Megabat

When you discover a bat hiding out in the new house you’ve just moved into — and you find out he’s a talking bat — there’s no telling what might happen next.  He might drive you batty with his constant cravings for buttermelon and smooshfruit, you might find his habits and way of speaking strange and peculiar, or you might just find yourself bonding over jellyrolls and Darth Vader in the unlikeliest of friendships.

Megabat is a quirky and endearing illustrated chapter book written by Anna Humphrey, illustrated by Kass Reich and published by Tundra Books.

Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters

Joy!  One of our favorite books by one of our favorite illustrators is now available stateside!  EVERYTHING & EVERYWHERE is tremendous in beauty, scope and vision.  Its pages are immersive and offer a collection of unusual facts about different places around the world.  We loved stopping in Hong Kong and experiencing all the jade and goldfish markets, the double-decker trams, the bubble tea and the dim sum carts.  In Reykjavik, we were intrigued by the northern lights, the migration of the Arctic terns and the myriad of Icelandic sauces including a mustard with a complicated name.

It is truly a book about (almost) everything, for everyone.  And I foresee it going on our gifting list this year for friends and family.  And classrooms!

Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters was written and illustrated by Marc Martin and published by Chronicle Books.  It’ll be out soon on October 9.

Kid Scientists

Before they were great scientists, they were curious kids who played, experimented, wondered, made messes and asked questions.  Vera Rubin would stay up all night watching meteor showers from her bedroom window, Jane Goodall would hide worms under her pillow and George Washington Carver would talk to his plants.  The individuals featured in the book are Albert Einstein, Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, Temple Grandin, Nicola Tesla, Ada Lovelace, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Rosalind Franklin, Sally Ride, Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Vera Rubin and Katherine Johnson.

We’ve read some of the other titles in the Kid Legends series and find it to be a really engaging way to help readers branch out into biographies and nonfiction.

Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars was written by David Stabler, illustrated by Anoosha Syed and published by Quirk Books.  It’ll be out on October 9.  Check out the other titles in the Kid Legends series: Kid Artists, Kid Athletes, Kid Authors and Kid Presidents.

A History of Pictures for Children: From Cave Paintings to Computer Drawings

Taking a walk through the history of pictures this morning.  I’d pick an art book over any other book most days.  Happy first day of fall, everyone.

A History of Pictures for Children: From Cave Paintings to Computer Drawings was written by David Hockney and Martin Gayford, illustrated by Rose Blake and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. It’ll be out on October 2.

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian

“Who loves books so much that she would risk her life to save them?”

She’s smart, well-read, fierce and she’s ready to save the world one villain at a time — in this case from the nefarious Doctor Glockenspiel who’s threatening to unleash an army of giant moths that will eat the world’s books.  She does more than just fight crime—oh, so much more—her good deeds include stealthily putting the right book in the hands of just about everyone that crosses her path.  She’s a true hero.  We have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of Lyric and we can’t wait. Also proclaimed by Avery as “her favorite picture book.” High praise!

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian was written by Jacob Sager Weinstein, illustrated by Vera Brosgol and published by Clarion Books.