Nina Laden’s words of wonder paired with Melissa Castrillon’s lush jewel-toned illustrations pay tribute to and honor the bounty of the natural world. There is a almost a reverent musical dancing movement of this book that engages all of the senses. Feel your breathing calm and your whole body relax into the beauty of each …
A few years ago, Robert Macfarlane, who’s something of a patron saint at Madison Books (see our review of 2019 book of the year Underland, now out in paperback) wrote The Lost Words, an ornate linguistic repository intended to preserve the lexicon of the natural world that’s literally being removed from dictionaries. Lavishly illustrated by Jackie Morris, it became …
This piece was originally published on the Island Books blog. Growing up, I loved getting lost in books: It didn’t matter to me if the book was adventurous, dramatic, suspenseful, or fantastical; as long as it transported me somewhere else, I was happy. I’d be so immersed in my book that I’d barely hear my …
Two weekends ago I attended my first Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) tradeshow. I had absolutely the best time, met some really incredible people (doing incredible things!), and learned more than I thought possible. It was also a physical challenge I posed to myself. See, I’m a high-function disabled woman. I was born with lipomeningomyelocele, …
“I don’t read many children’s books but this one really blew me away. It’s the story of a ten-year-old boy who is starting school for the first time, of the trials he faces, and his ultimate triumph. This would be difficult for any home-schooled child, but Auggie was born with facial abnormalities that are pretty …
