Elem. – The Snow Man: A True Story

Winter, Jonah. The Snow Man: A True Story. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane Books, 2023. 978-1-665-93239-4. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

Based on a true story, this book tells the tale of billy barr (he doesn’t capitalize the first letters of his name), who has lived most of his life in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. When he first came to the mountains as a young man, billy’s only companions were wild animals. Without anyone to talk to, billy was bored, so he started measuring the snowfalls. Year after year, he recorded these measurements, along with the dates of the first snowfall and the first wildflower blossoms each year. He noted when animals came out of hibernation and when certain birds arrived each spring. After many years, he started to notice an interesting trend: year after year, there seemed to be less snow than there had been in past years. When he shared his findings with a local scientist, the scientist was amazed. Today, billy’s meticulous measurements and notes have proved to be a vital contribution to the study of climatology. An author’s note provides additional information about the real billy barr, as well as a list of sources for further reading and research.

THOUGHTS: Young readers will be fascinated by billy’s lifestyle and findings. This would be an excellent title for introducing climate change or measurement to elementary students.

921 Biography
508 Natural History  

Elem. – Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage

Rogers, Lisa. Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage. Illustrated by Il Sung Na. Anne Schwartz Books, 2023. 978-0-593-64662-5. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

In this uniquely written biography, avant-garde composer John Cage is introduced to young audiences through the use of several “what if” questions. For example, what if all the sounds you heard – garbage trucks screeching, cats hissing, balls bouncing, and so forth – sounded like music to you? The answer to this question (and all of the other questions posed in the book) is “Then you’d be like John Cage.” Using this format, the author introduces John Cage’s atypical style of writing music, his unusual instruments, and several of his notable concerts and performances. Na’s illustrations mirror Cage’s quirky style, placing vibrant, brightly colored dots, squiggles and lines on top of background drawings done in a more muted palette. Further information about John Cage is included in the author’s note, and a list of sources for further exploration is also provided.

THOUGHTS: This unique biography is sure to inspire students to learn more about John Cage and to think outside of the box themselves. Perhaps they’ll even want to experiment with everyday items to make their own distinctive music. A solid addition to any library looking to grow its biography or music sections.

921 Biography
780 Music

Elem. – Love Is in the Air: The Story of Aviation Pioneer Nancy Harkness Love

Romito, Dee. Love Is in the Air: The Story of Aviation Pioneer Nancy Harkness Love. Illustrated by Vivian Mineker. Aladdin, 2023. 978-1-534-48419-1. $18.99. Grades K-3. Unpaged.

When Nancy Harkness Love was just sixteen years old, she took an airplane ride that changed her life. She decided then and there that she wanted to learn how to fly. Nancy faced many obstacles in the field of aviation, but she ultimately earned her commercial pilot’s license and changed the course of history when she advocated for women to ferry airplanes for the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. She went on to lead 28 other women as squadron commander of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, which merged with another organization to become the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The program was eventually shut down when men took their ferrying jobs back post-war, but Nancy and her fellow WASP members accomplished a great deal for women’s rights in America and were eventually granted veteran status. Pleasant, cartoon-like illustrations accompany this straightforward biography about an important female pilot in our nation’s history. Back matter includes an author’s note, black and white photographs of Nancy, and a list of sources.

THOUGHTS: The message in this picture book biography is clear: girls can persevere and accomplish anything they set their minds to, even if they face obstacles along the way. Pair this with other titles about female pilots, such as Meghan Browne’s Dorothy the Brave (2022), Emily McCully’s Taking Off: Airborne with Mary Wilkins Ellis, and/or Julie Leung’s The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee (2021).

921 Biography
940.54 Military History of World War II    

Elem. – The Bone Wars:  The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils

Kurtz, Jane. The Bone Wars: The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils. Illustrated by Alexander Vidal. Beach Lane, 2023. 978-1-534-49364-3. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-3.

The Bone Wars chronicles the saga of paleontological competition between O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope in the days of the Bone Wars. Initially friends, the two became fierce rivals after Marsh pointed out to Cope that he had assembled Elasmosaurus with the head on its tail in a recently published scientific paper. The two began competing for discoveries from that moment forward, even resorting to deception and spying to beat the other team. Jane Kurtz acknowledges in her writing that the race to make the next discovery also resulted in many mistakes, broken relationships with friends and other scientists, and ultimately financial stress. Back matter includes notes from both the author and illustrator, as well as a select bibliography and suggested reading list.  

