Month: September 2010

The Last Train: Take a Trip into History

| Tasha

51tN1n7YSFL

The Last Train by Gordon Titcomb, illustrated by Wendell Minor

Based on a song by Gordon Titcomb, this book celebrates the days of the steam engines and small depots.  A modern child visits the decrepit old depot in his town, the rusty tracks that no long gleam.  He thinks about his grandfather and father and the work they did on the railroad.  He dreams of huge engines and shiny cars streaking past.  His box of memorabilia has plenty of memories stored inside of the glory days of the railroad.  Titcomb’s words are enduring as he speaks to the wondrous power of the steam locomotive and the days when they ran.  Minor’s art brings both modern days and history to life in warm colors, allowing young train enthusiasts to dream along with him about the power of steam.

Titcomb’s song and this book really celebrate the steam engine and the magic that those days still hold for modern children.   The entire book is nicely summed up in the final lines:

A blast of steam,

the whistle screamed its mournful last refrains,

Long silent, though its echo still remains.

The words are poetry, they rhyme and dance, chugging along at times, at others sleekly gliding past.  He captures the joy of the rails perfectly.

Minor’s art is celebrates the trains too.  From the engine in the darkness under a star-filled sky to the caboose disappearing as the snow blows in.  But he also celebrates a child’s relationship with trains.  His old depot is filled with details that bring it to life.  His meadows of flowers serve as a backdrop to the aging railyard.  His flattened coins remind us all of sunny days and the surprising warmth of a smashed coin after the train goes by.  In short, he shows us just why we all love trains.

A beautiful book, this is sure to be enjoyed by train lovers old and young.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from illustrator.

Mad at Mommy: Beautiful Anger

| Tasha

71030111

Mad at Mommy by Komako Sakai

Released in October 2010.

A new book from the creator of The Snow Day, this book offers an accurate portrayal of child anger. 

Little Bunny is very angry at his mommy.  And he is more than willing to tell her exactly why.  She sleeps late on Saturdays.  She never lets him watch cartoons.  She always yells for no reason.  She is always telling him to hurry up and then not hurrying herself.  She always forgets to do the laundry.  She told him he can’t marry her when he is older.  So he’s decided to run away.  For a moment or two.

Sakai has created a very spare and minimal picture book.  The use of texture and roughness in the illustrations complements the frustration of Little Bunny.  Originally published in Japan, the book does feel different than American picture books, especially in its illustrations. The subject matter is universal.  The book is told in the child’s voice, which Sakai captures winningly.  The complaints are offered as a list, one to the next, as if they are occurring to him as he speaks.  The effect is a rather dynamic feel to the book, leaping from one idea to the next.

A beauty of a book that will make a great contrast to other anger books like When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry by Mollly Bang and Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Chicken Big: Huge Laughs

| Tasha

63861436

Chicken Big by Keith Graves

A fractured version of the classic Chicken Little story, this book is big on chickens and big on humor too.  A huge chick is born on a tiny farm in an itty-bitty coop.  When the chick hatches, the chickens try to figure out what in the world it is.  It’s big, even enormous, so it must be an elephant!   That theory only lasts until an acorn falls on the head of one of the chickens and the big chick eats it up rather than running in fear.  If it eats acorns, then it must be a squirrel!  When rain starts to fall and the chickens panic again, the big chick lets them shelter under his wings.  Well, if he keeps them dry in the rain, he must be an umbrella!  Their theories get more and more outrageous as the book continues.  It culminates with a showdown with a sneaky fox that finally convinces the foolish chickens what the big chick actually is. 

Graves writes with such great comedic timing and wonderful surprises that children will be in stitches listening to it.  The very silly chickens are a treat to read aloud, because they are so very idiotic.  The smallest chicken is the really funny one, who offers the various guesses as to the chick’s identity.  Always with a stout and definitive declaration. 

Graves’ illustrations add to the hilarity.  He uses a mix of frames and full page illustrations.  The combination is dynamic and modern.  Often the chickens and the big chick speak in speech bubbles, lending asides that are very clever and funny.  This is a book that has a feeling of mischief and mayhem about it.  It reads wonderfully aloud and will be sure to capture attention that may be wandering in story time.  It’s a perfect final story time book to get them hooked again.

A hilarious take on a classic, this book is perfectly designed and vibrantly original.  Appropriate for ages 5-10.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Also reviewed by:

Cybils 2010

| Tasha

I am very excited to be part of the Cybils again this year.  In the last few years, I have been part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Panel.  It’s great to be back where I originally started in the Young Adult Fiction category.  This time as a Round 2 judge.  Take a look at our entire YA panel here. 

So how can you be involved?  You can nominate one book in each of the categories between October 1st and October 15th.  The books have to have been published between October 16, 2009 and September 30, 2010.

The finalists in each category will be announced on New Years Day.  The winners will be announced on Valentines Day.

A huge thank you to everyone who puts their time and energy into these awards every year.  It is an honor to be a small part it.

Piglet’s Picnic: Yummy Fun

| Tasha

54774324

Piglet’s Picnic by Jessica Souhami

On a sunny day, Piglet posted a note about a picnic by the river, just bring your favorite food to share.  She headed off to the river with her friend Mouse.  Both carried covered baskets with their favorite foods in them.  Some crows fly up with a bundle, two frogs come with promises of something crunchy.  Dog arrives with a newspaper packet and two sheep bring a knitted bag.  It was then time to open the parcels of food.  But as each is opened with a flap that the reader gets to open, the other animals are disappointed to see what is there.  Luckily they all brought enough for each of them to each their favorite food, the food they brought.

