Book Reviews

Goldilocks

| Tasha

Goldilocks by Ruth Sanderson

As you can see from the cover image above, this is a very lush rendering of the classic fairy tale.  It follows along with the classic version until the very end when Goldilocks does not run away, instead she stays.  She remakes the beds and helps mend the chair she broke.  When the bears are still hungry, Goldilocks offers them the blueberries she had been picking.  After one scary moment when the bears salivate right at her, all is well and they share blueberry muffins and tea.

I know that may sound odd to change the ending of the story.  However, it really worked for me.  It changes the character of Goldilocks entirely into a girl who made a series of mistakes but takes responsibility.  Rather than a girl who makes mistakes and then runs from them without consequence.  However it is not the story here that makes this book such an enchanting read.  It is Sanderson’s art.  The art has a very European feel with classic German touches.  The tiny details have a lot of impact in the illustrations from Goldilocks’ lace hem to the hearts on the chairs and the ivy curling at the windows.  Sanderson has created an entire world here that is brought to life through the story.  The bears are rendered as naturally as bears wearing clothes can be.  They are less teddy bear and more wild, which also makes scenes in the book much more effective. 

We all have copies of Goldilocks on our shelves, but this one is worth making some space for.  It is neither too soft nor too hard.  It is just right.  Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Check out Ruth Sanderson’s Golden Wood Studio online.

Reviewed from library copy.

Under the Snow

| Tasha

Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Constance R. Bergum

After our blizzard on Wednesday, this book seems like a very appropriate choice as we dig ourselves out of 14 inches of snow.

Find out what animals and insects are hidden under the snow as they try to survive the winter.  Ladybugs packed into a gap in a stone wall and  butterflies that are active in the winter may surprise readers.  The cozy burrow of a chipmunk and the sleeping woodchuck deep underground will charm.  Then readers get to look below the ice on the pond to turtles, fish, frogs and newts to see the different ways they act in winter. 

Stewart keeps her explanations of the animals simple and straightforward enough to use with preschoolers.  I would have liked to have seen an appendix with more information on the animals themselves.  Bergum’s watercolor illustrations capture the animals and their natural surroundings with great skill.  They offer close-ups when they are needed and still manage to evoke the larger environment of field, forest and pond. 

A very nice scientific look at animals in winter, this will be welcome in preschool classrooms or for winter story times looking for nonfiction that is very readable.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

A Seed Was Planted

| Tasha

A Seed Was Planted by Toulla Palazeti, illustrated by Pamela Barcita

From a single seed being planted, people share shoots of the plant.  With friends, neighbors and family members who each take it in turn, plant it and then pass on a shoot to another person.  The book uses the refrain of “It grows,” as each person plants their shoot.  In the end, the small plants grow and grown until they are trees large enough to climb.  The book speaks to the wonder of seeds, the power of sharing and the way that one small idea can lead to transformation.

Author Palazeti keeps the text very simple with only one sentence per page.  This makes it ideal for new readers of both English and Spanish.  This simplicity of language belies the depth of the story and its gentle and powerful message.  Barcita’s illustrations are realistic and very friendly.  Readers get to see each sharing of the tree along with a framed image of the newly potted shoot.  The different pot styles and settings speak firmly to our differences as well as our commonalities. 

Recommended for new readers in either English or Spanish, this book is universal in its message and appeal.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

This book comes in both English and bilingual English/Spanish.  I reviewed from an ARC of the bilingual version that I received from the publisher.

Big Elephant in the Room

| Tasha

The Big Elephant in the Room by Lane Smith

One donkey says to the other, “Can we talk about the big elephant in the room?”  The other donkey responds by trying to think of all of the things he may have done that are big problems.  Could it be the fact he ate all of the ice cream?  Could it be when he took the cool bike?  Could it be when he “fixed” the computer?  One after another these confessions of wrong-doing are mentioned without pause for breath.  Until finally, the other donkey says that it is none of those things.  He wants to talk about the blue elephant sitting in the room.

This vaudeville-style book is laugh-out-loud funny.  It captures the comedic timing perfectly and is great fun to read aloud at breakneck speed (with pauses for laughter of course.)  Smith’s donkeys are permanently frazzled and crumpled.  They are wildly silly and a great pair of opposite personalities.  Smith’s art is appropriately wild as well, lending just the right feel to the book.

Highly recommended for the slightly more sophisticated child who will enjoy the rather sly humor.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books, 4IQREAD, Where the Best Books Are, The Hungry Readers, Pink Me, and Best Book I Have Not Read.

Today I Will

| Tasha

Today I Will by Eileen and Jerry Spinelli

The Spinellis have created a book that offers a quote for each day of the year.  The quotes come from children’s literature and feature favorite books and stories that instantly create warm memories.  The quotes speak to a quality of life, a sense of connectedness, and an affirmation of self.  They are diverse, insightful and a lot of fun.  The book is meant to be read over the course of a year, one quote and its ensuing insight at a time.  But I loved opening it at random and enjoying returning to beloved reads.

