This one is a real sweetheart, very retro.
Snowman's Story
Will Hillenbrand
ISBN: 9781477847879
Soft-edged pastels? watercolor pencils? lead us through a wordless tale of theft, ingenuity, and forgiveness.
This is a very sweet book to look through, and I wish I had the talent to use wordless books for storytimes.
Forest animals have gathered all the necessary ingredients for their magic, and they've made a Snowman to read them a story this wintry evening. After everyone's asleep, rabbit has a sneaky idea - and off he runs with the book! Snowman and furry friends in hot pursuit, they solve a series of "going on a bear hunt" level obstacles, and chase down rabbit at home, where the book is being enjoyed by a slew of rabbitlings. Awww. The book is returned, forgiveness granted, and a new set of animals (including the rabbit family this time) snuggles around Snowman for another story.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
New Arrivals: Juv Fic: Nancy Clancy Star of Stage and Screen, Jane O'Connor & Robin Preiss Glasser
These are too cute, and this last one has an interesting focus: the concept of "going viral."
Nancy Clancy Star of Stage and Screen
Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
ISBN: 9780062269645
Book 5 of the Nancy Clancy series
Read February 24, 2015
This book features the vocabulistically-enhanced grade-schooler first introduced in the picture book series Fancy Nancy. There is also a set of "leveled" readers that are also "Fancy Nancy" branded. Unlike both of those, these actual chapter books have her as a bit older, with more involved storylines, usually mysteries or minor school/home crises to solve, and a little higher-level vocabulary.
In this installment, Nancy is equal parts excited and nervous about her school's end of year program. The action is multi-part, with a friend suffering from a perfectionist nature, a school-wide cough descending and keeping kids from performing, and tensions with her little sister, termed rambunctious by parents, but simply naughty by Nancy. All comes together nicely in the end, with a plot-twist (telegraphed by a portentous dinnertime conversation earlier) that results in Nancy Clancy ending up on TV!
Nancy Clancy Star of Stage and Screen
Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
ISBN: 9780062269645
Book 5 of the Nancy Clancy series
Read February 24, 2015
This book features the vocabulistically-enhanced grade-schooler first introduced in the picture book series Fancy Nancy. There is also a set of "leveled" readers that are also "Fancy Nancy" branded. Unlike both of those, these actual chapter books have her as a bit older, with more involved storylines, usually mysteries or minor school/home crises to solve, and a little higher-level vocabulary.
In this installment, Nancy is equal parts excited and nervous about her school's end of year program. The action is multi-part, with a friend suffering from a perfectionist nature, a school-wide cough descending and keeping kids from performing, and tensions with her little sister, termed rambunctious by parents, but simply naughty by Nancy. All comes together nicely in the end, with a plot-twist (telegraphed by a portentous dinnertime conversation earlier) that results in Nancy Clancy ending up on TV!
New Arrivals: Picture Books: Go, Shapes Go! by Denise Fleming
I love Fleming so much. Her work is just so lively and fun and off-kilter. I am in awe of her visual imagination.
Go, Shapes, Go!
Denise Fleming
ISBN: 9781442482401
Printed-paper collages made from limited shapes assembled into various arrangements.
So awesome. Our narrator, a little wind-up-mouse, is assembling a collection of shapes. At first we're not quite sure what's going on, as the rectangles and circles assemble and arrange, but pretty soon it becomes clear - we've got a shape-made sock-monkey! Unfortunately for us, Monkey trips, and the shapes have a different animal in mind when they re-assemble, this one with a taste for little toy mousies! Eeek! All's well that ends well, and a new collection of shapes gets added to the cast.
Adorable, quick, and easy to read and follow the illustrations. Also, it's really weird how the monkey manages to look harmless and adorable and like a toy, but the cat actually looks a bit menacing and predatory - they're LITERALLY made from the same shapes! Just amazing.
Go, Shapes, Go!
Denise Fleming
ISBN: 9781442482401
Printed-paper collages made from limited shapes assembled into various arrangements.
