New Children’s Book Reviews
Pennies for Elephants
Inspired by a true story reported at the time in newspapers around the world, author-illustrator Lisa Judge recalls how a group of kids ran a fund drive over two months in 1914 to raise the $6,000 necessary to buy three soon-to-be-orphaned trained elephants for the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. Getting contributions from more than 50,000 people—with pennies gratefully accepted—the children celebrated their accomplishment with a grand parade through the city that included a gala reception for the pachyderms at Fenway Park, what was then the spiffy new home of the Red Sox. It’s an uplifting, evocatively illustrated tale of youngsters banding together in pursuit of a common goal. Some washed windows, others ironed handkerchiefs, many sold cookies—all to give Mollie, Waddy and Tony a happy new home.
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From the Gently Mad Blog
Books and Their Friends
I had the pleasure this past week of visiting Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and speaking at ceremonies held in Cushing Library marking the acquisition of the university's four millionth book, an auspicious event for a dynamic program that for the past ten years has been embarked on a remarkable program of establishing itself as one of the outstanding research centers in the United States.
Because a noteworthy event such as this demands a fabulous book, the title acquired for the occasion was an exceedingly rare copy of the 1617 Barcelona edition of "Don Quixote." Part one of the world's most consequential work of fiction had been published separately, in 1605, part two in 1615; this edition marked the first time the two parts had been issued together, and appeared in print just a year after Cervantes's death. To give you an idea of just how scarce this edition is, it is the only perfect copy held in any North American library, making it more scarce, in fact, than the Gutenberg Bible, with copies in twelve American institutions. At Texas A&M, it joins a collection of one thousand other editions of "Don Quixote," along with a substantial archive of digital images, and contributes mightily to the mission of the university's Cervantes Project, which has received support from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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New Book from Nick Basbanes
A World of Letters
For Yale University Press, which celebrated its centennial in 2008, the past hundred years have been eventful, punctuated with no few surprises. The Press has published more than 8,000 volumes through the years, scores of bestsellers and award-winners among them, and these books have come to fruition through the efforts of a host of colorful authors, editors, directors, board members, and others of intellectual and literary renown. As part of its celebration, Yale commissioned Nick to write an in-depth history. For more information on A World of Letters, click here. To see a PDF of the book, click here.