Library Column for February 18, 2022

@ Your Library

I know I continue to talk about how amazing juvenile non-fiction material is these days, But it is! Take a look at the Atlas of Amazing Architecture by Peter Allen for the stories of over 50 buildings from around the world. Travel to an Ethiopian church carved into a mountain then visit Japan and learn traditional Japanese architecture and plenty more.

We Are Still Here! By Traci Sorell with illustrations by Frané Lessac to learn about ‘Native American Truths Everyone Should Know.’ Twelve children from various tribes present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles and victories in Native American life. I learned so much from this one simple book.

Threads of Peace by Uma Krishnaswami is a longer book for upper elementary and junior high students exploring how Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr changed the world. Discover the history that connected them and the legacies they left. Again, a great introduction to two people I only knew bits and pieces about. I have a much fuller picture of their lives and legacies now.

Animal lovers of all ages will delight in the new book How to Find a Fox by Kate Gardner with photographs by Ossi Saarinen. Move through different landscapes and season to find the beautiful, graceful and fun red fox. Beautiful photography with short sentences and longer paragraphs of explanations make this a delightful read on many levels.

Picture books also bring me delight from I Can Make a Train Noise by Michael Emberley and Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick to The Tree Told Me by Sophie Lescaut and Thanh Portal to What About X? by Anne Marie Houppert to Circle Under Berry by Carter Higgins. Each encourages imagination and discovery of the world around us. These are delightful books I will love sharing with my grandchild.

Children reading novels (or chapter books) will find a wide range of subjects to choose from. Pony by R. J. Palacio is a mystery story, ghost story, love story centered on Silas a 12 year old awakened in the middle of the night by three horsemen who take his father away. Faceless by Kathryn Lasky is a spy story set in 1943 war-torn England as two sisters, part of a centuries od spy clan go separate ways and no longer work together.

Harry Versus the First 100 Days of School by Emily Jenkins is a great read-aloud for anyone who knows a kindergartner or first grader. Harry is both excited and nervous, but he makes a friend on day 1, so it can’t be all bad, even if he makes an enemy on day 15.

We also added a handful of new documentary films for children of all ages. Parrots Splitfeather and Crosseye explore the world for fun facts about butterflies in “Bird Scouts: Butterflies.” Horse loves will learn plenty of new skills in “Animal Life: All About Horses, Caring, Riding and their Amazing Abilities.” Discover how simple machines work in “How Do Seesaws Go Up and Down?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *