Picture Books

Imogene’s Last Stand

| Tasha

Imogene’s Last Stand by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Imogene lives in a tiny town in New Hampshire called Liddleville.  She loves history more than anything else, so begins to tidy up the town’s historical society.  Once it is all clean, she waits eagerly for crowds to come and tour.  But no one comes except for one workman who puts a sign in the front yard saying that the house will be torn down.  The mayor wants progress and new, not old history.  How in the world will Imogene be able to save history from the stomp of progress?  Perhaps with a little help from George Washington himself.

Imogene is a wonderful character who quotes historical figures whenever she feels strongly.  She is plucky, sensible and strong-willed, just what I’d love any child to be.  Even better, Imogene has a point of view and isn’t afraid to make a stand to the adults around her.  She is a true heroine.  Fleming’s writing is wry and funny, peppered with historical quotes.  Carpenter’s art done in pen and ink and digital media, has just the right feel: a mix of traditional and modern that Imogene would approve of.

A strong young heroine combined with a focus on the importance of history, makes this a must-have book.  A definite winner of a title, this book is appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

Nasreen’s Secret School

| Tasha

Nasreen’s Secret School: a True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter

The author of The Librarian of Basra brings readers another true story from the Middle East.  This is the story of Nasreen, a young Afghan girl who has not spoken since her parents disappeared.  Her grandmother hears about a school for girls which is secret and forbidden.  In the hopes of bringing Nasreen out of her silence, her grandmother enrolls her.  The girls attending the school must be clever.  They must leave alone or in small groups.  They must hide their schoolwork if they are inspected by soldiers.  Little by little, Nasreen and her classmates learn to read and write.  And little by little, Nasreen begins to join this community of women and girls.

Winter’s illustrations are are framed by lines and painted in thick acrylic paints.  This gives them the feel of more traditional work, though they depict modern life.  Though the situation is complex, Winter manages to tell the story in short sentences.  American children will learn of a society where people disappear and girls are not allowed to be educated, all explained at their level of comprehension.  Expect lots of questions and discussion after sharing this true story with children.

An important piece of work, this picture book allows children to glimpse another culture that is now intertwined with our American one.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by A Year in Reading.

Waiting for Winter

| Tasha

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

As my son waited for the bus this morning, he asked when the snow was going to come.  Here in Wisconsin in mid-November that is a very good question and the answer is “very soon.” 

In this charmer of a picture book, Squirrel is told by Deer that it is going to snow.  Squirrel hasn’t seen snow before, so he decides to wait for it.  Deer explains that snow is “White and wet and cold and soft.”  But it is very hard to stay awake, so Squirrel runs up and down the tree trunk.  The noise wakes Hedgehog who agrees that he wants to see snow too.  The two of them stay awake by singing – sea shanties.  This wakes up Bear who waits with them for the snow.  But what is snow has already arrived and they haven’t recognized it?  So the three look around for items that match Deer’s description of snow with very funny results.  In the end, they learn exactly what snow looks like.

Meschenmoser excels at telling a story through few words and wonderfully evocative illustrations.  Just the appearance of the animals themselves shows how very tired they are.  The close-up of Bear’s face after he is woken up perfectly captures the grumpiness and bleariness of that moment.  All of the animals are wonderfully scruffy and real.  Hedgehog always has leaves and other objects stuck in his spines, and Squirrels wild fur carries a lot of his frantic pace even when still. 

The voice of the book is also right on the mark.  Told with great excitement and delight, the tone conveys their wonder at being able to see snow even before they have caught a single glimpse of it.  Meschenmoser’s pacing also works very well, filled with just enough tension but also forward movement.

A perfect choice for this time of year when snow would be met with cheers and joy by all of us who are waiting for winter.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8 and Through the Looking Glass.

Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth!

| Tasha

Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth! by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Robert Neubecker

Sophie Peterman is a veteran big sister, and she is here to tell you the hard truth about babies.  “Babies are not sweet.  Babies are not precious.  Babies are not cute.  Babies are YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!”  Told with a broad sense of humor but lots of real truths of being an older sibling, this book is a great antidote to new baby books that look only at the sweet and cuddly parts of infants.  As Sophie will happily tell you, babies leak, they make strange noises, and they smell bad.  Even Sophie has to admit though that you can get attached to them.

The humor here really carries the book from a swallowed marble to the ransacking of an underwear drawer. This is pure child humor that elementary age kids will really enjoy from poop to farts.  Neubecker’s illustrations are done in thick lines using India ink which is then digitally colored.  The various expressions on Sophie’s face are a large part of the humor as is the constant delight of the baby. 

A very funny book on babies perfect for those older siblings who have seen it all or for that new sibling who will appreciate a humorous cautionary tale.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Guess Again!

| Tasha

Guess Again! by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex

If you have ever been asked to read a story aloud to a class of second and third graders, you know how hard it can be to find the perfect book.  It has to take less than five minutes to read but not insult these elementary children by being too juvenile for them.  Well, have I got the perfect book for you!

