A Walk in the Woods: a Loving Collaboration

Lynn: In 2019 old friends, Nikki Grimes and Jerry Pinkney asked each other why they hadn’t done a book together? They embarked on the work for A Walk in the Woods (Holiday/Neal Porter, 2023) choosing the rare theme of an African American child interacting with nature. Sadly, Jerry died before finishing the artwork. The collaborative work had brought them both joy and it was an even harder blow for Grimes to learn of Jerry’s death on her birthday.

Fortunately for all of us, Jerry’s son Brian decided to finish the manuscript using his father’s watercolor techniques. The result is this sensitive, beautiful, and moving book.

After the death of his father, a grief-stricken boy finds an envelope from his father, revealing a map of the woods they had walked together and a red X marking a spot. At first, the boy’s heart aches, revisiting the places he and his father explored. But the farther he walks the more his grief is soothed. “Can you smile and cry and the same time?” he wonders and the answer of course is yes. Grimes’ verses capture the sights and sounds of the woods and the inner hurt of the grieving boy. Readers walk with the boy as nature does its healing work. Deeply evocative, beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a gem! It is a celebration of a creative life and a remarkable depiction of the healing power of nature and love. Wonderful back matter includes notes from Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney.

It was a special treat me to read this book at the American Library Association’s recent conference in Chicago and even more of a treat to have it signed by Nikki and Brian. The book means so much to adults who have read and loved the work of these three talented people. But more importantly, this book will speak to and move the children it is intended for. This is must purchase for every collection serving children.

The Mona Lisa Vanishes – the REAL Story for Kids about the Theft of the Lady with the Mysterious Smile

Lynn: Did you know that the Mona Lisa is painted on wood and that it weighs over 200 pounds and that the thief could barely carry it down the stairs? Or that a locked and jammed door knob nearly stymied the thief—until a helpful Louvre plumber came along and opened it? Or that Da Vinci carried the Mona Lisa with him on the back of a mule on his journey over the Alps into France?

All this and much much more await readers of The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity (Random Studio/Sept. 2023) by Nicholas Day. This nonfiction book for middle graders is as fascinating as its enticing cover suggests. Readers will love the flip and breezy style while inhaling a vast amount of history, science, biography and art information along the way. Day does an outstanding job of working so much important historical background into what may seem on the surface to be simply a caper/art theft plot.

The culture of Renaissance Italy, the history of policing, painting techniques, biographies of Da Vinci, Lisa Gherardini (as much as possible), Paris detectives, and even Pablo Picasso are woven into this fascinating tale. Told in thoroughly engaging text, the story is utterly compelling and kids will absorb information on every page. This is a “listen to this!” book, packed with facts to be shared.

Brett Helquist illustrates the book with black and white, slightly comedic drawings that perfectly match the tone of the text and they are as irresistible as the story.

Conspiracy theories and the ongoing belief in the most sensational theories (despite any facts to the contrary) and the issue of celebrity are serious and important threads that run through the entire book. These are timely themes in our world of social media gullibility and instant fame and hopefully ones that will have young readers thinking.

All the stars and more for this must-purchase!

Cindy: This is my first encounter with author Nicholas Day, but any author recommended by Mary Roach is going to get an audience with me. Roach is right, this book is “perfect” for its audience and funny to boot. I learned so much about Leonardo da Vinci, including the fact that he and I are kindred spirits—we much prefer learning something new and starting the adventure of a new project rather than finishing said projects! I don’t have his talent, but I resemble his method. Day handles the switches between the heist’s time period and Leonardo’s with aplomb and teens will be able to follow along easily. Who doesn’t love a heist caper and learning about the development of criminal ID from body measurements to fingerprints was fascinating. Lynn is so right about the “listen to this” moments in the book. I was reading it on a car trip and my husband heard half of the book! If I were an art teacher. Or a history teacher. Or a science teacher….I’d be reading this aloud to my students.

