June 2018 Prime Picks
Audiobooks
Highbridge
Audio
www.highbridgeaudio.com
Four new
audio books
are top recommendations for library lending collections, offering a
combined
superior package consisting of notable authors paired with effective,
vivid
narrators in a durable package that lends well to the rigors of library
lending.
Kelly
Barnhill's Dreadful Young Ladies and Other
Stories
(9781684411603, $34.99) is narrated by John Lee, whose smooth voice
brings to
life a powerful gathering of nine stories about strange, different
worlds.
From a young
man
struggling with grief and sexuality who uses letter-writing to reach
out to a
beloved recipient to imagination which moves beyond its confinements
and
boundaries to become all too real, this gathering of eerie writings
comes to
life in audio and is especially recommended for audiences who look for
the rare
gem of short fiction that enters into the realm of eerie gothic
writings.
Laura
Andersen's The Darkling Bride
(9781684412886,
$39.99) is narrated by Sarah-Jane Drummey whose voice perfectly
captures the
family drama of the Gallaghers, who have commanded a castle home for
some seven
centuries before its final resting place in the public domain.
Add a
couple's
mysterious and violent deaths, a detective on a mission to find out the
truth,
and a series of incidents that revolve around the castle for a riveting
blend
of Gothic atmosphere and mystery that will keep readers completely
enthralled.
This is a
sterling
example of audio narration at its best.
Terry
Goodkind's The Girl in the Moon
(9781684411108,
$39.99) is read by Elisabeth Rodgers, who puts a fine spin on the story
of
Angela's rare ability. Angela has survived an abusive childhood, a
mother who
is a meth user, and adult pressures that robbed her of her childhood.
Now she's
leading a
secret life because of her special ability to psychically identify
killers.
When a group of terrorists penetrates her carefully protected world,
Angela
discovers she may be the only one who can save herself.
A riveting
reading by
Elisabeth Rodgers brings this vivid story to life.
Karin
Tidbeck's Jagannath Stories
(9781684410705, $29.99)
is narrated by Kristen Potter, whose smooth voice deftly captures the
strange
stories and world of Tidbeck, who specializes in literary speculative
pieces
unlike most other eerie reads.
From a child
born in
a tin can to women who live beyond the constraints of time, these
stories are
revealing and thought-provoking literary pieces that come nicely to
life in
audio, promising hours of listening pleasure.
The
Culinary Corner
Grits to
Glory
Joe Johnston
Pelican Publishing
9781455624034
$23.95
www.pelicanpub.com
It should be
cautioned that Grits to Glory: How
Southern Cookin' Got So Good isn't your usual Southern
recipe collection,
but a vivid collection of descriptions, stories, quotes, and down-home
history
from Southerners who examine the roots of Southern cooking.
Other books
have been
written about Southern culture and culinary history, but Grits
to Glory pairs scholarship and research with a lively
compilation of insights from a range of Southerners and includes fun
sidebars
of 'Porch Talk' details offering insights many more scholarly books
won't
include: "For poor folks who were
desperate to feed a hungry family, almost any bird would do, and if
nothing
else, they would turn to crow. Nobody liked the taste of crow, and it
was only
served as a last resort."
The result
is as much
a good cultural meal as it is a culinary survey of everything from mock
turtle
dishes to differences between Northern and Southern approaches to food.
The
Minimalist
Kitchen
Melissa Coleman
Oxmoor House
9780848755263
$29.99
www.timeincbooks.com
The Minimalist Kitchen: The Practical Art of Making
More With Less
is more than a cookbook: it's a way of life, embracing a philosophy of
shopping, stocking a pantry, and producing meals that don't require a
host of
special methods or kitchen appliances.
Where other
cookbooks
would rely on spiralizers, pressure cookers, food processes, and
detailed prep
instructions, The Minimalist Kitchen
prepares its dishes with far less attention to complexity but no less
attention
to flavor.
Thus,
readers will
find exceptionally easy a host of creations, from The Evergreen
Frittata, made
with summer vegetables and fresh herbs, to Chicken Pesto Sandwiches
made from pesto,
chicken, and cheese.
The recipes
excel in
efficient techniques and basic tools, so busy cooks with little time
and money
still receive the opportunity to work with extraordinary flavors and
fare with
a minimum of fuss and expense. Add full-page color photos for a
winningly
delicious collection.
Wild Honey
& Rye
Ren Behan
Interlink Publishing
9781623719982
$30.00
www.interlinkbooks.com
What makes a
cookbook
a standout with so many international cookbooks on the market today?
For an
example of high quality in comparison to others in its genre, take a
look at Wild Honey & Rye: Modern
Polish Recipes.
The dishes
featured
within were inspired by the food of Ren Behan's childhood and today's
modern
Polish cuisine, but represent a departure from the usual Polish review
of
traditional dishes because she deliberately focuses on lighter,
healthier
versions of these dishes.
Thus,
anticipated
classics such as pierogi dumplings, hearty stews and meats, and roasts
receive healthier
updates and variations. Full-page color photos accompany many of the
dishes,
but the star quality here lies in an approach that omits the usual sour
cream
and calorie-laden Polish fare with versions that don't sacrifice
flavor,
resulting in a mouth-watering display that is also virtually
guilt-free. Wild Honey & Rye
is very highly
recommended for modern Polish cooks who want something ethnically
solid, but
different.
Education
Matters
Corwin Press
www.corwin.com
Two new
education
guides should be considered key picks for any educator's reference
library,
promising lasting value and proven techniques.
The Blended Learning Blueprint for Elementary
Teachers by Jayme
Linton (9781544318639, $34.95) will reach K-5 teachers with its
blueprint for
teaching more effectively in blended school environments.
From
translating a
teacher's personal strengths and designing blended learning approaches
for the
classroom to specific examples of various blended learning approaches
that have
proved successful, this survey of tools and processes is especially
easy to
access.
Workbook
fill-in
pages, highlighted points, tips for maximizing classroom experiences,
and black
and white photos make for a user-friendly instructional even the
busiest
teacher will have time to digest.
Nancy
Akhavan's The
Big Book of Literacy Tasks, Grades K-8: 75 Balanced Literacy Activities
Students Do (Not You!)
(9781506389639,
$33.95) is a primer for
building student literacy and provides a plan to support independent
student
efforts.
Seventy-five
tasks in
full color help teachers encourage independent student activities and
learning
approaches. The book arranges reading and writing tasks into three
sections,
crafting small lessons for approaching tasks a piece at a time, and
provides
teachers with a structure for managing these stages of achievement.
Both are top
recommendations that busy teachers will find accessible, satisfyingly
specific,
and well organized.
History
1983
Taylor Downing
DaCapo Press
9780306921728
$28.00
www.dacapopress.com
1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink
tells of a
dangerous world political climate that (many readers might not realize)
was
just as delicate as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and documents a dangerous
era
replete with war games, a Soviet fighter's shooting down of a Korean
Airlines
flight, Reagan's perception of the Soviet Union as "evil", and the
Soviets'
nervous response as they anticipated a nuclear attack.
Hundreds of
new
documents just released by Freedom of Information requests contribute
to a new view
of how nuclear war loomed larger than ever in 1983 as a new Cold War
rested on
intelligence failures, misconceptions, and the jittery interactions
between
superpowers.
