Fact Friday: Why Longfellow Lied: the truth about Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos

Why Longfellow Lied: the truth about Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos. 160 p. Charlesbridge, August 3, 2021. 9781580899338. (Review of e-arc courtesy of publisher.) (Cover image below. Blogger kept putting it down there instead of up here.)

Happy Friday! Fact Friday features Why Longfellow Lied: the truth about Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos. "Listen my children, and you shall hear..." Sound familiar? Those are the first words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem, Paul Revere's Ride. It was written in 1860 as the United States of America was on the brink of civil war. While it is a poem that many, including myself assume is historically accurate, it is actually filled with inaccuracies. Very little documentation about that fateful night is available BECAUSE IT WAS A SECRET MISSION. Colonists were not discussing Paul Revere's role in the relaying of information about British troop movement in the days and weeks after BECAUSE IT WAS A SECRET! Still, the poem endures, and rightly so, for it is a lovely, lively, inspiring poem.

Mr. Lentos examines the poem line by line and parses the fact from fiction in this absolutely fascinating book-definitely one to revisit over and over to absorb it all. It is opiously illustrated with maps, and photos of engravings and art. Back matter includes exhaustive source notes and a six-page bibliography. I can't wait to reread this when it publishes in August. The seventh grade social studies teacher at my school can't wait either! First purchase!

Fact Friday and Arc Review: Accused: My Story of Injustice by Adama Bah

Image: Norton Young Readers

Accused: My Story of Injustice by Adama Bah, . 112 p. I, Witness series #1. Norton Young Readers, August 3, 2021. 9781324016632. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy penultimate Friday of the 2020 - 2021 school year! Fact Friday features Accused: My Story of Injustice by Adama Bah. This memoir is the first book of a new nonfiction series called I, Witness, aimed at a middle school audience. 

Ms. Bah was sixteen-year-old in 2005, when the Department of Homeland Security raided her apartment in Harlem. She and her father were handcuffed and arrested. They were separated and she was interrogated and eventually held for months, accused of terrorism. Eventually, she learned that an acquaintance named her as a potential suicide bomber, only to later find out that that young lady was told that Ms. Bah named her. When she was released, with a curfew and an ankle monitor, she discovered that her father had been deported and her family was starving, so she quit high school and worked five jobs to support them, but continued to suffer from the trauma as well as the fallout of being accused of terrorism. She learned she was on a "No Fly" list as she tried to board a plane with the family she was working for.

This memoir is short and simply told but really packs a punch as readers learn about the reality of Islamophobia in painful detail.

Accused will publish on August 3 along with book 2 of the series, Hurricane: My Story of Resilience by Salvadore Gomez-Colon.

Fact Friday: Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone

Image: Abrams Books

Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone. Illustrated by Levon Bliss. 40 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers/ Abrams Books, March, 2021. 9781419731662. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Strange Nature: the Insect Portraits of Levon Bliss by Gary Mone. Calling all entomologists! Mr. Mone has adapted Mr. Bliss' book for adults entitled, Microsculpture, for young people and it is not to be missed. One page features a stunning photo of an insect and the opposite page contains information, like the size, location and other fascinating facts presented in a conversational, sometimes humorous way. This is definitely a book to meander through, stopping to pore over the photos, which not only feature the full insect, but extreme close-ups of various body parts.  

Back matter includes a glossary and an invitation to learn more about the world of microsculpture by visiting microsculpture.net. I had a hard time wrapping my head around how Mr. Bliss created these phenomenal photos and visited the site. It was very helpful to view the short movie. 

Fact Friday: Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems and Stories by Stephanie Warren Drimmer

Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems and Stories by Stephanie Warren Drimmer. 192 p. National Geographic, March, 2021. 9781426339165. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems and Stories by Stephanie Warren Drimmer. This oversized is a handsome miscellanea of all things ocean. Well-organized and attractively designed, though not necessarily delivering on the promise of poems - there are six, leaving five of the eleven chapters without a poem. Nonetheless, the facts are fascinating, delivered in a combination of longer paragraphs as well as thumbnail boxes, and the photos are absolutely dazzling. The concluding chapter hammers home what we humans ought to be doing to protect the seas that surround us. 

Back matter consists of an afterword by Sylvia Earle, a list of scientific names and an index, making it helpful for young researchers to locate specific information. If you display this prominently, it won't sit. That cover just begs readers!

I learned of this thanks to the blog "Randomly Reading." Pop on over there to read a more detailed and descriptive review. 

