The Tower of Life (2022)

 The Tower of Life: how Yaffa Eliach rebuilt her town in stories and photographs by Chana Stiefel (2022) is a true story. At the beginning of the book, we meet Yaffa as a young girl living in a small Jewish town called a shtetl. Life is good. Yaffa’s grandmother is one of the town photographers who took photographic portraits of many residents. “And on the eve of each Jewish New Year, people from all over Eishyshok would mail their treasured photographs to their families around the world with greetings for good health and happiness.” Then the German tanks and motorcycles arrived. Yaffa and her family escaped. Eventually, she married and moved to America where President Jimmy Carter asked her to help build a memorial for the Holocaust. Yaffa traveled the world searching for photographs of the former residents of her town. At back of the book is an illustration of Yaffa’s “Tower of Life “ in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum with references. Susan Gal’s illustrations present Yaffa’s story in somber colors that capture the seriousness of history. 

The Dangerous Alphabet (2008)

 The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman (2008) is a horrid looking book populated by creepy characters. It’s a book for children living a nightmare or looking for frightening dreams. An excessively long sentence, which is a forward to the story, describes it as “A piratical ghost story in thirteen ingenious but potentially disturbing rhyming couplets. . .” Two unhappy children ride in a tiny makeshift boat through underground sewers filled with scary creatures. I think it may be a story about child trafficking, but I’m not sure. Four devious looking men lure one of the children with candy on the page for the letter e. “e’s for the Evil that lures and entices;” On the page for the letter u, there are several children tied up and chained: “U are the reader who shivers with dread;” These terrifying scenes are the work of Gris Grimly. This is the first time I threw a book in the garbage.

Ducks on the Run! (2001)

 Ducks on the Run! by Annette Smith (2001) is a thin book with the label PM Plus Turquoise Level 17. The US edition has a copyright of 2013. In other words, this seems to be a leveled reader. It’s about a family of four who are driving down a road and come upon a mother duck and several ducklings. The two children want to help the ducks so they don’t risk getting hit by a car. The father captures them all in a net, and the family takes them to a nearby lake. There’s plenty of dialogue and a mild bit of drama. Can’t say that I agree with the family capturing able-bodied wildlife. But, their intention is honorable. Where I live it’s illegal to interfere with wildlife. Jenny Mountsephen’s pictures are adequate. The family looks kind but there’s little in the way of context. 

Patrick Gets Hearing AIDS (1994)

 Patrick Gets Hearing Aids by Maureen Cassidy Riski and Nikolas Klakow (1994) looks to be a self-published book. There is no ISBN. Riski dedicates the story to her brother, Patrick, who is hearing impaired. Her brother inspired Riski to become a pediatric audiologist. All the characters in this book are animals. Patrick is a rabbit. He doesn’t play with friends because he doesn’t understand what they are saying. He listens to the television at a very high volume. After getting a hearing test, he gets hearing aids and his life improves dramatically . He’s amazed by all the sounds in his environment. “Patrick was surprised at the songs coming from the birds! And the noisy cars! There was so much to hear." The colorful illustrations mimic the text. They do the job of illustrating life before, during, and after hearing testing. 

Toto The Tornado Kitten (2012)

Toto The Tornado Kitten by Jonathan Hall (2012) appears to be a self-published book about a true story. Toto was born a wild kitten. When a tornado blew through the landscape, Toto landed in a tree. It was rescued and eventually adopted. Illustrations by Carol Ruzicka show Toto’s journey through many kind, helpful people. More information is at www.totothetornadokitten.com 

*What You Know First (1995)

 *What You Know First by Patricia MacLachlan (1995) is a stunning book. It’s one of those very special treasures I sometimes find at library book sales. This copy was actually on the free shelf because it didn’t sell at the sale a few days prior. The dark silhouettes on the cover don’t attract like the brightly colored digital art so common nowadays, I guess. The enigmatic title invites only the thoughtful to open the book. Barry Moser’s illustrations are engravings based on photographs from Patricia MacLachlan and Barry Moser’s family albums. The copyright page reads “The images in this book were engraved in Resingrave, a synthetic wood engraving medium manufactured by Richard Woodman in Redwood City, California. They were printed from the blocks by Vance Studley at the Archetype Press, Pasadena, California.” 

The story is about a child’s resistance to her family's move move off a farm on the prairie. There’s an emphasis on the people and the special landscape of the child’s home. We never do find out out why the family is moving, but we know the parents are sad about it. Mama cries about selling the farm. “And Papa took a long walk when they came to take the cows away after he whispered good-bye to Bess after she leaned against him the way she always does.” The message is not to forget; remember what you first knew. 

*Time Train (1991)

 *Time Train by Paul Fleischman (1991) is a wonderful concept that Claire Ewart illustrates with a helping of humor. This is the story of a class trip to see dinosaurs. In New York City, they try to purchase tickets for the Rocky Mountain Limited train that will take them to the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. But the ticket seller instead books them on the Rocky Mountain Unlimited. As this train crosses the country, it also travels back in time. In Utah, the teacher and her students land in a prehistoric never land. As the teacher sits baffled beside her suitcases that night, the children sleep in a gigantic dinosaur footprint. The dinosaurs are real and friendly. The children have a wonderful time working on class projects. Fortunately their teacher hears the Rocky Mountain Unlimited making returning and the students arrive home. Only their teacher, Miss Pam, looks worn out.