Review: Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guion

| Tasha

baby penguins everywhere

Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guion

There was a penguin who was all alone on the ice floes.  She liked the quiet, but sometimes it did get lonely. Then one day, she discovered a top hat floating in the water.  Once the hat was on land, out popped a little penguin.  And then another!  The big penguin was very happy and no longer lonely.  But then came another little penguin, and more, and more.  Soon there were many, many little penguins everywhere.  The big penguin was very busy and quite tired.  She knew she just needed on little thing – a moment of quiet and solitude.  But after that, she merrily joined in the fun with all of the other penguins again.

Guion frames her message about the need for quiet and solitude in a way that children will understand.  The big penguin needs a little break, just like their parents sometimes do.  The best part though, is that after that break, they are ready for more fun!  The writing here is simple, making it just right for toddlers.

It is Guion’s art that really shines here.  The delight of the first two little penguins is perfection and then the surprise of turning the page and realizing that they just keep on coming makes the book even more fun.  Guion has her little penguins in constant motion, playfully coming up with new ideas and new toys.  This is much more like a class than a family, so teachers may appreciate using this book as a way to explain their own need for some quiet time too.

A cheerful look at peace and quiet, this book is wonderfully rowdy too.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from ARC received from author.

Amazon: Best Books of 2012–Middle Grade

| Tasha

Here is another of Amazon’s Best Book lists for the year.  This one focuses on the top 20 books for middle grade readers.

  

After Eli by Rebecca Rupp

The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again by Frank Cottrell Boyce

  

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente

  

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash

  

Island of Thieves by Josh Lacey

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny – Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

  

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Return to the Willows by Jacqueline Kelly, illustrated by Clint Young

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

  

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

 

Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Review: Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

| Tasha

vessel

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

When Liyana took her dreamwalk, she found out that she would be a vessel for her goddess to return to the world.  This meant that the Great Drought would end as the goddess Bayla would bring water to their dry wells in the desert.  Liyana worked to make sure that her body was worthy of the goddess, but when she danced the sacred dance, Bayla did not appear.  Left behind by her tribe to die in the desert alone, Liyana met Korbyn, a god inside his vessel.  He explained that five gods were missing, kidnapped by someone.  So Liyana joined Korbyn in traveling to the other nomadic tribes to tell them of their lost gods and save their vessels.  But the journey is dangerous, the tribes unwelcoming, the real enemy unknown, and as they journey, Liyana finds more and more reasons to not want to disappear when her goddess returns.

Durst has a great storytelling skill which is evident in this book.  The storyline is complex with many characters, mortals and gods alike.  Durst keeps the story moving forward at a brisk pace, populating her world with many unique characters.  Even the desert itself is wondrous with its sand wolves, giant worms, and glass sky serpents.  The ecological disaster of a world-wide drought drives the story, creating its own tension and time limits. 

But what Durst does best here is create an amazing heroine.  Liyana is not only worthy to be the vessel for the goddess, but worthy of awe herself.  She is not only strong but very vulnerable.  She is so strong but also rocked by the new emotions of love and lust that she finds awakening.  She is devoted to her goddess but also questions her own role in bringing the goddess to life.  Complex and completely human, Liyana is simply remarkable.

I must highlight here that Liyana is clearly a non-white heroine in the story and happily, the cover reflects that as well.  This is an amazing girl of the desert with skin that is described as burnt cinnamon.

Get this one into the hands of teens who enjoy the strong heroines of writers like Tamora Pierce.  They will love the world building, unique setting, and Liyana herself.  Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Reviewed from copy received from McElderry Books.

New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2012

| Tasha

Here are the books selected by the children’s book editor of the NYT as notable for this year.  They range from teen novels through picture books.  The covers and titles below link to GoodReads so you too can have far too long a reading list, like me!