Fact Friday and Picture Book Review: Orangutan Hats and Other Tools Animals Use by Richard Haynes

Image: Candlewick Press

Orangutan Hats and Other Tools Animals Use by Richard Haynes. Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. 48 p. Candlewick Press, April, 2021. 9781536200935. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

The front flap of this informative picture book declares, "Move over, humans!" Our species is not the only one to utilize tools to improve life. Thanks to careful observations by scientists working in the field, we now understand that a variety of animals employ tools. 

The introduction defines what a tool is and explains the age old belief that only humans were intelligent. That is, until Charles Darwin noted tool use among primates while on his voyages in the 1800s. Twenty animals from around the world are highlighted in this well-organized book, which begins with a world map and thumbnail illustrations of each animal. The information is organized by what the tool is used for-tools for staying neat and clean-for health and healing-for defense-for hunting, harvesting and eating-for comfort-and joy!

Straightforward, accessible text details how the animals adapt materials at hand to protect or make life a bit easier. The digital full-page and spot art illustrations are realistically drawn, but also contain bits of humor. Back matter includes a glossary, suggestions for further reading and an index. 

There are plenty of fascinating tidbits for fact hounds to feast on here! Be ready to steer readers to titles such as The Dolphins of  Shark Bay or Crow Smarts by Pamela S. Turner to read more about how scientists study the intelligence of these incredible animals. What a fun addition to any library!

Fact Friday: What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman

Image: Bloomsbury

What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman. Illustrated by Alice Bowsher. 224 p. Bloomsbury, November, 2020. 9781547604524. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it through another week. It felt like a long one to me, especially when I thought yesterday was Friday. I hope everyone has wonderful plans for the weekend. I hope to plug in an audiobook and get in the garden!

Before I introduce the Fact Friday feature, I'd like to just say the science is amazing! There's just so much to read and learn in the sciences. There's really something for everyone from nature and animals to technology and invention. Still not sold that science is cool? Read on. 

Fact Friday features What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman and illustrated by Alice Bowsher. Don't know the answer to that one? Check out this energetically informative scientific stream of consciousness. Each question comes with multiple choice answers and rather hilarious, rambling answers accompanied by bold black and white illustrations. The questions about poop and farts are the bait. Who can resist? But then, there are questions and answers to other questions you didn't know you wanted to know about. How many bones are in a giraffe's neck? How much does the Internet weigh? What animal has the strongest bite?

This book is for science geeks and science skeptics alike. I'm so looking forward to adding this to my library's collection. One question that wasn't answered in this book was one my youngest son asked when he was in fourth grade twenty years ago: How many dimensions does a sunbeam have? His science teacher at the time couldn't answer it. 

Picture Book Review: Let Liberty Rise: How America's Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty by Chana Stiefel

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Let Liberty Rise: How America's Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty by Chana Stiefel. Illustrated by Chuck Groenink. unpgd. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., 9781338225884. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Have you ever received a gift that you didn't want or know what to do with? The people of France built an enormous statue, named Liberty as a gift to the people of the United States for the centennial of the country's founding. Weighing as much as 40 elephants, the statue was dismantled and packed in 214 crates for her journey to America. Such a heavy statue would need a strong pedestal as a base, which Americans needed to build. Such a construction was very expensive and the pedestal was only half built when the statue arrived. Worse yet, there was no money left to complete it.

When fundraising efforts among millionaires failed, Joseph Pulitzer, owner of a newspaper, but an immigrant himself, appealed to everyone, including children, to donate what they could. In return, he promised to print the name of every single donor in his newspapers. The very next day, money started pouring in and $2000 was raised by the end of the first week!

The story is both informative and fascinating. The accessible text filled with interesting trivia and necessary context, such as what $100,000 in the 1800s means in today's dollars ($2.6 million). The jaunty illustrations add much to the text, including humor and a nod to Georges Seurat. The palette veers toward muted pastels. 

The back matter is a young researcher's dream. It includes a timeline, more facts about the statue, a bibliography, which includes books for younger readers and websites, followed by a two-page spread of photos from the time. 

This first-purchase will have many uses in the language arts classroom as well as social studies class for a large range of ages. Expect rich discussion on a variety of topics.

Fact Friday: Fungarium curated by Katie Scott and Ester Gaya

Happy Friday! We made it! It's sharply colder, but the sun is shining and the weekend promises to be fine.

