#neal porter books

[winningthesweepstakes]

Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp, illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández

Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp, illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández. Neal Porter Books, 2024. 9780823453924  Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book? Poetically written in Spanish with English translation, each member of a Latine family expresses the culture of musicality through playing a traditional…

[stephaniejoanneus]

Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil by Ana Crespo, illustrated by André Ceolin

Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil by Ana Crespo, illustrated by André Ceolin. Neal Porter Books, 2024. 9780823452293 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book? A little girl walking with her Mamãe explores the concept of saudade. When something pleasant reminds Mamãe of Brazil, she whispers, “Que saudade!” The girl finds…

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Maple and Rosemary by Alison James

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Publication Date: February 28, 2023

Synopsis:

A touching story about a sugar maple tree who finds a lifelong friend when a young girl comes to seek comfort in its branches. For the longest time, Maple was on her own, ignored by the cedars and the pines. All she wanted was a friend she could talk to. Then one day, Rosemary climbs into her branches, sad and searching for a friend of her own. Together they form a bond as real as roots. Through the seasons and across a lifetime, Maple and Rosemary tells a story of true friendship, one in which the experiences we share become a part of who we are. Alison James's spare, eloquent text is accompanied by luminous illustrations that capture the shifting seasons in all their glory, by Jennifer K. Mann, creator of the much-acclaimed picture book, The Camping Trip.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

Kiddo (9) and I loved this sweet story of the friendship between a girl and a tree. It reminds me of the Giving Tree only better - instead of a relationship where the boy takes and takes, Rosemary and Maple's friendship has both of them giving, both of them receiving the love they need to grow strong and to move past the loneliness they both share at the beginning of the book. The illustrations are whimsical and have a childlike charm. Kiddo said they looked a bit like crayon drawings and they do have that air about them. They also have a lot of character and show Rosemary's expressions really well. Kiddo listened rapt through the whole story (with only one interruption to ask anxiously if Rosemary would ever come back) and was very thoughtful after we finished. He is at the age where he is beginning to want friends and recognize loneliness, and the story seemed to resonate with him, as both Maple and Rosemary begin the story struggling with that. I love that it ends on a positive note. We never read the Giving Tree much, as it does not depict a healthy relationship and isn't really a happy story. Maple and Rosemary, in contrast, ends with Maple and Rosemary realizing they have become a part of one another and neither will ever be lonely again. It does a great job illustrating what true friendship is like and softens the bittersweet knowledge that Maple will outlive Rosemary, because Maple will always have memories of her. It would be a perfect read-aloud book for storytime and I am going to recommend it to my library as it is just the sort the children's librarian there likes to choose. *Thanks to Alison James and Neal Porter Books for providing an early copy for review.

[picturebookmakers]

Sydney Smith

In this post, Sydney talks about Do You Remember?, a contemplative and deeply moving picturebook, told from the perspective of a young boy who is moving home and is trying to understand his emotions. To be published by Neal Porter Books in October 2023.

Visit Sydney Smith’s website

Sydney: At this moment I am sitting on my doorstep waiting for a book to arrive in the mail. I am waiting for that complicated moment of holding something in my hand that is final and limited in its form. Something that had filled my days, months, and years and brought more struggle than I expected and uncovered more of myself than I was prepared to face. It started as a book about memory. I should’ve guessed I was in for a challenge.

I had experimented in past books with painting softly and playfully. Those images looked like how a memory might appear if we could project our mind on a screen and show others that time when we were young.

Memory is something that is inherently personal and private but universal. As a visual artist I could try to communicate that feeling and the look of a memory. I wanted to speak to readers about the nature of memory, but I soon found out that I was swimming the deep end without my water-wings. It is vast area of the human experience, and I was unsure about my ability to tell an interesting story and relate it to the theme to which I was committed.

Hindsight tells me I was going about this all backwards. Starting with the theme and trying to fit a story to that theme requires too much forcing and manipulation and often makes for an awkward and stilted flow. I was not alone on this journey, my Virgil was my editor, Neal Porter. He gave me the freedom to explore and with every draft we shared we went deeper into the weeds, all the while Neal asking the only real question worth asking, “What is it about?”

