Picture Books

Review: Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon

| Tasha

robot zombie frankenstein

Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon

Two robots who are friends try to out-do each other as they dress in costumes.  It starts out with Robot Zombie and goes on from there, until they each have pirate hats, eye patches, capes, chef hats, space helmets, and much much more.  By the end, the two of them look very silly, dressed in all of that gear.  The competition continues until one robot pulls out a cherry pie and the two friends decide to drop the costume competition and share a treat.

A large part of the appeal of this book are the illustrations.  They have white backgrounds that really make the bright-colored shapes pop against them.  Simon uses simple shapes, wild colors and lots of creativity to make costumes for these characters.  Along the way, she shows just how little it takes to evoke a character, sometimes only a few stitches on the head, or a cape around the shoulders.

The writing takes a backseat here, simply supporting the wild antics in the images.  Its use of popular subjects like zombies and robots will get young readers to pick up this book.  The cover completely drew in my son, who just had to read this book immediately.

Halloween story times can be tricky, and this is just the right story to add to your not-scary-at-all version for the youngest listeners.  It’s also a book with plenty of humor and zip that will appeal to any youngster who enjoys a good giggle and a great costume.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Candlewick Press.

Review: My Dad Is Big and Strong, But… by Coralie Saudo

| Tasha

my dad is big and strong but

My Dad Is Big and Strong, But… by Coralie Saudo, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo

Released May 8, 2012.

Translated from the French, this picture book takes the traditional bedtime story and turns it upside down.  Every night it’s the same thing, Dad does not want to go to bed.  The boy tries to get his father to bed nicely by using logic, but his dad just gets wilder and wilder.  The boy refuses to chase after him, instead offering a quiet story together.  That always works, and the two of them sit together in a chair: the father on the boy’s small lap.  Two stories later, and the boy finally has his father tucked into bed, but the process is not done yet.  The boy can’t head to his own bed yet or his father will ask to sleep with him.  And though his father may be big and strong, he’s also afraid of the dark.

This picture book has a wonderful charm about it that really works.  While there are other books that turn the parent/child relationship around, this one does it with a gentleness and honest joyfulness that is simply lovely.  A large part of this is the tone of the writing.  The sentence structure also works well, showing the skill of the translation.  The book plays with so many of the stereotypes of getting children to sleep that it is a delight to share with children.

Giacomo’s illustrations keep the size of the father and son as different as possible.  As you can see from the cover, the boy is quite small.  It is that size difference that adds so much humor to the illustrations, especially when the father is sitting on the boy’s lap for a story.  Another wonderful whimsical touch is the way the father heads to bed in hat and tie, rather than pajamas. 

Doing a pajama or bedtime story time?  This book would work very well there.  It is also a great pick for bedtime snuggles, though you might find yourself on your child’s lap just to try it out.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Review: You Are a Lion by Taeeun Yoo

| Tasha

you are a lion

You Are a Lion and Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

This is a fun and gentle way for children to learn yoga poses.  The book opens with a Namaste to the morning.  Children then learn about the lion pose, with the pose simply explained and shown.  Readers turn the page to see the child in the pose and the jungle and lion around him.  Other poses follow with the butterfly, dog, snake, frog and cat.  The book ends with the Mountain pose and a group of children hold that pose up on top of the mountain range.  Finally, the children lie down and are still, relaxing in the morning light. 

The short text in the book has quick directions and then a few lines of poem to match that pose.  The rhymes are basic, offering a little more insight into why that pose is called by the name it is.  The entire book has a playful approach that matches the subject matter well.  That playful nature is matched by a gentle spirit and a quietness that work particularly well here.

Yoo’s illustrations were done using linoleum block prints, pencil drawings and Photoshop.  They have a wonderful texture to them, great lines, and a simplicity that is necessary when offering directions.  The children are all different races, making the book all the more inviting.

This is a great pick for introducing young children to some basic yoga moves.  The moves are simple, playful and presented in a fresh way.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Nancy Paulsen Books.

