August 2022 Prime Picks
The
Culinary Corner
The Everyday Athlete
Cookbook
America's Test
Kitchen with Alicia A. Romano, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC
America's Test
Kitchen
9781954210042 $29.99
www.americastestkitchen.com
The Everyday Athlete Cookbook: 165 Recipes to Boost Energy,
Performance, and Recovery links nutritional needs for workouts,
pre-workouts, and athletic endeavors to food choices which provide energy and
attraction. It promotes pre- and post-workout meals for strength and recovery
that are proven to produce energizing results, helping athletes by not only featuring
attractive fare, but making food easy to prepare ahead and store so that exercise
does not overtake the process of food preparation for the busy trainer.
Each recipe comes
with tips on when to eat (pre- or post-workout, or for maintenance) and what
kinds of workouts (whether for strength or endurance, long- or short-term
intervals) will benefit the most from these recipes.
Each also includes a
facing page with an attractive color photo of such finished dishes as Red Curry
Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, Pesce All'Acqua Pazza with Angel Hair, or Griddled
Pork Sandwiches.
With its clear links
between athletic endeavor and supporting food, The Everyday Athlete Cookbook stands out from the typical
health/exercise cookbook, in a class of its own.
Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
These outstanding
cookbooks from Octopus Books provide culinary collections with diverse, winning
topics that are exceptional.
Chetna Makan's Chetna's Easy Baking With a Twist of Spice (9780600637394,
$29.99) compiles some 80 recipes for sweet and savory bakes that each include
added value and flavor differences to set them apart from others.
From a Kewra
water-infused Mango Cake which adds the flowery flavor of pandanus, to a Masala
Chicken Pepper Pie, these are flavors and combinations not to be found
elsewhere. This will delight cooks looking for something satisfyingly
different, replete with color photos throughout.
The Cocktail Cabinet by Zoe Burgess (9781784727994, $24.99) is the
perfect starting point for those who would produce memorable cocktails at home.
More than just a recipe collection alone (like so many are), this book explores
what makes cocktails work, basic tastes and flavor profiles of key ingredients,
and discusses how they work together.
This compliments some
80 recipes with a foundation of knowledge that will allow newcomers to
cocktails to create their own successful drinks.
Small Batch Bakes by Edd Kimber (9781914239381, $22.99) is all
about small-scale baking for singles and those who want just one, two, or six small
baked goods.
From Caramelized
Banana Pudding to Classic Pretzels and Raspberry and Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes,
the full-page color photos and streamlined recipes are suitable for
entertaining small groups as well as individual pursuit, packaged in an alluring
collection.
James Hoffmann's How to Make the Best Coffee at Home
(9781784727256, $19.99) comes from a world-renowned coffee expert who
translates barista efforts to home brews.
The author runs the
Square Mile Coffee café, and uses his authority and background to consider all
the essential ingredients that go into a successful cup of coffee, from
equipment pros and cons to grinders, brewing techniques, and recipes for
superior blends.
Anyone with an
interest in making the best home coffee will find this discussion of all the
factors involved in making superior brews to be engrossing.
Paul A. Young's The Joy of Chocolate: Recipes and Stories
from the Wonderful World of the Cacao Bean (9780857839909, $34.99) goes
beyond most chocolate cookbooks to consider chocolate's place in popular
culture, rituals, and tastes.
It surveys the
elements that make the best chocolate delights, includes some forty chocolate
recipes unique to Paul A. Young's creations, and adds the lively flavor of
discussion and history to the survey to explore the extent of chocolate's
attraction, melding all with full-page, artistic color photos.
Nicky Corbishley's It's All About Dinner: Easy, Everyday,
Family-Friendly Meals (9781914239397, $26.99) comes from a blogger and
YouTube channel personality from Kitchen Sanctuary, featuring some of the
brand's most popular recipes as well as some new creations made just for this
book.
Chapters range from
slow-cooked favorites to quick weeknight dinners and restaurant specials
suitable for entertaining.
From Tomato Salmon
Pasta to Thai Green Chicken Curry and Chilli Con Carne, the full-page, artistic
color photos that illustrate the dishes work with recipes that include tips and
make-ahead commentary for best results.
Cooks who would
produce works of art, as well as artistic collections interested in food art,
will find Julie Jones offers a very different perspective in Art in Pastry: Recipes and Ideas for
Extraordinary Pies and Tarts (9781914239137, $39.99).
Over forty recipes
for pies and tarts include fruit, dairy, meat and fish, and vegetable
creations, but it's the 100 decorative techniques that incorporate designs and
variations for decorating these dishes which make Art in Pastry a standout.
Lovely color photos
explore these techniques, which require some degree of dexterity and an
interest in more than just following a recipe.