It was a book about remembering the past and making a memory of the present with someone you loved. But the characters, a mother and son, were sharing memories that were mine. They were real memories about living in the country, about picnics in the field, and riding my bike on the driveway then leaving all that behind and moving to the city. The two characters are in a bedroom on the first night in a new home in the city far from the farm. The book was working but I couldn’t even look at it. It felt deeply wrong. I was omitting a major element of the story, of my story. The part that made each memory worth recalling.

What actually happened was my parents divorced and my mother and I relocated far from our home in the country. Everything was uncertain and my world was turned upside down. My mother still calls it the Great Upheaval. I knew that if the story wasn’t true to our experience, I would be denying a part of my history even though it was painful to everyone involved. At the time of the divorce my role was to convince those around me who were in such pain that I was unaffected and stable. I understood that my sadness would make others sad. I felt like a custodian for the emotions and guilt that surrounded me. As the book evolved into a story of a broken family, I understood that my feelings of discomfort were there because I was pushing against the instinct that formed when I was that 8 year old. I was showing my sadness and it was ok. But that was not all. I was also answering the question my parents have silently asked for 36 years. It’s the same question I am asking now with children of my own. What will you remember? What will your memories of this time look like? Will you remember the upheaval, the darkness, the uncertainty?

The answer is that I remember love. Unconditional and ever present.

This book is for my mother, but she has not seen it yet. I am sitting on my doorstep, waiting for this book to arrive in the mail. With its 40 pages and a handful of words, it could never say it all but it says enough.

Illustrations © Sydney Smith.

Buy this picturebook

Do You Remember?

Sydney Smith

Neal Porter Books, United States, 2023

Can you hear the morning wind in the trees? Can you feel the snowflakes landing on your wrist? Can you taste the sweetness of the warm berries?

A boy describes the memories that are so meaningful to him as he is about to move into a new home. Sydney Smith takes us into the mind of the boy as he processes the complex emotions that he experiences as he contemplates his new surroundings.

[bloodmaarked]

☺︎ my year in books: 2024 RANKED! ☹︎

happy new year everyone! in 2024 i hit a personal record of finishing 84 books (surpassing my reading goal of 50!) and it is the first year i've kept a running ranking of every book i've read. to close out the year i wanted to reflect on my reading and share my ranking! all my books under the cut, with my original reviews linked, and my storygraph summary below (feel free to follow me!):

84. in every mirror she's black, lọlá ákínmádé-åkerström month read: december rating: 🌕🌑🌑🌑🌑 one-sentence review: bad writing, unearned trauma for its black women, and suggested the villain did what he did because of autism 🥴

83. black girls must die exhausted, jayne allen month read: may rating: 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 one-sentence review: the black girl who died exhausted was me reading this book.

82. saving time: discovering a life beyond the clock, jenny odell month read: march rating: 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 one-sentence review: amazing subject matter, badly executed, and i've forgotten what this book wanted to say.

81. and so i roar, abi daré month read: may rating: 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 one-sentence review: heartbreakingly disappointing given how amazing the first book was - read that instead!

80. the house of broken bricks, fiona williams month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 one-sentence review: forgettable.

79. where sleeping girls lie, faridah àbíké-íyímídé month read: january rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: not awful but this didn't have anything on ace of spades that's for sure.

78. the dos and donuts of love, adiba jaigirdar month read: january rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: cutesy and lighthearted, but juvenile and a little too surface level for the topics it wanted to discuss.

77. pageboy: a memoir month read: march rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: great insight into one person's experience with being transgender, but at the same time i didn't come away feeling i knew elliot page that much better.

76. the first woman, jennifer nansubuga makumbi month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: there's a very solid 20% of this book that makes me glad i read it, but the rest was utterly boring.

75. shanghailanders, juli min month read: april rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: tbh i fully forgot i read this, mid.

74. the human origins of beatrice porter & other essential ghosts, soraya palmer month read: march rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: has a name much cooler and more memorable than the book itself.

73. leave the world behind, rumaan alam month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: this book just makes me unreasonably angry and is a worse experience than watching the movie which was also quite bad.

