Literacy Now

Multiple genres and formats in children’s and young adult literature enrich content area reading in science and social studies, providing multiple perspectives, exciting explorations of different topics, and examples of the work and thinking of scientists and historians. This collection includes nonfiction, fiction, and exemplars of content area reading formatted as poetry. All titles are sources for reading pleasure as well as developing deeper knowledge of content. 

Ages 4–8

Frogs. Seymour Simon. 2015. Harper/HarperCollins.

In this latest book in his series of science photo essays, Simon introduces readers to the world of frogs. A conversational text presents the life cycle, behavior, habitats, adaptations, and diversity of frogs. The language is clear; words that can be understood in context but are also defined in a glossary are in bold print. Simon includes a section on the different groups of amphibians and a six-page gallery of common frogs found in temperate regions (leopard fogs, bullfrogs, and wood frogs); unusual frogs from around the world (Darwin frogs, poison dart frogs, and Amazon horned frogs); and interesting toads from around the world (American toads, midwife toads, and fire-bellied toads). He also covers the role frogs play in the balance of nature and the problems responsible for the decline of frog populations around the world, including the chytrid fungus, which is now found in one third of the world’s frog population.

—CA

Grandaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box. Michael S. Bandy & Eric Stein.Ill. James E. Ransome. 2015. Candlewick.

Written from the perspective of a man recounting his childhood and his experiences with his grandfather in the deep south of the United States, this historical fiction picture book gives a personal view of the tactics of the 1950s and 1960s in denying people their civil rights. The narrator emphasizes his grandfather’s dream of voting in the context of his grandfather’s resourcefulness and fortitude in his daily life. “My granddaddy was a big, strong man who always said he ‘never took nothing off nobody’. He could do anything” (unpaged). The illustrations show the child as a man going to the polls with the photograph of his grandfather to honor his aspirations long after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965. The poignancy of the story is enhanced by the warm, earth tones of the watercolor illustrations, as readers experience the lives of the grandfather and the child. The author’s note in the back matter further explains practices that allowed public officials to keep people from voting.  

—SW

Leaflets Three, Let It Be! The Story of Poison Ivy. Anita Sanchez. Ill. Robin Brickman. 2015. Boyds Mills.

Readers who may know about poison ivy only from the itchy rash it has given them will find this story of poison ivy informative. While describing the appearance of the plant during the seasons of the year, Sanchez provides examples of how poison ivy gives food and shelter to wildlife. An inset highlighted in green print identifies the “poison” of poison ivy as urushiol,a chemical in itssap; another inset is a key to identifying the plant. Sayings about poison ivy appear in red: “Hairy vine—a warning sign! Leaflets three, let it be! Berries white, take flight!” An “Itching to Know More?” section provides answers to questions kids are likely to have about poison ivy and a quiz on distinguishing poison ivy from look-alike plants. Brickman adds a note on how she created the three-dimensional artwork.

—CA

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France. Mara Rockliff. Ill. Iacopo Bruno. 2015. Candlewick.

In a style that is both humorous and informative, Rockliff provides a context for Franklin’s journey to France during the American Revolution at the time of a surge in interest in science. Rockliff describes Dr. Mesmer’s attraction with his demonstration of a mysterious force, which he said “streamed from the stars and flowed into his wand” (p. 13). When asked to look into how the wand worked, Franklin used the scientific method, asking “What if the force was not in Dr. Mesmer’s wand?” (p. 21). Rockliff lays out the experiment that Franklin conducted. Illustrations in two-page spreads show each part of the experiment, and the narrative and sidebar provide comment on the method. Rockliff explains implications of the method: “Ben’s ‘blind’ test was such a good idea that it is still in use” (p. 36), and Dr. Mesmer had discovered the placebo effect. The back matter includes an author’s note describing scientific work going on in France at the end of the 18th century and information on how readers can use the scientific method.

—SW

Ages 9–11

Big Red Kangaroo. Claire Saxby. Ill. Graham Byrne. 2015. Candlewick.

A lyrical text and stunning illustrations created with charcoal and digital media tell the story of Red Kangaroo, a dominant male, and the important role he plays in the lives of his mob of females, joeys, and younger male kangaroos in the hot, dry inland of Australia. Additional facts about red kangaroos and their adaptations for survival in their harsh environment appear in a different font on each two-page spread. An endnote provides general information on the diversity of kangaroos, marsupials that are adapted for living in a wide range of habitats from wet rainforests to dry plains in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The red kangaroo is the biggest of the more than 60 species of kangaroos. A Classroom Ideas PDF for Big Red Kangaroo is available from the Australian publisher.  

—CA

Emu. Claire Saxby. Ill. Graham Byrne. 2015. Candlewick.

