Book Reviews

Review: Who Built the Stable? by Ashley Bryan

| Tasha

who built the stable

Who Built the Stable?: A Nativity Poem by Ashley Bryan

Dazzling art meets an equally vibrant poem in this Christmas book that focuses on the shepherd boy who built the stable where Jesus was born.  Award-winning illustrator and author, Ashley Bryan has crafted a story of the young boy who built the stable, a boy who is also a shepherd and a carpenter.  It is a story of craft and devotion, also one of diversity and acceptance.  Told in rhyming verse, this is a Christmas story that celebrates children and all they have to offer at the most joyous time of the year. 

While the poem has gentle rhymes, it also has a beautiful strength of story at its core that makes it very appropriate for the celebration of the Nativity.  Creating a story of another child whose own service echoes that of Jesus’ own is a powerful statement about how we can all have a role no matter how young we are. 

The art here is simply spectacular.  It reminds me of stained glass with its thicker outlines and brilliant colors.  Filled with swirls of colors, the images fairly dance on the page, creating a new vision of the holiday that is much more than green, red and white.  Beautiful!

Add some real beauty to your holiday with this bright, vibrant book that speaks to the true meaning of Christmas.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Review: Underground by Denise Fleming

| Tasha

underground

Underground by Denise Fleming

Explore the wonders of what happens underground in a garden with this picture book from the Caldecott Honor medalist, Denise Fleming.  This book takes the joys of digging in the dirt one step farther, offering a simple poem that invites children to explore and then illustrations that show a cross section that reveals all of the action happening below the surface.  Roots grow, moles and chipmunks make tunnels, a turtle lays her eggs, worms are pulled by a robin. 

Fleming’s simple poetry makes this a great option for small toddlers, those same ones with the dirty hands from digging in the dirt.  She then takes her signature pulp-paper collage and brings life to the book.  The pulp paper offers a texture and richness that is specific to that medium.  It is bright, deeply colored, and has a dimension that is remarkable.  Here the use of it to build that rich underground world is ideal.  The illustrations are large enough to use with a group, but detailed enough that there is plenty to explore up close.

Turn to the back pages for more details about the animals shown in the illustrations.  Ideal to read in the garden with a pail and shovel nearby for immediate exploring.  It will also make a great addition for any spring-themed units or story times.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Mice by Rose Fyleman

| Tasha

mice

Mice by Rose Fyleman, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

Ehlert has combined her bright collage illustrations with a poem from Rose Fyleman.  The poem is all about why mice are nice.  They have small faces, pink ears and white teeth.  No one else seems to like mice, because they run around the house at night and nibble on things.  But in the end, mice are nice. 

It’s a very simple poem with a wonderful playful spirit.  Ehlert’s illustrations add to that playfulness with her triangular mice who run their jaunty way through the pages.  The two of them are a delight as they munch on Cheerios in the baggie, try on lipstick, and peek into mirrors.  Ehlert labels objects in her illustrations too, offering new words as vocabulary.

This is one fun picture book filled with bright illustrations and a cheery attitude.  And I think it and mice are nice too.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Beach Lane Books.

Review: Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin

| Tasha

island

Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin

Follow the birth of a group of islands to the present day in this book that beautifully documents the wonders of the Galapagos.  Opening with the drama of a volcanic eruption six million years ago, the book shows how plants and animals arrive at a new island in the ocean.  As time goes by, the island turns from barren rock to a place of lush green.  Specific attention is paid to the evolution of creatures and plants that are found only on these islands.  Young readers will fully understand why finch beaks grew larger, seagulls got larger eyes, and tortoise shells changed shape.  The book ends with Darwin arriving on the shores of one of the islands.  This book is a celebration of these islands and the wonders of nature.

Chin’s book offers information that is solid and fascinating packaged with illustrations that capture the details of what is being explained.  It makes for a book that is bright and energized and that is clearly nonfiction as well.  The story of the birth and life of an island makes for a magnificent tale that readers are sure to respond to.

In his art, Chin brings the reader up close to what is happening on the island.  We get to look between the mangrove roots at sharks, watch pelicans feast on fish in the lagoons, and see land iguanas float on logs to reach the island.  Even better, as I mentioned earlier, the process of evolution is detailed so that readers can see the gradual but necessary changes that occurred.

This is one incredible nonfiction book that teachers, parents and students will enjoy looking through and learning from.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: A Certain October by Angela Johnson

| Tasha

certain october

A Certain October by Angela Johnson

Johnson continues to write powerful books in a short format.  Here we meet Scotty, a teenage girl who thinks of herself as rather bland, like tofu.  The people around her seem more vibrant and complex like her little brother who has autism and enjoys trains, being naked, and eating cookies.  Her best friends too seem to be more interesting to Scotty.  Then in October everything changes because of a train accident.  Scotty’s little brother is injured severely and another boy is killed. Scotty feels responsible for both of them, though she barely knew the other boy.  This is a story that takes the small details of life and then shows how a single event can tear through, changing life forever.

Johnson writes like a poet, using unique symbolism to make her points.  Scotty sees herself as tofu, bland until someone else adds flavor.  Readers though will immediately understand that that is how Scotty views herself, not how the she actually is.  Instead Scotty is an intriguing mix of teen angst, intelligence, and a big heart. 

