John Lithgow, , illus. by C.F. Payne. . S&S/Aladdin, $6.99 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-689-83541-4
In what PW
called "a romp of a tale," a prodigy's quest for the perfect instrument leads him through virtually every section of the orchestra until he steps in for an ill conductor. "The nimble verse with a limerick's beat sparkles." Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Lithgow (The Remarkable Farkle McBride) follows his successful debut with another musically inspired tale, which dances in waltz rhythm through Davis's Continue reading »
The team behind The Remarkable Farkle McBride
returns with another high-spirited tale celebrating the arts. While young Farkle found joy in orchestral music, Continue reading »
Adding to his oeuvre of rhyming song-book hybrids, Lithgow (The Remarkable Farkle McBride) heads under the sea to extol the joys of being a manatee. A boy dreams Continue reading »
A LITHGOW PALOOZA! 101 Ways to Entertain and Inspire Your Kids
John Lithgow
Actor and children's author Lithgow (I'm a Manatee
) has amassed a whimsical yet educational collection of activities parents can use to keep kids of all Continue reading »
This whimsical song-set-to-pictures features a malcontented kangaroo who sets off to find kindred spirits among other Australian animals. "Lithgow's ebullient encore will strike a Continue reading »
In this story within a ballet within an orchestral suite, Lithgow (The Remarkable Farkle McBride
) adapts to picture-book form a rhyming narration of composer Continue reading »
As he did in Micawber
, about an art-loving squirrel, Lithgow presents another tale of an anthropomorphized critter craving culture. This time, it's the lure Continue reading »
Lithgow’s (I’m a Manatee
) singing tribute to a couple of canine ne’er-do-wells named Fanny and Blue strives for the kind of goofy, bouncy Continue reading »
No stranger to music (he released a CD for children titled ""Singin' in the Bathtub""), actor Lithgow pens a romp of a tale about a prodigy whose quest for the perfect instrument leads him through Continue reading »
In this clever and heartfelt memoir, Lithgow, well-known for his role in the movie Terms of Endearment and TV's Third Rock from the Sun, tells of his life in the theater and the effect his father had Continue reading »
In this audio edition of his memoir, Lithgow pays tribute to his father, John, an actor, director, and producer who introduced the famous actor to the theater as a young boy. With endless musings Continue reading »
After a boy falls asleep at an outdoor concert near the zoo, mayhem erupts: “All at once the conductor erupted with rage!/ A band of wild animals was storming the stage!” Lithgow (I Got Two Dogs) Continue reading »
BRAVE HARRIET: The First Woman to Fly the English Channel
Marissa Moss
The creators of True Heart
once again laud a historical heroine with gentle restraint. Here they give pilot Harriet Quimby just the right note of quiet Continue reading »
One of baseball's greats receives star treatment in this compelling book. Shortly before "Shoeless Joe" Jackson (so named for having played a game in his stocking feet) joins the Continue reading »
CASEY AT THE BAT: A Ballad to the Republic Sung in the Year 1888
Ernest Lawrence Thayer
"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day"—but it certainly is for this robustly entertaining picture book, as Payne Continue reading »
Delivered with the force of a hard fastball, the true story of athlete Jackie Mitchell makes a strong addition to Moss's (Amelia's Notebook
) library of Continue reading »
The title of Bildner and Payne's latest collaboration (Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy
) refers not to the beginning of the Revolutionary War, but rather to the Continue reading »
Shaughnessy, author of the adult title The Curse of the Bambino
and credited with coining the phrase, explores the origins of the alleged curse that kept the Continue reading »
Comedian Martin's (The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!) album of banjo songs won a Grammy last year; "Late for School," one of the songs, is included here on a CD. In printed form, without Continue reading »
Payne's (Late for School) elegant, cinematically styled paintings have a visceral, energetic mischief that brings to mind the best Tom and Jerry cartoons. "It's time for bed. It's time for sleep./ No Continue reading »
Moss (Rachel's Journal: The Story of a Pioneer Girl; Amelia's Notebook) uses her flair for capturing girls' voices to tell a remarkable and exhilarating story. A turn-of-the-century photograph of an Continue reading »
In an afterword, former astronaut Kelly (who is also the husband of Gabrielle Giffords) recalls that on his first Endeavor flight, the research mice on board would have nothing to do with Continue reading »
Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber
Sue Macy, C F Payne
In the 1940s, Mary Garber entered the male-exclusive field of sports reporting, and Macy (Roller Derby Rivals) dives into describing the challenges she faced—such as her panic when reporting Continue reading »
Actor John Lithgow has published nine children’s books and a memoir, and will add “poet” to his literary resume with 'Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse.' In Los Angeles, Lithgow Continue reading »
Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll! The Inventive Rube Goldberg—A Life in Comics, Contraptions, and Six Simple Machines
Catherine Thimmesh
Rube Goldberg (1883–1970) was born in an era defined by massive technological upheaval. But where others recoiled at the march of progress, Goldberg saw “the funny,” writes Continue reading »
Making Light Bloom: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Lamps
Sandra Nickel
The studio of Louis Tiffany was renowned for its stained-glass objects, and this revealing story clarifies the role of designer Clara Driscoll (1861–1944) in creating the Continue reading »
The Glass Pyramid: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M. Pei
Jeanne Walker Harvey
Architect I.M. Pei (1917–2019) believed that “success is a collection of problems solved,” and designing the Louvre’s now-iconic glass pyramid entrance put that philosophy to Continue reading »
The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World
James Howe
Howe highlights the celebrated cellist’s introspective nature, conveying questions that Yo-Yo Ma (b. 1955) has asked throughout his life, first as a young musician taught by his Continue reading »