Be Strong: The Rise of Beloved Public Art Sculptor Nancy Schön Written by Darcy Pattison

 Be Strong: The Rise of Beloved Public Art Sculptor Nancy Schön

Written by Darcy Pattison; Illustrated by Rich Davis

MimsHouse Books. 2024

Have you ever been to Boston, Massachusetts and seen the Make Way for Ducklings sculptures in the Public Garden? If so, then you have seen the work of Nancy Schön. 

Born near Boston on September 24, 1928 (I got that from Wikipedia), Nancy became interested in sculpture at her cousin's Halloween party. 

    "For one game, each child was asked to chew a piece of gum and use it to sculpt something. Her hands shaped a tiny cup and saucer. She won first place!"

She graduated with a degree in sculpture from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Despite being married and raising her children, Nancy still found time to teach art and make sculptures. It was in 1979, that the idea of what she wanted her art to be came to her. 

"Right then, I saw what I wanted for my art. I wanted my sculptures to be outdoors in parks, where people of all ages could touch and enjoy them."

This picture book biography focuses on Nancy's creation of the duck sculptures based on Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings. Once installed, there was no holding her back. Other sculptures she created is the Tortise and Hare at Copley Square, which is the finish line for the Boston Marathon, as well as, other sculptures that are installed in parks around the world.

Woven into this charming story is a message of Be Strong, a message she received while creating the ducklings from artist whose studio was across the hall from Nancy. She took that message and kept it close to her heart and thought of it throughout her life when she had a hard day.

Quotes from Nancy Schön are throughout set off in purple. 

The illustrations are colorful and reflect what is being said in the text.

Back matter includes more information on Nancy Schön, and a listing of her public art sculptures. To write this engaging story the author conducted personal interviews with the artist and read the book, Make Way for Nancy: A Life in Public Art by Nancy Schön. (Boston: David R. Godine. 2017)

A fun book to share with budding artists of all ages, at an art adventure story time, and especially, after reading Make Way for Ducklings. 

The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America's Cook Emma Bland Smith

The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America's Cook

Emma Bland Smith; Pictures by Susan Reagan

Calkins Creek, an Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2024

In the 1800's, when Fannie was little, she learned to cook from her mother with recipes that were passed down generation to generation. Directions were not like now. Instead, they were pretty vague. "If Fannie had asked, "How much salt should I put in this soup? her mother might have answered, "Oh, a goodly amount." 

Though she loved to good, and she was quite good at it, her dream was to attend college and become a teacher. Unfortunately, at age sixteen, Fannie contracted polio. She lost the use of her legs and had to lay in bed for several years. Unable to fulfill her dreams, as a way to keep busy Fannie took up cooking. "Her passion for cooking and baking rose up like a severn-layer cake."

This picture book biography follows Fannie as she attends the Boston Cooking School and, eventually, becomes a teacher and the head of the school. Her scientific mind had her realizing that using precise measurements instead of the vague directions she grew up with, were absolutely necessary to insure a recipe would come out the same each time you made it. 

Fannie didn't stop with the publishing of her cookbook. She started her own cooking school, lectured all over the country, and taught at Harvard Medical School. 

Paired with the engaging narrative are Reagan's very colorful, historically accurate illustrations that combines traditional watercolor with digital drawing. Peppered throughout the book are quotes by Fannie set off in a larger font. 

A great read aloud to all ages (I really believe middle and high school students can benefit from reading picture books), share with anyone who has an interest in cooking. 

Backmatter includes how to research nonfiction, Fannie's influence on today's cooks, (think Julia Child), a timeline, resources for more information, and a bibliography.

You'll want to be sure you have something yummy to snack on while reading. 

Click here to watch an interview with Emma Bland Smith.

Skybound! Starring Mary Myers as Carlotta Daredevil Aeronaut and Scientist Written by Sue Ganz-Schmitt

Skybound! Starring Mary Myers as Carlotta Daredevil Aeronaut and Scientist

Written by Sue Ganz-Schmitt; Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

Calkins Creek, an Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2024

My youngest son's partner is a hot-air balloon enthusiast. She travels to different events around the world to participate in many aspects of ballooning. Even going up in them! So I was super excited to share this engaging story of Mary Myers, a.k.a. Carlotta, and her daredevil flight to collect scientific data on just how well the balloons she and her husband, Carl, designed. 

Just who was Mary Myers? 

