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Blues in All Flavors. CD. 42 min. with booklet. Prod. by Hot Toddy Music. Dist. by NewSound Kids. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.98.
PreS-Gr 4–Blues singer Gaye Adegbalola presents an amazing collection of 13 songs on her first CD for children. Each of the songs is sung in a musical style and flavor of the blues, including jump blues with boogie-woogie, doo-wop, Chicago blues with stop time, and reggae rhythm. The songs’ topics range from getting outside in the sunshine and dancing [...]
Everything You Need to Know About Marijuana in 22 Minutes. DVD. 22 min. with tchr’s. guide. Human Relations Media. 2012. ISBN 978-1-55548-571-9. $149.95.
Gr 7 Up–Teens Katie Chung and Max Rein host this powerful presentation that provides information about the dangers and risks of marijuana use. Students receive a clear message that marijuana is an unsafe, addictive, and debilitating drug. Live-action footage coupled with visuals and realistic descriptions present the effects of marijuana on the body and mind in a direct manner. Research statistics and interviews [...]
HESSE, Karen. Safekeeping. photos by author. 294p. Feiwel & Friends. Sept. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-250-01134-3.
Gr 7 Up–Radley Parker-Hughes has been volunteering in an orphanage in Haiti after the recent earthquake, but she returns home to a country in the grip of an even more chaotic situation. The American Political Party has assumed power, the president has been assassinated, and martial law prevails. Soldiers with guns at the airport, travel paper requirements–is this really the New Hampshire she left just a [...]
Frozen Planet (Series). 3 DVDs. approx.. 6 hours. Prod. by BBC Worldwide. Dist. by Warner Home Video. 2012. ISBN 0-7806-8518-0. $39.98.
Gr 7 Up–This seven-part series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, features stunning scenery, magnificent animals, superb musical background, and striking camera work. One-third of our planet is frozen and it is the last true frontier. Cameras travel to both poles, to Greenland, and to lands of the far north in Canada and Russia to film conditions in all four seasons. [...]
SCHUBERT, Leda. Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words. illus. by Gérard DuBois. 40p. further reading. notes. photos. CIP. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. Sept. 2012. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-529-2. LC 2011033798.
Gr 1-3–It is fitting that this superb picture-book biography is short on words and long on visuals. The spare text marvelously captures the essence of the artist, depicting a man whose choice to be silent was born of an awareness of the damages of war. Born in 1923 to a musical family who [...]
The Red Hen. DVD. 7 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-44755-3. $59.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-44760-7: $12.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-44812-3: $29.95.
PreS-Gr 3–In Rebecca and Ed Emberley’s wacky, modern take on the classic tale, hen finds a wonderful recipe rather than some seeds to plant and harvest. She first gathers the ingredients, then mixes, bakes, ices, and decorates her “simply splendid cake”—a three-tiered orange, purple, and red masterpiece with flourishes and stars. At each step, she asks her friends [...]
The Diamond Queen. DVD. approx. 3 hrs. Prod. by BBC. Dist. by Warner Home Video. 2012. ISBN 978-0-7806-9601-8. $19.98
Gr 9 Up–In 2012, London hosted not only the Olympics but also the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne of the United Kingdom. This absolutely astonishing retrospective of those years, hosted by BBC News personality Andrew Marr, examines the Queen in her roles both as royalty and family matriarch. BBC had unprecedented access to archival materials as well [...]
SCHLITZ, Laura Amy. Splendors and Glooms. 384p. Candlewick. Aug. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5380-4; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6246-2.
Gr 4-8–Victorian London could be a magical place: horse-drawn carriages, puppet shows, elaborate upper-class houses. Of course it could also be miserable: fog, filthy streets, shabby hovels where too many people live in too few rooms. Schlitz conjures both the magic and the mundane here. For Clara’s 12th birthday, her parents hire a street performer to give a puppet show in their [...]
The Other Side. DVD. 8 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0-545-44754-6. $59.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-44759-1: $12.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-44811-6: $29.95.
K-Gr 4–Clover, an African-American girl, lives on one side of the fence. Annie, a white girl, lives on the other side. Set during segregation, this story shows how the fence divides them. Yet, each is intrigued by the other and both are drawn to test those artificial boundaries that separate and classify. Jacqueline Woodson’s deceptively simple, yet powerfully [...]
WOLF, Karina. The Insomniacs. illus. by The Brothers Hilts. 32p. Putnam. Aug. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25665-3.
