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?

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Heather Lang’s picture book biography of scientist and preservationist, Dr. Margaret Lowman, explores her life-long love affair with leaves and ultimately the world’s rainforests.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | A series of short biographies of a dozen women STEM professionals whose accomplishments who are are having innumerable positive impacts on Earth and beyond both today and for optimistic futures.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The 2021 winner of the American Library Association’s Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book published in the United States in 2020 is a book of rare beauty crafted by two Native American women who are actively involved in an urgent call for environmental stewardship and justice.

Review & Tribute by Dr. Jerry Flack | The passing of Beverly Cleary on March 25, 2021 resulted in an outpouring of tributes equal to the kinds of eulogies normally reserved for Noble Prize Literature Laureates. We want to celebrate and uplift some of her most lasting works of art.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | iographer Amy Alznauer’s second picture book biography is every bit as masterfully written as her first success, The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity* (Candlewick Press, 2020). Employing a narrative voice that is close to being poetry, Alznauer tells the courageous and remarkable life stories of the Chinese-born and now American sibling artists, the Zhou Brothers, who are prominent contemporary painters, sculptors, and performance artists of world renown.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Patricia Polacco is one of the most creative and prolific author-illustrators in the field of children's literature. Her picture books feature essential subject matter such as family stories and traditions, history, autobiography, twice exceptional (2e) students, great educators, tall tales, contemporary social issues, and holiday stories straight from the heart. She champions multiculturalism, diversity, and tolerance as hallmarks of American democracy.

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | Translated into 105 languages, her mysteries have sold billions of copies, surpassed only by Shakespeare and The Bible. In the 1930s, The Orient Express was the most famous and romantic train in the world—a grand hotel on wheels in the golden age of travel in Europe, Asia, and Africa

Review by Dr. Jerry Flack | The primary focus of Shark Lady highlights Dr. Eugenie Clark’s scientific accomplishments, but a companion story thread relates how one very courageous woman triumphed in an academic world that had previously been totally dominated by men.