Category Archives: Uncategorized

Estrellas: A Review of Wanda Hears the Stars

by

Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe
By Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Daíz Merced
Illustrated by Rocío Arreola Mendoza
Charlesbridge
August 19, 2025
Ages 6-9

Once Wanda found the stars, they’re all she ever wanted. Despite childhood diabetes and antipathy toward school, curious and strong-willed Wanda set her sights on college to study astronomy. But when diabetes took her sight, she needed coping mechanisms and creative thinking to continue pursuing her goals. With the aid of recorded radio waves—sonification—Wanda was able to “hear a path to the sky” and continue to explore the stars in new and exciting ways.

In this picture book biography, Amy Hansen follows the story of her friend, colleague, and co-author Wanda Daíz Merced from a childhood in Puerto Rico to a career researching and teaching around the world. The thoughtful text focuses on Daíz Merced’s determination and her doubts, allowing readers to see her vulnerability and witness her triumph in overcoming obstacles like wayfinding in a new place or proving her methods to the scientific community. Spanish quotations, vocabulary, and translations are cleverly woven through the text, especially during scenes set in Puerto Rico, bringing her heritage to vivid life. The lush digital illustrations, in a saturated, blue-dominated color scheme, feature a fluid combination of diverse people and sound-images with cosmic flourishes to complement the astral theme and role of sound in her life. A combination of small vignettes and double-page spreads lets the reader into both intimate moments and large-scale events in her life. Robust backmatter includes a glossary and Spanish translations, author and scientific notes, and extensive lists of sources and resources. As an advocate for STEM education and disability inclusion, Wanda Daíz Merced serves as a champion for diversity in the sciences, while her adaptability and perseverance make her a powerful role model for everyone.

Butler Bookshelf

by

This week for our Butler Bookshelf, we’re looking at the Butler Center’s collection of board books about nature. From seasons to weather to animals, these books all introduce very young readers to the great wide world around them. Our feature pick is Baby Loves Meteorology by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Kat Uno. Part of the Baby Loves Science series, this book breaks down big topics like weather and the water cycle, and takes a look at why it rains. Spiro’s text and Uno’s illustrations provide plenty of opportunity for readers to pause and examine what they know about the weather around them.

Check out more board books about the outdoors below!

Baby Loves Meteorology
Ruth Spiro
Illustrated by Kat Uno
Charlesbirdge
Available now!

Beehive
Jorey Hurley
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/LITTLE SIMON
Available now!

Four Seasons In One Day (My First Story Orchestra)
Illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

River’s Journey
Sally M. Walker
Illustrated by Kim Smith
Candlewick Press/MIT Kids Press
Available now!

Whose Egg is That?
Darrin Lunde
Illustrated by Kelsey Oseid
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

by

For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re taking a look at books about the movers and shakers of the world. From activists to athletes to everyday people, the subjects of these stories were (and in some cases, still are!) influential in shaping and changing the world around them. Our feature pick is Are You a Friend of Dorothy?: The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped by 2024 Butler Lecturer Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Levi Hastings. Lukoff recounts how, in a time when being gay was dangerous and sometimes illegal, queer people stuck together in many ways, including by identifying themselves to others as “friends of Dorothy.” Who was Dorothy? The American military set its sights on figuring it out. But Dorothy wasn’t a real person — she was an idea, possibly inspired by the movie The Wizard of Oz, and a way for queer people to keep themselves safe. Although Dorothy wasn’t real, the people she protected were, and they used their secret code to find safety and community in a time when they couldn’t always openly be themselves.

Check out more books about people who shaped the world below!

Are You a Friend of Dorothy?: The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped
Kyle Lukoff
Illustrated by Levi Hastings
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Bold Words from Black Men: Insights and Reflections from 50 Notable Trailblazers Who Influenced the World
Curated by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli
Illustrated by Desire Cesar “El’Cesart” Ngabo
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Fight to Win!: Heroes of American Labor (The Young Readers Edition of Fight Like Hell)
Kim Kelly
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Generation Queer: Stories of Youth Organizers, Artists, and Educators
Kimm Topping
Illustrated by Anshika Khullar
Lee & Low Books Inc/TU Books
Available now!

Ida B. Wells: Journalist, Advocate & Crusader for Justice
Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Candace Buford
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/ALADDIN
Available now!

Math and Mooncakes: A Review of Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math)

by

Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math) 
Written by Natasha Yim  
Illustrated by Violet Kim 
Published by Charlesbridge 
Ages 3-6 
Available August 12, 2025 

