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Wishing you all a lovely day today
From the team that created the March books, nearly complete before Senator John Lewis died, is Book One of his story. It's sad to write that some of the pages chronicling 1964 and 1965 could be events that happened in the years from then all the way to 2020 and 2021. The illustrated text managed to show well the emotions of the moments, the conflicts among those who were all fighting for the same thing, equal rights. The backmatter is extensive, including small bios of each person named in the story, notes for the pages, sources, notes from the artists, acknowledgments, a beautiful portrait of Lewis, and a letter about him from Andrew Aydin. I enjoyed every part very much.
In this time of much sadness in the world, from war-torn countries to hurricanes, flooding, and forest fires, it is a wonder to read a story of hope and survival after a time nearly 20 years ago that clutched our hearts with grief. Sean Rubin dedicates this book to everyone lost on September 11, 2001 and to those who "picked up the pieces, planted a forest, and built a new city"–especially his cousin Stephen who was a safety inspector at the site. Sean both wrote and illustrated the book and allows this Callery Pear tree tell its story. It was the only tree in the twin towers' courtyard, gave shade and a place for birds to rest and nest. It was damaged and found in the rubble days later after the attack. But it was sent to a nursery in the Bronx where it lived, grew leaves, and flourished. It holds a special spot now among 400 trees in the new 9/11 memorial. The illustrations are beautifully rendered as this story of hope is told. In the opening, a poem by E.B. White holds the title line, "This Very Tree". You can read a talk with Sean Rubin on the SLJ blog post HERE, which includes the poem.
In the authors' notes at the beginning, Karen Lynn Williams writes of the cheetah's awesome attributes, tells of the Shabelle River in Somalia, named after the cheetah, which is "Shabelle" in the Somali language. Khadra, a Somali refuge speaks of the terrible loss of her country and listening to many tales told by her father as well as his descriptions of this beautiful land. We readers can see and admire Julia Cairns' illustrations as this tale is told of a boy wanting to become a man. His desire feels heartfelt as he navigates the expectations of his culture, all wrapped together with that cheetah!
Alan Lightman's first book for children, with Olga Pastuchiv, was inspired by his own granddaughter's visit to Maine. He tells of young girl Ada who has the biggest pleasure visiting her grandparents, Ama and Poobah, on an island in Maine. There are so many things to do at the edge of the sea, like kayaking and building a fairy house with bits collected. However, what she's really excited about is seeing the stars. She lives in the city where those bright lights keep the stars from showing up. It's a lively and loving story with these three, illustrated in watercolor by Susanna Chapman who incorporates real Hubble Space Telescope pictures of galaxies into her art. (I want to visit, too!) Thanks to MIT Kids Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press for this copy.
