Month: September 2012

Review: The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson

| Tasha

shark king

The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson

Toon Books has mastered the art of graphic novels for early readers and this book adds to the depth of their offerings.  This story comes from Hawaii and this the tale of Nanaue.  He is the child of a normal mother and The Shark King.  His parents fell in love after his father rescued his mother from drowning.  When Nanaue was about to be born, his father left.  Nanaue was an unusual child, not only because he walked at such an early age, but because of a unique mark on his back that could open into a mouth and snap.  After meeting a boy and his father, a fisherman, Nanaue started to catch fish to eat.  He followed the fishermen to find food, eating so much that he drove them further away.  Nanaue was eventually discovered by the villagers and his mark was revealed.  They chased him all the way back home and even then he had to dive to safety in the sea.  The place that his father created just for him before he was born.

Johnson keeps this rather complicated story simple thanks to the use of the images to tell much of the story.  The snapping mouth on Nanaue’s back is shown rather than described, making it completely and immediately understandable.  The book moves quickly through the story, giving extra time to the beauty of the undersea world and the freedom that Nanaue finds there.

Done in panels that are ever changing in their design, the book has a sense of motion and speed.  Johnson manages to insert welcome humor into the dramatic tale without ever undermining the amazing tale he is telling.

A rich graphic novel for young readers, this book celebrates a little-known Hawaiian story.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Toon Books.

This Week’s Tweets and Pins

| Tasha

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

AUTHORS

Ellen Hopkins discusses new YA novel, ‘Tilt’ | Shelf Life | http://EW.com http://buff.ly/Q6g6kH

Five questions for Louise Erdrich — The Horn Book http://buff.ly/NkPC1J #kidlit

I Double-Dog Dare You! by Jarrett J. Krosoczka « Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/NkiJC7

Lois Lowry connects it all in ‘Son’ –http://MiamiHerald.com http://buff.ly/No6NPV – so looking forward to reading this one!

Not just for kids: Children’s book author/illustrator Anne Rockwell makes fine arts debut – Greenwich Citizen http://buff.ly/NqMhye

Rae Carson talks the ‘Fire and Thorns’ trilogy | Shelf Life | http://EW.com http://buff.ly/NqLPzN #yalit

Roald Dahl always cheered on the children – Telegraph http://buff.ly/PSbK0H

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books: Why kids love them, and parents should make peace with them. – Slate Magazine http://buff.ly/NhquZv

Deji Olukotun: The Banning of Harry Potter http://buff.ly/Njn8p5

A perfect book to begin the new school year — The Library http://ow.ly/dxxFW @anitasilvey#kidlit

Top 10 books That Had Me At Hello by JoEllen McCarthy « Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/OYD6CS

What Makes a Good Manners Book? — The Horn Book http://buff.ly/Q6qYzh #kidlit

PUBLISHERS and PUBLISHING

The Ever-Playful McSweeney’s Enters a New Game: Children’s Books – Steven Heller – The Atlantic http://buff.ly/PONJY4

HarperCollins pays six figures for teenage author | The Bookseller http://buff.ly/S39QK3

Random House launches new website for young readers | New York Daily News http://buff.ly/PONnRx

Scholastic’s Fall 2012 Librarian Preview http://buff.ly/PMQ1Hh

Who Will Create the New Normal in Children’s Book Publishing? | Latina Lista http://buff.ly/PONSLe #kidlit

YA BOOKS

Delayed Reaction or Delayed Satisfaction?: When Sequels Emerge Years Later | The Hub http://buff.ly/NojN8h #yalit

EarlyWord » New YA Best Sellers –http://buff.ly/Nknagh Unwholly and Every Day reach the best sellers list!

