Review of Big Wolf & Little Wolf: The Little Leaf that Wouldn’t Fall, by Nadine Brun-Cosme

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Big Wolf and Little Wolf

The Little Leaf that Wouldn’t Fall

by Nadine Brun-Cosme and Olivier Tallec

Enchanted Lion Books, New York, 2009. 28 pages.
Starred Review.

In springtime, Little Wolf notices a particularly sweet and tender green leaf high in a tree, and he asks Big Wolf to get it for him. Big Wolf tells him to wait. Eventually the leaf will fall.

In summer, the leaf is a shiny deep green, and in autumn it’s a lovely soft brown. Both times, when Little Wolf asks Big Wolf to get it, Big Wolf tells him to wait.

But when winter comes, there is one leaf left on the tree — exactly the leaf that Little Wolf wanted.

Big Wolf decides to get the leaf for Little Wolf. Is it worth the trouble?

This book is a lovely, heart-warming story of friendship and the beauty of nature. The pictures are impressionistic, with wolves quite different from other picture book wolves. I like the different perspectives the artist uses, making the quiet story all the more interesting.

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Review of The Princess and the Hound, by Mette Ivie Harrison

Fantasy, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Princess and the Hound

by Mette Ivie Harrison

eos (HarperCollins), 2007. 410 pages.

A big thank you to my sister Becky for giving me this book for Christmas. It’s one I’d heard of and had been meaning to read, and Becky’s recommendation was enough to get me to go ahead and do it.

People with animal magic had been hated and feared in this kingdom ever since the time of King Davit, a hundred years ago. So Prince George doesn’t dare let anyone know that he has it. He has to use it periodically, though, or he would die like his mother, burning up from the inside.

When George reaches seventeen, he is betrothed to Princess Beatrice of Sarrey. Beatrice has a reputation of being cold, and she always keeps a large black hound by her side. She treats the hound like a person, her constant companion. Yet George is sure she doesn’t have animal magic. There is something else strange going on between the princess and the hound.

Both George and Beatrice have secrets, and uncovering those secrets will transform both of them and their kingdoms.

I enjoyed this book, though somehow it didn’t captivate me as much as some other fairy-tale type stories. The plot is nicely woven and the story is interesting. I felt a little sorry for George’s character, but he didn’t quite capture my heart.

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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.

Review of Never Smile at a Monkey, by Steve Jenkins

Children's Nonfiction Review, Science, Stand-outs 1

Never Smile at a Monkey

And 17 Other Important Things to Remember

by Steve Jenkins

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009. 32 pages.
Starred Review
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #4 Children’s Nonfiction

I’m a huge fan of Steve Jenkins’ art work. He uses cut paper, and is able to make animals that to me look completely realistic. His textures mimic fur or scales or feathers so thoroughly you want to touch the soft-looking ones.

But you probably shouldn’t touch any of the animals in this book. Never Smile at a Monkey is essentially a list of 18 ways certain animals can kill you or severely hurt you.

For example, the author advises you never to harrass a hippo, jostle a jellyfish, or step on a stingray. All of those creatures are capable of killing human beings. Some of the animals in this book are dangerous in surprising ways.

This is definitely not a book for very young children who might be frightened. But certain school-age children will find these facts gruesomely interesting. And, as I said, the pictures are amazing.

And, by the way, why shouldn’t you smile at a monkey?

“If you smile at a rhesus monkey, it may interpret your show of teeth as an aggressive gesture and respond violently. Even a small monkey can give you a serious bite with its long, sharp fangs.”

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Review of Senrid, by Sherwood Smith

Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy 0

Senrid

by Sherwood Smith

YA Angst (Norilana Books), 2007. 446 pages.

I read this book a few months ago when I was on a Sherwood Smith kick, after rereading the masterpiece Crown Duel, and reading its prequel, A Stranger to Command.

Senrid, the title character of this book, is the boy-king of Marloven Hess in the book A Stranger to Command. Senrid takes place when Senrid is king in name only, with the country led by his uncle, acting as regent, so this book fills in more details.

In fact, the book starts in another kingdom altogether, Vasande Leror, with a boy ruler Leander and his step-sister Kitty. He gets a visit from Faline, who comes from a group of girls who have adventures. She warns him of an upcoming attack from Marloven Hess, which they manage to cleverly thwart.

But then a strange boy named Senrid comes to visit, asking lots of questions and knowing quite a bit about magic. Not until he disappears — and kidnaps Faline — do they realize he’s the king of Marloven Hess. Faline’s due to be executed for her part in Marloven Hess’s earlier humiliation, unless someone can save her.

The amazing thing about this book is that Sherwood Smith wrote it when she was fifteen, in 1966. The writing is definitely not as smooth as her later books, and there are an awful lot of characters — mostly children — to keep track of. And the children seem more childish than adults usually write them.

It turns out that from the age of eight, Sherwood Smith was inventing adventures for a group of girls in the magical world of Sartoria-deles. Senrid does have the feel of a book that a kid would like to be able to step into. Faline and her friends were imaginary friends of the author, and that’s why so many make an appearance here.