It’s time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Luna is excited to celebrate with her family! When her favorite cousin, Mina, comes to Luna’s house, they’re both looking forward to eating the delicious mooncakes that Mina’s mom brought for dessert. While they wait for dinner to cook, the girls play detectives and quickly discover a real-life mystery to solve: someone is stealing the mooncakes one by one! Luna and Mina follow each clue, including handprints, a blue thread, and a lost shoe, to find the thief, ruling out suspects as they go. When they discover Mina’s little brother, Bei-Bei, is the thief, they’re proud that they solved the mystery and can continue celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Natasha Yim’s newest installment in the Storytelling Math series creates a fun, intriguing story that showcases an important Chinese holiday. Yim’s interactive mystery encourages readers to consider clues alongside the girls to solve the case. At the same time, she showcases the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and how it can be celebrated. Yim explains more in the backmatter, where she tells readers when the festival happens and why, as well as how the reasoning skills in this story are important in math. She suggests other reasoning activities, like figuring out how the eight remaining mooncakes can be shared amongst 10 people. Violet Kim uses gouache, crayon, and colored pencil to create modern cartoon-style illustrations. Their bright, full-color palette brings the mystery and celebration to life. Her illustrations support the text in encouraging paying attention to detail by showing visual hints, like who is wearing blue clothes. Both entertaining and educational, Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes is great for supporting the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills.

2025 Butler Scholar

by

Each year, the Butler Children’s Literature Center is proud to offer one aspiring youth librarian additional supports during their MLIS journey. In addition to a financial award. the Butler Scholar is matched with a professional mentor and works with the Butler Center curator on events and the creation of a tool to support other youth librarians.

Kiara Lyons began her career as an English teacher, then worked in college access with underrepresented communities before making her way into library programming. Through her work in libraries, she hopes to create opportunities for people to engage in programming that is representative of the community and that celebrates diverse identities.

For more information about the award or to make a donation to the scholarship fund, please contact the Butler Children’s Literature Center at butler@dom.edu.

Portrait of a Portraitist: A Review of Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

by

Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun 
Written by Jordana Pomeroy 
Published by Getty Publications 
Ages 12-14 
Available July 29, 2025 

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was destined to become an artist. Born in France on April 16, 1755, her father saw her artistic potential and encouraged her to create art. Before she turned 20, she gained admittance to a prestigious union of painters called the Academy of Saint-Luc, building her reputation as a talented portraitist. She was forced to flee France during the revolution because of her loyalty to the monarchy. Elisabeth traveled through Europe with her daughter and her daughter’s governess, supporting them with her portraits of prominent figures, like Catherine the Great. After 12 years, Elisabeth was able to safely return to France, though she continued to love travelling throughout Europe and painting portraits. Elisabeth died at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazing woman in Europe’s aristocratic art world. 

Pomeroy’s extensive knowledge of art and history, gained from her years of experience as a curator of many art museums, shines through in this biography. Pomeroy creates a detailed portrait of the artist and her work by drawing heavily on Elisabeth’s own memoir. She includes personal details about Elisabeth and her relationships while carefully reminding readers that Elisabeth’s perspective is just one side of the story. Pomeroy also masterfully incorporates other important historical people, events, and practices, such as information on wet nursing. This helps develop Elisabeth’s world and allows readers to better understand the society that she lived in. Images of Elisabeth’s famous paintings are included, as well as other work from other artists, showing readers both Elisabeth’s beautiful work and the work of her contemporaries and influences. Pomeroy includes notes, an index, and selected sources for further reading, as well as a brief “cast of characters” for quick reference at the beginning of the book. Overflowing with fascinating art history, this inspirational biography is great for highlighting the impact of women in the arts.  

Story of Survival: A Review of The Rebel Girls of Rome

by

The Rebel Girls of Rome 
Written by Jordyn Taylor 
Published by HarperCollins Publishers/Harper 
Ages 14-18 
Available July 8, 2025  

Nineteen-year-old Lilah just finished her first year of college and is still trying to figure out how to survive after her mother’s death. When she receives a mysterious message about a lost family heirloom, she feels excited about the idea of learning more about her family’s history. Lilah grew up thinking that her grandfather, Ralph, was the only member of his family who survived when the Nazis invaded Rome. Now, Lilah has an opportunity to discover if his sister, Bruna, might have survived, too. Despite Ralph’s refusal to speak about his family and childhood, Lilah convinces him to travel to Italy with the hope of discovering what happened to Bruna. Alternating chapters between Lilah’s perspective in the present day and Bruna’s in the 1940s, this story of rebellion and resistance highlights the strength necessary for survival and the importance of telling your story. 

Jordyn Taylor seamlessly weaves together two perspectives separated by 80 years and two generations to create an emotional and touching story of survival and forgiveness. She explores themes of grief, guilt, and generational trauma through Lilah’s grief for her mother and the survivor’s guilt that Ralph and Bruna struggle with for their whole lives. Bruna’s story is compelling and heartbreaking, detailing the reality of living in occupied Rome. Taylor adds an uplifting layer through Ralph and Bruna’s heartfelt reunion and Lilah’s relationship with her grandfather deepening as she learns more about him. She also incorporates aspects of LGBTQ+ history and women’s history in Italy, both showcasing the multi-layered oppression Bruna faced and commenting on the progress that still needs to be made today. In the author’s note, Taylor explains how much of the novel is based on facts, like the missions carried out by resistance groups, and how much is fiction. Both captivating and touching, The Rebel Girls of Rome showcases the power that love has to help people survive and bring people back together, even after 80 years. 

