Educators’ Guide for The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Júlia Sardà

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The Hotel Balzaar
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Júlia Sardà
Published: October 1st, 2024 by Candlewick Press

Summary: In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales—and every moment is a story in the making.

At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly—like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel’s wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story—in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales? Book two in a trio of novellas bound by place and mood—with elegant line art by Júlia Sardà—The Hotel Balzaar masterfully juggles yearning and belief, shining light into every dark corner.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions: 

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for Candlewick:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

Recommended For: 

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I, Too, Am Here by Morgan Christie, Illustrated by Marley Berot

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I, Too, Am Here
Author: Morgan Christie
Illustrator: Marley Berot
Published September 10th, 2024 by Second Story Press

Summary: The street a young girl lives on is made up of families from all over the world. Her family shares with her their stories of journey and struggle. Her own story begins here in this country, but she is sometimes made to feel she does not belong. She listens to her family’s voices. They tell her she will soar, they tell her she is beautiful. She listens and she says I, too, am here.

A multigenerational story of immigration, racism, and what it truly means to belong. Inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem, “I, Too.”

About the Author: 

Morgan Christie is the author of four poetry chapbooks, a short story collection, and a collection of essays. She has won the Arc Poetry Poem of the Year Contest, the Prairie Fire Fiction Prize, the Digging Press Chapbook Series Prize, and the Howling Bird Press Nonfiction Book Award. ‘I, Too, Am Here’ is her second picture book and she continues to work towards affecting change through reading and writing. Morgan is based out of Toronto.

Marley Berot is an illustrator with over ten years of combined personal and professional experience. Her portfolio includes cover art for Neuron, graphic design work for the Toronto International Film Festival, logo design, and book illustration. She runs her own online store called MarleysApothecary.com. Marley is very passionate about her work as an artist, and this can be seen in every piece she creates. She lives in the Toronto area.

Review: The author shares that, “In reading this story, she hopes young readers will learn to see the ways our words and actions can affect others,” and I truly believe they will. I don’t know how anyone could argue that the beautiful family in the story should have anything but happiness. I also love that the author “drew inspiration from Hughes’s poem to write this book because she wanted to remind everyone who’s been told or made to feel otherwise how much joy and wonder they bring to the people and places around them,” and this is a message that all young people, all PEOPLE, should hear loud and clear, which this picture book delivers in words and art.

Tools for Navigation: This picture book can be read along side Langston Hughes’s “I, Too” poem to look for similarities, how it was influenced, the themes of both, etc.

Discussion Questions: 

  • Why does the narrator not understand the racism that his family faced?
  • What character traits would you use to define each of the characters in the story?
  • What should you do if you hear someone being racist (or prejudice in another way) towards a peer?
  • How does the history of slavery and the Jim Crow south still affect America today?
  • How was the book inspired by Langston Hughes?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Picture books about multigenerational families, anti-racism, immigration, Black history, poetry

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Nicole Banholzer PR for providing a copy for review!**

The Light of Home: A Story of Family, Creativity, and Belonging by Diana Farid, Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi

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The Light of Home: A Story of Family, Creativity, and Belonging
Author: Diana Farid
Illustrator: Hoda Hadadi
Published September 17th, 2024 by Orchard Books

Summary: A universal story about displacement, migration, and the many ways we find home, from the talented author-illustrator team of Diana Farid and Hoda Hadadi.

Nur has always loved her home by the sea, where water glimmers along a straight horizon.

But when Nur and her family are forced to leave, they begin a long journey to an unfamiliar place. Here the horizon curves and twists, and the moonlight no longer glitters across the water. For Nur, nothing in this new place feels like home.

Then one day, Nur’s mother brings her a new set of paintbrushes. Nur’s brushstrokes help her connect the place she’s lost to this new horizon, and she finds home again through her own creativity and heart.

The Light of Home will resonate with anyone who has ever had to leave a place they’ve loved.

From author, poet, and physician Diana Farid and artist Hoda Hadadi comes this introspective story about belonging and the power of creativity. For readers of Yuyi Morales’ Dreamers and Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim’s Where Are You From?

