Month: January 2016

The Turn of the Tide by Rosanne Parry

| Tasha

The Turn of the Tide by Rosanne Parry

The Turn of the Tide by Rosanne Parry

When an earthquake hits Japan, Kai tries to help his elderly grandparents escape the tsunami waves, but he is unable to get them to move fast enough. After the immediate crisis, Kai is moved from his home in Japan to the safety of Oregon to live with his cousins. His parents stayed behind in Japan to work on the nuclear power plant that was damaged in the storm. Jet is the cousin that Kai moves in with. She dreams of being the pilot of a boat on the Columbia Bar. One day she misses checking the tide though and puts her little brother in serious danger on the water. These two cousins, each wrestling with the results of their actions and the tug of their dreams, have to find a way to forgive themselves and move forward.

Parry, author of Heart of a Shepherd, has once again captured the courage of children on the page. The two protagonists are unique voices in children’s literature. Kai from Japan looks at everything in America as different and foreign. He struggles with his own role in his grandparent’s death and feels a loss of honor for leaving Japan and escaping to safety himself rather than helping rebuild. Jet is a courageous girl who struggles to make and keep friends. She is passionate about sailing and boats but also about her family. Jet doesn’t warm to people easily, and the two cousins face interpersonal issues between them that are organic and realistic.

The setting too is beautifully rendered. The Oregon coast and the Columbia River Bar add real drama and danger to the story. The ever-present weather and tides, the concerns with sailing and family honor, and the dreams of Jet herself meld together into a mix of adventure and destiny. The book has facts at the end about the Columbia River Bar Pilots and about Captain Deborah Dempsey who appears as a character in the book, the only female Columbia River Bar pilot.

Realistic and dangerous adventure in a beautiful and unique part of the United States, this book speaks to working to forgive yourself and overcoming adversity by doing the right thing. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Random House Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss.

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:

So true.:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books -2015 BLUE RIBBONS

CCBlogC: “Drum Dream Girl” by Margarita Engle Wins 2016 Charlotte Zolotow Award

Fantasy Author Cornelia Funke On Writing For Kids & How It Feels To Kill A Major Character

Neil Patrick Harris will star in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Scholastic pulls George Washington book over slave cake controversy

Top 10 worriers in children’s literature – The Guardian

Watch. Connect. Read.: Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall

:

LIBRARIES

Have an overdue book or unpaid fines? L.A. Public Library to offer 2-week amnesty program

READING

Why You Should Read 50 Books This Year (And How To Do It)

.:

TEEN READS

9 Books to Read Before They Become Movies in 2016 | Teen Vogue

A Reading Rainbow: YA Novels That Explore Sexuality and Sexual Identity

‘Trendy’ books: should we really be following the crowd?

Uploading of Anne Frank’s diary ruffles legal feathers

Why ‘The 5th Wave’ Isn’t Just Another ‘Hunger Games’

2016 Hans Christian Andersen Awards

| Tasha

The shortlist for the 2-16 Hans Christian Andersen Awards has been announced.

The criteria used to assess the nominations included the aesthetic and literary quality as well as the freshness and innovation of the body of work; the ability to see the child’s point of view and to stretch their curiosity; and the continuing relevance of the works to children and young people. The Award is based on the entire body of work.

Here are the authors and illustrators on the shortlist:

AUTHORS

Bronze and Sunflower The King Book-Black Door 黑门

Cao Wenxuan (China)

Elefanterne holdt hver gang med Tarzan Halli! Hallo! Så er der nye firkantede historier

Louis Jensen (Denmark)

Wer morgens lacht Anne Frank's Family

Mirjan Pressler (Germany)

Brothers: Life, Death, Truth Hou van mij: bijna alle gedichten en veel beelden 1984 - 2009

Ted van Lieshout (Netherlands)

The Giver (The Giver, #1) Number the Stars

Lois Lowry (USA)

 

ILLUSTRATORS

In the Town All Year 'Round Definitely Not for Little Ones: Some Very Grimm Fairy-tale Comics

Rotraut Susanne Berner (Germany)

Pejman Rahimizadeh (Iran)

The River Oggi mi sento così

Alessandro Sanna (Italy)

3171606

Suzy Lee (Korea)

The Red Bird Groter dan een droom

Marit Tornqvist (Netherlands)

 

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford

| Tasha

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (InfoSoup)

A lovely mix of poetry and nonfiction, this picture book takes a serious look at slavery and the unique situation in New Orleans. In New Orleans, Congo Square was the one place where slaves were allowed to congregate once a week on Sundays. The book counts down to Sunday, each day filled with brutal work and the harrowing harshness of slavery. As Sunday approaches, one can feel spirits looking forward to it. When it finally arrived, slaves and free blacks congregated together, able to celebrate the songs and society of the African homes they were stolen from.

This book is carefully framed and placed in history with a combination of a foreward by historian Freddi Williams Evans and an Author’s Note placed at the end of the book. In both places, Congo Square is explained in detail. The real magic though happens with Weatherford’s poetry. It has a rhythm to it, a structure that is almost musical. The text is deceptively simple as it speaks to the depth of human heart even in the face of slavery and the importance of having a place to congregate like Congo Square.

