May 2020 Prime Picks
The Arts
Streetwise:
35 years
of Politically Charged Guerrilla Art
Robbie Conal
Schiffer Publishing
9780764359088
$45.00
www.schifferbooks.com
Streetwise: 35 years of Politically Charged
Guerrilla Art places
all the images from Robbie Conal's poster campaigns under one cover,
profiling
his satire, social commentary, and the artistic expertise that turned
his
caricatures of famous personalities into commentaries about social
injustice
and life.
This volume
represents
more than a survey of his life and works, however. It covers the topic
of
guerrilla art history and its underlying messages, imparting both
positive
encouragements and critical observations as it offers insights on
commissioned
and independent art ventures, art's connection to social change, and
art's
lasting impact on fellow artists, the art world, and society as a whole.
Streetwise: 35 years of Politically Charged
Guerrilla Art is an
involving survey that links politics to artistic expression in a
powerful survey
designed to interest arts and social issues holdings alike.
The
Culinary Corner
America's
Test
Kitchen
www.americastestkitchen.com
Two
excellent new
cookbooks are top recommendations for cooks seeking both tested recipes
that
are foolproof and added insights into why these particular recipes
resulted in
superior fare over competitors.
Alicia A.
Romano, MS,
RD, CNSC works with the staff of America's Test Kitchen in Easy Everyday Keto: Healthy Kitchen-Perfected
Recipes
(9781848703123, $24.99) to provide both new keto dishes and reinvented
fare
that is healthier and more flavorful than competing keto or non-keto
dishes.
From Italian
Eggplant
Rolls made with ground pork, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses
and
spices to Pan-Seared Salmon with Cucumber-Ginger Relish, each
presentation reviews
why the recipe works and documents the testing process's successes and
failures, providing nutrition information for each dish. A facing page
of color
photos accompanies each easy recipe.
Home cooks
looking
for professional-quality cooking techniques tailored to their abilities
will
relish the learning opportunity in 100
Techniques: Master a Lifetime of
Cooking Skills, From Basic to Bucket List (978194526936,
$40.00), in effect,
a culinary school in a book which profiles such techniques as sautéing,
braising,
using aquafaba to give body and structure to a dish, and even making
tortillas
without a tortilla press.
Step-by-step
color
photos accompany each technique, which is enhanced with supporting
recipes and
color photos of completed dishes.
100 Techniques is a winning guide to
professional-quality
techniques that home cooks will find both easy to absorb and an
essential key
to producing consistently good fare.
Both are
cookbooks
that deserve a spot in any culinary library or home cook's learning
guides.
Coast to
Coast
Cookery
Marian Tracy, Editor
Indiana University
Press
9780253047106
$20.00
www.iupress.indiana.edu
Coast to Coast Cookery gathers the best
regional fare from across
the country and is a top recommendation above and beyond other regional
American cookbooks because it juxtaposes new fare with older classics
from the
mid-century from a number of different cultures. These dishes have
become
staples in their area, yet some may have relatively little audience
beyond
their area of origin.
A New York
Cranberry-Apple Punch, for example, features fresh cranberries combined
with
apple juice, frozen pineapple cubes, and club soda, while a Tennessee
Po'K Chop
Casserole with lima beans, tomatoes, and pork chops reflects a Northern
or
possibly Creole influence, and a classic Michigan Celery Relish
presents a
staple for many dishes.
The
state-by-state
arrangement makes it easy to locate dishes specific to each area, while
notes
on how each region developed its own distinctive cookery will delight
those who
look for background about the dishes they choose.
The pairing
of
historical and culinary insights with recipes specific to each state's
evolution is simply exquisite.
Fresh Island
Style
Alicia Rountree
Rizzoli
9780847864232
$45.00
www.rizzoli.com
Fresh Island Style: Casual Entertaining and
Inspirations from a
Tropical Place comes from a model, wellness expert, and
swimwear designer
who grew up on the island of Mauritius. Here, she provides a casual
seaside
emphasis on entertaining that pairs recipes with the fresh fruits and
vegetables of her island kitchen and home.
