September 2024 Prime Picks
Reviewer's Choice
Reviewer's Choice
Abba All the
Songs
Benoît
Clerc
Cassell/Octopus
Publishing
9781788404822
$60.00
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Abba All the Songs: The Story Behind Every
Track is not for the casual reader,
but is a top recommendation for
authoritative pop music libraries and those that harbor a special and
deep
interest in the rock group Abba.
Such an
audience will
find this 528-page survey definitive. Its song-by-song, track-by-track
analysis
pairs black and white and color photos (some common, others rare) with
behind-the-scenes discussions of Abba’s evolution and albums. Its
length
represents decades of research.
Of course,
more than
a casual interest in either pop music history or Abba in particular is
required,
in order to appreciate this definitive volume. Libraries and readers
with such
an attraction will find the presentation definitive, lively, and packed
with
facts even avid Abba fans may not already know. All these elements make
Abba All the Songs a ‘must have’ for
anyone
seeking an in-depth history.
Beyond the
Selfie
Rosie Hardy
Ilex
9781781579381
$26.99
www.ilex.press
Beyond the Selfie: The Art of Self Portraiture in
the Digital Age
takes a step beyond the usual photographer’s general focus to narrow
attention
to the ever-popular selfie. Readers may not think this topic would
deserve an
entire book, but Rosie Hardy’s many explorations of how to move beyond
typical
and much-used selfie approaches to incorporate the basics of
neo-professional
self-portraiture is invaluable.
Chapters
cover
suitable locations, shooting lighting, aperture, and props,
incorporating
insights into body image in a selfie, and using the photo to tell a
story.
Hardy
employs the
first-person and her own experiences to bring technical advice to life,
adding
full-page color examples throughout that illustrate how to translate
one’s
personality and interests into a powerful photo.
Photographers
and
libraries interested in photographic art should consider Beyond
the Selfie essential for taking the step beyond amateur
self-portraiture into images that are far more effective and reflective.
Ghosts of
the British
Museum
Noah Angell
Monoray
9781800961340
$24.99
www.octopusbooks.co.uk
American
readers
might initially wonder at the applicability of the British-based Ghosts of the British Museum: A True Story
of Colonial Loot and Restless Objects, but its real value
lies in a
travelogue of spooky history that pairs supernatural overtones with
history,
travel, and true art crime.
All these
elements
give the story a rich undercurrent of attraction, whether readers are
coming
from an art world background, are interested in true crime, or are
planning
actual visits to British museums.
The
history/folklore
backdrop and blend holds vivid language, ghostly insights, and an
attraction
that will reach into general-interest library audiences as well as hose
with
specific attractions to British art history.
National
Geographic
www.natgeo.com
Three
gorgeous new
arrivals from National Geographic provides libraries and readers with
attractive
books that will widely appeal with high-quality and numerous color
photos and
attractive stories.
America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs (9781426223365, $19.99) packs in over 250 color images from National Geographic’s archives, takes a cross-country visual journey, and captures America’s well-known and lesser-covered attractions.
Historian
Jill Lepore’s accompanying introduction and commentary by various
citizens on all 50 states (plus six territories) beings to life the
vast human
and natural resources which comprise this nation.
Andrew
Nelson’s Here Not There: 100 Unexpected
Travel
Destinations (9781426222580, $30.00) focuses on destinations
well off the
typical tourist path.
These
include
choosing Lecce, Italy over the much busier and better known classic
Florence;
the unexpected theatre attractions to be experienced in Cleveland,
Ohio; and
the choice of Portugal’s Azore islands over overly-popular Hawaii.
It also
surveys major
attractions of other nations which typically don’t receive much
American
attention, such as the astounding ruins in Borobudur, Indonesia and the
amazing
memorial to love that is Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, India.
Each
attraction is
profiled as an alternative to more familiar and major attractions,
making it easy
to choose based on desired experience and undesirable crowds.
Packed with
color
photos, Here Not There shows that
adventure travel is not over-touristed and tapped out. Choosing
lesser-known
destinations that contrast well with more familiar options is a snap
with this
book in hand, which will appeal to libraries, armchair travelers, and
destination planners alike.
Sy
Montgomery’s Secrets of the Octopus
(9781426223723,$30.00) comes from an animal lover who has produced a
long line
of prior animal books on everything from pigs to birds.
