"A good match with Candace Fleming's description of these events in The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary (2008). (author's note, annotated sources) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
Imagine finding an old journal in the attic, a journal with pages worn and brown with age and written by Abraham Lincoln.
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"More than a holiday folktale, this one brings out the significance of graceful benevolence and humble appreciation. (Picture book. 5-8)"
When a small village has a meager harvest with not enough olives for oil to light the Chanukah menorahs, Hayim, the poorest, sends an appealing letter to the Almighty so the holiday may still be traditionally celebrated.
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"Still, the author not only identifies a stimulating array of historical highlights and major figures, he discusses, however briefly, the impact that subways have had on many of the cities that have invested in them. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)"
Brimner gives the early history of public transportation a quick once-over, focusing particularly on the building of subway systems in London and New York, but adding side glances toward such related topics as the evolution of the steam engine and the digging of the Channel Tunnel.
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"Heavy on text and not likely to appeal to a younger crowd. (Picture book. 11+)"
Waldman (Too Young For Yiddish, p. 106, etc) begins by asking why of all the ancient cultures and religions of the Mediterranean only the Jews have survived.
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"However, there is little else available on Wounded Knee, and for careful readers, this might be a useful place to start. (bibliography, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)"
Waldman's (The Wisdom Bird, 2000, etc.) account of the massacre at Wounded Knee is accessible to young readers, but troubling in its lack of documentation.
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"There is a glossary of words used in the text. (Picture book. 6-12)"
This is a sweet story about a language that, like the Jews themselves, manages to survive despite the effects of extermination and assimilation.
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"Exquisite, realistic drawings in colored pencil illustrate the sacred bird depicted in ancient art, as well as the contemporary endangered bird and modern Mesoamericans. (maps, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)"
Patent (Children Save the Rain Forest, p. 903, etc.) selects stories from the Mayan and Aztec tradition regarding the quetzal—a striking, vividly plumed bird of the rain forest—for this title in the Sacred Animal series.
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"His paintings, in soft sunset watercolors, reflect the dreamy, hope- filled tone of the stories. (bibliography) (Folklore. 8+)"
A princess of light, a vampire demon, peasants, and proud kings appear in these 11 tales of miracles, wisdom, and kindness, adapted by one of the creators of Sabbath Lion (1992).
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"Although they are not on the whole very detailed, the architectural drawings are accurate and evocative. (chronology) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7- 11)"
A sentimental account of Jewish history, seen through the lens of Jerusalem.
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"As a result, there is little flow between images, and much of the lyricism would be lost if Appelt's verse weren't strong enough to stand on its own. (Picture book. 2-5)"
"A joyous use of contemporary graphics to retell the first story. (Picture book. 3+)"
The illustrator's daughter, 13, stays close to the text as it appears in Genesis, varying repetitions a bit (``It was all very good'') and ad-libbing some embellishments (``the softer light of the moon would shine through the nights, with the help of twinkling stars''); she also adds a ``Storyteller's Note'' on the creation story as a reminder ``to take care of our beautiful planet.'' The text, white on black in an elegant face, makes a stylish foil for art in luminous stained-glass hues, artfully composed of mosaic-like passages of dabs of color, larger areas in solid tones, decorative grace notes, and stylized figures- -e.g., an extraordinary portrait of Adam and Eve, where Waldman's freewheelingly unrealistic use of brilliant color is particularly striking.
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"An earnest paean that will appeal to many readers and can do only good. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Luenn's poetic text explores the title's image—``Mountains her bones/ Trees and plants her living hair/...Frogs and snakes are her sense of smell/ Insects her thoughts''—the metaphor is intriguingly applied, though it seems overextended.
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"An unusual fantasy, fine for reading aloud, in format that will recommend it as a gift item. (Fiction. 8-12)"
In an original tale that draws on the folklore of the Pacific Northwest Indians, a boy whose assigned task is making spoons outwits a supernatural visitor disguised as a majestically tall stranger.
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