Month: September 2009

Stick Man

| Tasha

 

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Stick Man lives in his family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their three stick children.  One morning when out for an early morning jog, he is seized by a dog and used to play fetch.  Then a girl finds him and uses him for a game of Pooh Sticks.  On his misadventures go as he is woven into a swan’s nest, used as a mast for a flag on a sand castle, and many more things.  The seasons change and he becomes the arm of a snowman until finally he is laid in the fireplace as a perfect piece of kindling.  But never fear, someone approaches with a Ho-ho-ho who will make sure that Stick Man gets back to his family.

Donaldson’s words are a delight to read aloud.  She has refrains that repeat as Stick Man is captured by the next person.  She uses rhythm throughout the book to create a brisk pace and jauntiness.  With her style, there is no fear that the repetition in the storyline will become stale.  Scheffler’s illustrations reflect that same jaunty, energetic quality.  They are funny and clever.  I found myself charmed by small details like the Stick Lady’s hair and skirt.  His illustrations gently mark the change in seasons from spring through to Christmas. 

While this is a Christmas book in the end, it is also just a delightful read that could work for talk about the seasons.  It would also make a great inspiration story for children to build their own characters from sticks, twigs, leaves and pipe cleaners.  What fun!  A brilliant read-aloud, this book deserves a spot on the crowded Christmas shelves.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Secret World of Walter Anderson

| Tasha

The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass, illustrated by E. B. Lewis.

This picture book biography offers such a strong portrait of American master Walter Anderson that readers will find themselves transported to a different place and viewing things from a new perspective.  Readers follow Anderson on his twelve mile journey to Horn Island, long and solitary row from the mainland.  Though there were no people on the island, Anderson had companions in the animals that lived there.  He kept a journal of his time on the island and of course created art while he was there for weeks at a time.  After presenting Anderson’s unique way of working, the book builds tension about what is in Anderson’s locked room.  The beauty of the reveal after his death is captivating.  This is a true celebration of an artist as author and illustrator embrace his work and life.

The book opens with three strong lines that I found entirely engaging:

There once was a man whose love of nature was as wide as the world.

There once was an artist who needed to paint as much as he needed to breathe.

There once was an islander who lived in a cottage at the edge of the Mississippi, where the sea meets the earth and the sky.

Turning the page, readers will see Anderson climbing a tree to reach a nest and out in the water up to his shoulders to get close to another subject.  Bass’ text draws us into Anderson’s perspective, joyously depicting the barren island and its animal inhabitants and deeply accepting his choices and lifestyle.  Lewis’ watercolor illustrations focus on Anderson himself in his chosen environment.  The various aspects of the island are shown in all of their colors, changing light, and beauty. 

At the end of the book, there is more detailed information about Walter Anderson, his artistic family, and the effect of Hurricane Katrina on their family homes and studios.  Readers of all ages will want to look at the photographs of Anderson’s work.  Make sure to turn all the way to the back for a photograph of that locked room.  Amazing!  There is also a nice bibliography for further reading.

This is a beautiful example of a picture book biography.  Highly recommended for art classes and to expand for children the role and work of an artist. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Check out another review at Chasing Ray.

Poetry Friday: Sky Magic

| Tasha

Sky Magic compilation by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrations by Mariusz Stawarski

The poems in this lovely compilations move from dawn to night, focusing on the sun, moon and stars.  You will find favorite poems mixed in with new delights.  The book is a lovely lullaby of poetry, filled with great images, wonderful verse, and inspiring language.  The poems are for children, but will speak to all readers.

The poems work well for children, but are not childish.  They are all elevated examples of children’s poetry, accessible and worth stretching for to reach.  Rather like the stars themselves.  Hopkins has paid attention to not only the length of poems, but the rhythm and flow between the poems too.   There are no jarring changes between poems, but instead it feels as if they grow from being next to one another.

Here is one of my favorites from the book.  The choice of which one to share was very difficult!

