Underlined titles denote a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Topaz Committee
The Animal Toolkit: How Animals Use Tools by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page ; illustrated by Steve Jenkins
The Animal Toolkit : how animals use tools by Steve Jenkins (Illustrator); Robin PageCall Number: EASY 591.513 JEN
ISBN: 9780358244448
Publication Date: 2022-08-30
Until 1960, when Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee using a blade of grass to "fish" for termites, it was believed that humans were the only animals to use tools. Since her discovery, we've learned that many creatures use sticks, leaves, rocks, and other natural items as tools. In this latest nonfiction picture book from Caldecott Honor-winning team Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, readers learn all about what makes a tool a tool--and the remarkable ways animals use them to interact with our world. From the tailorbird, which repurposes spider silk to stitch a leaf into its nest, to the gorilla, which uses sticks to test water depth and build bridges, these animals are intelligent, innovative, and creative.
The Beak Book by Robin Page
Battle of the Butts : the Science Behind Animal Behinds by Jocelyn Rish ; illustrated by David Creighton-Pester
Varma
Butt or Face? : Can You Tell Which End You're Looking At? by Kari Lavelle
Butt or Face? : can you tell which end you're looking at? by Kari LavelleCall Number: EASY 571.31 LAV
ISBN: 9781728271170
Publication Date: 2023-07-11
Move over, Jeopardy, Family Feud, and The Price Is Right - this book will be your new favorite laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts family game! In Butt or Face, weird animals are introduced with a close-up photo. Kids must guess: are they seeing...um...err... the bottom or the top? Readers will learn about animals like Cuban Dwarf Frogs, whose backsides look like a pair of eyes, and the Mary River Turtle, which not only has a unique face but even breathes through its butt! On every reveal page, kids can enjoy the animals' complete photos and fascinating scientific facts, which explain how the critters' camouflage and trickery help them to engage with their habitats. Can YOU tell a butt from a face?
Caves by Nell Cross Beckerman ; illustrated by Kalen Chock
Caves by Nell Cross Beckerman; Kalen Chock (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 551.447 BEC
ISBN: 9781338726626
Publication Date: 2022-10-04
A masterful exploration of one of nature's most curious ecosystems, Caves is a magical journey into subterranean wonders perfect for fans of Jason Chin. Using evocative storytelling, Nell Cross Beckerman urges children to explore one of nature's most curious ecosystems. Dramatic, poetic language guides kids through different caves around the world while nonfiction text allows for deeper understanding.
Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals by Linda Ashman ; illustrated by Aparna Varma
Darwin's Super Pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen ; illustrated by Gwen Millward
Dogs : a History of Our Best Friends by Lita Judge
Dogs : a history of our best friends by Lita JudgeCall Number: EASY 636.7 JUD (Easy nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781419755446
Publication Date: 2023-04-18
Of all the animals on the planet, dogs have the widest range of roles in our daily lives. They're protectors, helpers, lifesavers-but most of all, they're family. And they've taken a fascinating journey to get to this point. Long ago, early wolves evolved from fierce predators into trusted partners. They became dogs! While we know dogs to be lovable and full of personality, they have also historically improved our lives in many practical ways, like guarding livestock to help humans form the first settlements, cleaning out infectious wounds, and finding food. Covering over 50,000 years of history, from cave-dwelling to the present day, Dogs chronicles both fascinating scientific details and the history of how dogs learned to live cooperatively alongside humans. Beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched, award-winning author and illustrator Lita Judge explores how our lives are intertwined with dogs'-and that's what makes them our best friends.
The Fastest Girl on Earth! Meet Kitty O'Neil, Daredevil Driver! by Dean Robbins ; illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
The Fastest Girl on Earth! : meet Kitty O'Neil, daredevil driver! by Dean Robbins; Elizabeth Baddeley (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY B ONE
ISBN: 9780593125717
Publication Date: 2021-08-10
A picture book biography follows the life of Kitty O'Neil, the stuntwoman and racecar driver who broke the women's land speed record, becoming a hero to fans everywhere.
Glitter Everywhere! : Where it Cam From, Where It's Found & Where It's Going by Chris Barton ; illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat
Glitter Everywhere! : where it came from, where it's found & where it's going by Chris Barton; Chaaya Prabhat (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 745.5 BAR (Easy nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781623542528
Publication Date: 2023-06-27
An informative picture book about the origins and present day uses of -- and obsession with -- glitter.
