Books As Presents All Year Long
By Selene Vasquez
PICTURE BOOK: AGES 8 THRU 10
The Stars Will Still Shine
by Cynthia Rylant.
Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke.
(Harper Collins, 32 pp., $15.99).
A gentle rhyming celebration of cyclical wonders of the natural world and the good things in life awaiting around the corner. A comforting bedtime story.
POETRY: AGES 5 THRU 8
School yard Rhymes: Kid’s On Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing and Just Plain Fun
by Judy Sierra. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
(Knopf, 32 pp., $15.95).
“Tarzan, Tarzan, through the air,/ Tarzan lost his underwear.” An anthology of the funniest and most memorable school yard rhymes to compel bouncy youngsters towards memorization. Animated watercolor and collage illustrations accompany these irresistible zany verses.
BIOGRAPHY: AGES 8 THRU 10
The Bus Ride That Changed History:
The Story of Rosa Parks
by Pamela Edwards. Illustrated by Danny Shanahan.
(CIP, 32 pp., $16.00).
A timely tribute to the bravery of this singular woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery over fifty years ago. With pen and ink and watercolor artwork, this historical account of the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement is an excellent read aloud.
Saint Francis And The Wolf
by Richard Egielski.
(Harper Collins, 32 pp., $15.99).
Knights, armies and even an ominous “war machine” have failed to dissuade a wolf from terrorizing an Italian town. St. Francis finds a workable compromise by speaking the wolf’s language.#
Selene Vasquez is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School in Hollywood, FL. She is formerly a children’s librarian for the NY Public Library.
