Review: Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier

March 14, 2013March 14, 2013 | Tasha

Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo

An import from France, this picture book has a wonderful quirkiness. It is the story of Leon, a lizard, who is having a lovely morning, eating breakfast, sitting in the sun, and then he has to go to the bathroom. But after he goes poo, he discovers that he’s out of toilet paper. He looks around, but only sees prickly leaves and messy grass. Until he discovers pair of old underpants hanging on a nearby branch. They are full of holes anyway, so he uses them to wipe and tosses them away. But that’s when a loud voice, his conscience, starts to talk to him and tells him to clean them up and hang them up to dry. In the end, his conscience turns out to be something else entirely and the grand twist of the tale adds to the merriment of the book.

Escoffier is a popular author in France and this book marks his debut into the American market. His humor is spot on for young readers who will adore the idea of what this lizard does for toilet paper. They will not see the ending coming, since it is fresh and completely surprising. In the end, the twist will delight readers even more than the original joke.

Di Giacomo is the illustrator of My Dad Is Big & Strong, BUT… and I am very pleased to see another of her picture books come to English translation. Her art is a fabulous blend of paint, crayon, fine lines and texture. She uses blots of color as the leaves, something that is surprising but works very well.

Share this with all of those children who love something a little naughty in their picture books. If you share it with a group, you will most likely be asked to read it over again. Also, expect riotous reactions to the humor. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Review: When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton

March 14, 2013March 12, 2013 | Tasha

When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

This is a lovely new picture book version of Fatty Legs that will share Olemaun’s story with younger readers than the original chapter book. It follows Olemaun from her time with her nomadic family through her attending the “outsider’s school.” There her hair is chopped short and her warm parka is replaced with thin and scratchy clothing. Her name is even changed to Margaret. Margaret wants most to learn to read, but the school is much more interested in getting the children to work hard rather than teaching them. Margaret has a difficult relationship with one nun in particular who makes a point of humiliating her regularly. In the end though, Margaret does learn to read all on her own.

This is a story that works really well as a picture book. I really enjoyed both Fatty Legs and A Stranger at Home that were chapter books, but this younger version simplifies the story and keeps its quiet power. As with the earlier books, I remain in awe at the strength that it took for Margaret to survive in the school and also the courage it takes to keep on telling her story.

Grimard’s illustrations echo the beauty of the Arctic but also capture the dullness and darkness of the school. The nun character radiates scorn and anger on every page she appears in. Margaret is shown usually isolated, but also as radiant in her resiliency.

A powerful look at residential schools on Native populations, this picture book version belongs in most libraries. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Netgalley and Annick Press.

Review: Wild Boy by Mary Losure

March 13, 2013March 8, 2013 | Tasha

Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron by Mary Losure, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

Losure’s latest is another compelling true story this time focusing on the boy found in the woods in southern France in 1789. The boy was not a tiny child, but rather a young boy who had obviously been surviving on his own for some time, his body covered in scars. Quickly, the boy was taken for study and observation, his life curtailed and limited because he always attempted to run away. There was very little attempt to actually reach him until he was sent to the Institute for Deaf-Mutes where he was put into the care of Dr. Itard. Itard decided to make the boy, who he named Victor, happy before trying to teach him to speak. So Victor joined the family of the housekeeper and quickly became attached to them. But civilizing a wild boy is not simple, as this book shows with historical details, engaging humor, and a narrative that shows an immense empathy for this wild child.

Losure, author of The Fairy Ring, has once again taken a complicated situation and made it understandable for young readers. Young readers will immediately relate more closely with the intriguing Victor. Through his eyes and Losure’s exquisite writing, readers understand his ties to nature (Page 72):

But when rain pattered on the roof and everyone else went inside, the wild boy often crept out into the garden, to the tiny, formal reflecting pond that sat among the flower beds. He would circle the pond several times, then sit by its edge and rock himself back and forth as the rain dimpled the surface of the pond. He’d gaze into the water, toss in a handful of dead leaves, and watch them drift.

The digital galley I read did not have the completed art available, so I cannot comment on the illustrations. Throughout the book, Losure makes the Wild Boy come to life as a very unique and resilient boy. The story is told during his time, through the eyes of those who knew him best, using reports written at the time. Only in her Author’s Note does Losure speculate on whether Victor was autistic. There she also notes the importance of Victor on educational attitudes like Montessori.

An engaging, wrenching read that brings history to life in the form on one amazing person. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Netgalley and Candlewick Press.

