Genre

Catalog sorted by genre

Chester

Chester is more than a picture book. It is a story told, and retold, by dueling author-illustrators. Melanie Watt starts out with the story of a mouse in a house. Then Melanie’s cat, Chester, sends the mouse packing and proceeds to cover the pages with rewrites from his red marker, and the gloves are off. Melanie and her mouse won’t take Chester’s antics lying down. And Chester is obviously a creative powerhouse with confidence to spare. Where will this war of the picture-book makers lead?

Take a closer look at Chester as examined in WOW Review.

American Born Chinese

A tour-de-force by rising indy comics star Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he’s the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny’s life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax.

Awards
2007 Michael L. Printz Award

Take a closer look at American Born Chinese as examined in WOW Review.

Guji Guji

An extra-large egg rolls right into Mother Duck’s nest. She is busy reading and doesn’t notice the new addition. Her hatchlings include a yellow duckling; one with blue spots; another with brown stripes; and a rather unusual, crocodile-shaped youngster, named after his first words. Guji Guji grows bigger and stronger than his siblings, but Mother loves all her offspring the same. When three duck-hungry crocodiles make fun of Guji Guji’s ways and try to tempt him into betraying his family, he is put to the test.

Featured in Volume II, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

Bluebonnets and lady’s slippers, larkspurs and blazing stars, black-eyed Susans and Granny’s nightcaps. From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved these wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. Later, as First Lady, she sought to bring the beauty of wildflowers to America’s cities and highways. She wanted to make sure every child could enjoy the splendor of wildflowers. In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson’s environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein’s colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird’s love for natural beauty.

Flags Of The World

In this complete compendium of the world’s flags, each nation’s flag is paired with facts and tidbits of history. These flags provide a window into the histories, values, and cultures of countries around the world. Waving in the wind, a flag may not seem like a code. But hidden in the stripes, stars, suns, moons, and colors of the world’s flags are the keys to understanding different countries’ shared histories and cherished ideals. Flags do much more than identify countries and groups of people. In every color, pattern, and design, the citizens and governments of countries announce their allegiances and herald their history. If you know what to look for, a flag can reveal major insights into another country’s history and culture.

Last December

A teenager, struggling with depression and contemplating suicide, tries to sort out his emotions in a letter to his unborn sister. Fifteen-year-old Steven is struggling with depression and contemplating suicide. He decides to write a letter to his unborn sister explaining why he is wants to end his life. She needs to know about the girl from his new high school and how the freckles on her arm make him go crazy. She needs to know about the Toronto Maple Leafs and trying out for the school hockey team. She needs to know about Byron, all his ideas about chaos and coolness and trying to keep it together. Steven doesn’t know why his mother’s having a baby in the first place … and if the baby is actually a she. Whatever happens, though, Steven knows one thing: he needs to get this all down, so that someday his baby sister will know what happened to him – to all of them – last December.

Raf

Ben and his cuddly friend, Raf, are inseparable. Then one day, Raf disappears. Ben looks everywhere, but Raf is not to be found. Ben is too sad to go outside and play in the snow, until a postcard clatters into the mailbox. Postcard follows postcard as Raf journey through Africa. He meets tall pink flamingos, long-trunked elephants, vine-swing monkeys, and giraffes.

What Came First?

When was the Earth created and how? And the most pressing question of all — how did humans come to be? What Came First? is a funny but scientifically sound introduction to evolution. Learn about the Big Bang, where it all started, and read vivid descriptions of a melting pot full of microscopic organisms — the very beginnings of life — to the first oceanic life forms and, with the formation of the continents, the first land mammals, all the way through to the evolution of the plant, animal, and human life that surrounds us today.