Month: April 2009

One Giant Leap

| Tasha

One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh, paintings by Mike Wimmer.

In this stunning picture book, Wimmer’s remarkably realistic and expressive paintings are paired with Burleigh’s evocative and powerful verse.  Together the two capture the feeling of the moonwalk for Americans in 1969.  Children who have long known we reached the moon will be caught up in the drama of the landing and the uncertainty of the astronauts’ safe return. 

Burleigh’s poetry dances with a rhythm and deft pacing.  When readers are holding their breath with the tension, the poems come to a near halt too.  When readers are celebrating the accomplishment the poetry races, lifts, and spins.  Wimmer’s paintings are equally successful as they capture views that couldn’t be seen, scenes that were never viewed before.  They too are filled with realism, fear, and continually hope.

A masterful pairing of paintings and verse, this book soars.  Highly recommended for classrooms talking about the moon landing as well as children who are interested in space.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

VOYA’s Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

| Tasha

VOYA has released their list of the best sci fi, fantasy and horror for teens in 2008.  I usually love their lists, but this one in my mind is lacking.  And really, for such a lengthy list, it should not have missed so many of my favorite titles. 

I applaud the inclusion of Hunger Games, Adoration of Jenna Fox, and Melting Stones, plus of course The Graveyard Book.  But where are some of my other favorites?

Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Dead Girl Walking by Linda Joy Singleton

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Digging for Jewels

| Tasha

The incredible Sheila Ruth of Wands and Worlds has posted a thought-provoking piece on the influence of best sellers and marketing on what we read, what gets reviewed and what gets our attention. 

As I say in my comment on her post, the incredible CCBC Choices list is a great place to go and find some of the hidden gems in literature for children and teens.  They emphasize great writing and multiculturalism.  And to get a feel for what Wisconsin librarians get to see each year, check out their webinar presentations!  They know how to really get you fired up about books you have never heard of.

I do think that as bloggers we are in the perfect place to highlight books that are hidden gems.  I’m wondering if we could do a special event each month where we all provide a great find to gain it attention?  A Have You Heard Of… kind of deal.

Personally, I get caught up in the hype of books myself, especially the PR for teen novels.  Boy do they know how to sell a book to a librarian!  So after reading Sheila’s post, I look forward to digging through some of the lesser-known titles waiting in my stacks and seeing what I find. 

What about you?  Are you willing to take a risk and dig for jewels too?

Little Chick

| Tasha

Little Chick by Amy Hest, illustrated by Anita Jeram.

This is a picture book that creates a world with just a few words, great characters, and wonderful illustrations.  Little Chick has three stories in this book.  One involves a small carrot, the second a stubborn kite and the third the wonder of stars.  Hest works with repetition that links all three stories together as well as a gentle style that is happy and warm.  The two characters of Little Chick and Old-Auntie (a big hen) are classic and yet fresh here.  The relationship between the two is lovely to read as Old-Auntie understands Little Chick and gently guides her to try another way. 

Hest has just the right amount of text here which is presented in a nice big font.  The book reads aloud well and though it has three stories in it is the length and size of a regular picture book.  Jeram’s illustrations are light, energetic and simply delightful.  They capture the vivacious little bird, the security and stature of the hen, and the beauty of garden, hillside and night while retaining their fresh light approach.

The perfect spring book, these stories are classic, gentle and lovely.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

| Tasha

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.

Escape from all of the teen vampire novels and into the arms of this stunning zombie novel.  Mary lives in a village surrounded by fences that are the only thing that keep the Unconsecrated out.  Every day they swarm the fences, trying to get in and feast on the living.  Anyone bitten by them turns into a zombie.  Recently, Mary’s father disappeared into the surrounding forest and never returned.  Her mother goes to the fences to see if she can see him in the throng of zombies.  One day her mother goes to the fence alone and is bitten.  Mary has to choose whether she should be killed outright or turned outside the fences to join the zombies there.  She decides to allow her mother to exit the village, a decision her brother refuses to forgive her for.  Mary has two choices as a teen girl in her village.  She can marry and continue the human race or join the Sisterhood, a church group that rules the village.  But she is satisfied with neither choice.  Could there be a third?

I found this book absolutely gripping while reading.  The tension of the village existing by itself surrounded by forest and zombies, the absolute power of the Sisterhood, the strain of families constantly losing people to the Unconsecrated, and the tension of Mary trying to fit in but not be overcome by the society she lives in.  Ryan’s writing is thrilling, bloody and unflinching.  She has created a zombie book that embraces the zombie traditions of blood-thirst and refusal to quit.  It is a joy to see a book so fresh based on such long-standing traditions.

After finishing the book, I was a little less happy.  I found a real lack of answers about this world we found ourselves in.  I didn’t mind the abrupt ending, but I did think that the world itself needed to be fleshed out more and that without some insight into the world it seemed very incomplete.  I will be eager to read subsequent books to see if answers appear, but at this point I am concerned that the thrilling action has overtaken the world building.