YOUNG ADULT

  

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

  

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

Son by Lois Lowry

 

MIDDLE GRADE

  

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

  

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

  

The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

 

“Who Could That Be at This Hour?” by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Seth

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell

 

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

A Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

 

Hello! Hello! by Matthew Cordell

I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

 

King Arthur’s Very Great Grandson by Kenneth Kraegel

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Review: Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum

| Tasha

jo macdonald had a garden

Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

Celebrate gardening with this cheery picture book that features Old MacDonald’s granddaughter, Jo MacDonald.  The verses here are set to the same music as the original, except this time it’s all about planting a garden rather than the animals on a farm.  In the garden there is some sun, some soil, a worm, seeds, water, animals, plants, and then food!  Watching the illustrations, children will see the garden take shape and then watch the plants grow until they are ready to be harvested. 

Quattlebaum has cleverly written verses that can be acted out by preschoolers as the book is shared.  At times, the children in the illustrations show the movements that could be done, and at other times they would be easily figured out by a savvy teacher or librarian.  I can see lots of children this spring enjoying planting imaginary gardens all together. 

Bryant’s illustrations have a wonderful sense of detail to them.  Each page has animals to glimpse in the garden, including a cardinal and a butterfly that are on almost every page.  This is a book that children will enjoy looking at and exploring.

Get your voice warmed up and be ready to wiggle like a worm with this new version of Old MacDonald!  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Dawn Publications.

Review: Colorful Dreamer by Marjorie Blain Parker

| Tasha

colorful dreamer

Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse by Marjorie Blain Parker, illustrated by Holly Berry

Matisse grew up in a French town that was industrial and gray.  Despite this, he dreamed in bright colors.  He was a boy who did not do well in school, at music, or really at much of anything except dreaming.  Matisse decided to study law in Paris, but he discovered that being a law clerk was very dull, copying legal documents word for word by hand.  Due to the stress, Matisse ended up in a hospital bed for months.  It was there that he started painting to pass the time.  Now he had found exactly what he was good at.  It wasn’t easy, there were times he lacked food and money, but he worked very hard at his art.  Years later, Matisse found himself sick and in bed again in his old age.  He could no longer stand at an easel, so he turned to making cut-out collages, and those pieces turned out to be some of his most celebrated creations.

Parker vividly tells the story of a boy who grew up as a very unlikely artist.  From his colorless surroundings to the fact that he had never discovered his artistic gift, it is amazing that Matisse became what he was.  I appreciate particularly her celebration of the creative and the imaginative.  She also makes sure though that young readers know how much work it took for Matisse to reach success and that it did not come instantaneously.  It’s a book that speaks to everyone having a gift, but also the hard work it takes to achieve it.

Berry’s art plays black-and-white against brilliant color.  The gray world of Matisse’s youth is shown in intricate pencil illustrations, but pales against the radiant color of his dreams and his art.  As the pages turn, Matisse’s world becomes the same colors as the art he creates, demonstrating that he has finally found his place in the world as a whole.

Beautifully illustrated and written as an inspiration to young people looking for their own special place in the world, this is a very special look at a famous artist.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

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

2012 Nerdy Book Club Award Nominations by Donalyn Miller « Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/YfWfXN Nominations open until Nov. 30. #kidlit

And if you want MORE School themed books (not just pic books):http://www.playingbythebook.net/2012/08/13/im-looking-for-a-book-about-starting-school/ … #picturebookmonth

BIG news for Suzanne Collins fans! – it’s an autobiographical picture book next for her! http://buff.ly/Yu4wYs

‘Lots of Lambs,’ ‘One Spotted Giraffe,’ and More New Interactive & Pop-Up Books http://buff.ly/V8zK0F #kidlit

The rise of the ‘Wimpy Kid’ empire – Fortune Management http://buff.ly/V8KrjT

DIGITAL RIGHTS

Here’s Why Digital Rights Management Is Stupid And Anti-Consumer – The Consumerist http://buff.ly/YnTROJ

Tell your senators: ‘Don’t let ECPA threaten my electronic privacy!’ http://buff.ly/V4EFzT

E-BOOKS

Apple’s iPad Book Ban Violates The Hippie Spirit Of Steve Jobs: Author http://buff.ly/V5RMAL

OUPblog » The e-reader over your shoulder http://buff.ly/V0ggLI

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook makes it official — an external advertising network is coming soon — Tech News and Analysis http://buff.ly/YanPpi

How To Use Google+ As Your Social Media Dashboard To Cross-Post To Facebook, Twitter & More http://buff.ly/V0sSCL

Is It Time for Content Marketers to Abandon Facebook? | Copyblogger http://buff.ly/V5Z9It

MediaPost Publications Some Sites Reserve Right To Share Personal Data – http://buff.ly/V5RPwt

The Social Media Economy Explained – By The Onion [Video]http://buff.ly/UTwDtz

Time Spent on Social Media: http://pinterest.com/pin/193021534001108847/

TEEN BOOKS

Librarian Nancy Pearl’s Picks For The Omnivorous Reader : NPR http://buff.ly/Ymr8Ka – happy to see Code Name Verity included!

Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, & Brenna Yovanoff Talk with Roger Sutton — The Horn Book http://buff.ly/V8klxD #yalit

Review: Live Through This by Mindi Scott

| Tasha

live through this

Live Through This by Mindi Scott

Coley is living a lie.  Her life appears to be perfect on the outside.  She is popular, dances on the school dance team, and has started dating a cute guy in her class.  But that’s just the surface.  After her mother fled an abusive husband in New Zealand, she has since remarried and now has three children with her new husband.  Coley and her brother, Bryan, feel like outsiders sometimes, so many years older than the other children in the family.  And then there is the secret that Coley can’t even admit to herself.  A family member is molesting her at night.  All Coley can do is pretend that it doesn’t happen and just continue to try to live her life.  But it does happen, and it’s getting more and more difficult for Coley to pretend it away.  This is a riveting story about the cost of living a lie and the courage it takes to tell the truth.

Scott’s writing is all the more powerful because of all she leaves out.  Readers know from the very first pages that Coley is being sexually assaulted at night, but Scott doesn’t reveal who it is in her family.  This builds the tension tremendously, making the book impossible to put down until that mystery is solved.  Scott depicts the abuse itself with an unflinching honesty that makes it all the more sinister.

Scott powerfully captures the character of a girl who is working as hard and as fast as she can to stay in denial about what is really happening.  Coley is a complex person, a loving and warm girlfriend and daughter on the surface, but there is so much fear and self-loathing underneath.  Coley also carries a large amount of guilt with her, because of her reaction to the abuse.  Scott does not shy away from the difficult emotions here, while always making sure that readers understand who is truly at fault.

A powerful, wrenching novel for teens that tackles incest and survival.  Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Review: The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks

| Tasha

bear in the book

The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben

A little boy sits in bed reading a book with his mother.  It’s a book about a bear getting ready to sleep for the winter.  The boy and his mother share the story together, talking about the pictures and the bear.  The bear eats and eats, getting ready to hibernate until he finally curls up and falls asleep.  Then the snow comes, and the little boy can almost feel the cold from the page of the book.  He looks closely at the pictures and finds hidden animals in the snowy landscape.  The snow continues and the boy snuggles in closer, the bear sleeps on.  As spring nears, the boy gets sleepy.  Just as the bear is about to wake up, the boy falls asleep for the night.  Now it’s his turn to sleep long and deep in a cozy bed.

This book is pure joy.  It celebrates both the written word and the art of the picture book.  Even more so though, it celebrates the connection built by sharing a book right before bed.  Just as the boy could feel the winter emanating from the page, here you can feel the warmth and coziness.  With my librarian hat on, I am delighted to see a book that models what reading aloud to a small child should look like.  There should be conversations about the pictures, questions and answers about what is happening in the story, looking at the colors on the page, finding hidden animals, and much more activity than simply reading a story aloud. 

Hallensleben’s illustrations have a gorgeous rough texture to them.  The paint is lovely and thick, resulting in rich colors that add to that feeling of warmth and home.  They also bridge the connection between the book and the family reading together, flowing seamlessly back and forth, uniting as an entire story.

Highly recommended, this is a book that will have you curled up and sharing it with your own little one immediately.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.