No history
or
military collection should be without this thorough documentation of a
hitherto-undisclosed era in which the world once again was posed on the
brink
of nuclear war.
Early
Mapping of the
Pacific
Thomas Suarez
Periplus
9780794608040
$19.99
www.tuttlepublishing.com
Early
Mapping of the Pacific:
The Epic Story of Seafarers, Adventurers and Cartographers Who Mapped
the
Earth's Greatest Ocean
may
especially appeal to cartography collections, but is recommended for
nautical
and history holdings alike as it follows the explorers who mapped the
world via
sea.
Little was
actually known about the Pacific Ocean until
the latter part of the eighteenth century, when European explorers
began
charting the world's oceans and producing fine nautical maps.
An oversized
presentation allows for good-sized color reproductions of many of these
early
maps, while accompanying discussion of everything from explorer
challenges and
mapping efforts to the publishers of sea-atlases in Europe provides a
well-rounded history of individuals, companies, and the economic
motivators of
early data collection.
The result
is a
highly recommended discussion for any history collection interested in
the
evolution of maps of the world.
Biography
& Autibiography
Atticus
Finch: The
Biography
Joseph Crespino
Basic Books
9781541644946
$27.00
www.basicbooks.com
Though Atticus Finch: The Biography appears
well after the publication of Harper Lee's Go
Set a Watchman in 2015, it should become a classic
biographical survey of
the enigmatic and reclusive Lee's sources of inspiration, and is
recommended
reading for anyone who would pursue To
Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a
Watchman with more than a light attention to literary
background.
Historical
researcher
Joseph Crespino uses original, unique sources to show how Lee's father
Amasa
Coleman Lee provided the wellspring of inspiration for her depiction of
lawyer
Atticus Finch. His survey considers Lee's opposition to mob rule in
Alabama,
his newspaper writings, and his fights for justice despite being a
white
moderate Southerner who wasn't particularly known for standing up for
minority
rights.
How his
attitude and
perceptions translated to Lee's works makes for fascinating reading
essential
to understanding both of her books and their lasting impact, making Atticus Finch: The Biography an
especially significant acquisition for high school to college-level
holdings.
Failure Is
an Option
H. Jon Benjamin
Dutton
9781524742164
$26.00
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
Failure Is an Option: An Attempted Memoir
comes from one of the
voices behind the TV productions Bob's
Burgers and Archer, but
it is as
much a documentary about failure as it is about the author's eventual
successes.
It provides its readers with H. Jon Benjamin's life story and how he
used his
own failures in his life to move on to successes.
Failure Is an Option documents a range
of these experiences large
and small, adding humor into the mix as Benjamin reviews the ironies
and
lessons learned from failures and points out why society tends to
promote an avoidance
of failure over how to learn from it.
The result
blends
humor with thought-provoking messages backed by Benjamin's life
experiences in
an absorbing, funny, pointed memoir highly recommended not just for
prior fans
of Benjamin's achievements, but for anyone who would understand the
roots of
success and failure.
I'm Just
Happy to Be
Here
Janelle Hanchett
Hachette Books
9780316503778
$26.00
www.hachettebooks.com
I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade
Mothering presents
motherhood as it's never been seen before, offering the quirky, funny,
startlingly honest survey of a mother's addiction after she had
children, and
her ongoing struggle to be a mother even after she lost custody of them.
Janelle
Hanchett was
pregnant at age twenty-one by a man she'd only known for three months,
and
decided to get married and grow into motherhood. Instead, she grew
bored,
drifted, and turned to alcohol for relief.
Her story
moves from
addiction to eventual sobriety but also details a variety of influences
on the perceptions
and realities of motherhood which makes for a revealing, absorbing
account. I'm Just Happy to Be Here will
appeal to
struggling young mothers and those interested in how motherhood is
perceived,
accepted, and managed.
Lewis Hine
Timothy J. Duerden
McFarland Publishers
9781476673349
$39.95
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Lewis Hine: Photographer and American Progressive
could have been
featured in our arts or politics sections; but is reviewed here because
the
subject under consideration is wider-ranging than either category and
should be
considered for college-level libraries strong in American photography
and
political history alike.
Lewis Hine uses a number of sources,
from interviews with surviving
family members to research, to blend a biography of Hine with a survey
of his
images of children at work in cotton mills and mines: images which
sparked a
movement to end child labor and reformed the labor laws of the late
1930s.
Packed with
good-sized black and white reproductions of his works throughout, this
coverage
is especially recommended for arts and social issues collections
looking for
specific histories of those involved in the progressive movements of
the times.
The Plant
Messiah
Carlos Magdalena
Doubleday
9780385543613
$26.95
www.doubleday.com
The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the
World's Rarest Species
could have easily been featured in our science section; but is reviewed
here
because horticulturalists and biography and travel literature readers
alike
will find it completely absorbing and educational.
Carlos
Magdalena is
passionate about saving plant species. As he moved from a fascination
with the
flora of his native Spain to journeys around the globe searching out
exotic
species, Magdalena not only committed his life to protecting all plants
from
manmade destruction, but embarked on a program to educate others about
these
threats and their ultimate impact.
This
wide-ranging
book should reach well beyond science holdings and into collections
strong in
social and political issues, global history, botanical perspectives,
and more.
Very highly recommended, The Plant
Messiah holds a message that should neither be missed or
limited to expert
botanist audiences alone.
Remembering
Shanghai
Isabel Sun Chao and
Claire Chao
Plum Brook, LLC
9780999393819
www.rememberingshanghai.com
Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites,
Scholars and Scoundrels
belongs in autobiography collections and in libraries strong in social
and
historical inspections of China in the 1930s and 40s, documenting a
family
legacy of privilege changed by separation and the Cultural Revolution.
When Isabel
Sun Chao
left China for Hong Kong at age eighteen, it wasn't with the intention
of
making Hong Kong her home. She had no idea that she would be separated
from her
family, never to see her father again.
Fifty years
later,
Chao returned to China with her daughter on a mission to reconnect with
family
and discover their lives and fates. Remembering
Shanghai follows five generations of Chinese and family
history and is a
riveting, well-crafted production that blends research with personal
experience.
This combination proves hard to put down; even for those with little
prior
familiarity with or special interest in Chinese history and affairs.
Shakedown
Cruise
Nigel Calder
Adlard Coles
9781472946713
$25.00
www.bloomsbury.com
Shakedown Cruise: Lessons and Adventures from a
Cruising Veteran as He
Learns the Ropes comes from a veteran sailor who has, in the
past, imparted
much advice about the mechanics of handling a boat. Nigel Calder here
provides a
strong biography of how he gained all of his nautical knowledge.
His
discussions of
how he learned to cruise, including many of the situations which both
threatened his life and taught him lasting lessons about handling a
boat, makes
for vivid adventure reading that will be thoroughly relished by two
audiences:
nautical readers who love anything to do with the sea; and armchair
adventurers
who will find that Calder's story of a world cruise and its challenges
for a
new family (among other tales of wonder and danger) makes for
engrossing
entertainment.
