The Heroic Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel*

 My ninth grader will be studying Beethoven for the next few weeks by reading picture books, anthologies, and chapter books about him and also listening to his music.

This picture book begins when Beethoven begins losing his hearing and how he redirected his focus on composing vs performing. Majority of the content then describes his inspiration for the piece Eroica Symphony.

Very interesting   Ms. Celenza shares information in a concise yet engaging manner.

A bonus-A CD with Heroic Symphony & "Overture to Goethe's tragedy Egmont"

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed via ILL.

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes*

 Redeemed Reader reviewed this book and gave it a starred review.

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed Will's family, they still do not own their land as they spend their days as sharecroppers. When Will's father brings home a pamphlet announcing the opportunity for free land in OK, the family decides to leave Texas for Oklahoma. During the arduous journey, Will's relationship with his reticent father transforms. Fending off thieves, facing  racism, fending off rattlesnakes, eduring long, boring days and befriending a former Union soldier (Caesar), Will becomes a young man with his own identity.

An exciting coming-of-age story  This engaging historical fiction novel brings the Oklahoma Land Rush to life. Highly recommend having your children read it when studying this period of history

Finally, a historical fiction with a male main character which will appeal to boys. So many historical fiction books target girls!

Warnings/discussion for sensitive readers or younger readers: racism, violence-Western fist fights and gun battles, When Will stakes out his family's land, he encounters a group of men who want to steal his plot from him. Will threatens to kill them with Caesar's Colt and realizes that he is capable of killing another man, which goes against his father's principles. He grapples with this person he is becoming.

*Highly recommend for grades 4 and older.

-Borrowed from the library.

Brooklyn Bridge text set*

 After reading Secret Engineer, I wanted to learn more about this exciting engineering feat. I borrowed the following books from the library about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. If you have a child who is fascinated by bridges or is considering engineering as his/her educational pursuit, these books will appeal to them.

1. This first one is my favorite from the trio-The Brooklyn Bridge by Elizabeth Mann illustrated by Alan Witschonke. For grades 2nd and older.

It shares the story of the Roebling family (John, Washington, and Washington's wife Emily) and details of the entire bridge construction. The illustrations/drawings are meticulous. A couple of pages fold out, expanding the illustration.

**Highly, highly recommend.

2. Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing by April Jones Prince illustrated by Francois Roca

A week after its opening, a rumor raged through New York that bridge was about to collapse. To dispel the people from their fears, P.T. Barnum announced that he would allow his twenty-one elephants to parade across the bridge to prove it was safe. I love the alliteration and figurative language utilized this one. 

*Highly recommend.

3. How Emily Saved the Bridge by Frieda Wishinsky illustrated by Natalie Nelson

This book focuses on Emily and how vital she was in the bridge's construction. If she had not been as intelligent and ambitious as she was, the bridge would not have been built in that time period. Focuses on women's rights

Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop by Tamar Meir illustrated by Yael Albert*

 Italian Francesco Tirelli loves ice cream. When he moves to Budapest, Hungry, he is disappointed at the lack of ice cream shops. He opens up his own shop and befriends many customers. One of them is Peter, who is a Jew. In 1944, when the Nazis invade Hungary, Francesco decides to hide Peter and his family plus other Jews in his ice cream shop. 

The author is Francesco's daughter-in-law.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Narwhal The Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming illustrated Deena So'oteh*

 A fascinating book about narwhals and how they survive in the Arctic    The language is poetic. A unique second person narration

The illustrations are stunning. The hues, the page layouts & designs (one page you unfold and view it vertically!), and perspectives reveal artistic talent.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Mice Skating by Annie Silvestro illustrated by Teagan White*

 Lucy, a mouse, loves winter. It invirgorates her. Meanwhile, her friends scoff at her love for the cold. When she discovers a way to ice skate, she lures her friends outdoors and transforms their view of winter. 

I love the illustrations-especially the displays of cheese in their storerooms.

*Highly recommend.

Bear Hugs by Karma Wilson illustrated by Suzanne Watts

 Humorous love poems featuring animals   Lots of puns and word play 

A fun book to read around Valentine's Day

I did not care for the last poem, "People Are Animals Too".

-Borrowed from the library.

The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven**

 This humorous picture book relates how complicated it was when Beethoven would move into a different apartment. The movers lugged five legless pianos from place to place. I chuckled as I read this book. The author's note clarifies which tidbits of information have been verified.

The endpapers are copies of his working score for the piano transcription, "Grosse Fuge".

**Highly, highly recommend.

-Borrowed via ILL.

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

 Sam (Samantha) has experienced homelessness, abuse, and betrayal. As an orphan, she seeks solace in the classics and hiding behind the characters (especially Jane Austen's characters). When an anonymous benefactor offers to pay her tuition to attend Northwestern Univerisity's Medill School of Journalism, she seizes the opportunity. The benefactor requires her to write letters to him with updates on her progress. He will not reply. 

