Nonfiction Picks - The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins

Hi friends! Glad to be back blogging with you after a bit of an absence over the holidays. Although we kept things pretty quiet (not ashamed to say we were all in bed before midnight New Year's Eve - that's just how we roll!), it's always the case that this time of year leaves few free moments. Still, it was lots of fun being together as a family.

Today I'm home with a sick kiddo and sneaking in a little blogging time in between cups of juice and chapters of The House at Pooh Corner (which Sprout loves, BTW). One of the goals I've long had for the blog is reviewing more nonfiction. To that end, I'm making it a point to include more nonfiction titles in our nightly reading with Sprout, and will be culling the best of the best to share here on the blog with you. As Sprout is a young scientist-in-the-making, it's great to support his burgeoning interests with books bursting with facts and information!

The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins, my pick for today, tells the true story of Kate Sessions, a young girl who is fascinated by trees. Growing up in Northern California in the 1860s, Kate was definitely not the image of young womanhood most folks had in mind. But she perservered, making it her life's work to study science and becoming the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a science degree. Energized from her studies, Kate accepted a job teaching in San Diego. But upon arriving in her new home, Kate was dismayed by what she found -- a dry and dusty desert town with very few trees anywhere.

No one thought San Diego could be any more than what it was. No one but Kate, that is. She began experimenting with growing different types of trees, eventually leaving her teaching job behind to pursue this work full-time. Kate traveled far and wide to find trees that would grow in San Diego, even writing other gardeners around the globe. She worked tirelessly to turn San Diego's barren landscape into a lush oasis -- which it remains to this day.

I loved The Tree Lady for lots of reasons, not least of which that it shows the impact that one person can have on his or her environment. It's easy to think that we can't do much on our own, but stories like that of Kate Sessions prove the opposite. The matter-of-fact way that Hopkins tells Kate's story adds to the charm; he doesn't dwell on the naysayers, of which I'm sure there were more than a few, but instead on Kate's determination to reach her goal. The illustrations by Jill McElmurry accompany the story beautifully, and really add to the sense of wonder in Kate's accomplishments. I'll admit that it was the striking cover image that drew me to this title initially, and the same vivid visuals carry the story forward throughout Kate's amazing life.

If you're looking to expand your horizons beyond the stable of familiar characters, try wandering over to the nonfiction shelves in your library or bookstore. There you'll find incredible books like The Tree Lady, along with plenty more that will keep your little ones turning pages. Because after all, real life can be even more compelling than fiction!

The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins, published by Beach Lane Books

Ages 5-8

Source: Library

Sample: "Trees seemed to Kate like giant umbrellas that sheltered her and the animals, birds, and plants that lived in the forest. Not everyone feels at home in the woods. But Kate did."

Recommended

Teen Review - The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano

For my teen literature class last semester, I compiled a list of historical fiction titles as my end-of-term project. It was a fun list to put together, and I was shocked at how many historicals I'd read in recent memory. But what struck me about the list was how many books about certain eras there are. Take World War II, for instance -- one of the most fascinating periods in world history, for lots of reasons, and as you might expect there are tons of books on the subject. But look for teen books on other eras and you might be hard pressed to find anything at all, much less anything worth reading.

The 60's are one of those eras that tend to be somewhat untapped when it comes to teen lit. I can't figure out why -- maybe it's not long past enough to be truly historical for some? Not really sure, but it seems to me that I've read some really extraordinary books set during this turbulent timeframe. And it's a natural match to the turmoil of adolescence, with all the uncertainty and the shades of black and white fading into gray in so many areas of life. Seems like gold to a novelist, I would think.

And that's certainly true of the debut novel by Sonia Manzano, The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano. Manzano's name probably sounds familiar -- she's best known as the actress who plays Maria on Sesame Street. I'm not ashamed to admit that Sesame Street made a huge impact on me, as it did to so many of us babies of the 1970s. The second I read about Manzano's book, it went on my reading list, because, hello? It's Maria! And I'm so glad I jumped at it, because this affecting, emotional novel is truly a gem that deserves a spot on every reading list.

Evelyn Serrano used to be known as Rosa Maria, but when she turned 14 she decided a name change was in order. Besides, there are entirely two many Rosas and Marias in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and Evelyn doesn't want to blend in. She also doesn't want to be like her Mami, clinging to the ways things were in Puerto Rico, fashions and decorating and all of that. So she's breaking out on her own a bit, and things are going pretty well -- until her abuela turns up, Mami's mother from Puerto Rico. Abuela's not like any of the other grandmothers - she's sassy and brash and she knows things, political things, that Mami never wants to talk about. Evelyn's drawn to Abuela and her politics, and before long all three of the Serrano women are embroiled in activism, as the Young Lords, a protest group, make a stand in Evelyn's Spanish Harlem neighborhood.

Manzano may be on her first outing as a novelist here, but her talents for characterization are clearly well-honed. Evelyn is a believable and interesting narrator, one modern readers will identify with as she struggles to find her footing in a world of upheaval and uncertainty. The issues Evelyn faces -- issues of family, politics, love, and identity -- are universal, which makes their placement amidst this historical setting all the more powerful. Personally I didn't know much at all about the Young Lords, and I found Manzano's account not only stirring but informative. Much like Rita Williams-Garcia's stellar novel One Crazy Summer, and its depiction of the Black Panthers, Manzano's novel gives us a side of the conflict in Spanish Harlem that most of us may not fully understand. All this while keeping the action moving, an impressive feat for a debut novelist.

More than just a book about politics, though, Revolution is ultimately a book about a young girl, and the transformation she undergoes not only with how she sees herself but how she understands her friends and family. The relationship between Evelyn and her mother is a thorny one (much like that between Mami and Abuela), and Manzano shows us the whole thing, unstintingly. These are real people, which makes them all the more complex and interesting - and ultimately, believable.

I can't wait to read more from Manzano, and I'm thrilled that her recent Pura Belpre honor for this title will take her book to that much wider an audience.

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano, published by Scholastic
Ages 12 up
Source: Library
Sample: "At the kitchen table sat a woman whose eyebrows were drawn on with a black makeup pencil. On her eyelids was a thick spread of eye shadow the same blue as my snow cone. The woman's lips were as pink as the inside of a seashell. And, oh, her hair -- it was as orange as Bozo's, puffed up and piled on top of her head like a wad of cotton candy. Mami was serving this strange lady a cup of coffee. / Mami spoke in a very tired way. 'Mija, this is your abuela.'"
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