Writer,
Sailor,
Soldier, Spy
Nicholas Reynolds
William Morrow
9780062440143
$16.99
www.harpercollins.com
Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's
Secret Adventures,
1935-1961 comes from a former historian at the CIA Museum and
a longtime
CIA officer and Marine colonel who uses his Oxford training as a
historian to
uncover and reveal the clues that suggest that literary icon
Hemingway's
participation in World War II intelligence work was far more complex
than
commonly known.
Many of
Hemingway's
exploits are revealed here for the first time; from his recruitment by
Soviet
spies and relationships with various branches of the U.S. intelligence
and
government communities to how his inherent appreciation for
intelligence led to
his role as an agent widely active in undercover operations.
While this
survey
could have been featured in our history or literary categories, it's
included
here because any biography reader used to the typical approaches to
Hemingway's
life and times will delight in finding a very different focus on his
achievements in political and intelligence circles.
New
Age
Everyday Gratitude
Saoirse McClory,
et.al., Editors
Storey Publishing
9781633860467
$12.95
www.storey.com
Everyday Gratitude: Inspiration for Living Life as
a Gift is
recommended reading for anyone searching for positivity in their lives
and
comes from the Network for Grateful Living, a non-denominational
organization
dedicated to inspirational quotes and practices.
The goal is
to help
readers reconnect with the foundations of happiness (which, here, are
stated to
lie in an atmosphere of gratitude).
The
hand-painted and
handwritten admonitions make for not only thought-provoking reading,
but are
bright reminders of the choice of attitude inherent in everyday life
events,
making Everyday Gratitude a
special
gift pick for seekers looking for positive inspiration.
Mindful
Dreaming
Clare R. Johnson, PhD
Conari
9781573247344
$16.95
www.redwheelweiser.com
Mindful Dreaming: Harness the Power of Lucid
Dreaming for Happiness,
Health, and Positive Change joins what seems to be a plethora
of new age
titles on dream interpretation; but readers already more than familiar
with the
topic will find that this one holds a difference, adding mindfulness
into the
mix.
Mindful Dreaming not only addresses
issues of interpreting and
acting within the dream state, but provides a specific approach and
focus to
applying dream lessons to one's waking life and its choices.
While the
discussion
includes tips on improving sleep quality and having lucid dreams, it is
especially powerful in its survey of how to transform nightmares into
healing
opportunities and how to interpret dream messages using mindful
techniques. New
age readers will find this approach unique, specific, and filled with
tools for
self-help and transformation.
Sizzling Social Issues
Chosen
Country: A
Rebellion in the West
James Pogue
Henry Holt
9781250169129
$28.00
www.henryholt.com
Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West
is a powerful examination of
the militia movement across America. Reporter James Pogue encountered
this
movement in a remote corner of Oregon, where he was granted unique
access by leader
Ammon Bundy to their armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge.
As Pogue met
ranches
and militiamen determined to fight the federal government's forces, he
not only
witnessed defiance, but the deadly outcome of an occupation that led to
a
battle to bring the presence and purposes of militia movements to the
general
public's attention.
His survey
has its
roots in these events but expands outward as Pogue considers the
changing
concepts of freedom, purpose, and the roots of a movement that defies
any type
of government control.
Readers
interested in
American social movements and issues will relish Chosen
Country's blend of historical, political, and social
analysis.
The Future
of Us
Irwin Redlener, MD
Columbia University
Press
9780231177566
$30.00
www.cup.columbia.edu
The Future of Us: What the Dreams of Children Mean
for
Twenty-First-Century America is both a memoir and a social
commentary that
follows Dr. Irwin Redlener, a pediatrician who works in homeless
shelters. His
encounters with poverty and kids translates to a hard-hitting
inspection of the
nation's healthcare and the special programs that affect these
children's
futures.
The Future of Us follows Redlener's
career and choices; but it's
quickly evident that his is a hard-hitting social commentary piece that
moves
beyond the research lab or statistical analysis and onto the streets,
where he profiles
children who struggle against all odds, yet still dream of achievement.
Hard-hitting
and
personal, The Future of Us makes an
impassioned plea for change based not only on study but on personal
experience,
arguing that America needs to drastically change its viewpoints and
attitudes
towards social programs and helping kids.
Lights in
the
Distance
Daniel Trilling
Verso
9781786632791
$29.95
www.versobooks.com
Lights in the Distance: Exile and Refuge at the
Borders of Europe
comes from a journalist whose years of reporting experience lends to a
detailed
and emotionally wrenching discussion of the plight of refugees in the
European
Union who have become unwanted aliens and migrants, and the systems
designed to
control and subjugate them.
A violent
and deadly
system has evolved to control migrants in Europe, from detention
centers to
refugee camps; and while these receive occasional headline attention
around the
world (until other news takes over and pushes the ongoing issue aside),
Trilling here delves into the personal stories of refugees he met and
followed
from country to country.
Lights in the Distance injects the
personal plight into the
political scenario and is highly recommended reading for anyone seeking
to put
faces, names, and personal experience back into the bigger social issue
of
refugees in Europe.
Pictures of
a Gone
City
Richard A. Walker
PM Press
9781629635101
$26.95
www.pmpress.org
Pictures of a Gone City: Tech and the Dark Side of
Prosperity in the
San Francisco Bay Area can be marketed to economics or
technology
collections and anyone interested in San Francisco history and culture;
but
it's reviewed here for its additional recommendation to social issues
collections interested in urban changes and their social impact.
It's a
powerful story
of how the tech world has changed the Bay Area, resulting in both
unprecedented
wealth for those involved in the tech industry and a host of social
issues and
special challenges for the tech workers operating at menial wage levels
who
found San Francisco housing and basic necessities unaffordable almost
overnight.
From the
expansion of
a housing bubble which has extended to the farther reaches of the Bay
Area and
created a situation of unaffordable housing to the impact of start-up
organizations with different business approaches to worker management,
this
hard-hitting book should be on the shelves of not just San Francisco
readers,
but anyone concerned with the impact of a rapidly-escalating economic
system on
ordinary people.
Pictures of a Gone City is very, very
highly recommended for its
astute observations of a currently unique (but possibly not limited to
San
Francisco) social hurricane of urban transformation.
To the
Promised Land
Michael K. Honey
W.W. Norton
9780393651263
$25.95
www.wwnorton.com
At first
glance, one
might wonder at the need for yet another book on Martin Luther King Jr.
Haven't
most historical angles been more than covered?
However, To the Promised
Land: Martin Luther King and the Fight for Economic Justice
offers yet
another angle on King's famous story, reflecting on his legacy of
empowering
poor people through not just social and political approaches, but
economic
advocacy.
Michael K.
Honey is
both a historian and a former civil rights organizer; and here he draws
important links between King's struggle for economic justice and the
roots of
his evolving relationships with organized labor.
From a focus
on King's
lesser-known advocacy efforts in 1966 Chicago and his growing awareness
of
class and racial issues to how he become involved in labor rights
issues, To the Promised Land is a
satisfying
adjunct to the usual approaches to King's life and work and deserves a
place in
any serious civil rights or American history collection.
