“Sound sorcerer” John Cage composed music, but he also made space—space to listen to what exists between the notes of a song. He delighted in and utilized ambient noise, the small sounds of everyday living, letting his audience find the sounds behind the silence. “Sounds within silence / silence in noise / music in both / life within all.”
Picture Book
Black Hands: Builders of Our Nation
Weatherford traces the impact of Black effort and achievement on U.S. history and culture in this powerful picture book utilizing the refrain “Black hands.”
The Blue House I Loved
“On a plot of grass off Maryland Avenue … on the east side of St. Paul, there was once a blue house that I loved.” The narrator, a Hmong refugee, recounts childhood memories big and small, describing in loving the detail the old house’s layout and the family members who lived there.
Puffins!
Follow the journey of a puffin family on Maine’s Eastern Egg Rock Island in this joyful, appealing nonfiction picture book. Puffin mates meet, and Mother Puffin lays a single egg while Father Puffin patrols the burrow.
The Future Book
“This book is from the future. Lots of things are different here in the future.” Forget technology—in Barnett and Harris’s latest collaboration, a futuristic narrator leads readers on a linguistic tour of the future.
Josephine
Curious contemplations on the daily wonders of the natural world are offered by Josephine, a remarkably long-necked and highlighter-hued giraffe, the eponymous philosopher in this peaceful board book for older toddlers.
102
In this magical and masterfully illustrated fever dream of a story, George (white) is at home at 102 Greenbriar Drive on October 2 with a 102-degree fever. Tucked into bed by his doting mom, George is awakened at 1:02 a.m. by a chirping cricket who beckons to him.
Houdini’s Library: How Books Created the World’s Greatest Magician
Harry Houdini’s astonishing magic tricks and escape acts enchanted and thrilled audiences the world over. Houdini himself, though, found magic in something more commonplace: books.
Is It Spring?
Anyone who has experienced a long, cold winter is familiar with the hopeful titular plea, “Is it spring?” “Yes” is the answer provided by the flowers, budding branches, and birds in the blue, blue sky. “Yes, it is spring.”
Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More
A handsome volume translated from the Dutch offers poems in many forms for every season as well as ample inspiration for classroom use. A petal-filled haiku on a two-page spread bursting with lush greenery awakens readers to spring; on the following page, a knobby-kneed lamb and a rondel about new life signal March’s arrival.