Why do snails have shells? Just how small is the smallest snail? And why do snails move soooo sloooooowly? (Spoiler alert: mucus is involved!) Kevin McCloskey reveals all sorts Snails Are Just My Speed! (TOON, $12.95), the latest installment in his Giggle and Learn series of fact-fi lled and fun early graphic novels. McCloskey skillfully combines fascinating scientifi c information with his trademark of astounding gastropod facts in cartoon art and irreverent humor in a book that will delight and challenge budding naturalists. Ages 6-8.
A child growing up in early eighteenth-century England had few reading options: preachy poems, stark rulebooks, and religious texts that made them fear that death was near. Fortunately for more recent generations of young readers, a London publisher and printer named John Newbery thought that these choices were Balderdash! (Chronicle, $17.99). Michelle Markel’s alliterative text exuberantly portrays the story of how Newbery set out to publish books that were delightful as well as instructional. Whimsical illustrations by Nancy Carpenter augment this energetic biography of the father of children’s literature and namesake of the American Library Association’s annual award for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, a scholar living in late-nineteenth-century Jerusalem, was so devoted to reviving Hebrew that he insisted on raising his son, Ben-Zion, to speak The Language of Angels (Charlesbridge, $16.99) and nothing else. It made for a lonely childhood, since neighborhood children spoke Yiddish or other languages. Eventually, Ben-Yehuda realized that the best way to bring back Hebrew was to teach the language to all children, not just one; and so it happened that father and son collaborated to create Hebrew words for modern speakers. Karla Gudeon’s illustrations enhance the emotional arc of author Richard Michelson’s tale. Back matter provides context and explains where this poignant story diverges from the historical record. Ages 6-9.
