Nonfiction Review: Art but Make It Sports

LJ Rader takes sports pictures and connects them to famous picture of art.

As a sports and an art person, I found this fascinating. 

I didn't know all the art works showcased. 

I loved how (most of the time), I could see exactly what the author was thinking choosing these works of art. 

There were some women's sport pictures, but there could have been more.

I love this idea. I hope this gets looked at a lot in my library.

Picture Book Review: Over and Under the Coral Reef

 

 A child and father take a swim in the ocean; the father points out all kinds of amazing things. 

They see so much under the water. There's so much to see; it seems like a magical day.  The illustrations here are beautiful; lovely to our over. There's an author note that talks about coral reefs and how to help protect them. There's a list in the back of the book about all the animals showcased in this book and tiny blurb of information on each one. There are also some suggestions for further reading. This is the 4th book in this Over and Under series and each of them is fantastic. Perfect for older readers.

A must have book for your school or public library collection.

Nonfiction Review: Seen and Unseen

 

Part graphic novel and part nonfiction by three photographers: Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams about the Japanese Internment Camps in America during WWII.

This wasn't something I learned about in school.

But this book shares:

1. There were 10 prison camps

2. There were 17 Detention Centers (all on the West Coast)

3. Even Babies were disloyal

4. Dorothea Lange wanted to show the terribleness of it all. She was horrified by what she saw. Toyo Miyatake was inside the camp. He wanted to show everything. Ansel Adams posed people in his pictures. 

5. Conditions were terrible

My Thoughts: This book was eye-opening. There were a lot of great photographs and illustrations. There wasn't too much text. But the text was powerful. It's hard to read about, but also very important to read about - to know our horrific history as a country. 

This is a must have book for all school and public library collections. 

Other Books to read:

Picture Book

Graphic Novel 

Picture Book Review: Farm Lullaby

 

It's bedtime on the farm and everyone is going to sleep. 

This book has lots of animals, rich language, and sweet illustrations. It's the perfect read to make you sleepy just before bed.

Review: The Art of Ramona Quimby

 

After Beverly Cleary died, someone mentioned this book online. And I had to read it. I Loved Ramona. Reading this book made me want to go back and re-read the series. I might do that this summer. It also made me realize how much I remembered from the books. This book about the art of the series does recap the books a little bit. 

I really liked looking at the art and how it changed over the years. The angles were sometimes different. The clothes were different. Ramona was sometimes softer. I found it fascinating that the artists chose the same moments in the books to illustrate. Unless they didn't have the choice? 

A really interesting look at a beloved series. Highly recommend the read if you're a Ramona fan!

Picture Book Review: Hungry Bunny

Bunny is hungry and needs some help reaching the apples. Maybe the readers can help him.

A interactive book that's perfect for fall, great for one-on-one reading or small storytimes, and a book that's lots of fun. Oh, and it might make you want apple pie too.

Library Recommendation: A great fall book to add your library's collection. 

Picture Book Wednesday: Press Here

The yellow dot has instructions that come with it, allowing for a playful story.

A fun, interactive story that readers will enjoy and want to read again and again. Best shared in small groups or one on one. 

BEA Recap: Book Bags

Getting Bags at BEA is always fun - there are SO many great ones each year.
Plus they're great conversation starters in line. People ask and rave about bags.
This year I didn't collect too many, but here are a few I did snag

So many interesting books on this one. 

I feel smarter carrying this one.

The cutest bag!

Very light, perfect for taking books to the beach

The best BEA bag - lots of pockets for all my things

Plus, it didn't weight down my shoulders.

Sure cute kids bag! Both sides are adorable

Mini Review: Grumpy Cat

The Grumpy Cat spreads doom and gloom.

The Good: Grumpy Cat hates the world - in an entertaining, amusing way. The pictures are great. The content various between pictures, lists, word hunt, pop quiz, connect the dots, posters, and a grumpy cat reading list. A quick easy read that made my cry with laughter!

The Bad: It was too short! I wanted more.
Verdict: Read it for a laugh.