Review of World More Beautiful

The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Random House Studio

(pub. 8.6.2024)

40 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Angela Burke Kunkel

   Illustrator: Becca Stadtlander

Character: Barbara Cooney

Overview:

" Barbara was born in a hotel in Brooklyn, with a view of the city and the sea. Her father loved numbers and money. But Barbara and her mother loved art, and color, and light. Barbara’s favorite days were when she stayed home sick in bed and got to paint and draw.

In the summers, they left New York for Maine, where Barbara scrambled among the rocks, wind whipping her hair, light sparkling on the water. Summer was grey, and blue, and green, and free.

When Barbara grew up, she ventured out into the world with an art portfolio—she thought she might like to illustrate books. And she did, creating classics like Miss Rumphius, Island Boy, and Hattie and the Waves."

Tantalizing taste:

"The publisher allows for five simple colors. The book is a huge success. Because Barbara has drawn all this for herself.

And that is when Barbara

begins

to break

the rules,

to scratch the surface of what she can do.

Because life

isn't laid out

in black

and white."

And something more: The author, Angela Burke Kunkel, shared in the Author's Note: "Barbara Cooney also left a legacy beyond her career aw an author and illustrator, which spanned 60 years and 110 books, with her efforts to help build a new library in Damariscotta [Maine]. In additional to her own financial contributions, she organized an auction of work from other well-known illustrators to raise more funds... To borrow a phrase from her beloved Miss Rumphius, Barbara Cooney left the world more beautiful."

Review of Bridges Instead of Walls

The Story of Mavis Staples

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Rocky Pond Books

(Penguin Random House)

(pub. 7.9.2024)

48 pages

Ages 6 - 9

Author: Mavis Staples and

Carole Boston Weatherford

   Illustrator: Steffi Walthall

Character: Mavis Staples

Overview:

" At 85, Mavis Staples is still singing in front of large audiences and sharing her message of love, faith, and justice. She’s been performing since age eight as part of her family’s gospel group The Staple Singers, and has become one of America’s most admired musicians, with multiple Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But Mavis has been more than a thrilling singer; she has also stood alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., at numerous Civil Rights protests where her voice was a rallying cry to the country."

Tantalizing taste:

"And perhaps the highest compliment,

she heard her golden oldies

sampled by new generations -

hip-hop artists like Ice Cube,

Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, and more.

Rap lyrics and the Staples's hits;

an unbroken circle of song,

with Mavis's mighty contralto

soaring above it all.

And something more: Lovely dedications in the book:

"To my dear family: Pops, Mom, Pervis, Cleedi, and Yvonne Staples " - Mavis Staples

" To all who lift their voices in protest and praise" - Carole Boston Weatherford

"To the music makers in my life" - Steffi Walthall

Review of Mami King

How Ma Mon Luk Found Love,

Riches, and the Perfect Bowl of Soup

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Millbrook Press

(Lerner Publishing)

(pub. 4.2.2024)

32 pages

Ages 7 -11

Author: Jacqueline

Chio-Lauri

   Illustrator: Kristin Sorra

Character: Ma Mon Luk

Overview:

" Rejected by the parents of the girl he loves for being poor, Ma Mon Luk strikes out from China and boards a steamship headed for the Philippines in 1918.

He vows to make a fortune and return for his beloved. Ma creates a chicken noddle soup he calls mami―"ma" for his name and "mi" for noodles―and peddles it as a street vendor. He eventually earns enough to open his own restaurant and wins the approval of the parents of his true love."

Tantalizing taste:

"Everyone, rich or poor, could buy Ma's noodles. He made sure of that. A few centavos bought shorter snips. More centavos bought longer snips.

As customers slurped down their mee, Ma regaled them with stories of his motherland..

When he returned home late in the evening, he kicked off his tire-soled shoes and slumped into a chair.

'Aiyo', he moaned, rubbing his aching shoulder and putting up his blistered feet."

And something more: The author, Jacqueline Chio-Lauri shared in the Author's Note: "My mother, a Filipino, and my father, a Chinese immigrant who I didn't get a chance to know, met each other in Manila's Chinatown, the place where most of this story took place. I grew up in the Phillippines. I've eaten mami. I've heard of Ma Mon Luk, the restaurant (my parents had eaten there before I was born). But I didn't get to know Ma Mon Luk's story until 2018." And the More about Ma and His Mami also explained that "Mami has become a big part of Filipino food culture. Although Ma is famous for mami, he is also remembered by many for his generosity and kindheartedness."