Posts

Posted on

Beulah Has a Hunch!

Beulah Has a Hunch!: Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry
by Katie Mazeika (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: 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 synesthesia, which caused words and numbers and even music notes to show up as different colors in her brain. Beulah’s unique way of seeing the world helped her think up vivid solutions to problems–Her hunches came to her fully formed with gears whirring and wheels spinning. She invented everything from a new and improved parasol to cuddly stuffed animals and from ice cream makers to factory machinery. Beulah’s inventions improved daily life in lots of ways, earning her the nickname “Lady Edison,” and she became one of the most prolific inventors in American history.

Snippet:

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Posted on

Malala Speaks Out

Malala Speaks Out
Speech by Malala Yousafzai, Translation by Susan Ouriou, Commentary by Clara Fons Duocastella, Illustrations by Yael Frankel
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: When Malala was fifteen years old, she was attacked by the Taliban for defending girls’ rights to education. She survived and recovered to become a world leader in education rights. In 2014, at the age of seventeen, she was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is her acceptance speech, in which Malala tells her story — the story of 66 million girls around the world deprived of education.

Snippet: We could not just stand by and see those injustices of the terrorists denying our rights, ruthlessly killing people and misusing the name of Islam. We decided to raise our voice and tell them: have you not learnt, have you not learnt that in the Holy Qur’an Allah says, “If you kill one person it is as if you kill all of humanity”?

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Enlightened

Enlightened
by Sachi Ediriweera (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In this first-of-its-kind graphic novel retelling of the life of Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, the young prince lives in a beautiful palace in the heart of Kapilavastu. His father, the king, ensures that he has the best of everything–he just can’t go outside. He is locked up away from the city, away from anything that might cause him pain. He knows nothing of illness, aging, sorrow, or death, yet Siddhartha feels the pain regardless, and it instills a burning curiosity to understand the world outside–and the nature of human suffering.

Snippet:

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior
by Carole Lindstrom (Author), Bridget George (Illustrator), and Autumn Peltier (Introduction)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Indigenous women have long cared for the land and water, which in turn sustains all life on Earth–honoring their ancestors and providing for generations to come. Yet there was a time when their voices and teachings were nearly drowned out, leaving entire communities and environments in danger and without clean water.

But then came Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn Peltier.

Snippet:
The seventh generation is creating
A sea of change.

It was a soft voice, at first.
Like a ripple.
But with practice it grew louder.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Building a Dream

Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions
by Darshana Khiani (Author) and Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, atop a network of stilts, floats the village of Koh Panyee–where a group of boys loved soccer but had nowhere to practice. Where could they find space to dribble, juggle, shoot, and score? The boys looked out at the water and started gathering tools. Even while their neighbors laughed, they sawed wood, hammered nails, and tied barrels together. The team worked for weeks to build Koh Panyee’s first floating field–a place to practice, and a place to transform their community…

Snippet:

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The author, Darshana Khiani, is one of my former students.
Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Curious about Baseball

Curious about Baseball
by Thomas K. and Heather Adamson (Authors)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Questions and answers explain what kids can expect when they join a baseball team, including what gear to pack, some basic rules of play, and what those secret hand signals mean in this short chapter book.

Snippet:

Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.