Review of Shh! We Have a Plan! by Chris Haughton

Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review, Readalouds, Starred Review 0

shh_largeShh!

We Have a Plan!

by Chris Haughton

Candlewick Press, 2014. 40 pages.
Starred Review

Chris Haughton’s books are tailor-made for storytime. His style is distinctive and unusual – but the bold and bright colors will show well in the front of the room. And the repetition will have kids quickly chanting along.

The situation is four friends going through a forest. The littlest one sees a lovely red bird. He says, “Hello, Birdie.” The others shush him with the words from the title.

Their plan?

tiptoe slowly
tiptoe slowly
now stop. SHH!

ready one
ready two
ready three . . .

GO!

The pictures show the three sneaking up on the bird with a net, and then landing in a confused heap while the bird flies serenely away.

The same pattern continues a total of three times, with results that will set kids laughing. Finally, the littlest one uses another approach, with very different results.

This is a book that children will quickly learn to “read” themselves. Definitely fun – and there’s also an opportunity for them to notice that bread works better than nets.

madebynode.com
candlewick.com
fsc.org

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of My Country ‘Tis of Thee, by Claire Rudolf Murphy and Bryan Collier

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Picture Book Review 0

my_country_tis_of_thee_largeMy Country, ‘Tis of Thee

How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights

by Claire Rudolf Murphy
illustrated by Bryan Collier

Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2014. 46 pages.

Did you know that the patriotic song “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” has been used as a protest song down through all the years America has been a country?

This picture book – with evocative artwork by Bryan Collier – traces the history of the song, with each double-page spread giving us another verse that was sung to the tune.

The song as we know it wasn’t written until 1831. But before that, the tune was sung in England and its colonies as “God Save the King.” Already the song was used in protest, as Scottish followers of Bonnie Prince Charlie made a verse for him. In the Colonies, preacher George Whitfield wrote new verses to express that all men are equal. As the Revolution got underway, new verses were written declaring freedom.

The author goes through history, presenting new verses that were sung at different time periods, nearly always supporting a cause or another. The Abolitionists had a version; the Confederacy had a version; women’s suffragists sang for their cause, and even migrant workers.

The book culminates in Martin Luther King Jr’s quoting the song in his “I have a dream” speech, and then Aretha Franklin singing at Barack Obama’s inauguration.

I had no idea this song can be and has been such a feisty one! I especially like the way the author ends the book:

Now it’s your turn. Write a new verse for a cause you believe in. Help freedom ring.

clairerudolfmurphy.com
bryancollier.com
mackids.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Ling & Ting: Twice as Silly, by Grace Lin

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review 0

twice_as_silly_largeLing & Ting

Twice as Silly

by Grace Lin

Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2014. 44 pages.

This is a chapter book for beginning readers. It includes six stories with a surprise, silly payoff for readers who get to the end of each story.

Not to be spoilery, I’ll give an example of one story. Ling and Ting are playing on swings and Ling says she can swing higher than a tree. Ting challenges her, asking “A tree that is taller than a giraffe?” then a building, a mountain, and more. Ling says “Yes” to every challenge. Here’s the end page of that story:

“Okay,” Ting says. “Show me how you can swing higher than a tree.”

“I am doing it right now,” Ling says. “We both are.”

“We are?” Ting asks. “How?”

“It is easy to swing higher than a tree,” Ling says. “A tree cannot swing.”

Another fun thing is that the last story, “Not a Silly Story,” pulls in an element from each of the earlier stories.

This book uses simple words, repetition, and picture clues to help beginning readers. But it is not boring. The silliness and fun little twists at the end will leave readers smiling, over and above the sense of accomplishment they will gain from reading these on their own.

gracelin.com
hachettebookgroup.com/kids

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of Once Upon an Alphabet, by Oliver Jeffers

Delightfully Silly, Picture Book Review, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

once_upon_an_alphabet_largeOnce Upon an Alphabet

Short Stories for All the Letters

by Oliver Jeffers

Philomel Books, 2014.
Starred Review

Oliver Jeffers’ books are quirky, offbeat, and, to certain people like me, utterly hilarious.