About the Creators: 

Diana Farid is an award-winning author and poet. Her picture book, When You Breathe, was a National Council of Teachers of English Notable poetry book. Her novel in verse, Wave, was the 2022 Cybils Award winner for poetry novel and a School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book. She is also a physician and associate professor of medicine at Stanford University. To learn more, visit dianafarid.com.

Hoda Hadadi is a children’s books illustrator living and working in Tehran, Iran. She has illustrated more than forty books for children and has won numerous international prizes, including the New Horizons Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Grand Prix of Belgrade.

Instagram
Diana Farid: @_artelixir
Hoda Hadadi: @hodahadadi_artpage
Orchard Books/Scholastic:  @scholastic
Blue Slip Media:  @blue_slip_media

Facebook
Diana Farid: N/A
Hoda Hadadi: Hoda Hadadi
Orchard Books/Scholastic: Scholastic
Blue Slip Media:  Blue Slip Media

Twitter/X:
Diana Farid:  @_artelixir
Hoda Hadadi: @hoda_hadadi
Orchard Books/Scholastic: @Scholastic
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

LinkedIn:
Diana F

Review: Farid’s picture book puts the reader right in the middle of a family’s flee as refugees from their home and all their possessions. With the introduction of the characters’ lives and loves starting the book, the reader will feel the sadness and longing that Nur feels. It helps the reader feel the urgency and the fear. It helps build empathy for those put in the situation of being displaced.

But that is only one important aspect of the book. The book also highlights the importance and therapeutic properties of art, which is proven and so powerful. Nur uses art to help heal her feeling of loss and being lost.

Farid and Hadadi were the perfect duo for this book because Farid’s lyrical text blends beautifully with Hadadi’s collages to create a beauty of a picture book.

Discussion Questions: 

  • Before Nur’s family must flee, how did Nur and her family feel about their home?
  • What are some reasons why families may be displaced?
  • Why is it so hard for Nur to adjust to her new home?
  • How is Nur’s new home different than her home by the sea?
  • How does Nur work through her emotions?
  • What are some ways that help you work through big emotions?
  • What figurative language does the author use? How does it add to the imagery of the story?
  • How do the illustrations add to the story?
  • Why do you think the author wrote Nur’s story?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Picture books that take on big issues in an approachable way

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond by Christyne Morrell

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The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond
Author: Christyne Morrell
Published September 17th, 2024 by Delacorte Press

Summary: In this middle-grade mystery, eleven year old Charlie moves from NYC to Florida only to find herself in the haunted Winklevoss Manor. To her surprise, she’s not alone—she’s joined by three mischievous ghosts cursed for snatching a dead man’s diamond.

After twelve-year-old Charlie moves from New York City to sweaty, sticky Florida, she’ll do anything to get back home. Even if it involves ghosts. Winklevoss Manor, Charlie’s new house, is a towering Victorian mansion famous for one thing—it’s haunted. Three ghosts—Ada, Arthur, and Guff—live there, and not by choice. They’re trapped, cursed for stealing a dead man’s diamond. A diamond that, just like the ghosts, is still in the house. And this gets Charlie thinking. . . Maybe if she can find the diamond and sell it, Charlie’s family could have enough money to move back to the city. But lifting the curse isn’t that simple, especially when she’s pitted against the school bully and three unruly spirits. It’s frightening to think about, but what if the only way to get rid of the ghosts and curses is by doing what Charlie fears the most—confronting the past that haunts her?

Praise:

A fun haunted house story full of mystery and heart!”—Lindsay Currie, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms

“Spooky, fun, just a little scary, and full of heart.”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Mine and Camp Scare

“The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond is the perfect blend of mystery, treasure hunt, colorful ghost characters, and Florida haunted house setting.”—Fleur Bradley, award-winning author of Daybreak on Raven Island and Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

“A spirited mystery brimming with heart and souls.”—Jan Eldredge, author of Nimbus and Evangeline of the Bayou

“Ghosts get equal billing with the living in this sweet tale about finding home.” —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author: Christyne’s earliest completed work, written at age 7, told the story of Kermit the Frog meeting Miss Piggy’s parents for the first time. Kermit the Hog was a cautionary tale about pretending to be something you’re not. She still thinks it has potential.