72. land of milk and honey, c pam zhang month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: another book with a fantastic concept and terrible execution; r.f. kuang led me astray with this one 😭

71. the other black girl, zakiya dalila harris month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: did not give the psychological race thriller/workplace satire it said it would give (and also the show is WORSE)

70. in search of the perfect peach: why flavour holds the answer to fixing our food system, franco fubini month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 one-sentence review: pretty much just a misdirected, long-winded advertisement for the author's company.

69. sorrowland, rivers solomon month read: may rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: well-crafted horror scenes but aside from that it didn't do much for me, and i much preferred an unkindness of ghosts.

68. gleanings, neal shusterman month read: february rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: we didn't really need this addition to the original arc of a scythe trilogy tbh.

67. the list, yomi adegoke month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: i promise you the cover tells you all you need to know about what this book is like.

66. rootless, krystle zara appiah month read: march rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: the ending of this book pisses me off to this day 😭😭

65. the power, naomi alderman month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: an interesting speculative feminist premise but it needed tightening up a lot more; the end of men did it better (ranked higher this year!)

64. the muse, jessie burton month read: september rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: forgettable and not very exciting.

63. the last family in england, matt haig month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: the dog does die but the story wasn't emotionally engaging enough for me to care!

62. back to black: retelling black radicalism for the 21st century, kehinde andrews month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: an interesting exploration of black radicalism, but maybe this was too much for me as a beginner?

61. four eids and a funeral, faridah àbíké-íyímídé + adiba jaigirdar month read: april rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: lighthearted friends-to-enemies-to-lovers between two muslim characters, which i loved, but i hoped for a bit more.

60. the taking of jake livingston, ryan douglass month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: some really cool, atmospheric horror, but jake was too bland to be the main character!

59. circe, madeline miller month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 one-sentence review: i don't think i saw what you all did; i don't think circe was an interesting enough character to base a full-length novel on!

58. she's in CTRL: how women can take back tech, anne-marie imafidon month read: may rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: honestly a very solid book if you're looking to make your own way in the tech space/become more tech savvy!

57. flux, jinwoo chong month read: february rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: as stylish and cool as its cover, but needed a little more focus overall.

56. the kinder poison, natalie mae month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: absolutely on the more unique and refreshing side of ya fiction; i'm just a bit burned out from the genre.

55. minor detail, adania shibli month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: a very insightful read about the Palestinian conflict, packing a punch in just over 100 pages.

54. the memoirs of sherlock holmes, arthur conan doyle month read: may rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: not a bad addition to the series, but mixed in quality as short story collections tend to be.

53. brown girls, daphne palasi andreades month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: i loved certain aspects, but it speaks to a new york-centric experience that i couldn't quite relate to.

52. dracula, bram stoker month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: you know authors from back in the day liked to yap, but when this book is at its best, it's thrilling!

51. what you are looking for is in the library, michiko aoyama month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: really cosy and comforting; i think i will enjoy this more on reread away from all the hype.

50. the sellout, paul beatty month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: the outrageousness of this book was more than i bargained for, i wasn't prepared!

49. the vanishing half, brit bennett month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: honestly very good; stella, who is mixed and chooses to pass as white, had a particularly great storyline.

48. family lore, elizabeth acevedo month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: my least favourite of elizabeth acevedo's works, but i loved the exploration of female family dynamics.

47. the empress of salt and fortune, nghi vo month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: i enjoyed escaping into this mystical world, which was very immersive in such a short space of time!

46. you and me on vacation, emily henry month read: september rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: i'm not 100% sold on emily henry, and highkey i wish these characters had stayed friends 😭

45. autumn chills, agatha christie month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: a fun and intriguing seasonal collection of short stories, and i already have the winter one lined up!

44. lord of the flies, william golding month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: very engaging from a psychological perspective, but needed to lean into the thrill of the situation a little more!

43. solomon time: adventures in the south pacific, will randall month read: september rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: a humorous yet insightful look into life on the solomon islands; i had a fun time.

42. when we were birds, ayanna lloyd banwo month read: february rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 one-sentence review: unexpectedly good; this was a pleasant surprise and very thought-provoking.

41. enola holmes and the elegant escapade, nancy springer month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: not the best entry into the series, but this perked me up in the middle of a reading slump!

40. enola holmes and the black barouche, nancy springer month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: there's not much to say other than i love enola and this series and i will always enjoy spending a day or two with her.

