Book Reviews

The Fox in the Dark

| Tasha

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The Fox in the Dark by Alison Green, illustrated by Deborah Allwright

Rabbit runs home, frightened that there is a fox chasing him in the dark.  He makes it home safely, but then he hears a Rat-a-tat-tat! at the door.  Who could it be?  It’s a duck who is also being chased by the fox and needs a safe place to be.  Rabbit lets Duck in, sharing his burrow, blanket and bed.  But just then another knock comes at the door.  This time it is Mouse.  Another knock and it’s Lamb.  All of them scared of the fox in the dark.  And then another knock comes at the door.  This time it’s the fox in the dark! 

A combination of dynamic writing and energetic illustrations makes for a stirring read that will have children guessing the entire way through.  Green offers young listeners plenty of rhythm and rhyme that is rambunctious.  It also builds up the drama and tension.  The book reads aloud very well and is sure to have preschool audiences in rapt attention. Allwright’s illustrations play a lot with light and dark, offering deep underground shots of the burrow that is filled with pools of yellow lamplight.  The moods set by this use of dark and light really add even further to the dynamic nature of the story.

Recommended for preschool story times, this book would also make a great Halloween read due to the tension built up.  It would make a great breather from witches and ghosts that time of year.  But don’t wait until then to share it with children!  Fit it into any story time featuring rabbits or foxes.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys

| Tasha

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Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

A brilliant combination of haiku poems, clever humor, and engaging illustrations, this book is sure to appeal to its target audience of guys and also to girls.  Celebrating the small things in life, each haiku takes a moment in time and then offers a grin to the reader.  The poems are arranged in seasons, fitting because so many of them are about nature and a boy’s relationship with it.  Whether it is flying a kite, skipping rocks, leaf piles or snowball fights, children will relate easily to these vignettes about the things that make life fun. 

Raczka’s haiku are light-hearted and enjoyable.  Thanks to the brief nature of the format, the poems are easily shared aloud.  Nicely, the poems stand on their own or work together as a larger piece of writing.  Reynolds’ art is equally engaging.  It too has a great humor about it but also a sense that a moment is being captured. 

A celebration of seasons, play and boyhood, this book is a treat.  If librarians are looking for something to take with them for summer reading program visits, the summer haiku here would make a great thing to share with boys of many ages.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Not Me!: A Jolly Mess of a Book

| Tasha

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Not Me! by Nicola Killen

Messes and small children go together in this book.  Someone has been making a series of messes, but when each child is asked, they reply with a merry “Not me!”  Readers will immediately know the truth though, because the clues are there to tie that mischievous child to the mess that surrounds them.  Add in one small dog, and the messiness is complete until it’s time to clean up…

A book with only a few words per page that focus more on the visual cues than on the words themselves.  The text asks who has made that specific mess and then has the reply of the child denying that it was them.  The repetition makes for a rollicking pace that is great fun to read aloud and is perfect for even the smallest of toddlers.   Killen’s illustrations are done in mixed media with a combination of stencils, collage, and stamping.  The effect is sweet and jolly.  She uses primarily pastels with bright pops of primary colors. 

This is a book that children will love and will ask to have read to them again and again.  Who wouldn’t want to read it?  Not me!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Egmont.

Also reviewed by The Book Chook.

The Firehouse Light: A Timeless True Tale

| Tasha

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The Firehouse Light by Janet Nolan, illustrated by Marie Lafrance

This is the story of the 100-year-old centennial bulb in Livermore, California.  The bulb was originally put into a wooden shack that contained fire fighting equipment for the city.  The bulb was moved from the shack to the firehouse and was never turned off.  It shined while horses were readied.  The lightbulb shined as cars replaced horses.  It shined as fire engines got bigger and better.  It shined as volunteers were replaced by paid fire fighters.  It shined on and on.  When a new firehouse was built in 1976, the bulb stopped shining as it was moved to the new firehouse.  There was a lot of tension about whether the bulb would light again after the move, but it lit and continues to shine. 

Nolan has structured the book in a winning way that allows young readers to understand the passing of time in tangible ways.  They will see the horses at first, then the cars, the record players and then the televisions.  Her prose appears lengthy on the page, but reads aloud readily.  The use of repetition to start each new decade helps reinforce that time is passing in decades.  Lafrance’s illustrations have a timeless feel to them that will take readers back to vintage picture books.  The style works well here with the emphasis on history and the amazing longevity of a small bulb.

A nonfiction picture book that celebrates history and a small, lovely accomplishment.  This book will work well in a unit on community helpers, offering a unique perspective on the history of firefighting.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Jake Goes Peanuts: Sticky Silliness

| Tasha

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Jake Goes Peanuts by Michael Wright

This third Jake book is a yummy choice.  Jake was a kid who didn’t like a lot of foods.  In fact, he only liked one.  Peanut butter.  It’s all he wanted to eat for any meal.  So his parents hatched a peanut-buttery plan to fix the situation.  For an entire week, everything that Jake ate would have peanut butter in it.  It sounded like a great plan to Jake!  There was peanut butter roast, peanut butter pancakes, peanut butter soda cooled by peanut butter ice, peanut butter turkey.  Even Jake’s dog got to try peanut butter dog food, but his bowl got stuck on his head.  But even peanut-butter loving Jake could not take one more bite by the end of the week.  Though he only ate one or two lima beans and his mother’s tuna casserole is still frightening.

Written with a big dose of humor, this book is jaunty and great fun.  Written in rhyme, the book bounces along without ever getting stuck in a peanut butter jam.  Wright’s illustrations are modern and add to the humor.  The expressions of the parents are priceless, often with eyes half-lidded and apparently stunned.  Wright is not afraid to take the scenario to an extreme, which will delight young children, especially the comment about peanut-butter poop. 

A very funny peanut butter romp, this book is appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel & Friends.

Also reviewed by Kiss the Book.

Gumption!

| Tasha

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Gumption! by Elise Broach, illustrated by Richard Egielski

When Peter’s favorite uncles asks him to join him on an African safari, Peter is eager to accept.  Once in Africa, Uncle Nigel decides that they will search for the Zimbobo Mountain Gorilla.  Their trek takes them through a dense thicket.  When Peter has trouble, Uncle Nigel declares that all it takes is “a bit of gumption.”  While Uncle Nigel pulls out his knife, Peter is helped out of the thicket by a friendly snake.  Uncle Nigel then notices a snake skin on the ground and tells Peter to “look sharp” there are snakes about!  This pattern continues through the book as they reach one obstacle after another, gumption is needed, Peter is helped by another animal, and Uncle Nigel remains fairly oblivious to it all.  Children will delight in the clueless but brave adult and the hijinks he is missing out on. 

Broach has captured just the right feel with her text, hearkening back to the days of exploration with little phrases like “I say!” “That’s ace!” and “Are you zonked?”  Her prose has a nice bounce and style, demanding to be read aloud.  Egielski’s illustrations are bright colored and filled with action.  The places where the animals help Peter are done in almost wordless two-page spreads that have four picture panels to show the action.  Egielski has incorporated borders on the illustrations made from twining vines that bloom by the end of the book.

Add this one to your preschool storytime stack right away.  It’s a natural fit with any adventure story time, and can also be used for gorillas, elephants, crocodiles, and snakes!  Oh my!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

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Season of Secrets: Poignant, Magical and Lovely

| Tasha

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Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls

Originally published in the UK in 2009, this is the second book from the award-winning author of Ways to Live Forever.

After Molly’s mother died, she was sent to live with her grandparents along with her sister Hannah.  Her father’s job didn’t allow him to take care of them, so they went there while he figured things out.  So she has a new home to get used to, plus a new school filled with new children.  Her sister Hannah is just plain angry about everything, even at school so the others think she is mean.  Molly though is the one having real problems making friends and while she may not be showing it aloud, she is not coping with the loss of her mother.  That’s why she is out on a stormy dark night and sees the man for the first time, being hunted by others on horseback and dogs.  Molly continues to secretly visit her man, who has the ability to make flowers bloom in his hand and to make trees grow.  Could this magical man be the key to bringing back her mother?

