June 2021 Prime Picks
The Arts
Magnetic
North
Martina Weinhart with
Georgiana Uhlyarik, Editors
Prestel
9783791359946
$60.00
www.prestel.com
Magnetic North: Imagining Canada in Painting,
1910-40 is a fine set
of artistic works that capture Canada's identity and culture, paired
with
essays that discuss the challenge of authentic Canadian art
representing the idea
of the "great North."
The efforts
of these
artists to "create art for a nation" in a production that reaches
beyond Canada's borders to interest those outside the country makes for
a fine
series of works that embrace innovative artistic approaches. They
capture
Canada's forests, environments, landscapes, and the key industries
which
affected them—logging, mining, and wilderness experiences alike.
This
resulting blend
of art and Canadian cultural and environmental exploration belongs in
any collection
interested in Canadian representations.
Schiffer
Publishing,
Ltd.
www.schifferbooks.com
Two new
books from
Schiffer are highly recommended acquisitions for arts collections
looking for
books with lasting value.
Seymour
Chwast's Poster Man (9780764361227,
$39.99) is
presented in an oversized format. This enhances the full-page color
posters
created by graphic artist Seymour Chwast, who gathers works from five
decades
of his productions, identifying their mediums as well as the social,
political,
and artistic impact of the art itself.
Works such
as the
graphic 'War is Madness' and 'Peace' posters (sponsored by the Shoshin
Society,
an international design organization in Japan which promoted peace
posters) and
to a tribute to Arthur Freed celebrating the Hollywood film producer's
musical
productions reflect decades of social inspection that go beyond the art
of the
poster to relate Chwast's art to the eras they portray.
Steve Gross
and Susan
Daley's Backroads Buildings: In Search of
the Vernacular (9780764361364, $39.99) captures over a
hundred old
buildings located along America's old auto routes.
These black
and white
and color photos include cafes, stores, grange halls, and more—key
locales
during the years between the Civil War and the Great Depression.
While
landscape
photographers and those interested in building history will be most
interested
in these full-page images, anyone interested in rural architecture will
find
this collection a diverse, wide-ranging representation of styles. Backroads Buildings is thus recommended
for arts libraries strong in architecture and photography and American
history
holdings alike.
The
Culinary Corner
The Complete
Salad
Cookbook
America's Test
Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen
9781948703567
$32.99
www.americastestkitchen.com
Despite the
fact that
there are numerous salad cookbooks on the market already, the only one
that
really needs to be in a recipe collection is The
Complete Salad Cookbook.
It holds all
kinds of
approaches to salads, from embellishing lettuce-based fare with
garnishes of
fruits, vegetables, and proteins to creating salads from bases of
legumes,
grains, meats, and pasta.
Each dish
has been
tested in America's Test Kitchen to assure foolproof results; but
perhaps more
importantly, each is introduced by a 'why this recipe works' section
that
discusses the testing process and what made for the exceptional recipe
recommendation
chosen for this book.
Full-page
color
photos accompany dishes organized by types of salads, making it a snap
to
locate a recipe by ingredient and approach, from main dishes to sides.
If only one
salad
cookbook were to be chosen for a collection, all these elements make The Complete Salad Cookbook a standout
in the crowd, adding to America's Test Kitchen 'The Complete' series of
cookbooks.
Just a Few
Miles
South
Ouita Michel, Sara
Gibbs and Genie Graf
Fireside
Industries/Univ. Press of Kentucky
9781950564095
$24.95
www.kentuckypress.com
Just a Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes from Our
Favorite Places
profiles the farm-to-table cuisine of Ouita Michel's sustainable
restaurants
across Kentucky, and serves up some regional favorites while exploring
the
traditions and stories that influenced this Southern fare.
The dishes
are filled
with local flavor. Take, for example, grits. Almost every Southern
cookbook has
a grits recipe; but that for Weisenberger Mill Cheese Grits offers
something
special, from its focus on Weisenberger Mill stone-ground grits
produced
"just down the road from Midway" to the milk and cream that enhances
the sharp cheese by giving it extra body.
This recipe
includes
slow cooker directions, introduces with insights on how the grits are
made for
maximum flavor, and appears in the 'Breakfast Plate at Windy Corner
Market'
section, which also includes recipes for Steve-O's Red-Eye Gravy,
Sorghum
Butter for buttermilk for salty country ham biscuits, and more.
