Books | Page 12 of 82

Slow Down and Be Here Now, lyrical, illustrated STEM around us

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Repeat that to yourself a couple of times and look at Slow Down and Be Here Now: More Nature Stories to Make You Stop, Look, and Be Amazed by the Tiniest Things. You’re thinking that it’s a book about nature poems. It’s got the oversized look to where it certainly could be loaded with poems about nature. The cover is softly illustrated and shows dandelion seeds being blown off from its host; while a rodent of some sort looks on from a neighboring plant. However, open the book and you’ll see seeds of STEM-based fun that lets young readers know that this is not rhyme-based reads for short attention span theater.

Slow Down and Be Here Now is an illustrated, leisurely look at the plants and animal STEM around us.

Illustrated STEM, but in a lyrical, non-poetry way

Cursed Bunny, short stories that crackle with dread and horror

Cursed Bunny leaves nothing on the table. It’s a collection of short stories that weave between horror, mystery, absurdity, and humor with an amazing degree of aplomb. Aside from the brilliant title, there are clues on the book’s cover that allude to the trippy, byzantine, and unique nature of each of these stories. The titular bunny has that fuzzy, out-of-focus look that’s both attractive and annoying about the TikTok logo. There are parallel lines that run on the front and back cover, with the ones on the back being a continual, yet inverse color of the ones on the front. There’s also some yellow goop on a couple of the letters that are dripping down from them. Cursed Bunny is horror, there’s nothing half-measured about the dread or disgusting appeal of these stories. They are also well crafted and unique enough to feel as though they’re from another dimension. If this brand of mystery or horror describes you then all you have to do is read the first seven sentences of the book and you’ll be hooked.

The cover of Cursed Bunny grabs your attention. The short stories in the book are detail-rich examples of slow burn horror for those who want their minds twisted.

Horror and taut stories for those who enjoy twisted tales

A Good Deed Can Grow, timeless appeal and a thinking, read-aloud book

Currently, I’m in a long-term contract with a middle school, thus it’s been a while since I read a book aloud to elementary school audiences. Those great read-aloud books have a strong purpose when their read to those early elementary ages. The books calm them down, get them to think, learn some of the basic traits that make us all better people and provide talking points for kids that want to share or give examples. A Good Deed Can Grow is that kind of read-aloud book. It’s an illustrated book whose premise is clearly listed in its title, but one whose execution might often miss the point.

A Good Deed Can Grow is a real aloud book that encourages pre-k through early elementary readers to think in their own world as to how they can make things better.

The feel-good, Free-thinking vibes are strong with this one

Once There Was is mglit as good as it gets

World building is a concept that too many books start out in mind without fully looking down the path to see where the story is going. They create a half-baked world and then ask readers to remain hooked on a story that seems to exist only for a literary series or movie franchise. Once There Was builds a world. It’s a complete and detailed world that’s adorned with creatures who are capable of incredible beauty and violence. In my mind’s eye, I see Once There Was innocently taunting other books, in its best Crocodile Dundee attire, in bookstores or libraries across the land saying, “That’s not a book, that’s a book.”

Once There Was is perfect mglit, it builds worlds for those younger ages, is smart enough for any age north of that and creates something new.

Please tell me that the Dundee alliteration was understood….

Louise Bourgeois Made Giant Spiders and Wasn’t Sorry, art for the masses

Art is weird, in the eye of the beholder, and difficult to define. Children are weird, loved by their parents more than others and sometimes exhibit behavior that’s difficult to define. Louise Bourgeois was a French-American artist who was a gifted painter but is most famous for creating large-scale sculptures. These are the big sculptures that you see around major cities that define the area and are must-see spots when you visit them. Even if you don’t know her reputation you’ll glean some idea of her work from the book’s title, Louise Bourgeois Made Giant Spiders and Wasn’t Sorry. For some readers, all you’ll need to do is mention ‘giant spiders’ and show them the artwork in the book to bait their interest hook to high.

Louise Bourgeois Made Giant Spiders and Wasn’t Sorry is an illustrated book on an artist that most don’t know and makes them care about her and her work.

Art and Children, what do they have in common?

Ramen For Everyone, an illustrated book for any palette

Ramen used to have a horrible reputation. When I was in college the only option for ramen was those flavorless packets that you’d purchase at the dollar store. You’d talk, or kvetch about how many times a week you had to eat ramen because you didn’t have much money. Unbeknown to us, in Asia, ramen was a flavor-packed dish that could comprise an excellent meal that would leave people wanting more and create the word-of-mouth that restaurants strive for. Ramen For Everyone is an illustrated book that operates in today’s world of ramen. It works as well as a read-to-me or read-aloud book, as it does a story about persistence and doing your best. The book also receives some dad points for showing a healthy, normal relationship between a youth and his dad.

Ramen For Everyone is an illustrated book that uses cooking as a way to show resilience, overcoming frustration, as well as, family bonding.

Being yourself and confident, by any other name

How Poop Can Save The World, STEM-minded mental martial arts with a laugh

Most fifth and fourth-grade boys have one thing on their minds. Well, video games certainly occupy a segment of their cranial space, but there’s always one portion of grey matter that is at the ready with some bathroom humor. A fart noise, poop metaphor, bathroom memory, or something else wasteful is the currency for boys at a certain stage of their life. It’s disgusting, yes. However, Dog Man and Captain Underpants are successful at hitting those ages for a reason. They embrace that baseness and run with it. How Poop Can Save The World is a chapter book that’s geared for those ages, and slightly higher, that makes no apologies for its pictures of flying poop, stool-powered puns, or any other way to make readers smile about number two.

How Poop Can Save The World is a STEM chapter book that entertainingly hits those potty humor kids right where they need it.

I’m number one, you’re number two

Children of the Black Glass is starting point mglit with a fantasy twist

Don’t call it fantasy, because those books have never resonated with me. Children of the Black Glass is probably classed as fantasy, due to its sorcery, castles, dark alleys, and musty-smelling environment. Yeah, it’s fantasy, but it’s a dingy one that’s laden with black dust. It’s not dark, dank fantasy, rather it’s a world that you’d envision is moist, cloudy, and mysterious. If you were to meet a character from Children of the Black Glass in real life they’d most likely be quiet, untrustworthy, wearing an animal pelt, could live for decades in the country without any assistance and probably smell like a billy goat.