Review: Frog and Fly by Jeff Mack

| Tasha

frog and fly

Frog and Fly: Six Slurpy Stories by Jeff Mack

Six very short stories about a frog and a fly are told here.  Done in comic panels, the stories are all simple and quite funny.  In each story, the frog meets a fly and ends up not really making friends but instead making lunch.  Each story is slightly different and filled with little puns.  The frog manages to cleverly lure the fly closer by talking with it, but eventually just slurps that fly right up.  The arc of the first two stories is very similar.  The third brings in ketchup and a burger.  The fourth has different animals shooing the fly away from them, until the frog welcomes the fly closer.  The fifth story has races between the frog and fly that the fly wins over and over again, until the final one.  The sixth story has the frog get his comeuppance much to the glee of the fly.  Slurp!

Mack has tapped right into the sense of humor of preschoolers with these stories.  The running gag of eating the fly makes the final story all the more satisfying with its twist.  This is the sort of book that my two sons would have loved at that age, laughing along with delight.  It’s one that reads aloud very nicely, and even better, gives you the opportunity to work on a fly voice and a frog ribbit.

Mack’s illustrations are simple and colorful.  The lines are crisp and clean, echoing the thickness of the font used for their dialogue.  They reflect the humor of the entire book, with silly grins and a big pink slurping tongue.

Sure to get laughs at preschool story time, this makes a silly addition to any story time on frogs or flies.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Philomel Books.

Review: Mrs. Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter

| Tasha

mrs harkness and the panda

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

In 1934, Mr. Harkness set out to China to bring the first live panda to the United States.  Unfortunately, he did not survive his journey.  So his young widow, Mrs. Harkness decided to set out and complete her husband’s dream.  Mrs. Harkness was not an adventurer; she designed tea gowns.  She knew that the journey would be hard, maybe even impossible.  But she set off for China and met up with Quentin Young, a man who had seen pandas and agreed to help her.  They packed carefully for the journey, even taking baby formula and bottles in case they found a baby panda.  They journeyed deep into China, until they finally found traces of panda activity, but no pandas.  Then they heard a small sound and followed it to a baby panda hidden in a rotten tree.  Mrs. Harkness had completed the mission!

This is a marvelous biographical picture book about an unlikely adventurer who took an amazing risk, especially after her husband’s death.  The story is told with a wonderful richness that helps bring the time period and this woman to life.  I particularly enjoyed all of the people telling her that it was a mistake and the amazing number of things she took along with her on the journey.  Potter takes the time to really create the world and this character, something that can be missing in picture book nonfiction.

Sweet’s illustrations are marvelous.  They incorporate cut paper art, maps, Chinese lettering, postcards, and lots of little touches that make them especially rich and meaningful.  At the same time, there is a sweetness to the illustrations that works particularly well with this story and the main character.  It also works well with the cuddly furry pandas too.

An inspirational story of adventure with an unlikely heroine at its center.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Alfred A. Knopf.

Review: Beach Feet by Kiyomi Konagaya

| Tasha

beach feet

Beach Feet by Kiyomi Konagaya, illustrated by Masamitsu Saito

Released June 12, 2012.

This picture book is a trip to the beach along with a very exuberant little boy.  There are salty breezes, hot sand, cool water, and plenty of sun.  The little boy races to get to the water, surprised by the heat captured in the hot sand.  That quickly turns to relief upon reaching the cool, wet sand.  Then the waves come in, cold and big, tickling around toes as the water recedes again.  It leaves behind a revealed shell, something for the boy’s toes to find.  Then there are more waves, floating in the ocean, and even more sun. 

Konagaya’s very short text is a delight.  The translation from the Japanese is successful, keeping the quiet yet excited mood of exploring a beach.  It offers just enough context to share the pleasures of the ocean without getting in the way at all, making it ideal for very young listeners.

The illustrations by Saito are rich and deep.  They move from playful exuberance to quieter moments.  The bright yellow of the sunshine, the cool grey of wet sand, the blue of the waves.  This art captures the beach perfectly.  It has a wonderful fluidity to it, captured most effectively in the skin of the child that flows from oranges and pinks. 