THOUGHTS: The story of the competition between O.C. Marsh and Edward Cope is one that young dinosaur fans are sure to enjoy, not only because of all the discoveries the scientists made, but also because of the tale of a friendship gone awry.  The illustrations, created by Alexander Vidal, are inspired by paleontologic artwork created in the 1800s.  They work with the text to give the reader a sense of the book’s time period and knowledge at the time.  Recommended for libraries seeking to draw dinosaur fans into biographies or to add variety to their dinosaur collection.  

560.92 Paleontology
Biography

MG/YA – Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out

Almellehan, Muzoon. Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out. Alfred A Knopf, 2023. 978-1-984-85198-7. 340 p. $18.99. Grades 6-12.

Muzoon was a 14 year-old girl living a happy life in her country of Syria when the war in Syria forced her family to move to a refugee camp in Jordan. Muzoon had been focused on her education and going on to high school with hopes of college when the war changed her path. Yet this did not stop her from staying focused on her goal, for she found a way to advocate for education – primarily education for girls. She worked with UNICEF and also Malala Yousafzai to work towards the advocacy for girls. The story follows Muzoon up to the present day where she now resides in Newcastle, England and is continuing her work with education, refugees, and the rights of girls.

THOUGHTS: A powerful read about the value and importance of family, education, and strength. 

Biography

Elem. – Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine: Josephine Cochrane’s  Bright Invention Makes a Big Splash

Hannigan, Kate. Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine: Josephine Cochrane’s Bright Invention Makes a Big Splash. Illustrated by Sarah Green. Calkins Creek, 2023. 978-1-635-92621-7. Unpaged.  $18.99.  Grades 2-5.

The late nineteenth century was a time of invention and change. What made those days even more exciting was the appearance of women inventors, like Josephine Garis Cochrane. Born in 1839, she lived in modest circumstances with her husband. One chore that she disliked was washing dishes by hand, because the dishes were easily chipped, the water got dirty, and it was time consuming. When her husband died, the widow was left with many debts. Josephine needed to pay her bills and began to brainstorm ideas about an automated way to clean dishes. Designing was in her blood, with a father who designed bridges and a great-grandfather who designed steamboats. After doing a lot of research, Cochrane set to work. She measured cups and plates to determine how big the machine should be and made a circular pipe to fit on the bottom to spray hot soapy water. Josephine worked with a mechanic called George, and together they fine-tuned the device until it worked perfectly. In 1886, the woman inventor was granted a patent for her machine, but now she needed investors to help finance its production. In those days, people were reluctant to support a woman in business. Undeterred, she decided to exhibit her dishwashing apparatus at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where it was met with much acclaim and won the highest prize for the “best mechanical construction, durability and adaptation to its line of work.” Soon orders began pouring in and sales took off in hotels and restaurants. Always refining her invention, Josephine dreamed of seeing dishwashers in the home. The author includes puns about water in the text, making it an enjoyable read. The back matter includes an author’s note about Cochrane, a timeline of  inventions from 1791-1946, a list of notable women inventors, and sources. The colorful digital illustrations by Green include design sketches and a copy of the first page of the original lithograph of the patent from 1886.

THOUGHTS: This is a wonderful book to include in STEM units or to use during Women’s History Month. Recommended for elementary collections.

Picture Book
Biography

Elem./MG – Historical Biographies

Hansen, Grace. Historical Biographies. Abdo Publishers, 2023. $22.95. Set of 6 $137.70. 32 p. Grades 3-6. 

Agatha Christie: Detective Novelist and Playwright. 978-1-098-24338-8.
Jim Thorpe: Versatile Athlete and Olympian. 978-1-098-24339-5.
Katherine Johnson: NASA Mathematician
. 978-1-098-24340-1.
Ketanji Brown Jackson: Supreme Court Justice. 978-1-098-24341-8.
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil Rights Activist. 978-1-098-24342-5.
Vincent Van Gogh: Post-Impressionist Painter. 978-1-098-24343-2.

In very brief chapters, these historical biographies simplify the highlights of the famous person’s life. A few QR codes attached to some chapters provide superfluous information (ex., biography on Katherine Johnson has a QR code showing the trailer from the movie, Hidden Figures). Sections in the back provide a time line, key questions, glossary, index, online resources.

