The Case for Resistance: Be A Flea... for Justice!

CHARLESBRIDGE, 2025

The call-to-action phrase, "a flea for justice", is a classic among civil rights fighters. Its origin story is revealed within the biography of Marian Wright Edelman is related in early spreads in A FLEA FOR JUSTICE: Marian Wright Adelman Stand Up For Justice, written by Valerie Bolling and illustrated by TeMika Grooms. It's worth reading for that alone, but it brings much more to the table.

Edelman's life story depicts an individual whose personal conviction, lived experiences, and community engagement led her to step up and speak up, despite enormous risk to her own life and the ones she loved and supported. The account launches with an incident in which four-year-old Marian takes a drink at a water fountain without knowing that it was labeled WHITES ONLY. The inconceivable "rule" that could be life threatening if ignored was so thoroughly unjust and intolerable to her that it shaped her path in life. And then path she followed changed the lives of countless others.

This new biography reveals a period in American history that, for me, is memory. But for so many younger folks this Civil Rights era can feel like "the distant past". What this account offers is Edelman's lifelong call to others, especially young folks, to recognize that even the tiniest voices and choices can cause harmful practices that add to an "itch" in those causing harm, to act. To not be complacent.

Marian was inspired by the life of Sojourner Truth, the originator of the "FLEA FOR JUSTICE" phrase. She was also aware of the life-and-death impact of segregation, including the death of young friend who died of infection when hospitals refused to treat Black families. That is only one of many examples of the forces driving Edelmann to change the unjust laws, securing her a place of leadership in a movement that changed society, at least on the books. 

Sadly, not all hearts have changed to assure fairness and justice, and the work is still needed.

This life account is compellingly told and thoroughly researched. Back matter includes a life-time-line that showcases personal experiences and global awards. A more detailed passage in back matter adds to her story, while the illustrations and readable text present a profile accessible for even the very young. 

Don't wait for Black History Month, or Women's History Month. Edelmann's story will resonate with readers of every background, achieving what she set out to to do: to empower even the youngest among us with a sense of agency and strength, an assurance that noticing and acting are choices and they lead to change. Don't miss this one. 

WOODY'S WORDS: Remember WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS?

 The author of that timeless novel for young readers was Woodrow Wilson Rawls, the "Woody" in the title of this picture book. WOODY'S WORDS: Woodrow Wilson Rawls and WHERE THE RED FERN RED FERN GROWS is a biography of the author, but also a celebration of the power of reading and writing. Actually, the focus is on a boy-grown-to-man and his drive to tell stories. Reading books changed his young life, and he vowed, "I don't care how long it takes me or what I have to do. Someday I will write a book, and it will have a dog in it." That powerful quotation appears on the title page in this picture book written by Lisa Rogers and illustrated by Susan Reagan. 

CALKINS CREEK BOOKS, 2025

I can hardly imagine that anyone raised in this country has not read (or heard aloud, or watched on film) WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. It is, indeed, a book, and it does, most certainly, center on a dog ands a boy. Woody's ancestors were Cherokee, and he grew up on family land assigned to those ancestors when they were relocated from their own territories. 

His education was at his mother's knee, and not only in simple reading and writing and arithmetic. When she first read a novel aloud to him, (The Call of the Wild) it transformed his sense of purpose. The simple and accessible narrative text  in this biography reveals Woody's deep engagement in rereading that book and then in writing and rewriting the world as he lived it, even when his available tools were limited to scratching words into soft mud with the point of a stick. For anyone who says it takes time and patience to become the kind of writer and storyteller who can win hearts, they could have been speaking about Woody.

Woody grew up in hard times and spent many young (and later) years bumming from town to town, from jail cell to jail cell, suffering from a lack of food or money but never lacking a good heart. No matter where or in what conditions he found himself, the stories moved through his mind and onto the page, even when those pages were soiled paper bags. He kept his attempts for many years, until he met and married.

He was so ashamed of what he considered his poor efforts that he burned all of the saved writings rather than show them to the woman he loved. After eventually confessing his need and desire to write a book, Sophie worked with him, correcting spelling and polishing some sentences. That finally-ready manuscript became a book, and he wanted people to read it. In his folksy, plain-spoken way, he visited schools and libraries and met readers where they were. Once he talked about his youth and his effort (over forty years) to produce a story of a boy, his dog, and life in the country, readers sought out his book and joined him in the story.

The account of Woody and Sophie and their eventual success is both heartwarming and inspiring. Back matter provides more details, as well as photographs of  moments before and after his book became an all-time success.  His next book, SUMMER OF THE MONKEYS, also featured a boy and his dog. Both books sold millions of copies.  Multiple pages of resources and research references attest to the depth of story-searching by Rogers. The illustrator's colors, sweeps of landscape, and suggestions of struggle have captured an authentic sense of rural life in the era and the yearning within a boy/man who had  something to say. It was clear with every word and image that Woody felt inadequate as a writer, but never gave up on his dream to share his stories in a way that made them last. 

Rogers wrote a dedication that hints at how moved she was by the storytelling drive of Rawls: 

"For those who have stories to tell and the librarians who celebrate them" then named several important librarians from her own life.

The structure of this narrative and account of Rawls's life holds no surprises, but the direct and simple language and sequential revelations of his persistence and outreach are best suited to this simple and plainspoken man. It mirrors the steady pace of his personal journey and the glowing satisfaction of his eventual success. 

WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS has been a part of my literary life, but now Woody brings me back to reread it and to wonder at his determination and at the satisfaction he was finally able to achieve. 

A LINE CAN GO ANYWHERE... Come along with Ruth Asawa

 Ruth Asawa is a remarkable American artist, worthy of remembering her name and eliciting examples of her work. If you are already familiar with her, I believe you will adore this account of her life and work for young readers.  If she and her work are unfamiliar to you, this book is even more important to read.