Tales of Motherhood – Leopard Variety in Photographs

Lynn: Most of us think of gathering information for a book as a pretty safe activity. But not if you are nature photographer and author Suzi Eszterhas! In her recent book for young readers, A Leopard Diary: My Journey into the Hidden World of a Mother and her Cubs, (Owlkids, 2022), Eszterhas shares some really hair-raising adventures! Imagine sitting frozen in an open-sided vehicle with a snarling mother leopard just inches away after her playful cubs run under the vehicle. This was a leopard comfortable around humans but who became ferocious at a potential threat to her babies. Gulp! Or walking into the camp bathroom to discover a tiny leopard cub who had been hidden there by his mom—and who could appear any moment! These are just a few of the fascinating moments in this outstanding nonfiction book by acclaimed photographer Suzi Eszterhas (who is also a personal favorite of mine).

Eszterhas has always loved leopards so when she heard that a female leopard in the Jao Reserve in Botswana’s vast Okavango Delta had given birth to two cubs, she hurried there to photograph the family. Aided by a skilled guide she located the mother and cubs and over the next 15 months took pictures and wrote about the events.

This female dubbed Mom was quite relaxed around humans and allowed them to get close although they always remained vigilant and in the jeep. Leopards move their dens frequently to protect the babies from lions, baboons and other predators so Eszterhas and Kam often had to relocate the family, which sometimes took many hours in the hot sun. But the result is a wonderful chronicle of a leopard family illustrated by rare and breathtaking photographs.

The text is clear and packed with interesting facts and the entire effort was a true adventure and makes an extremely compelling story. The photographs alone make this a worthy read as they are a beautiful look at a rarely-seen event. The entire package is a must purchase and the cover alone will attract readers. Backmatter includes an interview with the guide, Kampongo, a glossary and additional information.

Standing Tall – New Graphic Novels about Girls and Sports

Lynn: Having grown up in a pre-Title IX world, I am continually awed at the number of sports opportunities for girls today. Yes, I know we still have a long way to go but compared with times before the 1970s, there is so much to celebrate. In this post, I am happy to review two recent graphic novels that feature girls and sports. An added bonus is that one of them is about the history of girls’ sports during the early days of Title IX.

Hoops (Candlewick, 2023) by Matt Tavares is based on a true event. It chronicles the struggles of a start-up girls high school basketball team that overcame so much to claim the 1976 girls basketball championship in Indiana.

Judi’s friends all want to be cheerleaders and assume Judi wants that just as much. But Judi has another dream and that is playing on a basketball team. When the Lady Bears are formed, Judi joyfully signs up but the struggle is just beginning. The team has to practice in an elementary school gym, make their own uniforms and find their own transportation to the games. The athletic director tells them that when they fill a gym, they can share the high school gym with the boys. Tavares tells an engaging and compelling story absolutely rooted in fact, revealing the struggles, inequality, sexism and discrimination they faced. His wonderfully drawn characters come fully to life and I loved the many period details such as Judi’s iconic 70’s haircut, the uniform shorts and the RV they used to travel to games. The games are exciting and suspenseful and readers will be rooting for Judi and her team all the way.

An Author’s Note provides important history of Title IX, girls basketball and the background history of Title IX, and the Warsaw, Indiana girls’ basketball team.

Fox Point's own Gemma Hopper Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper (Random House Graphic, 2023) by Brie Spangler is set in the present and tells a story about the impact of sports participation on a shy and self-conscious teen.

Gemma Hopper is having a horrible year. Her mother has gone, leaving her father to work two jobs and Gemma to do the cooking, cleaning, laundry and care for her younger twin brothers on top of school. Her handsome older brother is a baseball superstar, about to leave for a traveling All-Star team and talented pitcher Gemma feels always in his shadow. 6ft tall and built like a bean pole, Gemma also feels increasingly out of step at school and with her best friend who longs to be part of the popular crowd. When a family tree assignment pushes Gemma to the brink, things really begin to spiral and her anger and sadness cause her to lash out at the people around her.

Brie Spangler’s story and clear graphic art are compelling and deeply sympathetic. She reveals so much about the characters through her illustrations. A particular highlight for me was the change in Gemma’s posture as she slumped through the school hallways, hiding her height and then standing tall and proud as she joins the team and finds her strength and confidence. The sports element is wonderfully conveyed as well as the drama of the games. But, it is Gemma herself, her insecurities, resentment and unhappiness that is the focus and as she confronts those emotions and begins to value herself, all readers will be cheering.