This narrative nonfiction book about emus, flightless birds of Australia, begins with “In the open forest, where eucalyptus trees fringe tufty grasslands, honey-pale sunshine seeps to where Emu sits on a nest” (p. 6). What readers may find surprising is that Emu, the adult sitting on the nest, is male. Following an extended mating ritual, the male and female build a nest. After laying eggs, the female departs. The male remains on the nest for eight weeks, tends the hatchlings, protects them from predators such as dingoes and eagles, and teaches them survival skills. After a year and a half, the young emus leave to find mates. Byrne’s exquisite digital artwork feature Emu and his brood in their grassland habitat. A Classroom Ideas PDF for Emu is available from the Australian publisher.

—CA

The Founding Fathers! Those Horse-Ridin’, Fiddle-Playin’, Book-Readin’, Gun-Totin’ Gentlemen Who Started America. Jonah Winter. Ill. Barry Blitt. 2015. Atheneum.

In his introduction, Winter establishes a historical context of the founding fathers he presents, arguing that the United States of the late 18th century was much different from what we know it to be now. Without a government, without political parties, the men who established the Constitution had to create a foundation and, although they argued constantly, they were “tremendously smart people” (unpaged). Two-page spreads follow, all formatted the same way with an illustration of the individual on one page and a brief biography, famous quotes of the person, and a table of information on diverse topics such as physical characteristics, jobs held, education, number of slaves owned, and political position on the facing page. Although some items are humorous, such as amount of cheese owned, the tables offer readers different ways of learning about the men. The extensive back matter deals with topics about which the fathers argued and could never agree. A connecting book, Founding Mothers: Remembering the LadiesbyCokie Roberts (2014), features biographies of the wives and relatives of some of the men in Winter’s book and introduces other women of the era.

—SW

Midnight: A True Story of Loyalty in World War I. Mark Greenwood. Ill. Frané Lessac. 2015. Candlewick.

In 1914, Guy and his horse, Midnight, join the cavalry and sail from Australia to Egypt. Guy is sent to the front lines in Gallipoli; Midnight remains in Cairo. Once reunited, Guy and Midnight patrol the dunes of Sinai. In the charge at Beersheba, a bullet passes through Midnight and lodges beside Guy’s spine. The final two-page spread shows Guy waiting for the stretcher-bearers, crying beside the body of his beloved mare. Lessac’s naïve illustrations in saturated colors set the scene and clearly express the bond between Guy and Midnight. Greenwood and Lessac’s (2008) The Donkey of Gallipoli: A True Story of Courage in World War I tells how Jack Simpson carried more than 300 wounded men off the battlefield on a donkey

—CA

Ages 12–14

Anastasia and Her Sisters. Carolyn Meyer. 2015. Paula Wiseman.

Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, tells the story of her family’s life of public responsibility, regal privilege, and splendid wealth. She begins her narrative in the spring of 1918 when the family has been reunited in their exile (and shortly before their deaths). While she and her oldest sister, Olga, reminisce, Anastasia slips into her own memories as she describes a state ball of 1911. Through her narrative, she shares personal and public events in the lives of the family, and readers discover the maturing of the four sisters from pampered and protected girls to women who experience heartbreak, loss, and the realization that they could, and wanted to, do much more in their lives than their parents wanted for them. A genealogy at the beginning of the novel is a useful resource for readers, and an epilogue describes what happened to friends and relatives of the family. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming (2014) is a connecting nonfiction book, richly illustrated with archival photographs, that details the historical events and places that figure in the novel. 

—SW

Call of the Osprey (Scientists in the Field Series).Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Ill. William Muñoz. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

An engaging text and full-color, captioned photographs introduce readers to the osprey, a relative of hawks and eagles known as “the great fisher” because of its adaptation for catching fish, and document the work of three scientists at the Montana Osprey Project. The research project involves the monitoring of pairs of nesting ospreys to study the effect of the toxic metals that accumulated in the environment during extensive mining in the Missoula area. At the top of the food chain, the osprey is particularly susceptible to environmental pollution, making it an ideal indicator of progress being made in this Montana Superfund site. An abundance of sidebars offers information related to the project, including osprey statistics; the use of webcams that provide the opportunity for day-to-day observation of osprey behavior, mining, and the environment; and the establishments of the Superfund program in 1980.

—CA

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement.Carole Boston Weatherford. Ill. Ekua Holmes. 2015. Candlewick.

