Picture Books

Review: Supertruck by Stephen Savage

| Tasha

supertruck

Supertruck by Stephen Savage

There are many brave and hard-working trucks in the city.  There are trucks that help put out fires.  There are trucks that tow.  There are trucks that fix power lines.  And then there is the quiet little garbage truck that just picks up garbage.  Then one day a snow storm hits the city.  All of the trucks are stranded in the snow and unable to move.  All but one little truck, who takes off his glasses and trades in a snowplow.  The little garbage truck heads off to save the day! 

This very simple picture book has a radiant appeal to it.  It combines very cleverly the appeal of trucks and superheroes without it feeling forced at all.  With just the right amount of text for toddlers, even the youngest of children will find lots to love here. 

A lot of the appeal of this picture book is in the illustrations which are bold and colorful.  The boxy trucks are shown against silhouettes of the city, allowing them to really shine.  Perhaps the best touch are the large glasses on the garbage truck before he transforms into Supertruck.  Fans of Superman will find that little touch completely endearing.  And am I the only one who can see a line of toys coming straight out of these illustrations?

Clever, dynamic and heroic, this picture book will please little truck and superhero fans alike.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Review: The Everlasting Embrace by Gabrielle Emanuel

| Tasha

everlasting embrace

The Everlasting Embrace by Gabrielle Emanuel, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

A toddler spends her day in Mali strapped to her mother’s back.  Told from her point of view, this picture book celebrates the strong bond that occurs between mother and child as they spend their entire day together.  The little one is bound to her back and they move as one.  She is there as her mother beats millet with a pestle.  There when her mother carries it back home in a basket balanced on her head.  During the day, her mother tickles her, reaching behind to touch her little girl.  They dance together, the rhythms of their day lulling the baby to sleep at times.  They shelter together in the shade the big basket of mangoes makes when her mother carries it.  When they return home, the little girl carries her teddy bear bound to her back.  These days together are precious as the little girl will soon be too big to carry all day.  But the bond they have formed together will never go away.

Emanuel lived in Mali for a year after graduating from college.  While she was there, she shared stories aloud with a little girl, but found that there were no picture books that she could read her about her own country and lifestyle.  So Emanuel created this one.  It is a very strong debut picture book with writing that is confident and a point of view that is unique.  Told from the view of the little girl on her mother’s back, one never worries that she is being neglected or ignored as the mother goes through her day.  Rather one quickly realizes that she is content, cared for and completely part of her mother’s daily life.

Lewis is an extraordinary illustrator.  He captures life in Mali clearly on the page, showing the mother and daughter together at home, walking through the markets, doing chores and spending time together even when the mother is busy doing other things.  There is a joy in his images, a dedication to truly capture this country and its way of life on the page.

Strong, beautiful and unique, this picture book takes children on a journey to Mali where they will see life lived differently and warmly.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

Review: Tiptop Cat by C Roger Mader

| Tasha

tiptop cat

Tiptop Cat by C. Roger Mader

When the cat comes to his new home, he sets out to explore.  He looks around discovers that he can get outside to the balcony.  And from there, he can head up and up to the rooftop where he finds a favorite spot on the top of a chimney.  Then one morning as he is dozing on the balcony, a pigeon comes and lands on the railing.  The cat turns into a hunter and starts stalking the bird, finally pouncing on it.  But birds can fly, and cats cannot.  So the cat fell, down, down, down.  Falling right through an awning and into the arms of a man.  No bones were broken, but the cat lost any desire to head outside.  He hid in baskets, under rugs and behind curtains.  But then, a crow came to the balcony and strutted up and down and once again the cat became interested in the outdoors and in his favorite high-up place.

Mader captures the essence of a domestic cat on the page.  From the very first image of the cat with birthday ribbons, readers will know that this is an author who understands cats and the way they think.  Mader uses very simple language in the book, letting the images tell much of the story.  In fact, the illustrations are so very strong that the book could easily be wordless.

And the illustrations are stunning.  They are detailed and realistic.  The format switches from full page and double page spreads to panels that move the action forward in a wonderfully energetic way.  As the cat moves to the fateful pounce, the panels show him edging forward, lengthening the time before the moment of movement.  In the same way, the larger pages show the cat’s fall down and down, making it last and last, creating real drama on the way down. 

