Book Reviews

The Cosmic Virus– Corona COVID-19

Written by Raife Cebec Designed by Murat Ağdemir llustrated by Merve Tokmak and Murat Ağdemir

A Montessori teacher who lives in Philadelphia, PA half of the year and in Istanbul, Turkey the other half wrote this book. She is a mother and grandmother. She wrote this book to help children around the world better understand the Coronavirus: where it started; how it spreads; how countries have tried to slow down the spread; what we can do to slow it down; and how it has affected human relationships across continents and oceans. She also emphasizes how people, even though they have had to isolate themselves, have found ways to cheer each other and to share food with those that are hungry. The author also mentions the positive effects of human isolation on wild animals and the environment.

Raife says the best thing about the “Cosmic Virus” is that people have a lot of time to spend together with their families. She ends the book with a challenge to children—the Covid story has not ended yet. “You, children, will write the ending after the virus. You will shape the future according to what you want to do and what kind of world you want to live in.” Raife leaves three blank pages and encourages the readers to write and/or illustrate the rest of the story.

The illustrations are really quite a unique blend of drawings and photography. They also include the familiar continent map and land and water lessons from Montessori classrooms. Because of the illustrations, the book is quite beautiful and engaging.

I would recommend this book for children from 5 to 11 years old. You can purchase this book from International Montessori Schools, Inc.: www.istanbulmontessori.com or contact info@istanbulmontessori.com for more information.

Where the Ocean Meets the Sand

by Beth Costanzo Illustrated by Ekaterina Ilina

A wonderfully illustrated book— the creatures of the sea and the creatures of the land jump out from the pages in brilliant colors, mostly life-like images. And, on top of that, this book rhymes and has a repeating phrase throughout the book. Young children love rhyming and repeating phrases because they can participate in the reading of the book! I’m excited to share it with my four-year-old grandson and any other children who love stories and rhymes. In this rhyming book, some children will enjoy seeing (maybe for the first time) a day at the beach, or others will remember days that they have already experienced at the beach. Either way, it is an engaging and fun book to read with your favorite children! It is available at Amazon.com.

What the World Needs Now: TREES!

by Cheryl Rosebush Illustrated by Zuzana Svobodová

This is a delightful children’s book about how trees support human life and how humans can support them. The illustrations are engaging, very colorful, and friendly. The book starts with a world map showing where Sumatra is and leading the reader into the rainforest of Indonesia, where they meet Jefri, the orangutan. The reader first learns about what orangutans do and eat and where they live. The author then describes the similarities between orangutans and humans including what we breathe. Now comes the part that trees play in creating the oxygen that we need to breathe and the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide. Trees give us air to breathe, food to eat, and shelter from the elements and so much more. The author describes how trees are cut down for many reasons. She then assures the reader that it’s okay to worry and ask questions about the cutting down of trees. Next she says, “Here’s the good news: trees are renewable…” The book ends with several information pages—Amazing Trees From Around the World, Amazing Creatures of Sumatra, Indonesia, and an activity page to draw on. Cheryl Rosebush and Zuzana Svobodová’s new book will be coming out in February 2021. The title is What the World Needs Now: BEES! You can purchase these books from Amazon.com.

Layla and the Bots: Happy Paws

by Vicky Fang Illustrated by Christine Nishiyama

Layla and the Bots is just one of a series of four early chapter books for growing children’s vocabulary and reading skills. They suggest that this series would be for children age 5-7 years old and is 2nd grade reading level. Colorful illustrations fill each page and the text is placed strategically among them.

that “bots” is a real word that children use these days for robots. Before I became aware of this series I thought that my almost 5-year old grandson had just decided to shorten robots to bots. Many of you may already be familiar with this word, “bots,” but it was news to me!

The story really boils down to one about maintaining and restoring meaningful icons from past experiences, using creative thinking, being a team leader, and designing things that take into consideration the needs of others. Layla and the Bots, who are rock stars and inventors, found themselves faced with the closing of an amusement park that had been a favorite spot for families in their local community for many years. Through some investigation they found that the town’s people had found a new place to have fun, not only with the people in their families but with their dogs as well. From there the author takes Layla and the Bots through many steps to designing and creating a new kind of amusement park that included activities for dogs as well as people.

This series of books could be a fun addition to your home or school library for your early readers.

WOKE: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice

by Mahogany L. Browne with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

This is a strong, inspiring book of poetry by three brilliant, “woke” poets. It is made even more powerful by the colorful, large images that portray the ideas in the poems on each page. The book begins with a preface by Mahogany Browne describing what it means to be woke. The way I understand it is – being aware of everything around you/ us and standing up when things are not right. Don’t sit back and take it or give up or hold an attitude of “that’s just the way it is.” Jump in and make a difference for yourself, your families, your friends, your fellow humans.

Children, young people, all of us, have seen so many things change in our world during 2020 that we never imagined could. One of the biggest lessons for all of us is that nothing is static. These poems say to me that many things are not right in our world but this is the time – now is the time – to be a force of change for justice, for bettering all of our lives if we just stay “woke.”

Parents and teachers can encourage their children from 9 years old and older to think about and discuss the meaning of each poem. As a result, children may become interested in learning more about America and its history, more about social justice, more about themselves. I highly recommend it for Upper Elementary and Middle School. You can find this book on amazon.com.

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