Category Archives: Highly Recommend

Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers by Laura Renauld

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Fred’s Big Feelings is a biography for young readers that focuses on Fred Rogers life long commitment to early childhood social-emotional learning. As a child, Fred Rogers was quiet, sad, and often bullied. In high school, through a confidence bolstering friendship, Fred became a leader and experienced how one person can deeply affect the life of another. After he graduated from college, he became involved in the beginnings of community-supported television. His self-appointed mission was to create child appropriate programing that addresses how to recognize and appropriately express feelings.

Through almost 900 episodes and 33 years of programing, Mr. Rogers conveyed the message to children in his parting message each day:

“You always make each day such a special day. You know how? Just by being you! There’s only one person in the whole world like you, and people can like you exactly as you are.” (page 27)

Includes an author’s note with more information about the Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood programming.

Highly Recommended.

Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman

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Inspired by a true story, Padma Venkatraman tells the tale of Kabir, born in jail to a mother who is imprisoned for a crime she did not commit. Because of her low caste, she is treated unfairly and kept in jail an unfair length of time, even if she had been guilty of the theft of which she was accused. When a new warden leans of his age, Kabir is released to the outside world, because he is too old to stay. Kabir has never met his father and is anxious to finally meet him. Released to his uncle, who is really a fraud, Kabir runs away but never loses his dream to find his father and see to it that his beloved mother is released from prison.

Alone in the world, he meets Rani, another street kid who helps him understand the world outside the prison. She also helps him to never lose sight of his goal to free his mother. This is a story with elements of hope, disappointment, sorrow, friendship, and determination. Set in India, it is rich with culture and family dynamics.

All My Rage; by Sabaa Tahir

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All My Rage follows Misbah’s journey in the United States as she struggles with opening a motel and her husband’s alcoholism. Years later, her son Salahudin and his best friend Noor face the challenges of Misbah’s poor health, the failing motel, and the racism of their town.

The reality of the “American Dream” is portrayed by the lives of Pakistani immigrants in a rural California town.

I loved that All My Rage was so brutally honest and that the author did not sugarcoat anything. She dismantled the flawed ideology that one must simply work hard for the american dream. The novel was a personal and raw look at the lives of immigrants and the struggles they face. The relationships between the characters was also well done. I especially liked Salahudin’s relationship with his father because it was complex and imperfect. I loved the poetic language in Misbah’s chapters and they were always beautiful to read. Also, I cried for the last twenty pages of the book and I really like sad and emotional books.

Realistic Fiction, Multiple POV, Diverse Characters, Religion, Trauma, Friendship, Romance, Social Commentary, Parental relationships.

Reviewed by OHS Student, Mia W.

The Message

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I highly recommend this book. I learned stuff I didn’t know. It takes something we’re all so very familiar with and yet most of us really don’t understand, sending a text to the other side of the planet, and explains it. And when I say it explains how it happens, I mean it starts with the microscopic hairs inside your ears that detect a disturbance in the air that your brain interprets as a ringtone that causes you to look at the incoming text you’re about to reply to. It almost draws parallels between the human parts that talk to each other to send messages from eyes to brain to fingers along your nervous system and the hardware parts on the global communications infrastructure to send the message along wires and fiberoptic cables. The whole thing is so complex and yet all happens in a matter of seconds a bazillion times a day, and we all take it for granted without really thinking about it. This book makes you think about it. Even as it explains things really quite clearly (despite great big vocabulary words), it makes the mind boggle at the same time. The illustrations really do a great job of communicating the process and supporting all those great big vocabulary words (like radiating electromagnetic photons). It’s a marvel!

Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste, illustrated by Tonya Engel

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On March 2, 1955 Claudette Colvin was arrested for not giving up her bus seat to a white person. She was 15 and this occurred almost a year before Rosa Parks famed refusal. Through the lawyer, Fred Gray, Claudette met and befriended Rosa Parks and started to attend meetings with the NAACP. These events led up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. the book does not focus solely on Claudette but mentions others who were instrumental in the changing of the bus law. Told in a cause and effect style, the author shows how small events can lead to bigger events that lead to changes.

