Literacy Now

This week’s collection of books contains nonfiction and fiction intended to stimulate discussion in social studies lessons and promote thought-provoking independent reading. The books suggest multiple perspectives on familiar and not-so-familiar topics while showing the viability of using first-person narrative as material for social studies topics.  

Ages 4–8

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. Laurie Ann Thompson. Ill. Sean Qualls. 2015. Schwartz & Wade/Random House.

Emmanuel was born with a deformed leg but, with the support of his mother, he grew up doing things other Ghanaian children with disabilities did not do, including going to school (hopping two miles each way on one leg) and learning to ride a bicycle. At the age of 13, Emmanuel went to Accra to find work to support his family. Determined to show everyone that “being disabled does not mean being unable,” Emmanuel dreamed of cycling around Ghana. After training on a bike from the Challenged Athletes Foundation and canvasing door to door for support, Emmanuel made a 400-mile cycling journey across Ghana in just 10 days. The author’s note details Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah’s work on behalf of the disabled since completing his first long-distance bike ride across Ghana in 2001.

—CA

Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution. Mara Rockliff. Ill. Vincent X. Kirsch. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Responding to cries of “Revolution! Independence! Liberty!”, a German-born baker known throughout Philadelphia for his delicious gingerbread—“the best in all the 13 colonies”—joins General George Washington’s army and begins feeding the hungry Continental soldiers. Sent by Washington into enemy territory to persuade German troops hired by the British to defect to their side, he wins over the hungry soldiers not with words, but with the promise of “No empty bellies here. Not in my America.” Kirsch’s cut-paper illustrations feature the chubby baker and a lot of skinny soldiers as gingerbread cookie characters with white icing detailing. The author’s note provides information on Christopher Ludwick (1720–1801), the German baker who “helped win the American Revolution.” A simple gingerbread cookie recipe is on the endpapers.

—CA

The Inventor’s Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford. Suzanne Slade. Ill. Jennifer Black Reinhardt. 2015. Charlesbridge.

Young Thomas and Henry wanted to know how things worked. Their curiosity frequently led to experiments that got them into trouble. When they were older, they developed inventions that made life better for people. Henry’s interest in engines inspired him to invent a two-cylinder, four-stroke car. People laughed at Henry’s gas buggy, but they loved Thomas’s light bulb. Wondering what Edison’s secret was, Henry set out to meet Edison in New York City in 1896. In a conversation during a dinner where the famous inventor was the guest of honor, Edison revealed his secret to Ford, “Keep at it.” The illustrations, rendered in watercolor, ink, and black pencil, add detail and humor to the information about Ford’s development of a series of cars that he wanted to make affordable and suitable for families, from Model A to Model T (the Tin Lizzie). The back matter includes information on the friendship between the inventors, notes on Edison’s and Ford’s inventions featured in the story accompanied by archival photographs, source notes, a timeline of the lives of Edison and Ford, and a bibliography of websites and books.

—SW

Ages 9–11

The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower or John Howland’s Good Fortune. P.J. Lynch. 2015. Candlewick.

With a text based on historical facts set against dramatic double-spread paintings done in watercolor and gouache, Lynch tells the story of the Pilgrims’ voyage from England on the Mayflower and their first year in New Plymouth through the first-person narration of John Howland, an indentured servant of Pilgrim John Carver. Young John had the good fortune of surviving a fall from the deck of the ship in stormy waters. Lynch ends John’s story with a last-minute decision not to return to England on the Fortune the following year. In the author’s note, Lynch explains that this decision was fortunate for John because the Fortune was taken by French pirates on the voyage back to England. Lynch adds that this decision was also fortunate for the Plymouth Colony as John Howland became one of its foremost citizens.

—CA

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse. Joseph Marshall III. Ill. Jim Yellowhawk. 2015. Amulet/Abrams.

Jimmy McClean’s mother is Lakota and his father is half white. They live on the edge of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in southwest South Dakota, but that does not spare him the ridicule of students at his school because of his light brown hair. To help Jimmy understand his heritage, his grandfather Nyles High Eagle suggests a journey to visit the ancestral and historical sites where Crazy Horse, who also had light-colored hair as a young Lakota man, grew up and served his people. Their journey through three states to places that figured in American history includes stories of “the way it was” between 1852—when Crazy Horse was 13—and 1877, when he surrendered at Fort Robinson and died from a bayonet wound. A detailed map shows the journey Jimmy and Nyles took. In an author’s note, Marshall, a Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux), explains his purpose in in writing his book. Back matter includes a glossary and references.

