Picture Books

Review: The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

| Tasha

storm whale

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

Noi lives with his father in a house by the sea with six cats.  Every day, his father goes out fishing, leaving Noi alone all day long.  One day, after a big storm, Noi sees something out on the beach.  It’s a baby whale.  Noi knows it will not live long without water, so he takes the whale home and puts it in the bathtub.  He spends time with the whale, telling it stories.  But he also worries that his father will be angry when he finds a whale in the house.  So Noi tries to keep the whale a secret from his father, but it doesn’t last for long.  A whale is a big secret to keep in a small family.  Together, the two of them return the whale to the sea, but not before they each learn something about one another and how to move forward as a stronger family.

Davies manages to tell a profound story using minimal words.  The text in the book mainly explains the action that is happening.  It does not offer insight into the emotions of the characters.  That is a large part of the power of this book.  So much goes unsaid but is clear to the reader.  Noi’s loneliness is shown rather than told.  Him lingering by the window as his father leaves, the fact that he brings the whale home across a stretch of beach rather than pushing him back into the nearby water.  Even the father’s reaction is shown this way, allowing the emotions to be realized rather than explained.

The illustrations tell much of the story here, but again in a quiet and frank manner.  The emotions are not broadcast from the character’s faces but from their situations and their body language.  It’s a brave way to tell a story about a father and son reconnecting with one another.

Adeptly conceived and powerful, this picture book speaks to loneliness and family, and would be great as a discussion book for young children about emotions.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt and Co.

Review: Draw! by Raúl Colón

| Tasha

draw

Draw! by Raúl Colón

In this wordless picture book, Colón recreates his love of drawing as a child and the way that it could take him to new places.  Here a boy is sitting on his bed looking at a book about Africa.  He sets the book aside and picks up his drawing pad and a pencil.  Soon readers can see the images in his head as he puts them on paper.  The boy is transported directly to Africa, setting up his drawing easel in front of each of the different animals of Africa.  The elephant is first and after seeing his picture gives the boy a ride to met the zebras.  The book moves from one animal to the next, the boy changing how he approaches them according to what animal it is.  Until finally a group of monkeys make a picture of the boy.  Readers and the boy return to his bedroom, now littered with all of the drawings of the animals.

This book nicely captures without using any words at all the transformative power of art and creativity.  It beautifully shows how art can transport you to a different place and time, moving you into the flow of creating a work.  It also demonstrates how inspiration can strike and the flow of creativity can overtake you in the best possible way.

Colón’s illustrations are done in pen, ink, watercolors and pencil.  They move from line drawings with pastel tones of real life to a more lush and rich color and style when we are inside the boy’s imagination.  Colón uses lines on these more colorful pages to give texture and movement to the image.  They are illustrations that invite you to walk right into them.

Imagination, creativity and art come together in this book to transport readers right into Africa.  Now it’s time to get out your own pencils and see where they will take you.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Review: Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons by Alice B. McGinty

| Tasha

rabbi benjamins buttons

Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

In the fall, the congregation gave Rabbi Benjamin a vest in honor of the new year.  It was yellow with four bright silver buttons down the front and it was a perfect fit.  Rabbi Benjamin wore his vest to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which also involved a lot of food.  Each family offered their own special food for the holiday, and Rabbi Benjamin’s vest was a lot tighter by the end.  During Sukkot, Rabbi visited each of the families and again had lots of food and his vest grew even tighter.  Until on the last day of Sukkot, one of the silver buttons popped right off his vest.  Chanukah came and Rabbi Benjamin ate lots of latke, and he lost a second silver button.  Spring came along with Passover, and the rabbi lost the last two buttons that had tried to stretch across his growing belly.  He was very upset about how he had ruined his special vest.  So he changed a few things.  He got out and moved more along with his congregation.  And when he tried on the vest for Rosh Hashanah, it was far too big to wear.  But don’t worry, Rabbi Benjamin had a loving congregation ready to help him again.

This book has a wonderful radiance about it.  The heart of the book is really the love felt between the congregation and Rabbi Benjamin.  He is unfailingly kind and giving as are they, perhaps a bit too giving when it comes to the food!  At the same time, the story is a smart and very enjoyable way for readers to learn about the various Jewish holidays throughout the year and the traditions associated with them.  The book has an index of the holidays at the end, including recipes for each holiday.  There is also a glossary of Jewish words.

Reinhardt’s illustrations also capture the loving community on the page.  Rabbi Benjamin almost glows on each page, not only due to his shining yellow vest but also with his popping and vibrant personality.  The diverse ethnicities of the congregation is also appreciated.

