Holiday Gift Guide: Four for Young Readers

There are still six more days of shopping before Christmas. If you're looking for that special book for the young reader on your list, I have four great suggestions.

Earlier this year I reviewed two books by Linda Kranz, who illustrates her heart-felt children's books with her fun rock paintings. Her newest book is called Love You When . . . and is the response to a child who asks, "Do you think of me during the day?" and then says, "Tell me when." The answers cover the seasons of the year, the earth and sky, and early morning to late at night. Each spread is illustrated with photographs of Kranz's painted rocks, and if you look closely, you'll find at least one heart-shaped rock on every page. This sweet book is the perfect bedtime or anytime story to share with your little ones. I have a copy of the hardcover, but a board book version hit the stores this month. (Taylor Trade Publishing, ISBN-13: 9781589797031)

If you have kids, know kids, have taken care of kids, or have seen kids, then you know Legos! You don't have to be young, however, to be fan, as world-famous Lego artist Sean Kenney can attest. In fact, he owns almost 2 million Lego bricks. Fortunately, you don't need a huge collection to build really fun things. In fact, in his Cool Creations in 35 Pieces, Kenney shows us a ton of creatures, buildings, aliens, furniture, bugs, and more that can be built with just a few Lego bricks. I think my favorites are the "goofy faces" because they made me smile. My nephews, however, would have gone straight for the robots. One good thing to know: All the projects are built from the same 35 pieces, so you can get building without a big investment. (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, ISBN-13: 9780805096927)

Although I have been a fan of Sandra Boynton's forever, I didn't know she was a Grammy-nominated (with Mike Ford) songwriter. If you or your kids like country music, the blues, folk music, or good music, then you must get a copy of her new book, Frog Trouble. It starts off with a CD of 12 songs. Put that in your player without delay. While listening, look at Boynton's signature illustrations for each tune and read some of the lyrics. And don't forget to learn how to do The Alligator Stroll (sunglasses are required)! The second part of Frog Trouble is a song book: so all you piano players, guitar strummers, and banjo pickers can learn to play right along with the CD. Finally, get to know the musicians who perform Boynton's songs. And, yes, you've heard of them: Alison Krauss, Dwight Yoakum, and Darius Rucker, for example. Although I like all the tunes (really!) "Deepest Blue," performed by Linda Eder, is my favorite. Buy this for music lovers of all ages. (Workman, ISBN-13: 9780761171768)

I love middle grade nonfiction so when I had a chance to read Russell Freedman's Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain, I didn't hesitate to request a copy. I'm embarrassed to admit I knew very little about the West Coast's entry point for immigrants traveling across the Pacific Ocean. More than 1 million Chinese passed through Angel Island hoping to find a new life in the United States. Unfortunately, many of them were detained for weeks or months before they were admitted to the country or deported. Although immigrants from Japan, Korea, Russia, and elsewhere passed easily through the island's processing center, the Chinese were treated poorly--interrogated and held in limbo for no apparent reason (except prejudice). One moving record of the Chinese who were detained on Angel Island is found in the hundreds of poems the detainees carved into the walls of their crowded barracks. Easy-to access text and fascinating historical photographs make this an unforgettable story. (Clarion Books, ISBN-13: 9780547903781)

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Today's Read: Butch Cassidy: Beyond the Grave by W. C. Jameson

If you know the legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or perhaps saw the wonderful movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, then you likely know that Cassidy died in a shootout in Bolivia in 1908. But what if Cassidy had survived that attack and made his way back north to live out his days under another name? That's the premise of W. C. Jameson's biography, Butch Cassidy: Beyond the Grave.

In a variety of ways, the life and times of the outlaw Butch Cassidy remain among the most compelling and mysterious of all America's Western bad men.

For one thing, Cassidy's outlawry did not result from general meanness or shiftlessness as was often the case with many other notorious crooks of the time. Cassidy's sister, Lula Parker Betenson, once offered the opinion that . . . Cassidy's lawbreaking activities might have been borne of equal parts mischievousness and youthful boisterousness along with a well-developed disgust and resentment of the manner in which large corporations . . . grew wealthy at the expense of the common man and others who possessed little in the way of power, prestige, or money. Cassidy's disgust might have led to a desire for revenge, or perhaps at the very least a perceived need to remind the moneyed interests from time to time that they could be thwarted.