Review: Bella Loves Bunny and Ben Loves Bear by David McPhail

March 13, 2013March 8, 2013 | Tasha

Bella Loves Bunny by David McPhail

Ben Loves Bear by David McPhail

A pair of charming board books from veteran author and illustrator McPhail, these casebound books closely echo picture book structure but have sturdy board pages that will stand up to toddler use. The stories mirror each other, following the child from waking up for a day of play through to bedtime.

Bella’s story feels more passive than Ben’s, but I think that is because Bunny is not depicted as energetically as Bear is. Children who have favorite stuffed animals who accompany them throughout their day will find kindred spirits on these pages. The stuffed animals are living and breathing here, the story filled with a quiet imagination. As always, McPhail’s illustrations have a wonderful depth of color and fine lines. They manage to be dreamy but realistic at the same time.

Good additions to library board book collections, these are books that are gentle and joyful. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Bella Loves Bunny was received from Abrams for review. Ben Loves Bear was reviewed from library copy.

2013 Carnegie Medal Shortlist

March 12, 2013March 12, 2013 | Tasha

The longlist for the 2013 Carnegie Medal has been shortened to eight great contenders. This UK award is given annually to the most outstanding book for children based on literary quality. Here is the 2013 shortlist:

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossnan

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

I’ve read over half of the shortlist and all of them were among my favorite reads. This is an incredibly strong list of books.

2013 Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist

March 12, 2013March 12, 2013 | Tasha

You can see the longlist for the Greenaway Medal here to find out what books were under consideration for the prize. Now the list for this UK prize for the top illustrated children’s book of the year has been shortened to just eight contenders:

Again! by Emily Gravett

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb

Oh No, George! by Christ Haughton

Pirates ‘N’ Pistols by Chris Mould

Review: Engine Number Ten by Rose Ann Woolpert

March 12, 2013March 12, 2013 | Tasha

Engine Number Ten by Rose Ann Woolpert, illustrated by Jaguar Studio Design

This is the story of how granite was quarried over one hundred years ago in California. First work was done with mules and small wooden carts. Then little steam trains were used on the narrow tracks, shuttling back and forth with loads of rock. Steadily, more steam trains were used until they had ten steam trains and one steam shovel working in the quarry. Then diesel locomotives started to replace the oldest steam engines until just Number Ten was still working. The other steam trains had been taken apart and sold. A new diesel engine was purchased for the quarry, pulling huge loads of granite with ease. Number Ten was sent off to be scrapped. But then something happened that changed Number Ten’s fate, a rockslide trapped the diesel engine. There was only one train that could rescue her: Number Ten!

Woolpert successfully mixes the true story of the Number Ten engine that now is on display at the Railroad Museum in Sacramento with personified engines that eagerly say “Yes, I Will!” Her writing is refreshingly clear and playful, allowing the momentum of the true story itself to set a brisk pace.

The illustrations are a mix of vintage photographs and black and white drawings that are often superimposed upon the photos. This echoes the story being a mix of history and fiction. The result is clearly historical but also very friendly.

This is the first book in the “Yes, We Will” series which will continue to tell the stories of the machines and people of Graniterock, a business in northern California. It’s a good pick for young train enthusiasts or those interested in American history. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from the author.

Review: The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle

March 11, 2013March 11, 2013 | Tasha

The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle

Margarita Engle, award-winning author of verse novels, continues her stories of Cuba. In this book, she explores the life of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, also known as Tula, who becomes a revolutionary Cuban poet. Raised to be married off to save the family financially, Tula even as a young girl relates more closely with slaves and the books she is reading than with girls of her own age and her own social standing. As she reads more and more, sheltered by both her younger brother and the nuns at the convent, Tula starts to explore revolutionary ideas about freedom for slaves and for women. In a country that is not free, Tula herself is not free either and is forced to confront an arranged marriage, the brutality of slavery, and find her own voice.

Engle writes verse novels with such a beauty that they are impossible to put down. Seemingly light confections of verse, they are actually strong, often angry and always powerful. Here, Engle captures the way that girls are asked to sacrifice themselves for their families, the importance of education for young women, and the loss of self. She doesn’t shy away from issues of slavery either. At it’s heart though, this novel is about the power of words to free people, whether that is Tula herself, her brother or a family slave and friend.

Highly recommended, this is another dazzling and compelling novel from a master poet. Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from digital galley received from NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2013 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards

March 11, 2013March 11, 2013 | Tasha

The Ezra Jack Keats Awards “recognize and encourage authors and illustrators starting out in the field of children’s books.” The New Writer Award started in 1985 with the New Illustrator Award following in 2001. Here are the 2013 award winners: