“At home, my confidence shows, / at home, my bravery glows.” But when the young narrator is out and about, everything changes. Interacting with other kids at the park is “a big task.” “I try to play, I try to shout, / but my brave voice just won’t come out!” Though the protagonist looks forward …
Two big-eared rodents—Pépin, who wears a blue bow tie, and Cosette, who sports a pink flower—accompany Grand-mère to the museum, where they gaze at Hawkins’ cartoonish interpretations (or MousterWorks) of well-known paintings by Edward Bannister, Johannes Vermeer, Claude Monet, and others. The enthralled Cosette eagerly engages with the art, imagining the scents and sounds the …
Early on in his memoir, Capehart, best known as a commentator for MSNBC and as an editorial writer for the Washington Post, writes of being known among his Southern cousins as “Mr. Peabody,” the bookishly bespectacled cartoon dog. “And I was a little ‘funny,’” he adds. “That was the gentler f-bomb used for someone believed …
“The buildings of the Sea are made of time,” Lina’s father, Wui Shin, says. “I knew that he was pulling my leg and also that he was being truthful,” she tells readers from a vantage point 50 years on. Time is mutable in Thien’s adventurous fourth novel: Helpful neighbors Bento, Blucher, and Jupiter have names …
Black-capped chickadee Twig, like others in his village, is taken by surprise when the Fortress Crows attack. During their rampage, they seem to specifically target Twig, who narrowly evades their clutches. Unexpectedly, it’s another crow (who goes by “Scarecrow” and is not currently associated with the marauders) who provides refuge. He hides away with Twig …
Kimberly Valva is the world’s most unlikely hired killer. Self-employed graphic designers who make ends meet by serving guests at country clubs and praying to put away enough money for the surgery that would save their ailing goldendoodles’ lives don’t fit the profile. But Kim’s unlikely credentials, combined with her need for quick cash, may …
In 1699, Dushuuw is a battle-hardened warrior in Wuh-uhch, where his father, Chahbuhť̓, is a powerful and revered whaling chief. At 19, he’s the youngestson in his family and grows up in the shadow of his 22-year-old brother, Q̓otsik, who’s established himself as a prodigious whaler who’s likely to succeed Chahbuhť̓ one day. Dushuuw’s position …
What does it mean for the world to end? Spanish author Levi’s novel takes up that question both literally and figuratively. Largely structured as 19-year-old narrator Little Lea’s tale of her life, which she’s recounting to a man in search of his lost dog, this novel reckons with the appeal and dangers of home. “I …
How well do today’s kids know Marshall’s work? If their knowledge is insufficient, then Connors aims to rectify the situation! Similar to one of Marshall’s George and Martha books, this volume is divided into six short stories. Connors encapsulates the life and work of Marshall, referred to here as James or Jim—his path to publication, …
“What does ‘the beginning’ look like?” It unfolds here as both poetry and revelation, an invitation to recognize the connection between past and present. Rather than presenting history as something distant or hidden, Smith emphasizes that our origins—our art, our inventions, our knowledge of how to cultivate land, our propensity for exploration, and more—are plainly …