It also explains the characters’ attitude about children and adults. Leander thinks, “Adults, in his recent experience, rarely told the truth, and were mostly motivated by selfish or incomprehensible desires. He knew he couldn’t judge their trustworthiness by word or expression, but someone his own age he found far easier to trust.”

The more I read Sherwood Smith’s work, the more amazed I am at the elaborate and detailed world she has created, and how it all fits together. It turns out that almost all her books are set in this world, but usually in different countries. So it’s intriguing when the stories slightly touch one another. I can appreciate better now that she’s been working on creating that world for more than forty years.

So I don’t recommend Senrid as an introduction to Sherwood Smith’s work, since she did grow as a writer and her later books are better crafted. However, once you’re thoroughly hooked into her world, you’ll enjoy this chance to find out more about the mysterious boy-king Senrid.

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Review of Candor, by Pam Bachorz

Science Fiction, Starred Review, Suspense, Teen Fiction Review 1

Candor

by Pam Bachorz

Egmont USA, New York, 2009. 249 pages.
Starred Review.

Candor is a town full of perfect teenagers. They do their homework. They study for their SATs. They respect their parents. They don’t lie. They don’t stay out late. They don’t use drugs or alcohol.

Oscar Banks is the model teen for them all, the proof that his father’s Messages work. Except his father doesn’t know that Oscar has learned how to thwart the Messages.

Oscar’s father founded Candor, and desperate parents pay top dollar to live there — where night and day, ever-present speakers play music full of subliminal messages. Telling them how to think and what to do.

The book opens when Oscar meets a new girl, a girl who can still think for herself.

“Not that she’ll make it past two weeks. Nobody does.

“Not unless I get them out. That’s my business. I get new kids out of Candor before they’ve changed. Back to the real world. It’s not cheap, but it’s the best deal of their lives.”

The girl, Nia, is an artist. Oscar knows that will change if he doesn’t save her from Candor. Somehow, he finds himself not wanting that to happen. But does he want her to leave Candor? And if not, couldn’t he use some of his own messages to catch her interest? But then he can’t really tell her about them, can he?

Candor is an excellent first novel, full of tension and thought-provoking ideas. I didn’t quite believe that people would go crazy if suddenly deprived of the Messages, but the basic scenario is pretty easy to imagine happening, given the right technology. And if it did, there would be sure to be some teens who would find a way to rebel.

This is a fun and engaging story, though like most dystopian novels, a bit depressing in the end. It will get you thinking about Art and Individuality and what is important about you as a person.

This review is based on an Advance Readers’ Copy I received at the Kidlitosphere conference.

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Review of The Trance of Scarcity, by Victoria Castle

Nonfiction Review, Personal Growth, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

The Trance of Scarcity

Stop Holding Your Breath and Start Living Your Life

by Victoria Castle

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco, 2007. 205 pages.
Starred Review
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #1 Other Nonfiction

I think that I ordered this book from isabellacatalog.com. And found it so wonderful, I kept quoting it on my Sonderquotes blog. This is a book about living life to the fullest.

In her introduction, Victoria Castle says,
“In working with thousands of people, I have repeatedly encountered the tragic theme of I am not enough — not good enough, smart enough, rich enough, young enough, old enough, worthy enough. Almost as prevalent is the theme of There is not enough — not enough time, money, opportunity, love, cooperation, power, you name it. This prevailing premise of not-enough-ness successfully cripples the lives of people who would otherwise be buoyant and passionate. Since its subjects are so readily yet unwittingly loyal to it, I came to call this blight the Trance of Scarcity.”

In this book, the author presents joyous ways of escaping the trance of scarcity. I found many of her ideas resonated with things I’d been reading in other places.

One such idea is that our experience of life depends on the story we tell ourselves about it. I liked this paragraph:

“Regarding our Stories, the question is never “Is it true?” because it can’t be true; it’s just a Story. The question also isn’t “Is it the right Story?” because that implies there’s only one correct choice. The most helpful question is “Is this Story useful?” Given what I care about, what I want to contribute, and what matters to me, is the story I’m telling myself a useful one? Most of us constantly replay hundreds of inherited default Stories that trample our life energy and steal our peace of mind.”

If you tell yourself a story of abundance instead of a story of scarcity, you will enjoy life more. And the author has ideas for helping you make the change.

Another beautiful concept is how learning to receive with gratitude leads to generosity and giving, which leads to more receiving with gratitude. This book is full of the idea of living life lavishly and overflowing with joy to others. Here’s another passage I liked:

“If we are not practiced in saying yes to life, then we can forget about bliss — we just want relief! Relief from our hectic lives, from our negative self-talk, from our perpetual fatigue. I used to think that I just had the thermostat set too low, at Relief, and that with a little more practice, I would easily move on up to Bliss. Instead, it turns out that the road to bliss and the road to relief head in completely different directions.

“Relief isn’t much; it’s only an interruption of discomfort. It leads to a nice rest stop with a turnaround that plops you right back on the same road. Bliss, however, is the superhighway to the juiciness of life. As my musician friends Bev Daugherty and Garnett Hundley sing, “Live flat out, eat it all up with a spoon!” Having a high bliss tolerance means you’re willing to be pleased by life. And the better it gets, the more you can stand. In this scenario, you anticipate benevolence and are expanded by your experience. When you are consistently grateful, it’s impossible to feel like a victim; you know that no matter how well it may be disguised, you can find the blessing in whatever’s going on.”