In a series of poems in this biography, Weatherford traces the life of Fannie Lou Hamer from her childhood as the youngest of 20 children of sharecroppers in Mississippi to her social and political activism. Weatherford chronicles the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s through Fannie Lou’s participation in voter registration, her involvement in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, her activity in party politics, and her running for elected office. The poems feature particular events in Hamer’s life and their implications, which provide readers with memorable, heart-wrenching details. In 1963, on a bus trip returning from citizenship school, for example, she and others ordered breakfast during a rest stop. Jailed for the act, the effects of the beatings she got there affected her for the rest of her life. To create a historical context, Weatherford provides an extensive timeline in the back matter, including events that occurred in the United States during the landmark moments Weatherford notes. The back matter also includes source notes and a list of resources.

—SW

Ages 15+

Between Two Worlds. Katherine Kirkpatrick. 2014. Wendy Lamb.

Billy Bah, a 16-year-old girl and wife of Angulluk, narrates the story of an expedition to the Arctic to get supplies to Admiral Peary. Billy Bah has been attached to the Peary family since she lived with them as a child in Brooklyn when Admiral and Josephine Peary’s daughter, Marie, was young. Billy Bah’s parents had come to New York City later and died there, under circumstances that are not clear to her until she can piece together details she learns and, in the process, come to a deeper understanding of the explorers’ influences on her people and culture. She recounts the many services her people provide the explorers and the shipmates who support them, their skills in hunting and sewing, family traditions and values, and practices in traveling over frozen sea and rough terrain the demanding environment of the Arctic of northern Greenland and Ellesmere Island required. The Snow Baby: The Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary’s Daring Daughter, also by Katherine Kirkpatrick (2007), is a connecting book full of archival photographs of individuals included in the novel, as well as Peary’s expeditions and family. The book Onward: A Photobiography of African-American Polar Explorer Matthew Henson by Delores Johnson (2006) focuses on the indispensable services that Henson gives to Peary’s work.

—SW

The Octopus Scientists (Scientists in the Field Series). Sy Montgomery. Ill. Keith Ellenbogen. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Montgomery and Ellenbogen join a team of researchers on the island of Moorea near Tahiti to document their study of the behavior of the Pacific day octopus. Details of their research is covered, from work in the field searching coral reefs for this elusive octopus (a master of camouflage and shape changing), locating the dens of individuals, and observing the octopuses, to lab work back at the field station identifying what the octopuses have eaten from the shells, carapaces, and remains of invertebrates found piled up outside dens. Full-color, captioned photographs and sidebars, including an interest-catching “octect of octo facts,” profiles of the octopus team, and a feature on coral reefs, extend the text. The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the World of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery (2015) documents her bonding experiences with octopuses as she pursued interest in how they use their minds to solve problems and develop individual personalities.

—SW

The World Within: A Novel of Emily Brontë. Jane Eagland. 2015. Scholastic.

In this richly detailed novel, one period in Emily’s life is the focus, a time when her elder sister, Charlotte, goes away to school and their childhood camaraderie is transformed. When Charlotte returns from school, Emily feels a distance that she cannot bridge, and she draws closer to her younger sister, Anne, in their exploration of literature and in the worlds they create in stories they write. The introspective and introverted Emily is challenged to understand the perspectives and goals of her contemporaries and siblings. Later, going to the same school that Charlotte attended causes Emily such physical distress she is brought home ill, and her journey into who she wants to be and what she wants to do in her life begins in earnest. In the process, she discovers her strengths and comes to understand the uniqueness of her siblings. The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef (2012) is a connecting book that chronicles the home and work life of the Brontë sisters, their brother, Branwell, and individuals featured in the novel such as Mary Taylor, a lifelong friend of Charlotte.

—SW

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

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

It’s Banned Books Week, and all across the United States, public libraries feature displays encouraging patrons to read banned books. Somewhere, someone will pick up a book from one of those displays and say, “Whoa. This has been banned?”

Book banning is a loaded term that implies totalitarianism and conjures up images of bonfires. Library patrons sometimes look disappointed when they learn that the book they are holding in their hands has not been banned outright, only challenged.

Banning and challenges are often conflated by librarians and other literacy advocates including the American Library Association (ALA), which annually publishes a list of the most frequently “Banned and Challenged Books.” ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom explains the difference: “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.”

Here in Charleston, SC, the book Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers was challenged recently when a parent declared the book, which deals with difficult issues like sexual assault and bullying, “trash,” and requested its removal from the summer reading list at West Ashley High School.

The principal of West Ashley High culled the book from the reading list before a committee could review the parent’s complaint. (It was replaced by Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, which, ironically, appears on ALA’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books, 2000-2009). The parent also requested the book be removed from the school library, but this action was not taken. The school district has since formed a Literacy Advisory Council to address this and other curriculum challenges.

News of a challenge spreads quickly in the book-loving world, and within days I was contacted by famed book blogger and teen advocate Kelly Jensen, who asked if I was willing to try something. If she requested people send her copies of Some Girls Are, would I find a way to get them into the hands of any students who wanted them? I was all in.