"We Are All
Fast-Food Workers Now"
Annelise Orleck
Beacon Press
9780807081778
$18.00
www.beacon.org
"We Are All Fast-Food Workers Now": The Global Uprising Against Poverty Wages examines marginalized workforce efforts to gain decent living wages and working conditions, but differs from some others on the topic by incorporating a global focus on the experiences of such workers around the world.
Photographer
Liz Cooke contributes 20 black and white photos of these global
workers as Annelise Orleck documents their lives, unionization
processes,
social and political challenges, and workplace environments with an eye
to
documenting the efforts of a new global working class intent on
creating a new
vision of what a better workplace might look like.
Science, Nature & Technology
Field Guide
to Bats
of the Amazon
Adrià
López-Baucells,
et.al.
Pelagic Publishing
9781784271657
L30.00
www.pelagicpublishing.com
Field Guide to Bats of the Amazon
provides science readers with a
species identification guide to 160 species of bat in the Amazon
region, pairing
lovely photos and an acoustic key for identifying bats with details
that will
greatly enhance efforts to track a notoriously difficult species.
Not intended
for
general-interest readers or collections, this field guide is a specific
and
much-needed tool for those working in the Amazon who, until now, has
had little
in the way of effective field tools to work with.
It represents an unprecedented effort and achievement in identifying bats, providing close-up color photos and drawings, and its often-full-page images are an essential ingredient to any scientist looking for a take-along field guide accompanying an expedition into the Amazon.
Brian Keating
W.W. Norton
9781524000914
$27.95
www.wwnorton.com
Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology,
Ambition, and the Perils
of Science's Highest Honor could have been featured in our
biography
section because on the surface it documents Keating's brush with
success and
how he lost it; but the actual story is wider-ranging than one
physicist's
experience, and includes a plea to reform an award that in actuality
too often
doesn't serve its purpose.
Keating's
work on the
BICEP experiments turned into a pursuit of the Nobel Prize which
actually led
him away from the scientific processes and community the Prize was
originally
designed to encourage.
Three
stories—one
man's research, the elusive nature of winning the Nobel, and the
meaning of
scientific pursuit and recognition—provide a hard-hitting, critical
assessment
of the Nobel prize in physics that should be read by any scientist
reaching for
this ultimate pinnacle of success.
Reviewer's Choice
Addicted to
Americana
Charles Phoenix
Prospect Park Books
9781945551192
$29.95
www.prospectparkbooks.com
At first
glance, Addicted to Americana might
seem another
road trip to some of the nation's byways and oddities; but look closer
and
you'll find an underlying attention to both traditional American
lifestyles and
attractions that are anything but ordinary.
From
settings for odd
theme parks, pop culture, strange architectural structures, and exotic
re-enactments of past and future worlds to drive-ins, vintage segments
of
towns, odd mid-century creations, and other cultural oddities, Charles
Phoenix
has seen and documents the most endearing, bizarre, and atmospheric
aspects of
Americana collecting and culture.
The result,
packed
with color photos in an eye-catching display that makes every page a
wonder, is
highly recommended for any who would undertake an armchair road trip
across
America on roads and from perspectives far less traveled, much less
documented.
And Now We
Have
Everything
Meaghan O'Connell
Little, Brown
9780316393843
$26.00
www.littlebrown.com
And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I
Was Ready follows
a young girl's accidental pregnancy and her initial worries that having
a child
will involve losing sight of her own goals and purposes in life.
So far, this
sounds
like a standard memoir theme; but dose this perspective with a humorous
tone
and discussions of different kinds of special challenges that emerge
from an
unplanned pregnancy and something quite different from the usual
introspective
memoir emerges.
And Now We Have Everything is the item of
choice for any young
woman facing similar circumstances. It's candid, revealing,
occasionally
shocking, and filled with bigger-picture thinking that draws important
connections between living life and giving birth in a potent, lively,
highly
recommended read.
Breaking Up
with Busy
Yvonne Tally
New World Library
9781608685257
$18.95
www.newworldlibrary.com
Breaking Up with Busy: Real-Life Solutions for
Overscheduled Women is
for both professional and ordinarily overscheduled women who find too
much of
their life is conducted on the run, and offers clear and concrete
solutions to
better time management and choosing better options.
Busy
behavior too
often becomes an uncontrollable pattern, as Yvonne Tally points out,
and it was
her own career experiences and struggles with life balance that led her
from
the ER room to producing this book of methods to break the too-busy
cycle.
The ideal
reader will
be successful, always busy, and looking for concrete solutions to
better time
management for better quality of life.
CarTech Books
www.cartechbooks.com
Two fine new
titles
from CarTech are recommended picks for transportation collections
appealing to auto
enthusiasts; each offering excellent, specific technical information.
Tyler
Greenblatt's The Corvette Hunter
(9781613253472,
$26.95) tells of Corvette car enthusiast Kevin Mackay's vintage
Corvette finds
and his efforts to restore them. While this subject will be especially
attractive to fellow Corvette car buffs, it should in no way be limited
to this
audience.
Mackay
reveals how he
found and restored many valuable Corvettes, offering tales of famous
cars, celebrated
owners, and his interactions with both.
Hobbyists
with a
particular affection for Corvettes will find the lively text and
liberal
peppering of color photos throughout make for a revealing and fun
leisure
pursuit that offers many technical insights unique to the Corvette in
the
course of its discussion.
Don
Alexander and
Quinn Thomas's Jeep Wranger JK
2007-Present (9781613253595, $26.95) is a comprehensive
examination of the
Wranger's history, modifications, and performance options that is
especially
recommended for auto mechanics who would enhance and improve this model
of
Jeep.
Vital
information
needed to convert street vehicles to off-road trucks accompanies
step-by-step
specifics on performance upgrades that will elevate the Jeep Wrangler
beyond
its original purpose, while color photos and diagrams throughout assume
no
technical knowledge as they document every step of the process.
Both books
are top
recommendations for automotive collections and the readers who want
technical
specifications and satisfyingly in-depth details.
Change
Particulars: A
Writer's Field Notebook
Sara Mansfield Taber
Johns Hopkins
University Press
9781421425085
$19.95
www.press.jhu.edu
Change Particulars: A Writer's Field Notebook for
Travelers, Bloggers,
Essayists, Memoirists, Novelists, Journalists, Adventurers,
Naturalists,
Sketchers, and Other Note-Takers and Recorders of Life is for
any writer
who would capture unfamiliar and unique experiences using a field
notebook
format to record life as it happens, and provides a detailed primer for
writers
who want to create initial notes and observations that could turn into
full-length productions later.
Plenty of
books have
been written on how to produce polished writing; but having a narrowed
focus on
creating a field notebook that captures sensory details as they happen
is a
different approach. This technique is basic for superior writing; and
thus Change Particulars should be
considered
a foundation text for novices who would hone the finer art of
observation
before moving to the next level.
The Dogs of
Camelot
Margaret Reed and
Joan Lownds
Lyons Press
9781493031610
$19.95
www.lyonspress.com
The Dogs of Camelot: Stories of the Kennedy Canines
is a fun survey
of the Kennedy family's lifetime love for dogs and the animals they
brought into
the White House, and uses photos and stories from the archives of the
John F.
Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to offer insights into canines
and
humans alike.
