Month: October 2010

Ernest the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit

| Tasha

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Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner

Ernest has a problem, he doesn’t fit into the book!  He tries to shuffle in forward, but that doesn’t work.  He tries to squeeze in backward.  Nope.  He can get his middle to fit, but not his legs or head.  Luckily, Ernest has a small friend with a big idea.  It’s just going to take some tape and some paper.  They work for a long time until…  Well, you will just have to read it to find out how they manage to fit Ernest into his book.  Children will respond to the visual puzzle of how to get Ernest to fit into the book.  The final unveiling is definitely worth the suspense and build up.

Rayner has created a very simple book that is filled with a gentle humor.  The process of problem solving is played out here, from the issue itself through trial and error, and finally the brilliant solution!  It is a book that also demonstrations creativity and perseverance.  Rayner’s illustrations are charming mix of media with paint, crayon and paper arts.  The background to the illustrations is graph paper giving a great mathematical and structural feel to the whimsical art.  It is a dynamic pairing.

A great book to share with a group, this book will have everyone cheering Ernest and his friend and their solution to how to fit a big moose in a small book.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

In the Wild

| Tasha

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In the Wild by David Elliott illlustrated by Holly Meade

This book of poems explores wild animals throughout the world.  Intriguing animals from the lion to the panda to the polar bear are examined through poems that get to the very heart of them.  The poems are brief and at the same time evocative.  Paired with the watercolor and woodcut illustrations, the book is an inviting collection of poems suitable for the young child. 

Elliott writes his poems with a great sense of play and curiosity.  Turn the page, and you will get a contrasting approach with seriousness and grace.  It is this interplay of tone that makes this book so very readable, one never knows just what will happen in the next poem or what the next featured animal will be.  Meade’s illustrations offer a unified look for these ever-changing poems.  She stylishly captures the animals in iconic poses and situations that are made stylized and beautiful through her woodcuts.  The illustrations will project well to a group and offer large two-page spreads that show the animals in their habitats. 

A great pairing of the appeal of animals and the poetic form, this book is a magnificent addition to library collections.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Last Song

| Tasha

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Last Song by Eric Rohmann

Marry an old Scottish poem to contemporary art and you have this beautifully simple book.  Follow the day of a squirrel family as they wake from nestling together and dash out of their tree hollow into the sun.  Smile as they wrestle together on the ground in the bright day.  Watch as the day turns to night and the moon rises.  See the stars sprinkle the sky, linger a bit, then return with them to the warm snuggles of sleep.  This book embraces the simple pleasures of life, the joy of simply being out in a sunny day and a clear night, and the brilliance of being together.  Done with a die cut cover, this book is sized in an inviting small way for little hands.

The poem is brief in itself and sprinkled throughout the book, it offers short phrases for a framework for the book.  The treat here is Rohmann and his ability to take an old poem and breathe new, modern life into it.  He also manages to make it entirely accessible for children, something that would not be possible if they just were read the poem.  Rohmann’s watercolor illustrations are deep colored and buoyant with happiness.  This is not a book that asks deep questions, rather one that basks in the small things in life.

A warm, cuddly book that would make an ideal gift for a child.  Due to its small size, it will work best with smaller groups or single children.  It would also make a great jumping-off point for discussions about the small things that matter so much in children’s lives.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Also featured on 7 Imp.

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Dotty

| Tasha

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Dotty by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Julia Denos

Wherever Ida goes, Dotty goes too.  Even on her first day of school, Dotty comes along: huge, horned and covered in red spots.  Once Ida is at school, she realizes that many of the others in her class have brought their own imaginary friends too.  But as the year goes on, the other children start to leave their imaginary friends behind.  Ida though is still connected to Dotty, still carrying the blue string that ties them together.  Eventually, the other children tease Ida about Dotty, even the children who had imaginary friends of their own just a few months ago.  When Ida reacts angrily and Dotty bashes into a girl who was once Ida’s friend, they have to write apologies to each other.  Ida’s teacher finds out about Dotty and turns out to be a kindred spirit, just what Ida needed.

This is a book that really embraces imaginary friends, tying it winningly with the first day of school and growing older.  Best of all is the ending of the book which took a turn that I had not been expecting.  It is a book that honors imagination and creativity, embracing being different and maturing at your own pace or just not maturing entirely at all.  Perl’s writing is charming and warm, really creating a world filled with imaginary creatures that dwindle away slowly.  Denos’ art is equally successful with a modern edge and children who are modern and yet not slick.  They look like the children I see every day.  She also has a great mix of ethnicities that is done effortlessly.

While this is a book about imaginary friends, I would also include it in any return-to-school unit because it addresses the larger issues of people being different in ways that are not immediately apparent.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Tiger Eyes – The Movie

| Tasha
Tiger Eyes

Image via Wikipedia

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that the Judy Blume novel Tiger Eyes will be made into a feature film.  Blume wrote the screenplay with her son, Lawrence Blume, who is also directing the film. 

