2book multi

Pop CultureFilm

And we’re rolling

Feature by Pat H. Broeske

Forget visions of sugar plums. This holiday season, a roster of Hollywood-themed entries summon up lingering images from beloved movie classics, among them The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights, as well as from kooky cult favorites, including TV’s wonderfully eccentric “Doctor Who.”

Of course, some cult films go on to become classics. In development for a decade, A Christmas Story was released in November 1983 with little fanfare and to mixed reviews. Ticket sales were surprisingly solid, but MGM pulled the movie from theaters after only five weeks—before Christmas—to make way for Barbra Streisand’s Yentl. No offense to Babs, but over time, it’s the modest tale of Ralphie Parker and family that has triumphed. It’s now an annual tradition that brings in an estimated 50 million viewers.

A Christmas Story ­Treasury celebrates the little movie that could. This is an interactive book with sound buttons that trigger eight famous quotes—delivered by the film’s narrator and writer, Jean Shepherd—and a packet of ephemera, including a “Merry Christmas from the Parkers” greeting card. Author Tyler Schwartz produced the documentary Road Trip for Ralphie, and he’s also affiliated with the Cleveland-based A Christmas Story House & Museum. So, yes, he’s a fan, and his book is for those who share his love for this holiday staple. I triple-dog-dare you to dislike this book.

FANTASTIC MR. ANDERSON

Cult film maestro Wes Anderson—whose oddities include Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom—is the subject of The Wes Anderson Collection, featuring film-by-film conversations between Anderson and critic Matt Zoller Seitz.

Seitz has been interviewing Anderson intermittently since 1993, when Seitz was a rookie film critic for the Dallas Observer and Anderson was making a 12-minute, 8mm movie called Bottle Rocket, which he co-wrote with then-unknown Owen Wilson. Seitz calls this book “a tour of an artist’s mind, with the artist as guide and amiable companion.” Included are nods to Anderson’s influences (such as Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape), his favorite music, his filmmaking habits (he heavily annotates his frames and, à la Hitchcock, does detailed storyboards) and more.

With an introduction by Michael Chabon and clever Andersonian artwork by Max Dalton, this coffee-table book is also heavily illustrated with stills from Anderson’s films. The stars are familiar—including Owen and Luke Wilson, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Anjelica Huston—but if the titles aren’t, this book may prompt you to add a few of them to your Netflix queue.

GOLDEN AGE

For lavish production it’s hard to top Majestic Hollywood: The Greatest Films of 1939, which features sumptuous production stills and behind-the-scenes candids from some of the greatest movies ever made, starring some of the greatest stars Hollywood has ever known.

Author Mark A. Vieira, who specializes in celebratory books about Hollywood’s Golden Age, looks at 50 films of a landmark year. They include Gunga Din, Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights, as well as star vehicles such as The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, The Roaring Twenties with tough guys Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, and Ninotchka with the legendary Greta Garbo. Let’s not forget Basil Rathbone as the ultimate sleuth in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, or young Shirley Temple in the teary The Little Princess. And then there was The Wizard of Oz, which had already gone through 10 writers, three directors, two witches and two tin men when director Victor Fleming came aboard—and the rest is history. As for the cherry on top, that would be Gone with the Wind.

Each film merits production highlights and critical reaction—and the aforementioned production stills from master photographers such as George Hurrell. That kind of artistic photography is now “gone with the wind,” as is the style of filmmaking that made 1939 a year to remember.

TIMEY WIMEY

For time travel fans, and for those who follow the exploits of the eccentric Time Lord known simply as the Doctor, there’s Doctor Who: The Vault.

The BBC-produced series is watched regularly in the U.S. by 2 million viewers; worldwide, there are 77 million. Not bad considering the show’s shaky beginnings. After a rocky period of pre-production, it debuted in November 1963, one day after the assassination of JFK.

Author Marcus Hearn enjoyed enviable access to the BBC’s “Doctor Who” archive and to those of private collectors. The result is a beautifully produced chronicle of the series.

In the last 50 years, 11 actors have portrayed the Time Lord—the result of his ability to “regenerate.” In various incarnations, the Doctor has been jokey, earnest, gray-haired, a youthful 26 and so on. He travels in a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), which usually resembles a 1960s British police box. 

All this is explained in depth by Hearn, who looks at the costumes, weapons, monsters and promotional items of the series. There are accounts of the comings and goings of writers, directors and producers; differences over storylines and programming approach; and movies that influenced the series, including Frankenstein and classic Westerns.

Should the phenomenon have passed you by, don’t pass up the book. The Doctor will see you now.

Forget visions of sugar plums. This holiday season, a roster of Hollywood-themed entries summon up lingering images from beloved movie classics, among them The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach and Wuthering Heights, as well as from kooky cult favorites, including TV’s wonderfully eccentric “Doctor Who.”

Of course,…

NonfictionPhotographyBiographyArt

A century’s worth of artistry

Feature by Alice Cary

Art and photography are wonderful windows to the world through which we are able to see things in new, often unexpected ways. These five books all contain intriguing stories about a variety of artistic visions and are certain to delight any lucky recipients this holiday season.

You can’t help but cheer for Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York, a book that has drawn lots of recent attention. In 2010, after losing his job as a bond trader, Stanton decided to become a photographer, despite his lack of formal training. When the Georgia native went to New York City for the first time, he started an online photo album called “Humans of New York” (HONY). His album eventually morphed into a popular Tumblr blog, as he began pairing his portraits with brief stories or quotations from those he encountered.

This book, a compilation from his blog, is a fascinating tapestry of Big Apple personalities. A sveltely dressed defense lawyer holds his dog and says, “I always work my dog’s name into my closing argument.” A teenage boy in shorts says, “A kid wore shorts to school yesterday and the headmaster got really mad, so today the whole class wore them.” An incredibly frail man in a wheelchair turns out to be Banana George, who at age 92 set a world record as the oldest person to water-ski barefoot.

Stanton presents a colorful panorama of fashion and style, tattoos, wild shoes, Rollerblades, bikes, skateboards, hand holding, kisses, costumes, undying family devotion, babies, kids, old folks, visitors from afar, dancers, artists, dogs, performers and more.

A GLOBAL VISION

Sometimes a photograph becomes so embedded in our brains that we yearn to know the rest of the story. Award-winning photojournalist Steve McCurry takes readers on an amazing global journey in Untold: The Stories Behind the Photographs. In 1978, McCurry left his job as a photographer at a Philadelphia newspaper and headed to India with a one-way ticket, his camera and film. Before long, he found himself dressed in native garb and sneaking over the border into war-torn Afghanistan. The rest of his journey has been prolific, earning him the Robert Capa Gold Medal for exceptional courage and enterprise in photographic reporting from abroad.

McCurry is best known for his portrait, The Afghan Girl, taken of a green-eyed schoolgirl in a refugee camp in Pakistan, used on the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. The child’s piercing gaze is haunting, and it became one of the most recognizable photographs in the world. One chapter of this book tells the story of that particular expedition, and a remarkable follow-up in 2002, when McCurry returned to Pakistan to find his memorable subject, now married and a mother.

This is a book suitable for both browsing and focused reading. Other chapters recount, for instance, McCurry’s September 11 experiences in New York City, as well as trips to Tibet, India, Kuwait, Kashmir, Cambodia and more. Portraits of Tibetan children are intensely beautiful, and McCurry is haunted by his experiences in Vietnam, where he traveled in 2007 to photograph a father suffering from AIDS and tuberculosis in a remote village. McCurry reflects: “I hope my photographs will inform people and inspire them, and in some way help those people who have been gracious enough to allow me into their lives.”

ARTISTIC TREASURES

Art Is . . . is a little book in which the Metropolitan Museum of Art tries to tackle a big question: What is art? Nearly 200 artworks from the museum’s collection are paired with simple observations about the nature of art. For example, the words Art is advertisement are paired with a colorful 1880s ad for baking powder that features circus elephants and a clown. Art is woven is exemplified by a 15th-century tapestry of a unicorn. John Singer Sargent’s striking portrait of Madame X shows that art can be provocative. People of all ages will enjoy browsing through these lovely pages, and the small format makes the book all the more inviting—and the perfect stocking stuffer.

AMERICA’S ARTIST

For many, Norman Rockwell’s paintings represent the epitome of American homespun goodness: moments big and small, sad and triumphant, filled with Boy Scouts, policemen, soldiers, doctors, grandmothers and all sorts of grinning, gangly kids. Biographer and art critic Deborah Solomon has written a comprehensive new biography of the master artist, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell. Ten years in the making, the book is a fascinating look at a man who was himself depression-prone, anxiety-ridden, obsessive and lonely, despite his three wives and three sons. Though Rockwell wasn’t an athlete himself, he seemed to prefer the company of physically strong men, a topic that Solomon delicately explores.

