Month: December 2011

Review: Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman

| Tasha

swirl by swirl

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes

Two incredible talents worked together to bring us one of the most stunningly lovely books of the year.  It explores the different ways that spirals and swirls appear in nature.  There are the animals curled up for the winter underground, shells, unfurling ferns, hedgehogs, octopus tentacles, whirlpools and tornadoes.  This book is a masterpiece of simplicity and complexity, just like the swirls that it speaks about.

With verse by Joyce Sidman, winner of a Newbery Honor and illustrations by Caldecott winner Beth Krommes, this book is immediately something special.  The two have brought readers a poem spiraled inside intensely lovely images.  One gets the sense of unwinding a spiral when reading the verse, as it loops and dances.  The illustrations too are filled with a movement that is natural and free.

There is a simplicity about the verse that is misleading.  Sidman’s verse is tight and well crafted, showing a restraint and skill.  Krommes’ illustrations on the other hand are filled with details, lines of motion, and jewel tones.  Astonishingly lovely, the illustrations have a fully dimensional feel to them and celebrate the swirl and spiral to great effect.

Highly recommended, this book successfully celebrates shape, design, science and nature in a single beautiful work.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Check out the book trailer to see the illustrations for yourself:

Also reviewed by:

Review: Red Sled by Lita Judge

| Tasha

red sled

Red Sled by Lita Judge

This almost wordless book sparkles with the joy of sledding.  A little child leaves their sled leaning up outside their house.  When night falls, a bear walks by and spots the red sled.  With a “scrunch scrinch scrunch scrinch” he walks away with the sled under his arm.  Then he and a rabbit ride the sled down the hill, hooting with glee.  They head down the hill in different positions and then are by a moose, and eventually raccoons, an opossum, a porcupine and a mouse.  When morning light starts to show, the bear returns the sled with a “scrunch scrinch scrunch scrinch.”  The little child notices the paw prints around the sled, and the ending will have everyone smiling.

Judge’s art here is playful and filled with antics of the animals.  There is a sense of joy and humor throughout the book, something akin to sledding itself.  The art is whimsical and charming, the snowy ground illuminating the night.  The emotions on the faces of the characters carry a lot of the humor as do the physical stunts on the sled.

A super pick for winter sharing, this is sure to warm up any cold winter night.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Check out the book trailer too:

Review: Anna Hibiscus’ Song by Atinuke

| Tasha

anna hibiscus song

Anna Hibiscus’ Song by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia

Anna Hibiscus returns in a picture book!  Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa with her extended family and they are very happy.  In fact, Anna Hibiscus is so happy that she almost floats out of the mango tree she is sitting in.  She doesn’t know what to do with herself, so she asks her grandparents, aunties, uncle, cousins and parents what they do when they feel so very happy.  Though Anna Hibiscus tries their techniques, she has to figure out what her own reaction to pure happiness is. 

This jolly picture book captures the essence of the chapter books featuring Anna Hibiscus.  Though the story is by necessity less detailed and shorter, it does a good job of setting the African stage for the story and revealing the deep love and connection that this family has.  The character of Anna Hibiscus is also shown clearly and concisely, neatly packaging her in a smaller form but losing none of her charm and wit.

Tobia’s illustrations also echo the chapter books closely.  They celebrate the African setting and the warmth of this home.  They also embrace the different skin colors of members of the family.  In the entire series, I have appreciated how frankly and naturally this is handled. 

This happy, merry story would be a great addition to units on emotions or a joyful read in any story time.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Kane Miller.

Also reviewed by The Artful Parent and Jean Little Library.

Review: Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

| Tasha

naamah and the ark at night

Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Holly Meade

Naamah is Noah’s wife.  In this picture book, she is the woman who sings the ark to sleep at night.  She sings throughout the night, through the rain, soothing the animals as they are restless.  She sings for the night itself, for the moon and for the stars.  She sings for the earth and sky, for her family in the ark.  She sings the entire ark to sleep.

Bartoletti’s Author’s Note speaks to the origin of Naamah’s name.  It also talks about the ancient Arabic structure of the poem she used in this book.  It requires using the same ending word in each couplet, preceded by a rhyming word.  This structure does not seem limiting as it reads, but it is completely unique and immediately caught my eye and ear as something different.

Meade’s art is exquisite.  Her watercolor collages have a texture and depth to them that is delightful.  They have movement and vary from bright colored tigers pacing to silhouettes against a star-filled sky.  She is very successful in showing the vastness of the water and storm around the ark, the beauty of the night sky, and the grace of Naamah as she moves around the ark.

A lovely picture book, this book reveals a little-known Biblical figure.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Spineless Classics–Art for Readers

| Tasha

Spineless Classics is a company that creates posters out of the entire full text of a work.  Then a silhouette from the book is placed so that the words wrap around it.  The text is in 4 point font, tiny but legible.  For me, it is the beauty of the words and the silhouette that make me covet these.

