Our Farm: Four Seasons with Five Kids by Michael J. Rosen

Rosen spent two years on the farm in Ohio with the Bennett family, Mom and Dad, and the five Bennett kids, ranging in age from 17 to 4. He chronicles the year, through the seasons and through the voices of Caleb, Chase, Cayne, Grey, and Ali, along with Dave(Dad), and Becky(Mom) and the three family dogs.

His format is lively, awash in detailed photos and closeup scenes of every conceivable aspect of the farm, including the manure piles. He starts each section with numbers, as in Spring: By the Numbers, using data on cows and their production, chickens and their eggs, fish swimming in the pond and so on.

This reviewer grew up on a similar small farm and was captivated by the details, the explanations of farm processes, in the voices of the kids who live them each day. If you want to know about reaching under a hen for eggs, burying the beloved family dog, or feeling the squishy bottom of the pond on a hot summer's day, it's all here.

All ages.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming by Lynne Cherry & Gary Braasch

Lynne Cherry, our foremost children's environmental writer, and photojournalist Gary Braasch, show us the science behind the headlines, in terms that are hopeful and not terrifying to young people. They explore evidence from flowers, butterflies, birds, frogs, trees and glaciers gathered from scientists all over the world, sometimes with assistance from young "citizen-scientists." And they discuss what young people, and their families and teachers, can do to learn about climate change and take action.
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature,says"This is a necessary book. It treats kids with respect--they deserve to know what's going on. But they also deserve to know that there's much that can be done, and much that is being done."

Focus of the book: ages 10-14, with color photographs.

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

"It was hard to read anything about Tupac dying and not think about D. Seems D was right--you listen to Tupac's songs and you know he's singing about people like D, about all the kids whose mama went away, about all the injustice."

When D Foster walks into Neeka and her best friend's lives, their world opens up. D doesn't have a "real" mom constantly telling her what to do, and the girls envy her independence. But D wants nothing more than to feel connected, and the three girls form a tight bond--and a passion for the music of Tupac Shakur. Di's the one who understands Tupac's songs best, and through her, his lyrics become more personal for all of them.
Woodson's compelling story for older teens shows how music touches our lives and translates our challenges, how much life can be lived in a short time, and how all-too-brief connections can touch us to the core and remain a part of us forever.

And What Comes After A Thousand by Anette Bley

Otto and Lisa are special friends. Otto may be old, but he can still spit cherry pits, make slingshots and grow delicious raspberries. He and Lisa share a fascination with numbers, tell stories of brave Native Americans, and gaze at the stars.
But when Otto becomes ill and then dies, Lisa struggles to understand. Her rage, confusion and mourning are reflected in the illustrations as she slowly comes to know that, while people die, memories last forever.
This picture book, translated from the original German, is a gift to any young child and caring adult struggling to make sense of loss, particularly the loss of a loved and aging parent, grandparent or other special person. The illustrations, by the author, are especially skillful in their depiction of Lisa keeping company with Otto as his life ebbs away.

Story of a Girl --a novel by Sara Zarr

This amazing first novel by author Sara Zarr begins like this:
"I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Tommy was seventeen and the supposed friend of my brother, Darren.
I didn't love him. I'm not sure I even liked him.

The car was cold and Tommy was stoned and we'd been doing pretty much the same thing a dozen times before, and I could smell the salt air from the beach, and in my head I wrote the story of a girl who surfed the cold green ocean, when one day she started paddling in the wrong direction and didn't know it until she looked back and couldn't see the shore."
In a brief moment, Deanna Lambert's life is changed forever, at home, at school, and in her own mind and heart. This is the powerful story of her longing and her exertions to escape a life that is defined by one past indiscretion.

This is definitely a book for older teens.

Ballerina Dreams: A True Story by Lauren Thompson

Once upon a time there were five little girls who shared a dream. They wanted to be ballerinas and dance onstage like their sisters and cousins and friends.

But it would be hard for these girls to make their dream come true. They had cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities, which meant their muscles didn't move the way they wanted them to. Some wore braces. Some girls used wheelchairs and walkers to get around.

But these girls were determined. And they had a dedicated teacher. Every week they practiced. They worked hard. And one day, they were ready.

Author Thompson intersperses the story of prepping, practicing and spiffing up the costumes, makeup and little girl decor with close-up photos of each girl, her role in the recital, and her specific challenges, seen or unseen. Most importantly, she and photographer James Estrin capture the joy of the girls and their families at their accomplishments. This book shares that joy with readers a in unique and personal way.

This true story will delight young children from ages 3 and up and their parents, particularly children who delight in performing and overcoming challenges.

Lenny's Space by Kate Banks

Nine-year old Lenny is quirky, intelligent and in love with the world. And he comments on what he notices, what he loves, what he intensely dislikes.
His difficulty is that he does not know when sharing all this information is wanted, needed, or appropriate.
Lenny is lonely, he yearns for a friend; and he is brushed aside by his mother, his teacher, his fellow students. No one really appreciates his uniqueness or his struggle to figure out his world until he meets Muriel, a savvy school counselor, and when he encounters his first friend, a boy named Van.
Writing with wisdom, humor and poignancy, the author shows us the strange, troubled, and fascinating daily life of a boy who might be labeled in many schools "impulsive," "willful" , or "clueless."
Grandma's Book Letter recommends this book for parents and counselors of middle school youth for insights about children who look,on the outside,like Lenny but whose thoughts and feelings are unique.