FLEMING, Candace. Papa’s Mechanical Fish. illus. by Boris Kulikov. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson. 2013. ISBN 9780374399085. JLG Level: E : Easy Reading (Grades 1-3).

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” goes the well-known saying. Papa was an inventor, so he made a mechanical fish. It sunk. He added a fin and propeller. It almost worked, so he added a steering wheel and protected the surface with copper. Papa’s inspirations for improvement come from the fish themselves (and a little prodding from his daughter). How do fish know where they’re going? Papa adds portholes. Will his invention ever work well enough for use in war or transportation? Fleming’s inspirational tale of little-known inventor, Lodner Phillips, presents a creative mind that continued to think, whether he was immediately successful or not.

HEILIGMAN, Deborah. The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös. illus. by LeUyen Pham. Roaring Brook. 2013. ISBN 9781596433076. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Paul loved math more than anything. He counted and subtracted all day. Between his mother’s over-protectiveness and his obsession with equations, the young boy never learned to do things for himself. When he was 21, his work took him to places where he was alone. Another mathematician would take him home, wash his clothes, provide his meals, and pay his bills. Shouting “my brain is open,” Paul would announce that he was ready to do calculations early in the morning. His personal quirks were tolerated by friends and colleagues who loved him anyway. Heiligman’s picture book biography of an eccentric genius reveals a man who was good at his job and was willing to share his talents with others.

MARKEL, Michelle. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. illus. by Melissa Sweet. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. 2013. ISBN 9780061804427. JLG Level:  NE : Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Typical examples of leaders in American history include figures like George Washington or Benjamin Franklin. Clara was a five-foot-tall, nineteen-year-old girl when she took a stand for thousands of garment industry workers to strike for the improvement of their working conditions and benefits. If a worker bled twice on her cloth, she could lose her job. If she were a few minutes late to work, she could lose half a day’s pay. Working under unbelievable conditions (two toilets and one sink for 300 hundred girls), these teenagers made women’s clothing instead of getting an education. Clara was determined to improve things, so she took a stand. Though beaten and arrested 17 times, the immigrant seamstress dared to challenge the establishment and make a difference for those around her and the workers yet to come. Sweet’s brilliant collage and watercolor illustrations weave Markel’s words into an inspirational story of fighting for equality.

ROCHE, Suzzy. Want to Be in a Band? illus. by Giselle Porter. Random/Schwartz & Wade. 2013. ISBN9780375968792. JLG Level: E+ : Easy Reading (Grades 1–3).

What does it take to start a band? A little sister can ask her two older siblings. Then they can teach her everything they know. A new musician’s fingers may tire while playing the guitar, but practice is important. Performing for others may give a novice stage fright, but playing for her parents is a baby step in the right direction. After the band chooses a name, they can have a public performance. Maybe it will lead to a gig in a club, but the sisters shouldn’t worry if it’s not a big-time appearance. Based on her own experiences, folk-indie rock band The Roches, the author’s advice continues as she encourages budding musicians in the process of starting a band.

SAY, Allen. The Favorite Daughter. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2013. ISBN 9780545176620. JLG Level: CE : City Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Yuriko is upset when her Japanese name is mispronounced at school. Even her teacher calls her “Eureka.” As the teasing continues, she decides she wants an American name. Her wise and patient father goes along with her wishes and takes his “new” daughter, Michelle, to a Japanese garden in San Francisco. While looking for a souvenir with her name on it, they see a Japanese ink painting artist. After learning her real name, he paints a lily and uses traditional characters to write it out. She’s delighted with her special remembrance and decides to learn to paint it too. On their trip to the Golden Gate Bridge, father and daughter are disappointed to see it buried in fog. He encourages the youngster to use her imagination to recreate the bridge for her school project. Her father points out that she wants an ordinary name, but something different from everyone else for her artwork. Perhaps he’s given her more to think about than a school assignment. Say’s illustrations accompany the thought-provoking dialogue.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

BURLEIGH, Robert. Look Up!: Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer. illus. by Raúl Colón. S & S/Paula Wiseman. 2013. ISBN 9781416958192. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

When Henrietta was a young woman, male students outnumbered the females in her college astronomy classes. Once she graduated, the young astronomer was paid thirty cents an hour to record information that male scientists in the observatory researched. Hour after hour she poured over the photographs. Eventually she began to see differences in the dots that represented the stars. Some stars dimmed while others brightened. Determined to unlock the mystery, Henrietta kept a chart and slowly a pattern began to emerge. What had she found? What impact would it make on astronomy? Burleigh’s text is beautifully illustrated by the acclaimed Colón, and supplemented with back matter for use in further research about this little-known pioneering woman astronomer.

CATE, Annette LeBlanc. Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard. Candlewick. 2013. ISBN 9780763645618. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

“More exciting than slugs! More varieties than squirrels! Less dangerous than grizzly bears!” Perhaps best of all: bird-watching can be done in the safety of your own backyard. With a sketchbook and a pencil, even kids can learn about a bird’s characteristics. Observing its color, shape, actions, and interactions, the careful young scientist can learn to study nature. From “Be a Birdbrain” suggestions to “Wing Tips” that provide facts for novices, this new picture book is loaded with prodding questions. For example, observers can notice how a bird spends its time. Is it a loner? Does it stay in groups? Silly cartoons and speech bubbles punctuate the text, encouraging readers to linger over the detailed drawings to extract a plethora of facts. No matter where kids live, by looking up, beginning hobbyists can observe the world around them. Now they know what to look for.

STEWART, Melissa and Allen Young. No Monkeys, No Chocolate. illus. by Nicole Wong. Charlesbridge. 2013. ISBN 9781580892872. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

What does it take to make chocolate? Milk? Sugar? Beans? Coffin flies? Lizards? Monkeys? Learning about the life cycle of a cocoa tree becomes fun and informative as readers discover how plants and animals work together to produce the bean that becomes chocolate. Cocoa pods don’t form without flowers and the midges that pollinate them. Flowers won’t bloom without the maggots that eat the ants’ brains which prevent the leaf-cutter ants from killing the leaves that feed the flowers. Fungi in the soil break down dead plants and animals, providing nutrients for the roots of the cocoa tree. A supporting cast of bookworms adds humor to the text. “I thought this book was about monkeys,” he says. “Well, we aren’t done yet. They must be coming,” she replies. To find out how monkeys help in the production of cocoa beans, kids will have to read it for themselves.

WEITEKAMP, Margaret A. with David DeVorkin. Pluto’s Secret: An Icy World’s Tale of Discovery. illus. by Diane Kidd.  Abrams. 2013. ISBN 9781419704239. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Remember when Pluto’s status as a planet was revoked? Since 1930, when the small planet was discovered, idiosyncrasies kept scientists from being completely satisfied with its inclusion in the list of nine planets. Finally in 2006, scientists created the definition of a planet, and Pluto was outvoted. Weitekamp’s new informational picture book takes the reader back through time as Pluto is discovered, studied, and named by an eleven-year-old girl. Index, glossary, and a Who’s Who guide support common text nonfiction needs. Humorous illustrations and Pluto’s witty comments ensure that this new title will be a hit in a science classroom or in a storytime.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

BERNE, Jennifer. On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein. illus. by Vladimir Radunsky. Chronicle. 2013. ISBN 9780811872355. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

As a child, Albert Einstein never had much to say until the day his father gave him a compass. “Suddenly he knew there were mysteries in the world―hidden and silent, unknown and unseen.” His desire to know consumed him. Teachers told him he would amount to nothing if he continued to disrupt the class with his endless questions. He would spend the rest of his life looking for answers―”wondering, imagining, figuring, and thinking.” His discoveries unlocked many puzzles of the universe, while leaving future scientists with questions that they can solve. Radunsky’s loose illustrations are as charming as Einstein himself.

BRYANT, Jen. A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin. illus. by Melissa Sweet. Knopf. 2013. ISBN 9780375967122. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Horace had big hands, but his grandma told him, “the biggest part of you is inside, where no one can see.” He used those hands to help his family―sorting laundry, running errands for his mom, and gathering wood for the stove. When he had time, he loved to draw. At school, if a picture came into his mind, he would tell his “heart to go ahead.” His classmates loved his pictures, but some of his teachers did not. In eighth grade, Horace had to quit his studies because his family needed him to work. Horace drew for the other workers. When the opportunity to fight for his country arose, Horace enlisted. Even in the trenches of combat, he continued to draw until the day a bullet wounded his shoulder. He couldn’t lift his arm. The pictures kept coming to his mind, but how could he paint them now? Read how Pippin became a world-renowned folk artist despite many obstacles.

PINBOROUGH, Jan. Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children. illus. by Debby Atwell. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. ISBN 9780547471051. JLG Level: BE : Biography Elementary (Grades 2–6).

When Anne was a little girl in the early 1870s, children weren’t allowed to go to libraries. Librarians thought children would lose or ruin the books. Anne thought otherwise, so she grew up to be a librarian. She got her first job at Pratt Free Library, where children could check out books and have stories read to them, just as her father read to her. News about the children’s library spread until she became the head of children’s sections in all thirty-six branches of the New York Public Library. She visited all of the branches, offering ideas to create better spaces for the young readers. Then, plans were announced to build the biggest and best library of all―right in the middle of New York City. How could she make it a wonderful space for children? Pinborough’s picture book biography is the inspiring narrative of a strong woman whose passion for children’s library services influenced libraries across the country.

For strategies about how to use these books and links to supportive sites, check out the Junior Library Guild blog, Shelf Life.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.