Picture Books

Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree

| Tasha

Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Shino Arihara

There are many, many counting books published every year, but this book focuses on one number that is often ignored: zero.  The absence of items is rendered here in verse and paintings.  Children are shown the many places that there is zero in everyday life:  no balls left in the bin during recess, no sleds on the hills when snow is melted. 

Franco’s simple and brief poetry, done so subtly that many won’t notice that it is a poem, nicely necklaces the instances of zero together.   Her examples of zero are simple, everyday occurrences that are made poignant by her focus on the transient nature of time.  These glimpse of zero change, replenish, refill.  Arihara’s gouache illustrations have small details but also an expansive view, matching the tone of the poem perfectly. 

Recommended for use in elementary math classes, this book will get children talking about where they see zero in their lives.  It will inspire with the beauty of the language as well.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from book received from publisher.

Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books and PlanetEsme.

Kisses on the Wind

| Tasha

Kisses on the Wind by Lisa Moser, illustrated by Kathryn Brown

The covered wagon is being packed for the long trip to Oregon, but Lydia can’t imagine leaving her grandmother so far behind.  As her departure nears, Lydia and her grandmother walk together in the woods, float bark boats in the pond, and rest together in the long grass.  Grandma gives her a book filled with her stories to take along on the trip. They both quietly, solemnly, and beautifully say goodbye.

This is a picture book that will make your heart ache.  The gentle and prolonged farewell of these two people who obviously are kindred spirits is depicted with a real beauty and care.  Moser crafts a quiet story that is very moving.  Brown’s art matches the gentleness of the story perfectly with its muted colors and gentle lines.  The book never descends into maudlin emotionalism, in fact it is its inherent restraint that makes it work so well.  Bright-eyed Grandma, Lydia with her fly-away hair, and the natural setting all provide an antidote to excessive sweetness.

An ideal book for children who are moving, children whose extending family is moving away, or children of divorce.  It is a book that will work in many setting for many children, a book that really shows and feels the sadness of leaving someone behind.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.

Tess’s Tree

| Tasha

Tess’s Tree by Jess M. Brallier, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Tess loves her tree.  She loved to swing from its branches, play in its leaves, and read underneath it.  But when a big storm blows through, the tree loses a few of its largest branches and becomes unsafe.  The tree had to be taken down.  Tess doesn’t take this well, she is immensely sad, angry, and forlorn.  Then she decides that her tree needs a funeral, which allows everyone even some adults who loved the tree when they were children to come and celebrate it.

This book is a winning combination of treehugging (literally) green and understanding loss.  Brallier’s very short text is inviting and clear. The book doesn’t linger on the death of the tree, but on the recovery afterwards and the feelings it creates.  Reynolds has created clever and sweet illustrations for the book that give it a sense of lightness while never minimizing the loss that happened.

Great for young children grappling with any sort of loss in their lives, as it is made easier to understand and bear when it’s a tree.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed at Great Kid Books.

Millie’s Marvelous Hat

| Tasha

Millie’s Marvelous Hat by Satoshi Kitamura

When Millie spots the hat with the colorful feathers in a shop window, she stops in to try it on.  But when she decides to buy it, it turns out to much too expensive.  After all, she is looking for a free hat.  The gentleman at the store thinks a bit and then comes up with a hat that can be anything that Millie wishes it to be, all it takes is a little imagination.  Millie imagines a peacock hat, with the gorgeous tail.  She passes a bakery and the hat turns into a cake hat.  A flower shop turns it flowery.  The park turns it into a fountain hat!  Then she realizes that everyone she passes has their own special hat if she only looks for it.

The exuberance of this book is great fun.  Kitamura takes great pleasure in creating different sorts of hats and bringing them to stunning realization.  Kitamura’s art is whimsical and very friendly.  His story is filled with imagination and a sense of fun.  The book is sure to get everyone thinking about what their own personal hat would look like. 

Mine?  Oh, my hat changes of course, but right now it is autumn leaves that blow about with gusts of wind that catch in the hair of people I pass by.  What about you?

Crafty teachers and librarians will be able to create hat crafts to go with this book. It will pair nicely with other hat books like Caps for Sale.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.  The copy will be placed in library collection.

Oliver at the Window

| Tasha

Oliver at the Window by Elizabeth Shreeve, illustrated by Candice Hartsough McDonald

Not only have Oliver’s parents separated, but he has started preschool.  He spends most of the day hugging his stuffed lion and looking out the window watching for one of his parents to come and take him home.  But home isn’t the same either.  He is never quite sure which house he is going to that night.  As the days pass, Oliver gets more involved in his class, painting his mother’s house and drawing his father’s.  By the end of the book, he is able to help a new little girl who is standing by the window and crying.