Amazingly, this will be the first Blume novel to be made into a feature film!   Some were adapted for TV in the past.  Here is why in Blume’s own words:

Blume said she hasn’t been star-struck by Hollywood despite being continually approached. She describes going on what she calls "Judy Sweetheart" lunches (where execs ask her, ‘Judy, sweetheart, what do you want to do?") and being less than enthralled with the Fudge series.

"I know I have reputation for not selling my books. And now I’m glad," she said. "Because here I am, working with a director I trust, someone I know understands those characters."

Production has already begun with Willa Holland (from Gossip Girl) playing Davey. Newcomer Tatanka Means will be playing Wolf.

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If You’re a Monster and You Know It

| Tasha

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If You’re a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley

A great pick for a preschool Halloween party, this book will have kids wiggling and giggling to the silly monster movements.  Set to the same song as If You’re Happy and You Know It, children will immediately be able to sing right along.  Children will be growling, snapping their claws, stomping their paws, and twitching their tails along with the monsters in the book.  Those monsters are done in neon-bright colors against a black background, creating a very dynamic book for children to enjoy.  I recommend finishing up with some black paper and bright colored scraps and letting the children create their own monsters to take home.

Completely child friendly, this book will have even the most reluctant listeners paying attention and playing along.  Happily, the song takes more enthusiasm than skill, so everyone can join in and not have to worry.  The Emberleys have created a book that fills a niche in story times, a monster book that is non-scary but not babyish.  What a treat!

Appropriate for ages 2-4.  Make sure to have this one in your trick-or-treat bag for fall!

You can listen to the song here.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

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Monsters of Men – An Amazing Conclusion

| Tasha

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Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

In this thrilling conclusion to the ground-breaking series, readers will finally find out what happens when the indigenous Spackle army arrives to do battle and what effect the arriving ship from the convoy will have.    Both Todd and Viola have obstacles to overcome in this novel, ones that drive them apart.  Todd learns to control his Noise, making him almost silent in a world where men’s thoughts are heard aloud.  But there is a price for that silence and it could be his relationship with Viola.  Viola is battling an illness that has her feverish and weakened due to the marking band on her arm.  Women are dying from the infections the bands cause, and nothing seems to be working.  So Todd keeps Viola at arm’s length so that she doesn’t know how close he is growing to Mayor Prentiss.  Viola keeps Todd away so that he doesn’t know how ill she is.  All of this sets up the riveting conclusion to this series.  This book brings war directly into the reader’s view.  There is no turning away as beloved characters are threatened, surrounded by battle, scarred and even die.  Everyone is faced with terrible choices that will decide the future of the planet as a whole.

As readers of the first books know, Ness is not an author who can be trusted to keep characters readers love alive.  He breaks the rules, brings back villains, and returns characters thought lost to life.  Through it all the effect of Noise and information is felt.  The Spackle use it to communicate as one and the humans struggle with its impact and how it is being used.  It is a world of constant contact and sharing, one that overwhelms and frightens.  It is a brilliant play on our over-connected online worlds and the effect they are having on all of us.

Ness has built a world here that is less about the land itself and more about the people who live on the planet.  While the setting is critical, it is mostly because of the unique effects of it upon the humans and Spackle who live there.  Ness excels at creating characters who are interesting, conflicted and true to themselves even as they grow and change.  The other thing he excels at is action sequences, terrifying changes to circumstance, and pacing.  This all creates a book that is impossible to put down.

I finished this book with tears rolling down my face and my eyes red from trying to read through my weeping, because I just could not stop reading long enough to wipe my eyes.  It is a series unlike any other and a finale that will shock and thrill.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

Reviewed on many other blogs.

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National Book Award Finalists

| Tasha

Here are the finalists for the Young People’s Literature category of the 2010 National Book Award.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (my review)

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (my review)

Dark Water by Laura McNeal

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (my review)

Dinosaur vs. the Potty

| Tasha

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Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea

Dinosaur does not need to use the potty.  He makes lemonade and wins!  No need to use the potty.  He splashes in the sprinkler and wins!  No need for the potty.  He drinks lots of juice and wins!  No potty for him.  He plays in the swimming pool and wins!  No potty.  He splashes in puddles and his victory dance becomes something else instead.  Now the question is whether Dinosaur can make it to the potty in time!

A delight to read aloud, this book takes child humor and brings it to potty training.  Leaving going to the potty until too late is a tale that every parent knows far too well.  Shea uses his competitive framework to great effect here with Dinosaur winning and roaring all the way to the potty.  Used in a group setting, preschoolers will enjoy participating in the roars and the cheers for Dinosaur.  Shea’s illustrations are wide-lined, bright-colored and raucous.  They match the text of the book perfectly, adding to the child appeal and the humor.

A great choice for potty training children, this will also be appreciated by children beyond that phase thanks to its appeal.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.