Author: Tasha

Twilight Hunt

| Tasha

Twilight Hunt by Narelle Oliver.

A screech owl heads out on a hunt to bring her babies food.  But every time she’s about to catch something it manages to evade her by camouflaging itself in the environment.  Sharp eyes will see not only the one animal hiding but many animals in each image blending gracefully into the surroundings. 

The marriage of great language and wonderful images is perfection here.  The language contains those great words that will expand small readers’ vocabulary without them even realizing it.  Lizards scuttle, moths skim and wingbeats are noiseless.  The brief but powerful text leads from one picture to the next where children will lean closer to see the hidden creatures and by the end they too will be noiseless and even breathless.

A powerful book about an intriguing subject, this book is better used with a very small group or one-on-one because of the delicacy and details of the illustrations.  Simply elegant and lovely.

The Getaway

| Tasha

 

The Getaway by Ed Vere.

Looking for a breakneck-paced picture book that will immediately grab small boys and keep them enthralled?  Have I got a book for you!  Fingers McGraw is an infamous cheese thief and the reader is immediately enlisted to help him escape with his stolen cheeses.  Jumbo Wayne Jr. is hot on his trail and all the reader needs to do is keep their eyes open and whistle when they see an elephant approaching.  How hard could that be? 

Great dialogue for adults features classic movie quotes and lines that will have you putting on your wildest vintage PI voice ever.  The book is just plain wild fun to share with kids.  Vere’s words make the book flow, but his art is just as wild and wonderful, helping to increase the pace of the text.  Fingers always has his ears blowing back in the breeze as he tears past a background of real photographs.  Yes, the art is evocative of Knuffle Bunny’s style, but is done with more close up photos so it also has a feel all its own.

A sure-fire hit with kids, save this one for a short school day or a Friday afternoon when the wigglies set in.  Recommended for ages 4-7.

Season of Ice

| Tasha

Season of Ice by Diane Les Becquets.

Genesis’ father is a logger and gets extra work repairing docks on the lake.  But one day he heads out to repair a dock and disappears.  His truck is left on the shore, his boat is found floating in the lake with the life preservers still inside, and all Genesis is left with is questions and no answers.  When the lake freezes over for the winter, the search is called off and answers are very hard to find.  There are rumors that her father faked his death to leave her stepmother behind so Genesis begins the process of tracking down the people in her father’s life from the logging camp.   She will find answers on the way, but what answers will they be?

This gripping book of loss, grief, anger and confusion takes a very strong heroine and turns her world completely inside out.  She finds herself doubting everything her life before her father’s disappearance had been based on.  Everything that she loves, enjoys and plans is now suspect.  There is such tension in this novel, such anguish and loss that is channeled into places beyond grief.

Les Becquets has a way with imagery that captures the setting within it:

My father was sitting on the sofa in front of the pellet stove, his body sunken into the cushions as if he was all banked in for the night.

And in this passage from later in the book, you can see her skill with powerful emotions:

Her hug wasn’t tentative this time.  She grabbed me like she might have five years ago.  Grabbed me and held me to her like I was the best friend she’d always had, and in that embrace, I felt more than just the shoulders and back of my friend.  I felt everything — past, present, future, all bundled up, concentrated into one small space.  I wasn’t just holding on to Annie.  I was holding on to a desire for some sort of promise, for some piece of higher ground in my life, for a place I might imagine.

The lake itself, the cold, the winter, nature all become a large part of the story of the book.  Far beyond being a vivid setting, the Maine lake becomes the answer, the key.  It is a powerful contribution to the story’s tension and depth.

Highly recommended for teen readers, this book will be popular for readers of general fiction as well as mystery readers.

Miss Crandall's School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color

| Tasha

Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color by Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Floyd Cooper.

Told in poems, this book chronicles the story of Miss Crandall and her students, many the daughters of freed Canterbury, Connecticut was the target of racist attacks.  Only open for less than two years during the 1830s, the girls and their teacher faced poisoned water, arson and general hatred from the white affluent community.  Miss Crandall went on to teach both white and black children in another community in New England.  But the wonder of her work as a teacher and the vehemence of the hatred they faced as a school is not to be forgotten.  Captured in poems, the book is a series of glimpses into the lives of the students and the conditions they faced. 

The poetry here is rich and beautifully restrained in its sonnet format.  Held in by the structure of the poetry, the emotions are raw and the situations daunting.  But equally held up by the structure is the faith, strength and unity of these young girls.

These poems sing and tell, reveal truths and speak volumes in a few words.  They capture the essence of learning, the pain of leaving home, and the horrors of hate.  They echo in our modern lives, allow us to realize that though much has changed, so much stays the same.

I must also mention the illustrations by Cooper.  They are soft and ethereal at exactly the right times and at others offer faces and captured moments that support the poems themselves.  The ebb and flow is done with such skill it seems effortless.

Highly recommended for classes learning about the history of this time.  The poems will be enjoyed by older elementary students, teens and adults who have some understanding of the struggle being described so vividly.

Harriet the Spy on NPR

| Tasha

 

Harriet the Spy was one of my favorite books as a child.  I actually owned a copy, my own dog-eared paperback that I lugged with me.  But best of all, I married a man who equally adores Harriet and all she stands for.  What children’s book lover and Harriet-wanna-be could pass that up?!

NPR has a great piece on Harriet the Spy and what she meant to my generation of readers.  She was a strong, feisty heroine who was completely and utterly herself.  She is what I want all children of today to be.  And hopefully they will read Harriet, relate to her and love her as I did as a child.

Harriet Rules!

CCBC Choices

| Tasha

Each year I sing the praises of the CCBC Choices list, but every year I am delighted at what makes their list and equally delighted to discover the titles that I missed. 

CCBC Choices 2008 is available in a preliminary pdf form.  The full list with annotations and recommended ages will be available after March 8th.  But now you can have a glimpse at some great books.

The Choices list is always strong in multiculturalism, nonfiction, poetry, and fiction for children and teens.  Many of my favorites of the year are on the list, far too many to list here, and there are so many treats in store to discover as well!  The covers above are ones I am particularly looking forward to reading.

CCBC Podcasts

| Tasha

The amazing CCBC in Madison Wisconsin is now podcasting!  You can check out their first podcast here. 

 

It features Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, Jazz by Walter Dean Myers, and What Have You Lost by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Debbie Harry Sings in French

| Tasha

Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers.

Johnny lives an edgy life filled with Goth outfits, lots of drinking, and plenty of music.  When he discovers Debbie Harry, he finds someone who inspires him with her toughness and beauty.  Someone he would love to be like.  Johnny isn’t gay, but he’s not sure what he is exactly.  As Johnny copes with other issues in his life, including an overdose, he finds himself grappling with labels, love and sobriety.

Brothers has created a book that embodies the quest of teens who are different than those around them.  Johnny’s search for himself is told not only in his sexuality but through his struggles with addiction and his troubles with his mother.  The book has a deft coolness and an addictive readability.  It will be devoured by teens who are outsiders in any way.

The characterizations are wonderfully done as well.  Johnny is a believable teen grappling with many issues as is his girlfriend Maria.  The adults in the story are also multidimensional and honestly portrayed.  It is refreshing to find an adult character who can handle sexuality issues with such grace as Johnny’s Uncle Sam. 

Highly recommended for any outsider.  This book takes on issues that I haven’t seen handled in teen fiction before.  It is groundbreaking yes, but written so naturally and easily that it doesn’t read that way.  Just as it should be.

Free Horton Hears a Who for Teachers

| Tasha

Kidthing is offering a free online version of Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss where the book is read aloud online.  The book is free through March 31st for classroom use.