Book Reviews

Review: Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman

| Tasha

blue chicken

Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman

This vibrant picture book plays with color and perspective as well as characters who leave the flat page and enter the real world.  The picture is almost finished when one of the chickens in the picture pops her head out.  She then stands up and walks over to the paint pots that are waiting to finish the picture.  When the chicken peeks into the blue paint, she accidentally tips it over and ends up painting herself.  She is joined by a little duckling and then more who splash around in the new blue puddle, turning themselves and the cat who walked past blue.  Soon all of the animals are blue.  Now what can be done to turn them all back to normal?

There is a wonderful playfulness about this title.  Even the grumpy animals end up enjoying the escapade.  At the same time, there are lots of options to discuss colors, perspective, and art.  The book has real depth to it, allowing it to be read just as a cute story, or used more seriously with children. 

The words are simple and try to stay out of the way, allowing the art to really shine here.  And shine it certainly does.  It dazzles and glows, inviting young readers into the humor of the book and revealing a magical quality that is lovely.  From the freshness of the first spill of the blue to the sogginess and flatness that results, there is an exploration of the media here right on the page. 

Highly recommended, this is one of my favorite picture books of the year.  It is a charming jewel of a picture book that is fun, silly, yet offers plenty to learn.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking Books.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8.

Review: Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell by Cynthia Rylant

| Tasha

ring the bell

Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard

When autumn arrives with apples, falling leaves and cool wind, Mr. Putter finds that he is missing school.  He wishes that he could return if only for one day.  Then he comes up with a solution:  visit a classroom along with Mrs. Teaberry and have Tabby and Zeke do tricks!  The only problem is that Tabby and Zeke really don’t do tricks.  But Mr. Putter is sure that they can be taught in time.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t all work out as Mr. Putter thinks it will.  It’s a complete disaster: but also completely funny. 

I have been a fan of Mr. Putter and Tabby for years.  They are at that reading level that is so hard, where the children are reaching towards chapter books but not quite there yet.  Rylant has taken a very unlikely character in Mr. Putter and turned him into a man that children will happily relate to.  Tabby on the other hand is easily beloved by young readers.

Howard’s illustrations are equally appealing, filled with plenty of color, lots of action, and more than a touch of silliness.  Readers from a broad range of ages will enjoy this new edition to the popular series. 

A great pick for when children are back at school, this book reads aloud well but works best when young readers tackle it themselves.  Look for the whole series and enjoy them all!  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Lark by Tracey Porter

| Tasha

lark

Lark by Tracey Porter

Sixteen-year-old Lark is kidnapped, raped and left to die in a snowy woods.  The story is told in alternating chapters by Lark and two of her friends.  There is Eve, a girl who used to be Lark’s best friend until one argument destroyed their friendship.  Finally, there is Nyetta, who struggles with being able to see and hear the ghost of Lark.  She is tasked by Lark to save her from being bound into a tree.  Nyetta is put into therapy because of this.  While the book is certainly centered around the tragedy of Lark’s murder, it is also about the two living girls and their need to be believed, cherished and understood. 

Porter’s writing is art.  She has created a book that has only 192 pages, but is a book that also requires careful reading and has depth and darkness as well.  Her writing verges on verse at times, thanks to it being spare but also filled with images.  She plays with magical realism here, speaking definitely to the real-life issues but imbuing them also with a certain symbolism that reaches beyond the actual.  This lends a real depth to the story, creating a book that is worthy of discussion and thought.

The three lead characters are differentiated well, each a solid character with her own personality and problems.  One issue that is woven into the story is sexuality and molestation with two of the girls having experienced molestation or rape.  The book teases readers with reading too much into what the girls were wearing or what they looked like, but then firmly says that that is not why girls are molested or raped.  It is well written, clear and reassuring. 

This is a short book that is a deep read.   The darkness will appeal to some teen readers and the magical realism to others.  Appropriate for ages 15-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

| Tasha

au revoir crazy european chick

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Released October 25, 2011.

Perry’s band has gotten their first big break, a gig in New York City.  Unfortunately, his parents are insisting that he take their foreign exchange student, Gobi, to prom that same night!  Perry thinks that if he manages to leave prom early, he can still make it to his gig on time.  Little does he know that his entire night is about to explode, literally.  Perry is caught up in an assassination attempt, taken hostage in his own father’s car, and forced to speed through the night in Manhattan.  This is one wild ride through a dark city that you won’t want to end!

Schreiber has written a book that reads like a movie.  The pace is fast even at the beginning of the book but becomes almost breakneck speed by the middle.  The ending is wild and blazing.  This book is not about character development, though there are moments of growth in Perry especially where he realizes the truth about his father and his own relationship with him.  In some respects it is a gun-filled story of a boy turning into a man in one amazing night.

This book comes in at 192 pages, which is sure to appeal to reluctant teen readers.  Add the appeal of guns, fast cars, explosions, assassins, and romance and you have a book that readers will race right through.

The movie rights to this book have already sold to Paramount, which makes perfect sense given a book that reads so much like it’s already on the screen.   Get this in the hands of reluctant readers who will enjoy the action and the humor of this thrilling read.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.

Also reviewed by:

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Review: Good Night, World by Willa Perlman

| Tasha

good night world

Good Night, World by Willa Perlman, illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

A small child says good night to the world around him before he goes to bed. He says goodnight to the sun and stars, planets, and the Earth.  He then says goodnight to the deserts, mountains, oceans, and jungles.  Then the book moves closer to home as he bids goodnight to animals, twisting roads, and houses.  The book returns to where it began, right in his bedroom where he curls up and sleeps.Told in rhyming couplets, this is a gentle, soothing book that is just right for bedtime.

Perlman’s verse is simple and quiet.  The circular feel of the book as it moves far away and then comes back again creates a hug of a story, where children will feel warm and secure.  Yet at the same time, it is a book with a strong arc that invites children to think beyond themselves and far out into space.  So it has a touch of adventure and an outward looking approach that is welcome.

Fisher’s art is a mix of painting and collage that is lovely.  She evokes both the larger world outside and the closer, comfort of home in a way that makes both equally beautiful and welcoming.  The illustrations are colorful, intriguing and have a sense of fun as well.  Children should watch for the red-winged blackbird in each picture too, a friendly guide throughout the story.

This book manages to be both a bold, colorful picture book and a quiet bedtime story that evokes warmth and coziness.  An ideal picture book appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Beach Lane Books.

Also reviewed by:

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

| Tasha

daughter of smoke and bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou is a blue-haired art student in Prague who lives a double life.  She has her small flat where she sleeps under the spread of a pair of huge wings she created.  She attends class, tangles with her ex-boyfriend, and hangs out with her best friend.  Her sketchbooks are filled with strange creatures, so she is known to have a great imagination.  No one knows that these are not creatures she has made up, but rather some of her closest family.  Because she also has her secret life where she runs errands for Brimstone who is a wishmaker.  Her errands take her across the world through magical doorways and what sounds amazing actually results in hauling elephant tusks on Paris subways or bargaining for the teeth of the dead in Morocco.  Brimstone needs teeth to do his job, and it’s Karou’s job to bring them to him.   Her life is complicated and busy, but filled with questions that are never answered.  Karou has always felt something is missing, she’s just not sure what it could be.

Taylor has created a stunning novel here.  Her heroine is complicated, vibrant, amazing and conflicted.  She is strong, vulnerable, beautiful, and mesmerizing.   She is also tough as nails when pushed, raised by monsters, and at the same time big-hearted and kind.  She is a study in contrasts that really works, each piece making sense and creating a believable whole.

The writing is equally spectacular.  Taylor’s descriptions of places is filled with beauty.  She describes Prague as “a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies.”  Contrast that with Marrakesh “a mad, teeming carnival of humanity: snake charmers and dancers, dusty barefoot boys, pickpockets, hapless tourists, and food stalls selling everything from orange juice to roasted sheep’s heads.”

