Literacy Now

Biographies are unsung heroes in the reading lives of children. Well-written biographies can provide memorable and pleasurable experiences as much as they can insight into the lives of the people depicted. The books reviewed in this column will engage children in thinking about how these life stories  contribute to their knowledge of events and other times and places.

Ages 4–8

Balderdash! John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children’s Books. Michelle Markel. Ill. Nancy Carpenter. 2017. Chronicle.

The first page of Balderdash! welcomes readers with the statement, “Lucky, lucky reader. Be glad it’s not 1726.” Why? Because at that time children had to read “preachy poems and fables” and “the future champion of children’s books was just a lad.” That lad was John Newbery, who loved books and went on to become a publisher and London bookseller. Newbery believed that reading should be a treat for children, and his first book for children, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, was just that. Newbery’s success in publishing delightful books for children led other publishers to produce children’s books and earned him the title of “Father of Children’s Literature.” Nancy Carpenter’s illustrations, rendered in pen and ink and digital media, are filled with details that set the scene and match the wit of Michelle Merkel’s text. An end note provides more information about John Newbery (1713–1767) and the books mentioned in Balderdash! and lists resources.
—CA

Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Ann Cole Lowe. Deborah Blumenthal. Ill. Laura Freeman. 2017. Little Bee.

Throughout her life, Ann Cole Lowe (1898–1981) “thought about what she could, not what she couldn’t change.” She used her energy, creativity, and resourcefulness to create beautiful gowns.  Her great-grandmother had been a slave, her mother became a dress maker for fashionable women, and, from an early age, Ann loved using scraps of fabric in her mother’s shop to make beautiful flowers. Later, she fulfilled the orders for gowns left by her deceased mother and began her own career as a fashion designer in New York City. Although she faced discrimination, she learned that doing what one loves sets the spirit soaring. Ann continued to make beautiful gowns (including the wedding gown for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy) and became a celebrated couturière. Drawings of gowns on the end sheets add interest, and the author’s note provides additional biographical detail.
—SW

Waiting for Pumpsie. Barry Wittenstein. Ill. London Ladd. 2017. Charlesbridge.

In Boston in 1959, young Bernard, the fictional narrator of the story and an avid baseball fan, wanted Elijah “Pumpsie” Green (b. 1933), a minor-league shortstop, to be the first black player for the Red Sox. Jackie Robinson had been retired already, yet Pumpsie was kept out of the game. The story is as much about the times in which Bernard lived, with the people’s growing sense of civil rights and integration, as it is about Pumpsie. The illustrations, rendered in acrylic paint with colored pencil, capture the excitement of the games and the expressions of Bernard and his family as they cheer for the team. After the game in which Pumpsie finally plays and the Red Sox becomes the last team in the Major Leagues to integrate, Bernard says, “One day I’ll tell my kids how long we waited for Pumpsie Green.” The back matter includes an author’s note and sources.
—SW

Ages 9–11

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History. Walter Dean Myers. Ill. Floyd Cooper. 2017. Harper/HarperCollins.

Walter Dean Myers centers this eloquent tribute to Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) around major life decisions Douglass made: teaching himself to read, escaping to freedom and taking refuge with abolitionists in New York City, becoming a voice for the anti-slavery movement and the rights of black people and women, and urging black men to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War. These decisions shaped Frederick Douglass’s life and the history of the United States. Floyd Cooper’s illustrations are dramatic portraits of this important figure in American history, who’s voice, “born in the soft tones of the slave population, truly became a lion’s roar.” Back matter includes a timeline and a bibliography.
—CA

Noah Webster’s Fighting Words. Tracy Nelson Maurer. Ill. Mircea Catusanu. 2017. Millbrook/Lerner.

In this cleverly designed book, Noah Webster (1758–1843) takes up a red pencil and edits Maurer’s story of his life and work. A staunch patriot, Webster had strong opinions about everything. He believed that a complete break from Great Britain should include the way in which Americans spoke and spelled words in the English language. Believing that change needed to start with school children, he wrote a speller in which words were spelled the way they sounded. He also insisted that a dictionary must change as people changed the way they used language. His An American Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1828. Collage-style illustrations with excerpts of books, newspapers, and Webster’s letters and humorously detailed mixed-media cartoonlike images enhance the lively text of this biography of Noah Webster. Back matter includes author’s and illustrator’s notes, a timeline, sources of quotes, a selected bibliography, primary sources, and websites.
—CA

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist. Cynthia Levinson. Ill. Vanessa Brantley Newton. 2017. Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

Nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks (1952–2009) was accustomed to having Sunday dinner with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Fred Shuttlesworth, and Jim Bevel as well as attended the meetings with Reverend King at Sixteenth Baptist Church in Birmingham. It was 1963, and she wondered what she could do against injustice and inequality. When Reverend King asked who would be willing to go to jail in a civil rights protest march, Audrey had her chance to do something. What she didn’t know about were the harsh conditions of being in jail. The illustrations, rendered in digital collage, recount the Children’s Crusade March, which filled the town’s jails with arrested marchers, and Audrey’s week in jail. The back matter includes sources, a timeline, and an interview with Audrey Faye Hendricks, whose involvement as a civil rights activist is also part of Levinson’s (2012) We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March, a longer nonfiction book.
—SW

Ages 12–14

Higher, Steeper, Faster: The Daredevils Who Conquered the Skies. Lawrence Goldstone.2017. Little, Brown.