Home is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch Butterfly by Katherine Pryor ; illustrated by Ellie Peterson
Home Is Calling : the journey of the monarch butterfly by Katherine Pryor; Ellie Peterson (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 595.789 PRY
ISBN: 9781546003137
Publication Date: 2023-08-08
An illustrated story written from the point of view of monarch butterflies as they search for food and fly through storms during their annual migration.
How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford ; illustrated by Frank Morrison
How Do You Spell Unfair? : MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford; Frank Morrison (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV B COX (Juvenile biography)
ISBN: 9781536215540
Publication Date: 2023-04-11
A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination.
How to Make a Book (about My Dog) by Chris Barton, illustrated by Sarah Horne
How to Make a Book (about My Dog) by Chris Barton; Sarah Horne (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 808.02 BAR
ISBN: 9781541581289
Publication Date: 2021-10-05
Find out how books are made in this entertaining and engaging exploration of how to make a nonfiction picture book about author Chris Barton's real-life dog, Ernie.
How to Promenade with a Python (And Not Get Eaten) by Rachel Poliquin ; illustrated by Kathryn Durst with Jeff Sayre
How to Promenade with a Python (and Not Get Eaten) : a polite predator's book (Polite predators #1) by Rachel Poliquin; Kathryn Durst (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 597.9678 POL P1
ISBN: 9780735266582
Publication Date: 2021-02-02
Meet Frank. He's a 300-pound python with 100 pointy teeth, night vision, and a killer squeeze. And he wants you to join him for a moonlit walk. I hope he's not hungry. But don't be afraid to say yes. If you follow my expert advice, you'll survive with style! Trust me. I'm a classy cockroach. What could go wrong? Celeste is a cockroach; everyone knows that cockroaches are survivors, so who better advise surviving an encounter with a polite predator? Everyone also knows that taking a moonlit promenade with a deadly reticulated python (named Frank) is a terrible idea. Using her superior pythonine knowledge, Celeste comes up with various strategies and solutions -- many dangerous, most absurd, but all based on the biology of pythons.
Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better, by Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman ; illustrated by Keith Mallet
Ice Cream Man : how Augustus Jackson made a sweet treat better by Glenda Armand; Kim Freeman; Keith Mallett (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY B JAC (Easy biography)
ISBN: 9780593563229
Publication Date: 2023-01-17
This picture book biography recounts the extraordinary life of Augustus Jackson, an African American entrepreneur who is known as the 'Father of Ice Cream.
My Indigo World: A True Story of the Color Blue by Rosa Chang
My Indigo World : a true story of the color blue by Rosa ChangCall Number: EASY 667.26 CHA (Easy nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781662650659
Publication Date: 2023-05-02
With lavish mixed-media art including watercolor painting and hand-dyed textiles, debut author-illustrator Rosa Chang pays tribute to the science and art of growing the indigo plant and making indigo dye. Woven throughout is a poetic tribute to the colorblue, Chang's favorite since her girlhood in Korea, and an appreciation of the indigo plant as a valued source of blue dye in cultures around the world. Informative back matter tells more about the science behind indigo dye production, with an "indigo map" of the shades of blue produced by indigo around the world, and simple instructions for growing your own indigo plants and making homemade blue dye.
On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue by Tziporah Cohen, illustrated by Steven Salerno
On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue : how Milton Hershey brought milk chocolate to America by Tziporah Cohen; Steven Salerno (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY B HER (Easy biography)
ISBN: 9780358578758
Publication Date: 2022-12-13
The story of sweet success behind the Hershey's Kiss! The invention of America's quintessential milk chocolate bar is brought to vivid, delicious life in this STEAM picture book biography perfect for fans of Mr. Ferris and His Wheel and Snowflake Bentley.
Polar Bear by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Polar Bear by Candace Fleming; Eric Rohmann (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 500.786 FLE (Easy nonfiction)
ISBN: 9780823449163
Publication Date: 2022-12-06
A book expliring the life and habitat of a mother polar bear and her cubs.
This is Tap: Savion Glover Finds His Funk by Selene Castrovilla ; illustrated by Laura Freeman
This Is Tap : Savion Glover finds his funk by Selene Castrovilla; Laura Freeman (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY B GLO
ISBN: 9780823438631
Publication Date: 2023-03-28
An illustrated biography of Savion Glover, tap dancer, and choreographer, that shows how his love of music, dance, and self-expression as a young boy sets him on the path to change how people see tap dancing.
