friends With Me? is an
inviting, kid-friendly board
book illustrated by Jo de Ruiter, highly recommended for parents
interested in
reading aloud to their babies to three-year-olds. It provides an early
celebration of differences.
Kids who
will be
going to school and experiencing social situations for the first time
will find
this primer outlines differences in habits, preferences, likes and
dislikes,
and more than just outward appearance. Each noted difference concludes
with the
question "Will you be friends with me?"
This approach holds an important, basic lesson for early learners on how differences can be noted without becoming obstacles to friendship and caring, making Will You Be Friends With Me? a positive educational tools that adults will want to use to maximum benefit.