39. the toll, neal shusterman month read: january rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: arc of a scythe was a really good series, and the toll was a satisfying and fitting conclusion.

38. the woman in me, britney spears month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: love britney, can't support justin after this (i still stream justified on the dl though 🤫)

37. the meaning of mariah carey, mariah carey month read: april rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: i still don't listen to her music, but this book endeared me towards mariah so much 🥺

36. this is my brain in love, i.w. gregorio month read: may rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: while not all the writing landed, this was a mostly wholesome and sweet tale of two teens grappling with their mental health.

35. the cloisters, katy hays month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: i really enjoyed my time spent at the cloisters for this highly atmospheric, dark academic, slow-burn mystery.

34. excuse me while i ugly cry, joya goffney month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: a very sweet tale of growth and self-discovery; but not as good as one of her other books which is ranked a bit higher!

33. loud black girls, yomi adegoke + elizabeth uviebinené month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: packed with powerful essays from self-proclaimed loud black girls!

32. kim jiyoung, born 1982, cho nam-joo month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: a very moving exploration of what it’s like to be a woman in a world designed to stop you from flourishing

31. the lightning thief, rick riordan month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: so fun and the perfect nostalgia hit!

30. the murder at the vicarage, agatha christie month read: march rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: my first introduction to the world of agatha christie which made me understand why she's the queen of crime!

29. a song of wraiths and ruin, roseanne a. brown month read: february rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: a fantastical journey based on african mythology; not overly unique but one of the better entries into the genre.

28. as long as the lemon trees grow, zoulfa katouh month read: september rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: don't be fooled by the romance aspect; this is a very tender and honest look into life lived during the syrian civil war.

27. disorientation, elaine hsieh chou month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: so fun, like a more sarcastic version of yellowface while the mc descends into madness!

26. the space between here & now, sarah suk month read: february rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: speaks to the reality of living with a chronic condition in a heartwarming and comforting time-travel story.

25. adult children of emotionally immature parents, lindsay c. gibson month read: november rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 one-sentence review: if you need this book, you'll know, and if you do, it's a very enlightening and helpful guide.

24. a psalm of storms and silence, roseanne a. brown month read: march rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: great character growth, an all-round improvement on book 1!

23. the gifts, liz hyder month read: april rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: one of this year's unexpected gems. a dark, atmospheric, feminist historical fantasy!

22. empireland: how imperialism has shaped modern britain, sathnam sanghera month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: a great, nuanced analysis of the British empire and how that has impacted and translated into the Britain we live in today.

21. the body in the library, agatha christie month read: september rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: a bigger, better than the murder at the vicarage and i love the humour in the writing!

20. before the coffee gets cold, toshikazu kawaguchi month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: warm, sweet and fulfilling like starting your day with the perfect cup of coffee.

19. my friends, hisham matar month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: gorgeously, gorgeously written, and a rare story that kept me thinking after i turned the last page.

18. the hound of the baskervilles, arthur conan doyle month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: a quintessential sherlock holmes mystery and by far my favourite of the series so far!

17. water moon, samantha sotto yambao month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: an unexpected gem, so cozy and whimsical and thoughtful - and it comes out later this month!

16. the moon represents my heart, pim wangtechawat month read: january rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: a gorgeous story with beautiful poetic prose, and moving themes of love, grief, family, and the importance of living in the here and now.

15. she would be king, wayétu moore month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: a beautifully and creatively told fantastical retelling of the founding of liberia; engaging and informative.

14. the end of men, christina sweeney-baird month read: may rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: eerily reminiscent of the COVID pandemic, a thought-provoking, moving, humorous imagining of a world without men.

13: just sayin': my life in words, malorie blackman month read: january rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: malorie blackman is just a queen, her autobiography was deeply personal and inspiring for me.

12: confessions of an alleged good girl, joya goffney month read: january rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: written with so much heart and explores important topics of sex positivity; i wish i'd had this book in my teens!

11. the thursday murder club, richard osman month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: silly, cosy, heartwarming, bundles of fun; a great kickoff to a series of which i've thoroughly enjoyed every instalment so far.

10. the man who died twice, richard osman month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: joyous, and still an improvement on the first book!

9. for your own good, samantha downing month read: december rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: just a ton of fun, a punchy thriller that hooked me from start to finish.

8. pachinko, min jin lee month read: october rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: just fantastic - no words. please read this.

7. crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky month read: august rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 one-sentence review: yes it's a long-winded russian classic but they don't call it a classic for a reason!!

6. quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking, susan cain month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 one-sentence review: thank you to this book for reminding me there is value in my introversion.

5. an african history of africa: from the dawn of humanity to independence, zeinab badawi month read: september rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 one-sentence review: a wealth of african history told by african voices; i learned an incredible amount.

4. such a fun age, kiley reid [reread] month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 one-sentence review: insidious, twisted, wild, messy, hilarious - loved it!

3. the bullet that missed, richard osman month read: july rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 one-sentence review: by this point in the series i was having so much fun that i ran out of reasons to keep giving the books 4.5*.

2. the girl with the louding voice, abi daré [reread] month read: april rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 one-sentence review: incredibly moving and a truly underrated book; i wish more people would read this!

1. babel, or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translators' revolution, r.f. kuang [reread] month read: june rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 one-sentence review: this will forever be my favourite book, my favourite.

[libraryofcolours]

What worked and/or what didn't: There is a dreamlike quality to the illustrations. There is a surrealness to them that feels like they are being shown through a haze of time and remembrance. The warped perspective on each page has buildings, landscapes, and people curved and bubbled in a way that cannot be real, but perhaps remembered from a dream.

The tone of this picture book is hopeful, dreamlike, and reminiscent. This is conveyed in both the prose and the pictures. It feels like walking from a dream and trying to tell it to someone as parts fade and others become more clear.

The pacing of this story works very well with the otherworldly quality this book emulates. Each page adds to the story and moves the narrative forward months or years at a time. The passage of time is clear with the small child growing from a baby to a toddler by the end. 

Why I read it: Looking at a list of Pura Belpré Award winners, the cover of this book really drew me in and I liked the use of colors. Once we started reading it, the colors and bubbled nature of the pictures kept Bruno's attention. I enjoyed the conciseness of the story and how even though it ended it left a hopeful feeling. 

How I enjoyed it: I read this as an ebook that I borrowed through Libby. Digital format is my preferred way to read.

Category Chosen: Pura Belpré Award

Citation: Morales, Y. (2018). Dreamers. First edition. New York, Neal Porter Books/Holiday House.

[ulkaralakbarova]

