Yesterday American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill welcomed attendees at the 21st Winter Institute with a story about the parallels between an unexpectedly difficult but beautiful hike she took years ago and what booksellers have experienced in the last few years:

"Many, many years ago--I was working on a cooperative farm in what was then Czechoslovakia--which is a much longer story for another day--but for today, I'm just going to tell you about a hike I took while I was there. I didn't have a map of the countryside or mountains around the village of Studenec where I was staying, but I could see the mountains and they were beautiful and it looked a little daunting but I was 21... so I decided to go hiking. I packed some water, shouldered my pack, and set out. And the first stretch was good. It was a steady trail and as I looked left I could see out over the countryside this group of women wearing colorful kerchiefs and hoeing potatoes. And as I kept walking, I got into the rhythm, took in the scenery--over to my right were old granite boundary stones set back from the path, and off in the distance was this majestic stone lookout tower. Then I hit the first switchback, and the trail got way steeper than I expected. So I tightened my little REI backpack straps, leaned forward, kept going.

Allison Hill

"And then the next switchback came. Steeper still. And then another and another. And each turn seemed to demand more of me than the last. The pack hadn't changed, but it sure felt heavier, and that sun sure felt hotter. I stopped paying attention to my footing, and I stopped enjoying the view, and I started worrying about if I was gonna make it and started thinking I don't want to do this anymore. But what kept me going were the moments of grace--a cloud drifted by and blocked the hot sun for a few moments, the trail suddenly plateaued and there was a flat stretch where I could catch my breath, and there was the occasional quiet nod from other hikers when we passed each other on the trail.

"Sound familiar? A series of switchbacks that began with the pandemic. Not one big challenge over the last five years, but a series of steeper and steeper switchbacks--and definitely no map for what you've been through. And some of you have dealt with far worse than my little hike--we'll call it snakes and steep drop-offs. And with each change of the incline, you've had to change your strategy unexpectedly. With each switchback that required you to double-back, you had to trust that you were still making progress. You had to accept along the way that the world is no longer mapped by a '5-Year Plan.' Often we aren't expecting the challenge that comes next.

"This journey you all have been on has been tremendous. From any perspective what you've been doing is hard. From my perspective--up here on this stage--it's been beautiful. And it's been important.

"During a loneliness epidemic, you've created spaces for people to gather and connect. During an era of disinformation, you've provided history and truth. During a time when the voices of Black people, trans people, people of color, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities at large are being silenced and erased, you continue to center and celebrate these vital stories. As the world has been flooded with AI-generated content, you've championed authors and illustrators, real people who put their hearts and souls into their books. And you've continued the day-to-day seemingly ordinary, but truly extraordinary, gesture of connecting readers with books that entertain them, reassure them, reflect them, challenge them, and often change them.

"I hope that while you've been doing that vital work your path has included those moments of grace that keep indie booksellers going--the young person who returns to tell you how much they loved the book you recommended, the customer who shares that your store feels like their refuge, the debut author who thanks you for hosting their very first event.

"And I hope this week Winter Institute offers you that same grace--a flat surface to catch your breath, a cloud to block the glaring sun for just a moment, and nods from 1,000 other hikers to quietly say, I see you, this is hard, but it's important and we're in it together."

"Independent booksellers are so important," said LeVar Burton, actor, literacy advocate, and host of the PBS series Reading Rainbow, during the opening breakfast keynote at Winter Institute 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pa., Tuesday morning. 

Janet Webster and LeVar Burton

Burton, who is also the American Booksellers Association's Indie Bookstore Ambassador for 2026, was in conversation with Janet Webster Jones, founder and co-owner of Source Booksellers in Detroit, Mich. They discussed some of his major roles as an actor, the power of reading, the importance of representation, and his upcoming memoir.

