NEW!
A PLACE CALLED AMERICA: A STORY OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE
Abrams Books for Young Readers, August 15th, 2023
Through the lens of the land that has come to be known as America, award-winning picture book creator Jennifer Thermes captures centuries of history.
A Place Called America takes the long view of the land’s history, from its earliest formation and inhabitants up through today. Meet those indigenous to the deserts, prairies, forests, and shores of the land called Turtle Island and their relatives whose ideas founded the basis of the Constitution and who contributed in unique ways to World War II and more. Meet immigrant communities who came to the land from all around the world—at different times and against all odds, even with staunch United States immigration policies. And meet enslaved ancestors who were brought to the land against their will and whose labor and experience changed the story forever.
Expert picture book maker Jennifer Thermes deftly weaves the threads of these communities’ narratives together, while giving each the spotlight they deserve—using the land itself as a unifying lens. Illustrated with dazzling maps, A Place Called America is a visual delight. It is an info-packed read, with sidebars, an author’s note, and a timeline supplementing the accessible text.
A Place Called America will challenge its readers to think critically about the stories we tend to take for granted about our own history.
★ “A necessary addition to any educational institution or the personal library of any kid who wants to “work toward a better future for all who live upon the land.” History made relevant.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ “Manhattan (2019) author Thermes broadens her scope in this concise, inclusive, and handsomely illustrated tour of American history, which focuses on the land that came to be known as the United States and the diverse immigrants who came to populate it.” –Booklist, starred review
A PLACE CALLED AMERICA is A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
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NEW!
THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TOM CREAN: HEROIC EXPLORER OF THE ANTARCTIC
Viking Books for Young Readers, January 24th, 2023
At the turn of the twentieth century, Antarctica is the last unexplored continent. The ice is unforgiving. It can break the human spirit. It takes many men willing to face hardship, danger, and years away from home to journey to this uncharted end of the earth. This is the story of one. His name is Tom Crean.
The Indestructible Tom Crean reveals the incredible true stories of Crean’s adventures on the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance expeditions. He hauls eight-hundred-pound sleds full of supplies, escapes from drifting ice floes, and trudges miles alone across a treacherous ice shelf. When the Endurance becomes trapped in the frozen sea and sinks, it is up to Crean and several others to go for help. They sail a tiny lifeboat through the most violent seas in the world and cross a daunting glacial mountain range by foot in order to save their fellow explorers. Tom Crean’s heroic acts of courage, perseverance, and teamwork inspire the men to keep going.
Through dazzling mapwork and vivid illustrations, Jennifer Thermes brings a formidable landscape and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration to life.
★ “A story of bitter cold infused with warmth and with the fighting spirit of its courageous subject.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ “Thermes’ past work as a map illustrator is employed to great effect here . . . Created with watercolor, colored pencil, and salt, the artwork features a soft, sunny palette that keeps the story upbeat, even during blizzards and perilous times. With varied compositions, this is a detail-rich presentation not to be missed.” –Booklist, starred review
★ “[E]nthralling . . . Thermes’s honed text, in a grabbingly immediate present tense, uses short, high-impact sentences that make the most of the inherent drama. Her illustrations (in watercolor, colored pencil, and salt) are full of detail, action, and atmosphere.”
–The Horn Book, starred review
“Poetic writing blends with watercolor illustrations that embody the limited palette of the Antarctic landscape to provide readers with a unique presentation of Crean’s adventures.” –School Library Journal
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HORSE POWER: HOW HORSES CHANGED THE WORLD
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021
Horse Power is included in the Booklist Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth, 2021 list
★ “The vibrant history that unfolds will hold children’s attention through repeated viewings.” –Booklist, starred review
“With colorful illustrations drawn in a child-friendly style, the book intersperses double-page spreads, spot illustrations, and more than a few simplified maps showing small horse figures cavorting on continents” –Kirkus
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★ Manhattan has been named a 2020 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book and is included in the Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year list for 2020 ★
MANHATTAN: MAPPING THE STORY OF AN ISLAND
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2019
Told in dazzling maps and informative sidebars, Manhattan explores the 400+ year history of Manhattan Island. From before its earliest settlement to the vibrant metropolis that exists today, the island of Manhattan has always been a place of struggle, growth, and radical transformation. Humans, history, and natural events have shaped this tiny sliver of land for more than 400 years. In Manhattan, travel back in time to discover how a small rodent began an era of rapid change for the island. Learn about immigration, the slave trade, and the people who built New York City. See how a street plan projected the city’s future, and how epic fires and storms led to major feats of engineering above and below ground. Through dramatic illustrations, informative sidebars, and detailed maps inspired by historic archives, Manhattan explores the rich history that still draws people from all around the world to the island’s shores today. From the Battery downtown up to Inwood, every inch of the island has a story to tell.
★ “The vibrant history that unfolds will hold children’s attention through repeated viewings.” –Kirkus, starred review
★ “Like Manhattan itself, much is packed into this handsomely illustrated history.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “Thermes, also a map illustrator, shows off her skills with detailed maps that reveal the origins of Broadway, Wall Street, and other
landmarks . . . This slice of American history is a gem.” –Booklist, starred review
★ “The maps, colorful illustrations, and accessible text present a comprehensive history of Manhattan as an island and a good introduction to the study of urban growth for students of all ages.” –School Library Journal, starred review
–Shelf Awareness, starred review
“The history in the book is as much an abundance as its pictures . . . a splendid homage.” –The Horn Book
MANHATTAN: MAPPING THE STORY OF AN ISLAND is a Junior Library Guild Selection!
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