Super Happy Magic Forest by Matty Long

| Tasha

Super Happy Magic Forest by Matty Long

Super Happy Magic Forest by Matty Long (InfoSoup)

Everyone in the Super Happy Magic Forest loves picnics, fun and dancing. But that all changes when the Mystical Crystals of Life were stolen. Old Oak blames the goblins for stealing the crystals and sends a team of heroes to adventure to Goblin Tower to bring the crystals back. Five heroes set out and travel through one region to the next. They encounter frightening creatures like penguins. They must brave the dark dangers of the Super Creepy Haunted Forest. They survive dungeons and even bees. But is their quest doomed even though they are brave? It’s up to these five heroes to unravel who really stole the crystals.

This picture book is surprising and completely awesome. Opening it, I did not expect to find the rather sarcastic tone that makes this book work so very well. The main text of the book sets the larger scenes for the book but the real action takes place in the speech bubbles and the illustrations. The scenes are drawn large almost as maps and the various characters are scattered throughout, each having their own encounters along the way. It’s almost like a video game map, each scene a new level to explore.

Throughout the book, humor plays a large role. The book has more of a feel of a graphic novel or comic though it only has a few panels at times, usually it is one large image. Frightening tree stumps refer to guidebooks for their evil phrases. Walruses argue about sending out more penguins to the fray. Readers have to scan the page for the elusive dungeon key. It’s all busy, frenzied perfection.

Sure to appeal to video-game-playing children, this picture book will work best with slightly older children who will also enjoy the humor the most. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz

| Tasha

Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz

Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz, illustrated by Eda Kaban (InfoSoup)

This clever update to the beloved folk song has a focus on large machinery. The book follows the structure of the original song, filled with E-I-E-I-O’s and then inserts a different type of truck or machine in each verse. The Excavator arrives first with a “DIG DIG here and a DIG DIG there.” The front loader scoops, the bulldozer pushes, the motor grader scrapes, the dump truck does a satisfying “dump thump.” Throughout the book, it is clear that they are building something with all of these machines and all is revealed when Old MacDonald and his wife appear in their truck at the end.

This book is very engagingly designed with page turns right before the reveal of the next machine in the book: “And on that farm he had a…” There is a certain delight not only in the surprise of the equipment being shown but also in the noise that that machinery is going to make in the song.

Kaban’s jaunty and modern illustrations are great to see in a farm picture book. The animals on the farm are just as involved as the humans in doing the work, changing into hard hats and racing uniforms as appropriate for each scene. There is near mayhem on most pages, adding a zing of energy to each verse.

Smart, funny and engaging, this is just right for youngsters who enjoy big machines along with a little song. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

 

2016 Indies Choice & E.B. White Read-Aloud Finalists

| Tasha

The American Booksellers Association has announced the finalists for their 2016 Indies Choice and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. Booksellers at ABA member stores vote to select the winners through April 6th.

Here are the youth categories:

YOUNG ADULT FINALISTS

Anna and the Swallow Man Dumplin'

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

More Happy Than Not Nimona

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by  Becky Albertalli

Symphony for the City of the Dead by M. T. Anderson

 

E.B. WHITE READ-ALOUD – MIDDLE READER FINALISTS

The Blackthorn Key (Christopher Rowe, #1) Crenshaw

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

George Roller Girl

George by Alex Gino

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

The Thing About Jellyfish Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones

 

E.B. WHITE READ-ALOUD – PICTURE BOOK FINALISTS

Leo: A Ghost Story 25745002

Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

23604390 Red: A Crayon's Story

The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

Toys Meet Snow: Being the Wintertime Adventures of a Curious Stuffed Buffalo, a Sensitive Plush Stingray, and a Book-loving Rubber Ball (Toys, #4) Waiting

Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Waiting by Kevin Henkes

 

 

The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

| Tasha

The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

Hanalee has always stood out in her hometown in Oregon in the 1920s. She is half African-American and so has very few rights under the law. Her father died a year ago, hit by a drunk driver. A neighbor has told Hanalee that her father is now a “haint,” a ghost traveling the road where he died. Hanalee also discovers that Joe, the boy found guilty for her father’s death is out of jail and back in town, hiding from everyone. The community is also ruled by the KKK, which is certainly not safe for someone like Hanalee. As Hanalee starts to piece together how her father may have died in a different way than a car accident, she also takes a tonic to see her father’s ghost. Joe also tells Hanalee his own secret, why his family has refused him shelter and why the KKK is after him as well.

Winters writes a gripping novel in this reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Set in a time period that is often forgotten, this is a novel of Prohibition, the Klan and the lack of civil rights for people of color. Winters also ties in the loss of rights for LGBT people and how they also lived in the shadows and in desperate fear of being discovered. There is an additional layer of fear as eugenics was being done at the time, a danger for both people of color and LGBT people. With that level of societal pressure and fear, this novel soars and unlikely truces are made in a search for the truth.

Winters’ writing is piercing and honest. She allows Hanalee to figure out the various dangers in her life and somehow at the same time Hanalee is brave enough to not go into hiding or run away but to continue in her search for the truth. Hanalee is an amazing character, filled with love for her best friend, caring for Joe and an adoration of her dead father. Meanwhile she has to handle the dangers around her, and even face them head on with her simple presence in the community.

Brilliantly written, this is a stunning historical novel filled with ghosts and also a firm truth about the risks of the time. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Abrams.