So awesome. Our narrator, a little wind-up-mouse, is assembling a collection of shapes. At first we're not quite sure what's going on, as the rectangles and circles assemble and arrange, but pretty soon it becomes clear - we've got a shape-made sock-monkey! Unfortunately for us, Monkey trips, and the shapes have a different animal in mind when they re-assemble, this one with a taste for little toy mousies! Eeek! All's well that ends well, and a new collection of shapes gets added to the cast.
Adorable, quick, and easy to read and follow the illustrations. Also, it's really weird how the monkey manages to look harmless and adorable and like a toy, but the cat actually looks a bit menacing and predatory - they're LITERALLY made from the same shapes! Just amazing.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Steampunk Fantasy: Clockwork Secrets: Heavy Fire, by Dru Pagliassotti
Clockwork Secrets: Heavy Fire
Dru Pagliassotti
ISBN: 9781770530546
Conclusion to The Clockwork Heart Trilogy (previous reviews of Clockwork Heart & Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind here.)
Read February 23, 2015
I read the first of these way back when, roughly a million years ago, and I was really fascinated with the idea of Exalted and the caste system of Ondinium, and by their nifty anti-gravity steam-and-analytical-engine-driven technologies. I was very much looking forward to spending more time in that culture, seeing how the world worked, and how the restrictions of movement and identity hampered or helped the society.
But then the author decided that instead, we were going to tour the other (sadly not as well-fleshed-out or imaginative) societies of the world, and to largely have her characters ignore the restrictions imposed in the beginning (which, given these characters, was absolutely the right thing to do, and expected of them) while they hare about attempting to be diplomatic for the entire second book, and then almost exactly 4 full pages of this last book.
After that, we're in an extended chase sequence, to yet another country, across oceans and farmlands and mountains, until the finale brings us right back to where we ended the first book, with similarly dramatic results.
I enjoyed the reading. I really love having a married main couple who are happy and working together to manage their (fairly impressive number of) differences of opinions and attitudes, and I love the undertones of cultural strife and racism that streak through like veins of beautiful ores. The story was told engagingly, the characters and pacing were fine - I just really wanted to see Ondinium more first, to be familiar enough with it that it could be accepted as normal, and THEN to see the other countries through their eyes. I just didn't feel that I had enough chance to do that, and so I never quite sympathized with Taya or Chris in their concerns or fears or puzzlements while they were in foreign lands.
Dru Pagliassotti
ISBN: 9781770530546
Conclusion to The Clockwork Heart Trilogy (previous reviews of Clockwork Heart & Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind here.)
Read February 23, 2015
I read the first of these way back when, roughly a million years ago, and I was really fascinated with the idea of Exalted and the caste system of Ondinium, and by their nifty anti-gravity steam-and-analytical-engine-driven technologies. I was very much looking forward to spending more time in that culture, seeing how the world worked, and how the restrictions of movement and identity hampered or helped the society.
But then the author decided that instead, we were going to tour the other (sadly not as well-fleshed-out or imaginative) societies of the world, and to largely have her characters ignore the restrictions imposed in the beginning (which, given these characters, was absolutely the right thing to do, and expected of them) while they hare about attempting to be diplomatic for the entire second book, and then almost exactly 4 full pages of this last book.
After that, we're in an extended chase sequence, to yet another country, across oceans and farmlands and mountains, until the finale brings us right back to where we ended the first book, with similarly dramatic results.
I enjoyed the reading. I really love having a married main couple who are happy and working together to manage their (fairly impressive number of) differences of opinions and attitudes, and I love the undertones of cultural strife and racism that streak through like veins of beautiful ores. The story was told engagingly, the characters and pacing were fine - I just really wanted to see Ondinium more first, to be familiar enough with it that it could be accepted as normal, and THEN to see the other countries through their eyes. I just didn't feel that I had enough chance to do that, and so I never quite sympathized with Taya or Chris in their concerns or fears or puzzlements while they were in foreign lands.
Tuesday Storytime: Wild Animals
We missed last week due to ice, and almost missed today due to snow! February is crazy this year, but we spent a while (and a very interactive group) in the jungle today to compensate.
Whose Tail is This? A Look at Tails - Swishing, Wiggling, and Rattling
Peg Hall, illustrated by Ken Landmark
ISBN: 1404800115
Nonfiction: a tail on one page is followed by the whole animal on the next, with short facts about the tail and animal.
