Lights Out is an excellent nonfiction picture book for introducing children to the concept of light pollution and how to help reduce it, as well as heLights Out is an excellent nonfiction picture book for introducing children to the concept of light pollution and how to help reduce it, as well as helping birds (like sparrows in particular) stay safe in cities. It's a really sweet story that shows how it can play out, but it's also well researched. It gives some great ideas through its story and through the info pages at the end for how to help migrating birds, such as by putting decals on windows to stop them from flying into them, turning off your lights at night, and advocating for your city to reduce lighting overall. The illustrations are super cute too. Definitely recommend this one!...more
I absolutely adore the Mothers of Xsan series. Each book in the series focuses on the life cycle of an animal in Gitxsan territory, bringing IndigenouI absolutely adore the Mothers of Xsan series. Each book in the series focuses on the life cycle of an animal in Gitxsan territory, bringing Indigenous science to a wider audience. The Bee Mother focuses on bumblebees, honeybees (which it notes were brought by settlers but have become a welcome part of the natural cycle there), and wasps. It talks about them as pollinators, pest control, honey producers, their importance to the land and the Gitxsan people, and more, covering a full year life cycle. The art is as gorgeous as ever, Natasha Donovan is definitely a favourite of mine. I highly recommend the Bee Mother, and the entire series....more
The Billboard is an engaging play that combines the intensity of abortion care politics with the realities of running and working in a clinic that proThe Billboard is an engaging play that combines the intensity of abortion care politics with the realities of running and working in a clinic that provides abortions, along with many other necessary services in an undeserved community, centring Black women at every step of the way. The characters are sympathetic, the drama feels all too real, and the ending gives us some hope for the future. It's a little hard to read post-Roe v Wade because all the goals feel so much further out of reach, but I think that makes it more necessary to read and absorb. The extra content before and after (especially the interview with Toni Bond) really added to the experience as well. Definitely recommended!...more
I'll be honest, I was interested in reading Brittle Joints before I even knew what it was about because the cover is absolutely stunning. A woman in aI'll be honest, I was interested in reading Brittle Joints before I even knew what it was about because the cover is absolutely stunning. A woman in a wheelchair, smoking, surrounded by beautiful foliage? It's gorgeous. Learning that it's a graphic memoir written by a woman with Bruck syndrome guaranteed I would read this though. I don't have Bruck syndrome, but I'm disabled and deal with chronic muscle and joint pain (ankylosing spondylitis and fibromyalgia are two of my main issues). I'm constantly interested in stories about disabled people that are by disabled people, stories that actually reflect our realities and aren't intended to serve as inspiration porn or trauma porn. This book more than delivered.
This short graphic memoir is broken up into chapters that reflect different aspects of Sweeney's life. Some of them go back to her childhood or early adult years, where others are more recent. Some of them deal with coping with her symptoms and the grief that comes with your body changing in ways that can be painful and upsetting. Some of them are about dealing with a medical system that is really not set up to help people at all, and certainly not to help people with complex medical situations. Some of them are about dealing with casual ableism from everyone from strangers to medical professionals. And some of them are about how important an understanding support system can be to your physical and mental wellbeing.
Brittle Joints is an incredibly relatable book. I may not share her condition, but we have many similar struggles, and I felt so seen reading this. Dealing with chronic pain, flares that mean different levels of assistive devices are needed, consuming weed regularly as an alternative to opiates, the cruelty and absurdity of randoms commenting on your real lived experiences. I also deal with occasional pain and numbness as a result of ulnar nerve issues. Honestly, the relatability was overwhelming and surprising because, again, I have completely different diagnoses. I felt so seen by this though.
It also serves as a great introduction to Bruck syndrome, and a lot of the medical issues she faces and procedures she has done. It's very informative in that regard.
Sweeney also touches on her experience as an international adoptee, born in Moldova and adopted by USAmerican parents.
The interior art is as gorgeous as the cover art honestly. The floral designs especially are stunning, and I love the detail included on the cane and wheelchair, something I feel like we don't usually get as much detail on in comics.