Here is my favorite, The Wind in the Willows, but many others are lovely too:

The-Wind-in-the-Willows-_187260_h500

Review: A Zeal of Zebras by Woop Studios

| Tasha

zeal of zebras

A Zeal of Zebras: An Alphabet of Collective Nouns by Woop Studios

Follow the alphabet on a journey through the beautiful and evocative collective nouns in our language.  You will get to see a galaxy of starfish, an aurora of polar bears, and even an ostentation of peacocks.  Each animal then has a paragraph or two of information on them, small details that show the unique qualities of that creature.  This is all paired with vibrant illustrations that have the feel of vintage posters and are graphic and wild.  This is one alphabet book that is more about the wordplay and the art than the ABCs.

While the paragraphs are well-written and concise, it is really the art that makes this book special.  The printed and distressed quality of the images and the way that the posters are replayed on the pages with words make the entire work visually intriguing. 

As I finished reading this with both of my sons looking over my shoulder and commenting on the incredible collective nouns, we all agreed that whoever named collective nouns was an artist.  The same can be said for this entire book.  It was done by real artists.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

| Tasha

why we broke up

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, illustrated by Maira Kalman

Released December 27, 2011.

Min and Ed have broken up, that’s why she thunks down a box full of things on his doorstep.  Inside the box are the small mementos of a relationship and the answers to what is behind their break up.  The box also contains a long letter to Ed that Min has written, explaining fully both the growth of their relationship and her feelings for him, but even more so the reasons that they can never be together.  The box holds memories and mementos: a toy truck, a movie ticket, a protractor, a note, and rose petals.  Each item is tied to a part of the story, a moment in their time together, times when there were warnings of how it would end but Min ignored all of them until that last one.  The one that brings us back to this box and that doorstep.

Handler’s writing here is striking.  He moves from a more normal syntax and structure into rushes of stream of conscious writing that is breathless and dazzling and bitter.  These are the moments where the pain of the breakup is right there, a heartbeat away.  It is a book filled with surprising moments, aching with importance and equally part of normal life. 

This is a relationship laid bare and honest, searingly truthful at times.  At the same time, distrust and foreboding is always right there since the reader knows from the first page that the relationship is doomed.  It is this rich mix of the delight of new love and the awareness that it ended badly that makes the book compulsively readable. 

Dazzling and honest, this book will speak to any teen who has been dumped, any teen in a relationship, and any teen looking for one.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Check out the Why We Broke Up Project website too.

Review: Stars by Mary Lyn Ray

| Tasha

stars

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee

This gorgeous picture book speaks to the importance of stars in our lives.  From the points of light that brighten the night sky to the ways that they can cheer us during the day.  The book recommends carrying a star in your pocket (one cut from paper) or you could use it to make a magic wand that just might make a wish come true.  If you lose your star, you can make another or find one around you in moss, flowers and gardens.  You can even be called a star, though there will always be days when you don’t feel like you are shining.  In the end, stars are there whether we can see them or not, waiting to be noticed.

Ray’s poem of a book is enchanting.  What could have become trite and dull instead is a book filled with its own shining glitter.  Her words dance on the page, evoking the beauty of star-lit night, the connection we have with others, and most importantly how vital it is that we believe in ourselves.  All in a poem about stars!

Frazee’s art is always divine.  She creates characters who are instantly relatable and understandable.  They are all a little quirky and complete individuals.  Here in this book, they are all stars.

Highly recommended, this is a dazzling, radiant picture book that is simple, light-filled and deep.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Grace at Christmas by Mary Hoffman

| Tasha

grace at christmas

Grace at Christmas by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa Hu

On the 20th Anniversary of Amazing Grace, Hoffman has written a holiday addition to the series.  Grace loved Christmas even more than her birthday.  She loved acting out the Christmas story and spending time with her family.  This year, they were going to be joined by some new people for their holiday.  The granddaughter of a family friend and her daughter were going to come and stay for a bit.  The daughter was just Grace’s age, but Grace was worried about having them stay.  It didn’t get any better once they arrived and the girl seemed so quiet and shy.  Slowly the two girls become more friendly, and Grace learns that sometimes it’s the unplanned parts of Christmas that bring the most magic.

Hoffman writes with such confidence here.  She knows Grace and her family so well that the stories are sure footed and adept.  The characters too have a sense of reality and place that is the hallmark of a well-written series.  The growth that Grace shows throughout the book is equally well written and the story arc is clear and makes sense both for the sake of the story and the characters.

The art in the book follows the same style as the rest of the series.  It is realistic, colorful, and warm: an inviting mix.  The book celebrates Christmas but the color palette is definitely not limited at all to holiday hues. 

A great holiday addition to a beloved series, this book belongs in all public library collections.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books for Young Readers.