September 2022 Prime Picks
The
Culinary Corner
Persiana
Everyday
Sabrina Ghayour
Aster/Octopus Books
9781783255146
$34.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Persiana Everyday is recommended for home
cooks who want to attempt
their first Persian recipes via easy, trouble-free recipes that can be
made
quickly using modern methods and tools.
It
emphasizes that
these dishes are well within range of ordinary cooks who may hold
little
familiarity with Persian recipes, but want to introduce the cuisine to
their
families.
Some of
these dishes,
such as a Chorizo, Potato, Corn, Tomato & Onion Bake are
original creations
by Persian cook Sabrina Ghayour.
Others, such
as
Tomato & Tamarind Shrimp, are well steeped in Persian tradition
with
flavors such as harissa, fenugreek, and tamarind.
With color
photos on
every facing page, these dishes need only access to a well-stocked
market and
an interest in reproducing Persian food at home in order to prove both
successful and family-friendly.
Delicious
Disney
Pam Brandon, Marcy
Carriker Smothers & The Disney Chefs
Disney Press
9781368068239
$35.00
www.disneybooks.com
Delicious Disney: Recipes & Stories from
the Most Magical Place on
Earth will be an attractive delight for two audiences: cooks,
and those who
love Disneyland.
Some might
wonder
what these hold in common, but this book represents a satisfying
marriage
between two seemingly disparate topics, providing anecdotes about
Disney that
accompany some sixty dishes which have been served in the resort and
tested for
home chefs.
Those who
have
visited Disneyland and who cultivate an ongoing interest in its special
flavors
and culture will relish such easy recipes as a bacon, cheese and
beer-laden
Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup and Pan-Seared Sustainable Golden Tilefish.
Recipes
receive
facing pages of full-color photos, and the format and print are easy on
the eye,
making Delicious Disney accessible
to
all ages. The result is a delicious cookbook with an inviting
difference that
will find its way into the homes and hearts of Disney enthusiasts of
all ages.
The Weekend
Cook
Angela Hartnett
Bloomsbury
9781472975010
$35.00
www.bloomsbury.com
The Weekend Cook: Good Food for Real Life
profiles a hundred
recipes for home entertainment that come from a popular UK chef who
shares her
fare with her fans. It's an especially timely item of choice for these
pandemic
years, when cooks are returning to home entertainment and are looking
for
dishes that appeal to family and friends.
From
Forgotten
Carrots laced with cardamom and anise to a "Street Party" chapter
featuring such fare as Scotch Eggs, Sausage Rolls, and Lemon Butterfly
Cakes,
readers will appreciate not only tested recipes that promise the most
flavor
for the least amount of effort, but the wealth of color photos of not
just
finished dishes, but family and friends' celebrations.
The result
is a
plethora of good ideas for unique fare that can easily adapt to home
entertainment, making The Weekend Cook
highly recommended for any culinary library seeking an especially
attractive addition
to their collection.
Reviewer's Choice
A Gypsy in
Auschwitz
Otto Rosenberg
Monoray/Octopus
Publishing
9781800961128
$12.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
A Gypsy in Auschwitz: How I Survived the Horrors of
the 'Forgotten
Holocaust' presents the memoir of a Berlin resident who
arrived in
Auschwitz at age 15, and who survived illness, death threats, and
impossible
conditions to tell his story.
Unique to
this memoir
(which sets it apart from most other Holocaust accounts) is the fact
that Otto
was part of a community of Sinti and Roma families torn apart by the
war.
These ethnic
groups
and their suffering too often remain untold, which is why this account
of a
Sinti boy's survivor is so important to add to any library strong in
Holocaust
literature. It's one of the few to explore events of the Sinti/Roma
Holocaust.
Persecuted
for racial
reasons, the stories of this group are often omitted from Holocaust
libraries.
While many
of the
horrors will sound familiar, the overlay of ethnic community concerns
and
experiences sets this apart from the usual Holocaust memoir. It makes A Gypsy in Auschwitz of special
historical importance for those who would realize that the Nazi
atrocities and
racial prejudices affected far more than the Jewish population alone.
