In this issue:

UPCOMING EVENTS

LAST CALL: Mitch Albom reading & signing TONIGHT - Wed. Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m.

Polly Basore Book Signing this Saturday, Nov. 18 - 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Candice Millard Book Talk & Signing, next Wed., Nov. 22 - 7 p.m.

BOOK REVIEWS

The Year’s Best Non-fiction Books for Young Readers, by Mark David Bradshaw "Max's Words" by Kate Banks, illus. by Boris Bulikov, by Carolyn Kretzer

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Has everyone calmed down from their post-Halloween sugar highs? Yeah, me neither. The excitement here at Watermark Books & Café is really just starting. We’re heading into our busiest and most exciting season of the year. To get you ready for your annual round of turkey and pumpkin pie, we’ve created some special seasonal displays of Thanksgiving-related titles for elementary-age and younger children.

Also, this issue of Teacher Feature includes a round-up of great non-fiction books and a review by Carolyn Kretzer of a wonderful new word-celebrating picture book. Whether you know Carolyn from way back or would like to be introduced, be sure to say hello on your next visit. She’s spending more time in the store, and she brings a wealth of knowledge about books for young readers.

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Upcoming Author Events:

Watermark will host Mitch Albom, author of the bestsellers "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" for a reading and book signing at the Grand Chapel, 828 N. Broadway. His new book "For One More Day" is available now, as are tickets to the event: One free ticket comes with purchase of the book, or without purchase, a ticket is $10. Call 682-1181 for more information, and come enjoy a perfect night out before the holiday crunch.

Polly Basore Book Signing this Saturday, Nov. 18 - 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Local author Polly Basore will sign copies of her Christmas-themed children's picture books "Santa's Stray," "A Piano for Christmas," and the newly released "All is Bright." All sales support local charities, so come stock up for the holidays! Also: Watermark now carries the "Simon" plush cats Polly designed to accompany her books.

Candice Millard Book Talk & Signing next Wednesday, Nov. 22 - 7:00 p.m.

Wichita-born author Candice Millard will talk about and sign copies of "The River of Doubt," her new-to-paperback biography about Theodore Roosevelt’s late-life adventure as an Amazonian explorer. We’re so happy to host Ms. Millard and to hear firsthand about her research and writing. Come enjoy her talk and take the opportunity for a little pre-Thanksgiving relaxation.

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The Year’s Best Non-fiction Books for Young Readers

High-quality non-fiction books for young readers can be hard to find, but they undoubtedly bring a lot of good information to school and library collections and help connect students to the world around them. While I’m always on the look-out for potential gems, I thought now would be a good time to roll out my list of top picks from the past year, including several newly published favorites.

PICTURE BOOKS

"Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship" told by Isabella & Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Paula Kahumbu, photographs by Peter Greste (Candlewick, 0439829739, $17.99)

This photograph-filled book tells of an odd pairing of animals brought about by the devastating tsunami of December 2004. In the East African nation of Kenya, a pod of hippos was washed into the sea, and a baby (at 600 pounds!) was left stranded on a coral reef. After a difficult rescue, caretakers took the young orphan, now called "Owen," to an animal sanctuary--though they feared he might be too young to survive on his own. And that’s when things got really interesting: the hippo child quickly befriended an aged Aldabra tortoise named Mzee (that’s "mmm-ZAY" for those of us who don’t speak Swahili). Aldabras are the largest tortoises in the world: big, gray, lumpy reptiles that live for hundreds of years and look surprisingly, well… hippo-ish. Mzee let Owen snuggle close while sleeping, taught him how to eat the leaves and grasses brought by their keepers, and even stuck out his neck to let Owen tickle him under the chin. Together, they have thrived, and their bond is an unprecedented friendship between a reptile and a mammal. This picture book about them includes maps and entries on animal species as well as a note from the writing team of father and very-young-daughter Craig and Isabella Hatkoff. They have a sequel, "Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship," due in February.

Kids who enjoy "Owen & Mzee" will go wild over the "Akimbo" chapter-book series set in Kenya and stocked with fascinating animals. Read reviews on these pages:

ALL AGES

"To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel" memoir by Siena Cherson Siegel with artwork by Mark Siegal (Simon & Schuster, 1416926879, $9.99)

Spouses Siena and Mark Siegal, a manager for a ballet training program and an editor-illustrator, respectively, know how to put together a book for young readers: their new graphic novel is absolutely charming and inspiring. With beautiful prose and expert illustrations, they tell Siena’s story of growing up in Puerto Rico with a passion for movement. As a young girl, she runs and jumps on the beach and finds empty hallways that seem to call out to her to fill them with dance. After a move to New York City with her family, she takes up serious study at the School of American Ballet, and dance takes center stage in her life. She meets famous dancers and choreographers there, like Mikhail Baryshnikov and George Balanchine, but the most thrilling sections of the book come when she describes the beauty and power of ballet itself, as when she attends a breathless performance of "Giselle" and sees a star ballerina dance the title role of a doomed and broken-hearted ghost. In some passages, Mark Siegal’s illustrations carry the whole weight of the story, gracefully expressing young Siena’s quiet joy at moving through space. Their book is a love letter to dance, an accomplished graphic novel, and a candid look at the rigor and physical demands of ballet.

MIDDLE READERS (9 to 12 years old)

"Chew on This! Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food" by Eric Schlosser (Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0618710310, $16.00)

This middle-readers book from the author of "Fast Food Nation" exposes the secret lives of fast food items with fascinating facts and great stories about the young people who make up links in the fast-food food chain as producers, workers, and eager eaters. Read a full review on our Web site at:

"Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini" by Sid Fleischman (Greenwillow, 0060850949, $18.99)

Newbery Medal-winning writer Sid Fleischman, author of "The Whipping Boy,"

may be the perfect person to write a young-readers’ biography of famed escape artist Harry Houdini. In his long career, he’s been a stage magician himself, and he has the advantage of being long-time friends with Bess Houdini, the Great Houdini’s widow and stage partner. In these pages, Fleischman tells us how a poor Jewish immigrant boy named Ehrich Weiss would grow up to create bold new illusions, debunk séances as hoaxes and fakes, and become a star performer and theatrical promoter. Along the way, he examines many of Houdini’s signature tricks without ever giving away the secrets (though his bibliography does point to other books that reveal such mysteries) and explains how a magician’s greatest art lies in distracting and bending his audience’s attention. "Publishers Weekly" magazine chose this book as a 2006 top non-fiction pick for young readers, and it’s easy to see why: they’ll be pulled in by the death-defying feats described here, and they’ll end up absorbing a wealth of information about America and Europe in the early 1900s.

"Extraordinary Ordinary People: Five American Masters of Traditional Arts" words and photographs by Alan Govenar (Candlewick, 0763620475, $22.99)

This lavishly photographed book for young readers has been a favorite of independent booksellers since it was released in July. In its pages, Alan Govenar profiles five recipients of National Heritage Fellowships awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each individual is an older American who carries on some type of traditional art form: making Mardi Gras costumes in New Orleans, singing Chinese opera in New York City, building wooden boats on the coast of Maine, hand-weaving rugs in rural Iowa, or folding elaborate paper crowns for Mexican-American girls to wear for their quinceañeras, or fifteenth birthday celebrations. Govenar uses his own present-day photographs alongside many black-and-white archival images to give a full view of the long history behind these arts and crafts, and his text interviews with his subjects flesh out their intricate work and the meaning it holds for them and their families. His book lets us look into fascinating pockets of American culture, and it’s a treasure trove for social science and art teachers who want to add depth and richness to their lessons.

YOUNG ADULT and TEEN (14 years and older)

"Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story" by Said Hyder Akbar and Susan Burton (Bloomsbury USA, 1596910682, $14.95)

Said was born overseas but grew up in Oakland, California, where his immigrant father ran a hip-hop clothing store. After U.S. forces ousted the Taliban in 2001, his father returned to Afghanistan to serve as a spokesman for the nation’s new president. Over three summers, Said visited him there; with his backpack and tape recorder, he hiked mountain passes used by al-Qaeda agents, talked with his father’s government friends, and recorded his own reactions to learning about his family roots and to watching the country rebuild itself as a young democracy. The American Library Association named "Come Back to Afghanistan" to its 2006 list of top ten books for young adults. It takes readers on an in-depth trek through a country we often hear about in the news but whose history isn’t at all familiar.

-Reviews by MDB

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"Max's Words" by Kate Banks, illus. by Boris Bulikov (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 0374399492; $16.00)

Occasionally I run across a book that makes me wish I could round up a group of kids and play school. "Max's Words" is such a book. It’s about the power of words, and it offers boundless possibilities for interactive learning.

Max's older brothers are both collectors. Benjamin collects stamps and has a most impressive array admired by friends and family. Karl has an equally impressive coin collection. When Benjamin and Karl refuse to share their collections with Max, he decides that he'll just start his own collection Max decides on a most unusual collection: words.

Max begins his collection by cutting small words out of magazines and newspapers and spreading them across his desk. Max moves on to bigger words; his collection grows. Max begins to categorize his words. He finds words that make him feel good, words that name his favorite foods and his favorite colors. Finally Max takes a leap and looks in the dictionary for words that he doesn't know. He writes them on slips of paper and adds those to his collection. By now Max's collection has grown off of his desk and onto the floor where he separates his words into neat piles.

Max's industry has captured the attention of his brothers, and the competition begins. Benjamin and Karl discover that when they rearrange their stamps and coins it really doesn't make much difference in the collection. But when Max arranges his words on the floor, he discovers that he can create a thought then a sentence then a story. Max begins to cover the floor with his story of a worm who wished to be a snake. As his story grows, it's too much for the brothers; they have to join in by changing some words and adding others. Soon, what began as a rivalry turns into a collaborative effort by the boys to create an adventure story. Benjamin and Karl decide to share their collection with Max who gives his brothers some of his words. But he keeps enough to start another story.

Boris Kulikov's illustrations not only bring energy and an unusual visual perspective to the story, but they also further the story by turning many of Max's words into concrete poetry. For the young reader there is much to investigate on every page; for the teacher or parent there is much to use for teaching elements of vocabulary and writing and even art.

Before you read this book to chidlren, know where to find the scissors, but lock up any written material that's valuable. As soon as you've finished reading they will want to start cutting. And so will you.

Recommended for ages 4-8.

Review by Carolyn Kretzer, November 15, 2006

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Happy Turkey Day, everyone; we’re thankful to each of you!

Mark David Bradshaw