This friendly and fairly predictable story has plenty of toddler appeal.  Small children will enjoy opening the parcels with the flaps as well as the surprise of the final foldout page that shows the entire picnic laid out.  Nicely, different concepts are layered in the book unobtrusively with numbers and addition as new animals arrive.  Souhami’s cut paper illustrations are bright and bold enough to show nicely to a group. 

A simple story perfect for toddler story times or sharing with your own small child.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books.

Dust Devil

| Tasha

50782587

Dust Devil by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

This companion book for the wonderful Swamp Angel is filled with the same tall tale antics of the first.  Swamp Angel grew too big for the state of Tennessee, so she had to move to the wide open spaces of Montana.  Unfortunately, the sun woke her too early so she plucked some mountains and placed them around to create some shade, making the buttes of Montana.  But her biggest problem was finding a horse that she could ride.  They were too small to carry her.  Then a huge storm came across the state, kicking up dust and sucking the roof off of her barn.  Swamp Angel jumped onto the storm and rode it until it turned into a horse that could strike lightning with its hooves.  When Backward Bart and his Flying Desperadoes enter the state, Swamp Angel and her horse, Dust Devil, have to combine their strength and size as well as a secret weapon to bring them to justice.  A wild stampede of a story, this is a tale worthy to follow in the huge footsteps of the original.

Isaacs has a wonderful time with the language of tall tales, using words that dance and whirl, immediately placing readers on familiar ground but amping it up to a new level.  Her description of the jail is worthy of note as a great example of her word play: “single-starred, double-barred, triple-guard jail.”  Isaacs’ story is completely jam-packed with Angel being a tall tale heroine.  She exemplifies everything readers want in adventure.  Isaac also adds a punch of humor to the book from the rollicking words she chooses to the villains themselves.  Backward Bart speaks his sentences in reverse-word order, which will have children listening very closely to be the first to decipher what he is saying. 

Zelinsky’s illustrations are done in oils on cedar, aspen and maple veneers.  This gives the illustrations a great framed effect that is rustic and perfectly suited to the story.  Zelinsky enjoys playing with perspective in his illustrations, offering views that intensify the size of Angel and Dust Devil.  The illustrations have a timelessness that is very appealing.

Swamp Angel is a girl who will give Paul Bunyan a run for his money, just as Dust Devil stands up well to Babe, the Blue Ox.  This brand new tall tale heroine stands tall among giants.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade Books.

Also reviewed by:

Enhanced by Zemanta

Literacyhead Features Leo Lionni

| Tasha

Literacyhead, a biweekly online magazine, has just published an issue that is an author study of Leo Lionni.  They received permission to use over 60 of Lionni’s images on their site, making it a feast of Lionni goodness.  Each issue of their magazine offers a writing lesson and a read-aloud lesson that incorporate the visual arts.

The Leo Lionni issue will be available for free until October 5th.  Every current issue is available for free.  If you are interested in accessing back issues, you will need a membership.

The magazine is put together very nicely with a friendly interface, plenty of great graphics, and a real ease of use. 

Make sure you take a look at the Coaching Matters section where I hope you will be as delighted as I was to get a glimpse of Lionni’s baskets of mouse parts. 

Breaking Dawn Not in 3D

| Tasha

 

 Cover of

Cinematical has the welcome news that the movie version of Breaking Dawn is not going to be shot in 3D.  While I understand the use of 3D to create a depth of field that can be wonderful, I’m just not sure of the necessity for this film.  And goodness knows, we don’t need the other use of 3D where things come straight at you.  Birth scene nightmares anyone?

Related articles by Zemanta
Enhanced by Zemanta

Art & Max: Another Wiesner Winner

| Tasha

Art & Max by David Wiesner

I always approach a new Wiesner book with huge expectations.  I mean, this is the three-time Caldecott medalist!  I guarantee this will not disappoint, no matter how high your expectations are.

Arthur is quite a painter.  He does portraits of lizards as they pose for him.  Max wants to learn and Arthur is willing to teach him.  The first step is Max figuring out what to paint.  Arthur grandly suggests that Max could paint him.  So Max does exactly that, with deep blue and bright yellow, he paints Arthur right in the face.  Arthur gets cross and bursts free of his paint-filled skin only to find that the colors have stayed and now his skin is chalk and pastels.  When a blowing fan won’t fix it, Arthur takes a drink of water to feel better.  It erases his color, leaving just a line drawing behind that Max quickly unravels.  Now it is up to Max to figure out how to get Arthur back.

Wiesner’s only text in this picture book is Arthur and Max’s dialogue with each other.  The illustrations really tell the story.  Wiesner has a great sense of comic timing from the first spurt of paint onto Arthur all the way through to Max rebuilding him in a very simplistic style.  The moments are ones that will have young readers and listeners laughing out loud.  As they are enjoying the story, they are being taught about the way that different media react, work and appear.  It is a very skillful and clever introduction to art styles and formats. 

Exceptionally, the book is also about creating art yourself.  It is about a painter with his own distinct style working with a younger artist.  It is about restraint meeting freedom.  About creativity and letting loose and what happens when you do.  It is a book that has many layers, several of them from paint.

A colorful, dynamic picture book that embodies what it is also conveying.  This picture book needs to get in the hands of your art teachers, children who enjoy art, and anyone looking for a good laugh.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Clarion Books.

Enhanced by Zemanta