The Longlist for the UK’s 2012 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize has been announced. The eight finalists are:
The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton
Bullet Boys by Ally Kennen
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers
A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
Soonchild by Russell Hoban
The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Dog in Charge by K. L. Going, illustrated by Dan Santat
Dog had been busy all day. He had sat, stayed and even danced dressed in a pink ribbon and tutu. But his entire day changed when he was left in charge of the cats when the humans left. Dog knew just what to do. He would have the cats sit and stay. But before he could order the cats around, all five of them had completely disappeared. One-by-one dog found the cats. They were lapping milk on the kitchen counter, hiding in the fireplace, in the clothes hamper, in bed, and putting on makeup. Dog had to think of something quick! Then he had a great idea: cat treats! Unfortunately, they smelled so delicious that he couldn’t help himself and ate the entire bag. Then, exhausted and full, he fell asleep. When the cats found him, you will never guess what they did next!
Going has a wonderful tone and patter for slapstick comedy. Her timing is right on and makes the book a delight to read aloud. She also puts on an unexpected ending that will warm the heart and makes the book all the more wonderful to share.
Santat’s illustrations are done in a mixture of different types of frames that add a dynamic touch to the book. At the same time, they bring to mind vintage cartoon characters and have all of their charm and wit.
This jolly picture book would make a great addition to storytimes about either cats or dogs. It’s one of those that you can hold until the end to make the little bodies stay still. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books for Young Readers.
Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts that you might find interesting:
You can also check out my tweets and pins about libraries and technology on my Sites & Soundbytes blog.
20 FREE YA and Classic audiobook downloads! | teenbookclubtpl http://buff.ly/L7SCeF #yalit
Announcing “Teachers Write!” A Virtual Summer Writing Camp for Teachers & Librarians http://buff.ly/LvaMoU
Asking questions while reading out loud improves literacy, new study reveals – Chicago Education News – http://buff.ly/LgUJOW
Born to Be Wild – Interview with Libba Bray on SLJ http://buff.ly/Lv9nP1
"Closing libraries is a form of child abuse, Michael Morpurgo has warned"http://buff.ly/LAPNRL #libraries
David Walliams signs new book deal with HarperCollins | http://Licensing.biz http://buff.ly/LSxzxz #kidlit
"I think everyone should be given an opportunity to find a book they love.” -Lilli Leight in The @MiamiHerald: http://hrld.us/K2gDA5
An interview with China Miéville – http://prsm.tc/e50tTo #yalit
Let’s end the great gender lie | The Guardian http://buff.ly/LAP8zO
Meet Manjiro, Japan’s Unlikely Teen Ambassador : NPR http://buff.ly/JCzZRr #yalit#kidlit
Multicultural publisher holds its own | Crain’s New York Business http://buff.ly/LhMUTD #kidlit
Palacio’s ‘Wonder’ Launches Companion Anti-Bullying Campaign http://buff.ly/LSxMkr #kidlit
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Official Trailer) – YouTube http://buff.ly/K8EdBN #yalit
PlayStation Announces Interactive Book Controller, Partners With J.K. Rowling For First Title http://buff.ly/Lv2TzU #kidlit
Print or E-books: Which Are Better for Early Learners? – Early Years – Education Week http://buff.ly/LAwtUN #kidlit #literacy #reading
SLJ’s 2012 Day of Dialog: Walter Dean Myers Vows to Close the Reading Gaphttp://buff.ly/Lvhxqw #literacy #reading
Summer Reading Programs Boost Student Achievement, Study Says http://buff.ly/KRC4sp #reading #libraries
Teen Reads: Summer Books For You And Your BFF : NPR http://buff.ly/KRyBdj
Top 10 YA Books That Should Be Adapted for Film | LitReactor http://buff.ly/LSv4eB #yalit
Wanderful Acquires Licensing Rights to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Living Books – MarketWatch http://buff.ly/KGZkdL
Wider letter spacing helps dyslexic children http://buff.ly/KjmqBq #reading
YA Fiction at BEA 2012: Not Chasing Trends, Making Them | Publishing Perspectives http://buff.ly/McCc23 #yalit
A Y.A. Lover’s Summer Reading List, by Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, and Others – Entertainment – The Atlantic Wire http://buff.ly/LSnosN #yalit
The 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature were announced at BookExpo America. There are winners in three categories as well as honor books for each. Here are the winners:
Picture Book
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Fiction
No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Nonfiction
Chuck Close: Face Book by Chuck Close
And the Honor Books:
Picture Books
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
And the Soldiers Sang by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Gary Kelley
Fiction Books
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Nonfiction Books
Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky, illustrated by Yuyi Morales
The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell & Donna M. Jackson, photographs by Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell
Red Knit Cap Girl by Naoko Stoop
Red Knit Cap Girl finds that when she is in the forest, she has time to think about all sorts of things. In particular, she thinks about the moon and how she can get close enough to speak with her. She tries reaching the moon with a branch, finding her in the reflection in the water, but nothing works. Hedgehog recommends that she find Owl and ask about how to reach the moon. So she does, and Owl tells her that there is no way to reach the moon, but she will bend down to listen. So Red Knit Cap Girl heads out to find a way to get the moon to listen. She decides to have a party for the moon and all of her friends help. Bear and Squirrel hang lanterns in the trees that she has folded. But moon does not appear. What can they do to get moon to listen?
Stoop’s book is eye-catching and gorgeous. Painted on plywood, the grain of the wood becomes a large part of the images. The grain becomes clouds in the sky, patterns on the shore, and darkness in the deep forest. It also works tremendously well with the subject of a girl in a forest. The colors are deep and beautiful, so rich that they are almost wet in places. The reds glow, the blues haunt, and the deep browns are real shadows. Against these rich colors, the simple lines of the drawings pop. The animals and Red Knit Cap Girl ground the book with their distinctive charm.
The writing is equally lovely with moments that catch the breath. From the opening line, I knew I was going to love this book: “In the forest, there is time to wonder about everything.” Isn’t that just the way you feel when you venture into the woods, like time has stopped and there are moments of eternity just to think?
A shining picture book that has a richness and beauty that does not negate its inherent child appeal. Add this to your next story time on moons or forests. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from library copy.
Heroes of the Surf by Elisa Carbone, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
In the nineteenth century, the Pliny is on its way from South America to New York City. Aboard the ship are many families, including two young friends Anthony and Pedro, who spend the journey pretending to be pirates. The boys are having a grand time together until one night when a storm hits. Even the lifeboats are of no use, as they are smashed by the growing waves. The night goes silent when the engines stop working, leaving them at the mercy of the storm. Then the captain sends up a distress beacon. Soon there are people on the shore and a cannon is aimed in their direction. Could it be pirates after all? Instead of a cannonball, a rescue line and buoy are shot onto the ship. It takes a harrowing zip line to safety until all of the crew and passengers are safe and warm at the Long Branch Life Saving Station, a precursor to the Coast Guard.
Carbone writes with a lot of detail here, exploring this story based on the real disaster of this ship. Told through the point of view of Anthony, the story stays riveting and thrilling right through to the end. From the drama of the storm itself to the striking rescue efforts, this book is filled with tension and adventure. Carbone also carefully builds the world of the 19th century, making sure that readers know where they are in history and how brave the efforts of the rescuers are.
Carpenter completes the historical tone of the book with her own detailed images of the 19th century. From the clothing to the mannerisms, this book clearly reveals the time and place of its setting. Carpenter does not shy away from the drama, instead leaning into it with her wild expanses of stormy water, the drama of almost slipping off the deck, and the wonder of the rescue.
A powerful mix of history and adventure, this fictional book will be popular with pirate and nonfiction readers. Appropriate for ages 5-7.
Reviewed from copy received from Viking.
Waiting for Ice by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Alan Marks
This is the true story of an orphaned polar bear cub who has to survive the wait for the ice to return without the help of her mother, who would normally have cared for her for another year or two. This cub lives on Wrangel Island, far north of Russia in the Arctic Ocean. She lives there with many other polar bears, but she is alone. She has to find dead things on the shore to eat, defend her finds from scavengers, negotiate other food from hunting bears, and manage to survive. Many other cubs die from starvation, but this little cub survives. She manages to live until the ice floes return. Even then, she is one of the last to leave the island, unsure of how to live on the ice away from land. Eventually, she spends more and more time on the ice, and then she is carried off into the ocean where she must learn to survive in a new way.
Markle captures the harrowing and desperate life of an orphaned cub in a very straight-forward way. The reader knows of the danger that this cub is in and how difficult her life will be. This white-furred heroine also captures the mind of readers, demonstrating time and again how brave and resourceful she is. Markle takes care not to humanize the life of the bears, instead they are respected as animals with their own lives. Few human emotions are spoken about, instead the drama comes directly from the situation and survival.
Marks’ illustrations recreate the cold of the Arctic on the page. Done in whites, blues and browns, they are chilling, warmed only by the young bear at the center. Marks draws the movement and feel of polar bears with a confidence and care. These are solid illustrations that do much to support the book as a whole.
A stirring tale of survival set in the Arctic Circle, this book will be enjoyed by young nonfiction readers. It is also a nonfiction book that would work well in a story time setting thanks to its inherent drama. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Reviewed from copy received from Charlesbridge.
Ray Bradbury has died at age 91 in Los Angeles. I have vivid memories of discovering and devouring Bradbury short stories over the summer as a young teen. I read every book I could get my hands on by Bradbury, starting first with Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, and then moving into his short stories, which I enjoyed far more than his novels. Each story was a world in itself, a place to visit briefly, to immerse oneself in and be transported. They were stories that were meant to dazzle, amaze and shock.
I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer day than some shade, a cool drink and a new Bradbury short story.
The Hueys in The New Sweater by Oliver Jeffers
All of the Hueys are the same. They are all white ovals with skinny, stick legs and arms. They even acted and thought the same, until one day when Rupert knitted himself a sweater. It was a bright orange sweater with zig-zags and it made him stand out from all of the other Hueys. Rupert was very proud of his sweater, but the other Hueys often reacted in shock and horror at it. Rupert went to talk with Gillespie, who was also intrigued by being different. Gillespie knitted himself a sweater just like Rupert’s and that way they could both be different together! Slowly, the other Hueys started to accept that Rupert and Gillespie were different. In fact, they embraced it, and everyone knitted themselves orange sweaters just like Rupert’s. Now everyone was the same again, until Rupert decided to try a hat!
There is something completely winning about these little creatures that Jeffers has created. So much of this book depends on the images, the style, and the feel. Jeffers manages to create a community that is completely homogenous but not cult-like or frightening. Instead it’s a community that has tea, hangs pictures, and seems very friendly. Even their reaction to Rupert’s sweater is never angry, more one of disbelief, shock and even some tears.
The writing is light and merry, keeping the entire book positive. Jeffers has cleverly created a book that speaks to creativity and being your own person, not being afraid of leaving the crowd, but also one about what happens when your idea is taken over by the crowd. The answer? Do something else!
A great pick for a bedtime read, the book is a smaller format than many picture books and will not work well with a large crowd. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from copy received from Philomel Books.