This is not a traditional alphabet book. As it says on the first page:

If words make up stories, and letters make up words, then stories are made of letters.

In this menagerie we have stories, made of words, made for all the letters.

The stories are all very short – with a title page, a two-page spread, and then a last page, all decorated with Oliver Jeffers’ loopy drawings, done large.

The stories possess that bizarre logic that makes me laugh. Many are tragic. Many seem pointless. And many show characters from a previous story. Taken together, they’ve got Oliver Jeffers’ unique charm.

I’ll include a couple of stories to give you the idea:

H

Half a House

Helen lived in half a house.
The other half had fallen into
the sea during a hurricane
a year and a half ago.

Being lazy, and not owning
a hammer, she hadn’t quite
got around to fixing it yet.
Which was fine . . .

. . . until the horrible day she
rolled out the wrong side of bed.

On this page we see Helen, open-mouthed, falling into the sea.

Another favorite, for which I’m afraid I can’t even begin to describe the drawings:

M

Made of Matter

Mary is made of matter.
So is her mother.
And her mother’s moose.

In fact, matter makes up everything
from magnets and maps to
mountains and mattresses.

Mary discovered all of this
the marvelous day she got sucked
through a microscope and
became the size of a molecule.

It’s a minor miracle that
they all made it back out
of the microscope at their
normal size again.

A few are done in rhyme:

R

Robots Don’t Like Rain Clouds

Robots don’t like rain clouds
So they steal them from the sky.

From everywhere and anywhere
That’s why it’s been so dry.

I’m sure you have been wondering,
What’s with all this dust?

Well, robots don’t like getting wet.
They don’t do well with rust.

I’ve already decided I want to booktalk this book next summer to the younger elementary school grades. I feel confident that just reading a few of the stories, and showing the large, dramatic pictures, will attract many readers, who will enjoy being in on the joke.

oliverjeffers.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Creature Features, by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

Children's Nonfiction Review, Picture Book Review, Science 0

creature_features_largeCreature Features

25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do

by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, 2014. 32 pages.

Steve Jenkins’ books are unfailingly fascinating. His cut-paper art is amazingly detailed and realistic.

This book is a simple introduction to the fascinating world of animals for younger readers. The pictures present 25 animals with something strange about the way their face looks. These animals explain why these looks help them survive, using simple language.

Here are a couple of examples:

Dear Egyptian vulture: Why no feathers on your face?

Are you sure you want to know? Really? Okay, I’ll tell you. I stick my face into the bodies of the dead animals I eat, and feathers would get pretty messy . . .

Dear star-nosed mole: What is that weird thing growing on your face?

Actually, that’s my nose. I live underground, and I use the tentacles on my snout to feel my way in the dark and find tasty worms and grubs to eat.

This book is a wonderful way to excite children’s curiosity about the natural world. It’s not often that a nonfiction book would work well for both preschool storytime and keeping the attention of school-age kids, but this one falls firmly in that category.

stevejenkinsbooks.com
hmhco.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Anna and Solomon, by Elaine Snyder and Harry Bliss

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

anna_and_solomon_largeAnna & Solomon

by Elaine Snyder
pictures by Harry Bliss

Margaret Ferguson Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014. 32 pages.
Starred Review

Our library system has this shelved among the biographies, but to me it’s simply a warm and wonderful picture book that happens to be true. No one would do a report on these people, they aren’t famous, but their story has the flavor of a folktale.

It turns out, as I learned from the back cover, the distinguished illustrator Harry Bliss asked his mother-in-law to put the story of her grandparents into writing. He knew a good picture book story when he heard one!

The story begins in 1897 in Russia, when Solomon and Anna got married in the Jewish quarter of the town of Vitebsk. They are happy together and very much in love, but when the Czar’s soldiers come through, they think it’s time to make the journey to America.

However, they only have enough money to pay for one passage across the ocean. Anna tells Solomon to go ahead of her, and send her money when he’s made enough to pay for her passage.

Solomon goes to America and works hard, always thinking of Anna. He sends her money and goes to meet her ship with flowers. Instead of Anna, her brother Label comes off the ship.