A prior
interest in both
canine and Kennedy history will be a prerequisite for enjoying this
book, but
history buffs may be particularly fascinated to learn that a host of
facts
about the Kennedy presidency are revealed during the course of
discussions
about the family's canine companions.
The result
is an easy
read, and a simple way of getting non-history readers to enjoy
historical
precedents.
Floundering
Fathers
Stephan Pastis
Andrews McMeel
9781449489342
$14.99
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
Floundering Fathers offers prior fans and
newcomers another 'Pearls
Before Swine' comic strip collection that excels in and emphasizes puns.
While the
earlier
Pearls collections didn't include this emphasis, Floundering
Fathers demonstrates that this added approach to
cartoon satire and humor results in an exceptional production as Pastis
expands
the Pearls gang's repertoire with a series of 'groaners' that will have
his cartoon
strip fans laughing and shaking their heads.
While prior
Pearls
fans will rush to pick up this latest, it's quite accessible to all
(even those
with no prior Pearls experience), who will find this latest addition a
thought-provoking and fun, winning set of observations about life and
its
ironies and oddities.
The Green
Burial
Guidebook
Elizabeth Fournier
New World Library
9781608685233
$15.95
www.newworldlibrary.com
Typical
discussions
of death take common routes in examining the process of preparing for a
burial;
but The Green Burial Guidebook
holds
quite a different approach to the subject and comes from a
seventh-generation
mortician who advocates for 'greener' burials.
The focus is
on
environmentally friendly, cost-effective choices in burial or
cremation. The Green Burial Guidebook
is the first
book to address the concept of green burial practices and how they
relate to
religious and social attitudes on planning for death.
The
ideological mixes
with the practical in this book, pairing an overall change in
perspective with
the basics of how to go about arranging for a green burial and working
with
funeral homes and cemetery services.
The Green Burial Guidebook is a basic
consumer primer that deserves
a place alongside any book on grief, death, and burial preparation
processes.
Kicks: The
Great
American Story of Sneakers
Nicholas Smith
Crown
9780451498113
$26.00
www.crownpublishing.com
Kicks: the Great American Story of Sneakers
provides a cultural
history of sneakers in a survey that charts the rise of a $20 billion
dollar
industry which elevated the lowly shoe to near-celebrity status.
The sneaker
began as
a beach shoe in the mid-1800s but has evolved into a sports and fashion
icon,
with different lines moving into athletic arenas and commanding big
prices.
Readers
interested in
intriguing stories of marketing, design, fashion, stormy personalities
and changing
American social norms will relish this multifaceted book, which reaches
far
beyond fashion to offer a lively history that educates readers not just
about
footwear, but the changing lives and perspectives of Americans as a
whole.
Murach's
HTML5 and
CSS3, 4th Edition
Anne Boehm and Zak Ruvalcaba
Murach
9781943872268
$59.50
www.murach.com
The 4th
updated
edition of Murach's HTML5 and CSS3
is
recommended as a reference staple for any web developer looking to stay
current
on the latest renditions of these tools, and not only gives insights
into how
their features work, but uses an increasingly-complex example of CSS3
that builds
a foundation of knowledge.
The book's
opening
chapters begin with an introduction to HTML and CSS3, discussing
formatting,
structure, basic concepts of Responsive Web Design, and include many
'how to'
examples of common tasks such as creating a 2-tier navigation menu,
working
with HTML files for web pages, and using CSS for page layouts.
The
inclusion of
succinct descriptions, examples from real-life working achievements,
HTML and
CSS code, and discussions of their properties makes for a clear
training and
reference piece that should not be missed by any web designer seeking
to get up
to speed or take a refresher course in HTML and CSS.
Our Towns
James Fallows and
Deborah Fallows
Pantheon
9781101671842
$28.95
www.pantheonbooks.com
Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of
America comes
from authors who have spent five years traveling across America in a
single-engine prop plane, visiting dozens of towns and interviewing
civil
leaders and ordinary workers alike.
Their
journey
captures both the social, political, and economic struggles of a nation
fully
cognizant of its choices and issues and those people looking to effect
changes
in their worlds which at times challenge the course of modern politics
and
national trends.
From flight details between locales to descriptions of town politics and environments, the Fallows provide readers with a personal, eye-opening survey of America's ideals. The authors achieved their goal of placing themselves in social situations with strangers they were trying to engage in meaningful discussions. The evidence of their success lies in Our Towns.
Police
Sergeant Exam,
6th Edition
Donald J. Schroeder,
PhD
Barrons
9781438010984
$21.99
www.barronseduc.com
The 6th
updated
edition of Police Sergeant Exam
offers review material based on the latest versions of the test for any
student
looking to rise to Police Sergeant level, and should be required
reading for
any such test-taker.
It consists
of four
practice exams (one diagnostic test and three full-length exams),
assessment
exercises with answer sheets and keys, discussions of the changing
influence of
private and public organizations on assessment center processes, and
miscellaneous tips and comments on everything from student time
management and
unstructured and structured response formats to recommended strategies
for
acing exams on test day.
The result
is a
'must' study reference for any educational collection catering to
police
studies and tests.
Where the
Magic
Happens
Caspar Craven
Adlard Coles
Nautical/Bloomsbury
9781479949912
$25.00
www.bloomsbury.com
Where the Magic Happens: How a Young Family Changed
Their Lives and
Sailed Around the World follows a nautical adventure with a
seafaring
family that comes up with a radical idea to change their lives by
embarking on
a round-the-world sailing adventure.
Many sailors
circumnavigate
the world; but most don't carry toddlers aboard ship. Many navigators
dream of
untouched beaches and paradises; but how would they handle a child's
emergency at
sea, power failures that strand them miles from help, and a style of
life at
sea that represents many departures from traditional thinking?
This
uplifting and
revealing survey will appeal to two audiences: armchair adventurers who
enjoy
vivid stories of magic and mayhem, and young couples who would consider
the
nuts and bolts of embarking on a similar life-changing family adventure.
Film, Stage & Television
Broadway
Fran Leadon
W.W. Norton
9780393240108
$35.00
www.wwnorton.com
Broadway: A History of New York City in Thirteen
Miles comes from
an architect author who offers a mile-by-mile examination of the street
and its
history.
New York
City
residents (and any with an affection for stage and shows) will
appreciate this
sweeping focus on the influences of Broadway's development and colorful
rise as
an icon of American theater culture as chapters move from the origins
of
Broadway's name (when Dutch colonists established the Brede Wegh, or
Broad Way)
to the personalities who crafted its culture and architecture.
The stories
are
varied and focus on both individual influence and social and artistic
growth as
they follow the evolution of Broadway as a street, a community, and a
center
for the arts.
While urban
history
collections and New York-centric holdings will be the likeliest
pursuers of
this book, it's reviewed here because any involved in Broadway shows
will find
it lively, revealing, accessible, and essential reading.
Carrie
Fisher &
Debbie Reynolds
Darwin Porter &
Danforth Prince
Blood Moon
Productions
9781936003570
$34.95
www.BloodMoonProductions.com
Carrie Fisher & Debbie Reynolds: Princess
Leia & Unsinkable
Tammy in Hell represents the first in-depth biography of the
mother-daughter duo, and is especially recommended for prior fans of
either woman,
who will find this survey replete with new information, scandals, and
colorful
insights.