With the
healthy dose
of local history and fare wound into this presentation, it stands out
from the
crowd as a Bluegrass cultural food guide and cookbook gem.
Root
Rob Howell
Bloomsbury
9781472976468
$35.00
www.bloomsbury.com
Root features small vegetable and meat
plates in which the
vegetable often is the profile dish, with the meat serving as the side
embellishment in the dishes they appear in. It's an emphasis on root
vegetables
that makes them the main attraction, and will especially appeal to
those
looking for international influences and flavor blends that go beyond
the usual
vegetarian fare.
Examples of
these
winning combinations include Roasted Carrots with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds,
Peaches, & Crème Fraiche; Carrot Jam-Filled Doughnuts with
Mascarpone
Vanilla Cream; or Roast Cod with Gem Lettuce & Pancetta
& Hazelnut
Dressing.
These aren't
dishes
likely to be found in competing cookbooks, and they also aren't for
those who
like traditional fare or quick assemblies.
Instead, Root's classy, elegant, flavorful food
pairings will find a home with anyone interested in creative food
assembly, unusual
flavors, and vegetable and meat blends that stand out from the crowd
and
challenge the palate with inviting, original fare.
Gardening Guides
Atlas of
Flowering
Plants
Ingeborg M. Niesler
and Angela K. Niebel-Lohmann
Schiffer Publishing
9780764361333
$39.99
www.schifferbooks.com
Atlas of Flowering Plants: Visual Studies of 200
Deconstructed
Botanical Families is a reference recommended for botany
titles and
enthusiasts, and provides a survey of flowering plants, their growth,
habitats,
and orders and families.
The
presentation here
is unique. Fresh flowering plant material was placed on a flatbed
scanner,
covered with black velvet, and enlarged. Images were scanned in various
resolutions, and descriptions accompanying these vivid images include
nomenclature, classification notes, distribution, flowers, and other
characteristics of different species.
The result
is an
outstanding survey that belongs in serious botanical reference
collections and
many an arts holding, offering exceptional photographic representations.
Rewilding
Agricultural Landscapes
H. Scott Butterfield,
T. odd, Kelsey, and Abigail K. Hart, Editors
Island Press
9781642831269
$39.00
www.islandpress.org
Rewilding Agricultural Landscapes: A California
Study in Rebalancing
the Needs of People and Nature provides a case study in how
to return
balance to agricultural lands. It is the first to closely examine what
it would
take to restore a natural ecosystem to farmland.
This project
is
especially significant because it represents one of the largest
rewilding
studies in dryland ecosystems, discussing all the specifics of how to
rewild
such an environment, from aquifers and soil revitalization to impacts
upon
nearby farms and local communities.
The dryland
area
under examination thus serves as a microcosm of experience for
reversing the
damage done to the land by agricultural efforts. The discussion shows
how
long-term sustainability for local areas can be achieved, conducted in
harmony
with rewilding efforts.
No
conservation or
agricultural collection (particularly those in California) should be
without
this important survey of specifics on revitalizing the land and
restoring
ecological balance.
Sitting in
the Shade
Hugh Johnson
Mitchell Beazley
9781784727078
$22.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Sitting in the Shade: A Decade of My Garden Diary
comes from a
long-time wine writer who provides a different focus on gardening,
trees, and
the seasons. Hugh Johnson departs from his usual wine focus to consider
and
capture the seasonal delights from his garden for those who would feel
connected to the earth.
More so than
his wine
books, this demonstrates Johnson's literary prowess and ability to
capture a
sense of place and nature, reviewing everything from the pace of growth
in
woods to changing hours of daylight, national tastes, and gardener's
urges to
plant.
Gardeners will find this literary reflection engrossing, and fun to read.
Reviewer's Choice
Flames of
Extinction
John Pickrell
Island Press
9781642832020
$30.00
www.islandpress.org
Flames of Extinction: The Race to Save Australia's
Threatened Wildlife
comes from a journalist who reported on the disastrous fire season of
2020
known as Black Summer, which resulted in more wildlife deaths and
near-extinctions than any other fires in modern Australian history.
Although
Pickrell's
focus is on this season's events, his reporting embraces themes of
wildlife
rehabilitation, fire dangers and protection efforts, and how to survive
a
changing climate as the future portends further global warming and more
extreme
fires.
In a
nutshell,
Australia's efforts, challenges, and results offer lessons the entire
world can
use, moving forward, as climate changes threaten wildlife. These
experiences
and lessons read with the drama of "you are here" fiction, but
incorporate all the dilemmas and approaches of what really happened,
making for
a survey accessible to general readers and wildlife management
professionals
alike.
The Glitter
in the
Green
Jon Dunn
Basic Books
9781541618190
$30.00
www.basicbooks.com
The Glitter in the Green: In Search of Hummingbirds
explores the
history, nature, and ecology of the hummingbird, reviewing their
presence from
the Arctic Circle to Antarctica in a celebration that goes well beyond
the
usual hummingbird identification discussion.
Jon Dunn
journeyed
from the Shetland Islands to North America as he sought to understand
their
presence and interactions with environment and humans alike.
His book
reads like a
combination of natural history and travelogue, inviting even
non-birders with
minimal hummingbird experience to understand their life cycles and
appeal.
Anyone with
any
degree of interest in nature in general or travelogues and hummingbirds
in
particular will find The Glitter in the
Green a "must read" story of discovery.
Last Chance
Texaco
Rickie Lee Jones
Grove Atlantic
9780802127129
$28.00
www.groveatlantic.com
Singer
Rickie Lee
Jones recounts her life in music and her experiences and achievements
in Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an
American Troubadour, a memoir that will appeal to anyone
familiar with her
haunting, jazzy voice.
Jones
documents the
story of a girl who had much going against her success, but who moved
from a
teen runaway to becoming a notable musical figure.
Her
experiences with
fellow musicians, her life on the road, struggle with broken family and
drugs,
and the shows and men who influenced her world create a multifaceted
story of
how Jones became a key figure in rock and roll music.
Anyone
already
familiar with her soulful singing receive insights into the wellsprings
of that
voice in a hard-hitting memoir that pulls no punches with its
compelling story
of musical and personal evolution.
Young Adult/Children
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewick.com
Hazel
Mitchell's Sweet Pea Summer
(9781536210347, $17.99)
is both a gardening book and a story of how a young girl copes with
living with
her grandparents while her mother is in the hospital.
When Grandpa
gives
her a new task to think about, suggesting she help him with his garden,
a new
goal is set. But she becomes frustrated over sweet peas that keep dying.
The insights
on how
to solve problems and overcome adversity compliments an enthusiastic
embrace of
gardening that young picture book readers will find simple and
appealing.
Marc
Martin's Masters of Disguise: Camouflaging
Creatures
& Magnificent Mimics (9781536214055, $18.99) profiles
twelve different
animals, from mammals to sea life, and the different camouflaging
activities
they employ to survive.
Young
readers receive
an exceptionally colorful text that contrasts different environments,
from the
Arctic to jungles and Africans plains, surveying different creatures
and how
their abilities lend to survival.
From mimic
octopuses
to Gaboon vipers and African leopards, these delightful contrasts make
for
inviting lessons in diversity and different survival techniques.
Both are
appealing,
colorful books that young picture book readers will relish for both
leisure
reading and educational enlightenment.
I Really,
Really Need
to Pee!
Karl Newson
Tiger Tales
9781680102321
$17.99
www.tigertalesbooks.com
I Really, Really Need to Pee! is a fun
story about a young animal
whose day in the woods is disrupted by an urgent need.
With no
bathroom in
sight, the desperate fuzzy animal employs different methods to hold in
the
deluge while she desperately searches for a toilet.
Duncan
Beedie's
whimsical drawing compliment a first-person story many a young reader
will
readily relate to as the blend of humor and practical problem-solving
leads to
resolution and fun encounters with other animals.
Both
read-aloud
parents and new readers will find I
Really, Really Need to Pee! a delightful read!
Peachtree
Publishing
www.peachtree-online.com
Two
excellent books
are recommended picks for children's book readers looking for something
different.
Nizrana
Farook's The Girl Who Stole An Elephant
(9781682632857, $16.99) will reach readers ages 8-12. The story is set
in Sri
Lanka and tells of Chaya, a rebellious nobleman's daughter who decides
to help
her poor community by stealing the queen's jewels.
As Chaya
gets into
more and more trouble, a series of adventures revolves around a girl
who can't
help aiming for loftier goals in her desire to help others and become a
hero in
her community...no matter what it takes.
Farook's
engaging
adventure story pairs action with social inspection and insights into
Sri
Lankan culture. It's a fictional piece that deserves broad attention.
Sandra
Salsbury's Best Friend in the Whole World
(9781682632505, $17.99) reaches ages 4-8 with the story of a lonely
rabbit's
unusual choice of a friend.
Rabbit
Roland's new
friend Milton shares many interests with him...but does he already have
a best
friend? Roland would like nothing better than to not just have a best
friend,
but keep him close and away from others. Should he embrace a larger
world, or
stay isolated?
A fine story
emerges,
containing a gentle message about friendships, best friends, and new
possibilities.
The Pocket
Chaotic
Ziggy Hanaor
Cicada Books Ltd.
9781908714800
$16.95
www.cicadabooks.co.uk
In The Pocket Chaotic, Alexander the
kangaroo lives in his mum Nancy's pocket. It would be a safe hidey-hole
but for
one problem—Nancy also likes putting other things in her pocket, as
well.
Unfortunately,
Nancy
is not the most organized kangaroo mother, and she's also a collector.
Thus too
many things tend to join Alexander in his pouch home.
Obsessed
with keeping
things tidy, Alexander struggles with his mother's odd habits and one
day,
pushed over the edge, decides to take charge.
A whimsical
story
about parents and children evolves, with a special and fun message that
kids
will appreciate.
Simon and
Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
Two new
books from
Simon and Schuster provide kids with engaging, absorbing stories, and
are
highly recommended as standouts from the crowd.
James O.
Fraioli's Deep Into the Amazon Jungle
(9781534420946, $19.99) gives ages 8-12 a gorgeous graphic novel packed
with
vibrant colors that bring the Amazon adventure story to life.
Young
explorers Will
and Jacklyn are taking a jungle journey into the Amazon from Iquitos,
Peru with
Fabien Cousteau and his scientists, searching for a new species of
giant
piranha.
Along the
way, they
encounter all kinds of colorful creatures, from parrots to dolphins and
poisonous frogs.
The blend of
jungle
natural history and action gives a fast pace to a story that is both
engrossing
and educational.
Steve
Small's The Duck Who Didn't Like Water
(9781534489172, $17.99) will touch picture book readers ages 4-8 with
the fun
story of a duck who doesn't like water, whether it be swimming or rain.
Duck lives
inside and
is relatively miserable being the lone duck from his water-loving
crowd, until
a rainstorm introduces an unexpected new friend who needs to find his
home.
Can Duck and
his new
friend together overcome Duck's aversion to water?
A fun story
provides
an unexpected slant on conquering fears.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
These new
Sleeping
Bear picture books will appeal to a wide audience with stories that are
colorful, fun reads.
Even
non-Michigan
residents will find Our Michigan! We Love
the Seasons (9781534111356, $17.95) appealing, with lovely
seasonal
drawings by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen a draw to learning more about
the state.
As this
Michigan
wildlife artist follows the state's seasons, the book's format lends to
read-aloud
adult/child interactions, traversing Michigan's lovely natural areas
and using
large-size, simple words to help kids read along with parental
assistance.
Horses,
ferryboats,
barns, and migrating birds are beautifully drawn and create an alluring
vision
of Michigan's seasonal wonders.
Marty
Kelley's A Cape! (9781534111110,
$16.99), for ages
4-8, is the story of a red fabric cape that leads a little boy to
consider what
superpowers he may harbor.
After all,
every
super hero wears a cape. Or, do they?
An active
imagination
involves a father and son in an exploration that considers the real
powers of a
spunky child who wants to do everything, while a too-cautious father
keeps
saying no.
Ocean Soup: A Recipe for You, Me, and a Cleaner Sea
by Meeg Pincus
(9781534111189, $16.99) pairs a rhyming story with a survey of ocean
pollution
and how the sea can be cleaner and made more beautiful through a little
human
effort.
While the
ocean may
look sparkling, underneath, the sea is a soup of living organisms that
may be
seen under a microscope.
It also now
consists
of human pollution, from single-use bottles to throwaway products and
plastic
that impacts all kinds of ocean life.
This impact and how to address it receives lively attention in a story that is both inviting and educational, with Lucy Semple's colorful, engaging drawings supporting the strong message about ocean conservation.