I am a wish-I-could-be-artist who admires and sings the praises of the talents of actual  artists, especially when they are celebrated in picture books. (Put the word ARTIST in the search bar on the right to find any of the many posts I've shared about other artists in the past.) Rarely have I met a child who didn't LOVE to make art, if left undirected or judged. But I have met MANY, across preschool to adult ages, who have precluded even trying to make art by self-assessing that they "aren't good". Others feel that art is only "one thing", whether that is drawing or painting or making identical copies of some image presented to them. Or that art requires a studio or specific materials. If you know anyone (including yourself) who shares those views, this book is a passport to rediscovery of your own creativity and self-expression.

To resist that destructive impulse to limit and turn away from creative impulses or efforts requires a willingness to trust our inner selves, a willingness to give voice to our inner impulses. Ruth Asawa had such a drive, and her inner impulses were wide-ranging, leading to creating work that now hangs or is otherwise displayed in museums. Many of her pieces have been sold for eye-popping amounts. Asawa's art expressions involved two-and three- dimensional images and materials not readily associated with art and she is credited with opening the art world to expand acceptance of, welcoming of, innovative materials and creative insights. 

This variation and expansion of expression began as a child, and her drive weathered injustice and deprivation. She benefited from rare opportunities to learn from masterful artists. That's quite a journey to portray in a picture book, but the lines that marked Asawa's creative life became the thread that pulls readers through this book. 

ROARING BROOK PRESS, 2025

A LINE CAN GO ANYWHERE: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of  Artist Ruth Asawa is a biography written by CAROLINE McALISTER and illustrated by JAMIE GREEN. The author launches the reader into Ruth's life at a young age as this American-born daughter of Japanese immigrants noticed her world before the Second World War. 

Readers enter Ruth's life through her perceptions and fascinations with lines and patterns, as revealed in wagon tracks, agricultural and natural  movements on the land, and geometric waves of horizons and river beds. The beauty and rhythms of what she saw in vegetables, bean strings, calligraphy class. Even the stripes on the American flag spoke to her, called to her, inspired her to mimic and elaborate on the lines and movements in her world. 

You may have guessed by now that she and her family, along with more than a hundred thousand others, would intersect tragically with the unjust incarceration and isolation of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. I was unaware of that aspect of her background, but reading this explains as much about her eventual trajectory in the art world as anything.

It was her incarceration that limited access to materials but led to interactions with artistic mentors whose careers were halted by movement to the camps. Ruth's awareness of figurative lines were not restricted to straight segments and angles, but frequently incorporated spools and loops, waves and curves, symmetry and asymmetry.applying  traditional skills and techniques to unconventional but  available materials. Crocheting with wire and weaving metals resulted in works that instantly intrigue even though they are utterly original and unprecedented. 

Throughout her life, Asawa heard many nay-saying voices (choose between family life and artistic life) but heeded her own path. She married and raised six children while keeping her art production original and powerfully unique. (To view a brief video of her art, try this YOUTUBE clip.)

Once achieving success, she could have used the most expensive or traditional materials, but she chose to incorporate what was at hand, what suited her inner intent, what contributed to the total impact of her work. Her quote below captures that impulse:

QUOTE credit: Ruth Asawa

Illustrations allow readers to connect with Ruth throughout her ages and stages, while hinting at many of the extended voices and drives which led her to such acclaim. She called the disruptions of her family and childhood "interrupted lines", which are suggested throughout the illustrations, as are other visual details that can find echoes in her masterpieces. 

You'll do yourself a favor to read and explore this picture book biography. It includes back matter that extends information about Asawa's life and art. Both the main text and that added information combine with remarkable illustrations to submerge readers into a life worth learning about. 

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS JUDY THE GREAT: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume

CHRISTY OTTAVIANO BOOKS, 20026

 There are countless authors of books for kids, picture books and otherwise, that adults are unaware of. parents and others may recognize the titles of some classics (GOODNIGHT MOON comes to mind, or BROWN BEAR BROWN BEAR), but relatively few adult readers of these books could recall their authors' names. 

But mention the name JUDY BLUME and the percentage of adult recognition skyrockets. Many of those "lightbulb" recognizers will rattle off one or more of Blume's titles that really mattered: to themselves, to their kids, and even to current generations.

Sadly, JUDY BLUME was not yet writing books when i was looking for strories  as a kid. In fact, she was growing up, as I was, in a world that did not offer kids much in the way of current interesting releases. Even Beverly Cleary was barely getting started. 

That, in fact, is partly why she grew up to WRITE books that reflected REAL kids, REAL concerns, and stories that felt like readers' REAL lives. The good news is that those JUDY BLUME books were coming out while I taught reading and literacy with students across many ages. They and I came to know and love her titles. 

NONE of her books were picture books, although she did expand her portfolio to write young adult/teen titles and novels for adult readers.I'm excited to share a picture book poetry biography of JUDY BLUME now, since April is poetry month, and every day is JUDY BLUME Respect Day! (I made that last one up!)

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS JUDY THE GREAT: A POETIC ODE TO JUDY BLUME is written and illustrated by Selina Alko. The award-winning author-illustrator uses a series of poems in different forms to reveal Judy's life, focusing strongly on her early years and family life. Readers find that Judy's close knit family provided safety and security, but it also led her to trying to do things right and BE a good girl,  LITTLE. MISS. PERFECT. Her brother's frequent pranks and boundary-pushing made Judy's self-imposed pressure even greater.

The mid-century life she led is presented on the page with mid-toned, colorful art, offering a sense of warmth and happiness. The illustrations also include collage-effect, scrap-book-style sections of text passages, assembled symbols of her life, and detailed items related to underlying concerns Judy felt as a child. Her "bargaining with God" to achieve a longed-for adventurous life, to help her brother recover from illness, or even to end the war (WORLD WAR II) came back in ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET. Each poem reveals not only Judy's complex growth and imagination, but also the issues that she later explored in her novels for young readers. 

