Ada, Alma Flor and F. Isabel Campoy. Yes! We Are Latinos! (Charlesbridge; Gr 4-8). illus. by David Diaz.
Twelve narrative poems tell the stories of children and teens living in the United States. The first-person entries all begin in the same way with the narrator’s name, country or culture, current home, followed by “I am Latino/a.” The characters hail from a variety of nations (Puerto Rico, Peru, etc.) and identify with diverse cultures (Zapotec, Sephardic). Several children claim mixed ancestry, such as Lili who is Chinese and Guatemalan. The poems bear witness to lives uprooted, families separated, pride in culture, and friends reunited in a new land. Each poem is followed by a nonfiction entry. For example, Mónica from El Salvador tells the story of a father who “went North” and how the family, which now resides in Houston, TX, was reunited. This poem is followed by a brief history of “Latino Immigration to the United States.” Through Mónica’s story, and her father’s reaction to the word “illegal,” readers will also learn that “undocumented” is the preferred term when referring to someone who does not have U. S. citizenship or the documentation to live in the country. A well-researched, poignant volume. The woodcut illustrations by David Diaz are superb.

The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth.(Smithsonian/DK; Gr 3-7).
Don’t let the title mislead you—this striking compendium covers microscopic, plant, and animal life. Interspersed among spreads detailing in text and images the varieties of bacteria, crustaceans, ferns, and turtles, are stunning double-page close-ups of fungi, the Venus Flytrap, a Barred Owl, African Elephants, and other forms of life. Captions and notes highlight features and the more than 1,500 specimens and species in the book. Next time your students need visual guides to conifers, sponges, or whales, send them to The Animal Book.

Lewis, John and Andrew Aydin. March. Book One. (Top Shelf Productions; Gr 9 Up). illus. by Nate Powell.
Congressman John Lewis was only 23 years old in 1963 when he addressed the crowd assembled at the National Mall in Washington, DC, during the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In this volume in graphic format, Lewis recounts his early years, his education, and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis participated in non-violent anti-segregation protests from a young age and played a key role in played in lunch-counter sit-ins, bus boycotts, Freedom Rides, and other pivotal actions of the movement. This is a powerful story, told by one of America’s most distinguished activists. Two more volumes are planned. A guide for teachers is available online.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song. (Little, Brown, Gr 2-6). illus. by Brian Pinkney.
There are a number of books written about the historic 1963 March on Washington, many offering a unique perspective on the event. In their latest collaboration this celebrated author and illustrator team tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s and Mahalia Jackson’s participation in the March, along the way touching on their childhoods, their dreams, and their friendship. End notes by the author and a time line add details and place the March in the context of the Civil Rights Movement, while the illustrator’s notes describe the traditions he drew on and his artistic influences—social realists painters Ben Shahn and Charles Wilbert White—broadening the use of this tribute.

Rusch, Elizabeth. Volcano Rising. (Charlesbridge, Gr 2-5). illus. by Susan Swan.
Most often what we hear of and read about are the destructive forces of volcanoes—huge explosions spewing smoke and rivers of lava destroying everything in their paths. Here Rusch focuses on the lesser-known creative aspects of volcanoes: they form mountains and islands, and fertilize and repair scarred lands. Each spread in the book offers two texts: a few large-print sentences with general information for young readers, and a smaller print, longer paragraph adding pertinent facts. The author relates the amazing story of the 1943 eruption of a volcano in  Paricutin, Mexico, which began as an ash-exploding fissure in a cornfield, giving rise to a 500-foot high cone within a week. One year later it was 1,000 feet in height, offering scientists one more “laboratory” in which to study these natural forces. Swan’s dramatic scenes of fiery eruptions above ground in oranges and reds, submarine volcanoes bathed in blues, and serene mountain landscapes and islands rising from the middle of the ocean, will have children poring over these pages. Rusch is also the author of Eruption! for older readers, featured in last month’s “Nonfiction Notes.”

Sayre, April Pulley. Let’s Go Nuts!: Seeds We Eat. (S & S/Beach Lane; K- Gr 3).
Though a minimal text and full-page color images, the author of Rah, Rah, Radishes! (2011) and Go, Go, Grapes! (2012, both S & S) explores the world of edible seeds. Each page in the book features two lines of rhyming text (“Peanut, pine nut./Go, nuts, go!”) accompanied by a close-up photo of an array of seeds. Along with familiar foods are others children may not be familiar with such as quinoa and carob. End notes explain why seeds are “such good foods,” discuss nut allergies, and answer questions (“Why don’t seeds we eat grow inside our stomachs?”). From units on farmer’s markets to cultures, this book has multiple curriculum applications. It’s also a great read-aloud choice.

