Genius of Common Sense: Jane Jacobs and the Story of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Glenna Lang & Marjory Wunsch -- Day 40

Readers may learn a new word in the opening pages of Genius of Common Sense: Jane Jacobs and the Story of The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Obstreperous, meaning “rowdy” or “boisterous.” That was the word used by teachers to describe Jane Jacobs in her elementary classrooms, and the same word could be used to describe the energy that powered Jacobs to become, mid-twentieth century, one of the most influential thinkers and activists in the world of urban development and city planning. One of Jane’s favorite pastimes as she grew up in the “Electric City” of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was to take the trolley downtown and absorb the variety and vitality of its busy streets. Not yet twenty years old, she moved to New York with her sister and took many opportunities to walk the city’s neighborhoods. She imagined how she would describe modern life to people in the distant past: what might Benjamin Franklin make of Times Square today? Her love of observing, analyzing and describing led to her articles in Vogue and Cue magazines, and she worked as a writer for U.S. government agencies. Jacobs and her husband established their home in New York’s West Village in the 1940s, and a few years later Jacobs began her work as associate editor at Architectural Forum magazine. All the while she voiced her opinions about cities: that the mix of housing, businesses and people characteristic of urban neighborhoods was the heart’s-blood of strong communities, that having many ordinary “eyes on the street” kept neighborhoods strong and safe. Her passion for preserving neighborhoods prevented, through community action, a huge highway bisecting lower Manhattan’s Washington Square Park. City planners and developers were forced to think twice about the effects of wholesale urban renewal and “planned” communities on the fabric of people’s lives. In 1961 her landmark book The Death and Life of Great American Cities was published, a treatise that informs us still today about the vital core of cities and neighborhoods. Author Glenna Lang has captured beautifully the essence of Jacobs’s independent thinking and influence in this book for young people. Wonderful descriptive illustrations by Marjory Wunsch open each chapter, and profuse archival photographs throughout amplify our understanding of this fascinating subject. Ages 11 up.

Amos & Boris, by William Steig -- Day 39

Amos the mouse loves the ocean and, dreaming of faraway places, he builds a sturdy boat, loads it with provisions and sets sail full of zest for life. Sadly, even as he rests on the deck marveling at the beauty of the sky, he tumbles into the sea. Calmly treading water and hoping for a happy resolution before fatigue overcomes him, Amos meets up with Boris the whale and discovers, despite their differences, that they are both mammals! Boris agrees to ferry Amos back to his home on the way to a whale conference near the Ivory Coast, cementing their friendship. Years later the pair meets again, when Boris is beached by a huge storm and unable to move back into the water. Tiny Amos recruits two elephant friends to roll Boris into the waves, grateful that he can return a life-saving favor to his friend. The grace, lucidity and gentle humor of William Steig’s writing has enchanted children and adults for decades, and those qualities have the perfect complement in his illustrations for Amos & Boris. Adult readers may be familiar with Steig’s wry New Yorker covers and cartoons. The story of Amos and Boris’s unlikely friendship needs no embellishment, yet it is easy to imagine it as an allegory for human friendships that can bridge big differences when people have the chance to spend time together and become acquainted. Ages 5-8.

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life, by Ashley Bryan -- Day 38

In Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life, Ashley Bryan imagines the realities, hopes and passion in the hearts of eleven individuals whose worth was measured only in dollars and labor by their plantation owner. Bryan drew inspiration for his moving narrative poems and vibrant artwork from actual documents of a slave owner’s estate in 1828. Each person’s role on the plantation is described and then, in a parallel profile, each individual establishes his or her preferred name, most valuable skills and the “precious secret” each holds inside – a dream of freedom. In January 2017 Bryan received the Newbery Honor award and the Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator awards for this powerful book. In numerous books for young people throughout his distinguished career, poet and artist Ashley Bryan has conveyed the richness of African American culture. Ages 7-12.