Born in New York City in 1894, Rockwell was likely dyslexic and immersed himself in his drawings at an early age. His first cover for the Saturday Evening Post was published in 1916. It was well received, and he became a regular contributor. Sadly, the happy scenes he painted weren’t from his own life. In 1948, for instance, he painted a cover called Christmas Homecoming, in which all five members of his family appeared. In reality, he was living in Hollywood for a few months while his wife was in Vermont. Rockwell is a beloved figure in American art, and Solomon’s compelling portrait offers the attention and insight that this complex man deserves.

A LIFE OF BEAUTY & DESIGN

Equally comprehensive is Eva Zeisel: Life, Design, and Beauty by Pat Moore. Less immediately recognized than Rockwell, Zeisel (1906-2011) was a highly influential ceramicist whose stylish designs revolutionized American dinnerware in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Hungary, she evolved from a pottery artist into an industrial designer when a German manufacturer hired her to design tableware in 1928. After being unjustly imprisoned for 16 months in Russia after a colleague falsely accused her of being part of a conspiracy to assassinate Stalin, Zeisel immigrated to the U.S. in 1938.

The works from Zeisel’s long, prolific career are not only beautiful, but also practical and useful. Her line of “Museum” dinnerware was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946, the institution’s first show devoted to a woman designer. Crate and Barrel has sold her designs, and her ceramics, furniture, rugs and lighting can be found in a variety of museums around the world. Zeisel was a pioneer in bringing well-made, well-designed and affordable items to the marketplace. This volume is a loving look at both her life and her work, with stunning photographs that beautifully showcase Zeisel’s creations.

Art and photography are wonderful windows to the world through which we are able to see things in new, often unexpected ways. These five books all contain intriguing stories about a variety of artistic visions and are certain to delight any lucky recipients this holiday…

PhotographyNatureAnimals

What a wonderful world

Feature by Alice Cary

This summer my family and I had frequent visits from a ruby-throated hummingbird that would peer quickly into our large kitchen window. More recently, I was lucky enough to be hiking in the Colorado prairie, surrounded by a vista of distant mountains. Nature can be equally mesmerizing whether viewed from up close, from afar or from an armchair. These books will take you on quite the tour around the world, offering glorious glimpses of natural wonders big and small.

AERIAL VIEWS

What does Earth look like from very far away—from space? Not only is the view breathtaking, but the perspective also offers valuable insights about the fragile state of our planet. This is the premise of Earth from Space, from Yann Arthus-Bertrand, one of the world’s leading aerial photographers and the founder of GoodPlanet, an environmental foundation.

This unique volume features more than 150 satellite photos coupled with interviews with scientists and activists, and is a natural follow-up to Arthus-Bertrand’s wildly successful Earth from Above. At first glance, some of these images resemble beautiful abstract works of art, such as the intricate, ink-like swirls on the opening and end pages. These mysterious views capture, for instance, a forest fire in Siberia, the rising waters of Venice and the sandbanks and algae sculpted by waves in the Bahamas.

Chapters address issues such as world hunger, climate change, pollution, urban sprawl and disasters, explaining the challenges we face and how satellites help us monitor these issues. Earth from Space gives readers an opportunity to understand and visualize global issues in a tangible, intriguing way.

MUSEUM TREASURES

Another remarkable offering awaits in Extraordinary Birds: Essays and Plates of Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History Library. The perfect package for bird lovers, it consists of a sturdy, book-like box containing 40 frameable prints from the museum’s Rare Book Collection, plus a paperback book of accompanying essays by Paul Sweet, collection manager of the ornithology department. Sweet offers a history of ornithology and explains the significance of each print.

This book is a follow-up to Sterling’s popular 2012 release, Natural Histories: Extraordinary Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History Library. For both collections, editors spent hours in the museum’s vault, carefully selecting prints for inclusion. Certainly the editors must have lost track of time as they worked, and it’s easy to get lost in these pages.

Each print represents its own story of adventure. For example, two are by Edward Lear, better known today for his nonsense poems, but at age 18, he was hired as a draftsman for the Zoological Society of London. His Red-capped Parrot is stunning; his Eurasian Eagle-Owl is formidable. Readers also learn about the excellent artist Elizabeth Gould, who drew 2,999 plates for her naturalist husband, John, without receiving any credit! At least she got her own species, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, named in her honor.

INTO THE WILD

Biologist and photographer Paul Nicklen provides plenty more armchair adventures with Bear: Spirit of the Wild. He grew up on Baffin Island, Canada, and has traveled the globe, spending bone-chilling hours submerged in icy water photographing polar bears, boating up the Yukon in search of grizzlies and trekking the Great Bear Rainforest to observe spirit bears. As two bear experts write in the book’s epilogue: “To roam the last corners of the Earth where wild creatures still thrive is a privilege reserved to only a select handful.” Luckily, with this book, readers get to tag along.

The result is a truly dazzling display of photographs: a white spirit bear chomping on salmon while relaxing on a mossy green carpet in the forest; a young grizzly splashing through a river like a torpedo; a pair of polar cubs peeking over their mother’s back. Essays by Nicklen and other environmentalists offer perspectives on various bears’ habitats and the threats they face.

Nicklen is also a contributor to The Masters of Nature Photography, a compilation of winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition sponsored by BBC Worldwide and the British Natural History Museum. Portfolios of 10 photographers are included, along with an artist profile and discussions of each photograph.

Here, for example, is Frans Lanting describing his glorious shot of a herd of bull elephants in Botswana: “For a short time, a group gathered across the water from me, just as the full moon started to rise, with the pink light of the dying sunset reflected back onto the landscape and the elephants?a primeval scene of ancient Africa. To capture the full reflection of the elephants, I had to wade waist-deep into the water. That was tricky, as a bull coming behind me could have put me in an uncomfortable position.” Reading anecdotes like this makes these wildlife masterpieces all the more impressive and enjoyable.

AWE-INSPIRING LANDSCAPES

In celebration of the travel publisher’s 40th anniversary, Lonely Planet offers its own photography collection in Lonely Planet’s Beautiful World. Here are more than 200 large-format glimpses of places both familiar and remote. A supercell storm near Alvo, Nebraska, forms over grasslands with unimaginable force and fury. Green turtles swim amid a sea of brilliantly colored fish in the Galápagos. Antlered red deer in London’s Richmond Park peer ahead like enchanted beasts of long ago.

This is a book chock-full of photographs, with no text except a short introduction that describes how the beauty of Yosemite Valley “can make you catch your breath.” The editors continue with a valuable message that applies to all of these books: “The world is full of places like that. But we don’t see them every day and sometimes we need to be reminded that they are there.”

This summer my family and I had frequent visits from a ruby-throated hummingbird that would peer quickly into our large kitchen window. More recently, I was lucky enough to be hiking in the Colorado prairie, surrounded by a vista of distant mountains. Nature can be…

Children's & YAPicture Book

Gather ’round for holiday fun

Feature by Alice Cary

Light the fire, grab a mug of hot cocoa and cozy up with the kids for some holiday reading. You’re sure to find magic in a fine Christmas picture book—the best of which will earn a place in your heart and become a treasured part of your family traditions.

That special magic is brilliantly captured in The Christmas Wish, a family project that involved photographer Per Breiehagen, his wife Lori Evert and their young daughter, Anja. Just imagine the warmth and Nordic charm of Jan Brett’s The Wild Christmas Reindeer. Now envision a book that uses breathtaking photographs instead of illustrations to tell its story, and you have The Christmas Wish.

Breiehagen grew up in the mountains of Norway, and a photo he took of Anja with a reindeer inspired his stylist wife Evert to write this holiday story. The result is an exciting tale about a Scandinavian child who dreams of becoming one of Santa’s elves. We first see Anja in her cozy home and at school, tackling holiday chores while contemplating her heart’s desire. One day she simply whooshes away on skis to head to the North Pole, fearlessly plunging into the deep wilderness snow.

Breiehagen’s photographs take readers on a journey up and down mountains, through Northern Light vistas, past frozen waterfalls and across the northern tundra. Along the way, Anja is guided by a cardinal, a giant horse, a musk ox, a polar bear and a reindeer, until she finally reaches the North Pole and sees the big man himself. This unique tale makes readers feel like they’re a part of Anja’s exhilarating journey.

POOR LITTLE SANTA

Children will also enjoy Jon Agee’s Little Santa, an amusing tale about Santa’s childhood. In contrast to the photographic opulence of The Christmas Wish, this story features minimalist illustrations that spin a yarn about a down-on-their-luck family living a dreary life at the North Pole. Young Santa lives in a drab cabin with his parents and six brothers and sisters, all of whom hate the winter chill and dream of moving to Florida. Santa, on the other hand, adores winter fun and can’t stop baking gingerbread cookies and sliding down their chimney.

Just as the family prepares to move, a blizzard buries the house and traps the Claus family. Santa is sent up the chimney to get help. He encounters a buried reindeer, and together they fly to a house that happens to be jam-packed with elves.

Little Santa is a lively romp in which elves say things like “Holy Snowflake,” and young Santa saves the day, meeting a gang of friends who will obviously become his North Pole mainstay.