Today, Christyne writes middle-grade novels across a number of genres. Whether they take place in quirky seaside towns or fantastical, faraway kingdoms, her stories all have one thing in common: clever kids accomplishing extraordinary things, like conquering a curse, overthrowing a king, or taking down an evil, brain-hacking corporation. Christyne believes that middle-grade books should challenge, intrigue, and inspire young readers – but above all, never underestimate them.

Christyne is the author of the middle-grade novels Kingdom of Secrets and Trex, which was named an Eleanor Cameron Notable Book for Excellence in Science Fiction and was included on the 2024 Sequoyah Masterlist. Her third novel, THE CURSE OF THE DEAD MAN’S DIAMOND, comes out Fall 2024. Christyne is also the author of the poetry book, The Fool Catcher (2021), and the picture book, Abra, Cadabra & Bob (2019), and her poems and stories have appeared in HighlightsSpider, and The School Magazine.

When Christyne isn’t writing for kids, she works as an attorney. She enjoys reading, baking, and watching home improvement shows. She lives with her husband, daughter, and beagle in Decatur, Georgia.

Review: Too often, I find that ghost stories are predictable and remixes of past tales which make them seem interchangeable; however, Morrell’s ghost story is as unique as her other books, Kingdom of Secrets and Trex. There was much that drew me in: I loved that there were chapters from the ghost’s point of view; I loved that it was more than just a mystery, it was a story of finding home and family; I loved that Charlie is never what is expected; I loved the setting and how it was a character in the story; and I loved how the book hits on so many different emotions, from grief to love. The story is fast-paced and everything comes together in a satisfying way–truly a fun, good read.

Discussion Questions: 

  • Why is Charlie’s dad so different in Florida?
  • How was Charlie being selfish for much of the book?
  • Why do you think it was important to have chapters from the ghost’s point of view?
  • Do you think someone can change?
  • Why is setting so important to this story?
  • The bullying subplot wasn’t cleared up completely. What do you think happens next?
  • Did the ending surprise you?

Flagged Passage: Chapter 1

My cheek was smashed so firmly against the cool car window that it peeled off like a Fruit Roll-Up when I lifted my head. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2 was still blaring in my earbuds, as it had been ever since we’d stopped for gas two hours ago. As I cracked my eyes open, Dad came into focus, his body twisted around awkwardly in the driver’s seat. He smiled at me, but it wasn’t his usual smile. It was his pretending-everything-is-great-when-everything-clearly-isn’t-great smile. Which I’d come to know well.

Our car was no longer moving. We had arrived. “Welcome home, Charlie!” said Dad, too cheerfully.

I gazed past him at the bizarre color of the sky–a heavy grayish-blue–then rubbed my eyes, wondering how I could’ve slept so long. It took my foggy brain a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t actually nighttime. Those were storm clouds overhead, blocking out the sun. They churned like a wild animal trying to claw its way out of a sack. How appropriate.

But even worse than the angry sky was the house outlined against it, stark black against the ashy gray. Winklevoss Manor–that’s right, our new home had a name–was a towering Victorian mansion, crisscrossed with so many thick vines it looked like clutching fingers were trying to drag the place back into the earth. The paint was faded and chipped and speckled with mold. A row of sharp iron spikes jutted up from the edges of the roof for no reason whatsoever. On the left side of the house, a narrow third story extended into the sky, ringed by a spindly iron balcony. According to my Google research, this charming feature was called a “widow’s walk.”

In other words, everything about the place was creepy, like something out of a ghost story. The classical music in my ears swelled dramatically as I blinked up at it.

“Whaddaya think?” asked Dad as I yanked out my earbuds. “Welcome to Winklevoss Manor! Do you think we should change the name? How about Hess Manor? No–Hess House!”

“It’s . . . it’s . . .” I couldn’t find the words for the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d expected the move to Florida to be horrible, but this? I dug into the backpack at my feet and removed the crumpled page Dad had printed from the Internet. I smoothed it against my knees and held it in front of my father’s beaming face, confronting him with the breezy blue beach cottage I’d been promised, with its broad front porch and elegant, winding balconies. A real-life dollhouse, only bigger. There was nothing breezy or dollhouse-y about the place in front of me.

“That photograph was taken decades ago,” said Dad, with a literal wave of his hand. “I told you this place was a fixer-upper. That’s why we got such a great deal on it.”

“More like a tearer-downer,” I mumbled.

“C’mon, give it a chance,” he said. “The realtor says it’s got great bones.”

“So did the dinosaurs,” I reminded him, pushing open the car door and unfolding my numb legs. “And look what happened to them.”

As soon as I stepped outside, salt air flooded my nostrils, so tangy it made me cough. The wind whipped my long hair around my head in bright pink swirls.

“Can you believe it?” Dad nudged me with his elbow. “That’s our backyard!” He pointed past the house, where the ocean crashed and gurgled. It sounded like the white noise machine Gran used to use at night, to block out the sounds of the city. But there was no danger of city noise here. Instead, seagulls swooped overhead, their screeches like nails on a chalkboard. Over a ridge of tall, whipping seagrass, I caught flashes of the glinting surf and the grayish, claylike sand. And beyond that, the endless water–foaming and seething. Somehow, it was even angrier than the sky.

“No,” I said sullenly. “I can’t believe it.” It was way too much nature for my taste. I missed New York’s kind of sea–the kind made of glass and steel and concrete. Solid things. Not like the wild, surging force out there. But apparently, I didn’t get a say in the matter.

I trudged behind Dad up the rickety porch steps. The front door of Winklevoss Manor had once displayed a large panel of colorful stained glass, but now it was boarded up from the inside with plywood. Broken shards of the original door gaped like an open mouth with sharp, glistening teeth.

“I guess we know what our first project will be,” said Dad. When he opened the door, it creaked like someone moaning in pain, which seemed about right. The air inside was thick and musty. Years of grime coated the windows, dyeing the light that trickled in a sickly brown color. The wallpaper had yellowed and curled at the edges, and a thick blanket of dust covered every surface. I sucked in a lungful of it and coughed a little more dramatically than was necessary.

Read This If You Love: Ghost stories

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Delacorte and the author for providing a copy for review!**

My Towering Tree by Janna Matthies, Illustrated by Ashley Wolff

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My Towering Tree
Author: Janna Matthies
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
Published August 27th, 2024 by Beach Lane Books

Summary: Discover all the joyful moments and adventures waiting right outside your door in this mindful rhyming picture book celebration of backyard nature.

In my yard’s a towering tree. It reaches high to cover me. I lie beneath the towering tree and think my thoughts, and breathe, and be. There is much to do and so much to see beneath the branches of a towering tree! Step inside a leafy backyard world where squirrels are zipping, bees are buzzing, the sun is shining, and a curious, creative child is noticing and absorbing it all. This tribute to the wonderful worlds that exist in a backyard invites readers to stop, take a breath, and appreciate the natural world around them.

“This book is sure to delight . . . beautifully written rhymes blend perfectly; the pacing is ideal for reading aloud. A strong addition to the shelves and an accessible title to add to nature lessons or even story hours about mindfulness, with its emphasis on simplicity and an appreciation of nature.” – School Library Journal

“A gentle appreciation of the nature around us, from the ground to the sky.” – Kirkus Reviews

About the Creators: 

Janna Matthies is a picture book author and early elementary music teacher in Indianapolis. Her books include Here We Come!God’s Always Loving YouTwo Is Enough, which made the 2016 Bank Street list and New York Times Book ReviewThe Goodbye Cancer GardenPeter, the Knight with Asthma; and Monster Trucks. Janna is a longtime volunteer with the Indiana SCBWI and provides editorial services to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for picture books supporting their Teddy Bear Concert Series. When she’s not writing or making music, Janna can be found digging in the garden, swimming laps, walking Juneau the howling Husky, or keeping up with her husband and three mostly-grown kids.

Ashley Wolff lives in Vermont and is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including the modern classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated Only the Cat Saw; Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?; Baby Bear Counts One; and Baby Bear Sees Blue. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.

Review: In a world where everyone, even kids, are usually GO GO GO, it is important to remind how important stopping, relaxing, focusing on nature, breathing, and appreciating. Matthies’s lyrical, meditative words mixed with Wolff’s full page, colorful, and captivating illustrations lend to readers wanting to find the beauty in the world around them.

Tools for Navigation: Towering Tree is reminiscent of “The House that Jack Built,” so it would be a great way to talk about variations/retellings and allusions of nursery rhymes. It also has a great rhyming pattern that can be analyzed also.

The book also lends to taking kids outside then having them draw and journal about what they see in their backyard or a park.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How is The Towering Tree like “The House that Jack Built”?
  • What type of rhyming pattern does this story have?
  • What do you see in your background/in a park when you sit under a tree?
  • Why is it important to remember the beauty of nature?
  • Why is it important to slow down sometimes, instead of go go going?
  • If you had a garden, what would you put in it?
  • What do you think the author’s purpose was for this book?
  • How does the backyard in the book compare/contrast to your backyard?
  • What word play can you find in the book? Figurative language?
  • What descriptive language did the author use that helped describe the scene?
  • How do the illustrations add to the story?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Nature, Rhyming picture books

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review!**

Bear’s Big Idea by Sandra Nickel, Illustrated by Il Sung Na

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Bear’s Big Idea
Author: Sandra Nickel
Illustrator: Il Sung Na
Published September 10th, 2024 by Carolrhoda Books

Summary: Fish always has great ideas for what to do! When it’s Bear’s turn to think of something, she promises she’ll have a brand-new BIG idea. But where do ideas come from?

The creators of Big Bear and Little Fish reunite for this sweet story of friendship, ingenuity, and a surprisingly epic adventure!

“A winning tale of friendship and creativity unleashed.”  —Kirkus Reviews

About the Creators:

Sandra Nickel is the author of picture book biographies about the inventor of nachos (Nacho’s Nachos), the discoverer of dark matter (The Stuff Between the Stars), and the first woman meteorologist (Breaking Through the Clouds). She is the winner of a Christopher Award,  the winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Crystal Kite Award, a finalist for the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection honoree, and a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended author. Sandra has an MFA in writing for children and young adults and has presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout Europe and the United States. When at home in Switzerland, Sandra loves summer sledding, sploshing in puddles, and listening for ideas in the wind. To learn more about Sandra, and to download free curriculum materials and activity sheets, visit https://sandranickel.com/.

Il Sung Na was born in Seoul, South Korea. He writes and illustrates picture books, including A Book of Sleep and The Dreamer, and he also illustrates the work of other authors, such as My Tree by Hope Lim and Beautiful Noise by Lisa Rogers. Currently based in Kansas City, Il Sung spends his time teaching illustration courses and working on new books. Instagram: @ilsungna

Instagram
Sandra Nickel: @sandranickelbooks
Il Sung Na: @ilsungna
Carolrhoda/Lerner: @lernerbooks

Facebook
Sandra Nickel: @sandranickelauthor
Carolrhoda/Lerner: Lerner Books

Twitter/X
Sandra Nickel: @senickel
Carolrhoda/Lerner: @LernerBooks

Review: Bear and Fish are a great addition to duos in picture books, which is my favorite trope because with the dichotomy, readers are more likely to connect with either, feel accepted, and learn the lesson shared within the book. In this one, Fish is full of ideas, but when it is Bear’s turn anxiety about letting down Fish overwhelms her. But Bear, with patience and support and time to think, gets there and the day ends up being such a success.

Na’s illustrations are a great support for Nickel’s tale of supporting friends and finding creativity because they colorfully bring it all to life.

