Review of The Mighty Lalouche, by Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall

Historical, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

The Mighty Lalouche

by Matthew Olshan
illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2013. 40 pages.
Starred Review

Magnifique!

One hundred and a few-odd years ago, in Paris, France, there lived a humble postman named Lalouche. He was small, Lalouche, and rather bony, but his hands were nimble, his legs were fast, and his arms were strong.

For company, he kept a finch named Geneviève.

When Lalouche loses his job because the postal service wants to use the new electric cars, he sees an ad for boxers. Lalouche is much smaller than the other boxers, but he overwhelms them with his speed and agility, and wins every time.

There’s a final showdown with The Anaconda, but Lalouche takes up the cry, “For country, mail, and Geneviève!”

However, despite all Lalouche’s surprising success, stationery stores with envelopes and stamps still make him sad. The happy ending turns that all around and makes the reader think about what success really means.

So, it’s all a charming story. There are even photos in the back and an author’s note that French boxing was actually like that – where speed and agility could win out over muscle and bulk.

But what makes this book over-the-top wonderful are the cut-out illustrations by Sophie Blackall. (Well, okay, and the way the story is perfectly paced to match them.) They have amazing attention to detail and wonderfully give the feel of nineteenth-century France. Let me strongly encourage you to check out this book and look at the pictures yourself. I have little doubt you’ll be charmed as well.

I am going to feature this book in a “Family Storytime” at the library. It’s too much fun to keep to myself.

For country, mail, and Geneviève!

matthewolshan.com
sophieblackall.com
randomhouse.com/kids

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/mighty_lalouche.html

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 Let Go Now, by Karen Casey

Musings, Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Let Go Now

Embracing Detachment

by Karen Casey

Conari Press, 2010. 232 pages.
Starred Review

I’ve been reading this book, slowly, a little at a time, often pausing to post quotes on Sonderquotes, for more than a year. I started reading it as a library book, but then when it was clear I was going to take ages, and that it is packed with good insights, I purchased my own copy.

There are 200 numbered meditations, with “Pause and reflect” pages after each ten meditations. All of the meditations are about detachment and letting go.

I’m divorced, and I didn’t want to be divorced. It’s been a long time, but it’s still always good to get any and all encouragement to let go of that marriage, to detach. And what do you know, the advice is good in other areas, too. I’m a Mom whose kids are becoming adults. And it turns out that most situations that cause stress can be improved by letting go of something.

Why would you want to detach? I’ll let Karen Casey explain, from the Introduction:

To begin with, I think we have to cultivate our willingness to let go, that is, to detach from the trials and tribulations of our contemporaries if we want to find the quiet peace we long for, a peace that will allow us to truly love, to truly embrace, and to appreciate those who journey with us. In this process, we also give those companions the freedom to grow and to find their own way, thus their own eventual peace too. I don’t think we can come together as loving equals without embracing the willingness to detach.

We live very codependent lives, from my perspective. By this I mean that too many of us let even the whims of others — in our families, our communities, our workplaces, even in other parts of the world — define us, determine how we feel, and then decide what we will do next in many instances. Learning to detach allows us to live the life we were meant to live. By allowing other people’s behavior, good, bad, or disinterested, control us, we miss many opportunities for movement and expression in new directions. The converse is also true: if we attempt to control the other persons on our path, wherever they may reside, keeping them “attached” to us through any means (and most of us are very practiced at this), we immobilize them, thus preventing the growth they deserve and have been prepared for already.

Detachment isn’t easy. If it were, there would be no need for a book offering to help you develop the skills to do it. And it may not have appeared on your radar screen as something you wanted to cultivate prior to picking up this book. As was already noted, we are accustomed to being enmeshed with others, letting our lives be constantly influenced by their behavior. I am not suggesting that this influence is always bad; there are good influences, too, probably everyday. We can and do observe healthy “detached” behavior in some of our friends, and perhaps they showed up on our path to serve as our teachers. It’s not always easy to discern the “good” from the “bad,” however. It’s my intent for the meditations here to illustrate those behaviors we want to mimic and those we don’t.

