June Reads Part 2

A Child's Anthology of Poetry edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword (juvenile nonfiction)

Includes classics like Field's Wynken, Blynken, and Nod and Frost's Dust of Snow. Also includes a few poems I don't see too often in anthologies like Jarrell's Bats and Kilmer's The House with Nobody in It. This is a unique anthology because there's something for every age group. It ranges from poems for the very young (Wynken, Blynken, and Nod) to very mature poems (Langston Hughes' Mother to Son).

The House that Jane Built by Tanya Lee Stone and illustrated by Kathryn Brown (easy biography)

What a fascinating story about an amazing lady. This is one of those books that makes me want to read more, not just about Jane Addams, but also about the Woman's Peace Party and her tenement houses. The story in this is wonderfully condensed for the audience it's trying to reach and such a tease for anyone wanting more information. I thought the blurb about her in the back was just as excellent as the book.

I Am Enough by Grace Byers and Keturah A. Bobo (picture book)

Simple, powerful, and beautiful message that who we are is who we're meant to be and that's enough. I Am Enough is also one of those books that begs to be read aloud.

I Want to Be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Jean Jullien (picture book)

The monster in this story is incredibly adorable and funny. I think this would be a great book for storytimes with two facilitators or one person with two distinct voices. The 'writer' and monster have some incredibly quick and hilarious back-and-forth banter.

The Creativity Project edited by Colby Sharp (juvenile nonfiction)

I LOVE this book. Each story/poem/comic/song etc. is a response beginning with a prompt.  Each prompt and response involves two different children's authors/illustrators (my favorites include Sherman Alexie, Minh Lê, and Chris Grabenstein, who wrote my favorite response). The last forty pages are prompts by each of the contributing authors, but it's up to the reader to write/draw their own responses. It's not only a great way to find new authors/illustrators if you're stuck in a rut or further relish your favorite author/illustrator's brilliance. It's also perfect for a writing workshop, because it's chock full of fun and exciting prompts.