Label was Anna’s youngest brother. He was small and skinny, and Solomon remembered how protective Anna had always been of him. Why was he here? Where was Anna?

Label carefully explained to him that Anna had used the money Solomon sent not for herself but for her brother’s passage instead.

Oy, oy, it was a great blow to Solomon, but he saw that Anna was right. Label could not be left behind; Anna had to be certain that he would be safe.

Solomon took Label home.

And it goes on. The next time Solomon sends money for passage, Anna’s older brother comes off the ship, and then Anna’s mother. She still has a sister left. Will Anna ever come?

Since the book is written by Anna and Solomon’s granddaughter, I’m not giving away too much by saying that Anna eventually does arrive. Their story is told with heart and compassion and a true Happy Ever After.

mackids.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Waiting Is Not Easy! by Mo Willems

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

waiting_is_not_easy_largeWaiting Is Not Easy!

by Mo Willems

Hyperion Books for Children, New York, 2014. 57 pages.
Starred Review

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Mo Willems is a genius. His books deal in universal emotions; they teach lessons; they are funny; they are simple; they span a huge age range. Every time I read a Mo Willems book to any age of kids, I get huge laughs on every page. I’ve watched other parents read them to their children, and it’s clear that the parents are enjoying them as much as the children are.

Even though these books are perfect for children just learning to read, they are short enough to be thoroughly enjoyed as read-alouds as well. And school age children who can read perfectly still enjoy them for the humor.

I also like them for the lessons. I’ve mentioned before that Are You Ready to Play Outside? is better than any sermon on contentment. And I wish Pigs Make Me Sneeze! had been published when I was teaching Statistics, because you couldn’t ask for a more entertaining presentation of the truth that Correlation does not imply Causation.

And I admit — it’s for the lesson that I love this book.

You see, back in July, I applied for my dream job. I was very excited and eager. In August, I had a phone interview. In September, I had a panel interview. That was seven weeks ago. There is going to be a third round of interviews, but they have apparently not happened yet. Truly, Waiting Is Not Easy!

The story is simple. Piggie tells Gerald she has a surprise for him, but he will have to wait, because it isn’t here yet. And the rest of the book is waiting for the surprise. Gerald is not patient. Three times, he lets out a GROAN! in a speech bubble so big, it knocks over Piggie (a little more each time). Gerald tries different things, but they mostly amount to telling Piggie he’s tired of waiting, while Piggie waits in a peaceful yoga pose.

And yes, the surprise is worth it, even to Gerald. And no, Piggie could not possibly have speeded it up. (She actually shouldn’t have told him about the surprise ahead of time, but then we wouldn’t have such a great book.)

So besides a book that will set kids giggling at Gerald’s over-the-top antics, what parent doesn’t want their child to learn a little something about patience? I can’t think of a better vehicle for talking about how hard it is to wait.

And, yes, even for me, laughing at Gerald’s impatience takes the sting out of my own wait. Thank you, Mo Willems!

pigeonpresents.com
hyperionbooksforchildren.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Please use the comments if you’ve read the book and want to discuss spoilers!

Review of Grandfather Gandhi, by Arun Gandhi, Bethany Hegedus, and Evan Turk

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

grandfather_gandhi_largeGrandfather Gandhi

by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus
illustrated by Evan Turk

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2014. 40 pages.
Starred Review

This book is shelved with the biographies in our library, and technically it’s nonfiction, but this isn’t so much the story of someone’s life as it is a true story that children will relate to and that makes a magnificent picture book.

Arun Gandhi is the grandson of the famous Mahatma, Mohandas K. Gandhi. This picture book tells the story of when he met his grandfather, who was already a revered spiritual leader.

He moved to the Sevagram ashram from South Africa when he was twelve years old, and had to adjust to no electricity or television, learning a new language, sharing his grandfather with many followers, new foods, and feeling like he could never measure up to the expectations of being a Gandhi.