"What you all do is critical to that which it is I do," Burton continued. "You all hold the space for people like me. You create a safe space for us to come and browse and look around and turn pages. You are warriors on the front lines of the culture wars and I cannot thank you enough for doing what it is you do. Because without the infrastructure that makes up independent booksellers, I wouldn't know what to do with my life. Y'all really do make a difference in this world."

Asked about the power of reading, Burton described reading as the "fulfillment of the promise of humanity." People operate best when all of their senses are engaged, and for Burton, "reading just fires more cylinders than almost any activity that I can think of." And the most important of those cylinders, he said, is the imagination.

Burton recalled his childhood in Sacramento, Calif., where he spent a lot of time on his bed "reading and imagining a world that was safer than the one in which I lived, that was more welcoming than the world in which I lived." He said he's "come to believe that reading is really a passport to who you are and why you're here."

Discussing his role as Kunta Kinte in the 1977 mini-series Roots, Burton said it not only changed his life but gave him a "ringside seat to how it changed America." Prior to Roots appearing on television, people talked about slavery as "an economic engine that was necessary for America to achieve its status on the world stage." Post-Roots, "it was impossible to talk about that institution without considering the human cost." He called Roots creator Alex Haley the "best storyteller I've ever encountered" and "a real storyteller's storyteller."

On the subject of Star Trek: The Next Generation, on which Burton played the character Geordi La Forge, Burton noted that he grew up in a household that watched the original Star Trek series "all the time." He could "hardly express to you the feeling of having grown up with that storytelling and then become a part of that storytelling mythos itself."

He grew up in the 1960s, when there were "very few examples of representation on television." Seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise "meant that when the future came, there was a place for me," and along with seeing Sammy Davis Jr. in The Rifleman or Diahann Carroll in Julia, these were "important, formative images for me." They provided validation and confirmation that "there was a place in this world for me."

"I think the honor of my life is to have been able to portray the Black experience in America from our enslavement to the stars," Burton said. "And when you consider that LeVar, the Reading Rainbow guy, is in the middle of that continuum, I know why I'm here."

Burton, who walked with a cane due to a recent hip replacement surgery, also emphasized the importance of taking care of oneself. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, he recalled, he was living his life "like there was someone chasing me," and he felt he'd been "headed for a heart attack in an airport somewhere." The Covid lockdown gave him the opportunity to "not just slow down but stop," and while examining his priorities, he recognized the changes he needed to make "if I wanted to continue to be of service in this life."

Burton revealed that he has written a memoir called Take My Word for It (coming from Random House in November), explaining that he wrote the memoir because he felt it was important at this point in time to "go on the record about a lot of things." And while he's mostly let his work "speak as loudly for me as it can," he recognized there were "some gaps that my work did not address that I really wanted to discuss in detail." His "deepest desire" with the book is to be "as transparent as I possibly could." Booksellers, ultimately, "will be the judges of that."

In closing, Burton said he considered Alex Haley, Gene Roddenberry, and Fred Rogers to be his "three storyteller mentors," and while out in Pittsburgh before the conference, he was surprised to look up and see a "huge portrait" of Fred Rogers.

"You are in his neighborhood," Burton said. "Act accordingly." --Alex Mutter

Many indie booksellers are sharing their bookish joy on social media this week during ABA's Winter Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., including:

White Whale Books, Pittsburgh: "1,600 booksellers are descending on our city today for our national conference. This is our Super Bowl. Welcome to Stillers Tahn, Yinz!"

Neighborhood Reads, Washington, Mo.: "Hello from cold, snowy Pittsburgh! Dawn and Amanda toured awesome bookstores today at the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute! Dawn fell in love with @sparkbookspgh children's bookstore and Amanda basked in her for whales @whitewhalebks! Did you know Mr. Rogers grew up nearby and filmed his show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood here? We were lucky to see his stage in the nearby Heinz @historycenter! We are excited to be here with booksellers from across the country--people Mr. Rogers would have called 'helpers.' "

The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: "Melissa and Anna Rose are in Pittsburgh this week for Winter Institute! It's a bookseller's dream + it's snowing and Melissa and Anna Rose are very happy to see some snow. They are learning lots, fueled by copious amounts of coffee, and grabbing books left and right in the galley room to bring back to the team."