K-Gr 2–The spindly legged, pale Insomniac family–Mother, Father and little Mika–lead a regular diurnal life until Mrs. Insomniac gets a new job “twelve time zones away.” Once they arrive at their new home, the family members live up to their name and goth visages–despite their efforts, they cannot fall asleep at night but snooze at work and school. Unable to rectify this dire situation [...]
White Water. DVD. 9 min. with tchr’s. guide. Nutmeg Media. 2012. ISBN 1-933938-88-9. $49.95.
K-Gr 3–A young African American boy notices the inequities inherent in segregation in this story (Candlewick, 2012) by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein. He is especially struck by the drinking fountains—one for whites only, one for coloreds only. Tony Fragale gives voice to this first-person narrative as the boy becomes increasingly focused on what the “white water” must taste like. He finally devises a plan to [...]
Bink & Gollie. DVD. 14 min. Weston Woods. 2012. ISBN 978-0545-44752-2. $59.95; CD, ISBN 978-0-545-44757-7: $12.95; CD with hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-545-44808-6: $12.95.
K-Gr 3–Kate DeCamillo and Alison McGhee’s humorous tale (Candlewick, 2010) about friendship has won numerous well-deserved awards, including the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal. Bink and Gollie live in an exotic tree house and often communicate by walkie-talkie. These three short stories feature tall, sensible Gollie who has a rich imagination and a formal way of speaking, and short, [...]
RUSCH, Elizabeth. The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity. 80p. (Scientists in the Field Series). bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. CIP. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. RTE $18.99. ISBN 978-0-547-47881-4. LC 2011012159.
Gr 7-9–Rusch covers not only the scientific aspects of Mars exploration but also the personalities of the people who made it happen, and profiles the rovers themselves, Spirit and Opportunity. Her comprehensive research shines through in her detailed style as she zeroes in on the [...]
Beneath a Meth Moon. By Jacqueline Woodson. 3 CDs. 3:42 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-5451-6. $49.97.
Gr 8 Up—Laurel celebrated her 15th birthday huddled against the rain and begging for money. The few precious coins tossed in her direction were spent chasing the moon, trying to forget the past. This wasn’t always her life. She was happy during her pre-Hurricane Katrina days, but the drowning death of Mama and M’lady left her empty inside. Feeling displaced in her new home, [...]
MURPHY, Jim & Alison Blank. Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure. 144p. bibliog. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. Clarion. July 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-618-53574-3; ebook $18.99. ISBN 978-0-547-82268-6.
Gr 5-9—Starting with the dramatic cover photo of a row of girls lying in their hospital beds, Murphy and Blank unwind the tangled history of tuberculosis, a disease that continues to kill millions every year. The writing is crisp and clinical. Readers will be surprised to learn that [...]
Inside Out and Back Again. By Thanhha Lai. 2 cassettes or 2 CDs. 2:30 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4640-2089-6, CD: ISBN 978-1-4640-2088-9. $25.75.
Gr 4-8—Spanning one Têt to the next from 1975 to 1976, Thanhha Lai’s semi-autobiographical novel (HarperCollins, 2011) is divided into four chapters: “Saigon,” “At Sea,” “Alabama, “From Now On.” Hà, her mother, and her three brothers live in Saigon and her father has been missing in action for nine years. The threat of invasion from the [...]
WEIN, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity. 344p. bibliog. CIP. Hyperion/Disney. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-5219-4; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-5325-2. LC 2011024857.
Gr 9 Up—What is truth? The significance of Julia Beaufort-Stuart’s alias, “Code Name Verity,” takes on double meaning in this taut, riveting, thriller. When the story begins, Julia is an unnamed prisoner, formerly a wireless operator for the British, held captive in France by a seemingly sadistic Nazi interrogator. She has supposedly “sold her soul” in exchange for small bits of [...]
Wo!: Bobby Susser Songs for Children. CD. approx. 38 min. New Hope Records. 2012. ISBN unavail. $13.99.
PreS-Gr 4—Bobby Susser’s 25th album is one of his best! The vocals are clear and the harmonies are superb. This collection of child-centered tunes opens with the upbeat “Any Time of Day” (a tune that encourages singing). Susser passes lead vocals to Paula Atherton for “The Wo Wo Song” (a number that builds togetherness and camaraderie), takes it back for “Smiling Face” (encourages a positive attitude), [...]
There’s Always Help: Suicide Prevention. DVD. 12 min. with digital workbook on CD. Prod. by Mazzarella Media. Dist. by Cerebellum. 2012. ISBN 978-1-61867-215-5. $79.95.
Finding Life Beyond Earth (Nova Series). DVD. 2 hrs. Prod. by WGBH Educational Foundation. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2012. $24.99.