The book does not become overly sweet because the tone remain firmly footed in reality.  Some of the entries do speak to larger issues while others are refreshingly mundane and tangible like calling a grandparent or not smoking. 

An ideal book for children who love to read, this could also be used in a classroom setting as journal prompts or makes a wonderful teacher gift for the holidays.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

The Story of Snow

| Tasha

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, PhD.

This book covers snow from the way it begins with a tiny speck and how it turns into a snow crystal.  Filled with delightful details like the types of things that form the tiny specks in the atmosphere. (It could be sea salt or plant leaf bacteria!) The book is a mix of drawings and snowflake photographs which works well.  The images of the crystals are stunning and will have readers poring over the pages and discussing their favorites.  The book talks about the different types of snowflakes, whether they are unique, and how you too can study their structure.

Snow is such an amazing weather phenomenon all on its own (or at least that is what I am repeating over and over again to myself as a winter storm bears down on Wisconsin.)  This book will mix well with fiction books about snow and winter, though it is one that children will want to hold and look closely at. 

Ideal for units on snowflakes and just for the pleasure of snow itself, this book has a place in all libraries.  Appropriate for ages 4-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books.

Christmas Magic

| Tasha

The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Santa can feel the magic coming. His whiskers tingle.  So he gathers the reindeer from the fields and feeds them and curries them.  He gets out the sleigh and shines it.  The bells are polished.  He oils his boots and darns his warmest socks.  Then he heads upstairs to the toy room with his thick book of children and fills an enormous bag with toys.  The sleigh is filled, the reindeer harnessed and all is still and waiting.  Then the magic comes, the magic that makes reindeer fly.

This Christmas book is a special one.  It captures the light, the magic, the simple joy of the Christmas holiday.  There is a lovely grace and poetic feel to Thompson’s words.  They convey a holiday of busyness but a more gentle and deliberate pace.  Muth’s illustrations are done in watercolors and pastels.  They have a shimmer and shine to them, a warmth and a coziness that really speaks to the holidays and their essence.  His Santa is not potbellied and has a more European feel to him, lending a very universal feel to the book.

Beautifully written and illustrated this is a holiday book to treasure.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Check out this lovely book trailer that captures the feel of the book very nicely.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by 4IQREAD, The Hungry Readers, Where the Best Books Are!, and The Children’s Book Review.  Also featured on 7-Imp.

Never Smile at a Monkey

| Tasha

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

Jenkins of the amazing paper art illustrations returns with a book dedicated to animals that may not seem dangerous.  The problem is, you do have to know the tricks of how to avoid danger with them.  Some of the animals in the book are surprisingly dangerous.  The cone shell will make you never look at sea shells the same way again.  Then you have the obviously dangerous animals like the spitting cobra and you get tips to deal with an encounter with them.  Turning each page is a delight as you get a surprise each time and then the treat of wondering what in the world the danger could be.  Great fun.

Jenkins is best known for his art.  Here it is as gorgeous as one has come to expect.  He manages to create tangible fur from paper, eyes that really seem to see, and somehow loses that flat paper feel of most collage.  One forgets it is art and starts to think of it as photography.  Jenkins also excels at writing informational paragraphs about the animals.  They are short, fascinating and here they are filled with adventure too. 

Highly recommended, this book belongs on all public and school library shelves.  A great science picture book with a great hook, this book is appropriate for ages 6-10.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Year of Reading, TheBookNosher, A Patchwork of Books, and Fuse #8.

The Book That Eats People

| Tasha

The Book That Eats People by John Perry, illustrated by Mark Fearing

This is a book that eats people.  Listen closely for growling while you read it, because that means it is hungry.  If you do hear growling, put it down immediately and set something heavy on it.  Sammy Ruskin was the first person this book ate after it got a taste of the peanut butter on his fingers.  The book next ate a library security guard after being trapped in the library for some time.  Then it disguised itself by using the wrapper from All About Dolphins and was taken home by Victoria Glassford,who was eaten that night.  After eating several more people, the book was locked in jail and chained.  They tried to reform it in the zoo, but it didn’t work.  Now you have the book in your hands.  Beware!

Broadly humorous and definitely dark, this book is ideal for older elementary school readers and for younger children who love that certain shudder with their giggles.  Perry’s language is great fun, filled with dire warnings and taking great glee in describing the book’s killing spree.  Perry writes with great flair that really works for this sort of book.  His comedy is unsubtle and lots of fun.  Fearing’s collage art is also a lot of fun.  His use of deep shadows, dark corners is lightened by the pastels and colors of the unsuspecting.  It works to great effect here.

Highly recommended for children who enjoy a dark deep chuckle with their humor.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Featured on 7 Imp.