A successful look at a day at the beach that is perfect to share with toddlers, this book should come along with a shovel and pail.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Review–Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle

| Tasha

life in the ocean

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola

This picture book biography of biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle pays homage not only to her life’s work but to the incredible ecosystem of the oceans as well.  Sylvia was a biologist even as a child, sitting by the pond at their rural home in New Jersey and observing.  When Sylvia was 12, her family moved to Florida where their home was right near the Gulf of Mexico.  Sylvia started going to swims with her goggles on and watching these new creatures so different from the pond life in New Jersey.  As Sylvia grew older she ventured deeper and deeper into the ocean, meeting whales, spending 2 weeks in a deep-sea station, and walking the ocean floor in a Jim suit.  Sylvia Earle through her life and actions asks us to venture into the ocean too, spend time underwater, and explore beyond the 5% of the ocean humans have so far discovered.

Nivola’s text in this picture book can seem dense at first glance, but it is necessary to paint the picture of this ground-breaking (or ocean-breaking) woman.  The text reads aloud beautifully, flowing forward as it gives the small details that build to a life’s work.  It is a life spent outdoors, often alone, learning.  If you are looking for a picture book to inspire more exploration outside, this is definitely one. 

The illustrations in the book have a fine line to them, the pages filled with different blue hues as the water changes depth.  The ballet moves of the whales, the dazzle of bioluminescent creatures, and the colorful coral reefs all add to the range of the pictures.  Plenty of blue space is given to just water, allowing us to hold our collective breaths with hers and visit the depths too.

A brilliant picture book biography, this book is a winning nonfiction title for elementary students.  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

For more information on Sylvia Earle, you can watch her TEDPrize winning talk or visit Mission Blue, a gorgeous website for the Sylvia Earle Alliance.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar Straus Giroux.

Review: Larf by Ashley Spires

| Tasha

larf

Larf by Ashley Spires

Larf is a sasquatch who is left entirely alone because no one believes he exists.  He’s pretty sure that he’s the only sasquatch in the world, since he has never met another one.  He lives a very quiet life in the woods, alone with his pet bunny, Eric.  So when Larf hears that a sasquatch is to appear in the nearby city of Hunderfitz, he is astounded.  After all, he wasn’t planning an appearance.  Larf then realizes that he might not be the only sasquatch in the world.  Larf disguises himself as a human and heads off to the city by bus.  But when he gets there, he finds that the sasquatch is actually a guy in a costume.  The give-away was the zipper and the small feet.  Never fear though, Larf is in for one more big surprise.

Spires has written a picture book that is clever, full of little touches that add to the humor, and a delight to read.  As with all of her books, this one reads aloud beautifully, thanks to her light touch in the writing and the pleasure of the pacing.   The setting is firmly modern, but Larf’s life is rustic and warm, with the added touch of his vegetarian lifestyle.

The illustrations with their friendly depiction of a big, hairy sasquatch are also filled with fun.  They too carry small touches that add to the fun.  I love the disguise that Larf wears to the city, particularly the front bunny carrier that he has on. 

Perfect for a not-scary-at-all monster story time, this book is a big-hearted, enormous success.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.

Review: Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail

| Tasha

piggy bunny

Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Liam does not want to be a pig when he grows up, even though he’s a piglet.  Instead, Liam wants to be the Easter Bunny.  Liam even practiced his bunny skills: hopping, eating salad, and delivering eggs.  But they didn’t work out too well.  His family thought that he should just admit he was a pig and move on.  But then his grandmother said that they didn’t have the imagination to see him as a rabbit and that he needed a bunny suit to have them see it.  Unfortunately, the bunny suit doesn’t fit quite right, one ear doesn’t stand up straight, and it itches.  But when Liam looks in the mirror, all of that is forgotten, because he sees — the Easter Bunny!

Vail has created an Easter book that will have appeal far beyond that holiday.  It’s a book about a child with a dream that others can’t even visualize and that child creating it in a way that lets others share his vision.  That solid message is packaged in a very friendly, light-hearted package with lots of appeal.  Her writing is sprightly and fun-filled, inviting children to put on costumes and try new identities.

A large part of the appeal of the book are the illustrations.  Done in thick lines and bright, candy-colored backgrounds, the illustrations are filled with energy and humor. 

A pig in a bunny suit that is as cute as this one will have this book off of library shelves in no time.  Add in the solid storyline and you have a winning Easter book.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel and Friends.