Month: February 2012

Review: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett

| Tasha

extra-yarn-cover

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

In the bleakness of winter when the town was all white from snow and black from chimney soot, Annabelle found a box that contained yarn of every color.  She knit herself a sweater and still had more yarn, so she knit a sweater for her dog too.  There was still yarn, so she started knitting sweaters for everyone or hats for those who didn’t want sweaters.  Still there was more yarn, so she knit sweaters for all of the animals around.  She still had not run out of yarn, so she started knitting for objects that don’t wear sweaters, covering houses and mail boxes with yarn.  That’s when Annabelle attracted the attention of a vain archduke who wanted the unending box of yarn for himself.  When she refused to sell it to him at any price, he stole it from her.  But we all know the rules about magic things, and soon the box was back in Annabelle’s hands.

This book is filled with magic and not just in the form of the unending yarn.  Barnett’s storyline is a combination of gentle storytelling and subtle humor.  It manages to be both fresh and also pay homage to traditional tales. 

Klassen’s art has the starkness of his previous book, I Want My Hat Back, but the brightness of the yarn adds an entirely new dimension.  It glows in all of its color and texture against the rest of the illustrations, bringing not only color but also a robust life into the images.  His use of digitally scanned textures to create the knit effect is ingenious. 

A delight of a picture book that references the traditional while creating something completely new and magical.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

2012 Waterstones Children’s Prize Shortlist

| Tasha

For the first time, the British Waterstones award is broken into three age categories with a short list for each.  Each of the three winners then goes on to vie for the top spot of overall winner.  Category winners earn £2,000 prizes and the overall winner will receive an additional £3,000.  Winners will be selected by booksellers and revealed on Wednesday, March 28.

Here are the shortlists:

Picture Books:

 

No! by Marta Altés
I Don’t Want to be a Pea! by Ann Bonwill & Simon Rickerty

 
The Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle
A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton (titled changed to Little Owl Lost in the US)

 
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen

Fiction 5-12:

  

The Windvale Sprites by Mackenzie Crook
Muncle Trogg by Janet Foxley
Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis

  
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by L. Pichon
Milo and the Restart Button by Alan Silberberg
Claude in the City by Alex T. Smith

Teen:

  

You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Being Billy by Phil Earle
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

  
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Review: Tom the Tamer by Tjibbe Veldkamp

| Tasha

tom the tamer

Tom the Tamer by Tjibbe Veldkamp, illustrated by Philip Hopman

Tom may be able to train snails to jump on a trampoline and squirrels to swing from trapezes in the trees, but he can’t convince his father to go outdoors.  His dad is too frightened of all of the animals out there.  So Tom sets out with a plan to bring the animals in to his father.  He starts by heading to the local pet store and buying a polar bear.  He trains the polar bear in the park and by that evening, the polar bear is pretending to be their new furry white chair in the house.  Tom’s father loves the new chair and never notices that it is actually a polar bear.  The next day, Tom heads out and gets even more animals from the pet store, training them all to act like different pieces of furniture.  Soon the entire living room is filled with animals, and Tom’s father loves all of the new “furniture” too.  But what will happen when he finds out that Tom got all of these new things at the pet store?

Veldkamp has created a broad comedy that stretches the imagination in a most wonderful way.  It also takes the parent/child relationship and merrily turns it on its head.  Tom is a very creative young man, seeing the world in his own unique way and definitely not in the way that his father does. 

Hopman’s illustrations add to the fun, from the crowded shelves of the pet store to the graceful curve and smile of a polar bear chair.  The illustrations have a certain wildness but also a friendly style that makes sure that everyone knows this is pure fun.

An exuberant book that is full of zany fun, this Dutch import would be a great addition to an animal story time.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Lemniscaat.

Review: Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

| Tasha

dragonswood

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

After the death of the king, the royal treasure was stolen and has not been recovered.  Tess lives in a small village and has troubles of her own, including an abusive stepfather and the recent death of her infant brother.  When the witch hunter comes to town, Tess is accused of being a witch.  Tess is able to see the future in fire sometimes and loves going into the wilds of Dragonswood even though it is forbidden.  When she is tortured, she breaks and gives up the names of her best friends as also going into Dragonswood with her.  Sent to trial, Tess escapes with the aid of a dragon and flees her home along with her two friends.  The three of them must survive in the wilds, disguised as lepers and never revealing their identities.  But when one of their husbands is tortured too , the situation changes and they must risk their own safety to save him.  As the story continues, more of the magic of Dragonswood is revealed along with who took the royal treasure.  This is one amazing read, filled with fey and dragons.

Carey writes with the confidence of a long-time storyteller.  Here, she weaves 12th century England and its witch-hunting into a story filled with ancient magic.  The setting of Wilde Island and Dragonswood is particularly effective, itself filled with creatures of magic and the dangers as well.  The story’s pacing is well done too, gripping and fast-paced in the beginning, it slows a bit in the middle to allow the story to develop, and then picks up the speed again in the end as all of the pieces fit together at last. 

The characterization is also particularly well done.  Tess lacks self-confidence from her years of abuse and seems unlikely to become the heroine of the story.  When she breaks under torture, it is written particularly well, and shows the violence of torture and the coldness and calculating nature of it as a tool.  The other characters are also well-rendered, with secondary characters returning later in the story and becoming more fully developed. 

This book sparkles with magic, dragons and fey, but also is striking because of its human characters living in fear and darkness.  Beautiful writing and a remarkable setting lift this fantasy on dragon wings.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

VOYA’s Perfect Tens 2011

| Tasha

Out of over 1100 reviews of books for teens in 2011, VOYA reviewers only awarded 24 books perfect tens.  That means they scored a perfect 5 in both quality and popularity.  A rare thing indeed!  The fascinating thing is that these are very different books than those seen on recent award lists.

Here are the 24 perfect ten books for teens:

  

Ashes by Ilsa Bick

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

City of Ice by Laurence Yep

  

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Death Sentence: Escape from Furnace 3 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Everneath by Ashton Brodi

  

Fear: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant

He’s So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott

Hidden by Helen Frost

  

Legend by Marie Lu

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

  

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Rivals in the Tudor Court by D. L. Bogdan

  

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater

Troublemaker, Book1 and Book 2 by Janet Evanovich and Alex Evanovich

  

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

Battle of the Kids’ Books

| Tasha

School Library Journal has announced their 2012 contenders in the Battle of the Kids’ Books.  The competition is between 16 of the best books of 2011, and is judged by top authors in children’s books. 

Here are the contenders:

   

Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Bootleg by Karen Blumenthal

   

The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

   

Drawing from Memory by Allen Say

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami

Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

   

Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

2012 Battle Schedule

Round One

Match 1 (March 13, Judge TBA)

Amelia Lost vs Anya’s Ghost

Match 2 (March 14, Judge TBA)

Between Shades of Gray vs Bootleg

Match 3 (March 15, Judge TBA)

The Cheshire Cheese Cat vs Chime

Match 4 (March 16, Judge TBA)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone vs Dead End in Norvelt

Match 5 (March 19, Judge TBA)

Drawing from Memory vs The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

Match 6 (March 20, Judge TBA)

Heart and Soul vs Inside Out and Back Again

Match 7 (March 21, Judge TBA)

Life: An Exploded Diagram vs A Monster Calls

Match 8 (March 22, Judge TBA)

Okay for Now vs Wonderstruck

This Week’s Tweets and Pins

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts that you might find interesting:

10 books to help boost young boys’ reading | The Guardian http://j.mp/xMmRR9 #kidlit #yalit

EarlyWord » BEAUTIFUL CREATURES Moves Closer to Screen http://j.mp/xup7He

Flavorwire » 10 Great Science Fiction Books for Girls (Frankly, great for everyone!) http://j.mp/wYNLEM

The Hunger Games: The new teen franchise with Twilight in its sights – The Independent http://j.mp/y5ZQYO

Rebecca Stead and Patricia Reilly Giff at the Voracious Reader: How Do You Get Kids to Read in a World of iDistraction…http://j.mp/A3eJce

Royal Mail Releases ‘Roald Dahl’ Stamps – Love it! http://j.mp/xEH4xm

Second Hunger Games Trailer! Enjoy! http://youtu.be/qoUT7q2iTbQ

Review: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano

| Tasha

and then its spring

And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

This enchanting book starts with the brown of late winter.  It’s the brown that you have to plant seeds into in the hopes of green coming soon.  But then you have to wait for rain, hope that the birds didn’t eat the seeds, realize that the bears may have stomped too close to the seeds because they can’t read signs, and then you have to wait some more.  It stays brown, but even the brown starts to change and seem more hopeful and humming.  Then you wait some more, and then one day, if you are patient and keep caring for your newly planted seeds, you wake up to green!

Oh how I love this book!  In her poetic prose, Fogliano captures the patience of gardening, the drudgery of late winter, and the hope that must be invested in order to see seeds spring to life.  I had expected the birds eating the seeds, but the stomping bears led me to realize that this was more playful a book than I had originally expected, something I love to have happen in the middle of a picture book!  

Add to this the illustrations of Caldecott winner Stead and you have such a winning book.  Her art has a delicacy that is perfect for the whispers of early spring.  The boy in the story is thin, wear glasses, and by the time spring finally comes has created quite a garden with birdfeeders, signs, and plenty of lumps of dirt.  By far my favorite part comes at the end, where the garden does not burst into flowers but remains weedy and lumpy, but green.  Perfection.

Doing a spring story time soon?  Get your hands on this book!  Ideal for classes planting a garden or all of us longing for the green to return.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Study Shows Decline in Nature in Picture Books

| Tasha

A recent study by Dr. J. Allen Williams, Jr., a sociologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln took a look at Caldecott Award books between 1938 and 2008.  They specifically looked at images in the books and whether they depicted nature, indoor settings, or a combination of human and natural settings like a playground.  They looked at over 8000 images in 296 books.

Due to the increased interest in the environment, one of the possibilities was that more nature would be in the award winning books in more recent times.  Another possibility, and the one that turned out to be true, was that because of our isolation from the natural world in the modern day, there would be fewer images of nature.

The study showed significant declines in illustrations of nature in the picture books.  Now, those of us who know children’s books can come up with many examples of incredible books that focus on the environment, and before I read more about the study that was exactly what I was starting to do.  This study shows though that the books that are being selected as the best picture books of the year are not those about nature.  An interesting trend that.

What is your take on this?  Do you agree with the trend?  Wonder at whether it reflects the full picture book world?