Outstanding Books of the Month – March 2022
Each month we post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ at our previous meeting and nominated for our year-end Distinguished List. Members can see full reviews of these books and many more in the February edition of BayViews. Not a member? Join, come to our (currently virtual) monthly meetings, and hear about these Outstanding books “in person”!
Picture Books
Bright Brown Baby: A Treasury, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney, Orchard/Scholastic, 2022.
Five poems celebrating African American babies make up this treasury divided into chapters. The rhyming poems are similar to nursery rhymes, with fluid, energetic artwork that appears to be done with paint, showing parents and babies with deep brown skin and black hair. (Baby/Toddler-Preschool)
Ear Worm!, by Jo Knowles, illustrated by Galia Bernstein, Candlewick, 2022.
Little Worm cannot get a song out of his head, repeating “Shimmy, Shimmy, No Sashay” and Owl explains it is called an “ear worm.” Owl, Chipmunk, Rabbit, and Fox all have different ear worms, complete with dance moves, which listeners can repeat in this cumulative tale with a surprise ending. (Grades Preschool-3)
Fiction
I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys, Philomel, 2022.
Life is lousy behind the iron curtain, but when the Romanian Securitate blackmails 17-year-old Christian to spy on friends, it goes from bad to worse. Gripping and fast paced, the rich historical detail is leavened by wit and romance. Backmatter includes photos, author’s note and sources. (Grades 7-12)
Nonfiction
Ambushed! The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield, by Gail Jarrow, Calkins Creek, 2021.
In 1881, President James Garfield was shot by assassin Charles Guiteau, and lingered for more than two months before he died. Jarrow’s dramatic account describes the politics, lack of protection, and medical malpractice that contributed to Garfield’s death. Filled with b&w photos. (Grades 5-12)
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