Aviation history of the beginning of the twentieth century often features Orville (1871–1948) and Wilbur Wright (1867–1912) and their Flyer at Kitty Hawk, but this book highlights the life of aviator Lincoln Beachey and tells the stories of men and women, who, in their passion for flying, experimented with aircraft. They flew airplanes in daring high stakes competitions in what Goldstone calls the exhibition era, testing the aerodynamics, speed, and power of aircraft, and engaging growing numbers of spectators, on both sides of the Atlantic, fascinated by what the airplane could do. By 1915 airplanes routinely flew “one hundred miles without refueling, attaining altitudes of more than twelve thousand feet, and reaching speeds greater than one hundred miles per hour.” Archival photographs of pilots, improvements to the airplane, and inventors, memorable moments of aerial daring, and entrepreneurs who financed the competitions illustrate the drama and purpose that drove invention and inspired pilots and airplane developers, including the Wright brothers. Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
—SW

Isaac the Alchemist: Secrets of Isaac Newton, Reveal’d. Mary Losure. 2017. Candlewick.

Isaac Newton (1642–1727) was a curious child and a loner, “living at a time when no one knew where magic ended and science began.” Isaac was intrigued by the writings of alchemists, who were searching for the miraculous philosopher’s stone. The largely self-taught Newton kept notebooks on his questions, observations, and experiments. His discoveries in mathematics and science, once kept secretively in his notebooks, became the foundation of physics. In the prologue Mary Losure affirms, “He would become the world’s greatest alchemist. He would also (by following his own odd and lonely path) become one of the greatest scientists who ever lived.” Illustrated with engravings and pages from Newton’s notebooks and published works, Losure’s narrative account of Isaac Newton’s life and work supports these statements in an accessible and engaging fashion. Back matter includes an author’s note, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
—CA

Ages 15+

Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights. Deborah Kops. 2017. Calkins Creek/Highlights.

Deborah Kops introduces readers to Alice Paul (1885–1977) in a well-researched biography that celebrates not only her life dedicated to the fight for women’s rights but also U.S. women’s history. Alice Paul was a tireless organizer of rallies and protest marches as leader of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and later of the National Woman’s Party. Picketing of the White House in support of the federal suffrage amendment resulted in numerous arrests and incarcerations for Paul and other suffragists. Paul’s fight for women’s rights did not end with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. She went on to write the Equal Right Amendment, which would have made all laws discriminating against women unconstitutional, and tirelessly worked for its passage in Congress and in support of its ratification until her death. The engaging narrative, with numerous quotes from Paul’s letters and journals, is enriched by a wealth of captioned archival photographs. Back matter includes a “Who Is Who” section, an author’s note, source notes, a bibliography, and index. This is an important and inspiring book for today.
—CA

Sandip Wilson serves as associate professor in the College of Health and Education of Husson University in Bangor, ME. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA.

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Literacy Daily.

National Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day is celebrated annually on Beverly Cleary’s birthday, April 12. Teachers, librarians, and parents can find resources related to D.E.A.R. to encourage everyone to put other things aside everything and take time to read every day. The recently published fiction and nonfiction books reviewed in this column invite readers to explore engaging stories and information that will spark discussion and further inquiry.

Ages 4–8

Life on Mars. Jon Agee. 2017. Dial/Penguin.

This humorous book will keep young readers guessing as they consider both the words and the images. The story starts on the front endpaper, which shows a ship rocketing to Mars. On the following page readers meet the young boy who has just landed; he carries a box with a red ribbon around it and is searching for life. The boy tells us exactly what he is thinking and doing (“I can’t believe it. I’m lost!”). The text is simple, sparse, and straightforward. However, based only on the text, readers would only learn part of the story. The real action takes place in the art. Agee’s cartoon-style illustrations not only add to the humor but also advance the plot in a way young readers will find engaging and satisfying. Life on Mars isthe kind of picture book that begs to be read again and again.
—LC

My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis. Paul Meisel. 2017. Holiday House.

Did you know that the adult praying mantis can eat almost anything it finds or that it uses camouflage to hide from predators? In this cleverly designed book, P. Mantis takes readers on a journey through her life cycle. Written in a first-person diary format (“May 17: I was born today!”) with embedded facts about the praying mantis’ habitat, food preferences, protective instincts, and life cycle coupled with colorful acrylic paintings, this is an engaging and informative book. Meisel’s illustrations extend the text and add humor while inviting readers to search for P. Mantis, who is hidden among the leaves and branches in her habitat. Front and back matter include facts, diagrams, a glossary, and websites for more information about this fascinating insect.
—MN

Ages 9–11

The Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World (CitizenKid). Katie Smith Milway. Ill. Shane Evans. 2017. Kids Can.

