What’s more exciting than cracking open a book and recognizing your own neighborhood? Here are three new picture books featuring fun and history from the Baltimore area.
First, we have Poe’s Road Trip to Ravens Gamedaywritten by the Ravens mascot Poe and illustrated by Brian Martin. Poe begins his week pumping iron at Merritt Athletic Club, shares his favorite story (The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, of course) on the Ravens Bookmobile, visits Maryland’s capital city, goes down the ocean, visits several Baltimore-area landmarks and ends the week on game day at M&T Bank Stadium. Anyone can appreciate this jaunt around Maryland, but football fans will be especially enamored.
For another exciting tale penned by a local bird, check out The Autobiography of a Pigeon Named Pete: A True Baltimore Story by Pete the Pigeon, interpreted by Gary Meyers and illustrated by Stephanie Helgeson. This book tells the true tale of a pigeon with ordinary beginnings in an ordinary Baltimore row home who went on to live a long, happy and extraordinary life with his “person” Muriel. Although the story is largely based on news articles, author Meyers has a special connection to this special pigeon — Muriel is his mother.
Finally, we have Night-Night Maryland: A Sleepy Bedtime Rhyme by Katherine Sully and illustrated by Helen Poole. Young readers will recognize the Baltimore-centric landmarks, from sleeping animals at the Maryland Zoo and the ducklings of Patterson Park to the quiet darkness of Fort McHenry and Port Discovery at night. The short, pleasant rhymes make for a nice final book before bed.