Lethal Tides
Catherine Musemeche
William Morrow
9780062991690
$28.99
www.harpercollins.com
Lethal Tides: Mary Sears and the Marine Scientists
Who Helped win World
War II should be in any collection strong in marine science
history,
women's achievements, and World War II history. It represents a
synthesis of
these subjects as it explores the untold story of a woman and team of
scientists who pioneered oceanographic intelligence methods that
changed the nature
of naval war strategies during World War II. Thanks to Mary Sears, the
war in
the Pacific was fought using not just military strategy, but science.
Sears and
her team
played a major role in helping the U.S. achieve victories, but the
specifics of
their involvement relied on declassified intelligence reports, as well
as the
memories of Sears and her colleagues, in order to produce this book.
From
oceanographic
science applications to military oceanography's growth, Lethal
Tides is a lively, fact-packed survey highly recommended for
military, history, science, and women's biography library collections.
Lost Places
Heribert Niehues
Schiffer Publishing
9780764363948
$34.99
www.schifferbooks.com
Lost Places: Images of Bygone America
provides a visual exploration
of the ghost towns, cultural icons, gas stations, and relics of a
changing
country. It provides full color, full-page interior and exterior shots
of
abandoned places across America.
These
evocative
images are accompanied by commentary that places these scenarios in the
larger
context of changes to American countryside and values: "Until
the 1970s, efficient family farms predominated in American
agriculture. Local specialization created regions where the cultivation
of
certain plant varieties dominated, a form of agriculture that hardly
exists any
longer. Today the hallmark of US agriculture is maximizing profits from
single-crop farming...Small farms did not survive this structure
change, and
their agricultural fields were taken out of production...This 1952 Ford
F1
pickup is all that remains of a small family farm likely abandoned in
the
1960s."
Lost Places: Images of Bygone America is
recommended not just for
arts libraries strong in social photographic history, but for
collections featuring
social issues and the changing face of America.
Managing the
Climate
Crisis
Jonathan Barnett and
Matthijs Bouw
Island Press
9781642832006
$35.00
www.islandpress.org
Managing the Climate Crisis: Designing and Building
for Floods, Heat,
Drought, and Wildfire is recommended for libraries strong in
architecture
and urban design topics. It melds both into a discussion of adapting
human
construction to withstand the throes of climate change, and is written
by two
design and planning experts who examine not just structural choices,
but the political
policies guiding urban and environmental design.
Chapters
consider the
nature of building human habitations in different environments, from
coasts and
rivers to inland areas. Their focus on cities and urban planning
creates an
examination that traverses the U.S., making for a survey that covers
everything
from freshwater management and irrigation to designing to separate
people from lands
subject to wildfires by fostering low-ignition zones.
Libraries
strong in
urban design and planning, climate change analysis, and adaptation for
future
health and safety will find the practical, wide-ranging approach of Managing the Climate Crisis to be
satisfyingly specific.
Young Adult/Children
American Desi
Joyoto Rajan Gopal
Little, Brown
9780316705301
$18.99
www.hbgusa.com
American Desi is the story of a child
whose Indian heritage influences
her life in America. It provides picture book readers with a lively
discussion
of biculturalism and Indian heritage that contrasts her life in the
U.S. with
the wellsprings of her cultural connections.
Is she
American, or
Indian?
A rollicking
rhyme
blends with colorful illustrations by Supriya Kelkar to bring Jyoti
Rajan
Gopal's story to life with the bright colors and culture that comprises
India.
Any child
who comes
from other ethnic roots and wants a sense of how they fit into
America's
melting pot will find American Desi
revealing and positive as it asks "What
is the color of me?"
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewickpress.com
Four new
picture book
stories are top recommendations from Candlewick Press. They deserve
prominent
display in elementary-level picture book collections, but are
especially
recommended for adults seeking read-aloud winners.
Frann
Preston-Grannon's The Bad Day
(9781536223781, $18.99) tells of a host of animals who each are
experiencing a
bad day—at the same time.
All of them
have
problems, but the biggest of all is Mousy, who is inside Fox's belly.
How can
animals
already besieged by their own woes rescue poor Mousy? Whatever will
they do?
The fun
story comes
with a lesson about helping self and others, and is reinforced by
whimsical
animal drawings that attract young reader attention with color.
