Anne W

I appreciate this book's focus on the value and power of comedy as part of culture and history! I love to laugh and I think funny people don't get the cultural recognition they deserve beyond just entertainment - comedy is an art and a powerful agent of healing, community-building, and joy. This book highlights Lucille Ball's trailblazing career as an early female comedian, and also just shows how driven she was by the powerful feeling of making people laugh. Fun, loud, retro-style illustrations perfectly complement the text. -Anne W

Enjoy learning about the lives of brown bears in this beautiful picture book, suitable for reading aloud to preschoolers and up. Gorgeous watercolor illustrations evoking the natural environment accompany interesting, straightforward information about bears' mother-cub bonds, behavior, hibernation, diet, and more. -Anne W

I've been waiting for a Caitlin Clark picture book! In this one, a grandpa basically retells his granddaughter the highlights of Caitlin Clark's incredible collegiate career with a lesson about losing the big game with grace. Okay, I'd prefer a true picture book biography, but I'll take it! The illustrations are cute, and this book would make a great read-aloud or gift for a little women's basketball fan! -Anne W

Find out why pig looooooooooves to wear jeans in this absolutely adorable and hilarious book! -Anne W

Fascinating look at the generations who arrive and make New York their own - the neighborhood businesses changes, cultures ebb and flow and blend, but the vibrancy and character remain and build year after year! -Anne W

A cute book about animal diets that keeps kids guessing from page to page! -Anne W

A hilarious fable about the perils of greed! A cute dung beetle is happy living in nature, collecting enough dung to have a simple yet comfortable life, and no more. But when a leopard suggests he go to a farm where there is an abundance of dung free for the taking, the beetle finds himself amassing more and more dung, to the point that it is a health hazard, he's paranoid that the beetles he's enlisted as "workers" are stealing from him, he's stressed out, exhausted, and unhappy. Will the dung beetle be able to slough off the dung and find balance in his life again? -Anne W

A simple, satisfying juvenile nonfiction picture book that examines several animal skulls and connects them to characteristics and behavior the animal in question utilized while they were alive. The narrative, while based firmly in scientific knowledge, uses lyrical storytelling - it's not dry facts, but a poignant, beautiful celebration of perfectly-adapted animal behavior as evidenced by bone structure. A great first examination of how our physical selves have evolved to allow us to do specific survival tasks! -Anne W

Long-overdue recognition for Caroline Herschel, a European female astronomer working in the late 1700s who did not receive a formal education and seemed destined to be the unpaid servant for her family, until she left home and moved in with an adult sibling, who discovered a latent talent for advanced mathematics. The brother-sister duo built what was then the world's most advanced telescope and Caroline used her mathematical ability to calculate the position of stars and other celestial bodies, leading to precise and detailed catalogs and maps of the solar system that are still used to this day. She discovered and mathematically mapped over 2,000 comets, a feat that was truly mind-blowing at the time. Also, she and her brother literally discovered Uranus. -Anne W

Ever thought about who might have invented the high five? It was 1970s pro baseball player Glenn Burke! This biographical picture book follows Glenn Burke's brief but illustrious career in the major leagues, including the moment he and fellow player Dusty Baker spontaneously invented the high five. For Burke, a unique individual who was always joking, cheering, and dancing in the dugout, it was a natural progression. Burke also happened to be a Black gay man in the 1970s, and, heartbreakingly, he was pushed out of the league and later struggled with homelessness and substance abuse, dying of AIDS-related illness at only 42. These topics are dealt with sensitively but honestly in this picture book biography. I hope readers think of Burke every time they high-five someone after reading this story - a man who only now is being recognized for his legacy, not only in inventing such an iconic gesture, but in paving the way for LGBT+ athletes. If you want more on Burke, there is a middle-grade fiction title also by Phil Bildner that ties together the stories of Burke and a modern-day LGBT+ young male baseball player, also an excellent book. -Anne W

A brief bio/intro to a couple dozen diverse artists and instructions for making a project of your own in their style. The projects are simple but significant, the artist bios are relevant and interesting, and the whole thing is attractively, colorfully designed and packaged. A great gift book for an artist child (and all children are artists)! -Anne W

Did you know animals speak in different languages, just like people do? Through this energetic picture book, travel through several countries and cultures around the world, and listen to the backyard chickens. On a farm in the United States, English speakers say that a chicken goes "bawk bawk" and a rooster goes "cock a doodle do," but in Mexico, Spanish speakers say that chickens go "co-co-ro-co" and a rooster goes "qui-quiri-QUI!" Learn what chickens say in Japan, Kenya, India, and more and practice the sounds! -Anne W

