Reading Ahead
Bedtime for Sweet Creatures
Such a charming book! From Nikki Grimes, we hear the story of a young boy stalling his bedtime, all the while collecting a menagerie of imaginary creatures. This is a child who has well-practiced ploys for avoiding bedtime. His parents respond with playfulness and good humor. Mom and dad are patient but, finally, the child is too sleepy to
Equality’s Call
Written by Deborah Diesen in readable-out-loud verse with a refrain that reflects the cumulative action in the preceding pages, this picture book traces the diligent efforts of those who worked for decades to make America’s voting rights more inclusive. There is history here for everyone to know. The illustrations add passion and understanding to the text, helping
Under Threat
This oversized book is unforgettable. Both the art and the text are strong testaments about animals that are “threatened with extinction: critically endangered (the most threatened), endangered, and vulnerable (the least threatened).”
A to Zåäö
A to Zåäö is an alphabet book, a museum exhibit catalog, an introduction to the Swedish language, and a picture book illustrated by a mother’s watercolors and her son’s pen-and-ink drawings.
Humanimal
This book is a page-turner in all of the right ways. It’s an immensely readable nonfiction book that delivers memorable information. Best of all, I believe it will change hearts and minds about our relationship to animals, a necessary step in our evolution if we’re engaged in saving our planet.
I’m Gonna Push Through!
Have you felt like you couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t attempt something you really want to do? Maybe you’ve done a good job of convincing yourself you’re not up to making your goal. This is the book for you, your classroom, your book club, your dance troupe, your family … literally everyone who needs positive encouragement. As the author
The Big Book Adventure
You’ll never guess Where I have been Or who I met Or what I’ve seen. Shall I tell you? A pig and a striped-tail fox each begin with that refrain, leading the other one through an exciting revelation of the books they’ve just read. They become a part of the story they’re telling, just as one does when one falls in love
McDuff Moves In
When I was young, my mother and I lived in a succession of apartments, none of which allowed pets. I had a fervent hope for a dog or a cat, an animal friend to love. Every year for Christmas, I received a new stuffed animal, usually a dog because my mother didn’t care for cats. I still have those stuffed animals, but I’ve never had a pet.
A Cat’s Guide to the Night Sky
A dearly drawn cat named Felicity — honoring Félicette, a stray cat in Paris who became the first cat in space on October 18, 1963 — takes us on an exploration of stargazing. As a book on observational astronomy, it’s an exciting book for kids and adults alike. Short paragraphs cover what to wear when stargazing, where to go for maximum
Riding a Donkey Backwards
The wise fool or the foolish wise man? As the authors explain, “Nasruddin is the wisest man in the village and also the biggest fool. … If he doesn’t make you laugh, he will certainly make you think — and perhaps think sideways instead of straight ahead.” Mulla Nasruddin is an ancient Persian folk character, discussed in Sufi studies, familiar throughout India, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and the Middle East.
The Night the Forest Came to Town
A city can be all hard surfaces, concrete, brick, pavement, and glass. Adults can be preoccupied with their devices. Billboards, street lights, every kind of distraction. There’s a distinct separation from nature, a disconnect.
My Grandma and Me
My Grandma and Me Mina Javaherbin illustrated by Lindsey Yankey Candlewick Press, 2019 ISBN 978−1−4263−3304−0 If you were fortunate to have one or two or three loving grandmothers, this book will touch your heart. Grandmas can be the most loving people in our long lives, teaching us about life, passing along traditions, sharing stories, helping us
Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather
Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather Trudi Trueit illustrated by Scott Plumbe (with a blend of photos) National Geographic Partners, 2019 ISBN 978−1−4263−3304−0 I’ve written a prior Reading Ahead essay about my love for The Nebula Secret, the first book in the Explorer Academy series. Now book two, The Falcon’s Feather, continues the story and I think it’s even more
Make This!
Make This! Building, Thinking, and Tinkering Projects for the Amazing Maker in You Ella Schwartz, photographs by Matthew Rakola National Geographic Kids, 2019 When presented with this book, wheels start turning, ideas begin popping, and your temperature rises! This is going to be fun. And a carefully thought-through learning experience … but who needs to know that? By the book’s
Books Books Books
Books Books Books Mick Manning and Brita Granström Candlewick Press, 2017 Book lovers appreciate the beauty, rarity, inventive design, and content of all types of books. Those in the vast collection of the British Library (more than 150 million literary artifacts on 15 floors and 400 miles of shelving) will help to make book lovers of