In Praise of Mystery ~ Children's Book Review

 

IN PRAISE OF MYSTERY

By Ada Limón

Illustrated by Peter Sís

Poetry / Children's Picture Book / Science & Environment

Norton Young Readers

35 Pages

Published October 1, 2024

ABOUT THE BOOK: As part of her tenure as U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón has written “In Praise of Mystery,” which will be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft that launches to Jupiter and its moons in October 2024. Published here as Limón’s debut picture book, this luminous poem is illustrated by celebrated and internationally renowned artist Peter Sís.

In Praise of Mystery celebrates humankind’s endless curiosity, asks us what it means to explore beyond our known world, and shows how the unknown can reflect us back to ourselves.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: IN PRAISE OF MYSTERY is tough to review as a children's book. BUT, it is absolutely worth having on your shelf, whether you're five or fifty-five or ninety-five, simply for the reason it exists in the first place: the poem is engraved on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft which will launch any day now (Hurricane Milton delayed it) and journey to Jupiter's second moon, Europa. How glorious and unique is that? 

The poem, written by 2023 US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, is beautiful and evocative, and as a stand-alone poem, I'd give it 5 STARS. The illustrations, created by multiple-award-winner Peter Sís, are a visual delight -- dreamy, engaging, and also evocative -- and they are also worthy of a 5 STARS rating.

Unfortunately, the execution of putting the two elements together is where the book suffers. So as a children's book, I'd rate it 4 STARS. The poem is a bit advanced for younger readers to process, but when the words of the poem are separated from each other and scattered across pages, comprehension is even more difficult and the poem loses its cadence and flow. At times, the text blends too much with the artwork, and the font is lovely, but not really young-reader friendly.

Even so, IN PRAISE OF MYSTERY would make a good read-along title where younger readers can wallow in the beauty of the art and older readers can wallow in the beauty of the words. And I could even visualize the book being used in the classroom with high schoolers as a springboard for a multitude of activities across the curriculum.

Thankfully, the poem is included in full at the end of the book, as is the Author's Notes section that gives the explanation of why the poem was written and where the otherworldly journey it will take. VERY cool. 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher as part of School Library Journal's Day of Dialogue. I will definitely be purchasing the hardcover edition for my personal collection. 

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EUROPA CLIPPER MISSION 

The Forgotten World ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours New Release Book Blitz!

 

The Forgotten World

by

Nick Courtright

Genre: Poetry / Travel / Fatherhood

Publisher: Gold Wake Press

Date of Publication: August 1, 2021

Number of Pages: 88 Pages

In his third collection, poet Nick Courtright explores the world at large in an effort to reconcile selfhood as an American in the international community, while also seeking anchors for remembering a wider world often lost to view in our shared though increasingly isolated experience of reality.

Beginning in Africa with investigations of religion and love, The Forgotten World then moves to Latin America to tackle colonialism and whiteness. From there it travels to Asia to discuss economic stratification and Europe to explore art and mental health, culminating in a stirring homecoming to troubled America, where family, the future, and what matters most rise to the forefront of consideration.

Through all of it, Courtright displays a deft hand, at once pained, at once bright, to discover that although the wider world seems farther away than before, the lessons it offers are more needed than ever.

"In The Forgotten World, Nick Courtright explores the intersections of being a citizen of one country and the desire to live as a citizen of the world..." - Octavio Quintanilla, author of If I Go Missing and 2018-2020 Poet Laureate of San Antonio 

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Nick Courtright is the author of The Forgotten World (2021), Let There Be Light (2014) and Punchline (2012), and is the Executive Editor of Atmosphere Press. His work has appeared in The Harvard Review, Kenyon Review, and The Southern Review among dozens of others. With a Doctorate in Literature from the University of Texas, Nick lives in Austin with the poet Lisa Mottolo and their children, William and Samuel. Find him online and watching birds on his porch.

 

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The Mad Ramblings of a Joker ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Notable Quotable & Giveaway!

THE MAD RAMBLINGS OF A JOKER

By Brandon Dillon

Publisher: Paper Airplane Publishing
Pub Date: January 24, 2021
Pages: 156 pages
Categories: Poetry / Psychology / PTSD / Veteran Stories

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Poet Brandon Dillon makes his debut with The Mad Ramblings of a Joker, a brutally honest collection full of metaphor and vibrant imagery. His work covers topics such as PTSD, depression, and heartbreak, and softer moments of hope and reflective peace.

His poetry is deep and unforgettable, a beacon for a dark world that needs a friend to say, “I’ve been there. I understand.”

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Brandon Dillon is an award-winning poet who writes from the soul about his life as a child born into poverty, his travels around the world as a U.S. Marine, love won and love lost, and the trauma that life brings. If you ask him his biggest accomplishments thus far, he will tell you they are the laughter and tears of the audience as he reads his words on the stage for them. He is amazed when people feel his emotion and in turn show him their emotion. 

He has twice performed by invitation, reading his poetry at the FASOLT Fine Arts Expo, and has participated twice in “Color: Story,” a collaboration between poets and visual artists, winning first place in 2019. When he is not working or taking care of his two sons, Brandon frequents open mic readings for poetry and all genres of writing with the group Writespace and performs at open mic and slam poetry events with the group Write About Now, at times reading something he just wrote that day. 

He is never far from his notebook, fitting his writing in between shifts at work, kids and homework, and sleeping. Brandon lives in Houston, Texas.

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Autographed copy of The Mad Ramblings of a Joker

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4/20/21	Review	Missus Gonzo
4/20/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
4/21/21	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
4/21/21	Review	Forgotten Winds
4/22/21	Review	It's Not All Gravy
4/22/21	BONUS Review	Book Fidelity
4/23/21	Author Interview	Texas Book Lover
4/23/21	Top Five List	The Clueless Gent
4/23/21	Review	Reading by Moonlight

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Incandescent Visions ~ Book Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway!

INCANDESCENT VISIONS

by Lee Hudspeth 

Genre: Adult fiction,18 yrs + 64 pages

Category: Poetry 

Publisher: George Lee Hudspeth, Jr.

Pages:  64 pages

Release date: December 2019 

Content Rating: PG-13. Curse words: Three total, of the “mild” variety (godd*mn, hell, sh*t... one use for each). No f-words. No violence, no sexual content, no drug use, no underage drinking.

 
Book Description:

Having written numerous works of nonfiction, this is Lee Hudspeth’s debut book of poetry. Incandescent Visions explores the meaning of the human experience, as the author encourages his readers to ponder the universe and their place within it, and to catalyze their own creative potential. From the sublime shores of the Mediterranean to the majestic expansiveness of deep space, this book contemplates nostalgia, perspective and the gift of love. Through five short yet powerful, thought-provoking chapters of contemporary poems—and a dash of elegant, evocative haiku—Hudspeth takes his readers on a journey across the inner landscape of struggle, triumph, self-realization, and imagination

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Guest Post 

Author Lee Hudspeth answers the question, "What tools do you use in your writing practice?"

The tools I use in my writing practice are simple yet powerful. 

I’ve been using Microsoft Word for a long time and over many versions, both on Windows and Mac operating systems. I’m so familiar with this application that I literally don’t have to think about activating a feature; my fingers know how to manipulate the keys and the mouse to accomplish what I want to do. Muscle memory! In other words, I have a strong bias for Word. That said, the one feature of Word that I highly recommend to any writer is Outlining. 

Not many people know about Outlining in Word, or if they do, they don’t realize how easy it is to use and how helpful it can be. You can easily turn it on and off, and I like the feature’s unobtrusiveness. By using some simple, built-in Heading styles you can instantly view a standard document in a hierarchical layout. These Heading styles are also helpful when you’re in standard (Print or Read) mode because they’re preformatted to make it obvious how your document is organized. 

Beyond changing views, you can easily drag and drop sections of a document to rearrange them, for example, put chapters into a completely different order, or promote and demote sections, all while preserving your formatting preferences. With one mouse-click you can show or hide a section’s underlying body text regardless of how much text is in that section. I like doing this because I can quickly get an uncluttered, organized view of my book, blog article or other document and then, if/as needed, drill down into the relevant section’s body text. You can also expand or compress the hierarchy of one “local” section or your entire document. I strongly recommend that you give Word’s Outlining feature a try. 

When it comes to journaling, use whatever medium works best for you: pen and paper, a voice memo on your smartphone, a typed note on your smartphone (I prefer my iPhone’s Notes app)... it’s up to you. Be ready at a moment’s notice to jot down ideas wherever you are. On more than one occasion I have had a story or poem idea but instead of writing it down, I told myself I would do it in a few minutes. Of course, I got distracted and an hour later remembered that I had forgotten to write down the idea. Sad. Whatever technique you choose, memorialize all your new ideas! 

I set a recurring reminder every week to look at my Notes and move the ones I want to work on to my laptop; plus I keep a copy on my home server so that no more ideas get lost. By the way, your journal doesn’t have to be in complete sentences; it’s definitely worthwhile keeping small fragments of ideas. I even keep a list of cool words, because a single word can blossom into a full-fledged poem or story.

Meet the Author:

Lee Hudspeth is a poet, writer, musician and fellow human being. Incandescent Visions is his first book of poetry. He is the co-author of ten nonfiction books in the field of Information Technology. He has written articles for professional journals like PC Computing and Office Computing. He is the author of over one hundred articles in the online magazine The Naked PC, which he co-founded and co-published. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two sons and their cat. Find out more about Lee, his books and his music at LeeHudspeth.com.

