Wolves! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

Wolves! Strange and Wonderful
By Laurence Pringle;
Illustrated by Meryl Henderson
Astra Young Readers.
An Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2022

Enjoy the newest title in the Strange and Wonderful series by well-known nonfiction writer, Laurence Pringle. 

Young readers will learn interesting facts about Wolves.

Scientist have been studying wolves since the mid-1990's. Their discoveries have changed peoples' ideas about these amazing animals. 

The book uses illustrations, done in watercolor and pencil, instead of actual photos. 

A glossary of words used in the text is included, as is a bibliography and sources, both print and digital.

A good resource for students doing research on wolves.

Sibert Award Picks

 

We have both served on the Sibert Award committee in past years, so we are quite familiar with the award criteria. Based on the books we have read in 2022, here are our favorites for the 2023 Sibert Award.

American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South
by Gail Jarrow

Calkins Creek

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky
by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
illustrated by Daniel Minter
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

by Angela Joy

illustrated by Janelle Washington

Roaring Brook Press

Hanged!: Mary Surratt & the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln
by Sarah Miller
Random House Studio

How to Build a Human In Seven Evolutionary Steps
by Pamela S. Turner
art by John Gurche

Charlesbridge

Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting
by Kindra Neely
Little, Brown and Company

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration

by Elizabeth Partridge

illustrated by Lauren Tamaki

The Universe in You

by Jason Chin

Neal Porter Books

Best History Books for Kids from 2022

 

Here are the history book for children and teens from 2022 that we found to be outstanding. We have linked our reviews below. We continue to review titles published in 2022, so look for upcoming reviews of books from this list.

Action!: How Movies Began
by Meghan McCarthy
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky
by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
illustrated by Daniel Minter
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Books
by Tonya Bolden
illustrated by Eric Velásquez
Quill Tree Books

Hanged!: Mary Surratt & the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln
by Sarah Miller

Random House Studio

A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexican Word Painters
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Abrams Books for Young Readers

Peace is a Chain Reaction 

by Tanya Lee Stone

Candlewick Press

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration

by Elizabeth Partridge

illustrated by Lauren Tamaki

Chronicle Books

Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazis' Secret Code

by Rebecca E.F. Barone

Henry Holt and Co.

Best Biographies for Kids from 2022

 

Here are our picks for the best biographies for kids from 2022. We have linked our reviews below. We continue to review books published in 2022, so look for upcoming reviews of books from this list.

Because Claudette
by Tracey Baptiste
illustrated by Tonya Engel
Dial Books

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement

by Angela Joy
illustrated by Janelle Washington
Roaring Brook Press

Fighting for Yes: The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann
by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger
Abrams Books for Young Readers

I Could Not Do Otherwise: The Remarkable Story of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
by Sara Latta

Zest Books

The Lady and the Octopus: How Jeanne Villepreux-Power Invented Aquariums and Revolutionized Marine Biology

by Danna Staaf
Carolrhoda Books

Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting
by Kindra Neely
Little, Brown and Company

Revolutionary Prudence Wright: Leading the Minute Women in the Fight for Independence
by Beth Anderson
illustrated by Susan Regan
Calkin Creek Books

Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice

by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barns and Dawud Anyabwile
Norton Young Readers

The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner
by Marissa Moss
Abrams Books for Young Readers

Best STEM Books for Kids from 2022

 

It was a banner year for science books for children. Here are the titles we found to be outstanding in the area of STEM. We have linked our reviews to titles we have reviewed on the blog. We continue to review 2022 titles, so look for upcoming reviews for titles we haven't featured on the blog yet.

The Adventures of Dr. Sloth
by Suzi Eszterhas
Millbrook Press

American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South

by Gail Jarrow

Calkins Creek

Buildings That Breathe: Greening the World's Cities

by Nancy F. Castaldo

Twenty-First Century Books

Caves

by Nell Cross Beckerman

illustrated by Kalen Chock

Orchard Books

Concrete: From the Ground Up

by Larissa Theule

illustrated by Steve Light

Candlewick Press

Footprints Across the Planet

by Jennifer Swanson

Reycraft Books

Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill

by Matt Lilley

illustrated by Dan Tavis

Tilbury House

How to Build a Human in Seven Evolutionary Steps
by Pamela S. Turner
art by John Gurche
Charlesbridge Publishing

Infinity: Figuring Out Forever

by Sarah C. Campbell

photographs by Richard P. Campbell
Astra Books for Young Readers

Planting a Garden in Room 6

by Caroline Arnold
Charlesbridge Publishing

A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

by Patricia Newman

illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Millbrook Press

A Seed Grows
by Antoinette Portis
Neal Porter Books

Sharks: A Mighty Bite-y History

by Miriam Forster

illustrated by Gordy Wright
Abrams Books for Young Readers

The Snowy Owl Scientist

by Mark Wilson
Clarion Books

Tree Hole Homes: Daytime Dens and Nighttime Nooks

by Melissa Stewart

illustrated by Amy Hevron
Random House

Life in Hot Water: Wildlife at the Bottom of the Ocean
by Mary Batten
illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
Peachtree Publishing