Parents who
choose The Bad Day for read-aloud
also have the
perfect opportunity to explore bad days and helping others as they
interact
with their young listeners.
Bethany
Christou's Nervous Nigel
(9781536223866, $18.99) is
also recommended for read-aloud enlightenment and picture book
libraries alike.
Nigel the
crocodile comes
from a line of champion swimmers and achievers. It makes sense that he
also
loves to swim and is attracted to water, but there's one problem. Nigel
hates
the competitions that attract his other family members, leading to
their fame.
He doesn't
want to
disappoint them or stymie their hopes for his own swimming success, but
competitions really aren't his thing.
How can he
support
both his family and his own innate sense of how he wants to lead his
life?
Fun drawings
accompany a dilemma adults will want to discuss with the very young.
Marianne
McShane's The Fog Catcher's Daughter
(9781536211306, $18.99) receives lovely illustrations by Alan Marks as
it
presents the story of an enchanted fairy isle and a yearly charge at
midsummer to
row to Linashee to collect the magic in the island's fog.
Daughter
Eily only
realizes her father's protective charm is missing after he sets sail
for the
island. Can she enter the storm-tossed seas to save him?
A fun,
magical tale
evolves, filled with adventure and attraction.
All are top
picks for
read-aloud adults looking for adventure and enlightening discussion
points
about personal empowerment against all odds.
Gaby's Latin
American
Kitchen
Gaby Melian
America's Test
Kitchen
9781954210264
$22.99
www.americanstestkitchencom
Adults who
regularly
look for outstanding cookbooks well know that America's Test Kitchen's
results
are virtually foolproof, as each recipe presented is vetted by their
culinary
team.
That's one
reason why
Gaby's Latin American Kitchen is
recommended over other children's cookbooks as a fine illustration of
what kids
can accomplish in the kitchen.
Another
reason is
that competing Latin America cookbooks for kids tend to focus on
elementary-level
basics alone. These 70 kid-tested, kid-approved recipes take the next
step in
introducing kids to a wider range Latin American flavors that are
child-friendly.
From Guiso
de
Lentejas (Lentil Stew) to Tostones Con Mojo de Anjo (Fried Green
Plantains with
Garlic Dipping Sauce), recipes are geared to advanced elementary to
middle
school grades, and are accompanied by color photos of completed dishes
to add
attraction.
The
directions are
broken down into "Ready!," "Set!," and "Go!" to
further the sense of attraction and adventure created by lively
descriptions of
the dishes.
Penguin Books
www.penguin.com/kids
Six new
picture books
are highly recommended picks for libraries looking for lasting lending
value.
Each holds a winning combination of attractive illustrations and
discussions
which not only entertain kids, but help them understand life
experiences.
Maya
Tatsukawa's Sunday Pancakes
(9780593406632, $17.99)
focuses on comfort food and encourages young chefs to try making their
own
pancakes, providing a child-friendly recipe at the end of a story about
enjoying
pancakes for breakfast.
A series of
kitchen
escapades evolves as the animal chefs try to make pancakes without
making a
mess.
Their fun
interactions highlight a story of achievement that both entertains and
encourages kids to enter the kitchen.
Zadie Smith
and Nick
Laird's The Surprise
(9780593525975,
$17.99) receives fun drawings by Magenta Fox as it introduces Maud, a
guinea
pig who wears a judo suit and who is Kit's birthday present.
She's an odd
standout
in the animal and pet world, and doesn't quite fit in. But she sports a
special
vision of life that teaches Kit new ideas.
The fun
story is
engaging both pictorially and for its lessons about life, differences,
and
strengths.
Nadiya
Hussain's Today I'm Strong
(9780593625944, $17.99)
is about tapping one's inner strength. It receives intriguing
illustrations by
Ella Bailey as it considers a little girl's fear of a too-busy
schoolyard which
contains not just fun, but mean bullying.
With an
invisible
tiger by her side, the little girl discovers how she can believe in
herself and
cultivate courage against all odds.
Gillian
Sze's You Are My Favorite Color
(9780593203101, $17.99) celebrates brown skin and Fall with lyrical
descriptions
as it centers on a mother's celebration of her child's brown skin.
