Review: Rosie’s Magic Horse by Russell Hoban

| Tasha

rosies magic horse

Rosie’s Magic Horse by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Rosie collects popsicle sticks that she finds on the ground, creating a collection.  But the popsicle sticks miss their cold sweet ice and wish that they were something more than just discarded sticks.  Maybe they could be a horse!  Meanwhile, Rosie’s parents are worried about bills and how they will pay them.  That night Rosie and the popsicle sticks head out on an adventure together as the popsicle sticks join to become a horse, Stickerino.  Rosie wants to find treasure and first the horse takes her to a mountain made of popsicle ice, but Rosie wants real treasure.  You know that that means pirates!  This story is a true flight of imagination, or perhaps a gallop!

Hoban and Blake are quite a team in this book.  Hoban writes in mostly dialogue here and throughout has a focus on brevity and clarity.  It works well against the wild imaginative nature of the book, making the text a firm foundation from which to launch.  Blake’s illustrations are quintessentially his with their jaunty lines and loose watercolor tones. 

Perfect for inspiring bedtime dreams of popsicles and horses, this book requires you to just go along for the ride.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira

| Tasha

ribbit

Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueiro, illustrated by Poly Bernatene

One morning, the frogs in the pond woke up to discover a very pink visitor among them: a little pink pig.  They tried to ask the piglet why he was there, but all he would say was “Ribbit!”  The other animals soon heard about the unusual pig and hurried to the pond to see him.  All of the animals except the frogs found the entire situation hilarious, but the frogs were getting more and more angry.  The animals went in search of the wise old beetle to ask his advice, but when they returned the pig was gone.  All of the animals began to wonder what the pig had wanted all along and it wasn’t too late to find out!

Folgueira has created a book with the feel of a traditional folktale but one that also has the humor and feel of a modern story.  Told in a clear voice, the book invites readers to wonder about what is actually happening in the book.  Happily, the ending ends the questions, but until then there is plenty to think about.

Bernatene’s illustrations have bright tones and fine lines.  The watercolor texture of the pages and the pictures add a welcome rustic warmth to the story that suits it well.  She has also created one of the most engaging little pigs, with a merry grin and closed eyes formed out of just a few curved lines.  Pink perfection.

This is a look at friendship and also at cultures and what happens when someone steps out of their own comfort zone and begins to explore new things.  In the end though, it’s a delight of a read aloud that children will enjoy for just the story alone.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Review: Look Up! by Robert Burleigh

| Tasha

look up

LookUp! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raul Colon

Henrietta had loved the stars ever since she was a little girl and spent hours gazing at them.  When she studied astronomy, she was one of the only women in her class.  After graduating, she worked at an observatory though she almost never got to look through the telescope.  Instead the women were there to do the calculations, to work and not think.  But Henrietta continued to study and to think, she was especially interested in a group of stars that seemed to dim and glow.  She discovered some new blinking stars that no one had ever found before.  As she studied, she found a pattern in the dimming and brightening of these stars: the blink time allowed her to measure the true brightness of any blinking star in the sky.  Her discovery led to a deeper understanding of the vastness of the universe and her life demonstrated that women are thinkers and scientists.

Burleigh’s writing is almost poetic here.  He speaks of the connection Henrietta felt to the stars: “Sometimes she felt the stars were trying to speak, to tell her what they knew.”  He writes with deep amazement at the vastness of the universe and also speaks of Leavitt’s discoveries in thrilled tones, giving her credit for the hard work and patience it took to find the patterns in the stars.  The book ends with several pages that outline her discoveries, names of other female astronomers, and also have a glossary and bibliography. 

Colon’s illustrations are simply gorgeous.  Done in watercolors and pencil, the illustrations are luminous, glowing with the light of the stars and with the light of the heroine herself.  Textured with swirling lines, the illustrations have a great depth to them as well.

This picture book biography invites children to follow their own passions and get involved in science as well.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

2013 Eisner Award Nominees

| Tasha

The nominees for the 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards have been announced.  This award celebrates the comic and graphic novel formats.  I consider these awards a great way to make sure that your library is getting top graphic novel titles for all ages.  Here are the nominees for children and teen books:

BEST PUBLICATION FOR EARLY READERS (up to age 7)

Babymouse for President (Babymouse #16) Benny and Penny in Lights Out Kitty & Dino

Babymouse for President by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Benny and Penny in Lights Out by Geoffrey Hayes

Kitty & Dino by Sara Richard

Maya Makes a Mess Zig and Wikki in The Cow

Maya Makes a Mess by Rutu Modan

Zig and Wikki in The Cow by Nadja Spiegelman and Trade Loeffler

 

BEST PUBLICATION FOR KIDS (ages 8-12)

Adventure Time Vol. 1 Amulet, Vol. 5: Prince of the Elves Cow Boy

Adventure Time by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb

Amulet Book 5: Prince of the Elves by Kazu Kibuishi

Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos

Crogan's Loyalty Hilda and the Midnight Giant Oz: Road to Oz

Crogan’s Loyalty by Chris Schweizer

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson

Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young

 

BEST PUBLICATION FOR TEENS (ages 13-17)

Adventure Time: Marceline & The Scream Queens Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller Ichiro

Adventure Time: Marceline and the Scream Queens by Meredith Gran

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert

Ichiro by Ryan Inzana

Spera, Volume 1 A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

Spera, Volume 1 by Josh Tierney

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson

PW’s Best Summer Books 2013

| Tasha

Publisher Weekly has released their list of the best books coming this summer.  Here are their top picks for Children’s books:

PICTURE BOOKS

If You Want to See a Whale Odd Duck Yes, Let's

If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin Stead

Odd Duck by Cecil Castelucci

Yes, Let’s by Galen Goodwin Longstreth and Maris Wicks

 

