Month: June 2014

Review: I Am Otter by Sam Garton

| Tasha

i am otter

I Am Otter by Sam Garton

Based off of characters from the blog: I Am Otter: The Unheard Ramblings of a Modern Day Otter, this picture book oozes with good natured humor.  It tells the story of an otter who lives with a person that she calls Otter Keeper.  Otter Keeper had to go to work on Monday, so Otter and Teddy (her teddy bear) tried to stop him by doing things like hiding his keys and his lunch.  But Otter Keeper left for work anyway.  So Otter decided to have her own job and chose to open a toast restaurant.  But there were problems from the start.  Teddy had forgotten to take reservations, so the line was very long.  Teddy forgot to tell the customers the prices of the items.  And finally, Teddy got the orders wrong.  It all ended in a horrible mess, just as Otter Keeper returned home.  Quickly, Otter hid as much as she could of the mess, but in the process Teddy disappeared!  Can Otter find her best friend?

Garton cleverly tells two stories in this picture book.  First is the written story in Otter’s voice that explains exactly what is happening from her perspective.  That is that Teddy makes poor choices, Teddy makes messes, and Teddy forgets things.  The rest of the story, the true version, is told in the pictures where even the youngest readers will understand that it is Otter who is creating all of the ruckus and mess as well as the drama. 

Garton’s art is just as clear as his dual story.  Done in full-color, the illustrations have a quiet and homey feel to them that contrasts delightfully with the messes that Otter creates.  The illustrations are busy with small objects, showing a real home filled with toys, plants, pencils, and more.

Funny, smart and a pleasure to share aloud, this British picture book is “otterly” incredible.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Balzer + Bray.

Eric Hill Dies

| Tasha

Where's Spot? (Picture Puffin - Lift-the-flap book) Spot Goes to the Farm

Eric Hill, the creator of the beloved Spot, has died at age 86.  His first Spot book, Where’s Spot, was published in 1980 and incorporated a lift-the-flap feature that continued in the Spot books. 

You can visit the official Spot website for more information on the series.

Review: Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway

| Tasha

pigsticks and harold

Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway

Pigsticks hasn’t done anything with his life yet, unlike his very distinguished ancestors.  So he decides that he will travel to the Ends of the Earth but unlike his forepig, he will make it back alive.  Pigsticks quickly realizes that he will need an assistant, someone to carry all of his gear and cook.  Everyone in town came for an interview, but Pigsticks could not find the right person for the job.  That is until Harold the hamster showed up with a misdelivered package.  Harold wasn’t sure he wanted to be Harold’s assistant, but after much negotiation involving how many cakes would be brought on the journey (three of them) Harold agreed.  The two set off the next day, fording rivers, marching through jungles, crossing frail bridges across deep ravines, and then entering a vast desert before climbing an immense snowy mountain.  It’s a journey filled with mishaps and perils, most of which befall Harold, on their way to the elusive Ends of the Earth.

Milway has created a very clever early reader that will have new readers giggling right along.  Pigsticks is a wonderfully inattentive character, never noticing the various perils that Harold is facing along the way.  One might think be would come off very negatively, but he actually is a likeable character throughout, just a little self-absorbed.  Harold on the other hand is the voice of sanity on the trip, the one who sees danger ahead, but also the one doomed to not be listened to.  Their odd relationship works well in this book, creating very funny moments with just the right tone and humor for the age group.

Milway’s art is clever and cartoony.  He uses the art to fill in much of the story and provides art throughout at just the right amount to make the book appealing to new readers who are daunted by full-text pages.  The art adds to the zany humor of the text and further builds the dynamic between the two characters.

Funny, clever and cake-filled, this quest to the Ends of the Earth is sure to “end” up as a new reader favorite.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from digital copy received from Candlewick Press and NetGalley.

Bunches of Board Books

| Tasha

Some great additions to series! 

dinnertime for chickies

Dinnertime for Chickies by Janee Trasler is the third in the Chickies series.  Here the very picky chicks are reluctant to try new foods, asking for sweets instead.  But Sheep, Cow and Pig cajole them into trying the foods and the chicks discover that they like them!  By the end of the meal, they might just be too full for dessert.  This is a funny addition to the series that will encourage small children to try new things.

i am so brave

I Am So Brave by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Sara Gillingham is the fourth book in their empowerment series.  This book focuses on overcoming fears like dogs, swimming, the dark and even saying goodbye to a parent.  Told very simply, the book is about the joy of overcoming rather than the process of doing so.  Still, it will encourage children to face their fears.

planes go

Planes Go by Steve Light is the fourth book in its series which has previously covered trucks, trains and diggers.  This plane book is very successful, focusing on different types of planes and then the sounds that they make.  It’s the kind of book that small children will love to read to themselves aloud after they learn the names of the planes.  A lovely addition to a great series.

Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year 2014

| Tasha

bankstreet

The Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College has released their list of the best children’s books of the year for 2014.  The list takes into consideration literary quality, presentation quality and emotional impact.    Additional characteristics are also examined such as characterization, setting, plot, and diversity.