I also was confused by Mary’s utter desire for one boy and then her turning away from him when they were finally together only to turn back when faced with losing him.  It made me question this character’s strength and judgment.  I wouldn’t have minded if there was some reason given for the inconsistency, but there was nothing. 

Despite my quibbles, teens will adore this book.  Who could ask for more than zombies, gore and true love?  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother

| Tasha

I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother by Selina Alko

A boy wonders what his new sibling will look like when he/she is born.  With his parents the colors of semisweet dark chocolate and strawberry cream milk, there are many colors that his new sibling could be.  And what about hair, lips, nose and eyes?  So many combinations are possible!

This book is written with such love and attention to detail that it sings.  Not only a lovely book for mixed-race families, but a book for all families who all have differences and similarities that should be embraced.  Alko writes about colors in a way that brings them to life, we know just what a “jelly-bean smile” is like, what “ginger cookie brown” is and one of my favorites: “cinnamon sand castle.”  This speaks to the myriad of colors, shades, and hues humans come in.  It is a thrilling world of acceptance and love.

One of my favorite memories as a children’s librarian was traveling to ALA with the daughter of an African-American co-worker.  She and I bonded on the trip and she spent an evening looking at my skin, talking about how we were the same and different.  My freckles and moles set me firmly apart!  But some of them were almost her skin color.  This book brought that sweet moment out of my memory bank.  For that alone, it was a treat to read.

Share this with all the families at your library.  It is one to be shared with new older siblings but also one that can lead to great discussions and even greater acceptance in our children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Chicken Little

| Tasha

Chicken Little by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley.

We all know the story of Chicken Little. Bonked on the head with an acorn, loses his grip and heads out to tell everyone of the horror that the sky is falling.  He gathers a group of feathery friends who believe him and then meets up with the fox who knows just how to take advantage of the opportunity presented to him.  The only question with any new edition of the story is whether Chicken Little lives on in the end.  Let me reassure you that here he does, so it is fine to use even with sensitive toddlers and preschoolers.

What makes this book a great version of the story is that the words are kept to a minimum and even with those few words there is a lot of humor.  Each bird has his or her own little sound that they  make, from Chicken Little’s EEP! to Loosey Goosey’s ONK!  And take a look at that cover, Emberley’s art is zany, colorful and almost kaleidoscopic at times.  It perfectly matches the tone of the text. 

A winning version of this classic tale, this may just be the best read aloud version I have seen.  The art will project well to a large crowd too.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Jumped

| Tasha

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

Inspired by the dramatic increase of girl-on-girl violence, Williams-Garcia has given us a day in high school leading up to a violent incident.  Dominique is already angry that her grades are keeping her off the basketball court, but when Trina pushes past her that is the last straw.  She knows that she can’t just take the disrespect, she has to react.  Trina is oblivious to the what happened with Dominique since she is rushing to hang her artwork in the gallery.  Trina is self-absorbed and very confident knowing that everyone in the school likes her. Leticia witnesses the event and knows that Dominique is angry and has threatened revenge.  But what if she didn’t see what she thought she did?  Is it worth getting involved?

In rotating chapters, the reader gets to see the school day from each girl’s point of view.  Each girl has her own unique voice, way of speaking and way of approaching the world of school.  Williams-Garcia excels at making internal dialogue gripping and at the same time revealing.  She has also created characters that will get readers thinking.  All of the girls are complicated and so the fight is complicated as well.  This is not a stark world where there is good and evil, but a real place where all of us are a mix of the two.  It is a treat to read a book where the author is not afraid of making the victim vain and the instigator a sympathetic character.

This book is ripe for discussion.  Recommended for both school and public libraries.  Appropriate for ages 14-16.

The Man Who Lived in a Hollow Tree

| Tasha

The Man Who Lived in a Hollow Tree by Anne Shelby and Cor Hazelaar.

An Appalachian folk tale is turned into a charming picture book with this title.  Harlan Burch was a man who lived in a hollow sycamore tree.  He was a carpenter and knew immediately when he saw the grand hollow tree that he wanted to make it his home.  He lived there for years and years, planting trees.  Then something magical happened and he began to get younger.  He courted and wed and had a brood of children who all lived in the family tree.  And there he lived and lived and lived for a good long time.

The folklore is woven in the very cloth of this tale.  Repetition and rhythm tie it even more firmly to oral storytelling.  Shelby has done a wonderful job of telling a tale simply but with style.  Hazelaar’s illustrations are acrylic on linen which make them feel quilted, adding to the resonance of the book.  Additionally, she included small quilting squares in each of the illustrations that help tell the story.

A friendly and warm folk tale that reads well aloud, this book is ideal for an Arbor Day story time or for any green or Earth Day unit.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.