Panda and Polar Bear

April 27, 2009 | Tasha

Due out in June, 2009.

Two kinds of bears lived on either side of a cliff. The snowy landscape at the top of the cliff housed polar bears and down below in the green of bamboo lived pandas. One day, a very curious young polar bear leaned too far over the cliff and fell. Luckily he landed in a deep puddle of mud which colored his limbs deep brown. When he rubbed his eyes, he looked just like a panda. It was then that a young panda found him. The two played merrily together, until the polar bear swam after some fish in a pool and the mud washed off. Would the panda accept him as he really was?

Baek’s illustrations are bundles of color surrounded by white, the watercolor offering distinctive differences between the two environments. The bears are done with simple, strong lines that are perfect for children. The writing is nicely simple and clear, offering what happens and not commentary on it, which is very pleasant. Teachers and parents will appreciate this book about our differences and similarities and how both are to be celebrated.

This simple, straight-forward book will find a niche in classrooms as a source of discussion about our different qualities. It is also a nice read-aloud on bears and can be taken lightly by younger children. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

NOTE: This book was sent to me via email in the form of a pdf. Though I am still reluctant to review longer books online, I am happy to say that picture books work well for me in this format.

LA Times Book Prize

April 27, 2009 | Tasha

The LA Times Book Prizes were announced this weekend.

The winner is

Nation by Terry Pratchett!

They had a really strong field for Young Adult Literature:

The Lincolns by Candace Fleming

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos

Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell

Nebula and Norton Winners

April 27, 2009 | Tasha

If you recall, I had cheered when several YA novels were up for the Nebula Award. And one won!

Powers by Ursula Le Guin won this year’s Nebula Award.

The winner of the Andre Norton Award is

Flora’s Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce.

I admit that I haven’t read either of these, so they weren’t the ones I was rooting for. I am pleased to have YA titles so fully embraced by this award this year.

2009 Carnegie Medal Shortlist

April 25, 2009 | Tasha

Thanks to Educating Alice for the link to the shortlist!

Here are the shortlisted titles:

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Love Boyce but haven’t gotten my hands on this one yet! I haven’t seen that it’s been released in the states yet.)

Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks

Airman by Eoin Colfer (Great read for anyone who enjoys a good action/adventure tale with a very smart protagonist)

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (An incredible read. This is my prediction for the win.)

Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson

Quiet Bunny

April 24, 2009 | Tasha

Quiet Bunny by Lisa McCue

Quiet Bunny loves the many sounds of his forest home: the morning birds, the wind rustling the leaves. His favorite time of day is in the evening when the meadow is filled with the night song of so many animals. Quiet Bunny wishes that he could join the night song, so he wishes upon a star that he will get his own sound to make. The next morning, Quiet Bunny tries to sing like a bird, croak like a frog, hiss like a snake, and make other noises, but he still can’t make any noise. An Owl seeing Quiet Bunny trying so hard, tells him to just be himself and he will find a sound.

McCue’s illustrations are filled with the bounty of the forest and all of its inhabitants. They are busy, friendly and beaming with warmth. Quiet Bunny himself is very fluffy and shows his emotions clearly. I see in McCue’s dedication that the book “targets sounds that are instrumental for early speech development and pre-reading/reading skills.” I just know that children of all sorts will enjoy making the noises of the animals together and following the story of Quiet Bunny. It is a gentle story that will speak to children with differing abilities.

A great read-aloud for spring and one to add to your pile of preschool read-alouds about rabbits. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

I Need My Monster

April 24, 2009 | Tasha

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

When Ethan checks under his bed, he finds a note from his monster:

Gone Fishing. Back in a week. –Gabe

Ethan needed a monster under his bed to sleep. He missed the ragged breathing, the sound of claws on the floor, and the green ooze. So Ethan taps on the floor and waits. A series of monsters appears, each one missing one of the important qualities Ethan needs. Finally, after rejecting his fourth monster, Gabe returns to fill Ethan’s sleep with his own special scariness.

This clever book could have been trite and contrived, but instead is filled with good humor and vivid monster characters. As one monster after another appears, they stay distinct and unique from one another. Each is visually different, but they also have different speech patterns, making them a treat to read aloud.

McWilliam’s illustrations done in pencil with digital acrylic paint are vivid and will appeal to fans of Pixar films since they have a similar quality. McWilliam uses interesting perspectives and demonstrates a lot of humor in his work. A perfect pairing with the text.

This book is ideal for pajama story times because the monsters are frightening but great fun. It reads aloud well and offers readers a great range of voices and sound effects. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

New Author Blog

April 24, 2009 | Tasha

Teaching Authors is contributed to by six children’s book authors who are all working teachers. They are April Halprin Wayland, Carmela Martino, Esther Hershenhorn, Jeanne Marie Grunwell Ford, JoAnn Early Macken and Mary Ann Rodman. Whew!

They have a planned schedule of blogging, which I’m sure is very important for group blogs. I look forward to hearing their unique perspective on using children’s literature in classrooms and being children’s book authors.

This is definitely a new blog to keep an eager eye on!

Twenty Heartbeats

April 23, 2009 | Tasha

Twenty Heartbeats by Dennis Haseley, illustrated by Ed Young.

A very wealthy man wanted a painting of his favorite horse so he commissioned a portrait by Homan, known as a great painter of horses. Homan observed the horse for only a short while and then told the wealthy man that he would call him when it was ready. The wealthy man returned home and waited a day, a week, a month, several years, then several more years. Finally, he stormed to Homan’s home and demanded to know what was going on. Homan took a paintbrush and painted the picture right then and there. The wealthy man was insulted and very angry, assuming that Homan had never worked on the piece. Until he glimpsed the extent of Homan’s work.

Haseley’s text takes a difficult piece and makes it very accessible and gripping even though much of the book is spent awaiting the painting. Young’s illustrations are done in collage and are very successful. They range from intricate portraits of people and horses to landscapes that evoke awe. He manages with pieces of paper to create a world where readers will happily immerse themselves.

A beautiful collaboration of art and story, this book will have elementary-age children discussing what the wealthy man learned in the end. Appropriate for ages 6-9.