Want to know how a downed log provides home and nourishment for scores of animals for the next hundred years? This book is entertaining and thorough yet simple and succinct for the youngest of readers on up. You'll learn something and have fun doing it! -Anne W

This book is so funny and so entertaining and the cartoony illustrations on a dark background are so cool! It begs to be read aloud with its folkloric, conversational, clever tale-spinning vibe. -Anne W

This is an astonishing story of a tiny, cute owl who took refuge from a wildfire inside a firefighters' helicopter. There's a real photo of the tiny, cute owl at the end of the book! -Anne W

I don't know anything about music except if I like or don't like something when I listen to it, based on nothing but a gut reaction. So this book taught me a lot! Accompanied by hilarious illustrations of random animals playing the instruments, each instrument gets one page of accessible, yet interesting information. Like, I never considered that a harmonica makes one note when you inhale and a different note when you exhale, so that's why it can be so small as to fit in your pocket! There is history, practical info, and fun facts, all presented in a straightforward writing style. -Anne W

Gorgeous illustrations. Simple, straightforward writing about the natural world and Attenborough's efforts to educate about animals, nature, the environment, and climate change. This is an incredible book. -Anne W

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the Caldecott Medal, awarded annually to the book for children with the best illustrations? Even if you haven't, read this anyway because it's really good! An entertaining, lightly-written biography of Randolph Caldecott, the 1850s children's book illustrator who took children's book art from dull, staid, stiff, formally-posed, purely decorative, and needlessly ornate to a modern, integral part of the story. Caldecott made pictures that were filled with action, humor, movement, joy, and worked to advance the story, so that even a child who couldn't yet read could glean the story by looking at the pictures. A modern understanding of picture books developed due to his work and we continue to recognize his innovations today through the Caldecott medal. -Anne W

This book and its sequel, Flubby Does Not Like Snow, hilariously depict a chubby cat and their human companion engaging in activities. It's a challenge to craft an entertaining story with such limited language, but this easy reader accomplishes it deftly. This is a very early reader, appropriate for fairly new beginners, with repetitive phrases, picture support, and simple words. Yet it manages to be funny, relatable, and charming! -Anne W

I am not Italian and I firmly believe that the Christmas season should begin the day after Thanksgiving, but this new picture book just arrived and I just can't resist a plug for this delightful celebration of Italian food and family on Christmas Eve. Two siblings describe, in simple language, their childhood traditions of preparing and ingesting a seafood- and dessert-centric holiday feast together with a big extended family. (Right away, when the kids arrive in the afternoon, "Aunt Babe hands us each a coffee mug with a piece of Italian bread inside, covered in tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese" and things proceed from there.) The illustrations are humorous and spirited, and the vibe is festive and cozy. Mangia! -Anne W

I am obsessed, I tell you, OBSESSED with this new picture book biography of billy barr, who moved alone to a rustic, isolated cabin in the Rocky Mountains and ended up doing some of the earliest and most groundbreaking tracking related to the heating of the planet when he measured snowfall over time. Jonah Winter has penned more than forty picture book biographies related to environmental, social, and racial justice. Jeannette Winter's illustrations in predominately shades of purple and blue are a phenomenal accompaniment. Check it out! -Anne W

Rocks with cute, cartoony eyes! What's not to love? This is a fun, short book with a good message delivered through the crowd-pleasing medium of rocks. -Anne W

Reminiscent of In the Night Kitchen, with fabulous blocky illustrations and a weird, fantastical story, a girl falls asleep at the beginning of the book and is pictured falling through a series of pages featuring mouth-watering dim sum dishes. -Anne W

This is a hilarious picture book about a dog who finds himself a demi-celebrity and a workaholic after getting sucked in by the trappings of the human world. Luckily, his family stands by him while he re-assesses his priorities. -Anne W

Nonfiction is for all ages - even our youngest readers! Case in point: the new picture book "Bridges" by Marc Majewski. Highlighting 21 bridges around the world, each page contains a lush, colorful, sweeping illustration of the bridge; its name and location; and two short sentences with plainly-stated, succinct and simple - yet fascinating! - facts about the bridge. Example: "Bridges stand out. Golden Gate Bridge, USA. The unmistakable color of this bridge is called 'international orange.'" On the next page: "Bridges blend in. Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge, India. This living bridge grows and gets stronger year after year.") You can admire the pictures, spark the imagination, and leave it at that, or you can research each bridge (there is back matter with a little more information about each bridge) and learn more. I know I googled that root bridge immediately because I wanted to see a photograph! Young kids will probably have lots more questions about bridges after this reading experience. Enjoy! -Anne W

