Night is Coming by W. Nikola-Lisa is a sweet and tender picture book that would be perfect for the bedtime routine of many little ones.
Category: Picture Books
Mr. Hermit Miser and the Neighborly Pumpkin
A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Elsa, age 11
In a day when pumpkin pies are bought from the store, this book made me wish I knew how to make a “rich, spicy, luscious, crisp pumpkin pie.” I am not the greatest judge of children’s books but I’d say this one is a great story. The illustrations are simply stupendous. For instance, in the pictures on pages 18, and 31, the pumpkins look somewhat like they have faces. Also on the cover you can vaguely see a face on the pumpkin in the lower right corner. This seems to allow the child the opportunity to imagine the pumpkins as characters.
Virginia Hall, an Extraordinary Woman
Whether they loved her or hated her, everyone who knew her considered her an amazing and memorable woman. Klaus Barbie, the infamous Butcher of Lyon became obsessed with finding the “Limping Lady of Lyon.” He had posters made and offered a huge reward for information leading to the arrest of “The Enemy’s Most Dangerous Spy.”
Officer Buckle and Gloria
When Greta and I were used-book treasure hunting this week, we came across Officer Buckle and Gloria. I may have squealed a little when I saw it! I lied up above. Ok, not lied exactly. I didn’t tell the full truth. I may have turned on those dvds for shower time and lunch prep . . . but I also frequently climbed on the couch with my babies to enjoy the videos too. And, Officer Buckle and Gloria, was one of my hands-down favorites. This Caldecott Medal book is just about perfect and absolutely demands many re-readings. It is the perfect blend of silly, sweet, and smart.
Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators
Several years ago I spent quite a bit of time studying the early 1900s through WWI. I read nonfiction and fiction about and from that era. So I was fascinated when I discovered Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini. How had I never heard even a hint about these women who were the first…
Christmas Farm
This charming story is graced with lovely illustrations by Barry Root. The story shows the seasons, the waiting, and the magical process by which Christmas trees are grown and cared for. At the end of the book, there is a wonderful note from the author with a little history and science about Christmas trees.
Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride
On a cloudless evening in April, 1933, Amelia Earhart attended a dinner at the White House. She and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt were good friends. As the dinner progressed, one of the reporters present mentioned that the First Lady had just received her student pilot’s license. Eleanor in turn asked Amelia what it was like to fly at night. At this point in aviation history, very few pilots had flown in the dark.
Baseball Saved Us
Rallying together, the people of Camp cut up mattress covers for uniforms, found wood for bleachers, and friends from home sent bats, balls, and gloves. Everyone played baseball. The children as well as the grownups.
Books by Horseback: A Librarian’s Brave Journey to Deliver Books to Children
“Edith is a packhorse librarian. Every day she travels for miles to deliver books. William lives far back in the mountains. Edith will have to ride hard to reach his family’s cabin.” There is a storm coming, but that doesn’t stop Edith. Or her horse. And this is what keeps her going. As summarized in…
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
“We have only one pair of boots and must take turns. I work at night, and my husband works during the day. We spend the rest of the time in bed for warmth.”
Andrew Henry’s Meadow
The black and white illustration in this book is enchanting. The details on the dragonfly’s wings and the lovely pictures of nature demonstrate real artistic merit. Each page has a scene which is a story unto itself. The art is perfect.
From the Good Mountain: How Gutenberg Changed the World
James Rumford’s story opens with a riddle. Each element of the riddle is explained in imagination-sparking prose with glowing illustrations. The rags became paper stiffened with glue made from bones. The brown coat was leather, printing types were molded from the lead and tin, and the oak was used to build the printing press. The…
The Christmas Rocket
Dino is almost ten years old. Many years of working in the family pottery shop have shriveled his grandfather like an old pea with a knitted cap upon his bald head, and made his Papa’s back stooped. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and Dino must go down to the village with his Papa to sell their…
Our Cat Flossie
This book celebrates the often humorous ways in which cats worm their way into our hearts. Flossie isn’t killing birds and catching fish. Rather, she has a hobby of “bird watching” and “fishing.”
Blizzard at the Zoo
This unassuming picture book by Robert Bahr is excellent. Written in 1982, it has the quality of an older science reader-type book but it captures the more modern event of the 1977 blizzard at the Buffalo Zoo in New York.