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Donovan's Bookshelf

June  2023 Prime Picks

 
The Culinary Corner
Reviewer's Choice
Young Adult / Children
 

The Culinary Corner

The Flavor Thesaurus: More Flavors
Niki Segnit
Bloomsbury
9781639731138             $32.00
www.bloomsbury.com 

The Flavor Thesaurus: More Flavors: Plant-Led Pairings, Recipes, and Ideas for Cooks is a sequel to the bestselling original 2010 book. Both encourage experimenting with unexpected flavor pairings. 

The notion is simple: flavor pairings can create unexpectedly delicious results. So, why the need for a sequel when the first book was so definitive? Because this follow-up cultivates a plant-forward pairing approach to create new flavor sensations, introducing some sixty plant ingredients from lentils and mustard to pistachios and turmeric. 

Each pairing comes with intriguing culinary history, as in the pairing of vanilla with passion fruit, discovered when a 2002 mixologist created the 'Pornstar Martini'. The result is creative, inviting, and inspirational, and should be in every cook's collection. 


Kyle Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com 

Two new books provide vibrant recipes for standard fare that elevates them to new levels, inviting cooks to reconsider the opportunities in revamping traditional dishes. 

Amelia Christie-Miller's Bold Beans: Recipes to Get Your Pulse Racing (9781804190821, $22.00) is the first example of an ingredient that has received many cookbook profiles before. Here, the lowly bean adopts a versatility and sparkle that reflects healthy, sustainable perspectives in recipes that are unique to this book. 

Some eighty dishes, illustrated with full-page color photos, for such bean fare as Ricotta and Pesto Butter Beans and French Onion White Bean Bake are packed with flavor. Many come with international influences to broaden the pursuit of using familiar beans in new ways, making Bold Beans especially recommended for vegetarians and plant-based eaters. 

Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi's The Low Carb Italian Kitchen: Modern Mediterranean Recipes for Weight Loss and Better Health (9781914239588, $20.00) comes with the added influences of Dr. David Unwin, Jenny Phillips, and Dr. Jen Unwin, who create a cookbook that defies the usual image of high-carb Italian fare by recreating traditional recipes using flavorful substitutions. 

Those who think such dishes as tortelloni won't be possible for a low-carb adaptation, for example, will find that the chicken and mortadella-stuffed lettuce leafs make for an inviting, tasty substitute. Inspiring color photos provide further encouragement in a cookbook that will delight low-carb dieters who have been eschewing traditional Italian fare while longing for its flavors. 

Both are highly recommended cookbooks for general libraries and culinary collections looking for standout selections. 


The Outdoor Cook
America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen, Publisher
9781954210417             $29.99
www.americastestkitchen.com 

The Outdoor Cook: How to Cook Anything Outside Using Your Grill, Fire Pit, Flat-Top Grill, and More expands the usual image of the Weber cooker for outside grilling, offering over a hundred recipes for making not just the main course, but the entire meal outdoors. 

It falls neatly in line with the current trend to bring the outdoors 'inside' by expanding seating and cooking opportunities on a deck, going beyond the usual grilling and smoking cookbook to consider equipment for these pursuits and alternative fire setups. 

Reviews of outdoor equipment from rotisseries to pizza ovens compliments recipes for snacks, weeknight dinners, grilled desserts, and side dishes, encouraging an expanded idea of what outdoors cooking can mean with recipes such as Grilled French Toast, Breakfast Burritos with Black Beans and Chorizo, and Grilled Polenta Wedges with Grilled Scallions and Gorgonzola. 

All recipes are tested by the staff of America's Test Kitchen, making for a foolproof and complete guide. 



Reviewer's Choice 

Autistic World Domination
Jolene Stockman
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
9781839974441             $18.99
www.jkp.com 

Autistic World Domination: How to Script Your Life offers a revolutionary new perspective on society and how it does and doesn't work for autistic people ... and how it could. This is a manifesto for readers to fully participate in re-envisioning their own perceptions, blending exercises and motivational writing instructions with action plans that help readers solidify goals in keeping with autistic and human conditions. 