—SW

Two White Rabbits. Jairo Buitrago. Trans. Elisa Amado. Ill. Rafael Yockteng. Groundwood/House of Anansi.

A man and his young daughter travel by foot through a desert environment and come to train tracks where many other people are waiting. The story, told from the daughter’s point of view, suggests adventure, but the father’s worried expression depicted in the illustrations suggests their lives are precarious as they travel on a train’s roof with many other adults and children. Having to escape soldiers who stop the train, the father finds work in a town while the child plays with a boy who gives her two rabbits. Once they resume their journey, this time in the bed of a truck, the father’s concern for the welfare of his child deepens. Upon reaching the border with its high fence, the father frees the rabbits. The father and child have yet to cross the border. The double-page illustrations, created digitally in muted, somber tones, show the hope and danger of their unfinished journey. A note at the end of the story provides information on the dangerous trips refugees take in attempting to make it across the border into the United States.

—SW

Ages 12–14

Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound. Andrea Davis Pinkney. 2015. Roaring Brook/Macmillan.

Pinkney offers a lively history of the Motown music label, narrated in a folksy tone by the Groove. Berry Gordy Jr., a member of an entrepreneurial Detroit family, achieved his dream of starting a recording company that would bring together talented black song writers, singers, and musicians with the establishment of Motown Records in 1959. A key to Gordy’s success was that he not only brought black artists into the Motown family and treated them fairly but also produced hits, songs that everyone wanted to hear. The reader of Rhythm Ride learns how the Motown sound changed the music world and influenced social and political history in the last half of the 20th century. Back matter includes an author’s note, a timeline, a selected discography, source notes, resources (books, magazines, and DVDs; websites; and theatrical productions), and an index. 

—CA

Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University. Francisco Jiménez. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

In this memoir, Jiménez sets out on a journey, leaving family, friends, sweetheart Laura, and teachers behind in California as he begins graduate studies at Columbia University in New York City. He connects the experience with the journey his family had taken 19 years earlier when he was 4-years-old and came across the Mexican border, not knowing what they would find when they entered the United States. Following his earlier books, The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child (1999), Breaking Through (2002), and Reaching Out (2009), Jiménez recounts the challenges of making his way in the culture of New York City and Columbia, supporting his family, and adjusting to the breakup with Laura. The memoir ends with his marrying Laura and her moving to New York to take a teaching position, the completion of his degrees, and his return to California as a professor at his undergrad alma mater, Santa Clara University.

—SW

Ages 15+

My Seneca Village. Marilyn Nelson. 2015. Namelos.

In a “Welcome to My Seneca Village” introduction, Nelson explains she made up the characters on the basis of their names and identifications in U.S. census records for Seneca Village, Manhattan’s first African American community of property owners on the upper west side of Manhattan Island. From 1825 to 1857, the village grew with schools, churches, gardens, and cemeteries and eventually incorporated Irish and German immigrants, until it was condemned to make way for Central Park, designed by Alfred Olmstead. Nelson begins each poem with an introduction to the characters, many of whom appear multiple times. Each poem, written in first person, recounts an event in the community. These personal stories of Nelson’s characters also chronicle historical events of the period such as economic recession, a cholera epidemic, the California Gold Rush, and the abolition movement. In an afterword, Nelson explains the structure of the poetry.

—SW

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad. M.T. Anderson. 2015. Candlewick.

Anderson’s biography of the famous 20th-century composer is also a biography of 20th-century Russia. It begins with the Bolshevik Revolution and the early days of the Soviet government, when Shostakovich was a child in Leningrad. As a young composer and teacher, he composed music for the vibrant, hopeful, and experimental art world of music and theatre of 1920s Leningrad. Anderson details the era of Stalin in the 30s and his purges that decimated the art, military, and economic intelligentsia and the five-year plans that resulted in the deaths of millions of people in the countryside. The alliance between Hitler and Stalin fails in 1941 when Hitler’s military forces, believing the Russians were subhuman, attacked Russia and surrounded Leningrad in a strangle-hold siege that lasted almost 900 days. Anderson recounts the dramatic events that led to the first performance of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, which became known as “The LeningradSymphony,” during the siege. Anderson includes extensive source notes to supplement the historical record discussed in the book.

