SCRATCHING the SURFACE: EXPLORING the EARTH'S LAYERS

Capstone Editions, 2025

Anyone who has been reading her for a while will realize how much I enjoy and admire nonfiction picture books. That's especially true for ones that offer depth and detail without forgetting the primary audience... young kids. The best among them appeal and inform the adults who may be reading the books to or with the little ones, and that's exactly the case for SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: EXPLORING THE EARTH'S LAYERS, written by Kate Allen Fox and Illustrated by Erin Brown.

I was very impressed and excited about the approach to text for such a potentially overwhelming or oversimplified topic. Before I pursue those thoughts, just take a careful look at that fantastic cover art (which wraps around to the back of the jacket as well. (I checked, and the hard case has the full cover art as well, which I applaud.) The details there, and on endpapers, are a portal to a scientific adventure inside th.e Earth

The illustrations are both vibrant and cartoonish in an easy to understand way, but also reflect the verifiable facts revealed in this entertaining text. The images indulge every kid's (or former kid's) desire to dig a hole through the Earth, to dig up diamonds or dinosaur bones, to find new answers to old questions. The layers shown in the cover image and endpapers deal with the crust of the Earth, but then the text leads readers deeper and deeper, with clarification about what we potentially can and can't reach by digging, and why that is. 

From fishing worms near the surface to the deepest fish fossils from the oldest seabeds, a whole world (OUR whole world) is revealed. Throughout, the pair of friends (diverse and delightful) center the story, bringing narrative back to their perspectives and awarenesses of the surface geology. Some diagrams and labels are inserted as well as data-rich sidebar text boxes, along with occasional speech-bubble-ish questions from kid-perspectives. These are all overlaid on double-page spreads, allowing both the expansiveness of the art and the particularity of the text to shine.

The illustrations work in tandem with terrific text, each enhancing and expanding the other. The main narration is presented in short segments of three to six lines in eye-friendly font. Those inserted questions or "wonders" are ones that a child on a lap might readily ask, simply and directly. Those lead the content forward as complex concepts unfold gradually and clearly. Small sidebars provide related technology content in paragraphs, in that parallel-text way that allows readers to read along with the main text in a first pass, or come back after the earlier reading, or turn back to particular pages later to locate details when needed. 

Science itself  takes center stage in kid-friendly ways, with a seismologist (female scientist of color, yay!) analyzing incoming data while the layers beneath the crust seem to twist and shift under her feet. Potential for those opening kid-characters shows them growing a bit older near the conclusion, participating in further exploration and realizing what is rarely pointed out in books at this level:

There are always more questions, since we've ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE! 

or, as I often said when teaching science- This is what we know SO FAR!

The author note briefly expands on the idea of geologic studies in past, present, and the potential future, followed by a simple chart of the SCIENTIFIC METHOD, a glossary, and suggested further readings. 

Every bit of this book is mind-expanding and engaging, inviting teachers, librarians, and families to add it to their shelves and enjoy often. For more books on rocks and Earth stories, check HERE, HERE, HERE. 

WHEN AUGGIE LEARNED TO PLAY CHESS: You Can, Too!

 The holiday gift-giving season is well upon us! My book-of-choice today is one that makes a delightful gift across many ages (read the author note in back). Beyond that, though, the story it reveals suggests a gift of even greater value: spending time and learning with someone you love. Especially someone young.

Ann Schwartz Books, 2025

WHEN AUGGIE LEARNED TO PLAY CHESS is written by Meredith Rusu and illustrated by Stephen Costanza. This story offers many openings for kids to connect... 

1. Moving...

...Far away (from beachside to a neighborhood with cows and strong smells!)...

Navigating change...

Feeling alone...    in a crowded new school...

Rejection... it's hard enough to say hello to strangers, but then to be ignored? Yikes!

Big feelings... while parents are busy. EncouragIng, but busy.

Auggie notices something on a shelf in his new home-- a lovely checkered board and a pouch filled with intriguing carved characters. When Auggie's Tatâ (Daddy) notices and begins sharing both stories and skills, the gift of time and teaching allows Auggie to turn his mind away from distress and explore challenges and curiosity. The process offers connection for Tatâ and Auggie and a place of respite from change, anchoring them to a family heritage and to each other. 

Mid-story unfolds with some basic labeling and roles of the chess pieces, never slowing the pace but serving well in repeated readings for anyone trying to learn without a skilled Tatâ at their side. Auggie's growing knowledge leads to better days in his classroom, too, and the conclusion offers a suggestion of a satisfying beginning.The author's note and shares a personal story involving family chess heritage, assuring readers that anyone can learn chess, even the very young.

And even the very OLD! I learned chess as a kid, but never worked at developing competitive skill or learning gambits. MANY years later when my school was organizing "clubs" for kids at recess or activity times, mine was the only hand that went up when someone asked, "Who knows how to play chess?" That small act led me to host the "chess room" one day each week, wrangling 7-9 year olds and a few dozen game sets for both novices and talented players. I never claimed to have any knowledge beyond the basics, but over time those stronger players (and valued volunteer parent coaches) allowed me to learn more. After many years this surprising gift was presented to me> > > >

That's been several decades ago, and yet I can still get newcomers launched, settle confusions or disputes, and spot a mis-staged board from across a classroom. My point is, learning to play chess is a lifetime gift that can reach others at any level. There is no better time than the holidays, when family and friends gather, to have a chess board on hand. Someone in those spaces would raise a hand to admit knowing how to play, and someone else will be eager to figure out those curious characters that travel around the board following detailed rules. (Do me a favor. Avoid digital play, at least at first. Use an actual board and figures if at all possible. Learning to set up the positions, including stories about their relative power and playability, is a significant experience in itself.)