Black and
white
vintage photos liberally pepper a series of revelations which assume
the high
drama and attraction of hot Hollywood gossip, but with an overlay of
truth that
attends to revealing not only the lives of and connections between
Fisher and
Reynolds, but their overall, lasting impact on Hollywood and pop
culture alike.
It's rare
that a survey
of much-publicized icons offers unique perspectives and new
information, but Carrie Fisher &
Debbie Reynolds does
so in a sweeping, thoroughly engrossing manner that will give their
fans new
insights and perspectives.
While no
Hollywood library
should be without this authoritative coverage, it should also be
mentioned that
despite its volume (over six hundred pages of detail), it's quite
accessible to
those with relatively little prior information about the duo, who will
find that
the length of the volume in no way precludes its value as both a
serious study
and an attractive leisure read.
Star Trek:
Treknology
Ethan Siegel, PhD
Voyageur Press
9780760352632
$30.00
www.quartoknows.com
Star Trek: Treknology could have been
featured in our science book
review section, but is included here because any Trekkie will want to
know
about the publication of this survey of over twenty scientific
inventions
unique to the series, which actually have roots in real science.
Here Ethan
Siegel
considers technologies from warp drive and phasers to replicators,
androids,
and visors that help the blind to see, pairing Trek scenes and
close-ups of the
technology's image with scientific discussions of their realities or
possibilities.
Filled with
full-page
color photos of equipment and scenes from the productions, Star Trek: Treknology offers an
intriguing and attractive
discussion no Trekkie will want to forego, which will reach into
scientific
circles, as well, with its technical analysis.
Arts
and Crafts
The Art of
Leather
Braiding
Roy Luo & Kelly
Tong
Barrons
9781438011189
$19.99
www.barronseduc.com
The Art of Leather Braiding: Beginner's Guide to
Making Jewelry,
Pendants, Bracelets, Belts, Straps, and Key Fobs provides a
host of
projects and techniques which require no special tools and which
require only
leather cord (readily found in any craft shop) to prove successful.
Three- and
four-string braid designs use a blend of written instruction, close-up
color
illustrations of each technique, and images of final results. Materials
lists
supplement discussions strong in imparting clear, easy directions.
The Art of Leather Braiding is a fine
guide especially recommended
for newcomers to braiding who will find the versatility of leather an
attraction and this braiding guide a key to using it successfully.
The
Bakersfield Sound
Robert C. Price
Heyday Books
9781597144155
$20.00
www.heydaybooks.com
Anyone who
knows
Northern California knows that Bakersfield, a central valley town,
isn't
exactly considered a bastion of arts and culture. However, even
musician
readers are fairly unlikely to know about the startling musical roots
explored
in The Bakersfield Sound: How a
Generation of Displaced Okies Revolutionized American Music.
This book
documents a
little-known segment in California musical influence and history. It
focuses on
a valley town that actually served as one of the hearts of country and
rockabilly music in America, even though it was located far from what
is
considered to be the traditional home of such music (Nashville).
Journalist
Robert E.
Price provides many historical details on the roots of Bakersfield's
musical
heritage, making The Bakersfield Sound a
highly recommended 'must' reference for any collection that purports to
be authoritative
on regional country music history and influences.
Claire Trevor
Derek Sculthorpe
McFarland
9781476671932
$39.95
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Claire Trevor: the Life and Films of the Queen of
Noir covers the
film productions and life of Claire Trevor, best known for her noir
film works
in the 1930s and 40s, who also appeared in a number of non-noir roles
and was
nominated for four Oscars.
Derek
Sculthorpe
covers her life and career in detail in a well-researched survey of her
life
and achievements that accounts for the diversity of her acting roles
and many
previously-understated film achievements.
Black and
white
photos pepper an in-depth consideration that goes beyond her life and
times to
explain why her roles and approaches to film resulted in such a notable
career.
No film
history library
should be without this memorable review of Trevor's life and notable
movie contributions.
Dusk to Dawn
Glenn Randall
Rocky Nook
9781681983066
$39.95
www.rockynook.com
Dusk to Dawn: A Guide to Landscape Photography at
Night is a new
approach to landscape photography that combines night photography with
landscape concepts using the digital camera. This marriage provides
photographers the opportunity to capture night realms that would be
difficult
for a film camera to duplicate.
Photographers
who
have basic skills and camera usage under their belts and who are
looking for
different, creative applications of landscape photography concepts will
find
that Dusk to Dawn provides
everything
needed to digitally capture night landscapes.
From
planning a shoot
to taking images of the sky and landscapes which are lit by moonlight
alone,
chapters cover the basics of equipment, exposure times, setup, and
different
methods of shooting to make the most of the land and sky portions of
images.
The author's
own
achievements pack every page with full-color examples that include
camera make,
time and place, exposure data and f-stops, and approaches to focus
stacking and
other technical subjects.
Photographers
serious
about expanding the concept of landscape art into the night arena
should not be
without this specific, example-filled survey of techniques.
Gemologue:
Street
Jewellery Styles & Styling Tips
Liza Urla
ACC Art Books
9781851498819
$35.00
www.accartbooks.com
Gemologue: Street Jewellery Styles &
Styling Tips features
lovely color photos from Gemologue, the blog winner of the Best Blog in
the
Fashion category at the UK Best Blog Awards 2015, and comes from a
jewelry
expert whose designs have influenced fashion around the world.
Gemologue pairs "street-style" pictures
with
sometimes-startling display choices, focussing on how jewelry and
choices in their
display tell more about the wearer than other clues. It captures the
real-world
street displays that were Urla's focus. This provides an appealing
survey based
as much on social and cultural art insights as on the contents that
make up a
jewelry collection (although the latter is also included in discussions
of
jewelry's impact on wearers and observers alike).
The result
is
anything but your usual jewelry inspection. Gemologue
is a vivid, creative, and often eye-popping survey that
examines the heart
of jewelry's display and fashion and its connections to the fashion
world's artistic
choices.
The Lives of
the
Surrealists
Desmond Morris
Thames & Hudson
9780500021361
$39.95
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
At first
glance, The Lives of the Surrealists
would seem
to duplicate the information provided in the many other art history
surveys of
surrealism already on the market; but this examination features a
difference in
focusing on lives rather than artistic productions. It defines
surrealism's
five basic styles and plugs career discussions into these ideas and
stylistic
approaches.
Another
difference
between this book and competitors is that Morris considers how his
identification and selection of surrealist artists differs from titles
which
focus on those who participated in group meetings and followed André
Breton's definition of surrealism. Morris concentrates on a
wider-ranging
consideration of the underlying philosophy of surrealism rather than
its
artistic rendition alone.
Black and
white
photos pepper a survey of how surrealism became not just an art form
but a way
of life for these selected artists, pairing biography with artistic and
social
insights throughout as it analyzes the works and sentiments of Picasso,
Ernst,
Man Ray and other icons of the genre.
No art
history
holding that claims to be authoritative in surrealism representations
should be
without this definition-expanding coverage of not just the movement,
but artistic
variations on the surrealist ideal.
Young Adult/Children
Clarion
Books/Houghton
Mifflin
www.hmhco.com
Four new
picture
books provide young readers with lively stories and fun illustrations,
making
them special picks for discriminating parents and elementary-level
librarians.
