Ride On, Will Cody!

Caroline Starr Rose

In an age of instantaneous communication, children may find it hard to believe there once was a time in American history when the fastest way to send a message was by horse and rider. In Ride On, Will Cody!, Caroline Starr Rose uses rhyming verse to tell the legendary tale of Will Cody and one of the longest rides in Pony Express history. Energetic lines (“Horses nicker, heart beats quicker”) spur the story across the frontier wilderness as Cody spends 21 hours on the backs of 21 horses. The book’s endnotes offer more information about the Pony Express and Cody, who later would gain acclaim as Wild West showman Buffalo Bill. (Ages 4-7)

Big Machines

Sherri Duskey Rinker

From Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site author Sherri Duskey Rinker comes a story about writer Virginia Lee Burton and her beloved children’s books. Illustrator John Rocco captures Burton’s style with his colorful sketches that imagine the beginning of such characters as Choo Choo, Mike Mulligan, Mary Anne, and Katy the snowplow. Aside from additional biographical information in the book’s endnotes, the storyline focuses on the inspiration behind Burton’s words and pictures rather than the historical details of her life. Despite this disappointment, the book will hopefully serve to introduce the next generation of readers to a classic author and her timeless picture books. (Ages 4-7)

Sergeant Reckless

Patricia McCormick

During the Korean War, the U.S. Marine Corps gained an unlikely recruit: a small red mare named Reckless. Drafted to carry heavy loads of ammunition uphill, the former racehorse went through special training to prepare her for the rigors of battle—and developed a reputation for eating everything from chocolate candy bars to scrambled eggs with coffee. By war’s end, Sgt. Reckless proved herself worthy of two Purple Hearts and retirement with full military honors. The author’s note features additional biographical information about this unusual horse, who is commemorated in statue at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia. (Ages 6-10)

Victoria

Catherine Reef

With the production of TV miniseries like Netflix’s The Crown and PBS’ Victoria has come a renewed interest in all things royal. Clarion Books capitalizes on this with the release of a beautiful hardback biography, Victoria: Portrait of a Queen. In an easy-to-read style, author Catherine Reef offers a complete picture of Victoria’s life and reign, shedding light on her sheltered upbringing, complicated relationships, fiery stubbornness, devoted marriage, awkward missteps, and heartbreaking losses. Although geared for middle-school students and older, the wealth of pictures, with one on nearly every spread, will likely interest even younger readers. (Ages 12 & up)

(Christopher Silas Neal)

AFTERWORD

In her recent picture book Over and Under the Pond (Chronicle Books, 2017), Kate Messner continues her exploration of nature, this time by diving into a wetland ecosystem. A mother and son skim their boat across a pond, watching the busy world above and below the water while day slowly turns to night. The concluding author’s note offers more details about ecosystems and the types of animals featured in the book.

In Round (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017) Joyce Sidman encourages young children to observe the world around them for things that are round. The hunt for round things progresses from the predictable (oranges, seeds, and sun) to the less obvious (rings on a tree stump and raindrops in a pond). Sidman concludes the book with reflections on why so many things in nature are round, offering the opportunity to share an age-appropriate science lesson. (Note: The story mentions “billions of years.”) —K.C.