Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss -- Day 42

Horton the elephant had already proved his worth as a loyal, persevering friend in Horton Hatches the Egg when author and illustrator Theodore Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss, wrote Horton Hears a Who, published in 1954. While splashing in a pool in the Jungle of Nool, Horton hears a yelp coming from a small speck of dust. When he learns that not only is there a person there but a whole town called Who-ville, Horton pledges to save them “Because, after all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.” Pitted against the black-bottomed eagle Vlad Vlad-i-koff and the Wickersham Brothers, Horton stands by the Mayor of Who-ville and his community, exhorting them to make their presence known. “Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor!” Horton calls. “Mr. Mayor! You’ve got to prove now that you really are there! So call a big meeting. Get everyone out. Make every Who holler! Make every Who shout!” Despite the hullabaloo they raise, the Whos need still more voices to be heard when Jo-Jo, just bouncing his yo-yo, finally adds his Yopp, and “That one, small extra Yopp put it over,” saving their community on that speck on that clover. Readers readily understand that Horton stands by the little guys and the little guys speak up loudly for themselves in this irresistible, rhyming saga. Ages 5-9.

The Music in George’s Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue, by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Stacy Innerst -- Day 41

American pianist and composer George Gershwin’s music is no doubt familiar to most adults, perhaps through the musicals Porgy and Bess and An American in Paris. His works spanned musical genres – jazz, classical, blues, ragtime, in addition to Broadway musicals. The picture book biography The Music in George’s Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue is as lively and affecting as his songs. Its rhythmic text twirls across the pages as if dancing with the blues and grays of the dynamic illustrations. Words and pictures together truly convey what inspired Gershwin’s music: listening to the city sounds around him, the music of the streets capturing his soul. Author Suzanne Slade and illustrator Stacy Innerst collaborate seamlessly, introducing readers to Gershwin’s early influences and short lifetime, ultimately focusing on the creative process that generated the magnificent Rhapsody in Blue. As a reader, one feels very present at New York City’s Aeolian Hall premiere in February 1924 – a concert entitled “An Experiment in Modern Music” where jazz and classical music met in Gershwin’s unique style. The presence of music in one person’s life and the power of music shared over decades of time are brought home. An author’s note, a timeline and a bibliography add even more to this exhilarating book. Ages 7-11, plus anyone who loves Gershwin, music or the creative spirit.

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.