Category: picture book

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The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story

The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story
by Emma Bland Smith (Author) and Jenn Ely (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. He found new interests and skills–and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.

Snippet:

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2022 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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I Hate Borsch!

I Hate Borsch!
by Yevgenia Nayberg (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: All Ukrainians are supposed to love borsch–but what if you hate the red stuff? A young girl despises Eastern Europe’s most beloved soup, and not even the grandmothers of Kiev can persuade her to change her mind. But when she immigrates to the United States, American food leaves her feeling empty. One day she discovers borsch recipes in an old suitcase. Maybe that disgusting beet soup deserves another chance…

A recipe and author’s note provide further ways to interact with the story.

Snippet:
And suddenly, I am transported back home.
I am sailing a borsch river on a carrot boat.
The sun is setting like a large beet.
Dill is blooming everywhere.

Copyright © 2022 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.