The shortlist for the first Klaus Flugge Prize has been announced. The British award is for the most exciting newcomers to children’s books. The winner will be announced in September. Here are the six shortlisted titles:
Counting Lions by Katie Cotton, illustrated by Stephen Walton
The Girl with the Parrot on Her Head by Daisy Hirst
Hector and Hummingbird by Nicholas John Frith
Lili by Wen Dee Tan
Toby and the Ice Giants by Joe Lillington
Too Many Toys by Heidi Deedman
Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Are Frog And Toad Gay? The Author’s Daughter Suggests They May Have Been More Than Friends http://buff.ly/25BEB0V #kidlit #lgbt
Beyond the summer book list: How to cultivate a childhood reading habitat http://buff.ly/1WGG8kM #reading
Do myths and folklore damage children’s brains? http://buff.ly/1UjqXaX #myths #kidlit
Five questions for Tim Federle — The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1UANYG9 #kidlit
How The ‘Goodnight Moon’ Author And Collaborator Revolutionized Kids Books http://buff.ly/1t6opHh #kidlit
Interview with picture book author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds http://buff.ly/1Y3Eo44 #kidlit
LGBTQ Lit for Children and Teens Comes of Age http://buff.ly/1Oco8Mt #kidlit #yalit #lgbtq
Misconceptions About American Food I Had From Books http://buff.ly/1tl69Ky #kidlit
Portland author’s new book explores the mind of a middle schooler http://buff.ly/28fMmMa #kidlit
LIBRARIES
Beyond the book: a whole new chapter in the role of public libraries http://buff.ly/22JFWB6 #libraries
Escaping poverty through the library http://buff.ly/28flV9C #libraries #poverty
In Omaha, A Library With No Books Brings Technology To All http://buff.ly/1r15OdP #libraries #maker
Multnomah County Library will waive over $600,000 in fines, end late charges for kids http://buff.ly/1U3T5on #libraries
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library named Library of the Year, highest honor in U.S. and Canada http://buff.ly/22MEOfV #libraries
READING
You May Soon Binge Books Just Like You Binge Netflix http://buff.ly/1TXWJjB #books #reading
TEEN READS
Rich in Color | 9 YA picks for LGBT Pride Month http://buff.ly/1UAMICV #diversity #lgbt
YA Adaptation ‘Everything, Everything’ Finds Director (Exclusive) http://buff.ly/1YgsPa7 #yalit #movies
Wow. One powerful video of why we need diverse authors who have a passion for creating diverse books for our children. Beautiful!
Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton, illustrated by Dougal MacPherson
Starting as a Kickstarter project, this picture book features Thomas the teddy and Errol who are best friends. They do everything together, riding bikes, playing in the garden, and eating in the tree house. But one day, Thomas doesn’t feel like playing. Even a visit to the park won’t cheer him up. When Errol asks what is wrong, Teddy says that he is worried that if he tells Errol that Errol won’t want to be his friend any more. After Errol reassures him, Teddy admits that he has always felt in his heart that he is a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. When the two meet Ava, she demonstrates that girls can be anything they want, including inventing robots and wearing their hair without a bow. It’s a gentle look at gender identity.
This is Walton’s first picture book and it is inspired by her father’s transition from male to female. In the picture book, she makes sure to keep everything at a level that small children can understand. It’s a book that speaks to gender and will also work for children who may not be transgender but feel that they don’t fit into the limits that society puts them into. It’s a book that celebrates being who you are and not being afraid to tell others what is in your heart.
MacPherson’s illustrations have a whimsical quality to them, filled with a zingy energy. The use of a bow to demonstrate gender works very nicely and subtly. The introduction of a girl character who is a lovely mix of long hair and skirts and then science and freedom makes for an excellent counterpoint to the bow and bow tie.
A strong addition to picture book about gender identity, this is a gentle way to speak about the issue with children. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from ARC received from Bloomsbury.
The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield (InfoSoup)
One day a bear cub found something in the woods: a piano. When he touches the keys, the sounds are terrible. But year after year he comes back and presses the keys again. Eventually he learns to play beautiful sounds on the piano. Soon all of the bears in the forest are listening too. When a girl and her father hear the music, they invite the bear to come to the city with them to play. He agrees even though he knows the other bears will be sad. After playing piano to great acclaim and winning awards and fame, the bear starts to long for the forest again. But can he return to the old piano in the woods and the other bears?
Litchfield has created a terrific picture book that tells a full story arc that children and adults will appreciate. The book speaks to the transforming nature of music, the longing for something greater and more, and then the longing to return to one’s origins and roots. It is also about talent and setting someone free to pursue their dreams. The entire book has a tugging nature to it, a bear caught between two worlds and the desire for exploration and the continued tie to home. It is beautifully done.
Litchfield’s illustrations are done in mixed media. They have a translucent and light-filled feel, particularly the forest scenes where sunlight beams in and the page glows. There is a beautiful luminous quality to them, inviting readers deeply into the page and evoking the scent of trees and grass.
An exceptional picture book that is musical, nature-filled and grand. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from library copy.
Daughters of Ruin by K.D. Castner (InfoSoup)
Four princesses have all lived together as sisters since they were small children. But they are far from being sisters, each heir to their own throne. After a war ravaged all of their kingdoms, the victor brought the daughters of his enemies together in peace to forge a new truce. Ten years later, the girls still live together but the peace between them is strained and fraying. There is Rhea, distrusted by the other princesses because her father is the king. Cadis is the beauty and the strongest fighter but there is some question about whether her democratic sea-faring society even lets her be royalty. Iren is the quiet and meek one, concentrating on long letters home to her mother. Finally there is Suki, the youngest of them and most volatile. When the peace of the palace is breached, the princesses have to choose alliances and take up arms.
Castner has created a very strong debut novel. She has not just one strong young woman but four, each of them different from the others. Castner gives them each a unique perspective and voice and yet also keeps them from becoming stereotypical in any way. These are all princesses of war, teens who have been raised to kill and damage, to defend their kingdoms and to win. While some of them are closer than others to being true sisters and friends, others are almost enemies. The dynamics of a four teenagers living closely together and isolated is intriguing and Castner captures the subtleties of it as well as the broader issues.
Castner focuses mostly on the girls themselves and the world comes into focus as the girls leave the palace and venture outside it. Because so much of the book is political intrigue, it makes for a book that truly is from the perspective of the main characters where what they are touched by is the thing that the reader knows most about. In this way, Castner also avoids lengthy exposition about the world made up by the kingdoms. There is just enough detail for it all to make sense and work and nothing more.
Strong female protagonists who wield weapons with panache combine with politics and plenty of twists and turns to create a debut worth exploring. Appropriate for ages 12-15.
Reviewed from copy received from Margaret K. McElderry Books.
George by Alex Gino has won the LGBT Children’s/Young Adult Lammy Award. As the mother of a transgender teen, I was in tears when I read how pronouns were used in the book. Such an important detail, small but oh so significant.
Little Dee and the Penguin by Christopher Baldwin (InfoSoup)
Three friends head out for a quiet picnic together that will end up leading them on a wild adventure. There is an opinionated vulture, a friendly but rather slow dog, and a motherly bear. On their picnic, they meet two creatures who will change their day entirely. Little Dee is a human and a resourceful child who doesn’t speak at all. Then there is the penguin who is on the run from the polar bears who are hot on his trail. Now it is up to the five of them to get the penguin back to his home before he ends up a meal. Along the way, planes are stolen and jumped out of, wise mountain goats offer sage advice (maybe), and safety rafts become sleds. Much the same way that five unlikely characters become friends.
Baldwin has created a cast of lovable characters in this graphic novel for children. The humor is truly laugh-out-loud funny. It got to the point where I was following family members around to share one-liners from the story. In fact a large part of the success of this book is in the blend of a funny story in general and then the way that circumstances seem to invisibly line up for the perfect pun or joke with impeccable timing.
The art is wonderful too. Each character is unique and their outward appearance says a lot about their personalities. The prickly vulture is all angles. The bear is soft plush. Little Dee is a jolt of visual energy. The action is captured with a sense of fun throughout, adding to the fast pace.
A silly and very successful read, this graphic novel will be enjoyed by all. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from library copy.
Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke (InfoSoup)
Goblin lives very happily in the quiet of his rat-infested dungeon that he shares with his best friend, Skeleton. He spends the days feeding the rats, eating boots for breakfast, and playing games with the treasure. Then one day, a group of adventurers plundered the dungeon. Goblin hid but Skeleton was taken away along with everything else in the dungeon. So Goblin headed out to rescue his friend. But everywhere that Goblin went, people refused to help him and chased him away. Even once Goblin finds Skeleton, he has to find a way to escape the hordes of people and elves chasing him. Perhaps someone does like a goblin after all?
Hatke, the author of the Zita the Spacegirl series, has created another winning picture book. He uses lovely tropes from Dungeons and Dragons and turns them on their head. Here it is Goblin who is the hero and the adventurers who are the bad guys. I love the idea of these creatures having quiet and happy lives before the adventurers come and ruin it all. It’s a clever twist that makes the book enchanting to read aloud, aided by the brisk pace and clear writing.
As always, Hatke’s illustrations are exceptional. I particularly enjoy the adventurer group with their huge swords, glowing staffs and flowing locks of hair. Against them, the little goblin manages to steal your heart, thanks in large part to his diminutive size and big heart.
A perfect bedtime story for your little goblin. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from digital galley received from First Second and Netgalley.
Waking Brain Cells 