Book Review: Knock Out by K. A. Holt

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Knock Out cover imageLevi wants to be just like anybody else, but sometimes he can’t breathe well, and lately it’s been getting worse. His mom and older brother hover over him, wanting to keep him safe. His dad tells him to toughen up, go out for a sport. He chooses boxing, liking the way he gets to feel strong while he hits a punching bag and the way he can strategize in the ring. But ignoring his health issues won’t make them go away. Instead, if he wants the chance to follow his dreams Levi must be honest with himself and those he loves.

Knock Out by K. A. Holt explores what happens in a family when a child is sick and everyone else adjusts to what he needs. Levi’s parents are divorced and his older brother looks after him like a dad would. His mom works hard to afford Levi’s health expenses. Levi appreciates what they do, but he also wants to explore his limitations. He’s also feeling left out as his best friend, a girl named Tam, becomes friends with another girl in school. Boxing lets him feel powerful and in control, something he otherwise doesn’t get much from life.

Told in free verse and shaped poetry, Knock Out will resonate with anyone wanting to break the image of the person they’ve always been and let out the person they feel they are inside.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni

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I Am Loved cover imageThe art of an award-winning illustrator melds with the poems of an award-winning author for the picture book I Am Loved.

Ashley Brian’s illustration are colorful, rhythmic, and they stand out as pieces of art in their own right. He chose a dozen Nikki Giovanni poems for this collection, poems that celebrate familial love, friendship, and nature. Here’s an excerpt from the poem, Because.

Because

I wrote a poem

for you because

you are

my little boy

 

I wrote a poem

for you because

you are

my darling daughter

 

It’s a sweet sentiment that young children are sure to cherish when a parent reads the words to them.

I Am a Mirror, a poem near the end, encourages the child to look in the mirror on the page and think about the grandparents and ancestors who have come before him, gain strength from their stories, and know that he is loved.

I Am Loved makes a great addition to any child’s bookshelf both as a way to encourage an appreciation for poetry and art, as well as to celebrate the closeness of family relationships.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Robots and Drones by Mairghread Scott and Jacob Chabot

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Robots and Drones cover imageWhen I think of robots and drones, ancient Greece doesn’t come to mind. In fact, an early kind of robot called an automaton let Greek people drop in a coin to get water. In the 1600s Japan, a moveable robot could serve tea and collect empty cups. These stories and others covering past and present-day inventions are told in Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and Future by Mairghread Scott and Jacob Chabot.

Part of the Science Comics graphic novel series, Robots and Drones provides a great introduction to young readers aged 9 to 12 about these gadgets and the role they play in our lives. It also encourages them to get into building their own through robotics groups and home kits. The narrator is a robotic bird that takes readers on a journey to help them learn how robotics work. It also imagines what some inventions will bring in the future, and encourages kids to dream up new ones. A glossary in the back defines the terminology.

Robots and Drones does a great job of making science seem accessible, and it seems likely to encourage kids to get interested in learning more and experimenting on their own. I expect kids will love it.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: TouchThinkLearn: Wiggles by Claire Zucchelli-Romer

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Wiggles cover image“Your little fingers wriggle, your little fingers wiggle.” The opening line to TouchThinkLearn: Wiggles by Claire Zucchelli-Romer sets the tone for what’s to come in this interactive board book. Wiggles teaches toddlers concepts like left and right and up and down, and fast and faster as they poke, and tap and swirl their fingers along colored, grooved shapes.

The fun starts with a grooved rectangle bordering the first pages. Parents can guide little fingers as the words instruct: “So take one finger from your left hand, and take one finger from your right hand. They’re going to take a spin all around the track.”

The pages and grooves are sturdy and colorful, encouraging movement to enhance multilevel learning. Fingers tap, hop, slide, go slow and fast, ride waves, dance, swirl, and zigzag. Children learn coordination along with colors and shapes.