Trailer:

Author’s Appearance on KitLitTV: 

Discussion Questions: 

  • What is your favorite way to brainstorm?
  • Bear struggles to get to sleep because she is struggling with coming up with an idea. What are some strategies to help relax your brain and body and help you sleep?
  • How does Fish support Bear well?
  • How are Bear and Fish similar? Different?
  • Why does Bear feel so much pressure?
  • Is taking old ideas and twisting & changing them make it a new idea?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Picture books with friend duos, Picture books that promote brainstorming & creativity

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us by Teresa Robeson, Illustrated by Diāna Renžina

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Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us
Author: Teresa Robeson
Illustrator: Diāna Renžina
Published August 20th, 2024 by MIT Kids Press

Summary: Real space science meets beautiful images in this lyrical nonfiction introduction to one of the most alluring wonders of our universe—the nebula.

Nebula means “cloud” in Latin, but these little-known astronomical phenomena are different from Earth’s clouds. They can be the last breaths of supernovas, spreading the elements of life far and wide, or they can be star nurseries, swirling molecules together to form stars and planets. In this gorgeous nonfiction look into the cosmos, the nebula narrator invites young astronomers to learn more about these immense space clouds, from how they form to what they do. Readers will be entranced by the vibrant illustrations, which incorporate real photographs of nebulae, and the poetic text, which reveals that we are all grown from scattered stardust. Rich back matter provides details about nebulae and how people have studied them, the nebulae pictured in the illustrations (listed as the “cast”), and resources for further learning.

Praise: 

★“Lively language and gorgeous illustrations make this an excellent introduction to astronomy for a wide audience.” – School Library Journal (starred review)

“An eminently approachable introduction to an intriguing aspect of our universe.” – Booklist

About the Creators: 

Teresa Robeson has been an amateur astronomer since 1980, with a special interest in cosmology. She is the 2020 APALA Picture Book Award–winning author of Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom and other books on science and her own culture. She lives on a mini-farm in southern Indiana. To download a free curriculum guide, and to learn more, visit teresarobeson.com.

Diāna Renžina studied design and worked at several creative agencies before becoming a full-time illustrator and digital designer. She lives in Riga, Latvia, a city of cobbled streets, pine forest, Art Nouveau architecture, and the cold sea.

Instagram
Teresa Robeson: @tmrobeson
Diāna Renžina: @diana_renjina
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @candlewickpress, @candlewick_sl
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Facebook
Teresa Robeson: @teresa.robeson
Diāna Renžina: N/A
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @CandlewickPressBooks
Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media

Twitter/X
Teresa Robeson: N/A
Diāna Renžina: N/A
MIT Kids Press / Candlewick Press: @candlewick
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Pinterest
Teresa Robeson: Teresa Ho Robeson

TikTok
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @candlewickpress

Review: I am truly blown away by this picture book. I loved the idea of nebula speaking to a young girl and sharing secrets and the illustrations were as stellar and vase and beautiful as the idea of a nebula. The author’s informational text skills are on point, explaining quite complex concepts so well, and just so lyrical which makes the book a pleasure to read as well as informative. Just like the author mixed purposes, the illustrator did as well. The art in this book is edge to edge, full of color, and just embodies the ideas and lyricism of the book.

And then the backmatter goes even deeper for anyone interested in learning even more. The backmatter is accessible but also detailed.

Tools for Navigation: This book is built for a compare and contrast around clouds and nebula. What a perfect way to combine a reading comprehension skill and science!

Discussion Questions: 

  • How are nebula and clouds similar? Different?
  • Why were nebula’s named a word meaning cloud in the first place?
  • How did the illustration style add to the story?
  • Why do you think the author chose to have nebula be the narrator?
  • What else would you like to learn about nebulas?
  • Look at the nebulas in the backmatter. Are there any other animals you picture when looking at the images?
  • Although this book is mostly nonfiction, some may argue it is speculative because of magical realism. Why would they say that? What do you think?

Flagged Spreads: 

CLOUDS IN SPACE. Text copyright © 2024 by Teresa Robeson. Illustrations copyright  © 2024 by Diana Renžina. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Read This If You Love: Space, Science

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!!**