Picture Books

Except If: A Puzzle of a Book

| Tasha

exceptif

Except If by Jim Averbeck

Follow this twisting, turning puzzle of a book that has you thinking one thing and then transforming it into another.  It all starts with an egg that is cracking open.  It will become a bird “except if” it becomes a baby snake.  That snake will slither on the floor “except if” it is actually a lizard.  The lizard is actually a dinosaur, which is actually a fossil, which shelters a nest, where a familiar blue egg is resting.  What will be in the egg this time?

This book is pure fun.  The reader puts themselves into the author’s hands, unable to predict where this book will take them.  The fossil piece was one that I was happily surprised by, not expecting the book to head in that direction.  Averbeck’s use of spare language to great effect makes this a book that will read aloud well.  Its straightforward text is the perfect foil to the twists of the story line.

Averbeck’s illustrations are bright and bold.  The thick black lines and flat color evoke children’s coloring books, giving it immense child appeal.

Add this to any story time on dinosaurs or as the ideal ending book for any general story time.  It’s sure to be requested again and again.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Also reviewed by:

Bedtime Monster

| Tasha

bedtimemonster

Bedtime Monster by Heather Ayris Burnell, illustrated by Bonnie Adamson

When Paul was told that it’s time to go to bed, he is too busy playing to hear it.  When Mom reminded him again that it’s time for bed, he grumbled, then screeched.  And then?  Then a strange thing happened and Paul turned into a monster, complete with scaly tail and sharp claws.  Paul acted like a monster too, banging and crashing around the house.  His parents knew just what to do.  They scooped him up, sang him a lullaby, and slowly Paul returned to being a boy and went to bed.  At the end of the book, Paul’s father admits that he too was once a little monster, and readers will delight in spotting his monster tail as he stands in the doorway. 

Burnell’s text is simple and straight-forward.  She keeps the text brief enough to be used with very small children at bedtime.  Adamson’s watercolor and ink illustrations are very successful with their textured background that adds depth and their bright colors.  She captures the transformation into a monster with a sweetness and non-scary approach. 

Thanks to the gentle humor of the text and images, children will understand that they can sometimes be monsters too.  The reactions of the parents is lovely and patient, something that is also great to see in a picture book.

Yes, there are many bedtime books to choose from, but this one’s quiet humor and lovely illustrations should get it added to the bedtime pile.  It’s very nice for those children who might turn a little green at bedtime themselves.

Reviewed from ARC received from Raven Tree Press.

Mudkin: Muddy, Lively and Joyous

| Tasha

mudkin

Mudkin by Stephen Gammell

A young girl heads outside after it stops raining to play, pretending to be a queen.  Suddenly, some mud turns into Mudkin, a jolly muddy creature, who asks the girl to be his queen.  Mudkin speaks in muddy phrases, splotches instead of letters, but happily the girl interprets for us.  Mudkin creates a robe and crown from mud for the new queen.  He also makes a carriage that carries the queen to the muddy castle on the hill.  From the parapet, she sees the large number of mudkins that she will be reigning over and pledges to rule forever.  Then the rain begins again and the mud dreams are washed away.

Gammell uses his signature style here to great effect with the swirls of color as shadow and the flying sprays of mud that follow every gesture.  Mudkin is a very friendly creature of warm brown, who smiles and drips.  Gammell has created a brown that celebrates the colors within it, turning to yellows, reds and oranges too. 

The book has very few words, most of them in the conversations between the girl and Mudkin.  Mudkin speaks a marvelous way, in smudges that almost are letters, but not quite.  It brings the pleasure of imagination and play into the text as well as the illustrations. 

A book sure to encourage children to head out in the rain, play in the mud, imagine, dream, and come back in resembling Mudkin! 

Reviewed from digital copy received from Carolrhoda Books via NetGalley.

Also reviewed by There’s a Book.

You can also check out the Making of Mudkin video to see watercolor magic:

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The Secret River: Luminous Loveliness

| Tasha

secretriver

The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

Luminously illustrated by the Dillons, this new version of a classic children’s book truly shines.  The only children’s book written by the author of The Yearling, this story is about Calpurnia, a young girl who is a poet.  She woke up one gorgeous morning and found that she had a journey ahead of her.  Her father told the family that he had no fish to sell in his fish market.  So Calpurnia decided to catch some fish herself.  She made roses out of crepe paper for bait and then headed to get advice from Mother Albirtha, the wisest person in the forest.  When Calpurnia asked Mother Albirtha where she could catch big fish, Mother Albirtha told her of the secret river that was full of fish and advised Calpurnia to follow her nose.  So off Calpurnia went with her dog at her side to find the river.  Eventually, Calpurnia found the river and caught some large fish to help her father.  But that was just the start of her adventures in the forest, because she had to get back home.

Rawlings’ writing is filled with such depth here.  While the story is written for children, it will ask them to stretch, to imagine and to dream.  The writing is filled with small touches, turns of phrase that add such beauty to the text.  Rawlings also had a poet for a main character, so Calpurnia’s poems are throughout the book.  One of my favorite passages happens early in the book where Calpurnia creates a poem and after her mother criticizes one of the phrases turns right around and creates a new poem that focuses on that phrase.  Just that one piece is a testament to writing and creativity, as is the entire book.

Dillons’ illustrations take the book to an even higher level.  They are illustrations that are celebrate the beauty of light on skin, the depth of dark in a forest, the shine of wisdom on a face, and the blackness of animal fur.  The illustrations vary in size, ranging from full page images to smaller illustrations in the margins of the text.  There are illustrations so lovely here that one lingers on the page long after the words have been read, just absorbing the image.  It is simply beautiful.

This is a treat of a new version of a classic.  It is a perfect marriage of illustration and writing that celebrates both.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Family Pack: Poetic Nature

| Tasha

familypack

Family Pack by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Alan Marks

This book captures the real-life story of wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park.  The focus of the story is one young female wolf who finds herself suddenly separated from her pack and alone in a new place.  Her tracks are the only wolf tracks she sees, she is the only wolf she smells.  Without a pack, she cannot hunt the way she is used to, so she survives mostly on mice.  As she becomes an adult, she discovers another wolf, a male.  The two of them become a mated pair and eventually have a family in Yellowstone.  One lone wolf has created her own pack.

Markle’s verse in the book really shines, illuminating the loneliness of this young wolf’s new life, her troubles with hunting larger game, and her growth into an adult wolf.  The poetry is filled with imagery that enlivens the book, making the cold and loneliness tangible to readers. 

Marks’ illustrations are equally successful.  He captures the setting beautifully from the towering trees to the wide open spaces.  In his illustrations, Yellowstone becomes just as real as the wolf herself, almost another character in the story.  The vistas and close-ups he has created here give readers a very unique perspective on the life of this wolf.

Highly recommended, this book will work well for slightly older children because of the depth of the verse.  It will work well in units about preservation and ecology.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Charlesbridge.

Jam & Honey: Natural Sweetness

| Tasha

jamhoney

Jam & Honey by Melita Morales, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

This quiet, gentle book tells the story of a visit to an urban berry patch from two points of view, a girl and a bee.  The girl is headed to the berry patch to pick berry to make into jam.  Her big worry is running into bees, which she does.  But she remembers what her mother told her about staying still and that the bee was interested in nectar not in her.  The bee is heading to the berry patch for nectar to make into honey.  He is worried about running into a human there, which he does.  But he remembers that humans are interested in the berries, so he just flies past.  This parallel story offers a glimpse of urban gardening and emphasizes the importance of our food and other creatures.

Morales has written the book in a verse format that has enough rhyme to make it friendly and bouncy.  There is a rather jaunty tone to the book, making the encounter with the bee less scary than it could have been.  The emphasis is on making food, whether it is by the girl or the bee.  The two halves of the book are written in very similar verse, often repeating patterns from the earlier one.  This ties the two stories together even more firmly.