This autistic power workbook encourages a proactive approach to life and thriving via a blueprint based on real-life encounters: "All of my experiences feeling wrong have made it easier to know when something is right. And I don't want it to be this way for my kids. If I could go back? I would look more quickly for the signs that I didn't fit, and be grateful. I wouldn't waste time or energy trying to squeeze myself into the wrong box - I'd create my own world - the one where I get to be me, do good work with good people who get me." 

Autistic World Domination should be in the hands of any autistic person and those who care for and about them. Its message is that important. 


Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances
Eddie Piller
Monoray/Octopus Books
9781800960596             $29.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com 

Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances: A Life in Mod from the Revival to Acid Jazz is the memoir of a teenage 'mod' from the East End of London who dabbled in counterculture influences in the '60s and moved from mod to alternative cultural pursuits in the '70s and '80s. 

Eddie Piller's journey of life and personal changes moves through music, stories of London and East End life, and the youth pursuits of the times which lead to a revised attitude and experiences building a record label (among many other things). 

Piller's vivid memoir of punk and life processions will delight readers looking for accessible stories that capture bygone worlds and times in general, especially the 'mod' world of England over the last decades. 


Destination Fabulous
Anna Murphy
Mitchell Beazley
9781784728519             $24.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com 

Destination Fabulous: Finding Your Way to the Best You Yet comes from the Fashion Director of the London Times, and provides middle-aged women (and older) with candid appraisals of how to age in the best way suitable for one's self-image, goals, and perceptions. 

Anna Murphy reviews the typical decisions that women face in aging, from hair coloring and care to exercise, wardrobe alterations and changes, and welcoming new changes. 

Murphy draws on the wisdom of other writers, but develops her own style to encourage readers to more actively and purposefully consider aging, growth, and the process of being the best they can be. 

Any library strong in books about self-image and aging needs Destination Fabulous. 


Destroyer Duck
Jack Kirby & Steve Gerber
TwoMorrows Publishing
9781605491172             $31.95
www.twomorrows.com 

Destroyer Duck: Graphite Edition is a revealing, satirical survey of the legal battle writer Steve Gerber found himself in against Marvel Comics over the ownership of his creation Howard the Duck. 

Gerber tapped artist Jack Kirby to contribute to a benefit comic called Destroyer Duck, and thus a five-issue biting attack was created which is reproduced here, relettered from Kirby's pencil art and featuring examples contrasting Alfredo Alcala's inking style over Kirby's in original issues, Gerber's scripts and plots, and more. 

Authoritative libraries strong in comic book history need this survey, which covers the hidden jabs in Destroyer Duck and reproduces Kirby's pencil art in a black and white celebration of both art and efforts to foster creative license and freedom. Definitive comic book history collectors and libraries should consider Destroyer Duck a mainstay of historic importance. 


The Korean Book of Happiness
Barbara J. Zitwer
Short Books/Octopus Publishing
9781780725758             $14.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com 

The Korean Book of Happiness: Joy, Resilience and the Art of Giving promotes the Korean way of being joyful that Zitwer learned from traveling throughout South Korea. 

Its special blend of self-help, philosophy, and spirituality provides anecdotes that move from a travelogue complete with regional recipes and flavors to observations of how Koreans have achieved happiness and connection throughout their society. 

The result is a lively, fun journey that can be read as both an inspirational guide to positivity, a cultural inspection of Korean experiences, and as a travelogue that invites contemplation, entertaining readers as Zitwer traverses the history, people, and approaches to life that is Korea.


 

Talk Art: The Interviews
Russell Tovey & Robert Diament
Ilex Press/Octopus Books, Dist.
9781781578797             $29.99
www.ilex.press 

Talk Art: The Interviews contains interview highlights from the Talk Art podcast, but that doesn't mean that readers should have prior familiarity with this program. All that's actually needed is a basic interest in art and the dialogues that arise from its experiences, inspirations, and creative incarnations. 

Interviews are conducted with a wide range of artists, from Elton John to Laurie Anderson, Lucy Jones, and Grayson Perry. 