Christie’s illustrations are incredible. They evoke primitive art with the lengthened and stylized people done in deep black. The pages are filled with bright colors that may seem merry, but then they are filled with slaves doing hard work. They also have twisted black trees in the outside scenes, the tortured branches speaking to witnessed horrors.

An important nonfiction picture book that has poetry that sings in mourning about slavery but also sings of the beauty of the strength of the human spirit too. Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Little Bee Books.

CCBC Choices 2016

| Tasha

Cooperative Children's Book Center

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center has announced their list of Choices for 2016. As always, their list focuses on high quality and diversity, so if you are looking for books with strong and unique voices, you are sure to find them here!

The Hueys in What’s the Opposite? by Oliver Jeffers

| Tasha

The Hueys in Whats the Opposite by Oliver Jeffers

The Hueys in What’s the Opposite by Oliver Jeffers (InfoSoup)

The Hueys are back with another book, this one focused on opposites. One Huey starts by asking another what the opposite of beginning is, but that stumps the other one. So they move on to easier opposites like here and there, up and down, yes and no. Each of the opposites is acted out by the characters with lots of humorous touches that make the book a delight to read and share. As always, the Hueys have exactly the right tone for a preschool crowd, this time making the concept of opposites great fun to learn.

Jeffers has a real gift for quiet humor that is shown mostly in the illustrations while the text stays focused and matter of fact. Sharing this aloud is not about just reading the text, but also exploring the illustrations together to make sure that you don’t miss the smashed cup of tea when the cat is gotten down from the tree (by sawing it down). At times the text gets in on the fun too, like when the Huey caught on a desert island is unlucky at first, then lucky and then sadly, unlucky once again.

Children will enjoy that the opposites get more complex at the end of the book. A discussion of whether a glass is half full or half empty should lead to everyone joining the Huey with his hurting head. The end of the book adds to the merriment finally answering the original question of the opposite of beginning.

A real joy to read and share, this picture book will appeal to both existing Huey fans and will also earn new ones. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Philomel Books.

Sweaterweather by Sara Varon

| Tasha

Sweaterweather by Sara Varon

Sweaterweather & Other Short Stories by Sara Varon (InfoSoup)

Enter the artistic process of graphic-novel author Sara Varon. Here you will see short comic stories, some done as exercises, essays and journal entries. Varon introduces each piece, sharing that she is always at least one of the characters in each of her stories. Each story has the charm and wit that one expects from a book by Varon, here is bite-sized pieces that allow readers to meet even more adorable animal characters. There are cats who long to fly, stories based on alphabet exercises, bee keeping information, swimming pools, and much much more. This is a world worth visiting multiple times!

Varon’s art is almost wordless, the characters showing much  more than telling all that they do. Varon plays with the cells of the graphic novel, breaking the walls between them by handing cups across the lines in one story and in another showing both above and below the water at the same time. She is consistently gently funny and smart in all of these stories. There is a beautiful familiarity to her work, it is at once quirky and cozy and creates worlds where one wants to exist.

Readers will find a lot to love here, whether they are reading it as future artists and authors themselves or because they love Varon’s work. Varon shows the growth of her own work as the book progresses, and also shows how from the very start she was true to her own style and vision. The collection is empowering and fresh.

The author of Robot Dreams and Odd Duck shows a back-stage view of her work, inviting young readers into her creative process. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from First Second.

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian

| Tasha

Worm Loves Worm by JJ Austrian

Worm Loves Worm by JJ Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato (InfoSoup)

Two worms have fallen in love and decide to get married. They get lots of advice from other insects. Cricket offers to marry them. Beetle insists on being the “best beetle.” The Bees want to be the bride’s bees. Cricket tells them that they need rings for their fingers, but they don’t have fingers so they wear the rings as belts. There has to be a band and a dance even though the worms don’t dance, they just wiggle. Then come the clothes and the cake. But which worm is the bride and which is the groom?

Austrian has created a completely fabulous picture book. What starts as a look at weddings and marriage broadens to become about the ability to marry whomever we love. By the end, the gender of either worm stays completely ambiguous and all that matters is that they can be married to one another because they love each other. The message is simple and creatively shown. The gender-free worms are a perfect pick for the main characters, offering lots of personality without committing to either gender.

Curato’s illustrations are wonderfully jolly. They capture the rather sanctimonious Cricket and the stuffy beetle with their conservative dress and attitudes. The merry bees are more friendly, but also help insist on a bride and groom. The worms themselves contrast with the others in their plainness and joy in one another. While they are unruffled by the rules of being married, their take on love wins in the end.

A celebration of the freedom to marry, this picture book is sure to cause a new stir among the same crowd bothered by And Tango Makes Three. Enjoy! Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Balzer + Bray.

2016 Sydney Taylor Book Awards

| Tasha

The 2016 Sydney Taylor Book Awards have been announced by the Association of Jewish Libraries. The awards are given to outstanding books for children and young adults that “authentically portray the Jewish experience.” Winners, honor books and notable books are named.

Here are the 2016 winners:

YOUNGER READERS WINNER

Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed

Ketzel, the Cat who Composed by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Amy June Bates

 

OLDER READERS WINNER

Adam et Thomas

Adam & Thomas by Aharon Appelfeld, translated by Jeffrey M. Green and illustrated by Philippe Dumas

 

TEEN READERS WINNER

The Hired Girl

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz