Balderdash! is a whimsical picture book biography of John Newbery, celebrating his creation of children’s literature with lively illustrations and fun text.
Tag: picture books
War Boy: A Country Childhood
Michael Foreman was born in March of 1938, so he was only three years old on April 21, 1941, the night an incendiary bomb dropped through the roof of his bedroom. Part of his description of that night sounds just like the memory a three-year-old would retain. “The sky bounced as my mother ran.” Foreman…
Locomotive by Brian Flocca is Amazing
Locomotive by Brian Floca is a completely marvelous invitation into the romance of trains, how they work, and why they matter.
The Birthday Present by Patricia Miles Martin
The Birthday Present by Patricia Miles Martin is a sweet long-ish picture book that is ideal for any child but boys especially.
Greased Lightning by Sterling North
Greased Lightning by Sterling North and illustrated by Kurt Wiese is a little bit Rascal, a lot Charlotte’s Web, and everything good about a boy picture book.
Code Breaker, Spy Hunter by Laurie Wallmark
The Friedman code breaker story is absolutely compelling and worthy of our attention. They lived storied lives and changed the course of two world wars.
Nora’s Chicks by Patricia MacLachlan
Nora’s Chicks by Patricia MacLachlan is a not to be missed picture book that celebrates friendship after moving to a new place.
So Far From The Sea by Eve Bunting
So Far From the Sea is a gorgeous and brilliant picture book about the difficult topic of the WWII Japanese Internment camps.
The Crab Ballet
Someone gave me a couple of readers from All About Learning, and I had never seen that series before. I also had never heard of the author, Renee M. LaTulippe, so I went to her website and discovered this book. Miraculously, our public library had it. This illustration made me laugh out loud. I know…
Casey Over There by Staton Rabin
Casey Over There is a gentle introduction to WWI for young readers from the perspective of Americans waiting for news of their loved ones “over there.”
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…