FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, January 19, 2021)
***** A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION *****
Celebrating the invention of vehicles and things that help people move, this collective biography tells the inspiring stories of nine visionaries who changed the way we move across air, water, and land. Perfect for fans of Mistakes that Worked and Girls Think of Everything.
In a time when people believed flying was impossible, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier proved that the sky wasn’t the limit. When most thought horseback was the only way to race, Bertha and Karl Benz fired up their engines. From the invention of the bicycle and the passenger steam locomotive, to the first liquid-fuel propelled rocket and industrial robot, inventors across the world have redefined travel. Filled with informative sidebars and colorful illustrations, this collective biography tells the story of the experiments, failures, and successes of visionaries who changed the way the world moves.
**** For a signed copy, please order from my local indie
STARRED REVIEW FROM KIRKUS:
The text is supported by full-colored cartoon illustrations that enhance the text. Additional facts appear on the bottoms of various pages, supplementing the narrative without distracting from the main text. Educators will also delight in the hefty amount of supplemental backmatter. Source notes guide readers through quotes included, and a selected bibliography offers both print and web-accessible fodder for curious readers hoping to learn more about each inventor. Historical illustrations in the bibliography welcome readers to explore. A timeline that runs across the endpapers helps anchor the subjects and their inventions in history.
GLOWING REVIEW FROM BOOKLIST:
Each step in the history of technology was once a new idea developed with curiosity, ingenuity, and determination. In this colorful, large-format book, Kirkfield tells 10 stories about inventions that are related in some way to transportation. Arranged chronologically, the chapters begin in 1783, with the Montgolfier brothers ascending in their hot-air balloon, and conclude with the story of Raye Montague, a Black woman who joined the U.S. Navy as a clerk-typist in 1956, took an interest in computers, and rose through the ranks to head a team of engineers that would revolutionize ship design in 1970. In other intriguing chapters, Karl Drais invents the bicycle, Bertha Benz ventures forth in an early automobile, and Robert Goddard experiments with liquid-fuel-propelled rockets. Kirkfield has a knack for finding elements of human interest as well as historical significance in each account. The colorful, dynamic illustrations help readers visualize the times as well as the challenges faced by the inventors.
PRAISE FROM BCCB:
Kirkfield examines nine inventions that encourage middle grade readers to think about what it takes to conquer distance:
Each tidily crafted tale is flexible as a read-alone or -along, and the heavily illustrated volume also functions like a collection of stand-alone picture books
MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD:
The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (Little Bee Books, January 14, 2020) illustrated by Alleanna Harris
It’s 1954. Movie star Marilyn Monroe hopes to prove herself a great actress. Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald hopes to perform at Hollywood’s top club. Battling different types of discrimination, both women discover their goals are possible when friends make their voices heard.
For a signed copy of Making Their Voices Heard, please order from my local indie, Toadstool Books.
To order from Amazon, click here.
To order from Barnes and Noble, click here.
SWEET DREAMS, SARAH: From Slavery to Inventor (Creston Books, May 1, 2019)
illustrated by Chris Ewald. The book received the 2019 Eureka Honor Award from the California Reading Association and was selected as a 2020 Notable Social Studies Trade Book.
Sarah E.Goode was one of the first African-American women to get a U.S. patent. Working in her furniture store, she recognized a need for a multi-use bed and through hard work, ingenuity, and determination, invented her unique cupboard bed. She built more than a piece of furniture. She built a life far away from slavery, a life where her sweet dreams could come true.
FOR A SIGNED COPY of Sweet Dreams, Sarah, PLEASE ORDER FROM MY LOCAL INDIE: TOADSTOOL BOOKSHOP
To order from Amazon, click here.