Moon Lullaby by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Lull cats to sleep,

let children dream,

shine silver blue

on gentle stream.

Glaze the house

where sleepers sigh…

as hours

as nights

as years go by.

A truly lovely anthology of poems, this book deserves a place in every library.  It will also be a great book to read aloud when studying the sun, moon or stars.  A lovely poetic interlude in science, sounds lovely.  Appropriate for ages 4-8 and older.

Check out all of the Poetry Friday posts at Crossover.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed at Wild Rose Reader and Poetry for Children.

Magical Ms. Plum

| Tasha

The Magical Ms. Plum by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Amy Portnoy

Third-grade teacher Ms. Plum is the most popular teacher in the school.  Everyone wants to be in her class.  Children who have had her speak of their love for her, but then stop talking and just smile mysteriously.  Ms. Plum has a wonderful secret: a magic supply closet.  It smells of something wonderful and has dark corners filled with wondrous things.  When a student is asked to get something from the closet, they return with an animal that perfectly matches what they need.  A shy girl is pampered by a group of little monkeys.  A loud child returns with a parrot who talks even more than he does.  And who knows what the smart boy who sees himself as not needing anything will get! 

This book is a delight.  Ms. Plum is a mix of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Ms. Frizzle.  She solves children’s problems with magic and a modern style.  Becker has just the right touch, nicely building from one story to the next in episodic chapters.  Ms. Plum’s teaching is evident, but the animals and children are the heart of the story, just as they should be.  Portnoy’s black-and-white illustrations are have a modern feel that is right at home here.  They nicely break up the text, making a book that reluctant readers will feel right at home reading.

Perfect for reading aloud to a class, this is also an ideal book to hand to young readers who can reach the end of a chapter and have some resolution and a sense of accomplishment.  This would also be a good pick for readers who are reading above their age group.  There is nothing scary here but plenty of interest.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Bait

| Tasha

Bait by Alex Sanchez

Diego can’t seem to control his anger.  He punches a kid just for taunting him at school and ends up in court.  There he meets Mr. Vidas, a parole officer, the first person in his life who listens and holds him accountable.  Although he was going to be sentenced far more leniently, Diego asks to be put on parole because that is the only way that he can continue to talk with Mr. Vidas.  But will the supportive Mr. Vidas continue to be supportive when he learns what Diego has done?  And will Diego have the courage to be honest about his past?  After all, no one in the world knows.

This novel is as powerful as Diego’s fists.  It tells the story of a teen so filled with rage, bitterness, and misery that his skin can barely contain it.  But it also tells the story of survival.  It is a deep novel where Diego grows in believable and tangible ways and hope comes in where there was none.  The writing is filled with the same tension one sees in Diego.  Sanchez writes with an understanding of the complexities of the teen boy who has survived desperate situations.  He has a background as a parole officer, which I am sure contributes to the strong sense of the good a single person can do in a teen’s life.  Despite its dark themes, the book is positive, a hopeful novel. 

Highly recommended, this book is a powerful story about a survivor.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Put It Down and Walk Away

| Tasha

I was captivated by Suzanne Munshower’s piece on half-read books in The Guardian.  I am a reader who is always stopping in the middle of a book, or just after starting it.  I am brutal.  If the book isn’t delighting me, intriguing me, or just interesting me, I simply don’t have the patience to wade through it.

Luckily for me, I review children’s and YA books, so a certain amount of interest at the start is necessary to get young readers to keep going.  But that is just my handy-dandy excuse.  I was equally brutal before becoming a reviewer and when I read mostly adult books.  It also doesn’t have to do with length for me.  I set down picture books that are 30 pages long if they are not doing it for me.  Opinionated, aren’t I?  😉

So how do you read?  Are you as snotty and brutal as I am?  Or are you one of those nice people who finish every book you read? 

I knew one person like that.  She insisted that so many books become worthwhile in their later stages that it was worth it.  She’s probably right, but I’m just not that type of reader. 

