Reading Ahead
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
LOVE
Love written by Stacy McAnulty illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff Running Press Kids, December 2018 Here is a book to give to those people who immediately jump to your mind when you think of love. Love isn’t about objects or commercial holidays or competition. It’s about time spent together, making memories, being thoughtful, noticing the details (I saw that
The Poetry of US
If you’re still looking for holiday gifts or start-the-year-with-a-treat gifts for your home, classroom, a host present, something lasting … consider this book. The Poetry of US edited by J. Patrick Lewis National Geographic Partners, 2018, 192 pages Not everyone can travel to all the dots on our country’s map, but this book transports us throughout America with the
Fly With Me
This book is pure gold. Your entire family will want this on your bookshelves so you can dip into it frequently. Your library patrons will be grateful when you hand them this gem. And in a classroom, this is a gorgeous, STEAM-empowering, widely-encompassing book. Read the poetry out loud, read the nonfiction narratives out loud because they’re
Outstanding Short Biography Collections
You know the young readers, and striving readers, who will love all three of these books. They’re a collection of biographies, two of the books focused on women, and one of the books choosing among children across the centuries and around the world. Whether you’re looking for your home bookshelves or your library’s these three books
If Da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur
At once ridiculous and sublime, If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur is magnetic. Which dinosaur will be featured in whose painting? Quick, turn the page! Amy Newbold, author, and Greg Newbold, illustrator, follow up If Picasso Painted a Snowman with this volume combining a herd of historic and imaginary dinosaurs included in 19 famous artists’ familiar paintings: Degas’ ballerinas
Storm
That irresistible urge to jump into a cushioned pile of waist-high leaves, sinking into the vivid colors, the smell of earth and sky, the sounds of nature embracing you? Don’t miss Storm by Sam Usher (Templar Books). The glowing reds and golds of fall jump off the cover, inviting you to open the book and settle in
History’s Mysteries
You pick up the brightly colored book lying on the table and open it near the middle. What’s this book about? In 1848, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror set out to find the link between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean by sailing into the Arctic waters. The ships and the crews