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The Dark by Lemony Snicket (jE)
Lazlo is afraid of the dark, but the dark is not afraid of Lazlo. Luckily, the dark lives in the basement. Not so luckily, one night the dark comes upstairs and forces Lazlo downstairs. That’s when Lazlo learns that maybe the dark isn’t so scary after all. The tale is told beautifully with a mix of gouache and digital illustrations by Caldecott-winning illustrator Jon Klassen. Children will learn that while the dark may seem frightening and foreboding, it’s really just a foil for the light. This is a great book for children who have fears about darkness, especially at bedtime.
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The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist by Margarita Engle (Tween)
To be a visionary abolitionist poet from an upper-class slave-owning family in Cuba in the 1820s was challenging enough, but to be that person and a female was next to impossible. At the age of fifteen, Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (Tula) knew she was destined for something different. She longed for love and marriage just as other girls her age did, but she would not allow herself to be owned by a husband. When she refused to marry the wealthy man her family pushed her toward, she was sent to the country to live with a relative, and there she became La Avellaneda, one of Cuba’s most beloved playwright/poets. Her story is one of bittersweet victory over the constraints of a rigid patriarchal society – she believed in herself and her message, but was destined to a life of unhappiness because of it. This novel written in verse is based on Tula’s life and peopled with characters taken from her writings, and includes excerpts from her poetry. |
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The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog by Marty Crump (j597.89 Cr)
Have you ever heard of a frog swallowing its tadpoles? How about tadpoles growing inside their father’s vocal sacs and eventually hopping out of their father’s mouths? These are strange but true facts about one of the world’s most unusual frogs discovered by British naturalist Charles Darwin. Since then scientists have been captivated by the unique behaviors of Darwin’s frogs. The author too was fascinated by these frogs and began to study them in the 1990’s. Currently, scientists are trying to figure out why Darwin’s frogs are disappearing and hope to figure out a way to save these frogs from becoming extinct. This book combines history and biology along with a wonderful mixture of beautiful photographs and artwork from Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez. |
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The Eagles are Back by Jean Craighead George (j598.942 Ge)
In the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, bald eagles are nesting. Fifty years ago, eagles were facing extinction. Hunting, the loss of habitat, and pesticides had decimated our national symbol. This is the story of a young eagle watcher whose favorite nesting pair lost their eggs. A Park Ranger knew of a campaign to save the birds with eggs sent from Alaska for adoption. The boy watched Uncle Sam and First Lady inspect the egg that was placed in their nest. Would they accept it as their own? Finally they settled on the nest. Twenty-eight days later, the egg hatched. The boy threw fish to the eagles that the new parents fed to their chick, Alaska. All ages will enjoy this beautifully illustrated story of how the eagles came back.
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