June 2020 Prime Picks
Reviewer's Choice
The Global
Spanish
Empire
Christine D. Beaule
and John G. Douglass
University of Arizona
Press
9780816540846
$65.00
www.uapress.arizona.edu
The Global Spanish Empire: Five Hundred Years of
Place Making and
Pluralism is recommended reading for college-level readers of
Spanish and
global history. It holds eleven case studies documenting the Spanish
Empire's
reach around the world.
While
competing books
have studied this influence in other areas, The
Global Spanish Empire focuses on regions often neglected in
studies of
Spanish colonialism, offering a wide-ranging timeline as it considers
changed
traditions, cultures, indigenous responses, and the persistence of
heritage in
enslaved populations.
College-level
students of Spanish colonialism will find these essays, which include
Africa,
Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific regions, fills many gaps in the
literature.
They provide a scholarly and well-documented study that discusses
ritual
practices in a changing world. The inclusion of black and white
illustrations,
extensive biographical references, and archaeological findings adds
depth and
visual embellishment to an engrossing study.
The World of
Twomorrows
John Morrow & Jon
B. Cooke, Editors
TwoMorrows Publishing
9781605490922
$37.95
www.twomorrows.com
The World of Twomorrows: Celebrating 25 Years of
the Future of Fandom
is a top recommendation for any collection or reader who enjoys comic
book
history and development. It traces
the
history of TwoMorrows Publishing and its many, many comic book history
productions.
Among the
offerings
in this 25th Anniversary celebratory volume are behind-the-scenes
examinations
of story development and issues; back issue samplers; contributions and
interviews by those who have been part of TwoMorrows' productions over
the
years; and extensive interviews with comic artists who produced iconic
fare
over the decades.
Color photos
of
artists, covers, and art enhance interviews with such notable industry
workers
as Jim Amash, associate editor of Alter
Ego, and Jon B. Cooke, editor of Comic
Book Artists.
In instances
where
interviews are not available, extensive historical reviews of
individual
artists round out the collection, creating a history that is thoroughly
engrossing.
Young Adult/Children
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewickpress.com
Four new
picture book
presentations are outstanding surveys highly recommended for
collections interested
in lasting tales for young readers that excel in both visual and
written
representation.
Lily
Murray's Beneath the Waves
(9781536210408,
$22.00) receives lovely drawings by Helen Ahpornsiri and will appeal to
elementary readers in grades 3-5, who will enjoy the artwork and lively
nonfiction exploration of underwater life.
From the
underwater
cities created by coral reefs to the allure of real deep-sea monsters, Beneath the Waves introduces different
environments and strange habitats and creatures to draw young readers
to the
natural history of underwater worlds.
Brian
Wildsmith's Animal Gallery
(9781536212358, $18.99)
comes from an artist who creates a lively collection of animals that
celebrate
an ambush of tigers, a prickle of hedgehogs, and more. It uses
different descriptions
of each animal grouping to introduce lovely, creative animal drawings
that kids
and adults will relish.
The very
young will
find it easy to absorb the one-sentence phrases as they enjoy the vivid
color
drawings.
Sandcastle by Einat Tsarfati
(9781536211436, $17.99) explores a
young girl's day at the beach building a grand, impressive sandcastle
that
impresses people around the world.
Many come to
join in
an event that centers around it, until the realities of a beach
celebration
creates trouble. The result is an engrossing story that is whimsical,
fun, and
thought-provoking as it covers the possibilities and detriments of sand.
The
wilderness isn't
quite what she'd envisioned, and so Ernestine is challenged by her
ideals and
the reality of her first camping experience. Can she adjust to the
different
environment and its demands?
This fine
story about
a first outdoors encounter will especially delight young urban readers
unused
to the actual outdoor experience.
A Field
Guide to
Getting Lost
Joy McCullough
Simon & Schuster
9781534438514
$17.99
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
A Field Guide to Getting Lost tells of a
girl who loves science and
a boy who likes fantasy novels. Ordinarily, they would have little in
common,
but when their parents begin dating, they must learn not only how to
co-exist,
but how to handle problems their parents can't help with.
Sutton has
always
been innovative, science-oriented, and in control. Luis writes stories
about
courage, but lacks the same quality in himself.
While each
struggles
with new life challenges, perhaps their biggest problem lies in
learning to
accept one another, acting like siblings instead of competitors. This
engrossing story of growth will delight ages 8-12.
Letters from
Bear
Gauthier David
Eerdmans Books
9780802855367
$17.99
www.eerdmans.com/youngreaders
Letters from Bear is illustrated by Marie
Caudry, who provides
gorgeous, colorful drawings to enhance the story of Bear, who can't
imagine
spending winter in hibernation without her friend Bird, who is intent
on migrating
south.
Bear decides
to
migrate, too, even though she's never left her forest home, and she
communicates her new discoveries about life to Bird via letters that
never seem
to receive a reply.
She wishes
she can
share these new experiences in person with her absent friend...but she
is
actually doing so, albeit in an unusual way.
This fine
story of
adventure, long-distance friendship, and world encounters will delight
ages 5-9
who have good reading skills.