Not only do I believe in standing up for the freedom to read in general, I have strong feelings about this book in particular. Over the years, I’ve recommended it frequently to teen readers, many of whom have returned to say how deeply it affected them. Some Girls Are has sparked real, honest conversations with teen girls about the issues they face. It’s a powerful and important book, and dismissing it as “trash” is insulting not only to its author but also to all the young people who have found truth and solace in its pages.

Kelly wrote about the situation on her blog, Stacked Books, and issued a challenge of her own: “Let’s do something together with our collective reader, intellectual freedom-loving power, shall we? Can we get this book into the hands of kids of West Ashley who want it?”

The next day, she e-mailed me: “Be prepared. This is going to be much, much bigger than I anticipated.”

A couple of weeks later, boxes of books started arriving at my office door. They are still trickling in. So far, more than 1,000 copies of Some Girls Are have been donated, and I can barely find my desk beneath all those boxes.

Here at the Main Library Teen Lounge, I cleared out an entire bookcase and filled it with donated copies. Library branches serving the West Ashley community also set up displays. Local news picked up the story, and other branches of the Charleston County Public Library offered to help with distribution after their visitors asked about the book.

The best part of this project has been the discussions library staff have had with teens and tweens as a result. They want to know, “What’s the deal with this book? Why do you have so many copies?” They listen thoughtfully as we explain, and then say things like, “Wait, they took it off the list just because one person didn't like it? That's like if I said that just because I didn't like Divergent then no one should read it. That's just wrong."

Teens take home a copy and come back to say, “I can’t believe they took it off the list. I mean, it has some bad words in it—a lot of them, actually—but like, the things it talks about are really important. Cause stuff like that happens in real life. It's sad."
When I tell these teens that total strangers from all over sent these books because they care so much about them, their lives, and their ability to choose for themselves what they do or don’t read, their jaws drop and eyes widen in amazement.

Some have asked, “What’s the big deal? The book wasn’t banned. It’s still in the school library.” But here’s the thing: It’s crucial that we stand up for the freedom to read, speak out when challenges occur, and stand up to censorship attempts. Left unchecked, these elements easily can start a slippery slope that results in actual bans and even book burnings.

Andria Amaral was the first Young Adult Librarian in the state of South Carolina, joining the staff of the Charleston County Public Library in 1997. She has spent 18 years planning and developing public library collections and services for students in grades 6–12, including after-school activities, summer reading contests, and innovative outreach programs targeting at-risk and incarcerated teens. Andria has provided professional development workshops at state and national library conferences and has been a guest lecturer to MLIS students at the University of South Carolina and YA Literature students at the College of Charleston. She also serves on the YALLFest Board of Directors. She lives in Charleston, SC, with her husband and four dogs.

Although books are challenged throughout the year, book lovers designate one week each year as Banned Books Week. This is an annual opportunity to celebrate the right to read and to savor the intellectual freedoms through the unfettered access to texts with disparate points of view. Banned Books Week (Sept. 27–Oct. 3) was initiated out of growing concern over the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. The event debuted in 1982.

During this past year, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom reported 311 book challenges. The 10 most challenged titles of 2014 are as follows, and several were reviewed on Literacy Daily:

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

3. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

4. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

5. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

6. Saga by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples

7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

9. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

10. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

I strongly suggest you check out these titles and decide for yourself what you think about the books rather than simply avoiding them because others have filed a complaint about them. Each of these books merits reading, discussion, and contemplation of the ideas expressed and the issues raised in their pages. In this column, I will introduce two of the books already raising the hackles of those who would decide what others can read.

One book, the award-winning Into the River, already has been banned in New Zealand, where it is now a crime to supply, distribute, or even display it. When will these censorious individuals realize no one can decide for someone else what it is appropriate to read and pulling books from shelves makes them only more alluring to many? Seek out these books and others that offer different perspectives on life, open your mind, and join the conversation with other readers.

Ages 9–11

George. Alex Gino. 2015. Scholastic.

Although it fails to challenge several gender stereotypes, this important book has the potential to change minds and attitudes. Given the world's preoccupation with the transition of Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn Jenner, it’s being published at the right time. Fourth grader George has always felt more like a girl than a boy, and when she—the author uses the pronoun with which George prefers to identify herself—tries out for the role of Charlotte in the school dramatization of Charlotte's Web, at the urging of her supportive best friend Kelly, even her teacher, Ms. Udell, fails to understand. Readers will empathize with George's attempts to tell her mother how she feels, only to be ignored or to have her feelings discounted or misunderstood. The details the author provides about George's discomfort with her male anatomy and the constant harassment she endures from the class bully, Jeff, ensure that readers will feel sympathetic toward George. Although the story and George's struggles ultimately are resolved (perhaps too easily), the book reaches into readers' hearts and plucks their heartstrings, a gentle reminder of how hard it can be to "be who you are" when the world seems unable to accept you for yourself. This book will have readers talking, and is as groundbreaking for the younger set as Susan Kuklin’s Beyond Magenta was for an older audience. Even the cover, showing George peeking through the letter O of her name, makes it impossible to tell for sure George's gender. Read this book, and imagine the possibilities and the limitations placed by how society determines what it means to be a boy or a girl. Then consider how difficult it is to hide so much of yourself from the world around you, even your loved ones.