Connect with the author:

Website  ~  Twitter ~ Instagram ~ goodreads

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1ST: $50 Amazon Gift Card

2ND & 3RD: Autographed copies of INCANDESCENT VISIONS

(USA and Canada; ends December 11, 2020)

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Nov 16 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 16 - Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 17 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 17 - Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 18 – Rajiv's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 19 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 20 – I'm Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 23 – My Reading Journeys – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 24 – Library of Clean Reads – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 25 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 26 – Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 27 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 28 - Books lattes & tiaras – book spotlight
Nov 30 – Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Dec 1 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Dec 2 – Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 3 – She Just Loves Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 4 – Deborah Adams – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway

Thank You, Garden ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Blitz, Bonus Review, & Giveaway!

THANK YOU, GARDEN

By LIZ GARTON SCANLON

Illustrated by Simone Shin

Children's Picture Book / Poetry / Environment / Ages 3-7
Publisher: Beach Lane Books / Simon & Schuster

Date of Publication: March 3, 2020

Number of Pages: 32

A community garden unites neighbors in this celebration of all the things that grow there, from flowers and fruits, to friendships! 

This ode to working together for a better world will have young readers wanting to plant gardens of their own!

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Thank You, Garden in my flower garden

HALL WAYS BONUS REVIEW: Oh my gosh! The precious factor of this book is off the charts. I'm going to start by gushing about the look of the book because I have never denied the fact that try as I might, I can't help first judging a book by its cover. 

The illustrations, done in acrylic and watercolor by Simone Shin, are adorable and reminiscent of Raggedy Ann and Andy with the characters' red, triangular noses and pink-circle blushing cheeks. [Side note: one character's nose is different from all others. I must know why!?) Their expressions show contentment and peace, which immediately envelops the reader and provides calmness. The community is multicultural, working side-by-side on something that benefits them all, big and small, old and young. Children will enjoy looking for the little toy car/truck and garden gnome found on most pages, and the color palette will grab their attention and keep them studying each of the gorgeous page spreads. Fabulous.

"Garden frog and worm and bees

Garden berries, beets, and peas"

Equally fabulous is the text -- starting with the font itself, "Artlessness," which is eye-catching, but easy to read. Author Liz Garton Scanlon's careful word choices, word placement, and minimal text tell a big story. In lovely, balanced rhymes, Scanlon weaves a tale that shows how much a garden has to offer beyond the plants it produces. Her words, complemented by the luscious illustrations, show how a garden benefits humans and critters alike, and how a garden appeals to all of the senses. Not only do the fruits and vegetables it bears provide a feast for the taste buds, but for the eyes and ears, fingers, toes, and nose. Scanlon's message of how hard work, perseverance, and patience will result in a satisfying payoff is a wonderful springboard for all kinds of discussions adults can have with children as they read along or read aloud Thank You, Garden.  

I highly recommend this book to parents and educators as a book to read-along and share with the youngsters in their lives. Even the very young can grasp the concepts and will likely want to experiment with growing their own gardens. 

Thank you to the author for providing me a beautiful print copy, which I am not embarrassed to say I hugged when I took it out of the package. Books like this make you want to sing their praises to the world. 

Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of many beloved books for kids, including the brand new Thank You, Garden, as well as the Caldecott Honor book All the World and others, including several co-authored with her pal Audrey Vernick. Scanlon also wrote the middle grade novel The Great Good Summer and is published in numerous poetry anthologies. She serves on the faculty of the Vermont Faculty of Fine Arts and is a frequent and popular presenter at conferences and festivals. Find more about her life and work at www.LizGartonScanlon.com

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THANK YOU, GARDEN and ANOTHER WAY TO CLIMB A TREE
MAY 14-21, 2020
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Violence / Joy / Chaos ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Notable Quotable & Giveaway!

VIOLENCE / JOY / CHAOS

by

Jane Marshall Fleming

Essays / Poems
Publisher: Rhythm & Bones Press
On Twitter
Date of Publication: April 1, 2020

Number of Pages: 154

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This debut full-length hybrid collection of essays and poetry explores the moments of joy and chaotic hilarity that mingle with the experiences of trauma and trauma recovery.

Jane Marshall Fleming writes with boldness and shows the beauty in every moment amidst violent chaos, embracing joy just as much as darkness. Moving from a backdrop of a small Virginia town and eventually finding herself in the freedom and wilderness of the desert, readers will follow the author on her journey mapping her skin, sharing in her joys, grief, pain, loss, discovering love and self-growth, night-blooming like a desert flower.

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Jane Marshall Fleming is an author and artist living in Austin, Texas. She currently works as an assistant instructor at the University of Texas at Austin and is also the author of the chapbook, Ocotillo Worship (Apep Publications, 2019). Violence/Joy/Chaos is her first full length collection.

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3/31/20	Guest Post	StoreyBook Reviews
3/31/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
4/1/20	Review	Nerd Narration
4/2/20	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
4/3/20	Review	Librariel Book Adventures
4/4/20	Top Five List	That's What She's Reading
4/5/20	Collages	Forgotten Winds
4/6/20	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
4/7/20	Author Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
4/8/20	Playlist	The Clueless Gent
4/9/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight

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