NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Shortlists

April 27, 2015April 24, 2015 | Tasha

The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards shortlists have been announced. The awards celebrate Australian writers. The winner will be announced in May. Here are the shortlists for the youth categories:

PATRICIA WRIGHTSON PRIZE FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

The Adventures of Sir Roderick the Not-Very Brave by James O’Loghlin

Crossing by Catherine Norton

The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King

Figgy in the World by Tamsin Janu

The First Voyage by Allan Baillie

Rivertime by Trace Balla

ETHEL TURNER PRIZE FOR YOUNG ADULT’S LITERATURE

Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth

Book of Days by K.A. Barker

Cracked by Clare Strahan

The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

The Road to Gundagai by Jackie French

Review: Sweep Up the Sun by Helen Frost

April 24, 2015April 24, 2015 | Tasha

Sweep Up the Sun by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder (InfoSoup)

The pair who created Step Gently Out return with another gorgeous book connecting young readers to nature. This picture book focuses on birds and flight, using the metaphor to encourage young people to “fly” themselves and spread their own wings in life. The poem at the heart of the book is simple and lovely, creating a sense of wonder and opportunity. The photographs dynamically capture eleven species of birds in flight and in their natural habitats. There are wide-mouthed babies in the nest and incredible pictures of birds in full flight, like the one on the cover. This is a book that inspires both in words and images.

Frost is a gifted poet who has written novels in verse for older readers as well as picture books for younger readers. Her words here create a positive feeling of strength for the reader, showing them what is possible. At the same time, her poem is also beautifully written, creating imagery that is tangible and that will make sense for children. One of my favorites is that wings are “stitching earth to sky with invisible thread.”

Lieder’s photographs are simply stunning. He has captured birds in poses that are dramatic and amazing, leaving plenty of dappled light and green on the page for the poetry to shine next to his images. I found myself leaning into the book to look even more closely at the structure of wing and feather on the page.

I hope there will be more collaboration between these two since their first two books are so noteworthy. This vibrant picture book will be at home equally in units on birds and poetry. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

April 24, 2015April 24, 2015 | Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Maine School Under Fire for Reading Transgender Children’s Book to Students http://buff.ly/1OfkO2a #kidlit

A New ‘Wrinkle in Time’ – The dangers of security – http://buff.ly/1F7tWA0 #kidlit

Preview: The Atlas Powder Picture Book Company — @100scopenotes 100 Scope Notes http://buff.ly/1G3poGW #kidlit

There will be a documentary about banned Scary Stories books | News http://buff.ly/1DejbWD #kidlit

LIBRARIES

ALA says "NO!" to Section 215 reauthorization gambit http://buff.ly/1De8H9Q #libraries

‘Here to serve:’ Halifax libraries say they’re more welcoming, less rule-based, these days http://buff.ly/1QoXNbE #libraries

Library-Themed Parody of Uptown Funk Song Goes Viral http://buff.ly/1Et81ob #libraries

TEEN READS

Brian Conaghan’s top 10 controversial teen books http://buff.ly/1OoytyC #yalit

Q&A: ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ author Jay Asher on bullying and teen suicide prevention http://buff.ly/1IJccK9 #yalit

The Selection – The Movie

April 24, 2015April 23, 2015 | Tasha

Deadline has the news that Warner Bros has won the film rights to Kiera Cass’ The Selection. The CW network has twice tried to launch a TV series based on the book, but they never went anywhere beyond pilots.

Hat tip to Galley Cat.

Review: The World in a Second by Isabel Minhos Martins

April 23, 2015April 23, 2015 | Tasha

The World in a Second by Isabel Minhos Martins, illustrated by Bernardo Carvalho (InfoSoup)

This picture book explores time and the way that things happen all at once across the world. Small moments are captured from various countries: an elevator stuck in New York City, a horn honks in traffic in Mexico, a volcano erupts, a boy learns to balance on his bike. One after another these snapshots of time are happening all at once and yet also form a lovely series of events that are all entirely human and show how interrelated our world actually is.

The concept is at once immensely simple and also incredibly complex, the understanding that your own life is just one of many being lived at the very same time. Martins embraces that duality in the book, capturing those universal moments but also showing the diversity around the world. A guide at the end of the book includes a map of where the various events take place all at the same time. There is a distinct wonder to the book, a feeling that the world is both larger and smaller than it had seemed to be a second before.

Carvalho’s illustrations are bold and graphic. He uses thick black lines to create scenes that are active and beautiful. One page contrasts with the next, showing diverse people and settings. The result is a feeling of moving clearly from one place to the next with each turn of the page, from lush jungles to concrete settings, from bright sunlight to clouded evening.

Perfect to start discussions about time and place and even time zones, this picture book allows children to think in a bigger way about their world, diversity and their own place. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

2015 Eisner Award Nominations

April 23, 2015April 23, 2015 | Tasha

The nominations for the 2015 Eisner Awards have been announced. These awards are for the best in comics and graphic novels and include specific categories for youth. Here are the nominees in those categories:

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

BirdCatDog by Lee Nordling & Meritxell Bosch
A Cat Named Tim And Other Stories by John Martz

Hello Kitty, Hello 40: A Celebration in 40 Stories edited by Traci N. Todd & Elizabeth Kawasaki Mermin, Book 3: Deep Dive by Joey Weiser

The Zoo Box by Ariel Cohn & Aron Nels Steinke

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)

Batman Li’l Gotham, vol. 2 by Derek Fridolfs & Dustin Nguyen
El Deafo by Cece Bell

I Was the Cat by Paul Tobin & Benjamin Dewey
Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland by Eric Shanower & Gabriel Rodriguez

Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse by Art Baltazar & Franco

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

Doomboy by Tony Sandoval
The Dumbest Idea Ever by Jimmy Gownley

Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, & Brooke A. Allen
Meteor Men by Jeff Parker & Sandy Jarrell

The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew

The Wrenchies by Farel Dalrymple

Review: My Family Tree and Me

April 23, 2015April 20, 2015 | Tasha

My Family Tree and Me by Dušan Petričić

A little boy talks about his family starting with his father’s side of the family and his great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother. Then his great-grandfather and great-grandmother. His great-grandfather clearly has genetic ties to his parents, including red hair from his father and the need for glasses from his mother. Then come Pops and Nana, where again Pops shows genetic ties to his parents too. And finally there are the three siblings who all show an intriguing mix of genetics. At the center of the book are all of the family members, including his mother’s side, cousins and more. Then the book moves from his mother to his grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents showing a different genetic line, this time Asian and once again there are characteristics that carry through the generations straight to the boy at the center of the story.

Petričić is a Serbian author and illustrator. This picture book has a distinct European flair that is very appealing. The focus on family and genetics is very clever along with the delight of it being a multicultural child and family. Petričić makes sure to be respectful of both the European and Asian heritage, showing the genetics at play on both sides equally. It is also fascinating to see time pass in reverse directions on each side of the family, one getting more and more modern while the other gets more old-fashioned with each page turn. That twist adds a strong dynamic to the book, showing that genetics can be traced in both directions in a subtle but strong way.

The illustrations are funny and add to the joy of the book with the red hair of one side of the family, the glasses, then the round faces and prominent ears of the other. Readers will enjoy spotting a characteristic and turning pages to see what generation had it first and which side of the family it came from.

Cleverly done, this will be a welcome book to share when doing units on family trees or even when preparing for visits to extended family. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Kids Can Press and Netgalley.

Review: The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

April 22, 2015April 20, 2015 | Tasha

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski (InfoSoup)

This second book in The Winner’s Trilogy continues the story of Kestrel and Arin. In a strategic choice, Kestrel has given herself into an engagement to the prince of Valoria, never revealing to Arin that she did so to save him and his country from destruction. Now Kestrel is in Valoria, being treated like a princess, but her heart is still with Arin. The emperor is impressed with his son’s new fiancé, and works to hone her into his pawn. But Kestrel has her own political plans that include continuing to try to help Arin from her new position. At the same time, she works to keep Arin at a distance so that he never finds out the sacrifice she is making. But this fragile set up cannot be maintained forever, something must give, and it may end in complete destruction for them all.

Rutkoski’s second book keeps the political thrills of the first and continues to stir in romance and deception. As with the first, the reader and Kestrel really don’t know who they can trust or even if they can trust anyone at all. As with any second book in a series, this book is as much a bridge to a conclusion as anything. Rutkoski plays nicely with pacing throughout the book, allowing things to maddeningly slow for the reader as Kestrel is caught in a trap of her own making. She picks the pace up at the end as tension mounts, creating a book that is captivating to read.

Kestrel is one strong female protagonist. She works against the entire society she lives in to try to set her own course and to be in charge of her own destiny, even if her heart calls for her to do something else. Arin too is a finely drawn character, a romantic figure who is also thoughtful and while he may realize that Kestrel is not telling him the truth cannot force her to give up her game. It’s a dance of two people against an empire, embroidered in romance and dazzling with political intrigue.

This strong second book in this series will have readers desperate to read the third and final book to find out what happens next. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar Straus and Giroux.

Mathical Book Prizes

April 22, 2015April 20, 2015 | Tasha

The Children’s Book Council and Mathematical Science Research Institute have awarded the first Mathical: Books for Kids from Tots to Teens book prizes for books that “foster a love and curiosity for math.” Here are the four winners, one in each age category.

PRE-K