All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing by Chris Barton, illustrated by Nicole Xu

Wow!  When I closed this book, the first thing I did was look at the publication date…2020.  I said to my kids who were sitting with me, “This will win awards in 2020!”

That may sound a bit corny, but this nonfiction, narrative picture book is amazingly beautiful.  Barton eloquently, yet simply, tells a story about the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.  What is so special about this book is that the story that he crafts about the events of that day are centered around a lone tree that was left battered yet still standing after the bombing.  The injured tree mirrors the injured people who were connected to the tragedy.  As the tree grows healthier, its saplings are transported and cared for by visitors who come to the memorial that now stands in tribute to those lost, those who survived, and those who rescued and repaired the city.  There is hope in those saplings, hope that the people who were injured by the tragedy have also been filled with growth and strength. 

The word choices that Barton uses and the details that he chose to include and exclude are perfect.  Nicole Xu’s illustrations and color choices are a seamless complement.  Readers, just as I did, will want to know more about the Survivor Tree, its saplings that have been replanted all over the country, survivor stories, and more.  Hint: see the back of the book for interesting notes and resources for further reading. 

So, All of a Sudden and Forever is not only a beautiful story, but it can be the perfect opening to further inquiry about tragedy and triumph.  In my eyes, it’s an award winner.   

All of a Sudden and Forever: Help and Healing After the Oklahoma City Bombing by Chris Barton & illustrated by Nicole Xu, unpaged picture book from Carolrhoda Books (2020). ISBN # 978-1-5415-2669-3

Ideal for elementary and middle-grade readers (or anyone who loves nonfiction texts that don’t feel like nonfiction)

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Ok, so maybe I am a little behind the hype on this one, but here is what happened.  My daughter gave me this to read a year or so ago.  She had been begging me to read it so that she could talk to me about it.  I started it and would put it down and start it again…  It was the book that I would return to in between reading other things.  I liked it.  I just couldn’t get hooked, like I did with Meyer’s Heartless.  Until…I was hooked!

So, it took me over a year to read the first half.  I read the second half in two late-night, by-lamplight, trying-not-to-bother-my-sleeping-husband sessions.  Now, the next one in the trilogy is on the way to my house.  Thank goodness for Amazon Prime delivery.

This fantasy YA book is packed full of action, superheroes and villains (although I have yet to decide who is which), cool prodigy abilities, and of course, a sweet little romance.  I think Meyer must be a hopeless romantic like me; thanks for that.  Oh, and don’t forget the serious contemplation that readers must do about independence, freedom, helplessness, and hopelessness.  

At the point where I started my late-night binge reading was the point where the twists and turns really got fun.  There are so many “WHAT?” moments.  I loved them.  And, the ending.  Oh yes, she did!

Thanks, Marissa for another great one.  I’m sorry it took me so long to listen to my daughter’s rave reviews.  I cannot wait for that package to arrive tomorrow.  I will change the bulb and get the lamp light ready for more binge reading.

Renegades is a book for tweens and teens or dreamers like me who love superpowers and the butterflies of romance.

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton

At a time when many primary grade teachers are looking for books for their students to read independently, how about recommending a Narwhal and Jelly book?  Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea is the first in this series and is a beginning “chapter” book with a really interesting structure.  It is multimodal and multigenre, including both narrative, fictional action between Narwhal and Jelly and lists of facts about narwhals and jellyfish. 

This book could not only be the springboard that propels a reader into the other three books in the series, but it could also encourage other extensions of learning as well.  Readers might want to do more research about narwhals and jellyfish.  They might also want to try their own hand at writing a book that also merges genre and mode.  And, perhaps they might want to write their own book based on imaginative play.  Narwhal reads a book with blank pages and says that it is his imagination book; he has to make the story.  So, what better way to encourage prewriting for young children than to tell them to play, imagine, and have fun?  Then, after playing, put that imaginative play on paper as a story.

This super cute book about an overly excited narwhal and an unlikely friendship is very entertaining and is perfect for our youngest readers and anyone who just wants a little smile!