I'm working my way through a stack of new books. There's nothing better than opening up a box from Follet and realizing you made some good choices.
Song of Middle C by Alison McGhee is a new everybody book told from a beginning piano player's perspective. The narrator, a young girl, whose name we never know, practices and practices and practices for her first recital. When the evening comes she is prepared, right down to her lucky underwear. Does the practicing pay-off? Is her lucky underwear needed? Read
Song of Middle C to find out.
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall is a non-fiction book. Author Hall provides beautiful language to celebrate the seasons of an apple tree - from the bare branches of winter to the robins of spring and summer; from the apples of fall to the homemade pie the family makes. Of course it would be much easier if the whole pie grew on a tree but Hall does the next best thing and provides an easy to follow recipe.
Panda Kindergarten by Joanne Ryder is another new non-fiction book. In China, at the Wolong Nature Preserve, baby pandas go to kindergarten. Yes, kindergarten. Once they are weened from their mothers, these baby pandas, born in captivity, spend their days with other cubs learning about the world. Ryder and photographer, Dr. Katherine Feng, capture and celebrate the joys of panda-hood with grace.
Tarra and Bella: The Elephant and a Dog Who Became Best Friends by Carol Buckley. Have you seen this
video? I did and then I read the book. Buckley uses simple language and photographs to tell the story of the unlikely friendship between a pachyderm and a canine which blossomed at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.
If the World Were Blind (A book about judgment and prejudice) by Karen Gedig Burnett delivers a powerful message about how we judge people - whether it's by the color of their skin, the way they dress, the language they speak, the shape of their body. It is a call to action with thoughtful discussion questions at the end that encourage reflection on our won behavior and how we treat others.
Yes, I Know the Monkey Man by Dori Butler is the sequel to Do You Know the Monkey Man. Fortunately, there's enough background information in the second book for the reader to make sense of the previous story. To say it is a book that tugs at one's emotions is a bit of an understatement. To say it is a book about twins who were separated at three years of age is also an understatement. To say it is a book about trying to figure out where you fit in the world or a book that wonders how deep a parents' love runs or a book about forgiveness, also understatements. Yes, I Know the Monkey Man is appropriate for mature fifth graders and middle schoolers.
Are you one of those people who wonders why we can't fly like a bird or walk the ceiling like a gecko? Perhaps you have a child or niece or nephew who asks similar questions. If the answer is yes then Just the Right Size by zoologist, Nicola Davies may be the perfect gift. Davies explains in relatively simple terms why size matters when trying to replicate some of the more exciting animal feats. A fun read.