The reason why readers needn't be already familiar with these selected artists is that all the visuals needed to gain this knowledge is provided, from full-page color photos of the artists to color renditions of their works. 

The profound and thought-provoking insights about how art is created, curated, and appreciated will spark dialogue and interest in an equally wide and diverse audience, making Talk Art: The Interviews a 'must' for any art library and general-interest collection and readers alike. 



Young Adult/Children

Barefoot Books
www.barefootbooks.com 

In the picture book story The Perfect Sushi by Emily Satoko Seo (9781646868377), young Miko wants to make the perfect sushi as a gift for her grandmother Babi's birthday. But no matter what she does, none of her sushi efforts look good enough. 

Frustrated and in a temper tantrum, Miko stomps away from an effort even her helpful grandfather can't improve, until she makes a discovery about perfection and production which offers surprising revelations. 

Excellent art by Mique Moriuchi accents this realistic story of efforts and failures. 

Kids who enjoy sushi and who also want to give the perfect gift will relate to Miko's situation and solution. 

Whatever Comes Tomorrow by Rebecca Gardyn Levington (9781646868414) features lovely, vivid art by Mariona Cabassa as it explores thoughts about the good and bad experiences tomorrow might bring. 

The contrasts of possibilities embrace a variety of tones, from "new hellos or difficult goodbyes" to "changes that are scary, strange or new. Tomorrow may bring chances to embrace your truest you." 

Whatever comes, kids are taught that they can not only endure, but thrive. The message in positivity will delight picture book read-aloud adults seeking stories that arrive with an encouraging outlook on life's possibilities. 


Candlewick Press
www.candlewickpress.com 

These new arrivals provide picture book libraries and read-aloud adults with exceptional materials suitable for a wide range of interests. 

Let's Go Puddling! By Emma Perry (9781536228496, $17.99) represents an invitation to explore the fun of puddles during and after a rainstorm. 

Claire Alexander's simple but compelling illustrations bring to life the joy and exuberance of a rainy day and a child's opportunities to interact with it. 

John Agard's Windrush Child: The Tale of a Caribbean Child Wo Faced a New Horizon (9781536228533, $18.99) is illustrated by Sophie Bass and tells of a Caribbean child who moves from his home to Britain. 

The journey is not a singular experience, but captures the history of those that emigrated from the Caribbean to Britain and became known as the 'Windrush Generation.' 

Vibrant color is captured both visually and verbally as this Windrush Child embraces a new world. 

Goward Calbert's The Fastest Tortoise in Town (9781536228359, $18.99) receives fun drawings by Karen Obuhanych as it tells of Barbara, an ordinary leopard tortoise who has entered a running race. 

Her owner and best friend Lorraine supports her impossible endeavor, even though on the day of the race, Barbara is tempted to hide in her shell. 

Use of the first person brings Barbara's fears, possibilities, and experiences to life in a delightful manner. 

A Bed of Stars by Jessica Love (9781536212396, $18.99) addresses a small child's fear of the night through a wise Dad's idea: camping out in the desert for a rare night under the stars. 

A lovely story evolves that moves far beyond a child's fear of darkness to embrace the opportunities of a father and child experience and new revelations about journeys, confronting fear, and sharing life. 

Mirka Hokkanen's Kitty & Cat: Opposites Attract (9781536223675, $18.99) tells of old Cat, new Kitty, and the many differences between them that would seem to indicate they are incompatible as friends. 

Surprisingly, these differences actually bring them together in unusual ways, which Hokkanen illustrates in an especially simple, fun story that will delight new readers and read-aloud parents. 

Polly Faber's Special Delivery (9781536220851, $17.99) follows a picture book's journey around the world as it moves through warehouses on trains and in container ships to eventually arrive in a child's hands. 

Illustrations by Klas Fahlín provide engaging visual embellishment as the book (which also happens to hold the same title) is carefully packed, moved, and delivered by individuals charged with seeing that it is treated gently and effectively. 

All are exceptional stories, worthy of library inclusion. 