A cheery look at Jewish holidays and the bounty of friendship and community, this book will be appreciated by people of all faiths.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Sleep Tight, Little Bear by Britta Teckentrup

| Tasha

sleep tight little bear

Sleep Tight, Little Bear by Britta Teckentrup

Winter is coming and Little Bear and Mommy Bear have been getting their den ready for the cold weather.  Soon it will be time for them to hibernate for the winter and wake up again when the warmth of spring comes.  Little Bear is excited about hibernating, but before he and his mother go to sleep, he has to say goodbye to all of his friends.  Little Bear goes to each animal, wishing them a good winter and they all wish him a good sleep and promising to watch over him as he rests.  As they return to their den, the snow is starting to fall and the winds are blowing cold.  Inside their den, it is warm and cozy and Little Bear is fast asleep before he can even finish saying goodnight to his mother.

First published in Germany, Teckentrup’s picture book celebrates community and diversity without ever using those words on the page.  It is clear throughout the entire book that the bear family is beloved in the woods.  While some of the animals, like Owl, are not so friendly, the others are warmly affectionate to Little Bear.  Many of the animals speak about watching over and taking care of the bears as they hibernate.  They also speak about how different the bears are from them and sometimes briefly say what they will do in the winter.  The messages are subtle and woven into this story about animals.

The illustrations are a strong mix of textured trees and animals and more simple elements that allow the textures to stand out on the page.  One of the first pages in the book shows the entire forest as well as the animals that the bears will be visiting before they hibernate.  It’s almost a map to the story and offer a peek into what will come.

A book about a friendly community of animals, this picture book is perfect for reading on chilly autumn evenings and ideal for a bedtime read.  It will also be a welcome addition to seasonal story times and units on hibernation.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley received from NorthSouth and NetGalley.

Review: Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea

| Tasha

kid sheriff and the terrible toads

Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea, illustrated by Lane Smith

The Toad brothers have taken over Drywater Gulch and are causing no end of trouble.  But then a new sheriff arrives in town, a kid in a white suit riding a tortoise.  He doesn’t have many skills with guns and has an early bedtime, but he does know all about dinosaurs.  He is hired on the spot.  And that’s right when the Toad brothers blow up the bank, rob the stagecoach, and jump someone’s gold claim.  The sheriff is quick to point out how each of the escapades involved dinosaurs, T-Rex and velociraptors.  It seems that the crimes will never be solved by this young sheriff, but soon his paleontological plans turn out to be just what was needed to capture some human bandits.

Shea clearly has great fun creating these characters, this town and this world of dinosaurs mixed with the Wild West.  He plays with language throughout, creating wonderful moments where the new sheriff rides – very slowly – into town on his tortoise.  Just the way the Toad brothers are introduced early in the book will show how fun this book is to read aloud:  “Why, those Toad brothers would steal your gold, kiss your cattle, and insult your chili.  Hootin’, hollarin’, and cussin’ all the while.”  You can’t read that without a drawl and huge grin.

Smith’s illustrations are equally fun.  Using a palette of browns, blacks and tans, he creates the world of Drywater Gulch on the page.  There is a great sandiness and grit to the illustrations, and he also plays with perspective and fascinating rock formations of the desert.  The wild characters are placed in this world, popping on the page against the gritty backgrounds.

A great read aloud, this picture book is silliness through and through with a western twang.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Review: Ben Franklin’s Big Splash by Barb Rosenstock

| Tasha

ben franklins big splash

Ben Franklin’s Big Splash: The Mostly True Story of His First Invention by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by S. D. Schindler

Ben Franklin grew up the son of a soap maker and loved to spend his free time on summer days swimming in the river near his home.  In the time of his childhood, people just did not swim or wash regularly because they thought it would make you sick, so Ben was considered rather odd for the amount of time he spent in the water.  As he swam, Ben started to wonder why it was that fish swim so much better than he could.  And so Ben starts to come up with inventions that would help him swim like a fish.  First, he made swim fins for his hands out of wood and they did make him much faster, but they also made his wrists sore and tired.  The next invention was swim sandals, but they didn’t improve things much since they slid off his feet.  But Ben was not a quitter and so he took each defeat as a way to improve his idea.  After all, he was a scientist through and through.

