Author: Tasha

Dotty

| Tasha

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Dotty by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Julia Denos

Wherever Ida goes, Dotty goes too.  Even on her first day of school, Dotty comes along: huge, horned and covered in red spots.  Once Ida is at school, she realizes that many of the others in her class have brought their own imaginary friends too.  But as the year goes on, the other children start to leave their imaginary friends behind.  Ida though is still connected to Dotty, still carrying the blue string that ties them together.  Eventually, the other children tease Ida about Dotty, even the children who had imaginary friends of their own just a few months ago.  When Ida reacts angrily and Dotty bashes into a girl who was once Ida’s friend, they have to write apologies to each other.  Ida’s teacher finds out about Dotty and turns out to be a kindred spirit, just what Ida needed.

This is a book that really embraces imaginary friends, tying it winningly with the first day of school and growing older.  Best of all is the ending of the book which took a turn that I had not been expecting.  It is a book that honors imagination and creativity, embracing being different and maturing at your own pace or just not maturing entirely at all.  Perl’s writing is charming and warm, really creating a world filled with imaginary creatures that dwindle away slowly.  Denos’ art is equally successful with a modern edge and children who are modern and yet not slick.  They look like the children I see every day.  She also has a great mix of ethnicities that is done effortlessly.

While this is a book about imaginary friends, I would also include it in any return-to-school unit because it addresses the larger issues of people being different in ways that are not immediately apparent.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Tiger Eyes – The Movie

| Tasha
Tiger Eyes

Image via Wikipedia

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that the Judy Blume novel Tiger Eyes will be made into a feature film.  Blume wrote the screenplay with her son, Lawrence Blume, who is also directing the film. 

Amazingly, this will be the first Blume novel to be made into a feature film!   Some were adapted for TV in the past.  Here is why in Blume’s own words:

Blume said she hasn’t been star-struck by Hollywood despite being continually approached. She describes going on what she calls "Judy Sweetheart" lunches (where execs ask her, ‘Judy, sweetheart, what do you want to do?") and being less than enthralled with the Fudge series.

"I know I have reputation for not selling my books. And now I’m glad," she said. "Because here I am, working with a director I trust, someone I know understands those characters."

Production has already begun with Willa Holland (from Gossip Girl) playing Davey. Newcomer Tatanka Means will be playing Wolf.

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If You’re a Monster and You Know It

| Tasha

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If You’re a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley

A great pick for a preschool Halloween party, this book will have kids wiggling and giggling to the silly monster movements.  Set to the same song as If You’re Happy and You Know It, children will immediately be able to sing right along.  Children will be growling, snapping their claws, stomping their paws, and twitching their tails along with the monsters in the book.  Those monsters are done in neon-bright colors against a black background, creating a very dynamic book for children to enjoy.  I recommend finishing up with some black paper and bright colored scraps and letting the children create their own monsters to take home.

Completely child friendly, this book will have even the most reluctant listeners paying attention and playing along.  Happily, the song takes more enthusiasm than skill, so everyone can join in and not have to worry.  The Emberleys have created a book that fills a niche in story times, a monster book that is non-scary but not babyish.  What a treat!

Appropriate for ages 2-4.  Make sure to have this one in your trick-or-treat bag for fall!

You can listen to the song here.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

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Monsters of Men – An Amazing Conclusion

| Tasha

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Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

In this thrilling conclusion to the ground-breaking series, readers will finally find out what happens when the indigenous Spackle army arrives to do battle and what effect the arriving ship from the convoy will have.    Both Todd and Viola have obstacles to overcome in this novel, ones that drive them apart.  Todd learns to control his Noise, making him almost silent in a world where men’s thoughts are heard aloud.  But there is a price for that silence and it could be his relationship with Viola.  Viola is battling an illness that has her feverish and weakened due to the marking band on her arm.  Women are dying from the infections the bands cause, and nothing seems to be working.  So Todd keeps Viola at arm’s length so that she doesn’t know how close he is growing to Mayor Prentiss.  Viola keeps Todd away so that he doesn’t know how ill she is.  All of this sets up the riveting conclusion to this series.  This book brings war directly into the reader’s view.  There is no turning away as beloved characters are threatened, surrounded by battle, scarred and even die.  Everyone is faced with terrible choices that will decide the future of the planet as a whole.

As readers of the first books know, Ness is not an author who can be trusted to keep characters readers love alive.  He breaks the rules, brings back villains, and returns characters thought lost to life.  Through it all the effect of Noise and information is felt.  The Spackle use it to communicate as one and the humans struggle with its impact and how it is being used.  It is a world of constant contact and sharing, one that overwhelms and frightens.  It is a brilliant play on our over-connected online worlds and the effect they are having on all of us.

Ness has built a world here that is less about the land itself and more about the people who live on the planet.  While the setting is critical, it is mostly because of the unique effects of it upon the humans and Spackle who live there.  Ness excels at creating characters who are interesting, conflicted and true to themselves even as they grow and change.  The other thing he excels at is action sequences, terrifying changes to circumstance, and pacing.  This all creates a book that is impossible to put down.

I finished this book with tears rolling down my face and my eyes red from trying to read through my weeping, because I just could not stop reading long enough to wipe my eyes.  It is a series unlike any other and a finale that will shock and thrill.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

Reviewed on many other blogs.

