Submitted by Sue from Leonardtown!
Minnow and Rose: An Oregon Trail Story written by Judy Young and Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. Rose, a young pioneer girl, was traveling across the western plains of the United States with her family in a wagon train in the mid 1800s on a path known as the Oregon Trail. It was a very long and tiresome journey, one without much adventure to break up the monotony of the tedious and dusty daily routine. Rose longs for something interesting to happen. Minnow, a little native girl, lives in one of the villages scattered across the plains. She is small, but spirited. She has earned the nickname Minnow because of her favorite activity–swimming in the nearby river. Minnow and Rose’s two different cultures come face to face when Minnow’s village helps the wagon train cross the rushing waters of the river, and Rose accidentally falls in. Curiosity and caution come together to forge an unusual friendship between the girls when a thrilling and scary circumstance happens.
History
B is for Blue Crab
B is for Blue Crab by Shirley C. Menendez, illustrated by Laura Stutzman, is a fun way to familiarize your child with the letters of the alphabet, as well as Maryland state symbols and landmarks. Each page has a letter, a short blurb for your child, and a larger, more informative blurb for you! You might be surprised by how much you can learn about the Old Line State. For instance, I was bemused to find that J is for Jousting the state sport of Maryland, and interested to discover T is for Tubman–Harriet Tubman that is, who was born in Dorchester county!
Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude
Finally the book we’ve all been waiting for! A biography of Gertrude Stein for children! Seriously, when I first saw Getrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Calef Brown, I wondered “Is this really necessary?” But I found it to be a wonderful, kid-friendly, and interesting story. Gertrude Stein is known for her poetry (which inspires the title and text of Gertrude), her friendship with many avant-garde modern artists such as Picasso and Hemingway, her long-time companionship with Alice B. Toklas (which is summed up gracefully with “Gertrude and Alice are Gertrude and Alice”) and her poodle, Basket!
Ron’s Big Mission
Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, and illustrated by Don Tate, is a truly inspirational story. Ron McNair loved to go the library and look through books about airplanes and space. But he couldn’t check them out and take them home, because he was black, and this story takes place in the south during the time of segregation. Only white people could have a library card, and Ron thought this was unfair. One day he had enough. In protest of the unfair rules, he climbed up on the library’s front desk and refused to come down. They called the police! They called his mom! Finally the librarian gives him a card and Ron takes his books home. And Ron grew up to be an astronaut! When he tragically died in the Challenger accident, they dedicated his childhood hometown library to his memory.
Tadpole Rex
Take a journey to prehistoric times with Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus. Meet Rex, a feisty tadpole, born in a swamp that forms in a Tyrannosaurus’s footprint. Watch him as he slowly transforms into a ferocious frog! Rex attacks duckbills and nearly trips a triceratops, releasing his fiercesome “Ribbet!” as he jumps through the air. This book is especially good for boys, but children in general tend to be fascinated by the transformation from tadpole to frog (or caterpillar to butterfly). It’s also full of fun sounds to make, like the “bloop” of bubbles in primordial goo, the “fleep” of Rex’s growing appendages, and of course, the “stomp” of his dinosaur neighbors. The book may even lead to a conversation about frogs, and how amazing it is that they have been on earth countless more years than we have!
A Taste of Colored Water
Matt Faulkner’s A Taste of Colored Water is an engaging story about an important issue. When Abbey Finch informs Jelly and LuLu that she saw a fountain of colored water in the big city, they decide they need to see it for themselves. It’s probably just one of Abbey’s crazy stories, but what if isn’t? Can you imagine a fountain of water all the colors of the rainbow? And probably the flavor of assorted fruits! So they decide to tag along the next time Uncle Jack has to drive to the city. But Jelly and Lulu live in the south during the civil rights movement. And the “colored” sign over their fountain of water, is just part of the unfair Jim Crow laws popular there at the time. It’s an unfortunate discovery for them to make. Being children, they wonder “what color does a person have to be to get a taste of colored water?”