Katherine
Applegate's
Sometimes You Fly (9780547633909,
$17.99) is illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt, whose lovely
drawings
compliment this fun celebration of a child's achievements from her
first
birthday to graduation. Parents expecting a linear approach will be
surprised
and delighted to find this story anything but usual: the 'before the'
mentions
deftly chronicle all these milestones, but use pictures to explain
their
meanings; while later, simple sentences pack in a great dose of
philosophical
meaning in just a few words ("But
when we break/we learn to mend.").
The result
is a
lovely, reflective celebration that uses deceptively simple sentences
to
encourage parent/child read-aloud contemplation of some excellent
concepts
ranging from growth to dreaming big.
Carol
Brendler's The Two Mutch Sisters
(9780544430747,
$17.99) tells of sisters who have two of everything. Violet believes
they are
perfectly matched, but Ruby thinks differently. And so begins a survey
of
similarities, differences, and the connections between sisters which
turn into unexpected
diversions when one sister decides that too much similarity is not good
for
her.
Each has a
collection
of objects they take pride in; but now something is missing...
A fine story
evolves
that is especially recommended for young readers with siblings.
Deborah
Underwood's Monster & Mouse Go Camping
(9780544648326, $17.99) receives simple yet engaging drawings by Jared
Chapman,
who brings to life the tale of a reluctant novice camper, Monster, and
how he
joins Mouse in the little one's adventure of a lifetime.
But what
will happen
when a hungry monster, lured by the promise of food, is left alone at
camp with
no meals? The unexpected leaves both wondering about the wisdom of
their
adventure in a different kind of camping trip saga that holds a lesson
about
preparedness and changing objectives.
Anne
Hunter's Possum and the Summer Storm
(9780544898912, $17.99) tells of a possum who calls to his youngsters
to come
indoors as bad weather threatens; but his efforts can't save his family
when
disaster strikes.
Helpful
friends try
to give the now-homeless family some respite, but their homes just
aren't
suited to the possum posse's needs. How can a big family work with
their
friends to get something acceptable, as a replacement?
This isn't
the first
appearance of the Possums: this third adventure both continues their
story and
provides newcomers with a delightfully moving tale.
Holiday House
www.holidayhouse.com
Two fun
readers for
Guided Reading Levels C and E are recommended easy books for grades K-1
and
1-2, each offering a fun story, durable hardcover binding, and simple
drawings
designed to appeal to the very young.
Douglas
Florian's Pig and Cat Are Pals
(9780823438587,
$14.95) tells of best friends facing a problem: Pig discovers he likes
Dog,
too—and Cat is not invited to play with them!
Crayon-enhanced
illustrations will appeal to aspiring young artists with colorful
pictures that
could have come from one of their contemporaries as the story explores
a
friendship affected by change.
Ethan Long's
Dance, Dance, Dance! (9780823438594,
$14.95) tells of Horse, who loves to dance; and his friend, Buggy, who
does
not. Or, she thinks that she hates dancing...
This E
Reading Level
story tells of a bug who happily observes Horse's dance moves, but
always comes
up with excuses for not dancing, herself.
A Lion is a
Lion
Polly Dunbar
Candlewick Press
9780763697310
$15.99
www.candlewick.com
A Lion is a Lion presents a fierce lion
who seems too threatening to
some...but what if said Lion wore a hat, talked politely, and decided
to dance?
A fun,
easy-reading
picture book story follows the basics of what makes a lion fierce and
true to
his nature, offering some surprises and alternate perceptions of
ferocity,
fear, and predatory behaviors. Kids will find this gentle story is
different
from the usual approach to lions as it documents how two kids decide to
handle
the King of Beasts in their own home.
The engaging, original treatment offers a few surprises that parents and kids will appreciate.
'Craftily
Ever After'
titles
Martha Maker
Little, Brown
$16.99 each
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
Two
'Craftily Ever
After' stories are illustrated by Xindi Yan and will reach ages 5-9
with fun
series additions about after-school arts and crafty productions.
In The Un-Friendship Bracelet
(9781534409088),
best friends Emily and Maddie share a love for crafts and artwork until
new
student Bella shows up.
Maddie
befriends her,
discovers she has just as much talent as Emily, and soon trouble
threatens as
Emily and Maddie's exclusive relationship changes.
Making the Band (9781534409118) is the
second book in the series
and revolves around a talent show that stymies the now-four friends who
can't
think of anything to submit.
A chance
idea results
in the concept of putting together not just a band, but instruments
made from
scratch. Can they combine their crafty inclinations with a different
goal that
challenges both their abilities and their friendships?
Both are
excellent
stories of art and friendship alike.
Peachtree
www.peachtree-online.com
Lester L.
Laminack's The King of Bees
(978156145953, $17.95)
is illustrated by Jim LaMarche and will reach ages 4-8 with lovely
drawings and
the powerful story of Henry, who helps his Aunt Lilla work with the
beehives on
their farm.
Good reading
skills
will lend to an appreciation of this survey of farm operations, a boy's
involvement in its success, and his newfound exploration of his aunt's
beekeeping equipment and processes.
Kids learn
beekeeping
facts and will empathize with young Henry's desire to help in this
winning,
appealing tale that comes to life with Laminack's detailed descriptions
and
LaMarche's beautiful drawings.
Leslie
Bulion's Leaf Litter Critters
(9781561459506,
$14.95) also excels in gorgeous color drawings. Robert Meganck's
beautiful,
exceptionally vivid images compliment descriptions written in various
poetic
forms which examine creatures that live in leaves.
One doesn't
expect
vivid artwork or humor in a nature survey, much less poetry; but the
combination creates a winning form packed with facts, activities,
resources,
and a format that encourages experimentation and investigation.
Both are
exceptional
additions to elementary-level collections that stand out from the crowd.
Penguin/Viking/Dial
www.penguin.com/kids
Two
excellent new
picture books provide leisure readers with warm stories perfect for
family
interactions and read-aloud pleasure.
Elanna
Allen's Pet Dad (9780525428266,
$16.99) presents
a family conflict: young Plum wants a pet, but her father says "no
pets".
Plum, however, is stubborn and used to getting her way, so she comes up
with
creative solution to satisfy her needs.
The only
problem
remains in Dad's attitude. Can Plum or her father change for the
greater good?
Allen's underlying probe of a father and daughter's relationship is
original,
effective, unexpected, and poignant.
Anna Dewdney's Ilama Llama Loves to Read (9780670013975, $17.99) tells of a young llama who knows his letters and is just learning how to use them to read.
At school,
Llama sounds out letters and has discovered a new world in the
library; but his real pleasure lies in demonstrating his newfound
skills to his
mother.
This
encouraging easy
reader follows the youngster's success, his pride in accomplishment,
and his
journey to reading.
Simon and
Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
Three new
picture
books offer a satisfying blend of whimsy and pointed messages, and are
recommended for parents and teachers looking for something different.
Lisa
Wheeler's People Don’t Bite People
(9781481490825,
$17.99) is illustrated by Caldecott honoree Molly Idle, who provides a
specific
guide that parents with kids who bite will especially relate to and
relish.