—SW

Sandip Wilson serves as associate professor in the College of Health and Education of Husson University in Bangor, ME. Carolyn Angus is former Director of the 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.

This collection of biographies, which have garnered honors in 2015, offers engaging and stimulating reading in a range of formats and topics. The biographies give insight into the lives of famous people and their legacies. These reviews identify the honors each book received.

Ages 4–8

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova. Laurel Snyder. Ill. Julie Morstad. Chronicle.

A visit to the ballet one snowy night changes the life of a young girl. “Now Anna cannot sleep. Or sit still ever. She can only sway, dip, and spin… .” Two years later, Anna begins formal ballet training. After five years of hard work, she steps alone onto the stage as the swan. She travels the world, bringing the beauty of ballet to everyone until she falls ill. On her deathbed, Anna calls for her feathered swan dress. Snyder’s spare, lyrical text and Mortstad’s exquisite mixed-media artwork beautifully convey the life story of Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). An author’s note offers more information on the Russian dancer who is recognized widely as the greatest ballerina of all time. 2016 Orbis Pictus Honorable Mention.

—CA

W Is for Webster: Noah Webster and His American Dictionary. Tracey Fern. Ill. Boris Kulikov. 2015. Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.

For Noah Webster, a farm boy with little schooling, nothing was more important than learning and language so, in 1774, his father took out a loan on the farm and sent 16-year-old Noah to study at Yale. Noah immersed himself in words. Becoming a teacher in the newly independent American colonies, he believed that a “national language is a national tie” and created his first speller in 1789. After publishing a small dictionary in 1806, he was determined to write the definitive dictionary of English in America. Lively and humorous mixed-media illustrations show how Webster dedicated his efforts over two decades, in the face of public ridicule and during years in which he and his wife, Rebecca Greenleaf, raised their eight children, to writing An American Dictionary of the English Language, the largest English dictionary ever written. 2016 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book.

—SW

Ages 9–11

Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine. Laurie Wallmark. Ill. April Chu. 2015. Creston.

From an early age, Ada Byron Lovelace (1815–1852) loved numbers. They became her friends in equations and inventions she developed during the long absences of her mother, who had left her father, the poet Lord Byron, when Ada was a baby. Ada longed to build a flying machine and experimented with the effects of wind on the sails of a toy boat. At the age of 17, she began working with mathematician Charles Babbage, who designed a mechanical computer, his Analytical Engine, but had not built it. Recognizing that the computer would need instructions to solve complex math problems, Ada created an algorithm for the Analytical Engine. In doing so, she also created a new profession, computer programming. An author’s note includes information on Ada Byron Lovelace’s lifelong interest in math and science and Ada’s software, the world’s first computer program. 2016 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book.

—SW

Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game. John Coy. Ill. Randy DuBurke. 2015. Carolrhoda Books/Lerner.

In 1944, five basketball players on the Duke University Medical School team set out to play a secret game with the starting lineup of the North Carolina College for Negroes team, coached by John McLendon, who learned the sport from James Naismith. Although the players were apprehensive and awkward at its beginning, the game picked up. The illustrations, rendered in paint and graphite, depict the fast-paced game the African American team generated as they demonstrated moves not seen by white teams before and that became the standard of the game. The game remained secret for decades because the Ku Klux Klan considered “mixing the races” a crime punishable by death. The author’s note includes additional information on Coach McLendon’s life and work. 2016 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book.

—SW

My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey. Lesa Cline-Ransome. Ill. James E. Ransome. 2015. Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster.

Movement and dance were as natural as breathing to 6-year-old Robert after the removal of braces worn to straighten his bowlegs. Raised by his aunt, uncle, and cousin, he loved the music of his home life and grew in confidence through singing at the AME Church. Dance was the center of his life; he began ballet lessons at the age of 13 and then won a scholarship to Juilliard. James E. Ransome’s pastel illustrations show Battle’s expansive, expressive dance style as a student and later as a professional dancer before becoming the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company in 2011. Robert Battle provides an inspiring foreword. Back matter includes author’s and illustrator’s notes; a bibliography of articles and video, radio, and Internet resources; and suggestions for further reading. 2016 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book.

