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: Hey Bruce!

 

Poor Bruce is napping but the mice want him to be in their book. What's a grumpy bear to do? Poor Bruce! 

This is a funny interactive story that will delight readers of all ages. 

Library Recommendation: This is a must have picture book for your collection!  Bruce is a favorite of mine. I can't wait to read this in storytime. 

Picture Books: History Books

Just a few picture books about the history of our nation...

There's a lot of history in this flag - some good and some bad. However, one child's grandfather tells him it's his choice how to see it. His ancestors did great things for the country, but the country also hurt his ancestors. While this is a picture book, it serves as a history book too - discussing segregation, slavery, equal rights, and Black lives matter. It's important to share that history too not just the history shared in textbooks. 

An A to Z alphabet history of Harlem. There is lots of knowledge here and this book is a great jumping off point to learn more about Harlem and it's history. 

Grown in a world of love, Diane Nash confronts racism in a peaceful way in Nashville  - with success. She fights for more - and ends up arrested while pregnant. She refuses bail. This is a powerful story, one I had not heard before. I'm happy to learn about this courageous woman. There is an author's note (which talks about gender bias), illustrator's note (which shows a picture), and a timeline at the back of the book. 

 Yaffa grew up in a community that share stories of their ancestors. But her childhood came abruptly to an end when the Germans arrived. She escaped with several family photographs in her shoes. The town was destroyed - the history gone. But not forgotten. Many years later Yaffa tracked down other survivors from the town and their family photographs. She collected the photographs for a memorial at the Holocaust Museum. Another woman I didn't know anything about until reading this powerful picture book.

Movie Review: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Over the weekend, I watched this one.

And I really loved it.

I did play D&D several years ago, so I appreciated a few hints at the game:

The dreaded gelatinous cube

The Players (The bard, the super strength, the wizard)

Going on the quests

The casting was excellent 

Hugh Grant plays a great bad guy

It was a great blend of humor and action/adventure

and a touching moment at the end.

Very well done. Highly recommend this one. 

BookTok: Books in the Mail

Just a few great looking books in the mail

@yabooknerdlibrarian Just a few books in the mail - I am super lucky to receive these books and im looking foward to reading them! Take a look at all the goodies! #inthemail #booktok #books #booknerd #bookblogger #somanybooks #upcomingbooks ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Picture Book Wednesday: Nature Board Books

 

Some cute board books about nature:

 

There are tabs on top and on the side which correspond to the different pages. Each page has a topic. The pictures are brightly colored. I love how each page has tasks to complete. There's so much vocabulary in these books - They are great for early readers. 

Say goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring 

This is a cute seasonal board book with so many favorite spring activities in nature. The illustrations are cute and the friendship moments are adorable. Celebrate all the seasons with this series. 

Learn all about Rocks and Minerals in this series.

This is one of my favorite series. These books have so much information, they are brightly illustrated, they ask questions, and they have diverse characters. 

We are all different, but we all live on Earth.

This Earth shaped book shares our differences and similarities. It also shares how we can help the Earth by growing things, keep it clean, volunteer, and show it love. I love that message that we can all chip in a do our part. It's never to early to talk about climate control. 

* this Book was sent review 

This sweet board book shows the life cycle of flowers.

Informative without being too wordy, this board book shows little ones how the flowers grow. Lots of animals are seen in the illustrations. There's a lot to talk about here. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Dogs

 This week's topic is books with animals. I love a romance with a dog - especially a memorable one. Dogs just make like better. Here are a few books I've read this year with dogs and a few favorites. 

Read this year:

A Few Favorites:

Lollipop is so adorable! 

Momo books! 

So many dogs

Sad but ends happily - a cute picture book 

Tulip had some scene stealing moments!

Bonus:

Kristan Higgins usually has a cute puppy or dog in her books.

Who is your favorite fictional dog?