Bryant’s art makes sure that the reader knows that the book is set in an urban setting without covering it in graffiti or garbage.  Instead, we see a warm friendly neighborhood filled with flowers, pigeons, and bees.  She imbues the illustrations with a natural feel, always having the reader look past greenery and through plants. 

A great pick for insect units or story times or ones about food.  It could also happily be used as a late summer story when the berries are plump and ripe.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

I’m Not: Funny Friendship

| Tasha

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I’m Not by Pam Smallcomb, illustrated by Robert Weinstock

Evelyn is everything that the narrator is not.  Evelyn is not ordinary.  She is fast, jumping, fashionable, artistic, and imaginative.  Our narrator is not.  But when Evelyn slows down, our quiet narrator discovers that there are things that she herself is good at and Evelyn is not.  Evelyn cannot spell well; she can’t do karate; she’s scared of the dark.  And what Evelyn needs most is a best friend.  Now that is something that our narrator definitely IS.

Smallcomb has captured the tension of friendship between an outgoing person and a quieter person.  I appreciated that Evelyn is not a pushy person or a bully.  Rather she is loud, gregarious and fun.  Our narrator could be read as shy or as quiet, which many children will relate to.  Smallcomb writes with a clever voice, allowing readers to really experience Evelyn with the wonder and thrill that our narrator feels.  Readers will happily take away the lesson that we all have something to offer, whether we are in the spotlight or not.

Weinstock’s illustrations add to the humor of the book.  His style is similar to the beloved James Marshall of George and Martha fame.  Thanks to the illustrations and writing style, this book has a timeless feel that will welcome young readers.

Highly recommended, this is a perfect addition to friendship units or story times.  It will read aloud well and young readers will connect with the characters easily.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade Books.

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Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party

| Tasha

scaredybirthday

Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt

The fifth in the very popular Scaredy Squirrel series has Scaredy planning his own birthday party.  He wants it to be quiet and private, because that’s how he can avoid any surprises.  Surprises like Bigfoot, confetti and ponies must be avoided!  He carefully plans his solo party with lists and charts, but even then he is surprised by what he finds in his mailbox.  It’s a birthday card from Buddy.  So Scaredy decides that he will invite just one guest in addition to himself.  Now he has to rethink the entire party!  There has to be a schedule, topics for small talk, and a list of dos and don’ts.  But even with all of his planning and worrying, Scaredy is sure to be surprised at his birthday party!

This is a great addition to the series.  I love how Watt takes events that can have children worried and allows Scaredy to worry for them.  And Scaredy is so much better at worrying, that he’s sure to show how silly all that worry really is.  Heck, some parents could take a lesson from Scaredy about birthday parties that are more about structure and less about fun. 

Make your own plan to read this book!  But don’t worry, you are sure to love it.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.

Giant Steps to Change the World

| Tasha

giantsteps

Giant Steps to Change the World by Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee, illustrated by Sean Qualls

This is a book filled with inspiring people that show children that everyone has the ability to be a hero.  The book contains examples of people who stood up for others, worked with a passion and vision, honored deep values, and led the world to a new place.  Among the heroes on the pages are Langston Hughes, Harriet Tubman, Mother Teresa, and Neil Armstrong.  It is a great mix of male and female and different races.  The heroes will inspire young readers to take that first step to follow in the giant steps that their heroes left behind.

Qualls’ illustrations are amazing.  Done in acrylic, gouache, pencil and collage, the images are bold and strong.  Some are so powerful, they stay with you after closing the book, like the black and white image that represents Harriet Tubman and moves from dark to light.  The illustrations have clear lines, deep colors, and convey the essence of that hero to great effect.

Unfortunately, the text written by the Lees is less successful.  The heroes they have selected are an incredible group of people.  It is the words themselves that fall flat, often being too verbose and roundabout for a children’s picture book.  I was also disappointed that there was not a list of the heroes anywhere in the book with more information.  Readers can look at the endpages of the book to see a quote from each hero, but no further details are given.  That’s just not enough information for young readers.

An inspiring book despite some issues, this book would pair well with President Obama’s Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.