Wm. B. Eerdmans
www.eerdmans.com/youngreaders 

Two evocative picture books deserve mention and a place in any elementary-level library collection. 

Olga Fadeeva's Wind: Discovering Air in Motion (9780802855992), translated by Lena Traer, invites young readers to consider the wind's origins, incarnations, and facts. 

From wind speed definitions to how the wind helps plants and animals, this lovely survey invites kids to make bigger-picture connections between wind and its impact on humans and nature alike, supporting the insights with illustrations that add interest and embellishment to the science and speculations about wind properties and importance. 

Jennifer Berne's How the Sea Came to Be and All the Creatures In It (9780802854780) reaches ages 6-10 with a combination of inviting thoughts and vivid illustrations by Amanda Hall. 

How the Sea Came to Be and All the Creatures In It's introduction to geology, oceanography, and marine biology pairs verse with vivid imagery, inviting youngsters to better understand the sea's evolutionary process and importance to the world. Gorgeous illustrations add visual splendor to the information. 

Both are top-recommended acquisitions. 


The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope
Luke Adam Hawker
Ilex Press/Octopus Publishing, Distributor
9781781578704             $19.99
www.ilex.press 

The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope is a futuristic picture book story of a world without trees, which seems a bleak prospect until a young girl imagines a world of beauty and nature, making the choices to heal and sow new life into this bare environment. 

The last of the trees may have died long ago, but Olive cultivates hope, grows it to fruition, and gives readers of all ages inspiration to grow, realize, and persevere in their own dreams. 

Black and white drawings throughout accent the hopeful story of a bleak world changed by new possibilities. 


Light Speaks
Christine Layton
Tilbury House Publisher
9780884489245             $18.95
www.tilburyhouse.com 

Light Speaks is a magical picture book celebration of various kinds of light, from fireflies and fireworks to bolts of lightning and rainbows. 

Luciana Navarro Powell accents this celebratory approach with vivid drawings that capture the nature of various kinds of light and its changing properties, from light that "tells lies" to rays that "ask and answer" 'Are we the same?" 

A lovely, spirited celebration of light's diversity and impact will delight read-aloud parents and kids with a deceptively simple format that promises thought-provoking moments. 


The Mindful Magician and the Trip to Feelings Town
Lauren Brukner
Jessica Kingsley
9781839971389             $18.95
www.jkp.com 

The Mindful Magician and the Trip to Feelings Town provides educators and parents with a tool kit of tips and tricks to help young readers and listeners regulate their emotions. The picture book exploration of feelings is enhanced by lovely illustrations by Jennifer Jamieson as it provides an encouraging tone and invites adventure and exploration. 

The magician narrator of this story views a young child as a fellow magician capable of tapping into the "magic inside." The lively purpose that evolves from this effort lies in then using that magic to help others. 

As the narrator carries kids and parents through Feelings Town "where kids are experiencing various strong feelings in their bodies, minds, and hearts," the detailed story follows a young musician-in-training's revelations about managing emotions with magical strength. 

The result is a powerful and detailed exploration worthy of adult assistance and involvement as a young 'magician' is taught about the array of emotions available, and their insights. 


Nomads: Life on the Move
Kinchoi Lam
Cicada Books Ltd.
9781800660328             $22.99
www.cicadabooks.co.uk 

Nomads: Life on the Move selects and profiles seven nomadic cultures around the world, from the Nenets of Silberia to the Massai of Africa. It follows their different methods of living and the disparate environments that demand they adopt diverse survival tactics, rituals, and customs. 

Each group receives close inspection of their art, attitudes, and daily lives in a survey that links nomadic peoples with their connections to the land and ways of living that diverge from more rooted approaches to making a home. 

The result is a delightful exploration that comes with intriguing illustrations. The focus lends to classroom discussion and insights into how the nomadic way of live both differs and holds connections to environment and human endeavors. 


Nosy Crow
www.nosycrow.com 

Nosy Crow has a number of fine new picture books on tap which are highly recommended for libraries and readers looking for top quality in story lines and illustrations. 