THOUGHTS: An easy read for basic research projects. The information has significant information that young readers can comprehend.

921
Dewey Number connected with profession

Elem. – Beulah Has a Hunch! Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry

Mazeika, Katie. Beulah Has a Hunch! Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry. Beach Lane Books. 978-1-665-90363-9. 40 p. $18.99. Grades 2-5. 

From the time she was a young girl, Beulah Henry searched for problems and imagined solutions for them. Whenever she came across a problem, she would fixate on it, turning possibilities over and over in her head until at last she visualized an answer. Beulah had hyperphantasia, meaning in her mind, she pictured things in extreme three-dimensional detail. She also had synesthesia, which made words, numbers, and musical notes appear in different colors. Throughout her career, she worked with draftsmen, mechanics, and model makers to create detailed, technical drawings of the inventions she visualized. She held forty-nine known patents and is credited with more than one hundred inventions. One of her most famous inventions was the Snappon Umbrella which had a collapsible handle and interchangeable fabric covers that women could snap on and off to match their outfits. She also invented spring-limbed stuffed animals, a doll voice box, ways for dolls to open and close their eyes, and innovative parts for sewing machines and typewriters. This title brings Beulah’s story to life through vibrant digital illustrations, and backmatter includes biographical information, a timeline, and photographs.

THOUGHTS: Nicknamed “Lady Edison,” Beulah’s accomplishments are all the more remarkable because she lived during a time when public education was a new idea, and girls were not expected to study math and science. This title not only celebrates a little-known inventor who thrived in a field dominated by men, but it also highlights Beulah as someone who spoke openly about neurodiversity. Share this with STEM teachers and those looking for fresh subjects for biography projects.

609.2 Inventors
Biography

Elem. – The Light She Feels Inside

Wallace, Gwendolyn. The Light She Feels Inside. Illustrated by Olivia Duchess. Source Books, 2023. 978-1-728-23979-8. 32 p. $18.99. Grades PreK-2. 

Maya goes through her day and talks about her glow that she feels inside especially when positive things are happening to her and around her. She also talks about the glow she feels when something bad happens to her, or when she hears her parents worrying. Maya begins to feel like that glow she has is heavy, and she isn’t sure what to do with it. When Maya goes to her public library, she ends up talking with her librarian who recommends several biographies to help Maya understand what she’s feeling and how other women in history have dealt with that. Maya ends up learning about several famous women in history and she decides to do something about her world and use her glow to help others. 

THOUGHTS: This was a wonderful picture book that has some great biographical information about famous women in the back matter of the book. Highly recommended for an elementary school library.

Picture Book

MG – Imagine a Garden: Stories of Courage Changing the World

Singh, Rina. Imagine a Garden: Stories of Courage Changing the World. Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi. Greystone Kids, 2023. 978-1-771-64713-7. Unpaged. $18.95. Grades 3-6.

Thoughtful, detailed illustrations of paper overlays accompany author Rina Singh’s verses extolling the ingenuity, compassion, and hopefulness of seven global figures who are lights burning in dark times. In an afterword, she names each one and explains in prose how their acts of selflessness helped less fortunate people; but in the body of the book, Singh weaves a verse tale about their actions and Hadadi describes it in her art. The Palestinian mother who uses grenades to hold flowers in memory of her son; the Brazilian dancer who had to forgo a promising career but opened a free ballet school; the would-be engineer who turned his talents toward teaching children in India; the South African man who shared his love of soccer with poor boys in his township; the Canadian Anishinaabe water activist advocating for clean water for indigenous peoples; the Mexican artist who melts down and transforms guns into beautiful art; the Greek restaurant owner who opened her doors to hungry Syrian refugees.This book would be difficult for younger students to read independently. It requires an awareness of suffering and a broad worldview. The relative obscurity of the book’s heroes paves the way for readers to look for their own hidden heroes. Students can extend the book through biographical searches, ideas for service learning projects, interpretation of facts into verse, or depiction of scenes of people doing good works in the paper medium. Teachers can use this book in lessons highlighting peace and social justice.

THOUGHTS: This book is beautiful to behold; the illustrations tell a story on their own. The true stories of the featured people following the verses may need to be read first for young readers to comprehend the verse’s meaning. Creative teachers can link current events to these varied geographical, contemporary settings. A specialized addition to a school library collection. 

302 Social Communities