Meet Abbie Gibbs, the new star of vampire fiction | http://guardian.co.uk http://buff.ly/Q20JKh #yalit

Panel talks book bans | http://mndaily.com – The Minnesota Daily http://buff.ly/NqLLjF

55% of YA Books Purchased by Adults – Updated and Corrected Below

| Tasha

Publisher’s Weekly has the results from Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age, an ongoing study from Bowker Market Research.  The trends seems to be affected by the recent blockbuster films and series like The Hunger Games, but also goes well beyond those:

“Although bestsellers lead, there’s a long tail of rich reading that has interesting implications for the publishers of YA books in terms of discovery and consumer relationships,” said project editor Kristen McLean.

Adult readers of teen books appear to also have the most valuable of traits to publishers.  They are early adopters of e-books but willing to purchase a book they want in either print or digital format.  They are loyal to the authors they love and they are active on social networks and get reading recommendations from their friends.

Sounds like a lot of the folks I know online and in person who read these books.

UPDATE:  Thanks to a tweet from @ScottWesterfeld, I realized that I misunderstood the study results.  55% of BUYERS of YA books are adults while 28% of sales are to adults.  Of those, 22% are reading the books themselves.  My apologies!

Review: A Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson

| Tasha

gold star for zog

A Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

Zog is a young dragon who desperately wants to win a gold star in his dragon classes.  Unfortunately, he isn’t having much luck.  Flying classes ended with him crashing into a tree, though he was patched up with a band-aid from a young girl.  In Year Two, Zog learned how to roar.  The same girl, a little older now, offered him a peppermint for his scratchy throat after he tried too hard.  The next year, Zog learned how to breathe fire but set his own wing on fire.  Again, the girl was there to bandage his wing.  The final test was to capture a princess.  Zog tried and tried, but could not manage it.  The girl showed up and revealed herself as a princess and offered to be captured by Zog.  Zog got a gold star from his teacher, and the princess revealed herself to want to be a doctor instead.  To find out how it all works out, you will have to quest into the story for yourself.

Told in a rhyme that is great fun to read aloud, this book is fanciful and humorous.  Donaldson has nicely melded dragons and princesses with a classroom setting, achievement and aspiring to be something else.  The princess character is nicely integrated throughout the story, though at first readers are not sure she is anything other than a girl with a medical kit.  That reveal is done nicely and then her further dreams to be something else add a freshness to the tale.

Scheffler has created zingy art filled with bright colors, action and plenty of prat falls.  The class of dragons in a rainbow of colors alone is enough to brighten any book.  Scheffler’s style keeps the dragons friendly and cartoon-like, making the book particularly fun to read. 

A great pick for reading aloud to elementary and preschool classes, this book’s dragons and humor will have it soaring high.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay

| Tasha

Lulu and the Duck

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay

Lulu loves animals, so she can’t understand it when people don’t love every animal, like her teacher Mrs. Holiday.  In fact, Mrs. Holiday has asked Lulu to never bring an animal to school again after an incident with her dog.  When their class is heading back through the park after swimming, something awful happens.  Two dogs run rampage through the ducks’ nests in the park, scaring the ducks, ruining their nests and smashing eggs.  So when Lulu sees the duck egg rolling down the hill, she just does what comes naturally and puts it into her pocket.  Once back at school though, it is hard to figure out how to hide an egg without smashing it.  It becomes even harder when the duckling decides to hatch!

McKay is one of my favorite British authors, capturing the unique qualities of her characters with a distinct merriment.  In this short novel perfect for beginning readers, she changes the perspective up sometimes by offering Mrs. Holiday’s point of view too.  It is done with a lot of humor and children will easily make the transition between Lulu and her teacher. 

The writing is simple but great fun to read.  There are plenty of jokes and moments of seriousness too that both help keep the book moving forward.  It is a trick to offer depth of story in such a brief book, but McKay manages it.

I look forward to the next Lulu book and the trouble that she gets into there.  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

| Tasha

sky color

Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

This is another charmer of a picture book from Reynolds who wrote the popular Ish and The Dot.  Marisol considers herself an artist.  She paints lots of pictures, carries art supplies with her, and sees an artist in everyone.  So Marisol is thrilled when she learns that their next project will be a class mural.  Marisol wants to paint the sky.  The only problem is that there’s no blue paint.  How can she paint the sky without any blue?  Happily, the sky itself shows all of the colors possible to Marisol and she is inspired to paint the sky in many colors.

