Month: November 2011

Review: Neville by Norton Juster

| Tasha

neville

Neville by Norton Juster, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

This story about a boy moving to a new place will speak to any child who has had to move.  The boy was never asked by his family if he wanted to move, he just got told that they were.  Now he had to move into a new house and go to a new school, and worst of all, find new friends.  His mother suggested that he go for a walk, so he did, very reluctantly.  After he walked for awhile, he turned around and called out:  “Neville!”  Nothing happened.  He did it again and again.  Then another boy joined him and they shouted together.  More children arrived and they all began calling for Neville.  Even the dogs were howling along.  When they stopped to catch their breath, the children started asking about who Neville was.  The children all decided that they quite liked Neville and the boy too.  Then it was time to head home, and the boy felt much better about moving.  That feeling lasted all the way until bedtime, when his mother wished him, “Good night, Neville, pleasant dreams.”

This clever story is written with a graceful simplicity that reads aloud smoothly and easily.  The story is beautifully crafted, with a a solid feel and a strong story arc.  There is also a wining humor about the entire story, from the children joining in so willingly to the twist at the end.  It all makes for a charming book that begs to be shared with a group of children. 

Karas’ illustrations capture the emotions of the characters clearly and with humor.  He also plays with fonts when the boy is calling for Neville.  The word is art in the air, changing and moving.  What I found most lovely was the change from the initial stark white of the new house and community where even the grass was gray.  When the boy starts meeting children, color enters the picture around him and the community is revealed to be welcoming, colorful and warm.

This outstanding picture book conveys the stress of moving in both textual and visual ways, offering a great twist and a clever resolution.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade Books.

Also reviewed by:

Review: The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough

| Tasha

cats in the doll shop

The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Heather Maione

I was a big fan of The Doll Shop Downstairs when it came out in 2009.  Here in the sequel, Anna is two years older at  age 11.  She and her family still live above the doll shop, but their work has changed from that of a doll hospital to building their own dolls.  Anna finds a pregnant cat behind their house and wants to adopt it, but her father insists that they do not need a cat inside.   So Anna and her sisters give the cat food.  Anna is also looking forward to the arrival of her cousin from Russia, who is coming to live with them.  Anna wants to be best friends with her cousin, but Tania arrives and is very shy and has odd traits.  Anna has to figure out how to invite not only a new cousin into her family but maybe some cats too.

Once again, McDonough has captured the lives of a Jewish family at the turn of the century with great detail that brings the time period to life.  It is also a captivating picture of a loving family with three sisters who do not get along all the time.  The writing is simple and honest, creating a world of safety but also exploring more serious issues too.

In both lines of the story, the issue of acceptance and finding one’s place is a focus.  There are the cats who are wild outdoors, cold and even injured.  That parallels very clearly with the storyline of Tania, the cousin from Russia, who is also an outsider, stand-offish and needs nurturing to blossom. 

A great pick for any fan of the first book, these are books that read like classics.  Appropriate for ages 7-10, this book is also gentle enough to work for advanced younger readers looking for appropriate books to read. 

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

Twilight Targeted by Hackers

| Tasha

 

According to Mashable, Twilight fans are being targeted by hackers who are looking to infect your computer with malware.  They are targeting Twilight-related searches by adding in links that will infect your computer.

Some of the search terms are:

  • Nude pictures of Taylor Lautner
  • Robert and Kristin kissing
  • Twilight true love

This isn’t the first time Twilight fans have been targeted by hackers.  But as the release date nears, Twilight fans should definitely be aware of the dangerous bite of malware.

New Hunger Games Trailer

| Tasha

Check out the new Hunger Games trailer only available on iTunes.  It gets your heart racing and blood pounding!

Then let me know what you think of it!

USA Network Blogs about Teen Lit

| Tasha

character approved blog

USA Network’s blog has a feature article on Great Voices in Young Adult Fiction.  And they have picked some great ones.  Their focus is on books with crossover appeal for adults.

All the Earth Thrown to the Sky by Joe R. Lansdale

   

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Review: Lexie by Audrey Couloumbis

| Tasha

lexie

Lexie by Audrey Couloumbis

The shore has always been one of ten-year-old Lexie’s favorite places in the world.  She would spend the summer there with her parents, playing on the beach, finding treasures in the sand, and reading picture books.  Now though, her parents are divorced.  So her mother isn’t going to be going to the shore at all.  Lexie is spending a week there with just her dad.  Or so she thinks!  On the way there, her father announces that his new girlfriend will be joining them, and her two sons too.  Lexie is pushed out of her usual bedroom into one that is as tiny as a closet.  Teenage Ben is also not enthusiastic about being stuck together.  Little Harris is messy and doesn’t even want to head outside at first.  As the two families try to live together, Lexie discovers that connections can be created over the smallest things and that there is still room for everyone even if the house is a lot more crowded.