When the Sky Glows by Nell Cross Beckerman ; illustrated by David Litchfield
Underlined titles denote a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Topaz Committee
The Adventures of Dr. Sloth: Rebecca Cliffe and Her Quest to Protect Sloths by Suzi Eszterhas
The Adventures of Dr. Sloth : Rebecca Cliffe and her quest to protect sloths by Suzi Eszterhas (Photographer)Call Number: JUV 599.313 ESZ
ISBN: 9781541589391
Publication Date: 2022-04-05
Scientists know surprisingly little about sloths, but Becky Cliffe is working to change that. Visit the steamy jungles of Central and South America to see these adorable animals up close--and find out ways to protect them.
The Astronaut's Guide to Leaving the Planet: Everything You Need to Know, from Training to Re-entry by Terry Virts ; illustrated by Andrés Lozano
The Astronaut's Guide to Leaving the Planet : everything you need to know from training to re-entry by Terry VirtsCall Number: JUV 629.45 VIR (Juvenile nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781523514564
Publication Date: 2023-04-11
A kid's guide to leaving the planet from someone who's done it! Former astronaut Terry Virts guides readers through the practical elements of becoming an astronaut, along with the wonders (and challenges!) of space travel. With insider information on training, piloting a ship, and working in space, readers and aspiring astronauts will be inspired to start their own journey to the stars. This practical guide is full of valuable wisdom and insight that will guide the astronaut candidates of tomorrow!
Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell ; illustrated by Arigon Starr
Extra Life: The Astonishing Story of How We Doubled Our Lifespan by Steven Johnson
Flip! How the Frisbee Took Flight by Margaret Muirhead ; illustrated by Adam Gustavson
Flip! : How the Frisbee Took Flight by Margaret Muirhead; Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV B MOR
ISBN: 9781580898805
Publication Date: 2021-04-27
Documents the historical origins of the modern Frisbee attributed to inventor Fred Morrison, revealing how people have tossed pie tins, flipped popcorn lids, and thrown similarly shaped discs for entertainment and athletic purposes since ancient times
From Shore to Ocean Floor: The Human Journey to the Deep by Gill Arbuthnott ; illustrated by Christopher Nielsen
Hardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association by Fred Bowen ; illustrated by James E. Ransome
Hardcourt : stories from 75 years of the National Basketball Association by Fred Bowen; James E. Ransome (Illustrator)Call Number: Juv 796.323 BOW (Juvenile nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781534460430
Publication Date: 2022-01-18
The story of the National Basketball Association from its origins through the major events and players who made basketball what it is today.
Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes by Traci N. Todd ; illustrated by Shannon Wright
Holding Her Own : the Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes by Traci N. Todd; Shannon Wright (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV B ORM (Juvenile biography)
ISBN: 9781338305906
Publication Date: 2023-01-03
When Jackie Ormes sees an opportunity, she takes it. She's a journalist, cartoonist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist -- and she wants to use her artistry to bring joy and hope to Black people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Black people are still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie has a dilemma: How can her art remain true to her signature Jackie joy, while also staying honest about the inequalities Black people have been fighting against? Traci N. Todd and Shannon Wright have crafted a gorgeous and moving tribute to the indelible legacy of America's first Black woman cartoonist.
Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney
Just Jerry : how drawing shaped my life by Jerry PinkneyCall Number: JUV B PIN (Juvenile biography)
ISBN: 9780316383851
Publication Date: 2023-01-17
Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott Medal winner and illustrator of over one hundred books, tells the story of his childhood and how he developed his artistic talent.
The Little Spacecraft That Could: New Horizons' Amazing Journey to Pluto and Arrokoth by Joyce Lapin ; illustrated by Simona Ceccarelli
The Little Spacecraft That Could by Joyce Lapin; Simona Ceccarelli (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV 629.4354 LAP
ISBN: 9781454937555
Publication Date: 2021-05-18
Ride along with the New Horizons spacecraft as she rockets three billion miles to Pluto! Watch her take the first close-up photos of Pluto, and then journey another billion miles to mini-world Arrokoth. You'll whiz through space at more than 10 miles per second; learn how the giant planet Jupiter helped the little spacecraft reach Pluto; and discover the astonishing surface feature that made the world fall in love with Pluto.
Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains by Maxwell Eaton III
Lost in the Mountains (Survival scount #1) by Maxwell Eaton (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV G EAT S1
ISBN: 9781250790460
Publication Date: 2023-05-02
In this adventure-filled travel companion, Scout endures various natural disasters as she treks through the mountains and explains how to survive if ever lost in the wilderness.
There's No Ham in Hamburgers: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Foods by Kim Zachman ; illustrated by Peter Donnelly
There's No Ham in Hamburgers : facts and folklore about our favorite foods by Kim Zachman; Peter Donnelly (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV 641.3 ZAC
ISBN: 9780762498079
Publication Date: 2021-04-06
Why is there no ham in hamburgers? How did we make ice cream before we could make ice? How did hot dogs get their name? From the origins of pizza to the invention of chicken fingers, this book has all the ingredients for an entertaining read about the origins of some of America's most popular foods.
Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart
Whale Fall : exploring an ocean-floor ecosystem by Melissa Stewart; Rob Dunlavey (Illustrator)Call Number: EASY 577.79 STE (Easy nonfiction)
ISBN: 9780593380604
Publication Date: 2023-03-14
When a whale passes away, its body sinks to the ocean floor and becomes an energy-rich food source for organisms living in the deep sea.
Underlined titles denote a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Topaz Committee
Agent Most Wanted: The Never-Before-Told Story of the Most Dangerous Spy of World War II by Sonia Purnell
Agent Most Wanted : the never-before-told story of the most dangerous spy of World War II by Sonia PurnellCall Number: JUV B HAL
ISBN: 9780593350546
Publication Date: 2022-08-09
This is a historical nonfiction book about Virginia Hall, an American spy in France who the Nazis dubbed "the most dangerous of Allied spies." It tells the story of her youth and her work in Europe during the Second World War.
Buzzkill: A Wild Wander Through the Weird and Threatened World of Bugs by Brenna Maloney ; illustrated by Dave Mottram
Buzzkill : a wild wander through the weird and threatened world of bugs by Brenna Maloney; Dave Mottram (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV 639.97 MAL (Juvenile nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781250801036
Publication Date: 2022-10-11
The praying mantis is the only animal on Earth with one ear--and it's in the middle of its chest. Aphids are born pregnant. Moths can't fly during an earthquake. If you didn't know these things, you soon will. Packed full of jaw-dropping facts, Buzzkill presents the big picture on bugs. You might think ew, gross. Insects are icky. Or scary. Or dangerous. They can be. But there's so much more you need to know. Insects play a critical role on our planet, from sustenance to pollination to medicines and more. Brenna Maloney tackles both the wacky and weird, as well as threats to insects and their habitats, their possible extinction, and ways that everyday people, like you, can prevent their decline. Find out what all the buzz is about!
A First Time For Everything by Dan Santat
Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers edited by Rose Brock
Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First US Women's Olympic Basketball Team by Andrew Maraniss
Inaugural Ballers : the true story of the first U.S. Women's Olympic basketball team by Andrew MaranissCall Number: YA 796.323 MAR-A (Young adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9780593351246
Publication Date: 2022-09-13
A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin
Mexikid by Pedro. MartĂn (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV B MAR (Juvenile biography)
ISBN: 9780593462287
Publication Date: 2023-08-01
Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir.
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day ; illustrated by Brett Helquist
The Mona Lisa Vanishes : a legendary painter, a shocking heist, and the birth of a global celebrity by Nicholas Day; Brett Helquist (Illustrator)Call Number: JUV 364.16 DAY
ISBN: 9780593643846
Publication Date: 2023-09-05
A narrative nonfiction about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world-and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all.
The Monkey Trial: John Scopes and the Battle Over Teaching Evolution by Anita Sanchez
Race Against Death: The Greatest POW Rescue of World War II by Deborah Hopkinson
Race Against Death: the Greatest POW Rescue of World War II (Scholastic Focus) by Deborah HopkinsonCall Number: JUV 940.547 HOP (Juvenile nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781338746167
Publication Date: 2023-04-18
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America entered World War II, and a new theater of battle opened up in the Pacific. But US troops, along with thousands of Filipino soldiers who fought alongside them, were overtaken in the Philippines by a fiercely determined Japanese navy, and many Americans and Filipino fighters were killed or captured. These American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to endure the most horrific conditions on the deadly trek known as the Bataan Death March. Then, the American servicemen who were held captive by the Japanese military in Cabanatuan Camp and others in the Philippines, faced beatings, starvation, and tropical diseases, and lived constantly under the threat of death. Unable to forget their comrades' fate and concerned that these POWs would be brutally murdered as the tides of war shifted in the Pacific, the US Army Rangers undertook one of the most daring and dangerous rescue missions of all time. Aided by the "Angels of the Underground," the Sixth Ranger Battalion and courageous Filipino guerrilla soldiers set out on an uncertain and treacherous assignment. Often called the Great Raid, this remarkable story remains largely forgotten. Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson presents an extraordinary and unflinching look at the heroic servicemen and women who courageously weathered the worst of circumstances and conditions in service to their country, as well as those who answered the call to save their fellow soldiers.
Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music that Made a Nation (Young Readers Edition) by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw
Songs of America: Young Reader's Edition : patiotism, protest, and the music that made a nation by Jon Meacham; Tim McGrawCall Number: JUV 782.4209 MEA (Juvenile nonfiction)
ISBN: 9780593178799
Publication Date: 2023-04-25
Explores the music of important times in our history--the stirring pro- and anti-war music of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam War; the folk songs and popular music of the Great Depression, the fight for women's rights, and the Civil Rights movement; and the music of both beloved and lesser-known poets, musicians, and songwriters from Colonial times to the twenty-first century. Readers will recognize pages from the American songbook--examples include "The Star-Spangled Banner," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "We Shall Overcome," and "Born in the U.S.A."--and will be introduced to lesser-known but equally important works that have inspired Americans to hold on to the tenets of freedom at the roots of our nation. Adapted from the adult bestseller.
Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me About Life, Death, and Hope by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Sunshine : a Graphic Novel by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Illustrator)Call Number: YA B KRO-J (Young adult biography)
ISBN: 9781338356328
Publication Date: 2023-04-18
The author shares his extraordinary experiences as a counselor at Camp Sunshine, a camp for seriously ill kids and their families, where he met campers and fellow counselors who forever changed the course of his life.
Underlined titles denote a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Topaz Committee
Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater
Accountable : the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed by Dashka SlaterCall Number: YA 371.829 SLA-D
ISBN: 9780374314347
Publication Date: 2023-08-22
A young adult nonfiction book on how Albany High School handled a racist social media incident that incurs lasting and devastating consequences.
American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow
American Murderer : the parasite that haunted the south (Medical fiascoes) by Gail JarrowCall Number: YA 616.9 JAR-G (Young adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781684378159
Publication Date: 2022-09-27
Imagine microscopic worms living in the soil. They enter your body through your bare feet, travel to your intestines, and stay there for years sucking your blood like vampires. You feel exhausted. You get sick easily. It sounds like a nightmare, but that's what happened in the American South during the 1800s and early 1900s. Doctors never guessed that hookworms were making patients ill, but zoologist Charles Stiles knew better. Working with one of the first public health organizations, he and his colleagues treated the sick and showed Southerners how to protect themselves by wearing shoes and using outhouses so that the worms didn't spread. Although hookworm was eventually controlled in the United States, the parasite remains a serious health problem throughout the world. The topic of this STEM book remains relevant and will fascinate young readers interested in medicine, science, history-and gross stories about bloodsucking creatures.
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Robin Wall Kimmerer ; adapted by Monique Gray Smith ; illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teaching of plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer; Monique Gray Smith; Nicole Neidhardt (Illustrator)Call Number: YA 305.8 KIM-RW
ISBN: 9781728458984
Publication Date: 2022-11-01
Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer demonstrated how all living things--from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen--provide us with gifts and lessons every day in her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass. Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth's oldest teachers: the plants around us. With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.
A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley
A Face for Picasso : coming of age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel HenleyCall Number: YA B HEN-A (Young adult biography)
ISBN: 9780374314071
Publication Date: 2021-11-02
At only eight months old, identical twin sisters Ariel and Zan were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome, a rare condition where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. They were the first twins known to survive the disease. They endured numerous appearance-altering procedures as they grew up. Surgeons would break the bones in their heads and faces to make room for their growing organs. While the physical aspect of their condition was painful, it was nothing compared to the emotional toll of navigating life with a facial disfigurement. Here Ariel explores beauty, identity, resilience-- and the strength it takes to put your life, and yourself, back together time and time again.
Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham
Family Style : memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien PhamCall Number: YA B PHA-T (Young adult biography)
ISBN: 9781250809711
Publication Date: 2023-06-20
A moving young adult graphic memoir about a Vietnamese immigrant boy's search for belonging in America, perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and The Best We Could Do!
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry : the killing of Vincent Chin and the trial that galvanized the Asian American movement by Paula YooCall Number: YA 305.895 YOO-P (Young adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781324002871
Publication Date: 2021-04-20
America in 1982. Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting American autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti-Asian American sentiments simmer, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving Vincent Chin--a Chinese American man--beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years' probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage in the Asian American community. This outrage galvanized the Asian American movement and paved the way for a new federal civil rights trial of the case. Extensively researched from court transcripts and interviews with key case witnesses--many speaking for the first time--Yoo has crafted a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.
Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us by Berna Anat ; illustrated by Monique Sterling
Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II (adapted for young adults) by Adam Makos
Where to Start: A Survival Guide to Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Challenges by Mental Health America, illustrated by Gemma Correll
Where to Start : a survival guide to anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges by Mental Health Mental Health America; Gemma Correll (Illustrator)Call Number: YA 618.9289 MEN-HA
ISBN: 9780593531402
Publication Date: 2023-04-11
A resource for anyone who's struggling emotionally and looking for help, from the nation's leading community-based nonprofit that addresses the needs of those living with mental illness.
Work with What You Got: A Memoir by Zion Clark and James S. Hirsch
Underlined titles denote a unanimous recommendation by the Texas Topaz Committee
All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work by Hayley Campbell
Art of the Chicken: A Master Chef’s Recipes and Stories of the Humble Bird by Jacques Pépin
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
Atlas of the Heart : mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience by Brené BrownCall Number: 158.1 BROWN A
ISBN: 9780399592553
Publication Date: 2021-11-30
In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances--a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas by Jesse Cole
Banana Ball : the unbelievably true story of the Savannah Bananas by Jesse Cole; Don Yaeger (As told to)Call Number: 796.357 COLE B
ISBN: 9780593473412
Publication Date: 2023-05-16
The Savannah Bananas have peeled back the game of baseball and made it fun again. ... The Bananas throw out a first banana rather than a ball. Their first-base coach dances to 'Thriller' or Britney between innings. Players run into the crowd to hand out roses. And the rules themselves are bananas: if a fan catches a foul ball it's an out, and players might go to bat on stilts or wearing a banana costume. And their fans love it. For the first time in this book, Jesse reveals the ideas and experiences that allowed him to reimagine America's oldest sport by creating a phenomenon that is helping fans fall in love with the game all over again.
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren
The Barbizon : the hotel that set women free by Paulina BrenCall Number: 305.4 B837b (Adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781982123895
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
The Barbizon tells the story of New York's most glamorous women-only hotel, and the women-both famous and ordinary-who passed through its doors. World War I had liberated women from home and hearth, setting them on the path to political enfranchisement and gainful employment. Arriving in New York to work in the dazzling new skyscrapers, they did not want to stay in uncomfortable boarding houses; they wanted what men already had-exclusive residential hotels that catered to their needs, with daily maid service, cultural programs, workout rooms, and private dining. The Barbizon would become the most famous residential hotel of them all, welcoming everyone from aspiring actresses, dancers, and fashion models to seamstresses, secretaries, and nurses. The Barbizon's residents read like a who's who: Titanic survivor Molly Brown; actresses Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedron, Liza Minelli, Ali McGraw, Jaclyn Smith, and Phylicia Rashad; writers Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Diane Johnson, Gael Greene, and Meg Wolitzer; and so many more. But before they were household names, they were among the young women arriving at the Barbizon with a suitcase, and hope.
Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila Philip
Beaverland : how one weird rodent made America by Leila PhilipCall Number: 338.3 P549B (Adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781538755198
Publication Date: 2022-12-06
Beaverland tells the tumultuous, eye-opening story of how beavers and the beaver fur trade shaped America's history, culture, and environment. Before the American empires of steel and coal and oil, before the railroads, there was the empire of fur. Beginning with the early trans-Atlantic trade in North America, Leila Philip traces the beaver's profound influence on our nation's early economy and feverish western expansion, its first corporations and multi-millionaires. As Leila's passion for this weird and wonderful rodent widens from her careful observation of its dams in her local pond, she chronicles the many characters she meets in her pursuit of the beaver: fur trappers and fur traders, biologists and fur auctioneers, wildlife managers, PETA activists, Native American environmental vigilantes, scientists, engineers and beaver enthusiasts. What emerges is a startling portrait of the secretive, largely hidden world of the contemporary fur trade and an immersive ecological and historical investigation of these animals that, once trapped to the point of extinction, have rebounded to become one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century. Now, beavers offer surprising solutions to some of the most urgent problems caused by climate change. Beautifully written and filled with the many colorful characters-fur trappers and fur traders and fur auctioneers, wildlife managers and biologists, Native American environmental vigilantes. She meets a Harvard scientist from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, using drones to create 3-dimensional images of beaver dams. She meets an environmental restoration consultant in the Chesapeake whose nickname is the beaver whisperer. Beaverland transports readers into scenes of beavers in their ponds and the scientists and fur trappers in pursuit of them, widening arcs of information to reveal the profound ways in which beavers and the beaver trade shaped history, culture, and our environment.
Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West by Katie Hickman
Brave Hearted : the women of the American West by Katie HickmanCall Number: BIO BRAVE HEA H
ISBN: 9781954118171
Publication Date: 2022-10-25
As the internationally bestselling historian Katie Hickman writes, "Myth and misunderstanding spring from the American frontier as readily as ryegrass from sod, and - like the wiry grass - seem as difficult to weed out and discard." But the true-life story of women's experiences in the Wild West is more gripping, heart-rending, and stirring than all the movies, novels, folk legends, and ballads of popular imagination. Hard-drinking, hard-living poker players and prostitutes of the new boom towns; wives and mothers traveling two and a half thousand miles across the prairies in covered-wagon convoys, some of them so poor they walked the entire route; African-American women in search of freedom from slavery; Chinese sex-workers sold openly on the docks of San Francisco; Native American women brutally displaced by the unstoppable tide of white settlers -- all were women forced to draw on huge reserves of resilience and courage in the face of tumultuous change. Drawing on letters, diaries, and other extraordinary contemporary accounts, sifting through the legends and the myths, the laws and the treaties, Katie Hickman presents us with cast of unforgettable women: the half Cree, Marguerite McLoughlin, the much-admired "First Lady" of Fort Vancouver; the Presbyterian missionary Narcissa Whitman, who in 1837 became the first white woman to make the overland journey west across the Rocky Mountains; Biddy Mason, the Mississippi slave who fought for her freedom through the courts of California; Olive Oatman, adopted by the Mohave, famous for her facial tattoos. This is the story of the women who participated in the greatest mass migration in American history, transforming their country in the process; a tale brought to life by a brilliant social historian and a dynamic storyteller. This is American history, not as it was romanticized, but as it was lived.
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land by Sally Denton
Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family by Rabia Chaudry
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan
A Fever in the Heartland : the Ku Klux Klan's plot to take over America, and the woman who stopped them by Timothy Egan (Contribution by)Call Number: 322.42 E29f (Adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9780735225268
Publication Date: 2023-04-04
The Roaring Twenties -- the Jazz Age -- has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson. Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he'd become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows - their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors, and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman - Madge Oberholtzer - who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.
The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes
The Forever Witness : how DNA and genealogy solved a cold case double murder by Edward HumesCall Number: 363.25 H922f (Adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781524746278
Publication Date: 2022-11-29
After 30 years, Detective Jim Scharf arrested a teenage couple's murderer-and exposed a looming battle between the pursuit of justice and the right to privacy. When Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were murdered during a trip to Seattle in the 1980s, detectives had few leads. The murder weapon was missing. No one witnessed any suspicious activity. And there was only a single handprint on the outside of the young couple's van. The detectives assumed Tanya and Jay were victims of a serial killer-but without any leads, the case seemed forever doomed. In deep-freeze, long-term storage, biological evidence from the crime scenes sat waiting. Meanwhile, California resident CeCe Moore began her lifetime fascination with genetic genealogy. As DNA testing companies rapidly grew in popularity, she discovered another use for the technology: solving crimes. When Detective Jim Scharf decided to send the cold case's decades-old DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, he hoped he would bring closure to the Van Cuylenborg and Cook families. He didn't know that he and Moore would make history. Anyone can submit a saliva sample to learn about their ancestry. But what happens after the results of these tests are uploaded to the internet? As lawyers, policymakers, and police officers fight over questions of consent and privacy, the implications of Scharf's case become ever clearer. Approximately 250,000 murders in the United States remain unsolved today. We have the tools to catch many of these killers-but what is the cost?
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing : a memoir by Matthew PerryCall Number: BIO MATTH PER F (Adult biography)
ISBN: 9781250866448
Publication Date: 2022-11-01
The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes readers onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humor, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that shares the most intimate details of the love Perry lost, his darkest days, and his greatest friends. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and hilarious: this is the book fans have been waiting for.
Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become an American by Wajahat Ali
The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America by Saket Soni
Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir by Lamya H.
How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication by Tom Mustill
How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North
Hysterical: A Memoir by Elissa Bassist
Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks, a Cool History of a Hot Commodity by Amy Brady
Ice : from mixed drinks to skating rinks--a cool history of a hot commodity by Amy BradyCall Number: 553.7 BRADY I
ISBN: 9780593422199
Publication Date: 2023-06-06
The unexpected and unexplored ways that ice has transformed a nation--from the foods Americans eat to the sports they play to the way they live today--and what its future might look like on a swiftly warming planet.
Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and into the World by Gretchen Rubin
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama
The Light We Carry : overcoming in uncertain times by Michelle ObamaCall Number: BIO OBAMA MIC L (Adult biography)
ISBN: 9780593237465
Publication Date: 2022-11-15
Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles--the earned wisdom that helps her continue to "become." She details her most valuable practices, like "starting kind," "going high," and assembling a "kitchen table" of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.