Did you know that in ancient Rome, buckets were set up along public streets to collect urine from passersby, to use for laundering clothes? That's right, once enough urine was collected, a person would stand in a giant tub filled with pee and dirty clothes, stomping on them to remove stubborn stains. Maybe next time you spill ketchup down your front, try rubbing a little pee on it. That's just one of the many fascinating facts about #1 you can learn from this new book! I won't spoil it by answering the titular question, but you can read to find out the effects of your waste on various bodies of water, how your body makes and eliminates pee, the scientific makeup of pee, and much, much more. -Anne W

Who controls what students can learn - parents or the government? What takes precendence, science or religion? What happens when scientific evidence is turned into a political battle? Find out in this book for young readers about - you guessed it! - the 1925 trial of science teacher John Scopes, who defied the law by teaching about Darwin's theory of evolution in the classroom. Whether the cyclical nature of these struggles provides a comfort or makes you feel hopeless, there's no doubt that history repeats itself. Find out what lessons the "Monkey Trial" holds for us today in this new book aimed at 8-12-year-olds. -Anne W

Maud Lewis' lively, colorful paintings were inspired by the countryside around her tiny house in Nova Scotia. Disabled by severe rheumatoid arthritis, and with options further limited by poverty, Lewis lived in a tiny house she decorated by painting flowers all over the stairs, walls, and many of her belongings, along with creating landscapes on scraps of wood and cardboard from the dump. Today, her house can be seen, in its entirety, inside the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, where it was moved after her death in 1970. -Anne W

If you enjoy the spirited early-chapter-book Clementine series about an eccentric and opinionated 8-year-old girl and the people in her apartment building, or Pax, the moving middle grade story of the bond between a boy and a fox and the lengths they'll go to in order to reunite after tragedy, try Sara Pennypacker's new middle grade novel, Leeva at Last. Perfectly paired with Matthew Cordell's scratchy illustrations, Leeva at Last is a quest/coming-of-age story that is totally hilarious, profound, and features some fantastic librarians. -Anne W

It's spring! Get out there and look at some flowers! I recommend Turkey Creek Nature Preserve (Bur Oak Land Trust) for bluebells. There's a whole series of these Outdoor School books that are worth your time. -Anne W

This is the first in a four-book series about the bumbling, often flustered (but totally endearing) Detective Gordon (a frog) and his sidekick Buffy (a mouse). The mysteries (translated from the original Swedish) are clever and funny, gentle but contain enough action to sustain interest, and are heavily illustrated and perfect for those just getting comfortable with chapter books (around first and second grades). They also make great family read-alouds. The newest (and last) book, A Case with a Bang, just hit ICPL shelves. -Anne W

Take this opportunity to learn about an unsung hero of history and glean more information about where your food comes from! -Anne W

Create some cozy winter feelings with this wordless picture book depicting a family's adventures snowshoeing and camping in the Superior National Forest in winter. Beautiful winter landscapes are depicted in sweeping, gentle watercolors. -Anne W

This is a super-fun read about an eccentric family of luchadors (Mexican-style pro wrestlers) set in New Mexico. The book is heartwarming without the ending being pat or too neat and tidy, which I appreciated. Also clear-eyed from a kid's perspective about the failures and shortcomings of adults in your life, though overall showing the centrality of family and how important it is for them to have your back (in and out of the wrestling ring!). -Anne W

What an informative yet emotional, beautifully-illustrated nonfiction picture book about a mother polar bear and her cubs! Mother bears are incredibly capable creatures - you won't doubt it after devouring this edge-of-your-seat book describing the long journey of a bear family's first year. A great read-aloud with gorgeous Arctic-landscape illustrations! -Anne W

This is a slow-burn but powerful coming-of-age novel about a girl who goes to the wilderness to find herself. Ginny is doing all the "right things" - getting straight A's, playing competitive tennis, pleasing her parents, etc. But when she finds out how urgent climate change is and what might be lost if the adults in charge don't act immediately, she can't understand why no one else seems to feel as upset as she does about it. She ends up attending a wilderness camp that is sort of a therapeutic program for "troubled" youth, where she is the only girl among some strange boys and exhaustingly upbeat yet nitpicky counselors. But as she gets to know what motivates her fellow campers and experiences the Montana mountain setting, she begins to find her way and figures some stuff out. This is a sophisticated, nuanced, slow-paced book best for upper-elementary-readers. It has a great message without being preachy or on-the-nose. The dialogue and Ginny's struggles are rendered realistically and empathetically. -Anne W