What is Love? by Mac Barnett art by Carson Ellis

Just in time for Valentine's Day, a consideration of love. One simple boy, living a simple life, asks his grandmother a question, "What is Love?"  She responds, "I can't answer that." and encourages him to find the answer for himself. So begins his quest. The search starts with a fisherman who declares that love is a fish, which "glimmers and splashes, just out of reach." The young man counters with his objections to fish. The journey continues with an actor who loves applause because "You exist. You are seen." But the questioner is not convinced. Certainly love is more than applause. He poses his question to a variety of individuals including a cat, carpenter, farmer, and soldier. The predictable pattern goes on. Everyone has a definition of love. When the boy refutes each response he is told "You do not understand."

When the World Runs Dry: Earth's Water in Crisis
by Nancy F. Castaldo

When the World Runs Dry: Earth’s Water in Crisis opens with an examination of water pollution due to lead, coal production, fracking, pesticides, fertilizer, sewage, pharmaceuticals, and harmful bacteria. Some of these factors such as lead contamination have received extensive news coverage. Some less. Case in point: In 2003 scientists discovered more than three-quarters of Chesapeake Bay smallmouth-bass had female egg cells growing inside male reproductive organs. The fish were ingesting synthetic estrogen found in waterways. Basic information is supported with photographs, case studies, quotations, personal accounts, background, call out boxes, political implications, a variety of examples from around the globe, and financial details.

Companion Titles

I Am Golden by Eva Chen art by Sophie Diao

It is difficult to image a more glowing, self-affirming picture book for a child than I Am Golden. This ode a Chinese American child exudes with positivity and gorgeous imagery. Text is laden with homages to a Chinese heritage: dragons, a phoenix, sizzling garlic, steaming bao, and lotus blossoms. Mei and her parents left their home in China and immigrated to the United States where she lives the bifurcated life of an immigrant. She delights in popular boy bands and pizza at school but at home enjoys the comfort of Mandarin and soup dumplings.

Celebrate Each Child: Individuality is a Superpower

The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Numerous books by Haddix feature children attempting to survive in anomalous societies. They include Among the Hidden (a third child forbidden by the Population Police) and Running Out of Time (a girl from the future who must save her 1800's community from a deadly disease). The author’s latest story presents an ingenious concept: coexistence of humans and androids. Young Max leads a protected life. To craft the perfect childhood, his wealthy parents enroll him in a school where his classmates are remarkably realistic androids, programmed to act like "normal" children. Max doesn't know this school is a carefully constructed environment. Max and Josie are classmates and best friends. One day Josie leaves Max a startling note, "No matter what anyone tells you, I'm real." Readers learn that young Josie was recruited to pretend to be an android at Max's school. But that's only the first of many plot twists. Things get "curiouser and curiouser." Josie looks for answers to her questions: who is behind the Whatnot Corporation and why were the two friends placed in this bizarre school?

Opposites Abstract by Mo Willems

I respectfully disagree with Amazon Books. The website entry for Opposites Abstract suggests that it is approprate for audiences ages birth - 2 years. An examination of this picture book suggests that it will appeal to a signicantly wider audience. Willems has created a stunning masterpiece that is a treat for eyes and inquiring minds. A single concept is introduced with a question on the left side of the spread and a corresponding abstract illustration is placed on the right. At the book's midpoint, the page design is reversed with images on the left and questions on the right. Framing each illustration as a question invites readers to move beyond the basic concept of opposites and explore new ways to express ideas.

IS THIS CALM ?

IS THIS EXCITED ?

Each page turn, with two exceptions, pairs art representing contrasting descriptive terms: dark and light, soft and hard, mechanical and organic, intentional and accidental, etc. The initial entry "starting" faces the title page and is expressed in the present tense. The concluding "finished" image appears on the final page and is written in past tense.

Try This

View a flashmob performance of "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Listen to a symphony composed by Beethoven and create your own artistic response to this glorious music. You can learn a bit about all nine symphonies here.

Maya's Treasure by Laurie Smollett Kutscera

In a tiny tropical village near the sea, sisters Alita and Maya carry on their grandmother's traditional craft: fashioning jewelry from seashells.  They scour the shore, searching for the best specimens. Alita critically examines each carapace, choosing only the perfectly formed pieces. Maya has a different approach. She considers the intrinsic value in stained and broken pieces. Inspired by the words of her grandmother and the gentle island breezes, she uses shell fragments to  ​make wind chimes. When loud incessant sounds of clanking shells waken the villagers and warn of an impending storm,  Maya's imaginative use of broken pieces saves villagers' lives.

