Review: Chik Chak Shabbat by Mara Rockliff

| Tasha

chik chak shabbat

Chik Chak Shabbat by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

Every Saturday, the residents of one apartment building spend the day smelling marvelous smells drifting down from the 5th floor.  And every Saturday evening, everyone gathers on the 5th floor for Goldie’s cholent, a traditional Jewish stew.  But then one Saturday, there was no wonderful smell and when little Lali Omar went up the stairs, she found that Goldie was too sick to get the cholent cooking and it was too late to start the slow-cooking stew.  All is not lost though, as the neighbors look through their own pantries and refrigerators and create a Saturday meal that is not cholent but has many of the same ingredients incorporated into foods from their own personal heritages.  There is Korean barley tea, tomato pizza, potato curry, and beans and rice. 

Rockliff’s Shabbat tale is an amazingly diverse story.  While it follows Jewish traditions in the beginning, including Goldie sharing memories as a little girl of Shabbat with her extended family, the magic comes when Goldie gets ill.  Not only does the reader quickly realize how important this shared meal and time is for the entire building, but suddenly the heritage of each person is shown through their food.  It’s a clever way to show community and diversity in a single situation.

Brooker’s illustrations combine cut paper art with rich thick paint.  The result is the same winning combination of dishes served at the community Shabbat table.  The different textures and colors come together to be something more than their individual parts, creating a dynamic world.

Celebrating community, this book shows how diverse people can come together in friendship and harmony to save the day.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

2014 Guardian Children’s Fiction Award Shortlist

| Tasha

The shortlist for the 2014 Guardian Children’s Fiction Award has been announced.  Here is my favorite quote about the books from the article in The Guardian:

Carnegie and Guardian children’s ficiton prize winner Frank Cottrell Boyce sums it up: “We have space and squirrels, secrets and fantasies – a list of amazing diversity and exuberant invention”.

And here is the shortlist:

The Dark Wild Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

The Dark Wild by Pier Torday

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Phoenix We Were Liars

Phoenix by SF Said

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Review: I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel

| Tasha

i am jazz

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

Told in the first person, Jazz explains to readers her favorite things like the color pink, dancing, singing, makeup and mermaids.  She talks about her best friends Samantha and Casey and what they do together.  Then Jazz talks about how she is different than the girls she is friends with.  Jazz was born a boy but has a girl brain.  She explains that she is transgender and then talks about how she has been this way since she was a very little child.  Readers will see her family come to terms with Jazz being transgender and the support she got from them and the school she attends.  The end touches on bullying, but that is not the focus of this book.  It is a positive and personal look at being a transgender child.

Written by Herthel and Jazz herself, this book takes the right tone about the subject from the first page.  First, it establishes firmly that Jazz is a girl.  It is only after that that readers are told that she is transgender.  That topic is handled in a very matter-of-fact way and the book does not delve into issues of genitals, hormones or treatments of any kind.  It is kept right at the correct level so that this can be used with children who are transgender themselves or have a transgender sibling or classmate. 

McNicholas’ illustrations keep Jazz merrily feminine throughout.  When depicting Jazz as a little boy as a younger child, the illustrations manage without anything overt to show how out-of-place Jazz feels in those clothes and that hair.  It is gently framed, but clear in the pictures that Jazz is much happier living as a girl.

A great pick for classrooms or schools with transgender children, this is also a book that parents will appreciate having at their library.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial.

Review: The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

| Tasha

storm whale

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

Noi lives with his father in a house by the sea with six cats.  Every day, his father goes out fishing, leaving Noi alone all day long.  One day, after a big storm, Noi sees something out on the beach.  It’s a baby whale.  Noi knows it will not live long without water, so he takes the whale home and puts it in the bathtub.  He spends time with the whale, telling it stories.  But he also worries that his father will be angry when he finds a whale in the house.  So Noi tries to keep the whale a secret from his father, but it doesn’t last for long.  A whale is a big secret to keep in a small family.  Together, the two of them return the whale to the sea, but not before they each learn something about one another and how to move forward as a stronger family.

Davies manages to tell a profound story using minimal words.  The text in the book mainly explains the action that is happening.  It does not offer insight into the emotions of the characters.  That is a large part of the power of this book.  So much goes unsaid but is clear to the reader.  Noi’s loneliness is shown rather than told.  Him lingering by the window as his father leaves, the fact that he brings the whale home across a stretch of beach rather than pushing him back into the nearby water.  Even the father’s reaction is shown this way, allowing the emotions to be realized rather than explained.

