Book Reviews

The One Day House by Julia Durango

| Tasha

The One Day House by Julia Durango

The One Day House by Julia Durango, illustrated by Bianca Diaz (9781580897099, Amazon)

Released August 15, 2017.

Wilson wishes that one day he will be able to help Gigi in many ways. He says that one day he will paint her house yellow like the sun, but Gigi assures him that he is all the sunshine she needs. Wilson wants to build a fence for her yard, fix her stairs so she can climb them again, fix her piano so it can be played once more. He wants to create a garden for her and fix her roof. There are so many things to fix and Wilson can’t do them by himself. Luckily though, Wilson asks for help and the community turns out to help Gigi and have Wilson’s wishes for her come true.

Inspired by an action day in the community the author lives in, this book shows the power of community to help the elderly and those with disabilities live in safe and functional homes. Details on this sort of community involvement is offered in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. The young character in the book discovers the program at the beginning and has to wait several months and seasons for the help to come. There is no quick fix here, it’s people coming together to make a difference.

The illustrations are rich and bright, showing Wilson’s own art as well as depicting the friendship between young and old vividly. Done in watercolor, gouache and acrylic, the art is filled with the bright colors of an urban setting, lit by a sunlit sky.

A call to communities to come together, this picture book is inspiring. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Charlesbridge.

This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson

| Tasha

This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson

This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Suzy Lee (9781481441391, Amazon)

Three children are spending a gray day inside as it pours rain. Then they start to dance and twirl, pulling blue into their day. They head outside with umbrellas and boots, walking through puddles, jumping and stomping. The rain ends and other come out with yellow and pink umbrellas and clothes, the colors starting to fill the page. Their umbrellas float up into the sky that is now blue with white clouds. The group of children play together in the field of flowers, climbing trees, rescuing umbrellas, and then treats back at home on a lovely day.

Jackson’s text is filled with motion and rhythm. It invites readers to swirl and twirl with the characters on the page. The action words in the text zing and zip, moving the book forward even as they celebrate the bad weather and move to the sunshine. There is a sense of optimism throughout the book, an acceptance and joy of rainy weather and then a true delight when it becomes sunny later.

Lee’s illustrations are lovely. They use color so skillfully, showing first the gray day while the children are quietly playing alone and then the single swirls of blue that color the children and their clothing. The book slowly unfolds with color, until it bursts like the meadow of flowers and the sun in the trees.

Share this one on rainy and sunny days. Just have umbrellas and boots ready along with popsicles too. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

 

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

| Tasha

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia (9780062215918, Amazon)

Newbery-Honor winner Williams-Garcia returns with another book that is filled with love, loss and family. Clayton loves playing the blue with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, in the park. It’s something they do together when his mother works double shifts, since she doesn’t approve of the blues or his grandfather. Clayton knows he is ready for a solo on his blues harp, but Cool Papa wants him to wait a bit longer. Then one night, Cool Papa doesn’t wake up and Clayton is left with his mother’s anger at her father and his own deep loss. School becomes almost impossible for Clayton as he struggles with his grief and when his teacher makes him read the same book that Cool Papa had been reading aloud to him, it is too much. Clayton decides to hit the road, find the blues men that his grandfather played with and join them on their travels. But it’s not that simple and Clayton soon finds himself on an unexpected journey on the New York subway.

This book is simply incredible. Williams-Garcia writes with an ease that welcomes readers deep into the story. She manages in well under 200 pages to tell a deep and rich story that resonates. It’s a story of the power of music to connect generations, of grandfathers who teach and lead, of subways and busking, of urban landscapes and neighborhoods. It’s a story of loss and grief, of self discovery too. It is a multilayered book that will inspire discussion and connection.

Clayton is a wonderful main character with his grandfather’s porkpie hat on his head and his harmonica in his pocket or in his hands making music. He is clearly a gifted musician and it is a treat to have a young character playing music like the blues and then mixing it with hip hop. Clayton is an individual and proud of it, yet he loses one of his main anchors in life and has to find a way forward once again.