Swimwear is
displayed
by the cook in full-page color photos that also include home interiors,
fresh ingredients,
and complete dishes. These are accompanied by recipes for unique fare
such as a
Young Okra Salad made with apple cider vinegar, cilantro, red onion,
young okra,
and lemon juice, or a Papaya bread filled with raisins, rum, and ripe
papaya.
The island
images are
colorful and refreshingly different, adding a fun perspective to a
cookbook
that is appealing and highly recommended, especially for
wellness-oriented
cooks interested in tropical ingredients and different approaches to
using them.
Science, Nature & Technology
The Cat: A
Natural
and Cultural History
Sarah Brown
Princeton University
Press
9780691183732
$27.95
www.press.princeton.edu
The Cat: A Natural and Cultural History
is an inviting introduction
to cats around the world and provides a survey of domestic pets that
considers
their different attributes, breeds, behaviors, and natural history.
A
photographic
dictionary of some forty breeds is only one visual embellishment of the
many in
this book, which range from vintage black and white illustrations to
contemporary color photos.
From genetic
dispositions, solitary and group makeups, and interactions between cats
and
people to different kinds of cat adaptability patterns, The
Cat is a cheerful blend of history, natural history, and
science that will delight anyone with an interest in cats large or
small.
The Falcon
Thief
Joshua Hammer
Simon & Schuster
9781501191886
$26.00
www.simonandschuster.com
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure,
Treachery, and the Hunt for
the Perfect Bird is a crime thriller and nature story that
covers falcons,
poaching, and the business of protecting birds.
It follows a
smuggler
who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors and the detective
who
tracked him down, documenting both this story of poaching and the
issues
involved in illicit trading in wildlife.
From
confrontations
between wildlife authorities and poachers to counterterrorist, legal,
and
international efforts to contain wildlife poachers, and the impact of
their
work, this true crime adventure is reviewed here because it will be of
interest
to anyone concerned about wildlife management and preservation.
The Real
James Bond
Jim Wright
Schiffer Publishing
9780764359026
$24.99
www.schifferbooks.com
The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity
Theft, Avian Intrigue,
& Ian Fleming is a 'must' read for any fan of the
Bond movies or writer
Ian Fleming's creation, offering an intriguing real story of an
ornithologist
whose life mimicked Bond's world, in many ways. Thus, it's also highly
recommended
for an audience who may be unused to literary books or popular movies
being on
their radar: science and nature enthusiasts.
Ornithologist
James
Bond published a landmark book about birds of the West Indies, not
suspecting
that his endeavors would lead to his becoming linked with the name of a
famous
spy.
In a case of
clear
identity theft, Bond was to find his life pursuit linked to Fleming's
efforts
in a most unusual way.
The Real James Bond is an outstanding
survey of these events and is
a thoroughly engrossing read packed with color photos throughout. It
will
interest not just Bond and Fleming fans, but science and nature history
enthusiasts.
The Starship
and the
Canoe
Kenneth Brower
Mountaineer Books
9781680512786
$18.95
www.mountaineersbooks.org
It's a
pleasure to
see that the 1978 original publication The
Starship and the Canoe has not only survived the test of
time, but has
gained a new foreword by Neal Stephenson, who applauds its lovely blend
of
biography and science.
The Starship and the Canoe explores the
father-son relationship
between Freeman Dyson, an astrophysicist who dreamed of exploring space
and
designed a nuclear-powered spaceship to bring him there, and his high
school
dropout genius son George, who lives in a tree house and designs his
own
alternative transport in the form of a kayak to explore Alaska.
Kenneth
Brower knew
father and son, and here describes and contrasts their disparate lives
and
visions in a lovely story that connects science to wilderness and
environmental
issues.
The Starship and the Canoe was
outstanding over thirty years ago,
and its appearance in a new edition for modern audiences should be
applauded
and noted.
Reviewer's Choice
Beaming Up
and
Getting Off
Walter Koenig
Jacobs/Brown Press
9781733605342
$29.95
www.jacobsbrownmediagroup.com
Beaming Up and Getting Off is a memoir by
the Star Trek actor which
follows his childhood during World War II, his youth, and his path to
becoming
the iconic Ensign Pavel Chekov on Star Trek.