Here Sy
tackles the
octopus, providing new science about its behavior and natural history
and
celebrating their variety and attraction. The incredible full-page
color photos
accompany equally vivid explorations of the octopus via stories and
encounters
that personalize their countenance and abilities.
Libraries
seeking an
octopus book that is contemporary in its science and thoroughly
appealing in
its language will find Secrets of the
Octopus an engaging acquisition—especially given the
increased interest in
the octopus by modern audiences.
A Recipe for
Every
Day of the Year
Francesca Huntingdon
Hamlyn
9780600638261
$24.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
A Recipe for Every Day of the Year: A Year of
Timeless, Seasonal and
Trusted Recipes is a seasonal celebration of key dates,
festivities, and
winning dishes which reinforce gatherings and fresh seasonal fare.
Over three
hundred
recipes embrace easy directions, sweet and savory dishes, and
international
influences, represented in such fair as Asian-fused Ginger Pork Chops,
Indian-jazzed Mango, Coconut & Lime Lassi, or an Indonesian
Gado Gado
Salad.
While some
dishes
will be familiar, others will be refreshingly different. What A Recipe for Every Day of the Year lacks
in photographic reinforcement is more than made up in the diversity of
dishes,
which will appeal to cooks and libraries seeking an appealingly novel,
diverse
year-round recipe collection.
The Romantic
Realist
Atlanta Bartlett
& Dave Coote
Mitchell Beazley
9781784729547
$39.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The Romantic Realist: Simple Homes With Soul
comes from two
designers who focus on adding elements of romance into their reworking
and
decorating approaches, applying minimalism to simplify its creation and
reinforcement in a home.
Full-page
color photo
examples back a discussion accompanied by insights on the environment,
locale,
and design intentions of each space. This approach gives students of
interior
design a wide range of discussions and examples of how minimalism and
romanticism can combine in the design world.
Students of
design as
well as arts libraries will want to include The
Romantic Realist for its wide-ranging discussions of how
different
approaches to design can be applied to a broad range of abodes and
atmospheric
intentions.
Young Adult/Children
The Book of
Bill
Disney Enterprises
Hyperion Avenue
9781368092203
$26.99
www.HyperionAvenueBooks.com
The Book of Bill is intended for mature
readers into adult circles.
It presents a highly illustrated, specialized form of graphic novel and
tells
of a demon that terrorizes Gravity Falls, who has returned to tell his
side of
the story.
Bill Cipher
leads
mature readers on a heady journey through riddles, ciphers,
considerations of
life and death, and mystery. Its intriguing premise and presentation
could
dismay Christian audiences; but most readers will appreciate the vivid
interactive potential of a story which represents a powerful blend of
demons,
intrigue, and colorful fantasy.
Detective
Catz and
the Missing Nut
Marjoke Henrichs
Scallywag Press Ltd.
9781915262715
$18.99
www.scallywagpress.com
Detective Catz and the Missing Nut is an
engaging picture book
story that tells of Catz, who loves playing detective and wants to be
one,
himself. His first case involves squirrel Flossy, who is missing her
biggest
and best nut, which she’d carefully hidden under the Big Tree.
Leisure
choices lure
him from his duty, but Detective Catz will not be dissuaded as he looks
for
clues and stumbles upon unexpected possibilities that have nothing (or
perhaps
everything) to do with his obsession.
Fun drawings
lend to an
appealing story that kids will find visually attractive and
thought-provoking.
Disney/Hyperion
www.disneybooks.com
Three new
arrivals
from Disney Publishing pair engaging illustrations with fun stories to
attract
elementary-level libraries and picture book readers alike.
Ryan T.
Higgins
delights with Penelope Rex and the
Problem with Pets (9781368089609, $18.99). Penelope doesn’t
have an
ordinary pet. She has Mittens, a toothy beast (think sabertooth) that
her wise
parents think will be a perfect match for her aggressive spirit.
The creative
fun evolves
from explanations that identify Penelope as anything but a typical pet
owner:
Penelope was surprised. She didn’t even know she
wanted a pet. Penelope
had talked a lot about ponies—but that was because they are delicious.
Even
read-aloud
adults will thoroughly enjoy Penelope’s pet dilemma, which are
hilariously
illustrated to provide an additional zany draw to all ages.
Keep Dancing Through: A Boss Family Groove
by TV personalities
Allison Holker Boss and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss (9781368092197, $18.99)
presents
a dancing family that enjoys their moves and one another.
