Janie Writes a Play

Janie Writes a Play: Jane Yolen’s First Great Story
by Heidi E. Y. Stemple (Author) and Madelyn Goodnight (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Janie Yolen loves to read, write, dance, and sing. So when her teacher announces Janie’s elementary class will perform a play, Janie is thrilled. There’s just one problem . . . the play is boring. With the support of her teacher and classmates, Janie rewrites the play, resulting in a hit class musical.

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Nonfiction Monday

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Copyright © 2025 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Stokes

Stokes: The Brief Career of the NBA’s First Black Superstar
by Ty Chapman (Author), John Coy (Author), Lonnie Ollivierre (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In a 1958 game against the Minneapolis Lakers, Stokes, went down hard and hit his head, losing consciousness. At the time, there was no concussion protocol, and Stokes went back into the game. A few days later, he went into a coma and woke up unable to move his body from the neck down. Players did not have any sort of financial support in situations like this, and Stokes’s teammate Jack Twyman worked with other players and Milton Kutsher to put on a benefit game during the summer at Kutsher’s hotel in the Catskills. This game became an annual tradition, and Stokes was eventually able to travel and watch the game.

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Copyright © 2025 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Motorcycle Queen

Motorcycle Queen
by Janie Havemeyer (Author) and Jean Claverie (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: A woman riding a motorcycle was shocking enough to Americans in the 1930s, but one who performed stunts and traveled cross-country by herself was practically unheard of! Ever defying expectations, Bessie Stringfield made an indelible mark as the “Motorcycle Queen,” but her story has often been overlooked. (In 1941, she even served her country on a blue Harley-Davidson driving across Europe in World War II.)

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Copyright © 2025 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

The Nature of Code

The Nature of Code: Simulating Natural Systems with JavaScript
by Daniel Shiffman (Author)
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Booktalk: This beginner-friendly creative coding tutorial is designed to grow your skills in a fun, hands-on way as you build simulations of real-world phenomena such as flocking birds or dancing fireflies.

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Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Small Stories of Great Artists

Small Stories of Great Artists
by Laurence Anholt (Author / Illustrator)
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Booktalk: It’s been thirty years since Laurence Anholt began his beloved series about great artists and the real children who knew them. This anniversary edition includes dozens of high-quality reproductions of the artists’ work, child-friendly biographies of the artists, and interactive questions for young readers. Each story is closely based on historical events and extensive research. In many cases, Anholt visited the artists’ homes and studios, walking in their footsteps and interviewing their relatives. He was granted private access to Monet’s house in Giverny and became close friends with Sylvette David (now Lydia Corbett), Picasso’s famous Girl with a Ponytail. This volume features the following artists and their stories: Van Gogh and the Sunflowers, Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, Cézanne and the Apple Boy, Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail, The Magical Garden of Claude Monet, Tell Us a Story, Papa Chagall, Degas and the Little Dancer, Leonardo and the Flying Boy.

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Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Let’s Get Festive!

Let’s Get Festive!: Celebrations Around the World
by Joanna Konczak (Author), Ewa Poklewska-Koziello (Illustrator), Kate Webster (Translator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Discover the smells, tastes, sights, and unforgettable traditions of festivals from every season in this international compendium.

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Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Kindred Spirits

Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachvffa
by Leslie Stall Widener (Author) and Johnson Yazzie (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: This nonfiction picture book retells a pay-it-forward story that bridges two continents, 175 years, and two events in history–connecting Ireland, Choctaw Nation, Navajo Nation, and the Hopi Tribe.

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Nonfiction Monday

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