Birdlore: The Iridescent Life of Florence Merriam Bailey
This colorful book tells the biography of Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey (1863 – 1948), an American ornithologist, birdwatcher, and nature writer. By observing live birds, living in nature, she became an astute observer of their personalities and practices, beyond the cataloging of feathers, eggs, and dead birds that experts had done before her. She helped encourage public push-back against using feathers and stuffed birds for decorations on hats and such. The book is exceptionally well-written, and ties the story of Baily to the birds she loved, in clever turns of phrases such as when she captures a vision of her future life’s work and “A small flutter of wings began to beat in her heart, and her imagination took flight.” The book is exceptionally beautiful, not only in its lovely illustrations, but in the perspective it sheds on a young girl’s life spent sharing her love of LIVING nature with others. The activity at the end of the book, which names all the birds illustrated throughout the book and encourages readers to find them on the different pages, has sent my girls searching page after page, learning along the way how to share their interests, observations, and passions with others.

Magic in a Drop of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World about Water Pollution
Do you remember looking at pond water under a microscope for the first time? I sure do! It was an eye-opening experience for me, and growing up in a harbor area, it gave be a new appreciation of how the earth supports life everywhere we look. This biography of Ruth Myrtle Patrick (1907 – 2013) tells of similar experiences an American botanist and limnologist specializing in diatoms and freshwater ecology. Our experiences of seeing all those tiny creatures in a drop of murky water were largely sparked by Patrick, and we may not have had those experiences in school, if not for her. Her work, which began as a child, led to her adult work cleaning waterways everywhere and helping others to understand the dynamic balance different species help create. My kids love poring over this inspiring and insightful book, learning as Patrick did from her father, that “you must level the world a better place than you found it.”

The One and Only Rumi
“Always remember when you’re in the dark that dawn is coming.” This lesson learned in childhood, from his father, helped the Persian poet Jalal al-Din Muḥammad Rumi (1207 – 1273) learn to listen: “The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” As a refugee from Genghis Khan’s armies, the young boy faced a life of tragedy, yet remembered that while “Some birds return home. Others do not. Either way, they make homes wherever they go. And they never stop singing.” I think all of us could learn from this wonderful poet’s life and example of quiet hope in the face of serious difficulties. The elegant illustrations are lovely, and fitting for such poetic, insightful, and beautiful text.

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples
This moving and beautiful biography tells the life story of Mavis Staples, the lead singer of the Staple family singers. The heartwarming book describes who she and her young siblings began performing gospel music as children, traveling near and far, from the south side of Chicago and all across America. The book is beautiful and very well illustrated, with colorful, evocative imagery. Similarly, the poetic prose is lovely and remarkably well-written, more or less as stanzas in an extended song of her life. Her history, struggles, and work are remarkable, fascinating, and inspiring. After gold records, Grammy’s, and more, this biography asks, “When you have sung for a Prince [i.e., the artist formerly known as Prince), two kings (Elvis and Dr. Martin Luther King), and two presidents (Kennedy and Obama), what mountain is left to climb?” That said, the mountain of her achievements is both beautiful and monumental from the perspective of this highly recommended book.

Next Year in the White House: Barack Obama’s First Presidential Seder
This lovely and moving storybook features the tales of two Passover Seder dinners, with a story of the very humble seder during Obama’s campaign, as well as the first formal seder held at the White House, including how Malia and Sasha participated. The book also serves as an introduction to the Seder, including a recipe (flourless golden apricot cake), information about how the dinner is staged, background on Black history and the Passover, along with photos and a description of who was there, and more. Together, the stories, lovely illustrations, and moving text explain the significance of the Passover dinner and why it has been celebrated for over three thousand years.

Michelle Yeoh: A Little Golden Book Biography
This is a lovely, well-written, well-illustrated — and eye-opening biography — of the actress Michelle Yeoh. It’s also inspiring, but not because it plays on her setbacks; to the contrary, instead of pandering to her and her fans, it offers a listing of her challenges, lucky breaks, and hard work that it took for her to become (among other things), the first Asian awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress. The setbacks and advantages she found along the way are inspiring because they offer a realistic view of the life of a successful actress, what it took to become one. It is an especially fair and clear description of her unlikely path from her childhood in Malaysia to London (as a ballerina) to martial arts superstar to becoming the best actress in the world.