It will
especially
fascinate and is recommended for prior 'Trekkies' who have
autobiographies of
most of the other actors. They will find this survey of Koenig's life
before,
during, and after Star Trek to be revealing and thoroughly engrossing.
As he
assesses the
evolution of his acting career and its various challenges, readers will
find
delightful and often surprising the myriad of journeys that Koenig
experienced
throughout the course of his life.
Beaming Up and Getting Off is highly
recommended for avid Trekkies
who want to know more about Koenig's overall life as well as his Star
Trek
experience.
The
Caregiver's
Encyclopedia
Muriel R. Gillick, MD
Johns Hopkins
University Press
9781421433585
$22.95
www.press.jhu.edu
The Caregiver's Encyclopedia: A Compassionate Guide
to Caring for Older
Adults should be on the reading list of any family caregiver,
and comes
from a leading expert in caring for aging adults.
Dr.
Gillick's survey
covers health-care system options and operations; various settings and
levels
of care; the methods used to evaluate health issues; common treatments
for typical
ailments affecting the elderly; and how to monitor chronic conditions.
Chapters are
easy for
busy caregivers to absorb, offering highlighted topics within each that
lend to
quick scanning for pertinent information. There are many insider tips
on how medical
staff operates and how to make the most of the medical community's
support
system by asking the right questions.
No caregiver
should
be without the invaluable medical insider's tips offered in The Caregiver's Encyclopedia—information
that otherwise all too often comes from trial and error.
Hidden San
Francisco
Chris Carlsson
Pluto Press
9780745340944
www.plutobooks.com
At first a
California
reader might wonder at the need for yet another coverage of the City,
but Hidden San Francisco: A Guide to Lost
Landscapes, Unsung Heroes & Radical Histories is a
standout in
historical San Francisco literature, surveying its underground artistic
venues,
industries, prehistory, and more to cover all the influences that have
shaped modern
San Francisco.
Though other
books
focus on some of the same topics, Chris Carlsson juxtaposes them to
create a
lively survey of the City's evolving social and political structure.
Readers
receive much more than a rehash of facts, with many lesser-known
influencers
included that expose San Francisco's evolutionary process as a whole.
Information
from
historical memoirs, details about key figures who helped shape the
city, and
explorations of little-known events contribute to a book that is lively
and
informative, and a 'must' for anyone interested in San Francisco's
lesser-known
history.
Young Adult/Children
As It Is in
Heaven
Eric Puybaret
Eerdmans Books
9780802855381
$17.99
www.eerdmans.com/youngreaders
As It Is in Heaven: A Collection of Prayers for All
Ages takes
classic Christian prayers from thousands of years of faith writings and
pairs
them with art to invite young readers to discover new meanings in
prayers which
will likely already be familiar to them.
Take "Our
Father'. This prayer receives the facing page of a man and child on a
cliff
overlooking the water, with cloudy skies above them. This impression of
weather, nature, and the man and boy who entreat God to keep them safe
creates
an inviting review of the words of this most basic of prayers.
Prayers come
from
various sources, as in the 'Prayer for Peace' attributed to saint
Francis of
Assisi.
These
gorgeous images
and prayer combinations make for an inviting collection especially
recommended
for adult/child spiritual discussions.
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewick.com
Four new
picture
books each offer young readers a combination of gorgeous drawings and
involving
plots and themes designed to capture the eye, attention, and interest
of a wide
age range.
Mary
Murphy's What I Like Most
(9781536209402 $16.99)
holds lovely drawings by Zhu Cheng-Liang and explores a little girl's
view from
her window and the things both inside and outside her home that bring
her joy.
From apricot
jam on
toast to shoes with bright lights that flash, she observes daily
delights and
acknowledges that things change. Things will disappear and priorities
will
shift, but right now "it is what I like most in the world." This
story about appreciating the present holds an important message for all
ages.
David
Elliott's In the Woods
(9780763697839, $17.99)
receives gorgeous drawings by Rob Dunlavey and provides a companion
volume to In the Sea, In the Wild, and On
the Farm.