It's a topic that typically doesn't receive attention in an
entertainment read,
which makes this admonition and fun review an exceptional approach.
It's good to
bite
food, but bad to bite your sister...and while animals may bite, people
can
"choose to use our words" instead. That's the run, rollicking message
of a story which gets its point across through good-sized, appealing
illustrations and an approach that gently teaches kids why it's a good
idea not
to bite inappropriate things.
Tomie
dePaola's In A Small Kingdom
(9781481498005,
$17.95) enjoys good drawings by Doug Salati as it explores a small
kingdom
along an ancient road which faces changes after its beloved king dies,
leaving
a young heir to the throne.
When this
young
price's older half brother steals the trappings of rule and destroys
it, the
little kingdom falls upon hard times. How can the young price locate a
new
source of power to rescue his new inheritance?
Good reading
skills
will lend nicely to appreciation of this story of leadership success.
Frank Asch's
Pancakes in Pajamas (9781481480504,
$17.99) is a bear book that documents what can happen when the Bear
family
decides to take the day off, stay in their pjs, and eat pancakes all
day.
Again: good
reading
skills or parental read-aloud assistance will enhance the experience of
this
story of a family that decides to relax and play all day. Asch's
whimsical
creation is appealingly fun.
These new
chapter
books and readers for the lower elementary-level grades are also solid
acquisitions.
Those just
moving
from picture books to chapter titles will appreciate Carla Spinner's Trolley Ride! (9781534416277, $17.99),
which invites new readers to imbibe in the story of Daniel, who is
embarking on
a trolley ride around his neighborhood.
Kids who are
ready to
learn how to read receive a story of about a hundred words (many
repeated)
which include frequently used words, rhymes, instructions, and a
question-and-answer format designed to reinforce reading comprehension
and
early learning.
Cynthia
Rylant's Rosetown (9781534412774,
$16.99) will
reach ages 8-12 with the easy story of nine-year-old Flora Smallwood of
Rosetown, Indiana, who faces the death of her dog, the separation of
her
parents, and a move to fourth grade: any of which would bring angst.
Flora feels
overwhelmed by too many changes in her formerly-stable life. How can
she
adjust?
Elena Delle
Donne's Hoops: Elle of the Ball (9781534412316,
$16.99) also reaches ages 8-12 with its story of a tall (six feet!)
seventh-grade
girl who faces changes in her basketball team and classmates.
Her latest
school
challenge involves learning to ballroom dance with a boy much shorter
than her,
among other obstacles. How can she make the most of her stature and
take her
place in this rapidly changing world?
Mike
Lupica's Team Players
(9781481419674, $16.99)
looks as though it would reach an older age group; but ages 8-12 will
also
discover it to be a special read in many ways. Team
Players is the fourth, final book in the Home Team series
that
centers around four sports-oriented friends living in a fictional town.
Here Cassie
faces a
girl with Asperger's Syndrome on her softball team and learns some
important
lessons on leadership, ability, special needs, and sportsmanship in the
course
of blending abilities into a team effort.
Readers from
advanced
elementary into early middle school grades will also receive much to
enjoy from
this publisher.
Elena Delle
Donne
also writes My Shoot: Balancing It All
and Standing Tall (9781534412286, $17.99), the
autobiographical story of
how Donne walked away from a scholarship and a chance to play in a
prestigious
women's college basketball program to stay at home and help her older
disabled
sister Lizzie.
Eventually
she did
attend college and return to sports, but it would be a while before she
regained
her passion for basketball and learned how to approach the game from a
different angle, on her own terms.
Jason
Reynolds' For Every One
(9781481486246, $14.99) is
directed to kids who dream big and comes from a professional dreamer
who has
long fought to make his own dreams a reality.
He expected
such
success at sixteen, eighteen, then in his twenties. His message for
fellow kids
who strive (and many who don't dare to take a risk to make their dreams
come
true) comes in the form of uplifting free verse poetry that holds a
difference
and a message.
Sunny by Jason Reynolds (9781481450218,
$16.99) is the third book
in the 'Track' series that follows kids from different backgrounds
chosen for
an elite middle school track team on the road to the Olympics. Sunny is
the
main character here, and his life story is revealed in chapters that
consider
why Sunny struggles so hard to be a winner.
Against the
backdrop
of family tragedy and his drive to win comes the gentle story of
Sunny's
disposition, efforts, and why he suddenly brings everything to a
grinding halt.
Stuart
Gibbs' Waste of Space
(9781481477796, $16.99)
provides the third (and concluding) book in the Moon Base Alpha series.
Familiarity with the prior books in the series is recommended in order
for
readers ages 8-12 to readily absorb the story of Dash, who has rescued
the moon
base commander and now just looks forward to a quiet birthday
celebrating his
entry into his teens.
But when a
poisoning
happens on base, Dash finds himself again on the fast track of
investigations
in a riveting mystery set on the Moon. Kids who enjoy sci-fi and
detective
reads will find this tale stands nicely alone, although Dash's
personality and
talents really shine in the concluding saga and bring the other books
full
circle for those readers who appreciated his talents earlier.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
Four new
books will
appeal to various age ranges with appealing topics and writings that
capture
imagination and attention.
Sandra
Dallas's Hardscrabble
(9781585363759, $15.95)
explores a 1910 Colorado family's struggles as they attempt to make a
living
off hundreds of acres of land that the government is offering them for
free.
Events are
told from
the perspective of young Belle Martin as she, her mother, and her six
siblings
move out west to join their father in a five-year farming effort.
Nobody
counted on the natural disasters which continually stymie their road to
success.
A lovely
story of
struggle and achievement emerges, deftly illustrating the events that
took
place during the Westward expansion, for ages 9-11.
Denise
Brennan-Nelson's Good Night, Forest
(9781585363889, $16.99) enjoys gorgeous, full-page drawings by Marco
Bucci,
whose often-whimsical portraits of forest creatures compliment a very
simple
survey for ages 4-8.
Forest
animals are
getting sleepy as night falls, and a gentle lullaby in rhyme follows
the
different critters as they prepare for night, creating a soft and
compelling
read-aloud that parents can use to lull their children to sleep.
Linda Vander
Heyden's
A Horse Named Jack (9781585363957,
$16.99) is illustrated by Petra Brown and provides the engaging picture
book
story of Jack the horse, who loves to have kids come visit him on the
farm.
There's a
downside to
attention, though; because one day nobody comes to visit him, and he
quickly
becomes bored. Nobody knows he can escape his stall; but when he
employs his
jailbreak talents and begins to survey the neighbor's garden, trouble
breaks
out.
A counting
rhyme
blends with Jack's playful exploits in a lovely horse saga that kids
will
relish.
Lucy
Branam's Roof Octopus
(9781585369973, $16.99) is
illustrated by Rogério
Coelho, whose whimsical and fun
drawings compliment the mystery of a giant octopus that appears on the
roof of
Nora's apartment building: an event that she thinks is simply
delightful.
Adults
aren't so
sure, until they discover that the octopus likes to lend eight hands to
any job.
Detailed and
zany drawings
illustrating dilemmas and fun help make this story even more of an
exceptional
production.
All are excellent recommendations for parents and librarians seeking the unique.