Author: Tasha

Butterflies and Moths

| Tasha

Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop

Nic Bishop’s latest nonfiction book for children is filled with crystal clear photographs that dazzle and amaze.  This time Bishop has turned his attention to the wonder of caterpillars, butterflies and moths. Accompanying the images is fascinating text that allow readers to better understand moths and butterflies and the way their lives and bodies work.  Bishop has once again managed to take pictures that verge on the impossible.  The furry body of a luna moth with his bright yellow antennae is looming and large.  The actual-size image of a blue morpho butterfly hovering in the air is breathtaking.  The four-page spread of a butterfly taking off from a flower is simply amazing.

Budding scientists and just those who love these lovely insects will find much to see and learn here.  This book belongs in every school and public library.  Period.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

National Poetry Month – Blog Style

| Tasha

Two must-read blogs are doing great things to celebrate April as National Poetry Month. 

GottaBook will be posting a previously unpublished poem each day of the month of April.  The poets participating are a who’s who list of children’s poets.  Amazing!  You can also follow the action on Twitter.

The Miss Rumphius Effect will be interviewing poets each day in April.  Her list too is amazing! 

What a lovely way to spend the month of April, basking in new poems and great poets every day.

Google Eric Carle

| Tasha

Isn’t it cool?!  A Google logo done by Eric Carle.  Just had to share because it certainly brightened up my dreary spring day.

Metal Man

| Tasha

Metal Man by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Paul Hoppe.

Devon always heads over to where the metal man welds his sculptures.  Today even though it is so very hot, he heads over to watch the sparks fly.  His mother says that everything the metal man makes is junk: junk out of junk.  But Devon still loves spending time there.  This time, the sculptor asks Devon what he wants to make.  He’s never done that before.  Devon has an idea, but is shy about sharing it until the sculptor tells him to "Bring it on out to play."  So Devon tells him about the star house in his mind.  The two set out to build it out of scraps of metal together and when Devon brings it home, his mother has to admit that this certainly isn’t junk.

The text in this book has rhythm, an urban beat that makes for a great read aloud.  The sculptor is a great example of an African-American man who is creative and caring.  A figure too seldom seen in picture books.  Hoppe’s illustrations are thick-lined and nicely capture the wonder on Devon’s face as he sees his idea come to life. 

Recommended as a great book on sculpting, but also a wonderful book about community and it taking a village to raise a child.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Earth Day

| Tasha

Earth Day by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Mike Gordon.

This latest book in the Robin Hill School series is a charming look at how even the smallest changes make a big difference.  Emma is daunted by the large ideas her classmates give for how they can help Save the Earth.  Other children want to rescue polar bears and plant forests.  Emma heads home discouraged about her lack of big ideas until her father encourages her to start small.  They begin biking more, recycling, shopping at farmer’s markets, and other green activities.  By the Earth Day, Emma’s small changes have made a big difference and inspire her classmates to make small changes too.

Gordon’s friendly cartoon illustrations add to the accessible feeling of the book.  Emma’s self-doubt rings very true and by the end there are no huge changes, but a sense of hope that is honest as well.  The message of each person doing a little and making a big difference is one that can be embraced by families and classrooms. 

The perfect Earth Day book for early readers, this one can be read aloud or individually.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Books to Film

| Tasha

/Film has news about two children’s books brought to film.

Let’s first go with the incredibly gorgeous poster for Where the Wild Things Are. 

Gets your heart beating a little faster, doesn’t it.  That my friend is actual hope that this will be made!  Feels good, doesn’t it?  And it does say Fall 2009, yes it does! 

/Film also has a Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs trailer for you to see.  The movie is based (and from what I can tell very loosely based) on the picture book.  The style is modern rather than the vintage feel of the picture book and the trailer doesn’t sound anything like the book until the very end.  Interesting, but I am definitely more thrilled with Wild Things.

Bad Girls Don't Die Book Trailer

| Tasha

I am loving this trend of publishers making book trailers for teen novels.  I reviewed Bad Girls Don’t Die a little bit ago here and here is the trailer:

Bad Girls Trailer

Aargh!  I am obviously having big troubles embedding the video here, so you will have to follow the link for now.

Board Book Roundup

| Tasha

What a treat to have a stack of board books to share!  I get lots of board books to review, but few of them make it to the blog.  I’m a bit of a stickler for it to be something special.  They have the common thread of animals among them though they are all very different from one another:

Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton

Boynton has perfected the board book format.  As an adult reader, I often don’t see the appeal, but when I share them aloud with a small child it is pure magic.  Her latest book features lots of animals, counting and silliness all written at just the right level for toddlers to enjoy.  All of the animals in the book (except one) are named Bob, building towards the final reveal of the #15 animal’s name.  Guaranteed giggles and fun.

Baby Nose to Baby Toes by Vicky Ceelen

I love board books that incorporate photography, especially close-ups of baby faces.  This book pairs photographs of babies with similar photos of animals.  It’s a really winning combination.  Baby head and fuzzy duckling, the swirl of a tiny ear and the shell of a snail.  My favorite is the pairing of chubby baby legs with the startlingly similar backside of an elephant.  Charming, funny and captivating for the youngest children.

Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants by J.D. Lester, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata.

In a jaunty rhyme, readers see babies from human to panda to rhino all being called sweet nicknames by their mothers.  In a book that could have been too saccharine, the rhythm and silliness helps steer away from that.  Nakata’s illustrations are friendly, colorful and depict all sorts of fascinating animals.  Toddlers will enjoy the cuddly nature of the book as well as the chance to make all sorts of animal noises along the way.

Lament: the Faerie Queen's Deception

| Tasha

Lament: the Faerie Queen’s Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

A new voice in urban fantasy has entered the scene.  In the tradition of Melissa Marr and Holly Black, Stiefvater has created a world filled with the strangeness of faerie, strafed by their cruelty and endangered by their attention.  Deirdre is a gifted musician who plays the harp and sings, but she gets horrible stage fright.  While throwing up before a competition, she is helped by a boy from her dreams, Luke Dillon.  Luke performs with Deirdre, together creating incredible music and winning the grand prize.  But Luke is the first sign that Deirdre’s life is about to change dramatically.  Deirdre starts to see four-leaf clovers everywhere and her grandmother asks her to wear an iron ring for protection.  But nothing can protect her from falling in love with Luke, who turns out to be far more dangerous than she would ever have dreamed.

First, I have to say that I really dislike the cover of this book.  While I can stand back and see it as a thing of beauty, it doesn’t work to sell this novel to readers.  The back cover has a tumble of red nails and twisted designs that may have worked better.  Stiefvater’s web site has a new cover on display which really fits the story better.

This book is hauntingly lovely, achingly filled with passion, and scarily vivid.  I love the pacing of the novel where just like Deirdre, the reader is trying to figure out what Luke is.  Once they and Deirdre know the truth it is impossible to extricate themselves from the situation.  The book is gripping and fascinating.  There are points where the reader can be a little lost, especially at the beginning, but those few moments aside the book is well crafted.  The achingly tragic scenes of the love of Deirdre and Luke are the best written in the novel.  Readers who enjoy doomed love affairs will find this novel very satisfying.

Recommended as a great book to hand Marr and Black fans, this novel is appropriate for ages 14-17.