Silvey, Anita. Children’s Book-A-Day.

Silvey, Anita.  Children’s Book-A-Day.    Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press  2012  388p $19.99      978-1-59643-708-1       all ages  Reference   E-BN 

This monumental work can be used as a reference book, a basis for planning library or literature lessons, or just a fun resource to browse through.  There is one page devoted to each day of the year, with a listing of birthdays, anniversaries of famous events, and a specific book featured.  Most of the books mentioned are children’s books, but there are also some others.  Noteworthy information is shared about each book, some of it little known.  At the end of the book, there is a list of major children’s book awards, an index of the books and authors featured, an index of books by type and an index of books by age.  In addition, there is a list of major holidays and special months (like Black History Month) that will prove useful for planning lessons.  All in all, it is a fantastic book and one that will be well used by teachers, parents, kids and librarians alike.

Having said that, there is a GLARING double-typo on the entry for May 3.  It says “Reed Abigoys by Pete Seeger.”  Of course, it should be “Read Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger.”  More careful proof-reading is required.           

Children’s literature                                 --Carol Kennedy

Silvey, Anita. The Plant Hunters.

Silvey, Anita.  The Plant Hunters.    Macmillan/Farrar Strauss    88p  $19.99 978-0-374-30908-4       elem/ms           VG           

Plant collection is not the innocuous occupation that many of us consider it to be, and this book illustrates this with a variety of botanical adventures ranging from ancient Egypt to present day India, emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries.     

Primary sources provide the basis for this well-documented collection of tales of adventurers and scientific exploration that revolve around the acquisition of unique and valuable plants.  These adventures happen all over the world, and the reader learns not just about the plant collector and the plants, but also about the regions of the world they explore, as well as all of the tedium and organization involved in the process of exploration.  

The illustrations in the book are also primary sources for the most part, and include historical photographs, lithographs, and prints, such as the photograph of Ernest H. Wilson with "reformed headhunters and armed policemen" (page 29), and "Kangchenjunga from Singtam", a lithograph from the 1850s (page 38).  The book concludes with a timeline, an author's note, notes, a bibliography and an index.             --Lynn Fisher