The illustrations tell much of the story here, but again in a quiet and frank manner.  The emotions are not broadcast from the character’s faces but from their situations and their body language.  It’s a brave way to tell a story about a father and son reconnecting with one another.

Adeptly conceived and powerful, this picture book speaks to loneliness and family, and would be great as a discussion book for young children about emotions.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt and Co.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:

14 Favorite Quotes from Children's Books - Imagination Soup Imagination Soup Fun Learning and Play Activities for Kids

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Author Interview: Carl Hiaasen on His Latest Skink Novel and Why He Won’t Do Vampires http://buff.ly/1suS6Q7 #kidlit

Diversity in Publishing Matters (Whether You Like It Or Not) – BOOK RIOT http://buff.ly/1vqK3Sz #weneeddiversebooks #diversity

Marla Frazee Talks with Roger – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1nGzQSf #kidlit

Michael Morpurgo: how the sinking of the Lusitania inspired my new book | Children’s books | The Guardian http://buff.ly/1narX7g #kidlit

‘The Pushcart War’ at 50 http://buff.ly/1Bd2QS2 #kidlit

Top 10 health and safety fails in children’s books | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1uMCELS #yalit #kidlit

EBOOKS

The Mess of Ebooks | Library Journal http://buff.ly/1rQ02cV #ebooks #libraries

Mural-sized historic photos of iconic boardwalk amusements and salvaged wooden decking tie Brooklyn PL’s Coney Island Library to its famous beachfront attractions, a mere two blocks away. The texture of the vinyl floor reflects the grain in the ceiling.

LIBRARIES

Library of Things seeks to expand non-book offerings at Sacramento Public Library – http://buff.ly/1oFn7tZ #libraries

Miami-Dade libraries need to end ‘bookish’ attitude, panel says | The Miami Herald http://buff.ly/1wUHXKF #libraries

New $2 million teen learning lab coming to Central Library http://buff.ly/YUWlHb #libraries

Shared Story Provocation: Bookmaking & Kids’ Library : Sturdy for Common Things http://buff.ly/1mUA8nG #libraries

READING

5 Tips For Getting Out of a Long-Term Reading Slump – BOOK RIOT http://buff.ly/1rITlt9 #reading

TEEN READS

Are you ready for some football…books? – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/1ugTa98 #yalit

Book Review: ‘Afterworlds,’ By Scott Westerfeld | : NPR http://buff.ly/1n3szvj #yalit

The Fault in Our Stars Has Been Banned in Schools | Vanity Fair http://buff.ly/1CESYD4 #yalit

Knickers? Snogging? Can we really transport humour across the pond? | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1nGv1IG #yalit

Stacked: Guest Post: Fiona Woods on Female Sexuality in YA Fiction http://buff.ly/1n3rFyX #yalit

When Vampires Won’t Stay Dead

| Tasha

 twilight

According to the New York Times, Lions Gate and Stephenie Meyer will be doing a new Twilight film project.  They will work with five aspiring female movie directors to create five short films based on Twilight characters.  The films will be shown exclusively on Facebook. 

As a complete anti-fan of the entire Twilight experience from the books to the films, I sigh heavily at this.  But I know that certain Twilight fans, one of whom I’m married to, will be thrilled at the news.  Which way do you feel?

Thanks to EarlyWord for the link.

Review: Draw! by Raúl Colón

| Tasha

draw

Draw! by Raúl Colón

In this wordless picture book, Colón recreates his love of drawing as a child and the way that it could take him to new places.  Here a boy is sitting on his bed looking at a book about Africa.  He sets the book aside and picks up his drawing pad and a pencil.  Soon readers can see the images in his head as he puts them on paper.  The boy is transported directly to Africa, setting up his drawing easel in front of each of the different animals of Africa.  The elephant is first and after seeing his picture gives the boy a ride to met the zebras.  The book moves from one animal to the next, the boy changing how he approaches them according to what animal it is.  Until finally a group of monkeys make a picture of the boy.  Readers and the boy return to his bedroom, now littered with all of the drawings of the animals.

This book nicely captures without using any words at all the transformative power of art and creativity.  It beautifully shows how art can transport you to a different place and time, moving you into the flow of creating a work.  It also demonstrates how inspiration can strike and the flow of creativity can overtake you in the best possible way.

Colón’s illustrations are done in pen, ink, watercolors and pencil.  They move from line drawings with pastel tones of real life to a more lush and rich color and style when we are inside the boy’s imagination.  Colón uses lines on these more colorful pages to give texture and movement to the image.  They are illustrations that invite you to walk right into them.

Imagination, creativity and art come together in this book to transport readers right into Africa.  Now it’s time to get out your own pencils and see where they will take you.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Review: Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons by Alice B. McGinty

| Tasha

rabbi benjamins buttons

Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

In the fall, the congregation gave Rabbi Benjamin a vest in honor of the new year.  It was yellow with four bright silver buttons down the front and it was a perfect fit.  Rabbi Benjamin wore his vest to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which also involved a lot of food.  Each family offered their own special food for the holiday, and Rabbi Benjamin’s vest was a lot tighter by the end.  During Sukkot, Rabbi visited each of the families and again had lots of food and his vest grew even tighter.  Until on the last day of Sukkot, one of the silver buttons popped right off his vest.  Chanukah came and Rabbi Benjamin ate lots of latke, and he lost a second silver button.  Spring came along with Passover, and the rabbi lost the last two buttons that had tried to stretch across his growing belly.  He was very upset about how he had ruined his special vest.  So he changed a few things.  He got out and moved more along with his congregation.  And when he tried on the vest for Rosh Hashanah, it was far too big to wear.  But don’t worry, Rabbi Benjamin had a loving congregation ready to help him again.

This book has a wonderful radiance about it.  The heart of the book is really the love felt between the congregation and Rabbi Benjamin.  He is unfailingly kind and giving as are they, perhaps a bit too giving when it comes to the food!  At the same time, the story is a smart and very enjoyable way for readers to learn about the various Jewish holidays throughout the year and the traditions associated with them.  The book has an index of the holidays at the end, including recipes for each holiday.  There is also a glossary of Jewish words.

Reinhardt’s illustrations also capture the loving community on the page.  Rabbi Benjamin almost glows on each page, not only due to his shining yellow vest but also with his popping and vibrant personality.  The diverse ethnicities of the congregation is also appreciated.

A cheery look at Jewish holidays and the bounty of friendship and community, this book will be appreciated by people of all faiths.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Wildlife by Fiona Wood

| Tasha

wildlife

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

Set in Australia, this teen novel features the first person voices of two sixteen-year-old girls experiencing a semester in a school wilderness camp.  Sib has been in this school for a long time, so it surprises everyone, including herself, when she is selected as a model for a billboard and modeling campaign.  Suddenly instead of ignoring her, everyone is paying attention to her.  That includes Ben Capaldi, the cutest and most popular boy in school.  Sib has no idea how to deal with this new interest, but her best friend is very willing to guide her, perhaps too willing.  Lou is a new girl in school and is recovering from the loss of her boyfriend in an accident a year ago.  She has no interest in joining into school life or making new friends.  Instead she wants to be left alone, connect with her old friends, grieve and try to figure a way out of her extra counseling sessions.  But even as she walls herself away from the others at school, she finds herself getting drawn into the drama and life happening around her.  This story of two very different and equally compelling young women dives deep into romance, sexuality and friendship.

Wood has made recent news through her frank depiction of teen female sexuality.  This book stands out clearly with its positive but also nuanced and honest look at one girl’s first sexual experience.  With moments of humor throughout, the sex is shown with lots of heat, tons of desire, and then reality as well.  In the end, the character decides what is right for her, not what is right for all teens, but there is no shaming, no despair, no regret, just decisions going forward.  This is sex as teen girls experience it, done with intelligence and care.

The reason the sex in the book works so well is that Wood has created two main characters who are themselves intelligent, caring and fascinating.  Sib is dealing with suddenly breaking the role that she had been cast in, and being thrust into popularity for something that she sees no value in, modeling.  It’s a deft combination of feminism and pop culture.  She also has a manipulative best friend, a character who is beautifully drawn and one that readers will adore to dislike.  Lou too is a complex character with her grief but also her growing interest in those around her.  Her internal voice is wonderfully wry and funny, showing a spirit and intensity well before she reveals it to the world around her. 

Set in a clever parent-free wilderness setting, this book is smart, funny and just what fans of Rainbow Rowell are looking for.  Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from library copy.