books

Review: Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown

| Tasha

WaitingForTheBiblioBurro

Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown, illustrated by John Parra

Inspired by a true story, this picture book shows the power of books and reading.  Ana is a small girl who lives in Colombia and adores books.  Her village is very remote though, so there is no library to go to.  Ana has just one book, given to her by her teacher, and she has read it over and over again.  Ana makes up her own stories that she tells her little brother at bedtime.  Then one day a man with two burros comes to their village.  The burros carry a library of books and he invites all of the children to select books to keep until he returns.  As she waits for the librarian to return, Ana creates her own book about him, his burros and his books.

Brown has created a book that is gentle and beautifully written.  Ana’s life is shown as loving and filled with blessings.  It will contrast vividly for American children with their own lifestyle.  Brown also focuses clearly on books and the power of reading and stories.  The story here is told clearly and warmly with sprinklings of Spanish throughout.

Parra’s illustrations have a lovely folk art feel to them.  Done in acrylics on board, they have a texture adds another dimension to the book.  The colors are bright, the storytelling portions filled with wild and amazing creatures, and the entire work makes a complete and unified package.

The entire book sings, revealing a different culture and the power of words (and librarians.)  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Tricycle Press.

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Board Book Reviews

| Tasha

i feel happy yoon little book

I Feel Happy by Salina Yoon

Explore emotions in this board book.  The book comes with one puzzle piece that has a rotating wheel.  The piece is the face of the child and children can rotate the mouth so that the face shows different reactions.  Turn pages in the book, and different situations are explained.  The child can then show the emotion that they would feel in that situation.  The puzzle piece is attached to the book with yellow ribbon.  It’s a novelty book that would work well in public libraries thanks to the durability of the piece and the pages.

It’s a Little Book by Lane Smith

A version of It’s a Book that is perfect for the toddler set.  Here you have the donkey and gorilla in diapers, exploring what a book is.  Is it for chewing?  Is it for wearing?  Is it for flying?  Each time the donkey comes up with an idea, the gorilla gives it a “no.”  Until the end, “It’s a book, silly.”  None of the controversy of the first book but all of the charm.  And yes, it did take a lot of effort to call the character “donkey” here.

Dog Loves Books

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Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

Dog loves everything about books.  He loves their smell, their feel.  In fact, he loved them enough to open a bookstore.  He worked hard to prepare for the Grand Opening, but when he threw the door open no one was there.  Some people do come in, but they aren’t interested in buying books.  Dog was all alone with his books.  So what’s a Dog to do?  Read the books to pass the time!  So he doesn’t even notice that he’s alone anymore, but when a real customer is ready to buy a book, he is more than ready.

Yates has created a simple but spirited picture book that captures the love of books perfectly.  Her writing is brief and child-friendly, telling a complete tale in just a few words.  Her illustrations tell the rest of the story, including the mood of Dog who moves from great exuberance to near despair, his posture along showing his emotions. Nicely, the moments that Dog loses himself in stories are shown in double-page spreads with full backgrounds while the real life moments are shown in rounded illustrations with white space surrounding them.  This change again demonstrates the appeal of reading without ever becoming didactic about it.

A simple and cheerful book, this is one to add to your own book pile and share with other book lovers.   Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

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It’s a Book – Subversive and Smart

| Tasha

It’s a Book by Lane Smith

This is signature Lane Smith in every possible way.  A donkey and a gorilla sit in a living room together.  The donkey has a laptop, the gorilla has a book.  The donkey is puzzled by this book.  How do you scroll?  Does it blog? Where is the mouse?  The gorilla answers again and again, “No, it’s a book.”  Finally, the donkey gets the book in his hands and refuses to give it back.  The gorilla stands up to leave, heading for the library when the donkey offers to charge it when he’s done.  All leading up to the final line: “You don’t have to… It’s a book, Jackass.”  This is like a long lead up to a perfect punch line. 

I shared this book with my sons, aged 9 and 13.  They both adored it.  They got the references to blogging, video games, charging and mice.  By the final line, they both had huge grins on their faces and both looked rather slyly at me to see if I had realized what I had said.  Then we all laughed and read it again. 

Smith has created a book that will be enjoyed by adults and older children.  Young children will not get the references to the technology and will not get the punch line.  So let’s not waste time discussing whether that last line is appropriate for  preschoolers or story times.  The entire book is not for them. 

Smith’s wonderful art is modern, sleek and yet has a timeless quality to it.  It is ideal for this mashup of technology and books.  The day I got it in the mail, I took it to one of our staff luncheons.  It was read aloud, everyone loved it.  I’m going to have it tucked with my things for the upcoming state library conference.  They will all enjoy it.  And I expect plenty of the same looks my sons gave me and plenty of laughter too.

A picture book for adults and older children, this is one to read aloud to librarians and teachers rather than the other way around. 

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

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Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don’t)

| Tasha

Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don’t) by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Michael Emberley

Miss Brooks is a librarian who loves books.  She tries to share her enthusiasm for books with the children, but Missy is having none of it.  Then comes Book Week!  And Missy is asked to wear a costume and tell the class why she loves her favorite book.  Missy is certain that she will never fall in love with a book, but Miss Brooks remains sure that she will.  Book Week arrives and Missy has yet to find a book she likes.  They are either too flowery, too yippity, or too furry.  Miss Brooks sends more and more books home with her but she complains about them all.  Her mother tells her she is as stubborn as a wart.  Wart?  And Missy is off to find a book about warts where she finds and falls for Shrek!

Yes, this book does my librarian heart good, but it is also told with a great sense of humor.  Missy while dismissive and grumpy is also written with just the right tone.  Readers will wonder if there really is a book for this kid!  The book reads aloud well, and I can see librarians using it and then asking for a chance to find each kid the right book for them.  What a great way to sell our services!

Emberley’s art is a hoot.  I adored all of the costumes of Miss Brooks as she tries to get kids excited about books.  I particularly love the way that Missy is depicted with her overalls, woolly hat and glasses.  She is purely an individual and it shows. 

Recommended for any librarian to read and glow about, this book is also just right for kids who don’t think books are cool.  They just might love this one!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Book That Eats People

| Tasha

The Book That Eats People by John Perry, illustrated by Mark Fearing

This is a book that eats people.  Listen closely for growling while you read it, because that means it is hungry.  If you do hear growling, put it down immediately and set something heavy on it.  Sammy Ruskin was the first person this book ate after it got a taste of the peanut butter on his fingers.  The book next ate a library security guard after being trapped in the library for some time.  Then it disguised itself by using the wrapper from All About Dolphins and was taken home by Victoria Glassford,who was eaten that night.  After eating several more people, the book was locked in jail and chained.  They tried to reform it in the zoo, but it didn’t work.  Now you have the book in your hands.  Beware!

Broadly humorous and definitely dark, this book is ideal for older elementary school readers and for younger children who love that certain shudder with their giggles.  Perry’s language is great fun, filled with dire warnings and taking great glee in describing the book’s killing spree.  Perry writes with great flair that really works for this sort of book.  His comedy is unsubtle and lots of fun.  Fearing’s collage art is also a lot of fun.  His use of deep shadows, dark corners is lightened by the pastels and colors of the unsuspecting.  It works to great effect here.

Highly recommended for children who enjoy a dark deep chuckle with their humor.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

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