Rather than give you more inspiring excerpts from the book, I’m going to refer the reader to the many quotations I posted on Sonderquotes. This is a marvelous choice for reading each morning. It will help you go on your way with peace.

womens-spirituality.com
redwheelweiser.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/let_go_now.html

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 my own personal copy, purchased via Amazon.com.

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 Real Boy, by Anne Ursu

Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

The Real Boy

by Anne Ursu

Walden Pond Press, 2013. 343 pages.
Starred Review

The Barrow even had one magic worker so skilled he called himself a magician. Master Caleb was the first magician in a generation, and he helped the Asterians shine even more brightly. He had an apprentice, like most magic smiths. But like the wizards of old, he also took on a hand — a young boy from the Children’s Home — to do work too menial for a magician’s apprentice.

The boy, who was called Oscar, spent most of his time underneath Caleb’s shop, tucked in a small room in the cellar, grinding leaves into powders, extracting oils from plants, pouring tinctures into small vials — kept company by the quiet, the dark, the cocoon of a room, and a steady rotation of murmuring cats. It was a good fate for an orphan.

This book is about Oscar. When the magician Caleb goes on a trip, leaving the apprentice, Wolf, in charge, something terrible happens to Wolf. Oscar is stuck watching the shop. He doesn’t know what to do. He feels like an alien. He doesn’t know how to read people’s faces, and interacting with them makes him anxious.

But the Healer’s Apprentice, Callie, is also in charge in her master’s absence. She and Oscar help each other. She helps Oscar deal with people, and he helps Callie know which herbs will cure.

But something is going wrong with the magic, something that may be much bigger than Oscar and Callie can handle.

I’m not sure I was satisfied with the ending — not sure I understood clearly enough what had actually happened. But the book itself, the world, and especially Oscar, were delightful to spend time with.

In a contemporary novel, Oscar’s difficulties would probably have a name, a definition. I like that this fantasy novel doesn’t label Oscar. We see him as an individual, with his own particular difficulties and fears, as well as strengths and insights. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book about overcoming and doing good in spite of your own self-doubt. Go, Oscar!

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/real_boy.html

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 an Advance Reader Copy I got at ALA Annual Conference and had signed by the author.

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 Tiny Little Fly, by Michael Rosen and Kevin Waldron

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Readalouds, Starred Review 0

Tiny Little Fly

by Michael Rosen
pictures by Kevin Waldron

Candlewick Press, 2010. 32 pages.
Starred Review

I’ve found a book I simply must read for my next Baby Storytime. It’s got great big pages and features great big animals – and one tiny little fly.

Tiny Little Fly lands on Great Big Elephant, and Great Big Hippo, and Great Big Tiger. They each wink one eye and try to catch the fly, with appropriate sound effects. They all fail.

The big vivid pictures make this perfect for a group reading, especially combined with the chorus of sounds like “Tramp! Crush! Tramp!” for the elephant. I especially like the winding trail of the fly pictured behind it. You can almost feel the fly landing.

And how common is that situation? You can easily relate to the animals saying to themselves, “I’m going to catch that fly!” But it’s so easy to believe they would vigorously try and fail.

My, oh my,
Tiny Little Fly!

At the end, there’s a big fold-out spread, with all three animals fruitlessly after the fly.

Tiny Little Fly
winks one eye. . . .
“See you all soon.
Bye, everyone, bye!”

Just right for a beginning experience with books. It’s got animals, rhymes, repetition and predictability, big lovely pictures, buzzing sounds, things to chant, and even a happy ending.

candlewick.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/tiny_little_fly.html

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 Frog Song, by Brenda Z. Guiberson and Gennady Spirin

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

Frog Song

by Brenda Z. Guiberson
illustrated by Gennady Spirin

Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2013. 32 pages.

Frog Song is a beautifully illustrated celebration of frogs all over the world. Each two-page spread has a painting that features one particular species of frog. The text gives an onomatopoetic sound like the frog makes (Psst-Psst, Click-Clack, TinkTinkTinkTink) and tells something distinctive about that frog, usually how it lays and cares for its eggs.

Here’s an example:

In northeastern Australia, the Scarlet-sided pobblebonk sings by a pond after heavy rain. Bonk . . . Bonk . . . Bonk. The female frog lays her eggs on the water and whips the gooey mass into a ball of bubbles. Fwish! This floating raft protects the eggs until the tadpoles hatch.

There are notes at the end with facts about the featured frogs, as well as a bibliography, online links, and a message about frogs being endangered.

But what makes this book really stand out are the gorgeous paintings. They go so beautifully with the poetic language. Yes, you get facts in this book, but they are presented in a way that fills the reader with wonder.

brendazguiberson.com
gennadyspirin.com
mackids.com

I’m posting this review today in honor of Nonfiction Monday, hosted today by Perogies & Gyoza.

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/frog_song.html

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.

Sonderling Sunday – Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, das fünfzehnte Kapitel

Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, Sonderling Sunday 0

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books. Today I’m back to the most Sonder book of all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy. We left off at the end of Chapter 14, so tonight we begin Chapter 15.

Here’s a sentence we should all try to use this week:
“Today we go Schwenk-hunting.”
= Heute machen wir uns auf die Jagd nach dem Schwenk

Have I translated this one lately?
“My digestion” = Mein Verdauungstrakt

“adventurous” = ausgesprochen abenteuerlich (“decidedly adventurous”)

Ah, no one gives more interesting phrases to translate than James Kennedy!
“a sprightly zing in my gastric acids”
= “ein munteres Zischen meiner Magensäuren
(“a lively sizzle in my stomach acids”)

“a broad wave” = einem ausholenden Schwung

“oak chest” = Eichentruhe

“curious devices” = merkwürdiger Gerätschaften

“elusive” = scheues

“murmured” = tuschelten

“modesty” = Bescheidenheit

“a damp mass of prickly fur” = eine feuchte Masse von klebrigem Pelz

“a hissing, gurgling clump” = ein zischender, gurgelnder Klumpen

I like this alliteration:
“said Sir Festus breezily” = fuhr Sir Festus fröhlich fort

“spiky gun” = Stachelpistole

“a long-range, triple-accuracy Apology Gun”
= eine weittragende, dreifach genaue Entschuldigungspistole

“the Very Polite War” = der Au?erordentlich Höfliche Krieg

“proposing marriage” = Brautwerbung

“the murderous curtsy” = der mörderischen Hofknickses

“literally” = sprichwörtlich

A nice long word:
“disagreement” = Meinungsverschiedenheit (“opinion-difference”)

“more extravagantly effusive” = extravaganter und überschwenglicher
(“more extravagant and exuberant”)

“outdo” = übertrumpfen

“chaotic mass apologies” = chaotischen Massenentschuldigungen

“an ugly free-for-all of manners”
= ein hässlicher allgemeiner Sittenverfall
(“an ugly general moral decline”)

“rudeness” = Grobheit

“dial” = Wählscheibe

That’s it then, the first section of Chapter 15, telling about the Very Polite War. May you not encounter any mörderischen Hofknickses this week!

Review of Fortunately, the Milk, by Neil Gaiman

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Delightfully Silly, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

Fortunately, the Milk

by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Skottie Young

Harper, 2013. 113 pages.
Starred Review

This beginning chapter book made me smile on every page. The book is essentially a tall tale told by a father about what happened when he went to the store for milk for his children’s cereal. Fortunately, the milk saved the world.

Along the way, he gets beamed into a flying saucer, meets the Queen of the Pirates, walks a plank, and travels with a time-traveling stegosaurus who invented the Button.

It’s all very silly, yet logical; very outrageous, yet matter-of-fact. And the father nobly goes through all the adventures to get milk for his children.

“Well,” I told him, “it was very lucky for me that you turned up when you did and rescued me. I am slightly lost in space and time right now and need to get home in order to make sure my children get milk for their breakfast.”

This is easy to read, but is enjoyable for any age audience. No dumbing down here! Kids ready for chapter books will be richly rewarded when they tackle this book, which includes time travel paradoxes and great silliness.

mousecircus.com
skottieyoung.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/fortunately_the_milk.html

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 an Advance Reader Copy loaned to me by my friend Kristin. (Thank you!)

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 Mary Wrightly, So Politely, by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrated by Maria Monescillo

Contemporary, Picture Book Review 0

Mary Wrightly, So Politely

by Shirin Yim Bridges
illustrated by Maria Monescillo

Harcourt Children’s Books, Boston, 2013. 32 pages.

