Book Review: Ninja Plants: Survival and Adaptation in the Plant World by Wiley Blevins

Ninja Plants: Survival and Adaptation in the Plant World by Wiley Blevins is a non fiction book for children and adults. What can communicate but has no mouth, and can attack but has no hands? A plant! You might love the beauty and fragrance of flowers, but plants are far more complex than meets the eye. Some plants have ways of luring insects for pollination. Others mimic the look of the female insects whose male counterparts they want to attract. The Venus flytrap eats insects and other small animals for extra nourishment. You might see some of these ninja plants with their sneaky and deceitful ways in your own backyard. These plants might even be sitting on a windowsill in your home. This fascinating world of ninja plants is waiting to be discovered.

Ninja Plants: Survival and Adaptation in the Plant World is a well-written and organized book that informs and entertains. I have always been fascinated by plants, the more unusual the better. This book feed that curiosity and taught be a few new things along the way. I think it is fairly text heavy, but there are some stunning images through out the pages to break up the information. The text and images were interesting and informative- holding my interest and exploring the wide variety of plants around the world that have adapted in dangerous and amazing ways to survive. I really enjoyed the conclusion, and think it a valuable read. 

Due to the amount and difficulty of the text I think  Ninja Plants: Survival and Adaptation in the Plant World would be best suited for middle grade or older readers. Younger readers that are advanced or very interested in the material would be engaged and enjoy the read as well. There are some very interesting, sometimes funny or gross, bits of information that will keep the motivated or engaged reader turning the pages and reading. A good resource and read for school and public libraries. 

Book Review: Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem by Patricia Newman

Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem by Patricia Newman is a non fiction book for children and adults.  Marine biologist Brent Hughes didn't think sea otters and sea grass had much in common. But his research at Elkhorn Slough, an estuary on Monterey Bay in northern California, revealed a new and surprising connection between the two. The scientist expected this estuary to be overrun with algae due to the fertilizer runoff from surrounding fields. But it wasn't. Why?

Sea Otter Heroes goes into well organized and worded detail about the hows and whys behind Brent HUghes investigating why Elkhorn Slough was not overrun with algae like other similar locations. What inspired him and how he went about the research is an important portion of the book, with made me happy. Too often, books explore scientific mysteries or studies leave this important part of the story out. I liked that readers got to see how complex and layered the effort was to discover what made this particular slough different than others, and how the research and studies were hard but satisfying work. I loved the information that was presented, and how the images were used to further connect the reader to the information, bringing everything into a clearer focus. As someone that spends a good portion of the summer loving the ocean, and loves all animals I was interested and entralled with the read. As the mother of a young animal lover that has been insistant for years that she is going to take care of wild animals as a career, I found that this book offered her further inspiration for that desire. Furthermore, the book offered a better understanding of ecosystems and the nature of scientific research and studies that are needed to make that kind of job possible and effective. 

Sea Otter Heroes is a great book for exploring how studies like this are done, and how seemingly little changes in the environment can have very important effects on the ecosystem. It is well organized, interesting, and understandable read that might inspire young readers to be out future scientists or simply more aware of the environment and how interconnected the individual creatures- regardless of size- can impact each other.

Early Book Review: Eat Up: An Infographic Exploration of Food by Paula Ayer, Antonia Banyard, Belle Wuthrich

Eat Up: An Infographic Exploration of Food by Paula Ayer, Antonia Banyard, and Belle Wuthrich is currently scheduled for release on April 11 2017. This middle grade non fiction book is a colorful infographic look at the many surprising and fascinating facts about food. Information is presented in easy-to-understand graphics and clear explanations. Each spread explores a different aspect of the topic. Readers will find answers to a wide range of questions, including: Who grows our food? Where does our meat and fish come from? How does it get to us? What’s the difference between a hybrid and a genetically-modified crop? How do companies advertise to children? Who are the “Big 10” food companies? How much farmland is there across the world? Weightier topics (for example, farming and pollution, or child labor in agriculture), are balanced out by fun facts, such as “extreme foods” and how our sense of taste works (and sometimes deceives us). Other topics include how food production has an impact on the local and global economy, access to food and food insecurity around the world, and conventional vs. organic farming. Vibrant, dynamic illustrations, diagrams and photos and small chunks of text make this book ideal for reluctant or struggling readers.

Eat Up: An Infographic Exploration of Food was an interesting read with graphics that caught the eye, and a good combination of thought provoking facts and fun or surprising information that is a little lighter. I knew a good portion of the information, but there were still bits of information and ideas that made me stop and think a little more about the food in my house. I found the organization and graphics of the book to be very understandable and accessible by readers in elementary school, but not boring or too easy for more advanced readers. This book hits that sweet spot of interesting and engaging for readers from a variety of ages and skill levels.

Early Book Review: How to do Homework Without Throwing Up by Trevor Romain

How to do Homework Without Throwing Up by Trevor Romain is a children’s non fiction book that is currently scheduled for release on April 1 2017. Homework isn’t going anywhere, and kids need to learn to do it. This updated classic provides specific tips for starting, doing, and finishing homework—and maybe even laughing while they learn. Kids will also learn how to make a homework schedule, when to do the hardest homework (first!), the benefits of doing homework, and more—serious suggestions delivered with wit and humor because laughter makes learning fun. Refreshed to address modern distractions like the Internet and electronic devices, this updated classic (with hilarious full-color illustrations) helps kids see that they can handle their homework and emphasizes how terrific it feels when they finish.

How to do Homework Without Throwing Up is a simply written book that tries to get young readers to understand that while doing homework is not fun, it is necessary and fighting it only makes things worse. The ideas, suggestions, and tools that the book offers are all pretty simple to implement- setting up a routine and having a snack being among my personal favorites. The illustrations are fun and emphasizes the ideas that the text is trying to get across. This could be helpful for families struggling with big homework battles. However, I found that the text includes things that would only be relevant to older students, while seeming to be aimed at a younger audience. It felt a bit like those skits that school kids are forced to sit through in school assemblies- where the points being made are good but the delivery is a little to corny to really stick with the target audience.

Early Book Review: Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew by John Pickrell

Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew by John Pickrell is a new non fiction book that is currently scheduled for release on March 7 2017. From the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters working at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylvanian baron; an aquatic, crocodile-snouted carnivore bigger than T. Rex, which once lurked in North African waterways; a Chinese dinosaur with wings like a bat; and a Patagonian sauropod so enormous it weighed more than two commercial jet airliners.  Other surprising discoveries hail from Alaska, Siberia, Canada, Burma, and South Africa. Why did dinosaurs grow so huge? How did they spread across the world? Did they all have feathers? What do sauropods have in common with 1950s vacuum cleaners? The stuff of adventure movies and scientific revolutions, Weird Dinosaurs examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies radically transforming our understanding of the distant past. Pickrell opens a vivid portal to a brand new age of fossil discovery, in which fossil hunters are routinely redefining what we know and how we think about prehistory’s most iconic and fascinating creatures.

Weird Dinosaurs is a well researched and written book for readers that have always loved dinosaurs, or have had their interest revived by other dinosaur lovers in their lives, or the news of new information and discoveries in the field. The. book is written with a nice blend of information and narrative text, giving life to the discoveries and the people involved in uncovering them. I was fascinated by the information, but am a reader that likes my non fiction more simply stated than narrative, I found myself wandering a bit.  However, this was an issue with my personal preference and reading style rather than anything the author did wrong. I really enjoyed discovering about the changing and growing knowledge and concepts that surrounds dinosaurs and our planet's history. The new techniques that the scientists are using, and the discoveries they have made possible are simply amazing. 

Weird Dinosaurs is an informative and entertaining text with a nice blend of narrative and scientific fact. Readers that do not like a little narrative to entertain and dramatize the facts a bit might not enjoy this as much as others. However, the facts and information included are simply fascinating. 