A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, in order to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Jerry Fletcher: Mel Gibson Alice Sutton: Julia Roberts Dr. Jonas: Patrick Stewart Agent Lowry: Cylk Cozart Mr. Wilson: Steve Kahan Flip: Terry Alexander Cynic: Alex McArthur Justice Guard: Rod McLachlan Justice Guard: Michael Potts Justice Guard: Jim Sterling Public Works Man: Rich Hebert Clarke: Brian J. Williams Piper: G. A. Aguilar Henry Finch’s Secretary: Cece Neber Labao Alice’s Secretary: Saxon Trainor Grouchy Nurse: Sage Allen Nurse – Roosevelt Hospital: Joanna Sanchez Cop – Roosevelt Hospital: Michael Shamus Wiles Lawyer: Andrew Lauren Tech: Danny Smith Surveillance Operator: Sean Patrick Thomas Helicopter Pilot: Al Cerullo Cleet: Dean Winters Night Security – Federal Building: Rick Hoffman Surveillance Operator: Peter Jacobson Intern: Troy Garity Alice’s Father: Bert Remsen Jonas’ Aide: J. Mills Goodloe Old Man in Book Store: Leonard Jackson Film Crew: Director of Photography: John Schwartzman First Assistant Director: Jim Van Wyck Original Music Composer: Carter Burwell Producer: Joel Silver Editor: Kevin Stitt Producer: Richard Donner Casting: Marion Dougherty Assistant Editor: Kris Cole Associate Producer: Julie Durk Writer: Brian Helgeland Co-Producer: Richard Solomon Art Direction: Gregory Bolton Editor: Frank J. Urioste Co-Producer: Dan Cracchiolo Co-Producer: J. Mills Goodloe Post Production Supervisor: Ilyse A. Reutlinger Unit Production Manager: Helen Pollak Unit Production Manager: Nan Bernstein Freed Second Assistant Director: John G. Scotti Set Decoration: Casey Hallenbeck Set Designer: Lauren Cory Set Designer: Joseph G. Pacelli Jr. Set Designer: Thomas Betts Leadman: Steven Curtis Husch Still Photographer: Andrew Cooper Video Assist Operator: Martin Glover Underwater Director of Photography: Pete Romano Second Second Assistant Director: Sean McCarron Unit Publicist: Stephanie Pond-Smith Script Supervisor: Sioux Richards Key Grip: Les T. Tomita Best Boy Grip: Audie Aragon Dolly Grip: Brad Rea Location Manager: Robbie Goldstein Location Manager: David E. Kaufman Negative Cutter: Mo Henry Color Timer: David Orr “A” Camera Operator: Mitchell Amundsen Steadicam Operator: Neal Norton First Assistant Camera: Christopher Duskin First Assistant Camera: A. Anthony Cappello Second Assistant Camera: Thomas D. Lairson Jr. Second Assistant Camera: Charles B. Katz Camera Loader: Jacobus Marcus Supervising Sound Editor: Mark A. Mangini Supervising Sound Editor: George Simpson Sound Editor: Richard L. Anderson Sound Editor: Mike Chock Sound Editor: John Dunn Sound Editor: Julia Evershade Sound Editor: Eric Lindemann Sound Editor: Geoffrey G. Rubay Assistant Sound Editor: Oscar Mitt Assistant Sound Editor: Sonny Pettijohn Music Editor: Adam Milo Smalley Scoring Mixer: Michael Farrow Orchestrator: Sonny Kompanek Supervising ADR Editor: James Simcik ADR Editor: William C. Carruth ADR Editor: Denise Horta ADR Mixer: Troy Porter Sound Re-Recording Mixer: John T. Reitz Sound Re-Recording Mixer: David E. Campbell Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gregg Rudloff Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Jeffrey J. Haboush Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Kevin E. Carpenter Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Dan Hiland Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gary D. Rogers Foley Editor: Solange S. Schwalbe Foley Editor: Aaron Glascock Production Sound Mixer: Tim Cooney Boom Operator: Todd Bassman Chief Lighting Technician: Andy Ryan Assistant Chief Lighting Technician: Brian Evans Assistant Costume Designer: Christopher J. Kristoff Costume Design: Ha Nguyen Production Design: Paul Sylbert Costume Supervisor: Kimberly Guenther Durkin Makeup Supervisor: Lee Harman Makeup Artist: Richard Dean Makeup Artist: Mel Berns Jr. Key Hair Stylist: Stephen Robinette Hairstylist: Lyndell Quiyou Hairstylist: Monique DeSart Property Master: Erik L. Nelson Assistant Property Master: Christopher Amy Special Effects Coordinator: Michael Meinardus Stunts: S...

[cloverdalebooks]

Watercress

Written by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin 

Print book

Published March 30, 2021 by Neal Porter Books

Awards: Randolph Caldecott Medal (2022), Newbery Honor (2022), Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (Picture Book, 2021-2022) 

Dimensions: 11.5 x 9 inches, 32 pages long 

Age range according to publisher: 6-9 years. I agree. While this is a picture book, some of the emotional material might be too heavy for younger children. 

After being required to help forage watercress from a roadside ditch, the daughter of Chinese immigrants is angry and embarrassed by the way her family’s differences make them stand out in small-town Ohio.

When the watercress is served at dinner that evening, the daughter initially refuses to eat it, prompting her mother to share how foraging to survive famine in China shaped their family history. 

Watercress is semi-autobiographical and the author’s note states that this story is about the power of memory. The text and illustrations indeed unite to provide the effect of a childhood memory. The illustrations are done in soft watercolors that lend a warm, memory-like quality to each scene. Definition and details are lightly rendered, so the landscape and background look gently textured. The poetic text fills in specific sensory and emotional details such as a rusty scissors, a wet shirt, and the flavor of watercress. The details in the text contrast with the softly-toned art, as if to express how some long-ago memories are more of an atmosphere with some specific details rising to the surface. 

This book could be a great selection for someone seeking materials on immigrant narratives, family history, and/or Chinese-American representation. 

