Holiday Reading 2003

Information Books, including Poetry and Folktales

Anderson, M.T. Strange Mr. Satie: Introduces the life of the French composer, Erik Satie, who spent his entire career challenging established conventions in music.
Anderson, William River boy: the story of Mark Twain: A biography of Samuel Clemens, the author known as Mark Twain, through tales of his early days growing up in Missouri to his later years as an adventurer travelling to the western frontier.
Bie, Ceciel de My brother, Vincent Van Gogh: The story of the passionate, revolutionary artist Vincent van Gogh and his art-dealer brother, Theo. It traces the artist's life and art with anecdotes and descriptions, and there are artistic exercises and games that are designed to engage children directly in the act of learning.
Biesty, Stephen Rome: in spectacular cross section: Detailed illustrations with explanatory captions and narrative text survey some sites in ancient Rome, including the house of a wealthy family, the Colosseum, the Baths of Trajan; and the Temple of Jupiter.
Brown, Don Far beyond the garden gate: Alexandra David-Neel's journey to Lhasa: Describes the life and travels of Alexandra David-Neel, who became a scholar of Buddhism and Tibet in the early twentieth century and trekked thousands of miles to reach Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.
Byrd, Robert Leonardo, Beautiful Dreamer: Illustrations and text portray the life of Leonardo da Vinci, who gained fame as a artist through such works as the Mona Lisa, and as a scientist by studying various subjects including human anatomy and flight.
Goble, Paul Mystic horse: Retells the legend of a poor young Pawnee boy who cares for an old abandoned horse, and then is rewarded by the horse's mystic powers.
Haven't you grown! poems about families: selected by Belinda Hollyer Children now encounter many different types of family: there are stepfamilies, single-parent families and children who live apart from their mothers or fathers or siblings. This anthology weaves together the everyday comedy, catastrophes and cuddles that make up modern family life.
Hughes, Shirley Ella's big chance: a fairy tale retold: When the Cinders family is invited to a grand ball given by the Duchess of Arc for her handsome son, Ella's vain stepsisters spend hours getting ready but poor Ella is left behind with only the cat for company. But on this very special evening there is more than a little magic in the air.
Jenkins, Martin Grandma Elephant's in charge: It's not just elephants that are big - so are elephant families! And the biggest and most important member of all is Grandma. She's the boss! Find out why in this book. Narrative text is complemented by facts on every double page.
Lasky, Kathryn The man who made time travel: Describes the need for sailors to be able to determine their position at sea and the efforts of John Harrison, an eighteenth century man who spent his life refining instruments to enable them to do this.
Lines in the sand: new writing about war and peace: A collection of poetry and prose from some prestigious and talented authors and illustrators.
Little lit.: It was a dark and silly night .: edited by Art Spiegelman & Françoise Mouly. A collection of comic strips by various writers and artists, including Lemony Snicket, William Joyce and Neil Gaiman, each of which begins with the phrase, 'It was a dark and silly night.'
Macaulay, David Mosque: Reveals the methods and materials used to design and construct a mosque in late-sixteenth-century Turkey. Through a fictional story and full-colour illustrations, readers will learn not only how such monumental structures were built but also how they functioned in relation to the society they served.
McDermott, Gerald Creation: Rich in colour, shapes, and textures, Gerald McDermott's book is a meditation on the creation story from Genesis.
Myers, Walter Dean A time to love: stories from the Old Testament: A retelling of six stories from the Old Testament, which explore the complexity of love from the perspective of Ruth, Delilah, Reuben, Rachel, Gamiel, and Jonathan.
Nicholson, John Animal architects: An illustrated non-fiction book about shells, nests, mounds, bowers, galleries, dens and lodges - all the remarkable and complex structures that animals around the world build to shelter themselves and their young.
Paulsen, Gary How Angel Peterson got his name: and other outrageous tales about extreme sports: Author Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel.
Pitcher, Caroline Nico's octopus: When Nico rescues an octopus caught in a fisherman's net, his parents think it is a strange choice of pet. Nico keeps it in a tank, feeds it crabs and small fish and soon discovers that his octopus is extremely clever. But then the worst thing in the world happens: Nico's octopus gets ill.
Pullman, Philip Lyra's Oxford: A bundle of material has somehow slipped between Lyra's universe and our own, including another short tale from a just after the end of The Amber Spyglass. Sitting on the roofs of Oxford, Lyra sees a storm petrel, the daemon of a witch, pursued by other birds, and a mystery unfolds.