This dazzlingly illustrated picture book will have cat lovers meowing with joy and even the smallest children leaned forward to see what befalls this fearless feline.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Quest by Aaron Becker

| Tasha

quest

Quest by Aaron Becker

This follow-up to the Caldecott Honor winning Journey continues the wordless travels of the two characters from the first book.  The two children head off on a fantasy quest this time after a king comes through a door and hands them a map.  He is dragged off by soldiers but as he goes, he drops his orange crayon, one that is just like their red and purple ones.  The two children go through the door and find themselves in a new world.  They embark on a quest to bring all of the crayons together, venturing into the depths of the sea, onto desert islands, to pyramids and temples.  At each one they gather another crayon color until they reach the pinnacle of the temple where the bad guys almost get them…

Becker has created a wordless book that has the same appeal as the first book.  The pace here is rapid, giving only a few images for each color that is gathered.  That offers the wild pace of an adventure novel or film, so it suits the subject.  The fast ride adds greatly to the appeal here, never bogging down and always revealing new visual wonders to explore. 

Becker’s art shines on the page.  He creates entire worlds that have real depth to them, that take readers on amazing adventures.  There are great details of color on the page, and I love the way that the various creative ideas of the children all remain in place at the end of the book, completely come to life. 

A celebration of art and creativity, this book along with its predecessor will become beloved reads.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle

| Tasha

flora and the penguin

Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle

This is a delightful wintry follow-up to Flora and the Flamingo, a book that stole my heart when it came out.  With clear connections to the ballet of the first book, this second book has Flora on ice skates swirling with a penguin.  Flora puts on her skates and the penguin climbs out of the water and the two glide together across the page, through different flaps to lift, landing synchronized jumps side-by-side.  But then the penguin disappears back into the water and Flora is left skating alone.  The penguin returns with a fish for Flora, but Flora tosses it back into the water.  The penguin is entirely angry and dejected, so Flora figures out how to repair the budding friendship. 

Idle tells so much in her wordless books.  Who knew that a penguin could communicate so very clearly with the tip of its head, the tilt of its wings and the set of its shoulders.  Flora too communicates her feelings clearly on the page to great effect.  It’s a book that explores friendship, dance and the joy of winter play.

The illustrations are top notch, they invite the reader to glide along with them.  The flaps on different pages are ingenious ways to have readers participate, culminating in one amazing jump the two characters do together.  They amazingly leap right off the page, or perhaps it’s the book that leaps out to catch them.  Beautiful, icy and pure joy.

Another magnificent offering by Molly Idle, this book will be embraced by fans of the first and will make a great holiday gift.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Review: Winter Candle by Jeron Frame

| Tasha

winter candle

Winter Candle by Jeron Frame, illustrated by Stacey Schuett

The residents of the apartment building at Juniper Court celebrate a variety of holidays in the winter months.  It begins with Nana Clover at Thanksgiving who somehow forgot to get candles for her Thanksgiving table.  The building super finds her a lumpy candle and she uses it for her centerpiece.  Two weeks later, the Danziger family needs a havdalah candle for Sabbath.  Nana Clover gives them the lumpy candle she used.  A few days later, Kirsten needs one more candle for her Saint Lucia crown.  In winter, Donte’s little brother has chewed up one of the Kwanza candles.  Later in the winter, a new family has moved into the apartment building.  While they are waiting for their father to come back, the power goes out.  Guess which little candle helps light their night along with that of all the residents!

Filled with a strong sense of community and diversity, this picture book is about more than a litany of different traditions.  Using the small lumpy candle as a symbol, the book speaks to the power of shared moments as a family, the importance of a larger and supportive community, and the beauty of differences.  In each case, the candle is not what the family is looking for.  It’s the wrong color, the wrong shape, and the wrong size.  But it also works in all of its lack of perfection.  The writing in the book is weaves the various stories together, moving the candle from family to family and creating strong bonds.

The illustrations have a traditional feel.  They capture the power and beauty of the candle light as it shines in each family’s apartment.  In the final story, that light leads the father back home and thanks to the illustrations we believe that its power is more than one candle, more than the darkness, and as strong as the community around it.

