Book Reviews

Review: Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

| Tasha

balloons over broadway

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet

For over 80 years, there have been huge balloons in the Macy’s Parade.  We have Tony Sarg to thank for that.  Even when Tony was a small boy, he was inventing things.  He figured out a way to feed the chickens in the morning without having to get out of bed.  He wanted to be a marionette puppeteer, but was born in a time when marionettes were not being used anymore.  So he figured out how to build them and started performing on Broadway with his marionettes.  From there, he got a job designing the holiday windows for Macy’s where he did puppets that moved through gears and pulleys.  After that, he started working on parades.  He first built balloons that were held by stiff sticks, but they needed to be higher so more people could see.  So out of necessity and through tremendous creativity, he figured out how to make balloons fly high but still be controlled and seem lifelike.  We are all lucky enough to still be able to see the work of Sarg every Thanksgiving in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

This book is all about dreaming big and then figuring out a way to make those huge dreams come to life.  Sarg’s life is also about following your own personal bliss and making a living doing what you love.  It is a tribute to creativity and imagination on a grand scale.  Sweet has created a book that celebrates all of this and remains a biography of a real man too.

Her art is a tremendous part of the book’s success.  Through a mix of painting and collage, she brings Sarg’s world to life.  Fabrics, different paper, objects and maps all find their way into the illustrations, creating new textures, dimension and color.  They are illustrations that celebrate on almost every page, filled with bright colors and ingenuity.

Highly recommended, this book should be added to everyone’s must read list for Thanksgiving titles, but don’t keep it just for that time of year.  It is also a great book to discuss creativity and unusual jobs!  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Review: A Christmas Goodnight by Nola Buck

| Tasha

christmas goodnight

A Christmas Goodnight by Nola Buck, illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright

This cozy, quiet Christmas book focuses on the nativity.  Through gently rhyming stanzas, the story of Jesus’ birth is told.  It is woven into a bedtime story where everyone in the nativity tale is told goodnight.  It includes the animals, the angels, the star, the Wise Men, and the shepherds.  Then the book moves to a modern winter scene at a farm where the good night wishes continue to the snow, the hare, and a small nativity set.  This transition is made seamlessly and very successfully, tying the modern Christmas celebration directly to the birth of Jesus. 

Buck has written a book that celebrates the story of the nativity in a way that small children will be able to easily understand.  She successfully ties in a goodnight theme as well as a link to the modern world. 

Wright’s illustrations have a jewel-colored palette and simple lines.  They are modern and yet also honor the traditional, so they work well for this subject.  The simplicity also works well for the very young audience with the washes of color and the clean lines.

A great pick for libraries or families looking for books that celebrate the reason for Christmas in a religious way.  It’s a perfect bedtime read for Christmas Eve.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Around the World by Matt Phelan

| Tasha

around the world

Around the World by Matt Phelan

In this graphic novel, Phelan tells the story of three adventurers at the end of the 19th century who attempt to travel around the world.  There is Thomas Stevens in 1884 who had been working in the mines but then started bicycling.  He first bicycled across the United States, and then attempted to cycle around the world on the difficult-to-ride old-fashioned bicycle with one larger wheel.  The next adventurer is Nellie Bly in 1889, who set herself the task of beating Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days.  The men running the New York World newspaper did not like her idea, but eventually came around to having her attempt it.  Her race became a national obsession and sold many newspapers for them.  Finally, there is the story of Joshua Slocum in 1895.  He restored an old sailing vessel in a time when sailing was becoming outdated.  Then all on his own, he set off to sail around the world, becoming the first person to sail around the world alone.  These three adventurers all have their own reasons for circumnavigating the globe, but they are united in their attempts.  These are all stories of determination, courage and bold ideas.

United under the umbrella of Jules Verne’s novel, these three stories are beautifully connected and yet stand entirely on their own merits as well.  The three intrepid souls are also equally connected and yet uniquely themselves.  Their journeys are made for different reasons and received differently by the public, but they are all powerful stories of independence and resourcefulness.  All three stories show the power of taking charge of one’s life and following your dreams.

Phelan’s art suits each of the stories individually and also has a cohesive whole.  There are subtle changes from one story to the next, the colors shift from blues and greens to oranges and creams and then to deeper blues and grays.  The art style stays much the same but beyond the colors there are changes in mood that are amazingly deep yet subtly done.  Stevens’ story of bicycling has a merry joei de vive to it.  Bly’s adventure is filled with energy and zip.  Then there is the lonely sailing tale that has a deep grief embedded in it that almost aches.

