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  Michelle Markel

BOOKS

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Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington

Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Balzer & Bray, January 22, 2019

"Spectral fairies, soaring women, an infant in a luminous crescent-moon cradle...these are a few of the wondrous images filling the pages of this colorful picture book biography...The text and illustrations combine in a way that will help young readers understand surreal art and how Carrington used this style to break free of conventional opinions and depictions of women. Another fantastic collaboration by the creators of The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau.

Booklist (starred)

"A striking picture book biography"

Publishers Weekly (starred)

Markel’s telling — evocative and poetic — feels enchanted....(her) gorgeous description of Carrington’s paintings is the perfect summation of the extraordinariness found in all females"

New York Times Review of Books

"Markel distills Carrington’s experiences into succinct prose full of vigor and imagery. “Leonora felt safe. She felt strong. She popped a chocolate into her mouth and reached for a paintbrush. She painted a house filled with enchanted women.” Hall’s dreamlike illustrations take the book to a near fantastical level. Vivid colors, pulsating patterns, and swooping lines make each scene a strikingly original image as well as an homage to Carrington’s own art...From the covers to the endpapers to everything in between, this is a glorious look at a woman artist who did exactly what she wanted to do at a time when few were able to do so."

Horn Book
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Terrible Times Tables

Illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard
​Cameron Kids, August 6, 2019
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 ​"Math with mischief. . . . the combination of squick, naughtiness, and humor will hold gleeful attention."     
​
 Kirkus Reviews

"A valuable resource for the reluctant mathematician. A charming addition to any math teacher’s toolkit, and a diverting prompt for students learning their not-so-terrible times tables."

Publisher's Weekly



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Hanukkah Hamster

lllustrated by Andre Ceolin
​Sleeping Bear Press, September 2018


 "It is December, the season for gift-giving... the ending of the story will surely touch every reader's heart."
— Kirkus

"Plainspoken storytelling by Markel (Balderdash!) offers emotional depth, as do pictures by Ceolin... which combine crisp shapes and velvety textures...the “everybody wins” ending feels just right."— Publishers Weekly

"Warmhearted. A fanciful Hanukkah tale" 
— Horn Book 
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When You Grow Up to Vote

By Eleanor Roosevelt, with Michelle Markel
​lllustrated by Grace Lin
​Roaring Brook Press, September 2018


​In the voice of one of the most iconic and beloved political figures of the twentieth century comes a book on citizenship for the future voters of the twenty-first century. Eleanor Roosevelt published the original edition of When You Grow Up to Vote in 1932. The new edition has updated information and back matter as well as fresh, bold art from award-winning artist Grace Lin. Beginning with government workers like firefighters and garbage collectors, and moving up through local government to the national stage, this book explains that the people in government work the voter. 

Fresh, contemporary, and even fun, When You Grow Up to Vote is the book parents and teachers need to talk to children about how our government is designed to work.

"Lively, lucid, and timely."
​
​    Kirkus (starred)

"This reissue is especially apropos in an era of increasing awareness and activism on the part of American youth."

    Publishers Weekly

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Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books

Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Chronicle Books
April 2017

"A stellar introduction to “the father of children’s ¬literature,” and a glorious example of dynamic bookmaking."
— School Library Journal (starred review)

“An effervescent tribute to publisher John Newbery." 
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 "
A child-pleaser." — Booklist (starred review)

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Northern Lights Book Award 2020
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Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Balzer & Bray
January 2016

“Smart and snappy…as inspiring as it is delightful.”
— Booklist (starred review)

“Both for fun and education…go-girl power and a good read.”
- Kirkus 


“Concisely outlines Clinton’s journey from activist to First Lady of Arkansas and on to Washington, D.C….Pham’s (the Freckleface Strawberry series) watercolors are steeped in period detail.”
- Publishers Weekly

"focuses on the mostly male political world Clinton had to navigate to get where she is...a lighthearted and cheering girl-power approach."
- Washington Post



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Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909

Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Balzer & Bray
January 2013

The 2014 Jane Addams Book Award for Younger Readers
The 2014 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Nonfiction from
Bank Street College
CBC


NCTE 2014 Orbis Pictus Honor Book,
Amelia Bloomer List


Starred reviews, School Library Journal, Kirkus
A Junior Library Guild selection

“The zingy images masterfully (and appropriately) incorporate fabric and stitches as well as old images of checks and time cards … This book has fighting spirit in spades-you go, Clara!”

— Booklist (starred review)

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It was chosen as one of 2013's Best Nonfiction Children's Books of the Year by School Library Journal, one of the top titles for 2013 by Book Links,and was a Nerdy Book Award winner for nonfiction.

Brave Girl was also featured in the TABLET magazine article:

"Not Just for Kids: Three Knockout Biographies Bring Three Awesome Jews to Life"

and came out in a PJ Library edition.


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The Fantastic Jungles
of Henri Rousseau

Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
September 2012

2013 PEN/Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing
Parents' Choice Gold Award 2013
Bank Street College Best Children's Books of 2013
Storytelling World Resource Award 2014
Northern Lights Book Award 2020


Starred review, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist
A Junior Library Guild selection

"Markel's simple, poetic text
("tropical plants fruit and flower into garlands,
rockets, and rosettes of color")
is matched with Hall's vivid, venturesome illustrations.
The bright watercolor-and-acrylic paintings have
an impressive vitality and wonderfully channel
Rousseau's fantastic motifs and his characteristic
use of flattened shapes and perspectives.
This lovely, child-friendly biography
evokes and celebrates this fabulous naif. "

— Kirkus Reviews


Click here for Teacher's Guide

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Tyrannosaurus Math

Illustrated by Doug Cushman
Tricycle Press/Random House

Scholastic Book Club edition: over 100,000 copies sold

Published in Japanese by Fukuinkan Shoten

"T-Math's enthusiasm for numbers and solutions to real-world problems makes this a title readers can sink their teeth into... The ultimate melding of a topic kids love with knowledge they need." — Kirkus

"This is a clever addition to the growing number of books that make a sometimes daunting subject both more understandable and just plain fun.


" — School Library Journal

Click here for Lesson Ideas

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Additional Titles

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Dreamer From the Village, Illustrated by Emily Lisker (Holt)
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Dream Town, Illustrated by Rick Reese (Heyday)
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Cornhusk, Silk & Wishbones: A Book of Dolls From Around the World (Houghton Mifflin)
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The Shark That Taught Me English, Illustrated by Bo Young Kim (Lectura)
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Gracias Rosa, Illustrated by Diane Paterson (Albert Whitman)


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