Ages 15+

Into the River. Ted Dawe. 2012. Mangakino University Press.

This New Zealand title, the supreme winner in the NZPost Book Awards, follows a young Māori boy from a small rural town on the country’s east coast to an exclusive boarding school in Auckland, where he receives a scholarship. The boy, Te Arepa, or Devon as his new classmates call him, is fully aware of the importance of his name—that of a brave ancestor credited with saving the whole tribe and of his potential to lead his people in the future. Not only does the youth experience cultural dissonance and loneliness, but he also encounters bullying, peer pressure, relationships, drugs, and loss. As Te Arepa feels increasingly marginalized and loses pieces of himself, bit by bit, readers will ask themselves what makes him so compliant and unable to resist those who seem determined to dismantle him and what makes those who surround him so willing to erase his identity. Clearly, Devon may fit more cleanly in the modern world than Te Arepa, but at what cost? Critics of the book have expressed concern over its language and what they term adult themes. I didn’t notice anything any more shocking in its pages than many young adult titles I’ve read in the past.

Barbara A. Ward teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy at Washington State University, Pullman. She spent 25 years teaching in the public schools of New Orleans, where she worked with students at every grade level, from kindergarten through high school as well as several ability levels. She is certified in elementary education, English education, and gifted education. She holds a bachelor's in communications and a master's in English Education from the University of Tennessee and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of New Orleans.

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

We often turn young readers to biographies to find role models and a rich source of inspiration. However, we should be sure to share biographies that feature diverse historical figures. It’s important to consider who is being overlooked, whose stories have been neglected, and why certain subjects are favored. The members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group present new biographies that cross boundaries, raise complex questions, and highlight unsung heroes.

Ages 4–8

How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz. Jonah Winter. Ill. Keith Mallett. 2015. Roaring Brook Press.

Jelly Roll Morton claims to have invented jazz in 1902. In this biography, readers are invited to learn about his early life, whether or not the claim is true, and the nature of jazz itself. The narrative is presented playfully with repeated phrases (“let’s say”) and text variations in the forms of songs and recipes. The rich blues and oranges in the illustrations add to the liveliness and celebratory feel of the book. A lengthy and informative author’s note is included, but only minimal references and discography.

Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America. Carole Boston Weatherford. Ill. Jamey Christoph. 2015. Albert Whitman and Company.

This biography joins the handful of picture book treatments of photographers such as Ansel Adams, Wilson Bentley, and Dorthea Lange. While biographies of both artists and activists have become more abundant, this appears to be the first book for children about Gordon Parks. The tone is matter of fact, chronicling personal tragedies and addressing historical inequality. The replicas of Parks’ photographs in the illustrations are especially engaging. The back matter includes some sample photographs and an author’s note, but lacks a timeline and bibliography.

Ages 9–11

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch. Chris Barton. Ill. Don Tate. 2015. Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers.

The striking cover illustration of the subject of this biography captures the warmth and honesty readers will encounter inside the book. The appealing illustrations, full of close-ups of faces and details of the historical context, drive the story and will engage readers. The narrative presented carefully balances Lynch’s personal journey with the larger political issues of the time period. The story is quite long, covering a lot of historical ground from slavery through reconstruction and beyond, but plenty of humor and drama in both the art and the text keep the story flowing. The back matter continuesthe story with a historical note, highly detailed timeline, further reading, and author and illustrator notes.

Ages 12–14

Enormous Smallness: A Story of E.E. Cummings. Matthew Burgess. Ill. Kris Di Giacomo. 2015. Enchanted Lion Books.

The book offers good advice for students who may tend to get frustrated or are unmotivated: “Anything is possible, as long as you are true to yourself and never give up, even when the world seems to say, stop!” Burgess begins the biography by painting a quick picture of Cummings’ life at the point in which the story eventually ends. Then he nicely flows into where his love for writing poems began. The story walks through his life, but it specifically focuses on what really impacted his writing career. It introduces different people in his life, and throughout the book he explains the roles that they played in his writing career: “Some people criticized him for painting with words. Others said his poems were too strange, too small.” It does not illustrate just the positive aspects of Cummings’ life, but also the hardships of his writing career.

