April — time for galoshes and gardening gloves, dawn choruses and daffodils — is upon us! Here are some springtime treats to help freshen up your reading stacks. Nesting, written and illustrated by Henry Cole published in 2020 by Katherine …
fiction fancies
Recently I’ve been burrowing back in the library catalog, searching for fiction gems I’ve missed through the years. Today I’ve got a first sampling of what I’ve discovered, four delightfully different fantasies — check them out for reading aloud or …
a sprinkling of poetry in April
April is National Poetry Month and I do want to get at least one wee poetry post off, even though it’s skittering in at the tail end of the month. I hope that the beauty and playfulness of words will …
an April stack of cherry-alive picture books
It’s April! A month singing with cherry-aliveness. Today’s lovely picture books likewise offer gladness, imagination, and sparkle for readers young and old. Drink deeply! The Barnabus Project, written and illustrated by The Fan Brothers published in 2020 by Tundra I …
spiffy & short — fiction for young readers and listeners
Today’s books deliver wonderful stories that are nicely suited to reading aloud to young children or handing to sturdy young readers. They’re too long to qualify for my 100-pages-and down lists yet they are fairly short and their style and …
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a Cinderella story at the European Grand Prix…and other bracing, racing stories
Neal Bascomb is an extraordinary author of nonfiction who manages to interest me in topics I never, ever dreamed I’d give a second glance. Atomic bombs, for one. And now — auto racing! What?! Friends, I have never paid a …
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so much persistence!…great reads for women’s history month
Today I’ve got my second batch of books in honor of Women’s History Month. These selections survey a globe-ful of capable women who are simply a tremendous pleasure to meet! A Thousand Glass Flowers: Marietta Barovier and the Invention of …
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a trio of charmers for small fry
For those who love a little pixie dust in their stories, these three charmers are sure to bring a smile! Chirri & Chirra Under the Sea, written and illustrated by Kaya Doi, translated from the Japanese by David Boyd published …
exuberantly or quietly, they’re blazing trails…women’s history
Today’s batch of books celebrates women in America who have blazed their own trails. Some did it with booming voices or attention-grabbing athleticism. Some accomplished mighty things in much quieter, more unobtrusive ways. All of these stories sing out with …
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the persecuted Uyghur, art, and female empowerment…read your world
The Uyghur people, a predominantly Muslim people located in far northwestern China, have been spotlighted internationally in recent years due to their persecution by the Chinese government. In addition to repressive police surveillance, more than a million Uyghurs have been …
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the bird in me flies…a stunning portrait of an artist
The Bird in Me Flies, written and illustrated by Sara Lundberg, translated by B.J. Epstein first published in Sweden in 2017; English edition 2020 by Groundwood Books 120 pages This ravishingly beautiful, fictionalized biography of Swedish artist Berta Hansson has …
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