Johnson writes her characters in real life.  They all read as real people, not even the parents becoming stereotypical.  The teen boys are just as human as the main character, treating the girls with respect and friendship.  It’s a refreshing change to see male secondary characters who are more than a stereotype too.  When Scotty is grieving, the power of family and friendship together is obvious.

With its dynamic cover and short length, this book is sure to be picked up by teen readers.  Here they will find a strong heroine who is intensely and utterly real.  Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Review: The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

| Tasha

drowned cities

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Mahlia and Mouse survive in the war-torn area near the Drowned Cities, living a hunger and danger filled life dodging soldiers from both sides of the war.  But you can only hide and dodge for so long, Mouse gets caught by a wounded half-man who was bioengineered solely for war, named Tool.  Tool holds Mouse hostage until Mahlia brings drugs to heal him.  Even that is not easy, because a squad of soldier boys, injured by Tool, is there demanding the same drugs that Mahlia needs to free Mouse. Things do not go as planned.  Soon their village is in flames, Mouse is captured by the soldier boys, and Mahlia has lost everything.  Now it is up to her to decide whether she is just going to go on hiding or take an impossible chance and head for the Drowned Cities.

The book is like a strong dark current that submerges the reader, pulling you deeper and deeper into the novel.  At times, the tension and horror gets to be overwhelming, and I would have to put the book down and take some deep breaths in the sun before diving right back into the darkness.  Bacigalupi writes with an amazing clarity and strength.  Here he tackles war from the point of view of children who are caught in a situation not of their making, but who will do almost anything to survive.  The issue of child soldiers is at the heart of this story, but it also touches on war itself and the atrocities that come along with it on both sides.

Happily, there is also a golden and true heart at the center of this story.  It comes from its three main characters: Mahlia, Mouse and Tool.  All three are entwined in the war and yet somehow apart from it too.  Their story is one of dedication, friendship, and loyalty.  All things that are far too rare in the rest of this dark world.  Against that darkness, the three shine.

If you enjoyed Ship Breaker, this second book returns to the same setting but features different characters.  It’s an amazing feat to create a sequel just as good as the first, and Bacigalupi achieves that here.  Appropriate for ages 16-18.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Animal 123 & Animal Spots and Stripes by Britta Teckentrup

| Tasha

animal 123 animal spots and stripes

Animal 123 by Britta Teckentrup

Animal Spots and Stripes by Britta Teckentrup

This pair of lift-the-flap books for preschoolers are very cleverly done.  My favorite of the two is the counting one, where the flap on each page lifts to reveal the next number and another one of the animals to count.  Spots and Strips also has flaps which in this case lift to reveal related animals with either spots or stripes that contrast and complement the animals on the main page.  The flaps on both books are large and sturdy, making these books that libraries could have on their shelves.

Teckentrup’s graphics are really what make these books special.  Her use of bold colors and large sized illustrations are striking.  The animals are jaunty and filled with life, fairly bouncing off of the page.  Add the appeal of lifting flaps and you have books that small children will ask to have read to them again and again.  Even more special is that the flaps are really part of the design of the books themselves.  They are much more than just added appeal, instead they are inherent to the way the books function. 

Great picks for libraries, but also equally great picks for holiday gifts for toddlers and preschoolers.  Appropriate for ages 2-4, as long as they are past the board book phase and able to be gentle with pages. 

Review: A Perfect Day by Carin Berger

| Tasha

perfect day

A Perfect Day by Carin Berger

Celebrate a wonderful winter day in this picture book!  Join the children as they make the first tracks in the snow, glide on skis, and lose their dog in the drifts.  There are snowball fights and building snowmen too.  Others make a fort in the snow and sled down big hills.  There is ice skating, snow angels, and even an icicle stand.  This is one gorgeous snowy day.

Told in very simple words, this picture book really shows what makes for an exceptional wintry day.  The collage illustrations are really what make the book shine.  The snowy hills are textured by the faint lines on pages and by the words that had been written on them.  Against this subtle background, the bright-colored and sharp-edged characters pop.  The trees too stand dark and strong against the white.

A wonderful winter read, this picture book is a perfect ending to your own snowy day.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Greenwillow Books.

Review: Tell Me about Your Day Today by Mem Fox

| Tasha

tell me about your day today

Tell Me about Your Day Today by Mem Fox, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

This is the story of a little boy who looked forward to bedtime.  He loved the kisses, the stories, the good night.  But most of all he loved the conversations he had with his stuffed animal friends.  Each of them took a turn telling about what happened during their day: “the who, the what, the why, and the way… the whole wild thing…turned out okay.”  As each character describes their day, it is told solely in pictures with the refrain above as the only words.  And each one builds on the last, creating a picture of a complete day together.  Then the little boy went last, describing his day and filling out the last of their day spent together.

This is such a warm and friendly book.  While it may be unusual for a child to look forward to bedtime, it’s great to have a book that celebrates that part of the day so fully.  Even better, it’s a celebration of a very busy day spent in wonderful play.  Fox’s use of a repeating refrain in each character’s story makes for a book that is gentle and reassuring. 

Stringer’s illustrations tell a lot of the story.  Each character had a slightly different day, told from their point of view.  When the boy’s part comes, they all reach a cohesive whole.  Stringer’s art is done in bright and warm colors, with the deep blues of night a welcome part of the book.  The characters glow on the page, some even seeing to shine light themselves. 

What a great bedtime read!  This book is best shared with your own stuffed friends gathered around and listening too.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Beach Lane Books.