Many of the poems are titled to convey reminders of specific books she wrote as a mother of two (a boy and a girl). These were stories she wished for in her now childhood, ones she saw her children longing to read. The books she wrote allowed young readers to navigate their own lives, to pursue and contemplate truths. A Judy Blume timeline clarifies content from the poems, paired with a few family photos. Selina Alko's extensive note in back matter reveals the extensive research she did into an author she loved. She lists multiple connections with Judy: being Jewish, loving ALICE IN WONDERLAND and NANCY DREW books, and seeking answers to questions that life presented. Judy's books are frequently listed as BANNED, and Judy continues to work against censorship. 

There are individual poems that can spark lively conversation, but taken as a whole this is biographic journey through the young experiences that fueled an American author everyone should know. The references and further readings in back matter are a great resource, but a doubt they capture and convey JUDY as well as this picture book does. 

GO TELL IT; How JAMES BALDWIN Became a Writer

 I hope you read my post a few days ago, HERE. If so, did the underlying message come through? We are at a time in our nation's history when the effort to lie about truth and deny who we are and how we got to be here is openly admitted and promoted. This practice of denial and redirection has existed throughout our history, but now it is openly touted and enforced illegally. We who are not subject to suppression (that is, NOT people of color) must do more than feel empathy and offer sympathy. Being an ally is not enough. We must openly advocate, even when that endangers us. That is what "using our privilege" means. That did not save Pretti or Good and that means we who have felt "safe" must acknowledge that we have more in common with vulnerable folks than we previously admitted. That's why my approach here is to no longer just write "about books" and those who create them. My commentary going forward will not always relate to current events, but will do so more often and more directly.

Little, Brown, and Company, 2025

GO TELL IT: How james Baldwin Became a Writer is written by Quartez Harris with art by Gordon C. James. Named a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Honor book by the American Library Association, this biographic approach to Baldwin merits special attention. 

Why Baldwin? He's a well-known figure today to say the least, but biographic accounts for young readers can be challenging. The ways to convey facts varies from relating cradle-to-grave, or polarizing life events, or poetic/thematic text to capture the spirit of the subject, or childhood-only events, or focusing on pivotal career events and accomplishments.

Author Harris has chosen a distinctive approach that, I imagine, Baldwin would have embraced. The focus is on Baldwin's lifelong love of words, his recognition of the magical power of words to convey not only information but emotion and imagination. Words "clung to him like glitter", Harris writes. That line is only one example of the care given to create text that Baldwin might have written about himself. The author begins with that line and at the point in life at which Baldwin's reading life began. The earliest pages reveal the many responsibilities he fulfilled within his large family with few resources. With a loving mother and a demanding stepfather. 

James immersed himself in reading but also sought and absorbed the language and color and LIFE of his Harlem neighborhood. A reference to his vulnerability as a boy of color among White authorities is portrayed in powerful words and images, with realism but not exaggeration or excess. Facts are facts. Baldwin reacted with anger, an anger that drove him to write.

His writing, his words, creativity, and imagination healed James, to a degree. It empowered him to speak out at his step-father's pulpit while still a boy. To spread a message of love and brotherhood, in contrast to the messages of condemnation and darkness that filled the church. His oratory, the reception of the congregation, and later his labor in many jobs provided the confidence and earnings to move forward. 

This biography reveals the critical years in Baldwin's life in which he found his voice through books, local life, pain, acceptance, and finding an outlet for his intelligence and heart. The telling of those years is precise and compelling. Illustrations by inoperable artist Gordon C. James pair with that text to reveal the depth and richness of life inn that time and place. Baldwin is often known for his big eyes and wide grin, for the intensity of his gaze and the mindfulness of his words. All of that is captured on the page in ways that make him no less an icon that adult readers will recognize, but as a developing boy and early adult whose identity and independence were nurtured and tempered by both love and pain. His humanity shines through from the start. The final spread features his debut novel, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN and credits him with revealing Black urban life in untold ways. Back matter adds further content and the work as a whole is a prompt to read more of Baldwin's work. This is one of those picture books that its ideal for younger audiences but also serves teen readers before launching a study of his works. 

In the opening note I urge reader to find ways to openly support Black History Month (and beyond). One suggestion is to flood libraries with requests for BALDWIN  titles, to purchase his books, if you are able, and to read them. His voice and eloquence will naturally lead to recommending them to others and encouraging discussions of ways his issues have changed in history, as well as the current events now unfolding. Take the lead. 

Yo-Yo Ma: A Gift For Music

Last week I shared notes about a charmingly imaginative picture book starring a scullery-maid ferret and her love of jazz. If you missed it, click HERE. It's a lively fantasy but encompasses some essential truths about the transformative power of music.

THE MUSIC INSIDE US; Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World is written by James Howe and illustrated by Jack Wong. (Side note, James Howe was the co-author for the timelessly popular and fanciful  BUNNICULA, along with its series, spin-offs, and television programs.) In contrast, this biographic profile is vividly and lovingly realistic. 

ABRAM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS.2025.

It's never too early to try new things, nor too late. Howe took up cello lessons in sixth grade and gave it up not long after. More than fifty years after that, inspired by several performances by Yo-Yo Ma, Howe returned to the cello. I learned this in the author note, along with more insights from Howe and Wong. The core of their individual back matter notes reveals that they attempted to capture the brilliance of the cello and music produced, superb in every way, but both found the man behind the cello was the important element in each impressive performance and image. 

This is a chronological account of Ma and his lifelong pursuit of music and its purpose. Born into a musically gifted family, surrounded by opportunities to learn and develop his rare talent, Yo-Yo was seen as a prodigy, performing as a child at levels few adults could achieve. I was enthralled with the ways he was fully a child: bouncing like a frog, teasing his sister, mouth agape in the canyons of New York City streets. His aptitude with the cello was transformed into musical magic by his intense connection to his inner voice itself, making the strings sing for the music he felt in his heart.

Encounters with various "greats" over time contributed to and encouraged his development, but so did his college anthropology courses on human societies, his teen music camps with peers, his appearances with muppets and children across many media and global locations. The soft-edged and richly-hued illustrations tap into the everyday fellow that Ma was throughout these various experiences. 