TRACTOR TROUBLE

Kids will clamor for An Otis Christmas, Loren Long’s fourth story about a spunky little tractor who lives on a hillside farm. Everyone there is happily preparing for Christmas, and Otis is thrilled when the farmer presents him with a shiny new horn on Christmas Eve.

Otis’ sense of holiday cheer quickly turns to dismay, however, when Doc Baker is desperately needed for a horse in labor. Unfortunately, a blinding snowstorm makes his arrival seem impossible, until our trusty tractor sets out bravely into the dark, stormy night, “with snow up to his chin.” Plenty of excitement awaits as Otis chugs up a steep hill and comes to the edge of a cliff, shining his headlights into the abyss.

Long’s gouache-and-pencil illustrations are full of heartfelt charm, yet never stoop to cutesiness. His wonderful Otis series provides a classic new option for vehicle and adventure lovers alike.

CHRISTMAS CATS

I’m not a cat person, but Fuddles completely wins me over. A Very Fuddles Christmas is the second book about this charismatic cat, written and illustrated by Disney animator Frans Vischer and based on his family’s pampered, fat cat. Spoiled “endlessly,” Fuddles thinks Christmas is just for him. He lights up at the sight of a fancy turkey dinner, a gingerbread house and a twinkling Christmas tree. He has a rude awakening, however, when he knocks the tree over and flees in dismay, only to find himself stranded outside in the cold.

Vischer adds humor every step of the way, both to text (“Like a pioneer frontiersman, Fuddles bravely faced the elements”) and to his endearing depictions of Fuddles’ escapades. His illustrations practically leap off the page with energy and imagination. Rest assured that Fuddles does find his way back inside, arriving via a dramatic holiday route.

On a very different note, Maryann Macdonald was inspired to write The Christmas Cat when she saw Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing “La Madonna del Gatto,” showing young Jesus holding a cat. What if Jesus had a cat, she wondered. In Macdonald’s fresh take on the Nativity story, she begins: “Jesus was beautiful, like all babies. And like all babies, he cried.” Baby Jesus is inconsolable, in fact, until a curious kitten begins to nuzzle him and purr.  Thus a friendship is born, and later, when Mary, Joseph and Jesus flee Bethlehem to escape into Egypt, this faithful kitten saves the day when danger is near. Softly evocative illustrations by Amy June Bates enhance this gentle biblical tale.

MOVE OVER, GOLDILOCKS

After watching polar bears frolic at the Central Park Zoo, Maria Modugno went home and wrote Santa Claus and the Three Bears, a Yule-themed take on Goldilocks. These three polar bears live in a Nordic cottage filled with Scandinavian decor, and everything is picture-perfect until a hungry, sleepy Santa drops in and makes himself at home.

After all is said and done, Santa, of course, has the last word of the day, saying: “Sorry about the chair. I’ll bring you a new one next year.” Preschoolers will relish this festive spin on a beloved tale, illustrated by award-winning artist Jane Dyer and her daughter Brooke Dyer.

Light the fire, grab a mug of hot cocoa and cozy up with the kids for some holiday reading. You’re sure to find magic in a fine Christmas picture book—the best of which will earn a place in your heart and become a treasured part…

Children's & YAYAPicture Book

Making spirits bright with clever books

Feature by Joanna Brichetto

Looking for great gift books for children, selections that will encourage creativity and curiosity? We’ve combed through publishers’ offerings to find these 10 irresistible choices for kids of all ages, from tots to teens.

FOR LITTLE ONES

Avast, toddler and preschool pirate fans, here’s a pop-up book and play mat all in one. Playbook Pirates, written by Corina Fletcher and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, is a take-along adventure set starring a cute crew (boys and girls, and with a range of skin tones) and colorful critters. Read the book from either end: One side is a pop-up tale with cheerful pirates searching for buried treasure and navigating sharks, a shipwreck and a mermaid tea party. The other side shares scenes from a pirate’s busy life, including parent-pleasing evidence that pirates “have to keep the ship clean and tidy!” The clever design unfolds into a large, pop-up play mat equipped with free-standing characters ready for uncharted adventures.

Here’s a wish: that kiddies will grow up loving and remembering Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and author Paul Galdone. The Folk Tale Classics Treasury: Six Cherished Stories in One Keepsake Volume is a core curriculum of the earliest kid lit, including The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears and The Gingerbread Boy as retold and illustrated by Galdone. Each story has a perfect ratio of word to fabulous image, “just right for reading aloud and reading together.” Who can forget the “TRIP, TRAP, TRIP, TRAP” of the third Billy Goat Gruff across the troll’s bridge? Hopefully, no one. This beautiful collection, designed for ages 4 to 7, includes a downloadable audiobook of all six stories.

MOVING PARTS

Pop-up master Robert Sabuda pays big homage to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid in this spectacular three-dimensional edition. Those of us who only know the Disney version or abridged picture book variations will be surprised by plot details and the emotional depth of Andersen’s story. It is hardly simple, sweet goodnight fare. Sabuda spins the drama with towering, intricately engineered eruptions on every spread, as well as within sequential booklets—with pop-ups of their own—in the margins. We are hooked from the very first page, when the sea king’s castle—a paper sculpture teeming with merpeople, studded with doors shaped like water drops—rises far larger than the book itself. Best for ages 6 and up.

Ever hear the phrase “rack and pinion steering” on car commercials and wonder what it means? Ask a kid to show you with this nifty kit: How Cars Work: The Interactive Guide to Mechanisms That Make a Car Move by Nick Arnold. Children aged 7 and up can build 10 basic car mechanisms with pegboard, cardboard bits (gears, strips, cams, etc.), rubber bands, plastic bolts and wing nuts. What they’re really building is a hands-on, working knowledge of stuff like valves, brakes and windshield wipers. Running timelines provide historical context, while adorable illustrations by Allan Sanders make instructions easy and fun to follow.

CREATURE TEACHERS

Nat Geo goes interactive with the Animal Creativity Book, stuffed with animal photos and facts, plus stickers, stencils, games, crafts and other neat things to do. Make a pop-up card for a friend, featuring one of the world’s longest living animals: a giant tortoise. Play Baby Animal Match-Up with colorful cards ready to cut out, or Build a Bear, a game of chance where players compete to assemble a paper panda model. More highlights: a cut-out 3-D lion mask (with a mane made of paper strips) and Animal Artist, a step-by-step, super-easy method for drawing dogs and cats. For ages 6 to 9.

A cell phone or digital camera is all a kid (ages 8 to 12) needs to make amazing animated films with the awesome boxed set of Animation Studio by Helen Piercy. We’re talking “stop-action” movies, where every incremental movement is caught “on film” and then combined at speed to look real. Movies can feature 2-D action, such as simple drawings on a whiteboard or paper, or 3-D subjects like clay and more complex models. The kit includes a fold-out stage, props, sets and storyboards, all with irresistible artwork, plus some cool tools from animation history: a zoetrope drum and a thaumatrope. The colorful handbook gives storytelling tips, advice on editing and complete how-tos.

Dinosaurology: The Search for a Lost World is a facsimile of the 1907 travel journal of Raleigh Rimes, a (fictitious) young explorer on a secret journey to a “lost island” in South America where indigenous humans and “living, breathing dinosaurs” coexist in the shadow of a grumbling volcano. Yellowed pages studded with notes, maps, drawings and lift-the-flap extras detail the boy’s adventures and bring to life many prehistoric creatures, remains and encounters. This fictional account is an entertaining way to learn a lot of facts, including a brief history of paleontology, dinosaur characteristics and behavior, plus a great deal about popular prehistoric creatures not classified as true dinosaurs, such as the Megalodon, Ichthyosaurus and Pterodactyl. For ages 8 to 12.

The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth is an “amoebas to zebras” reference destined to pique the interest of young readers and provide years of homework help for ages 8 to 12. A super simple (and thus memorable) Tree of Life graphic starts the book, dividing all living things into Plants, Fungi, Microscopic Life and—the main attraction—Animals, with invertebrates and vertebrates branching out from there. The goal is a comprehensive, at-a-glance guide illustrated with brilliant color photography, accompanied by facts that prove to be easily digestible. A nice bonus is the little silhouette “scale” graphic tucked beside each gorgeous spread, giving kids a better sense of how each specimen relates to other species and to themselves.

How the World Works, by Clive Gifford, promises young readers (ages 8 to 13) they can “know it all, from how the sun shines to how the pyramids were built.” “All” means “the systems, processes and phenomena . . . that make up the workings of the world,” organized into five headings: Earth and Space, Prehistoric Life, Life, Science and Technology, and History, presented in an inviting question-and-answer format. For example: How do volcanoes erupt, how did the dinosaurs die out, and how does nuclear power work? Each question and answer fits onto two adjoining pages, which gives kids plenty of information via illustration and description without being overwhelming. 