Beautifully done, this is one of the top graphic novels for children, period.  It is honest, emotional, and a rousing adventure-filled read.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

| Tasha

bluefish

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Travis misses his home after moving with his grandfather but even more, he misses his dog.  He used to have lots of room to roam in the country, but he’s stuck in a small house with his alcoholic grandfather.  At his new school, he is nearly silent but loud Velveeta will not allow him to withdraw far.  She joins him at lunch after seeing Travis help out a boy being bullied, firmly adopting him and filling his silence with all of her words.  The two unlikely friends are both hiding secrets.  As the story progresses, the secrets are shared with the reader first and then with each other.  This story explores the meaning of friendship and how we can all be friends that help one another in our own unique way.

Schmatz’s writing is clean and clear.  She doesn’t fill the story with flowery language, instead exploring the story alongside the reader.  The book is filled with characters who are struggling, including both Travis and Velveeta.  Another example is Travis’ grandfather who is battling his addiction and trying to be a parent to Travis.  There is nothing perfect here, and the message is clear that perfection is not something that is necessary or needed.  It is the striving, the doing that matters.

The two main characters are well drawn and intriguing.  They are very similar to one another in many ways and yet so different in others.  Their struggles may not be the same, but the two definitely need one another to get through.  There are also other adults who help, including one incredible teacher and a librarian.  It is a joy to see two adults helping children written free of any didacticism. 

This powerful read offers great characters, no easy answers, and no grand solution of an ending.  It’s a book that is about the journey.  Appropriate for ages 11-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Candlewick Press.

Also reviewed by:

Review: No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis

| Tasha

no ordinary day

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis

Valli picks up coal every day at her home town of Jharia, India.  But when she discovers that the family she is staying with is not her real family, she is free to leave their abuse and fend for herself.  She hops aboard a coal truck and ends up in Kolkata on the streets.  There she “borrows” items that she needs, giving them to others who need them more when she is finished with them.  She eats by begging for food and money or doesn’t eat much at all.  Valli has one super power, she has feet that feel no pain.  So she can stand on hot coals, run across glass, and never feel the wounds.  But this is not a real super power, it is leprosy.  A kind doctor discovers Valli and offers treatment, though it is some time before Valli is able to trust her.  This powerful read speaks to the horrors of poverty, the brutality of life on the streets, and one remarkable young girl who survives it all.

Ellis is known for her powerful writing and this book definitely has that.  The book could have become dark and depressing in less skilled hands, but Ellis through the spunky Valli keeps the book moving forward and keeps the viewpoint optimistic.  Yet Ellis does not shy away from harsh realities of life on the streets and being an unwanted child in a family.  It is Valli who makes this book work so well, her vitality shines on every page.

Ellis handles the subject of leprosy with a delicacy and honesty that is heartwarming.  Valli responds to the lepers she meets as “monsters,” but she and the reader learn that there is nothing to fear.  Valli sees the people behind their deformities and the reader will too. 

A powerful and outstanding book, this tough subject is written at a level that will invite young readers into a world they had never realized existed.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: Americus by MK Reed

| Tasha

americus

Americus by MK Reed, illustrated by Jonathan Hill

Neal, a high school freshman, who finds himself in the middle of a fight to keep a popular series in the public library.  Danny, Neal’s best friend, gets into trouble with his mother when she discovers he is reading The Adventures of Apathea Ravenchilde.  His mother believes that books with witches corrupt young minds and she goes on a crusade to not just have her children not read them, but remove them from the library as well.  Danny is sent to military school, leaving Neal behind.  But Neal slowly comes out of his quiet shell in high school, finding new friends and discovering new interests like punk rock.  The book challenge plays itself out in front of the library board and inside families in town.  Neal starts working at the library and is asked to speak for the teens who love the series and how important it is to him.  This look at censorship and small town politics rings true, especially for those of us who live near West Bend, Wisconsin.

Reed’s text is a refreshing mix of teen angst and lightness.  There is plenty of humor to move the story along, though this is more of a dramatic graphic novel than a funny one.  Neal is a character who shows real growth through the book, just slow and steady enough to read as real.  He is not a hero, but a young man who breaks through his shyness to speak out for something that is important for him. 

Reed also has other characters who are complexly drawn.  The two girls in shop class alone break stereotypes.  The kindness of the rock and roll boyfriend, who is also desperate to escape a table full of girls and their gossip, is a moment that is just lovely.  Neal is exposed to new music in that scene in a way that is engagingly written.

Hill’s art is done entirely in black and white.  The scenes from The Adventures of Apathea Ravenchilde are done in a different style with more shadows and a darker palette of gray.  The contrast is striking and well done.  I appreciated the fact that the books are more realistic than the real world of the graphic novel.  As a reader, that really speaks to how vivid books can be.