—SW

Ages 12–14

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir. Margarita Engle. 2015. Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

In a series of beautifully crafted poems, Margarita Engle, the daughter of a Cuban mother and an American father, tells of her love of the two worlds to which she belonged as a child: the tropical island world of her mother’s family, with its warm acceptance of her on summer visits, and the busy world of Los Angeles, where her family lives the rest of the year and she attends school with children who are not friendly. Engle recalls the disturbing upheaval of her young life as conflict between Cuba and the United States escalates during the Cold War era and the United States bans travel to Cuba. The last poem expresses the hope Margarita, at the age of 14, has for the future. “Someday, surely I’ll be free / to return to the island of all my childhood / dreams” (p. 185). The author’s note brings the reader up to date. 2016 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist; 2016 Pura Belpré Award.

—CA

Steve Jobs: Insanely Great. Jessie Hartland. 2015. Schwartz & Wade/Random House.

With black-and-white, hand-lettered cartoon panels, Hartland creates a graphic biography of Steve Jobs (1955–2011), the creative genius and entrepreneur who, at 21 years old, started Apple Computer in his family’s garage with Stephen (Woz) Wozniak. After leaving the company, Jobs took on the leadership of Pixar, a computer graphics company, and turned it into a major animation studio. In 1997, Jobs returned to the now-struggling company he had founded and, guided by his insistence that “our job is to figure out what the consumer is going to want before they do,” led the development of Apple into the giant of the personal technology industry it is today. In chronicling the life and work of Steve Jobs, Hartland also provides readers with a decade-by-decade history from “Technology in the 1960s” with rotary-dial phones with cords and typewriters in the 1960s to “What’s New?” in the 21st century with mobile phones spread worldwide, global positioning systems, and the iCloud. 2016 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book.

—CA

This Strange Wilderness: The Life and Art of John James Audubon. Nancy Plain. 2015. University of Nebraska Press.

John James Audubon (1785–1851) is best known for his The Birds of America, with its life-size paintings of almost 500 North American bird species posed naturally against backgrounds of their habitats. Plain’s engaging biography reads like a great adventure story. Her well-crafted text, peppered with quotes from Audubon, presents Audubon as an early 19th-century artist, writer, naturalist, hunter, and explorer who clearly deserves his recognition as the founder of modern ornithology. The inclusion of numerous color plates of Audubon’s wildlife paintings and an appendix that includes a glossary, source notes, a bibliography, and an index makes This Strange Wilderness a splendid introduction to Audubon’s life and art. 2016 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist.

—CA

Ages 15+

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War.Steve Sheinkin. 2015. Roaring Brook.

Sheinkin’s account of the personal and public life of Daniel Ellsberg covers the decade from 1964 and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave the President of the United States authority to escalate military action in Southeast Asia, to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1973. It looks into this tumultuous period and the actions of four Presidents related to Southeast Asia, military forces and war, the Federal courts, American newspapers, and top-secret documents. As an advisor to the State Department, Ellsberg went to South Vietnam to observe the war firsthand for two years. He gradually came to believe that a top-secret study of American policy in Vietnam needed to be made public. He leaked the document, which became known as the Pentagon Papers, to the press in 1971. Was he a hero or a traitor? In his author’s note, Sheinkin details his research. The book, illustrated with archival photographs, opens with a cast of characters and includes source notes, references, an index, and a map. 2016 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book; 2016 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. 

—SW

Sandip Wilson serves as associate professor in the College of Health and Education of Husson University in Bangor, ME. Carolyn Angus is former director of the 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 not often that a third-grade student becomes a published author, but you can find Violetta Lamb’s book, Plants and Animals (StarWalk Kids Media) on Amazon. The publisher worked with the superintendent of Lamb’s Blue Springs, MO, school district to pair the author with an illustrator, Susan L. Roth, to work together on the final product. Lamb said she was excited about the book and learned a lot from the experience.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was in kindergarten, but I hadn’t written an actual story until second grade.

What was it like working with Susan L. Roth?

It was fun learning how to work with the art materials that Susan L. Roth provided. She is amazing, and I am so glad to have met her!

What was the inspiration for the story?

At my old school, my teacher Mrs. Hilbert had talked about author and illustrators. She talked about Susan L. Roth and Seymour Simon, and I love their work. That’s where I got the idea and had hoped it would be like that: informative, but fun!

Do you plan to write more books in the future and make it your career?

I am still really young and don’t know what I will be when I grow up. But yes, I have continued writing!

Most of our readers are teachers who work with young people. What is the one piece of advice you would give students about writing and publishing?

Never give up—ever. If it is your dream, do it.

April Hall is editor of Literacy Daily. A journalist for 20 years, she has specialized in education, writing and editing for newspapers, websites, and magazines.