CHILDREN’S FICTION

The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1) Gorgeous The Lucy Variations

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

The Moon and More P.S. Be Eleven 

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked This Is What Happy Looks Like

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Review: Peanut by Ayun Halliday

| Tasha

peanut

Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe

When Sadie heads to a new school once again, she comes up with a grand plan.  She orders a medical bracelet online and pretends to have a severe peanut allergy.  Using this strategy, she does make some friends, including finding a boyfriend.  However, the fake peanut allergy continues to be a problem, especially if she slips up and just eats a chip cooked in peanut oil.  As it becomes more and more a focus of her life, she thinks about telling the truth to her friends.  But it’s too late to come clean, because they would hate her for lying to them.  This graphic novel steadily counts down to the disaster that readers will know is coming, creating tension laced with humor.

Halliday has created a character that we can all relate to.  Sadie lies to make friends, her strange solution to being the new girl actually works.  Sadie is insecure and as she grows in self-esteem the trap she finds herself in starts to tighten.  She is a wonderful imperfect character, scolding her new boyfriend, lying to her mother, and of course lying to everyone at school.  But through it all, she is likeable and universal.

Hoppe’s illustrations are done in black and white lines with Sadie’s sweater being a pop of red against the more subtle coloring.  His drawings are fresh feeling and dynamic, often going for the laugh especially when the drama gets thick. 

Perfect for those teens who enjoy Raina Telgemeier’s books, this graphic novel is filled with humor and tension.  Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade.

E. L. Konigsburg Dies

| Tasha

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The View from Saturday Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth

E.L. Konigsburg, the author of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, died on Friday at the age of 83.  Konigsburg is one of only five authors to have won the Newbery Medal twice, once for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and once for The View from Saturday. 

Additionally, she received a Newbery Honor for Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth, in the same year she won her first Newbery Medal.  That made her the only person to have received a Newbery Medal and Honor in the same year.  She also holds the record for the longest span between two Newbery Awards with her first medal in 1968 and her second in 1997, 29 years later.

Review: War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay

| Tasha

war brothers

War Brothers: The Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay, illustrated by Daniel LaFrance

This is the graphic novel version of McKay’s teen novel of the same title.  Based on interviews with child soldiers, this novel pulls no punches when telling the story of Jacob, a Ugandan boy taken by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) as a soldier.  Jacob is a teenager who is headed to a boy’s school.  Knowing the danger from Joseph Kony and his LRA, Jacob’s father provides additional armed guards at the school.  But it is not enough, Jacob and his friends are taken as child soldiers.  That begins a story of brutality, murder, starvation, and survival.  But this story is not without hope and resilience and heroism that flies in the face of the desperate and violent situation the boys find themselves in.

McKay warns readers right from the beginning about the violence of the storyline.  Through a letter from Jacob, the book warns of the brutality of what happens, ending with “There is no shame in closing this book now.”  McKay does not try to lessen that brutality, showing how child soldiers are indoctrinated into the LRA and broken.  Jacob struggles with having to commit atrocities himself, despite the food that is promised for him and his friends.  One of his friends does become a soldier, well fed and cared for, but with his spirit entirely decimated by what he has done.  It is an impossible choice, kill others or die yourself. 

LaFrance does an admirable job of showing violence but without adding drama to an already volatile and horrific situation.  He does not shy away from showing the brutality, often using close ups and unique lighting to show what happened without becoming too bloody.  It is a fine line to walk, demonstrating that this is real and actual, while leaving it powerful enough to speak on its own.

Highly recommended, this is a story that is riveting to read as long as you are brave enough to continue turning the pages.  The fact that this is based on true stories of child soldiers adds to the compelling nature of the tale.  Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Annick Press.

This Week’s Tweets and Pins

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts this week that you might find interesting:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Five Questions for Anna Dewdney – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/11aEQz6 #kidlit

Laura Powell’s top 10 heroes in disguise | Children’s books http://buff.ly/16XUrVe #kidlit

Top Ten Novels in Verse by Lauren Strohecker | Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/ZnXbG6

Writing a Wordless Book by Lizi Boyd | Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/11cF8pl #kidlit

EBOOKS

Simon & Schuster launches ebook lending pilot with New York City public libraries — paidContent http://buff.ly/12dDGEp #ebooks #libraries

LIBRARIES

Five Great Things Libraries Are Doing With Old Books | LJ Insider http://buff.ly/17vkCnF

Jo Knowles – What’s so important about your local library? http://buff.ly/ZuJbul #libraries

Why libraries are relevant in the Google age – Las Vegas Sun News http://buff.ly/ZkPaVx #libraries

PUBLISHING

Neil Gaiman urges publishers to ‘make mistakes’ in uncertain new era | Books http://buff.ly/119Gpeb

Self-Publishing Grabs Huge Market Share From Traditional Publishers | David Gaughran http://buff.ly/16S3Ldh

TECHNOLOGY

12 Types Of Social Media Users – infographic http://shrd.by/D5Rnf3 via @BerriePelser

Fujitsu Develops Technology That Turns Paper Into a Touchscreen – Wow! http://on.mash.to/11clpVD

Judge rules Union County blogger is protected by the state’s shield law | http://buff.ly/17AplEy #blogging #blogs

Kids read and write better on iPads: Swedish study – The Local http://buff.ly/15ptbB3

Teens and Social Media: http://pinterest.com/pin/193021534002126208/

TEEN LIT

The Spring Book Preview, Y.A. Edition – Jen Doll-The Atlantic Wire http://buff.ly/114ReRe

Watch New ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Teaser Trailer [VIDEO] http://on.mash.to/17A9pSD #yalit