The book starts in a traditional format with a rhyming poem that for these older children obviously is talking about a bunny.  You may even get a few eye rolls from the crowd.  How young does this person think we are?!  Turn the page though, and watch the crowd go wild as the entire format of rhyming clues is turned on its head.  Expect a delicious moment of stunned silence and then lots and lots of laughter.  Filled with entirely silly moments, children will still enjoy trying to outguess the joke.  And in the end, they will have one final surprise as a running gag turns on its heel.

This is a book you must pick up and take a look at.  It is delightfully silly, monumentally funny to the target audience, and a complete hoot.  Make sure you are in the mood for laughing, or even better find a kid around 8 years old and laugh together.  As I look at it, it is also a great choice for reluctant readers because there are plenty of pictures, lots of whitespace, and humor! 

This is not a picture book for small children who will not understand the joke.  Save it for the jaded age of 7 and 8 year olds to get the best reaction.  Hey, I just may have to volunteer to read to my son’s class this year just to be able to share this book.

Appropriate for ages 5-8, older the better.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by A Year of Reading.

Zoo Day Ole!

| Tasha

Zoo Day Ole!: a counting book by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Santiago Cohen.

Abuelita takes her two grandchildren to the zoo where they count the animals from uno to diez.  They see bears, seals, monkeys, parrots and many more animals.  Gershator’s text is simple with Spanish counting words woven in.  Cohen’s art is thick-lined. His use of large blocks of color make it very child-like and friendly.

The mix of English and Spanish is nicely done, though I would have liked to have seen the names for the various animals done in both Spanish and English as well.  As a counting book, this one works well because readers have the option of counting or not counting since it isn’t built into the text. 

An ideal book for toddlers who love Dora the Explorer or Sesame Street with their mix of Spanish and English.  It would also work well for children learning Spanish in Kindergarten.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Pouch!

| Tasha

Pouch! by David Ezra Stein

Joey had lived in his mother’s pouch his whole life, until one day he decided he wanted to hop.  Two hops later, he meets a bee in the tall grass and with a yell of “Pouch!” returns to his mother’s pouch.  Three hops onto the hill, he meets a rabbit and once again returns to his mother’s pouch.  Four hops into the sandy hollow, he meets a bird and flees back again.  Five hops to the pasture fence, and he meets another baby kangaroo!  Now what to do!

This is a delightful story of a youngster who wants to explore but just isn’t quite ready to leave his mother’s side yet.  Stein’s art here is childlike and simple, done in fluid watercolors and deep colors.  His text is also simple, with great repeating phrases and a rhythm that is natural and fun. 

Ideal for the youngest listeners, this book would be super for a toddler story time where the youngsters could hop the right number of hops and run back.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Night Lights

| Tasha

Night Lights by Susan Gal

Follow a girl through her evening in this quiet picture book.  The book begins with her biking home with her mother, roasting hotdogs with her dog looking eagerly on, celebrating the dog’s birthday with a huge dog-bone cake, and then her bedtime routine.  Each page has only a few words and those explain the various lights that illuminate the evening.  The story itself is told entirely in the illustrations.

It is those illustrations that make this such a marvelous picture book.  Each page has a glow about it without using any glitter or extra glued on sparkles.  The light comes from inside the illustrations, done in charcoal on paper and digital collage.  The collage effect is subtle here, captured mostly in the fabrics in the pictures.  The illustrations are warm, friendly and cozy, perfect for bedtime.

With its small word count and inviting illustrations, this debut picture book makes a perfect bedtime book for a toddler.  Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

The Goblin and the Empty Chair

| Tasha

 

The Goblin and the Empty Chair by Mem Fox, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

Long ago, a goblin caught sight on himself in a reflection.  Frightened so much by what he saw, he vowed never to show his face again.  He spent many years alone.  But then he saw a farmer stop chopping wood, sigh and put his face in his hands.  The goblin went to work that night and though he tried not to be seen, the farmer saw him.  The following day on the same farm, the goblin saw a woman stop  gardening and put her face in her hands.  That night the goblin again worked on the farm and though he tried to be careful, the woman saw him.  The next day, a child on the farm put down her book and buried her face in her hands.  That night, the goblin soothed her and sat with her and though he was careful, the girl saw him.  The next morning, the family gathered for breakfast at a table with one chair that had been empty all winter.  They left the door open for the goblin to come in and fill that empty chair. 

This book told is an original fairy tale by one of the world’s top story tellers.  Mem Fox has created a sympathetic character in a goblin, which one would not expect.  Her skill at the fairy tale format with its repetition and spare style is masterful.  She has created a story that is open wide with opportunity.  There is space here for haunting, for fear, for spine tingles and for a happy ending.

Leo and Diane Dillon took that opportunity and created a goblin that is graceful and princely, with large ears and flowing green hair.  Readers never see the goblin’s face, making him more of a tragic hero than a monster.  There is a touch of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast here, speaking about the quality of the internal rather than external.

A highly successful collaboration between a master storyteller and master illustrators.  Appropriate for ages 4-8. 

You can listen to Mem Fox read the book here.

Reviewed from library copy.