Books Reviews - Page 33

Thomas Jefferson sometimes answered the White House door himself. A dinner guest once told Calvin Coolidge, known for expressing himself with few words, that she bet she could get three words of conversation out of him. His reply: “You lose.” First Lady Abigail Adams hung laundry in the unfinished East Room.

Our Country’s Presidents, which contains official portraits, photographs, family snapshots, political cartoons, and artifacts, not only summarizes each president’s major accomplishments, but gives readers a sense of the man, his life, and his time. For example, Alexander Graham Bell personally installed the first White House telephone while Rutherford B. Hayes was president.

Everyone in the family will turn to this vividly illustrated book for authoritative information, but also for fun browsing.

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The Biggest Fish in the Lake
Written by Margaret Carney
Illustrated by Janet Wilson
Kids Can Press

The special bond between children and their grandparents is illustrated in this tale about an 8-year-old girl who takes her first grown-up fishing trip with her grandfather. When her fishing line comes up empty on the first day, she sneaks out before daybreak, determined to catch something, and hooks the biggest fish in the lake.

But when she reels in the huge fish and takes a close look at its grace and power, she’s not sure she wants to keep it. The story is a gentle tale for children aged 5-8 about how landing “the big one” isn’t necessarily always the most important thing.

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“Achieving the right balance between enjoying foods and drinks and supplying our bodies with not just adequate, but optimum nourishment is the key to good nutrition,” Amanda Ursell says in her new book. Healers have known for centuries what recent research is now discovering: that essential plant chemicals in fruits, vegetables, and grains are vital in maintaining health and preventing—and possibly curing—certain diseases.

This user-friendly, visually attractive book features a section called Food Profiles, which features 70 key foods from apricots to zucchini, with recommendations for serving sizes, storage, and preparation, as well as healing properties and key benefits.

Bananas, for example, are ideal for people with high blood pressure, because their potassium content encourages the body to excrete salt and also appears to dilate blood vessels, reducing the pressure of the blood flow. Almonds have been shown to reduce total cholesterol.

Life Stages & Nutrition outlines the dietary needs of men and women through each stage of life, with individual needs included. The third section, Treating Ailments, addresses 80 common ailments—insomnia, migraine headaches, colds—and recommends both beneficial foods and those to avoid.

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The vibrant colors of nature inspired this book, designed for youngsters around ages 9-12. Brilliant greens, reds, yellows, purples, and oranges—in the form of leaves, flowers, the sky, and wildlife—almost leap off the pages, accompanied by Yolen’s simple, insightful poems explaining each color. She also includes extra “color” words on each page to encourage young readers to create their own poetry. Purple becomes plum, violet, amethyst, lavender. Yellow becomes canary, gold, lemon.

Against the backdrop of a bright orange sunset, she writes: “I want to take a bite out of that sunset sky, letting the orange juices run down my chin, spitting out the pulp onto the rocks below.” For red: “Red butterfly clings to the sandy-coloredwall. My heart’s heart on wings.”

Color Me a Rhyme not only encourages thoughtful words, but it aids in looking at nature’s bounty in a whole new way.

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This combination book and game, for ages 9-12, introduces youngsters to some of the world’s greatest works of art—such as Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh—while using fun sleuthing skills. The premise is that some of the fictional Museum of Art’s priceless paintings have been stolen and replaced by forgeries. It’s up to the young reader to look at the forgeries, compare them to photos of the real paintings and, through a series of clues, determine who stole them.

Young readers also learn fascinating facts about the Old Masters. For example, though Van Gogh is now considered to be one of the world’s greatest painters, he had very little training and sold only one picture during his life, and Botticelli decorated the walls of Rome’s Sistine Chapel 20 years before Michelangelo painted its ceiling.

Published in association with the National Gallery in London, the book provides facts about each painting, techniques of the painters, a glossary of art terms, and an entertaining cultural lesson.

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Take a guided tour under the waves with two brilliantly illustrated and photographed books for children. Destination Deep Sea takes the reader underwater by levels: see coral reefs at 15 feet; sharks at 40 feet; darkness at 100 feet; giant squids at 1,000 feet; and giant clams, white crabs, and tube worms at 6,000 feet. But the average sea depth is still twice that. The deepest trench is nearly 36,000 feet — deeper than Mount Everest is high and seven times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

“With less than 5 percent of the ocean explored, the most amazing mysteries remain to be discovered right here on our own planet,” the book reads.

Sea Critters shows that there’s more than fish in the sea. Sponges, mollusks, sand dollars, and colorful sea squirts create part of the undersea landscape. Some of the largest animals on Earth — whales, sharks, squid — inhabit the oceans, but most sea life is smaller than a child’s thumb. This book takes a look at those smaller creatures.

“Imagine sitting in one place for most of your life with tasty morsels brought to you by the surrounding sea. That’s what sponges do,” Sea Critters reads.

“(Jellyfish) rely on tiny stinging cells in their many tentacles to stun shrimp, little fish, and other small sea creatures before gobbling them down,” it continues.

Nearly 97 percent of Earth’s water is ocean, and these books are a good introduction to the life teeming below the surface.

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“The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is you.” That’s from someone who ought to know: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, winner of six Olympic gold medals. Joyner-Kersee is included in this inspirational collection of first-person insights and stories from such successful women athletes as Chris Evert, Mia Hamm, Kerri Strug, Nancy Lopez, Peggy Fleming, and dozens of others.

Their common thread: they all set a goal, had faith in themselves, overcame setbacks, and reached their goals. Indeed, the recipe for athletic success sounds like a recipe for life.

Here’s a small sampling:

• “We feel we are on the brink of something great. It transcends soccer. There’s a bigger message out there: When people tell you, ‘no,’ just smile and tell them, ‘Yes, I can.’” —Julie Foudy, member, U.S. women’s national soccer team
• “Make it a point to be around those with positive energy—people who want what’s best for you, people who understand your goals and priorities.” —Rebecca Lobo, Female Athlete of the Year and Female College Basketball Player of the Year, all in 1995.

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You’re wearily aware of all the good-night antics: “Mom, I need a drink of water,” or the tantrums that erupt when it’s time to put on the pajamas. The little ones will

recognize some of their shenanigans in this good-natured nighttime picture book that features nearly a dozen tyrannosaurus rexes, triceratopses, and stegosauruses.

“How does a dinosaur say good night when Papa comes in to turn off the light? Does a dinosaur slam his tail and pout? Does he throw his teddy bear all about? Does he mope, does he moan, does he sulk, does he sigh? Does he fall on the top of his covers and cry?”

Tucked into the humorous, colorful full-page illustrations are bits of education (the dinos’ species are cleverly identified somewhere in their bedrooms, on headboards, or spelled out in wooden blocks) along with a gentle urging to give a big kiss, turn out the light, tuck in their tails, and whisper “good night.”

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, whose co-writer, Jane Yolen, has won the prestigious Caldecott Medal, is a wonderful way to coax youngsters to bed while sharing a playful read-aloud.

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How much money will it take for you to retire? Can you count on receiving Social Security? Is it too late to save for retirement? One study found that nearly half of all Americans have saved less than $10,000 for retirement and at 40, 50, 60, or older, they realize their retirement prospects are grim.

But all is not lost. The Retirement Catch-Up Guide explains how nearly anyone can make up for lost time, no matter what their age. Using 54 real-life examples, Hoffman explains how her subjects had to play catch-up for a myriad of reasons: bad investments, credit card debt, poor money management, losses in a divorce settlement, or simply low income.

But they all had something in common, she says. “All of these stories are positive, because they show that despite the adversity or inattention that stymied (them) from saving enough earlier in life,” Hoffman says, “each one has acknowledged the problem and begun to attack it.”

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A short excerpt, What I Get from a Garden, lists several of its gifts: antidotes for too much thought, solvable problems, permission to be muddy, and a chance to start over. This treasure of a book, now in paperback, offers other little gifts as well: recipes prepared with fresh herbs, aromatherapy, crafts, and food for thought.

Simple Pleasures of the Garden offers more than 60 stories on the rewards of gardening: the joy of planning and maintaining one, the beauty of nature, the satisfaction of physical work, and reaping what you sow. Seton’s formulas for handcrafted lotions, wreaths, potpourris and floral waters are accompanied by more than 150 inspirational garden quotes, cultivating tips, and suggestions on how to share the joys of the garden with loved ones.

This collection offers the joy of gardening to anyone — from seasoned cultivators to those who rarely pick up a spade.

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