The list is broken into different categories.  The links below will lead to pdf versions of the list:

Timing of the lists is great for summer reading for children.  And the lists are wonderfully deep and long with lots to choose from.  Enjoy!

The Giver – Trailer #2

| Tasha

Hurrah for black and white!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwN_HusyoH0

Review: Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

| Tasha

complicit

Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

Jamie and his sister Cate were adopted by a wealthy couple whose own children died.  But money can’t fix everything.  Two years ago Cate was sentenced to juvenile detention for burning down their neighbors horse barn and injuring a girl.  Now Cate is free and she’s returning to Jamie’s life though he wants nothing to do with her.  When Jamie had first heard of the barn burning down, his arms went completely numb and non-functional.  He’s gotten better in the last two years, but hearing that his sister is returning and looking for him specifically has his arms going numb again.  Cate bears a truth that Jamie might finally be ready to hear, and Jamie knows that there is something about the fire at the barn that just isn’t right.  This tense and twisting thriller will keep readers enthralled right to the incredible ending.

Kuehn won the William C. Morris Award for her first book, Charm & Strange.  Her skills is on display here too as this second book is a completely engrossing read that is one wild ride.  Told entirely from the point of view of Jamie, readers can only guess at what he is hiding from himself.  Tension builds as Jamie starts to piece together clues about Cate and what she was doing the night the barn burned and then why she turned herself in days later.   As Cate starts to call Jamie and provide hints herself, the tension creeps up higher.  The explosive ending will confirm some reader’s guesses but will also stun with its revelations.

Skillfully written and plotted, this novel explores mental illness in a very close and personal way.  Jamie is a wonderfully flawed narrator, filling the pages with his unique point of view that readers know from the beginning is skewed though they are not sure exactly how.  That is part of the brilliance of the book, that there are many ways in which Jamie can be misunderstanding his sister and his past.  That’s what keep readers turning the pages, the need to know what in the world is the truth.

A riveting and breathtaking read, this is a perfect summer read to share between friends.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from digital galley received from NetGalley and Macmillan.

Review: All Different Now by Angela Johnson

| Tasha

all different now

All Different Now: Juneteenth the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Celebrate the beauty of freedom in this book dedicated to Juneteenth.  Told from the point of view of a young girl, the story is about the first Juneteenth, the day that freedom was first announced for the last of the slaves in the South.  Living in shacks on a plantation in Texas, the day is just another day for the girl and her family and the rest of the slaves.  They worked hard in the hot sun, not knowing that word of their freedom was steadily heading their way.  Then the news arrived and people reacted in different ways, but quickly they pulled their things together and left the plantation behind for freedom.  Now June 19th is celebrated as African American Emancipation Day across the United States.  It’s a joy to have such a beautiful picture book to give to children to explain Juneteenth and why it means so much.

Johnson manages somehow to show slavery in all of its bone-grinding hard work and lack of freedom but also infuse it with moments of beauty, like waking to the scent of honeysuckle.  Her words are poetry on the page, spare and important, speaking volumes in only a few phrases.  The book ends with a timeline of important events and a glossary of relevant terms, making this a very useful book as well as lovely.

Lewis’ illustrations are beautiful.  He plays with light and dark on the page, allowing the light of the hot Texas day to fill the tiny shack but also making sure that the barrenness is evident and the poverty.  The book is filled with light, the sky burned to a pale yellow.  Until darkness which has a richness and endlessness that is sumptuous.  There is such hope on these pages, almost achingly so, particularly as freedom is announced and they turn their faces to a new future.

Beautiful and timely, this book will be welcome in library collections across the country as one of the only picture books about this holiday.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Review: Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos

| Tasha

saving lucas biggs

Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague

When Margaret’s father is sentenced to death, she can’t believe it since she is certain he is innocent.  But this is what happens when someone tries to stand up to the company that owns the entire town.  It’s also the company that owns Judge Biggs.  The only way that Margaret can see to save her father is to change Judge Biggs’ mind.  According to Grandpa Josh, her best friend’s grandfather, Judge Biggs used to be a good person until his father was accused of murder and hung himself.  The only person who can change the course of time is Margaret who has to use her family’s forbidden power of time travel.  But history resists change and Margaret only has a few days before history rejects her to make the necessary changes to save her father.

De los Santos and Teague have written a book that takes on time travel in a very refreshing way.  The idea that history actively resists change and that there is a physical toll on the time travelers makes for frustrating time travel.  Yet it feels right and also creates tension in the story at just the right moment.  The authors also explore company towns and how workers tried to stand up to unfair business practices.  Here there is plenty of action in that fight, including murder and gunfire as well as quiet desperation. 

Margaret is a winning character, one who travels in time very reluctantly but is given little choice when she is the sole person who has a chance of saving her father.  The story dives into complexity, never making things easy or simple.  One aspect of this is the way that redemption is viewed.  Characters are seen as changeable, able to be rescued from what happened to them even in their elder years.  This book is about getting chances to make the right choice in the end, forgiveness for poor choices earlier, and friendships that stand through time and betrayal. 

A rich and vibrant look at time travel, this fantasy will also appeal to history buffs.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from HarperCollins.