Author: Tasha

Muktar and the Camels

| Tasha

Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber, illustrated by Scott Mack

Muktar lives in a Somalian orphanage after his parents have died.  His parents had roamed Somalia with camels before the drought and war changed everything.  Now all Muktar has of his old life is a withered root that his father gave him and told him to use wisely.  Then one day, a man arrives with three camels loaded with books.  Muktar is asked to help unload the camels and as he does, he notices a wound on the foot of one camel.  The librarian is too busy to listen to his concerns, so Muktar creates a poultice with the root his father gave him.  By the time the librarian discovers the problem, the camel’s foot is better and Muktar has impressed him enough to offer him a job with the camels.

This book is based on the library service of the Kenya National Library Service which has camel convoys of books eight times a month that serve schools and orphanages in the outlying areas.  Muktar and his love of animals shines in this book.  His skill with camels is impressive as is his strength in the face of such overwhelming change in his life.  Graber’s text tells the story plainly, not dwelling too long on the loss but more on the present.  Mack’s illustrations, done in oils on canvas, show a land dried and hardened, but people who are surviving despite the obstacles.

Recommended as a window to another way of living, this book is appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Oh Crumps!

| Tasha

Oh, Crumps! by Lee Bock, illustrated by Morgan Midgett

Farmer Felandro is so very tired.  He has a lot to do tomorrow: milk the cows, fix the fence, mow the hay and climb the silo.  And morning comes so early.  As he is falling asleep, he hears the goats Maahing outside.  Oh crumps!  So he puts on his boots and heads out to put them in their pen.  Back in bed, he goes through his list of chores for tomorrow mixing his words up, and then hears the dogs barking.  On go the boots, out to the barn, gets the dogs settled, back in bed, list of chores, and another animals makes noise outside.  This happens again and again, until finally it is dawn and the day has begun.

This book has a very nice mix of humor and traditional feel.  Bock has created a story with a natural rhythm that will have young listeners feeling immediately at home.  Yet he also has created a very nice running gag as the farmer mixes up the words on his list of chores, leading to him thinking about fixing the cow and milking the fence!  Midgett’s illustrations merrily follow these words, so that we can see the farmer sitting with a bucket milking the spotted fence.  Her art will project well to a group of students with its thick lines and deep colors.

Highly recommended as an addition to farming story times or as a great bedtime choice, this book comes in both English and bilingual (English/Spanish) version.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from ARC received from publisher.

Imogene’s Last Stand

| Tasha

Imogene’s Last Stand by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Imogene lives in a tiny town in New Hampshire called Liddleville.  She loves history more than anything else, so begins to tidy up the town’s historical society.  Once it is all clean, she waits eagerly for crowds to come and tour.  But no one comes except for one workman who puts a sign in the front yard saying that the house will be torn down.  The mayor wants progress and new, not old history.  How in the world will Imogene be able to save history from the stomp of progress?  Perhaps with a little help from George Washington himself.

Imogene is a wonderful character who quotes historical figures whenever she feels strongly.  She is plucky, sensible and strong-willed, just what I’d love any child to be.  Even better, Imogene has a point of view and isn’t afraid to make a stand to the adults around her.  She is a true heroine.  Fleming’s writing is wry and funny, peppered with historical quotes.  Carpenter’s art done in pen and ink and digital media, has just the right feel: a mix of traditional and modern that Imogene would approve of.

A strong young heroine combined with a focus on the importance of history, makes this a must-have book.  A definite winner of a title, this book is appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

More Movie News

| Tasha

  

All from the great movie blog /Film.

An incredible voice cast has been announced for the 3D animated movie of Guardians of Ga’Hoole.  Voices include Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham.  The film is based on the first three books of the series.  It will be released in September 2010.

You can check out the new trailer for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief at the official site.  It will be released on February 12, 2010.

Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce a big screen version of Michael Scott’s series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.  The film rights had been purchased by Mark Burnett before the books were even published, but that deal seems to have lapsed.

The Cycler series of teen novels has been picked up for filming by Angryfilms.  The author of the series, Lauren McLaughlin has adapted the first book, Cycler, into a screenplay which will be the basis of the film.

Kirkus Best Children’s Books

| Tasha

Kirkus has put out their latest supplement: The Best Children’s Books of 2009.

For me, the supplement was like revisiting old friends.  There are so many great titles in this collection that it makes me want to rush out and read the ones I missed because they are in such good company.

Here are handful of the bright spots on the list from my perspective:

The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Shino Arihara

My People by Langston Hughes, photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.

The Doll Shop Downstairs by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Heather Majone

  

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

 

Any of your own favorites that made the list?

National Book Award

| Tasha

Phillip Hoose has won the 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for his book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice.  At the National Book Award website, you can see the other winners and an interview with Phillip Hoose.

There were 251 books nominated for the award in the Young People category.  The five finalists were great choices and so is the winner.  Congratulations to all!

Nasreen’s Secret School

| Tasha

Nasreen’s Secret School: a True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter

The author of The Librarian of Basra brings readers another true story from the Middle East.  This is the story of Nasreen, a young Afghan girl who has not spoken since her parents disappeared.  Her grandmother hears about a school for girls which is secret and forbidden.  In the hopes of bringing Nasreen out of her silence, her grandmother enrolls her.  The girls attending the school must be clever.  They must leave alone or in small groups.  They must hide their schoolwork if they are inspected by soldiers.  Little by little, Nasreen and her classmates learn to read and write.  And little by little, Nasreen begins to join this community of women and girls.

Winter’s illustrations are are framed by lines and painted in thick acrylic paints.  This gives them the feel of more traditional work, though they depict modern life.  Though the situation is complex, Winter manages to tell the story in short sentences.  American children will learn of a society where people disappear and girls are not allowed to be educated, all explained at their level of comprehension.  Expect lots of questions and discussion after sharing this true story with children.

An important piece of work, this picture book allows children to glimpse another culture that is now intertwined with our American one.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by A Year in Reading.

Waiting for Winter

| Tasha

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

As my son waited for the bus this morning, he asked when the snow was going to come.  Here in Wisconsin in mid-November that is a very good question and the answer is “very soon.” 

In this charmer of a picture book, Squirrel is told by Deer that it is going to snow.  Squirrel hasn’t seen snow before, so he decides to wait for it.  Deer explains that snow is “White and wet and cold and soft.”  But it is very hard to stay awake, so Squirrel runs up and down the tree trunk.  The noise wakes Hedgehog who agrees that he wants to see snow too.  The two of them stay awake by singing – sea shanties.  This wakes up Bear who waits with them for the snow.  But what is snow has already arrived and they haven’t recognized it?  So the three look around for items that match Deer’s description of snow with very funny results.  In the end, they learn exactly what snow looks like.

Meschenmoser excels at telling a story through few words and wonderfully evocative illustrations.  Just the appearance of the animals themselves shows how very tired they are.  The close-up of Bear’s face after he is woken up perfectly captures the grumpiness and bleariness of that moment.  All of the animals are wonderfully scruffy and real.  Hedgehog always has leaves and other objects stuck in his spines, and Squirrels wild fur carries a lot of his frantic pace even when still. 

The voice of the book is also right on the mark.  Told with great excitement and delight, the tone conveys their wonder at being able to see snow even before they have caught a single glimpse of it.  Meschenmoser’s pacing also works very well, filled with just enough tension but also forward movement.

A perfect choice for this time of year when snow would be met with cheers and joy by all of us who are waiting for winter.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8 and Through the Looking Glass.

Moomin Movie!

| Tasha

/Film has the news of a new Moomin Movie that will feature a song from Bjork.  This second Moomin movie, Moomin and the Comet Chase, will be done in 3D using the stop-motion style.

You can also see a trailer of the first Moomin film, Moomin and Midsummer Madness.  This film was created using footage from the Polish-Austrian TV series.