Reynolds uses simple text very successfully here, just as he has in his previous books.  This book is all about embracing the inner artist, expressing creativity, and finding inspiration in the world around you.  These are huge concepts that Reynolds makes tangible and possible even for young children to get inspired by.  A great idea would be to share the book with children and then have everyone paint the sky without using blue. 

Reynolds successfully turns just a few lines into great illustrations that capture emotions and full characters.  Many of the pages are black and white with bursts of color, but when artistic inspiration strikes, the colors bloom. 

Clever, colorful and filled with artistic inspiration for young readers.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

| Tasha

in a glass grimmly

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

A companion novel to A Tale Dark & Grimm, this book continues to celebrate the darkness and horror that is part of real fairy tales.  This time the focus expands beyond The Brothers Grimm to also include Hans Christian Andersen and Christina Rossetti among others as inspiration.  This is the story of Jack and Jill and their adventures.  Yes, there is a broken crown and also a beanstalk to climb.  There is also a talking frog to be kissed, a goblin market to explore, and monsters to either battle or befriend.  There is plenty of blood, anger, misery, hunger and torment too.  Sound like the sort of book you’d enjoy?  I thought so!

Gidwitz has continued with his narrator who warns readers about what is about to happen, most of the time.  There is a wonderful playfulness in this approach that lightens the sometimes very grim storylines.  The interwoven tales, some of them original and all of them slightly twisted, make for a great read.  The writing is strong and vibrant and a joy to read.

The characters of Jack and Jill are both wrestling with different issues, but both come down to the same thing.  The two of them need to focus more on what they themselves think and not about what others think of them.  Jill struggles with her mother’s focus on beauty, resulting in her walking the street naked in a spin on The Emperor’s Clothes.  Jack wishes he was a leader rather than a follower, and is tormented by the other boys.  He’s even mocked with a version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”  The two children start out very likeable and relatable but turn out to be true heroes in the end.

This engaging story and pair of books is one that will get reluctant readers reading with its promises of gore and disgusting content, but is will be most enjoyed by children familiar with the original tales.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dutton Children’s Books.

Shadow & Bone–The Movie

| Tasha

Shadow & Bone, the amazing debut novel by Leigh Bardugo, has been optioned by DreamWorks Studio.  David Heyman, Harry Potter producer, will produce along with Jeffery Clifford.

“We found not just a fantastic story, but one set in a mystical and fascinating world that will translate well to the big screen,” said DreamWorks production president Holly Bario. “We are excited to begin adapting this book and look forward to working with David Heyman who has unparalleled proven success in this genre.”

Heyman called Shadow and Bone “a riveting and wholly original adventure set in a breathtakingly imaginative world.”

Review: Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh

| Tasha

living with mom and living with dad

Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh

This picture book takes a look at divorce in a way that is appropriate for very young children.  It focuses on living in two separate homes and what happens to the things a child holds dear and to their family.  Using flaps to invite young listeners to participate in the story, children will be able to explore the differences, including different nightlights, changes in how a child is picked up from school, and trips with each parent.  Nicely, the book also explores what happens for special events and birthdays and how the parents attend but separately.  There is no negative emotion here, just a matter-of-fact book that answers the questions that children will have about their every day life. 

Walsh has created a book that will be of particular help in both families going through a divorce and for children who have questions in general about divorce.  The lack of emotion gives the book some distance from the situation, yet it manages to answer all of the nuts and bolts details that children fret about. 

Walsh’s art is flat and friendly.  The book is populated by bright colors, cheery flaps and a friendly outlook.  All of this in a book about divorce.  And it manages to work and work well.

A good choice for the youngest of children who are thinking about divorce, this book is a welcome addition to library shelves.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.