As someone who had a soft voice as a child, and someone who tried to follow the “rules,” I thought this book was wonderful.

Mary Wrightly was a good, polite little girl who spoke in a small, soft voice. Whenever she asked for something, Mary Wrightly would, so politely, say “Please.” She always, so politely, said “Thank you,” and sometimes even “Thank you very much.”

But when Mary goes shopping with her mother for a toy for her baby brother’s first birthday, things get rough. Other shoppers are grabbing the best toys while her mother talks with a neighbor. When Mary spots the perfect toy, can she speak up loudly enough to save it for her brother?

I love it that a good girl’s featured in this book, but also that it shows that situations can come up where being polite isn’t the answer. The bright colorful illustrations bring you right into Mary Wrightly’s world, with a nice variety of perspectives.

And who knows? Maybe some of Mary Wrightly’s politeness will rub off.

goosebottombooks.com
monescillo.es
hmhbooks.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/mary_wrightly.html

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 A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

Fantasy, Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

A Natural History of Dragons

A Memoir by Lady Trent

by Marie Brennan

Tom Doherty Associates (Tor), 2013. 334 pages.
Starred Review

A Natural History of Dragons is set in a world similar to ours, in the Regency era, only they have dragons. The distinguished Lady Trent, a scientist and an adventurer, is now old, and she’s writing her memoirs. This book is the first volume, about her first expedition to learn about dragons.

Isabella writes about her childhood, when she already became fascinated by dragons, because of a book, The Natural History of Dragons. This is a most improper pursuit for a young lady, and she must resort to subterfuge to get to go on a dragon hunt — with nearly disastrous results.

When it comes time for Isabella to find a husband, she is sure she must hide her fascination with dragons. She considers herself fortunate indeed when she finds a man who loves her enough not only to let her read his books about dragons, but even to accompany him on an expedition to Vyrstrani to study dragons in the field.

Once in the Vyrstrani village, though, things don’t go according to plan. The person they relied on for planning their trip is missing. Dragons are attacking people, and no one knows why. Then there is evidence of smugglers.

Through it all, Isabella’s curiosity and impulsiveness consistently put her in the thick of things.

The beginning of the book is a little like Jane Austen with dragons, but the bulk of the book is about Isabella’s field work, so it’s more of an adventure tale, reminiscent of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books.

On the flap about the author, it says, “Marie Brennan habitually pillages her background in anthropology, archaeology, and folklore for fictional purposes.” Indeed, this book reads like a serious book about anthropology, archaeology, and folklore — only with dragons.

Great fun!

swantower.com
tor-forge.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Fiction/natural_history_of_dragons.html

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 Annie and Simon: The Sneeze and Other Stories, by Catherine O’Neill

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary 0

Annie and Simon

The Sneeze and Other Stories

by Catharine O’Neill

Candlewick Press, 2013. 58 pages.

The Sneeze and Other Stories is a charming addition to early chapter books about two friends, because in this case it’s a little girl and her big brother. As a big sister of many, this is a nice acknowledgment of the relationship between siblings widely spaced in age.

The four stories are simple, everyday events, with nice interaction between Annie and her big brother.

One thing I couldn’t figure out: The first and third stories happen in the summer. The last story happens at the start of Fall. But the second story, The Sneeze, looks like it happens in winter. Or at least there are white spots on the windows. Why jump around the seasons like that? Though it very well could happen in the summer. It’s all indoors. Maybe the spots are something else?

But the stories are nice. First, Annie and Simon are looking for living things at the creek, and Annie is drawing them. Simon can’t always tell what she’s drawn, but is very nice about it.

In “The Sneeze,” Simon sneezes, and Annie insists he is sick and needs to be cared for. Never mind that he has to get up and get the blanket or actually read the story (Madeleine) himself.

In “Hazel, Hazel, Hazel,” Annie compares her dog Hazel with the neighbor cat and tries to teach her to purr.

And in “Horse Chestnuts,” Annie and Simon find some horse chestnuts, which then get stolen by a squirrel.

Nice cozy little sister-big brother stories.

candlewick.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/annie_and_simon.html

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.