Image: Candlewick Press

Fungarium curated by Katie Scott and Ester Gaya. Welcome to the Museum series. 80 p. Big Picture Press/ Candlewick Press, April, 2021. 9781536217094. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features Fungarium curated by Katie Scott and Ester Gaya. This gorgeous, over-size volume is part of the Welcome to the Museum series and it is not to be missed. Fungi fans will feast on the facts about fungal diversity and biology and linger over the exquisitely drawn specimens. Not a fungi fan? You might become a budding mycologist after spending some time with this book. At the very least, you'll learn more about the fungus among us.

Fungarium is a terrific addition to the STEM library. While the text veers a tad technical at times, there is plenty of fascinating information that is well-organized and appealingly laid out. The illustrations are captivating and beg to be lingered over. At my school, fifth graders do a fun unit on classification in science and I can see this book being a big hit. 

Fact Friday: 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich

Image: Charlesbridge

13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich and illustrated by David Clark. 32 p. Charlesbridge, February, 2021. 9781580898904. (Review of finished copy borrowed from the public library.)

Fact Friday features, for your dining pleasure, 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich and illustrated by David Clark. This reverse counting book is not just for the pre-school set. There's a lot of science packed in between the catchy rhymes and hilarious cartoonish illustrations featuring bug-eyed flies about to meet their demise. From wrapped and zapped through liquified and zombified, readers learn how a variety of animals make 13 different kinds of flies their prey. 

Engaging back matter informs the reader that there are more than 120,000 different kinds of flies! They are low in fat and rich in protein! There are lists of books and websites for anyone who wants more information. Never have I ever thought learning about flies could be so much fun!

There are multiple classroom uses for 13 Ways to Eat a Fly from LA to STEM. Your students will really eat this one up! I'm buying it for my middle school library.

Fact Friday: Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford

Image: Lerner Publishing Group

Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. 32 p. Lerner Publishing Group, February, 2021. 9781541581203. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This year (May 31 - June 1) marks the hundredth anniversary of a sad, significant and shameful event in American history that, before last summer, many were probably unaware. Ms. Weatherford begins her blank verse with the words, "Once upon a time" and she uses the repetition effectively to instruct readers about the thriving Black community neighborhood in segregated Tulsa, Oklahoma one hundred years ago. Greenwood, also known as the "Black Wall Street" was home to two movie theaters, several Black newspapers and many Black professionals such as doctors and lawyers. 

While this community enjoyed their prosperity, many in the white community resented it. When a white female elevator operator accused a young Black man of assault, it did not take long for racial tension to erupt in violence. A white mob headed to the jail with the intention of lynching the suspect, but was confronted by Black men intending to protect him. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of two Black men and ten whites. The next day, mobs of white men invaded Greenwood intent on burning the neighborhood to the ground. Three hundred Black residents were killed and more than eight thousand were left homeless as police stood by and did nothing to protect them. The incident was labeled a "race riot" and no investigation was done until seventy-five years later.

Floyd Cooper's erasure illustrations celebrate the thriving community, then somberly stun. Readers learn in the illustrator's note in the back matter that Mr. Cooper has a personal connection to Tulsa - his grandfather escaped the massacre. Ms. Weatherford provides more information in her author's note. Back matter includes black and white photos from the time. 

Unspeakable is a must-read, must-discuss book for anyone, adult or young adult wishing to deeply understand American history warts and all. It's a book that will prompt uncomfortable questions and necessary, but uncomfortable conversations in classrooms and around dinner tables. Lerner has provided a helpful twelve-page teaching guide on their website.

ETA: I had the opportunity to tune into a webinar hosted by Frugal Book Store featuring an interview of and reading by the author. 

Fact Friday: This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kay

Happy Friday! It has been a bit of a week. 

Image: Kids Can Press

This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kya and illustrated by Drew Shannon. 88 p. Kids Can Press, September, 2020. 9781525300165. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kya and illustrated by Drew Shannon. Uncomfortable thought for the day: We all have implicit/ unconscious bias. The author explains how the human brain sorts and labels information. In general, this is a good thing-necessary for survival, but sorting and labeling can cause harm. 

This short, easily digested book breaks down the scientific research that has been done and presents it in a relatable, thought-provoking manner. It covers the history of stereotypes, secret stereotypes in our brain and how we can work to identify them if we are motivated. Brightly colored illustrations, diagrams and charts add interest and further understanding. 