Mary Myers was born Mary Breed Hawley on August 24, 1850, in Pennsylvania. From a very early age, Mary dreamed of flying. When ballooning came to the United States from France, Mary thought this might be her chance to get up in the air.

At age twenty-one, she met Carl Myers, a photographer, engineer, and scientist. Together, Mary and Carl developed a groundbreaking balloon fabric. Needing some scientific data to know which balloon shape performed best, "Mary and Carl realized they needed two flight professionals in one. Someone who could record scientific data and electrify the paying crowds at fairs. (Building better balloons cost money, after all!)

After her thrilling solo flight, her career as Carlotta, Lady Aeronaut, began.

Beautiful illustrations, done in colored inks on paper, are historically accurate and mirror what is being discussed in the text. 

Backmatter includes more about Carlotta, a timeline, and a selected bibliography and suggested reading.

This appealing picture book biography will have readers of all ages dreaming of their endless possibilities. 

Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature With the World Written by Jill Esbaum; Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon

Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature With the World

Written by Jill Esbaum; Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon

Calkins Creek, an Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2024

When I first began working in a public library on an island in Maine, the most popular book was, A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. It wasn't until reading Bird Girl did I learn that Stratton-Porter was the first bird photographer in America. 

Born in Wabash County, Indiana, in 1864, Geneva Grace Stratton loved birds. As she watched them, she would wonder, "How do they decide where to build their nests? What do they feed their babies? Does all that chirping and singing mean anything?"

After rescuing one bird and raising it back to health, the following summer Geneva watched over sixty-four nests, visiting them every day. It was as an adult, now called, Gene, that her family bought her a camera for Christmas. Gene could now use her photos of birds taken at her favorite place, Limberlost Swamp, to illustrate her bird stories. 

Gene would go on to be a prolific writer and photographer. She died in a car accident in December of 1924. She was sixty-one years old. 

The illustrated, done in acrylic ink and colored pencils, by Rebecca Gibbon. They reflect the playfulness and curiosity of the subject.

Backmatter includes an author's note, a short biography of Gene Stratton-Porter, bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and a list of selected works of Gene Stratton-Porter. 

An engaging, fun, and inspiring picture book biography.

One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor by Richard Michelson

One of a Kind: The Life of Sydney Taylor

by Richard Michelson; Illustrated by Sarah Green

Calkins Creek, an Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2024

In, One of a Kind, Michelson recounts the life of children's book author, Sydney Taylor, whose book, All-Of-A-Kind Family was one of the first stories about a poor Jewish family growing up in New York City. 

Born Susan Brenner on October 30, 1904, Taylor always had a curious mind. Growing up poor, Taylor was one of five sisters, and one younger brother, living in New York City. Her parents were from Germany but moved to the United States after facing antisemitism. Though she loved celebrating the Jewish holidays, her parents encouraged her to learn American customs. "so you shouldn't feel like foreigners in your own country."

As she grew, Sarah grew frustrated with the discrimination against women. At age fourteen, tired of the expectation that women needed to be quiet and well-behaved, Sarah changes her name to Sydney. "A boy's name; then people will pay attention to what I write."

It isn't until she has her own daughter, she begins telling her own stories. "She enjoyed reading about families different from her own, but Syd believed that children also deserved to have stories about families that look and sound like theirs do." 

Sydney writes down her stories. "Maybe she can show other children that all people - whether their family have been in America for generations or recent arrivals - share the most important things:  love of friends and family and a desire to be treated fairly." Unfortunately, the American publishers didn't agree.

Her success came in 1950, when her husband sent her story, All-of-a-Kind Family, to a publishing company's contest (Wilcox + Follett Publishers). She won first prize! 

A happy ending, indeed.

Included is an afterword on Sydney Taylor, her husband Ralph, their daughter Jo Taylor Marshall, an author's note, bibliography of the author's sources.

Though the book is based on truth, Michelson does admit that much of the dialogue is invented.

A great introduction to an important author. 

Home by Isabelle Simler

Home

Isabelle Simler; translated by Vineet Lal

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2024

French author, Isabelle Simler,  using poetry introduces young readers on a journey to discover the amazing homes of animals that live around the world.

"I've been to some truly amazing homes.

To explore these unique places, I've had 

to bend, and shrink, and squeeze, and 

let myself be transformed in weird and 

wonderful ways. 

I've curled up in a hazel leaf, 

and disappeared under a stone, and bathed 

in a few drops of dew...

I've woken up as an ant. And a bird. 

Even  a sea snail.

