Tag Archives: Brian Floca

The Racecar Alphabet

Posted on November 1, 2014 | Comments Off on The Racecar Alphabet

IMG_3335

My youngest is at the right age for alphabet books, and we’ve gathered a wide variety. This one is so good that my oldest tried to appropriate it.

Author: Brian Floca
Illustrator: Brian Floca

 

Comments Off on The Racecar Alphabet

Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books

Tagged , , ,

Lightship

Posted on October 28, 2014 | Comments Off on Lightship

IMG_3287

Here is a ship
that holds her place.

Brian Floca is fast becoming one of our very favorite authors/illustrators. This book, like Moonshot, is spellbinder. Although the story takes place much closer to home, it is just as poetic, fact-filled, and beautiful (although it is shorter and therefore quicker to read aloud).

The illustrations were based on a retired lightship that is now part of the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City–I’d love to visit it with the boys someday.

Author: Brian Floca
Illustrator: Brian Floca

 

Comments Off on Lightship

Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books

Tagged , , , , ,

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

Posted on October 16, 2014 | Comments Off on Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

IMG_3131

There was once a lovely elephant seal who lived
in the city. Most elephant seals live in the ocean, in
salt water. They sleep on rocky coasts and lie along
sandy beaches. But this seal was different. She
swam in the sweet, shallow waters of the Avon River
where it flowed through the heart of the city of
Christchurch, New Zealand.

Elizabeth, named after the Queen of England, is very happy in her unusual home and she becomes a sort of mascot for the city until she develops a dangerous habit of basking on asphalt roads. Can Elizabeth and the city co-exist?

This sweet, quiet book is interesting and enjoyable. Including a photograph of the real Elizabeth at the end of the book was an especially nice touch.

Author: Lynne Cox
Illustrator: Brian Floca

 

Comments Off on Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books

Tagged , , , , ,

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

Posted on October 11, 2014 | Comments Off on Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

IMG_3077

High above
there is the Moon,
cold and quiet,
no air, no life,
but glowing in the sky.

Here below
there are three men
who close themselves
in special clothes,
who–click–lock hands
in heavy gloves,
who–click–lock heads
in large, round helmets.

It is summer here in Florida,
hot, and near the sea.
But now these men are dressed for colder, stranger places.
The walk with stiff and awkward steps
in suits not made for Earth.

This outstanding book tells an amazing story, reads like poetry, is full of interesting facts, and is beautifully presented. It is not a short book, but reading it aloud is a pleasure.

Author: Brian Floca
Illustrator: Brian Floca

 

Comments Off on Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

Posted in Non-fiction, Picture Books

Tagged , , , , , , ,