Month: May 2009

Ten Days and Nine Nights

| Tasha

Ten Days and Nine Nights: an adoption story by Yumi Heo

A little girl waits for ten days and nine nights for her new sister to arrive.  As each day passes, she prepares for the new baby, keeping a countdown all the while.  She helps redecorate her room, practices with a doll, washes her teddy bear, and waits.  In between the little girl’s activities, readers will glimpse what is going on with her mother in Korea as she travels there to get the baby. 

Heo’s text is friendly and the countdown keeps the pace of the book brisk.  Her art is filled with sunshine yellows and deep reds, a palate that is warm and bright.  The images featuring the mother in Korea are done in deep blue tones with bright pops of color, making the two settings easily distinguishable for young readers. 

An engaging look at an older siblings waiting for an adoption to be complete, this is a universal story that all readers will relate to whether their siblings are adopted or not.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

One World, One Day

| Tasha

One World, One Day by Barbara Kerley

When I was a kid, I loved looking through my mother’s new Unicef calendars every year.  Each page featured children who were like me, but different too.  I would pore over the captions, decide where I wanted to travel based on the smiles, clothes and colors.  This book from National Geographic has that same sense of connection but difference for me. Kerley has paired very simple text with amazing photographs, each more evocative and fascinating than the last.  This book is about our global connection, celebrating our world in its entirety and uniqueness. 

Kerley’s text is simple but powerful.  She provides just the right thread to tie the photographs together, yet she manages to allow the photos to speak for themselves too.  For children like I was, there is lots of information in the appendix about each photograph, offering captions and geographical notes.  My only quibble is that the appendix refers to page numbers and the pages are unnumbered.  Luckily there are thumbnail images to help match page to information.

So which areas spoke to me here?  Where do I want to travel based on these photos?  Many of the images of India spoke to me with their deep colors and friendly faces.  From this collection, I would have yearned to travel there.  And as an adult?  I still do.

This book reads aloud well, though children will want to know what country the photos are from and what is happening in them.  I suggest using this with smaller groups or single children so that you can discuss and enjoy it entirely.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Guardian Longlist

| Tasha

The Guardian children’s fiction longlist has been announced.  Dark-themed books are the bulk of the list with a distinct lack of vampires.  Who would ever have thought that dark and deep novels would be a refreshing change of pace!

Here is the list:

Genesis by Bernard Beckett (available in the US)

Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd (coming to the US in October 2009)

The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner (coming to the US in September 2009)

Then by Morris Gleitzman (Don’t think this is available yet in the US.  Not clear.)

Rowan the Strange by Julie Hearn (not in the US yet)

Exposure by Mal Peet (not in the US yet)

Nation by Terry Pratchett (like this cover much better than the US one!)

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (coming July 2009)

Booklist’s Top 10 Science Fiction/Fantasy

| Tasha

Booklist has listed its top picks for science fiction and fantasy in 2009.  There are two lists.  The first is for youth and the second for adults, but as we know teens love to read adult science fiction/fantasy titles.

The youth list is a great one!  Books I had yet to read mixed with my favorites of the year. 

Top 10 Science Fiction/Fantasy for Youth

 

Attica by Garry Kilworth

The Carbon Diaries.2015. by Saci Lloyd

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

 

Top SF/Fantasy

All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum

The Best of Lucius Shepard by Lucius Shepard

The Caryatids by Bruce Sterling

Crazy Love by Leslie What

Crusade by Taylor Anderson

Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey

The Man with the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove

We Never Talk about My Brother by Peter S. Beagle

Catching Fire

| Tasha

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This second book in the Hunger Games Trilogy returns us to the world of Katniss who is now enjoying her winnings.  Things are good.  Her family now lives comfortably in the Victor’s Village, and she hunts outside the gates for fun rather than survival.  Her only trouble is the continuing confusing relationship with her and Peeta.  Then you throw Gale into the mix too and Katniss really doesn’t know where her heart lies or if it lies anywhere!  Katniss has had time to enjoy her winnings and now must head out with Peeta to tour the Districts as a loving couple.  And with that tour, everything changes.

Collins has once again created a book that is gripping, tense and a riveting read.  Her world is even more completely evolved in this second novel, drawing readers deeply into the story and its setting.  Katniss and the other beloved characters continue to be strongly written and are obviously deeply understood by the author who puts them into impossible situations which they react to with their own unique personality but still grow and change realistically.