Midwest Book Review says:
“Beautifully enhanced with the artwork of Chris Ewald, “Sweet Dreams, Sarah: From Slavery to Inventor” is author Vivian Kirkfield’s exceptional presentation of the remarkable life story of a remarkable woman and is recommended for family, elementary school, and community library picture book biography collections for young readers ages 5-9″ —Midwest Book Review
Publishers Weekly says:
Ewald illustrates the story’s people and objects elegantly using shadow and light. Kirkfield’s back matter offers a timeline and additional biographical information on this tenacious, innovative inventor. ―Publishers Weekly
VERDICT A great addition to biography and history collections, this title offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a little-known trailblazer.―School Library Journal
Reviews from teachers and librarians:
https://unpackingpicturebookpower.blogspot.com/2019/07/literature-elevates-learning-of-all.html
https://raisingreaders.site/2019/01/15/sweet-dreams-sarah-by-vivian-kirkfield-book-review-mcbd-2019/
Free Download of Curriculum Guide for SWEET DREAMS, SARAH
PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House, February 5, 2019),
illustrated by Jill Weber. Chosen as a 2019 PJ Library Selection.
An enchanting mouse scours her cozy, miniature home for her Passover Seder plate with no luck. Sundown is near and the Passover celebration will begin soon. Pippa Mouse must venture out and be brave to ask a cat, a snake, and an owl for help. To her surprise not only are the animals helpful in tracing her plate to the pond, they become her Passover Seder guests. A spread at the end of the book shows the Passover plate with its six essential symbolic items: zeroah (a roasted bone), beitzah,(an egg), maror and charoset (bitter herbs), chazeret (mortar or paste), and karpas (a spring vegetable).
Available on Amazon
For a copy signed by the author please order from my favorite indie: Toadstool Bookshop in Nashua, NH.
FREE CURRICULUM/ACTIVITY GUIDE
REVIEWS:
ACTIVITIES FOR PARENTS/TEACHERS/KIDS:
FOR A FREE CURRICULUM AND ACTIVITY GUIDE:
FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, March 15, 2019)
illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen
Water wakes. Wildlife greets the day and finds shelter, safety, and fun on the river in this lyrical, ecologically oriented counting book. One willow flycatcher, two dragonflies, three kit foxes, and more thrive in their habitat. As kids count, the day turns from dawn to dusk, and the character of the water changes as quickly as a child’s moods. Animals sing, leap, tiptoe, toboggan, hoot, hunt, flit, flutter, and hover. They ride out a storm, bask in waning rays, and tuck in under the silver moon.
Filled with modern wood engravings, Four Otters Toboggan celebrates wild beauty, encouraging readers of all ages to preserve and cherish our planet. After the story is finished, children can read more about each species in the back of the book, conservation efforts, what causes animals to become endangered, and what people can do to protect wild habitats.
TO ORDER A SIGNED COPY FROM MY FAVORITE INDIE BOOKSTORE, click here.
To order a copy from Amazon, click here.
Click this link to download: otter-coloring-book
SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM
THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING
Perfect for parents and teachers, grandparents and day care providers, you’ll find 100 picture book recommendations, 100 quick and easy craft projects, and 100 simple child-friendly cooking activities – all right at your fingertips! This is the book I wished I’d had when I taught kindergarten and raised my own three kids, but it didn’t exist then – so, I wrote it for you! Recommended for ages 2-8.
“Inspiring guide to reading and planning activities.”
– Katharine Holabird, Creator of Angelina Ballerina
” Wonderful resource to better a child’s learning experience.”
– Norman Bridwell, Creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog
“Fun and practical book to help nurture and foster self-esteem.”
– Joan Fleischer, Co-Founder of Creative Arts Therapy Center, New York City
THIS IS A MUCH-NEEDED BOOK RIGHT NOW – Plenty of quick and easy activities to do with your young children.
FOR A SIGNED COPY: ORDER DIRECT FROM ME – $15.00 – FREE SHIPPING TO U.S. ONLY – email me: viviankirkfield@gmail.com
For international purchases and shipping, please contact: viviankirkfield@gmail.com
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE
My late husband, Stuart Kirkfield, was also a published author. His ground-breaking book, THE FINE BAMBOO FLY ROD: A MASTER’S SECRETS OF RESTORATION AND REPAIR, is available directly from me. Please email for payment options: viviankirkfield@gmail.com
$79 with Free Shipping to U.S. Addresses Only. For international purchases, please contact me for shipping charges: viviankirkfield@gmail.com
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 