Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton is a lovely picture book biography about an African American who started writing poetry while he was enslaved. In the afterword, Tate says, “…the publishing industry could do a better job of balancing the topic of slavery with other African-American stories.” This month furor has erupted again over […]
“Aaron and Alexander could have been friends. They were alike in many ways. But the ways in which they were different made them the worst of enemies.” So begins Don Brown’s fascinating comparison of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, culminating in the events that led to their infamous duel. Brown’s language is solid and serious–as […]
Hilarious nonfiction picture books can be hard to find. Gentle, amusing, sweet. It’s a lot easier to find nonfiction picture books that fit those descriptions. But rollicking, silly, laugh-out-loud nonfiction picture books are rare. William Joyce has provided just such a rare duck with his “sorta” memoir about the first book he wrote. At the […]
I live in a tiny rural town. Ethnically, racially, and even economically and religiously, our community is pretty uniform. Before this, we lived in two other small towns that were even more uniform than the one we live in now. Are diverse books for communities like mine? Aren’t diverse books really for urban kids? No! […]
It was an early morning, watching the live cast of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. A great morning for nonfiction picture books! Schneider Family Book Awards (literature representing the disability experience. Emmanuel’s Dream. I wrote about the book here. Sibert Informational Medal (most distinguished nonfiction) Funny Bones. One of […]
Years ago my sister gave me a picture book by someone she had met at a social function. It had one of the best titles ever, Baxter, the Pig who Wanted to be Kosher. The book is hilarious. So I was excited when I saw another book by the same author, Laurel Snyder. I love this […]