This is a book that takes a moment in time, a week at the shore, and creates a world out of it.  Couloumbis writes with a voice that celebrates the small things, yet doesn’t wander.  The characters are real, each written with an honesty that is surprising.  The adults have faults, make mistakes.  The young people are struggling with this new situation, facing it with various emotions that all read as true.

Lexie is child who can see past her love for her father and see him through the others’ eyes.  At the same time though, she has to spend time with the others to understand them as deeply.  It all works well as the reader is also learning about these characters.  When truths are revealed is a crux of the story.  Throughout the book, honesty is explored.  Lexie struggles with trying to be kind and then finding herself in situations where it may have been better all along to tell the truth.  The situation with the adults mirrors this as well.

This is a radiant read that explores deep issues of divroce and truth while never losing the sunshine of the shore.  It would make an intriguing pairing with Junonia by Kevin Henkes which is for a similar age and also is set on the beach. Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

Also reviewed by:

Review: The Parrot Tico Tango by Anna Witte

| Tasha

parrot tico tango

The Parrot Tico Tango by Anna Witte

Parrot Tico Tango is a naughty bird!  He has his own mango, but as he soars through the jungle, he steals fruit from other animals.  There is the sloth’s lemon, the monkey’s fig, the snake’s cherry, the frog’s grapes and more.  Eventually, it gets to be too much to carry and he crashes.  Now Tico Tango is left with nothing, not even his own mango.  But the others offered him a slice of mango in exchange for him dancing the tango.  And dance he did!

This is a colorful book that merrily teaches colors and fruits along the way.  The rhyme is jazzy and great fun to read aloud.  The text is written in a cumulative style, so each new fruit is added to the list that is repeated with each new addition.  This adds a lot of style and emphasizes the greed of Tico Tango.  While the book teaches colors, what it would work best for in a classroom is a discussion of adjectives.  Each new fruit is talked about in detailed adjectives that are used in different sentence structures.  It would make a very approachable and fun lesson.

Witte’s art is bright and bold, a winning combination of collage and paint.  The animals themselves are bright colored, especially Tico Tango who lights up each page in his own rainbow of colors.  The fruit also adds a lot of color and then it all pops against the green of jungle and the varying colors of the sky.

This is a simple book that will be enjoyed by toddlers learning their colors on one level and then by elementary students learning adjectives on another.  Appropriate for ages 2-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Barefoot Books.

Review: Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray

| Tasha

benjamin bear in fuzzy thinking

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray

This is another winner from Toon Books.  Their graphic novel line up for elementary aged children manages to be funny, smart and perfectly age appropriate.  Originally published in France, this graphic novel has a certain elegance and style.  Each comic in the book ranges from three to six panels, telling small stories in a quick, simple way.  The humor ranges from a quiet contemplative joke about friendship to a physical slap-stick style.  Coudray has woven those styles together so the book moves from one level to another seamlessly, creating a dynamic and surprising reading effect. 

Coudray’s humor is multi-faceted and great fun to read.  The book moves from one sort of humor to another with great ease.  The illustrations are colorful but in a more sophisticated palette than many children’s books.  A lot of the humor is physical, so the illustrations convey much of it.  Even in the broadest of slapstick, there is a feel of style that makes it a unique read.

The book is laugh-out-loud funny and also great fun to share aloud with children.  This is a graphic novel that belongs in all public libraries, because it is a great hook for reluctant readers.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Pink Me.

Review: Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson

| Tasha

brother sun sister moon

Brother Sun, Sister Moon: Saint Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton

Acclaimed author, Katherine Paterson has reworked a hymn of praise first said by Saint Francis of Assisi.  It praises God for our Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and Sister Stars.  Brother Wind and Brother Air are praised for being both harsh and mild.  Sister Water is thanked for being life-giving and Brother Fire is thanked for both warmth and playfulness.  The song of praise moves through Death as well, thanking God for the days we are given and the love that we are ushered into at death.  It is a universal prayer made joyous through Paterson’s changes to Saint Francis’ original version, which is included at the end of the book.

The delicacy of Paterson’s writing is not apparent until her words are compared with the original.  She has carefully teased deeper meaning from his words.  At the same times she has made them more appropriate for young readers and listeners.  The hymn of praise sings as she has written it, endowed with a new grace thanks to her skill.

Dalton’s illustrations are simply exquisite.  Using a cut paper technique that involves delicate knife work, watercolor painting, and then a process of being steeped in coffee, the result is luminous yet rustic.  It suits this subject matter perfectly, managing to be beautiful but not too lofty.

This is a magnificent selection for libraries’ religious shelves, one that will speak to people of many faiths and is phenomenally appealing and beautiful.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Also reviewed by:

You can see Dalton create her art in the video below: