Tag Archive | non-US artist

Q is for questing with the SHEPHERDESS WARRIORS to protect her village! by Jonathan Garnier & Amelie Flechais (Graphic Novel) #AtoZ

Apr19
Book cover of graphic novel Shepherdess Warriors, volume 1, by Jonathan Garnier and Amelie Flechais. Amid a desolate gray wilderness, two very young warriors sit astride their mounts who rear up on their back legs - on the left, a boy rides a gigantic shaggy dog, on the right, a red-haired girl rides a large short-horned black ram. The youths hold aloft long lances with banners that cross at center.

Ten years with no news,
their men far away at war,
the women must keep their village safe!

Molly can’t wait! Now she’s finally old enough to start training with the Order of Shepherdess Warriors, to join her mother and grandmother in defending their village and their flocks. Only the oldest men and preteen boys didn’t go to war, so women began the Order to protect everyone.

Astride her ram, Black Beard, the ten year old and her friends learn archery, blade fighting, history, and how to stay awake on night watches.

Liam longs to be a defender, too. Even though the Order is closed to men, he and his gigantic dog tag along on training missions, aided by best friend Molly, of course.

Near the edges of the Deadlands, the apprentices encounter friendly-enough witches, bumbling bandits, and a dread unknown creature!

Can they prevent the evil creature from attacking the village?
Who is the girl wandering alone in this wilderness?
Will the being called ‘Great Botanist’ help the Order in their quest?

Volume one (issues 1 and 2) of the graphic novel series, which originated in France after artist Amelie created a squad of goat-riding warrior women for a cavalry-themed art challenge. Look for Volume 2, too!

What historic defensive skill would you like to learn?
**kmm

Book info: Shepherdess Warriors, vol. 1 / Jonathan Garnier; art by Amelie Flechais; translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger; lettering by Vibrant Studios. Ablaze Publishing, 2024. [artist site https://www.amelieflechais.com/] [publisher site https://ablaze.net/products?p=G9781684971695] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

O is THE OBSERVOLOGIST on very small scientific expeditions, by Giselle Clarkson (kids’ nonfiction) #AtoZ

Apr17
Book cover of The Observologist: a Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions, by Giselle Clarkson. Shows a small red-striped caterpillar hanging from title words with speech bubble containing subtitle, above a very large, detailed drawing of a green-fly with long legs.

Observology?
It’s the study of looking,
looking very closely at what’s around you.

As an observologist who enjoys looking and learning, you can discover interesting creatures and objects anywhere and everywhere!

First, learn some basic observology principles – be curious, patient, don’t touch unfamiliar things – and gather your equipment – magnifying glass, small mirror, camera, flashlight, sketchbook.

Then you can mount an observological expedition to places like:

– a damp corner of ground, where you may spot fungi, snails, and things that hide in plain sight.

– on the pavement, prime location for ants, lichen, and birdwatching without birds.

– in a weedy patch, where you might spy wasps, caterpillars, and various types of seeds and leaves.

– indoors, peeking behind the curtains to see and hear what insects may be there and learning the difference between moths and butterflies.

Filled with detailed sketches and information, this intriguing book from New Zealand publisher Gecko Press for observologists of all ages also includes useful skills like how to get a fly to go outdoors, how to help an exhausted bee, and how to save a worm that’s in danger of getting stomped on.

When you look down at the ground outside, what’s the smallest thing that you can observe?
**kmm

Book info: The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions / Giselle Clarkson. Gecko Press, 2024. [author site https://www.giselledraws.com/portfolio/] [publisher site https://geckopress.com/bookshop/the-observologist/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher via Publisher Spotlight.

L is for the Statue of LIBERTY – inspiration, symbol, promise! by Julian Voloj and Jorg Hartmann (YA graphic novel) #A2Z

Apr14
Book cover of Liberty, written by Julian Voloj, art by Jorg Hartmann. Image of top-hatted sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi on platform of Statue of Liberty's upraised lit torch in French workshop during construction.

Lady Liberty welcomes all,
her light held high above the harbor –
a symbol that almost didn’t arrive!

You probably know that the Statue of Liberty in New York was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States and is now a national monument (https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm).

But what about the backstory of this American icon as its creator struggled for years to get it financed, built, and installed?

Displaced by war in Europe, renowned French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bertholdi sojourned in America during the 1870s. He traveled from coast to coast by train and envisioned his dream of a monument celebrating the historic connections between both countries.

