The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids

 

The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat
by Michael Pollan

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Book Description
The New York Times bestseller that’s changing America’s diet is now perfect for younger readers

“What’s for dinner?” seemed like a simple question until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young readers’ adaptation of Pollan’s famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices. In a smart, compelling format with updated facts, plenty of photos, graphs, and visuals, as well as a new afterword and backmatter, The Omnivore’s Dilemma serves up a bold message to the generation that needs it most: It’s time to take charge of our national eating habits and it starts with you.

School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—Based on Pollan's best-selling adult book of the same title, this (slightly) shortened version will appeal to thoughtful, socially responsible teens. The book is divided into four sections: "The Industrial Meal" (exemplified by the fact that only two companies, Cargill and ADM, buy nearly a third of all the corn grown in the U.S.); "The Industrial Organic Meal" (covering most of what's found in stores like Whole Foods); "Local Sustainable" (small farms typically based on grass, not corn); and what he calls the "Do-It-Yourself Meal" (where he hunts a wild pig and gathers wild mushrooms). Pollan has done an amazing amount of research, both of the typical kind (there are 16 pages of footnotes) and the more personal kind. His own research includes slaughtering a chicken himself and eating a fast-food meal in a moving car with his family. He explains complicated issues clearly, offers compelling evidence of the environmental damage done by what he calls the industrial meal, and urges readers not to look away from animal-welfare issues: "We can only decide if we know the truth." An afterword, "Vote with Your Fork," recommends simple actions that will improve the health of our bodies, our society, and our planet.

Jane Eyre (Scholastic Classics)

Jane Eyre (Scholastic Classics)
by Charlotte Bronte & Meg Cabot

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From the Publisher
In conjunction with the New York Public Library, Doubleday is proud to introduce a very special collector's series of literary masterpieces. Lavishly illustrated with rare archival material from the library's extensive resources, including the renowned Berg collection, these editions will bring the classics to life for a new generation of readers. In addition to original artwork, each volume contains a fascinating selection of unique materials such as handwritten diaries, letters, manuscripts, and notebooks. Simply put, this series presents the work of our most beloved authors in what may well be their most beautiful editions, perfect to own or to give. Published on the occasion of Doubleday's 100th birthday, the New York Public Library Collector's Editions are sure to become an essential part of the modern book lover's private library.

Our edition of Madame Bovary, which Vladimir Nabokov called "one of the most perfect pieces of poetical fiction known", features etchings from a rare 1905 French edition and a sampling of Nabokov's handwritten commentary on Flaubert's work. These rare materials from the archives of the New York Public Library will make our edition stand out from all other available versions.

Editorial Reviews
Early responses to Jane Eyre, first published in 1847, were mixed. Some held the book to be anti-Christian, others were disturbed by a heroine so proud, self-willed, and essentially unfeminine. The modern reader may well have trouble understanding what all the fuss was about. On the surface a fairly conventional Gothic romance (poor orphan governess is hired by rich, brooding Byronic hero-type), Jane Eyre hardly seems the stuff from which revolutions are made. But the story is very much about the nature of human freedom and equality, and if Jane was seen as something of a renegade in nineteenth-century England, it is because her story is that of a woman who struggles for self-definition and determination in a society that too often denies her that right. But self-determination does not mean untrammeled freedom for men or women. Rochester, that thorny masculine beast whom Jane eventually falls for, is a man who sets his own laws and manipulates the lives of those around him; before he can enter into a marriage of equals with Jane he must undergo a spiritual transformation. Should the lesson sound dry, it's not. Jane Eyre is full of drama: fires, storms, attempted murder, and a mad wife conveniently stashed away in the attic. This is very sexy stuff.

If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do?

If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do?
by Brian Strassburg, Sandra McLeod Humphrey

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Book Description
Is it wrong to sneak into the movies if your big brother says it's okay? If "everybody" is cheating on the math test, shouldn't you, too? What if telling the truth gets your best friend in trouble? It's never too early for us to begin talking to our children about values and helping them define and clarify their code of moral conduct. This is a great way for them to build self-confidence in their ability to work through everyday problems! The 25 situations presented here and the thought-provoking questions at the end of each scenario have been developed to help you talk to your child about social and moral issues in a natural and non-threatening way. What an entertaining way to learn vital life skills!

Editorial Reviews
"I like the fact that your books use humor and directness to get at some important stuff in kids' lives." -- Mary Beth Blegen, National Teacher of the Year
"The situations presented in this book...can help you talk with children about important moral and social issues." -- Learning Magazine, January 2002
"These books will help children develop personal values and critical thinking skills." -- Family Times, March 1999
"These practical, hands-on, use-them-right-now books are just what every parent of school-age kids needs." -- Theresa Foy DiGeronimo, Coauthor of Raising a Thinking Child
These practical yet fun books show kids ways of making difficult choices. -- Richmond Parents Monthly, July 1999