Juvenile Nonfiction Picture Book

Picture Book Review – A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park

A GREEN PLACE TO BE:
The Creation of Central Park
Written and illustrated by Ashley Benham Yazdani
(Candlewick Press; $17.99, Ages 7-10)

 

book cover illustration from A Green Place to Be by Ashley Beham Yazdani

 

Ashley Benham Yazdani’s A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park shines a light on a familiar subject in a new way. This historical nonfiction picture book gives a glimpse into 1858 New York City when the park’s design contest was held. Architect Calvert Vaux and park superintendent Frederick Law Olmsted teamed up to win.

Yazdani’s images capture the vast undertaking as Vaux and Olmsted draft the layout, called Greensward. I like the spread of the ten-foot-long drawing envisioning what could be done with the land. Though their design was entered after the deadline, they won but had to change the name to New York City’s Central Park.

Olmsted planned ahead—about 100 years ahead—using “the color and shape of each plant to create illusions in the landscape” so nature would be the focus for generations yet to come. “Amenities such as the Dairy were specifically built to help those living with less, and Olmsted’s and Vaux’s compassion for others is shown by their determination to create a park that welcomed all social classes.” The men were early environmentalists striving to conserve this patch of parkland in Manhattan.

Kids who like construction-type books will appreciate that boulders were blasted to bits. Nearly every piece of the swampy, sharp, and foul-smelling land was raised or lowered, rocks were relocated and reused. Thought was given on how to best move people through the park without disturbances from carriages.

The end matter sums up the lives of Olmsted and Vaux. A page of interactive questions with items kids can search for within the book adds an element of interactive fun. More detail is given on Seneca Village, the area of land which had to be cleared for the park. The freed African-Americans who lived there were first offered money, then forced out—a sad beginning to this story.

 

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The Diamond and The Boy by Hannah Holt

THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY:
THE CREATION OF DIAMONDS AND THE LIFE OF H. TRACY HALL
Written by Hannah Holt
Illustrated by Jay Fleck
(Balzer & Bray; $17.99, Ages 4-8)

 

is reviewed today by Cathy Ballou Mealey.

 

The Diamond and The Boy book cover art

 

★Starred Review – Booklist

Holt’s debut nonfiction picture book digs deep into family history, introducing readers to natural and industrial diamond creation with an engaging dual narrative structure.

Cleverly designed, THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY: THE CREATION OF DIAMONDS AND THE LIFE OF H. TRACY HALL is engineered to compare graphite, a common gray rock, and young Tracy Hall, an inventor and the author’s grandfather. Free-form poetry on facing pages invite easy associations between the rock and the boy, subjected to physical and societal pressures respectively, which transform them over time.

Tension builds naturally through Holt’s lyrical mirrored text. Of the graphite; “Mighty, unyielding, brilliant. The rock would dazzle if it had any light to reflect, but it doesn’t.” She writes of the boy; “Mighty, unyielding, brilliant. His inventions dazzle classmates, But Tracy is still penny poor, with so many ideas floating just out of reach.”

 

int spread rock boy from The Diamond and The Boy by Hannah Holt
Interior illustrations from The Diamond and The Boy written by Hannah Holt with artwork by Jay Fleck, Balzer & Bray ©2018.

 

The tale celebrates Hall’s perseverance and resolve in the face of poverty and bullying. These obstacles ultimately build his resilience as he develops an invention to produce industrial diamonds. For those interested in learning more about diamonds, Holt provides backmatter on the mined diamond industry including the DeBeers monopoly and “blood diamond” conflict in Africa. A timeline and bibliography are also appended.

 

int artwork small gray meager from The Diamond and The Boy
Interior illustrations from The Diamond and The Boy written by Hannah Holt with artwork by Jay Fleck, Balzer & Bray ©2018.

 

Fleck’s color-saturated illustrations are digitally enhanced and multi-layered, keeping the focus squarely on the man and the gem. Clever use of the color palette, alternating between the echoing narratives, helps balance the book visually. The contrast nicely reinforces the natural comparison of Hall’s and the diamond’s transformations. Fleck makes excellent use of angular elements such as the striations of the earth, books shelved in the library, diamond facets and kite strings, while occasional red-orange ‘explosions’ emphasize dramatic changes.

 

interior artwork from The Diamond and The Boy Waiting
Interior illustrations from The Diamond and The Boy written by Hannah Holt with artwork by Jay Fleck, Balzer & Bray ©2018.

 

In THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY, Holt offers a personal and noteworthy celebration of a man deep in substance and character. This book is a different and delightful choice for readers of history, industrial manufacturing, or STEM classroom libraries. The intersection of science and personal character development is a unique and rich format that will engage a variety of readers and potential young inventors.

Where obtained:  I reviewed either an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher or a library edition and received no other compensation. The opinions expressed here are my own.

  • Reviewed by Cathy Ballou Mealey
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The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller

THE HOLE STORY OF THE DOUGHNUT
Written by Pat Miller
Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $17.99, Ages 6-9)

 

The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller book cover

In The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller, the beloved doughnut’s history is traced back to 1847. Hanson Crockett Gregory, an American born in Maine, was only thirteen years old when he went to sea. At age sixteen, while working as a cook’s assistant on the Ivanhoe, Gregory decided to try something new. Their typical breakfast of sweet fried dough was known as “sinkers” because the middles remained raw and heavy with grease, making them “drop like cannonballs” in the stomach. Using the lid of a pepper can, Gregory cut holes from the center of the dough. By lightening them up, they emerged from the bubbling lard fully cooked, browned, and sweet.

 

Interior spread of first doughnut invention from The Hole Story of The Doughnut
Interior artwork from The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller with illustrations by Vincent X. Kirsch, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ©2016.

 

These new treats became known as “holey cakes;” Gregory’s mother sold large batches of them on the docks to hungry sailors. To offset the simple origins of the doughnut, sailors invented wild tales about how Captain Gregory’s invention occurred while he was wrestling with stormy seas or rescuing sailors who had fallen overboard.

 

Interior spread of sailors eating doughnuts from The Hole Story of The Doughnut
Interior artwork from The Hole Story of The Doughnut by Pat Miller with illustrations by Vincent X. Kirsch, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ©2016.

 

The colorful pages of The Hole Story of the Doughnut utilize a doughnut-shaped theme and lively illustrations to depict historical scenes with interest and humor. The tale brings us full-circle in Gregory’s life. In an interview with Gregory at age sixty-nine, he seemed amazed at the fuss over his now world-famous invention claiming he had merely invented “the first hole ever seen by mortal eyes.” A hole which has made a mighty impression.

Both children and adults should find this history of the doughnut to be a fun and interesting read. The next time I eat a “holey cake,” I’ll think back upon the story of Captain Gregory and be thankful we’re not still eating “sinkers.”

  • Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt

Writer, editor, and owner of Write for Success www.Write-for-Success.com

@WFSediting, Christine@Write-for-Success.com

Co-editor of and writer for SCBWI’s Kite Tales https://SCBWIKiteTales.wordpress.com/

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