August Recommendations

August Book Recommendations: More Superb Choices from PBRockiteers22!

Picture Books:

TOMATOES IN MY LUNCHBOX, written by Costantia Manoli and illustrated by Magdalena Mora, tells the story of a girl who leaves “the place where [her] name fits[s]” to come to one where it’s “strange and sharp, and sounds like something is breaking.” She struggles to fit in but, when a connection begins with a smile, everything becomes a little easier. The text is sensitive, relatable, and lovely, as are the ink, pastel, crayon, and digitally-collaged illustrations. TOMATOES IN MY LUNCHBOX is a book that’s as “soft and round and full of color” as the main character’s name when it’s said by a friend.

In ABUELITA AND I MAKE FLAN, by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, Anita is excited that today Abuelita will teach her how to make flan! But, before they even get started, “wobble wobble…CRASH!” Anita breaks Abuelita’s special plate from Cuba, the one she’s had forever! “Maybe no one will notice?” Anita hopes. The excitement of cooking takes over, and Anita and Abuelita spend a happy day together, pouring, mixing, and waiting for the flan to be ready. But what will happen when it’s time to flip the flan onto Abuelita's special plate? The colorful, expressive illustrations bring plenty of joyful energy to this sweet story of family and owning up to one’s mistakes. There’s even a recipe for flan de queso at the end!

ANNI DREAMS OF BIRIYANI, written by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat, is another story in which a recipe figures prominently. Anni, who loves to cook, lives across the street from Uncle Arif’s Biryani Café. Although Anni can make “curries and koftas, roti and raita,” try though she may her biryani just isn’t “as yummy as Uncle’s.” Anni sulkily decides there will be no more biryani, but she can’t stop dreaming about her favorite food. Prabhat’s stylized, digital illustrations are inspired by the warm, spicy colors of Anni’s cooking, while Mehra’s text should encourage young readers to follow their interests, never give up—and to try some biryani, because it’s “deliciously special!"

ANNETTE FEELS FREE, by Katie Mazeika, tells the fascinating story of Annette Kellerman who, at age six, began to wear braces on her legs. Whereas before she had been a happy child, twirling and pirouetting, now she felt clumsy and awkward. To cheer her up, her father took her to the bay, where she “danced in the waves” and “felt free again.” Annette became “the strongest swimmer in New South Wales,” performed water ballets in front of audiences, raced against women and men, and she even invented a new kind of swimsuit for women that didn’t have a big skirt and pantaloons. Accomplished digital illustrations in purples, blue-greens, and yellows paint an inviting portrait of this “force in the history of swimming and women’s rights."

CLOAKED IN COURAGE: UNCOVERING DEBORAH SAMPSON, PATRIOT SOLDIER, written by Beth Anderson and illustrated by Anne Lambelet, is the story of one extraordinary woman who refused to let gender roles limit her. Rather than marry, she became a rare “masterless woman,” earning her keep at the loom as a “patriot producing American goods.” Wanting to do more, Deborah dressed in men’s clothes and enlisted in the Massachusetts Fourth Regiment. Her hard work during training earned her a spot in the Light Infantry Company, then as the personal waiter for a general. But just as the war was ending, illness threatened her disguise… Anderson brings to light yet another fascinating woman of courage, as well as a peek into her research methods. Lambelet’s pencil, hand-painted, and photoshopped illustrations are lively, distinctive, and strongly support the text.

--Lynn