Where? Philadelphia for the 1876 Centennial? Ah, Bertholdi’s extensive search finds Bedloe’s Island in New York harbor, confirmed by the U.S. Congress as the statue’s future home.

Now, back to France, so the sculptor can build “Liberty Enlightening the World” with money from rich donors and many thousands of everyday French citizens.

The arm and torch were ready in time to exhibit at the Centennial! Americans flocked to see it and climb inside, learning that it’s part of a larger statue to come.

Oh, the cost of shipping and installing Liberty is quite high! How will the money be raised for that?

Deeply researched and intricately illustrated, this graphic novel brings us the statue’s inspiring history, as well as its enduring symbolism of welcome for all.

Have you visited the Statue of Liberty?
**kmm

Book info: Liberty / words by Julian Voloj, art by Jorg Hartmann. Nobrow/Flying Eye Books, 2024. [illustrator site https://www.instagram.com/joerg_hartmann/] [publisher site https://nobrow.net/book/liberty/] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

I is for IMAGINE! Rhymes of hope to shout together, by Bruno Tognolini and Giulia Orecchia, translated by Denise Muir (Poetry) #AtoZ

Apr10
Book cover of I is for IMAGINE! Rhymes of hope to shout together, by Bruno Tognolini and Giulia Orecchia, translated by Denise Muir; shows bright-colored collage image of a young drummer marching with a vivid sun behind them.

April is Poetry Month – and time to Imagine!

Translated from Italian, these wide-ranging wishes of children and those who love them have usual rhyming word pairs, as well as subtle ones:

“If only the world outside could be taught
Not in the classroom — our teachers, they ought
To open the window, show how things happen
How much we’d fathom … Imagine!” (pg. 6)

Vibrant collage illustrations accompany each of the 24 poems, which all begin with “If only” and end with the command/wish/dream “Imagine!”

“If only these things could change for the better
New days could dawn full of music and laughter
A drum beat to make all our heartbeats align
With love all the time … Imagine!” (pg. 45)

Visit the publisher’s site https://www.redcometpress.com/picturebooks/imagine for a teaching guide AND a video with all the poems as verses of a song!

What better world and neighborhood can you imagine?
**kmm

Book info: Imagine!: Rhymes of hope to shout together / Bruno Tognolini, illustrated by Giulia Orecchia, translated by Denise Muir. Red Comet Press, 2022. [author site brunotognolini.com] [artist site giuliaorecchia.it] [publisher site https://www.redcometpress.com/picturebooks/imagine] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.

A is ATLAS OF CATS, by Helena Haraslova & Jana Sedlackova #AtoZ (MG non-fiction)

Apr1
book cover of Atlas of Cats, by Helena Haraslova and Jana Sedlackova; shows multi-level cat house with 12 different breeds of cats climbing, lounging, and playing with the boy and girl seated below.

Russian Blue, Snowshoe,
Bengal, Bombay, Birman,
long hair, short hair, no hair…
so many kinds of cats!

From the everyday European Shorthair Cat that we call a Tabby Cat to the curly-coated Cornish Rex, this charmingly illustrated oversize book from the Czech Republic introduces readers to two dozen fascinating cat breeds from around the world.

Would you like a very cuddly cat? A one-person cat? A playful cat? A relaxed cat? A quiet cat? A giant cat?

Each breed’s multi-page section includes a score card for intelligence, stubbornness, personality type, tendency to wander, and cuddliness, as well as notes on their appearance and variations, origins, and temperament.

Issues of “Meow News” throughout the book highlight the world’s grumpiest cat, author Hemingway and his six-toed cats, learning balance with ShiroNeko, an ocelot dining at a restaurant, and more cat tales.

I agree with the authors – whatever their breed or appearance, the best cats are those we adopt from animal shelters! Just ask my five cats!

Which kind of cat is your favorite?
**kmm

Book info: Atlas of Cats / Helena Haraštová & Jana Sedláčková; illustrated by Guilia Lombarda. Albatros, 2022. [publisher site] [book video] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher, via Publisher Spotlight.

X for excitement – THE WOLVES OF GREYCOAT HALL have arrived! by Lucinda Gifford. (MG book review) #A2Z

Apr27
Tartan-clad wolf mom, wolf dad & wolf cub who holds large book on cover of The Wolves of Greycoat Hall, by Lucinda Gifford.

Where to go on vacation?

Aha! Once his father reads “Wolves to be reintroduced to Scotland” in the newspaper, Boris knows that’s where his wolf family will go!