Young Deo Rukundo and his family flee from war in Burundi, in East Africa. Displaced from his family, Deo finds his way to a refugee camp in Tanzania, where he keeps to himself, worries about his family, and reminiscences about playing soccer with his friends with balls made from banana leaves. When a coach from the Right to Play organization visits the camp and organizes a soccer game using a leather ball, Deo and Remy (a playground bully) end up on the same team. Deo’s natural soccer ability and sportsmanship shine on the field. When Deo passes the ball to Remy to score the winning goal for their team, they build a new understanding and respect for each other. Soon, Deo is teaching Remy and other boys how to make banana-leaf balls. The universal message of patience, tolerance, respect, and kindness will inspire readers. Shane Evans’ expressive paintings add depth and richness to the powerful and emotional narrative. The author’s note includes information about Benjamin Nzobonankira, the inspiration for the story. Benjamin, a former child refugee, now trains Right to Play coaches, who support youth, foster confidence, and build understanding and empathy through teamwork. The back matter contains photographs and resources about Right to Play and other organizations with the mission of teaching kids to trust and include others through play.
—MN

Grand Canyon. Jason Chin. 2017. Roaring Brook/Macmillan.

The lush watercolor illustrations will attract readers to this informational text about the geology and ecology of the Grand Canyon. Narrative elements combine with a variety of visual and textual features to make for an engaging read. The pictures tell a story of a father and daughter on a hike through the canyon while the text describes its geological features. Double-page spreads showing the young hiker in scenes millions of years ago alternate with pages on which scientific information is provided in sidebars. Using die cuts and sentences ending in ellipses, the art and the text encourage the reader to turn the pages. The story ends with a dramatic gatefold that captures a panoramic view of the canyon and the two explorers. Curious readers will find a wealth of additional information about the Grand Canyon, sources (books, websites, and articles), and a list of suggested reading in the back matter.
—LC

Ages 12–14

Motor Girls: How Women Took the Wheel and Drove Boldly into the Twentieth Century. Sue Macy. 2017. National Geographic.

Organized in five well-written and informative chapters, Sue Macy’s latest nonfiction selection chronicles the history of the automobile and the intricate paths, situated across politics and gender expectations, that opened opportunities for women of the early twentieth century to drive motor vehicles. Alice Ramsey, the first woman to drive a car across the United States, and other “Motor Girls” who revved up women’s place behind the wheel are featured. Glossy photographs, sidebar features, archival clippings, and period advertisements grace the pages. Macy masterfully weaves research and her unique writing style to inform readers of the significant contributions of women throughout history. Detailed back matter includes resources and an epilogue.
—MN

Short. Holly Goldberg Sloan. 2017. Dial/Penguin.

Julia Marks is short—very short—and it gets in her way until one summer when she reluctantly tries out for and gets cast as a munchkin in a community play. She makes some unlikely friends among members of the cast and crew in addition to her quirky and creative elderly neighbor, Mrs. Chang. Julia works her way through the pre-adolescent angst of her dog’s death, coming to terms with her height, and figuring out what’s important in life with wit and heart. She is a likable character, who will appeal to a variety of readers, and the story has enough complexity and action to hold readers’ attention.
—HO

Ages 15+

American Street. Ibi Zoboi. 2017. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

Fabiola finds herself in Detroit on her own after her mother is detained as they enter the country from Haiti. Living with her three cousins and their mother, Fabiola begins to navigate life in the United States without letting go of her connections to Haiti, her spiritual life, or her mother. She makes friends, faces dangers within her new community, and is forced to make a difficult decision that might help her mother. American Street provides a glimpse into the immigrant struggle, as well as the urban landscape, with honesty and authenticity. Readers may recognize typical school and peer experiences in the story but will also be exposed to specific aspects of Haitian culture from an insider’s perspective.
—LC

The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power. AnnBausum. 2017. National Geographic.

When thinking of the Civil Rights Movement, there are people and events that immediately come to mind. The March Against Fear, a well-researched exploration of the 1966 march across Mississippi, is one of these. The march was the brainchild of James Meredith, but was organized and led by civil rights giants Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and Floyd McKissick after Meredith was shot at the beginning of the march. Captioned archival photographs and quotes throughout the text paired with vivid, unflinching descriptions of the sometimes almost unbelievable injustices and humiliations visited upon the marchers make the tension, fear, and determination they accessible to the reader. This book offers another avenue to enter the timeline of the Civil Rights Movement and highlights some lesser-known activists. Back matter includes an author’s note, source notes, a bibliography, and index.
—HO

Author Jason Chin will be at ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits as part of the Primary Author Meetup, which takes place Saturday, July 15, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Lesley Colabucci is an associate professor of early, middle, and exceptional education at Millersville University. She teaches classes in children’s literature at the graduate and undergraduate level. Her research interests include multicultural children’s literature and response to literature. Mary Napoli is an associate professor of Reading and Children’s Literature at Penn State Harrisburg, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate literacy courses. Hannah Oberg is a graduate student in the literacy education program at Penn State Harrisburg and a secondary English teacher.

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Literacy Daily.

Reading trade books is an important component of an interdisciplinary approach to developing literacy skills and learning STEM content. This week’s column includes recently published books that are good choices for introducing STEM topics and initiating discussions and activities as well as for encouraging independent reading in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Ages 4–8

All Ears, All Eyes. Richard Jackson. Ill. Katherine Tillotson. 2017. Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

A spare lyrical text and beautiful impressionistic illustrations, created using a combination of watercolor and digital techniques, invite readers to listen attentively to the sounds and look closely at the sights of the forest from twilight to dark of night. With a mix of rhyming phrases, questions, and onomatopoeia, the gentle text reads aloud well. “What surprises? / What sings? / Crick-crick-crickets / chirring / in the thick-thick-thickets / Whoo–whoo.” Young readers will enjoy spotting creatures hidden in the illustrations with each rereading.

Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs. Helaine Becker. Ill Marie-Ève Tremblay. 2017. Kids Can.

William Playfair (1759–1823), a Scott who dreamed big, invented graphs—line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts—as ways of making data easier to understand. The scientists of his day, however, scoffed at his graphs. “Numbers showed serious works, colorful illustrations did not,” they declared. Playfair was also an entrepreneur who came up with numerous schemes for fulfilling his dreams of riches, fame, and glory, all of which failed. It was not until almost 100 years later that his graphs came into wide use. Digitally-created cartoon artwork adds humor to this picture book biography and provides a lesson in interpreting graphs.

Up! Up! Up! Skyscraper. Anastasia Suen. Ill. Ryan O’Rourke. 2017. Charlesbridge.

Young readers can join a small group of children in hardhats as a supervisor gives a tour of a construction site. Major steps in building a skyscraper are presented in double-page spreads with simple rhyming verses and brief paragraphs superimposed on digitally created illustrations. For example, an illustration showing a concrete mixer pouring out wet concrete is paired with “Pour, pour, pour! / Wet concrete / A line of mixers / Along the street” and an explanation (in smaller type) that it takes a lot of concrete to fill the trench in which the rebar cages have been placed. The final page folds out to reveal the completed skyscraper. Young children can learn more about skyscrapers by reading Libby Romero’s Skyscrapers (2017), a National Geographic Kids Reader.

What Will Grow? Jennifer Ward. Ill. Susie Ghahremani. 2017. Bloomsbury.

Rhyming couplets followed by the question “What will grow?” and gouache-on-wood illustrations offering visual clues to the answers introduce twelve seeds and the trees, flowers, fruits, or vegetables they grow into. Four gatefolds that open either up or down add to the fun of discovering whether readers’ answers are correct. For example, for “STRIPY BLACK. / CRUNCHY SNACK,” the right-hand page reveals a tall sunflower. Back matter includes information on planting each of the seeds and a “From Seed to Plant” section showing the life cycle of a sunflower.

The Wolves Return: A New Beginning for Yellowstone National Park. Celia Godkin. 2017. Pajama Press.

With an engaging, accessible text and expressive mixed-media illustrations, Godkin tells the environmental success story of the reintroduction of the grey wolf to Yellowstone National Park. In 1995–1996, 23 grey wolves from Canada were released in the park, after more than 70-year absence. Godkin chronicles the subsequent recovery of the landscape and the positive effects of the reintroduction of this top predator over the years, as plants and animals native to the area thrived in the ecosystem. An endnote, “The Wolf in North America,” provides history of the wolf and a map of the pre-European and current North American wolf range.

Ages 9–11

Karl, Get Out of the Garden!: Carolus Linnaeus and the Naming of Everything. Anita Sanchez. Ill. Catherine Stock. 2017. Charlesbridge.

As a child growing up in Sweden, nature-loving Karl Linné (1707–1778) wanted to know the name of everything, but that could be confusing because a plant might have numerous common names. He set out to give everything a clear and simple name and to develop a classification system for all living things that is the basis for nomenclature and classification used by scientists today. In his lifetime, Karl classified and named more than 12,000 species of plants and animals, giving each a unique two-part name in Latin. He even gave himself a Latin-based version of his name: Carolus Linnaeus. Back matter includes additional information on scientific classification, a time line, source notes for quotations, resources for young readers, and a bibliography.

Skateboards (Made by Hand #1). Patricia Lakin. 2017. Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.

After an identification of the parts of a skateboard (deck, trucks, and wheels) and a history of the skateboard, readers are introduced to Jake Eshelman, who designs custom skateboards for his company, Side Project Skateboards. The step-by-step process—everything from choosing the material for the deck to crafting shock absorbers—is explained and illustrated with color photographs. Back matter includes a skateboard time line, glossary, and resources.

Things That Grow. Libby Walden. Ill. Becca Stadflander. 2017. 360 Degrees/Tiger Tales.

This beautifully designed book, with its small trim size, heavy paper, accessible narrative, and colorful, realistic illustrations, invites curious readers to explore the processes of development and growth of things in our diverse and ever changing world. The three sections—“Plants and Trees,” “The Animal Kingdom,” and “The Universe”—contain double-page spreads that introduce key concepts of the development of plants, animals, and features of our planet along with examples, such as the growth and survival of plants in extreme conditions; the unusual life cycle of the axolotl (the Mexican walking fish), a neotenic aquatic salamander; and the creation of islands.

Ages 12–14

Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animal Think, Talk, and Feel. Nancy F. Castaldo. 2017. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Following an introduction to the human brain in comparison to the those of other animals and a history of theories on animal intelligence, Castaldo delves into recent research exploring animal cognition. In a conversational tone, she presents information on numerous studies on problem solving, communication, tool use, and emotions in various animals. Castaldo ends with a “From Thinking Animals to Protected Animals” section about how the recognition of the intelligence of animals is changing how we see animals and affecting our treatment of them. Back matter includes activities for young people, lists of organizations and resources, a glossary, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

Botanicum (Welcome to the Museum). Kathy Willis. Ill. Katie Scott. 2017. Big Picture/Candlewick.