Brenham Book Nook, Brenham, Tex.: "This week Stefani and Maggie are attending Winter Institute (a bookseller industry conference) in Pittsburgh, Pa., where it is SNOWING!!! Wish us warmth!" 

Stone Soup Books, Waynesboro, Va.: "Stone Soup Books has arrived for the Winter Institute 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA! We drove through rain, sleet, snow and sunshine to get here--it's going to be a great week!!!!"

Ink Cap Books, Stoughton, Wis.: "So many friendly booksellers and beautiful stores were visited today! Stay Gold is a delightful little store with an excellent curation. White Whale is a beautiful store with friendly staff and a cafe! I appreciated their shelves of Whale themed books and gifts. Spark Books is a children's store full of whimsy and art. They had bead stations to make your own bracelet! Mystery Lovers welcomed us with a tote, coffee and cookies. What more could we ask for?"

Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books, Duck, N.C.: "Can yinz guess where #duckscottage is? Living the dream surrounded by #books and our tribe at #ABAwinterinstitute... stay tuned for more!"

Black Walnut Books, Glens Falls, N.Y.: "Self portrait of bookseller with galley room finds. Booksellers really really love books, and maneuvering in the galley room is basically an Olympic sport. I'm beyond excited about all of these incredible books, and can't wait to start reading them. Today our #abawinterinstitute keynote speakers were the legendary bookseller Miss Janet from @sourcebooksellers and @levar.burton which was incredible!"

Ink Drinkers Anonymous Bookstore, Muncie, Ind.: "We aren't in Indiana anymore. Keeley is currently excitedly attending #abawinterinstitute in Pittsburgh, PA this week. That means the shop will be closed until Saturday and we will come back ready to implement all the great things I learned."

Storyline Bookshop, Upper Arlington, Ohio: "We're out here in Pittsburgh for the annual industry conference to learn about new books JUST FOR YOU! So far we've heard from THE Levar Burton of Reading Rainbow and met with publishers about upcoming titles they are excited about. We also got to chat with our buds at @librofm and the amazing team at @bkmngr! Be back to Columbus soon with hot recommendations and new ideas for making Storyline the best community-centered bookshop in the world!"

The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, N.C.: "Maybe one of my favorite stories in all of the #abawinterinstitute #abawinterinstitute2026 @ujamaacommunitybookstore @kingsenglishbookshop @dragonflybooks."

Helianthus Books, Kansas City, Mo.: "I'm so excited to be in Pittsburgh for #ABAWinterInstitute to learn new things to make the store run more efficiently, to meet new and favorite authors, to find books that I know y'all will love, and to see bookseller friends both old and new."

During a press conference held at the Westin Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa., yesterday, the National Association of Black Bookstores unveiled its inaugural State of the Black Bookstore Report alongside the launch of the National Black-Owned Bookstore Directory. Together, they "document the scope and significance of Black-owned bookstores across the United States, while also examining the economic, structural, and systemic challenges many continue to face. The findings confirm both a meaningful increase in the number of Black-owned bookstores in recent years and persistent barriers that threaten long-term sustainability," NAB2 noted.

Kevin Johnson (l.), founder of NAB2, and Nosakhere Griffin, owner of Pittsburgh's Young Dreamers Bookstore

"The growth of Black-owned bookstores across the country reflects the strength and relevance of these institutions today," said Kevin Johnson, founder and board chair of NAB2. "This report establishes a clear national record of where Black bookstores are operating and how they function. By bringing this information together, we are creating a foundation that supports their continued presence and informs how the industry engages with them."

The State of the Black Bookstore Report offers new national data on bookstore locations, business models, revenue realities, and regional distribution, while elevating the voices and lived experiences of bookstore owners.

