If You Wish
by Kate Westerlund, illustrated by Robert Ingpen
(Independent Pub Group, 2014)
Publisher Summary A strange man and a flying horse teach Willow that when she re-reads a book her imagination can show her brand new stories…This marvelous fantasy, illustrated by the internationally acclaimed Robert Ingpen, will have children re-reading their favorite stories and daring to travel inside the pictures as they discover that books are for more than just reading.
Make Way for Books “You can read a book more than once, you know. You might even find a book inside the book…When you read a book again and let your imagination take over, it can take you to new stories, so it’s like a book inside the book!”
Thus begins a celebration of the power of imagination. This book unfolds as a dream might unfold for a child picturing a scene from a story and then imagining, “what if?” It leads to beautiful places, offers unusual perspectives of usual things, and challenges ordinary thinking to become extraordinary. Rich, dreamlike illustrations capture the glorious adventure this girl discovers by daring to think beyond the pages of her books. For every reader who needs inspiration.
Storyteller
by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House, 2011)
Publisher Summary Elizabeth is drawn into a dramatic story from the American Revolution when she discovers a portrait of her ancestor, a girl called Zee, who has a striking resemblance to Elizabeth. The girls’ lives intertwine and Elizabeth’s present-day story alternates with Zee’s. As Elizabeth learns about Zee, and walks where Zee once walked and battles raged, the past becomes as vivid and real as the present.
Make Way for Books Patricia Reilly Giff creates a gentle and beautiful story of finding one’s way and place in the world. Two stories, one set during the early days of the America Revolution and the other set in the present, interweave and leave the reader aware and appreciative of the gifts of individuality each person possesses. A well-crafted, affecting reading experience!
Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Random House, 2013)
Publisher Summary As a child in the late 1800s, Horace Pippin loved to draw: He loved the feel of the charcoal as it slid across the floor. He loved looking at something in the room and making it come alive again in front of him. He drew pictures for his sisters, his classmates, his co-workers. Even during World War I, Horace filled his notebooks with drawings from the trenches . . . until he was shot. Upon his return home, Horace couldn’t lift his right arm, and couldn’t make any art. Slowly, with lots of practice, he regained use of his arm, until once again, he was able to paint–and paint, and paint! Soon, people—including the famous painter N. C. Wyeth—started noticing Horace’s art, and before long, his paintings were displayed in galleries and museums across the country. Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet team up once again to share this inspiring biography of a self-taught painter from humble beginnings who despite many obstacles, was ultimately able to do what he loved, and be recognized for who he was: an artist.
Make Way for Books In an unusual move within book publishing, this author/illustrator team researched Horace Pippin together. The result is a remarkably tight text-illustration experience. While Bryant’s careful word choice flows easily, delighting and informing simultaneously, Sweet’s illustration conveys Pippin’s life story via his folk-art style, as if we readers are privy to his sketching pad. Sweet prominently hand-writes Pippin’s sayings, and illustrates close-up all that is important for Pippin to create his art, deepening the reader experience. This is an inspiring story of a talented individual who bore his responsibility to family and country well, and eventually, to his artistic gift.
Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II
by Martin W. Sandler (Walker & Co., 2013)
Publisher Summary While Americans fought for freedom and democracy abroad, fear and suspicion towards Japanese Americans swept the country after Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Culling information from extensive, previously unpublished interviews and oral histories with Japanese American survivors of internment camps, Martin W. Sandler gives an in-depth account of their lives before, during their imprisonment, and after their release. Bringing readers inside life in the internment camps and explaining how a country that is built on the ideals of freedom for all could have such a dark mark on its history, this in-depth look at a troubling period of American history sheds light on the prejudices in today’s world and provides the historical context we need to prevent similar abuses of power.
Make Way for Books Sandler presents a remarkable account of the events leading up to, during, and following the internment of Japanese Americans. Punctuated with photographs, the exemplary nonfiction writing provides much more than a history lesson; it delivers a moving and memorable reading experience.