Rhapsody in Books Weblog

Michael Rosen is a British poet and author, perhaps best known for his children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, for which cumulative worldwide sales are estimated to be between 9 million and 15 million copies.

Rosen wrote a poem call...

This is the fifth entry in the “Thursday Murder Club” series – quick-paced and witty cozy mysteries set in a luxury retirement community.

Elizabeth Best, a onetime spy; Joyce Meadowcroft, a retired nurse; Ibrahim Arif, a former psychiatrist; and Ron Ritchie, who was a well-known union organizer, reside in Coopers Chase Retirement Village. They meet every Thursday for a...

It is a dangerous moment in American history, once again, for minority groups. Among other discouraging developments, immigrants are being dehumanized, this time by no less than the President of the United States. How do we ensure that impressionable children won’t absorb the hatred, cruelty, and dearth of compassion spewed forth daily from the White House?

The author ...

Eishishok was part of Poland when World War II began. However, the area changed hands multiple times during the war. When German forces occupied the town in June 1941, it was part of Lithuania. It used to be one of the oldest Jewish communities. The founding families of Jewish Eishyshok were believed to have come from a sect dating from eighth-century Babylonia, which by the ...

Unlike many picture book biographies that focus on historical figures, this story introduces us to a woman who is very much alive. As the author clarifies immediately, her name is pronounced EL-en cor-twah. She was born in 1970. She always loved learning, but was most curious about what was in the sky. The story is anchored by a recurring refrain:

“Hélène observed. Hé...