Through these letters, readers learn about Sam's past, the walls she has built, and how she slowly removes her sturdy wall, brick by brick. 

Minor characters who influence her seem to have a relationship with God. During the novel Sam does not accept Christ as her Savior, but the reader knows she is beginning her search for Him. 

Within the last year I had read Daddy-Long- Legs by Jean Webster (which inspried Ms. Reay's plot for this book). I could predict the plot from page one.  Although the plot was very predictable, I enjoyed immersing myself in Sam's life and almost read this book in one sitting. It is easy reading (like a "beach read"). I loved the references to the classics.

I liked this book better than Ms. Reay's The Printed Letter Bookshop. 

Before sharing with a teen: Sam was abused by her parents and a foster family, her dad was going pimp her out but she runs away (a man feels her up and other men check her out), her boyfriend Josh pressures her to be intimate with him (the word "sex" is never mentioned but inferred)-she doesn't give into the pressure, her younger friend is abused by his foster parents

-Borrowed via ILL.

Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz

 Caldecott Medal winner-2025

I borrowed and read this book since it won the Caldecott.

Sissy's two-year-old brother, Chooch, loves to "help" everyone in their Native American community. As she observes his disastrous help, Sissy becomes frustrated and irritated until she loses her temper with him and gets into trouble. Chooch helps. This time he really does help! 

A realistic and sweet portrayal of family life  I liked how the author included the pronunciation for the Cherokee words she incorporated into the text. The glossary in the back defines them.

The author and illustrator are both citizens of the Cherokee Nation. The author's and the artist's notes are interesting. Directions how to create a pinch pot are included.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert*

 My friend, a former librarian and an avid reader, recommended this book and its sequel. I am so glad she did!

The Lechow family struggles to survive in post-war Germany. Mother and her four children live in two rooms with a reluctant host. Overtime the two oldest children find employment which creates a more hopeful situation for the family. 

Each of the children have unique and endearing personalities. Readers will be exposed to a point of view not often depicted in historical fiction books-the devastation in Germany and the hardships the German people experienced as they tried to rebuild their lives. 

The author lived in Germany during this exact time period. Some of the events in the book are based on her experiences.

*Highly recommend (its sequel, Rowan Farm).

Discuss w/ more sensitive readers: Before the story begins, Margret's twin brother was shot (and their  dog, a Great Dane). Margret relates the incident to the reader. Although his death affects her tremendously, it is not a focal point of the story.

-I own this book.

Dear Duck, Please Come! by Sarah Mackenzie illustrated by Charles Santoso**

 Rabbit informs his friend Duck via a letter that he has lost his tooth and asks Duck to come. Duck immediately begins searching for Rabbit's tooth. As he progresses to Rabbit's house, he includes more Piney Glen creatures in the search. The friends become more and more distressed. Where is Rabbit's tooth?!

Out of the books Sarah Mackenzie has written (and published), this one is my favorite! The word choice depicts the personalities of the creatures well, the plot progression is perfect, and it celebrates friendship and joy. The illustrations are adorable. The page layouts are clever. I love the endpages-the first spread is a map of Piney Glen, depicting the homes of all the creatures. The back spread adds the route the creatures take from Duck's house to Rabbits and all the places they searched for the tooth.

I read this aloud to my niece. She enjoyed it! We had fun predicting what kind of critter lived in which home before we read the book and then confirming our predictions. She liked tracing the route they took after we read it the book. A perfect book to read to a child who has lost his first tooth (no tooth fairy is mentioned).

**Highly, highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde H. Swift illustrated by Lynd Ward*

 The little red lighthouse is proud. It performs important work, warning boats which pass by on the Hudson River of the rocks.  Then a great gray bridge is built OVER the little red lighthouse. The great gray bridge's light shines brightly from the top. Is the little red lighthouse obsolete?

I loved how Mr. Ward subtly incorporated faces and expressions on the lighthouse and the boats. Whimsy and realism married nicely!

Based on a lighthouse overshadowed by the George Washington Bridge

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed via ILL.

Crinkle, Crackle, Crack It's Spring! by Marion Dane Bauer illustrated by John Shelley*

 Unusual narrator: 2nd person (you)

A child enters the late winter night with a bear. The bear says, "It's time." As the child follows the bear, more creatures join their stroll, saying, "It's time." Time for what? The child and reader will be surprised by what bursts out of a huge egg.

I loved the word choice (just a few examples-lumbering, curving claw, pokes, mud sucks at your feet), figurative language, and onomatopoeia. I am not sure if younger readers will understand what pops out the egg-it may require parent discussion. It is a metaphor.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed via ILL.

Bear in Love by Daniel Pinkwater illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

 Someone is leaving Bear wonderful treats on a rock outside his cave. So, he returns the favor by leaving his favorite treats for this someone and finds a friend.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

 Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel each find a love letter (the same one, unbeknownst to them!) on the ground. The kind words encourage them to be more (respectivefully) cheerful, helpful, and carefree. This sweet story reinforces the power of feeling loved.

-Borrowed from the library.