4 stars Fast-paced, action-packed historical fiction centering around the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. The earthquake itself happens fairly quickly. There are some interesting facts surrounding earthquakes in the text, but much of the story deals with Leo’s life before the disaster and the resulting fires following the quake. It does contain some useful information…
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3 stars Told in short chapters with simple language, this fictionalized account of Ivan’s story places Ivan at the center, giving him voice and agency in making change for himself and his friends. A wonderful story that highlights the importance of animal rights and the ethical treatment of animals. Applegate uses many of the real…
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3 stars A picture book telling the story of Ivan, how a gorilla became a shopping center attraction and the public’s changing understanding of animals in captivity. The book goes through some of the main events of Ivan’s story, including some dark times. It touches on various aspects of human treatment of wild animals and…
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4 stars A heartfelt tale of friendship, community, and a bit of wonder. Red the wishtree has a lot to offer: shade, homes for animals, and a place for wishes. But perhaps their most important contribution is one not directly evident. Through their story, they promote acceptance, understanding, and sympathy. A sweet tale about different…
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4 stars A fascinating non-fiction picture book about the life and work of Margaret Lowman, aka “Canopy Meg”. The book gives an overview of her childhood, education, scientific discoveries, and conservation work all while providing interesting facts about the rainforest and animals/plants that live there and quotes from Canopy Meg herself. The illustrations are beautiful,…
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4 stars An allegorical tale of Greta Thunberg’s activism and how she’s inspired others to stand up to demand change. The use of talking animals and literal giants helps make this engaging for young children while sticking to its message of environmentalism. Though the characters are small compared to the giants, when they come together…
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4 stars A lovely beast of a book, packed with gorgeous illustrations and complex ideas. Much more intricate than it first appears. When I checked this out from the library, I was expecting the obvious before/after relationships (caterpillar to butterfly, acorn to tree). But this book goes far beyond that. Some are before and after…
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5 stars A beautiful, powerful, inspiring, empowering story of courage, strength, love, tradition, and making change. I’m disappointed such a book had to be written and how events have transpired to inspire it, but it’s a wonderful step to help guide the world toward a better path. Goade’s artwork is phenomenal. Each page tells its…
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3 stars I’m a little conflicted on what version is the best reading experience. I listened to the audio book and Kate Atwater does an absolutely phenomenal job reading. Each character is easily recognizable by the change in her voice and it was such a pleasure to listen to. However, then I realized the physical novel is…
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4 stars A fantastic look into modern food industries told in three parts. Each represents a way of obtaining food by following a specific source. Corn represents the industrial food complex, touching on corn surplus, monocultures, subsidies, health effects, the co-evolution of plants and humans, and concentrated animal feeding operations. Next is the pastoral view,…
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