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Book Review: Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg

| Tasha

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Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg

What does a daredevil look like?  What traits must they embody?  Take the first person who ever went over Niagara Falls in a barrel.  Who do you think that person might be?  I’ll bet you didn’t think of a retired charm school teacher named Annie Edson Taylor.  She decided to try for fame and fortune through her stunt.  So she had a custom-made barrel designed and created, riding it over the falls in 1901.  This picture book follows her through her decision, preparations, over the falls, and then how her chance at fame turned out.  It is a book that explores fame, courage, and stereotypes.

Van Allsburg’s writing is rich, offering more text than is usually found in a picture book.  His picture books tend to have more text and be aimed at an older audience than general picture books, so this is exactly in the vein of his previous work.  The writing offers readers a glimpse into Annie’s though process as she changed from teacher to daredevil.  So much of the story would have been lost without the writing to carry it.

Of course any Van Allsburg book is about the illustrations.  He captures moments of inspiration, times of disappointment and anger, and also what a person’s face would look like as they go over Niagara Falls.  There is a beauty to this feisty woman who would not stop because of derision from those around her.  Van Allsburg reveals her as a real heroine in his book, creating incredible moments of tension in his art.

Highly recommended, this book celebrates a vibrant, risk-taking woman who deserves to be much better known than she currently is.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Book Review–Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown

| Tasha

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Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Follow the transformation of a young boy named Neftali into the poet Pablo Neruda.  The book starts with Neruda’s childhood and moves through his life as he begins to write poetry in his signature green ink.  His connection to nature is emphasized throughout the book from his love of the sea to the stones of Chile.  It also speaks to his love of children and his growth into a fighter for workers’ rights.  This is a lovely, quick glimpse of an amazing poet.

Brown’s words are simple and accessible to children.  She manages to explore Neruda’s inspirations without losing her young audience.  Rather she talks in detail about what inspired his poetry, what he meant as a person, and where he came from.  It is a powerful way to look at Neruda and his work.

The art by Paschkis is extraordinary.  Her paintings combine moments throughout Neruda’s life with words.  The words grow on leaves and trees.  They show in the sun and the moon.  They form the very ground.  It is an expressive way to show the power of words in Neruda’s life as well as how they came from all that surrounds him.

Explore Neruda through beautifully simple text and illustrations that have words streaming through them.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic

| Tasha

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Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor

This gorgeous and beautifully written picture book follows Amelia Earhart as she tries to be the first woman to pilot a plane across the Atlantic Ocean alone.  Beginning with Earhart rolling down the runway in Newfoundland on May 20, 1932, the book is not only about the trip but also about the beauty of flight, the moments of wonder, the fears, the dedication it takes, and the incredible feat that Amelia Earhart accomplished. 

Burleigh has written the book in paired lines that are filled with poetry and grace.  He uses words to capture the emotions and the events on the journey.  From the beauty of the star-filled sky to the drama of a storm out over the ocean, readers will thrill to this adventure.  As I look over the writing, I am caught up again and again by the words, the pacing, and the incredible Earhart.

Minor’s paintings add to the drama and beauty of the title.  When the book begins, readers can see the smiling face of Earhart peeking through the plane windows directly at them.  Minor manages to capture both the scale and expanse of the adventure and the personal story of Earhart.  He makes it both monumental and personal as does Burleigh in his text.

While there are many titles about Amelia Earhart out there, this is one of the best and would be a thrilling read for any class exploring women’s history.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

To see some of the beauty of the illustrations, take a look at the book trailer below:

Also reviewed by Bibliophile by the Sea.

The Ride: The Legend of Betsy Dowdy

| Tasha

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The Ride: The Legend of Betsy Dowdy by Kitty Griffin, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

The story of Betsy Dowdy has been part of an oral tradition for over 200 years.  While she may not have existed, this is a wonderful American story of bravery and determination.  Betsy was 16 years old in 1775 when the news came of the redcoats marching to Great Bridge to take ponies and supplies.  There was no hope that anyone could make it to General Skinner’s militia fifty miles away in time to bring aid.  But Betsy could not help in other ways.  She couldn’t fight.  But she could ride.  So despite the danger and the dark, she set off riding her trusty pony, Bess.  The ride was not easy.  They had to swim across a channel in December, and that was the start of the ride.  Betsy had to endure packs of dogs, ice cold temperature, and falling from Bess several times.  But in the end, she got to the general in time.  The day was saved thanks to one brave girl and her tireless pony.