The young cub reads about the Greycoats’ Scottish heritage on their interesting train and ferry journey to Portlessie, near the long-lost McLupus castle, Wolfemina Hall.

Folks stare at first, then welcome the Greycoats – except for dreadful Mr. Vorslad who wants to tear down Drommuir Castle to build a luxury resort (no one in town but the real estate agent wants that).

Such a lovely place and what wonderful food! If only they could outbid Mr. Vorslad and buy Drommuir as a vacation home in the Highlands, as a tribute to Wolfemina Hall…

Meeting historic battle re-enactors with swords – exciting!
Sketching birds at the beach and making sandcastles with new friends – very good.
Vorslad starting to destroy the beach and forest before the property sale is final – terrible!!

Can one young wolf save the castle and forest and beach, before it’s too late?

The author’s clever sketches add greatly to readers’ enjoyment – Mr. and Mrs. Greycoat in kilts, Boris sketching as they sightsee, paintings of their McLupus ancestors, and pages from A Guide to Morovia, their current wolfly homeland.

Followed by Boris in Switzerland at boarding school with snowboarding and a grand mystery. Find both books today, Independent Bookstore Day, and every day through the finder site for a store near you or online at bookshop.org.

What do you know of wolves that live in your region?
**kmm

Book info: The Wolves of Greycoat Hall (Wolves of Greycoat Hall, book 1) / Lucinda Gifford. Kane Miller/EDC, 2023. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

W is WELCOME TO OUR TABLE: A Celebration of What Children Eat All Around the World, by Laura Mucha, Ed Smith, Harriet Lynas (Picturebook review) @A2Z

Apr26
Many children from various countries sharing a multicultural meal around a large white tablecloth, book cover of Welcome to Our Table: A Celebration of What Children Eat All Around the World, by Laura Mucha & Ed Smith, illustrated by Harriet Lynas.

Noodles, potatoes, rice,
veggies fresh or pickled,
herbs and spices and yum!

Welcome, welcome! Our table is set with the tools we need (chopsticks, a flat-bottomed spoon, or our hands), and our senses are ready – let’s eat together!

Rice or corn or bread or noodles or potatoes could be the foundation of our meal – so many shapes and textures and flavors to enjoy.

Our food is more interesting because we add spices, herbs, peppers, tomatoes – each place in the world has its favorites.

Perhaps you’ve tried kimchi or other pickled vegetables. Molokhia and choy sum are green vegetables that might be new to you.

Beans, nuts, and soybeans are proteins that help our bodies stay strong, as are meats and seafood – look at all the wonderful ways they are cooked!

Oh, the lovely sweet ways to finish our meals – ice cream, fruit, pastries! Bananas are the most-eaten fruit in the world – can you guess the second most popular? *

Readers can learn to say “happy eating” and words about texture and “delicious” and “goodbye” in several languages, with phonetic pronunciations included for every non-English food word in the entire book.

Foods from 103 countries are featured in this attractive introduction to what we share around the table at mealtimes, fascinating for kids who want to know what their age-mates in other lands are eating and interesting for adults who want to expand their culinary horizons. Picture books are Everybody books!

Where did your favorite lunch food originate?
**kmm

Book info: Welcome to Our Table: A Celebration of What Children Eat All Around the World / Laura Mucha & Ed Smith; illustrated by Harriet Lynas. Nosy Crow, 2023. [Laura’s site] [Ed’s site] [Harriet’s site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

(* It’s watermelon!!)

S is for SHE’LL BE THE SKY: POEMS BY WOMEN AND GIRLS, selected by Ella Risbridger (YA / MG book review) #A2Z

Apr22
Woman with cascading hair made of plants, water, trees, on book cover of She'll Be the Sky: Poems by Women and Girls, selected by Ella Risbridger. Nosy Crow Books.

Quick, quick!
How many women poets can you name?
Oh, there are so many more than that!

“There is a poem / scratched onto the walls of my throat / no one has heard it / but it is there” writes Kai Cheng Thorn (pg. 31) in this wonderful anthology of 100 short poems by women and girls.

The extensive introduction and afterword recount how the creative work of women and people of color has long been ignored while poems and novels by white men were readily published, leading to this collection. “It isn’t that art by boys is different from art by girls. It’s just that, all through history, we’ve simply paid it more attention. And that’s not fair, either.” (pg. 9)

Stars and cities, pets and wild horses, school time, family time, night time, celebrating common things, honoring persons of influence, worrying about the future – this anthology bring us all these themes and more, in words carefully chosen and artfully arranged and illustrated.

