“A Wreath for Emmett Till,” by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Philippe Lardy (Houghton Mifflin, 48 pages, $17)
With the exhumation of Till’s body in the headlines, this tender but biting poetic tribute to the 14-year-old lynching victim illustrates the ways a violent death diminishes countless lives.
Sonnets recall Till’s stutter, imagine the horror of an anthropomorphized hanging tree, Till’s courageous mother and the man Till might have become. Lardy’s illustrations are as haunting as the text. Ages 10 and up.
“Georgia’s Bones,” by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, $16)
This spare examination of a young Georgia O’Keeffe follows her intrigue with the simple shapes and empty spaces that later defined her style as an artist. Both text and illustrations convey O’Keeffe’s love affair with the Southwest’s lush curves and hard beauty, and her careful juxtaposition of the two. Ages 10 and up.
“How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt,” written and illustrated by Tamara Bower (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, $16.95)
Serpot, queen of the Land of Women, disguises her emissary, Ashteshyt, as a man and sends her to infiltrate the Egyptian army preparing to attack her tribe. The Amazon women’s first victory infuriates Egyptian prince Pedikhons.
Serpot and Pedikons duel fiercely, neither willing to yield. The gripping text is subcaptioned in hieroglyphs – “Called out/ they/ curse/ words/ bad/ the/ speech/of/ warriors” is a particularly timeless line. Author’s notes explain the background and the hieroglyphs. Ages 9-12.
“A Season for Mangoes,” by Regina Hanson, illustrated by Eric Velasquez (Clarion, 32 pages $15)
The illustrations contrast with young Sareen’s recounting of a Jamaican sit-up, the island’s version of a wake. Tearful Sareen listens to a story about the prank her grandmother played on some schoolchildren and plays ancient games before gathering her courage to recall her quest to deliver the perfect mango to her Nana.
As she speaks, she remembers the laughter and meals shared with Nana, and the bittersweet victory of the unparalleled mango that Sareen presented as her grandmother was dying. Ages 4 to 8.
“The New Big Book of U.S. Presidents,” by Marc Grey and Todd Davis (Running Press, 56 pages, $9.98)
This revised edition of the original “Big Book of U.S. Presidents” includes a historical timeline that mentions events from the birth of the gag rule and the introduction of Mickey Mouse to Japan’s invasion of Manchuria and the Columbine massacre.
The authors maintain a dry tone in the page-long presidential biographies, including warts as well as triumphs. (Bill Clinton’s affair with an intern is mentioned. So is the Iran-Contra scandal that rolled off Ronald Reagan’s back.) Ages 8 and up.
Staff writer Claire Martin can be reached at 303-820-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com.