The National Black-Owned Bookstore Directory identifies Black-owned bookstores operating across the U.S, including bricks-and-mortar stores, mobile bookstores, pop-ups, and online sellers. The directory is intended to serve as a public-facing resource for readers, educators, authors, publishers, policymakers, and industry partners, while also functioning as foundational infrastructure for collective advocacy and support.

"Black bookstores have always done more with less," said Yvonne Blake, owner of Hakim's Bookstore in Philadelphia, Pa., and a member of NAB2's founding board. "We have survived by serving our people, protecting our stories, and holding space when few others would. This report tells the truth plainly. It honors the work that came before us while making clear what must change if these bookstores are going to be here for the next generation."

Among the report's key findings:

• There are currently 306 Black-owned bookstores operating in the United States, representing approximately 8% of all independent bookstores nationwide.
• Despite recent growth, 90% of Black-owned bookstores report annual revenue under $250,000, and 36% operate without a permanent bricks-and-mortar location.
• 14 states currently have no Black-owned bookstore, highlighting significant geographic gaps in access to Black literary spaces.

The report also highlights opportunities for alignment across bookstores, publishers, authors, and institutions committed to equity within the literary ecosystem. For more information, to access the report, or to explore the directory, go to www.nab2.org.

Marcella Smith, longtime bookseller and publisher, died on December 2. She was 78.

Her final and longest-lasting position was as a buyer for Barnes & Noble, where she also served as small press manager and head of vendor relations.

Marcella Smith

Smith's book career started in Washington, D.C., in the early 1970s, when she became a sales clerk at the Globe, a small bookshop near the White House. She soon became manager of the hardback department at Brentano's main Washington store, and, her obituary noted, "became a beloved fixture in the store, puffing away at Lucky Strikes as she kept track of inventory and the next big sellers, which she had a prescient knack for spotting. She had an oft-repeated refrain for such big hits of the day as Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough: 'It might not be great literature but it sells like hotcakes.' "

Her big break came in 1974, with the publication of All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. "Everyone in Washington wanted a copy, and Marcella ensured that Brentano's had copies on hand to sell. She spent hours on the telephone, calling warehouses and distribution centers around the country to secure books, and as soon as they arrived they flew out the door, hundreds of copies a day." 

She was promoted to the New York buying office, then became manager of the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bookstore. With the store's closure, Smith became a sales representative for St. Martin's Press and spent much of her time traveling around her territory in the Northeast and later served as director of special sales before leaving for Simon and Schuster and eventually Barnes & Noble.

Her obituary noted: "Marcella's apartment on West 46th Street, where she lived for more than 50 years, was a gathering spot for legions of friends, more than a few of whom found temporary lodging on the couch as they settled into life in the big city. From 1995 when she started sharing her life with her wife, Linda Mironti, parties and gatherings got bigger there and at their country home in Sandisfield, Mass.... They were both very active in the Sandisfield Art Center, and Marcella was quickly scooped up by the board to serve as board president for two years. She maintained an active presence, also chairing the program committee for many years, helping to secure art center events. In their almost 30 years together, Marcella and Linda traveled extensively, often in connection with Linda's duties as co-owner of Il Chiostro, a company offering workshops and programs in Italy with a focus on art, culture, food, and wine. Marcella's final trip with Linda was to Venice just a couple of months before her death, and on her return, she said she would always cherish the view of the Grand Canal from her window."

Smith left a message for her friends and family reassuring them that she was at peace with her passing. In her usual literary style, her farewell message was a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "So long and thanks for all the fish!"

More than 400 people packed Politics & Prose last Saturday for the bookstore's tribute to Book World, the Washington Post book section that was shut down earlier this month amid huge staff cuts. The event, introduced by Politics & Prose co-owner Bradley Graham, a Post alumnus (r.), featured former Book World editors and contributors, including Ron Charles, Michael Dirda, Rita Dove, John Williams, Steve Coll, Bob Woodward, Louis Bayard, Nora Krug, and more. The New York Times had an excellent account of the event, which can be viewed on YouTube.