Collins excels at writing books with twists and turns.  Some of which are so shocking that I had to re-read the page to make sure I had read it correctly the first time.   Though one never knows what is going to happen next, readers can be sure they are in great hands.  This is like a roller coaster ride in book form!

An amazing second novel, this book will be worth the wait!  I promise!

Maybelle, Bunny of the North

| Tasha

Maybelle, Bunny of the North by Keith Patterson

Maybelle is a little bunny who lives in Homer, Alaska.  The book follows her through some of the things she does there.  She does many things that most children do: plays in the snow, watches the night sky, plays in the park, takes a bath, and is read to at bedtime.  But some of the things she does are uniquely Alaskan: watching the float planes take off from the lake and looking for moose in the fireweed.  The book illustrations have a hand-painted feel to them and are filled with blue skies, red flowers, and the sheltering mountains.

This is a short, gentle story that allows small children to see that people who live in different parts of the world and even the US itself have both commonalities and differences.  It would be an interesting discussion to talk with children about what makes their area of the world unique.  What do they consider every day things that others may be surprised and delighted by? 

Patterson has created a story with a nice pacing.  It is firmly grounded in Homer, Alaska and it is a pleasure to read a picture book for very young children with such a strong sense of place.  The progression through the day will be very familiar to all children, and the surprises of the uniquely Alaskan moments will be enjoyed by all as well.

Appropriate for ages 2-4, this book is simple and satisfying.

My Japan

| Tasha

My Japan by Etsuko Watanabe

This book provides a fascinating look into the life of a 7-year-old Japanese girl named Yumi.  Readers get to see her house, her room, what school is like, the public bath, and the holidays she celebrates.  There are so many things that are similar to our lives in the United States and so many that differ.  The illustrations are friendly and offer the reader additional information.  Personally, I am intrigued by the trapdoor in the kitchen floor that opens to an extra storage area.  Children will find their own things to be intrigued about, ask questions about and explore.  Most American children will be amazed by the concept of the public bath.

Watanabe does an excellent job of showing how similar we are and yet allowing readers to really see the differences in the societies we live in.  The illustrations are done in a very welcoming style that invites readers to look closely at the details.   This is a very nice introduction to Japan and its modern culture through the eyes of a child.

Recommended for children studying Japan or Japanese as well as children who are interested in other cultures.  With its friendly, inviting style, this book is a welcome addition to any library.

Heart of a Shepherd

| Tasha

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry.

Brother is the youngest of five brothers and the last one at home with his father and grandparents at the ranch.  The work is hard and though Brother tries to be the best rancher just like his father, he wonders if this is the right place for him.  With the Iraq War heating up, his father’s reserve unit is called to duty for 14 months.  Now Brother is helping his grandparents run the ranch after promising his father that he would make sure when he returned nothing had changed.  But things do change and along the way, Brother finds his own path in life.

I’m not sure I can do this book justice in my brief review.  It intertwines heavy subjects, but manages to keep them all balanced and never succumbs to heavy handed tactics.  Parry creates a family of soldiers with a pacifist grandfather who never questions his son’s duty and his grandson’s choices.  She creates a strong grandmother, the central female figure in the story, who can hold her own with any man without losing her femininity.  She has five brothers who act like brothers do, who fight, ignore, trample, but also support one another without question.  This is a book about duty, honor, and bravery.  It is a book that celebrates all of us, no matter what side we are on, where we are from, what we are doing. 

I must also mention the incredible handling of religion in the novel.  The family has a Quaker grandfather while the rest of them are Catholic.  This is a fact, not a point of contention.  Faith is deftly woven into the dialogue, the thought process, the lives of these characters.  Faith in all forms, faith as a simple part of life.  It creates a book that is deeply spiritual, mixing duty, honor and faith.

I consider this a true contender for the Newbery medal.  It may not be a book that flies off of the shelves.  The cover is lovely and just right for the tone of the book, but this quiet, strong book may have trouble competing with the covers of louder, gorier, and more strident books.  This is the sort of book that will be read in classrooms, shared with friends, loved by all ages, and cherished by many.  It is appropriate for many ages.  I would read it to older elementary children, share it with adults, and recommend it to everyone.

New Moon Poster

| Tasha

ComingSoon.net has the brand new New Moon poster.   Here it is:

So what do you think?  As a non-fan I bow to the expertise of my readers!