A great pick for high school graphic novel fans, this book belongs in all public library collections.  It is engaging as well as empowering.  Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: Tom’s Tweet by Jill Esbaum

| Tasha

toms tweet

Tom’s Tweet by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Dan Santat

Tom the cat is on the hunt after a storm when he spots a baby bird on the ground.  But the Tweet is so little and scrawny that it won’t amount to much, so Tom turns away.  But the little bird looks so helpless and alone, that Tom decides to help despite his misgivings.  Tom heads up the tree to return the Tweet to its nest, carrying it in his mouth.  But then the mother bird sees him and she attacks!  Tom has to flee with the Tweet.  After that, he has to figure out how to give it a home.  And (gulp) feed it too.  Tom finally finds a way to get the Tweet back to its nest, but he can’t get it out of his head.   What is a cat to do when he misses a bird?!

Esbaum’s rhymes romp along, and they work well for the most part.  The rhythm is even better, galloping along and creating a brisk pace for the story.  The infectious rhythm makes reading the book aloud great fun.  In fact, I think it reads aloud better than it reads silently.  The story is filled with humor, from Tom’s expressions of “tarnation” and “dadburn it” to the scene where he feeds the little Tweet.

Santat’s illustrations are what take this book to another level.  While the story is funny on its own, it becomes wildly silly with his art.  With its computer smooth feel, it looks as if it was taken right off of a Pixar movie screen.  Children will respond naturally to the style and then enjoy it even more thanks to the humor embedded in it.

Very funny, this picture book will be enjoyed by children looking for a silly read with plenty of heart.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Alfred A. Knopf.

Review: Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo

| Tasha

lighthouse christmas

Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Frances and her little brother live with their father on the remote island lighthouse of Ledge Light.  Christmas is coming and neither of them are sure that Santa is going to find them there.  So when the children get offered a boat to the mainland to spend Christmas with their relatives there, they have to think about it.  It does mean a Christmas filled with family and holiday spirit.  But on the other hand, they have to leave their father behind to man the lighthouse.  When a nor’easter blows in though, all of their plans have to be set aside.  The storm blows in a stranger also trapped by the weather.  Now the small family have to create their own Christmas together, with a little help from a plane overhead.

This book is based on the true story of the Flying Santa Service, which still continues today to serve the isolated islands in Maine’s Penobscot Bay.   The story has a wonderful, warm feeling of home.  It touches on Christmases spent after losing a loved one as well as Christmases in new homes.  The story also moves from the quiet of the family life to the drama of the storm and then the clearing after the storm passes.  It makes for a pleasing story arc. 

Carpenter’s illustrations help create the warmth of the book.  Done in a traditional style, they work well to also emphasize the story arc.  The story is obviously set in the earlier part of the 20th century, thanks to the clothing and the furniture.  Delicate lines and color washes add to the vintage feel of the illustrations.

An old-fashioned Christmas story, this is a great pick for those looking for an emphasis on family and reality rather than Santa and elves.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books for Young Readers.

Review: My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee

| Tasha

my rhinoceros

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee

At an exotic pet store, a boy picks out a rhinoceros as a pet.   But when he gets the rhinoceros home, he realizes that his pet really doesn’t do anything at all.    He won’t chase balls, or sticks, or frisbees.  He doesn’t roll over.  He keeps to himself and is very quiet.  So the boy asks a rhinoceros expert what the problem is.  She informs him that rhinos only do two things:  pop balloons and poke holes in kites.  The boy thinks that that is completely pathetic, but he decides to test it out.  He heads to the park where there was a balloon vendor.  Nothing.  Then they walk past children flying kites.  Nothing.  Maybe his rhinoceros is a clunker?  Until their walk back home, then suddenly his rhinoceros does amazing things, but you will have to read the book to see what they are!

Agee has a wonderful knack for taking a simple idea and running with it to the extreme.  Here the concept of buying a pet and figuring out that pet is taken to a wild and amazing place.   Agee allows the situation itself to provide the humor, making it more subtle and understated than many children’s books.  So while this is a wild and zany book about rhinos, it also has an air of sophistication about it.

Agee’s illustrations are also an important part of his books.  His unique style is done in thick black lines and washes of color.  The illustrations are almost like coloring books at times, if coloring books were cool and about pet rhinos.

Another winner from Agee, children who read this book may want to find their own exotic pet, probably a rhinoceros of their very own.  It’s also a perfect surprise addition to story times about pets.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Also reviewed by A Picture Book a Day.

Check out the book trailer with Jon Agee and his own pet rhinoceros: