A Gift of Dust

Sophie Rosen , ,

Brockenbrough, Martha. A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2025.
I am a fan of nonfiction picture books. They expand my general knowledge, providing a relaxing way to spend a few minutes of free time in the day. I like to leave one out by a comfortable chair, so I can sit down with a cup of coffee and let my mind wander away from the tasks of the day.
Did you know the dust blown from a dried up African lake contains diatomite – fossilized remains of algae – that adds iron to the oceans, which enables the water to absorb extra carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen? Did you know the cloud of dust from northern Africa can be up to two miles thick and provides phosphorus that replenishes the soil of the Amazon Rainforest? Facts like these remind me of the vastness and complexity of the natural world. They fill me with wonder and curiosity and take me away from the everyday chores of life.
This nonfiction picture book combines all the best features of the genre. Beautiful full-page coloured illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal set the mood for information arranged on short lines of text in a way that enhances comprehension and creates a smooth flow of information. Additional information is provided at the end, along with a list of sources for further study. Wonderful as a read-aloud, A Gift of Dust is highly recommended for readers 5 years old and up. 

More books to expand general knowledge

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Muhammad’s Recipe for Remembering

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Ahmad, Maidah. Muhammad’s Recipe for Remembering. Toronto: Annick Press, 2024.
How do we learn about those who came before us? How do we keep the memories of what happened in the past? In the books that are written about our ancestors? In photographs or momentos handed down from generation to generation? In the stories we are told by relatives? 

In this picture book illustrated by Shruti Prabhu, a little boy looks for a way to share something at an upcoming school assembly being held to honour veterans of war. But while his great-great-grandfather was a soldier in World War I, the family has nothing left from that time. So Muhammad’s father takes him to the mosque to talk to people and write down their stories. The next day, at the assembly, Muhammad shares those stories and shows some roti – the bread soldiers from India made for their comrades who were tired of army rations. Accompanied by a recipe for roti and a two-page note from the author explaining the history of India’s involvement in World Wars I and II, this poignant story is highly recommended as a read-aloud for children 5 to 9 years old.

More stories about World War I

More stories about World War II

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Jupiter Rising

Sophie Rosen , , , ,

Schmidt, Gary D. Jupiter Rising. New York: Clarion Books, 2024.
Do we love people for who they are or for what they represent? Jack is mourning the death of his foster brother Joseph. He is also not getting along with his new running partner, Jay, assigned by the cross-country coach. At least Jupiter, Joseph’s young daughter, is still part of the family. But then Jupiter’s maternal grandparents decide they want custody of her. And Jack discovers that his running partner is also mourning a loss: Jupiter’s deceased mother was Jay’s cousin. Sometimes, problems are complex and solutions require a reorientated view of life. This elegantly written yet easy to read novel is highly recommended for readers 12 years old and up. 

More stories by Gary D. Schmidt

More stories about foster families

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Salat in Secret

Sophie Rosen , ,

Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah. Salat in Secret. New York: Random House Studio, 2023.
What do you hide from other people? What are you afraid to let others know? Seven-year-old Muhammad receives a prayer rug for his birthday. He is now old enough to pray five times a day, his father tells him. But Muhammad is scared. How will he find the courage to find a place to pray at school? Where can he pray without anyone else knowing he is a Muslim? Colourfully illustrated by Hatem Aly, this picture book is most highly recommended as a read-aloud for five- to eight-year-olds. It provides a powerful introduction to discussing religious faith, respect for others, and empathy.

More books about Islam

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Katerina the Cat

Sophie Rosen , ,

Morpurgo, Michael. Katerina the Cat: and Other Tales from the Farm. London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2024.
The very best stories live in the mind like memories of real events. All Morpurgo’s novels are like that. They linger in the mind so vividly that one has to later think, “Did that happen or was it a story?” Of course, it helps that Morpurgo’s style of writing sounds like someone talking aloud, recounting real events from the past.
Katerina the Cat includes three stories of children sent for a week-long visit to the English countryside. In the first, a little boy spots a boat in distress on the sea and so initiates a rescue. In the second, a little girl finds a long-lost treasure. And in the third, a young refugee from Ukraine befriends a cat and at last starts to feel a sense of home in her new country.
Widely-spaced lines of print, cheerful black-and-white illustrations by Guy Parker-Rees, and a wonderfully flowing style of writing all combine to make an ideal novel for readers seven to ten years old and an ideal novel as a read-aloud for listeners six to nine years old.

P.S.: Readers – and listeners – are never too young to start listening for a theme in a story. The book has a message that will be obvious to adults: sometimes, in life, you feel that you don’t belong; then something happens and you feel seen, accepted, and validated. That theme can lead to important discussions in a classroom and powerful pieces of writing from children. And showing students that books are more than entertainment and can also heal our hearts is a vital message to impart.

More books for readers new to chapter books

More stories of refugees

More stories set in the countryside

More stories set in England

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Lord of the Mountain

Sophie Rosen , ,

Kidd, Ronald. Lord of the Mountain. Chicago: Albert Whitman & Company, 2018.
In a time now when families are divided by conflicting beliefs about conspiracy theories, here is an historical novel about a family divided by conflicting beliefs about music and religion. 
Set in the late 1920s in Tennessee, this 286-page novel tells the story of Nate Owens, a teenager who loves music and science even though his preacher father thinks both are from Satan. When a music producer – Ralph Peer – comes to Bristol, Nate is determined to watch the auditions and learn how songs are recorded. But his father finds out, a confrontation ensues, and Nate is forced to leave home. Determined to discover more about his past, he finally learns the cause of his father’s anger. Many of the characters in this story are real: Ralph Peer really was an American record producer who recorded the Carter family singing in an improvised studio in Bristol, Tennessee; A.P. Carter and his wife Sara and her cousin Maybelle really were known for their folk and gospel songs. And the late 1920s really were a time of increasing poverty and unrest. Told from the first person point of view, this pitch perfect novel is highly recommended for readers 11 to 15 years old. 

More stories about music

More stories of faith

More stories set in Tennessee

More historical novels

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The Keeper of Stories

Sophie Rosen ,

Pritchard, Caroline Kusin. The Keeper of Stories. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2025.
In 1966, fire set ablaze the Jewish Theological Library in New York City. Seventy thousand books – some dating back to the Middle Ages – were destroyed. But approximately 170,000 were saved with the help of firefighters and thousands of volunteers. Supplemented with additional information and photographs, this beautifully designed and illustrated picture book is highly recommended for book lovers of all ages.

P.S. Some stories flow like the rippling water of mountain streams. The syntax of the sentences, the placement of the words on the pages, and the size and colour of the font used in this book make the story a delight for the eyes and the ears. The collaged full-page illustrations by Selina Alko carry that movement, as well. A joyous book that inspires a sense of hope in the power of community. 

More stories about books and libraries

More books set in New York City…

Brown, Marc. In New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.
The acclaimed author of dozens of books – including the stories of Arthur, the aardvark –  takes readers on a tour of his favourite city: New York. The conversational style of writing and softly detailed illustrations – in watercolour and gouache – depict a city full of exciting things to see.  Recommended for readers 7 years old and up.

Raschka, Chris. The Doorman’s Repose. New York: New York Review Books, 2017.

What goes on in a New York City apartment building? What secrets are hiding behind all the doors? What goes on in the lives of little creatures – such as mice? How do the machines that keep the building running feel? This collection of 10 interconnected short stories – by an astonishingly talented storyteller –  will amaze and amuse readers 10 years old and up. 

A Walk in New York

Rubbino, Salvatore. A Walk in New York. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2009.

A young boy and his father tour New York, including Grand Central Station, the Empire State Building, and Union Square Park. Part of a series of picture books about cities of the world.

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