A “Welcome to Botanicum” extends an invitation to visit a botanical museum to “discover the strange and wonderful kingdom of plants, in all its colorful, surprising majesty.” A tour through the seven galleries—“The First Plants,” “Trees,” “Palms and Cycads,” “Herbaceous Plants,” “Grasses, Cattails, Sedges, and Rushes,” “Orchids and Bromeliads,” and “Adapting to Environments”—introduces readers to the extraordinary diversity of the plant world. Each double-page spread of this beautifully crafted, oversize volume consists of a plate of pen-and-ink, digitally colored drawings of plants (or plant parts) accompanied by an introduction and key to the plate, with common and scientific names and brief descriptive and environmental notes on each plant. Back matter includes an index and internet resources.

Ages 15+

A Dog in a Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Human. Kay Frydenborg. 2017. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

In this exploration of the human–dog relationship, Frydenborg considers how a shared history has influenced the development of both humans and canines. Recent paleontological discoveries show that humans have been living with dogs for thousands of years longer than was previously thought, and there is evidence that this close relationship has shaped the evolution of both species as they coevolved. Frydenborg also considers present-day scientific research on dogs that supports this concept. An abundance of color photographs with extensive captions and inserts on related topics add interest. Back matter includes a glossary, source notes, a selected bibliography, internet resources, and an index.

Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future. Rob Dunn. 2017. Little, Brown.

Rob Dunn, a professor of applied ecology, offers an accessible, well-researched history of the world’s food system in which relying on just a few crops to sustain populations throughout the world and our desire for consistency, uniformity, and abundance in our food —“having the food we want when we want it”—threatens agricultural sustainability. Dunn provides details of examples of how the dependence on genetically identical crops and cloning have led to greater susceptibility to pathogens, crop failure, and even famine, as in the case of the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. World-wide monoculture remains the norm: corn in North America, rice in Asia, cassava in Africa, and wheat in Europe. In highlighting the efforts of scientists to preserve biodiversity, Dunn provides a compelling argument for changes in agricultural practices to save our food supply and our future. Back matter includes extensive chapter notes and an index.

Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books, Claremont Graduate University, CA.

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Literacy Daily.

More than any other genres, fantasy and the oft-paired science fiction offer readers the opportunity to exercise their imaginations. The recently published novels in this week’s column do this superbly, taking readers to make-believe worlds to share fantastical adventures with intriguing characters in the past, present, or future.

Ages 4–8

Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep (Candlewick Treasures). Eleanor Farjeon. Ill. Charlotte Voake. 2017. Candlewick.

Elsie Piddock is a born skipper. As a five year old she can outskip everyone in her village, and at seven, she’s invited to join the fairies on the top of Mount Caburn for Master Skipper Andy-Spandy’s lessons on new skipping rope skills under the full moon. A year later, he adds magic to Elsie’s skipping rope, which will allow her to do all the fairy skips until she is too big for the rope. Many years later, when a greedy lord plans to build factories on Mount Caburn, Elsie, at the age of 109 and shrunk to the size of a seven year old, takes up her magic skipping rope once again to save Caburn for children and fairies forever. Voake’s delicate, softly colored watercolor-and-ink illustrations are the perfect match for this new edition of Farjeon’s classic tale, originally published in 1937.
—CA

Ivy. Katherine Coville. Ill. Celia Kaspar. 2017. Alfred A. Knopf/Random House.

Ivy lives in the tidy town of Broomsweep in a decidedly untidy cottage with her grandmother, where they care for sick animals, whether domestic, wild, or magical. When newly crowned Queen Emmeline announces a contest for best town in the kingdom, the townspeople (led by the mayor’s wife, Mistress Peevish) are certain that Broomsweep will win—but only if Grandmother and Ivy tidy up their cottage and get rid of all the animals, especially injured Cedric, a griffin, and Balthazar, a dragon with a bad cold. When trolls invade Broomsweep on the day Queen Emmeline arrives, however, the presence of the magical animals averts disaster and the queen declares Broomsweep the “most perfect, most unique, most fun of any town in the kingdom of Evermore.”
—CA

Little Fox in the Forest. Stephanie Graegin. 2017. Schwartz & Wade/Random House.

Blue-toned panels in this wordless book show a young girl selecting her stuffed fox as her old and treasured item to take to school for show-and-tell. While she is playing on the swings at recess, a bright orange young fox sneaks up and runs off with the beloved stuffed toy. In a pursuit through the forest, she and a friend make inquiries of various animals (shown as colorful images in the blue scenes) and eventually come upon a fairy-tale village of personified animals (shown in a doublespread completely done in bright colors). Upon reaching the home of Little Fox, she is reunited with her stuffed fox—but not for long as the ending panels reveal a surprise exchange. Young children will enjoy discovering more details with each rereading.
—CA

Prince Ribbit. Jonathan Emmett. Ill. Poly Bernatene. 2017. Peachtree.

Princess Martha wants to know how things work, and her sisters believe anything they read, especially if it comes from a fairy tale. When Princesses Lucinda and Arabella find a talking frog, they believe that he will transform into human Prince Ribbit (and they treat the little green trickster like royalty and even give him “True Love’s Kiss!” to no avail). Suspicious Princess Martha explores scientific facts about different types of frogs and reads many stories about frogs before she can make up her mind. An unexpected twist surprises Princess Martha—and will surprise readers, too. Detailed digital art enhances the humor of this clever retelling of “The Frog Prince” with its timely message: “Just because it’s in a book doesn’t mean it’s true!”
—NB

Princessland. Emily Jenkins. Ill. Yoko Tanaka. 2017. Farrar Straus Giroux.