The Universe in You 

by Jason Chin
Neal Porter Books

Seen and Unseen

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adam's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration
by Elizabeth Partridge
illustrated by Lauren Tamaki
Chronicle Books, 2022
Grades 4 and up

Over the past few years there have been several fiction and nonfiction books published for children about the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Seen and Unseen looks at this dark time in our country's history though the photographs of Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams. 

The book begins with the bombing of Pearl Harbor followed by the U.S. government's imprisonment of Japanese Americans.  Each photographer is featured in a chapter of the book as each had different experiences documenting the internment camps in photos. The strength of the book is how well the text, illustrations and primary documents work together to give readers a close up look at life in the incarceration camps and the effects on Japanese Americans. Black and white photographs are thoughtfully placed throughout the chapters along with primary sources including newspaper clippings, signs, identification cards, and government documents. 

Tamaki's ink illustrations on contrasting background colors depict the horrors of the event and the squalid conditions of the incarceration camps. Lange took many candids photos in an attempt to show the public these conditions and that innocent families were incarcerated including women and children. Adams was brought in to photographs Manzanar by the warden and had a different view from Lange. Adams's photographs were posed to show content, hardworking prisoners in hopes of shaping the public's view. Miyatake was imprisoned at Manzanar for three years and had to smuggle his camera into the incarceration camp in pieces. He secretly took photographs and developed them at night.

Several pages in the back matter provide readers with insight into the terms and language used in the book such as "incarceration" instead of "relocation," information about civil liberties and additional facts about the three photographers. Thumbnails of each photo used in the book are printed in the back matter with source information. Pair Seen and Unseen with They Call Us the Enemy by George Takei or Uprooted by Albert Marrin.

Seen and Unseen has the best layout and design I have seen recently in a children's nonfiction book. The blending of ink illustrations with photographs is effective and will capture the attention of middle grade readers. The text is broken into sections and placed around the artwork so that readers will be able to read and take in the illustrations as they progress through the book. Pages from the book can be viewed on the author's site.

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sean and as Wide as the Sky 
by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
illustrated by Daniel Minter
Alfred A. Knopf, 2022
Grades K-6

The moment readers open Blue, they will know this is an extraordinary book. The expository picture book traces the history of the color blue beginning with lapis lazuli (blue rocks) found in Afghanistan circa 4500 B.C. to blue squeezed from snails in Mexico and the middle east. The story doesn't just focus on the origin of the color blue, but it also examines peoples' views of the color and how blue has influenced society. Historically, the color blue has been in high demand for jewelry and luxury clothing and goods. Brew-Hammond explores how growing indigo became a less expensive alternative to rocks and snails and how the crop contributed to the slave trade and the enslavement of people in the U.S. 

Readers will pore over the pages featuring Minter's gorgeous acrylic wash illustrations on heavy watercolor paper will make. The intricate illustrations incorporate varied textures, patterns and hues.  The book ends on a hopeful note with hands stretched toward the sky with blue a "symbol of possibility." Back matter includes an extensive list of sources, additional facts about the color blue, and an author's note. Blue would make a wonderful gift book for children or adults. It could be read as a text in art class or in a history lesson. The book has won an Orbis Pictus award from NCTE, and I expect it will receive more awards in January.

Cloaked in Courage: Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier by Beth Anderson

Cloaked in Courage: Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier 
By Beth Anderson;
Illustrated by Anne Lambelet
Calkins Creek. An Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2022

Attempting to uncover the story of Deborah Sampson proved challenging, says Anderson in her author’s note. “Today, much of Deborah Sampson’s life remains a mystery.” Many details about her story have been lost to history. What she could uncover using primary and secondary sources offers readers an inspirational picture book biography.

Deborah Sampson left her family as a five-year-old. Working to “earn her keep”, the quiet young woman listened to what was being said around her. With the American Revolution percolating, Deborah wanted to be part of it.  Rejecting the traditional path of marriage at age 18, Sampson, fueled by the adventures of women warriors throughout history, decided to try disguising herself as a man to join the fight against the British.

This tale of bravery and courage is well-told. Partnered with Lambelet’s beautiful illustrations that reflect the times, will keep listeners glued to every word. Lambelet’s illustrations, created as traditional pencil drawing, and a variety of hand-painted and hand-drawn textures, all of which are combined and colored in Adobe Photoshop, are stunning. 

Included is a lengthy author’s note that offers a more detailed background on Deborah Sampson and a bibliography.