Month: December 2009

Goldilocks

| Tasha

Goldilocks by Ruth Sanderson

As you can see from the cover image above, this is a very lush rendering of the classic fairy tale.  It follows along with the classic version until the very end when Goldilocks does not run away, instead she stays.  She remakes the beds and helps mend the chair she broke.  When the bears are still hungry, Goldilocks offers them the blueberries she had been picking.  After one scary moment when the bears salivate right at her, all is well and they share blueberry muffins and tea.

I know that may sound odd to change the ending of the story.  However, it really worked for me.  It changes the character of Goldilocks entirely into a girl who made a series of mistakes but takes responsibility.  Rather than a girl who makes mistakes and then runs from them without consequence.  However it is not the story here that makes this book such an enchanting read.  It is Sanderson’s art.  The art has a very European feel with classic German touches.  The tiny details have a lot of impact in the illustrations from Goldilocks’ lace hem to the hearts on the chairs and the ivy curling at the windows.  Sanderson has created an entire world here that is brought to life through the story.  The bears are rendered as naturally as bears wearing clothes can be.  They are less teddy bear and more wild, which also makes scenes in the book much more effective. 

We all have copies of Goldilocks on our shelves, but this one is worth making some space for.  It is neither too soft nor too hard.  It is just right.  Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Check out Ruth Sanderson’s Golden Wood Studio online.

Reviewed from library copy.

Under the Snow

| Tasha

Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Constance R. Bergum

After our blizzard on Wednesday, this book seems like a very appropriate choice as we dig ourselves out of 14 inches of snow.

Find out what animals and insects are hidden under the snow as they try to survive the winter.  Ladybugs packed into a gap in a stone wall and  butterflies that are active in the winter may surprise readers.  The cozy burrow of a chipmunk and the sleeping woodchuck deep underground will charm.  Then readers get to look below the ice on the pond to turtles, fish, frogs and newts to see the different ways they act in winter. 

Stewart keeps her explanations of the animals simple and straightforward enough to use with preschoolers.  I would have liked to have seen an appendix with more information on the animals themselves.  Bergum’s watercolor illustrations capture the animals and their natural surroundings with great skill.  They offer close-ups when they are needed and still manage to evoke the larger environment of field, forest and pond. 

A very nice scientific look at animals in winter, this will be welcome in preschool classrooms or for winter story times looking for nonfiction that is very readable.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

TIME Magazine Top 10 Children’s Books

| Tasha

TIME Magazine has listed their Top 10 Children’s Book of 2009 as part of their “The Top 10 Everything of 2009.”  I’m impressed with some of their choices:

Duck Rabbit by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

Guess Again! by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex

Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth by Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner

Crow Call by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

 

Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems

Creature ABC by Andrew Zuckerman

How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

 

Pick a Pumpkin, Mrs. Millie! by Judy Cox, illustrated by Joe Mathieu

The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Carson Ellis

The Snow Day by Komako Sakai

A Seed Was Planted

| Tasha

A Seed Was Planted by Toulla Palazeti, illustrated by Pamela Barcita

From a single seed being planted, people share shoots of the plant.  With friends, neighbors and family members who each take it in turn, plant it and then pass on a shoot to another person.  The book uses the refrain of “It grows,” as each person plants their shoot.  In the end, the small plants grow and grown until they are trees large enough to climb.  The book speaks to the wonder of seeds, the power of sharing and the way that one small idea can lead to transformation.

Author Palazeti keeps the text very simple with only one sentence per page.  This makes it ideal for new readers of both English and Spanish.  This simplicity of language belies the depth of the story and its gentle and powerful message.  Barcita’s illustrations are realistic and very friendly.  Readers get to see each sharing of the tree along with a framed image of the newly potted shoot.  The different pot styles and settings speak firmly to our differences as well as our commonalities. 

Recommended for new readers in either English or Spanish, this book is universal in its message and appeal.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

This book comes in both English and bilingual English/Spanish.  I reviewed from an ARC of the bilingual version that I received from the publisher.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction – Finalists

| Tasha

YALSA has released the names of the five finalists for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for young adults (ages 12-18).

Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone

Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman

Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose

The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming

Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker

Fallen the Film

| Tasha

Fallen, the first in a four-part series of teen novels, has been picked up by Disney.  The novel by Lauren Kate has just been released. 

According to the article, angels may just be the next big thing after vampires and werewolves.  We will see…

Via FirstShowing

Big Elephant in the Room

| Tasha

The Big Elephant in the Room by Lane Smith

One donkey says to the other, “Can we talk about the big elephant in the room?”  The other donkey responds by trying to think of all of the things he may have done that are big problems.  Could it be the fact he ate all of the ice cream?  Could it be when he took the cool bike?  Could it be when he “fixed” the computer?  One after another these confessions of wrong-doing are mentioned without pause for breath.  Until finally, the other donkey says that it is none of those things.  He wants to talk about the blue elephant sitting in the room.

This vaudeville-style book is laugh-out-loud funny.  It captures the comedic timing perfectly and is great fun to read aloud at breakneck speed (with pauses for laughter of course.)  Smith’s donkeys are permanently frazzled and crumpled.  They are wildly silly and a great pair of opposite personalities.  Smith’s art is appropriately wild as well, lending just the right feel to the book.

Highly recommended for the slightly more sophisticated child who will enjoy the rather sly humor.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books, 4IQREAD, Where the Best Books Are, The Hungry Readers, Pink Me, and Best Book I Have Not Read.

Radiant Shadows – A Preview

| Tasha

Get a small taste of the next book in Melissa Marr’s series that started with Wicked Lovely.  Marr has the prologue and first chapter up on her blog.  You can also enter a contest to create a teaser or trailer for the new novel! 

Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the link.

Today I Will

| Tasha

Today I Will by Eileen and Jerry Spinelli

The Spinellis have created a book that offers a quote for each day of the year.  The quotes come from children’s literature and feature favorite books and stories that instantly create warm memories.  The quotes speak to a quality of life, a sense of connectedness, and an affirmation of self.  They are diverse, insightful and a lot of fun.  The book is meant to be read over the course of a year, one quote and its ensuing insight at a time.  But I loved opening it at random and enjoying returning to beloved reads.

The book does not become overly sweet because the tone remain firmly footed in reality.  Some of the entries do speak to larger issues while others are refreshingly mundane and tangible like calling a grandparent or not smoking. 

An ideal book for children who love to read, this could also be used in a classroom setting as journal prompts or makes a wonderful teacher gift for the holidays.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.