Entirely by chance I had viewed an interview with Ma on a talk show the night before reading this book. In that conversation he was continuing to explore his lifelong question: What is the purpose of music?  

He said this: Music is what's inside us, what makes us human. Not everyone's talent may be to perform music, but everyone does have talent, and that is their music. He values being human first, then being a musician, then being a cellist, even though that last is how he is best known. 

He challenges us all: What can we do with our music, our gifts, to make the future better for everyone?

The timeline in back matter combines with the author and illustrator notes to fill in  further details and invite readers to read more, to listen to Yo-Yo Ma's performances, and to accept the challenge to use their now gifts. After watching that interview and then reading this book, my pre-existing condition (a deep-seated appreciate for Yo-Yo Ma and his music) was furthered. I spent time before writing this to listen to several of his performances, from classical to Sesame Street, and will do so even more often than before. With his central message in mind, the tone in his strings sounded more lyrical than ever. Try for yourself.

INTERVIEW with SHRUTHI RAO, Author of WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL

 Last week I posted a review and commentary on an important new non-fiction biographic picture book written by SHRUTHI ROA and illustrated by Srinidhi Srinivasan, HERE. I'm delighted to say that Shruthi took time from her busy life (book birthday celebrations, travels related to family schooling, and LIFE!) to respond to some questions I had about her experiences in writing and releasing this new book.

SHRUTHI RAO, Author

As I wrote in my review post, I had the pleasure of working (virtually) with the author of this book while we shared responsibilities on a nonfiction CYBILS AWARDS panel. I enjoyed her thorough readings and comments, her balanced discussions and considerations of nominees, and her strong science background. That makes this interview especially fun for me, allowing me to learn even more about her and her writing.

I wanted to build my understanding of her author journey before asking my questions. After exploring her website, (and I hope you wiIl do that, too, HERE) I turned to the "ultimate authorities", YOUTUBE and Google. There are some fascinating interviews available, and I urge readers to check them out. Among them, I particularly enjoyed the personal interview of SHRUTHI with Ninad, a very impressive boy who was quite well prepared. I urge anyone to click and enjoy it! While you’re at it, readers, check out the many books she has written by going to her website. 

Without further delay...

Margaret K. MacElderry Books
October 14, 2025

SB:  Shruthi, thank you so much for taking time out of this busy release period to reply to my questions. As my review indicated, I found WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes to be a compelling biographic account of the lifelong brilliance and persistence of Chandra. The text is both accessible and comprehensive, pairing perfectly with illustrations that evoke the mysteries of the night sky, the intellectual spark of a boy-become-man, the high drama and daily drudge of being a scientist, and the ultimate expansiveness of validation, acceptance, and even accolades. Can you take us through the journey of how Chandra‘s story came into your life and moved to the front of the list of the many titles you write about?

SR: Thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough, in-depth analysis and review of our book, Sandy. I appreciate it highly.

In 2014, my father quietly handed me the book Chandra: A Biography of S Chandrasekhar, written by Kameshwar C. Wali. It is a personal, intimate portrait of an unassuming, gentle, yet larger-than-life scientist. I also learned a whole lot about the science of stars, the intricacies of the working of the scientific community. It was quite the pageturner. I came away from it with a deep respect for a man who navigated life’s challenges with grace and elegance. What fascinated me most was how Chandra was able to brush aside the deep disappointment and betrayal he faced right at the beginning of his career, and moved on with his life and went on to other great things. Ever since, I’ve been itching to tell this story to young people, but kept putting it on the backburner.

Around 2020-21, I began studying the art of writing picture books, and attended an online nonfiction SCBWI course. Then, this idea came back to me in full force, and I began to try writing it.

 SB: Wow, that response makes me grin! I'll unpack that grin. When one person hands another a good book, the ripple effect offers potential magic, especially when it comes from someone we love! Next, the life story of an impressive individual, well-told, lives on within us in so many ways and begs to be shared with others, doesn't it, just like your father wanted to share it with you? I love the way the work behind the actual writing was going on in your head for enough time to let it emerge with strength, and that SCBWI helped you find your path into writing nonfiction picture books! (Side note to readers, to anyone who is even considering writing for ages from  birth to twenty should explore this link to SCBWI, the SOCIETY FOR CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS.  Both beginners and accomplished writers like Shruthi can learn and develop writing craft through programs available to international members.)

Details were woven into the narrative very effectively, and many other elements of Chandra’s life and his science were presented well in back matter. How did you go about deciding which facts to incorporate into this story and which to include in extra material at the back? 

SR: I wrote several drafts of the story, right from a skeleton draft to a very wordy, detailed one. The challenge was that astrophysics and the science of stars is such that it has to be described with perfect accuracy. Not mentioning science at all in the story would be a disservice, but too much science was weighing it down and I wasn’t able to find the rhythm and the cadence that a picture book demands.

It took me more than 60 drafts to get this right. What finally worked was writing a very basic “song” with a swinging rhythm, and then going back in and adding just the right amount of science into the story for it – enough for it to shoulder a bit of weight but not so much as to cause it to collapse. The rest of the science I moved to the back matter. 

SB:  This certainly reflects other repots I've heard and my own experiences in writing. That's a truly lovely bit of advice about writing a "song". Writers are so often adviced to start by just "getting it down", then going back to work it more after all the ingredients are on the page. The number of drafts certainly shows in the quality of the text you eventually achieved. I reread the text after your "song" response, and it's advice I'll be using myself. Not because I am a song writer, but because the structure of songs provides an ideal frame for writing effective text-- showcasing particular and figurative language, repetition and rhythms, internal sounds that catch our ears even without being aware of them. Wow! You should be leading a class on narrative nonfiction writing!

Back to my questions: Can you share any surprises, challenges, or delights that rose to the surface during your research for this work/

SR: I discovered transcripts of detailed oral history interviews with S. Chandrasekhar. I was able to read in his own words all that had transpired in his life and work. I ended up reading them again and again even though I didn’t understand much of it and it didn’t relate to the book I was writing. I felt like I got to know Chandra, the man, personally, and my respect for him only grew!

SB: What insights that access must have provided! Your respect for him underscores the entire telling, and likely accounts for why, as a reader, I connected so personally to him. The individual, from curious child to remarkable scientist, felt like someone I knew, or would want to know. Thank you for achieving that. It's a reminder to young people that even the most brilliant and competent folks are humans.

Now a tricky question- How well do you think you understand BLACK HOLES?  Speaking from first-hand experience, my capacity for this aspect of science is at an elementary school level, but I have met some kindergarten kids who have far surpassed my grasp.

SR: Einstein supposedly said: “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

I took this to heart – and made it my business to understand the life and death of stars as best as I could. At the end of it, I think I understood enough to put it down in words. I ran it by those who’re better at physics than I am, until I was satisfied. Also I don’t claim to understand anything beyond the narrow scope of this book. And I have no doubt whatsoever that some child will school me on black holes at some point! They are so much smarter than we are. 

SB: First, I know and love that Einstein quote. Experiences of some of my science-writing friends  support your assumption that kids you meet are entirely likely to pose questions (or offer explanations!) that will boggle your mind. What's great about that is how it makes for a prime example of needing to explore further, or collaborate, or question sources, or any of the other steps that are essential to MOVE science forward! Sounds like fun!

Here's a closing question: Are you able to share any details about upcoming books or projects? In one interview you said that ideas come so fast that you take a whack-a-mole approach to hold some back while working on others. I’m intrigued to know which ones survived the attack!

SR: I have another picture book releasing this November called THE FIRST GIRL ON STAGE: A YAKSHAGANA STORY, published by Sambasivan-Parekh, about a little girl in a remote South Indian village who wants to learn a dance that’s predominantly performed by men. I have another nonfiction PB in the works with the editor of WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL. I have also just gone out on submission with a middle-grade novel-in-verse that I am very excited about.  I’m also plotting a funny MG light fantasy, too. Some more books are brewing for the Indian market as well. 

 SB- Goodness, I can see why you need to keep those popping moles  (ideas) from overtaking your writing life! And yet, the choices you are making leave me eager to read each and every one of the new titles. I hope you'll keep us in the loop here as they become available so I can read and review them. Congratulations on the release and success of WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, and thanks so much for expanding our interest and understanding of this important story and your journey to capture it for young readers.

Readers, I hope you'll click the many links above to learn more about Shruthi, the new release, her interviews, and even ask your own questions on her web page.  While you're at it, check out some of her other books:

WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, S&S, JLG Gold Star Selection, Oct 2025

INDIA IN TRIANGLES, PRH India, Jun 2025

THE FIRST GIRL ON STAGE, Yali, Sep 2025

KADOOBOO, Page Street, NYPL Best Book 2024

A MELODY IN MYSORE, PRH, 2024

 

 

WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL (Not a Reference to Current Events)

I had the pleasure of working (virtually) with the author of this book while we shared responsibilities on a nonfiction CYBILS AWARDS panel. I enjoyed her thorough readings and comments, her balanced discussions and considerations of nominees, and her strong science background. That makes recommending this new nonfiction picture book a special pleasure. I would have endorsed it and encouraged readers to give it try if I had never met Shruthi, but now I can also feel an association with her success, although the credit for its excellence is all hers. And today is her new book's BIRTHDAY! Read on and join me in celebrating!

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2025

The opening lines of WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL: How S. Chandrasekar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes won me over immediately. They come before the title page and that is a design/editorial decision I fully endorse:

"When scientists get things right, 

Science leaps forward.

When they get things wrong, 

they learn from their mistakes,

and science still marches forward.

But sometimes, 

even when scientists get it right,

nobody pays attention.

Then, 

for a while,

science stands still."

Think about that. It certainly made me pause to think. And that 'think time" prior to reading really mattered to me. This new picture book, written by Shruthi Rao and illustrated by Srinidhi Srinivasan, reveals what is to me a heartbreaking astrophysics story. (Does that description also make you think? Heartbreaking and astrophysics in the same sentence?) There are plenty of heartbreaking stories of brilliance in sciences, math, the arts, etc. in which individuals and their discoveries or talents are overlooked or actively suppressed for a variety of reasons. Most of those reasons have to do with pride, power, prejudice, or pettiness of the general public or a specifically related access-group. 

I am a fan of both the illustrations and the fluid narrative text for this new story. The cover and the first pages reveal that this was a child, then a growing boy, who sought answers in math and science. He pondered the pages of adult texts in his grandfather's library and then pondered the night skies above the beaches at Madras, India. Weaving together hours of reading, puzzling, and imagining with confirmed facts of science, he arrived at a depth of understanding of how gases work inside stars. Eventually, while still very young, he combined equations and physics and insights to realize that dying stars could implode into black holes, something never yet known to exist.

Born in 1910, this conclusion came into his fertile mind at the age of eighteen. Science had no thoughts of such an entity, although today you could pose the question in many kindergartens:  "What is a black hole?" Most if not all of those littles would give a response that echoes Chandra's breakthrough theory.  At the time, though, this seemed a wild idea pulled from the dark, literally. Even so, his rationale and coherent theory about the nature and physics of stars won high praise among India's esteemed scientists.

The story reveals that this young, well-schooled, already accomplished Indian man longed to pursue further study and credibility in England, in part to prove his worth to those whose government had colonized, dominated, and too often dehumanized the people of India. With strong credentials, including multiple published astrophysics papers, he was given a scholarship from his home country and traveled to England.

Is anyone else guessing that his welcome and acceptance may not have been warm and approving? That was my prediction, but I was pleased to see that a prestigious professor praised and encouraged him, even sponsoring him at an academic gathering to present his paper. Here's where my age and experience had me feeling cautious, that things might not go well. The heartbreak comes with the strong negative reactions from that event, which I'll let you read for yourselves. 

Suffice it to say, it did not go well and the reasons behind it were potentially intentional. Possibly sinister, although that is uncertain. That response did, however, lead to Chandrasekhar eventually moving his studies to the United States, where he gained education, success, even fame for various accomplishments in his field. But not on this topic of Black Holes. What that early rejection did was to SHUT DOWN peer acceptance for his theory. His enthusiasm and solid data for his arguments could not get traction, leaving the concept of Black Holes in an academic black hole for decades. As the text so effectively and concisely states:

"Chandra moved on. But the science of stars stood still."

Eventually, other advances in science, including technology and computers, returned Chandra to this topic in collaboration with scientists from other fields. Advanced telescopes eventually revealed the first view of an actual BLACK HOLE, more than fifty years after he first argued for the concept with math and science to back him up. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in astrophysics. As much as this was a huge honor, he reported that his greatest thrill was having science finally acknowledge the truth of the science of stars. Illustration on the concluding pages offers a callback to the little boy still at the heart of a stargazing man, a personification of  the brilliance of stars. 

Back matter provides a thorough profile of Chandra's life, accomplishments, and intervening events. A timeline of the science related to this topic offers valuable sequential insights. Alongside are short passages relating the science of bombs with the science of black holes, some "Trivia" related to the subject, and resources. 

My heartbreak isn't that this took time (science does) or that a career was crushed (it wasn't) or that generations of students and scientists were denied access to studying this material earlier in their careers (they were). All of those realities are true, not only for this topic but for many others.  None of that is right or good, but is part of the reality within academia.  (SUBJECT TO FUTURE CHANGE, I HOPE?) 

My heartbreak is for that little boy who wanted to understand, who  was convinced answers existed, who found and argued for the truths of his theory, but was denied a legitimate audience for his thoughts. It's the SHUTDOWN of free discussion and consideration of ideas that is both emotionally sad and intellectually infuriating. This is also why this book is so important. 

Not only is this a celebration of a brilliant life. Not only is it an account of the long journey from initial theories to final proving and acceptance. It is a cautionary tale about ways in which truth can be suppressed, but assurance that truth can and will find its way to the light. Even in a black hole of denial. My recommendation to read this and share it could not be stronger. 

On a personal note:

I  share my own insights and values within these posts. I try to do so with openness and awareness that not all may agree with me, but I avoid political or direct conflict discussions. Even so, this book left me with some unavoidable contemporary connections that I feel compelled to share.

Today's news is filled with mixed beliefs, reactions, decrees, and distress, especially regarding the validity or reliability of confirmed science. That struggle is real, becoming more widespread, and makes this new book even more compelling. In a sense, the remarkable account of events in this nonfiction picture book left me with even greater concern about those who today deny proven science based on the claims of others. They might find justification in this approach at overturning proven science, thinking that the contrarian claims will one day be proven to be true, The difference, though, is that disputes with current issues (cause/effect of various conditions, effectiveness and necessity for vaccines, and even the reality of accelerated climate change through human actions) are not discoveries or investigations, math or science realities that reveal new facts. Or even science-based theories. They are, as most grounded thinkers affirm, simply claims. Many have been fully debunked through standard science evaluation. Many may be shaped by the same issues Chandra's work faced-- jealousy, power, even potentially sinister self-serving. None of this is mentioned or even implied in the book, but  such things floated through my mind during and after reading. That title, revealing how SCIENCE can stand still, is chilling. To some degree, the disruption of proven science threatens to make past progress and stability stand still, or worse. I hope you'll read this new book, and also reflect on the intent and background of those who are actively undermining science for their own purposes.

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, Shruthi! 
Readers, watch for an interview with Shruthi in a post coming soon!

A Pair of Poets: Mary Oliver and William Carlos Williams Biographies

 Mary Oliver is among the most beloved of poets in America, and throughout the English-speaking world. 

Countless lines from Oliver's poems are recognizable, quotable, remembered without being actively memorized. 

Example:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?”

― Mary Oliver

BEACHLANE BOOK, 2025

Yes, THAT Mary Oliver is the subject of an appealing new picture book biography. WOODS & WORDS: The Story of Mary Oliver is written by Sara Holly Ackerman and illustrated by Naoko Stoop.  Her troubled early life is stated as fact without elaboration, providing an effective connection to many readers who will, on their own terms, imagine their troubles as hers and find her example offers paths to  solace. 

Mary escaped her pain in the woods, in the wild, from early on. Childhood patterns continued throughout her life- carrying a small notebook in a back pocket, stashing a bundle of pencils in small tree cavities along her regular paths. Always noticing, always identifying with and learning from the natural world.

The ensuing years as an adult reflect her ongoing bond with nature, with quiet, with reflection and observation. This is  a well-paced non-fiction account of her life, yet it offers readers of any age a roadmap to inner pursuits and validation, of taking ourselves to our own places of peace. 

The narrative provides specific details of her locations, of her natural observations, of her personal and professional pursuits. it also offers side text, strings of words related to the things she notices, the kinds of thoughts and words she inserted in her notebooks that later became building blocks for poems. Her writing, despite winning international awards, was not always seen as "good enough" by traditional editors. But Mary persisted, following her inner compass. She insisted that poetry and the natural world were necessary partners. She found fans who soon tucked her poems into pockets and squirreled away favorite lines. 

A brief author note provides added details of her life and awards, but the treasure in this book is the main text and illustrations. Natural tones, fluid statements, combining as naturally as ocean and beach, without artifice. Readers will not only learn information about Mary Oliver but will sense a kindred spirit in a poet whose life and words fit like a familiar glove. 

Schwartz & Wade, 2019

Another biography of a poet is a favorite picturebook of mine, although not a recent release. It sprang to mind as soon as I read WOODS & WORDS. 