It's also important
to note that many of these creative embellishments take their inspiration from
other art, such as jewelry-making. This lends an extra dimension of attraction
to the book that hopefully will reach art students as well as cooks.
Each of these special books is highly recommended for libraries looking for standout acquisitions.
Reviewer's Choice
Endless Forms
Seirian Sumner
HarperCollins
9780063029927 $28.99
www.harpercollins.com
Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps comes from a behavioral
ecologist who considers the diversity, social lives, and ecological benefit of
wasps. It should be considered a 'foundation acquisition' for anyone interested
in beneficial insects, bees, or their older relatives, the wasp.
Seirian Sumner's
discourse is unexpectedly accessible to non-science readers as the author
gathers stories of unusual wasps that many won't be familiar with.
From a "wasp
mecca" personally viewed in Panama to journeys around the world
experiencing, firsthand, the science and nature of wasps, readers receive both
a travelogue and a lively investigation that will prove difficult to put down.
Solo
Jenny Tough
Aster/Octopus
Publishing
9781783254705 $19.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Solo: What Running Across the Mountains Taught Me About Life tells
of an endurance athlete who chose her running challenge not to further her
athletic prowess or career, but in order to confront the emotions that were
limiting her abilities.
More so than most
books about taking on an arduous trek or sports challenge, Jenny Tough's memoir
draws important connections between physical effort, limiting emotions, and the
process of setting goals that lead to empowerment.
Her goal was to run
alone across mountain ranges on six continents, including the remote
Kyrgyzstan.
Her achievement profiles
important lessons learned from the effort. This makes for not just engrossing
sports and endurance test reading, but for psychological insights connecting
mind and body.
Sports and psychology
collections alike will find Solo a top
acquisition.
Young Adult/Children
Aaahhh!
Guilherme Karsten
Tapioca Stories
9781734783926 $19.95
www.tapiocastories.com
Aaahhh! gives young picture book readers a lesson in time, change,
and transformation as it contrasts events, discoveries, and fun, ironic
situations with what happens when everything changes, from perceptions to
creatures.
As the whimsical
stories evolve to survey transitional "aaahhh" moments of change in
human lives, too, young readers are given the rare opportunity to understand the
nature of big and small events that change the world.
Adults who choose Aaahhh! as a read-aloud will find its
lessons thought-provoking and different.
Ballet Bruce
Ryan T. Higgins
Disney/Hyperion
9781368059602 $14.99
www.DisneyBooks.com
Ballet Bruce is a Level 1 reader adding to the World of Reading
series. It incorporates whimsy and entertainment into the story of how a grumpy
bear is tapped to help a group of geese do ballet.
Bruce finds himself
drawn by "sad goose eyes," but a host of goose needs keep him away
from his beloved home and involved in a ballet effort he never wanted to become
a part of in the first place.
Kids will relish this
delightful tale of a grumpy bear friend whose efforts to help only lead him to
become more and more involved in the world of dance.
Ballet Bruce comes with lessons on friendship and flexibility that
early readers will find whimsical and thought-provoking, all in one.
Beneath the Trees: A
Fine Summer
Dav
Magnetic Press
9781951719548 $16.99
www.magnetic-press.com
Beneath the Trees: A Fine Summer explores noises and animal
reactions to them. A sleepy owl finds himself constantly disturbed by the ball-playing
daytime activities around him, only to find himself on the other side of the
complaint fence when night falls and he becomes more active himself.
The cartoon-like
panels are delightfully whimsical as the story builds a fun tale of an owl who
just wants to get some peace and quiet, but finds these desires elusive.
A delightful story evolves which read-aloud parents can use to discuss differences with kids.
Candlewick Press
www.candlewickpress.com
Candlewick's latest picture
book publications provide young readers and adult read-aloud audiences with a
diverse set of attractive, highly recommended picks.
Carlie Sorosiak's Everywhere With You (9781536214970,
$18.99) tells of two houses next to one another which each house an isolated
life: a dog, and a girl. Each spends time on solo endeavors until one day the
girl sits next to the fence to read aloud.
The two loners find
solace and connection in the fantasy story that evolves to introduce wisdom
into the mix.
Devon Holzwarth's
illustrations enhance this gentle story of evolving realizations, making for an
engaging and thought-provoking tale.
Karla Courtney's Poppy's House (9781536211528, $17.99)
tells of another kind of house, where Poppy lives in a land of painted houses,
fishing boats, and wild cloudberries.
Newfoundland comes to
life under Courtney's descriptions while illustrator Madeline Kloepper's
engaging drawings add action and imagery to reinforce a tale of a young girl's
participation in Poppy's life.