—Butch Cassidy: Beyond the Grave by W. C. Jameson (Rowman & Littlefield / Taylor Trade, 2012, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Premise of biography: exploring the possibility that Cassidy survived Bolivia and lived out his days under an alias in the state of Washington
• Difficulties: teasing out fact from fiction; even his own time, Cassidy was credited with crimes he didn't commit so it's difficult to find the truth
• Characters: Cassidy and his family; fellow outlaws such as the Sundance Kid and the Wild Bunch; law enforcement including the Pinkertons
• Genre: nonfiction, biography; some terrific historic photos
• Writing style & author: Jameson, a seasoned author, has also appeared on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel; an entertaining and accessible style; easy to read
• Controversies: much of the evidence is anecdotal; family recollections and Pinkerton records indicate that Cassidy may have lived past 1908; the authenticity of one possible autobiography has been questioned
• Thoughts so far: fascinating account; I won't know until I finish whether Jameson will convince me of Cassidy's long life and natural death

ISBN-13: 9781589797390
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: Only One You & You Be You by Linda Kranz

I don't review many picture books, but when I saw these  fun and colorful board books at BookExpo America last year, I couldn't resist them. Linda Kranz's bright and engaging illustrations are sure to delight your youngsters.

In Only One You, Adri learns some words of wisdom from his parents. It's a big ocean, and Ardi is getting old enough to be on his own sometimes, so his mom and dad give him some advice. For example, to be ready to make new friends and to find a way to swim around problems.

Each page shows Ardi out in the ocean surrounded by other fish, each one unique and colorful. Children too young to fully grasp the advice will love to look at the fish and pick out their favorites. Those who go to preschool or have play dates away from home will absorb the down-to-earth lessons on how to get along with others and to find joy every day, such as by wishing on stars.

By the end of Only One You, Ardi is ready to swim off and play with his friends. He tells his parents that he will remember what they've told him, and his mom kisses him and says, "There's only one you in this great big world."

In the follow-up book, You Be You, Ardi has been off playing and exploring all day. He's swimming home to his parents, and he can't wait to tell them what he's learned and discovered.On his journey, he reminds himself of what he's seen. For example, he noticed that some fish swim left and others swim right, that some are loud and some are quiet, and some fish are smooth but others are spiny.

When he gets home, he tells his parents about the different kinds of fish he saw and how each type was special. His father tells him the great variety of fish helps make "the world colorful and beautiful."

All the different fish in You Be You reminds young ones that not everyone will look like them or act like them, but that's okay. Kids learn that the fish that swim up are just as pretty and are having just as much fun as the fish that swim down. Just because some fish like to swim together doesn't mean that it's wrong to want to swim alone.

I love the simple messages in Linda Kranz's books, and both children and their parents will love the hundreds of individual fish that swim in Ardi's world. Each fish has its own shape and markings, and it's fun to go through the books just looking for a favorite one on each page.

This post will be linked to Kid Konnection, hosted by Julie at Booking Mama.

Buy Only One You at an Indie or at bookstore near you. Buy You Be You at an Indie or at bookstore near you. These links leads to an affiliate program.
Rowman & Littlefield / Taylor Trade, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781589797482 and 9781589797475
Rating: B+
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: Two Nature Books for Kids

Animal lovers of all ages will be absolutely entranced by David E. Klutho's Time for Kids: Zoo 3D. Let me start by raving about the photography. After you turn the first page of the book, you're instructed to put on the 3D glasses found in the inside cover. And once you do, you'll gasp as the photographs seem to pop off the page!

The effect is so truly three-dimensional, you'll want to pet the giant panda, keep your fingers away from the leopard's mouth, and duck out of the way of the flying bats. I just love the way the butterfly's wings rise off the page, and I was totally creeped out by the Chilean tarantula. (*shudder*) You and your kids will spend hours looking at the fantastic photographs of mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles.

What makes Zoo 3D really wonderful, though, is the informative but easy-to-understand text that goes with the special effects. Photographer and animal-lover David Klutho, along with writer Curtis Slepian, fills us in on what the animals like to eat, how they they are born, where they live in the wild, and more. Throughout the book are fun "Did You Know?" boxes with quick facts that kids will likely want to share with whoever will listen.

