Reviews
Oh No, Jonah!
“Those parents and teachers looking for a new twist on the story of Jonah (read yearly on Yom Kippur) need look no more. This latest version from children’s author Tilda Balsley sticks to the biblical text but is appropriate for very young children. The clever rhymes demand to be… View →
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China
“The stories are vivid even without Martinéz’s bold artwork that evokes both traditional Chinese scrolls and midcentury propaganda posters. The result is a memoir that reads like a fable, a good story with a moral that resonates.” —Booklist Online View →
Forensic Identification: Putting a Name and Face on Death
“In a straightforward, no-nonsense manner, this focuses on how forensic scientists are able to solve the mystery of human remains that are not easily identifiable… The resolutions of the case files at the end of each chapter provide a satisfying wrap-up while demonstrating… View →
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
“The authors behind the group blog Merry Sisters of Fate have combined their talents to create a collection of 30 fantasy short stories that dazzle…. Each story stands totally on its own, but together, the cohesive group is more than the sum of its parts.”… View →
Oopsy, Teacher!
“The full-color cartoon illustrations capture the nonstop action, while the rhyming text—placing the next important rhyming word on the following page—builds momentum. The characters’ protuberant eyes, open mouths, and wildly flailing arms and legs add to the humor.”… View →
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China
“Author and illustrator together give us an unvarnished and intimate account of a real childhood: plain-speaking, rough-hewn, and very much down-to-earth. While the time and place the book depicts are very different from our own, there’s not a hint of sentimentality or… View →
Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead
“Science writing at its grossest and best.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews View →
Tales from the Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest with Pete Athans
“Athans’s colorful work lends a personal touch to a dramatic endeavor, and may lure adventure-lovers high into the thin, cold air.” —School Library Journal View →
Food: The New Gold
“Gay presents a solid introduction to the science, politics, and social concerns surrounding food and its production. Myriad issues are discussed, including such current topics as genetically modified foods, seed saving, agribusiness, and many, many more that affect individuals… View →
The Day Louis Got Eaten
“The antics are over-the-top, and the creatures are more funny than scary, making this picture book a natural for storytime fun.” —School Library Journal View →
Hippospotamus
“This entertaining account of a mysterious red spot is told primarily in rhyming triplets, making for an enjoyable read-aloud rhythm. Children and adults alike will delight in the wordplay. The cartoon-style, watercolor illustrations are expressive and perfectly complement the… View →
Speak Up, Tommy!
“Tommy is shy in his new American school, where kids tease him about his Israeli accent. He gains confidence when a police officer and Israeli-trained police dog visit his class. By pronouncing the Hebrew commands, Tommy helps the officer and gains his classmates’ respect. The… View →
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China
“Based on her childhood experiences, Na Liu and her husband have created a rich, multilayered memoir, incorporating history, geography, language, culture, and mythology into eight short stories; then weaving them together to create an exquisite tapestry of life in China during the… View →
A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return
“Bold, graphic, black-and-white images are visually and emotionally striking…. This superb memoir is destined to become a classic.” —starred, School Library Journal View →
Barnyard Purim
“When Farmer Max goes off to see a Purim play, the resourceful animals he has left behind decide to put on their own Purim play. The biggest of them all, Horse, seems a natural choice for the role of the King. Goat’s beard makes him a shoo-in for Mordecai, and sweet, bashful Duck… View →
“The pleasant, childlike story is simply told and punctuated by the title phrase. Created in ink, pencil, and watercolor and digitally enhanced, the artwork is lively and expressive…. A cheerful addition to the growing list of math-related picture books.”… View →
Lights Out Shabbat
“Celebrate Shabbat the Southern way with this charming episodic adventure that underlines the true meaning of this weekly holiday—family love and devotion. When a young boy goes to visit his grandparents in Atlanta for a sleepover, a surprise snowstorm hits the area, causing a… View →
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
“These experimental, unedited short stories showcase the many faces of horror—goth, faerie, ghostly, grotesque, lyrical, vengeful, and nasty-cool… The presentation here is innovative, incorporating critique comments, hand-written marginalia describing the writer’s… View →
Shadow of Doubt
“Readers who prefer their mysteries spun around affairs of the heart and finished off with a neat package of confessions and explications will enjoy this latest episode and look forward to the next.” —Booklist View →
Brazilian Jiujitsu: Ground-Fighting Combat
“This compact volume, heavily illustrated with photographs of participants in many poses, also covers the history of the sport, its relationship to a peaceful and harmonious life, the founders of Brazilian jiujitsu, and the spread of its popularity.” —Booklist View →
Emanuel and the Hanukkah Rescue
“A boy’s insistence on exercising freedom of religion helps an 18th-century Portuguese-Jewish immigrant community openly practice and observe its faith. Emanuel works with his merchant father offering supplies to the whalers of New Bedford, Mass., and, with dreams of… View →