I rarely come across a book that’s as appropriate for adults as it is for pre-readers. Young children will likely not understand the allegory here of the many species trying to make their way to safety. On their treacherous journey…
Author: petermarino
Peter is an English professor at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, New York where he teaches writing, speech, and the occasional literature class. He won the SUNY Chancellor's Award in 2006 for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity. His first young adult novel, Dough Boy, about a fat and self-conscious but very funny high school sophomore, was published by Holiday House in October 2005 and is now available in paperback. It was nominated for the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults in 2006. His latest young adult novel, also with Holiday House, is Magic and Misery, about a teenage girl trying to balance her life with her best gay friend and her new boyfriend. It has been nominated for the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults in 2009 and is on Booklist’s Top 10 Romance Fiction for Youth and was placed on the ALA Round Table Rainbow Books Bibliography.. He is finishing up three (yes three) new novels for young readers. Peter’s full-length play, The Grandma Show, co-authored with Tom Ecobelli, has had productions all over the country. His ten-minute play “Ralph Smith of Schenectady, New York...” has been produced in the 9th Annual New York City 15 Minute Play Festival, the Samuel French 2003 Short Play Festival, and SlamBoston! 2005. Another one-act, “The Good Samaritan,” won first place in SlamBoston! 2006.
Thank You, Farm: A Board Book
Thank You, Farm is an appreciative nod to the elements–sentient and otherwise–that make a farm work and therefore provide for humans. Colorful and playful images (by Jade Orlando) will have toddlers learning the basics of farming, and a little gratitude!…
A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use
Beaks rule! Hummingbirds have beaks that act like straws, drilling down into a flower deep enough for their tongues to connect with the nectar. Flamingos have beaks that act like strainers. Sandpipers in effect have a pair of scissors on…
Earth-Shattering Events: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Cyclones, Tsunamis and other Natural Disasters
by Robin Jacobs, illustrated by Sophie Williams This book is a terrific resource. While it’s aimed at readers in grades 3 and 4, it’s equally meaningful for early, new, and experienced readers, and also old ones like me. At 96…
In My Anaana’s Amautik
by Nadia Sammurtok; illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko Outside of the womb, an amautik (“the pouch in the back of a woman’s parka where a baby can be carried,” according to the brief glossary) is the safest, most nurturing environment an…
Tanna’s Owl
by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley. Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang Instead of the standard plot of a child finding and nurturing a wounded animal, the protagonist of Tanna’s Owl is a bit annoyed and inconvenienced when her father brings…
I am Brown
I am Brown teaches a lesson without even trying, because it’s so entertaining. While the underlying message is that people of color are definable in every way that humans can be defined, the fun of reading this book is what…
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
This is my first experience with a Wonderbook. The obvious advantage to an attached recording of the text is that pre-readers can “read” the book by themselves. In this book by Traci Sorell, whose work has been reviewed on The…
Together Things
by Michelle Vasiliu This book explores how a child might perceive mental illness in one of her parents. A little girl (unnamed throughout) and her father do lots of “together things” that require going out doors and expending lots of…
Odd Dog Out by Rob Biddulph
This book has just about everything required for repeated readings to or by pre and early readers: rhyming narrative; colorful, geometric illustrations; and a playful plot that delivers a gentle message about individuality. For adults, there’s even a little dig…