Linda Glaser

This lovely picture-book biography of the nineteenth-century Jewish American poet Emma Lazarus, and her best-remembered work, The New Colossus, whose final lines - "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, / I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" - are indelibly connected to the Statue of Liberty, and to the idea (well, one of them, anyway) of the immigrant in show more American culture, moved me to tears this morning, as I read it on my morning commute.

Opening with Lazarus' comfortable childhood and youth, as the daughter of prosperous New Yorkers, and then moving through her gradual awakening to the realities of poverty and suffering, particularly amongst immigrants (many of them Jewish, like herself), her growing involvement as an educator in the immigrant community, and as an advocate for the less fortunate in the press of the day, the book concludes with her penning of her famous sonnet, as part of an effort to raise money for a base for the Statue of Liberty, and the great fame the poem has won, even down to the present day.

Linda Glaser's deceptively calm narrative has an emotional depth to it that will immediately draw the reader into her story - into Emma Lazarus' story. The accompanying watercolor and gouache artwork by Claire A. Nivola is incredibly beautiful, with a somewhat stylized feeling that never detracts from its emotional impact. I'm struggling to express just why it is that this title so moved me... perhaps because, through Lazarus' awakening to the world around her, and her incredible commitment to doing something about the injustices of that world, the reader too feels awakened? In any case, Emma's Poem is just a lovely, lovely book, one I recommend to anyone (teacher, parent, librarian) putting together a lesson on immigration or the Statue of Liberty, and to young readers interested in those topics, or in Emma Lazarus. show less

Author Linda Glaser and illustrator Mia Posada join forces in this picture-book examination of the life cycle of the dragonfly. From being laid as an egg in water, to hatching as a nymph, the dragonfly slowly matures, eventually emerging as a four-winged insect of great beauty and adaptability. The back matter here gives more information about dragonflies—their evolutionary history, their biology, and their habitats...

I was not aware, before picking up Dazzling Dragonflies: A Life Cycle show more Story, that these insects are some of the oldest creatures in existence, and that fossil records indicate that they are, as a species, 300 million years old. Older than the dinosaurs, whom they long outlasted—how amazing! The narrative here is simple and descriptive, suitable for younger children, while more detailed information is presented in the back matter. The artwork is appealing, with lovely colors and beautifully delicate dragonfly depictions. Recommended to young insect and nature lovers, from preschool through the first grade, I would say. show less

When Rachel's mother receives a phone call asking if Aunt Tilly and her seven grandchildren can attend the family Hanukkah dinner, she immediately agrees, only to discover that there are only three potatoes (and no eggs) left in the house! How will she make enough latkes for everyone? Rachel suggests that they ask their neighbor, Mrs. Greenberg, for the ingredients, and use their need as an excuse to invite her to join their celebration. But Mrs. Greenberg, though she has a heart of gold, is show more also "as stubborn as an ox," and doesn't want to be a bother. Can Rachel find a way to show her how much she is wanted...?

An engaging holiday story with a message - that Hanukkah is a time for celebrating with family and friends, and that sometimes it is necessary to keep trying, when attempting to do a kindness - The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes is a book that assumes some basic knowledge of Hanukkah. This is a contemporary story about the celebration of the "Festival of Lights," not an explanation of its origin, but if one bears that in mind, it makes for a fun little picture-book. Nancy Cote's colorful gouache artwork, while not really in a style I find compelling, is engaging enough. All in all, a pleasant Hanukkah tale - enough to convince me to track down the "sequel," Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah. show less

I liked this book for multiple reasons. First, the writing flows very well from one ideas to the next. For example one page talks about the Earth's air and how we all breathe it, while the next page talks about the wind and how it touches us all. Second, the illustrations in this book are so detailed and colorful and really help to enhance the poem in this book. For example, on one page the poem talks about how animals, humans, plants, etc. all share the water on Earth. The illustration show more takes up two full pages and shows penguins, whales, fish, birds, deer, people, palm trees, and much more. Every time you look at a page again you seem to find even more details that you may have not noticed before. This book helps to push readers to think about how we share this Earth with not just other people, but plants, and animals too. It makes readers think about how their actions can affect others. The big idea readers can take away from this book is the Earth is home to many living creatures and that it is important to keep the Earth clean and safe. The book discusses how we share water, soil, air, etc. with others and how Earth itself is alive. I think this could help young readers understand that many things on Earth are alive other than humans. show less