July Books to Ignite the Imagination

by Selene S. Vasquez

PICTURE BOOK: AGES 6 THRU 8

Under New York by Linda Oatman High. Illustrated by Robert Rayevsky. (Holiday House, unpaged, $16.95)

The Big Apple is a menagerie of delights, from subway musicians, hot dog vendors, yellow taxicabs and pigeons, to ritzy shops, museums and the Rockefeller Center’s skating rink. Rhythmic text accompanies this jazzy and stylized double-page spread of life in glorious New York City.

NONFICTION: AGES 10 THRU 12

The Summer Solstice by Ellen Jackson. Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis. (Millbrook, unpaged, $12.90)

The Earth’s fruitful season is marked by the sun’s highest reach in the sky. Explore the science of orbital movements, the ancient beliefs and festivals honoring the sun deities, as well as instructions for a selection of creative tasks, including a sidewalk sundial.

Do Tarantulas Have Teeth?: Questions and Answers about Poisonous Creatures by Melvin & Gilda Berger. Illustrated by Jim Effler. (Scholastic, 48 pp., $14.95)

Lively down-to-earth tidbits about venomous creatures, such as their basic anatomy, hunting and feeding methods, behavioral peculiarities, etc. Vividly illustrated and full of fascinating facts to make your skin crawl.#

Selene Vasquez is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School in Hollywood, Florida. She is formerly a children’s librarian for the New York Public Library.

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