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Holiday 2009 |
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PICTURE BOOKS |
REAL WORLD: ANIMAL, HISTORY, SCIENCE AND MORE |
All The World, Liz Scanlon. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. Panoramic scenes and the building rhythm of the text dovetail into the reassuring sense of a child in a family in a world of wonderful possibilities. Truly an example of the best a picture book can be! |
Camping With The President, Ginger Wadsworth. Calkins, $16.95. In 1903 Theodore Roosevelt escaped from the hubbub of DC to spend 3 days alone in Yosemite with naturalist John Muir. A neat slice of US history. Faces Of The Moon, Bob Crelin. Charlesbridge, $16.95. Cut out shapes and tabs help explain why the moon changes shape, and what we call each phase. Flags Of The World, Abrams, $19.95. The meaning and story of creation behind each country’s flag is a window into history, culture and traditions around the world. If America Were A Village, David Smith. Kids Can, $18.95. Like its popular forerunner If The World Were A Village this book uses a hypothetical number of 100 Americans to provide a snapshot of what the population is like. Looking At Pictures, Joy Richardson. Abrams, $21.95. Much more than a tour through famous paintings, this thoughtful approach introduces “the basic concepts and vocabulary of painting” such as light, color & perspective. Louisa: The Life Of Louisa May Alcott, Yona McDonough\.Holt, $17.99. This simply lovely bio of Alcott packs alot of info into a picture book format, and creates a real feel for the uniqueness of her family, and her own struggles, dreams and accomplishments. Nubs: The True Story Of a Mutt, A Marine & a Miracle, Major Brian Dennis. LB, $17.99. The strong bond between animals and humans takes many shapes. It took Nubs, a homeless dog in Iraq, 70 miles alone across the desert in search of the soldiers who had befriended him. And it resulted in those Marines moving a mountain of bureaucracy to send Nubs on a safe journey to America. Planet Earth, DK, $18.99. From the solar system to climate change, from geology to biozones and human’s influence on them; a great science book for browsing. The Real History Of The American Revolution, Allen Axelrod. Sterling $17.95. Start at the beginning or dig in anywhere, you’ll find this concise overview is engagingly written and graphically pleasing. What history class should’ve been like! The Real Spy’s Guide To Becoming a Spy, Peter Earnest. Abrams, $16.95. What do spies really do, and what kind of training does it take? Winter’s Tail, Juliana Hatkoff. Scholastic, $16.99. The inspiring true tale, told with many photos, of how an injured dolphin learned to swim again with the help of a prosthetic tail. |
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SEASONAL AND HOLIDAY |
FAIRY TALES, COLLECTIONS & LEGENDS |
The Christmas Magic, Lauren Thompson. Scholastic, $16.99. Jon Muth’s muted watercolors set the tone for this gentle tale about Santa and his reindeer preparing for a magical night. The Mitten, Jim Aylesworth. Scholastic, $16.99. Artist Barbara McClintock uses a series of small illustrations to show each animal tugging, pushing or pulling their way into a lost red mitten, in this new version of a classic tale. Peter Rabbit: A Winter’s Tale, Penguin, $21.99. Original art from Beatrix Potter, in an oversize format, illustrates this tale of Peter and Benjamin’s snowy adventure. Collect the snowflakes throughout the book to add to the 3-D tree on the last page. The Spirit Of Christmas, Nancy Tillman. Feiwel, $16.99. Excitement is in the winter air, and the magical surreal art which blends real objects and animals with imagined backgrounds. Stick Man, Julia Donaldson. Scholastic, $16.99. Stick Man’s morning jog is interrupted by an energetic dog, and, until a chance meeting with Santa, it seems like he’ll never get back home. Under The Snow, Melissa Stewart. Peachtree, $16.95. This lovely illustrated book about the various places animals spend the winter is a wonderful example of how to introduce nature and science writing to the young. Who Would Like A Christmas Tree? Ellen Obed. HM, $16. In January the chickadees find a nice meal of cones and seeds, in Feb. the field mice gnaw the bark; this clever nature book shows how Christmas trees are part of the ecosystem all year. |
Classic Fairy Tales, Berlie Doherty. Candlewick, $12.99. Twelve favorite tales, framed by gold-toned illustrations, retold with a wonderful cadence for reading aloud. Julie Andrews’ Collection Of Poems, Songs & Lullabies. LB, $24.99. Watercolors add appeal to this inviting collection, and the inclusion of lyrics from some favorite songs is a nice touch. CD included. Snow White, Jane Ray. Candlewick, $19.99. This exceptionally attractive version features 3-D fold out spreads – looking into the snowy forest or dwarves’ cottage. The Tree That Time Built, sel. by Mary Ann Hoberman. Sourcebooks, $19.99 Science, nature and literature intersect in this amazing and thought provoking poetry anthology that features poems about the majesty and mystery of the diversity of varied species on our world’s tree of life. |
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NOVELS-AGE 8 AND OLDER |
NOVELS-AGE 12 AND OLDER |
The Brooklyn Nine, Alan Gratz. Penguin, $16.99. The history of baseball, as told by following one family of 19th century German immigrants, and items of baseball memorabilia they come across, through 9 generations. The Dollshop Downstairs, Yona McDonough. Penguin, $14.99. Three sisters use their imagination and creativity to save the day when WWI interrupts their parent’s doll business, in this charming family story set in NYC. The Evolution Of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly. Holt, $16.99. Callie lives in a sleepy Texas town in 1899, but when her eyes are opened to the wider world by her grandfather’s passion for science, she hopes there is more in store for her than the ladylike future her mother envisions. Leaving The Bellweathers, Kristin Venuti. Egmont, $15.99. Five siblings live in a lighthouse home, and their constant mayhem causes the butler to threaten to leave, in this funny novel about a very offbeat family. The Pharaoh’s Secret , Marissa Moss. Abrams, $15.95. While on vacation in Egypt, Talibah and her brother are given unusual gifts that draw them into a mystery surrounding Hatshepsut, the only female Pharaoh. Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, Grace Lin. LB, $16.99. MinLi sets out with a magic goldfish and a flightless dragon on a quest in this blend of adventure and Chinese folklore. A good read aloud. |
Fire, Kristin Cashore. Penguin, $17.99. Set in the same world as Graceling, this romantic fantasy stands on it’s own. Fire is feared as much as desired for her inhuman beauty, and only agrees to leave her life of seclusion when she has a chance to right the great wrong her father caused the kingdom. But Prince Nash, the heir to that kingdom, doesn’t trust her at all. The Great Wide Sea, M.H. Herlong. Penguin, $16.99. When their father is lost at sea, Ben and his brothers must use all their skills to survive a storm and shipwreck. Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld. S&S, $19.99. Fans of Airborn and Mortal Enemies will like this inventive alternate history adventure, set in the months leading up to WWI. A young Austrian Prince, on the run in one of his country’s elaborate tanks, meets up with an incredible airship made of living creatures used by the British forces. Malice, Chris Wooding. Scholastic, $14.99. Two teens think it’s a silly myth that chanting a spell will send you into a dangerous comic book world – until they try it and one disappears. A suspenseful, partly graphic novel, full of twists and turns. Ruined, Paula Morris. Scholastic, $16.99. Rebecca moves to New Orleans and finds herself in an unfriendly prep school by day, and a ghost story by night. Tentacles, Roland Smith. Scholastic, $16.99. In this fast paced adventure, two cousins accompany their scientist uncle on a dangerous expedition to New Zealand to search for a giant squid. When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead, RH, $15.99. Miranda receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future and hint that she can prevent a tragedy, in this unique puzzle of a novel – a page turner from the very start. |
Holiday Special