Book Reviews!

Bringing Heart and Mind into Storytime by Heather McNeil (Adult Nonfiction)

I’m not sure I’ve ever used songs for a storytime from a book that I’m not even done with, but that’s what I did while reading this. I couldn’t wait! I loved a couple songs from this book SO much, I found myself singing them pretty much nonstop. I instantly connected with Heather McNeil’s storytime style. While my storytimes are slightly different, and I’ve never been able to have serious conversations with a puppet, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate social-emotional learning (SEL) into my storytimes. Heather McNeil goes above and beyond delivering all kinds of exciting plans, songs, books, and ideas relating to social-emotional learning. This is a book you will highlight, cover with sticky notes, and carry with you so it’s ready to read any time you’ve got a spare moment.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (Adult Nonfiction)

I enjoyed this in both book and audiobook format. Both are excellent! Though the early stories are just as charming and hilarious as the rest of the book, I thought this was one of those books that gets better and better as you go. I read it slowly until about halfway through, and then I couldn’t put it down. Herriot’s attention to detail is outstanding and incredibly immersive. The passion he has for Yorkshire, his job, and his life is deeply evident, whether he’s describing the remote and beautiful Yorkshire landscape or the vibrant characters, both animal and human. He not only looks at everything with the perspective of a writer, he also has a wonderful sense of humor and timing. Though his exasperation is evident during his humorous trials with both the Yorkshire people and animals, he sees the value of the humor, even when it’s at his expense. I don’t read many books that are this long, so I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical when I began listening to this hefty book. But there is nothing but treasure here. The pages will slip by too fast.

Stirring the Mud by Barbara Hurd (Adult Nonfiction)

A quote from this book: 

"The mud of the swamp reminds me of what I daily forget: something is always stirring, nuzzling, and trying to lick us into shape. We are more malleable than we know, more flexible and lithe, still 90 percent water, still pliant enough to be stirred, congealed into something we can only guess at. This notion of our concrete selves-I, you, they-as beings within our rigid armor, it’s all clumsy, a brittle scaffolding.”

How to Write a Poem by Kwame Alexander & Deanna Nikaido and illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Nonfiction Picture Book)

The first thing you see when you open this book is a wonderful snippet of a Nikki Giovanni poem. I thought, how is it going to get better than that? Giovanni's poem is either the wheel or connector or both, but it propels this book into a beautiful exploration of writing poetry. The journey is all sorts of profound, and at times I fell off the bicycle and had to go back a few pages to rediscover the connection. I'm glad I read this straight through, but it was an entirely different journey to write the words out like a poem on one page. Try it! But also return to the book too. You won't be able to read it just once. Your mind will be chirring like the wheels of a bicycle as you ride these pages and their beautiful illustrations again and again. 

Beneath by Roland Smith (Juvenile Fiction)

Beneath is an intense adventure story for kids looking for a thriller they won’t be able to put down. I highly urge you to make sure you have the second book ready to read after you finish this, because there is absolutely no resolution at the end! Though it’s only a two-book series, I think that’s about all my heart can take. I really connected with the main character, Pat. Just like Pat, I had an older brother I idolized, and he was a charmer just like Pat’s brother, Coop. But Coop is his own character. He’s eccentric with interesting habits and an unstoppable desire to dig holes and disappear into tunnels. When Coop disappears in New York City, Pat sets out to find him. This begins a dangerous journey beneath New York City, and both brothers have to fight to survive if they ever want to make it to the surface alive.