I like doing nonfiction books every once in a while, and this is a great nonfiction example - basic topical info (tail-oriented) is presented in the main text, and there are content-boxes as well with a "fun fact" or more in-depth look at some interesting aspect of the creature's tail.
There is also a really extensive set of extras at the back: a page of riddles, more facts about tails (from animals that didn't appear in the book) a short list of vocabulary, a "learn more" section with books and e-resources, and an index.
The illustrations are poppy and very bright - lots of yellows and pinks and bright backgrounds. The tails are a little bit on the cartoony side, but the kids recognized all of them nearly instantly, so I'm guessing that isn't a problem.
Dear Zoo
Rod Campbell
ISBN: 0027164403
Classic: Boy writes to zoo for a pet, and sends everything back until they send just the perfect animal.
I love this book so much. It's a classic, and one I remember from childhood, and it's super sweet, super simple, and super interesting for kids. Clean white backgrounds with various-sized containers of animals on one side, all of which are lift-the-flap illustrations. Some of the animals are easily recognized through or around their containers, but others aren't and the suspense is really rough on the kids - what animal is it going to be this time? The vocabulary and writing is minimal, and in a very textural "typewriter" font. Each animal is rejected for some reason, until the zoo "thought very hard, and sent me a..." (spoiler: it's a puppy in a wicker basket.) Too adorable.
Where Wild Babies Sleep
Ann Purmell, illustrated by Lorianne Siomades
ISBN: 0590780493
Nonfiction: each page or spread identifies an animal baby and where they sleep, in a Q&A format.
I wish I could have read this one for a slightly less active and interactive group - I don't know how much of this one was actually heard over the competing kids attempting to tell their own stories. On the other hand, it is cute and sweet, the information is factual and presented straightforwardly with very lovely textured collage illustrations, and the idea of a human child being a "wild baby" was really shocking to my tiny little audience. I might try this one again with a bedtime storytime and hope for a less excited group.
Whose Tail is This? A Look at Tails - Swishing, Wiggling, and Rattling
Peg Hall, illustrated by Ken Landmark
ISBN: 1404800115
Nonfiction: a tail on one page is followed by the whole animal on the next, with short facts about the tail and animal.
I like doing nonfiction books every once in a while, and this is a great nonfiction example - basic topical info (tail-oriented) is presented in the main text, and there are content-boxes as well with a "fun fact" or more in-depth look at some interesting aspect of the creature's tail.
There is also a really extensive set of extras at the back: a page of riddles, more facts about tails (from animals that didn't appear in the book) a short list of vocabulary, a "learn more" section with books and e-resources, and an index.
The illustrations are poppy and very bright - lots of yellows and pinks and bright backgrounds. The tails are a little bit on the cartoony side, but the kids recognized all of them nearly instantly, so I'm guessing that isn't a problem.
Dear Zoo
Rod Campbell
ISBN: 0027164403
Classic: Boy writes to zoo for a pet, and sends everything back until they send just the perfect animal.
I love this book so much. It's a classic, and one I remember from childhood, and it's super sweet, super simple, and super interesting for kids. Clean white backgrounds with various-sized containers of animals on one side, all of which are lift-the-flap illustrations. Some of the animals are easily recognized through or around their containers, but others aren't and the suspense is really rough on the kids - what animal is it going to be this time? The vocabulary and writing is minimal, and in a very textural "typewriter" font. Each animal is rejected for some reason, until the zoo "thought very hard, and sent me a..." (spoiler: it's a puppy in a wicker basket.) Too adorable.
Where Wild Babies Sleep
Ann Purmell, illustrated by Lorianne Siomades
ISBN: 0590780493
Nonfiction: each page or spread identifies an animal baby and where they sleep, in a Q&A format.
I wish I could have read this one for a slightly less active and interactive group - I don't know how much of this one was actually heard over the competing kids attempting to tell their own stories. On the other hand, it is cute and sweet, the information is factual and presented straightforwardly with very lovely textured collage illustrations, and the idea of a human child being a "wild baby" was really shocking to my tiny little audience. I might try this one again with a bedtime storytime and hope for a less excited group.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Holmes Pastiche: Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King
Dreaming Spies
Laurie R. King
ISBN: 9780345531797
Read February 22, 2015
Holmes & Mary Russell, volume 13
We finally return to the adventure that happens in part between India and San Francisco (in The Game and Locked Rooms, respectively) and in part after the whirlwind mess of The Language of Bees, The God of the Hive, and Garment of Shadows. (Pirate King is sort of elided over...)