Wiggles is fun for parents to read too, with words that create sounds and have a rhythm when spoken aloud. They may even find themselves drawn to the irresistible grooves with their own fingers.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Fly Girls by P. O’Connell Pearson

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Fly Girls cover imageDuring World War II, people all over the U.S. were asked to pitch in to help the war effort. For women especially, this meant they got to do jobs they would not have been otherwise allowed to do. One of those jobs was flying military aircraft. In the 1940s, women had a hard time being accepted as pilots at all, much less in a military setting.

Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII by P. O’Connell Pearson tells the incredible story of the some of these women. Despite facing discrimination on bases, they bravely flew planes while being shot at, so they could help soldiers gain skill at shooting planes down. They ferried planes from factories where they were built to bases where they would be used, freeing up men to serve in combat, where women weren’t allowed.

Every step they gained had to be fought for, as many in the military thought women should not be allowed to fly planes at all. They even faced sabotage on some bases where they worked. Also, it took decades and an act of Congress for the women pilots to be recognized for the work they had done.

Fly Girls is a fascinating look at the personal stories of the women who defied accepted gender roles and refused to be grounded when they knew they could help. Historic photos, sidebars with info about events happening elsewhere with war efforts, and quotes from the women and others bring the story of this chapter in history to life. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs and readers aged 9 to 16.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Florette by Anna Walker

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Florette cover imageWhen a little girl named Mae moves from a country home to the city, she misses her garden and the green plants, trees and flowers that grew there. She tries to recreate the things she loves by drawing pictures, but those pictures can’t fill her with joy the way her garden did.

Then one day she follows a bird to a store filled with plants. And although the store is closed, Mae finds a small sprig growing from a crack in the sidewalk there. She takes it home to plant and begins creating her own green refuge in the city.

Anna Walker’s picture book, Florette, taps into the human yearning for nature and the healing effect if has on our bodies and our minds. Illustrated with beautiful watercolors that show how Mae’s drab life gains color as she makes friends and finds joy in nurturing life, Florette can inspire children to plant their own garden and connect with nature no matter where they live.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Brazen by Pénélope Bagieu

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Brazen cover imageBrazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World puts the spotlight on 29 women (or groups of women) from different times in history who pushed the boundaries for what women could do. In ancient Greece, Agnodice became a gynecologist at a time when women were forbidden to practice medicine. Nzinga became the first-ever queen of Ndongo (present-day Angola). Mae Jemison from the U.S. became the first female African American astronaut.

In choosing which women to highlight, author Pénélope Bagieu draws on a broad span of history, looks at countries around the world, and broadens her definition of brazen to include women who pushed boundaries in the areas of politics, science, the arts and entertainment, social conventions and more.

Bagieu presents the information in graphic novel form, which gives readers visual cues about each woman’s personality to go along with the story told about her. This format makes it easy to skip around and go back several times to reread chapters that readers may find particularly interesting. I recommend Brazen for teens who want to know more about how women have shaken up the establishment throughout history and continue to do so today.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates

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The Big Umbrella cover imageA rainy-day conversation between a mom and her preteen daughter led the two of them to collaborate on a picture book called The Big Umbrella, which uses the metaphor of a red umbrella to show how people of all types can be welcome when taking shelter together.

Amy June Bates is an illustrator who worked with her daughter, Juniper, to develop the story. It starts off with an umbrella by a door and a child taking it to go out in the rain. We don’t see a face, only rain boots and a raincoat. Soon the child welcomes others under the umbrella: an athlete, a ballerina, creatures that are tall and hairy, someone in plaid, a dog, and some birds.

As many more take shelter, the umbrella grows and stretches to keep them all dry. Not until the end, when the sun comes out, do we see people of multiple ethnicities, physical abilities, ages, and more emerge from the shelter of the umbrella and mingle together as they go about their daily lives.

The Big Umbrella carries a message of inclusivity, one that children often understand intuitively before they start to notice the existence of prejudice. Parents can use it to start their own conversations with children about acceptance of all types of people.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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