Fred Small and Alison Brown's Everything Possible (979887770222, $17.99) comes with a bonus audio of the encouraging, uplifting song referenced in this story. 

The underlying message is one of diversity and acceptance as children are encouraged to realize that "every child is unique and their future filled with possibilities." 

The lovely illustrations and message require only scanning the QR code at story's end for its musical incarnation. 

Chris Naylor-Ballesteros's Frank and Bert (9798887770000, $17.99) tells of a game between friends which Bert proves terrible at winning. Both of the friends love the game, but Frank learns an important lesson in being a good friend as he comes to realize that winning isn't everything. 

A fine message of friendship, achievement, and celebration evolves, complete with a QR code for an audio version. 

Patrice Lawrence's Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush (9798887770338, $17.99) follows the Windrush experience which unfolds when granddaughter Ava finds a little cardboard suitcase with odd contents. This discovery sparks her grandmother's story of how she left her home and family in Trinidad to travel to a new life in London, England. 

More than another tale of immigrant experience, this forges connections between cherished objects and past and present as Camilla Sucre adds appealing visual embellishments to strengthen the story's attraction to young readers. 

Karl Newson's I'll Be There (9798887770215) features a QR code for scanning a free audio reading of this book, pairing lovely illustrations by Rosalind Beardshaw with an animal-based story celebrating family connections. 

Various animals reinforce these connections with activities and interactions that cement their love for and commitment to one another in various ways. 

Barry Timms and Ged Adamson's This is Not a Unicorn! (9798887770017) comes with a scannable QR code for a free audio recording of the book and presents an enchanting picture book story of a unicorn with a magical, flexible horn. 

Do these magical abilities make it any less a unicorn? 

The enchantment lies in the contention that "this creature's never what it seems." 

A delightful foray into transformation and change evolves. 

All are delightful, spirited presentations that invite kids and read-aloud adults to enjoy. 


Penguin Books
www.penguin.com/kids 

New picture books from Penguin provide young readers and read-aloud adults the opportunity to expand perceptions and enjoy life-affirming, uplifting insights about the world. 

One such acquisition is e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller's A Girl can Build Anything (9780593463741, $18.99), which enjoys fun illustrations by Keisha Morris as it celebrates all the ways girls can make things, from ideas on paper to brick and mortar creations. 

These empowering lessons encourage girls to extend their abilities from dreams to real projects. 

Anna Kim's Danbi's Favorite Day (9780451478931, $18.99)  tells of a Korean girl's invitation to her friends to celebrate Children's Day, as she did in Korea. 

The problem is that the magical embellishments she experienced in Korea are different in this country. When an event threatens to spoil the party, can Danbi adapt? 

Alana Tyson's My Red, White, and Blue (9780593525708, $18.99) personalizes the American flag's meaning for young readers, acknowledging that what is a symbol of hope for some may represent repression and loss for others. 

Black history is profiled through a review of American ideals and black experience, illustrated by the vivid drawings of London Ladd in a rhyming exploration that invites discussion, celebration, and debate. 

Ani DiFranco's The Knowing (9780593383759, $18.99) is painted by Julia Mathew and presents a lullaby about empowerment and embracing one's inner light and strengths. 

A gentle rhyme accompanies a first-person consideration of identity, favorite things, and a review of life and the "gifts that I am here to give" to the world. 

All are fine acquisitions. 


Red Comet Press
www.redcometpress.com 

Apple Pie Picnic by Alicia Duran and Brian Fitzgerald (9781636550619, $18.99) is the picture book story of Rosa and her familia, who experience the seasonal changes of the apple trees and celebrate the moment when apple pie comes from their cultivation efforts. 

Lovely illustrations by Brian Fitzgerald bring to life this bilingual story of the sun, rain, birds, and others that call the apple trees home or participate in their growth and enjoyment. 

Read-aloud parents will appreciate this opportunity to introduce the rich bounty of apple trees and Spanish words to the very young. 

Walter Finds His Voice: The Story of a Shy Crocodile by Ann Kim Ha (9781636550503, $18.99) tells of an exceedingly shy croc who hides in the swamp, hoping nobody will notice him. Where most crocs hide in order to pounce on prey, this is not Walter's motivation. 

