Quiet!, a quirky, old soul, illustrated tale with deft art

I read Quiet! to a second-grade classroom the other week. It was storytime, but one reason for reading Quiet! to them was that I just simply wanted that. One of the great ironies about teaching elementary school children is that in order to have peace and sanity is that you are the one who has to speak, even it’s at a quiet, yet energetic volume as you read to them. Quiet! is the sort of illustrated book that bathes in allegory and has pictures to help younger readers infer what’s happening. It’s also gorgeously illustrated with visions of a city that feels Parisian but has an anywhere appeal that’ll make young readers’ thoughts go wherever.

Quiet! is an illustrated book that doubles down on the allegory in words and art, paying off in a story that kids will understand and enjoy.
Continue reading Quiet!, a quirky, old soul, illustrated tale with deft art

Speak UP, Speak OUT!, mglit on Shirley Chisholm that comes alive

In fifth-grade social studies the topic of civil rights isn’t touched on too much. It does dig deeper than the “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr., but other speeches, incidents or players in the movement won’t be addressed until middle school. Shirley Chisholm is one of those historical figures that should be mentioned in that class. In 1968 she was the first black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first black woman to run for the President of the United States of America as she sought the nomination from the Democratic Party. Speak UP!, Speak OUT!, The Extraordinary Life of “Fighting Shirley Chisholm” by Tonya Bolden is out on Nat Geo Kids and does what they do best.

To celebrate Black History Month and the release of Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm by Tonya Bolden (January 4th), 5 blogs across the web are featuring posts from the book and author, as well as 5 chances to win!

A book your 6th grader and up will love and learn

Prisoners of Geography, natural barriers shape our world for ages 9 and up

I mentioned the phrase prisoners of geography to a group of fifth-grade students in social studies one day. At the time we were learning about the westward expansion of the United States, specifically, how impactful it was when The Louisiana Purchase opened up that massive area. When I used that phrase the term ‘prisoners’ and ‘geography’ threw them for a loop and immediately led to the things that fifth-grade students will say. I quickly told them that it wasn’t an incarceration, rather the term meant that people and countries are largely defined by the physical boundaries that surround them. Prisoners of Geography, Our World Explained in 12 Simple Maps is not your average world book. This is a very smart book that leads to questions, answers and an actual discussion about what’s happening in our world and why things have happened.

Prisoners of Geography is the illustrated young readers edition of the international bestseller. It’s fun, educational and a go-to STEM for ages 9 and up.
Maps and stats to make ages 9 and up curious and talkative

Pixels Of You, a very slow burn, hazy manga-esque graphic novel

Pixels Of You, I love that song from The Cure. It’s off of Disintegration, which is easily one of the best LPs, CDs or downloads that you’ll ever run across. D’oh, that song is actually Pictures Of You, my bust. Pixels Of You is a graphic novel that’s aimed at upper middle school futurist fiction readers who really enjoy AI, cybernetically infused humans, and how those robot/people or people/robots fit in with the greater society. It’s also helpful if those readers are girls or those dudes who are into fashion or photography. Readers will further enjoy Pixels Of You if they enjoy conspiracy theories, and statements that could be facts, but could also be confused with stark chapter announcements.

Pixels Of You is a slow burn graphic novel with a manga vibe that’s great to look at, but has underdeveloped characters.
The art is striking, the story, really, really takes its time

Mina, an illustrated book of whimsy and mirth that’s one of the year’s best

Lo, and the boat shall not be missed twice. In my mind, Vincent Price is saying those words to me as I read Mina. Mina is by author and illustrator Matthew Forsythe, the creator of one of our favorite illustrated books of all time, Pokko and the Drum. That book was released in 2019 and was on every one of the Top 10 Children’s Booklists that we saw from that year for good reason. Mina is the follow-up to that book and will receive many of the same accolades. They’re also well deserved. The combination of beautiful art, with the sublime, simple, and silly story will have audiences four and up in stitches.

Mina is an illustrated book for ages four an up that dances between gorgeous art, concise words, great story and big smiles.
Only nine more in our top-10 list for 2022 to go

Quackenstein Hatches A Family, now in groovy 8 x 8 size

From the perspective of a bibliophile, Quackenstein Hatches A Family is one of those illustrated books that you’ll discover in K or early elementary classrooms that’s been read in brutal fashion. The spine is cracked in several locations. Multiple pages are dog-eared. The front cover has a dozen (or more) crayon scribbles on it. It’s also one of those books that young readers will seek out and immerse themselves in during silent read time.

Quackenstein Hatches A Family, now available in 8 x 8 format and a lower price-with the same go-to read that ages 4 and up love.
Even if you don’t have kids between 4-8 you’ll want to read it

The Monsters of Rookhaven, odd, a little evil and great for ages 9 and up

A great heel makes the difference in stories that entertain, vs. those that flounder. It’s especially true in wrestling, as well as, literature. If the heel isn’t a strong one then the audience can be hopeful that it moves along quickly; with the vestiges of said plot point withering away due to its lack of spandex or words. The Monsters of Rookhaven is mglit that runs from the first page. It’s brilliantly weird, fun to read and feels familiar enough to bring in reluctant readers, while being different enough to satisfy those who need something new.

The Monsters of Brookhaven is mglit with an excellent villain, beautiful mystery and monsters that do exactly what a 9-year-old wants them to do.
upper elementary spooks, monsters and dread-with a side order of feelings

An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language, is the unsaid, muddied truth

The vast majority of people muddle on purpose or accidentally, twist their day-to-day communication. Sometimes it’s quite innocuous, it’s those other times when people or organizations leave things unsaid or pepper their language with certain phrases that make things opaque. An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language is a book that looks at euphemisms, spin, bias, or things that are not said in arguments, in order to persuade people. It’s a very smart book that logic-based people will love reading. The subtitle is Learn To Hear What’s Left Unsaid, and if you can hear the opinions or direction that a conversation is trying to lead you in then this book will speak to you. 

An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language is a grammar book on semantics and subtle inferences that are used all the time, here’s what to look for.
When you hear things, are you leading, being led or unaware of the fact?

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