Book review: The Origins of Sports, by Štěpánka Sekaninová, illustrated by Tom Velčovský and Matej Ilčík ; translated by Andrew Oakland

Sekaninová, Štěpánka. The Origins of Sports. Illustrated by Tom Velčovský & Matej Ilčík ; translated by Andrew Oakland. Albatros Media, 2023. 39 pages. $17.95. ISBN 978-80000-067964. Ages 6-10 years. P8Q8

This large format book is exactly what the title says. It starts with Prehistory and then covers every sport, giving detailed information on how the sport was created, when it started, and how it evolved. It depicts tools of the sport, and the basics of each game. The vocabulary and print are for older children, but would be a good book to sit together and read and enjoy. The history is very impressive, and adults will certainly learn a lot, too, about how each sport evolved.

VERDICT: This was a nice comprehensive large book with sections about athletics, skating, ice hockey, golf, football, tennis, basketball, swimming, skiing, and baseball.  The history was the part that all ages could benefit from reading, and although the photos are simple, it does give a basic understanding of how each sport came to be through the ages. Sports books are always a nice addition to a collection, and this covers an area that most will not have for the younger set.

Review by Lynne Wright.

Book review: Race Car Drivers, by Clara Cella

Cella, Clara. Race Car Drivers. (Updog books. Dangerous jobs series). Lerner Publications, 2023. $30.65. ISBN 9781728475554. 24 pages. Ages 7-11. P9Q8

Learn what it’s like to drive a race car in this fast paced book. This is one of six books in the Dangerous Jobs series, part of the UpDog Books collection. The book contains four chapters, with each chapter consisting of a few pages. Each page features colorful action packed photographs, with a few sentences of text. The photographs include recognizable drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Danica Patrick. There are features in the book to keep the reader engaged, including a labeled race car pointing out the different parts of the car, glossary boxes on pages with unfamiliar words, and text boxes introducing upcoming topics. The book ends with a Meet A Race Car Driver page, featuring the 2022 winner of the Daytona 500, Austin Cindric. There is a glossary, a page dedicated to additional race car resources, and an index.

Verdict: This book will appeal to all young car lovers! A great book for the elementary classroom and the library for the nonfiction early reader.

Review by Denyse Marsh.

Book review: Ketanji Brown Jackson: First Black Woman on the US Supreme Court, by Heather E. Schwartz

Schwartz, Heather E. Ketanji Brown Jackson: First Black Woman on the US Supreme Court. Lerner Publications, 2023. $31.99. ISBN 9781728476599. 48 pages. Ages 9-12. P8Q9

Learn about the fascinating life of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman justice on the US Supreme Court. This nonfiction biography book is part of a 66-volume series titled Gateway Biographies. Opening with the compelling story of her confirmation for the Supreme Court, this book is full of very interesting details. Follow Ketanji’s life, starting as a preschooler already interested in studying the law, up to being sworn in to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. The book is full of key photographs illustrating different parts of her path. The end of the book features a timeline of important dates, index, and a bibliography for future reading.

Verdict: An important book to have in the library and in 4th-8th grade classrooms. This book would be a great resource to use when studying topics of racism, determination, and the legal system.

Review by Denyse Marsh.

Book review: Duct Tape Purim, by Jill Collela Bloomfield

Bloomfield, Jill Collela. Duct Tape Purim. Kar-Ben Publishing, 2023. $19.99. ISBN 9781541534698. 32 pages. Ages 7-11. P8Q8

Creative duct tape crafts pair up with the Jewish holiday of Purim in this interesting non-fiction book for kids! Learn about Queen Esther and how she saved the Jewish people of Persia, a story from the biblical Book of Esther. The connection to duct tape? Both duct tape and Esther are strong and flexible, and can withstand very challenging circumstances! Crafts include royal bracelets, palace guard shields, and a royal robe. The book includes ideas on how to use the duct tape creations to put on a Purim play.

Verdict: a good book featuring a strong, successful female to add to the children’s non-fiction section of the library. This book will appeal to kids who love duct tape (there are many of them!) and also to parents and teachers looking for interesting Jewish history stories. In addition, it’s a great resource for anyone planning a Purim Party.

Review by Denyse Marsh.

Book review: Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee, illustrated by Julie Wilson

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs, and June Jo Lee. Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild. Illustrated by Julie Wilson. Readers to Eaters, 2022. Unpaged. $19.95. ISBN 9780998047713. Ages 7-adult. P8Q9

Have you ever considered making fermented foods? Pick up a copy of Sandor Katz and the Tiny Wild and you will be inspired to do just that! Starting with decorative endpapers featuring green and red cabbage leaves, this book will suck you into the amazing world of no-heat cooking with microbes: fermentation! This story is about the life of Sandor Katz who grew up in New York City. He began his career in the 1990s as a young man in the public works world building city parks and waterfront walkways. During this time many of his friends were coming down with a mysterious disease called AIDS. Soon, Sandor was tested and he found out he had the HIV virus. This scary news caused a life change. Wanting to be as healthy as possible as he faced this diagnosis, Sandor changed his diet, his working habits, and his spare time, taking up yoga. City life not longer appealed to him, and Sandor moved to Tennessee to join a community of queer folk who lived off the land. There was less stress in this lifestyle and Sandor began to feel better about his future. It was in the garden, specifically the over abundance of cabbage, where Sandor was inspired to experiment with turning cabbage into a fizzy, tasty, crunchy treat. Everyone loved his creation, which became known as “Kraut-chi” and Sandor earned the nickname Sandorkraut. Sandor built an industry for himself, writing a book, sharing his love of fermented foods with book stores and cooking stores around the world teaching everyone interested how to easily make kraut-chi. Sandor’s world of fermentation became a bridge connecting people, plants, and the tiny world of microbes. Back matter includes a recipe for kraut-chi, a note from Sandor Katz, and notes from the two authors, one of whom compares fermenting vegetables to the writing process.

Verdict: This is a book of hope that can be shared with young and old alike. The perseverance of Sandor is a great life lesson to be shared with all, including the LGBTQ community. This book can also be a great resource in the science classroom and will inspire young scientists to explore the amazing world of microbes.

Review by Denyse Marsh.

Book review: 365 Words for Clever Kids!, by Meredith L. Rowe, illustrated by Monika Forsberg

Rowe, Meredith L. 365 Words for Clever Kids! Illustrated by Monika Forsberg. Magic Cat Publishing, 2021. 105 pages. $19.99. ISBN 9781419752285. Ages 4-10. P6 Q7

If you are looking for a fun and creative way to increase your children’s vocabulary, you need to check out this book. Intentionally chosen words that may not be heard in everyday conversations around the home, but words that will appear school and books are included and crafted into scenes. Matte illustrations with vocabulary words that are placed by characters or spaces that represent that specific vocabulary word. There is a lower strip on bottom of each page that labels each week and has the definition of the words that are featured on each page. Each definition is separated, making for easier reading. Words ranging from nervous, altitude, gradient, and many more. The words are broken into weeks to make for more efficient learning. Various animal characters are featured along with various abilities. Many of the characters repeat on the pages, while some characters are only on some of the pages. There are 52 weeks featured. There is an index that makes it quick and easy to find a certain word. The matte illustrations are painted with gouache and composed digitally.

Verdict: This innovative and engaging book will advance your children’s vocabulary. There are 105 pages full of new words. Children may not gravitate towards this book on their own, but they will enjoy looking at with adults.  Readers will be able to look at the pictures, read the definitions and discuss what is going on in the illustrations to acquire an understanding of the vocabulary word. This is a clever way to explore vocabulary that children will hear around. Even though the recommended age was 4-8, I extended it to age 10, since some of the words may be new to 10-year-olds.

Review by Harris.

Book review: Zero to 60: A Teen’s Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger, and Everyday Irritations, by Michael A. Tompkins, illustrated by Chloe Douglass

Tompkins, Michael A. Zero to 60: A Teen’s Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger, and Everyday Irritations. Illus. by Chloe Douglass. Magination, 2020. $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4338-3247-5. 277p. Ages 12-18. P5Q7

Teenagers who suffer from a sudden influx of fury during interactions with their peers and adults may benefit from this workbook recommending coping methods. This book from the American Psychological Association imprint uses cognitive behavior theory for its suggestions in identifying anger triggers and controls for the resulting thoughts and actions. Other lessons are for improving communication, creating calm, and changing the thinking process. Black and white drawings of seven figures, four males and three females, highlight mood problems.

Verdict: The included worksheets may make this book more suitable for individual purchase instead of libraries although counselors could use these ideas in working with teens. As with anything based on lessons, the book is sometimes repetitious.

Informational books 2020-2021, review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Taking on the Plastics Crisis, by Hannah Testa

Testa, Hannah. Taking on the Plastics Crisis. (Pocket Change Collective series). Penguin Workshop, 2020. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-593-22333-8. 64p. Ages 12+. P6Q8

Book review: Welcome to Your Period!, by Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang, illustrated by Jenny Latham

Stynes, Yumi & Dr. Melissa Kang. Welcome to Your Period! Illus. by Jenny Latham. Walker Books, 2019. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-5362-1477-2. 163p. Ages 10+. P7Q8

This Australian import combines the work of a media media presenter and an adolescent sexuality and health specialist in a funny and honest guide to menstruating for preteens with the message of celebrating this rite of life. Even now, many young people have no one to ask about this experience, and the authors answer questions with teenage comments, other first-person statements, and case studies. Topics include preparing for the period, environmental impact of products, overcoming challenges, and and medical issues including pain.

Verdict: The lively colorful layout and cartoon artwork by the UK illustrator make the book highly inviting in this pocket-size nonfiction book. This is a must-buy book both for libraries and young people approaching their first menstrual period.

Informational books 2020-2021, review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott, by Liz Rosenberg, illustrated by Diana Sudyka

Rosenberg, Liz. Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott. Illus. by Diana Sudyka. Candlewick, 2021. $24.00. ISBN 978-0-7636-9435-7. 408p. Ages 13+. P7Q9

Most people recognize Alcott only as the author of Little Women, popularized several times through movies and television. Yet she was far more than that in her diverse writings from romances to ? through her drive to make enough money for her impoverished family. Rosenberg begins with the well-known story of her life for anyone having read other biographies about her—a 19^th-century New England childhood of impoverished periods and an adulthood searching for a career and writing while frequently forced from her desired path to raise money to support her parents and three sisters, as in her famous novel. Copious quotations from Alcott’s journals and letters accompany some from her frustrated mother who would like to be more than a servant for the family. Alcott adored her father whose single-minded ambition to reform American education and quirky views about diet and minimalist lifestyle caused much of the pain suffered by his wife and children as he constantly let them down. Her experiences as a nurse during the Civil War caused her physical decline because she was prescribed the poison mercury for her bout of typhoid fever.

Verdict: Reading the book can be emotionally difficult because of Alcott’s pain, both physical and emotional, and Rosenberg stresses her difficulties, sometimes with repetition. It does, however, provide a thorough understanding of Louisa May Alcott, the person.

Informational books 2020-2021, review by Nel Ward.