magic

Chalk

| Tasha

Chalk by Bill Thomson

In this wordless book, three children discover a bag hanging from the mouth of the dinosaur toy in the park.  Inside is sidewalk challk, very special sidewalk chalk.  When one child selects yellow and draws a sun on the wet pavement, it turns real, leaving the drawing and heading into the sky, ending the rain.  Another child draws orange butterflies, which also lift from the ground and into the air.  Excitement unfolds when the third child draws a dinosaur which comes to life, chasing them around the playground.  The quick-thinking child draws a cloud with rain coming out of it and saves the day.  Told in rich photo-realistic illustrations, this book is a magical journey into imagination.

A wordless book that is not strictly for preschoolers is a rare find.  One that is told with such energy and style is even more rare.  Thomson has created a book that is inviting, mesmerizing and unique.  Told in such a way that the story flows through the illustrations, needing no narration, this book is superb.  The realistic illustrations add to the modern feel of the book as well as the action and surprise of the magic.  In fact, the juxtaposition of magic with photo-realistic illustrations is what elevates this book to another level.  Beautifully designed and envisioned.

Highly recommended, this book will fly off the shelves by the strength of that cover alone.  It can also be used as the basis for art and writing projects in a classroom setting beautifully.  Appropriate for a wide range of ages, 3-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Marshall Cavendish.

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Drizzle

| Tasha

Drizzle by Kathleen Van Cleve

Polly Peabody knows that her family’s rhubarb farm is something special, even something magical!  They grow Giant Rhubarb that is helping close the hole in the ozone and chocolate rhubarb that tastes like a sweet but is a vegetable.  They have a lake that you can’t drown in no matter how long you hold your breath, a castle to live in, and gems sprout from the ground.  And every Monday at 1:00 pm exactly, it rains.  But then one Monday it doesn’t.  And other things start to go wrong on the farm.  The rhubarb begins to wilt even though it is being watered by hand.  The umbrella ride fails when people are riding it.  A strange fog is starting to cover some of the farm.  It is up to Polly to find out what is causing the damage and save their farm.  To do that she will have to face her fears, uncover family secrets and trust in the magic of the farm.

This enticing tale is a pleasure to read.  Van Cleve has created the farm of childhood dreams filled with dessert that is healthful, carnival rides, friendly bugs, animated plants, and much more.  She writes with a light friendly tone that never gets bogged down in elaborate descriptions or overwriting, which is a fear with books of this sort.  Instead, she allows the magic to shine and the imagination to soar.

Polly is a great protagonist who is painfully shy, bullied at school, and yet one of the most fascinating people you could meet.  As she learns that she is much braver and more skilled than she ever dreamed, Polly begins to let others into her world and make friends.  Yet it is not that simple, and her struggles with self-reliance, family secrets, and friendships make for great coming-of-age story material.

A large part of the book’s appeal is the tension between the magical and the mundane.  Polly has to face school and all of its pitfalls as well as the desperate situation of her home and family farm.  While magic is involved, it actually makes Polly’s personal life outside of the farm more difficult.  The tension of classmates, news reporters, and magic make this book very special.

Highly recommended, this book is perfection for fans of Savvy by Ingrid Law.  It would make a wonderful classroom read and will be happily devoured by children who enjoy a lot of chocolate with their rhubarb.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial.

Check out Kathleen Van Cleve’s website.

13 Treasures

| Tasha

13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

After being tormented by fairies and waking her mother in the middle of the night, Tanya is sent to stay with her grandmother in her dilapidated manor house.  Tanya sees fairies at her grandmother’s house too: they fill the grandfather clock and make mischief in the kitchen.  But fairies are nothing compared to the dangers of the woods that surround her grandmother’s house.  As Tanya struggles to come to terms with her second sight, she is helped by several unlikely allies, including the local witch woman, the annoying son of the manor’s caretaker, and a girl has had far worse luck with the fairies.  Will Tanya be able to solve the mystery that surrounds her with their help? 

Harrison excels at creating an immersive world that truly is brought to life through her writing.  Her attention to small details and willingness to truly describe settings have helped make a world that is tangible.  Exploring the manor house, one can almost smell the dust of neglect, see the encroaching ivy.  The fairies are offered with just enough detail to make sure readers remember that they are not friendly, sweet butterfly-like creatures.

Harrison also has a good ear for dialogue, which helps complete her world building.  Tanya is a tough but also friendly girl who is trapped in a nightmare no one else can see.  The tense relationship between her and her grandmother is written in actions rather than explanations.  There are plenty of tense moments, strange events, and bizarre happenings to keep the pages moving briskly.  For me though it was a book to savor, a world I longed to linger a bit more in.

There is plenty to love here.  It is a book of evil fairies that works for children who are not ready for Holly Black and Melissa Marr yet.   Beautiful writing and  incredible world building.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Little Brown.

Magic Box

| Tasha

Magic Box by Katie Cleminson

On her birthday, Eva got a box!  A special box that she jumped into and became a magician.  Her first trick was to create a pet called Monty, who turns out to be an enormous polar bear.  Then she pulled rabbits out of hats.  Lots of rabbits.  She went on to make food, bring in musicians, and have a big party.  And in the end, she clicked her fingers and made everything disappear.  Almost everything.

First, let me say that I love seeing a girl magician who is not a witch.  That alone makes this book worth reading and having on library shelves.  Readers will also appreciate the beauty of imagination here on the page.  The illustrations use thick black lines which are then mixed with splashes and blots of color – imagination at work and visible.  The story is brief and powerful.  It is short enough to read aloud to young audiences but deep enough to spark discussion.

A lovely look at creativity with a large splash of magic, this book is certain to float right into readers hands.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

A Small Surprise

| Tasha

A Small Surprise by Louise Yates.

A very small white rabbit heads to try to get a job with a circus of animals even though the advertisement says that they don’t want small animals.  The rabbit has trouble getting his clown nose on, can’t tie the clown shoes no matter how he tries, and can’t walk the length of the tightrope without stopping.  Even eating proves to be messy but when the rabbit gets into trouble, something incredible happens that just may keep it in the circus after all.

The illustrations here tell the bulk of the story.  The quizzical animals are large but not scary at all.  They help the small rabbit get dressed and root for the little one when walking the tightrope.  When the rabbit displays its talent, the book turns riotously funny complete with spitting.  I especially enjoy the giraffe who spends the entire book with a leafy twig hanging from her loopy tongue, watching everything unfold around her.  A book of few words, this book repeats the few it has for most of the book, saying “I am too small to…” again and again.  With such great illustrations, this is the perfect amount of text, offering up support for the pictures but allowing them to tell the real story.

With one large word in the entire book and lots of repetition, this one would be good for emergent readers but it is also perfect for sharing with groups of children who will love the sudden transformation of the small rabbit into a true clown and the laughter that that brings.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.