Journey From Africa to the Amazon: A Review of A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet 

by

A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet 
Written by Martha Brockenbrough 
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal 
Published by Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf 
Ages 4-8 
Available May 27, 2025 

What do the Sahara Desert, Atlantic Ocean, and Amazon Rainforest have in common? Vital, life-sustaining dust! Thousands of years ago, there was a huge lake in the African country Chad. As it dried up, the animals that died in it and became fossils have now turned into dust that moves in a giant cloud across the world. As the dust cloud moves west over the Atlantic Ocean, it helps the ocean make oxygen and softens the impact of hurricanes. Over the Amazon Rainforest, it restores the phosphorus that is washed away by the rain, allowing the forest’s plants to grow and support the ecosystem. At its peak in the spring and summer, the dust cloud can be as heavy as “almost 262 billion basketballs” (23). This dust cloud is incredibly important to the global ecosystem. 

Martha Brockenbrough uses poetic, expressive text that easily gives readers an idea of how the dust cloud works; the trout that eventually becomes dust is “gulping plankton” (5), the dust “soars across West Africa” and “paints the sky” (10). Even though there is little text on each page—nine lines at most—Brockenbrough accurately and clearly describes where and how the dust plume travels and why it is so important to the world’s many ecosystems. By doing this, she emphasizes how the natural world is connected across oceans and continents. Brockenbrough also includes detailed backmatter that explains more about how the dust is created and its impact. Juana Martinez-Neal’s stunning mixed-media drawings bring the Saharan dust plume to life. She uses a combination of realistic illustrations and specks of color that demonstrates the harmony between the dust and the life it supports. The bright, vibrant colors of her illustrations beautifully show the world’s natural diversity. A fascinating book about the importance of dust, A Gift of Dust will make a wonderful addition to lessons and programs about ecology and environmental science. 

Road Trip to Love: A Review of Amelia, If Only 

by

Amelia, If Only 
Written by Becky Albertalli 
Published by HarperCollins Publishers/Harper 
Ages 14-18 
Available June 10, 2025 

Amelia can’t believe her luck when she finds out that her favorite YouTuber, Walter Holland, is hosting a meet and greet just a few hours away from her hometown. Eager to spend one last weekend with her best friends, Zora, Natalie, and Mark, before graduation, Amelia plans a road trip to meet Walter and distract Natalie from her toxic ex-girlfriend, who dumped her at prom. When they get to the meet and greet and become friends with Walter, Amelia is beyond excited. Her parasocial crush on Walter often leaves butterflies in her stomach, but after developing a genuine friendship with him, Amelia begins to wonder if she’s misjudging her feelings for Walter…and for Natalie.    

Becky Albertalli combines her hallmark wit and humor with tender emotion to create a fast-paced story with an endearing cast of characters. Amelia’s adventurous spirit mixes well with her more grounded friends, resulting in a fun road trip comedy. Albertalli deepens the story by thoughtfully discussing the journey of self-discovery when it comes to queer identity by showing different coming out stories; for example, Amelia questioned her sexuality for years before coming out, whereas Zora and Natalie knew early on in life that they were lesbians. This nuanced conversation brings realistic and well-developed queer representation to Amelia’s story. Albertalli also uses Walter’s character and his own queer identity to introduce young readers to the concept of parasocial relationships and the role that queer celebrities play as a space of comfort and representation online. By incorporating Internet posts from Walter and his fans, she develops his character enough to allow readers to instantly connect with him when he becomes friends with Amelia. At once funny and heartwarming, Amelia, If Only will provide valuable queer representation to teen collections across public and classroom libraries. 

#shopindie: It’s (Almost) Independent Bookstore Day

by

From most any perspective, a community bookstore is an asset without compare. Need a personalized recommendation? Ask a professional bookseller! A local space to hang out and read? A venue to meet other bookish folks? Looking for a book signing/book club/story time? A business committed to hyper local perspectives? A way to keep your hard-earned money in your community? Indies do all that and more!

Saturday, April 26th is Independent Bookstore Day. Why not show your appreciation by supporting your local (I’ll list some of my favorites below)? If you’re to busy to stop in, try checking out Bookshop.org where you can still buy online, but designate a local book shop to receive the profit from your purchase or let your money go to a general profit pool distributed to participating indies nationwide. You get to pick your next great read from the comfort of your living room (or backyard or bedroom, no judgement!), and a local store still benefits–it’s a WIN/WIN situation!

If you are out and about in the Chicago area, why not check out one of these wonderful shops?

Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville and Downers Grove)
Dandelion Bookshop (Oak Park)
Pilsen Community Books (Chicago/Pilsen)
Passages Wine and Books (Chicago/West Town)
Swallow Stories Bookshop (Lisle)
¡Viva! Los Libros (Chicago/Pilsen located in Plisen Arts and Community House or at Popups around the city)

It just so happens that this year, the online book seller that everyone loves to hate has scheduled their yearly book sale this weekend too (coincidence? probably not!), giving you the perfect opportunity to vote with your dollars for the kind of community you value. Hopefully that’s one with an indie bookstore–happy shopping!