The entire book is filled with richness.  Her descriptions are deep and meaningful.  The relationships between characters are strong and true.  And when she writes a love story, you’d better be ready for your own stomach butterflies to awaken and flutter.  It is honey-sweet, hot and shining.  She has created a world that you will not want to ever leave.

This is one ravishing read that breaks away from the paranormal romance label that could have bound it.  Whether you are a paranormal romance fan or not, this is a book worth reading.  Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from ARC received from Little, Brown and Company.

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Review: Zoozical by Judy Sierra

| Tasha

zoozical

Zoozical by Judy Sierra, illustrations by Marc Brown

This sequel to Wild About Books continues with the same vivacious spirit of the first.  It is winter and the visitors to the zoo start to stay home.  All of the animals had the winter blues too.  But just when the blues seemed to be inescapable, a very small hippo and young kangaroo started to hop.  Soon everyone was dancing along with them and then everyone started to sing.  The dancing and singing turned into their own stage show complete with sets and costumes.  Once again, the zoo was the place to be despite the snowy weather.

Told in rhyming verse, there is a bubbly, bouncing feel to the book.  The verse also reads aloud tremendously well thanks to the rhymes and the natural rhythm that Sierra has created in each line.  The thrill and creativity of the theatre are captured in the jaunty text as is the slow, winter dullness. 

Brown’s art is boisterous, big and bright.  The colors change from the blues and grays of winter into an almost tropical feel when the animals are feeling themselves again.  Greens, oranges, yellows and reds pop and glow on the page.  There is always plenty to keep your eye on in the illustrations as well, giving children a reason to read this one again and again.

A standing ovation to Sierra and Brown for this bright, bubbly, boisterous book.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House Children’s Books.

Review: An Annoying ABC by Barbara Bottner

| Tasha

annoying abc

An Annoying ABC by Barbara Bottner, illustrations by Michael Emberley

Take a very funny trip through the alphabet in a series of mishaps in this silly picture book.  When Adelaide starts the story off by annoying Bailey the chain of events carries all the way through the classroom from A to Z.  Children are crying, fuming, howling, and evening stumbling and tumbling before it reaches the end.  But then, when everything is done, Adelaide apologizes! 

Bottner has created a zany way to do the ABCs filled with plenty of action and nonsense.  This is a modern classroom filled with characters that are depicted in detail by Emberley.  He manages to imbue each of them with their own sense of personality and style, all 26 of them.  It is a book that races along thanks to the pacing of Bottner’s words, but readers who linger on each page will get a better sense of the story itself as told through the illustrations.  It’s a pleasant mix of words that are welcoming and fast, and pictures that are worth exploring.

A thrilling ABC, this is one of those books where children act like children and laughter abounds.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

| Tasha

anyas ghost

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

This debut graphic novel tells the story of Anya, a first generation American who has worked hard to fit in at school by losing her Russian accent and blending in with the other students.  But she can’t quite manage to be normal.  Falling down a well doesn’t help, and discovering a ghost in the bottom of the well isn’t a good start either.  But as she befriends the ghost, her life starts to become easier.  She gets help with tests, manages to connect with a cute boy she has been watching from afar, and gets clothing and makeup tips too.  Everything seems to be looking up, until Anya begins to figure out what is truly happening.

Told in black-white-and-gray illustrations, this graphic novel has a deep appeal.  Anya is a girl that readers will immediately relate to.  She has insecurities about her body, her school, and herself.  The strength of the novel comes in her character which rings very true and is written with a solid humanity.  The inclusion of the ghost lends a more fantasy tone to the book, offering an appealing foil to this very real protagonist.

The illustrations are clear and often very funny.  Emotions come through nicely and characters are depicted in ways that expand their character beyond the words on the page.  Anya is shown as a normal girl with curves, which makes her very relatable.  It doesn’t hurt that she is also sarcastic.

The storyline is strong, developing into a scary story that is hauntingly appealing.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from library copy.

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