Nina Mata
provides
the winning, cheerful illustrations that support this mother's
discussions with
her children, while the lyrical first-person language especially lends
to
read-aloud: "I will gather you in my
arms and say that when I look really, really closely at you, I can spy
warm
flecks of precious gold."
Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This County
by Kelly Yang
(9780593462055, $18.99) enjoys colorful illustrator support as it
provides a
picture book history of key Asian American achievers.
Kids
interested in
change-makers and their dreams will find its focus on contemporary
figures
enlightening, especially since each discussion is illustrated by a
different
renowned Asian American or Asian artist.
The result
is
encouraging ("For we can be
ANYTHING. All we have to do is dream it."), and is highly
recommended
for adult read-aloud, child leisure reader pursuit, and biographical
study.
Anna
Dewdney's Ilama Llama Back to School
(9780593352441, $18.99) excels in vibrant, colorful art as it explores
young
Llama's end of summer and back to school experiences.
No! Summer
can't be
over so soon! The little llama is horrified.
But Mama
Llama is
wise, and makes the specter of returning to school a fun proposition.
Youngsters
who resist
the idea of returning to school will find much to appreciate in this
story of a
little llama that looks for the positives in life experiences, and the
wise
mother who guides him to them.
Random
House/Knopf/Doubleday
www.rhcbooks.com
Five new
picture book
titles are top picks from this publisher, offering bright, original
stories
suitable for read-aloud and young reader pursuit.
First up is
Gideon
Sterer's The Disappearing Mr. Jacques
(9780525579410, $17.99), a study in entertainment follies illustrated
by
Benjamin Ghaud.
Mr. Jacques
is a
magician. He can perform unprecedented tricks. Nobody finds him on the
first
try. But, as this story unfolds, young readers learn about blurring,
wedging,
hiding, and trickery.
Read-aloud
parents
will delight in the opportunity to embellish action words
("Thrump—Thrump—Thrump" or "Swish—Swish—Swish"), while
youngsters will appreciate a whimsical story filled with humor and an
invitation to see the world in a different way.
Suzanne
Slade's The New Kid Welcome/Welcome the New
Kid
(9780593426326, $17.99) presents two sides to one story in a survey
illustrated
by Nicole Miles.
Two
approaches are
covered in the process of welcoming a new kid, each offering a
different
outcome. One discusses resenting someone different; the other tells of
students
who discover that being welcoming leads to new opportunities.
Adults who
use this
contrast to start discussions about friendships, tolerance, and
inclusion will
find The New Kid Welcome/Welcome the New
Kid an engrossing survey that lends to enlightenment.
Carrie
Finison and
Erin Kraan's Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time
for School! (9780593305669, $17.99) tells of a little
tortoise determined
to be on time for her first day.
The only
trouble is
that she is slower than her classmates, and prone to getting lost.
Should she
arrive late, or just give up?
It takes a
concerned
adult to help her not only get to school, but accept the method in
which she
moves through the world. This is a gentle lesson adults can use to
teach the
very young about time management, independence, and different abilities.
The World's Longest Licorice Rope by Matt
Myers (9780593180013,
$17.99) offers the fun story of a boy who tries to get the most out of
a
five-cent licorice rope, which is the longest in the world and brings
him on
many unexpected journeys.
Travel can
be
expensive, but somehow the rope overcomes the world's tendency to
charge a
nickel for every crossing or adventure.
Whimsical
fun permeates
the tale of a boy who is approaching the end of his rope in a different
manner.
The story lends to read-aloud as well as individual reading, and will
delight
all ages with its unexpected world encounters and the possibilities in
a
licorice rope and a determined boy who sets out to make the most of it.
Everything In Its Place: A Story of Books and
Belonging
(9780593378823, $17.99) by Pauline David-Sax receives engaging
illustrations by
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow as it surveys the life of a shy girl who
chooses the
library over interpersonal interactions.
Her
perspective on
life changes when she encounters members of a women's motorcycle club
at her
mother's diner and comes to realize that even though she is different,
she
doesn't have to hide.
Those who
love books
and reading over making friends will find much food for thought in this
picture
book story's survey of the connections created by diverse people with
shared
special interests.
All are highly recommended acquisitions for libraries and read-aloud adults alike.