Auggie's story is one of family strength and connection, but it also celebrates the ways in which playing chess opens his mind to potential relationships and actions among strangers and friends. It reinforced his sense of agency, even when he felt himself to "only" be a pawn. The complexity of Auggie's journey will entertain and satisfy readers, but my guess is that the closing of the cover will be followed by "I want to play chess!" Consider a gift pack of a chess set with a copy of this book!

MY HOME IS MY BACKPACK

FLORIS BOOKS, 2025

 MY HOME IS MY BACKPACK is written by EUGENIA PERRELLA and illustrated by ANGELA SALERNO. Today, traditional Thanksgiving Day, feels like the exact right day to share this remarkable picture book.

Whether you find yourself seated around a table with more relatives than you remembered having, or serving at a community dinner, or even if you see this traditional day as a reminder of your many losses (as many Native People do), I believe strongly that every day should be a day of giving thanks. That includes good days, bad days, depressed days, or manic ones. That, of course, is more than challenging, but can be achieved if developed as a habit. Some habits are easier to establish than others, but this one could be launched today, perhaps with the title of this book. 

Read it before judging me. Please. 

MY HOME IS MY BACKPACK is a fictional story filled with strengths and truths. Clara, the narrator, introduces her family of five (Mamá, Papá, Pedro, and Coco, her dog) on a starlit night overlooking a Mexican village. They are looking for  shooting stars, a happy habit in itself. It's there that Clara hears they will begin a journey the next day, a "leaving" that she anticipated. Within a few page turns readers feel the passage of days, of dangers, of storytelling and of sadness. Papá asks them to remember that they carry their home with them, that everyone does. Over the course of storms and adventures in an enormous cave, Clara begins to visualize the many migrators in their massive passage as individuals, each with houses floating above them (simple white line figures resembling Monopoly houses). She feels the love and safety of her own family and knows that HOME is with them, not only in their backpacks, but in their hearts. On one night of their long journey as they lie on the ground and search the sky for shooting stars to wish on. Clara says that if she is lucky enough to have a wish come true, it would be to reach safety and live in a house with her family, a house that would hold them all as it would hold the special homes they carry in their hearts and in their backpacks. Illustrations are welcoming and realistic, revealing settings and cultural elements that inform but also patterns of family and relationships that feel familiar regardless of backgrounds.

Notice, they haven't reached that place of safety, their lives are still in jeopardy. Why count this as a THANKSGIVING book? Not because of the contrast with the many of us who have such homes. It's always easier to be grateful when we compare ourselves to those with fewer blessings. Instead, I see it as a perfect example of a family with a lifetime habit. A habit of giving thanks. Clara is grateful, daily, for her family. She appreciates joy when they find it, even during a storm, regardless of danger. She turns that gratitude into hope and faith. 

The author mentions that her story was inspired by a photo documentary series that captures images of migrants and others with the full contents of their backpacks, revealing the meager necessities they must include in order to make their way to a better life or away from a life of fear and danger. International migration measures in the millions each year, with climate, war, famine, and other conditions making those numbers rise rather than fall. If those conditions don't affect our immediate lives, consider how easy it should be for us to recognize reasons to give thanks, day after day, always remembering that having a safe house in which to protect the special homes of our hearts (or backpacks).

 

An Overdue Accounting: DAVE THE POTTER: Artist, Poet, Slave

 Some things are not given full credit because of ignorance. Others are not credited because of  oversight. Still others are intentional misrepresentations or denials. In this case, I haven't shared my love of this particular picture book, now fifteen years old. Reasons for that include that I didn't launch this  blog until a few years later. Just find and ask those who dealt with me in person before that launch and you will find many among them to whom I praised this glorious book. Though I struggle with naming favorites among the many books I love, this one would appear on my list of highly recommended picture books.

LITTLE, BROWN:
Books for Young Readers, 2010

DAVE THE POTTER: Artist, Poet, Slave is written by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by the incomparable Bryan Collier. It is a lyrical narrative and richly illustrated account of a documented man. One documentation of him would be on the property listings of the man who enslaved him.  David Drake, though he was not accounted for with the dignity of a full name in those listings. His pottery creations were notably desirable, in size and artistry and quality. So much so, in fact that his skill and art gave him a bit of protection for a bold choice. He  risked signing many of his works and inscribed lines of poetry in some, opening him to possible severe punishments for proof of his ability to read and write.

In fact, this Caldecott-honored book is only one of several that were published since this one drawing more contemporary attention to the fact that Dave's work was taken from him, in the sense that his labor and its products were as much "property" as he was of the man who claimed to own Dave.

This long-time favorite of mine (THERE, I said it. This is a FAVORITE!) was called to mind by a recent NPR report about a Boston museum returning their two stoneware jars created by Dave to his descendants. A brief (only four minutes) account of the gathering and celebration of DAVE and of identifying his family continuity can be heard on this NPR Morning Edition piece. I hope you will LISTEN, then consider reading this gorgeous book about a remarkable human. His voice and talent were not given credit during his lifetime, but they can be now. Don't overlook DAVE yet again.