Ideal for celebrating winter holidays in a way that is not Christmas centered, this picture book is a welcome addition to library shelves.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: What Forest Knows by George Ella Lyon

| Tasha

what forest knows

What Forest Knows by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by August Hall

This poetic exploration of the seasons invites young readers into the forest to see what happens to the animals and plants as the seasons change.  It begins with snow, which is something the forest knows well.  It also knows about waiting, so it waits as the animals in the forest sleep and rest during the cold.  Then buds come and creeks run and birds fly and it’s spring.  All of the animals and insects awaken and come out into the growing grass.  Fruit arrives with fall, nuts ready for squirrels to harvest.  Animals eat to survive the next winter.  Finally, there is snow again in the forest and an invitation to make the forest yours too.

Lyon’s poem is glorious.  She winds through the forest along with the breezes, touching down and pointing out exactly the right things.  It’s a poem that is organic and natural, celebrating everything in the woods, the ongoing changes, and allowing us to see ourselves reflected in the woods as well.  This book is an invitation to explore during all seasons, to look for birds and bugs and mammals as we walk. 

Hall’s illustrations add to that immense appeal of nature and the forest.  His paintings play with the light as it changes through the seasons as well as the colors of the trees and the grass as the time passes.  They are dappled and lush, filled with the movement of the wind and the movement of the leaves. 

A great addition to the crowded shelves about seasons, this picture book combines poetry with gorgeous illustrations.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Review: Little Elliot, Big City by Mike Curato

| Tasha

little eliot big city

Little Elliot, Big City by Mike Curato

Eliot loved living in the big city, but sometimes it was hard being such a small elephant in such a huge place.  He had to watch out so he didn’t get stepped on, doorknobs could be too high, and he could never catch a cab.  Even at home, Eliot had to find a way to make everyday things work.  Eliot also loved cupcakes, though when he tried to buy  one in a shop he couldn’t get noticed by the person at the counter.  He felt very small and invisible then, but on the way home he discovered a mouse trying to reach some food and found that even though he may be small he can make a big difference.  Even better, he can make friends!

Curato uses only a few words to tell his story, making the most of the illustrations to show the ways that Eliot solves his height issues at home as well as how the new friends solve the cupcake buying problem.  Children will enjoy reading about this little polka-dotted elephant who faces the same issues that they do in life.  They will easily relate to the sadness of being ignored too. 

The illustrations in this book are filled with charm.  Eliot himself is a wonderfully unusual little fellow, shining on the page.  The images of the city are mostly done in a dark and subtle color palette.  The entire book has a fifties vibe to it and some of the images are pulled right out of an Edward Hopper painting.  It’s a courageous choice that works particularly well.

A charmer of a protagonist and an urban landscape make this one delicious cupcake of a picture book.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt & Co.

Review: Blizzard by John Rocco

| Tasha

blizzard

Blizzard by John Rocco

Rocco tells a story from his childhood of the blizzard of 1978 that dumped 53 inches of snow on his Rhode Island town.  The story begins with just a few flakes in the air and by the time school closes and the children make their way home, the snow is getting deeper and deeper.  The next morning, the drifts were so high that they had to leave the house through the window rather than the door.  The snowplows stopped running because the snow was too deep.  They were isolated and at first it was great fun with days of playing in the snow and drinking mugs of hot cocoa with milk.  Then after a few days, food got scarcer and the cocoa was being made with water.  It was up to a ten-year-old John to make his way to the grocery store pulling his sled with tennis rackets strapped to his feet. 

Rocco embraces the wonder of a huge snowfall in this picture book.  The delight of a landscape and world changed into something foreign and incredible.  The changes to routine, the cancelation of school, families stuck inside together, the futility of trying to dig out paths.  He celebrates it all on the page and then moves the story to an arctic exploration of one boy against the elements, complete with a map of his route to the store.  There is a rich humor throughout the narrative that reassures children that the family is not going to starve but also offers real reason to travel to the store, watery cocoa!

Rocco’s art cleverly incorporates the days of the week in the art, from snow on branches spelling out the word to a squirrels trail on the roof.  The cool white and blues of the outdoors are contrasted fully with the yellows of the indoor world of the family.  The disjointed attempts at clearing the snow are cleverly done, speaking to the power of intent but also the depth of the snow and the effort required to clear it. 

Perfect for folks in Buffalo, but also a great story to read when any snowstorm is drifting your way, preferably with mugs of milk hot cocoa.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.