Betsy Dowdy is a girl version of Paul Revere.  Griffin writes with great historical details, that bring the time period to life.  But it is Betsy herself who is the focus of this book.  Wonderfully, Betsy’s fear is allowed to show and her desperation and fatigue.  She is a very human heroine and because of that she is all the more impressive. 

Priceman’s illustrations are filled with deep colors from the purple of the frightening forest to the deep blue of the river.  Done in gouache and ink, the illustrations are wonderfully dramatic, conveying motion forward in a variety of ways.  One of my favorite images is Betsy riding into the dawn of the new day, the colors changing as she moves through the setting.  One feels the sudden surge of hope that light brought.

A powerful story of girl power that should be used in American Revolution units with elementary children.  Girls will enjoy a story that includes more action than sewing or rolling bandages.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

Also reviewed by The Fourth Musketeer and Kiss the Book.

I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: Gross, Gruesome and Great Fun

| Tasha

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I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History’s Strangest Cures by Carlyn Beccia

Have a symptom?  Look it up in this book, but beware!  Some of the cures listed just may not work.  It’s up to you to try to guess which ones would actually help and which might really hurt.   What would help a cough?  Caterpillar fungus used in ancient China?  Frog soup used in 16th century England?  Cherry bark used by ancient Native Americans?  Readers turn the page to discover which of the three would help.  The reasons behind the use of the cure and then the real results are offered, giving a readers a fascinating tour through medical history.  Happily, some of the cures are gross.  That and the way the information is presented as a guessing game make this book appealing to children, including reluctant readers.

Beccia has taken a cheerful approach to what could have been a very dark book.  Instead the tone stays rather merry, talking about the nutritional boost of frog soup, the healing power of spider webs, and much more.  Her illustrations add to the fun with images like maggots with smiling faces and stinky socks tied around the neck.  They have an interesting blend of macabre and silly.

There are some misses in the book.  At one point, a woman of the 19th century is shown in a short skirt, looking very modern except for her cap.  The book maintains a great pace and tone, but falls short at the end where the healing power of mother’s kisses takes on an overly sweet tone.  I also have concerns about the imagery of the mothers and children, because the only one with darker skin is prehistoric.  The only Asian faces are ancient.  It is a frustrating misstep in a book that is good overall.

Get this into the hands of reluctant readers who enjoy gross things and you too will get to talk about maggots at the dinner table!  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Me, Frida: Intensely Beautiful

| Tasha

Me, Frida by Amy Novesky, illustrated by David Diaz

2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book for Illustration

Opening this book is like opening a treasure box filled with images that are deep, fiery, passionate and intensely beautiful.  This is the story of Frida Kahlo and her travel to San Francisco alongside her husband, artist Diego Rivera.  Rivera was hired to paint a mural for the city, but Frida was restless as he started work on it.  As Rivera spent longer and longer hours working, Frida was left alone in a a foreign country and big city.  She didn’t speak much English and knew almost no one.  So Frida began to explore the city on her own, allowing the things she loved to be the focus.  And in the process, she found her own voice and her own artistic vision.  She was no longer silent, but instead a vivacious beauty who would show the world what she was capable of.

Told in simple words by Novesky, this book captures the situation Frida found herself in with clarity.  The author also revels in Frida finding herself and her art, her explorations and her self awareness.  It is a celebration of more than Frida Kahlo.  It is a celebration of women artists of all sorts.  Diaz’s illustrations are done in acrylic, charcoal and varnish on linen.  The combination of media give the illustrations an amazing depth of color that is beautifully saturated at times and light and airy at others.  Just the use of drips in the illustrations is beautifully done.  The drips become age, emotions and trees.  They add a wild beauty to the images that suits the subject well.

A beautiful picture book about an amazing artist, this was surely worthy of the Pura Belpre Honor Award.  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Also reviewed by TheHappyNappyBookseller.

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The Firehouse Light: A Timeless True Tale

| Tasha

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The Firehouse Light by Janet Nolan, illustrated by Marie Lafrance

This is the story of the 100-year-old centennial bulb in Livermore, California.  The bulb was originally put into a wooden shack that contained fire fighting equipment for the city.  The bulb was moved from the shack to the firehouse and was never turned off.  It shined while horses were readied.  The lightbulb shined as cars replaced horses.  It shined as fire engines got bigger and better.  It shined as volunteers were replaced by paid fire fighters.  It shined on and on.  When a new firehouse was built in 1976, the bulb stopped shining as it was moved to the new firehouse.  There was a lot of tension about whether the bulb would light again after the move, but it lit and continues to shine. 

Nolan has structured the book in a winning way that allows young readers to understand the passing of time in tangible ways.  They will see the horses at first, then the cars, the record players and then the televisions.  Her prose appears lengthy on the page, but reads aloud readily.  The use of repetition to start each new decade helps reinforce that time is passing in decades.  Lafrance’s illustrations have a timeless feel to them that will take readers back to vintage picture books.  The style works well here with the emphasis on history and the amazing longevity of a small bulb.

A nonfiction picture book that celebrates history and a small, lovely accomplishment.  This book will work well in a unit on community helpers, offering a unique perspective on the history of firefighting.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

| Tasha

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Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Dave the Potter was an outstanding artist, poet and potter whose influence is still evident in South Carolina pottery.  He lived in the 1800s and created his pottery with amazing skill, building enormous pots that could up to 40 gallons.  He was one of only two potters known to have the strength and skill to create such large pieces.  Dave was also a poet, inscribing his verse on his pottery, offering two lines of poetry and then a date.  His poems have the beauty and simplicity of Haiku and offer a unique perspective of a poet surviving in slavery.  This is a picture book that makes an important figure in history come alive, revealing his art and poetry for children. 

Hill has created a free verse of his own to tell the story of the life of Dave.  Hill’s verse is simple and striking, drawing together the connections between the simple ingredients of the clay and what it can become and the simple life of a slave and the wonder of what Dave created.  The poem leads children through the stages of making a pot from the gathering of the clay to the magic and work of creating pottery.  The book ends with more of Dave’s poetry as well as an author’s note and an illustrator’s note.  All of them speaking to the influence and importance of Dave the Potter.

Collier’s art work here is stunningly beautiful.  His watercolor and collage art speaks to the strength of Dave, the skill of his hands and the glory of his work.  The colors are rich and deep, filled with a warm earthiness that evokes pottery and clay. 

A radiant tribute to an artist, this picture book echoes the transcendent artist that Dave was.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything

| Tasha

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Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Robert Byrd

Get a real sense of the great Khan who ruled over the largest empire in the world during the 13th century.  This picture book biography invites readers to be amazed by what Kubla Khan managed to create and build.  The emphasis is on the Khan’s achievements and the scope of his realm.  There are so many little facts shared that are fascinating and engaging.  They all demonstrate the largeness of his life and his achievements, from his one hundred children to the three million workers who extended the Grand Canal.  The feel of the book is rich and dramatic as well, thanks to the illustrations by Byrd.  Filled with small details, the illustrations and words work together to really bring this legendary leader to life.  While a boon for report writers, this is also a biography that reads aloud very well thanks to the engaging style.

Krull excels at making famous people from history more human.  With Kubla Khan, she humanizes him by sharing his youth in Mongolia.  Yet Krull allows Kubla Khan to remain larger than life, his power and success is so large that it would be wrong to minimize what he managed to accomplish.  Krull also emphasizes the fact that the Khan was very open to different opinions and new ideas.  His ability to remain open is what allowed him to become the leader he was. 

Byrd’s illustrations change as the Khan changes.  The youthful years in Mongolia have a freedom to the illustrations with racing horses, hunts, and smoky battlefields.  As Kubla Khan becomes more powerful and rules China, the illustrations reflect the Khan’s own changes and adoption of the Chinese style.  Beautifully depicted, the illustrations are detailed, rich and add to the deep texture of the book.

Highly recommended for all public library children’s nonfiction collections, this is a dazzling biography.  Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

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