Shellene
Wright
illustrates this story of dance, following a family’s groove through a
typical
day—and dance snafus.
As much a
celebration
of dance as it is a connection between movement and life experience
(whether it
be celebration, recovery and healing, or uniting over a joyful
endeavor), Keep Dancing Through is
a delightful tale
of how a family dances through whatever life brings.
Frank
Weber’s More Dung! A Beetle Tale
(9781368100083,
$18.99) tells of a dung beetle that is grateful for his environment—and
especially for dung.
He’s so
grateful that
he always wants more. To him, there can never be too much dung. Can
there?
Engaging
drawings of
the beetle’s obsession with dung accompanies a story that proves to be
about
much more than holding on too tightly and acquiring too much.
Read-aloud
parents will
find many underlying lessons here that can be illustrated during the
course of
an engaging adventure.
All are
exceptional
productions, highly recommended for discriminating readers and library
collections.
Hank Goes
Honk
Maudie Powell-Tuck
and Duncan Beedie
Tiger Tales
9781664300507
$18.99
www.tigertalesbooks.com
Hank Goes Honk is a tale of rudeness that
centers on the actions of
Hank, a very rude goose that thinks little about his impact on others
around
him.
Despite his
proclivity for alienating others, Hank is actually lonely for friends.
As the story
progressively chronicles Hank’s rude and alienating mannerisms, kids
receive an
engaging way of absorbing their own impact on the world and others
around
them—revelations which will be especially nicely enhanced by adult
read-aloud
participation in Hank’s discoveries.
I Am A
Potato!
Ziggy Hanaor
Cicada Books Ltd.
9781800660519
$16.99
www.cicadabooks.co.uk
I Am A Potato! is about an identity
crisis experienced by a little
mouse who is convinced that he is something he clearly is not.
Elliot
Kruszynski
provides simple yet engaging illustrations as a wise dog and cat try to
help
him resolve not only what he is not, but who he really is.
Parents
seeking to
help the very young understand their individual identities will find
this story
thought-provoking and fun.
Kingdoms of
Life
Carly Allen-Fletcher
Wm. B. Eerdmans
9780802855916
$18.99
www.eerdmans.com
Kingdoms of Life is a picture book for
ages 6-10 that represents
both Carly Allen-Fletcher’s personal passion for nature and science and
her
interest in presenting an engaging, colorful story attractive to
leisure readers
as well as students.
The topic of
animal
kingdoms can be confusing—but not in this title, which breaks down each
kingdom
and embeds it with artwork and facts. Her artistic approach combines
traditional drawing and painting techniques with digitally enhanced
technology.
The result
is a
factual, thoroughly engaging discussion unexpected in its artistic
strength and
attractive in how it organizes and explains the kingdoms.
These
qualities make Kingdoms of Life a
top pick for picture
book library holdings interested in the pairing of high-quality,
colorful art
and facts which entertain as they educate.
The Language
of
Flowers
Shyala Smith
Lantana
9781915244864
$18.99
www.lantanapublishing.com
The Language of Flowers presents gorgeous
illustrations by Aaron
Asis as it surveys young Juhi, who loves helping Appa sell flowers from
her
flower shop to their community.
Juhi
realizes that
there is a language of love connected to flowers (lilies for affection,
frangipanifor for full moons, and hibiscus for the temple).
Is there a
flower for
grief, however?
This
thought-provoking, moving story is best introduced by read-aloud adults
looking
to interact with the very young on subjects of death, loss, grief, and
recovery. Its lovely association with flowers introduces a more
uplifting
approach to these serious subjects, which lend to easier discussions
and
enlightenment processes.
National
Geographic
Kids
www.natgeokids.com
Two fine
books from
National Geographic’s children’s publishing arm will prove mainstays
for
libraries interested in acquiring lasting, high-quality science and
nature
books for kids.
Can’t Get Enough Cat Stuff
(9781426375903, $14.99) pairs feline
facts with engaging color photos, jokes, games, activities, and
experiments to
attract young readers interested in multifaceted reads.
The only
prerequisite
to enjoying this approach is an existing fascination with cats. The
humor and
insights about ‘cat culture’ do the rest, arranging presentations in
such a
manner as to be eye-catching, compelling, and informative, all in one.
Libraries
and
read-aloud parents will welcome its colorful approach.