Nicholls uses a lovely light touch with her story that very nicely shows the journey of one girl through grief as contrasted with the way her sister is coping.   At the same time, there is a richness to the writing, especially when nature is being described and the seasons changing.  This beautiful lingering on details makes for a very compelling read.

Molly is a character that young readers will relate to easily.  Her broken heart is evident from the beginning as is her tumultuous relationship with her sister and her confusing situation with her father.  Hannah’s angry response to their situation is vivid and loud, making Molly’s pain that much more silent and stirring.  The girls’ grandparents are equally well written with differing responses to their grandchildren moving into their lives.

This is a book that celebrates nature, life and embraces the turning of the seasons and of lives.  It’s a beautiful read about grief for children with a cover that does the book proud.  Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

 

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The Big Crunch: Intelligent, Funny and Real

| Tasha

The Big Crunch

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

June is constantly moving because of her father’s job.  She has a system when she enters any new school. She wanted to join the kids who were cool, but not too cool.  Wes noticed June that first day, mentally dubbing her Aqua Girl because of her sea-green eyes and wide mouth.  The two of them are attracted to each other, but not in the way you read about in most teen novels.  There was no overwhelming burning desire, no sparkling in the sun.  Instead they noticed each other, orbited each other, dated other people, and eventually realized that they might have something special between them.   This is a book about how love really is, how strange, how dull, how powerful, how amazing, and how filled with anguish.  It is a book filled with humor, wit and a wonderful intelligence.

Hautman has managed to capture the reality of teen romance in a book.  Yes, there is natural attraction, but it is not a story of epic love.  Rather it is charming in its ordinariness.  By telling the story from both June and Wes’ perspectives, Hautman really allows readers to see that love stories are told in small moments of regular life rather than passionate embraces.  Both characters are people that are intriguing and funny.  They have distinct voices, attitudes and reasons for being with one another. 

Hautman’s writing lingers on those small and important moments, because so does the mind of the characters.  Wes thinks about June’s face again and again, the small things that make her unique and intriguing to him.  These are the pieces that fit together into love, that these characters build their realistic relationship from.  And that is not to slight their love and passion for one another, which are tangible and lovely throughout the story. 

A realistic book on teen love that is uplifting, funny and a delight.  I appreciate the cover being more than just a shot of two heads or worse two headless torsos together.  This reflects the book and the feel of it well.  Get this in the hands of kids looking for a romance with fewer teeth and more tenderness.  Appropriate for ages 13-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

Sivu’s Six Wishes: A Modern, Traditional Tale

| Tasha

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Sivu’s Six Wishes by Jude Daly

A retelling of an old Taoist tale, this is the story of Sivu, a stonecarver.  Sivu could make amazing things from stone but despite his skill, he never made a lot of money and turned bitter.  One day, when carving a statue for a wealthy man, Sivu dreamed of how great that man’s life must be.  Suddenly, Sivu was the wealthy man.  He had plenty of power and wealth, but everyone despised him.  Then Sivu was stopped by the mayor’s procession and he dreamed of being the mayor with all of his power.  Suddenly, Sivu was the mayor.  But again, everyone hated him.  Sivu looked out over the gardens and saw the sun.  He wished he could be the sun, and he was.  He shone down, far too fiercely, and created a drought.  Then a storm cloud came over the sky and Sivu the sun could not move it.  He wished he could be the powerful rain cloud, and he was.  Now he rained too harshly and caused a flood.  Eventually, the wind blew him out to sea.  Sivu wished he was the wind, and he was.  He blew and blew, until one day he came across something that he could not move.  He wished he could become that, and he did.  He was a huge rock, completely unmovable until one day…

This is a story that makes the themes of power, wealth, and desire come alive.  Daly has created a very readable text that moves briskly from wish to wish, examining each one and then going on.  She has set the story in the present day, making it all the more accessible to modern children.  This is both an old story and a new one, vibrant across time.   Daly has illustrated the book with modern illustrations that are bright colored and busy.  They convey both the hustle of the modern day and the timelessness of the story with ease. 

Recommended as a way to get children talking about envy and contentment, need, wealth and power, this book leaves nothing to wish for.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Eerdmans.