Deep and resonating, this novel is a demonstration of real skill and the power of books and music. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

Nothing Rhymes with Orange by Adam Rex

| Tasha

Nothing Rhymes with Orange by Adam Rex

Nothing Rhymes with Orange by Adam Rex (9781452154435, Amazon)

All of the other fruit are having great fun creating rhymes for themselves. But Orange knows that nothing rhymes with him, so he can’t join in. He does ask if he can participate, but no one has time to answer him. Meanwhile the rhymes that the other fruit are using get forced and the kinds of fruit get more unusual. Soon other fruit that don’t have rhymes either are included and only Orange is left out. Luckily though, Apple has noticed and creates a rhyme just for Orange!

Rex has immense joyous fun creating the weirdest rhymes for fruits in this book. Readers will agree with Orange’s take as the book gets odder and odder as it continues. Adults will laugh aloud with surprise with even Nietzsche makes an appearance just to force a rhyme with lychee. The dynamic energy of the book makes it great to read aloud and will have everyone laughing along and hoping that Orange gets to play too.

The illustrations combine grocery-bag brown paper with photographs of different fruit. The fruit also have faces with big expressions and lanky limbs that make them friendly. Orange in particular is very emotive as all sorts of emotions are felt by him during the course of the book.

A great read aloud and a hilarious book, this one will have everyone rhyming! Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

 

Marti’s Song for Freedom by Emma Otheguy

| Tasha

Marti's Song for Freedom by Emma Otheguy

Marti’s Song for Freedom by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal (9780892393756, Amazon)

This picture book in both Spanish and English verse tells the story of José Martí. Martí spent his entire life working to end slavery in Cuba after witnessing the brutality first hand. At the time, Spain ruled Cuba and a war of independence started in 1868. Martí wrote against the Spanish government and was jailed and put to hard labor. At 17-years-old he was sent away from Cuba. He continued to fight for Cuba’s independence and settled in New York. He would travel into the Catskill Mountains to see the nature that he missed from Cuba. Martí eventually returned to Cuba and helped fight in the battles against the Spanish, dying on the battlefield before freedom was realized. His words live on: it was his words and songs that helped drive the Cubans to fight for freedom and to continue fighting.

The verse contains excerpts from Martí’s works, allowing readers to read his words directly. The verse from the author and from Martí  work beautifully together, flowing into one river of words that tell the story of Cuban freedom. The afterword and author’s notes add information to the verse, giving more dates and information on the war for freedom in Cuba and on Martí’s life. This picture book biography takes a complex subject and makes it accessible for young readers, demonstrating how a young-person’s passion can ignite a nation.

The illustrations move from Cuba to New York to the Catskills, capturing scenes of daily life, lush greenery, and battles. There is a sense of energy to all of the illustrations, that matches that of the verse as it speaks to the drive that Martí had to speak out for Cuba’s independence.

A great picture book biography that adroitly pairs English and Spanish on the page. Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli

| Tasha

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli (9781452167008, Amazon)

This detailed, wordless picture book shares the story of one professional working crocodile’s day. Crocodile is awakened from his dream of floating in a swamp by his alarm clock. He gets ready for work, uses the bathroom, brushes his teeth and selects an appropriate tie. He has jam and bread for breakfast and heads out. He window shops on his walk to work and takes the subway. He picks up flowers, the newspaper and a treat from the bakery. He finally reaches his destination, the zoo, and takes his place in the exhibits after changing out of his clothes.

This book plays up the mundane little activities in life, making them all the more important. Clearly European, this book captivates, showing small details of life and then suddenly switching into wild animals at the zoo with a satisfying ending. The illustrations are filled with little details, like other animals on the streets and subway, and humans looking just a tad nervous as they see Mr. Crocodile near them.

It is the use of human life details with the crocodile character that work so well here. That tension plays throughout the picture book, making it a look at humanity and our lives just as much as being a crocodile. There is a real appeal to the illustrations and the story line that draws the reader in and will have them leaning over the page to see more.