Paige
Towler’s Mysterious Marvelous Octopus
(9781426376672, $17.99) surveys the cephalopod and its many marvels,
inviting
picture book readers to take a deep dive into its wonders.
Packed with
facts
enhanced by colorful photos and changing font sizes and styles that
reinforce
eye-catching attraction, Mysterious
Marvelous Octopus is highly recommended for elementary-level
library
collections and readers seeking to gain the most from their octopus
explorations.
Both are
winning
acquisitions, promising lasting lending value.
The Pinchers
and the
Dog Chase
Anders Sparring and
Per Gustavsson
Gecko Press
9781776575879
$18.99
www.geckopress.com
Chapter book
readers
interested in action-packed stories of investigation and discovery will
find
the cases and intrigue of The Pinchers
and the Dog Chase to be whimsical and delightfully fun.
From a candy
store
robbery and talking dogs to a jailed grandmother and the dilemma of a
family of
thieves who become embroiled in an adventure that involves more than
thievery
and escapes, the stories that carry The Pinches into unfamiliar
territory will
prove equally engaging and fun for young readers.
Between the
wry wit of
an opening narrative by family dog “Shuddup Sherlock” to stories
narrated in
the third person, such as ‘Ellen Goes to Jail,’ these are artfully
woven
adventures that a wide array of young readers will find fun,
unpredictable, and
zany.
Roar-Choo!
Charlotte Cheng
Penguin
9780593531754
$18.99
www.penguin.com/kids
Roar-Choo! features art by Dan Santat in
a picture book exploration
of dragons. They are dangerous enough without those including who are
sneezers.
When Dragon
gets a
cold, he becomes even more fiery. But he refuses to stop roaring, even
when
Phoenix cautions him to draw back on his activities.
Chinese
mythology
combines well with contemporary action in this fun tale of different
characters
that not only test their limits, but come to understand the importance
of
taking care of themselves and each other.
Parents will
find Roar-Choo! an engaging,
colorful
read-aloud holding an important message for the very young.
The Sun
Never Hurries
Roxane Turcotte and
Lucie Crovatto
Pajama Press
9781772783070
$18.95
www.pajamapress.com
The Sun Never Hurries is the
thought-provoking picture book story
of a grandfather who uses an hourglass to remind him that every moment
is
precious—a habit that granddaughter Charlie just doesn’t understand.
As Papa Jo
teaches
Charlie how to take the time to smell the roses and enjoy the day, she
learns
how to slow down, observe, and digest the nuances of daily living in a
different manner.
The story’s
whimsical
fun and animal characters not only entertain young readers and
read-aloud
participants, but gently impart some important lessons that adults will
want to
discuss with kids, making The Sun Never
Hurries a top recommendation for libraries and read-aloud
parents alike.
Wildlife
Crossings
Catherine Barr
Candlewick Press
9781536236255
$18.99
www.candlewick.com
Wildlife Crossings: Protecting Animal Pathways
Around the World
enjoys attractive illustration by Christiane Engel as it explores the
pathways
utilized by seven different animals, from elephants and bears to salmon
and
hedgehogs.
In the
course of this
exploration, kids learn about threats to pathway environments. This
creates
understanding about the special challenges facing creatures that have
survived
by utilizing them.
Scientific
and
conservation efforts woven into this vivid picture book help kids
understand
one specific facet of wildlife conservation on a more intimate level
than more
general considerations of the subject.
Winnie-the-Pooh
titles
A.A. Milne
Aladdin/Simon &
Schuster
$17.99 each
The reprint
of
classic Winnie-the-Pooh titles in hardcover, with engaging new cover
art, will
introduce new generations to Milne’s special blend of storytelling,
best served
up with adult and family read-aloud embellishment and discussion for
their underlying
psychological and philosophical value.
Winnie-the-Pooh (9781665947688)
introduces the Hundred Acre Wood
and the classic characters of Pooh’s world, from the sad Eeyore to the
bossy
rabbit and more.
The House at Pooh Corner (9781665947718)
expands the escapades and
encounters of Pooh and Christopher Robin, presenting new honey-sticking
situations and an infusion of adventure and wisdom that is perfect
reading for
all ages.
Many an adult who hasn’t imbibed in decades will find new meaning in a re-reading of these classics, which are highly recommended as mainstays for any library, and suitable replacements for lending-worn copies.