Peachtree
Press
www.peachtree-online.com
Five new
arrivals
from Peachtree provide young readers with excellent leisure choices
that are
recommended picks for read-aloud parents and library holdings alike.
Kathryn
Cave's You've Got Dragons
(9781682631713,
$8.99) receives fun drawings by Nick Maland as it explores the dilemma
of a
young boy who has too many dragons as pets. Other children's stories
have centered
on the problems of having one dragon, but this tale of too much of a
good thing
will delight young readers and parents by going beyond the obvious
entertainment value of dragons to probe some conundrums often faced in
life.
Nancy Armo's
A Friend for Mole (9781682631539,
$7.95)
tells of a reclusive mole that is fond of his cozy burrow, content with
not
investigating the world above his home until shouts and laughter prompt
him to
explore.
What he
founds about
this new world changes his perspective on life. His discoveries will
delight
young readers and parents with their joyful consideration of attitude,
change,
and safety.
Lisa Papp's Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
(9781682630594, $8.99) tells of Bonnie, a dog who helps
reading-reluctant
Madeline Finn to engage in the one activity she truly hates.
This gentle
story of
a girl who resists reading and the library dog who helps change her
mind will
delight parents who want to encourage literacy and positive attitudes
about the
pleasures and purposes of reading.
Julie
Colombet's The Society of Distinguished
Lemmings
(9781682631560, $17.99) tells of a group of lemmings who enjoy music,
fine
dining, and games. They aspire to be superior in everything they
attempt, but
this requires a lot of rules which limit opportunities and fun alike.
Bertie is
sick of it
all, but when he befriends a big bear who lacks some of these abilities
and any
pretense, problems arise. Can his simpler bear friend ever be accepted
into the
Society of Distinguished Lemmings?
A fine
message and
lovely drawings produce a zany, fun experience that stands out from the
crowd.
Bethan
Wollvin's Bo the Brave
(9781682631829, $17.99) gives
kids a fun fairy tale about a girl named Bo who wants to be a hero like
her
brothers.
The problem
is that
Bo is female, small, and likely couldn't confront a monster and win.
Or, can
she?
This fine
story of
female strength and ability will resonate with parents who wish to
install a
sense of accomplishment, strength, and ability in girls and small
children.
All are
exceptional
reads, highly recommended for their original themes and colorful
explorations.
Penguin
Putnam
www.penguin.com/kids
These three
new
picture book offerings are standouts for their exceptional drawings,
intriguing
stories, and overall attractive presentations.
Meg Rosoff
and David
Ercolini's It's a Moose!
(9780399166648, $17.99) tells of a new baby who turns out to be a moose
instead
of the usual human child everyone was expecting.
As much as
his human
family tries to dress him up, accept him, and raise him, problems arise
as the little
moose grows up and outgrows everything around him.
How can his
loving
family help him fit in? This zany story of a child who doesn't quite
fit the
norm will have all ages engaged and laughing.
Irene Latham
and
Karim Shamsi-Basha's The Cat Man of
Aleppo (9781984813787, $17.99) receives fun cat drawings by
Yuko Shimizu,
but tackles a serious theme: animal survival in the face of war.
When war
comes to
Syria, people flee Aleppo and became refugees. Ambulance driver
Mohammad Alaa
Aljaleel stays behind to help his human neighbors, but discovers that
abandoned
cats need his help, as well.
Alaa became
known
worldwide as the Cat Man of Aleppo. This is his story, brought to life
by
Syrian immigrant Karim Shamsi-Basha in a moving tale that will educate
and
appeal to readers with good reading skills, who receive a political
survey and
a true cat rescue tale.
Sorry (Really Sorry) by Joanna Colter
(9781984912476, $17.99) tells
of Cow, whose bad mood infects the entire barnyard around her.
As the
animals each
turn to their neighbors to pass along her anger, readers receive a fine
consideration
of how to change hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and anger into
positive
avenues for discussion and resolution.
Parents can
use this
whimsical book as a teaching tool for handling emotions and negativity,
while
kids will find the animal barnyard antics engaging and the underlying
lesson
thought-provoking.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
Two lovely
new
picture books are especially recommended for adult/child read-aloud for
their
combination of beautiful images and gentle stories that lend to sharing
and
discussion.
Helen Foster
James
presents Daddy Loves You!
(9781534110595, $15.99) in a keepsake edition that includes a special
page with
room for writing a letter and adding a photo. Petra Brown's beautiful
drawings
accompany rhyming text for new readers and read-aloud parents as the
story
explores a Daddy bunny who loves his new addition to their rabbit
family.
The gentle
two-line
rhymes, large print words, and message of love are just the ticket for
fathers
and kids to enjoy together.
Jill
Esbaum's Where'd My Jo Go?
(9781534110441,
$16.99) features good-sized, colorful pictures by Scott Brundage as it
tells of
Trucker Jo, who brings her dog Big Al along on her road trips.
They both
enjoy their
outings, but when Big Al is accidentally left behind, he is determined
to await
Jo's return, even though he's constantly distracted from his mission by
inviting
new life experiences.
Both books are perfect choices for parents seeking engaging read-alouds for the young.