Watercress is quite emotional and would also be good for readers seeking books that are more serious in nature. Its characters experience shame/embarrassment, family conflict, homesickness, famine, loss of a sibling, and wanting to belong. The famine and loss of a sibling might cause tears at bedtime if this is read in the evening, so caregivers should use their judgment.

Overall, Watercress stands out as a book that is layered, unique, and emotionally resonant.

[literaticat]

Are there imprints you've never had a book with that you'd like to have a book with?

Over like, 15 years and 600+ books, I pretty much have something with almost every publisher/imprint. So... I dunno. Maybe Neal Porter Books? That's the only one I can think of off the dome!

[winningthesweepstakes]

City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron

City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron. Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. 9780823453184 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover What did you like about the book? Ants. Always amazing! Leaf cutter Ants live in Central and South America, as many as 8 million in one nest!  They form a society, each with a specific job; some…

[stephaniejoanneus]

Gifts from Georgia's Garden: How Georgia O'Keefe Nourished Her Art by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’Keefe Nourished Her Art by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper. Neal Porter Books, 2024. 9780823452668 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover picture books Genre: Biography What did you like about the book? This insightful look at the artist Georgia O’Keefe shows how she gained inspiration from the plants…

[readleafbooks2022]

【素敵な洋書絵本の紹介】 ある農場の夜。 納屋に、ラバとウシとウマがいました。彼らは日が昇るのを待っていました。納屋の中は静かです。風が吹くと屋根の風見鶏がキュキュキュと鳴きます。 「夜が明けるのがおそいね」ラバとが言います。 「ご主人もね」牛が言います。 「フクロウに聞いてみようか。何をしたらいいのか」ウマが言います。 そうして三頭は厩舎のフクロウに聞きに行きました。夜が明けるのが遅いから、どうしたらいいのかと。 農場の小さな世界で暮らす動物たち。 彼らが見ている世界はそれほど大きくはないけれど、でもとても大切なこと場所。 静かな農場の夜を描いた絵本です。 Philip C.Stead & Erin E.Steadの描く絵本はどれも優しさを感じますよね。 The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer Contributor(s): Stead, Philip C (Author) , Stead, Erin E (Illustrator) EAN: 9780823444281 Publisher: Neal Porter Books Binding: Hardcover Pub Date: November 29, 2022 Physical Info: 1.09 cms H x 22.58 cms L x 24.43 cms W (0.37 kgs) 32 pages Annotation: "On a peculiarly long night, three farm animals set out on a daring quest to bring the sunrise"-- #erinestead #philipcstead #readleafbooks #art #picturebooks #本 #本棚 #絵本 #児童書 #絵本屋 #洋書絵本 #絵本が好き #絵本が好きな人と繋がりたい #芸術 #英語 #イラスト 　　 @readleafbooks Webショップで紹介中。プロフィールからぜひどうぞ！ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-A_GePgQv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[roesolo]

Books About Kindness

Books About Kindness @HolidayHouseBks

We’re heading toward the holidays, which means my library system is gearing up for their annual “It’s Time for Kind” campaign, where we encourage our communities to show kindness to one another. This year, it means a LOT. I won’t get on too much of a soapbox here, but I will say that I live in a state where people are arriving scared and alone, and need kindness more than ever. These books have…

[roseunspindle]

Feb TBR

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29100207-welcome-to-night-vale

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48166780-voices-in-the-snow

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246255.The_Middle_Ages

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40859678-gridlinked?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=HHoVhbY5It&rank=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34314712-the-fifth-season?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=olTT2t5zGL&rank=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6364718-john-dies-at-the-end

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220892-vassa-in-the-night?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fbA7LlISPz&rank=1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6487308-fallen?from_search=true&qid=PUmE6zgmYa&rank=1

[blackchildrensbooksandauthors]

Happy Birthday, Jimi Hendrix

📖Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix

Charles R. Smith Jr.

Edel Rodriguez

Neal Porter Books (2021)

[thelogbook]

Animated robot workings sketch.

The UK edition of ‘The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess' will be out in 7 days from Templar Books!

The US edition from Neal Porter books / Holiday House is out now!

Get it from your local bookshop or visit tomgauld.com/childrens-books