Day: June 17, 2009

Pond Circle

| Tasha

Pond Circle by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Stefano Vitale

Follow the life cycle in a small pond as this story builds one layer on the next in a traditional folktale style.  The book starts with the “deep, still water” and moves from one plant to creature growing and growing.  This is a simple story that culminates in a young girl looking out from her window over the pond and seeing all of the creatures and plants mentioned.  By tying humans into the story, we are connected and reminded of the world around us in a subtle way.  I also appreciated as the repetition got to get lengthy that the phrasing changed slightly and was refreshed. 

The writing is excellent with small touches that make it very special.  I appreciate the descriptive language of “jade green algae” for instance.  What takes this book to a higher level is the art.  Painted on wood, the art incorporates the swirls of the wood grain into watery waves, sunset-lit clouds, and even wallpaper.  Ingeniously selected and painted to great effect, the paintings are stylish, colorful and reflect that traditional but modern feel of the entire book.

Highly recommended for units on life cycles, this book will work well with very small children who will enjoy the repetition but also with older children who will appreciate the science and style.  Appropriate for ages 2-7.

The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan

| Tasha

The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Richard Egielski

A glimpse of Victorian England and the theatre is offered in this book.  Through the lens of the Topsy-turvy kingdom, we meet the partners of Gilbert and Sullivan who collaborate on the operas.  The trouble in the kingdom is that Gilbert wants to write the same story over and over again with different settings while Sullivan wants to create the music for something completely new and grand.  The two men got in an enormous fight, with Sullivan declaring that he will no longer work with Gilbert.  The two part ways and after some time, Gilbert is inspired to write an opera set in Japan which is completely different from anything he has written before.  For this remarkable story, Sullivan created the best music of his life.

The tone of Winter’s writing is marvelously period at times, making sure that readers never lose sight of the time they are reading about.  He inserts these at just the right place where they are not intrusive and improve the pacing of the book.  Winter also gives each man a space of his own in the book, his own anger, his own frustration, his own creativity.  This is enhanced by the illustrations which often show the two men in neighboring buildings so that even when collaborating they are separate.  The illustrations are a nice mix of vintage and modern, just like the text.  Filled with bright colors and thick lines, they are cartoony and inviting.

This picture book is a longer one, allowing readers to really get a sense of the two people and the time period.  It is best read either with a small group of older children or given to a child with an interest in theater.  Recommended for ages 6-9.

Bravo Lisa Von Drasek!

| Tasha

Lisa Von Drasek, Children’s Librarian at the Bank Street Library of Education in New York, has written a great rebuttal to the sadly misinformed It Was, Like, All Dark and Stormy.  I especially appreciate the correction about librarians who “want to keep the book off the shelves.”  That certainly shows a misunderstanding of the role of librarians in selecting materials for teens!