How do you read?

Once a Witch

| Tasha

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin comes from a family with magical Talents, but she doesn’t have any herself.  While working in her family’s bookstore, she is asked to help find a lost object, something others in her family do for people.  Tamsin is tired of being overlooked and pretends to be her older and very Talented sister Rowena and takes the job.  She goes to boarding school in New York City, against her family’s recommendations, and finds that the man looking for a unique clock also lives there.  He’s a professor at NYC.  At the same time, a Talented childhood friend reappears into Tamsin’s life and agrees to help her find the clock.  But all is not what it seems in this twisting book filled with romance, magic, and danger.

This book is light and lovely.  It is a refreshing fantasy filled with enough angst and action to move it along briskly.  There is also enough danger to make it difficult to put down, enough mystery to keep the pages turning, and enough romantic tension to keep any romance-lover happy.  MacCullough has created a protagonist who is bright, snarky and very funny.  Tasmin is the brilliant star of the novel even though she feels ordinary and dull.  MacCullough’s light touch keeps the book breezy and a pleasure to read.

Perfect for reading under the covers with a flashlight, this novel is simply a lot of fun to read with its captivating blend of fantasy and romance.  A light and lovely book appropriate for ages 12-14.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books.

Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes

| Tasha

Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.

Is that the scent of butter in the air?  No!  It must be a new Mercy Watson book!

Finding that there is a movie called When Pigs Fly playing at the Bijou, the Watsons set out to the movies.  Mercy is pleased to hear that they serve real butter at the Bijou!  On their way, they meet up with many familiar characters from the series who join them:  Eugenia and Baby Lincoln, Stella and Frank.  Once they reach the drive-in, readers will happily recognize more characters, all of whom enter the fray as Mercy disrupts the drive-in as only a butter-loving pig can.

If you are a Mercy Watson fan, you must pick up this latest one.  If you have not yet enjoyed the buttery wonder of Mercy, don’t start with this title.  Head to the first book and enjoy them one by one.  Note: it is impossible to not want to read them by the bucketful, but try to show some restraint and not pig out.  Van Dusen’s illustrations are colorful, lively and wonderfully manic when called for.  His tiny touches of buttery toast behind each page number make for a complete package of a book that one can simply sink into with a joyous sigh.  This world of pigs, butter and fun is one that is always a pleasure to return to and linger in. 

A great read-aloud series that is also great fun.  I highly recommend it for young readers who are heading for chapter books but still enjoy illustrations to break up the text a bit.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Applesauce Season

| Tasha

Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson, illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein

A perfect book to ease into autumn!  A little boy and his family make applesauce every year just around the time school starts.  They go to the farmer’s market and pick out all sorts of apples for sauce and for eating.  The little boy is in charge of washing the apples when they get home and then his mother and grandmother cut them into pieces.  Into the pot they go with just the right amount of liquid.  When they soften, the little boy gets to help put them through a food mill.  Then a bit of butter, a pinch of salt and just the right amount of cinnamon sugar are added.  The father in the family doesn’t help with the applesauce, instead he makes things to go with it and applesauce cake to use the last of it up.  Throughout the fall, the family makes applesauce together with the color and taste of it changing as the season moves on.

The details of the making of the applesauce is the bulk of this story, though it is about not only the process but a family that cooks together and enjoys it immensely.  Lipson has just the right touch with the text which is explanatory and simple, allowing children to see how it is done.  One delightful part is how much the little boy is allowed to do.  Children will see themselves as part of the action rather than observers.  Gerstein adds the beaming faces of the family as they cook together, the bright colors of the apples, and the changing faces of the applesauce.  His illustrations are just as comforting and welcome as a warm spoonful of applesauce.

This is a lovely celebration of food and family with just the right sweetness and spice.  Highly recommended for apple story times and units, especially for those classrooms and libraries that create applesauce with the children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.