Dear Readers: It is hard to believe that another year has flown by. This is a list of all the booktalks published from Dec. 17, 2021, through Nov. 23, 2022. I hope that the recommendations have been helpful to you and your family. As the famous English writer, Walter de la Mare said: “only the rarest kind of the best can be good enough for the young.” I have tried to reflect his wisdom in the books I have reviewed this year. It is an honor to write for the Southern Nebraska Register. Have a very Merry Christmas.
- Terrence Nollen
“When Jessie Came Across the Sea” by Amy Hest, illustrated by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1997, 32 pages, Grades 2-4. Dec.17, 2021
“B is For Bethlehem” by Isabel Wilner, illustrated by Elisa Kleven. Worthy Ideals, Nashville, Tenn., 2015, 32 pages, K-3 and adults loving Christmas. Dec. 24, 2021
“Wishtree” by Kate Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso. Feiwel and Friends, New York, 2017, 211 pages, Grades 3-6. Jan. 7, 2022
“The Black Death” by Diane Zahler. Twenty-First Century Books, Minneapolis, 2009, 160 pages, Grades 7-10. Jan. 14, 2022
“Willodeen” by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso. Feiwel and Friends, New York, 2021, 260 pages, Grades 4-6. Jan. 28, 2022
“The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought For Justice With Art” by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Evan Turk. Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, 2021, 48 pages, Grades 2-4. Feb. 4, 2022
“Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown” by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook Press, New York, 2021, 342 pages, Grades 7-12. Feb. 11, 2022
“Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball” by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Frank Morrison. Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, 2020, 32 pages, Grades 2-4. Feb. 25, 2022
“The Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s Chocolate Pilot” by Michael O. Tunnell. Charlesbridge Press, Watertown, Mass., 2010, 106 pages, Grades 4-7. March 4, 2022
“Watercress” By Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin. Holiday House, New York, 2021, 32 pages, Grades 1-3. March 11, 2022
“Nicky and Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued” by Peter Sis. Norton Young Readers, New York, 2021, 64 pages, Grades 2-4. March 18, 2022
“Mole Music” by David McPhail, author and illustrator. Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1999, 32 pages, K-3. March 25, 2022
“Mieko and the Fifth Treasure” by Eleanor Coerr, calligraphy by Cecil Uyehara. G.P Putnam’s and Sons, New York, 1993, 79 pages, Grades 3-5. April 1, 2022
“Ambushed! The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield” by Gail Jarrow. Calkins Creek, New York, 2021, Grades 5-8. April 8, 2022
“Kafka and the Doll” by Larissa Theule, illustrated by Rebecca Green. Viking Press, New York, 32 pages, Grades 2-3. April 22, 2022
“Cornbread & Poppy”C by Matthew Cordell. Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2022, 80 pages, Grades 2-3. April 29, 2022
“Cress Watercress” by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by David Litchfield. Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2022, 216 pages, Grades 3-5. May 6, 2022
“Sounder” by William H. Armstrong, illustrations by James Barkley. HarperCollins, New York, 1969, 116 pages, Grades 5-8. May 27, 2022
“Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away” by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez. Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2020, 32 pages, K-2. June 10, 2022
“Portrait of the Son: A Tale of Love” by Josephine Nobisso, illustrated by Schluenderfritz. Gingerbread House, Westhampton Beach, N.Y., 2021, 32 pages, Grades 2-4. June 24, 2022
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Mass., 2006, 200 pages, Grades 3-5. July 22, 2022
“The Song of Bernadette” by Franz Werfel. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1942, republished 1970, 575 pages, Grades 10 and higher. Aug. 5, 2022
“Margaret’s Unicorn” by Briony May Smith. Walker Books, London, 2020, 32 pages, Pre-K. Aug. 19, 2022
“The Woman in the Trees” by Theoni Bell. Tan Books, Gastonia, N.C., 2020, 209 pages, Grades 8 and higher. Sept. 2, 2022
“Little Rat Rides” by Monika Bang-Campbell, illustrated by Molly Bang. Harcourt, Inc., New York, 2004, 48 pages, Grades 2-3. Sept. 9, 2022
“Hitty: Her First Hundred Years” by Rachel Field, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1929, 207 pages. Sept. 16, 2022
“The Wanderings of Odysseus” by Homer, retold by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Alan Lee. Delacorte Press, 1995, 119 pages, Grades 5-8. Sept. 23, 2022
“If I Built a School,” by Chris Van Dusen. Dial Books for Young Readers, New York, 2019, 32 pages, Grades K-2. Oct. 7, 2022
“Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: The Life of Jesus and Mary” by Jane Morrone and Heather Lean, illustrated by Yorris Handoko. With Love Above Books Inc., 59 pages, 2022, K-3 and Adults reading for family. Oct. 14, 2022
“This Way Charlie” by Caron Levis, illustrated by Charles Santoso. Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, 2020, 40 pages, K-3. Oct. 21, 2022
“Stella” by McCall Hoyle. Shadow Mountain, 2021, 168 pages, Grades 4-6. Oct. 27, 2022
“The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain” by Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass. 2021, Reading Level: 5-6, Comprehension Level Grades 9 and higher. Nov. 4, 2022
“All of a Kind Family: Hanukkah” by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Random House, New York, 2018, K-3. Nov. 11, 2022
“Summer Green to Autumn Gold: Uncovering Leaves’ Hidden Colors” by Mia Posada. Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, 2019, 32 pages, K-4. Nov. 18, 2022
“Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation” by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Holly Berry. Joanna Cotler Books, 2004, 48 pages, Grades 2-4. Nov. 23, 2022
“Remember Pearl Harbor: American and Japanese Survivors Tell Their Stories” by Thomas B. Allen. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., 56 pages, Grades 4-6, Dec. 2, 2022.