ROOKIE GROWS UP

Rookie is on online, independent magazine with writing and artwork from and for teenage girls. (Check it out at Rookiemag.com.) Rookie Yearbook Two, edited by Tavi Gevinson, compiles highlights from Rookie’s thrilling second year of life, including pieces by Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling, interviews with Emma Watson and Carrie Brownstein, and tons of thematic content from dozens of talented young contributors. Themes like Play, On the Road, Freedom and Paradise give scope to memoirs, essays, fiction, photos and other creative responses. Funky DIY projects are paired with step-by-step photos, like the denim jacket tutorial which, according to a reader’s whim and materials on hand, can involve spray bleach, tie-dye, vintage fabrics and even googly eyes. This compilation would be a welcome gift for the hard-to-please teen on your list.

Looking for great gift books for children, selections that will encourage creativity and curiosity? We’ve combed through publishers’ offerings to find these 10 irresistible choices for kids of all ages, from tots to teens.

FOR LITTLE ONES

Avast, toddler and preschool pirate fans, here’s a pop-up book…

Fiction

Christmas fiction

Feature by bookpagedev

Looking for a novel that reflects the spirit of the season? The usual best-selling suspects—and a few surprises—are ready with some exciting and festive new releases.

SILENT NIGHT
A homeless boy leads Spenser into the case of a lifetime in this new adventure, completed by Parker’s longtime literary agent and friend Helen Brann.

STARRY NIGHT
When a successful gossip columnist comes upon the scoop of a lifetime in small-town Alaska, she must decide between her career or her heart.

THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE
It’s Christmas in the Cotswolds, and a humble candle maker is visited by a mysterious angel who gives him a dubious gift: The ability to grant one Christmas miracle.

CHRISTMAS BLISS
Savannah antiques dealer Weezie Foley would enjoy Christmas a lot more if she weren’t trying to juggle a wedding and a pregnant maid-of-honor.

TIME FOR ME TO COME HOME
A big-time country superstar realizes that the only place he wants to spend Christmas is at home in Oklahoma in this heartwarming tale by the mother of real-life superstar Blake Shelton.

THE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS
When Josh finds an abandoned, pregnant dog on his doorstep, he inadvertantly becomes the patriarch of a very furry family—and gets a chance at love with a beautiful shelter employee.

A CHRISTMAS HOPE
A boring holiday gathering with the haute ton turns into something more when a prostitute joins the party—and turns up dead—in Perry’s 11th Christmas mystery.

Looking for a novel that reflects the spirit of the season? The usual best-selling suspects—and a few surprises—are ready with some exciting and festive new releases.

SILENT NIGHT
A homeless boy leads Spenser into the case of a lifetime in this new adventure, completed by Parker’s…

Animals

Fabulous felines, charming canines

Feature by Linda M. Castellitto

If you're looking for a holiday gift for an animal aficionado, look no further than these six new books, which celebrate (and justify!) our fascination with and devotion to our furry friends. From photography-laden treats to amazing true stories to beautiful poetry, these cat-and-dog tales will be well-received, indeed.

GRACEFUL AND GORGEOUS
The Elegance of the Cat: An Illustrated History will incite ooh-ing and ahh-ing among cat-lovers and photographers alike. But this large-format beauty isn't just about pretty kitties—it's also a cat-historian's (catstorian's?) delight. Author Tamsin Pickeral offers a thoughtful examination of the role of the cat through the centuries, plus detailed information on 50 breeds. Pickeral notes that, in the Middle Ages, cats were persecuted due to a rise in Christianity and a mistrust of cats' link to polytheism and magic. This cat-hatred had stunning big-picture consequences: "[T]he mass slaughter of cats across Europe during the Middle Ages neatly coincided with the sweeping devastation of the Black Death," which was spread via flea-infested rats—whose numbers swelled in the absence of their chief predators.

Felines fared better in subsequent eras and are, of course, the object of much affection today, whether in homes worldwide, "Garfield" comic strips, or any number of videos online. Then there are the cat shows, which became popular in the late 1800s. The two world wars were a fallow time for cat-breeding, Pickeral reports, but enthusiasm redoubled after WWII and continues apace. Cat-breeders and readers seeking a purebred cat will find The Elegance of the Cat a valuable tool, thanks to descriptions of 50-plus breeds' appearance, personality and origins—plus Astrid Harrisson's stunning photos of cats in nature, at play, or perhaps practicing their cat-show poses.

A FELINE OMNIBUS
In the cat-book universe, The Big New Yorker Book of Cats surely is high on the Most Wanted list: Its 300-plus pages are a feline-appreciation wonderland of fiction, poetry, essays, cartoons and covers culled from the magazine's nearly nine decades in print—and its contributors' seemingly endless willingness to ponder, and attempt to capture, that which makes cats so . . . cat-like. According to the magazine's film critic, Anthony Lane, it's an ever-entertaining and, often, ultimately fruitless pursuit. Lane writes in the foreword, when musing on why there are no cats in the New Yorker offices, "[Y]ou cannot fact-check a cat. . . . In contrast to the magazine, and to this capacious book, cats are unreadable, and happy to remain so. Unlike writers, and related pests, they cannot be controlled." That's thoroughly celebrated here, in four sections (Fat Cats, Alley Cats, Cat Fanciers, Curious Cats) and a sizable amalgam of words and pictures—all reflecting the kaleidoscope of emotions and beliefs cats can provoke, from fascination to frustration, curiosity to an overwhelming urge to cuddle.

Writers including James Thurber, Jamaica Kincaid, E.B. White and Margaret Atwood, plus numerous cartoon and cover artists (cover-cats had their heyday in the 1970s, it seems), pay homage to cats in their many guises. The Big New Yorker Book of Cats is thought-provoking, fun, and great to look at — plus, it's the perfect size to comfortably host a sprawling cat (or a couple of kittens).

OH, GO AWAY ALREADY
Grumpy Cat probably doesn't like Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book. The first-time author has a career many would envy. This year alone, she's been on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, the cover of New York magazine, TV shows like "Good Morning America" and "CBS Evening News," and made an appearance at SXSW. Not bad for a one-and-a-half-year-old, but Grumpy Cat isn't just any toddler. She's a cat who's also an Internet meme, thanks to her perma-frown, which her owners say is due to feline dwarfism. Grumpy Cat has 1.9 million Facebook likes and a lot to say, and her writerly debut lays it out like so: "I dream of a world in which everyone sulks in their own corner, occasionally emerging to judge one another and feel disgust for everything around them." Grumpy Cat explains why she hates dogs, shares her arrest record and creates a gift guide "for the person who doesn't deserve anything," including such choices as an "ergonomic litter box" (unmade bed) and "bouncing ball" (fragile vase). There are also plenty of photos: family pictures, meme-ified shots, and some un-skillfully Photoshopped ones—though it must be said, using a paw to manipulate a computer-mouse is nothing like handling a real mouse, so rough edges are to be expected.

Reading Grumpy Cat in one sitting, while easy to do, might be a bit much for cheerier sorts: The negativity, while often visually adorable, is relentless and may result in a bad mood, which . . . wait a minute. It works! She's a grumpy genius.

AMAZING CANINES
Rebecca Ascher-Walsh's author photo for Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty, and Life with Dogs is notable not only because it's adorable, but because the image of her—smiling broadly, eyes squeezed shut as the pit bull she's holding gives her a big, wet kiss—is the embodiment of her book: the pit bull is a dog she helped get adopted. Presumably Ascher-Walsh, an animal activist, didn't adopt the dog herself because she's already got a couple of her own (photo, page 6), but there's seemingly no limit to her affection for animals, especially the ones she's profiled here. Each story is accompanied by photos, and dog-centric facts are sprinkled throughout. For example, "Dogs can distinguish smells 1,000 to 10,000 times better than a human"—fascinating on its own, and even more so when that ability is central to the story of Effie, who sniffed out her owner's cancer. Then there's Shana, who saved her owners during a snowstorm (she dug a tunnel and dragged them to safety), and Rose, who works as a courthouse dog (she comforts children testifying about traumatic events).

Devoted is filled with fascinating true stories of canine heroism, dare-devilry (Hooch and his owner scuba-dive), and always, love.

Dogs let it all hang out in the spectacular stop-action photography of Carli Davidson's Shake.

DOGS, INTERRUPTED
Shake is a full-color compendium of full-on adorableness, featuring all sorts of dogs in mid-shake. Some squint as if caught in a wind tunnel, others maintain eye contact while their twisting jowls release astounding arcs of drool, and still others transform from merely poofy to fantastically fluffy. In 2010, photographer Carli Davidson began taking pictures of rescue dogs mid-shake. She posted the shots on Facebook, they went viral in 2011, and a book was born: 61 dogs, a stark black background, and glorious side-by-side photos. Davidson notes in her introduction that she borrowed the idea of photographing an animal mid-motion from Eadweard Muybridge, who photographed horses in 1878. She adds that the project "has given me insight into the universality of how much we love our pets, and how excited we are to see our heroes in a new way."

Davidson's high-speed photography technique, plus her dog-wrangling ability, make for a fun new way to look at dogs—and an inevitable yearning to hug a hound, starting with the ones in this book. Those faces 

PRAISE AND JOY
Poet Mary Oliver has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and her 2012 collection, A Thousand Mornings, was a New York Times bestseller. Oliver has another hit on her hands with Dog Songs: Poems, in which we learn that the talented poet is just like the rest of us in at least one way: She loves her dogs—the ones she grew up with, the ones who've departed this earth, the ones she shares time with today. In this book of poems (plus one poetic essay), Oliver honors and reflects on the human-canine connection through her experiences with Percy, Ben, Bear, Henry and Ricky, the winsome Havanese with whom Oliver shares her author photo. Finely done line-drawings of Oliver's dogs add to the warmth of the Dog Songs experience, which is a lovely gift for dog-lovers, or anyone who smiles at lines like these:

Running here running there, excited,
hardly able to stop, he leaps, he spins

until the white snow is written upon
in large, exuberant letters,
a long sentence, expressing
the pleasure of the body in this world.

"Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased," Oliver writes, and the reader responds simply, "Of course."

If you're looking for a holiday gift for an animal aficionado, look no further than these six new books, which celebrate (and justify!) our fascination with and devotion to our furry friends. From photography-laden treats to amazing true stories to beautiful poetry, these cat-and-dog tales will be well-received, indeed.
Children's & YAPicture Book

Gather ’round for a Hanukkah story

Feature by Joanna Brichetto

The date on which Hanukkah falls is based on a lunar calendar, and this year it comes far earlier than usual—which means we don’t have much time to choose Hanukkah books for the children in our lives. You can’t go wrong with these selections. They either add a new twist to an old story or succeed in emphasizing timeless values with a light touch, and all are very entertaining.

A SNOWY CELEBRATION
Hanukkah in Alaska (ages 4 to 8), written by Barbara Brown and illustrated by Stacey Schuett, proves that there can be fresh, new children’s stories for Hanukkah, and that even one as specific as this—set in Alaska—can have universal appeal. A young girl describes winter in Alaska: the snow, the moose that wander at will throughout her neighborhood, the scarce hours of daylight. Pages later, the family kindles Hanukkah candles, but no mention is made that the family is Jewish or that everyone else in Alaska might not be. The narrator seems to take it for granted that her family celebrates this holiday, so readers will, too. It’s a relief, this easy-going tone about identity, and it’s believable. The story’s conflict is peculiarly Alaskan, involving one of the aforementioned company of moose, and is resolved when the quick-thinking narrator averts mild disaster with a Hanukkah-themed solution.

ONE MORE MENORAH
Sam’s dilemma in The Eighth Menorah (ages 4 to 7), written by Lauren L. Wohl and illustrated by Laura Hughes, might resonate with those of us whose kids bring home a handmade menorah from school every single Hanukkah, year after year. Is there such a thing as too many menorahs? My answer would be an emphatic no, but Sam is not so sure. He asks to make something else, please, but the teacher gently insists, assuring Sam that his newest creation will be well met at home. She’s right, of course. Sam’s menorah does find the perfect home, and ends up brightening the lives of grateful residents in Grandma’s new retirement facility. This value-oriented tale of a thoughtful boy and his Bubbe is a sweet addition to a Hanukkah picture book library.

HANUKKAH AT HOME
Hanukkah lasts eight nights, with a new candle added to a Hanukkah menorah each evening. In Eight Is Great (ages 1 to 4), written by Tilda Balsley and illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, eight is so great, every page of this board book rhymes with it: celebrate, decorate, late, great and so on, while describing cozy family Hanukkah scenes at home. “Each night with Shamash tall and straight a candle’s lit. Soon we’ll have eight.” And a page or two later, “Dad serves eight latkes from the plate. “There’s more,” he says, “don’t hesitate.” The rhythm and page turns are just right for the youngest listeners, who get a window into cozy home observance. No history here, which is just fine, but the illustration on the last page links the contemporary family’s Hanukkah menorah with the original, seven-branched lamp from the Temple.

SORTING THINGS OUT
Sadie’s Almost Marvelous Menorah (ages 2 to 6) is the third picture book collaboration by Jamie Korngold ("the Adventure Rabbi") and illustrator Julie Fortenberry, and this time, their preschool heroine navigates the holiday of Hanukkah. Sadie loves school. Her awesome teacher, Morah Rachel, lets the kids take a whole week to make and decorate a clay menorah and learn the special Hanukkah blessings for candlelighting. Sadie is very excited about her own pink and blue creation, but as she runs to show her mom on Friday afternoon, she trips, and the menorah shatters into smithereens. Here’s where Mom shines: she notices that the one surviving chunk of Sadie’s menorah is the part where the helper candle would sit—the Shamash—that lights the eight Hanukkah flames and ushers in a new day of the holiday. So, Mom suggests to Sadie that this bit can become something very special, a kind of “Super Shamash.” Sadie is immediately on board, which proves her mettle once again. Mom and kid demonstrate resilience in the face of disappointment, creativity in figuring out how to make the best of a bad situation. For some sensitive (or perfectionist) children, the working through of the story from disaster to a beautiful solution can be especially redemptive. Sadie later uses the Super Shamash to light all four of her family’s menorahs.

The illustrations are lively and expressive, and, in one subtle way, rather miraculous: Not only does Morah Rachel wear a kippah (yarmulke), which is a traditional male headcovering, but several of the female students do, too. I can’t think of any other illustrator depicting this sort of thing in a picture book.

Another bonus: on the last page, the author includes all three Hanukkah candle blessings in English, Hebrew and in transliteration, so kids can welcome Hanukkah just like Sadie.

THE POWER OF GIVING
“It’s Hanukkah from A to Z. An alphabet of things to see,” begins ABC Hanukkah Hunt (ages 3 to 8), another entry written by Tilda Balsley. Every page has a simple rhyming couplet and busy, colorful illustrations by Helen Poole. Young listeners are prompted to find and point: “The leader’s Judah. Can you find him? Brave Maccabees all stand behind him.” Pages progress from history (King Antiochus “would not let the Jews be free”) to how we celebrate Hanukkah today. A maze to the Holy Temple, a page showing the calendar month of Kislev (Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev), and a pile of Hanukkah doughnuts called by their Hebrew name, sufganiyot, help bump this picture book from just cute to downright educational.

Best of all, even in a book with a whole alphabet to work with, gifts do not get much attention. In fact, the letter T puts the emphasis on giving, not getting: “A Tzedakah box—what goes inside? Who needs your help? You can decide.” So, not only do we see a kid with a collecting box, we see what she’s imagining: a hospital and a food bank. She’s the one with the power to ponder where her donations should go. This is powerful message for little eyes and ears, especially during these months when the big holidays are so hyper-commercialized.

AN UNEXPECTED GUEST
Hanukkah Bear (ages 4 to 8), written by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka is a do-over. Kimmel, a Jewish picture book celebrity, published The Chanukah Guest with a different illustrator in 1990, and Hanukkah Bear is the same story, but tightened, edited perhaps for a new generation of parents and children who like to cut to the chase. It works. The charm and suspense are both heightened with the reduced word count, and I don’t miss a thing (I’ve still got my 1995 copy right here). Perhaps more importantly, the illustrations are truly delightful this time around.

Bubba (Granny) Brayna is 97 years old and can’t see or hear very well, but she keeps up her tradition of feeding friends and family the best latkes in the village. This year, she makes a double batch because a special guest is coming: the Rabbi. The Rabbi arrives first, so the two of them light the menorah, play a game of dreidel and then get down to the latkes, which are gobbled in a surprisingly short amount of time. What Bubba Brayna doesn’t realize is that her guest is not the Rabbi, but a bear, who was hungry from interrupted hibernation, but leaves the house full and happy. The mistaken identity interplay between bossy Bubba and the complacent bear is charming. When the real Rabbi and all of Bubba’s friends come for latkes and find none, they realize what has happened and all pitch in together to make more. A latke recipe and short explanation of Hanukkah are included.

The date on which Hanukkah falls is based on a lunar calendar, and this year it comes far earlier than usual—which means we don’t have much time to choose Hanukkah books for the children in our lives. You can’t go wrong with these selections. They…

Romance

Hold the comfort and joy, please

Feature by Lois Dyer

The December issue of BookPage features reviews of six delightfully feel-good holiday romances that are sure to leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy this festive season. But if you’re craving romance with an edge—perhaps even of the paranormal sort—here’s a quartet of suspenseful, action-packed offerings with more than enough thrills, chills, vills (as in villains) and kills to get your adrenaline pumping.

ON A DANGEROUS QUEST
In this sixth book of her Elder Races series, Thea Harrison brings readers the story of Aryal, a shape-shifter harpy and elite Sentinel, and Quentin, a newly appointed Sentinel who’s part Wyr, part Elven and part Dark Fae. The two powerful and edgy warriors have been at odds since they first met, but it isn’t until they’re paired on a mission that the two finally have the time and space to confront their feelings. When danger threatens, Aryal and Quentin are forced to work together to survive and complete their assignment. Their alliance will change them both in unexpected ways as they run afoul of a witch and her ghostly wolves in the foreign Elven land of Numenlaur.