Ages 15+

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club. Phillip Hoose. 2015. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

The resistance movement in Denmark during WWII has been treated in children’s novels like Number the Stars and pictures books like The Yellow Star. Hoose’s new book tells the story of the genesis of that movement. Two teenage brothers find themselves appalled with their country’s leader and the community around them when the Nazi occupation begins. Knud Pedersen may only be 15 but, with the help of his brother and a cadre of friends, he goes on the attack against the German occupiers. Teen readers will be on the edge of their seat as they learn of Pedersen’s bravery and activism. Hoose balances his voice with that of Knud’s, whom he interviewed and corresponded with in order to write the book. This is an exemplary piece of nonfiction with ample back matter.

Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped our History…and our Future. Kate Schatz. Ill. Miriam Klein Stahl. 2015. City Lights Books.

This book for all ages features 25 women who made a difference,  women readers young and old should know all about, and  women who all deserve more than the one page dedicated to them in this book. While some of the names will be familiar to readers (Rachel Carson and Carol Burnett), many will stand out as new and unknown (Jovita Idar, the Grimke sisters, Yuri Kochiyama). Energy and enthusiasm pervade the text and art in this book; each woman featured gets a byline (“who reminds us to bravely claim our true identity,” “who shows us the power of a brilliant mind,” “who led her people with strength and courage”), a cut-paper portrait against a bright background, and a page of biographical information. The back matter is as engaging as the individual treatments, featuring “26 things you can do to be rad” and plenty of resource material.

Lesley Colabucci is an associate professor at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches courses in children’s/adolescent literature. She is currently serving on NCTE’s Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.

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.

Children’s and adolescent literature has the power to open windows and doors into new worlds and lived experiences. Historically, the experiences of Latina/o children, families, and communities have been lacking from the corpus of literature published in the U.S. Moreover, some literature that is categorized as Latina/o-centric offers only cursory, stereotypical, or, at worst, deficit views of Latina/o families and experiences, as reported in Journal of Children’s Literature in 2013.

Instead, Latina/o children and those who read about Latina/o children and families should be exposed to characters and narratives that embody the complexity, excellence, and unique funds of knowledge that Latina/o communities offer, as K Hasse suggested in The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin. The literature that is reviewed in this column meets and surpasses these qualifications, providing critical encounters with literature that disrupt single-story or majoritarian narratives of Latina/o children, families, and communities. The selections can be shared with students at all grade levels.

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music. Margarita Engle. Ill. Rafael López. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Engle’s book depicts a young girl’s persistence to play the drums in a world where “only boys play drums.” Lopez’s words border poetry as we read how Drum Dream Girl’s world is filled with beats and music. Lopez writes, “When she walked under the wind-wavy palm trees in a flower-bright park she heard the whir of parrot wings the clack of woodpecker beaks the dancing tap of her own footsteps and the comforting pat of her own heartbeat,” showing how Drum Dream Girl draws inspiration from the world around her. The cadence of Engle’s prose mirrors the tap, tap, tapping of a drum as we are guided through Drum Dream Girl’s quest to defy gender norms and play the drums. The words are supported by the illustrations which present a whimsical, botanical world that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. 

Drum Dream Girl teaches the reader about the importance of pursuing what we love, about listening to our dreams, and the power of parents and important adults in shaping the interests and trajectories of young girls. The importance of women in the lives of women is also evident as Drum Dream Girl receives support from her sister’s “all-girl dance band,” showing how her comadres cultivated her dream. Ultimately, Drum Dream Girl’s father does provide lessons, in which she eagerly immerses herself. With practice and the guidance of her teacher, she achieves her goal. Drum Dream Girl invites readers to ask questions about the positioning of girls and boys, the impact of adults on the dreams of young children, and how even the strongest held traditions can be bent, changed, or transformed.

—LR

Finding the Music/En Pos de la Música. Jennifer Torres. Ill. Renato Alarcão. 2015. Children’s Book Press/Lee & Low Books, Inc.

This bilingual picture book acknowledges family heritage while celebrating the power music has to bring joy, bridge generations, and build community. Reyna’s abuelito was a gifted mariachi musician, and his vihuela, a small, high-pitched guitar, is proudly displayed in her family’s restaurant. Reyna accidently breaks the vihuela and decides to fix it before her mother learns about the incident. Reyna reaches out to several individuals in the community for assistance. During her search, she discovers precious mementos related to her abuelito’s life as a mariachi musician. She receives a photo from Mr. Antonio of the hardware store, but she also learns a special story. “None of us had much money then, so instead of a gift, your abuelito and his mariachi played for us.” She meets the school music teacher who shares that her abuelito taught her on the vihuela, but the special memento that she receives (her abuelito’s sombrero) makes her beam with pride. Finally, she stops at the music shop and receives an old record with a recording of her abuelito’s mariachi band performance. The rich details coupled with the warm hues create a balance to this tenderhearted story. There is also an author’s note with additional information about mariachi music.

