birds

Book Review: Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale

| Tasha

bringonthebirds

Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale

This is a bright and bold picture book about birds.  Written in simple, rhyming text, the book is a celebration of the diversity of birds around the world.  It shows birds of different sizes, colors and habitats.   Some are active, others sitting, and still others hang upside down.  There is a section at the end of the book that has more information on each bird as well as a list of nonfiction titles about birds for children to explore. 

The text here is so simple that it glides past.  The rhythm and rhyme is gentle and unifies the book.  The illustrations are the glory of the book offering simple backgrounds that the birds shine against.  Even in their simplicity, the illustrations manage to convey the birds’ habitat and size. 

Definitely not for the birds, this is a very successful nonfiction picture book for young readers.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Peachtree Publishers.

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Book Review: Woof Meow Tweet-Tweet by Cecile Boyer

| Tasha

woofmeowtweet

Woof Meow Tweet-Tweet by Cecile Boyer

Released June 1, 2011.

This inventive picture book begins by asking if readers can tell the difference between a dog, a cat and a bird.  The book goes on to explain the differences, such as a the dog lives outside during the day and the bird hates its cage.  But instead of an illustration of the animals, Boyer has replaced them with the word for the noise they make: woof, meow, and tweet-tweet.  The book continues showing the differences between the animals and eventually explores what happens when they meet each other, with great effect, lots of fighting and pouncing.  A word-filled elegant picture book that will have readers looking at the world in a new way.

Boyer’s text is brief, and matter-of-fact, allowing the attention to rest mainly on the illustrations themselves.  The art is filled with strong lines, graphic elements, and lots of color.  Even the choice of fonts for the three different animals says something about them.  Woof is done in a deep brown, thick font.  Meow is elegant and even slinky.  Tweet-tweet is narrow and light.  The words play beautifully against the background that is elegantly minimalist. 

Boyer has created a book filled with wordplay that both children and adults will enjoy.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from ARC received from Seven Footer Press.

Book Review: If I Never Forever Endeavor by Holly Meade

| Tasha

ifineverforever

If I Never Forever Endeavor by Holly Meade

Capturing the tension of a fledgling about to leave the nest, this picture book celebrates taking chances and testing your wings.  A small yellow bird muses on what would happen if they just stay in the safety of their nest, because though there would be new things to see, there is also plenty to fear.  Of course, if they stay, then there is no flying, no soaring, and no making a new friend to share the air with.  This book will speak to anyone looking to make a change, try something new, or just test the wind a bit.

Meade’s writing her is a poem that is spare yet gentle, a poem that stirs, lifts and soars.  She does not shy away from words like “endeavor” or “scallop” which I really appreciate.  This is a book that will have children and their vocabulary reaching forward too. 

Her art is done in collage, combining watercolor painting with linoleum block printing.  The result is a book that has strong patterns and lines yet also the softness of a watercolor sky to play against.  The play of the graphic against the soft adds a very dynamic feel to the book.

Ideal for the end of the school year as teachers send their students on to the next grade, it would also make a lovely graduation gift.  I’m keeping it in mind for any children’s librarian heading to a new job.  What a treat to have it tucked under one wing.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Candlewick.

Also reviewed by Classroom Connections and Kiss the Book.

Birdsong: Get Ready to Make Some Noise

| Tasha

birdsong

Birdsong by Ellie Sandall

This book is a simple, bright invitation to make some noise during story time!  One bird lands on a tree branch and begins to sing “Kitcha kitcha Kee kee kee.”  Another bird flies to the same branch and begins its own song “Urrah!  Urrah! Rah rah ree.”  More birds come, including an owl and a parrot, until finally a very large bird with an enormous voice manages to clear the others from the branch with very humorous results.

Sandall keeps the concept clear and simple.  The narrative portion of the book is kept to an absolute minimum of just introducing the entering birds.  Her bird calls when read one after another form a rhythm and music.  The repetition makes this a great choice for toddlers as well as preschoolers.  The illustrations are a pleasing mix of the roughness of pencil in the branches and trees to the silkiness of watercolor for the birds.  The colors are bright and vibrant, filling the illustrations with color.  The illustrations are large enough to work well with a group.

Upon first reading the book, I thought it would work very well as a play for preschoolers to put on.  Each child as a unique bird with an interesting call that is the only line they have to learn.  And then a comic ending, to wrap the whole thing up.

A great addition to any story time about birds, children will enjoy helping make the musical noise in the book and could even be assigned instruments to match each bird and their call.  Think of the lovely cacophony!  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Egmont.

Also reviewed by:

Little Black Crow

| Tasha

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Little Black Crow by Chris Raschka

A little boy sits on a fence and wonders about the life of a little crow.  Where does the crow go in the snow?  Where does it go in a storm?  Who does it meet?  Does it ever complain about the cold and wet?  How does it sleep?  And most vital of all, is it really a boy, like him with similar feelings and wonders?  Raschka takes his spare verse and asks deep questions about animals and their relationship to humans.  Through it all, his watercolor images move, transitioning as the book continues from a black and brown palette to a glory of pinks, blues, oranges and yellows.  Even the illustrations have a minimalist feel to them, just like the verse they leave plenty of room for readers to insert themselves into the book.

Raschka has created a book that really works here.  It is a book that will lead to conversations and questions naturally.  It is a book that is beautifully designed, a book that invites exploration.  Raschka’s illustrations have a freedom, an exquisite carefree feel that works as a foil to the wondering tone of the boy as he tries to understand more clearly the world of the bird. 

A marvelous book, this picture book offers lots of wonder and depth.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

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Balancing Act: Simple Fun and Math

| Tasha

9781442407572

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Two mice put together a stick and rock to make a teeter-totter.  With one mouse on each end, they balance.  But when a salamander wants to join in, the teeter-totter tips, until another salamander comes along.  When one frog jumps in, the teeter-totter really tips, but balance is restored with another jumping frog coming on.  Trouble comes along though when a bird wants to join in too.  For a little while there is balance with all of the animals on one side and the bird on the other.  But then the weight is too much for the stick.  All of the animals except the mice head off to do something else.  The mice?  Well, they still have a stick and a rock…

Stoll Walsh has a way with simple stories that really allows them to shine.  Her use of very basic text allows her books to be used with very young children.  Her art is also simplicity itself with its paper collage on a white background.  She uses great color as the animals join in with a bright red salamander, teal frog and blue bird.  At the same time as she is giving an engaging story, she is also introducing the concept of balancing and how to add objects together to make two sides equal.  A book that offers basic math concepts in such a gentle and enjoyable way is very special.

A jolly picture book that offers equal story and concept for preschoolers.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Flying Eagle

| Tasha

Flying Eagle by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

In rhyming couplets, the story of an eagle hunting in the Serengeti National Park is told.  He has been hunting all day for food to feed his chick back in the nest but has had no luck.  Now it is sunset and different animals come out in the emerging darkness.  Readers will see hippos, rhinos, gnu, crocodiles, and even a human with a gun!  How can the exhausted eagle father find food with all of the dangers he faces?

The poetry is grippingly brief, making this a great book to share with young children looking for an African adventure filled with animals and danger.  Ray’s illustrations are deeply colored, evocative of the African world, and depict the tension of the book perfectly.

Recommended for both African and poetry units, this book is a tense tale told with vibrancy and depth.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.