Doing Her Bit: A Story About the Woman's Land Army of America


Erin Hagar - 2016
    Real-life “Farmerette” Helen Stevens trains to farm the land, negotiates a position for herself and other women, and does her bit for the war effort. This unique book celebrates the true grit of American men and women.

The Complete Pin-Ups


Gil Elvgren - 1999
    His technique-which earned him a reputation as "The Norman Rockwell of cheesecake"-involved photographing models and then painting them into gorgeous hyper-reality, with longer legs, more flamboyant hair and gravity-defying busts, and in the process making them the perfect moral-boosting eye-candy for every homesick private.

Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature


Betsy Bird - 2014
    Did Laura Ingalls cross paths with a band of mass murderers? Why was a Garth Williams bunny tale dubbed "integrationist propaganda"? For adults who are curious about children’s books and their creators, here are the little-known stories behind the stories. A treasure trove of information for a student, librarian, new parent, or anyone wondering about the post–Harry Potter book biz, Wild Things! draws on the combined knowledge and research of three respected and popular librarian-bloggers. Told in affectionate and lively prose, with numerous never-before-collected anecdotes, this book chronicles some of the feuds and fights, errors and secret messages found in children’s books and brings contemporary illumination to the warm-and-fuzzy bunny world we think we know.

On The Origin of Species


Sabina Radeva - 2019
    But scientists started to challenge that idea and in 1859 Charles Darwin, a naturalist and biologist, wrote a famous book called On the Origin of Species that revolutionised the way that we have understood evolution ever since.Now molecular biologist and illustrator Sabina Radeva has recreated Darwin's most famous work as a beautifully illustrated book. The stunning pictures bring the theory of evolution to life for young readers, and anyone who wants to learn about evolution.Pulling together Darwin's observations from his travels around the world and his ground-breaking explanation of how species form, develop, and change over hundreds of thousands of years, On The Origin of Species is as relevant and important now as it ever was.A very important project, most beautifully realised. Sabina Radeva's thoughtful text and gorgeous pictures together tell the story of On The Origin of Species, and of Evolution itself, with clarity, humour and great charm. - Emma Darwin An entrancing picture-book retelling of Darwin's on the Origin of Species ... filled with informative, beautifully designed diagrams and maps. - The Guardian

Play, Mozart, Play!


Peter Sís - 2006
    "Listen."A little boy namedWolfgang Amadeus Mozartis playing the piano."Look."He is playing backward!He is playing blindfolded!"Imagine."What must his life be like? "Play, Mozart, play!"Acclaimed artist Peter Sis introduces very young children to the child genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in this picture book tribute to the beauty of listening, looking, imagining, and -- most of all -- playing!

Drawn from Nature


Helen Ahpornsiri - 2018
    Using nothing but pressed plants, this journey through the seasons captures the wonder and magic of the natural world between the pages of a book. This standout title with beautiful nonfiction text will take readers through an extraordinary year in the wild.

The Power of Art


Simon Schama - 2006
    "The hushed reverence of the gallery can fool you into believing masterpieces are polite things; visions that soothe, charm and beguile, but actually they are thugs. Merciless and wily, the greatest paintings grab you in a headlock, rough up your composure, and then proceed in short order to re-arrange your sense of reality. . . ."With the same disarming force, The Power of Art propels us on an eye-opening, breathtaking odyssey, zooming in on eight extraordinary masterpieces, from Caravaggio's David and Goliath to Picasso's Guernica. Jolting us far from the comfort zone of the hushed art gallery, Schama closes in on intense make-or-break turning points in the lives of eight great artists who, under extreme stress, created something unprecedented, altering the course of art forever.The embattled heroes—Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso and Rothko—each in his own resolute way, faced crisis with steadfast defiance, pitting passion and conviction against scorn and short-sightedness. The masterpieces they created challenged convention, shattered complacency, shifted awareness and changed the way we look at the world.With vivid storytelling and powerfully evocative descriptive passages, Schama explores the dynamic personalities of the artists and the spirit of the times they lived through, capturing the flamboyant theatre of bourgeois life in Amsterdam, the passion and paranoia of Revolutionary Paris, and the carnage and pathos of Civil War Spain.Most compelling of all, The Power of Art traces the extraordinary evolution of eight "eye-popping" world-class works of art. Created in a bolt of illumination, such works "tell us something about how the world is, how it is to be inside our skins, that no more prosaic source of wisdom can deliver. And when they do that, they answer, irrefutably and majestically, the nagging question of every reluctant art-conscript . . . 'OK, OK, but what's art really for?'"

Gandhi: a March to the Sea


Alice B. McGinty - 2013
    With over 70 marchers, Gandhi walked from his hometown near Ahmedabab to the sea coast by the village of Dandi. The march was a non-violent means to protest the taxes that Great Britain had imposed on salt ? not the salt that the Indians could get from the sea, but the salt that Great Britain forced them to buy. Gandhi believed that peaceful protests were an effective way to challenge British law, and his peaceful but ultimately successful movement became known as Satyagraha. In free verse echoing the marching rhythm of Gandhi's historic journey, Alice McGinty recreates Gandhi's famous march, enhanced by Thomas Gonzalez's powerful paintings that capture the determination of a people longing to be free.

Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat


Mara Rockliff - 2021
    Instead of competing with the men in the business with their apples, potatoes, and tomatoes, Frieda thought, why not try something new? Staring with mushrooms, Frieda began introducing fresh and unusual foods to her customers—snap peas, seedless watermelon, mangos, and more! This groundbreaking woman brought a whole world of delicious foods to the United States, forever changing the way we eat. Frieda Caplan was always willing to try something new—are you?

Maria von Trapp: Beyond The Sound of Music (Trailblazers Biographies)


Candice Ransom - 2002
    Along the way, these inspiring people have blazed a trail through history. Anyone who has seen The Sound of Music knows how Maria von Trapp's life began--but what happened after the final scene? Discover what Maria's life was like after fleeing Nazi-occupied Austria for America. With intriguing facts about her life in the nunnery, her romance with Captain von Trapp, their ten children, and their singing careers, this inspiring story reaches beyond The Sound of Music--and reveals the courage and determination of a kind, energetic, and very real woman.

Hero Cat


Eileen Spinelli - 2006
    But Mother Cat has left her cozy heap of kittens to go in search of food. Determined to save her babies, Mother Cat dashes into the burning building and follows the sounds of frightened mewing. In five daring acts, she saves each kitten—a true hero cat! This story, accompanied by beautiful illustrations rendered in pastel, honors the tenth anniversary of the real story of a homeless cat who rescued her kittens from a burning building in 1996.

We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders


Harry Belafonte - 2019
    Featuring an introduction by Harry Belafonte, words from Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. among others, this inspirational collection sets a powerful example for generations of young leaders to come. It includes illustrations by Selina Alko, Alina Chau, Lisa Congdon, Emily Hughes, Molly Idle, Juana Medina, Innosanto Nagara, Christopher Silas Neal, John Parra, Brian Pinkney, Greg Pizzoli, Sean Qualls, Dan Santat, Shadra Strickland, Melissa Sweet, and Raúl the Third.

Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger


Ken Perenyi - 2012
    Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York was about to expose a scandal in the art world that would have been front-page news in New York and London. After a trail of fake paintings of astonishing quality led federal agents to art dealers, renowned experts, and the major auction houses, the investigation inexplicably ended, despite an abundance of evidence collected. The case was closed and the FBI file was marked “exempt from public disclosure.”Now that the statute of limitations on these crimes has expired and the case appears hermetically sealed shut by the FBI, this book, Caveat Emptor, is Ken Perenyi’s confession. It is the story, in detail, of how he pulled it all off.Glamorous stories of art-world scandal have always captured the public imagination. However, not since Clifford Irving’s 1969 bestselling fake has there been a story at all like this one. Caveat Emptor is unique in that it is the first and only book by and about America’s first and only great art forger. And unlike other forgers, Perenyi produced no paper trail, no fake provenance whatsoever; he let the paintings speak for themselves. And that they did, routinely mesmerizing the experts in mere seconds.In the tradition of Frank Abagnale’s Catch Me If You Can, and certain to be a bombshell for the major international auction houses and galleries, here is the story of America’s greatest art forger.

Dream Big Dreams: Photographs from Barack Obama's Inspiring and Historic Presidency


Pete Souza - 2017
    He was with the President during more crucial moments than anyone else -- and he photographed them all, capturing scenes both classified and candid.Throughout his historic presidency, Obama engaged with young people as often as he could, encouraging them to be their best and do their best and to always "dream big dreams." In this timeless and timely keepsake volume that features over seventy-five full-color photographs, Souza shows the qualities of President Obama that make him both a great leader and an extraordinary man. With behind-the-scenes anecdotes of some iconic photos alongside photos with his family, colleagues, and other world leaders, Souza tells the story of a president who made history and still made time to engage with even the youngest citizens of the country he served.By the author of Obama: An Intimate Portrait, the definitive visual biography of Barack Obama's presidency, Dream Big Dreams was created especially for young readers and not only provides a beautiful portrait of a president but shows the true spirit of the man.

Significant Others: Creativity and Intimate Partnership


Whitney Chadwick - 1993
    Here, 13 critics and historians aim to challenge and redefine conventional presumptions in an original and revealing series of essays on artist and writer couples who shared both sexual and artistic bonds. "Significant Others" features couples whose literary and artistic renown has been compounded by the fame - or notoriety - of their relationships. The contributors explore the nature of artistic companionships; questions of identity; gender and sexuality; and social stereotypes. Many consider how women and men have been evaluated in relation to their partners in biographies, art history and literary criticism. The reader is encouraged to think anew about inspirational interaction and both women's and men's contribution to culture and their art. The partnerships featured are: Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin; Sonia and Robert Delaunay; Clara and Andre Malraux; Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant; Virginia Woolf and Vita-Sackville West; Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst; Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera; Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy; Anais Nin and Henry Miller; Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett; Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg; Simone and Andre Schwarz-Bart; and Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock.