imagination

Review: Rosie’s Magic Horse by Russell Hoban

| Tasha

rosies magic horse

Rosie’s Magic Horse by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Rosie collects popsicle sticks that she finds on the ground, creating a collection.  But the popsicle sticks miss their cold sweet ice and wish that they were something more than just discarded sticks.  Maybe they could be a horse!  Meanwhile, Rosie’s parents are worried about bills and how they will pay them.  That night Rosie and the popsicle sticks head out on an adventure together as the popsicle sticks join to become a horse, Stickerino.  Rosie wants to find treasure and first the horse takes her to a mountain made of popsicle ice, but Rosie wants real treasure.  You know that that means pirates!  This story is a true flight of imagination, or perhaps a gallop!

Hoban and Blake are quite a team in this book.  Hoban writes in mostly dialogue here and throughout has a focus on brevity and clarity.  It works well against the wild imaginative nature of the book, making the text a firm foundation from which to launch.  Blake’s illustrations are quintessentially his with their jaunty lines and loose watercolor tones. 

Perfect for inspiring bedtime dreams of popsicles and horses, this book requires you to just go along for the ride.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta

| Tasha

nighttime ninja

Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta, illustrated by Ed Young

A ninja moved stealthily through the night in this picture book.  The clock struck midnight and the ninja tossed a grapple hook up.  He climbed up the sheer wall.  He crept down the hallway of the house where everyone was asleep.  He hid in the shadows.  Then he got out his tools and went to work.  Until his mother woke up!

DaCosta’s simple text slowly builds the tension as the ninja moves through the night.  The entire book is hushed and the mood brittle with stealth.  She playfully leads the reader through thinking that this is a real ninja sneaking into a house until the reveal.  It’s a great reveal that works particularly well thanks to Young’s illustrations. 

His collage art shows a shadowed ninja figure using expert skill and stealth.  At the same time, that cover clues us into the jolly nature of this book.  Young’s art is as beautiful as always, using subtle colors to evoke the world of the ninja and the darkness of night.  They have the sharp angles of Japanese architecture built into each page too, immediately conjuring another land.

Get ready to have your own little ninja prowling your house after you share this book.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Review: Falcon by Tim Jessell

| Tasha

falcon

Falcon by Tim Jessell

Told in lush illustrations and verse, this picture book follows the daydreams of a young boy.  A boy in a summer field dreams of being a falcon.  He would fly high in the mountains, along the coast, and roost in the cliffs where he could hear the crashing waves.  He would journey to the city, where he could perch far above the noise and bustle and watch the city from above.  Then he would dive down, faster and faster, towards the sidewalks and the people.  At the very last moment, he would spread his wings and fly above their heads.  The fun he could have, if only he were a falcon.

Told in verse that is spare and lovely, this poetry will work well for a young audience.   The imagery in the poem is directed at that audience.  For example, towards the beginning of the book, this symbolism is used:

With the sound

of tearing paper,

my wings would

slice through

the air.

Immediately, children will hear the sound and realize just how fast that falcon is flying.  It is beautifully, clearly written to great effect.

Combined with this poetry are incredible illustrations that are deep colored and striking.  They range from close-ups of the falcon to long-distance images of the coastline at night.  They are immensely beautiful and captivating as they capture this imaginary life of a falcon.

A radiant picture book about imagination and flight, this book will have young readers dreaming their own daydreams of gliding high above the earth.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

Review: Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail

| Tasha

piggy bunny

Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Liam does not want to be a pig when he grows up, even though he’s a piglet.  Instead, Liam wants to be the Easter Bunny.  Liam even practiced his bunny skills: hopping, eating salad, and delivering eggs.  But they didn’t work out too well.  His family thought that he should just admit he was a pig and move on.  But then his grandmother said that they didn’t have the imagination to see him as a rabbit and that he needed a bunny suit to have them see it.  Unfortunately, the bunny suit doesn’t fit quite right, one ear doesn’t stand up straight, and it itches.  But when Liam looks in the mirror, all of that is forgotten, because he sees — the Easter Bunny!

Vail has created an Easter book that will have appeal far beyond that holiday.  It’s a book about a child with a dream that others can’t even visualize and that child creating it in a way that lets others share his vision.  That solid message is packaged in a very friendly, light-hearted package with lots of appeal.  Her writing is sprightly and fun-filled, inviting children to put on costumes and try new identities.

A large part of the appeal of the book are the illustrations.  Done in thick lines and bright, candy-colored backgrounds, the illustrations are filled with energy and humor. 

A pig in a bunny suit that is as cute as this one will have this book off of library shelves in no time.  Add in the solid storyline and you have a winning Easter book.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel and Friends.

Review: A Few Blocks by Cybele Young

| Tasha

few blocks

A Few Blocks by Cybele Young

It was time for school, but Ferdie did not want to go to school.  He wasn’t done playing with his cars, his blocks, or his drawing.  In fact, he was not sure he ever wanted to go to school again.  But Viola held up his coat, called it his cape and invited him to blast off with his rocket-blaster boots.  They fought evil until Ferdie’s boots ran out of fuel.  Ferdie sat down and once again announced that he wasn’t going to school, maybe not ever.  Viola discovered a leaf in the gutter and invited Ferdie to hop on board the ship to find treasure.  Their trip to school continued, moving from one imaginary game to another, until suddenly it was Viola who isn’t sure that she can make it to school.  It was up to Ferdie now to get them that last block to school.

Young’s story is inventive and very readable.  The children going from one game to another is something we see in children’s books.  Viola is a patient leader, guiding Ferdie from one scenario to another despite grumpiness and even tears.  The joy of imagination is clear throughout the book.

The illustrations are exceptional.  They are eye-catching with their fine detail.  Outside of the imaginary worlds, the children and the objects around them are colorless and flat.  When they enter their imaginations, the illustrations are colorful, whimsical, and have dimensions and shadows.  They are sculptural and enticing.

This picture book takes the everyday trip to school and turns it into something extraordinary with its illustrations.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Review: King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently

| Tasha

king jack and the dragon

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Open this book and you are immersed in a wonderful world of make-believe that you will not want to leave.  There is a timelessness to not only the story here, but the way it is told. 

Jack, Zack and Caspar were making a fort for King Jack out of a large box, a sheet, a blanket, some sticks, broken bricks, some trash bags, and other odds and ends.  Then they spent the entire day fighting dragons and beasts until they returned back to their fort for a celebratory feast.  Unfortunately, after that a giant came and took Sir Zack home.  Then another giant came and took Caspar off to bed.  That left King Jack alone on his throne in his fort.  As darkness fell, he tried to not feel frightened of the noises of wind and the scurrying of animals.  He wasn’t really truly scared until he heard the four footed beast approaching in the dark. 

Beautifully told by Bently, this book reads aloud with zest and style.  The story moves from the building of the fort to the playing of pretend through to the end of the day when reality comes calling for each of the children.  It is a story that speaks to the power of imagination, the ability of children to create worlds that they fall into, and the love of play.  The entire text captures that sense of play, merrily creating tension towards the end of the book without any real fear.

Oxenbury’s illustrations help to strengthen the timelessness of the story.  The sweetness of her illustrations is tempered by the ferocity of the dragons and beasts she depicts.  Yet there is no real danger here, and her illustrations help underline that to the youngest of readers.

Have large boxes and plenty of “swords” ready after you share this book.  It is sure to create some new knights out of any children who listen to it.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Book Review: When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore

| Tasha

when a dragon moves in

When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

One day at the beach, a little boy builds the perfect sandcastle and immediately a dragon moves right in.  Together the boy and dragon roast marshmallows, fly kites, float in the water, and defend the sandcastle against bullies who would knock it down.  The little boy tries to disguise that he is hosting a dragon in his castle, but then wants to tell his family about it.  He can’t get his mother’s attention, his father just tickles him, and his sister insists she knows better.  But trouble comes along with dragons too, and perhaps this one is more trouble than he’s worth.  Perhaps.

Moore uses the engaging second-person point of view, referring to the reader as “you.”  It draws you directly into the story and gives it a strong and inviting structure as well.  The story moves quickly from one moment to the next, which creates a vibrant feel to the story.  It’s a story that speaks to the power of imagination in creating a special time.

McWilliam’s art has a cinematic quality to it that children will immediately respond to.  He captures emotions on faces with comedic skill.  This is a refreshing style to have in a children’s book because it closely mimics what they see in films.  It’s a friendly and lovely thing to see.

A great beach read, this will have children scrambling to get their castles up and welcoming to dragons.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Flashlight Press.

Also reviewed by

Book Review: I’m Me! by Sara Sheridan

| Tasha

im-me

I’m Me! by Sara Sheridan, illustrations by Margaret Chamberlain

When Imogen visits her Aunt Sara, she asks immediately to play pretend.  Aunt Sara offers to pretend that Imogen is a monkey on the beach.  Or perhaps a beautiful princess with a gown and a crown.  Or a witch’s cat with magic wands.  Or a pirate’s parrot searching for buried treasure.  Or a dragon-taming knight.  Or an astronaut.  But Imogen wants to be only one things today, herself!  So she and her Auntie Sara head to the park, play on the swings, eat ice cream, and then curl up on the couch together to share some stories.

Sheridan has created a book with a romping rhythm that keeps it moving quickly and merrily along.  The options that are given for different themes to play together are clever, silly and invitingly fun.  The book speaks to every child’s dream, an adult who is eager to play not only with them, but to play exactly what the child wants to play.

Chamberlain’s illustrations are done first in pen and ink on paper and then loaded into the computer to add color and texture.  This gives a pleasing combination of hand-drawn lines and deep computer colors.  The bright, bold colors and jaunty textures add zest to the title.

An invitation to play and imagine, this book is appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Book Review: Follow Me by Tricia Tusa

| Tasha

followme

Follow Me by Tricia Tusa

A girl swings on a swing, traveling from one color to another.  As the colors change, so does her swinging speed and style, until she flies free from the swim altogether.  She gets lost in green and travels down into the brown of the forest, and then out into the blue of the sky once again.  Until she drifts back down to green.  Finally, returning back home.

If that description of the book seems loose and floaty, that’s because the book is that way too.  While it does mention colors, this is not an introductory book about colors.  Rather it is about colors in a larger sense, an emotive way.  It is a poem that dances along, inviting us all to take to the air too. 

Tusa’s illustrations are filled with gentle colors that are airy and light.  They are colors that make you take deep breaths, as they seem to be filled with fresh air.  The girl who we follow through the book and the poem has a charming quirky quality to her.  The distinction between the clarity of the air and its emptiness vs. the clutter of the girl’s home is lovely.  Both have their own appeal.

This book captures the freedom and lightness of swinging through the air and combines it with childhood imagination.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Cracking the Cover.