This is a must read for my fellow chronically ill and disabled peeps. It made me feel a part of a larger disability community and experience. Physically healthy people would probably do well to read this one too, to get a look at a lot of what disabled people have to deal with from society, as well as a personalised look into the experience of what complex and rare medical conditions can do to your body....more
Two-Week Wait is a heartfelt look into the process of getting IVF. Based on the experiences of the authors (a couple who went through IVF) and their iTwo-Week Wait is a heartfelt look into the process of getting IVF. Based on the experiences of the authors (a couple who went through IVF) and their interviews with other IVF patients, it deals with a lot of the physical, emotional, and scientific ins and outs of struggling with infertility and getting IVF. It's emotional, educational, and a decent story. Worth the read!...more
I can honestly say I've never read a book, fiction or nonfiction, set in the Central African Republic. The CAR is second from the bottom on the UN's hI can honestly say I've never read a book, fiction or nonfiction, set in the Central African Republic. The CAR is second from the bottom on the UN's human development index, meaning that children face constant poverty, starvation, malnutrition, violence, backbreaking labour, and more. These stories are often not told at all in western media, and extremely limited international aid makes it there despite the dire circumstances. In A House Without Windows (a title which refers to the ways in which the CAR is not a place outsiders get to see inside of), Marc Ellison (a photojournalist from the UK) and Didier Kassaï (a Central African comics creator) teamed up to share stories about the lives of children in the CAR and the lives of workers in medicine and education who are trying to improve the situation for children. Primarily told through Kassaï's art, it also features a number of photos from Ellison, and the book follows the men as they travel around looking to interview the children and workers.
A House Without Windows is educational and profoundly moving, with excellent accompanying art and photos. I do wish it had been longer or that there were a wider variety of English language resources to go to next. I would highly recommend it though. ...more
The Girl Who Built an Ocean is a great introduction to the life of Jeanne Villepreux-Power who invented the aquarium and revealed brand new informatioThe Girl Who Built an Ocean is a great introduction to the life of Jeanne Villepreux-Power who invented the aquarium and revealed brand new information on argonauts and where their shells come from. The story is engaging and the art style is super fun and accessible. The additional historic and scientific information at the end is very helpful as well. Recommended!...more
Gender Is Really Strange is a fantastic primer on the science, history, and socio-cultural background of gender identity. The bold art in gentle pasteGender Is Really Strange is a fantastic primer on the science, history, and socio-cultural background of gender identity. The bold art in gentle pastel colours is really pleasing to the eye, and the graphic novel layout helps make some complex concepts a lot more accessible. The science behind sex and gender take up the bulk of this short work, but it also manages to address history, culture, and society in eye-opening ways that push back against colonialist, racist, ableist ideas about gender. It covers a multitude of Indigenous communities precolonial ideas about gender that often break the boundaries of the idea of binary men and women.
It's a really informative book that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of space. Much of the information here will be new for a lot of people (not everything here was new for me, but a surprising amount of it was), and although the text feels a bit academic at times, it still manages to be accessible and quick to read. Highly recommended!...more
Rooting for Plants is a great picture book biography of botanist Charles S. Parker. It's a surprisingly thorough overview of his professiona4.5 stars.
Rooting for Plants is a great picture book biography of botanist Charles S. Parker. It's a surprisingly thorough overview of his professional life and covers many of his most impressive accomplishments as a Black pioneer of botany and mycology, and also his time in the military during WWI and his time as an influential teacher. The art style is really vibrant and accessible and helps drive things along (although I wish there had been something to visually indicate the passage of time). It's definitely wordy enough that it's more suitable for older children, but it's a great introduction, and the language flows well too. Definitely recommended!...more
Fire Shapes The World is a great introduction to the science and history of fire and how it impacts our world. The art is absolutely stunnin4.5 stars.
Fire Shapes The World is a great introduction to the science and history of fire and how it impacts our world. The art is absolutely stunning, and the words are quite poetic. The style of the writing is accessible for younger learners, but there's a great author's note at the end that delves into it a little deeper, including connecting it to climate change. It's a great educational resource while also being a gorgeous book and a pleasure to read. Recommended!...more
Black Internet Effect is a quick and easy read about Shavone Charles's experience within the tech industry, in a non-tech role, as a Black woman. She Black Internet Effect is a quick and easy read about Shavone Charles's experience within the tech industry, in a non-tech role, as a Black woman. She provides valuable insights, especially in the final third when she talks about the impact Black users have on twitter globally compared to Black staff at twitter. Mostly it's an autobiographical essay, and I wish there'd been more time and space for her to add more commentary, but it's a solid read worth checking out....more
The Global Ocean has a lot of information to share about earth's system of oceans, how it all works, how human interference is impacting the3.5 stars.
The Global Ocean has a lot of information to share about earth's system of oceans, how it all works, how human interference is impacting the ocean's wellbeing, and how we can make a difference. I like how well it covers the science of it all, I like the it includes examples of organisations and individuals making a difference, and I like that it has concrete steps for action. I wish it further addressed the damage that corporations are doing rather than placing quite so much emphasis on individual action. It's also quite wordy, so it's best for older kids, engaged readers, and classroom settings.
Natasha Donovan's illustrations are as fabulous as ever.
Recommended, particularly for classroom settings....more
Groundbreaking Scientists is a lovely and solid introduction to the history (and present!) of Black people who have been icons in their respective fieGroundbreaking Scientists is a lovely and solid introduction to the history (and present!) of Black people who have been icons in their respective fields and who have changed science for the better. It covers astronauts, doctors, inventors, agricultural scientists, conservationists, and more. Readers between the ages of six and ten will especially find it interesting and informative. It's a great place to start for a broad and fascinating area of history. The illustrations are lovely as well. I do wish that the scientists had been chronological, alphabetized, or sorted by science type, or something (ideally chronological imo), but it's still an enjoyable read without that. Readers that have read on the subject before might not find a ton of new stuff, but it's a really great primer. Definitely recommended!...more
This is a really solid primer for anyone (it's for middle grade readers but older readers will enjoy as well) looking to understand the hist3.5 stars.
This is a really solid primer for anyone (it's for middle grade readers but older readers will enjoy as well) looking to understand the history of vaccines (and some of the science as well). Having Lady Mary Wortley Montagu as the narrator to the story was a great choice. I was already familiar with a lot of the information presented here, but there were still a few new or forgotten facts included. I liked that it included information about the debunking of common anti-vaccine propaganda. The covid section towards the end was kind of disappointing as it became dated by the time it hit the shelves (and is even more so now), and I hope that the publisher and author consider an update in the future. Regardless, it's a fun and informative explanation of an important topic, and decent place to start for intimidated readers. I would also recommend readers (especially those interested in more MG/YA content) looking for more info check out other books such as Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield (a middle grade graphic nonfiction as well, focused more on the science side but still with plenty of historical details) and Patient Zero: Solving the Mysteries of Deadly Epidemics (an upper MG/lower YA nonfiction book about epidemiology and how it was used to solve deadly epidemics in the past, with the revised edition including a detailed covid chapter)....more
I've read the two previous collaborations of Yellowhorn and Lowinger (Turtle Island: The Story of North America's First People and What the Eagle SeesI've read the two previous collaborations of Yellowhorn and Lowinger (Turtle Island: The Story of North America's First People and What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal) and loved both, so I've been looking forward to reading Sky Wolf's Call: The Gift of Indigenous Knowledge. It's an enjoyable, engaging, and informative read, and I would definitely recommend it. It covers Indigenous science, history, and philosophy, and it manages to be a very informative primer on the subject, as well as a great case for introducing these ideas into mainstream knowledge for the benefit of all (and especially Indigenous people). It's worth the read for sure, and I plan on continuing to read anything they put out....more
The Body Factory is a quick and interesting read with vivid and clear art about an often difficult subject, amputation. This work of graphic nonfictioThe Body Factory is a quick and interesting read with vivid and clear art about an often difficult subject, amputation. This work of graphic nonfiction uses the framing device of a man who has his arm amputated after a motorcycle accident and communicates with Ambroise Paré, the father of modern amputation, to learn about the past, present, and future of amputation and prosthesis. Most of the book sticks to the scientific facts more than anything, but the framing story helps give it some heart, showing some of the emotions the protagonist goes through with the amputation and the journey to getting his prosthetic arm.
