Picture Books

Review: Rosie’s Magic Horse by Russell Hoban

| Tasha

rosies magic horse

Rosie’s Magic Horse by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Rosie collects popsicle sticks that she finds on the ground, creating a collection.  But the popsicle sticks miss their cold sweet ice and wish that they were something more than just discarded sticks.  Maybe they could be a horse!  Meanwhile, Rosie’s parents are worried about bills and how they will pay them.  That night Rosie and the popsicle sticks head out on an adventure together as the popsicle sticks join to become a horse, Stickerino.  Rosie wants to find treasure and first the horse takes her to a mountain made of popsicle ice, but Rosie wants real treasure.  You know that that means pirates!  This story is a true flight of imagination, or perhaps a gallop!

Hoban and Blake are quite a team in this book.  Hoban writes in mostly dialogue here and throughout has a focus on brevity and clarity.  It works well against the wild imaginative nature of the book, making the text a firm foundation from which to launch.  Blake’s illustrations are quintessentially his with their jaunty lines and loose watercolor tones. 

Perfect for inspiring bedtime dreams of popsicles and horses, this book requires you to just go along for the ride.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira

| Tasha

ribbit

Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueiro, illustrated by Poly Bernatene

One morning, the frogs in the pond woke up to discover a very pink visitor among them: a little pink pig.  They tried to ask the piglet why he was there, but all he would say was “Ribbit!”  The other animals soon heard about the unusual pig and hurried to the pond to see him.  All of the animals except the frogs found the entire situation hilarious, but the frogs were getting more and more angry.  The animals went in search of the wise old beetle to ask his advice, but when they returned the pig was gone.  All of the animals began to wonder what the pig had wanted all along and it wasn’t too late to find out!

Folgueira has created a book with the feel of a traditional folktale but one that also has the humor and feel of a modern story.  Told in a clear voice, the book invites readers to wonder about what is actually happening in the book.  Happily, the ending ends the questions, but until then there is plenty to think about.

Bernatene’s illustrations have bright tones and fine lines.  The watercolor texture of the pages and the pictures add a welcome rustic warmth to the story that suits it well.  She has also created one of the most engaging little pigs, with a merry grin and closed eyes formed out of just a few curved lines.  Pink perfection.

This is a look at friendship and also at cultures and what happens when someone steps out of their own comfort zone and begins to explore new things.  In the end though, it’s a delight of a read aloud that children will enjoy for just the story alone.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Review: Rain! by Linda Ashman

| Tasha

rain

Rain! by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christian Robinson

The perfect book to lift your spirits on a soggy spring day!  When an older man wakes up and sees the rain, he is not happy.  But when a little boy looks out at the same rain, he’s delighted.  The older man grumbles through his preparations to go outside, while the little boy puts on his green boots, green coat and frog hat still happy with the gloomy weather.  The old man grumbles about puddles, while you can see the joy of the child.  They end up in the same café, the old man still grumpy with his day and the young boy happy with cocoa and cookies.  When the two bump into each other, it seems like the grumpiness rubs off on the little boy.  But then he notices that the older man left his hat behind, and with a little joke and a shared cookie, a day is brightened.

Ashman has written this book very simply, just in snatches of dialogue.  Despite the simplicity, the mood of each character is clear in their words.  It is made even more clear by the cut-paper illustrations that display each person’s mood with just a few lines.  Readers will notice that the pages with the older man have others with grumpy faces while the pages with the the child have others with smiles. 

A book that is sure to have readers jumping merrily in puddles and dancing in the rain, this is an inspiration to look on the bright side of things and share your happiness.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka

| Tasha

everyone can learn to ride a bicycle

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka

The two-time Caldecott Medalist returns with another exceptional picture book.  In this book, a little girl learns to ride a bike.  She first picks out the bike she wants to try, then watches other people ride their bikes.  The training wheels are very helpful, keeping her upright and they steadily are moved upward so that she can start to balance on her own.  Training wheels off, she tries riding in the grass but when she heads down a small hill, she tips over.  It takes a lot of courage to get back on again and again and again after tumbling off.  But then, suddenly and incredibly, she learns to ride a bicycle on her own!

Written in second-person, the book really allows readers to see themselves as the one riding the bicycle.  Raschka’s text is simple and effective, encouraging readers to give it a try.  When the tumbling begins, Raschka starts talking about courage, sure to inspire young readers to see that quality in themselves both in learning to ride a bicycle and in other endeavors too.  As always, the art is the key with Raschka’s picture books.  His style is loose and flowing, capturing movement and wobbles with easy watercolor strokes. 