I didn’t review this book right after I finished reading it, because it was not a library book that needed to be checked back in, but my own copy. Doing this review has reminded me how inspiring it was. I think it’s time to slowly reread it, to remind me that my impending probable job loss by no means needs to be a tragedy, but can be an exciting opportunity. It’s all in the story I tell myself, right?

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Review of 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Stand-outs, Starred Review, True Stories 0

14 Cows for America

by Carmen Agra Deedy
in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Peachtree, Atlanta, 2009. 40 pages.
Starred Review
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #3 Children’s Nonfiction

14 Cows for America is a gorgeous nonfiction picture book, telling a touching and beautiful story. I’ve read many books about September 11, but this one is completely different from any other.

The book takes us to a remote village of the Maasai in Kenya. One of their own, Kimeli (the collaborator on this book), has come home from his doctoral studies in America. The people ask him if he has any stories to tell, and he tells the story of the Twin Towers falling.

After telling the story, “Kimeli waits. He knows his people. They are fierce when provoked, but easily moved to kindness when they hear of suffering or injustice.”

To the Maasai, the cow is life. So Kimeli offers the people of America his only cow. Others in the tribe respond the same way. A diplomat from the United States Embassy in Nairobi comes for a day of sacred ceremony, as the Maasai give 14 cows to the people of America.

“Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”

The story is told beautifully, with simple language. My summary doesn’t convey the charm and grandeur of the book, with its gorgeous paintings. This story can be read to very young children, but also enjoyed by adults. A double-page spread at the back has Kimeli Naiyomah explaining the background of this true story in more detail. I especially like his final paragraph:

“These sacred, healing cows can never be slaughtered. They remain in our care in Kenya under the guidance of the revered elder Mzee Ole-Yiampoi. The original fourteen have calved and the herd now numbers over thirty-five. They continue to be a symbol of hope from the Maasai to their brothers and sisters in America. The Maasai wish is that every time Americans hear this simple story of fourteen cows, they will find a measure of comfort and peace.”

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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.

A Good Library Day

General 1

Today was a day to make me very happy I work in a library. Unfortunately, it also makes me sad that I will probably lose my job in a few months due to budget cuts. But back to the happy stuff!

The day started with a baby program, Mother Goose Time. It went great! Lots of toddlers, and the parents and babies were into it and singing along wonderfully. There’s nothing quite like having those sweet babies smile at you to make your day!

Later in the day, I got quite a few readers’ advisory questions for kids. And the kids and parents seemed to like my suggestions. I really enjoy doing that! And there were more questions than usual.

Then, to top it off, a boy asked me, “Are you the one who gave me The Hunger Games?” Indeed I was. He said that he finished it and liked it a lot, and now he has the sequel, Catching Fire, to read. It’s doubly cool when someone to whom you recommended a book comes back and says they liked it! I feel like I’m beginning to be known with some of our customers as a source of book recommendations, and that feels great! But I admit I like it best when it is kids who are asking.

I have done my Comment Challenge today, too. I am up to 15 Comments left after 3 days of doing it. Yay! And my 30 minutes of writing on my book. Then, however, I again spent lots of time looking at job websites. I did find a local company that maybe maybe would hire me based on my Master’s in Math. It would be fun to do some real math-related work. Now I need to get my resume written….

Bloggiesta Finish

General 1

I don’t feel like I did much with Bloggiesta, but I only found out about it last night. And I already had a busy weekend planned. Tonight, silly me, got sidetracked looking at job posting sites. This would be more productive if I was actually ready to apply, which I probably should do, but am procrastinating just a little longer at this point. It’s amazing how long you can spend messing around on those sites.

My job is almost certain to be cut if budget cuts go through that the County Executive has asked for. I have both a Master’s in Math and a Master’s in Library Science, so I’m looking at jobs in both categories, browsing around, figuring out what’s out there.

Anyway, my grand total of time spent on Bloggiesta was 3 hours. I did Mother Reader’s Mini-Challenge and posted comments on 10 blogs new to me, which was a whole lot of fun.

I got my comments to work better and got 2 comments already! Yay!

I wrote 2 reviews. I think I have 30 to go to finish the books I read in 2009. I may have to decide to just skip some of them…!

Now, one fun thing I’m doing since NaNoWriMo is tracking my writing progress in a big spreadsheet. I haven’t been counting comment words, but maybe I should. Last year, my goal was to write 15 minutes per day, on my books, and I only missed about 10 days. This year, I’ve increased the goal to 30 minutes per day, and have hit the first 10 days! My spreadsheet says that in January, for books and blogging, I’ve written 7,035 words. I’ve done 15 blog posts, including 11 reviews. Now I’ve got a column for Comments, too.

Like I said, I started this spreadsheet after NaNoWriMo, because it was fun keeping track of words written. It feels good to keep track of what I’ve accomplished, and what can I say? I like numbers!