Earmark Klutho's spectacular book for the budding photographer or veterinarian in your family

Buy Zoo 3D at an Indie or a bookstore near you. This link leads to an affiliate program.
Published by Time Home Entertainment / Time for Kids, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781618930095
Rating: B+
Source: Review (see review policy)

In And the Tide Comes In . . . Exploring a Georgia Salt Marsh, Merrly Alber transports young readers to the wonderfully diverse world of the eastern coastal lowlands. When Ginger, who lives in Colorado, travels to Georgia to visit her cousin, she expects to see white sandy beaches. Instead she discovers the muddy tidal marshes and comes to love the grasses, snails, raccoons, and birds that live there.

Joyce Mihran Turey's beautiful illustrations bring the story of exploration alive. Ginger and her cousin get muddy, catch crabs, feast on shrimp, and watch the animals and fish.

Although And the Tide Comes In can be read as a delightful story of having fun in the outdoors, it's much more. On every spread you'll find a discussion question or two that pertain to the story. Some are fun (like "Have you ever gotten really muddy?") and some prompt your young ones to notice the natural world around them (like "What animals have you seen visiting your neighborhood?").

In addition, there are numerous illustrated sidebars to satisfy the curious reader. I was surprised to learn of all the different mammals that find a home in the marshes and was interested to read about how marsh grass survives its daily baths of salty tidal waters.

Because And the Tide Comes In can be read on different levels, it's a book your children will enjoy as they mature from looking at the illustrations to learning about the tides.

This post will be linked to Kid Konnection, hosted by Julie at Booking Mama.

Buy And the Tide Comes in at an Indie or a bookstore near you. This link leads to an affiliate program.
Published by Taylor Trade / Moonlight, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780981770055
Rating B+
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads

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Weekend Cooking: Review: Capitol Hill Cooks by Linda Bauer

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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Today's cookbook is a kind of win-win-win deal. Capitol Hill Cooks by Linda Bauer is a collection of recipes from members of the U.S. Congress and Senate as well as at least one recipe from every U.S. president.

The first win is that the book is simply a great addition to any collection because it spans 200 years of American cooking. Even if you decide not to make any of the historic recipes, it's fun to look through the chapter titled "Favorite Dishes of the Presidents." Several of Washington's recipes are spiked with alcohol. Dolly Madison used to serve something called fairy butter. Apparently James Buchanan wasn't known as a gourmet; the only recipe from him is piped mashed potatoes. I guess it's no surprise that Jimmy Carter would have contributed a peanut brittle recipe.

The second win is that the recipes from the modern-day section of the cookbook all look great and are tried-and-true family recipes. There are some curious and amusing matches (okay at least from my perspective; I'm warped)--for example, Representative Kanjorski from my state of Pennsylvania contributed New England clam chowder. It looks delicious and easy to make, however. In other cases, the match is just perfect: Senator Conrad from North Dakota offers sunflower wheat bread, which I plan to make this coming week. My only complaint is that the recipe index could have been better organized, but it's a minor problem.

The third win is that Linda Bauer donated 50 percent of her advance and will donate 50 percent of her royalties to an organization called Homes for Our Troops. The group is committed to "assisting severely injured servicemen and women build or adapt their homes for handicapped accessibility. The finished home is then given to the veteran." So by purchasing this fun and useful cookbook, you can give a little something back to those who have volunteered to fight for their country. Regardless of your political beliefs about the war, Home for Our Troops is a worthwhile cause and has received high scores from the American Institute of Philanthropy.

I thought I'd share this simple recipe from James Madison, president from 1809 to 1817. I haven't tried these cookies, but I see no reason why they wouldn't be good.

Cream Jumbles
5 dozen

• 1 pound butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar together completely. Beat in eggs. Add cream and flour alternately, add vanilla if desired. Chill dough for at least 1 hour. Roll thin; cut into shapes and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

Capitol Hill Cooks at an Indie

Capitol Hill Cooks at Powell's

Capitol Hill Cooks at Book Depository
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Published by Rowman & Littlefield / Taylor Trade, September 2010
ISBN-13: 9781589795501
YTD: 85
Rating: B
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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