Month: December 2010

Llama Llama Holiday Drama

| Tasha

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Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

This latest in the Llama Llama series keeps the rhyming and charm of the earlier books and adds a Christmas theme.  Llama Llama loves Christmas, so he finds it hard to wait until the special day arrives.  There is a lot to do to prepare for the holiday with shopping, baking cookies, decorating the Christmas tree.   It all gets to be a bit too much for this little llama to bear.  So Mama Llama takes some time away from the holiday rush to spend a bit cuddling with Llama Llama, making it a special night in a different way.  A celebration of the holidays with just the right balance of what is actually important about them.

Dewdney has a great ear for rhymes.  They dance across the page and add to the celebratory feel of the book.  She also has a nice touch with her illustrations, creating moods with bright colors.  Her images are simple enough to project to a group easily but also detailed enough to make lap reading special.

Get this one for any toddlers on your Christmas list.  It has the potential to become an annual read.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

The Nutcracker

| Tasha

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The Nutcracker by Alison Jay

A lovely holiday confection, this book is based on The Nutcracker ballet.  The story is told in a very readable and accessible way that will invite children who don’t know the ballet story to hear it for the first time.  It also welcomes those who know the ballet to return to the story in a new format.  The book follows Clara as she moves through her Christmas Eve and receives a nutcracker toy for a present.  Her brother works the mechanism too hard and the nutcracker’s jaw is broken.  In the evening Clara returns to her toy, curling up with it under the Christmas tree.  She awakens to find the tree and her nutcracker growing bigger and bigger.  Her adventure continues as the nutcracker fights the mouse king and then becomes a prince.  The prince takes Clara to his castle in the land of sweets where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

Jay remains true to the story of the ballet, her skillful writing making the story  a pleasure to share aloud.  It is her illustrations that really make this a special book.  As with her other picture books, the illustrations are done with a crackled finish that creates a sense of timelessness that is perfect for this story.  She uses deep colors that evoke the holidays, the warmth of the fireside, and the delight of candy. 

If you have a young ballerina in your life, this would make a wonderful holiday gift.  It is a great choice for libraries looking for a holiday picture book that is an instant classic.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial.

Old Bear and His Cub

| Tasha

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Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea

Old Bear and Little Cub live together.  Old Bear loves Little Cub with all his heart, and Little Cub loves Old Bear with all of his heart.  Old Bear makes sure that Little Cub eats all of his porridge, wears his scarf in the snow, doesn’t get hurt, and takes his nap.  But when Old Bear catches a cold from not wearing a scarf himself, it is Little Cub that knows exactly what Old Bear needs to feel better.  This is a delight of a book that will have children laughing as the roles reverse between the adult and child.

Dunrea’s latest has such a winning tone to it.  Reading just the first few lines, I knew I was in for a treat.  And it just kept getting better.  Dunrea uses repetition to great effect here, as Little Cub refuses to do what Old Bear is telling him, insisting that he won’t and Old Bear insists that he will.  Then Old Bear stares hard at Little Cub and Little Cub does as he is told.  The same exchanges happen when it is Old Bear who won’t do what is best for him, complete with the hard stare. 

I also appreciate a book where the adult’s relationship to the youngster is not clarified.  This makes the book work for many families, allowing them to see themselves reflected here.  Whether it is a grandparent raising a child, a single parent, an uncle, this book reflects that relationship and that love.

Dunrea’s illustrations center around the pair of bears and their relationship to one another.  Both obviously headstrong and very loved by one another.  The bears are shown against Dunrea’s white backgrounds that are a mark of his work.  While the white could be stark, here it serves to highlight the warmth of the relationship.

A great winter read, this book is all about loving and families.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Philomel.

Make sure to check out the sketches and studies for the book at Olivier Dunrea’s website.

Jake: A Small Present Filled with Christmas Joy

| Tasha

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Jake by Audrey Couloumbis

Only a few days before Christmas, Jake’s mother falls and breaks her leg.  With his mother in the hospital awaiting surgery, Jake has to get to know a grandfather that he has only talked with on the phone.  When Jake’s grandfather arrives, he is nothing like Jack had imagined him.  Though gruff and rather military, his grandfather also has friendly crinkly eyes and a voice that is deep and friendly.  He does have a nightmare dog that Jake is definitely wary of.  Luckily, Jake also has a next door neighbor who takes care of him occasionally and is an adult to ask the important questions of the hospital, handle the car that was left in the parking lot, and also gives Jake a place to feel at home.  As Jake gets to know his grandfather, he realizes that memories he thought were of his father are actually memories of his grandfather.  The holidays arrive, and Jake, his mother and their family of friends create a warm and happy holiday for one another.

This is a small book with a huge heart.  Jake is a protagonist who is bright, funny and optimistic.  The depiction of a single mother is well done, especially with her fascinating group of friends and the neighbor.  This is a child who has been surrounded by loving adults his entire life and it shows.  His bonding with his grandfather is shown clearly and is given plenty of time to mature naturally.  The depiction of the older characters in the book is very well done with plenty of flirting and personality.  These are multi-dimensional people who are a pleasure to spend time with.

A joyful holiday read, the book has plenty of warm moments and great characters.  It is a celebration of family, no matter what that family may look like.  

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

The Great Monster Hunt

| Tasha

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The Great Monster Hunt by Norbert Landa and Time Warnes

Duck is awoken early in the morning by a strange sound coming from under her bed.  It was a pshh pshh sound.  Duck did not know what it was and was too scared to look under the bed.  So instead she jumped out of bed and ran to get help.  Yelling out of her window, Duck called to Pig and told him what she had heard.  Pig ran to get someone stronger than he to deal with it.  When he found Bear, he told Bear that the noise was pshh pshh Bang Bang!  Bear suggested they find someone loud enough to deal with the noise that was being made and they went to find Wolf.  Wolf was told about the noise that had gotten even more complicated by that point, and he suggested that they find someone smart to deal with it.  So off they all went to Owl.  The four animals returned to Duck’s house with supplies to fight the monster, but it is not a monster they find under Duck’s bed!  It’s a tiny mouse snoring quietly with a pshh pshh sound.

This book has just the right amount of tension for young children to get involved but not alarmed.  The build up of the noise from one animal to the next demonstrates the problems with getting news through the grapevine and how things can be blown way out of proportion!  Even if children do not get this lesson from the book, it is a fun comedy of errors for them to enjoy.  The illustrations are very friendly with small touches like Wolf’s record player and Owl’s newspaper that add to the gentleness of the story. 

A great book to mix into a monster story time just for the effect of the lack of a monster.   This is also a great Halloween read for the youngest listeners.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Boss Baby: So Funny and So True!

| Tasha

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The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee

When the baby arrives it is obvious that he is the boss of the household.  He makes constant demands which if not met result in a fit.  He expects lots of perks like beverages whenever he asks.  And he needs lots of attention, or meetings.  But you can only push employees so far, and when they near collapse, the boss is forced to think outside the box!  This very funny take on being a new parent and welcoming a baby into a home is perfect for expectant parents and just might give new siblings an idea of what they are in store for. 

Frazee’s tone in the text here is delightful with its business terms and matter of fact approach.  Her text plays the straight man against the humor of her illustrations.  The baby with his little striped tie and business-suit sleeper is the epitome of the grumpy baby.  Frazee has captured those sleep-deprived early days of a baby to great effect and with glorious humor.

Get this hilarious book into the hands of new parents and new siblings.  They are sure to relate to it and laugh out loud if not too sleep deprived.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Beach Lane Books.

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Banana!: Zany Sharing Fun

| Tasha

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Banana! by Ed Vere

Told in just two words, this book is perfect for very young listeners.  One monkey in a blue striped shirt has a banana.  Another monkey in a red striped shirt enters the book and sees the banana.  He asks for it.  The monkey with the banana refuses.  The red striped monkey gets angry and then throws a temper tantrum, shouting “Banana!” all the while.  Finally, the monkey says “Please” and the banana is shared.  Or is it?

Vere does so much with just facial expressions in this book.  For a person reading it aloud, there is no question what tone of voice should be used from one “banana” to the next.  The simplicity is impressive, the clarity even more so.  The rough-edged illustrations are goofy and very friendly as are the bold bright backgrounds. 

With a cover that is sure to make it fly off the shelves, this is a book that toddlers will love.  Get ready to read the word banana again and again.  Appropriate for ages 2-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

The Tooth: A Big-Hearted Book

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The Tooth by Avi Slodovnick, illustrated by Manon Gauthier

First published in Canada, this book speaks to the issues of plenty and need.  Marissa has to go to the dentist because her tooth hurts from eating too much candy.  On the way through the city streets, she notices a man sitting on a grate on the sidewalk to keep warm.  Once inside the waiting room, Marissa heads to the window and watches the people passing the man.  Some leave coins but most completely ignore him.  When Marissa goes in to the dentist, her tooth has to be removed.  So she gets it to take home with her, ready for the Toothfairy to get it from under her pillow.  But Marissa has another idea and she gives her tooth to the man on the sidewalk so that he can get the coins from the Toothfairy.  She also acknowledges that it is just a beginning because he doesn’t have a pillow to put the tooth under.

Slodovnick’s book emphasizes not only the divide between the haves and have nots, but also the way that we ignore needs right under our own feet.  Marissa is a naïve character which allows her to ask questions that will interest other children and offer a solution that is simple but also complex.  This is a book that gently opens the door to discussion about what a single person can do to make a difference.

Gauthier’s illustrations have a modern edge to them.  The city is depicted as a gray towering presence while the main characters pop in color against the gray.  The homeless man is also shown in color though the other people on the street are the same gray as the city itself. 

A book sure to get children talking, this would work well in a unit about kindness, charity or helping.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Kane Miller.

Three Little Kittens

| Tasha

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Three Little Kittens by Jerry Pinkney

Caldecott medalist, Pinkney, has created a picture book version of the beloved nursery rhyme.  Pinkney stays true to the original version of the rhyme.  His illustrations offer a realistic and detailed depiction of the rhyme, offering a jaunty tone that works very well here.  The mother cat is fully clothed in a dress while the kittens romp in collars only, allowing them to act more like cats while they play.  The small details in the illustrations are delightful.  The kittens play with a mouse jack-in-the-box and a mouse doll.  Meanwhile real mice peek around a corner.  The birds outside also have scarves and hats, echoing the anthropomorphized cats nicely.

Pinkney has made this a great autumn book by having the cats frolic in fallen leaves.  In fact, the leaves are what hide the mittens from view when they lose them.  When the cats head back to find their mittens, they find them just where they left them, as young readers will enjoy remembering.  The playful kittens have detailed fur that is lush, fuzzy and fine.  All three having different colored coats make for dynamic and appealing pictures.

A lovely take on a classic rhyme, this book will be welcomed to library and classroom shelves as another great picture book by a master.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

You can also check out this video of Jerry Pinkney talking about creating the book:

Jerry Pinkney and Three Little Kittens
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