Martha V. Parravano

Massachusetts

Executive Editor at The Horn Book Magazine

Patriotic normie Democrat. Former caregiver of my beloved husband, now grieving widow. My life hurts. Now and always.

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Articles

Our Camping Trip:   | Physics, Chemistry, and Fun

1 month ago | hbook.com | Julie Danielson |Martha V. Parravano |Sylvia Vardell |Pauletta Brown Bracy

Our Camping Trip:   | Physics, Chemistry, and Fun  by Lenka Chytilova; Helena Haraštová; illus. by Xiana Teimoy; illus. by  Intermediate, Preschool Albatros 32 pp. , 9/24 9788000072852 $16.95  Beautifully rendered and jampacked with age-appropriate information, this book is a short and informative read for any elementary reader, whether novice or experienced hiker. It covers everything, from how to set up a tent to how to pack to enjoy a day trip, and more.
Review of Thunder City

1 month ago | hbook.com | Martha V. Parravano |Patrick Gall |Betty Carter |Kristine Techavanich

Thunder City [Mortal Engines]by Philip ReeveMiddle School, High School Scholastic 336 pp. 11/24 9781546138235 $19.99e-book ed. 9781546138242 $19.99This prequel to Reeve’s acclaimed postapocalyptic, steampunk Mortal Engines series opens some two hundred years earlier, during the peaceful Golden Age of Traction, as the city of Thorbury is violently boarded and captured by villain Gabriel Strega.
Review of Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back

Jan 22, 2025 | hbook.com | Kristine Techavanich |Betty Carter |Michelle Lee |Martha V. Parravano

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back by Ruth Chan; illus. by the authorMiddle School Roaring Brook 288 pp. 9/24 9781250855336 $22.99Paper ed. 9781250855343 $14.99In a graphic memoir set in 1993, thirteen-year-old Chinese Canadian Ruth is apprehensive about her family’s upcoming move from Toronto to Hong Kong. While her parents are thrilled (her mother is returning home after thirty years), Ruth loves her life in Toronto and doesn’t want to leave.
Review of Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic

Jan 15, 2025 | hbook.com | Betty Carter |Michelle Lee |Martha V. Parravano |Danielle Ford

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming; illus. by Deena So’OtehPrimary Schwartz/Random 48 pp. 10/24 9780593377789 $18.99Library ed. 9780593377796 $21.99e-book ed. 9780593377802 $11.99Readers are immediately immersed in the life of a narwhal as the unseen narrator invites them into the narrative: “You are a narwhal— / shy, / swift, / small (for a whale).” Thus begins a glimpse into the seasonal behaviors of these distinctive animals.
Review of Up, Up, Ever Up!: Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains

Jan 7, 2025 | hbook.com | Michelle Lee |Martha V. Parravano |Betty Carter |Danielle Ford

Up, Up, Ever Up!: Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda; illus. by Yuko ShimizuPrimary Clarion/HarperCollins 48 pp. 9/24 9780063242418 $19.99In this inspiring picture-book biography, readers meet renowned Japanese mountain climber, educator, and environmentalist Junko Tabei (1939–2016), the first woman to successfully summit Mount Everest. Tabei’s love for hiking started as a child when she climbed Mount Chausu.
My Daddy Is a Cowboy

Dec 4, 2024 | hbook.com | Marva Hinton |Allison Grover Khoury |Shelley Isaacson |Martha V. Parravano

The first time I read My Daddy Is a Cowboy, I was drawn to C. G. Esparanza’s stunning illustrations and the sweetness of the narrative by Stephanie Seales. I love a good father-daughter story, and this one comes wrapped in an incredibly beautiful package. On subsequent readings, I only found more things to appreciate and enjoy. This atmospheric picture book is about a Panamanian American girl and her daddy who take their horses out for an early-morning ride.
Life After Whale

Nov 26, 2024 | hbook.com | Shelley Isaacson |Martha V. Parravano |Brian Wilson |Betsy Bird

I should have been prepared for the emotional sequence of images on the sixth double-page spread of Life After Whale. It’s not a secret. The title reveals the plot: Life AfterWhale. But I wasn’t prepared. I let Chin’s immersive cover, front matter, and opening scenes — a sequence of full-bleed illustrations painted predominantly in shades of blue — pull me into the aquatic life of a blue whale.
The Horn Book | Ahoy!

Nov 21, 2024 | hbook.com | Martha V. Parravano |Brian Wilson |Betsy Bird |Adrienne L. Pettinelli

Ahoy there! I’m here to start a conversation about Sophie Blackall’s latest picture book — one that has many of the hallmarks of her previous books (yes, including spectacular seascapes and even a lighthouse) but also breaks new ground — or explores new seas, in this case. And no, the Caldecott committee will not be comparing this book to her previous work, as instructed in the manual, and will also disregard the fact that Blackall has won the Caldecott Award twice before.
Review of Hearing Things

Oct 29, 2024 | hbook.com | Lindsay Bayer |Jennifer Hubert Swan |Jessica MacDonald |Martha V. Parravano

Hearing Things by Ben Sears; illus. by the authorIntermediate TOON 40 pp. 9/24 9781662665431 $12.99This story combines apprehension about moving to a new town, the determination of one sibling to help another, the spine-tingling fear of a haunted house, and the cunning of a resolute cat—all in one brief, absorbing graphic novel. While Tim enjoys exploring his new town with his faithful cat, Frankie, his older sister, Martha, is having a harder time adjusting.
Review of Being Home

Oct 22, 2024 | hbook.com | Lara K. Aase |Emma A. Shacochis |Grace Mckinney Beermann |Martha V. Parravano

Being Homeby Traci Sorell; illus. by Michaela GoadePrimary Kokila/Penguin 32 pp. 5/24 9781984816030 $18.99e-book ed. 9781984816047 $10.99Caldecott-winning Goade (Tlingit Nation) evokes a unique mood in each book she illustrates. Here she uses gray and dull browns and blues in her mixed-media art to show city scenes, but leafy green to depict the rural ancestral lands of a family’s home, to which they are returning.