Summerlost by Ally Condie

| Tasha

Summerlost_BOM.indd

Summerlost by Ally Condie (InfoSoup)

Cedar’s family is much smaller than it once was. Her father and brother were killed in a car accident and now Cedar, her mother and her other brother are returning to the small town of Iron Creek for the summer where they have purchased a new house. Cedar soon notices a boy riding his bike past their house dressed in costume. Cedar follows him to Summerlost, a local and renowned theater festival. There, Cedar meets the boy on the bike, Leo and finds herself a summer job too. Leo and Cedar have soon created a tour together about a famous local actress who performed at Summerlost and died in Iron Creek. Cedar’s summer is filled with small mysteries like who is putting items on her windowsill that her dead brother would have loved that help distract her from the loss she has so recently experienced, until she can’t ignore it any longer.

Condie, author of the Matched series, has created a beautiful middle grade novel here that rings with honesty. She manages to keep both the reader and Cedar aware of the loss that was experienced but also moving forward and towards other things. The book is haunted with those deaths, appearing out of nowhere in the middle of beautiful summer days, but also hiding at times and almost disappearing with the busyness of work. It’s an intelligent balance written very cleverly.

Condie’s writing is superb throughout the novel. In Summerlost, she creates an entire world of theater that is intoxicating and memorable. Early in the novel, Condie through Cedar’s voice explains what it is like to have a family shrunk by tragedy:

Sometimes I thought of the three of us as pencils with the erasers scrubbed down to the end, and the next swipe across the paper would tear through the page and make a scree sound across the desk.

This approachable and yet deep writing runs throughout the novel, exposing grief in unexpected and tangible ways.

A strong and outstanding novel for middle grades, this book takes a courageous look at grief and the resilience it takes to continue to live. Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dutton Books for Young Readers.

Spring Break

| Tasha

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I’m on spring break this week with my kids. Have a wonderful week and I promise to read plenty to fill up the blog this spring.

Alan’s Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis

| Tasha

Alans Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis

Alan’s Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis (InfoSoup)

Alan is known for the way that he is able to scare the other animals with his big scary teeth. He spends time each day caring for his teeth and practicing his scary faces in the mirror. Then he heads into the jungle, snapping, growling and declaring how scary his teeth are. The other animals are terrified. Then Alan goes home, relaxes and takes out his false teeth. One day, Barry the beaver discovers Alan’s teeth in their hiding place. He takes them away and leaves Alan without his teeth. Alan tries to scare the other animals, but they just laugh at his toothless threats. Alan was terribly sad, though the other animals were relieved not to be scared anymore. Maybe Alan can learn some skills beyond scaring others?

Jarvis writes in a very engaging way that is perfect for sharing aloud. The entire book gallops along at a fast pace with plenty of action and humor. The reveal of Alan having false teeth is nicely timed, so that the listening audience will be just as surprised as the animals are. The playful tone of the book is helped by the humor throughout with surprises adding to the fun.

Jarvis’ illustrations are childlike and bold. The backgrounds on the illustrations show jungle lushness without being overwhelming or dark. The illustrations have just as much charm as the story itself, creating funny moments and showing products like “Snap Snap Toothpaste.” The entire book works as a seamless package with the illustrations skillfully supporting the story.

This picture book is sure to get toothy grins from any audience you share it with. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

 

The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown

| Tasha

The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown

The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Christian Robinson (InfoSoup)

This is a reillustrated edition of the classic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown. In the story, a group of children find a dead bird in the park. They check for a heartbeat but don’t find one. They are very sorry the bird has died and decide to have a funeral for it. So they dig a hole and fill it with sweet ferns and flowers. The sing a song and cry a bit too. Then they head off to play. They do visit for awhile, bringing fresh flowers to the little grave, and they slowly stop remembering to come.

This is such an honest book about death and grief. It captures that intense wave of sorrow upon finding a dead animal, the immediate connection children have to that creature and the importance of following through in a process of loss. The writing is superb, capturing these complex feelings but also not endowing them with too much weight. There is also a feeling of time passing and life moving on, even though the sadness was so large at first.

Robinson’s illustrations are engagingly simple with whimsical touches. One of the children wears butterfly or fairy wings as they play and another is in a fox mask and tail. They have a large dog along with them and a kite to fly. The children have the friendly expressions of Fisher Price dolls, a curve of smile and dot eyes. The illustrations show the same kind of frankness that marks the text as well.

Refreshingly honest and forthright, this picture book is a smart reworking of a classic story that will resonate with today’s children. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Little One by Jo Weaver

| Tasha

Little One by Jo Weaver

Little One by Jo Weaver (InfoSoup)

As Big Bear leaves her den in the spring, she has a tiny baby cub along with her. The two explore their world together as the baby bear learns to survive in the landscape. They swim together, eat berries, catch fish and play. The baby bear grows and thrives alongside Big Bear. The seasons keep changing from spring to summer to the blustery weather of autumn and the geese flying overhead. Big Bear leads her Little One back to their den, but not before they take a long last look at their world, sitting on a high hill and seeing the water, the forest and their domain below.

The text of this picture book is gentle and lovely. The tone is pure warmth and care, a mother bear who is not going to leave her little one’s side and one who is dedicated to the safety and growth of her little cub. The text celebrates the connection between the two bears and then their connection to the natural world around them. It’s a touching look at a family and then at their world too.

The illustrations are simply stunning. Done in charcoal, they are filled with light, with flowers that seem to bob on the page. Often there are sprigs of leaves and grass done in white in the foreground, caught in a sunbeam coming from off the page. This luminous effect is particularly effective and breathtaking.

A simple and gorgeous book about mothers and children and the incredible beauty of nature. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.