In reviewing science books, we have found the best books have engaging and fascinating information and—perhaps more important—encourage the interest of young readers in scientific observation and investigation. Some of these books integrate science with cross-curricular topics including culture, history, and preservation of the quality of natural environments.

Ages 4–8

Bilby: Secrets of an Australian Marsupial. Edel Wignell. Ill. Mark Jackson. 2015. Candlewick Press.

Written partly as a narrative, the book recounts the life of Bilby, a female bilby, an endangered nocturnal marsupial who creates long, narrow, and steep burrows deep in the earth for protection. Bilby gives birth to Baby Bilby in one of these burrows. Written partly as an exposition, the pages include information related to the life cycle of the marsupial and its survival strategies for living in the desert. This small animal’s rabbit-like ears, long nose, and long, crested tail give it a distinct appearance. Double-spread illustrations, rendered in paint and colored pencil, show Bilby and her son in their desert habitat.

—SW

High Tide for Horseshoe Crabs. Lisa Kahn Schnell. Ill. Alan Marks. 2015. Charlesbridge.

Horseshoe crabs appear on shores of the eastern United States, notably the Delaware Bay, to lay eggs, many of which become food for migrating birds that appear at the same time. A narrative text and dramatic double-spread watercolor and pencil illustrations present the life cycle of the arthropod in the context of the research done by scientists and volunteers who tag the crabs to discern their migratory behavior and life span. Back matter includes information on the evolution and biology of the horseshoe crab and on its importance in the food chain and for humans, such as the use of its blue blood in a test to ensure that medicines and medical devices used in humans are free of harmful bacteria. Endpapers present labeled diagrams of dorsal and ventral views of the horseshoe crab.

—SW

How to Swallow a Pig: Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom. Steve Jenkins & Robin Page. Ill. Steve Jenkins. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Readers of Jenkins and Page’s how-to guide learn about animal behavior from the step-by-step advice of 18 animals, from a humpback whale telling how to trap fish in five steps to a python telling how to swallow a pig in six steps. Jenkins’ signature torn- and cut-paper collages accompany the instructions that are stated clearly and with humor. For example, a lesson on how to woo a ewe like a mountain sheep comes with a warning that following a bighorn ram’s advice could give you a bad headache. The appendix includes thumbnail sketches of each advice-giving animal.

—CA

Ages 9–11

Birdology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Birds.Monica Russo. Ill. Kevin Byron. 2015. Chicago Review Press.

As much as this book provides projects of observation related to the study of birds, it includes information on geography, the characteristics of birds, bird identification, the migratory and feeding habits of birds, the work that scientists and volunteers undertake to study birds, and efforts to protect birds. Sidebars describe “Look For and Try This!” activities. The back matter includes a glossary and list of bird orders, a teacher’s guide with whole class and individual activities, online resources, a bibliography, and an index.

—SW

Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia’s Dead Heart. Narelle Oliver. 2015. Candlewick Press.

Oliver tells the story of the adaptation and survival of animals in the harsh desert wilderness in Central Australia known as Dead Heart. Parallel stories tell of the Aboriginal peoples, whose discovery and understanding of the plants and hidden animals of the desert enabled them to live in the region, and of the first European explorers, who dreamed of discovering an inland sea but found only huge waves of sand and described the region as lifeless. Oliver’s illustrations, created with linocut, colored pencil, and linocut rubbings, provide dramatic desertscapes and intricately detailed portraits of the wildlife that lives in Australia’s Dead Heart.

—CA

Welcome to New Zealand: A Nature Journal. Sandra Morris. 2015. Candlewick Press.

Following an introduction to keeping an illustrated journal of observations and thoughts about the natural world, including notes on creating a seasonal color wheel and adding creative hand lettering, Morris takes readers on a series of nature walks in New Zealand: garden, path in a park, wetlands, city street, countryside, forest, mountain, beach, and zoo. Her mixed media drawings and comments introduce readers to the fauna and flora of New Zealand. Morris’ journal may also inspire readers to explore their surroundings and create their own nature journals. Back matter includes a glossary, an index, and a bibliography of nature guides to New Zealand and books on keeping journals.

—CA

Ages 12­–14

The Great Monkey Rescue: Saving the Golden Lion Tamarins. Sandra Markle. 2015. Millbrook/Lerner.

Markle chronicles efforts to save the golden lion tamarin, a species of squirrel-sized monkeys native to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. With the increasing destruction of its habitat, the tamarin was nearly extinct by the 1960s. Zoos were unsuccessful in raising tamarins until scientists learned that each tamarin family group requires its own territory. Separate housing of pairs of tamarins led to successful breeding programs and, by the 1990s, zoo-born monkeys were being trained for reintroduction into Brazil. As reforestation and protection of habitat projects continue in Brazil, there is hope for the survival of the golden lion tamarin. Captioned close-up photographs of tamarins, maps, and extensive back matter help tell the story of “the great monkey rescue.”

—CA

Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet. Buzz Aldrin (with Marianne J. Dyson). 2015. National Geographic Kids.

With his introductory section on what’s needed to get to Mars, Aldrin describes the exploration of Mars over the last four decades, the characteristics of Mars that dispel myths about the planet, the spacecraft needed to transport people and materials to Mars, and the process of building an environment to support human communities on the planet. Throughout the book are many activities to illustrate the principles of astrophysics described in the text. The book includes two timelines: one related to the exploration of Mars and a hypothetical one showing centuries of settlement during which settlers thicken the air and promote the production of water to sustain life on the planet. Back matter includes a glossary and resources for further reading.

—SW

When the Earth Shakes: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis. Simon Winchester. 2015. Smithsonian/Viking/Penguin.

Geologist, explorer, and writer Simon Winchester tells the intriguing story of the three types of catastrophes caused by violent movements within the earth: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Using examples of natural disasters such as the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906, the titanic eruptions of Krakatoa in 1883, and the devastating Sumatra-Andaman Tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, Winchester explores what happens “when the earth shakes.” Stunning captioned photographs and insets with diagrams and maps supplement Winchester’s engaging account of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis and the work of scientists to understand the why and how of these natural disasters. Back matter includes recommended reading, viewing, and listening resources and an extensive index to the text and illustrations.

—CA

Ages 15+

Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World’s Favorite Treat. Kay Frydenborg. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Integrating a history of the civilizations of Central and South America with the history and business of chocolate production in the United States, Frydenborg describes the science involved in understanding the evolution and cultivation of the cacao tree and the process of making cocoa from the seeds of the cacao plant. She follows the work of individual farmers in the mountains of countries in South America, explaining new understanding about cacao cultivation that contradicts the knowledge scientists and farmers previously had. Throughout the book are recipes for uses of cocoa from spiced drinks to confections and cakes. The back matter includes a timeline on chocolate, an annotated list of websites, and references.

—SW

Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary. Gail Jarrow. 2015. Calkins Creek/Highlights.

Jarrow’s account of the medical mystery of typhoid outbreaks in the New York City area starting in 1912 is from the perspective of George Soper’s work, a sanitation engineer who tracked down Mary Mallon to solvean earlier typhoid outbreak in Ithaca in 1903. Jarrow explains the biology of the disease and recounts the life of Mary Mallon, a cook who was a healthy typhoid carrier, whose story is also told in the biography Terrible Typhoid Mary by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (2015). Jarrow also explores public health practices of the early 20th century as she presents the life of a second person significant in Mary Mallon’s case, Sarah J. Baker, who was a public health official in the tenements of New York City. In providing context for the events, archival photographs help to make this book engaging. The back matter includes a list of well-known individuals in American history who had typhoid, a glossary, an author’s note, a bibliography, and an index.

—SW

Inside Biosphere 2: Earth Science Under Glass. (Scientists in the Field). Mary Kay Carson. Ill. Tom Uhlman. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Following an introduction to the original 1991–1993 biosphere residential experiment in the desert near Tuscon, AZ, a closed ecological system in which a team of eight men and women, doctors, scientists, and engineers lived, this book describes the research since the 1990s of four scientists. Four created environments (a rain forest, an ocean, savannah, and a hillside) are laboratories in which researchers can study natural phenomena such as the water cycle, climate change, and the creation of soil from rock under controlled conditions. Throughout the book, numerous photographs depict the research and the environment, visitors who come to observe, and students from nearby schools making scientific measurements as well as photographs of the earlier biospherians at work.

—SW

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

If 2015 has offered a crop of lovely picture books for readers to peruse, clearly it also has offered readers several fascinating chapter books and nonfiction titles. Bibliophiles who enjoy literature for children and young adults will find several must-haves from the wide array of titles available from publishers this year. The titles listed here represent only a sample of the favorites.

