Indie bookstore Bear Pond Books includes ORANGUTAN HOUDINI in list of Best Nonfiction Children’s Books for 2014

We’re happily reading dozens and dozens (100 actually) books to prepare for our in-store Materials Review for educators that’s happening October 3rd from 9:00 am – 11:00 am.

Turns out, there are all sorts of fascinating true stories to read about – was learning this fun when we were in elementary school? Presumably. After all, it’s decades later and we’re still reading these books. We’ve got history’s biggest, loudest peace concert, animal classifications via poetry, Victorian bathing machines, and the Lady Dai mummy that we still can’t get over…

…here are a few highlights. A full list and brief reviews will be posted on our Educators’ Resource Page after the 4th:

• Orangutan Houdini debut picture book by Vermont author Laurel Neme – Laurel has a long history of work in wildlife conservation and is author of the previous adult title Animal Investigators that profiles the fight against illegal the animal trade. And she’s speaking at the store on “Creating Global Connections” on January 24th.
• The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinnkin, which is on the long list for this year’s National Book Award (you can read why here) and won the Boston Globe – Horn Book Award for 2014.
• Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, recipient of an honor award from the 2014 Boston Globe – Horn Book Awards.
• Graphic novels Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, Shackleton by Nick Bertozzi, and El Deafo by Cece Bell (check out fun “extras” on her website http://cecebell.wordpress.com/). Graphic novels are being highlighted right now as part of Banned Books Week (read more at the Banned Books Week homepage)
• Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla, a picture book version of The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, which won the Newbery Award in 2013 and was a nominee on the 2013-2014 Dorothy Canfield Fisher list.
• Biographies of Johnny Cash, Ghandi, Sun Ra, Dr. Peter Mark Roget (of thesaurus fame), Peter Francisco (the Virginia Giant) and the aforementioned Lady Dai (if you haven’t heard of her, you should… an ancient mummy remarkably preserved. . “biography” may be a stretch…)