Romy is bored and so sad she doesn’t even want to be Romy. What would make her happy? Being in Princessland, where all girls are princesses. Her cat, Lady Cat, says she could probably take Romy there. Each stop along the walk that Lady Cat takes her on reminds Romy of another princess-pleasing aspect of Princessland. For example, when the baker gives her a day-old muffin (and Lady Cat, a dish of milk), Romy lists all the good things that princesses feast on in Princessland. Once back home at dinner time, Romy asks, “Weren’t you going to take me to Princessland?” Lady Cat responds, “Ah, but I am sure I did.” Tanaka’s softly colored paintings beautifully portray Romy’s imaginative journey.
—CA

Ages 9–11

The House of Months and Years. Emma Trevayne. 2017. Simon & Schuster.

Ten-year-old Amelia is unhappy about her family’s decision to move into her cousins’ house after they lose their parents in a car accident. As she explores the old house, Amelia feels she’s being watched. Then a shifting ghostlike/human presence reveals itself as Horatio, the builder of the house. He has chosen Amelia as the person to whom he’ll reveal the house’s special secrets. It is a calendar house with a floor for each season, twelve rooms, fifty-two windows, other calendar-related features, and a door to nowhere, through which he can take her time-traveling. Amelia enjoys the attention she’s getting from Horatio and their adventurous trips that offer a taste of what might be possible—the building of her own calendar house, living forever, and endless traveling through time. But all is not what it seems to be, something which readers will identify before Amelia does in this satisfyingly scary fantasy.
—CA

Runaway (Valkyrie #2). Kate O’Hearn. 2017. Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.

Fifteen-year-old Freya, a Valkyrie, and Archie, her dead human friend, are in trouble with Odin, leader of the highest realm. As a punishment, Freya can only compete in the Three-Strike Sword Challenge against the Dark Searchers and the tug-of-war against the Angels of Death during the Nine Realms Challenge. When Odin sends Freya and Archie on a mission to the World of Man to rescue Brünnhilde, her grandmother, whom he banished to Earth years before, Freya discovers secrets about her genealogy that change everything she thinks she knows about herself. With her deadline from Odin running out, she fights enemies to reunite her family, but can she avert the war that is brewing? O’Hearn includes a “Guide to this World,” which includes information about names and places in Norse mythology. Readers will be primed for the next book in the series.
—NB

The Silver Gate. Kristin Bailey. 2017. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

Wynn, an eleven-year-old girl with physical, verbal, and mental disabilities, has been hidden by her mother in the forest since birth because she was considered by the serfs of the village to be a changeling left by the fairies. When Wynn’s mother dies, her father sells her to the lord as a kitchen slave in the castle. Wynn’s brother, Elric, becomes her protector, and they set out on a dangerous journey on which they must deal with treacherous terrain, harsh weather, and superstitious and cruel people. Wynn believes they must follow the clues in the song their mother sang to find and open the Silver Gate to the Fairy Queens’s kingdom, where they can live in safety. Survival will depend on mutual trust and cooperation—and magic.
—CA

Ages 12–14

The Cursed Queen (The Imposter Queen #2). Sarah Fine. 2017. Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster.

Kidnapped from the Kupari as a youngster and sold into the Krigere tribe, Ansa, now sixteen, has fought hard for respect. In a sea battle against the Kupari, their witch queen curses Ansa with the forbidden magic of fire and ice. If her Krigere companions find out about these dark powers, she will be an exiled from the community of warriors she calls her own. In this companion to The Imposter Queen (2016), the question remains: Who is the real queen of Kupari? Could it be Ansa, even if her allegiance is to their greatest enemy, the Krigere? Will the magic that inhabits her destroy Ansa and those around her before she learns the truth? The dramatic ending sets readers up for the next book in the series in which Ansa might finally discover, and choose, her destiny.
—NB

Siren Sisters. Dana Langer. 2017. Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.

Twelve-year-old Lolly has three beautiful sisters who are regular teens by day and sirens by night, luring sea-going vessels to destruction with their hypnotic songs, and who are upholding a secret deal they made with the Sea Witch. With her thirteenth birthday just around the corner, Lolly knows she doesn’t want to transform into a siren and end up like her sisters, responsible for shipwrecks and unable to live a normal life. After her sisters are captured and put into a deep sleep, Lolly and her best friend, Jason, set out to rescue them, but she soon realizes that real deliverance needs to come from the Sea Witch herself.
—NB

Ages 15+

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean: Stories of Imagination and Daring. Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar & Anita Roy (Eds.). 2017. Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster.

