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Smithsonian Notable Books for Children 2009
Our annual list of children's books highlights the most fascinating titles published in the past year
December 17, 2009 |
By Kathleen Burke
Cooking With My Great-Grandmother
I never knew my maternal great-grandmother, Grace. She lived in Wichita, Kansas, and died long before I was born. But I was recently given the opportunity to cook with her, in a way.Earlier this year, one of my mother's wedding presents to me was a small, age-mottled hardcover book called "A Little...
December 14, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Drawn From Life
Artist Janice Lowry's illustrated diaries record her history—and ours
November 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
Historical Laughter
Those who don't have power tend to make fun of those who do. But what happens when the power shifts?
November 2009 |
By Lance Morrow
Frank Bruni on Being "Born Round"
Frank Bruni, who recently stepped down from what is quite possibly the world's best job---the New York Times' restaurant critic---was in town Tuesday night to discuss his new memoir, "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater."And as if he didn't already provide enough star power to pack...
October 01, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
The Flap Over Foie Gras
Some people consider foie gras, the fattened liver of a duck or goose, one of the finest gourmet pleasures available. Others consider it the product of intolerable animal cruelty because of the way it's made—by force-feeding the bird through a tube until its liver grows to several times its natural...
September 08, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
The Curse of the Labrador Duck
You have never seen a live Labrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius); the species went extinct in the late 1800s. The rather plain-looking bird isn't found on display in many museums, and other extinct birds like auks and moas get more attention, all of which might explain why I had never heard of...
September 08, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Full Brontë
The British countryside is home to the real sites behind Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and other works by the literary sisters
September 03, 2009 |
By William Ecenbarger
The Other Black Gold
Can you name a substance that comes from the earth, is refined by heat, and is used daily by millions of people worldwide? Hint: It's a black liquid.Nope, not oil. Try what is often called the world's second-most valuable commodity*—coffee.Collectively, we drink four billion cups of coffee a year, ...
September 01, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Death from the Skies!
How will the world end? When Hollywood answers that question, the result is often terrifying but completely unrealistic. But the realms of reality can be even scarier than fiction, as astronomer Phil Plait deftly illustrates in Death from the Skies!, which comes out in paperback this week.Each chap...
August 24, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Beach Reading for Food Nerds
It's August, which means many of you lucky bums beloved readers are off lounging in beach chairs and hammocks and such. In case all the actual eating and drinking that usually comes with vacation isn't enough to satisfy your appetite, here are some good food-themed books to digest.We've written abo...
August 18, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Hunger for Freedom: Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela
Perhaps no world leader's eating habits have been more scrutinized than Barack Obama's. The guy can't bring home a bag of burgers without making the evening news.But imagine having an entire book written about what you ate throughout your life. That's what food writer Anna Trapido has done with Hun...
July 27, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
The Apollo 11 Owners’ Workshop Manual
If you wanted to replace the muffler on your Ford Mustang, you might logically turn to your handy copy of the Haynes Repair Manual. If you wanted to install a new space sextant in the Apollo 11 Command Module, you wouldn’t turn to the new Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual, but you would have such a go...
July 16, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Land of the Lost Food Traditions, Part I -- the Northeast
There was a time in America when you might head to the local luncheonette for a bowl of soup and a root beer float, and the counterperson would shout your order to the cook, asking for a "bellywash and a black cow." Or, if you lived in Georgia, you and your friends might get together for a Coca-Col...
July 07, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Did Cooking Make Us Human?
The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth has prompted a lot of reflection this year on how our understanding of evolution has progressed since the introduction of his theory. One persistent question has been how, and why, humans came to be so different from our primate ancestors. What is it ...
June 22, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
A Brief History of Chewing Gum
Gum is one of those things we tend to take for granted. Whether we chew it or not, most of us deal with it on a daily basis. It's the stuff kids smack and pop in public, or the secret weapon against garlic breath we keep stashed in our purses. It's the goo that makes us grimace on sidewalks.But hav...
June 16, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
The History of Spices
I attended a Smithsonian Resident Associates lecture this week by Fred Czarra, author of the new book, "Spices: A Global History." I can't say I came away with a clear overview of the global spice trade, but I did gain a sprinkling of loosely connected facts. I'll pass them on to you, in case it co...
May 15, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Wicked Plants (and Fungi)
How could I resist a book with the title Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities? This small, elegant volume by Amy Stewart packs in a ton of information on plants that have been used to murder or to intoxicate, some that can inflict pain or cause hallu...
May 14, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Become a Mad Scientist
If you ever meet Theo Gray, you’ll realize that the name “mad scientist” is probably a good description. He has serious credentials (he co-founded the company that produces the ever-useful Mathematica computer program), but his Wooden Periodic Table Table (for which he won an Ig Nobel Prize in Chem...
May 04, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