16 WORDS: William Carlos Williams & "The Red Wheelbarrow" is written by Lisa Rogers and illustrated by Chuck Groenink. 

This award-winning book profiles William Carlos Williams, another poet who noticed the world. But his was the everyday world of his home and community that captured his vision, corralled his thoughts. Williams was the local doctor, serving a small community of people who were his neighbors in the best sense of the word. Through the window of his home0-based practice or during walks to and from home visits, details called to him. Things like the red wheelbarrow, the plums in a dish in the fridge, cats, trees, people. Williams chose his words as carefully as he chose prescriptions or treatments, making sure each was the perfect fit. Like Mary, he often scratched down words and ideas as they occurred, returning to them later to develop a poem of even a few lines, one that captured everything he had seen and felt in the moment. 

Both books use soft-edged illustration styles, in natural tones and media, with views from varied perspectives, any of which a reader might have similarly experienced. Each engages with brief narrative that is not so much poetic as it is lyrical and direct. Both made me want to go back to the bodies of work and reread, reconsider every poem, every line.

Both are books i highly recommend, as well as the works of the poets.

Dreams of Flying: An Uplifting Inspiration

 

DIAL BOOKS
FOR YOUNG READERS   2025

I expected to like this recent picture book, but waspleqasantly  surprised by how fast-paced, compelling, and inspiring it is. LET'S FLY: BARRINGTON IRVING'S RECORD-BREAKING FLIGHT AROUND THE WORLD is co-written by Barrington Irving and Chana Stiefel, with illustrations by Shamar Knight-Justice.

Their collaborative authorship provides young Barrington Irving to account for his remarkable achievements and pursuits with a distinct first person voice, but Steifel skilled experience with nonfiction picture book text allows pacing, phrasing, and layered themes to shine through. 
Barrington's account begins with a direct letter to readers, then leads them into his early years in Jamaica, his interests in cars, trucks, and the skies above. A move to Miami left him feeling like an outsider, but noticing that if coconut trees could force there way through concrete, anything is possible. He imagined and worked toward a way out through high school football. When a Black pilot, Captain Gary Robinson shopped at his family's bookstore, he asked Barrington a question that would change his  life: 

"Have you ever thought of becoming a pilot?"
The story unfolds with clarity and crisp pacing, including the ensuing sequence of taking instructions, setting seemingly impossible goals, reaching out to introduce young people to careers in airplane-connected ventures, winning world records, and developing/achieving even newer goals. 

Details within the account, as well as the vibrant, action-packed illustrations, put readers right in the seat at his side, provide a view of the skies, and reveal some squirmy concerns that balance the glamour and excitement with real challenges (dangerous weather, numbing cold temperatures, needing to use a pee bottle or simply "hold it" for hour after hour). The reality is that any records broken by him were immediately available for others to break- except one. He became the first Black man to fly around the world. No one will ever take that from him, although his "youngest" record has been broken several times by others.

He takes his opportunity to affect other young lives seriously, with a  liveliness and flair that has attracted thousands of youth to discover their own interests and inner drive. What an inspiring life, well-told.

JOSE FEEDS THE WORLD: A Story Worth Reading

 Some picture book biographies focus on well-known folks, as I wrote about years ago, HERE. Entire rows of library shelves are devoted to a few such historic figures. In many cases, though, biographies reveal to us those spectacular lives we had not previously heard about, as does the picture book I recently reviewed HERE.

Then there are individuals whose lives are contemporary and compelling, who continue to make history and change lives as I type these words and as you read them. JOSE ANDRES is one such individual, whose name might ring a bell. If not, this might:

WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN

Yes, THAT Jose Andres. Increasingly destructive natural disasters, global wars, and other desperate situations have kept this remarkable organization and the man who launched the WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN in the news. And WCK has kept people alive during the most devastating conditions. Such an altruist, such an innovator, such a generous man deserves at least one picture book. In this year alone there are TWO. A Plate of Hope is a fantastic account of this remarkable man and his work, which I reviewed HERE.

DUOPRESS: Imprint of SOURCE BOOKS, 2024

I'm impressed but not surprised that such a giant of a man, with such an expansive personality, would merit more than one biography for young readers. A second picture book on this man and his mission is titled JOSE FEEDS THE WORLD: How a Famous Chef Feeds Millions of People In Need Around the World. Written by David Unger and illustrated by Maria Alvarez Miguens, this account shares the origins of Jose's love of cooking and sharing food with those who need it. 

The illustrations are colorful and inviting, like the best foods. The book case front and back reveal a reverse of this circle story theme in Jose's life and choices. On the front we see a world famous chef, his initiatives and innovations providing shared-food experiences where they are most needed. The back cover reveals his beginnings, with his farther helping Jose tend the fire for the massive preparations of paella to serve at large home gatherings. It was at home, when his parents (both nurses) brought their caring ways into the home and kitchen, that Jose learned to cook. Jose soon decided his favorite place to be was his cocina- kitchen-- foreshadowing the title for his eventual global efforts. 

His earliest goals, to share delicious Spanish food with the world, earned success and awards as a master chef, changing appreciation for his food across backgrounds. This version of his life story emphasizes the globalization of his mission to share food: a local food pantry/soup kitchen, an impromptu effort with chef/friends to feed the hungry during the 2010 Haiti earthquake. There he learned that adapting available foods to local cultures made their efforts more successful as nourishment and as reassurance and comfort. 

That effort led to forming the non-profit WCK, organizing support to mobilize in emergencies, and exploring ways to combine warmth and comfort food with local survival resources, from apples to MRIs (meals-ready-to-eat  from the military). In each case, from flood to war zones, reservations to covid care, he and his team learned and innovated and adapted to become more effective, to reach more people, to lead others to help others. 

As it happens, his success in feeding stomachs also fed spirits, inspired resilience, and sparked innovation. Not unlike tending the fires under his papa's paella pan. This version of Jose's story underscores the global expansion of WCK and also serves to inspire readers to imagine  themselves in a serving future. He is a large physical presence at this stage of life, but the account of his personality and accomplishments let readers recognize in him the child in the kitchen who launched this journey to greatness

Whichever version you read, and I hope you'll read both, you'll feel the heartwarming truth of this man's life. Despite losing teams in war zones and the ever-increasing needs throughout the world, Jose Andres is living a life that models the real meaning of a successful life. May the bookshelves fill with more of his stories.

