The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Tuesday, June 3.
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Hello, fellow bookworms!
I always love connecting with local authors, and recently I had the pleasure of receiving two lovely children’s books that got me thinking about my days as a fledgling reader. It makes me smile to think of how these books might help set tomorrow’s readers and writers on their path!
I dug back through the archives in my mind to pick out some children’s books I enjoyed when I was a kid to share along with these new ones. Whether you have a kid, know a kid, or still enjoy the wholesome feeling that children’s literature tends to bring to a reader, I hope you enjoy this week’s picks. Happy reading!
—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com
The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Jenn Ely
Alcatraz Island and the prison that stands upon it may have a bleak sort of beauty, but for many, it was a dreary, depressing place to live. Elliott Michener, a man imprisoned at Alcatraz for making counterfeit money, earns enough trust with the guards to be assigned to give the Alcatraz gardens a much-needed makeover, and at first, he figures it could create an opportunity to escape. However, as time goes on, he finds much-needed solace and joy in learning about plants, working in the gardens, and creating a more colorful environment for his fellow inmates, and he abandons all notions of returning to a life of crime as he cultivates his passion along with his plants.
Based on the real story of Elliott Michener, a prisoner at Alcatraz in the 1940s, Emma Bland Smith’s The Gardener of Alcatraz shows how Elliott goes from a dreary life behind the cold, gray walls of Alcatraz to a world of creativity. It’s a wonderful reminder that no matter your circumstances, you may be able to find inspiration and purpose in ways you never considered. Gorgeously illustrated by Jenn Ely, this book brings life and color to a little-known story of a man who may have made some bad choices but, with the discovery of a passion, was able to turn his life around in an incredible way.
Kat’s Magic Helmet: The Early Racing Adventures of Katherine Legge by Katherine Legge and Andy Amendola, illustrated by Ashleigh Mower
Kat, a shy child with “the heart of a racer,” feels most confident behind the wheel of anything with a motor. She takes up go-kart driving and immediately falls in love with it, declaring, “I want to be a race car driver!” However, she has her misgivings — fearing being made fun of, not being good enough, and how she might handle a real race track when speaking aloud in class is scary. Her father brings her a present: her own racing helmet with her name on it, which immediately gives her the confidence boost she needs. With her magic helmet, Kat throws herself into learning her new sport, but when the helmet breaks in a crash, she fears her talent is gone along with it. However, with her dad’s support and her belief in herself, Kat manages to win her first race — and open the door to a new chapter in her beloved sport.
The real Kat is Katherine Legge, a trailblazing race car driver who has raced all over the world and won many awards, including being the first woman to win some of them! Kat’s Magic Helmet pays tribute to her beginnings and the father who believed in her. Whether it inspires kids to try motor sports or encourages little girls to thrive in traditionally male-dominated activities, this book is an adorable reminder to find the magic in ourselves.
Blueberries for Sal, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey
A classic for almost 80 years, Robert McCloskey’s Blueberries for Sal is an endearing snapshot of youth — both human and bear! Sal, a little girl growing up on the Maine coast, goes with her mother to pick blueberries for canning. While her mother focuses diligently on the task at hand, Sal, being the child she is, decides the blueberries are better for eating, and she and her mother gradually get separated. Meanwhile, a bear cub and its mother have also arrived at the blueberry hill for a pre-winter feast. In an adorable mix-up, the baby bear ends up following Sal’s mother as she picks berries, even trying to eat out of her pail, and Sal follows the mother bear, eventually alerting her to the situation when mama bear hears the sound of Sal dropping berries into her metal pail. The kids are reunited with their mothers and go their separate ways, both families having shared the bounty of the blueberry hill.
Endearing in its simplicity, Blueberries for Sal is one of those books I always enjoyed as a kid and find so heartwarming as an adult. I’ve always loved the illustrations in this book; they lend such a peaceful feeling to the reader as you flip through the pages. One Morning in Maine, also written and illustrated by McCloskey, is a similarly beautiful portrait of a childhood by the sea.
Chrysanthemum, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes’s mouse books have been making readers smile since the ’80s, and I still can’t resist flipping through them when I see them in a store. They’re all adorable — from Wemberly Worried to Sheila Rae, the Brave to Julius, the Baby of the World — but since I was a kid, my favorite has always been Chrysanthemum. A young mouse named Chrysanthemum loves her unique name, lovingly chosen for her by her parents, until she runs into trouble when she reaches school age and is immediately teased for her long, unique, hard-to-spell name by her classmates. She finds herself struggling, until a lovely music teacher with an equally unusual name helps her come out of her shell and thrive in the knowledge that our unique qualities make us special.
Charmingly illustrated and relatable to kids in any decade — though perhaps particularly during the times of social media, when trends and conforming are so emphasized — Chrysanthemum serves as a reminder to everyone to celebrate our unique qualities, and to celebrate them in others.
FROM OUR PAGES
We’ve had some great author visits and interviews recently, so don’t miss out. Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at Independent.com.
Vicious Novel Goes Viral in the Santa Ynez Valley by Matt Kettmann
Carpinteria Daughters Pen Definitive Avocado Book by Matt Kettmann
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Fiction in Translation Book Club: Antiquity by Hanna Johansson
Wednesday, June 4, 5:30 p.m. |, S.B. Central Library
Lecture: The State of Fire: Why California Burns with Obi Kaufmann
Thursday, June 5, 5:45 p.m. | Henley Hall, UCSB
Adult Summer Reading Kickoff
Friday, June 6, 5 p.m. | Fox Wine Co.
Summer Reading Kickoff for Grades 0-6
Sunday, June 8, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Chaucer’s Children’s Storytime: Safety Dog Diego Gets Adopted
Sunday, June 8, 2 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Romance Book Club
Wednesday, June 11, 5:30 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
Chaucer’s Book Talk & Signing: Bryan Burnell
Wednesday, June 11, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books
Book It to Lighthouse Skate Shop x SBPL: Teen Summer Reading Kickoff
Friday, June 13, 3 p.m. | Lighthouse Skate Shop
S.B. SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.
The Troublesome Cloud by Ryan Minor
The Dao of Flow: A Journey to Discover the Ancient Wisdom of Water by Jin Young Lim
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “S.B. Spotlight.”
Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*
Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:
American Artifacts by Matt Black; review by David Starkey
*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).
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