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National Book Award Finalists

| Tasha

Here are the finalists for the Young People’s Literature category of the 2010 National Book Award.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (my review)

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (my review)

Dark Water by Laura McNeal

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (my review)

Dinosaur vs. the Potty

| Tasha

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Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea

Dinosaur does not need to use the potty.  He makes lemonade and wins!  No need to use the potty.  He splashes in the sprinkler and wins!  No need for the potty.  He drinks lots of juice and wins!  No potty for him.  He plays in the swimming pool and wins!  No potty.  He splashes in puddles and his victory dance becomes something else instead.  Now the question is whether Dinosaur can make it to the potty in time!

A delight to read aloud, this book takes child humor and brings it to potty training.  Leaving going to the potty until too late is a tale that every parent knows far too well.  Shea uses his competitive framework to great effect here with Dinosaur winning and roaring all the way to the potty.  Used in a group setting, preschoolers will enjoy participating in the roars and the cheers for Dinosaur.  Shea’s illustrations are wide-lined, bright-colored and raucous.  They match the text of the book perfectly, adding to the child appeal and the humor.

A great choice for potty training children, this will also be appreciated by children beyond that phase thanks to its appeal.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Zen Ghosts

| Tasha

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Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth

The wonderful Stillwater the panda returns for a third time with another picture book filled with Zen.  In this book, Stillwater spends time with the children as they prepare to go trick-or-treating.  Then after they are finished, he brings them to a place where a panda tells them the story of Senjo.  In the story, Senjo is in love with her best friend from childhood.  But when her father gets ills, she is forced to marry a wealthy man.  Ochu, the man she loves, leaves the village because he cannot bear to see her marry someone else.  But as he is leaving, he sees Senjo on the bank and they run off together.  Years later, Senjo feels she must try to reunite with her father.  When they return to the village, Ochu speaks to her father and then discovers that Senjo has been ill in bed since the night Ochu left years ago.  The two Senjos meet and merge together into one.  So the question asked is which Senjo is the true one?  It is a marvelous Koan that is not meant to be solved.  Modern children may be frustrated by this type of story, but all the more reason for them to hear it.

Muth takes the setting of Halloween, combines it with a ghost story of sorts, and turns the holiday into something new.  The children in the story are always talking about their candy and their costumes.  Just as in the other Zen books by Muth, the children remain children completely.  They ponder new ideas and discover new ways of thinking, but they are children still.  Muth’s water colors are rich and autumnal here until the story within the story begins and the colors fade to whites and grays.  Muth offers several great double-page spreads that really capture autumn and Halloween.

This is a very different Halloween story, but one that really has a place in every library.  It is beautifully written, illustrated with elegance and offers a new perspective for readers.  What more could one want?  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Alpha Oops! H Is for Halloween

| Tasha

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Alpha Oops! H Is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis, illustrated by Bob Kolar

The mixed up alphabet antics continue in this second Alpha Oops book.  A isn’t ready to go on, but H has to start a Halloween book anyway.  H starts with Halloween, and the other letters join in for a Halloween-themed alphabet that is not in any particular order.  As the letters reveal themselves, poor B keeps on trying to get his word in but is upstaged each time.  He tries to be a buccaneer, but P is wearing the same costume for pirate.  X has trouble finding the perfect word too, but S is there with a great idea.  Keep an eye on the bottom of the page as the alphabet fills in with pumpkins bearing the letters that are in alphabetical order.  You will just have to wait until the end of the book to find out what B has in store for you!

This book is filled with laughs thanks to the underlying story of the letters putting on a show.  The asides from the different letters are very funny, offering a deeper story to this book than just the alphabet and letters. It turns this book into one that children too old for regular alphabet books will really enjoy. 

Kolar’s illustrations are filled with great deep colors from an eerie yellowy green to vibrant reds to glowing orange.  The book fairly pops with color and action.  Make sure to take the time to look at the illustrations because he has filled them with critters, candy and plenty of additional laughs. 

A bright, funny alphabet book that is a perfect Halloween treat.  No trick.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Halloween Kid

| Tasha

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The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijo

In a unique mix of wild west action and Halloween treats, this book tells the tall tale of the Halloween Kid.  The Halloween Kid keeps Halloween safe for all children going trick-or-treating.  Riding his trusty steed, he is able to truss up toilet paper mummies, wrestle vampires, tickle ghosts into submission.  He was so good at it that Halloween was quiet for some time.  But then the Goodie Goblins came to town and folks started talking about canceling Halloween entirely.  The Halloween Kid hadn’t had to fight off baddies for a long time, so he was rusty.  Unfortunately, that made him the target of an ambush.  Now who can save The Halloween Kid?

Montijo has written a book in a slow drawl that is filled with plenty of action and lots of Halloween creatures.  While the Halloween Kid is the powerful hero of the story, so are the children in the book.  This is a book all about kid power and courage.  The illustrations are done in a limited autumnal palette of oranges, yellows and black.  They have a real cartoon appeal to them.  Interestingly, they have been marked up a little as if printed on newsprint that has transferred to other pages.  It makes for a book that feels timeless and well loved. 

A Halloween story perfect for preschool audiences who would like a few monsters but almost no scares.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.