Maps
Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski
​Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
 
Here’s a spectacular atlas from Poland for middle-schoolers who want to explore their world. Each continent (including icy Antarctica) begins with a colorful two-page spread, followed by separate displays of its most important countries. That ends the comparison with any atlas you’ve seen before! Each huge spread covers not only the usual cities, rivers, and mountains, but offers spaces teeming with delightful drawings of animals and birds, people and products, trees and landmarks. Oceans contain intriguing islands and sea creatures. Take Peru, for example: kids can observe a great white shark and a Humboldt penguin in the waves, fly with a harpy eagle or a Peruvian booby, explore an equatorial rainforest (or Incan Machu Picchu). They can taste ceviche and shrimp soup, while listening to a player of the stringed charango. And that’s just a sample. Three final pages illustrate flags of the world. What a gift for a young explorer to treasure and keep forever!

2013, Ages 8 to 12

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear
Lindsay Mattick
​Illustrations by Sophie Blackall
 
Shopping for a holiday gift book? Meet the bear cub that lent her name to Winnie-the-Pooh! This family story is told by the great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn, a young Canadian veterinarian who, in 1914, signed up to go to war with his Winnipeg regiment. At a break in the long train-ride east, Harry spots a trapper with a tiny bear cub and buys her for 20 dollars. Named Winnipeg for their hometown, Winnie becomes the soldiers’ beloved mascot and accompanies them to England on a troopship. When it’s time to leave for France, Harry must deposit Winnie at the London Zoo. There, years later, Christopher Milne meets the gentle bear. He’s allowed to play with her--his father, A.A. Milne, adopts Winnie’s name for his Pooh books. Blackall’s charming Caldecott-winning illustrations, inspired by E.H. Shepard’s originals, make Winnie irresistible--a six-page album offering photographs of Winnie, Harry, and the soldiers is a lovely bonus.

​2015, Ages 4 to 8

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.