Early Book Review: Science Comics: Bats: Learning to Fly by Falynn Christine Koch

Bats: Learning to Fly by Falynn Christine Koch is the latest in the Science Comics series and is scheduled for release on February 28 2017. This series of graphic novels offer entertaining views of their subjects combining a storyline with interesting and important facts with illustrations. In Bats, we follow a little brown bat whose wing is injured by humans on a nature hike. He is taken to a bat rehabilitation center where he meets many different species of bats. They teach him how they fly, what they eat, and where they like to live.

Bats: Learning to Fly combines interesting information with a story and comic illustrations. The balance between the story and the included facts is well balanced. There are significant chunks of information included in the comic story, as out injured little brown bat learns about the other bats in the rehabilitation center. The inserted information pages go into more detail and infuses infographics, images, and relevant facts that can lead readers to a greater understanding of bats, and their importance to the ecosystem. I always liked bats, and this book has only increased my respect and care for these creatures. I think many middle grade and older readers will enjoy this read, and gain a new respect for a creature that is too often feared or looked down on. 

Bats: Learning to Fly does a wonderful job of combine facts with a compelling story. I think readers that are interesting in science, animals, or graphic novels would get a lot out of this read. The series as a whole is worth reading and exploring by interested parties. 

Early Book Review: Every Which Way Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman

Every Which Way Crochet Borders: 100 Patterns for Customized Edgings by Edie Eckman is currently scheduled for release on January 24 2017. Step-by-step instructions and symbol charts put these new border designs within reach for beginning and advanced crocheters alike. If you’re ready to chart your own crocheted course, Edie Eckman offers plenty of helpful design advice, including how to choose an appropriate border for each project and how to incorporate an element from the main stitch pattern into a new border design. She then explains, with the help of close-up photos, how the same pattern can have dramatically different results depending on the weight of the yarn. With each pattern diagrammed to approach in both rounds and rows, Every Which Way Crochet Borders is an inventive and invaluable resource. 

Every Which Way Crochet Borders is a solid resource for crafters of all skill levels. The advice and instructions are well written, understandable, and practical. Some of the information might be old hat to experienced crocheters, however even the most experienced crafter sometimes need reminders. I think everyone can find a new boarder to use or a technique that will add some extra flare or perfect finish for the projects. While I already own several books of stitches and borders, I just might have to add another. 

Book Review: Happy Pants by Heather Gallagher

Happy Pants by Heather Gallagher is a picturebook about a young boy who's mother is suffering from postpartum depression. The book begins with all the fun stuff he used to do with mom before she went to the hospital to have the baby.  She would wear her happy pants and they would build sandcastles, go out for babycinos and have lots and lots of cuddles. But when she comes home with baby Darcy, her happy pants stay in her wardrobe and she spends more of her time in bed. Will Mommy ever wear her happy pants again?

Happy Pants is an honest, and I think necessary, look at a problem that is too often swept under the rug or ignored. Postpartum depression can be a serious issue, or a more mild issue, that effects a number of mothers every year. Older children, spouses, and the mother in question might not even realize how serious it is, but being about to recognize and talk about it is important for everyone. I thought it was important to see that the mother did not just 'snap out of it' like many who have no understanding of the situation might expect. Instead she had the support of her family and received professional help.

Happy Pants is a good book for young readers and families to help understand the effects of postpartum depression, and some of its signs and symptoms. knowing that it is real, that it is nothing to be ashamed of, and that it can happy to any mother is very important. The addition information after the story is a valuable resource as well. I think the fact that the book is endorsed by the Post and Antenatal Depression Association (PANDA) and the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) is a powerful recommendation for the book. 

Book Review: Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees by Beth Moon

Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees by Beth Moon is a collection of photographs taken of grand, isolated trees with the backdrop of night skies. Staking out some of the world’s last dark places, photographer Beth Moon uses a digital camera to reveal constellations, nebulae, and the Milky Way, in rich hues that are often too faint to be seen by the naked eye. As in her acclaimed first volume, Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time, these magnificent images encounter great arboreal specimens, including baobabs, olive trees, and redwoods, in such places as South Africa, England, and California.

Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees is a wonderful collection of photographs. The trees are isolated and out where light pollution cannot touch the night sky. This means that behind ancient trees we get to witness the expanse of space, with stars and all the glory to be seen in the night sky. The images and essays combine to offer anyone that picks up the book plenty to enjoy, and to contemplate about life, nature, and the environment. The book also includes an artist’s statement, in which Beth Moon describes the experience of shooting at night in these remote places, and an essay by Jana Grcevich, postdoctoral fellow of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, which provides the perspective of a scientist racing to study the stars in a world growing increasingly brighter. Clark Strand, the author of Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age, takes a different tack, illuminating the inherent spirituality of trees.

Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees would make a lovely addition to a art book collection, or a gift for those that love art and nature. The photographs are delightful and inspiring.

Book Review: Animal Planet Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool Animals by Animal Plant and Charles Gingham

Animal Planet Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool Animals is a children's non fiction book  by Animal Plant and Charles Gingham. It is part of the Animal Bites series. This book offers information paired with full color photos of some of the oddest animals in the world! For instance, did you know that an archerfish can spit water up to 16 feet? Or that the giant weta is the world's largest and heaviest insect? This exploration of animal oddities introduces young animal lovers to some of the most astonishing and obscure animals in the world-including some brand new discoveries! There are more than 200 vibrant photographs and fun facts about animals with unusual behaviors, strange appearances, and remarkable stats.

Animal Planet Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool Animals is not new in the idea, but executes it very well. I have read more than my fair share of books about the wacky, weird, and gross animals of the world. My daughter is an animal nut, and my son loves anything vaguely gross or monster like. So this book is right up their alley, and we have explored every similar book available to us, and this book holds up very well to the competition. There are a number of bright, bold photographs on each page along with interesting facts to correspond to each animal included. The texts combines humor and fact very well, capturing the attention of readers of all ages. I think reluctant readers will be put at ease with the large print and the way the text is grouped into small sections. this makes the flow of information easy to understand and from being intimidating. while I have seen many of these animals and corresponding facts before, there was so much here that i found new information and creatures to learn about as well. This is a must buy for library, school, and some home collections (like mine).

I need this book for my kids, who love animals and all things weird. Honestly, I think I will order it now and save it for a Christmas gift. This book is perfect for reluctant readers or anyone who loves totally gross and amazing animals. As a bonus, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of books in the Animal Bites series benefits the principal partners of R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act. Respond.), Animal Planet's initiative dedicated to improving the lives of animals in our communities and in the wild. 

Early Book Review: To Burp or Not to Burp by Dr Dave Willians, Loredana Cunti, Theodore Key

To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space by Dr Dave Willians and Loredana Cunti, with illustrations by Theodore Key is a children's nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on October 11 2016. Of all the questions astronauts are asked by kids, the most frequent one is “How do you go to the toilet in space?” This book answers that question, but many others about the effect of zero gravity on the human body like; How do you brush your hair in space? What happens when you sweat? What does food taste like? The best thing is that the answers are provided by Dr. Dave Williams, a NASA astronaut who speaks from first-hand experience. Written for kids ages 7 to 10, this book uses age-appropriate language to explain the different phenomena that astronauts encounter during a mission. The bright, colorful pages, short blocks of text accompanied by photos and humorous illustrations make this a very attractive choice for young readers. The opening message from Dr. Dave empowers kids to follow his example by believing in themselves and following their dreams.

To Burp or Not to Burp is a perfect book for readers that love space, and those that like to tell joke or learn about bodily functions- and most kinds fit into at least one of these categories. I am not surprised that the most common question asked of astronauts pertains to bodily functions, and am glad that I can answer these questions (or offer the book) when my kids or library patrons ask. There are cartoons and photographs to illustrate the information in the book, and the text is well organized and written in a conversational manner with humor and fun little tidbits I never thought about before. I think readers will enjoy the fact that the book was written with reference to first hand knowledge, rather than in a more textbook style. at no point does the text talk down to readers, in fact it encourages them to work hard and work toward achieving their dreams. The read was fun and highly informative. I think many reluctant readers might use this book as a jumping off point to explore more books about science and the astronauts mentioned in the book.

