Tag: devices

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Put down your phone and Look Up!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Look Up! Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution, by Britt Gondolfi/Illustrated by Amanda Romanick, (Apr. 2024, Paw Prints), $18.99, ISBN: 9781223188089

Ages 5-7

This hilarious rhyming story serves as a cautionary tale to look up from our screens once in a while. Set in New Orleans, a group of pigeons watches as the people below them rush around glued to their phones, never noticing anything around them. One pigeon, Fontaine, wants to change things for the better and comes up with a laugh-out-loud method that’s sure to get people’s attention. Black-lined colorful illustrations give an edge to the story, with little touches of New Orleans in the background details; Cafe du Monde and the French Quarter give life and character to the setting. Romanick captures the bustle of the city and the cluelessness of a populace riveted to their screens and beautifully captures the perspective of the birds staring down at the humans, lamenting their lack of attention. Fontaine dons a red beret and commands his legions, and the fallout will have readers squealing with delight. Give this one a read – I can’t wait to have a screen-free storytime with this one.

 

Posted in Espionage, History, Non-Fiction, Tween Reads

Book Review; Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies, by Janet Wyman Coleman with The International Spy Museum (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 9-12

Kids like spies. Spies are cool, after all. James Bond is suave and rocks the coolest gadgets in the world, and Chuck is a computer store geek turned international man of mystery. There was Agent Cody Banks, and there are the Spy Kids movies. Fast food restaurants have give spy toys away as prizes in their kids’ meals. The romantic mystique of the spy appeals to all ages.

Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies, written in conjunction with the International Spy Museum, is a visual history of spying. There are photos and artifacts, with the stories of real-life spies from all over the world and throughout recorded history. The book provides key terms and timelines and even an imagined interview with George Washington using actual quotes from the first President with regard to his spying operations during the Revolutionary War. The book has beautiful color and black and white photos on every page, and will interest both boys and girls interested in adventure or history.

The International Spy Museum’s website offers the usual museum fare including membership and ticket information. They also have a podcast (with new episodes roughly every two weeks) and a blog, both with RSS feed capability. They offer birthday parties, school field trips, and Spy City Tours where visitors will be briefed by former intelligence officers and learn how to be a master of disguise.