Shreeve sets a delicate tone with this book that manages to tackle very serious issues without bogging down into didacticism.  In just a few short pages, Oliver experiences real, tangible and believable growth as he works through the changes in his life.  McDonald’s color pencil art is simple and almost child-like.  Both artist and author use Oliver’s lion as a symbol of his growth to great effect. 

Recommended for any child going through changes in their life.  This is a book filled with hope and ringing with honesty.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.  Book will be placed in library collection.

Creaky Old House

| Tasha

Creaky Old House: A Topsy-Turvy Tale of a Real Fixer-Upper by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Michael Chesworth

A large family lives happily together in a big old house despite its creaking, leaking and cracks.  Everyone has their own favorite spots in the house that they treasure.  But one day, Pa heads out the front door and the doorknob comes off in his hand.  They find a screw, but it doesn’t fit.  So they head to the hardware store where they eventually find a doorknob to replace the old one.  But it doesn’t fit.  So they have to replace the entire door.  The new door though is too wide for the existing hole.  So everyone’s minds start to race, mentally repairing all of the house, moving the kitchen, lengthening halls. They finally come up with a favorite design, until everything is solved by the smallest child and they realize that their beloved house is still just fine the way it always has been.

The pleasure of this book two-fold.  It is in the family.  This large family of different personalities who all live together happily in one big home.  A family that dreams big dreams, but returns to loving what they always have.   It is also in the house itself with its colorful front door, winding staircase, dark attic, nooks and crannies. 

Ashman has written a book with a great sense of place, a wonderful romping pace, and nice humor.  Chesworth’s illustrations bring the family and house to life, especially in the cross-sections of the house that reveal so much to appreciate within its walls. 

A charming story of a tight-knit family and their aging house, this book will have readers wishing wistfully for their own Victorian.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Dear Vampa

| Tasha

Dear Vampa by Ross Collins

When the Wolfsons move in next door to the Pires, the differences are clear.  The Pires are amazed when their neighbors stay up all day and complain when there is noise at night.  The pets of the two families don’t get along at all.  And when the Pires take to the sky as bats, the Wolfsons shoot them out of the sky.  That’s was it.  The Pires moved away much to the surprise of the Wolfsons who just may not be as normal as readers may have thought.

Collins’ art is wonderful.  You can see more of it on the Harper Collins website where several of the pages are available.  The use of black, white and red for the Pire family is striking against the full-color world of the Wolfsons.  The stylized colors are carried throughout the book to great effect, especially on the pages with both families in the same room.  Collins has a knack for humor both in his understated and brief prose and in his illustrations which really tell the full story. 

This is a great addition to any Halloween story time.  It has vampires but is much more about the neighbors than about any scary aspects.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Robot Zot!

| Tasha

Robot Zot! by Jon Scieszka and David Shannon

Robot Zot is here to conquer the earth.  His battle cry rings out:  “Robot Zot – never fall.  Robot Zot – conquer all!”  He finds himself in a house and destroys a blender with his blaster.  He then wrestles a vacuum cleaner tube on his way to blast his enemy, which happens to be a TV.  But something surprising is waiting for Robot Zot!  His Queen!  He can only reach his ship if he makes it past the Commander General who is in his way and insists on licking his queen.

Robot Zot is a delightful romp of a book.  The combination of Scieszka’s text with Shannon’s art is irresistible.  Combine it with robots and outer space, and this is one book that you can expect to be read to tatters.  Scieszka’s text is humorous, fast-paced, and surprising.  The reveal of Robot Zot’s small size is done with such style in Shannon’s art as are other great humorous touches.  The two work together seamlessly, sharing punchlines and big laughs smoothly.

A must-read for children who love robots and space, this book could be purchased just for the explosion of the television set.   If read to a class, expect lots of blaster and explosive play.  Inventive, funny and a great joy, this book is appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8.

African Acrostics

| Tasha

African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley, photographs by Deborah Noyes

Acrostic poems are very popular, especially for children to write on their own.  But you haven’t seen anything like the acrostics in this book.  Harley creates acrostics that have words not only in their first letters but both the first and last letters.  She has one poem with five hidden words and others that use letters in patterns rather than the first letter.  But her real achievement is in making acrostics that are such good poetry that one forgets they are reading acrostics at all and just enjoys the flow and
rhythm of the poems. 

So many acrostics are stodgy and dull due to the constraints of the form.  Harley seemed to take that as a challenge to overcome.  She certainly did just that.  The book is very welcoming and children will relate immediately to the form of the poems.  Noyes photographs are clear and crisp, working well with the poems.  She took them primarily in Namibia and offers her perspective in a note at the end of the book.  The book also has information on acrostics, showing readers the more complicated forms that were used in the book.  There are also nature notes with more information on the animals in the book.

Pair children, animals and good poetry and you have a real winning book.  This book elevates a poetic form to new heights.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by The Miss Rumphius Effect and Becky’s Book Reviews.