Jean Ayer lists “Everyday Things” in rhyming couplets, starting and ending her poem with
“Millionaires, presidents – even kings / Can’t get along without everyday things.” (pg. 108)

You’ve likely heard these lines “Tell me, what is it that you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” – you’ll be surprised by the rest of Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day” when you read it in this or other collections.

Readers are invited to create their own anthology of poems, and the Indexes of poets, poems, and first lines can help point the way to other works by these women and girls and one non-binary person who asked that their poem be included here.

“When you see a poem you love, write it down. Copy it out. Print it off. Take a screenshot. Take a photo. Whatever. Write it down; learn it by heart. Keep it with you. Tell someone about it.” (pg. 133)

“Keep a poem in your pocket
and a picture in your head
and you’ll never feel lonely
at night when you’re in bed.” by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (pg. 114)

Happy National Poetry Month!
Which is your favorite poem by a woman?
**kmm

Book info: She’ll Be the Sky: Poems by Women and Girls / selected by Ella Risbridger; illustrated by Anna Shepeta. Nosy Crow, 2022. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

R is for reading and 101 WAYS TO READ A BOOK, by Timothee de Fombelle & Benjamin Chaud (Picturebook review) #A2Z

Apr20
book cover of 101 Ways to Read a Book, by Timothee de Fombelle; illustrated by Benjamin Chaud; translated by Karin Snelson & Angus Yuen-Killick. Red Comet Press.

What’s your favorite book-reading position?

Are you The Ostrich, with your head and your book buried under the bedcovers?

Perhaps you’re The Connoisseur who “politely declines dessert” to read instead.

Surrounded by many books on one subject, “The Specialist digs in,” while “The Desert Island is a world away” intently reading in a crowded place.

“The Pirate finds buried treasure” in the used bookshop, and “The Plunderer ransacks the stacks” of their library.

Indoors, outdoors, up a tree, under a table, all alone or cuddled together – so many wonderful ways to read a book!

Visit the book’s website here for a “What Type of Reader Are You? quiz.

Reading pose descriptions charmingly translated from French; pose illustrations are universal!

Be sure to heed this warning from the introduction: “certain featured poses should only be attempted by adults under the close supervision of a child.”

So… what is your favorite book reading position?
**kmm

Book info: 101 Ways to Read a Book / Timothee de Fombelle; illustrated by Benjamin Chaud; translated by Karin Snelson & Angus Yuen-Killick. Red Comet Press, 2023. [publisher site] Review copy, cover image, and sample page courtesy of the publisher.

"The Champion takes on the heavyweight" [small girl holding very large orange open book] "The Wisp travels light" [very tall person reading tiny orange book]

M is for THE MONKEY KING: THE COMPLETE ODYSSEY – perilous journey to the West! by Chaiko (YA Graphic Novel review) #A2Z

Apr15
book cover of The Monkey King: The Complete Odyssey, adapted and illustrated by Chaiko. Published by Magnetic Press

Clever and powerful Sun Wukong isn’t content to be king over the monkeys – he wants to live forever!

After traveling far to learn the secret, he rejects the master’s teachings of humility, instead stealing immortal peaches and magical weapons.

The great gods’ efforts to punish the now-indestructible Monkey King lead him to encounter the Amitbha Buddha, with dire results.

Young Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang longs to help all those in need, so he is directed to find sacred sutras in India.

Thanks to Bodhisattva Guanyin‘s compassion, Tang meets the mischievous Monkey King who can protect him on the long, perilous journey to the West.

Can Sun Wukong renounce his wickedness to help Tang on his pilgrimage?

The monk and scoundrel-hero are joined by a dragon-horse, a pig, and a sand-monk who want to atone for their own past sins.

Many adventures and battles with villains of the natural and supernatural worlds lie between our travelers and the object of their quest!

Known widely as Journey to the West, this adventurous saga inspired by the travels of a Buddhist monk was written by Wu Cheng’En (Ruzhong) in China during the late 1500s and is considered a Classic Masterwork of Chinese literature.

Where has your search for knowledge and peace taken you?
**kmm

Book info: The Monkey King: The Complete Odyssey / adapted and illustrated by Chaiko. Magnetic Press, 2023. [artist site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher*.

*Full disclosure: Chaiko’s drawing style seemed very familiar to me and after reading the entire book, I realized why: I had backed the Kickstarter for publication of its English translation from French! That PDF was still in my digital to-be-read folder when the beautiful full-color glossy paper 320 page edition recently arrived for review.