And, I've imagined life in these homes,

all so very different from my own."

Simler explores twenty-seven different homes, sharing the ingenious ways each creature constructs their wondrous dwelling.

Take the European fan worm (Savella spallanzanii)

"I slide into my home like a telescope

and fan out my long feathery lashes."

This "worm-with-a-plume" lives in the ocean on the rocky seabed.

Or the hummingbird, (Trochilidae) who lives in a small, featherweight house hidden under a leaf. 

Accompanying each entry are Simler's beautiful, lush colorful illustrations that showcase the wonders of each individual animal.  Breathtaking.

Included are brief summaries of the twenty-seven animals included in the book, glossary, and recommended resources for more information. 

A truly awe-inspiring book to share with all ages, especially older listeners where you can highlight art, words, nature, and encourage their creativity.

Hawk Mother Returns: A Story of Interspecies Adoption by Kara Hagedorn and Marlo Garnsworthy

Hawk Mother Returns: A Story of Interspecies Adoption 

Kara Hagedorn and Marlo Garnsworothy

Web of Life Children's Books. 2024

Zoologist, Kara Hagedorn (Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-Tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens) shares another story of cross-species adoption, in this stunning nonfiction title.

"One spring morning, my phone rings. Someone has cut down a tree with a nest containing two red-tailed hawk eggs. "Will Sunshine adopt them?" as the wildlife rehabilitator?" 

And so begins the story of how Sunshine, a red-tailed hawk who has been unable to fly since being shot many years ago, once again becomes a surrogate mother. Told in first person, Hagedorn shares every step in the raising of the chicks. From Sunshine feeding the newly hatched chicks, Bella and Romeo, to teaching them how to hunt. 

Beautiful, color photos that show the process of Sunshine raising these two chicks, which turn out to be Red-Shouldered Hawks, is very exciting. Over several weeks the chicks grow until one day, Kara decides it is time for them to leave the safety of the aviary. 

"I decide today is the day for them to leave. I take Sunshine out of her aviary so she can watch. Then, heart beating, I open the aviary door."

Included is an author's note explaining who Kara is and how she came to adopt Sunshine, more information about hawks, and a glossary. 

An important  book to share when explaining the importance of how to be mindful of nature, and the growth cycle of raptors. 

Tee Time On The Moon by David A. Kelly

Tee Time On The Moon: How Astronaut Alan Shepard Played Lunar Golf

David A. Kelly; Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Calkins Creek. An Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2023

The Apollo 14 took off for the moon in 1971. Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell were all on board. What Roosa and Mitchell didn’t know is that Shepard had a secret. He had brought something special with him…in a sock.

This fun informational picture book tells the story of how, after doing their work as astronauts - conducting scientific experiments, collecting soil samples, and taking measurements. Just before they head back into the lunar module for the planned rendezvous with Apollo 14, “Shepard snapped the head onto the scoop handle to create a makeshift MOON CLUB! Alan Shepard planned to play golf on the moon.”

In the first half of the book, Kelly shares facts about the space mission, the landing and Mitchell and Shepard’s scientific goals. The second half explores how Shepard, who loved golf, wanted to see just how far a golf ball would travel on the moon. 

Paired with Kelly’s fun narrative are Fotheringham’s full page, digital art that truly enhance the story. 

This fun story about space travel will delight many fans who dream of space travel.

Included is a selected bibliography and an overview of the Apollo missions that went to the moon, some facts about Commander Shepard, and brief explanations on a few topics related to the Apollo 14 mission. 

  

The Book of Turtles by Sy Montgomery & Matt Patterson

The Book of Turtles
Sy Montgomery & Matt Patterson
Clarion Books. An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
2023

“Sometime around 240 million years ago — about the time of the first dinosaurs, and 9 million years before the first crocodile — the shell invented the turtle.”

Award-winner science writer, Montgomery, mastery at engaging readers is on display here. Her mixing scientific facts with portraits of some of the world’s most famous turtles. Readers also learn “Extreme Turtle” facts: Which turtle is the largest, smallest, fastest, flattest, longest necks, most colorful, stinkiest and longest life span. 

Did you know turtles have many talents? Myrtle, a 90-year-old wood turtle learned how to navigate a maze just as quickly as laboratory rats. A surprising fact is that Eastern box turtles can scale a chain-link fence. 

Paired with the narrative are Matt Patterson’s photo-like illustrations. Rendered in acrylic paint, the name of each turtle is included in italics.

