Calliope Kate and the Voice of the River by Karen Konnerth

Middle grade and young adult novels are my favorite reading, but who doesn’t love a great picture book? Calliope Kate was born on a shanty boat on the Mississippi River in the late 1800s. This tall-tale heroine can “out-shout a thundercloud, knit a sock big enough to keep a whole family warm, and pull every twist and turn out of the Mississippi River.” Ma says Kate must forget her wild ways and be more ladylike. But Kate surprises everyone when she puts her piano lessons to use by pounding out a sound so BIG on a Mississippi River steamboat calliope, that she tames a hurricane! Karen Konnertth uses her extensive work as a professional, world-traveled puppeteer in her storytelling and in her images to create a read-aloud book to be enjoyed over and over. Reading ages, 5-6. Interest level, all ages! (Pelican Publishing 2022)