She Persisted: Wangari Maathai

by Eucabeth Odhiambo Illustrated by Gillian Flint 5 stars Another fantastic She Persisted book. This one recounts the life and work of Wangari Maathai, an environmentalist and activist who founded the Green Belt Movement. The book describes Maathai’s life growing up in Kenya, her inspirations and influences, her continuing education, her work helping her community,…

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Don’t Throw It, Grow It!

68 Windowsill Plants from Kitchen Scraps by Deborah Peterson and Millicent Selsam 2 stars An okay read on how to grow your own plants from the items you buy at the grocery store. I’ll admit, I didn’t look at this too hard before getting into it, so I didn’t realize it mainly focuses on growing…

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Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”

by Zora Neale Hurston Edited by Deborah G. Plant Forward by Alice Walker 5 stars An incredible read. Barracoon not only tells Cudjo Lewis’ story in his own words, but also the story of how Hurston’s relationship with him grew and the history of the book’s publication. About half of the book comes directly from…

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

5 stars A fantastic autobiographical novel-in-verse that beautifully showcases Woodson’s voice. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, Woodson shares stories from her life living in Ohio, South Carolina, and New York. Woodson tackles so many themes in this book. From family upheaval to moving to a new place, experiencing death of family members to standing…

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The Ultimate Guide to Sea Glass

Finding, Collecting, Identifying, and Using the Ocean’s Most Beautiful Stones by Mary Beth Beuke 3 stars A nice resource for those already interested in sea glass and beachcombing who understand the basics. Would recommend to those who have already started a sea glass collection and are looking to learn more about what to look for…

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Sea Glass: Rare and Wonderful by C. S. Lambert

Photographs by Tina Lam 4 stars A fascinating exploration of C. S. Lambert’s collection of sea glass and beach pottery. Lambert shares a variety of interesting pieces and connects them to specific events and moments in history; various products, companies, logos, and mascots; and historic trends, traditions, aesthetics, and figures. Some types of sea glass…

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Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature’s Vanishing Gems

by Richard LaMotte Photography by Celia Pearson 4 stars A great resource for learning more about sea glass. Provides details about the origin, history, and prevalence of different colors and types of glass. Also provides details for identification of bottles, tableware, flat glass, marbles, insulators, and more. There is also a section that breaks down…

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She Persisted: Coretta Scott King

by Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by Gillian Flint 5 stars “I am an activist. I didn’t just emerge after Martin died-I was always there…” A wonderful read. The book goes beyond Coretta Scott King’s relationship and work with her husband and shows her own accomplishments. I loved learning more about her early life, her parents…

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Primates

The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani, Illustrated by Maris Wicks 2 stars I really wanted to love this book. The illustrations are great, often working in details that aren’t touched on in the text. I love the focus on women in science and their extraordinary passion. However,…

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