Like all wildlife, turtles are in sharp decline. Montgomery suggests ways we can help turtles survive. Best tip: if you see a turtle in the road, carefully pick it up and move it out of harms way.

To learn more about this charming book, watch Sy and Matt in this video

Womats Are Pretty Weird: a [not so] serious guide by Abi Cushman

Wombats Are Pretty Weird: a [not so] serious guide

Abi Cushman

Greenwillow Books. An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

2023.

This informational picture books on wombats is quite charming. Cushman combines scientific facts with anthropomorphized illustrations. 

Readers will learn that Wombats are marsupials and only live in Australia. (Marsupial is a type of mammal that generally carries its young in a pouch.) There are three species: Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, and the Bare-Nosed Wombat.

Some cool facts about wombats are : 

They have backward-facing pouches that helps keep the dirt out when the mom is digging. 

Their butts are armored with a layer of cartilage to protect themselves from predators when they run into their burrows.

Wombats are the only animal that has cube-shaped poop! 

The full-color artwork, drawn in pencil and colored digitally, bring a perfect balance to narrative. Even if you are not that interested in wombats, it is a great book to share. Readers will appreciate the dry humor of the snake who adds some comic relief to this playful, full-of-facts nonfiction title. 

Included are some more specific facts of the three species of wombats, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary (“What’s a gloss-ar-ree?” asked our friend, snake) 

Click here to visit the author's website for some fun downloadable activities related to this book, and other titles by Cushman.

Beulah Has a Hunch!: Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry by Katie Mazeika

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

Katie Mazeika

Beach Lane Books. An Imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

2023

It certainly is refreshing to have so many books that highlight the accomplishments of women. In, Beulah Has a Hunch, readers will learn of Beulah Louise Henry, a young woman who defied the conventions of her time. Without formal education, at the time of her death, Beulah held the record for the most mechanical patents granted to a woman. Remarkable!

“Whenever she spotted a problem, her mind would fixate,” working until she found a solution. But it was hard to be an inventor at a time when women were not taught science or math. Beulah was supposed to grow up and be a proper lady, not an inventor. Yet, her determination was evident.

Despite the lack of support in the male-dominated world, Beulah’s first patent was for an interchangeable fabric covered parasol. It was such a success that Beulah was able to purchase two manufacturers of her own. With her hunches, Beulah invented everything from toys, ice cream makers to factory machinery. 

“By her fortieth birthday she held more patents than any other woman in history.” 

Beulah was able to see in her mind fully formed all her hunches, products, and inventions. She attributed this gift to having hyperphantasia, an ability to picture things in extreme detail, and synesthesia, her “color-hearing” as Beulah described it. 

Included in this delightful informational biography, an author’s note with more information onn Beulah Louise Henry, pictures of a few of her inventions, a few historic photos of Beulah, and source notes. 

A great book to share with students of all ages.

Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-teh Invented the Mask that Ended an Epidemic by Dr. Shan Woo Liu and Kaili Liu Gormley

Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-teh invented the Mask That Ended an Epidemic

Dr. Shan Woo Liu and Kaili Liu Gromley; Illustrated by Lisa Wee

MIT Kids Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press. 2023

This informational picture book biography takes place more than a hundred years before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the story of Dr. Wu Lien-teh who is known for his expertise in germs and promoting masks to prevent the spread of diseases. 

Born March 10, 1879, in Penang, Malaya, Lien-teh wanted to grow up and become a doctor. At age seventeen, in 1896, he wins a scholarship that allows him to study at Cambridge University in England. After graduating in 1903, Lien-teh returned to his hometown of Penang, Malaya. Hoping to secure a job, he was met with discrimmination. “When he applied for a job, the authorities turned him away, saying it was open only to British citizens of European descent.” Still, that didn’t stop him. Lien-teh continued to study and later, moved to China to help lead a new medical college. 

In 1910, when a terrible disease swept into the Northeast area of China, the Chinese authorities requested Dr Lien-teh traveled to the city of Harbin to help. When Dr. Lien-teh discovered the disease was spread by bacterial germs when people coughed, “he had to think of a way to stop these germs — and fast.”

Using layers of gauze and cotton, Dr. Lien-teh created a thick mask that covered the entire face. Yes. There were those who refused to wear the mask, but those who did not, even doctors, became sick. With the support of the community, wearing a mask proved successful. As was the quarantining the city. No traveling in or out. Deaths dwindled and soon, by March of 1911, the plague was over. Dr. Lien-teh’s mask had stopped the disease from spreading in fewer than four months.