Sights and Sounds of Wind Chimes

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner
​by Rita Williams-Garcia & Chelsea Clinton art by Alexandra Boiger & Gillian Flint

What do you give her for birthday gift? The answer is obvious: a biography of  Florence Griffith Joyner.  This slim volume is part of She Persisted, a series for young readers chronicling the lives of women who have made a significant contribution to world events.  Williams-Garcia's narrative is chock full of fascinating details.  As a child, Florence was called Dee Dee. The young girl chased jackrabbits near her home in the Mojave Desert.  Later, she won one silver and three gold medals in the 1988 Olympics. Bonus materials include an introduction by Chelsea Clinton, a list of references, and eight suggestions by the author on "How You Can Persist."  Some suggestions are "Push yourself to try something new." "Make your own creations." and "Engage in some fun physical activity for at least fifteen minutes or more each day."  Listen to a sample of the audiobook edition read by Janina Edwards.

She Persisted: More Amazing Individuals

The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
​by Eugene Yelchin Narrated by the author

Yelchin pulls back the Iron Curtain, offering a glimpse of life for Jews living in 1970's Russia. Six-year-old Yevgeny lives with his parents, older brother Victor, and grandmother, eking out a meager life in a communal apartment. His poetry-loving father, mother whose ballet dreams were denied, and competitive figure skating sibling are described in charming detail. Living conditions are so cramped that the only place for the boy to sleep is under the table. He secretly swipes his father’s only pencil to draw on the table’s underside. Short chapters offer poignant snapshots into a bizarre world that glorifies the mummified body of Lenin, requires citizens to earn a stamped coupon to purchase a book, and causes family members to remove all images of grandfather from the family’s photo album.

Art and the Iron Curtain

Picture books accounts of artists who fled the confines of life in Cold War Russia. Poignant memories. Gorgeous art.

Some Days: A Tale of Love, Ice Cream, and My Mom's Chronic Illness
by Julie A. Stamm art by Chamisa Kellogg

Meet Wyatt and his mother Rosie. Wyatt believes that his mom has superpowers. For example, she makes delicious chocolate chip pancakes, educates groups of people, and plan family adventures. Mom also possesses one special superpower: the power to battle multiple sclerosis. Stamm ingeniously introduces this medical term as Wyatt struggles to correctly pronounce the two word diagnosis. The initials M.S. are also used as an identifier. Narrative centers on the phrase “some days,” emphasizing the unpredictable nature of M.S. Wyatt knows that life with mom will include visits to museums, parks, and ice cream shops. But there will also be days when mom must rest at home, quickly locate a public restroom, or even go to the hospital for treatment.

Monarch Butterflies:
​Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World 
by Ann Hobbie art by Olga Baumert

Monarch Butterflies offers young readers an in depth look at these "winged wonders of the world."  Hobbie doesn't shy away from using precise vocabulary. Spiracles, maxillary palps, cremaster, and proboscis are some of the terms which are accompanied by enlarged illustrations and succinct paragraphs. Baumert's detailed illustrations present up-close inspection of these insects' anatomy, life cycle, and habitats. The author devotes a considerable number of pages to ecological patterns, monarch conservation, symbiotic relationships, and caring for the environment. Readers will find information on caring for butterflies, a Glossary, links to educator guides, topics for additional research, and Day of the Dead celebrations.

Señorita Mariposa
​by Ben Gundersheimer art by Macos Almada Rivero

Artfully composed couplets trace the journey of Señorita Mariposa. Mimicking the butterfly's flight, text in English and Spanish are intertwined. Initially, English, the language spoken in the continent where the flight originates, appears first. Each phrase is followed by a Spanish translation. ​Midflight, the format changes. At the poem's conclusion each line of poetry is displayed first in Spanish, followed by an English translation. Supporting matter includes a map tracing the migratory path from Canada to Mexico, an Author's Note, and a link to Gundersheimer's Mariposa Project website. Rivero's joyful illustrations are awash with color, smiling animals, children with a variety of skin tones, and a wide-eyed monarch butterfly with fancy eyelashes.

Moth & Butterfly: Ta-Da!
​by Dev Petty art by Ana Aranda

Petty takes readers into the worlds of two flying insects that have obvious similarities as well as distinct differences. And that's a good thing. Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da! makes clear that both insect classifications are fascinating subjects for investigation. Aranda uses a riot of color. Butterfly emerges from the chrysalis with an explosion of bright yellow and pink. Moth pops from the cocoon in shades of beige and blue. The effect is stunning. The final page lists identifying characteristics for moths and butterflies. ​ Bonus: The end papers are stunning. I wish that I could purchase prints of these bold graphic designs.