Rosenstock sets just the right playful and rather silly tone with this biographical picture book.  She includes plenty of details about the society in the 1700s and how it was different from our modern one.  Using different fonts and repeating words, she also emphasizes the importance of trial and error in science and solving problems.  She also ties in the fact that this is how science works and how scientists learn things, along with a healthy dose of dedication and resolve.

The illustrations by Schindler are marvelous, cleverly covering up the more private parts of the naked swimming boy with splashes and waves.  They have a light-hearted quality to them and also a visual lightness that makes the book even funnier as they swim across the page.

A book to inspire children to try to solve problems they discover, this is a fresh and summery look at a boy genius at play.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane and Christyan Fox

| Tasha

the cat the dog little red the exploding eggs

The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane and Christyan Fox

Cat is sitting and reading Little Red Riding Hood when Dog walks up.  Cat starts to explain the story of a little girl who wears a red cape, and then Dog interjects that he loves books about superheroes and asks about what powers Little Red has!  Cat tries to explain that it’s not that kind of book, but Dog continues to find new ways to tie in superpowers:  maybe a kindness ray, or a flying basket, or exploding eggs!  Then Dog tries to find ways to make the Wolf into a super villain.  Why doesn’t the Wolf just eat Little Red in the forest?  Why doesn’t he do more bad things and be a real super villain?  But as the dramatic ending of the real story arrives, it is Dog who thinks that the story might have gone a bit too far.

Perfect to read aloud, this picture book is written entirely as a dialogue between Cat and Dog with the occasional page from the Little Red Riding Hood story added in.  The debates between the two characters about the book are hilariously written.  Though very funny, Dog makes some valid points about the story line of the traditional tale and his superhero version would be great reading too.  The authors make the two voices of the characters clearly distinct from one another, something that takes skill when writing dialogue alone.

Done in black and white line drawings on white backgrounds, the loose feel of the illustrations suit the silly story perfectly.  Occasional bursts of color draw readers into the story being told and the cover of the Little Red Riding Hood book pops with red on the page. 

Funny and clever, children who know the original story will be delighted with this new twist on the tale.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Bluebird by Lindsey Yankey

| Tasha

bluebird

Bluebird by Lindsey Yankey

Bluebird has never flown without the company of her friend, the wind.  She just can’t bring herself to try to fly without the wind’s help, so she sets off on a quest to find the wind before she flies.  There was no wind blowing the seeds off the dandelions, no wind lifting the kite to the sky, no wind rippling the willow leaves.  Heading into the city, Bluebird found that the newspaper pages weren’t being blown by the wind at all and even a balloon was being moved by a child rather than the wind.  Bluebird decided to look higher, but even from above the flags were drooping on the flagpoles and the sailboats were not racing.  Bluebird landed on a roof and wished deeply for her friend to return, and that’s when she noticed that she’d been flying for some time without the wind to help her! 

Yankey’s text captures both the wishing for what the wind does every day and also how things are without the wind blowing.  The contrast between what Bluebird knows the wind does and how things are when they are still is wonderfully written with simplicity and grace.  The entire book has a jaunty brisk pace that will remind readers of a good stiff wind blowing along the pages and moving the story along.

The illustrations in this picture book set it apart.  They are an amazing mix of collage, pencil, ink, block print and paint.  The result is a richness of styles that zing on the page next to one another and create a world that is unique.  Somehow those divergent components form a cohesion feel on the page that is mesmerizing.

A perfect read for a breezy day, this book will invite everyone to find the confidence to fly.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Tiny Creatures by Nicola Davies

| Tasha

tiny creatures

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton

There are tiny creatures all around us that do the most amazing things!  Microbes are too small to be seen by the human eye, but look through a microscope and you enter a world of them.  There are microbes like viruses that cause diseases or colds.  And there are others that are very good for our health and turn milk into yogurt and compost into dirt.  Microbes may be very small but their impact on our world and our lives is very big.  This book shows the huge impact they have and how much we need to appreciate them.

Davies has written very engagingly about microbes in this book.  When talking about something like microbes, the numbers can get too large to understand, but Davies nicely ties these huge numbers to others that make sense.  She shows how quickly a microbe can reproduce using the page of the book.  The entire book is cleverly done, exposing the facts about microbes in a friendly and approachable way.

The illustrations by Sutton show both the microbes and their effect on the world.  The pages with the tiny microbes are fascinating as one gets to see the different types up close.  The illustrations have a friendly charm about them that makes the subject matter even more fun to read.

A great book on microbes, this will encourage children to pick up a microscope and learn even more about these tiny little creatures.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from library copy.