The book is broken into four main sections. The first chapter covers amputation itself, covering the history of amputation as well as the actual medical process of amputating a limb and the different parts that can be amputated. The second chapter covers phantom limb pain, and it does a great job explaining why and how it happens, the ways it can present, and the history of our knowledge of phantom limb pain (which is much shorter since many people didn't want to be seen as having a mental illness and thus didn't report that they experienced it). The third chapter covers the history and present of prosthesis, looking at the different types of prosthetics that have existed in the past, and new developments that are happening now. The final chapter covers transhumanism, the concept of using science and technology to essentially create new evolution in the future of humanity.
I honestly always have concerns when I open a book about disability because there's so much ableist content out there that's published under the guise of being progressive, especially when the author isn't writing about their own experiences, but I'm glad to say that wasn't really what I experienced here. For full clarity, I am disabled, but I am not an amputee and I was not born with any limb difference, so perhaps someone more directly impacted than me would see things here that I did not. I know that for some people who were born with limb differences that prosthetics are a complicated issue, and that isn't addressed here, but the focus of this book is very specifically amputation, so I don't necessarily think this is a problem. Transhumanism in particular can be a sticky subject in the disability community at large (and for me it brings to mind capitalism, classism, ableism, eugenics, and concerns about what transhumanism would/could look like for chronic pain patients, just to name my biggest thoughts there), but I feel like this did a good job of avoiding painting it as a utopian ideal and addressing some of the bigger concerns here (particularly classism and eugenics).
As a whole, I think this book is a great introduction to amputation and prosthetics. It doesn't get super in depth because of its length, but it does cover a lot of ground in a short space. I would definitely recommend checking it out!...more
Hello Star is a super sweet book about a girl who becomes obsessed with stars and outer space after she learns that stars die and feels connected to aHello Star is a super sweet book about a girl who becomes obsessed with stars and outer space after she learns that stars die and feels connected to a star she knows is dying. Over years, the girl learns more and more an eventually becomes an astronaut. Vashti Harrison's illustrations are as gorgeous as ever. It's a precious little story that's well worth the read. ...more
I read two of the She Persisted books today, and I wanted to include this excerpt from my other review: "The "She Persisted" series is genera3.5 stars.
I read two of the She Persisted books today, and I wanted to include this excerpt from my other review: "The "She Persisted" series is generally pretty cute, but I have to say that one of my biggest issues with it is right in the title. I feel like they're trying to say if you persist enough then you can achieve anything, but it always has this weird tone. I've had this issue since I read the first one and someone "persisted" their way out of being enslaved, and that's all kinds of yuck. This book doesn't do that, but shoehorning in "persistence" is so frustrating because it feels like a dangerous oversimplification, even in a children's book."
Anyway, She Persisted in Science is a fun little book with a collection of different women scientists of the past and present. Different types of science are represented and different levels of involvement are as well (everyone from PHDs to activists) and the women selected are fairly diverse. I was familiar with most but not all of the women included, and it was good to see some new ones as well as some of the ones I was familiar with that not as many people are familiar with (Rebecca Lee Crumpler needs to be a household name). This series biggest flaw remains the "persistence" but this volume is one of the top two for me. ...more
This is a really great picture book introduction to Katherine Johnson. It has lots of information, it's really clear in what it says, and it covers frThis is a really great picture book introduction to Katherine Johnson. It has lots of information, it's really clear in what it says, and it covers from her childhood to her checking the math on launching John Glenn into orbit. Kids are sure to learn lots here about an incredible woman. The art is lovely as well. I would definitely recommend it!...more
The Mothers of Xsan series delights me every time, and The Wolf Mother is no exception. There are fascinating facts about wolves, import information aThe Mothers of Xsan series delights me every time, and The Wolf Mother is no exception. There are fascinating facts about wolves, import information about the Gitxsan people and their traditions, and fantastic art (as always is from the amazing Natasha Donovan). I can't recommend this series enough, and this book is no exception....more
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