The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World by David K. Randall
The Monster's Bones : the discovery of T. Rex and how it shook our world by David K. RandallCall Number: 560.922 RANDA A
ISBN: 9781324006534
Publication Date: 2022-06-07
A gripping narrative of a fearless paleontologist, the founding of America's most loved museums, and the race to find the largest dinosaurs on record. In the dust of the Gilded Age Bone Wars, two vastly different men emerge with a mission to fill the empty halls of New York's struggling American Museum of Natural History: Henry Fairfield Osborn, a privileged socialite whose reputation rests on the museum's success, and intrepid Kansas-born fossil hunter Barnum Brown. When Brown unearths the first Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils in the Montana wilderness, forever changing the world of paleontology, Osborn sees a path to save his museum from irrelevancy. With four-foot-long jaws capable of crushing the bones of its prey and hips that powered the animal to run at speeds of 25 miles per hour, the T. Rex suggests a prehistoric ecosystem more complex than anyone imagined. As the public turns out in droves to cower before this bone-chilling giant of the past and wonder at the mysteries of its disappearance, Brown and Osborn together turn dinosaurs from a biological oddity into a beloved part of the culture. Vivid and engaging, The Monster's Bones journeys from prehistory to the present day, from remote Patagonia to the unforgiving badlands of the American West to the penthouses of Manhattan. With a wide-ranging cast of robber barons, eugenicists, and opportunistic cowboys, New York Times best-selling author David K. Randall reveals how a monster of a bygone era ignited a new understanding of our planet and our place within it.
My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings by Zosia Mamet
Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard (Adult for YA nomination) by Ronald Wimberly and and Brahm Revel
Now Let Me Fly : a portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly; Brahm Revel (Illustrator)Call Number: BIO BULLA EUG W
ISBN: 9781626728523
Publication Date: 2023-01-03
A soaring graphic biography that casts new light on the first African-American fighter pilot. On the eve of World War I, Eugene Bullard was a refugee of the Jim Crow South who was determined to find a place where a Black man would be treated as a fellow human being. His search took him from rural Georgia to the streets of Paris, from the vaudeville stage to the boxing ring, and finally, from the muddy trenches to the open skies. In 1914, Bullard joined the fight to defend France--and made history as the world's first African American fighter pilot. In this candid but sensitive portrait of Bullard, author Ronald Wimberly balances the personal and the historical to interrogate concepts of cynicism, idealism, fear, glory, and the pervasiveness of anti-Black racism.
Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries by Greg Melville
Over My Dead Body : unearthing the hidden history of America's cemeteries by Greg MelvilleCall Number: 393.1 M531O (Adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781419754852
Publication Date: 2022-10-04
A lively tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead. The summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the place told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville's lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead.
Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars: A Graphic Memoir by Rick Louis
Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People by Tracy Kidder
Scenes from My Life: A Memoir by Michael K. Williams
Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
Tell Me Everything : the story of a private investigator by Erika KrouseCall Number: 363.25 KROUS T
ISBN: 9781250826466
Publication Date: 2023-03-14
Part memoir and part literary true crime, Tell Me Everything is the mesmerizing story of a landmark sexual assault investigation and the female private investigator who helped crack it open. Erika Krouse has one of those faces. "I don't know why I'm telling you this," people say, spilling confessions. In the fall of 2002, Erika accepted a new contract job investigating lawsuits as a private investigator. The role seems perfect for her, but she quickly realizes she has no idea what she's doing. Then a lawyer named Grayson assigns her to investigate a sexual assault, a college student who was attacked by football players and recruits at a party a year earlier. Erika knows she should turn the assignment down. Her own history with sexual violence makes it all too personal. But she takes the job anyway, inspired by Grayson's conviction that he could help change things forever. And maybe she could, too. Over the next five years, Erika learns everything she can about P. I. technique, tracking down witnesses and investigating a culture of sexual assault and harassment ingrained in the university's football program. But as the investigation grows into a national scandal and a historic civil rights case, Erika finds herself increasingly consumed. When the case and her life both implode at the same time, Erika must figure out how to help win the case without losing herself.
Uncle of the Year: & Other Debatable Triumphs by Andrew Rannells
Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein
Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America's Modern Militias by Kevin Cook
Waco Rising : David Koresh, the FBI, and the birth of America's modern militias by Kevin CookCall Number: 299.93 C771w (Adult nonfiction)
ISBN: 9781250840523
Publication Date: 2023-01-31
A news-making account of the war between David Koresh's Branch Davidians and the FBI, and how their standoff launched today's militias.
We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship by Will Schwalbe
You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith