Orgill, Roxane. Jazz day: The Making of a Famous Photograph.

Orgill, Roxane.  Jazz day: The Making of a Famous Photograph.     Candlewick Press  2016  np  $18.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-6954-6        elem/ms  Nonfiction  E-BN  

Art Kane, a graphic designer, was behind the creation of a photograph of jazz greats that is known as “Harlem 1958”. Through a series of poems that are beautifully illustrated, the author recreates the events and participants in the day. Kane decided to have the picture taken in front of a brownstone in Harlem, and the photo shoot, including 58 musicians, lasted four to five hours. The final photograph featured the internationally famous -- Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie -- as well as those who were only known within jazz circles. Biographies of the more famous participants and a list of additional resources are included. This book is highly recommended for poetry and music collections.

Summary: Poetry and beautiful illustrations capture a day in Harlem in 1958 when jazz greats were photographed together.

Jazz, Photography, Poetry                                   --Stephanie Pennucci

Yolen, Jane. Birds of A Feather

Yolen, Jane.     Birds of A Feather     

WordSong (Boyds Mills Press)        2011   unp     17.95  978-1-59078-830-1            

all ages                                   E-BN   

Poetry and photography make this an enjoyable experience for readers of all ages. In addition to heart

warming poems and exquisite photographs, the book contains brief notes on the

life and environment of each bird. Jane Yolen and Jason Stemple have captured

the essence of each bird in their natural world with their combined efforts. The

book is beautifully formatted with a variety of colorful pages that effectively

project the mood of the bird's habitat. Each crisp photograph is precisely

focused to portray the bird in fine detail. Readers will definitely look at the

world of birds more closely in the future.

   This book has presented many unusual birds to it's readers. Some of them are

uniquely shaped and make readers wonder how they can fly.  As Donald Kroodsma

said in the forward, ╥the birds are far more than and accumulation of facts. If

╥God touched the bird__ and so it flies╙...Jane Yolen and Jason Stemple are

themselves God's helpers.╙                        McNeil, Linda

Harp Seals.

Landau, Elaine. Harp Seals.
Enslow 2010 32p 22.60
Animals of the Snow and Ice (Enslow)
978-0-7660-3460-0 elem E-BNes
This title details the life of harp seals. It gives their life cycle, how they move, what they eat, where they live, habitat, adaptations, and threats to their survival. Packed with information in a few pages, this title details the life of harp seals. It tells how they move, what they eat, where they live, adaptations, and threats to their survival. It is a very complete look at harp seals.
Each section features a full page gorgeous photograph and facing page of text. A small number of vocabulary words are introduced at the beginning of the text and highlighted in the body. Unfortunately the highlighting does not stand out well from the text. There is a list of books and web sites for further information. Both are very age appropriate, current and recognized authorities such as National Geographic. A simple index is also present. The sources of all photographs are credited..
This is an excellent resource for elementary schools. Theal, Joan

Montgomery, Sy. Saving the Ghost of the Mountain.

Montgomery, Sy. Saving the Ghost of the Mountain.
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 74p 18.00
978-0618916450 ms/hs Scientists In the Field series
In this newest addition to the superb series Scientists in the Field, naturalist Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop take their readers on a trip through the harsh environment of Mongolia’s Altai Mountains and Gobi Desert with Tom McCarthy, conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust and his team, in search of the elusive snow leopard. In this newest addition to the superb series Scientists in the Field, naturalist Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop take their reader on a trip through the harsh environment of Mongolia’s Altai Mountains and Gobi Desert in search of the elusive snow leopard with Tom McCarthy, conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust and his team. Written in an engaging manner and beautifully presented, the author offers a travelogue of her three-week expedition to the wild lands of Asia with all of the attendant dangers found in the harsh climate, mountain climbing, and living in the manner of the local people. It is filled with unique stories about the “ghosts of the mountain” and their natural world and is greatly enhanced by outstanding color photographs that show the environmental and zoological aspects of the region although the big cat photographs are taken in a zoo. Even though the group didn’t sight any snow leopards, the descriptions of the search for them and the discovery and collection of their signs and scat are sure to entrance the reader and add immediacy to the search. The book contains a series of extras: sidebar fact boxes, McCarthy’s advice to young conservationists, how to conserve the snow leopard by supporting the Trust, unique facts and statistics about the region, descriptions of some of the more unusual animals of the area, a small Mongolian dictionary, author and photographer notes and a link to their web sites, and an index. Ogintz, Susan

Madigan, L.K. Flash Burnout.

Madigan, L.K. Flash Burnout.
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 332p 16.00
978-0-547-19489-9 ms/hs
Can a boy have both a girlfriend and a girl friend? Photography is the lens through which Black tries to understand the female mindset while growing into manhood. Belly laughs and insightful moments for both male and female readers. Grades 8-12. Blake is in love with his girlfriend, Shannon, who shares his quirky sense of humor. He shares his passion for photography with Marissa, a girl in his class. Marissa and he become closer when he photographs a homeless person in a skid row portion of town. When he asks for her comments, she freaks out as she recognizes the homeless person as her mother. Blake keeps her secret and befriends her as they search for her mother, first on the streets, then the morgue. As Blake grows into manhood during the course of the novel, he is constantly befuddled by the workings of the female mind. He juggles his girl friend and her problems as well as his girlfriend and all her drama. Funny conversations about family, teachers and fellow classmates will resonate with any high school student. First time author Madigan has the pulse of high school life. Blake is a “good guy” who in a weak moment destroys his relationship with Shannon, tries but cannot solve the guilt and problems of Marissa, gets his driver’s license, and comes to understand that loyalty, love, and friendship have consequences when trust is breached. Each chapter starts with a quote about photography some serious, some funny. A playlist of songs to help Blake cope with his lost love complete the book. Blake is a wonderfully funny guy that anyone would like to have as a friend. Grades 8-12. Realistic Fiction McNicol,Lois

McClintock, Norah. Picture This.

McClintock, Norah. Picture This.
Orca 2009 109p 9.95 978-1-55469-138-8 ms/hs
Orca Soundings
Murder mystery involving an at-risk teen who joins a photo workshop at the local rec center and is stalked for his camera. What do the photos contain and who wants them? Ethan has to figure this out before he becomes a murder victim. This engaging murder mystery involves Ethan, an at risk teen who lives in a foster home. He joins a local recreation center photography program. He finds he has a talent for photography and takes pictures to illustrate freedom on the digital camera that his kindly foster parents bought him for his birthday. However, after taking several photos in the woods, he is threatened and stalked by someone who is trying to get to the photos that are on his digital camera. He doesn’t know why this is happening. He does know that he must find out why this person wants his camera or else he will become a murder victim. McClintock does an excellent job of telling the story from the perspective of a teenage boy who has had a hard life but is trying to turn his life around. The writing is pithy yet absorbing and will keep the reader turning pages to find out what is going to happen next. The attractive cover will entice teen readers. This title is recommended for middle and high school libraries that need fiction books that will be interesting to boys and for those libraries that need high interest titles. This title is one of the Orca Soundings series and is recommended for Tristate Books of Note. Weinraub, Tina

Styr, Charlie. Click, The Ultimate PHotography Guide.

Styr, Charlie. Click, The Ultimate PHotography Guide.
Watson-Guptill (see Random) 2009 144p 18.95 978-0-8230-9237-6

Fabulous collection of color photographs illustrate a modern photography how-to book. Aspiring photographers get the basics (selecting a camera) and technical details (shutter speed, aperture, exposure) followed by 26 clearly written essays on specific topics. These include Under the Sun (portraits in daylight), A Photographer’s Best Friend (pet shots), City Scenes, Night Landscapes, Travel, altering images by cropping, and retouching, and advice on photo sharing and starting a business. The best part of the book is that it’s illustrated throughout with wonderful photos from the worldwide Flickr Teenage Photographer’s Group (begun by coauthor Styr). Each photo includes the photographer’s name, age, country, screen name, and technical details.
A number of tips by professionals are also included. Most advice can be useful for beginners with a disposable camera as well as traditional or digital equipment. Perfect for high school students to use as a photography text or for individual browsing. Susan Gooden