I've been waiting for the Japan story for AGES!!!!
... and I have to say, I'm a bit nonplussed. I like the story, I like the idea, and I like the execution, but I really feel like this was a story that could very easily have been about any English upper crust people watching what happens with Emperial entanglements and shinobi exploits.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm gratified and happy that other characters are shown as competent and deadly characters in their own right, especially in a country and environment where our main characters are out of their comfort zones.
Still, despite the well-crafted storyline and the excellent characters, I did feel a bit adrift without more Holmes-and-Russell-driven action. I do understand the logic - Holmes is at least 70something now, and Russell had a rough time of things in at least one of the lead-ups. Still, it's sad to compare how little they are needed for the plotting and the completion of the story, especially in comparison to how active they were in Monstrous Regiment or Language of Bees.
Still a lovely read, and the characters (especially the minor characters - always a real bright spot in these books) are so lively and interesting.
Laurie R. King
ISBN: 9780345531797
Read February 22, 2015
Holmes & Mary Russell, volume 13
We finally return to the adventure that happens in part between India and San Francisco (in The Game and Locked Rooms, respectively) and in part after the whirlwind mess of The Language of Bees, The God of the Hive, and Garment of Shadows. (Pirate King is sort of elided over...)
I've been waiting for the Japan story for AGES!!!!
... and I have to say, I'm a bit nonplussed. I like the story, I like the idea, and I like the execution, but I really feel like this was a story that could very easily have been about any English upper crust people watching what happens with Emperial entanglements and shinobi exploits.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm gratified and happy that other characters are shown as competent and deadly characters in their own right, especially in a country and environment where our main characters are out of their comfort zones.
Still, despite the well-crafted storyline and the excellent characters, I did feel a bit adrift without more Holmes-and-Russell-driven action. I do understand the logic - Holmes is at least 70something now, and Russell had a rough time of things in at least one of the lead-ups. Still, it's sad to compare how little they are needed for the plotting and the completion of the story, especially in comparison to how active they were in Monstrous Regiment or Language of Bees.
Still a lovely read, and the characters (especially the minor characters - always a real bright spot in these books) are so lively and interesting.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Graphic Novel: El Deafo, by Cece Bell
El Deafo
Cece Bell
ISBN: 9781419710209
Crudely-drawn anthropomorphic bunnies inhabit this fictionalized biography of a child with partial hearing loss.
Cece Bell tells her early life story, and how she felt isolated and set-apart by her deafness and the resulting technical assistance devices (most of which were bulky and obvious) until her natural enthusiasm eventually win her friends, and some unintended side-effects of her hardware make her a school hero. The story doesn't linger - we get a quick fade to black after she begins to feel like she fits in, leaving the focus of the narrative on her feelings and difficult experiences as someone "different."
A very honest and insightful author's note at the end explains the variable degrees and social experiences of deafness and of Deaf culture, explains her own situation, and that this book isn't trying to speak to an overarching narrative or cultural situation - just her own confused feelings as a child.
Very cute, and a great addition to the graphic novel collection, as well as for anyone looking for diverse types of life stories and characters.
Cece Bell
ISBN: 9781419710209
Crudely-drawn anthropomorphic bunnies inhabit this fictionalized biography of a child with partial hearing loss.
Cece Bell tells her early life story, and how she felt isolated and set-apart by her deafness and the resulting technical assistance devices (most of which were bulky and obvious) until her natural enthusiasm eventually win her friends, and some unintended side-effects of her hardware make her a school hero. The story doesn't linger - we get a quick fade to black after she begins to feel like she fits in, leaving the focus of the narrative on her feelings and difficult experiences as someone "different."
A very honest and insightful author's note at the end explains the variable degrees and social experiences of deafness and of Deaf culture, explains her own situation, and that this book isn't trying to speak to an overarching narrative or cultural situation - just her own confused feelings as a child.