Kinked deftly blends a compelling plot with fascinating characters and is set in a mythical world that’s brilliantly detailed. Fans will be delighted with this latest installment in the series that’s certain to land Harrison on the bestseller lists once again.

A SEXY NEW SERIES
Ex-Marine Nicholas Rixley knows Becca Merritt is trouble the moment she walks into Hard Ink Tattoo. The beautiful nurse needs Nicholas’ unique expertise to find her missing brother, but helping his ex-commander’s daughter is the last thing Nick wants to do. Still, something about Becca makes it impossible for him to turn her away. Soon, Nick uncovers clues that lead him to discover the criminal activities of Becca’s deceased father. With danger all around them, it’s difficult enough to keep her safe, let alone resist the powerful attraction that blazes between them. Nick tries not to contemplate a future beyond the immediate moment, but if they can survive, is there a chance she might agree to stay with him forever?

A well-structured plot, interesting details of life at Hard Ink Tattoo and lots of steamy sexual tension between a very likeable hero and heroine add up to a winner for Laura Kaye. Hard as It Gets is the first in a planned series centered around five former Special Forces soldiers and will undoubtedly have readers eagerly anticipating the next book—Hard as You Can is due to come out in late February.

MURDER ON THE MOUNTAIN
Once blind, Rachel de Luca, author of popular self-help books, is reveling in the return of her vision following a successful cornea transplant. Homicide detective Mason Brown has a history with Rachel and would like to have a future, but they’ve agreed to give each other space. When Rachel has a vivid dream about a murder, however, she turns to Mason, and together, they set out to follow clues that only they can find. The last time they combined forces to search for a killer (in Sleep with the Lights On), they both nearly died. This time, they might not be so lucky.

This edgy thriller tempers nail-biting suspense with humor, and Rachel and Mason’s struggle to ignore the attraction that pulls them together is thoroughly enjoyable. Maggie Shayne has created a hero and heroine that readers will want to rejoin for further adventures.

A CITY UNDER SIEGE
Guild hunter Elena Deveraux and her mate, the archangel Raphael, rule over his New York demesne with power and determination. But when a foreign archangel with a demonic agenda threatens the very existence of their world, it will take all their combined supernatural talents for Elena and Raphael to save New York. And given the strength and evil plotting of their nemesis, the outcome is by no means guaranteed. Singh is at the top of her game in this latest Guild Hunter novel. The stakes are high; the villain is supremely and insanely evil; and Elena and Raphael’s battle to thwart their enemy is as fierce as their mating. Longtime fans of Singh will be delighted with Archangel’s Legion, and new readers will find themselves hooked on this best-selling series.
 

Lois Dyer writes from Port Orchard, Washington.

The December issue of BookPage features reviews of six delightfully feel-good holiday romances that are sure to leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy this festive season. But if you’re craving romance with an edge—perhaps even of the paranormal sort—here’s a quartet of suspenseful, action-packed…

Nonfiction

On-the-job guidance for 2014

Feature by Abigail Dalton

As the New Year approaches, there’s no better area of life in which to take stock than one’s career. Published just in time for reassessment and reflection are four new books that cover a range of professional concerns, from resettling for a new career to finding deeper fulfillment at work. Whether you’re miserable at your 9-to-5 or just looking to improve your output, these books have something for everyone.

FINDING BALANCE

Even skeptics of mindfulness-based techniques and meditation practice will find worthwhile material in Sharon Salzberg’s Real Happiness at Work. Beautifully structured into clear and concisely written chapters on topics like “Balance,” “Resilience” and “Communication and Connection,” Salzberg’s guide moves through various work-related stresses and common scenarios using real life examples and stories, and offers concrete solutions for relieving work-related anxiety and discontent. Using detailed experiences from an impressive array of workers—from CEOs of major organizations, to freelance writers and artists, to waitresses, secretaries and book editors—Real Happiness at Work offers something for everyone. From short suggestions on increasing mindfulness in the office, to clearly laid-out exercises and questions and answers at the end of each chapter, Salzberg has written a short and helpful handbook for anyone looking to re-center themselves in an era where most work and life mantras are, “Go, go, go.”

FINDING TIME

Richard Koch’s The 80/20 Manager purports to be the solution for those managers, executives and employees overwhelmed by their job and a lack of time, and in many ways it fulfills its lofty promise. The book is a follow-up to Koch’s 1997 bestseller, The 80/20 Principle, which asserts that 80 percent of results come from 20 percent of effort. In a working world where the response to “How are you doing?” is almost universally, “Busy,” The 80/20 Manager offers workable and realistic solutions for managers and employees who want to maximize their time and output without overwhelming themselves. Koch provides numerous paths to becoming an “80/20 Manager,” moving (as he states) from the easier routes to the harder. But readers would do well not to view each section—including instructions on how to be a superconnecting manager, a mentoring manager and a leveraging manager—in isolation, but rather in conjunction. There are lessons to be learned in each chapter, and Koch clearly and efficiently ties his core lessons together at the book’s conclusion.

BOUNCING BACK

For anyone who has gone through the experience of losing or searching for a job during the economic downturn, Dwain Schenck’s Reset: How to Beat the Job-Loss Blues and Get Ready for Your Next Act provides a lot of familiar moments. That, at its core, is its greatest strength—having gone through a layoff in 2012, Schenck intertwines his own story with seasoned advice from friends and colleagues on how to go about job-hunting in one of the worst economies in the last 100 years. Reset starts off on strong footing, as Schenck describes his own layoff and his conversations with others about the best ways to go about resetting yourself for the economy and the career ahead of you. His advice on networking, reassessing your career and professional goals and adapting to social media in an increasingly tech-savvy market are also valuable. Toward its conclusion, the book strays into less helpful territory (for instance, while job-searchers may be prone to overeating and taking poor care of themselves, an entire chapter on diet advice seems strangely out of place). Despite these detours, the recently unemployed will find Reset a sympathetic and reassuring pep talk that’s well worth their time.

CASHING IN

Future entrepreneurs, or anyone looking to earn a little extra cash doing something they love, will find a lot of worthwhile advice and anecdotal experience in Kimberly Palmer’s The Economy of You. A mother of two with a few side gigs, Palmer lays out in easy-to-read path to starting your own side business or monetizing a hobby. Featuring stories from other entrepreneurs who have made a name for themselves and found success in a wide variety of formats—from selling items on Etsy, to starting their own websites to taking on freelance baking assignments and writing columns—The Economy of You is well written and organized for the novice side-gigger. Replete with “Top Takeaways” at the end of each chapter and a comprehensive workbook to get readers started on their own journey, Palmer’s book provides a great starting point for anyone interested in taking what they love and using it to earn a little (or a lot) of extra cash.

As the New Year approaches, there’s no better area of life in which to take stock than one’s career. Published just in time for reassessment and reflection are four new books that cover a range of professional concerns, from resettling for a new career to…

NonfictionParenting

Becoming the best you

Feature by bookpagedev

Whether you’ve resolved to live healthier, nurture your inner creativity, curb your addiction to hand-held devices or communicate more effectively, chances are you could use a little help. Let the wisdom contained in these six new books expertly guide you to New Year’s resolution success in 2014.

A new take on baby steps

In Small Move, Big Change, Caroline Arnold introduces the “microresolution,” a pint-sized action that leads to long-term gain in the areas of losing weight and becoming kinder, more organized, fiscally solvent and more. Since you’re advised to work on only two microresolutions at a time, the adjustment to each new habit has time to sink in before you move on to the next. Framing goals in positive language helps, too. Arnold’s attempts to stop speed-eating finally bore fruit when she quit harping on her bad habit, resolving instead to “savor” each meal.

The idea of breaking a task into smaller units isn’t new, but Arnold’s intent is to help readers see the futility of merely resolving to “be nicer” (nicer than who?), and instead live that goal with small, structured actions, like complimenting your spouse at least once a day.

Not only are these small projects relatively easy, but they seem fun as well, since each one has to be tailored to your own schedule, habits and idiosyncrasies or it will likely fail. If there’s a habit you’ve been pushing against without a breakthrough, check out Small Move, Big Change. Reading it may be one of the last macroresolutions you ever make.

—Heather Seggel

Living wisely, your whole life through

In A Short Guide to a Long Life, David B. Agus, author of The End of Illness and a prominent oncologist and biomedical researcher, distills his rules for living wisely into three sections—What to Do, What to Avoid and Doctor’s Orders—that contain a total of 65 ways to use preventive measures to achieve a better, healthier, longer life.

While that number may sound daunting, readers are likely following some of the rules already, such as “Grow a Garden,” “Cohabitate” or “Smile.” More challenging suggestions include “Find Out What Exercise or Activity You’re Bad at and Focus on It.” Agus’ reasoning: This challenges the body and brain, thus strengthening them—and it might turn out to be fun, too.