Meet FLORINE STETTHEIMER... Artist Ahead of Her Time

Holiday House/NEAL PORTER BOOKS
2024

One artist ahead of her time was Florine Stettheimer, but then many artists are ahead of their times. I found, though, that this particular artist, previously unknown to me (despite my effort to be reasonably informed about artists of the twentieth century), was fascinating. A PARTY FOR FLORINE: FLORINE STETTHEIMER AND ME is the creation of another artist, author/illustrator Yevgenia Nayberg. 

The illustration style and the first person narrator are both an homage to Stettheimer and a reflection  of Nayberg's own artistic style. 

A short note in back reveals that even though an  accomplished and acclaimed artist such as she is, Nayberg found that Florine was a new experience and one she welcomed. 

In the text, a young girl sees a face, an image very much like herself, in a self-portrait by Stettheimer. The girl and the subject in the self-portrait were both artists, and the young observer commits to learning more. That storyline reveals Stettheimer's life story as shared within the remaining narration. 

Florine's life was one of means, one of intellectual pursuits, one surrounded by other remarkable women and intellectual discussions. When women were bound into corsets and equally so by social expectations and even demands, Florine had the luxury of expressing herself freely. She did so in her clothing choices and activities. Her art is expressionist in that there is realism in many elements and colors, but proportion, angle, position, and subject matter all reflect an almost dreamlike quality to her work. 

When I explored Nayberg's body of work, I detected many parallels in style, color, and perspective between their styles. That, too, must have been a bit of a startling recognition to the picture book creator. I particularly enjoyed learning in the author note that this unexpected introduction came to the artist as an adult, but the the story is well-crafted around the emotional journey of a young girl observer, who compares Florine's liberated, self-affirming life to her own young misery on gray rainy days and with nothing "exciting" happening to her. The line was never written but several of the girl's expressions called to mind a refrain any parent will recognize... "I'm bored!"

In fact, though, this narrator comes to realize her own agency, her ability to see the world around her through whatever lens invites creativity and joy and delight. Stettheimer proactively rejected the directives in her expensive art instructions from prestigious institutions and opted to interpret a recto-linear world with curves and tilts and graceful exaggeration. This is evident in examples you can view online. This recognition by the girl of her  own power removes the oppressive rainy filters and ignites joy. 

As much as this might feel like an adult-centric biography, the young narrator's emotional journey makes it well-suited to young readers, too. In fact, very young "artists" often ignore efforts to reproduce what they "see" on a page in favor of colorful, movement-infused, joyful art. Perhaps Florine's seemingly sophisticated talent was really her openness to expressing the world without rules, as children so often do. 

I urge you to take a look at this lovely new offering to meet Florine for yourselves. Please note that front and back endpapers reproduce the four pieces from her CATHEDRAL OF NEW YORK series, one she was working on until a few weeks before her death. The contagious joy they reveal invite you to join her at the party that was her life.

LISTENING TO TREES: Art, Nature, and Purpose

I know, and I admit it...  I adore picture books. The ones I write about here I generally RAVE about. But I hope you've noticed, I also provide specifics about WHY any particular book is so wonderful. Aspects of any two (or twenty) picture books may be similar, but they are distinct to each title, as are the many variables that potentially earn my praise here. In fact, the very nature of picture book formats and range of topics and styles and illustration and text choices means that possible combinations of wonderful-ness are approaching infinity! 

That, my reader friends, is why I deal with such a limited number of picture book recommendations here, selected from among the enormous numbers of new titles released each year. I aim for the best of the best. I do offer analysis and patterns or elements that draw me to each offering, but that still means it is my opinion. Just trust me when I say that a rave about any book I profile here is utterly sincere. 

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 2024

If you've listened so far (or read along), I feel confident you will also be an avid fan of this new picture book biography. If that category itself makes you raise an eyebrow, wondering about how authentic a rave can be about a biography, I beg you to read on. LISTENING TO TREES: George Nakashima, Woodworker is written by Holly Thompson with pictures by Toshiki Nakamura. 

Stay with me now...

This is an elegant, simple but not simplistic blend of subtle illustrations, poetic lines that launch each double-spread, and lyrical informative text about a creative artisan of distinction. George Nakashima's life lovingly unfolds from his early Pacific Northwoods experiences, revealing his deep appreciation of natural and cultural influences and appeals, leading  to his growing skill and innovation in working with wood in original ways. 

His career choices included architecture, but he chose furniture making, which allowed him to work with unique materials and principles while controlling every aspect of a creation directly. His reputation rapidly grew and he received global acclaim.

The mid-section of his life story includes his family's imprisonment in Japanese internment camps during WWII, his use of his skills to make life there more livable using  random wood scraps, and his decision to accept a move to Pennsylvania- to farm! 

But the decisions he made after arriving did not involve farming. Instead he used the surrounding natural materials, including tree-falls and ways in which those materials inspired him to create works of art that  functioned not only as furniture but as foundations and inspirations for peaceful interactions.

Back matter includes an author note, photo and text examples of Nakashima working, segments about trees and their usable elements, photos of exemplary furniture he made, and more. 

The poetry on each gently-evocative  spread sets the tone for the developments explored on those pages. The entire production and design made me believe that this book would please its subject, as it pleased Nakashima's daughter, who offers an introductory note.

So, chime in and let me know if this appeals to you, too. Do you appreciate the beauty of nature? Do you recognize aesthetic cultural patterns that resonate with your eye and heart? Does poetry call you? Does a talented life inspire you to be more creative and productive?  Are subtle and evocative illustrations the kind you explore and bask in? Other elements of this work that call your name? Whatever your "hook", let this one lure you in and enjoy it fully, as I did.

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