It seemed everyone around him was good at peace and tranquility, but Arun kept finding anger welling up inside him. Finally, after an explosive incident on the soccer field, Arun got to talk with his grandfather, who admitted that even he felt anger. But anger, like electricity, has two sides. It can strike like lightning and cause destruction, or it can work in a lamp and bring light.

This story is specific to this boy’s upbringing, but it is universal in its appeal. Every child understands wondering if they will measure up to the expectations of others. And every child understands the difficulty of dealing with anger.

The art in this book is striking, using collage including cloth and thread. I especially liked how Arun’s anger was expressed in a cloud of black thread encircling him and the resonant shapes done with shadows.

This is a lovely book, and gently and without preaching is a vehicle for bringing up important topics. It’s all told from a child’s perspective, in a natural way, and will appeal to children and adults from any culture and any religion.

arungandhi.org
bethanyhegedus.com
evanturk.com
KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of The Noisy Paint Box, by Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpré

Art, Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

noisy_paint_box_largeThe Noisy Paint Box

The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art

by Barb Rosenstock
illustrated by Mary Grandpré

Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2014. 36 pages.
Starred Review

I love picture book biographies about artists where the illustrator communicates the feeling of the artist’s life and work. Mary Grandpré achieves this in The Noisy Paint Box, managing to do what Vasily Kandinsky was trying to do, and paint feelings.

The words ring. A note at the back explains, “This book is historical fiction. The dialogue is imagined, although the events are true.” As long as Barb Rosenstock was inventing dialogue, she used words that make an impact.

“Look what I made!” shouted Vasya.
“Is it a house?” asked Auntie.
“Is it a flower?” asked Mama.
“What’s it supposed to be?” asked Papa.
“It’s music!” said Vasya, waltzing his painting around the house.

“Calm down!” said Mama.
“Do some math!” said Papa.
“Heavens!” said Auntie. “This boy needs a proper art class.”

Later, when the adult Kadinsky creates abstract art, we see our first reproduction of one of his paintings with text that echoes his family in childhood.

It took a long time for people to understand.

“Is it a house?” “Is it a flower?” “What’s it supposed to be?”

“It’s my art,” Vasya answered. “How does it make you feel?”

In the note at the back, the author also explains that Kandinsky probably had synesthesia, since he described experiencing colors as sounds and sounds as colors throughout his life. Combined with the art of Mary Grandpré, even child readers will get a sense of what that means.

BarbRosenstock.com
MaryGrandPre.com
randomhouse.com/kids

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

Review of Winter Is Coming, by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Jim LaMarche

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

winter_is_coming_largeWinter is Coming

by Tony Johnston
illustrated by Jim LaMarche

A Paula Wiseman Book (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), New York, 2014. 32 pages.
Starred Review

I usually don’t fall for quiet, meditative picture books. They need some zing to keep kids from squirming in Storytime. And surely Autumn has been done to death?

However, this book is so completely gorgeous, it won my heart. The text is gentle and lovely, and the story in pictures of a girl watching the natural world, observing and sketching, snuck its way into my heart.

The girl has a platform set up in a moss-covered old tree. She has binoculars and a sketch book. The book starts in early Autumn. The girl comes and sees wildlife come to the clearing, first a fox sniffing the last apple on their apple tree. Each new scene ends with the words “Winter is coming.”

Over the months that follow, she sees a bear and her cub, a family of skunks, a pair of woodpeckers, a group of rabbits, a lynx, chipmunks, deer, geese flying south, and finally a flock of wild turkeys. With each new day, the girl observes the animals and how they are getting ready for winter. Finally:

It’s late November now.
Gray as honkers, clouds crowd low.
The red fox returns,
prowling, prying, poking.
But the apples are gone.
The day goes still.
The red fox is quiet, quiet.
I am quiet, quiet. Then –
the clouds dust us with
snow.
Soon snow lies everywhere.

Winter is here.

Besides being beautiful to look at, the pictures, even though they are all from the same basic setting, are presented from a wide variety of angles and perspectives. Paired with the poetic language and insights about nature, this book won my heart.

We can learn from animals, my father says.
About patience. About truth. About quiet.
About taking only what you need
from the land because
we are just its keepers.

KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.