moving

Book Review: Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House by Libby Gleeson

| Tasha

clancymillie

Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House by Libby Gleeson, illustrated by Freya Blackwood

When Clancy and his family move to a new house, everyone is delighted, except Clancy.  Clancy think everything about the new house is too big.  He fondly remembers his old room, the old fireplace, the old house.  Clancy heads outside to play and discovers the huge pile of cardboard boxes left from the move.  He starts to play in them and then hears someone’s voice.  It’s Millie, a new neighbor.  The two play together with the boxes, finally building a house out of them, a very fine house.

Gleeson has captured the uncertainty of a move.  She never descends into melodrama here, instead speaking directly to Clancy’s feelings and reactions to the new home.  Children who have experienced a move, even one they enjoyed, will recognize the emotions here.  Gleeson’s use of the moving boxes as a way to deal with the move and make a new friend is very clever.  They change from a symbol of what Clancy moved away from into a symbol of what he moved to. 

Blackwood’s illustrations show the move from Clancy’s point of view.  The rooms of the new house loom, gray and empty around him.  The images from his memories are brighter and cozier, clearly contrasting with the new home.  The tower of boxes seems taller than the houses when Clancy heads outside.  The potential is there is the gravity-defying stack. 

This is a great book about moving, making new friends, and the power of imagination to create new connections and memories.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

I Know Here

| Tasha

I Know Here by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James

The little girl in this story lives in a remote area of Saskatchewan where her father is helping to build a dam.  She lives in a trailer among a group of trailers.  There are woods to play in, a creek to catch frogs, and lots of animals.  But now her family is moving to Toronto.  Her teacher in their one-room school suggests that the children draw pictures to remind them of this place.  So the girl decides that she will draw a picture of her beloved home and all that surrounds it so that she can carry it with them to her new home, safe in her pocket. 

Croza’s words are understated and so allow us to really feel the emotion coming through them.  She has captured the emotions with skill and grace, not overwhelming them, but allowing them to stand on their own.  So many children have either moved or are about to move that this book will find a welcome audience and even better will offer children a way to deal with their emotions and what they miss or will miss. 

James’ illustrations are wild at times with a giant, alien frog on one.  They have intriguing perspectives and through the deep color also help reveal the emotions of the text.  They are imaginative and fantastical, capturing a world of wonder for the reader in their paint.

Few picture books have ever moved me to tears.  This is one of them.  There was such a bittersweet tone at the end that I responded from the gut.  Beautiful.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

 

A deeply-felt picture book, this picture book captures a setting with

Windows with Birds

| Tasha

Windows with Birds by Karen Ritz

The cat loved his home.  It had windows filled with birds to watch, hiding places, stairs, and a mouse in the basement.  It also had the boy who filled the water dish and scratched just right.  The cat would wait for him to return from school.  But one day, the boy took the cat to a new home in an apartment building.  The cat was not happy.  He hid, meowed aloud, and avoided the boy but the boy did not take him back home.  The cat was very upset until the morning when he discovered that these windows had birds too! 

This is a book that explores the emotional effects of moving from the point of view of a family pet.  Children will see their own emotions reflected there in a tangible and relatable way.  The illustrations are realistic and filled with loving detail.  Sharp-eyed readers will spot a moving box and the moving van before the move comes.  Ritz has captured the movements and position of the cat perfectly both in action and repose. 

A lovely addition to moving books, this should find its way onto most library shelves.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Boys

| Tasha

The Boys by Jeff Newman

I only opened this book to get a feel for the sort of book it was.  I was immediately captivated by the art, the wordless story.  I set it down with misty eyes and a wide smile.  What a book! 

My problem is that I want you to discover it and I don’t want to mess any of its wonder of wordlessness up for you.  I’ve tried to put words to it, but it seems to minimize the story, as if pinning it down removes the life from it.  So I will briefly tell you the premise and proceed to gush about it in more general terms. 

A young boy moves to a new town.  He heads to the park with his bat, ball and glove.  He watches from behind a tree but is too shy to approach the playing children on the baseball diamond.  So he plunks himself down on a bench near some older gentlemen.  The story continues from there.  It is fresh, winning, and sweetly surprising.  There is a universal quality to it, a subtle humor, and a lovely simplicity.

Newman has created a book that is an instant classic.  His use of a vintage style works well with the subject, giving the book a timeless feel.  The only words in the book are the days of the week as time passes, otherwise all of the story is told in the illustrations.  Newman tells this story in the slump of shoulders, bowed head, glaring eyes, and a determined set of a jaw.  There is never any doubt what the young boy is feeling because it is shown so clearly and yet with subtle skill.

Get this book, read it, read it again (because you must) and then decide what lucky person you will hand it to next.  It is a book to read with someone on your lap, to savor and to simply enjoy.  Let me know what you think.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8.

Kisses on the Wind

| Tasha

Kisses on the Wind by Lisa Moser, illustrated by Kathryn Brown

The covered wagon is being packed for the long trip to Oregon, but Lydia can’t imagine leaving her grandmother so far behind.  As her departure nears, Lydia and her grandmother walk together in the woods, float bark boats in the pond, and rest together in the long grass.  Grandma gives her a book filled with her stories to take along on the trip. They both quietly, solemnly, and beautifully say goodbye.

This is a picture book that will make your heart ache.  The gentle and prolonged farewell of these two people who obviously are kindred spirits is depicted with a real beauty and care.  Moser crafts a quiet story that is very moving.  Brown’s art matches the gentleness of the story perfectly with its muted colors and gentle lines.  The book never descends into maudlin emotionalism, in fact it is its inherent restraint that makes it work so well.  Bright-eyed Grandma, Lydia with her fly-away hair, and the natural setting all provide an antidote to excessive sweetness.

An ideal book for children who are moving, children whose extending family is moving away, or children of divorce.  It is a book that will work in many setting for many children, a book that really shows and feels the sadness of leaving someone behind.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.