A great pick for spring when children are sure to be longing to be out playing in the warmer weather, this book is a quietly inspiring read.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

The 2013 Crichton Award for New Illustrators Short List

| Tasha

The Children’s Book Council of Australia has announced the short list for the 2013 Crichton Award.  The Crichton Award is given to “recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children’s book illustration.”  Here are the books on the short list for 2013:

 A Forest

Apollo the Powerful Owl by Stephen Pym, written by Gordon Winch

A Forest by Marc Martin

One Very Tired Wombat 

One Very Tired Wombat by Renee Treml

Ruby Red Shoes by Kate Knapp

 Yellow Dress Day

The Whale Shark Song by Sadie James

Yellow Dress Day by Sophie Norsa, written by Michelle Worthington

Review: Ten Things I Love about You by Daniel Kirk

| Tasha

ten things i love about you

Ten Things I Love about You by Daniel Kirk

Rabbit and Pig are great friends.  So Rabbit decides to make a list of ten things that he loves about Pig.  Rabbit comes up with the first one all on his own: Number 1 – I love Pig because he is very pink.  Then he turns to Pig for help, but Pig is busy doing something else.  Rabbit figures out Number 2, I love Pig because he knows how to keep busy.  As time goes by, Rabbit continues to fill his list as Pig reacts to Rabbit’s visits and questions.  But Pig is getting more and more frustrated with the interruptions.  Finally, Rabbit’s list is complete and Pig has a surprise in turn for Rabbit.

Told entirely in dialogue, this is a picture book that begs to be read aloud.  Because of the way it’s written, the humor is highlighted clearly for young readers.  The pacing too is impacted by the format with a dashing briskness that is very refreshing.  Kirk’s illustrations are very modern.  They were made by scanning ink drawings and painted plywood panels into the computer and then texture and color were added with Photoshop.  They have a wonderful rustic edge to both the images themselves and also the edges of the plywood.  It adds an organic warmth to the story.

Add this one to your friendship story times, Rabbit and Pig are sure to get along well with Frog and Toad as well as Elephant and Piggie.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Nancy Paulsen Books.

Review: Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth

| Tasha

tiger in my soup

Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Jeffery Ebbeler

When a boy is left in the care of his big sister, all he wants her to do is read his book to him.  But she’s too busy reading her own book.  He tries to read his book on his own, but it isn’t the same.  She just keeps ignoring him until he asks for lunch.  Then she heats up some soup and gives him a bowl.  That’s when the action starts and a tiger comes out of the soup.  The boy battles him, stabbing him with a spoon and chasing him around the kitchen.  His sister continues to read, ignoring all of the ruckus.  It isn’t until the tiger is chased back into the soup that she agrees to read the book to him.  But wait, this book has a final toothy surprise.

Sheth has created a loving older sister who is just too caught up in her own book to have any time to spend with her younger brother.  It makes me very happy to see two siblings arguing over which book to read right then.  I also enjoyed the boy trying to read to himself, turning the book this way and that and even trying with his eyes closed.  Throughout the book there is a wonderful sense of playfulness.

Ebbeler’s illustrations are just as playful.  He plays with perspective especially in the outdoor scenes.  Then when the tiger arrives, he is wonderfully real, his fur stands on end, his claws threaten and his teeth gleam.  The action scenes are rivetingly fun, the escapades daring. 

Jaunty and devoted to reading, this book is a compelling mix of stories and action.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Peachtree Publishers.

Review: How to Be a Cat by Nikki McClure

| Tasha

how to be a cat

How to Be a Cat by Nikki McClure

Small Kitten follows the lead of Big Cat as they go through their day in this very simple picture book.  With just one word per page, the story is told more in the images than in the words.  The little kitten practices how to clean himself, how to hunt bugs and butterflies, and how to listen.  As the two of them explore the house and garden, the book shows a day filled with exploration and learning. 

Told through dynamic cut-paper art, this simple book has a powerful sense of style.  The images are black and white, cut from a single piece of paper with just a touch of blue at times.  Thanks to this, the images pop and would work well for sharing with groups of children.

Ideal for toddlers, this is a clear and beautiful look at feline fun.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: The Dark by Lemony Snicket

| Tasha

dark

The Dark by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Laszlo is scared of the dark.  You know, that darkness that is always there, hiding in corners and behind the shower curtain, and especially the dark that lives down in the basement.  At night the dark would spread around the entire old creaky house and all of its staircases, but in the day it retreated to the basement.  Laszlo would visit the dark every morning, from the top of the steps into the black basement.  He would say hi, thinking that maybe then the dark wouldn’t feel the need to visit him in his room at night anymore.  But that didn’t work, the dark still came at night.  Luckily Laszlo slept with a flashlight on his pillow and a nightlight on the wall, so the dark stayed away.  That is until one night when his nightlight burned out and the dark started talking to Laszlo.

I can’t think of a stronger author and illustrator match than this one.  Snicket turns on the creep factor in this book in a way that will have children leaning in closer, cuddling tighter, and listening to every single word.  There are the noises of the house, the scary basement, and the series of staircases.  But mostly there is the darkness itself, a second character in the book and written about with almost poetic phrasing.  This is one beautifully written book.

Klassen plays so much with light and shadow here.  He uses the darkness beautifully as both a frame for his images but also as the thick lines of objects.  Then there are the pictures of the cool daylight and the fierce warmth of the nightlight that burns almost like a flame.  This is one beautifully illustrated book.

One of my favorite picture books of the year, this book reads aloud perfectly, the tension growing and growing until it’s almost explosive.  One can almost hear the dark chuckling along.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.