The doctor also offers food for thought via his take on vitamins (he’s not a proponent and recommends getting nutrients from food instead) and the importance of sussing out chronic inflammation through, say, better dental hygiene, taking a baby aspirin and a statin, and wearing comfortable shoes. Ultimately, while readers will have heard some of these rules before, perhaps even from their own mothers—“Strengthen Your Core and Maintain Good Posture” sounds a lot like “stand up straight!”—Agus explains how and why adhering to these edicts will work.

The truly motivated will appreciate the “Doctor’s Orders” section, which contains health-centric to-do lists organized by decade, plus top 10 lists covering everything from causes of death to useful websites. Throughout, Agus emphasizes the importance of being informed about one’s own health via exams, tests, measurements and even using devices and/or apps to track personal data over time.

—Linda Castellitto

Whoa, mother!

Rachel Macy Stafford lost two years of her children’s lives—not because she was deathly ill or away on a trip around the world, but because she was living distracted, struggling to find the energy to walk up her stairs at night, much less spend meaningful time with the small ones she loved most. To top it off, she was addicted to her phone and checked it compulsively. Sound familiar?

Stafford had what she calls her “breakdown break-through” moment while on a run and came home to scrawl a sort of manifesto on the back on envelope. Part of it reads, “Turn off the music in the car. Sit next to your child as she plays. Lie in bed with her after you say goodnight.” Such was the beginning of Stafford’s dramatic reorientation. Activities she used to regard as time wasters became, in her new economy, treasures she dubbed “Sunset Moments.” And now this “Hands Free Mama” (so named because she’s no longer chained to her devices) is calling others to join her.

If you feel like life is moving too fast and you are missing out on the most important things, this is a book that will encourage you to slow down and refashion your life. The 12 chapters, designed to be read one-per-month, bear titles like “Choose What Matters” and “Remember Life Is Precious.” Stafford’s message couldn’t be more timely and is at once convincing and encouraging.

—Kelly Blewett

Seven days, whole new you

Much of the advice in Younger Next Week is of the tried-and-true variety. If you want to look healthy and, perhaps more importantly, feel good, pulling all-nighters and eating a whole pizza at one sitting are not going to cut it. More water, less couch time, better sleep, a few blueberries and more attention to your real-life social network are all part of the plan here. But Younger Next Week has a secret weapon: author Elisa Zied.

Zied has provided health and fitness commentary on a slew of morning shows and knows her subject inside and out. It’s impressive that she can make truisms that we all know, yet seldom act upon, sound both accessible and fun. When trying to beat a craving, she advises stocking the house with healthy alternatives before the urge strikes: “Deciding whether to give in to a craving or satisfy it during the craving is like trying to draft a prenuptial agreement while in flagrante delicto.”

The book is peppered with delicious recipes (White bean and kale soup? Definitely making that!), easy exercise suggestions and ­“stressipes,” quick tips and to-dos to keep you on track. The diet portion of the plan is surprisingly liberal, emphasizing whole grains and fresh fruit and veggies, but also making room for russet potatoes, lean beef, milk, eggs and treats in moderation.

Zied gets bonus points for not demonizing any single food item. Sidebars labeled “Do It or Ditch It” look at artificial sweeteners, processed meats and other ingredients known to pose health risks. She lays out the evidence but acknowledges that virtually anything is OK as long as you limit your indulgences and enjoy them to the fullest.

The ideas laid out in Younger Next Week take just seven days to implement, but they’re the kind of changes you will likely want to stick with for the long haul.

—Heather Seggel

Quit biting your tongue

Anyone who’s ever thought, “Why didn’t I speak up?” or, conversely, “I can’t believe I said that!” will benefit from Carl Alasko’s Say This, Not That: A Foolproof Guide to Effective Interpersonal Communication. With this new book, the psychothera­pist and author of the dramatically named Emotional Bullshit wants to help readers dial down the drama at home, at work and wherever well-stated, well-timed statements could help turn a potentially negative situation into a positive, even productive, one.

Drawing from 25 years of experience, Alasko acknowledges that while knowing whywe react a certain way is important, knowing what to say in the moment is even more useful. He wants to help readers “carefully choose words and . . . adopt nonthreatening gestures” that lead to better communication.

The book’s six sections—Dating, Long-Term Relationships, Parenting, Friendships, Workplace and Everyday Situations—contain scenarios and scripts. Alasko has an accessible, to-the-point writing style, and possible responses, reminders (“Be strategic”) and insight (“There’s no negotiating with authentic . . . passive-aggressive behavior. The only strategy is to avoid any form of dependence.”) will boost preparedness and confidence, whether dealing with a chronically late carpooler, a financially oblivious partner or a gossipy neighbor. Alasko believes “Saying the most effective words in the right moment is a skill that can be learned,” and with his guidance, it’s absolutely do-able.

—Linda Castellitto

The power of the paintbrush

Painting Your Way Out of a Corner delivers on its promise of “a new twist on journaling with brushstrokes instead of words.” Like its written counterpart, a painting journal can offer stress relief, along with avenues for personal growth, inspiration and healing. This concise how-to manual for expressing yourself in watercolors also offers a scholarly exploration of the unconscious mind and its relationship to the creative process.

An artist and art educator in New York City, Barbara Diane Barry has drawn on many years of research and practice. She adheres to the Jungian theory of a “collective consciousness,” and this rich reservoir, she explains, combined with our own individual experiences and sense memories, provides a huge image “library” within our brains.

Barry’s “unplanned painting” method evolved as she faced her own creative or emotional “corners.” Seeking a means of a combating her inner critic and alleviating the fears that sometimes stymied her work, she tried out various media, ultimately discovering the “looseness, flow, and sense of play” she was seeking in the fluidity of watercolor paints. As she points out, the results are fresh, spontaneous and sometimes surprising.

Painting Your Way Out of a Corner offers plenty of starter exercises, step-by-step guidance and many of Barry’s own journal paintings as examples and inspiration.

—Linda Stankard

Whether you’ve resolved to live healthier, nurture your inner creativity, curb your addiction to hand-held devices or communicate more effectively, chances are you could use a little help. Let the wisdom contained in these six new books expertly guide you to New Year’s resolution success…

NonfictionMusicBlack HistoryBiographyAmerican History

Turning points on the road to equality

Feature by John T. Slania

African Americans have been struggling for independence, equality and respect from the moment they were brought to the New World in chains. As that struggle continues today, it’s instructive to look back on our turbulent history to learn from the past and hopefully improve on the future. The five books featured here can help us to do just that, examining historical themes that serve as milestones on the journey of progress.

DESPERATION & DECEPTION

It’s ironic that Captain Amasa Delano was on the high seas in pursuit of seals when he came upon what appeared to be a slave ship. Hunting for seals and slaves were equally predatory professions. And while seal hunting was a lucrative industry, the slave trade would prove to be even more profitable. Not that Delano would grasp the irony; he was an idealistic, anti-slavery New Englander. And when he boarded the battered vessel, his idealism would leave him vulnerable to a deception that had deadly consequences.

This page-turning history lesson is found in The Empire of Necessity by Greg Grandin, author of the acclaimed Fordlandia. Delano’s ship happened upon a distressed Spanish vessel one day in 1805. It appeared to be merely a lost slave ship. In reality, the 70 West Africans on board, seeking their freedom from slavery, had commandeered the ship. The clever slaves forced the Spanish captain to go along with the ruse. Delano believed the charade for nine hours, but when he discovered he’d been tricked, he ordered his men to attack the West Africans.

While Grandin’s narrative is a gripping read on its own, the underlying theme is profound: The deception in this incident is symbolic of America’s willingness to ignore the hypocisy of slavery in a supposedly free society. Unfortunately, it would take the United States another 60 years before it would acknowledge the falsehood.

FAILED EXPERIMENT

When the Civil War ended slavery in 1865, the U.S. embarked on an effort to provide reparations to Southern landowners and expanded rights to newly freed slaves, including suffrage and education. That policy, called Reconstruction, was a noble idea that failed.

In The Wars of Reconstruction, Le Moyne College history professor Douglas R. Egerton details the myriad factors that led to the collapse of Reconstruction: the replacement of Abraham Lincoln with an inept Andrew Johnson; Southern resistance to the granting of equal rights to blacks; and the premature withdrawal of federal troops. But Egerton contends that an ongoing pattern of violence in the South doomed Reconstruction from the beginning. “Reconstruction . . . was violently overthrown by men who had fought slavery during the Civil War and continued that battle as guerrilla partisans,” Egerton writes.

The Wars of Reconstruction offers a fresh perspective on why the grand experiment of Reconstruction failed and how it took nearly a century afterward for African Americans to gain any semblance of equal rights in the South.

SIREN SONG

In the early 1900s, many African Americans—shackled by an inability to earn a living or cast a vote—began a Great Migration from the rural South to the industrialized cities of the North. Jobs in the car factories of Detroit and steel mills of Chicago beckoned, while also fostering a black middle class. For the first time, African Americans earned enough money to own homes, buy cars and spend money on entertainment. One of the people they went to see was trumpeter Louis Armstrong.

In Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism, Duke University music professor Thomas Brothers chronicles Armstrong’s own Great Migration. After gaining notoriety as a musician in New Orleans, Armstrong heard a siren song in 1922 calling him north to Chicago, where there was a thriving black nightclub scene on the city’s South Side. There, Armstrong honed his crafts playing alongside jazz greats such as King Oliver, Earl “Fatha” Hines and Cab Calloway.

While this biography highlights the maturation of a great entertainer during the Jazz Age, it parallels the evolution of many African Americans in the early 20th century as they earned respectable livelihoods and carved out their own cultural enclaves in the North.

BARRIER TO PROGRESS

Unfortunately, the prosperity of the Jazz Age gave way to the Great Depression, and over the next several decades, many African Americans suffered from poverty and segregation in Northern cities. Some returned to the South, only to encounter further discrimination. The hatred experienced by a race was crystallized in the life of James Meredith, a trailblazer best known as the first African-American student to attend the University of Mississippi. Meredith is the central figure in Down to the Crossroads, an intriguing new book about the civil rights movement by historian Aram Goudsouzian.

Down to the Crossroads focuses on the so-called Meredith March, which the civil rights leader began on June 5, 1966, to register black voters in Mississippi. He started the march in Memphis with the goal of reaching Jackson, Mississippi, but he was soon wounded by a mysterious gunman. While Meredith recovered from his wounds, other black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael, traveled to Mississippi to continue the Meredith March.

Goudsouzian uses the march to capture the divergent leadership styles of the era’s civil rights leaders. There was the defiant Carmichael, who led marchers in “black power” chants, while King preached nonviolence. This single march, captured in detail in Down to the Crossroads, gives readers a clearer understanding of the tensions that often dominated the civil rights movement. 

CONTINUING THE DREAM

When King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968, some thought it was the end of the dream of equality for African Americans. In his new book, Waking from the Dream, David L. Chappell turns the spotlight onto those who stepped in to continue the cause in King’s wake, albeit in a less unified fashion.

Waking from the Dream describes the attempts by black leaders such as Ralph Abernathy and Jesse Jackson to further the movement, only to see the struggle slowed by politics and in-fighting. Despite the splintered movement, Chappell details how this new generation of leaders helped gain the passage of the Fair Housing Act and launched the presidential campaign of Jackson.

While it would take another 40 years before Americans would vote in their first black president, Waking from the Dream makes a strong case that Barack Obama would never have been elected were it not for the efforts of the leaders who followed in King’s wake.

African Americans have been struggling for independence, equality and respect from the moment they were brought to the New World in chains. As that struggle continues today, it’s instructive to look back on our turbulent history to learn from the past and hopefully improve on the future. The five books featured here can help us to do just that, examining historical themes that serve as milestones on the journey of progress.

Children's & YAYA FictionYAPicture BookMiddle Grade

Little boys and girls, join hands

Feature by BookPage contributors

Remembering the sacrifices and successes of African Americans—from unexpected champions of civil rights to talented performers who dreamed big—is one of the most inspiring ways to celebrate Black History Month. If we keep teaching our children well, racism just may someday be a thing of the past.

AN OAK'S GREAT GIFT

“Hearts drumming, / eyes darting, / knees trembling.” Susan VanHecke’s reverent free verse describes the trepidation felt by Frank, James and Shepard, three slaves working in a Confederate camp in Virginia, as they risk their lives. The men secretly slip out and sail across the harbor to a Union fort on May 23, 1861. If they had attempted this just a few days earlier, they would have been returned according to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. But Virginia has recently seceded from the United States, and the Union general declares the men “contraband” and “keeps” them as “enemy property.”

Soon the three former slaves are joined by hundreds more. Based on actual events and accompanied by dramatic illustrations, this poetic picture book follows the runaways as they build a community, which they call Slabtown, in the ruined city of Hampton, once torched by Confederates. At the heart of this community grows a mighty oak, where missionaries illegally teach slave children to read, and a boy recites President Lincoln’s recent Emancipation Proclamation, a promise of freedom to come.

A concluding author’s note provides more information on the Emancipation Oak, now designated one of the 10 Great Trees of the World by the National Geographic Society, and the daring escape of the three slaves. With appeal for younger and older readers alike, Under the Freedom Tree is both a beautiful tribute to a lasting symbol of freedom and a powerful reminder that one brave action can change the course of history.

—Angela Leeper

A TRIBUTE TO A MEMORABLE VOICE

In Josephine, Patricia Hruby Powell writes with great reverence and a vigor fitting to the life of the illustrious performer Josephine Baker. This handsomely designed tribute to Josephine’s life is refreshingly uncluttered in every way: Powell’s free-verse text doesn’t waste any words, and Christian Robinson’s minimalist acrylic illustrations communicate the very essence of Josephine’s vivacious spirit. 

Powell takes readers from Josephine’s poor childhood to her death, and in between she chronicles the major events of her life—her struggles with racial discrimination, her rise to the top, her legendary performances and her efforts to spy for the Allies against the Nazis during WWII. Powell repeatedly uses the powerful metaphor of Josephine as a volcano, often using all caps to emphasize Josephine’s larger-than-life talent. “Deep-trapped steam FLASHED and WHISTLED,” she writes about her signature dance moves. “Josephine was on fire. CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.” Other sparkling metaphors nail Josephine’s stamina and describe her body as “a prizefighter, like a kangaroo, with rhythm in her hips, like a cat ready to strike, a volcano about to burst.” 

The book plays effectively with font size and type to accentuate the major themes of her life. After Josephine gets yet another rejection early in her career, based on her skin color, Powell asks in large, cursive type, “Wasn’t there any place in the world where color didn’t matter?” Quotes from Josephine are also dramatically placed, and Powell chooses those that communicate Josephine’s inner fire: “I improvised, crazy with music. Even my teeth and eyes burned with fever.” 

With grace, simple shapes and lots of style and movement, this book perfectly captures Josephine, with a varied and vibrant color palette that complements her dynamic personality. Josephine is an extraordinary tribute to an American legend. 

—Julie Danielson

LOST LIVES

In The Port Chicago 50, Steve Sheinkin, author of the Newbery Honor book Bomb, tells the harrowing story of the fight for the lives and rights of 50 black sailors. 

On July 17, 1944, more than 300 sailors were killed and almost 400 were injured when several thousand tons of explosives aboard two ships detonated at the Port Chicago naval base in California. When the surviving sailors went back to work, they refused to obey orders to load munitions again. They were too scared to do such a dangerous job without the proper training. It was also worrisome that no white sailors were ordered to load munitions at Port Chicago. Charged with mutiny and facing the death penalty after their continued refusal, the sailors became unsung heroes in the heated battle for racial equality.

Painstakingly researched through recorded interviews, The Port Chicago 50 vividly recounts the fear and anxiety surrounding the explosion. From 17-year-old sailors to respected, 23-year-old informal leader Joseph Smalls, Sheinkin provides powerful first-hand accounts of these events. Long, complicated court transcripts and documents are presented as edge-of-your-seat drama. 

Sheinkin does an admirable job describing for young readers the profound impact these sailors had on civil rights and the integration of the Navy. This is a fascinating read on an important event in U.S. history. 

—Sada Stipe

FINDING HER FREEDOM

In 1848, 15-year-old Willow lives on a plantation so far north in Maryland that the Mason-Dixon Line lies just beyond her mother’s grave. Although she barely remembers her mother, Willow desperately needs her advice. Papa is planning to marry Willow off to a man on the neighboring plantation, a very different place from the “gentle” plantation life she has known. The owner of Willow’s plantation has even taught her to read—but no one knows that Willow has gone on to teach herself to write. One morning, Willow catches sight of two black men riding horses into free Pennsylvania. If they are fugitive slaves, then just seeing them is dangerous. As it turns out, one of the men is 17-year-old Cato, a free man, who changes everything Willow has grown to believe about her future. 

In a highly credible fashion, Willow grapples with her choices—she is as afraid of the path of freedom as she is of the certain horrors of continued enslavement. Perhaps most important to Willow, however, are the secrets she learns about the fate of her own mother, a beautiful and educated African woman.

Author Tonya Cherie Hegamin slides period details into Willow’s simple, insightful narrative, creating a fluid reading experience only slightly interrupted by the occasional shift to Cato’s third-person narration. Willow is a well-researched historical novel that features a unique aspect of American slavery.

—Diane Colson

Remembering the sacrifices and successes of African Americans—from unexpected champions of civil rights to talented performers who dreamed big—is one of the most inspiring ways to celebrate Black History Month. If we keep teaching our children well, racism just may someday be a thing of the past.

Sign Up

Stay on top of new releases: Sign up for our newsletter to receive reading recommendations in your favorite genres.

Sign up now

Trending Features

All Features