Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Reading for gifted youths is basically divided into two major genres: fiction and nonfiction. The essence of fiction is storytelling and the primary format is the use of the narrative voice. Nonfiction writing may use either exposition or narration. Expository writing is information based. One of the characteristics of expository writing is the presence of extensive author research. The text introduces and explains information that may be new to students.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Lighthouses along the coasts of the North Atlantic, especially from New York to Newfoundland, are portrayed in this luminous and highly informative picture book. They serve as steadfast sentinels that from dusk to dawn send out the life-saving message, “Hello, Hello, Hello” to ships at sea that may be in peril in all kinds of weather.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Sophie Blackall has a rare visual talent for bringing old stories to life for contemporary readers in her remarkable history-oriented picture books. Farmhouse explores a time in the distant past when a family of mother, father, and their 12 children made a white clapboard farmhouse the center of their lives. In simple verse and inspired images, Blackall celebrates the plain yet loving lives of a large family on a real farm in upstate New York.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The Westing Game is one of the all-time favorite Newbery Medal-winning books. Originally published in 1978, Ellen Raskin’s final book is a novel of delight that should be introduced to each new generation of readers. The Westing Game is much more than a mystery novel. It is a puzzle, a word mystifier, a game to be played, and a work of fiction filled with delightfully eccentric characters of multiple disguises, aliases, and even at least one case of mistaken identity. One of the particularly relevant features of this classic work of juvenile fiction is the presence of four highly gifted teens among the cast of unlikely game players.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | “The Poem Forest” is a picture book biography of W. S. Merwin (1927-2019), an exceptionally gifted man who adeptly combined his life passions for poetry, literary translations, and the wilderness.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | “Jackie” (Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy) and the Mona Lisa (Lisa Gherardini) are two of the most beloved women in the world. One of the advantages of fact-based picture books is that they serve all ages of gifted readers. Children can simply enjoy the story line and acquire new information. Older readers can use such books as points of departure to engage in fascinating research. Jackie and the Mona Lisa is just such a book.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | On July 15, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) rewrote their records to declare Jim Thorpe as the sole winner of the gold medals for the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Stockholm Games. On that historic day, Jim Thorpe became the first Native American to win Olympic gold medals. He completely dominated his two Olympic events. Sweden’s King Gustav V presented Thorpe with his medals and said to the young champion, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.”

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Ella in the Garden of Giverny presents a delightful story of a young American girl in the early 20th century who is befriended by the creator of Impressionism, Claude Monet. Daniel Fehr smartly integrates Ella’s first-person narrative with an extended dialogue using the voices of Ella and of Monet, who becomes her mentor.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Award-winning author, Sally M. Walker, employs one of the most widely known and used verse forms to take students on a poetic trip into space, near and far, far away. Further, she devotes a large part of Out of This World to an exploration of space using informative prose to help gifted readers further explore and better understand the extraordinary space phenomena initially introduced in her haiku poems.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | ‘Twas the Night Before PRIDE is an easy reading celebration of families from the all-inclusive LGBTQ+ population around the world.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Donna Barba Hilguera’s The Last Cuentista would be a standout book for middle-grade and secondary gifted readers in any year. The fact that it was the novel chosen to receive the Newbery Medal on the occasion of the American Library Association’s 100th Anniversary of the award, as well the 2022 Pura Belpre Award, add to its distinction.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Almost everything about Watercress, from the story line to the artwork, is both simple and basic, yet deeply meaningful. Ashamed of feeling different, Andrea Wang wrote this book as an apology and love letter to her parents. She invites all readers to share their family stories. “Tell your stories. They are essential.” Stories create family traditions.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Colossus opens with a double-page spread of text and images that answer a key question: What is an engineer? Some engineering feats go back in time across thousands of years and their construction may still mystify contemporary engineers. How were such marvels as the great pyramids of Egypt and England’s Stonehenge constructed upwards of five thousand years ago?

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Africa, Amazing Africa is a brilliantly colorful continental atlas. Young readers learn fascinating facts about each of Africa’s current nations. The rich illustrations portray the people, places, exotic animals, vegetation, orange and pink sand dunes, vast deserts, architecture from mud huts to soaring contemporary skyscrapers, unique dress, sports, foods, and even musical instruments found in the incredibly diverse countries.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Many gifted children seem to have come into the world already madly in love with words. Not much later they begin to develop a passion for all the creatures of the earth. Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright serves as an important tribute to these twin loves.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Your Place in the Universe is a perfect fit for such keen learners. Jason Chin’s remarkable STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) picture book is about measurements, comparisons, relationships, numbers, time, distance, and the incredible vastness of the known universe.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | This month’s Book of the Month column examines the values of print picture books and mentions several that have received national and international recognition. A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park is a beautiful example of this genre. It documents the history of the development of one of the most iconic human achievements in the world.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Jazz for Lunch! is narrated in rhymed verse by a young Black child accompanied by his beloved Auntie Nina to a jazz club (presumably in Harlem) where they expect to hear some crazy, wonderful music capped off with some noontime grub.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Dr. Anthony Fauci is the best known physician in the world today due to his recent work with COVID-19. He has been a chief medical advisor to seven U. S. Presidents. Anthony Fauci’s special gift for listening to people to learn new information has allowed him and his fellow researchers to discover new viruses that attack the immune systems of patients. Aided by scientists around the world, Dr. Fauci prompted the development of vaccines to create immunity from the deadly coronavirus. Two pages of text answer the questions, How Do Vaccines Work? and Are Vaccines Safe?