—MN

Growing up Pedro. Matt Tavares. 2015. Candlewick Press.

Red Sox fan Matt Tavares’ latest picture book biography provides readers with information about Pedro Martinez and his brother Ramon, both of whom grew up in the Dominican Republic. Organized by important milestones with concise text, readers learn about Pedro’s early life and his strong relationship with his brother. Tavares includes information about the positive influence Pedro’s older brother, Ramon had on his life. Information about Ramon’s selection as a Major League Baseball player fuels Pedro’s commitment to follow in his brother’s footsteps. 
The author’s note includes important facts about how Martinez gave back to his hometown in the Dominican Republic from building schools, paving roads, and baseball fields. The beautiful illustrations complement the narrative and the selection would partner well with other biographies about baseball players, including those by Matt Tavares: Henry Aaron’s Dream and There Goes Ted Williams.

—MN

Little Chanclas. Josó Lozano. 2015. Cinco Puntos Press.

In Little Chanclas, Lozano presents a small but mighty little girl who wears noisy chanclas. In a world where girls are often encouraged to be quiet and sacrifice comfort for style, Lily defies the norm by “slippety-slappetying” through life with her beat-up chanclas. Lily even wears her chanclas to parties, much to the chagrin of her mother and other party-goers. Both tragedy and hilarity ensue at the party when  Lily’s chanclas break while she is dancing and a dog gobbles up the pieces of her beloved shoes. All is resolved later in the story when Lily’s granny arrives with new chanclas in every color.

Young children will enjoy the onomatopoeia used through the book to describe the sound of Lily’s chanclas. Those who are familiar with the linguistic nuances of the border regions and Spanish-speaking enclaves in the U.S. will identify with the authentic use of Spanglish in both the English and Spanish text to contextualize and describe Lily’s environment; for example, shopping at the Shoeteria and eating dinner at the Sushiteria.

—LR

Lola Levine is Not Mean. Monica Brown. 2015. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

The salutations “Dear Diario” and “Shalom” at the onset of this book set the stage for the intersectional identities that are presented in Monica Brown’s Lola Levine is Not Mean. Through Lola’s diary entries and narrative, Brown addresses gender, language, and cultural themes to explore challenges and potentials when we resist or step outside of society’s norms. The issue of gender identity plays a role in the main conflict of the story as Lola Levine experiences the different expectations of girls/women in sports. When Lola displays confidence and competitiveness in a soccer game at school, she accidentally injures a male classmate. This treatment sets in motion a series of events that can only be described as bullying. Lola’s classmates call her “Mean Lola Levine” and isolate her from social interactions at school. The school principal, who happens to be a woman, bans Lola from soccer and effectively shames Lola for her “behavior.” As the events of the story unfold, the complexities of how norms are enforced and resisted against by different female characters are shown. The principal and Lola’s classmates show a clear preference for adhering to gender norms while Ms. Garcia, Lola’s favorite teacher, and Lola’s mother offer support and solutions. While bullying is often addressed in simplified or superficial ways in children’s literature, Brown moves beyond this common trope by clearly showing bullying is often underpinned and supported by issues of prejudice. Brown shows that Lola still resists these prescribed norms and, rather than changing who she is, resists against the attacks on her character.

Overall, this book invites the reader to ask, “Is Lola mean? Why or why not?” and sets the stage for educators to select strategic stopping points to engage in dialogue about the roles women and girls can embody. Readers can explore the contradictory expectations placed on girls and women, questions about friendships between boys and girls, the power of art and writing, and the way we support or deny multiple ways of knowing and being at school and at home. 

—LR

Medina’s Mango, Abuela, and Me is a contemporary story depicting the realities of immigration and the inevitable impact on la familia. Namely, the story illuminates the experience of language loss across generations, a reality for many second- and third-generation immigrants. In this story, a young girl named Mia is anxious about the arrival of her abuela, who comes to live with her and her family. Since Mia’s primary language is English and Abuela speaks only Spanish, Mia and Abuela initially find it difficult to connect and express love through words.

Over time, Mia fills her home with English labels, Mia and Abuela share English and Spanish words while cooking together, and Mia and her mother purchase a parrot, Mango, who reminds Abuela of her house by the sea. The parrot becomes a key player in the bilingual exchanges that occur between Mia and Abuela. Medina pays careful attention to what it means to live in a new language. She writes that Abuela can’t “unlock the English words” which expertly and succinctly portrays the time it takes to adopt a new linguistic repertoire. In the end, Mia says, “Our mouths are full of things to say.”

—LR

Maya’s Blanket. Monica Brown. Ill. David Diaz. 2015. Lee & Low Books, Inc.   

In this beautifully illustrated, bilingual picture book, inspired by by the Yiddish folk song “Hob Ikh Mir a Mantl” (“I had a little coat”), Monica Brown provides readers with a story that celebrates love, family, creativity, and resourcefulness. Young Maya loves her handmade magical butterfly printed blanket crafted by her abuelita. When the blanket becomes old and frayed, she decides to create something new. “With her own two hands and Abuelita’s help,” Maya recreates the blanket into a dress, a skirt, a shawl, and a scarf, until it was so small that she was only able to make a bookmark. Maya’s ability to invent and create culminates into her writing a story filled with memories of the blanket’s metamorphosis. The butterfly print symbolizes renewal and, each time the blanket is refashioned into a new creation, it becomes a testimony of renewal and preservation. The cumulative structure coupled with the bright illustrations contribute to its heartwarming message. It will certainly inspire readers of all ages to reuse and recycle usable objects and to appreciate special treasures and family heirlooms.

—MN

Miracle on 133rd Street. Sonia Manzano. Ill. Marjorie Priceman. 2015. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Sonia Manzano’s newest picture book celebrates the power of community and how one family’s quiet holiday dinner plans turned into a wonderful celebration. On Christmas Eve, Mami, Papi, and José were preparing their special dinner, but when the roast doesn’t fit into their oven, it sets into motion a sequence of events that brings friends and neighbors together. Manzano’s excellent writing offers strong characterization coupled with the perfect blend of emotion and dialogue. This wonderful holiday story is brought to life with colorful and magical illustrations perfect for December story times and thematic lessons about family/community.

—MN

My Tata’s Remedies/Los Remedies de mi Tata. Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford. Ill. Antonio L. Castro. 2015. Cinco Puntos Press.

My Tata’s Remedies/Los Remedies de mi Tata presents a young boy, Aaron, who guides the reader through his father’s practice of holistic medicine. Sometimes referred to as curanderismo, folk, or natural healing, the book sheds light on the rich knowledge of how our natural environment offers solutions to our ailments. 
As each neighbor, friend, or family member arrives at Aaron’s home, Tata knows just what to do. He enlists Aaron’s help in seeking the right remedy for each ailment. Through this process, we see how children are apprenticed to the knowledge that is passed down through generations of healers. The strength of la familia y la communidad is also a primary theme in this text, showing the ways in which members of la communidad rely on one another to share their unique and vital funds of knowledge.

Both English and Spanish appear on the page, with English taking first billing. Select words and phrases are included in the English text. The names of plants and herbs are listed in both Spanish and English, allowing readers to delve into both language and content through this resource. The illustrations mirror this approach with realistic sketches that expertly capture the expressions of characters and accurate renderings of the plants used for Tata’s remedies.

—LR

Sofi and the Magical, Musical Mural/Sofi y el magico mural musical. Raquel Ortiz. Ill. Maria Dominguez. Trans. Gabriela Baeza Ventura. 2015. Piňata Books/Arte Público Press.

This bilingual picture book celebrates public art murals and culture, specifically the one located in the South Bronx entitled, “El Pueblo Cantor” (The Pueblo Sings). While walking back to her apartment building, Sofia becomes transfixed by the vibrant colors in the public mural that celebrates Puerto Rican culture. As she stares at the images, she is slowly transported, through her imagination, into the lively scene. She dances with new friends, sings traditional songs, and is initially fearful of the masked trickster, the vejigante. She is encouraged to continue dancing and dancing until her original fear of the vejigante in the mural slowly disappears. Her imagination transports her into the air over the town, the rainforest, and the beach. Finally, her mother finds Sofia deeply entranced in front of the mural. Sofia realizes that she had been daydreaming. At home, she was still so deeply affected by the characters in the mural that she continued to dance and sing. From her bedroom window, she could still see the mural and even imagined that the vejigante winked at her. The story captures the power that art has on our senses and would be appropriate for art educators. Art educator and muralist Maria Dominguez adds colorful and spiraling illustrations to enhance the story.

—MN

Mary Napoli is an associate professor of reading at Penn State Harrisburg and focuses her teaching and research on children’s and adolescent literature. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate literacy courses focused on children’s literature. Her current research pertains to guiding preservice teachers to become more critical readers of texts. Laura Roy is an associate professor of education at Penn State Harrisburg. Laura’s research examines the classroom and community experiences of new and existing refugee and immigrant populations in the U.S., focusing particularly on the intersections of race, culture, language, and other markers of identity. She is particularly interested in the discursive practices in the classroom that help and/or hinder students’ success in language learning contexts. Both her teaching and research are grounded in social justice frameworks, advocating for equitable learning opportunities for all students. 

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.