This book is an excellent introduction for young (and older) readers hoping to become better allies and better people. I'm looking forward to adding it to my school library's collection and sharing it with my students. 

Fact Friday: Drawn Across Borders: True Stories of Human Migration by George Butler

Image: Candlewick Press

Drawn Across Borders: True Stories of Human Migration written and illustrated by George Butler. 56 p. Candlewick Studio/ Candlewick Press, March 16, 2021. 9781536217759. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday! We made it through another week and this weekend marks the beginning of spring! The vernal equinox will take place tomorrow, March 20 at 5:37 EDT. Our daylight/ night hours will be roughly equal and each day after, we will have just a bit more daylight on our march to the summer solstice on June 20. As someone who is definitely affected by dwindling daylight, my spirits are lifting. 

Fact Friday features Drawn Across Borders: True Stories of Human Migration written and illustrated by George Butler. Mr. Butler is a journalist and artist who, from 2011 to 2018, traveled to twelve locations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East to sketch and interview people who were forced by a variety of circumstance to leave their home. 

One man migrated to Russia in order to work and send money home to his family, others were forced to leave because their homes were destroyed by bombs or no longer safe to live in. Unlike photojournalists, who can snap a photograph from a distance without ever interacting with a subject, Mr. Butler spent time with his, interviewing each subject while he sketched. The result is this hefty, beautifully designed portfolio/ journal. 

Arranged chronologically beginning in 2011, readers take an international journey and learn about why there are refugees and the plight they face finding new homes, often enduring discrimination and racial or ethnic hatred.

The text is spare, compelling and emotionally resonant, as are the pen, ink and watercolor illustrations. Each invites lingering.  Drawn Across Borders is a work of art that needs to be shared widely. This book erases the monolithic "them" and places human faces front and center. The past few years has seen the publication of a variety of books depicting the refugee experience for young readers such as, When Stars are Scattered or The Unwanted. among others. Drawn Across Borders is a superb addition to that collection.

Fact Friday: Follow Those Zebras: Solving a Migration Mystery by Sandra Markle

Happy Friday! Happy Lunar New Year as well! We made it to Friday and our February break! I hope you have big reading plans for break! I have daily book talks scheduled to post, so be sure to check here next week for some ideas of what to read next.

Image: Lerner Publishing Group

Follow Those Zebras: Solving a Migration Mystery by Sandra Markle. 40 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, April, 2020. 9781541538375. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Follow Those Zebras: Solving a Migration Mystery by Sandra Markle. Many animals migrate for a variety of reasons. What causes animals, in this case a herd of plains zebras in Namibia and Botswana near the Chobe River, to leave their home and just vanish? Scientist Robin Naidoo and a team of scientists fitted some of the zebras with GPS trackers to find out. They were shocked to discover that the herd travels a record 155 mile to Botswana's Nxai Pan National Park. This distance is record breaking. But why?

Read this fascinating book to find out. The narrative is well-organized and engaging. Each page features one or more full-color pictures of the herd, individual zebras and the scientists at work as well as maps and helpful sidebars. The book is beautifully designed. Useful back matter provides a glossary and points budding conservationists to other sources for further reading. Follow Those Zebras is a sturdy addition to Ms. Markle's Science Discovery series. 

Fact Friday: Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean by Patricia Newman

Happy Friday! We made it! Another week of hybrid and virtual learning in the books! And what a week it was with all the snow!

Image: Lerner Publishing

Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean by Patricia Newman, with photographs by Annie Crawley. 64 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing, March 2, 2021. (Review of e-book. Accessed courtesy of author.)

Fact Friday features Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean by Patricia Newman, with photographs by Annie Crawley. Ms. Newman's and Ms. Crawley's names should be familiar to my eighth graders. Plastic Ahoy! was the mentor text in the grade seven Digital Media Literacy cycle last year. 

Both women are dedicated conservationists. Ms. Newman's accesible, engaging writing paired with Ms. Crawley's stunning photography are a powerful combo. The photos are beyond spectacular and there are QR codes throughout the book that are linked to phenomenal videos that add depth to the reading experience. Readers will "travel" to three oceans with Ms. Crawley, a diving instructor as well as accomplished photographer/ film maker. She's inspiring a new generation of stewards of the ocean.

Visit the Coral Triangle near Indonesia, the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest, and the Arctic Ocean to learn about how climate change, ocean acidification and plastic pollution affects everyone, not just marine wildlife and those living near the coasts.

Back matter includes notes from the author and photographer, a glossary, source notes and suggestions for further reading. It's sure to please budding environmentalist and inspire a new generation of activists. Planet Ocean will be released on March 2. It is definitely becoming part of TMS library's collection whenever the library reopens. 

Consider this a first-purchase! Your conservation collection wouldn't be complete with out Planet Ocean. I can't wait to reread the physical book. Lerner's books are always pleasingly designed. 

Fact Friday: The Big One: the Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch

Happy Friday! The Wolf Moon was setting and its light was absolutely gorgeous when I had the dogs out earlier, but it's very cold! It's windy as well. Br-r. Real-feel was 3 degrees! Needless to say, it was a short walk for the hounds. I was layered and cold. Boo kept starting at the big winds.

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fact Friday features The Big One: the Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch. Earthquakes through the milennia were and remain a feared event. Unpredictable in timing and force, a quake can be a momentary tremor or can fell skyscapers. Until the 1960s, they were poorly understood by scientists. Thanks to this entry in the my favorite series, "The Scientist in the Field," readers can learn about the work of geologists who not only climb mountains, but also find ponds from which to extract core samples. The information gathered is helping scientists predict when and where earthquakes might happen.

The text is accessible and the plentiful full-color photos capture the work of teams of scientists that include undergraduate students. Back matter points budding scientists and researchers to sources and further reading. As usual, this series lives up to its reputation. Another first-purchase. 

Fact Friday: How We Got to the Moon by John Rocco

Image: Penguin Random House

How We Got to the Moon: the people, technology, and daring feats of science behind humanity's greatest adventure written and illustrated by John Rocco. 264 p. Crown Books for Young Readers, October, 2020. 9780525647416. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! Fact Friday features How We Got to the Moon: the people, technology, and daring feats of science behind humanity's greatest adventure written and illustrated by John Rocco. Now, if you are a Percy Jackson fan, you know Mr. Rocco's work, as he has illustrated all the covers for that series and its spin-offs.

This hefty, oversized, gorgeous volume begins in October of 1957, when people all over the world learned that Russia had launched a satellite called Sputnik. Panic ensued. Were we being spied upon? Could a satellite drop an atomic bomb? The U.S. scrambled to catch up. 

The subtitle really says it all. That's how wide-ranging the text is. Each spread brims with text that explains the history, science, engineering and gives biographical background on some of the many thousands of individuals who worked tirelessly to put a man on the moon. Illustrations vie with the text on each page and just beg to be pored over. There are technical drawings, cutaways, and portraits. This is a book that ought to be read more than once. There's just too much to take in. The back matter is superb. It gives the reader a glimpse into all the research Mr. Rocco did for both the writing and the art, source notes, sources, and suggestions for further reading.

Fact hounds and space geeks will adore this book, but so will the average curious reader. How We Got to the Moon was long-listed for the National Book Award and is a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. Who knows what other awards it might garner next Monday? A Sibert? A Newbery? This book needs to be in every library's collection.

Fact Friday: Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: her life and ideas, with 21 activities and experiments by Rowena Rae

Image: Chicago Review Press

Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: her life and ideas, with 21 activities and experiments by Rowena Rae. 144 p. Chicago Review Press, February, 2020. (Review of e-book borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it through another week! My students have a long weekend to look forward to. We teachers have a PD day on Monday.

Fact Friday features Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: her life and ideas with 21 activities and experiments by Rowena Rae. Rachel Carson was born in 1907 and was intensely curious about nature from her early years. Not only did she attend college when few women did, but she also studied science, specifically biology, which even fewer women did. She wrote eloquently about science and nature as well. Her intense observation and study of the natural world led her to the conclusion that pesticide use was adversely affecting animal life and the environment. She began to speak out against the use of pesticides in the 1950s and the 1962 publication of her book, Silent Spring, awakened the general public to these dangers to our environment.

This dual-use biography has activities and experiments that budding environmentalists can try. Although these activities were interesting - things like making bird seed cookies and building a worm farm, I found them intrusive to the flow of the narrative and would've preferred them to be grouped in a separate section, especially as they didn't directly connect to the text. There are plenty of photos to maintain interest and the back matter includes a timeline and glossary.

This biography serves as a fine introduction to the life and work of Rachel Carson.

Fact Friday: The Great Bear Rescue: Saving the Gobi Bears by Sandra Markle

Image: Lerner Publishing Group

The Great Bear Rescue: Saving the Gobi Bears by Sandra Markle. 40 p. Sandra Markle's Science Discovery Series. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, September, 2020. 9781541581258. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it! It's a beautiful morning with a crescent moon rising in a clear, star-filled sky. Enjoy the day.

Fact Friday features The Great Bear Rescue: Saving the Gobi Bears by Sandra Markle. I have never associated bear habitats with deserts. Have you? Acclaimed science writer, Sandra Markle, introduces us to the endangered species, Gobi bears, in this beautifully designed book filled with lots of full-color photos of the bears as well as of the conservation scientists attempting to save them. It is estimated that there are only forty bears left in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. While climate change is impacting their chances for survival, illegal gold mining in the region is also having an impact. "Ninja miners" sneak into the desert and dig deep holes in their search for gold. Bears and other wildlife can tumble into those holes and the water that collects there is poisonous. 

Ms. Markle's eloquent text endears and educates. There are interviews with the scientists, helpful maps and useful back matter. The volume concludes with a reminder to readers to also not forget the polar bear. This book is part of a series called Sandra Markle's Science Discoveries. Any new book by Ms. Markle is an automatic purchase for me and should be for anyone who curates a school, public or classroom library collection. Happy reading!

Fact Friday and Arc Review: The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph

Image: Candlewick Press

The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph. 272 p. Candlewick Press, December, 2020. 9781536217018. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday and Merry Christmas if you celebrate. Wow! That was some storm last night! There are trees down and power out all over my town. We have an American Beech tree on our property line that is over a hundred years old. Over the thirty-five years we've lived here, three different families have lived in the house behind ours. Each has hired trees services to heavily prune their side, which is within their right. The poor tree is terribly lopsided now, with beautiful foliage on our side of the fence. It's a beautiful tree and we enjoy its shade. With each storm, such as last night's, I watch its mighty branches twist in the wind with anxiety and hope that it will weather another storm. 

Fact Friday features The Black Friend: on being a better white person by Frederick Joseph. Mr. Joseph, a marketing expert, activist, writer and humanitarian has a sit-down with the reader in this engaging book. The tone is purposely conversational and informal, so very personal and relevant. 

The author reflects on his experience as a Black person in America. He transferred to a predominantly white school where the racism and micro-aggressions he encountered daily increased exponentially. He would let it go just to get by but slowly realized that by not addressing these, he was missing the opportunity to educate his white friends and acquaintances. In chapters with headings like, "We want you to see race," "You could at least pronounce my name correctly," "This isn't a fad it's my culture." readers learn about cultural appropriation, stereotype, affirmative action and how institutional racism could be dismantled. Each chapter also includes an interview with a prominent Black activist. Back matter includes an encyclopedia of racism, a list of people to learn more about and a playlist of the many songs he refers to during the course of his illuminating book.

In a year that has seen the publication of many fine books about anti-racism, The Black Friend holds its own and is a terrific addition to the thankfully growing anti-racist canon. 

Fact Friday: Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery. Photographs by Tianne Strombeck. 80 p. Scientists in the Field Series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July, 2020. 9780544816536. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it! It's Friday! My students all continue to remain patient and flexible as 2020 continues to dish up challenges. Yesterday, we pivoted to all-virtual learning for the great snowstorm that wasn't. We had snow, about six inches, but not the foot to foot and a half that was promised. I felt sorry that students didn't get a snow day. Nothing boosts the spirits like a snow day. Oh well. With virtual learning platforms, the snow day may become obsolete. 

I look for ways to tell my student to pat yourself on the back and I offer a virtual high five. I'm am always thrilled when I see them doing so on my zoom screen. Three school days until break!

Fact Friday features Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery. This is one of the newest entries in The Scientist in the Field series I write so often about. In 1982, there were just 12 California Condors left in the wild. What do conservation scientists do when an animal is on the brink of extinction? Ms. Montgomery, veteran science writer, informs us in captivating detail.

First, conservationists and zoos got together to start a breeding program. Next, the magnificent creatures had to be introduced to the wild and studied. Each year, the birds are captured and examined to check their health, especially to check for levels of lead. The terrain these scientists have to traverse is rough and there are other challenges, like holding a thrashing bird that is roughly the size of a large sofa still for examination!

As usual, there are plenty of fascinating full-color photographs as well as maps and charts to pore over. Additionally, the back matter contains suggestions for readers who'd like to learn more. This series is an auto-purchase for me. I happen to love science. I created a unit for seventh graders just so this series would get the readership it deserved.