history

Review: The House Baba Built by Ed Young

| Tasha

house baba built

The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China by Ed Young

Illustrator Ed Young grew up in Shanghai during World War II.  His father managed to get them a house that was safe because he built it himself.  He made a deal with the landowner that he would build a house and after 20 years, the landowner would get it free and clear.  But in those 20 years, Ed Young’s family lived there.  It was a huge home with a swimming pool, space to roller skate on the roof, staircases to slide down, and lots of other places to play.  This is the story of growing up in that house with the war raging around them, but also feeling very safe as a family because of the house.  It is the story of welcoming people beyond their family to stay with them, giving refuge and forming a larger family unit.  It is the story of years of playfulness and joy together despite the outside forces because his father thought brilliantly and quickly.

It will come as no surprise to those who know Young’s work that this is a beautifully designed book.  Young weaves together paper cutting, sketches, painting and photographs into a dreamlike world of his childhood where some things stand out crystal clear and others are fogged by time.  It is like looking into someone else’s memories along with them.  They are beautiful and mesmerizing.

This book may have trouble finding an audience.  While the illustrations are gorgeous, the story is told in vignettes rather than one large story.  This technique will resonate more with slightly older readers than usual picture book preschoolers.  On the other hand, teachers looking for a book to inspire telling a biography in more than words will delight in this book.  It will share aloud well and the illustrations will invite readers into Young’s world.

A book for older elementary school readers who may take some encouragement to pick it up.  Once they do, they will be transported to Shanghai in the 1930s and 40s.  Pair this with Drawing from Memory by Allen Say for two artist’s childhoods in Asia.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from ARC received from Little, Brown.

Review: Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

| Tasha

balloons over broadway

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet

For over 80 years, there have been huge balloons in the Macy’s Parade.  We have Tony Sarg to thank for that.  Even when Tony was a small boy, he was inventing things.  He figured out a way to feed the chickens in the morning without having to get out of bed.  He wanted to be a marionette puppeteer, but was born in a time when marionettes were not being used anymore.  So he figured out how to build them and started performing on Broadway with his marionettes.  From there, he got a job designing the holiday windows for Macy’s where he did puppets that moved through gears and pulleys.  After that, he started working on parades.  He first built balloons that were held by stiff sticks, but they needed to be higher so more people could see.  So out of necessity and through tremendous creativity, he figured out how to make balloons fly high but still be controlled and seem lifelike.  We are all lucky enough to still be able to see the work of Sarg every Thanksgiving in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

This book is all about dreaming big and then figuring out a way to make those huge dreams come to life.  Sarg’s life is also about following your own personal bliss and making a living doing what you love.  It is a tribute to creativity and imagination on a grand scale.  Sweet has created a book that celebrates all of this and remains a biography of a real man too.

Her art is a tremendous part of the book’s success.  Through a mix of painting and collage, she brings Sarg’s world to life.  Fabrics, different paper, objects and maps all find their way into the illustrations, creating new textures, dimension and color.  They are illustrations that celebrate on almost every page, filled with bright colors and ingenuity.

Highly recommended, this book should be added to everyone’s must read list for Thanksgiving titles, but don’t keep it just for that time of year.  It is also a great book to discuss creativity and unusual jobs!  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Review: Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach

| Tasha

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Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Based on a true story, this picture book follows Jessie, a subway car, from her “birth” until her unusual ending.  Jessie was a New York City subway car that carried people and things around the city.  At first, she was new and shiny, but eventually she was covered in graffiti and then painted red.  She kept on working, running on tracks around the city.  Then she was used only in the winter because her fans could not keep up with the heat, and finally she wasn’t used any more.  But Jessie’s travels and adventures were far from over!  Whatever will happen to her when she is shipped by barge and taken far from land!

Sarcone-Roach has created a picture book that seems to be quiet and then takes a turn into the unexpected.  She begins with a true story and then personalizes it through the eyes of one specific subway car.  It works really well as a technique to make the subject very child friendly and to invite readers in to experience the story.  The writing is clear and Jessie’s perspective is strong and active. 

Her art is also very successful.  The colors are deep and jewel-like, showing the beauty of the city as well as the subway lines.  She plays with perspective throughout, stacking the subway lines like shelves, showing both the outside and inside of the subway cars, and always showing Jessie with her smiling headlights and chains. 