The introduction for this anthology of speculative fiction explains that the title Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean was chosen to suggest “impossibilities, dreams, ambitions, and a connection to something larger than humanity alone.” The thought-provoking feminist fantasies (ten short stories, six comics, and one play) were created through pairs of contributors from India and Australia. Each piece explores the challenges faced by girls and women in today’s world by imagining other worlds in which impossibilities become possibilities and dreams become realities. The appended “Notes on the Collaborations” section about sharing of ideas as part of the creative process and making connections across the world add interest. Brief notes about the contributors are included.
—CA

Flicker and Mist. Mary G. Thompson. 2017. Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Mixed-race Myra lives with her Leftie mother from whom she inherited the forbidden Ability of Flickering (going invisible) as well as her looks, and her Plat father, a law-abiding Councilman. After Myra accidentally flickered at age five, her father secretly taught her how to control it. Now sixteen, right before the Games in which she anticipates being named best rider with her beast Hoof, nasty pranks allegedly by illegal “flickerkins” turn violent and engage public panic. In a government crackdown, Myra’s parents are jailed for violating the Declaration of Peace and Myra, her Ability undetected, is placed under house arrest. Forced to withdraw from the Games and amidst the political chaos, Myra discovers allies in unexpected places as she searches for meaning in her life and must make an important decision: Choose the Lefties or the Plats.
—NB

Nancy Brashear is Professor Emeritus of English from Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books, Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.

Many trade books in different genres can enrich content area learning in classrooms at all grade levels. The books in this week’s column provide unique perspectives on topics in science and social studies. We were excited by the lively, vigorous, and imaginative approaches of the books, which evoke wonder and discovery and invite discussion and further exploration of the topics they introduce.

Ages 4–8

Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures. Kwame Alexander (with Mary Rand Hess & Deanna Nikaido). Ill. Joel Sartore. 2017. National Geographic Kids.

This collaboration celebrating the diversity of our wild world presents large-format photographs of animals from around the world such as the St. Andrews beach mouse, bobtail squid, African leopard, and Bengal slow loris. Photographs, common names, locations, and endangered status of the featured animals and other animals in Sartore’s Photo Ark project appear in a foldout in the back matter. The book has two additional foldouts of animal portraits. The center double-page foldout features a longer poem, “The Chorus of Creatures,” that celebrates connections between humans and the world’s wild animals, ending with “Listen to the earth. / That sound you hear / is hope with wings.” The arresting photographs show some animals seeming to be as curious about the reader as readers will be about the animals. Back matter includes notes from Sartore and Alexander.
—SW

Rivers of Sunlight: How the Sun Moves Water Around the Earth. (The Sunlight Series). Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm. Ill. Molly Bang. 2017. Blue Sky/Scholastic.

With the same combination of expressive text and stunning illustrations used in the first four books in the Sunlight Series, Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm present an accessible scientific explanation of “how the sun moves water around the earth.” The sun is the narrator. Key points in the sun’s explanation, highlighted in yellow print, include statements such as “Almost all of Earth’s water is in your salty seas” and “This is the Gulf Stream—part of the enormous ocean river.” The text ends with the sun’s promise to do its part to keep Earth’s water clean and flowing and a call for readers to do their part to use water sparingly and keep it clean. Extensive endnotes provide more details.
—CA

Thirsty, Thirsty Elephants. Sandra Markle. Ill. Fabricio VandenBroeck. 2017. Charlesbridge.

When a severe drought in Tanzania dries up their local water holes, Grandma Elephant sets out with her herd in search of a plentiful source of water. Little Calf suffers greatly from the heat and lack of water during the long trek before Grandma’s trumpeting signals that she has found the watering hole remembered from a “thirsty, thirsty time long ago” when she was the size of Little Calf. VandenBroeck’s mixed-media illustrations beautifully detail the setting and express the close and caring relationships of the elephants. Back matter includes an author’s note on the inspiration for the book—the true story of an older elephant (named Big Mama by researchers) who saved her herd during a long drought in 1994; a list of amazing elephant facts; and a list of resources.
—CA

The Tree. Neal Layton. 2017. Candlewick.

A few large-type words on verso pages—“A tree / a birds’ nest / a squirrels’ nest, an owls’ hollow / and a rabbits’ burrow”—and pen-and-watercolor wash illustrations on the recto pages set the scene of a lone evergreen standing on a small, fenced-in plot and introduce the animals for whom the tree is home. New arrivals, a man and a woman, come with blueprints and building materials. As they saw down the tree, a falling birds’ nest and fleeing creatures surprise them. The couple makes a change of plans that results in “a happy home” for all. Layton’s fable offers a simple, thought-provoking message on humans sharing the natural environment with other species.
—CA

Ages 9-11

Gorilla Dawn. Gill Lewis. Ill. Susan Meyer. 2017. Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

A baby gorilla is captured by rebel soldiers and taken to their illegal mining camp within the boundaries of a national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two children set out to free the gorilla after learning that he is to be sold and smuggled out of the country. Imara is an enslaved girl who has survived by convincing Black Mamba, the leader of the rebel guerillas, that she is a Spirit Child with supernatural powers to protect him. Bobo is the son of a wildlife ranger accused of killing the leader of the gorilla troop, who has joined the rebels to find proof of his father’s innocence. An author’s note provides information on the endangered status of the eastern lowland gorilla and conservation efforts to protect the gorilla and rainforest of the Congo.
—CA

Lesser Spotted Animals: The Coolest Creatures You’ve Never Heard Of. Martin Brown. 2017. David Fickling/Scholastic.

In the introduction, Brown sets the tone for this book with his “good-bye to the gnu and cherrio to the cheetah.” Each mammal (zorilla, long-tailed dunnart, onager, gaur, zebra duiker, and 16 more) is given a double spread: a heading with common name and an interest-catching identification (e.g., “CUBON SOLENODON Shaggy Caribbean insectivore with a toxic bite”), a realistic portrait, and information about its characteristics and behavior. An inset provides information about the animal’s size, what it eats, where it lives, its status, and a bit of trivia. Backmatter includes a glossary and a chart on the grading of status from least concern (no need to worry at present) to extinct (gone) as well as data deficient (not enough is known to judge).
—CA

The Secret Project. Jonah Winter. Ill. Jeanette Winter. 2017. Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster.