Ages 8–13

Finding Serendipity. Angelica Banks. Ill. Stevie Lewis. 2015. Henry Holt.

Writers find inspiration in all sorts of ways. As her mother finishes another manuscript concluding her wildly popular series, Tuesday McGillycuddy is drawn unexpectedly into her mother’s mysterious world. As she searches for her mother, Tuesday encounters several interesting individuals, including Vivienne Small, the swashbuckling heroine of her mother’s books, as well as pirates and a notorious bad guy who practically springs back from the dead. This charming story has much to recommend it, including its characters and the protagonist’s loyal dog Baxterr. Although others have written about worlds where creativity lives, this one is incredibly detailed and imaginative, deftly blurring the line between reality and fantasy and revealing that imagination has much to do with both. Amusingly, Tuesday’s mother plays a role when she must deal with fans, appearing much larger than life and donning disguises in order to thwart her fans and ensure some private time. The book was published originally in Australia.

Moon Bear. Gill Lewis. Ill. Alessandro Gottardo. 2015. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Twelve-year-old Tam and his best friend Noy find a moon bear cub in Laos but fail to capture it, losing much-needed cash for their families. After their village is relocated to make way for a road and a dam, Tam travels to the city to work in a bear bile farm. The tender-hearted and kind boy is horrified at the bears’ treatment. When the bear cub he first saw in the mountains turns up in a severely malnourished condition, he vows to save the bear Sook-dii from a similar fate. But the same general who moved the villagers away from their mountain homes and had Tam brought to the city has a daughter who is very ill. Desperate to save her, he is convinced that bile milked from moon bears might provide a cure. Poor Sook-dii becomes lethargic and ill under this mistreatment as bile is harvested from his body. This book from Great Britain leaves readers with a lot about which to think and is recommended highly as readers will ponder the lengths some humans will go to find a supposed cure.

Spidermania: Friends on the Web. Alexandra Siy. Photos by Dennis Kunkel. 2015. Holiday House.

In the same fashion with which this creative team explored mosquitoes in Mosquito Bite (2006) and bugs in Bug Shots (2011), they’re at it again, relying on facts to eradicate negative attitudes about spiders. Using a high-power scanning electron microscope to provide image of spiders and their various body parts as well as well-written, lively text that makes them even more fascinating than readers might think, the book highlights 10 different types of spiders, including the diving bell spider, the wolf spider, the crab spider, and the spitting spider. Designed to remind readers that spiders aid humans, the book enables readers to see how those amazingly intricate webs they produce are formed. Even someone who knows a lot about spiders will learn a thing or two from this entrancing book, brimming with stunning photography and a respectful attitude toward spiders. There is even a section on eye patterns and how to identify various spiders, making this title useful for many science classrooms.

Sunny Side Up. Jennifer L. Holm. Ill. Matthew Holm. Graphix.

Ten-year-old Sunny has been sent south from Pennsylvania to spend the summer with her grandfather in a retirement village in Florida in 1976. The days are routine with small errands being their highlight, and Sunny spends her nights trying to get comfortable on the squeaky sofa sleeper. Sunny happens to meet Buzz, the son of the groundskeeper, who introduces her to comics. These stories of superheroes provide blissful hours of escape. The two earn spending money for their reading material by finding lost cats for the residents. But readers will slowly realize that there’s a reason Sunny has been packed off to Florida. As the truth is revealed about her beloved older brother Dale and his problems with substance abuse, Sunny’s confusion about his actions is clear. Although she loves her brother and has even covered up for him at times, she is also confused, scared, sad, and embarrassed by some of his antics. Her feelings even spill over into her present situation as she finds cigarettes secreted in the most unlikely places and realizes that her grandfather is lying about his smoking. An excellent starting place to discuss addiction and family secrets, this graphic novel may reassure some readers while showing the far-reaching effects of addiction.

The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I. Michael Foreman. 2015. Henry Holt.

Young Henry Friston dreams of seeing the world and often stares at the world map in his classroom rather than paying attention in class. After a brief stint as a deckhand, he joins the Royal Navy and becomes a gunner in World War I. He faces much danger, eventually engaging in trench warfare in Gallipoli where he and a tortoise end up together in a safe spot. As the violence rages around them, Henry shares a tomato with him and tells stories about home. After the shelling has ceased and Henry is reunited with his crew, he decides impulsively to take the tortoise with him. He and Ali Pasha become inseparable, and he somehow manages to keep his presence a secret from most of the men. Once they return to England, the tortoise settles into an idyllic life. The fact that this account is based on a true story adds to its charms, even while the framing of the story through the eyes of a boy intent on getting his first feature published in the local newspaper works well. This heart-tugging book from the United Kingdom stands as an example of heroism and the comfort that can be found from even the smallest creatures during wartime.

Ages 14+

Chasing Secrets. Gennifer Choldenko. 2015. Wendy Lamb.

Even while 13-year-old Lizzie Kennedy dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor, her older brother is disinterested in that career, which causes conflict between the boy and his father. Lizzie hates the school she must attend because the studies seem pointless and the other girls seem to tease her or avoid her. But when the family’s Chinese cook, Jing, is unable to come home because of a quarantine related to a suspected plague in China Town, she stumbles on his secret. As a friendship between Noah, Jing’s son, and Lizzie develops, she also finds friendship with Gemma, a classmate, and her brother, Gus. While Lizzie endeavors to get Jing out of Chinatown and back home, she learns about the racism and injustice that lie beneath the city’s superficial politeness, even among those who make a living by taking care of others. Lizzie is irresistible, even as she battles with her Aunt Hortense and the social norms of her times. Perfect for sharing aloud, this is a well-written, totally engaging title, filled with action, intrigue, and bits of humor provided in part by Lizzie’s efforts to send messages to Noah via a most reluctant feline messenger.

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Don Brown. 2015. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.

This outstanding graphic novel depiction of the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina focuses on New Orleans, much of which was under water after August 29, 2005. Relying on illustrations created with pen and ink and digital paint, Brown’s illustrations have somehow managed to thrust readers into the hectic events surrounding this natural disaster. Beginning appropriately enough as the hurricane grows in strength during the late days of August, the story concludes as New Orleans continues to recover, now protected by expansive walls that rise 26 feet. In between, the book features many elements that received much attention in the media as well as other, more private tragedies. It’s all here: The city’s citizens left behind when avenues of escape are denied. The family pets torn from the arms of their human companions. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Coast Guard’s heroic rescues of thousands of individuals. The long lines outside the Superdome and the Convention Center. A governor and a President seemingly at cross purposes and a mayor who seems to have disappeared. Told in an engaging fashion that will leave readers breathless from its pace, this account of a disaster that can be laid at the foot of humans as much as Mother Nature, reminding readers of mistakes that must never be repeated. This book deservedly was tapped for the 2016 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.

Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir. Maggie Thrash. 2015. Candlewick.

Fifteen-year-old Maggie Thrash once again spends her summer at a camp in Kentucky, where she falls in love for the very first time. To her surprise, the object of her affections is Erin, an older camp counselor. Although Erin seems to return her affections, the two only go so far as holding hands and spending time together. Despite their secrecy, the usual rumors fly and the girls are separated. Woven into this heartbreaking story of prejudice and missed opportunities is the Maggie’s own struggle to find herself. After Maggie is named honor girl, an annual camp distinction, the distinction is tainted by her realization that perhaps she is being rewarded for remaining silent, following the rules without question, and being a good girl rather than being honest. This graphic novel gently explores one girl’s first giddy feelings of affection toward another human being and the uncertainty about the path that lies ahead. Readers may recognize themselves in Maggie’s halting steps toward adulthood and self-awareness even while noting that some of those who should have been older, wiser, and saner show their prejudices in ugly ways. Ultimately, it’s clear that being Honor Girl isn’t particularly honorable, especially when the cost of that distinction is considered.

Young Man With Camera. Emil Sher. 2015. Photos by David Wyman. Scholastic.

T— is the subject of severe bullying from a group of classmates led by Ryan, a young man whose anger and violence are hidden beneath a veneer that belies his cruel interior. T— finds solace in photography and his friendship with Sean and a homeless woman named Lucy, whose wry cardboard statements provide amusing social commentary.  Ryan’s harassment of T— intensifies, especially when he realizes that T— has seen something that could land Ryan in hot water, and when his threats seem to have little effect on the boy, he threatens others who are important to him. The book contains black-and-white photos taken by the protagonist, all of which provide insight into the wonders of the world around him. With support from Ms. Karamath, a teacher at his school, and inspiration from Diane Arbus, whose work celebrated marginalized individuals, T— finds the courage to let his images speak for him to right the wrongs he sees around him.

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.