Tonya Engel’s paintings complement the text. There is an author’s note at the end that details how the idea for this book came to be and provides suggestions for further reading with books and websites.

When Winter Robeson Came, by Brenda Woods

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During the summer of 1965, Eden gets to hang out with her cousin from Mississippi in Los Angeles where she lives. Winter is on a secret mission to find his father who went missing many years ago. With Eden’s help, they investigate his old neighborhood in the Watts area of LA for clues. In the midst of this, the folks in the Watts neighborhood and the police clash for 6 horrible days and much of Los Angeles goes into lockdown. This verse novel is a sweet story of cousins investigating their own family history while intense history is playing out around them. It’s especially interesting for today’s young readers living in new times of racial clashes with modern day police around the country. As the mystery of Winter’s father unravels, readers come to see that all is not what was assumed. As it is often the case, there is so much more to the story.

Right Where I Left You by: Julian Winters

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Reviewer: OHS Student, Ffiona
Right Where I Left You is a fantastic book by Julian Winters (Who is a WONDERFUL LGBTQIA+ author.) It shows a great bond between an introverted gay boy, and his outgoing bisexual best friend. It emphasizes the vast difference between expectation versus reality in a friendship. And shows the difficulties of the next finding your path in life, and the people you want to share it with. Right Where I Left You is 5 stars and a 10/10 in my book. 

Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters

Yours in Books

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An absolutely charming delight. Written as a series of letters back and forth between an owl and a book-shop-owning squirrel, we see the form of the letters gradually change from formal business correspondence to casual notes as a succession of book recommendations build more than one friendship and shift our main character from a seriously introverted crotchety curmudgeon to a willingly involved member of his neighborhood community. The illustrations are sweet and inviting and full of personality. Highly recommended.

Pura’s Cuentos

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This is an absolute must have for (I think) all libraries! It’s the story behind the name behind the award given out every year by the ALA. And not only that, but it’s also just a celebration of story. For years I’ve sought out winners of the Pura Belpre award to include in my collection, and I knew they were books that celebrate Latin American heritage and culture, but I didn’t know much about the person for whom the award is named. This is a beautifully illustrated book that shares Pura’s story, and confirms it is right and just that such an award should be given in her honor.

Child of the Flower-song People: Luz Jimenez, Daughter of the Nahua

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Luz Jimenez was born in the late 1800’s in the village of Milpa Alpa, a short distance from Mexico City. She was part of the indigenous Nuahac people and learned the language, stories and customs of her ancestors. She suffered the same fate as many indigenous people of her era – placement in government run schools where she had to speak Spanish and wear unfamiliar clothing. Her father was killed during the Mexican Revolution in 1911 and her mother moved the family to Mexico City. It was here that Luz realized her dream of becoming a teacher. Her teaching role was not as a typical school teacher, but as a teacher of her ancestral culture and language to the world. She became a model for many of Mexico’s leading artists of the time, including Diego Rivera, who saw her classic Nuahac beauty as something to capture on canvas, in a photograph or as a sculpture. She became friends with these artists and others – scholars and anthropologists, who wanted to learn about her culture and language. She took them back to her village and taught them her ancestors’ stories, language and customs. This knowledge is part of the history of Mexico and Luz is often referred to as the “Soul of Mexico”.

This well-written, informative book tells the story of Luz’s life in an accessible way without being too text-heavy. Accompanying illustrations by Duncan Tonatiuh are reminiscent of indigenous Mexican artwork and add a rich tone to the story. An author’s note, artist’s note, glossary, bibliography and timeline of Luz’s life are important added features. I appreciate the photo of Luz modelling for a group of artists on the artist’s note page. The only pieces missing are some examples of the artists’ work with whom Luz worked. It did lead me to research her life and find those examples. So, perhaps readers will do the same.