Tracy Dockray

Authors Tracy Dockray and Ellen Federico craft a heartwarming story of leadership and resilience as Ellen, the eldest of eight, leads her siblings in creating a butterfly habitat. After a storm devastates their work, Ellen’s resolve falters, but her siblings' determination reignites her spirit. Can they save the monarchs?

Ellen’s passion for saving monarch butterflies drives the narrative, illustrating her evolution from captain to environmental advocate. The book blends factual details show more about monarchs with Ellen’s practical efforts to build a sanctuary, making the butterflies' lifecycle engaging and accessible. The story teaches young readers about conservation through Ellen’s experiences, highlighting the importance of individual and collective efforts. The storm that challenges their progress underscores the delicate balance of nature and the power of community action.

Rich illustrations complement the text, and the afterword ties the fictional tale to the real-life conservation efforts of Ellen Federico, adding authenticity and depth. Unlike other butterfly conservation books that lean towards a factual or educational format, this one shines by merging education with compelling storytelling, making it a standout in children’s environmental literature. A must-read. show less

For a picture book this was a very involved biography. It's incredibly well done. It looks at the early life of Tesla up to and including his work at Westinghouse and Thomas Edison etc. I wish it had gone a bit further and given more of his later life. There is an afterward that says he died a lonely poor man which is unfortunate. But I wish they had gone a little bit more into his life after he became semi-successful.

Another fantabulous non-fiction book about a famous man, Nikola Tesla!

Nikola Tesla was always brought up in my physics classes but never discussed. We basically knew he did some physics and he did some cool things, but that was it. Even seeing non-fiction content in a picture book like this is delightful! I wish I would have had books like this back during my childhood years. Lucky for me, NetGalley has lots of fun children's books for me to get all nostalgic with and share with the show more world!

This book is all about science and the things Nikola Tesla discovered or played around with. Static from touching a cat was one interesting discovery, which just made me chuckle. Of course cats helped with science, it only makes sense! This distracted dreamer was always crafting up ideas, and eventually used his intelligence in incredible ways.

The illustrations are super cool and stand out. I really enjoyed them and want to see more fun books include ones like these!

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. show less

Bright Dreams: The Brilliant Ideas of Nikola Tesala by Tracy Dockray is an interesting biography of Tesla, who loved solving equations and figuring things out on his own. His brother passed away and Nikola missed him horribly. While navigating his life without his brother, he found books appealing. He was often found in his room reading beyond bedtime. Tesla's father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a priest, but Tesla wanted to go to engineering school. Luckily, his father show more allowed it and Tesla went on to create the alternator, generator, and had many other patents.

The format of this picture book is beyond amazing! Throughout the pages, the reader learns more about Nikola Tesla, but also learns the science behind it in sidebar science explanations. Excellent approach to give knowledge of Tesla, but also science. I highly recommend this book and will be adding it to my classroom! #NetGalley #BrightdreamsthebrilliantideasofNikolaTesla #engineering #inventors #nonfictionpicturebooks #bookrecommendations #teachers show less