Summer ending and school starting means new crayons, new books, and oh-oh, sometimes, new glasses. That’s what Bobbie wants most – glamorous glasses like her cousin, Joanie, gets to wear, “has to wear.” But Bobbie doesn’t need glasses. How is she going to look as glamorous as her cousin if she doesn’t have glasses? GLAMOROUS… Read more »
Nancy Bo Flood
Look…Look Again
LOOK … LOOK AGAIN CARTOONS BY JOHN O’BRIEN Don’t poke your fingers in this book! But what are holes for? Poking! Okay, poke. The holes are real. But don’t laugh. What is this book for? Reading. Oh, okay, and laughing. And thinking. And poking fingers through holes. And thinking outside of the holes. Dear parent… Read more »
Ostrich and Lark by Marilyn Nelson
Some books are extraordinary, even haunting. OSTRICH AND LARK is one of these books. This picture book by Marilyn Nelson with illustrations by the San artists of Botswana is unforgettable. The story of Ostrich and Lark is a variation of the universal story of finding one’s own voice regardless of the physical limitations and physical… Read more »
Bluish by Virginia Hamilton
ZEELY was the first book of Virginia Hamilton’s, published in 1967. BLUISH was her twentieth, published just two years before her untimely death in 2002. Each book has its own strong and unique voice, a strong and unique theme. But each book, each story, successfully reflects Virginia’s goal: “she saw her work as helping to… Read more »
A Cowgirl and Her Horse
A COWGIRL AND HER HORSE, written and illustrated by Jean Ekman Adams, is a delightful picture book about a girl and her horse, their friendship and adventures. Young readers will have fun with this book while stretching their imaginations, especially if they like horses, dogs and outlandish, zany art. Taking care of a horse is… Read more »
The House on Dirty-Third Street
THE HOUSE ON DIRTY-THIRD STREET by Jo S. Kittinger, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez, Peachtree, March 2012 A run-down dirty old house is bad enough to have to claim as home. When moving in to dirt also means “moving away” from everything that has been home, it is hard for anyone not to feel discouraged, angry,… Read more »
Beyond Boundaries: Summer Reads
MALI UNDER THE NIGHT SKY, A LAO STORY OF HOME written and illustrated by Youme Landowne, is the true story of the Laotian-American artist, Malichansouk Kouanchao, who fled Laos with her family as civil war became the reality of bombs, soldiers, machine guns and grenades. The story is narrated by Mali as she describes her… Read more »