Because of his work in establishing hospitals and colleges throughout China that embraced medical advances, “…Lien-teh would be nominated for a Nobel Prize in 1935, the first person of Chinese descent to earn that honor.” 

Wee’s digitally created illustrations are colorful and complement the text.

An uplifting story that, hopefully, will spread the word that the decision to wear a mask is a positive decision, one that shows ones support for your community. 

The book is written by Wu Lien-teh’s great-granddaughter, Dr. Shan Woo Liu, and her daughter, Kaili Liu Gormley. 

Included is a timeline, a note from Dr. Shan Woo Liu, and a selected bibliography. 

83 Days in Mariupol: a War Diary by Don Brown

83 Days in Mariupol: a War Diary

Don Brown

Clarion Books. Imprints of HarperCollins Publishers. 2023

As the war in Ukraine continues, In this powerful story told in graphic novel format, Brown recounts the suffering, senseless destruction of the 83 days Russia bombed the city of Mariupol that began on February 24, 2022. 

On display is Brown’s ability to convey the events as it happened while incorporating the pain and suffering, the agony, the anger and frustration, and skillfully balances it with the pride and patriotism of a people wondering if their country will survive. 

The city of Mariupol is important to Russia. It sits on the Sea of Azov and is Ukraine’s major shipping port that allows the export of its profitable farm products. For Russia, to capture Mariupol, it means crippling Ukraine’s economy while creating a “land bridge” that would connect Russia forces in the occupied territory of Crimea.”

As he has done in previous books that highlight major incidents that have had a lasting impact on our global landscape, Brown incorporates voices from people who actually were there.

In the prologue, Brown puts into historical context a concise explanation of the centuries old conflict between Russia and Ukraine and what led up to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. 

Included is an afterward, source notes, and several pages of a selected bibliography.

Readers will have a deeper understanding of the patriotism, and grit of the Ukrainian people against long odds. This war will have a lasting impact on Ukraine, as well as, the global landscape.

BIG IDEAS That Changed the World: We The People! by Don Brown

BIG IDEAS that Changed the World: We The People! 

Don Brown

Amulet Books. 2022

In one year, it will be time for another presidential election. As conversations heat up as to who has a right to vote, We The People! is a perfect resource for those students who have questions about the history of our democracy. Paired with Brown’s signature illustrations, this is a great resource for all ages. Adults, too. 

Narrated by Abagail Adams, the wife of one of our Founding Fathers, John Adams, readers are given a civic lesson is just how the United States set about creating our democracy where every American citizen has a right, and duty, to vote in all elections.

It was in 1754, when the colonies had grown to thirteen, “Colonial leader Ben Franklin believed binding the colonies together would make them stronger.”  Franklin was influenced by the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes of North America that allowed both men and women to play critical roles in governing. It was in 1787, after the colonists won the American Revolution did the Constitutional Convention met to come up with some kind of plan of government. 

The idea of the three-branch government was based on the Virginia Plan, which took its name from the Virginia sponsors. It took a lot of convincing to go from states governing themselves to a national government. 

Throughout this engaging nonfiction graphic novel, Abagail offers important insight. After the signing of the Declaration for Independence, Abagail comments, “But a Big Idea with a flaw: “Men” meant white landowners and left out everyone else.” She also comments on the injustice of slavery, what led up to the Jim Crow era, women’s right to vote, and ends with Martin Luther King Jr’s March on Washington (1963) and his belief, “that all men are created equal,” regardless of race, religion, and nationalities. 

“The Big Idea - a Perfect Union - is unfinished, a grand tower wanting completion, its timbers forever being thrown up, then torn down, just to be remade once more, the work of ever-hopeful buildings - we the people.” 

The book includes a select timeline of the making of the United States democracy, a brief bio on Abagail Adams, source notes, author’s note, and index.

The United States is the world’s oldest democracy. How will it age?

Click here to view the art of this book.

Tiny Jumper: How Tiny Broadwick Created the Parachute Rip Cord by Candy Dahl

Tiny Jumper: How Tiny Broadwick Created the Parachute Rip Cord

By Candy Dahl; Illustrated by Maithili Joshi

little bee books. 2023

Tiny Jumper tells the story of Georgia Ann Thompson. Nicknamed Tiny because of her small statute - she never reached five feet in height. This Tiny Jumper had courage, huge courage, and determination who followed her dreams of becoming the first woman to use a parachute.

Born on April 8, 1893, Georgia Ann Thompson was only three pounds at birth and nicknamed, Tiny. Growing up before child labor laws, Tiny found her self working in cotton mills to help her family financially. Every day, after working in a noisy, dusty factory, Tiny, “would climb to a treetop to get away from everything and imagine rising UP…far away from fields and mills.”

Tiny was determined and in 1907, after seeing a man float down to earth using a silk parachute, knew being an aeronaut was her life calling.

“When I saw that balloon go up, and I gawked at it as it ascended into the heavens, I knew I’d never be the same.”

In 1908, Tiny began touring with Charles Broadwick, he legally adopted her, “so it would be deemed proper for her to travel with him.”  She made her first jump from a hot-air balloon.  By age twenty, Tiny was the first woman to parachute from an airplane (1913), and, in 1914, created the rip cord after her parachute line became tangled in the plane’s tail while demonstrating for the United States Amy Air-Corps.

Though she broke arms, shoulders, ankles, and feet, Tiny never gave up until she was forced to retire at age twenty-nine because of her ankles. 

Included is an author’s note with some photos of Tiny Broadwick, and a selected bibliography. Placed in a darker colored text block throughout the book are quotes from Broadwick, though there are no source notes to show where the author got those quotes. 

This is a very exciting informational picture book about an extraordinary woman. The full page illustrations by Joshi complement the text.

CheckMate!: The Wonderful World of Chess by John Foley

CheckMate!: The Wonderful World of Chess

John Foley

Published by Mortimer Children's. An Imprint of Wellbeck Publishing Group.

2023

If you read this blog regularly, then maybe you read our review of The Queen of Chess, about Hungarian chess champion, Judit Polgár. If that book perked your interest in learning more about chess, or you have a chess club at your school or public library, then CheckMate! is a perfect addition to your library's collection.

This all-in-one guide is perfect for beginners or for those looking to improve their game. The author, John Foley, is Former London Junior Under-16 Chess Champion, Oxford University Chess Champion and Director of ChessPlus Ltd. He is a good teacher.

The book begins with a simple introduction to the world of Chess, its history, list of the male world champions, and how to set up your chessboard. The rest of the book is filled with diagrams that explains visually how to play. Foley begins with a few simple games to get you started. As players gain confidence, diagrams of more involved games which assist ones growth in understanding the strategy and problem solving techniques used in more complicated games.

Directions are easy to understand. All the diagrams are well-captioned. To keep the atmosphere light, throughout the book are helpful hints offered by cartoon-like chess pieces.

The last quarter of the book discusses tournament etiquette with Advance Tips are highlighted in yellow circles. Included are a listing of some of the world's best or best-known players (Judit Polgár is listed), playing chess online, playing against computers, and a glossary. In addition, are the moves from the game in 1994 between Alexei Shrove (Latvia) and Judit Polgár (Hungary).  

Even for someone like me who does not play chess, this handy how-to-play title is helpful in understanding the thought-process that goes into playing this historic and challenging game. 

Chasing The Sun by Timothy Musso

Chasing the Sun

Timothy Musso

Creative Editions. 2023

“An Arctic tern can fly as many as 50,000 miles in its annual migration.”

In his first book, Musso does an excellent job bringing readers along as they follow the migratory path of a female Arctic Tern as she travels from Weddell Sea, Antarctica to the Arctic Coast, Alaska and back to Weddell Sea, Antarctica. 

Readers will be swept along with the simple language, no more than one or two lines per spread, yet each sentence conveys so much of what is reflected in Musso’s woodcuts that are based on his field drawings while exploring remote regions on foot with only his backpack and a sketchbook. The pictures are gorgeous and reflect perfectly the beauty of the natural world.  

“She passes giants as they feed.” The pictures shows many Arctic Terns circling in the clear blue sky, diving for fish, while hungry whales are waiting for one of the terns to drop a fish in their mouths. 

In the corner of each spread, Musso places an image of the Earth and uses a broken while line to mark the path the Arctic Tern is taking. He marks the month, number of miles traveled, and where the Tern is on her journey. 

After traveling 25,000 miles brings the female and mate to their nesting site on the Arctic Coast, Alaska. Four weeks later, in August, Parents and one baby being their journey back to Weddell Sea, Antarctica. 

Included is more details about the Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) and identifies animals the tern saw along the way. 

Pair this book with Polar : Wildlife At The Ends of the Earth by L. E. Carmichael.