Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots offers an accessible introduction to a controversial subject. Fact vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex. Nancy Paulson Books (PRH), 2020, 32 pages. Reading Level: picture book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages 5-7 What’s the difference between a fact and an opinion? According to this picture book, “a fact is anything that can be proven tru or false.” “An opinion is something that you feel and you believe but you cannot prove.” The reader is led to this conclusion after answering some questions about the robots cavorting through these pages. Opinions are what make us unique, but we should all know the difference, and we…

The brief but complex life of a honeybee literally unfolds in these gorgeously illustrated pages. *Honeybee: the Busy Life of Apius Mellifera by Candis Fleming. Illustrated by Eric Rohman. Holiday House, 2020, 36 pages. Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8 Recommended for: ages 6-up Honeybee is the fascinating unfolding of a worker bee’s life, from her first emergence out of the hatchery to her death 35 days later. Though she is equipped with wings from the beginning, her first job is to clean out the cell she came from so the queen can lay another egg there. Next the lowly worker (all of whom are female) embarks on a series…

From hero to pariah: the life of Charles Lindbergh is a fascinating study. *The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming. Schwartz + Wade, 2020, 321 pages. Reading level: Teen, ages 15-18 Recommended for: ages 13-up No one was more famous in his time. American culture in the 1920s was swimming in frivolous pursuits and sensational news, and the “Lone Eagle’s” flight across the Atlantic, in a machine constructed of plywood and canvas, came like lightning flash of inspiration: the ultimate in heroism. Even so, if nothing else happened to Lindbergh he might have become a footnote in the history of flight. Instead he was hurled into the…

I was expecting it, and sure enough it happened: my local library and all its branches is shut down until March 31—and very likely beyond. Here I sit with about 18 books checked out, some of which I can enthusiastically recommend. But how will our readers get to read them? Overdrive to the rescue—sort of. I have heard of it, and I’ve noticed that my library offers certain books in electronic editions, but never bothered to download them. I don’t like reading on a screen and I don’t think it’s ideal for kids either. But if that’s the only way I can get hold of a book I really want…

Home Library … for your Neighborhood? With libraries everywhere shutting their doors, we readers still crave something to read. Reading can offer legitimate ways to pass the time, take a break from the news headlines, and re-connect with people. If you have books on your shelves you’ve already read, consider loaning them to friends.* Perhaps you may be able to borrow some in return. *As of this writing, the NIH reports that the coronavirus can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard (longer on plastic/metal). To safely loan/share books, consider the following strategy: put books in a brown paper grocery bag and stick in garage/car/outside for a day. When…