Month: October 2015

Review: Buddy and Earl by Maureen Fergus

| Tasha

Groundwood Logos Spine

Buddy and Earl by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Carey Sookocheff (InfoSoup)

When Meredith comes home with a mysterious box, Buddy just can’t quite manage to stay on his bed. Soon he is exploring the box and discovers a strange creature named Earl inside, who claims to be a giraffe, though Buddy is sure that he isn’t and Earl’s not a sea urchin either. When Earl tries to guess what Buddy is, he never guesses that Buddy is a dog. Earl announces that he is a pirate, and Buddy finds himself called a pirate too. The two of them start to play together, sailing the couch into a storm. They are interrupted by Mom, who scolds Buddy for being on the couch and for playing with Earl. But when her back is turned, Buddy is right there near the box again, announcing that he knows exactly what Earl is: a friend.

This little picture book has a lot of depth to it. The simple story is given details thanks to the conversational tone of the text that is focused on allowing children to understand how this unlikely friendship develops. The two animals explore one another but are also figuring out one another’s personalities, something that proves much more interesting to them both rather than labeling their species. Playing pretend together seals the friendship, but then it is made even stronger when Earl tries to take the blame for Buddy being on the couch.

The illustrations nicely break the text into manageable chunks. The illustrations are simple, done in thick black lines and washes of subtle color. They have a pleasing roughness to the edges that offers a modern feel.

Friendship in a nutshell, this picture book offers an adventure for new friends. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

| Tasha

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Steve’s new baby brother isn’t healthy, so his parents keep having to meet with doctors and specialists to see if they can help. Steve struggles with worries much of the time and now it is getting worse. He worries about the baby, about his parents, about his little sister, about the odd man who drives the knife sharpening cart, and about the wasps. Steve doesn’t like wasps and when he is stung out in the yard one day, he discovers that he is allergic to them too. So Steve has to carry an Epi-pen to keep safe. As the summer continues, Steve begins to have weird dreams. It seems that the queen of the wasp nest outside under the eaves is communicating with him. And she is steadily explaining something horrible and tantalizing, promising that she can help his little brother by fixing him. But it takes Steve saying “yes” and helping them get the new baby in the house. As the pressure mounts, Steve is told by his doctor that dreams are only in his head and not reality. But what happens when your dreams actually start coming true?

Oppel has written a spectacular horror book, combining a fear of bees and wasps with the myths of changelings. The way that Oppel incorporates the science of reason and has adults dismissing Steve’s dreams and concerns makes for a horror book that uses parents and polite adult sensibility as the way the main character is isolated. This benign busyness of the parents though they care deeply will be something that most modern children will recognize. It’s far more effective than having no parents at all.

The queen wasp in the story is a brilliant villain, attractive and kind. She offers Steve attention when he is getting none, plenty of praise, and the sweetness of power in a situation where he has no control. It is an irresistible mix and a trap that Steve realizes far too late. Readers too will tell themselves that this is all in Steve’s head, just pretend, only a dream. But Oppel does not let that happen, taking it all the way through to its horrific conclusion.

Frightening, magical and impossible to stop reading, this horror novel for older elementary children is one of the best. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Simon & Schuster.

Review: Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh

| Tasha

Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh (InfoSoup)

Award-winning author and illustrator, Tonatiuh brilliantly tells the story of Jose Guadalupe Posada. Called Lupe by his family, he showed artistic promise early in life. At age 18, he went to work in a print shop where he learned lithography and engraving. Lupe starting doing drawings for the small local paper, including political cartoons. Lupe eventually opened his own print shop and starting to create illustrations for books and pamphlets. After his shop was ruined in a flood, he moved with his family to Mexico City where he opened a new shop. Lupe began creating broadsides and that is where he started creating his calaveras or skeletons. Some have specific meanings while others are unknown, many of them make political commentary on Mexican society. Lupe was soon recognized for these prints more than any of the rest of his work. Posada continues to be known for these images thanks to other Mexican artists like Diego Rivera who investigated who had drawn the etchings.

Tonatiuh does a great job of telling the story of the full life of Posada while focusing on making it accessible to children and also making it a compelling tale. Readers will recognize some of the images in the book, creating a firm connection between the artist and the images. The story of Posada’s life is a mix of tragedy and accomplishment, rather like the images he created. The Author’s Note at the end of the book adds details to the story of Posada and his art.

Tonatiuh’s art is as unique and marvelous as ever. He uses his stylized characters, usually shown in profile. They have a wonderful folk-art feel to them and work very nicely with Posada’s own skeletons. His illustrations are a rich mix of collage and line drawings, mixing textures and colors very effectively.

A great book to share for Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead, this will be a welcome addition to all public library collections, but particularly those serving Hispanic populations. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

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

High-Interest Books for Struggling Middle School Readers | Parents | Scholastic.com// #familytimemachine:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

20 Kids’ Books That Defy Gender Stereotypes – http://buff.ly/1MJNHiY #kidlit

Can children’s books help build a better world? http://buff.ly/1N15yVD #kidlit

Cybils Nominations Are Open – http://buff.ly/1Ri7WWR #kidlit #yalit

Honoring Picture Book Champions at the 2015 Carle Awards http://buff.ly/1VpKLzu #kidlit

Lauren Oliver Interviews H.C. Chester About Curiosity House : The Childrens Book Review – http://buff.ly/1VpPKAh #kidlit

:

TEEN READS

Just How Bad The Problem of Gender Bias in Science Fiction Awards Really Is – http://buff.ly/1VpN0D7 #scifi #gender

One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Libba Bray – The Hub – http://buff.ly/1Ri8M5L #yalit

Q & A with Leigh Bardugo http://buff.ly/1Rg4M5T #yalit

‘Scorpio Races’ to Be Directed by Matt Sobel http://buff.ly/1YOJW2s #yalit

.:

2015 Kirkus Prizes Finalists

| Tasha

The finalists for the 2nd Annual Kirkus Prizes were announced yesterday. The award comes with a $50,000 prize. Winners will be announced on October 15th.

Here are the finalists for Young Readers’ Literature:

Echo Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

The Game of Love and Death Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

The New Small Person Shadowshaper

The New Small Person by Lauren Child

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Banned Books Week!

| Tasha

Hurrah! I managed not to miss the week entirely with this post. Here are the ten most frequently challenged books from 2014 as reported by ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. I find it fascinating to see why some of my favorite books are being challenged, so I’ve included the reasons below:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1-2)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”

117997 The Bluest Eye

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Reasons: Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “contains controversial issues”

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health Saga, Volume 1

It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

Reasons: Nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. Additional reasons: “alleges it child pornography”

Saga by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Reasons: Anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.

The Kite Runner The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”

A Stolen Life Drama

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Reasons: sexually explicit