Schwartz, David M. Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices.  Creston Books; Gr 1-4).
Just in time for the fall harvest season, Schwartz, the author of a number of books on math topics [How Much Is a Million? (HarperCollins,1985) and G Is for Googol (Tricycle, 1998)] examines the life cycle of a pumpkin from seed to jack-o’-lantern to decaying squash–and its eventual rebirth as the seeds that remain begin to sprout. Schwartz adopts a first-person voice for his pumpkin and the critters and organisms that visit it. As School Library Journal’s reviewer noted, “The gross-out factor is high, as each of the rodents, insects, molds, fungi, etc., do their respective jobs.” Suggestions for classroom investigations are included. Consider pairing with Wendy Pfeffer’s A Log’s Life (S & S, 1997), a “gentler” look at decomposition.

Sandler, Martin W. Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II. (Walker; Gr 7 Up).
Combining a lucid text; poignant black-and-white archival photos; reproductions of artwork, sketches, and documents; and charts, Sandler offers an in-depth, sensitive look at the internment of Japanese-Americans in the United States during the Second World War. He begins his narrative with information on the movement of more than 250,000 Japanese citizens to the United States at the turn of the 20th-century and ends with chapters devoted to redress and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. In between, the author covers Anti-American sentiment toward the Japanese before and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, life in the relocation centers, and the Japanese-Americans who served in our military.

Our top choice for a collective biography this year is Andrea Davis Pinkney’s Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America (Disney, 2012; Gr 6 Up). Last week Hand in Hand won the 2013 Coretta Scott King Award, and rightly so. In the Preface to the book, Pinkney writes of visiting a reading clinic attended by young men “who sought direction in the books they read.” In this title, all children will find role models.

Beginning with Benjamin Banneker and ending with Barack Obama, the accounts span three centuries and a range of occupations from scientist and orator to Supreme Court Justice and President of the United States. The author devotes significant space and detail to the histories, influences, and impact of these men—men that join part of a “cohesive chain…marching together into the lives” of readers.

Each chapter begins with a poem about the subject by Davis Pinkney, and a full-page watercolor portrait by Brian Pinkney. The impressionist images are rendered in black line on pages of bright colors. Touches of purple, red, or gold, and swirling lines highlight facial features in these vivid, close-up studies. Smaller images spotlight group scenes and a couple of poignant reminders of an earlier era: a water fountain labeled “COLORED” and a Pullman Porter cap.

The Doers

David Adler, the prolific author of both fiction and nonfiction titles, has just released with Holiday House a biography, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad (2013; Gr 4-8). Published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the death of this indefatigable humanitarian, the book covers her life from her childhood years (when she was volleyed between slave owners); her years as a conductor on the Underground Railroad; time spent as a cook, nurse, and spy for the Union army; and her later years, when she established a home for “elderly former slaves.”  This well-researched title incorporates primary resources including excerpts from The National Era, The Christian Recorder, and the Douglass’ Monthy, newspapers offering the African-American community’s point-of-view and reaction to events of the period; black-and white archival photos and reproductions; documented quotes; and other valuable resources for student researchers.

His wallet was small but his dream was big–huge really–for a young man born into slavery in the American South of the 1800s: Booker T. Washington wanted to read and write. With the gift of a spelling book from his mother and powerful inspiration from a literate African American man, he was on his way. After emancipation, Washington heard about Hampton Institute and was determined to study there. With  Fifty Cents and a Dream (Little, Brown, 2012; Gr 2-6) he walked the 500 miles to the school, stopping along the way to earn money. The book ends with Washington’s arrival at Hampton and the hope it held for its students. Gorgeous, full-page collage and watercolor illustrated on sepia-toned paper depict the youth in prayer, in labor, and in study. The generous back matter presents additional facts about Washington, notes from the author Jabari Asim and illustrator Bryan Collier, and a bibliography.

There are many books about Martin Luther King, Jr., but none like Arthur Flowers’s  I See the Promised Land (Groundwood, 2013; Gr 9 Up). The book is illustrated by Manu Chitrakar, an artist working in the Padua style of Bengal region of India. That traditional art is a form of scroll painting used in storytelling and performance; here it’s adopted to present the Civil Rights leader’s story in a graphic format. A minimal text featuring generous quotes from King’s historic speeches define his evolution as a thinker and a leader, and later, his doubts and fears about the direction of the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring a broad palette of deep, bold colors and stylized figures, and the Flowers’s poetic intonations, King’s legacy becomes one that transcends time and place in this stunning book.

The Dreamers

Bill Traylor was born in 1854 near Benton, Alabama to an enslaved woman on the Traylor farm. When the Civil War ended, his family stayed on as sharecroppers. Bill farmed on the Traylor’s land until 1935, when in his eighties, with his family scattered, he headed to nearby Montgomery. There he worked at a shoe factory until his rheumatism forced him to stop. Without work, but not without friends, Traylor was offered a place to sleep in the storage area of a local business establishment. It was about that time that the octogenarian picked up paper and a pencil and It Jes’ Happened (Lee & Low, 2012).

In his book, Don Tate relates the story of Traylor’s life and art, and the discovery of Traylor by a young artist that led to exhibits and recognition. Characterizing Traylor as “talkative,” Tate peppers the text with quotes by the man that touch on the memories he translated into art. R. Gregory Christie’s paintings, featuring bold, flat colors, and depicting solid figures and animals (often in profile), mirror those that the self-taught painter created during his lifetime. Source notes and an afterword add more details about this humble man and his extraordinary art.

One of the last informational texts by the late Dennis Brindell Fradin, Zora! The Life of Zora Neale Hurston (2012; 5-8) celebrates the life of the indomitable African American woman who gained international recognition during the Harlem Renaissance. Co-written with Judith Bloom Fradin, the accessible and thorough biography is complete with archival photos, reproductions, source notes, and an index. The prolific and award-winning team’s fascinating subject led an impoverished, yet full life.

With jobs ranging from Hollywood movie writer and college professor to doctor’s receptionist and maid, the charismatic Hurston never stopped spinning tales. Counting Langston Hughes and Alain Locke as critics and friends, she has made a lasting contribution to American literature, though she died in relative obscurity at age 69. In the 1970s, her most well-known work, Their Eyes Were Watching God gained renewed attention from writers such as Alice Walker. Hurston was always proud of her African American heritage and confident in her writing prowess. Young readers will be inspired by her unconquerable spirit to strive like she did “for a toe-hold on the world.”

Florence Mills’s voice was never recorded, and no films of her performances have been found, and yet her indelible mark on music history can never be erased. Flo’s effervescent personality and unique talent was evident from a young age. Alan Schroeder’s Baby Flo (Lee & Low, 2012; Gr 3-5) concentrates on the entertainer’s early life and career. The daughter of former slaves, Flo and her sisters helped their family survive in one of the poorest Washington DC neighborhoods by collecting debris to stoke the oven in their frigid home. Her talent for singing, dancing, and charming a crowd was discovered early, and she was soon cakewalking into the hearts of African American audiences everywhere. Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu illustrate the child’s enthusiasm and love for the stage in bright watercolor scenes. Text and art unite to express the effusive energy bursting from this child who would one day become an internationally renowned artist.

An essential part of the Harlem Renaissance’s early jazz scene, Mills’s achievements in fighting against segregation plays a major role in Renée Watson’s picture book biography, Harlem’s Little Blackbird (Random, 2012; K-3 ). Encompassing a broader view of her life, this title covers the songstress’s humble beginnings and touches upon her early death, and her lasting influence. The narrative highlights an incident in which the little girl refused to perform at a theater that wouldn’t allow her friends in the audience because of the color of their skin. Later in her career, in London, she wowed listeners despite their prejudice against black performers; her powerful voice mesmerizing crowds wherever she went.

Watson adeptly handles bleaker sides of Flo’s story, especially with the poetic description of her song’s final note. At the age of 31, Flo Mills died from tuberculosis on November 1, 1927. Christian Robinson’s mixed-media art is never more striking than in the book’s final spread, in which blackbirds fill the skies of Harlem as 150,000 mourners flood the streets to say goodbye to the “Little Blackbird.”

Gary Golio and Rudy Gutierrez’s Spirit Seeker (Clarion, 2012; Gr 4-6) recounts the spiritual journey of jazz’s legendary John Coltrane, from preacher’s grandson to haunted drug addict and restored virtuoso to music master. Not shying away from the details of his harrowing sojourn into depression and substance abuse, Golio’s composition is honest and lyrical. He examines how the twin forces of music and religion shaped Coltrane’s early life and were his saving grace in his later years. A true labor of love, Spirit Seeker is perfect marriage of art and text.

Gutierrez’s psychedelic art, reminiscent of the saxophonist’s intricate work, underscores the musician’s tumultuous path with his use of light and dark. The artist’s and author’s notes, an afterword, and extensive back matter provide insight into the book creators’ thought process and connection with their subject. Just as jazz was Coltrane’s pulpit, budding artists will be inspired to find their own outlet for expression.

Related articles of interest:
Joy Fleishhacker’s article, “Great Books for Celebrating Martin Luther King Day.”

Jennifer M. Brown’s “A Mission Above and Beyond Them: An Interview with Tanya Lee Stone.”

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