Mushrooming with Confidence

A Guide to Collective Edible and Tasty Mushrooms by Alexander Schwab 4 stars A helpful beginner’s guide to foraging and identifying mushrooms. Schwab provides information on how to confidently identify a mushroom based on specific characteristics. Because of this, Schwab does not give information on lookalikes, focusing on positively identifying the mushroom in front of…

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History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics

by Kate Messner Illustrated by Falynn Kosch 5 stars An interesting and informative read centered around various diseases and plagues throughout human history. This is the first I’ve read in the History Smashers series and absolutely love the format. The book focuses on smashing various myths and misinformation surrounding disease, pandemics, and vaccines. The text…

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The Whale Who Swam Through Time: A 200-Year Journey in the Arctic

by Alex Boersma and Nick Pyenson Illustrated by Alex Boersma 5 stars A captivating journey that shows how one whale, and the world, can change over the course of 200 years. Boersma and Pyenson beautifully capture a portion of a bowhead whale’s life, from learning from her mother, avoiding whalers, and raising her own calves,…

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Celebrations Around the World by Katy Halford

4 stars A good place to start to learn about different holidays and how they are celebrated about the world. Each entry provides an overview of the holiday, often including the event’s origin, foods associated with it, and traditions and customs for celebrating. The book covers a variety of holidays and festivals, both cultural and…

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The Art of WolfWalkers

by Charles Solomon 4 stars A captivating, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Cartoon Saloon’s WolfWalkers. This book is stunning. Cartoon Saloon always sets the bar high for hand-drawn animation. Seeing still-images, sketches, inspiration artwork, and parts of the process was absolutely breathtaking. Solomon provides splendid insight including quotes from interviews with over 30 artists,…

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The Story of Friday Kahlo by Susan B. Katz

A Biography Book for New Readers Illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo 4 stars An excellent biography for young readers. A great place to start for those learning about Kahlo, famous artists, or anyone who enjoys reading about strong women throughout history. The book covers some of the major events in her life, such as her childhood…

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How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying

An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms by Frank Hyman 5 stars A fascinating read. Perfect for beginners. This is a book written for laypeople interested in mushroom foraging. Because of that, it focuses on the need-to-know information versus getting caught up too much in the science. This means there are some…

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Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom Throughout Your Library

by Kristin Pekoll 3 stars A nice overview of intellectual freedom considerations as they pertain to non-book items and happenings in libraries. The book provides examples and considerations regarding bans and critiques of displays and exhibits, artwork, programs and events, bookmarks and reading lists, social media, and databases. It also touches on the importance of…

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Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmermann

Illustrated by Jamie Green 5 stars Delightfully lyrical and beautifully illustrated, this captivating picture book takes the reader on a journey through the world of mushrooms. The book is simple but each page in a work of art. A perfect introduction for those fascinated by mushrooms. The text describes the look, scent, and behavior of…

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She Sang for India: How M.S. Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice for Change

by Suma Subramaniam, Illustrated by Shreya Gupta 5 stars A stunning picture book following the life of M.S. Subbulakshmi. Subbulakshmi loves to sing and wants to share her magnificent voice with others, but girls are barred from singing at public performances in India. That doesn’t stop her. With the support of her mother, she keeps…

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