Geo Librarian

  MAKING LIGHT BLOOM: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps written by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Julie Paschkis Peachtree, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-68263-609-1 Source: Blue Slip Media & publisher Ages  7-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK The untold story of Clara Driscoll, a nature lover with the mind of a creative innovator and the unsung genius who designed and engineered the iconic Tiffany lamp Drawing inspiration from her childhood gardens, Clara Driscoll created designs for Louis C. Tiffany's stained glass windows. Clara had such a flare for glass that Tiffany put her in charge of a special workroom, staffed with women—called the Tiffany Girls. But Clara wanted more. She wanted to create a three-dimensional work that would make light bloom. So she figured out how to engineer a lamp—how to shape and bend glass and light it so that her designs sprung to colorful, vivid life. T...

  ABLAZE: The Story of America's First Female Smokejumper written by Jessica Lawson, illustrated by Sarah Gonzales Viking, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-46365-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Deanne loved being outdoors. With her family, she spent summers sailing the Salton Sea and backpacking the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As she grew older, her love of nature only grew. So when the heat rose each fire season and the blazes burned near and far, she noticed. Deanne knew she had to do her part in fighting the fires. She spent years on woodland crews, clearing brush and branches that could make the fire spread, and on hotshot crews where she fought faster fires and took bigger risks, spending weeks in one-hundred-degree heat working twenty-four-hour shifts. But what Deanne really wanted was to be a smokejumper, to jump from planes and parachute into dangerous...

MARJORY'S RIVER OF GRASS: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Fierce Protector of the Everglades written & illustrated by Josie James Christy Ottaviano Books, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-316-44691-4 Source: F & G from publisher (Little, Brown and Co) for review. Ages 7-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A picture book biography of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the remarkable conservationist and naturalist who worked tirelessly to protect the Florida Everglades. As an environmental journalist and conservationist, Marjory Stoneman Douglas spent her life fighting to preserve the Florida Everglades. Now celebrated as a subtropical paradise with a diverse ecosystem, the Everglades was once considered a worthless swamp. Marjory recognized the wetlands as a treasured river, home to an array of species unlike anywhere else in the world—and she was determined to help protect it. This is the story of how Marjor...

  BIRDLORE: The Iridescent Life of Florence Merriam Bailey written by Jess Keating, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth Alfred A. Knopf, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-48858-4 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All options expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From the author of Shark Lady comes the true story of Florence Merriam Bailey, the groundbreaking scientist who inspired a nation to take up bird-watching and worked tirelessly to protect our feathered friends. Before Florence, there was no such thing as "bird-watching". Bright plumes on lady's hats were all the rage, but no one was climbing trees or wading through marsh-grass to spot the birds they came from. Even scientists studied birds in labs instead of outside in their natural habitat. But Florence changed all that. A bird-lover since childhood, she wanted to show the world what made these creatures special. She wanted everyone to care as much as she di...

ELSE B. IN THE SEA: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Melodie Stacey Cameron Kids, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-949480-28-3 Source: Blue Slip Media for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & illustrations provided by publisher through Blue Slip Media. Book summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Else B. in the Sea is a poetic picture book biography about a daring and pioneering woman artist that combines themes of art and science from author Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrator Melodie Stacey. Else Bostelmann donned a red swimsuit and a copper diving helmet and, with paints and brushes in hand, descended into the choppy turquoise sea off the coast of Bermuda. It was 1930, and few had ventured deep into the sea before. She discovered a fairyland six fathoms below the surface—fantastic coral castles, glittering sunbeams, swaying sea plumes, and slender purple sea fans. And fish! F...

WILD PLACES: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough written by Hayley Rocco, illustrated by John Rocco G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-61809-7 Source: Penguin Random House for Review (Thanks!) Ages 6 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK An inspiring and accessible picture book biography of the beloved naturalist, broadcaster, and documentarian David Attenborough—stunningly illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree. As a boy, David loved exploring the wild places near his home in England, collecting fossils, rocks, and newts. When he grew older, he got a job in television, where he had an idea for a new kind of He would travel to wild places all over the world to film animals in their natural habitats. Over the span of seven decades, David's innovative documentaries have been treasured by millions of people. But as time went on, he noticed the wild places he loved were shrin...

  GO FORTH AND TELL: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller written by Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by April Harrison Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-32420-2 Source: Publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From an award-winning author and illustrator comes this picture book biography about beloved librarian and storyteller Augusta Braxton Baker, the first Black coordinator of children’s services at all branches of the New York Public Library. Before Augusta Braxton Baker became a storyteller, she was an excellent story listener. Her grandmother brought stories like Br’er Rabbit and Arthur and Excalibur to life, teaching young Augusta that when there’s a will, there’s always a way. When she grew up, Mrs. Baker began telling her own fantastical stories to children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Publi...