Great illustrations and a whimsical crocodile character make this a winner. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

 

Thornhill by Pam Smy

| Tasha

Thornhill by Pam Smy

Thornhill by Pam Smy (9781626726543, Amazon)

Released August 29, 2017.

A grand Gothic graphic novel, this book is surprising and delightfully dark. The story is told in two parallel stories, one in images and one in text. Both stories take place in the same neighborhood and revolve around Thornhill, a home for orphans. Mary’s story is told in text and is set in 1982 where she is one of the last children to leave Thornhill. As the other girls leave, Mary is left with a girl who has been bullying her for some time and the story builds to a terrible climax. The illustrated story is that of Ella in 2016 who has just moved to town and doesn’t have any friends yet. She can see Thornhill, now disused and old, from her house. When she glimpses a girl there, she decides to figure out the story of Thornhill and the girl.

This is the sort of story, you curl up with and read as fast as possible. Happily, Smy’s writing and illustrations make it almost impossible to leave this book behind for even a moment. The illustrations linger with the reader, haunting in their black and white details. The text invite readers into the past, showing them what being an orphan in was like before rules were put in place to protect children. There is a brilliance to not setting the history piece in the 1800’s, but allowing shocking situations of a more modern time to surface.

The art pieces in the book allow the reader to piece together that the girl being described in the text is not the one in the images quickly. The images are done only in black and white, filled often with deep shadows and lit by bright light at other times. They are dynamic and interesting, telling their own wordless story of Ella and her own losses.

Get this into the hands of children who enjoy ghost stories, because this one will haunt readers. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Roaring Brook Press.

 

 

Owl Bat Bat Owl by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

| Tasha

Owl Bat Bat Owl by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Owl Bat Bat Owl by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick (9780763691615, Amazon)

An owl family is contentedly sleeping on a sunny day on a branch high in a tree. Then a family of bats arrives to hang below them on the same branch. The owls are awakened and slide down to another part of the branch, the parent owl clearly upset. Meanwhile, one of the owlets and one of the baby bats start to make friends and the little owl hangs upside down with the bat family. Both parents disapprove and everyone settles back into their own families, until they are disturbed by a strong wind blowing in. Soon baby owls and bats are being flung off the branch and the adult bat and owl are panicking as they search for their children. This might just be what the families need to get along!

This wordless picture book is nicely done with clear facial expressions on the animals that help the story be easily related to. The connection between the youngest of the animals is also very helpful, showing how bridges can be built by the youngest in the world. While this book is simple, it speaks to the importance of integration, diversity and wider community.

Turn the book upside down for a bit of a bat perspective on the world! Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Bunches of Board Books

| Tasha

Before & After

Before & After by Jean Jullien (9780714874081, Amazon)

Jullien captures the difference between before and after in this board book. With changes shown through the illustrations, they are funny and sometimes surprising. Long hair before turns into short hair after and then long hair again way after. Question marks are used to ask if the egg really came before the chicken. A roller coaster ride shows a change in hair and expressions as father and child take a wild ride. This book is silly and fun and will result in lots of conversation with little ones.

Reviewed from library copy.

Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Garden by Laura Weston (9780763693176, Amazon)

This board book has sturdy flaps to open. The book is done in lino prints, strong and graphic. They are done in black and white, opening the flaps shows the colors of butterflies, milkweed and leaves. The flaps open for the butterflies in ways that let their wings flap cleverly. Finding the flaps will have readers running their hands over the pages, making it a sensory experience that way too. The board book uses few words and shows the lifestages of monarch butterfly in a tangible and lovely way.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Say Zoop! by Hervé Tullet (9781452164731, Amazon)

OK, so this isn’t really a board book, but it’s just right for little hands! The thick board covers open to sturdy pages and invite little ones to play. Just like his earlier books, Tullet invites children to interact with the pages, this time using noises as well as pressing dots. This will result in lots of silly noises, simple at first and then growing into complexity that is silly and hilarious. Just go with it! Share it with older kids too!

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.