optimism

Review: The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick by Drew Daywalt

| Tasha

The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick by Drew Daywalt

The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by David Spencer (9780399172762)

The adventures of Huggie and Stick are told in diary format from each character’s point of view. Stick is an eternal optimist, always seeing the best in every situation. Huggie, on the other hand, is a delight of a pessimist and is regularly complaining and seeing all of the problems surrounding them. As the two friends make their way around the world and visit each continent, readers will delight in the humor on the page and enjoy the way the two points of view show the same voyage from very differing points of view.

Daywalt has a way with humor, creating wonderful timing on each page. He knows when to use plenty of text and other times to let the humor just sit for a moment on the page. The juxtaposition of the two characters is written with flair. Readers may at first be drawn to Stick the optimist but by the end I was entirely in Huggie’s camp as he bore the brunt of the journey. The humor is all the better for the illustrations which show Huggie steadily falling apart on their journey and the ramshackle ways that Stick helps patch him back together.

A journey definitely worth taking, this one would be great to share aloud with elementary-age children. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Pom and Pim by Lena Landstrom

| Tasha

pom pim

Pom and Pim by Lena and Olaf Landstrom

When Pom heads outside, the sun is shining and the day is beautiful.  Pim, a stuffed toy, goes out too.  But the day isn’t completely full of good luck, in fact Pom and Pim experience a lot of bad luck along the way.  Somehow though, these bad moments turn into good ones.  So when Pom falls down, there is money on the sidewalk and they get to have ice cream!  The ice cream gives Pom a tummy ache, but then there is a balloon in the room.  The balloon pops when Pom takes it outside, but it’s just in time to make a raincoat for Pim before the rain comes.  Then it’s a lovely rainy day.

Landstrom plays with optimism in this book.  Pom goes from merry to dejected in moments, just like any toddler, bouncing right back again with the next new distraction or change.  The story is very simply told with the illustrations telling much of Pom’s reaction to the described situations.  Pom is never given a gender, making this a book that will speak to all genders equally and children will see themselves reflected on the page. 

The illustrations clearly reflect Pom’s emotions, as Pom changes moods from one page to the next.  They are also wonderfully simple which fits into this story very nicely.   The result is a book for toddlers that they will understand and relate to.

Grab this one when looking at emotions with toddlers, its everyday events will be something that any child has probably experienced.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Poor Doreen: A Fishy Tale by Sally Lloyd-Jones

| Tasha

poor doreen

Poor Doreen: A Fishy Tale by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Alexandra Boiger

Mrs. Doreen Randolph-Potts is a very rare Ample Roundy Fish who is headed to visit her cousin who has just had a baby, or 157 babies to be exact.  So Doreen is swimming down the river when she spots what she thinks is a tasty dragonfly, but it is not.  It is actually a lure held by a fisherman, but Doreen does not know that and she gulps it down.  Soon Doreen is lifted into the air and plunked into a basket.  She thinks she is just there for a little rest before she heads on her journey, but she is wrong again.  Instead a Great Heron snaps her up and carries her off.  But as he has her in his jaws, Doreen thanks him for the ride.  She then manages to insult him by asking if he is an egret and when he tries to answer her she falls down, down into the water again.  So that leaves two very embarrassed creatures:  a fisherman and a heron who both lost their catch that day and one rather confused but safe Doreen who makes it to her cousin’s home with a great story to share.

Doreen is a great character, always looking on the bright side of her world though in a rather confused way.  She’s an optimist through and through, one who always sees the best, though sometimes at her own peril.  The book is designed to be read aloud with the fonts leading readers along the way.  It has great pacing for sharing aloud as well as a good amount of humor which always helps.  The language of the writing is also very special.  Here is my favorite line of the book to give you some of the flavor: 

By the water’s edge

a Fisherman wearing a coat the color of the sun

and a Great Blue Heron wearing a coat the color of a stormy sky

with a neck like an S

for SPEAR

are fishing.

Wonderful writing with richness and depth, contrasts and foreshadowing.  It’s simply superb.

Boiger’s art is appropriately done in watercolor for this fishy story.  Doreen pops on the page with her bright scarf and umbrella, both in red.  The action is captured nicely on the page, filled with bubbles, swirls and motion. 

A clever and optimistic book, children are sure to root for Doreen on her great adventure.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

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

Review: Good News Bad News by Jeff Mack

| Tasha

good news bad news

Good News Bad News by Jeff Mack

So much depends on your point of view in this jaunty picture book that is written in a very limited vocabulary of just four words.  The book opens with the good news of a shared picnic.  Then the bad news of rain arrives.  Then the good news of the rabbit’s umbrella.  Bad news carries the rat off on the wind.  Filled with lots of energy and action, this picture book dashes along at a breakneck speed as readers look forward to the inevitable next twist in the tale. 

Mack manages to create a cohesive story with great pacing using just four words.  Reading like an animated short, the interchange of optimism and pessimism is sure to delight both sorts of personalities.  It gives us all a chance to laugh together as the poor rat is constantly disappointed and the rabbit doesn’t reach his breaking point until almost the end of the book.  By that point, the ups and downs of the story will have everyone ready to burst.

Good news!  The book is wonderful and is out now!  Good news!  It’s a great pick for new readers!  Good news!  No bad news at all.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

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