Falynn Koch

History Comics is proving to be a fun and informational series of educational graphic novels. This one is about horses and how their history in North America ties in so tightly with that of Native Americans for much of it. Unfortunately, both horses and Indigenous people are exploited, controlled and betrayed, and the book works to tone down the horror of all that was involved there for its audience of children, choosing to focus in its final third on Velma "Wild Horse Annie" Johnston and show more her uplifting crusade to save the mustangs from extermination in the 1960s and '70s.

As is common in these educational graphic novels, the book is hosted by a trio of fictional characters, two guys who try a little too hard to be comic relief, and a talking horse who knows everything. show less

My daughter (mother of the grandchildren who like Science Comics) says, "This is one of the really good ones. I really liked the story." I'll have to buy a copy when it goes back to the library.

Update: it *is* one of the really good ones. The story is informative and moving, told in the "voice" of a young female elephant who is growing up with her beloved family. The artist is adept enough to give the elephants (mostly) recognizable characteristics to individualize them without cartooning show more them to the point of silliness. But he breaks up the sameness of pages of naturalistic elephants in brown-and-grey shades by interspersing gorgeous spreads of the African savannah and, for narrative explanation, he includes cartoon sequences illustrating elephant behaviour as if they were costumed humans (Babar-style). I couldn't put it down. Fortunately the Science Comics books aren't long enough to make a big dent in one's day! show less

This cookbook in graphic novel form is terrific. The premise is that Sage, a young graduate of the Wizard Academy, wants to get picked for a “cool” apprenticeship but instead gets assigned to Wizard Korian, a baking master. She’s heartbroken; how can baking count as "magic"? Needless to say, she soon finds out otherwise; that in fact, baking is very much a form of the alchemy she wanted to study. (Alchemy was the medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed transformation of show more matter. Practitioners were hoping to create gold from base metals.) Indeed, Sage is about to learn that bakers can take simple basic ingredients and magically transform them into something delicious.

In the process, we learn, along with Sage, all the mysterious properties of common baking ingredients, from flour to sugar to fats and flavorings.

Don’t be fooled by the format. This is a sophisticated guide to cooking, and one that will be valued even by experienced cooks. And for those like me who are always taking shortcuts, this book explains exactly why, from the point of view of chemistry, that isn’t always a good idea.

Want thin and crispy cookies? Use less flour.
Want thick cookies? Use more flour.
For soft cookies, use cake flour, which has less protein.

Why does the amount of protein make a difference? Because one of those proteins, gluten, traps air. This can help bread dough rise without collapsing, but can also make dough tough and chewy.

Egg proteins work differently. They don’t trap air but add strength to the mix. If you use egg whites, they are even stronger because their strength isn't diminished by the fat content from the yolks. But yolks help hold the flavor. Using only whites can also make your baked goods drier, because it is the fat that makes baked goods moist, not the liquids.

Who knew! (I use only whites, being hypersensitive to cholesterol. Yes, the baked goods are drier, but now I understand why and CAN TELL EVERYONE when I am making excuses for the lack of moistness!)

And here was something very exciting I learned. I make scones all the time, which require one to “cut” the butter into the flour. What does that technique do, and does it matter if some pieces of butter are bigger than others? Most importantly, how does that affect the gluten content, which will, as indicated above, affect the texture? This book has the answers!

Illustrations are done by the author. Recipes are included.

Evaluation: There’s much richness in this small book. show less

A nice little run through the history of the United States' national parks and National Park Service. It's the sort of introduction that makes you want to learn more.

I liked that it touched on the ramifications the creation of the national parks had on indigenous people, but I feel that topic could have been more fully explored instead of, say, spending time on a white guy getting lost in Yellowstone.

And making Bigfoot the host of the book seems a disservice to kids who have enough people in show more their lives trying to get them to believe in imaginary crap. show less