It pairs Elliott's lovely poems with beautiful, colorful forest animal
art in a
celebration of nature that invites the young to observe its signs.
From 'The
Scarlet
Tanager' which captures the flash of red that heralds spring's arrival
to the
threatening hornet which actually is intent on avoiding people rather
than
stinging them, these poems both capture the creatures under observation
and
provide natural history insights.
Kids will be
attracted by the compelling drawings and will learn from the
observational,
light poems.
Julies
Howard's Bones: An Inside Look at the Animal
Kingdom
(9781536210415, $19.99) also enjoys gorgeous illustrations. Chervelle
Fryer
provides lovely visual embellishments which include animals and their
skeleton
figures, accompanying information about skeletal makeups and how the
different
animals move through their environments.
From
discussions of
how bones hold weight and are flexible to those used in flight, in
tree-dwelling
animals, and in running, young readers with good reading skills will
find this
'inside look' at the animal kingdom to be compelling and fun.
Christine
Dorion's Darwin's Rival: Alfred Russel
Wallace and
the Search for Evolution (9781536209327, $24.99) is an
oversized, lovely
picture book biography of Alfred Russel Wallace's world travels and
naturalist
discoveries, which happened before his friend and rival simultaneously
evolved
his theory of natural selection.
Maps,
drawings of
boats, descriptions of explorations in the rainforest and other
environments,
and discussions of how information was disseminated all require good
reading
skills, but the lively tone and information will delight both kids and
adults who
may hold some prior familiarity with Darwin but none about Wallace.
All four
books are
highly recommended picks for discriminating collections.
Peachtree
Publishing
www.peachtree-online.com
Four lovely
new books
will attract young readers with captivating illustrations and unique
stories.
Jim
Helmore's Paper Planes
(9781682631614, $17.99)
reaches kids ages 4-8 with a fine story of best friends Mia and Ben,
who share
a love for making paper planes. Both dream of making one that will fly
across
the lake they both live on.
But when Ben
discovers his family is moving, how can he stay friends with Mia, much
less
fulfill this shared effort? A lovely story of long-distance friendships
receives fine illustrations by Richard Jones.
Cathryn
Sill's Curious About Birds
(9781682631904,
$6.99) enjoys exceptionally lovely illustrations by John Sill. It
provides ages
2-6 with a board book from a wildlife illustrator who explores very
basic bird
facts.
The very
young will
be captivated by these gorgeous illustrations.
Leslie
Bulion's Amphibian Acrobats
(9781682630983,
$15.99) for ages 8-12 receives zany drawings by Robert Meganck which
enhance a
science survey of various amphibians and their special abilities.
While the
drawings
are fun and are designed to attract attention, the science is solid and
educational, adding humor to specific focuses on creatures such as the
Strawberry Poison Frog of central America, 'living statues' like the
Rough-Skinned
Newt and Yellow-Eyed Ensatina, and the Australian Desert Spadefoot Toad.
Kashmira
Sheth's Feast of Peas
(9781682631355, $17.99)
enjoys attractive, fun illustrations by Jeffrey Ebbeler which bring to
life a
mystery set in India that revolves around food, friendship, and
gardening
efforts.
Vanishing
peas and
clever thieves make for a whimsical creation that holds some unexpected
fun.
All are
outstanding
picture books that kids and their read-aloud parents will appreciate.
Penguin
Putnam
www.penguin.com
Three new
picture
books provide youngsters with fine reads that will also appeal to
read-aloud
parents looking for superior drawings and interesting new story lines.
Ben
Gundersheimer
(Mister G) and Noar Lee Naggan's Lilah
Tov Good Night (9781524740665, $17.99) follows a family's
journey to a new
home.
Their little
girl
observes nature along the lay, says 'lilah tov' (good night) to
creatures from
different worlds, and wishes everything well—even the bats in their
caves.
Gorgeous
full-page
drawings lend to a bedtime story that celebrates nature in a lovely
journey
towards sleep.
Gianna
Marino's Night Animals Need Sleep Too
(9780425290651, $17.99) reveals a sleepy possum who can't go to bed
because it's
too bright, and he can't find his usual dark and quiet place to sleep.
He tries
various
places (a cave, a tree, a wolf den) but finds none of them acceptable
despite
the help of his friends. It's a fun story of adversity and creative
thinking.
Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story
by Maria Gianferrari
(9780399548420, $16.99) receives lovely drawings by Jonathan Voss, who
brings
to life these gorgeous owl haiku poems.
One might
not expect
action and adventure from haiku, nor an exploration of owl natural
history, but
these are all features of a lovely survey highly recommended for young
poetry
and natural history readers alike.
Two books
for
advanced elementary to middle grade readers offer stories that leisure
readers
will appreciate.
Brian
McCann's Wannabe Farms
(9781524793005, $18.99) is
a fun visual collection of poems and animal adventures that pairs rhyme
with
fanciful discussions of animals who aspire to be more than just
barnyard
residents.
This
whimsical approach
to comedy will appeal to advanced elementary to early middle grades as
it
explores a world in which pigs try to live like humans, sheep desire to
become
barbers, and cows build their own car.
Two-color
drawings by
Meghan Lands enhance the zany circumstances described by McCann.
Sally
Gardner's Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Blue Moon
(9780593095164, $16.99) tells of a secret island, a little girl who
meets a
mysterious tiger, and a quest that involves them both.
Nick Maland
provides
drawings that follow the blue text descriptions of their journey and
evolving
relationship in a fun read kids will find captivating.
Race to the
Sun
Rebecca Roanhorse
Disney Hyperion
9781368024662
$16.99
www.DisneyBooks.com
Race to the Sun tells of seventh grader
Nizhoni Begay, who is able
to detect monsters masquerading as ordinary people. Her latest insight
is her
dad's new boss, who is strangely interested in their family and Navajo
heritage.
When her
father
vanishes after admonishing them to run, the siblings and their friend
embark on
a rescue mission that tests their heritage, special abilities, and
friendships
in a journey that faces more than monsters.
As the story
moves
through family interactions and struggles to a rescue mission that
seems
impossible, it provides engrossing insights to readers interested in
fantasy
adventures that hold underlying social and family messages.
The story is
refreshingly original, unexpected, and hard to put down.
Sleeping
Bear Press
www.sleepingbearpress.com
Four new
titles from
Sleeping Bear Press are outstanding leisure choices that read-aloud
parents and
young new readers can equally enjoy.
Fly, Firefly! by Shana Keller
(9781534110335, $16.99) will reach
ages 4-8 and is inspired by naturalist Rachel Carlson. It follows a
little
firefly's journey when the wind carries him out to sea and he confuses
the
bioluminescence in the water for other fireflies.
Carson
experienced
this real observation. This story provides a lovely take-off on her
encounter
from the perspective of a young girl who rescues the little lost
firefly.
Barbara
Joosse's Lulu & Rocky in Nashville
(9781534110656, $16.99) is illustrated by Renee Graef and provides the
third
book in the Our City Adventures series.
The fox duo
and their
penguin chaperone Pufferson provide a new escapade as they explore
country
music in Nashville and the various cultural attractions that city has
to offer.
Lively,
humorous
descriptions ("At the tippy-end of
the day, we do barbecue chicken wings and bowling at Pinewood Social.
Pufferson
falls in love with a bowling pin.") keep the story jolly and
fun as the
Nashville facts evolve.
Denise
Brennan-Nelson's Mae the Mayfly
(9781534110519, $16.99) is illustrated by Florence Weiser and advocates
making
the most of one's life, however long or short.
Mayflies
live their
lives in a single day. How can Mae cram in so much into so short a
period of
time?
Kids learn
not just
about the life cycle of a mayfly, but basics about mindfulness and
leading meaningful
lives as they absorb a blend of natural history and fun rhyme. Parents
who read
this book aloud with the very young will find it holds much opportunity
for
discussion and enlightenment.
Travel Guide for Monsters by Lori Degman
(9781534110373, $16.99) is
a fun guide to traveling through the nation's parks, monuments, and
attractions.
It's written in verse and paired with fun monster drawings by Dave Szalay which capture the ironies and intrigue of a road trip through the country, filled with 'cautions' about taking a monster along for a whirlwind car trip.