This is a lovely book that works well on many levels.  Use it for an unexpected take on recycling, add to your transportation stories, or just share it to see the children guessing where Jessie is headed on that barge.  They are sure to be entranced by the answer.  I certainly was!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Alfred A. Knopf.

Also reviewed by:

Review: Born and Bred in the Great Depression by Jonah Winter

| Tasha

born bred great depression

Born and Bred in the Great Depression by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root

Winter tells the story of his father’s childhood during the Great Depression in this historical picture book.  Through the life of his father, he shows the poverty of the time.  Grandpa Winter searched for work in the area, often unable to find any, which meant that there was no money to help support the family of 8 children.  When he did find work, it was dirty and back-breaking labor.  This is contrasted with the simple joys of childhood as Winter’s father spent time outside exploring the woods and walking the railroad tracks.  The family grew most of their own food, eating lots of produce from the garden and canning excess to eat during leaner times.  There was little ease in their lives, but what they could find they used.  There was time as a family for music, chess and reading books.  There was time to explore the natural world.  This glimpse of history opens our eyes to the way we live today as well.

Winter’s words are compelling, inviting readers into the world of the Great Depression.  He manages to tell the story of the poverty through a lens that children will be able to relate to.  Focusing on the family life, including many people in each bed, there are definite contrasts with today’s economic problems.  Winter does not romanticize the Great Depression, instead he brings it to life through the history of his own family.  There is a lovely simplicity to the story that makes it all the more readable.

Root’s illustrations are done in pencil, ink and watercolor.  They have a softness to them that evokes the past.  The colors are subdued with the focus on telling the story through the images as well as the words.  Root manages to show the Great Depression through images that are beautiful, quiet and rich.

This historical picture book celebrates strength of family and overcoming hardship.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Schwartz & Wade Books.

Review: Big Wig by Kathleen Krull

| Tasha

big wig

Big Wig: A Little History of Hair by Kathleen Krull, illlustrated by Peter Malone

I am a huge fan of Krull’s nonfiction books for children.  Just as her earlier books, this one has a wry sense of humor and contains fascinating facts.  Here the subject is the history of hairdos.  Krull starts with prehistory in Africa and then travels forward until 2007 where the most expensive haircut in history is purchased for $16,300.  In between, readers will learn about different trends in color, styles, lengths and curls.  The book takes an already interesting topic and through details and facts makes it even more compelling. 

Krull’s writing is skillful as always, bundling intriguing facts together into small stories that capture a moment in time.  Her tone of wonder and interest makes for an inviting read, encouraging readers to be excited about the information as well.  Make sure you head all the way to the end and read about the history of hair extensions too.

Malone’s illustrations are fine lined and work well to both depict historical figures and to place them in unique and hair-raising situations.   He changes his style of illustration to match the time period and culture at times, such as the Japanese samurai warrior page.  His colors are just as fine and carefully selected as his lines are.

No snarls in this book.  In fact, it goes to great lengths to avoid tangles.  One might say, this is a top-knot book.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from copy received from Arthur A. Levine Books.

Review: The Quite Contrary Man by Patricia Rusch Hyatt

| Tasha

quite contrary man

The Quite Contrary Man: A True American Tale by Patricia Rusch Hyatt, illustrated by Kathryn Brown

In 19th-century New England when people lived and dressed plainly, Joseph Palmer most certainly did not.  It was his beard that made him different, since all the other men were clean shaven.  But Joseph did not just have a normal beard, his was huge, long and wide.  His neighbors were scandalized and tried to shame him into shaving, eventually trying to shave him by force.  His attackers headed to court before Joseph could get there and claimed that he had attacked them.  The judge fined him $10, but Joseph refused to pay it.  So he was jailed for a full year.  The rule in the jail was that prisoners had to be clean shaven, and you can guess how that went with Joseph.  As the tale twists and turns, readers will be in turns inspired by Joseph Palmer’s strength of conviction and appalled by the system that persecuted him.

Hyatt has found a true story that really speaks to what being an American means, down to the most basic rights of deciding how you appear.  While modern children may be shocked by the fact that beards were scandalous, this is a great book to start discussions about what sorts of things are taboo today that may also not make any sense.  Hyatt’s writing is engaging and rollicking.  The spirit of the book matches Palmer’s own strength and humor.

