Seven Ways Through The Woods by Jenn Reese

Today's read seems to invite to an adventure, and I'm always ready for an adventure. Add the woods, and these pages hold tons of promises. We live in an area where plenty of woods surround us. While it is fun to walk through them, ticks, honestly, keep our adventures a little more subdued. However, my children have spent plenty of time building lean-tos, mushroom hunting (yes, we have edible ones), looking for things to craft with, looking for treasures, hunting turtles, and so much more. 

Let's see if this book opens up to the amazing wonders the imagination can offer when in the woods.

SEVEN WAYS THROUGH THE WOODS

by Jenn Reese

Illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz

Greenwillow Books

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 4 to 8

Are you brave? Are you curious? Are you ready for an adventure? Then you are invited on the most magical of journeys—through the woods.

There are many ways through the woods. Some are long and winding. Some are as quick as a blink. You might encounter griffins, giants, serpents, sprites, and more along the way. Which path will you choose? What will you discover?

Acclaimed author Jenn Reese and rising star artist Devin Elle Kurtz celebrate curiosity, imagination, and wonder in this sumptuous and timeless picture book for fans of Knight Owl, The Bakery Dragon, Endlessly Ever After, and Journey. A fantastical and awe-inspiring adventure for listeners of all ages.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Seven possible paths through a forest offer a magical adventure.

These pages speak to the reader/listener directly and present the situation of standing on a path, which leads into a forest. There are seven possibilities, which the reader/listener can choose, and these pages offer a look at each one. From sprites who enjoy celebrations to flying griffins, the pages open up to a rich, fantasy world. As the reader dreams of each possibility and contemplates which one they might choose, a seventh choice, at the end, offers an inviting surprise.

This is a book which invites to the realm of imagination and dreams. The first image of a girl, who is standing at the edge of a forest, reminds a little of the Red Riding Hood tale. While these pages don't have anything to do with fairy tales, they definitely embrace fantasy creatures and magical possibilities. Each turn of the page holds a new wonder and will have readers/listeners wishing they could step into this forest themselves.

The illustrations are beautiful and let the fantasy and magic flow. Readers/listeners can view these on their own and let their fantasies weave as they take in each scene. The text is kept short enough to hold the interest of even more reluctant listeners and introduces each moment just enough to allow the illustrations to shine. 

Of course, there's a message hidden behind the tale, which encourages young readers/listeners to seek their own path through life and not follow the same steps of others. It makes a lovely read for group settings, individual moments, or even as a bedtime read.

And here they are...

Jenn Reese (they/she) is the award-winning author of the middle grade novels Puzzleheart, Every Bird a Prince, A Game of Fox & Squirrels, and the Above World trilogy. They also write short stories and essays. Seven Ways Through the Woods is their first picture book. Jenn Reese lives in Portland, Oregon.

 

Devin Elle Kurtz is the author-illustrator of The Bakery Dragon and the illustrator of Mother of Sharks, by Melissa Cristina Márquez. She has worked in the animation industry as a background painter/designer and visual development artist and has also illustrated many book covers. 

Starstuff edited by William Alexander and Wade Roush

Anyone who regularly follows me might remember me mentioning the up-tick in science fiction literature in the kidlit realm. Today's read is another one, which happened across my radar. It's an anthology for middle graders...I don't cover many of those, either. Like never. So, this will be an interesting treat, too, since anthologies offer not only short reads but hold a nice variety...when done right. 

Which I hope this one is. Let's sit back and look!

STARSTUFF

Ten Science Fiction Stories to Celebrate New Possibilities

by Various Authors

edited by William Alexander & Wade Roush

MIT Kids Press

Middle Grade Science Fiction Anthology

288 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING MAY 20th!!!

In a thrilling follow-up to Tasting Light, ten best-selling and award-winning masters of the form use the possible—and the premise of hope—to explore how science and technology can reshape our world and defy assumptions.

At once a collection of hard science fiction for curious middle-graders and an antidote to despair in the face of dystopian uncertainty, these ten horizon-bending stories may seem unreal, but all follow the rules of physics and biology as we understand them today. These tales of space junk, multiverse navigation, an asteroid named Doomsday, and bees and marmots in space pulse with honesty and optimism. Whether home is a planet, a moon, a space station, or a fleet starship, relatable protagonists of different genders, classes, nationalities, ethnicities, and orientations face challenges—some harrowing, some hilarious—true to their moment in time and space. Brisk plots, resonant themes, and scientific rigor define these forward-facing stories by leading middle-grade authors. Taken together, the tales champion youth agency through characters who approach science in adventurous ways, underscoring that we are all, indeed, made of the same luminous stuff.

With stories
William Alexander * A. R. Capetta * Maddi Gonzalez * Carlos Hernandez * Kekla Magoon * Jenn Reese * David Robertson * Wade Roush * Eliot Schrefer * Fran Wilde

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

These pages offer a smorgasbord of short stories to delight more than just science fiction fans.

I can't remember the last time I picked up an anthology for the middle grade audience, and I'll admit that I grabbed this one with uncertainty...which was completely misplaced. This is a fun collection of ten short stories surrounding space in various ways, which stretch not only the imagination but add food for thought. The stories hover around twenty to thirty or so pages and are easy to read thanks to the larger font and wider sentence spacing. Even the longer tales are easily enjoyed as shorter reads. The tales hit a large array of directions, everything from aliens to asteroids to space stations and more. Some are more Earth based, while others shoot into the stars and beyond. While there are action packed tales, other head into the drama direction and touch the heart. 

Each story centers around a character, which middle graders can sympathize with. The messages are also appropriate for the age group and will resonate with the intended audience. There's something for everyone, allowing readers to dive into tense scifi moments or take on more true-to-life issues with a galactic twist. I enjoy that the variety demonstrates the broad spectrum science fiction can include as it reaches beyond space ships, lasers and little green men. Instead, it shows the various directions the genre can take. 

This is a lovely collection to pickup and enjoy in pieces here and there, or dive into and enjoy from beginning to end...or simply as the stories catch each reader's attention. 

And here he is...

Wade Roush is a freelance science and technology writer, columnist at Scientific American, and host and producer of the tech-and-culture podcast Soonish. His work has appeared in Science, Xconomy, and MIT Technology Review. He is the editor of the science fiction anthology Twelve Tomorrows (MIT Press).