Katelyn Aronson's Poo-Dunit? A Forest Floor Mystery
(9781536216370, $17.99) features especially colorful, attractive illustrations
by Stephanie Laberis as it reviews the engaging dilemma of a mouse who steps
outside her house only to discover a giant pile of poo.
What animal could
have done this?
Poo facts come to
life in a blend of science and comedy as suspect animals are interrogated and
have to prove that their poo is not the culprit.
Read-aloud parents
will appreciate both the whimsical fun and the problem-solving mystery of
identifying a scat culprit.
Helen Frost and Rick
Lieder's Wait—And See (9781536216318,
$17.99) is a story of nature observation and discovery that encourages kids to
take a closer look at the world around them.
Lyrical descriptions and
lovely, close-up photos of preying mantises entice the very young with a blend
of simple language and colorful exploration.
David Elliott's At the Pond (9781536205985, $18.99) is a
nature appreciation book that centers on the animals and ecosystem of a pond.
It serves as a
companion to other Elliott books about various environments by celebrating the
pond, pairing his poems with Amy Schimler-Safford's colorful drawings of pond
scenes.
I'm A Neutrino by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis (9781536222074, $18.99) receives
eye-catching illustrations by Ilze Lemesis as it explores the importance and
science of a neutrino.
Lovely cosmic
backdrops and whimsical neutrino art accompany a lively inspection suitable for
readers attracted to physics and science, but who are usually too young for
such discussions.
The lively format
makes for an accessible introduction to the topic that is both fact-filled and enlightening.
Moira Butterfield's Look What I Found at the Beach
(9781536223972, $15.99) is illustrated by Jesús Verona and also
blends scientific facts with colorful, lively explorations which invite kids to
explore the ocean world.
From the makeup and
sizes of sea shells to rocks and pebbles, fish and animals, and other features
unique to the beach environment, kids receive a scientific tour of the wonders
to be found on the shore.
Kids and read-aloud
parents will find much to like in these colorful, compelling books. All should
be considered for elementary-level libraries interested in high-quality,
lasting lends.
Random House
www.rhcbooks.com
Stephanie Graegin's The Long Ride Home (9780593426029,
$17.99) is a picture book story of best friends and distance that celebrates
happy memories and connections.
The story is written
as Koala's letter to her distant best friend. It explores the special nature of
connections, retaining friendships that are separated by distance, and
appreciating the shared memories of experience that power it.
Christina Geist's Buddy's New Buddy (9780593307090, $18.99)
is also a story of friendship, and comes with colorful illustrations by Tim
Bowers as it explores Buddy's dilemma when his best friend moves across town.
Buddy needs to make a
new buddy. But, he's not had to do this in a long time. How can he get a new
best friend?
The story of change
and growth accompanies others in Gist's 'Buddy' series to provide young picture
book readers with a formula for friendship success.
Both are excellent
selections for adults seeking to explore the nature and incarnation of
friendships with youngsters.
Sleeping Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
Two new picture books
provide winning illustrations and stories that make them standouts for
libraries looking for top-notch picture books.
Shana Keller's The Peach Pit Parade: A World War I Story
(9781534111387, $17.99) reaches kids ages 6-10 with a fine addition to Sleeping
Bear Press's 'Tales of Young Americans' series.
The history lesson
comes with the added value of illustrating how kids can participate in
community efforts for improvement.
The story follows
young Polly, who decides to contribute to the World War I effort when her
father goes overseas to fight, reviewing victory gardens and a girl's effective
contributions to the war effort at home.
Margeaux Lucas
creates especially vivid, colorful illustrations to bring Shana Keller's story
to life.
Kenda Henthorn's Baa, Baa, Tap Sheep (97812534111561,
$17.99) will reach an even younger crowd (up to age 4) with a story that lends
to read-aloud pleasure.
This bedtime twist on
a sheep-counting effort is perfect for parents and kids seeking something
different. Three tired kids face a host of dancing sheep at bedtime, who refuse
to settle down for the count.
Parents can use this
story for introductory counting lessons as the lively tale teaches how to wind
down and convert excess energy into sleep.
Both are fun, lively,
attractive picture books that promise lasting lending value.
Something Beautiful
Lita Judge
Simon & Schuster
9781534485136 $18.99
www.simonandschuster.com
Kids ages 4-8 receive
the picture book story of an unlikely friendship between Mouse, Elephant, and
Giraffe.
In fact, these three
have so much in common that it seems they really don't need any more friends in
their lives.
As Lita Judge points
out, however—there is something attractive in adding more to the friendship
mix, as the three learn when their circles of connection expand.
Adults can use this story as a read-aloud example of different opportunities among friends who may not be alike, but are still fun and surprising.