Brown’s illustrations are done in fine lines and soft colors.  They depict the glory of Palmer’s beard with enthusiasm.  On alternate pages, she creates a rustic frame from illustrations of branches tied together with vines, which adds to the feeling of the book being set in an earlier time.

An American hero, Joseph Palmer’s is an inspiring story of a regular man who stood up for his rights.  He would also make an intriguing hero to discuss in units.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by

Review: The Crossing by Donna Jo Napoli

| Tasha

crossing

The Crossing by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Jim Madsen

A gorgeous retelling of the Lewis and Clark story, told through the eyes of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the infant that Sacagawea carried on her back during their explorations.  Readers will see mountains, rivers and forests.  They will also meet bear, elk, cougars and more.  Napoli’s poem captures the rhythm of the journey, the stroke of the oars, the moments of quiet.  It is an immersive book where readers get to see the glory of the land that makes up our country, unspoiled by man-made structures.

Napoli’s verse incorporates many senses.  There are the sounds of the animals and humans that work to bring the entire setting to life.  There are the views that the baby sees, a wildness that is a large part of the story, a sense of expanse and freedom.   The author’s note adds much to the book, including the duration and length of the journey.

Madsen’s illustrations have a depth to them that adds much to this title.  He uses deep colors and uses the beauty of the land as the perfect inspiration for his work.  There are small moments of a child growing from infant to toddler, but also moments where the world is spread before them and reveled in. 

A beautiful and creative look at Sacagawea’s journey with Lewis and Clark, this book is a luminous look at the origins of our country.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Also reviewed by The Fourth Musketeer and Kiss the Book.

Review: Hornbooks and Inkwells by Verla Kay

| Tasha

hornbooks and inkwells

Hornbooks and Inkwells by Verla Kay, illustrated by S. D. Schindler

Head to school with brothers Peter and John Paul in this picture book that shows school days in the 18th century.  The one-room school has hard benches where the children learn math, history and their alphabet.  Punishments for misbehaving are being struck with the rod or wearing neck yokes, as both Peter and John Paul find out.  As winter comes, there is skating on the pond and hauling wood for the schoolroom fire.  With spring, the children are learning more and more, but leave school with the same bursts of energy they started with.

According to the Author’s Note, this book is based on Christopher Docks’ mid-1700s school.  He not only taught the normal courses, but included morals, safety, health, courtesy and social attitudes. The book is written in rhyming verse that reads easily.  The verse captures the activities of the days at school.

Schindler’s illustrations are detailed and really point out the differences between schools today and in the 18th century.   The illustrations have natural colors that offer a feel of life in the past.

A wonderful marriage of picture book and historical content, this book will be appreciated by children studying history as well as the history of studying.  Children returning to school this fall will also appreciate that they go to modern schools.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Also reviewed by The Places You Will Go.

Book Review: All the Way to America by Dan Yaccarino

| Tasha

allthewaytoamerica

All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel by Dan Yaccarino

Yaccarino tells the story of several generations of his Italian family in this picture book.  The book starts with his great-grandfather who grew up in a farm in Sorrento, Italy.  He headed for America in search of new opportunities, leaving his parents behind.  His father gave him a little shovel, reminding him to work hard, but remember to enjoy life.  His mother told him to never forget his family.  As time goes on, Michael and his descendants used the small shovel in a variety of ways.  Michael used it at his first job in America to scoop flour and sugar.  When he opened his own pushcart, he used it to measure dried fruits and nuts.  His son Dan used the little shovel in his market.  His son Mike used it to pour salt on the icy sidewalks in front of his barbershop.  And now Dan, the author of the book, worked hard himself and uses the shovel to on their terrace to grow fruits and vegetables.

I love the use of the symbol of the shovel to tie the different generations together.  Additionally, the ways that the shovel is used by different people add an interesting piece to everyone’s story.  Yaccarino has created a vibrant picture book from his heritage that is warm, friendly and intriguing.  His writing contains just enough detail to be interesting and to evoke a specific time, but not too much for the young audience.

Yaccarino’s illustrations have a wonderful graphic nature to them that is fresh, modern yet evokes the past clearly.  Watching the features of the family change from one generation to the next is a treat.  The illustrations are filled with color to the edges of the page, making for a bright, complete world.

A great pick to use with youngsters learning about their family tree, this book would also make a good place to start off family conversations.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House Children’s Books.

Also reviewed by Jen Robinson’s Book Page.

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