Books

Books

Boynton, Ma Join Forces For 'Jungle Night,' A Book With Soundtrack, Video

8:32am April 24, 2021

Author and illustrator Sandra Boynton teamed up with cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma for Jungle Night — a playful board book for toddlers. They talk with NPR's Scott Simon about the project.

Aaron Yang: Voracious Reader Or Giant Pain To Librarians?

8:32am April 24, 2021

by Anne Ford

There are more than 9,000 public libraries in the U.S., and Aaron Yang has been trying to win summer reading prizes from as many as he can. Not all librarians are happy about it.

Books

Memoir Looks Back On When Nyamayaro's Life Was Set On A Path

8:32am April 24, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon talks to humanitarian and ex-U.N. senior adviser Elizabeth Nyamayaro about her book: I Am a Girl from Africa. She was born in Zimbabwe and dreamed of working for the United Nations.

What's Not to Love, by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Books
Arts

'What's Not To Love'? Only A Few Moments In This Otherwise Charming Story

7:00am April 24, 2021

by Alethea Kontis

The married-in-real-life team of Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka have a new YA romance, about a toxic (maybe too toxic) high school rivalry that, of course, turns to love in the end.

Books

How The Culture Of Black Pain Can Both Hurt And Help Black Americans

4:29pm April 23, 2021

NPR's Mary Louse Kelly talks with African Americans and the Culture of Pain author Debra Walker King about how Black pain can be a double-edged sword, used to both benefit and hurt Black Americans.

Books

Closed During The Pandemic, English Bookstores And Libraries Reopen

5:51am April 23, 2021

One book store owner told the Guardian newspaper, "We've had people trying to smell the books through their masks, and perfectly respectable middle-aged people acting like kids in a sweet shop."

Cartographer Alina (Jessie Mei Li) maps her own fate in Netflix's fantasy series, Shadow and Bone.

Books
Arts

'Shadow And Bone': Netflix's Latest Fantasy Series Is Tsar-tlingly Bingeable

5:00am April 23, 2021

by Glen Weldon

Netflix's new fantasy series contains many familiar elements, but a twisty, fast-moving plot and smart storytelling decisions make it a satisfying, eminently bingeable meal.

"I am overjoyed, excited, and eager to be guest-hosting Jeopardy!" says LeVar Burton, after an online petition helped propel him into the group of hosts for the long-running game show.

An 'Overjoyed' LeVar Burton Welcomes Chance To Guest-Host 'Jeopardy!'

5:06pm April 22, 2021

by Bill Chappell

"I've had my eye on that job for a long time," the actor and director said recently. Nearly 250,000 people have signed a petition backing his dream.

Books

In 'Crying In H Mart' Michelle Zauner Grapples With Food, Grief And Identity

4:26pm April 22, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Michelle Zauner, a musician who performs under the name Japanese Breakfast, about her memoir, Crying in H Mart. It's an exploration of grief, food and identity.

Children make an image of the Earth with green materials at a kindergarten on the 52nd Earth Day on April 22 in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province of China.

Looking For A Way To Mark Earth Day? Try These Movies, Songs, Books And More

2:45pm April 22, 2021

by NPR Staff

When you come back inside after celebrating Earth with a walk or by planting some trees, check out these ways NPR's Arts & Culture team has connected with our Mother Earth via the arts.