In the wake of the recent mega-snowstorm, Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, Boston Mass., showcased its "Ski Beacon Hill" tote bag, noting: "We're not kidding... #skibeaconhill IRL!" And they weren't kidding about the temporary urban ski resort. 

"Love is in the air here at TCB!" the Cranford Bookstore in Cranford, N.J., posted recently on Instagram. "Huge congratulations to Sean and Cassandra! We're so honored to be a part of your story."

"People be like 'I needed this' and it's literally just 3 hours of unlimited reading time. Come and get'em." That was the sidewalk chalkboard message in front of Anthology for Books, Geneseo, Ill., which noted: "We don't sell time, but we DO sell the books you'll want to be reading when the time comes! And if you just want to come in and talk about how there are so many books and so little time, we're here for that, too."

Tomorrow:
The View: Lisa Rinna, author of You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It (Dey Street, $29.99, 9780063425330). She will also appear on Tamron Hall.

Mark Rylance and Shira Haas have joined the cast of TriStar Pictures' adaptation of Kristin Hannah's bestselling novel The Nightingale. Deadline reported that the project features Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, marking the first time the sisters have starred in a film together. Edmund Donovan also stars. Sony Pictures plans to release the film theatrically on February 12, 2027.

Michael Morris is directing from a script by Dana Stevens. The movie will be produced by Elizabeth Cantillon for The Cantillon Company, Dakota and Elle Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward for Lewellen Pictures, and Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine.

The Nightingale "tells the story of two sisters during World War II who dare to embark on separate, dangerous paths in the fight for survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France," Deadline noted.

A 13-book longlist has been revealed for the 2026 International Booker Prize, which recognizes the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the U.K. and/or Ireland. The shortlist of six books will be released March 31, and a winner named on May 19 in London. This year's prize is supported by Bukhman Philanthropies.  

The contribution of author and translator is given equal recognition, with the £50,000 (about $67,440) prize split evenly between them. Each shortlisted title receives £5,000 (about $6,745). The 2026 International Booker Prize longlisted titles are:

Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken
Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur, translated by Faridoun Farrokh
The Witch by Marie Ndiaye, translated by Jordan Stump
The Duke by Matteo Melchiorre, translated by Antonella Lettieri
On Earth as It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin
She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel
Small Comfort by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson
The Deserters by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell
The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, translated by David McKay
We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers
The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin

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The Association of American Publishers has unveiled finalists for the 50th annual Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) Awards, honoring scholarly works published in 2025. The subject category winners will compete for four awards--excellence in biological and life sciences, humanities, physical sciences and mathematics, and social sciences. The winners of those awards will compete for the top prize of the PROSE awards, the R.R. Hawkins Award.

Syreeta Swann, COO for the Association of American Publishers, said: "This year we are proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the PROSE Awards and delighted to announce that the 2026 finalists and category winners include a tremendously impressive selection of scholarly authorship. We send our congratulations to all of this year's honorees and look forward to the announcement of the 2026 PROSE Awards for Excellence winners, as well as the top prize, the R.R. Hawkins Award, in the weeks ahead."

To see a full list of the subject categories and finalists, click here.

photo: Melissa Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz is the author of 26 thrillers. His novels have won numerous literary awards and have been published in 33 languages. Additionally, he's written screenplays and TV scripts for major studios and networks, poetry, and is an award-winning documentary producer. He has also written comics for AWA, DC, and Marvel. Hurwitz currently serves as the co-president of International Thriller Writers. Currently, he is working against polarization in politics and culture. To that end, he's penned dozens of op-eds and pieces for the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, the Bulwark, Salon, and others. Antihero (Minotaur Books, February 10, 2026) is the 11th novel in the Orphan X series, continuing the story of Evan Smoak, once a black ops assassin for the government.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

A woman, brutally assaulted, demands that Orphan X observe a higher code in his pursuit of her attackers. Can he integrate mercy with assassin's vengeance?