To Burp or Not to Burp is a book that balances the weird aspects of human biology and the wonders of space travel. well organized facts, humor, and a tone that entertains but does not talk down to readers will keep readers interested. Well down all around. 

Book Spotlight with Excerpt: Night Ringing by Laura Foley

Night Ringing
By: Laura Foley

Blurb  "I revel in the genius of simplicity" Laura Foley writes as she gives us in plain-spoken but deeply lyrical moments, poems that explore a life filled with twists and turns and with many transformations. Through it all is a search for a fulfilling personal and sexual identity, a way to be most fully alive in the world. From multicultural love affairs through marriage with a much older man, through raising a family, through grief, to lesbian love affairs, "Night Ringing" is the portrait of a woman willing to take risks to find her own best way. And she does this with grace and wisdom. As she says: "All my life I've been swimming, not drowning." 
-Patricia Fargnoli, author of "Winter, Duties of the Spirit, " and "Then, Something 

"I love the words and white space of poetry. I love stories even more. In this collection, Laura Foley evokes stories of crystallized moments, of quiet and overpowering emotion, of bathtubs and lemon chicken. The author grows up on the pages, comes of age, and reconciles past with present. Almost. Try to put the book down between poems to savor each experience. Try, but it won't be easy. 
-Joni B. Cole, author of "Toxic Feedback, Helping Writers Survive and Thrive" 

Plain-spoken and spare, Laura Foley's poems in "Night Ringing" trace a life story through a series of brief scenes: separate, intense moments of perception, in which the speaker's focus is arrested, when a moment opens to reveal a glimpse of the larger whole. Memories of a powerful, enigmatic father, a loving but elusive mother, a much older husband, thread Foley's stories of childhood, marriage and motherhood, finally yielding to the pressure of her attention, as she constructs a series of escapes from family expectations, and moves toward a new life. In these lucid, intense poems, Foley's quiet gaze, her concentration, and emotional accuracy of detail, render this collection real as rain. 
-Cynthia Huntington, author of "Heavenly Bodies" 

Foley's voice rings with quiet authority undercut by calamity, examining a life so extraordinary, she seems to have lived several people's lives, setting a high bar for poetic craft she meets, in great mystery perfectly expressed in the tiny, quotidian, "spent matches pressed on wet pavement," to soulful beauty, "as wind lifts/every shining wave"; in wisdom rooted in humor, from the deliciously funny "Flunking Jung," to self-deprecating wit, misreading "poetic" as "pathetic," reminding us wisdom is love, grown from self-compassion. 
-April Ossmann, author of "Anxious Music"

Excerpt

Not Drowning

On my back like a corpse, enjoying buoyancy,

I drift downstream as Amtrak, hooting, passes over.

I'm waving at passengers from the city,

who peer out their little windows, down at me.

I wave so they'll know I'm not dead,

but floating.

All my life I've been waving

to passengers passing,

all my life I've been swimming,

not drowning.

PURCHASE

      Amazon  / Norwich Bookstore / B&N

Author Info Laura Foley is the author of five poetry collections. The Glass Tree won the Foreword Book of the Year Award, Silver, and was a Finalist for the New Hampshire Writer’s Project, Outstanding Book of Poetry. Joy Street won the Bi-Writer’s Award. Her poems have appeared in journals and magazines including Valparaiso Poetry Review, Inquiring Mind, Pulse Magazine, Poetry Nook, Lavender Review, The Mom Egg Review and in the British Aesthetica Magazine. She won Harpur Palate’s Milton Kessler Memorial Poetry Award and the Grand Prize for the Atlanta Review’s International Poetry Contest. 

Author Links:  Website | Goodreads 

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