Year: 2022

Maryam’s Magic

Sophie Rosen , ,

Reid, Megan. Maryam’s Magic: The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2021.
Are you a numbers person? Do you enjoy working with equations? Or are you a word person? Do you like reading and writing? Or do you like both mathematics and stories?
Maryam preferred stories. Until – when she was 12 years old – she discovered geometry. Now she could turn numbers into shapes! And shapes made stories! This inspiring picture book biography tells the story of the first woman and first Iranian to win the prestigious Fields Medal, the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Additional facts and references are provided at the end. Recommended for readers 7 to 11 years old.

More stories about strong girls and women

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More stories about math

Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem

Sophie Rosen , , , ,

Soloy, Lauren. Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem. Toronto: Tundra, 2021.
Where do you like to go when you want to think about big questions? Do you have a favourite place where your imagination can fly and your mind can ponder? Etty and her father, Charles Darwin, like to take a daily walk in their garden. They observe plants and animals and talk about big questions. Like this one: Do fairies exist? Etty’s father prefers proof before believing something is real, but Etty reminds him that he can’t disprove the existence of fairies. The two of them decide to keep an open mind.
This imaginative picture book – with an afterward explaining a bit about the real life of Charles Darwin – is highly recommended for readers 6 to 11 years old who have their own curious questions about life. 

More books by Canadian writers and artists

More stories set in the past

Biographies of Charles Darwin

In the Clouds

Sophie Rosen

MacKay, Elly. In the Clouds. Toronto: Tundra, 2022.
Have you ever been told that your head is in the clouds? In this dreamily illustrated picture book, a little girl flies through the sky on the back of a yellow bird and asks questions: “How high can birds fly?” “Why does something so huge feel like nothing at all?”  “And if you get lost in a cloud, how do you know where to go?” At the end, there are answers to some of the questions, a chart that shows different types of clouds, and links to related websites.
This delightful picture book – by an award-winning writer and a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society – is recommended for curious readers 6 to 10 years old.  

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More books by Canadians 

The Cloud Appreciation Society

Lizzy and the Clouds

Sophie Rosen ,

Fan Brothers. Lizzy and the Cloud. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022.

Another wonderfully imaginative picture book by Terry and Eric Fan. Lizzy spends a Saturday at the park, where she purchases a cloud. Not a fancy cloud – not a rabbit or a fish or a parrot – but an ordinary cloud that comes with a list of six instructions, and the first is “Name your cloud.” Lizzy carefully cares for Milo, who grows and grows until it is time to follow the last instruction: “Never confine a cloud to a small space.”
Younger readers will enjoy the whimsical creativity and laugh. Older readers can read this story as a metaphor for life. Highly recommended for all ages! 

More philosophical stories

More stories by Canadian writers and artists

Martin and the River

Sophie Rosen

Lappano, Jon-Erik. Martin and the River. Toronto: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2022.
Lying in the tall grass, watching herons and ospreys. Building forts in the fields by the river. Country life is the only life for Martin. Until his mother gets a new job in the city. How will he survive among so many people? While there are many enjoyable activities – riding on the subway, watching street performers, visiting museums – the city doesn’t feel like home. At least, not until his parents take him to a park and show him a stream where frogs jump and dragonflies hover. Maybe, Martin’s heart will feel at home after all? A wonderful picture book – delicately illustrated by Josée Bisaillon – recommended for anyone who loves nature and longs for a rural life.

P.S. If you’re a middle school teacher, you might like to use this book to teach elements of good writing and skills of good readers. If you’re a student, you might like to use this story for a book report. An outline for you.

More stories of country life

More stories of moving

More stories by Canadian authors and illustrators

Starboy

Sophie Rosen , ,

Gigot, Jami. Starboy: Inspired by the Life and Lyrics of David Bowie. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2021.
A young boy, misunderstood and lonely, learns to listen to the music in his mind and dance with exuberant joy. A thought-provoking picture book that will encourage self-expression in readers six to eleven years old. Includes an afterword with facts about the life of David Bowie.

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More stories of individuality