On your nightstand now:

A Jack Reacher book by Lee Child. Natalie Babbitt: Tuck Everlasting. David Duchovny: Truly Like Lightning. David McCloskey: The Persian. Anthony J. Tata: Brace for Impact. Lisa Unger: Served Him Right. Beth Macy: Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America. Andrew Reid: The Survivor. Stephen Blackwood: The Consolation of Boethius as Poetic Liturgy. Daniel Quinn: Ishmael. Thomas Sowell: A Conflict of Visions. Jean-Paul Sartre: Anti-Semite and Jew. Ed Schmidt: 3 Plays. The Megillah of Esther. Mark Twain: A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage. Robert D. Crouse: Images of Pilgrimage. Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People. The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary. Water bottle. Page points from Levenger.

Favorite book when you were a child:

Any of the Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators mysteries by Robert Arthur. They were charming and twisty and fun.

Your top five authors:

William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Harris, C.S. Lewis, Robert B. Parker.

Book you've faked reading:

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Book you're an evangelist for:

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Incredible exploration of the truth that fiction can hold.

Book you hid from your parents:

They tried to hide books from me--Alex Comfort's The Joy of Sex, Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear, Peter Benchley's Jaws, etc.

Book you've bought for the cover:

U.K. book club edition of Peter Benchley's The Deep.

Book that changed your life:

The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis had a brilliant psychologist's mind, digging deep into the human mind and soul here to explore how to corrupt it for evil.

Favorite line from a book:

"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking." --Joan Didion

Five books you'll never part with:

The Riverside Shakespeare. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.

Which is more important, plot or character:

Plot is character in motion, nothing more.

An unconventional, fancifully illustrated Spanish import picture book explores resilience and the cycle of life through one house, which is constructed, occupied, and abandoned, only to be reclaimed by nature.

"The house was built in the summer, and even the heat rested in its shade." A family moves in and the house is happy. They plant a garden, pick fruit from the trees, and find shelter from the weather. The two light-brown-skinned, curly-haired children romp gleefully in the yard and wrestle with their dog. Love and warmth emanate from the house. "The family looked after the house. And the house looked after the family." One stormy night, though, the roof is struck by lightning, and the family must move away. The house is sentient enough to wonder what will become of it with no one there. And what will "stop strangers from wandering in"?

Strangers do wander in, but it might not be the disaster the house anticipates. Ants march across the pretty tiles, a cow peeks in, a rabbit nibbles on a radish under the table. Trees sprout through the floor and then through the roof. The house merges into nature, becoming "just another living thing." Eventually, it discovers that it still has work to do as a shelter, and that it "never stopped being a house."

With minimal words, author/musician/puppeteer Alberto Martín, also known as NiñoCactus, crafts a touching story that exudes the comfort of a home well loved by all living things. Translator Jon Brokenbrow melodically translates NiñoCactus's words: "The wind, still smelling of smoke, called it a ruin, and the house fell silent." Celia Sacido's pleasing illustrations occasionally use a naïve style while relying primarily on simple line drawings and elaborately detailed mixed-media artwork. Sacido (The Walk) captures both the lushness and the starkness of life: the inhabited house is riotous with color until a scribble of wind transitions the house to the lonely days following the abandonment. The pages that follow are almost bare except for snowflakes, a few birds, and leafless trees. Gradually, soft muted tones take over, with occasional pops of bright pink and teal to reflect the splendor of nature as the animals settle into their home. The House is a vibrant and encouraging picture book that is likely to transfix readers of all ages. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor

Shelf Talker: The natural rhythms of the living world surprise and reassure in this beguilingly illustrated, out-of-the-ordinary picture book, translated from Spanish.