Jonah Winter’s spare text—“In the beginning, there was just a peaceful desert mountain landscape….”— and Jeanette Winter’s flat folk art–style acrylic paintings present a picture-book history of the secret project that brought scientists to a remote site in New Mexico in 1943 to develop an atomic bomb. The deep secrecy of the project is expressed in the contrast between the detailed and richly colored desert landscape and the gray-black silhouettes of the “shadowy figures” (the researchers) working day and night. Following the countdown for the testing of the bomb are four wordless pages showing stages of the explosion—and a startling black final double spread. An author’s note provides additional information answering some of the questions that reading The Secret Project will raise.
—CA

Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War. Debbie Levy. Ill. Gilbert Ford. 2017. Disney Hyperion.

At the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1863, after being defeated by the Confederate Army, the Union Army stole across the river and both armies settled in to nurse the wounded and regroup. Illustrations, in the style of silkscreen and woodblock prints in soft hues of blue, purple, and green, depict the following days in which pipers and buglers played songs heard on both sides of the river, reminding the soldiers of their common culture in music. The singing in unison of a song of longing and hope, “Home Sweet Home,” buoyed their spirits through cold, rainy days. Orange flourishes show the music wafting between the two sides. Excerpts from primary sources, including letters and diaries, add detail to the pages. The extensive backmatter includes a timeline, historical notes, short biographies of individuals at Fredericksburg, a history and score of “Home Sweet Home,” source notes, and references.
—SW

Ages 12–14

Me and Marvin Gardens. Amy Sarig King. 2017. Scholastic.

Eleven-year-old Obe Devlin loves the creek that runs through the small bit of land still owned by his family after his alcoholic great-great-grandfather mortgaged and lost most of the Devlin farmland over 100 years ago. The once-Devlin acreage has become a huge housing development. While collecting trash along the creek, Obe comes across a strange creature that eats plastic. Has he discovered a new species of animal? Could its plastic-eating habit be a solution to the pollution problems associated with nonbiodegradable plastic? He wants to keep Marvin Gardens (named after the Monopoly property) a secret, but when he discovers that Marvin’s poop is toxic and that he has a family near the river, Obe realizes that he needs help in protecting Marvin and confides in his science teacher. This is a coming-of-age story and thought-provoking fantasy about a boy with a strong sense of responsibility for the environment.
—CA

Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls. Tonya Bolden. 2017. Abrams.

Readers are introduced chronologically to black men and women who will surprise and engage them, including a race car driver, a movie director, a concert singer, a banker, an architect, an economist and attorney who served on President Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights, and a NASA mathematician. All rose from modest backgrounds and, equipped with determination, vision, and passion for learning, made contributions to culture, commerce, and society. Each biography, written in Bolden’s engaging voice, includes sidebars, archival photographs with extensive captions, bullet points on details of their lives and families, notes on other people who had similar dreams and made similar contributions, and inserts describing the times in which they lived. Backmatter includes a glossary, source notes, bibliography, credits, and an index.
—SW

Ages 15+

Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time. Tanya Lee Stone. 2017. Wendy Lamb/Random House.

In a collection of stories of young women from around the world, Stone explores the reality of teenaged girls longing for education. Stone explores video and interviews compiled for the film Girl Rising to reveal stories of individual girls from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Peru, and Sierra Leone. In text accompanied by beautiful full-page photographs, she presents the voices of the girls who experienced slavery, rape, and forced marriage when they were not yet teenagers. The girls tell how they survived, in some cases fleeing again and again back to their families. Stone includes statistics and details about the status of millions of young women around the world and addresses resources for social action in the last section. Backmatter includes an author’s note, bibliography, source notes, and resources.
—SW

Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case. Patricia Hruby Powell. Ill. Shadra Strickland. 2017. Chronicle.

Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in Virginia. Their families were friends. Richard liked the energetic, smart, visionary Mildred. She loved her family and school and came to love him. Their story, told in verse in alternate voices, recounts their growing happiness together in the community of their families. In 1958 the interracial couple married in Washington, DC, because of Virginia’s antimiscegenation law. Upon returning to Virginia they were arrested, and so began their journey of nine years of separation from their families, during which the ACLU took up their case. This resulted in the overturning of the Lovings’ conviction by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 12, 1967. With illustrations painted in muted hues, the novel is set against events of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Back matter includes a note on Loving and Jeter; a timeline; a bibliography that includes interviews conducted by the author, written material, and credits and sources; an artist’s note; and acknowledgments.
—SW

Tonya Bolden will be at ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits as part of the Young Adult Putting Books to Work workshop, which takes place Monday, July 17, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Tanya Lee Stone will be one of our cohosts for the #ILAchat “Empowering Girls Through Education” on Tuesday, March 14, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stone will also appear at ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits, where she’ll be taking part in the Young Adult Author Meetup on Saturday, July 15, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Literacy Daily.

Sandip Wilson serves as associate professor in the College of Health and Education of Husson University in Bangor, ME. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books, Claremont Graduate University, CA.