BEULAH HAS A HUNCH: Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry written & illustrated by Katie Mazeika Beach Lane Books, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-0363-9 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media. Book summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Meet Beulah Louise Henry, a girl with a knack for problem-solving who grew up to be a world-famous inventor, in this captivating picture book biography for fans of Just Like Rube Goldberg and The Girl Who Thought in Pictures. Growing up in the 1890s, when Beulah Louise Henry spotted a problem, she had to find a solution, turning it around and around in her mind until…aha! She had a hunch—what she called the inventions she came up with to solve the puzzles she saw all around her. Beulah’s brain worked differently. She had hyperphantasia, which meant she saw things in extreme detail in her mind, as well as synest...

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TOM CREAN Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic by Jennifer Thermes Viking, 2023 ISBN: 978-0-593-11772-9 Source: purchased Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW During his years as a sailor, Tom Crean served on the crews of three Antarctic expeditions. He survived hunger, freezing temperatures, bitter Antarctic storms, and the loss of animal companions. He saved the lives of other crew members on more than one occasion.  Thermes's book beautifully highlights some of the events that Crean experienced and the choices made by him and others.  Interestingly, much of the information about Crean's choices and heroics comes from his compatriots, since apparently he never shared much about his experiences himself. After a brief introduction, the book focuses on the three expeditions.  The text and illustrations blend beautifully into a marvelous account of the incredible challenges that sur...

LOVE IS LOUD How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement written by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Bryan Collier Paula Wiseman book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023 ISBN: 9781534451032 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover and interior illustration provided by the publisher. REVIEW As a picture book biography, Love is Loud focuses on the lifelong work of Diane Nash as an activist. Raised to believe in herself and her value, Diane Nash learned to stand up against the rampant racism and segregation around her.  Interestingly, the author writes as if the reader is Diane, putting the reader front and center into the experiences and feelings that drove Diane to spend her life working for change. From the visit to an amusement park and seeing separate but not equal bathrooms to her involvement in the lunch counter sit-ins, the book highlights some of the key events in Diane's life, the key moments th...

LETTUCE GET IN TROUBLE by Linda Kuo with co-authors Cynthia Benjamin & Paula Rees illustrated by Marian Rio Center for Design Books, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-7372098-0-5 Source: Claire McKinney PR Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Sara Little Turnbull was a designer, an observer, a mentor, and not afraid to cause a little trouble while making the world a better place. As a global traveler, she made connections between people and found wonder in the everyday objects they hold dear. As a very petite female designer in the world of large men, Sara used her unique perspective and curiosity to design a wide range of revolutionary products–from facemasks to cookware to astronaut suits–and to encourage others to see the world through new eyes. Sara was a mentor to designers of all ages and in Lettuce Get in Trouble, she helps children understand the basics of design: observing the world around th...

HOPE IS AN ARROW The Story of Lebanese American Poet Kahlil Gibran by Cory McCarthy, illustrated by Ekua Holmes Candlewick Press, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0032-4 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by goodreads.com & the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK A lyrical biography of Kahlil Gibran by award-winning writer Cory McCarthy, with glorious illustrations by Caldecott Honoree and two-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Ekua Holmes. Before Kahlil Gibran ever put his pen to the page to eventually become the world's third best-selling poet of all time, he was Gibran Khalil Gibran, a child immigrant from Lebanon who had a secret hope. That hope sprung from his experiences in Lebanon, where Christians and Muslims crashed like two strong headwinds, and in Boston, where the wealthy crashed with the poor. His secret hope: to connect all people from around the world, bringing them together despite their differences ...

ABLAZE WITH COLOR: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Loveis Wise Harper, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-302189-1 Source: Blue Slip Media for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & book cover obtained through Goodreads.com & publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas. Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most preeminent painters of the 20th century. Told from the point of view of young Alma Thomas, readers can follow along as she grows into her discovery of the life-changing power of art. As a child in Georgia, Alma Thomas loved to spend time outside, soaking up the colors around her. And her parents filled their home with color and creativity despite the racial injustices they faced. After the family moved to Washington...

ALICE WATERS COOKS UP A FOOD REVOLUTION written by Diana Stanley, illustrated by Jessie Hartland Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5344-6140-6 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & cover gathered from Goodreads.com and the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK From the team behind the acclaimed Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science comes a delicious nonfiction picture book biography about pioneering chef Alice Waters who kickstarted the organic food movement. Whenever young Alice Waters tasted something delicious, like the sun-warmed berries from her family’s garden or a crisp, ripe apple picked straight from the tree, she would remember it for the rest of her life. Later, as she tasted many more wonderful foods, she realized what made them so good—they were fresh and ripe, grown or made the old-fashioned way. When Alice grew up, she opened a restaurant called Chez Panisse. As part of her quest to make del...