Picture book readers who also happen to be shy will relate to this shy croc's desire to join in with others while being too afraid that they will laugh at him, mock his differences, and reject his presence. 

Read-aloud adults who choose this story for its bigger-picture insights on shyness and inclusion will find its surprise events delightful, holding both entertainment value and lessons for kids who fear the world. 

The delightful, simple story receives visual embellishment that is revealing and fun. 


Simon and Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com 

These picture book celebrations are highly recommended choices for libraries seeking standout acquisitions that will withstand the test of time and attract over the years. 

Barry Wittenstein's The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement (9781534480834, $18.99) captures a real event and its long-ranging impact. 

Jessie Hartland's illustrations accompany a discourse that shows how a single pivotal moment in Cleveland's history led to a nation-wide movement and world-wide changes, providing readers ages 4-8 with a captivating, true story. 

April Pulley Sayre works with Jeff Sayre to present In Between (9781534487819, $18.99), which uses the animal kingdom to illustrate the feeling of being "in between" that all creatures experience, albeit in different ways. 

From creatures that "almost landed, but not yet" to those on the cusp of "holding tight/letting go," this uncertain stage of life development is powerfully rendered using a minimum of words and maximum visual impact. 

David Walker's The Not-So-Brave Little Lion (9781481443470, $18.99) gives readers ages 4-8 the warm story of Little Lion and his friend Bird, who are too scared and small to play with anyone bigger. If only they were big, too! 

Little Lion comes into his own special strength when his bird friend needs help in this gentle story of courage and ability. 

Taeeun Yoo's Love Makes a Garden Grow (9781534442863, $18.99) gives kids ages 4-8 a warm story of a little girl and her grandfather who bond over a lovely garden until Grandfather is forced to move and the girl also moves away. 

What can still connect them over distance and changed circumstances? A garden, of course ... even though it becomes very different. This beautiful story of growth and change evolves a positive message. 

Robin Page's Shall We Dance? (9781665916059, $18.99) tells of animals that dance, from leaping mudskippers and flagging frogs to clapping walruses and tangoing scorpions. 

Animal facts are presented in a dance of life that will intrigue, educate, and attract young readers interested in all kids of animal habits. 

I'm a Great Friend! by Lauren Stohler (9781655918336, $18.99) tells of an adventurous capybara who thinks he is a good friend, but faces the reality that he's the only one without birds perched on his back. His antics either drive away friendship possibilities or lead him to be ignored. How can his friendship be recognized as the attraction he knows it can be? A thought-provoking story evolves. 

The board book Lake Life With You, written by Cindy Jin (9781665935142, $7.99), is a lovely celebration of nature that read-aloud adults will want to use to introduce the very young to the attractions of the outdoors. 

Gorgeous illustrations by Andrés Landazábal provide the colorful reinforcement of lake life and togetherness that makes for a dual attraction. 

Cyndi Marko's Gilly's Monster Trap (9781655907552, $18.99) will reach ages 4-8 with the inviting story of a monster that threatens Lighthouse Bay, and the little girl who determines to capture him. 

Gilly enlists the help of the townspeople to trap this menace, but the surprise that evolves changes everything. 

Drew Beckmeyer's I Am A Tornado (9781655916745, $18.99) anthropomorphizes Tornado, who is good at spinning up trouble. Is Tornado upset about how others view him? You bet he is. 

His view of himself as powerful and limitless receives closer inspection and new revelations in this delightful story. 

Jessie Sima's Weather Together (9781665916981, $18.99) returns friends Nimbus and Kelp to young reader attention as the flying pig and unicorn fill their lives and friendship with rainbows. The only problem is that Nimbus can't maintain her positive attitude like her friend does. Sometimes, she's simply cloudy. 

Maybe if she ignores her feelings, things will improve? 

Kids receive a fine picture book survey of friendships, feelings, and making clouds less frightening. 

All are highly recommended picks for discriminating picture book collections.