Author Archives: stephanielowden

The Clothesline Code by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Trisha Mason.  Brandylane Publishing Inc., Richmond, VA, 2021. “Dabney stared up the hill, captivated by the Union soldiers waving red-and-white flags. Two soldiers took turns holding a long flagpole and waving the … Continue reading →

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1998. I wasn’t going to make any resolutions this year. Staying healthy amidst a pandemic seemed like enough of a challenge. But I’ve decided to post … Continue reading →

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. Clarion Books Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, NY, 2020. In her author’s note, Linda Sue Park, an avid Little House on the Prairie fan, writes, “I wrote Hanna’s story as an attempt at a … Continue reading →

The Boy Who Grew a Forest, the True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Gholz, Illustrated by Kayla Harren. Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor MI, 2019. The Boy Who Grew A Forest is a gorgeous book with an important message: … Continue reading →

March Books One, Two, and Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell.  Top Shelf Productions, Marietta, GA, 2013, 2015, 2016. With the death of John Lewis and recent demonstrations in support of criminal justice reform, I thought I … Continue reading →

A Bobby-Dazzler of a Pouch! By Janet Halfmann, Illustrated by Abira Das. Pen It! Publications LLC United States 2020. “In a forest clearing of eastern Australia, a little grey kangaroo practiced diving into his mum’s pouch. It seemed easy…until he … Continue reading →

Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess. Published by Blink, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2018. “While I’m waiting by the flagpole baking beneath sun hot as the equator, someone walks up behind me, covers my eyes, and whispers in a … Continue reading →

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Simon and Shuster Children’s Publishing Division, New York, NY, 2012. “The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.” Aristotle Mendoza is fifteen. One … Continue reading →

The Story of Civil War Hero Robert Smalls by Janet Halfmann, illustrations by Duane Smith. Lee and Low Books Inc., New York, 2020. (Grades 3-7) The story of Robert Smalls is most likely not known by many. Born into enslavement … Continue reading →

When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller, Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. Little Brown & Company, New York and Boston, 2019. “Some days, when everything around you seems scary…you have to be brave.” When You are Brave is the story … Continue reading →