Very cute, and a great addition to the graphic novel collection, as well as for anyone looking for diverse types of life stories and characters.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Fantasy: The Paper Magician, Charlie N. Holmberg
The Paper Magician
Charlie N. Holmberg
ISBN: 9781477823835
Read January 16, 2015
Vaguely Victorian, vaguely steampunk, world with vague characters & vague setting that all leech the interest value of a really nifty magical system.
I really wanted to like this so much more than I did. It promised Victorian manners and magical origami, and "forbidden" necromantic magics! Sadly, it didn't really deliver.
First off, it was a quick, easy, read. It wasn't written poorly in a grammatical or technical sense, no typos or fragments or strange jump-cuts. It all flowed quite well.
All of which wouldn't normally be considered an accomplishment, except that the actual story and plotting seem very much in need of an editor, or perhaps a more experienced author.
We start out great: Ceony Twill has just graduated from magic school, and is about to get her magical material assignment - the one man-made material she'll be able to magically influence for the rest of her life. She desperately wants to be a metalworker, but she is forced into bonding with paper due to a serious deficit in the number of active practicioners.
All of this sounds so great! Sadly, that's about all the backstory and interest and personal character motivation we get, as everything is instantly sidetracked into a somewhat sketchy mentor-student love-affair/rescue attempt that comprises a slightly maddening flashback-ridden waltz through the secondary character's heart (thus meaning we learn more about him than we do the main character herself) while she learns about him and what kind of man he is, and how much she's growing to love him - all inside of one short day.
Other minor missteps include a waste of a psuedo-Victorian/Edwardian English setting (please do research, even though we all speak English, we speak and behave in very different ways given different locations and time-periods!) and a villainess with absolutely no character to her at all.
Urgh. What a sad waste of a really great concept.
Charlie N. Holmberg
ISBN: 9781477823835
Read January 16, 2015
Vaguely Victorian, vaguely steampunk, world with vague characters & vague setting that all leech the interest value of a really nifty magical system.
I really wanted to like this so much more than I did. It promised Victorian manners and magical origami, and "forbidden" necromantic magics! Sadly, it didn't really deliver.
First off, it was a quick, easy, read. It wasn't written poorly in a grammatical or technical sense, no typos or fragments or strange jump-cuts. It all flowed quite well.
All of which wouldn't normally be considered an accomplishment, except that the actual story and plotting seem very much in need of an editor, or perhaps a more experienced author.
We start out great: Ceony Twill has just graduated from magic school, and is about to get her magical material assignment - the one man-made material she'll be able to magically influence for the rest of her life. She desperately wants to be a metalworker, but she is forced into bonding with paper due to a serious deficit in the number of active practicioners.
All of this sounds so great! Sadly, that's about all the backstory and interest and personal character motivation we get, as everything is instantly sidetracked into a somewhat sketchy mentor-student love-affair/rescue attempt that comprises a slightly maddening flashback-ridden waltz through the secondary character's heart (thus meaning we learn more about him than we do the main character herself) while she learns about him and what kind of man he is, and how much she's growing to love him - all inside of one short day.
Other minor missteps include a waste of a psuedo-Victorian/Edwardian English setting (please do research, even though we all speak English, we speak and behave in very different ways given different locations and time-periods!) and a villainess with absolutely no character to her at all.
Urgh. What a sad waste of a really great concept.
New Arrival: Picture Book: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
Another cute new one into the system!
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (I Want My Hat Back)
ISBN: 9780763662295
Read February 18, 2015
A Caldecott Honor recipient, this duo knocks it out of the park. Kids will really get a kick out of all the "treasures" that the digging duo just barely miss, and even the zany imaginative ending should be a hit. Sam and Dave (and the dog, a very important cast-member) are digging, and they are going to dig until they find something spectacular. Sadly, they keep changing directions and ending up missing spectacular finds in almost every spread! Finally bushed, they stop for a rest, while the dog keeps digging, and something spectacular happens anyway.
Very cute, and a good way to enjoy Klassen's artwork if you aren't quite ready for the subversive humor of his own books.
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (I Want My Hat Back)
ISBN: 9780763662295
Read February 18, 2015
A Caldecott Honor recipient, this duo knocks it out of the park. Kids will really get a kick out of all the "treasures" that the digging duo just barely miss, and even the zany imaginative ending should be a hit. Sam and Dave (and the dog, a very important cast-member) are digging, and they are going to dig until they find something spectacular. Sadly, they keep changing directions and ending up missing spectacular finds in almost every spread! Finally bushed, they stop for a rest, while the dog keeps digging, and something spectacular happens anyway.
Very cute, and a good way to enjoy Klassen's artwork if you aren't quite ready for the subversive humor of his own books.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Nonfiction Picture Book: Me and Momma and Big John, by Mara Rockliff & William Low
Me and Momma and Big John
Mara Rockliff, illustrated by William Low
ISBN: 9780763643591
Read February 18, 2015
A fictionalized story of a mother and stonecutter working on St John the Divine in New York in the 1970s.
Truly beautiful story about a part of American history that I didn't know about before. St John the Divine has never been finished, but for a while in the 1970s and 1980s, a program existed that took master stonemasons from Europe, brought them over to New York, and taught local workers the stonecutting trade. Among them was a young mother, and this story is from the point of view of her young son, who is both proud of his mother's important work, and worried that she won't have her artistic creation honored like the people in the museum. He's comforted by the imposing stature of the building, realizing that architecture is created to be used, not set back and admired.
Stunning combination of story and illustrations, but a touch on the slight side. A beefy author's note at the end gives context and history, and explains that the church is even now unfinished, but is used constantly by many people of many faiths as a community center.
Mara Rockliff, illustrated by William Low
ISBN: 9780763643591
Read February 18, 2015
A fictionalized story of a mother and stonecutter working on St John the Divine in New York in the 1970s.
Truly beautiful story about a part of American history that I didn't know about before. St John the Divine has never been finished, but for a while in the 1970s and 1980s, a program existed that took master stonemasons from Europe, brought them over to New York, and taught local workers the stonecutting trade. Among them was a young mother, and this story is from the point of view of her young son, who is both proud of his mother's important work, and worried that she won't have her artistic creation honored like the people in the museum. He's comforted by the imposing stature of the building, realizing that architecture is created to be used, not set back and admired.
Stunning combination of story and illustrations, but a touch on the slight side. A beefy author's note at the end gives context and history, and explains that the church is even now unfinished, but is used constantly by many people of many faiths as a community center.
New Arrivals: Juvenile Readers: Viole Mackerel #5 & #6, Anna Branford & Elanna Allen
More of the absolutely lovely Violet Mackerel series has come in, and both of these are delightful.
Violet Mackerel's Possible Friend
Anna Branford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
ISBN: 9781442494558
Read February 15, 2015
Violet Mackerel's Pocket Protest
Anna Branford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
ISBN: 9781442494589
Read February 15, 2015
Possible Friend: Fresh off of a wedding and a move to a new house (the previous books, reviewed here) Violet is a little concerned about her neighbors - they have a very nice and very neat house and yard, and a little girl just her age that MIGHT become a friend, if things work out well. The anticipation and nerves of making a new friend, and of worrying about whether your family and your home measures up, the one scene where the two mothers take it in turn to be stressed and nonplussed about their respective daughters' raptures over how the other family/home/mother is so amazing, everything is just pitch perfect! And by the end of it, Violet has a new friend, aptly named Rose.
Pocket Protest: Rose and Violet enjoy a park at the end of their street, and especially an old oak tree that is just perfect for sitting under and sharing time and secrets. They are horrified when a notice is put up, indicating the tree is getting cut down for a parking lot. A micro-protest is underway, with help from parents and elder siblings, and the tree is saved, and a small sweet mystery is solved along with it. Admittedly a bit sugar-coated and streamlined, but a very excellent introduction into social activism in a way smaller kids will appreciate and want to emulate. Bonus points for gratuitously adorable usage of acorn caps.
Violet Mackerel's Possible Friend
Anna Branford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
ISBN: 9781442494558
Read February 15, 2015
Violet Mackerel's Pocket Protest
Anna Branford, illustrated by Elanna Allen
ISBN: 9781442494589
Read February 15, 2015
Possible Friend: Fresh off of a wedding and a move to a new house (the previous books, reviewed here) Violet is a little concerned about her neighbors - they have a very nice and very neat house and yard, and a little girl just her age that MIGHT become a friend, if things work out well. The anticipation and nerves of making a new friend, and of worrying about whether your family and your home measures up, the one scene where the two mothers take it in turn to be stressed and nonplussed about their respective daughters' raptures over how the other family/home/mother is so amazing, everything is just pitch perfect! And by the end of it, Violet has a new friend, aptly named Rose.
Pocket Protest: Rose and Violet enjoy a park at the end of their street, and especially an old oak tree that is just perfect for sitting under and sharing time and secrets. They are horrified when a notice is put up, indicating the tree is getting cut down for a parking lot. A micro-protest is underway, with help from parents and elder siblings, and the tree is saved, and a small sweet mystery is solved along with it. Admittedly a bit sugar-coated and streamlined, but a very excellent introduction into social activism in a way smaller kids will appreciate and want to emulate. Bonus points for gratuitously adorable usage of acorn caps.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
New Arrivals: Graphic Novel: Lowriders in Space, Cathy Camper & Raul the Third
Lowriders in Space
Cathy Camper, illustrations by Raul the Third
ISBN: 9781452121550
Read February 15, 2015
Graphic Novel, bilingual (English/Spanish)
Tri-tone ball-point-pen illustrations wind crazily through the pages of a mythic "lowrider" origin story.
This was super-cute. A trio of mechanics toils away in a shop, dreaming of the day when they can labor for themselves (and not get yelled at by the big boss). Lupe Impala (yes, she's a girl, yes, she's a deer, yes she's a mechanic) is the leader of this tiny pack, and she's joined by a mosquito auto-detailer (he uses his schozz to paint the fine lines) and a washing-and-buffing master octopus (who is frankly just adorable).
The trio enter a contest for trick cars that promises a prize of the car filled with cash, and they start work on their ancient rust-bucket Chevy (yes, it's an Impala, how did you guess?), raiding the local abandoned air-field for useful bits and pieces. After the car is kitted out, their first test drive shoots them out into space, where really loose mythology and astronomy bedeck and gift their car with beautiful stellar flourishes and details.
Between the totally mesmerizing art (really - everything is drawn with a ballpoint pen in blue, black, or red, on old paper-bag-colored paper) and the sheer joy of the madcap narrative, this really is a great cultural intro for just about anyone.
Really stunning, and I'm glad to have it in our collection!
Cathy Camper, illustrations by Raul the Third
ISBN: 9781452121550
Read February 15, 2015
Graphic Novel, bilingual (English/Spanish)
Tri-tone ball-point-pen illustrations wind crazily through the pages of a mythic "lowrider" origin story.
This was super-cute. A trio of mechanics toils away in a shop, dreaming of the day when they can labor for themselves (and not get yelled at by the big boss). Lupe Impala (yes, she's a girl, yes, she's a deer, yes she's a mechanic) is the leader of this tiny pack, and she's joined by a mosquito auto-detailer (he uses his schozz to paint the fine lines) and a washing-and-buffing master octopus (who is frankly just adorable).
The trio enter a contest for trick cars that promises a prize of the car filled with cash, and they start work on their ancient rust-bucket Chevy (yes, it's an Impala, how did you guess?), raiding the local abandoned air-field for useful bits and pieces. After the car is kitted out, their first test drive shoots them out into space, where really loose mythology and astronomy bedeck and gift their car with beautiful stellar flourishes and details.
Between the totally mesmerizing art (really - everything is drawn with a ballpoint pen in blue, black, or red, on old paper-bag-colored paper) and the sheer joy of the madcap narrative, this really is a great cultural intro for just about anyone.
Really stunning, and I'm glad to have it in our collection!
Nonfiction: The Opposite of Spoiled, Ron Lieber
The Opposite of Spoiled
Ron Lieber
ISBN: 9780062247018
Read February 14, 2015
Lieber is the personal finance columnist for the New York Times, and he's fielded a lot of questions from parents worried about how to talk to their kids about money and finances.
He does a very good job staying clear of the minefields represented by "are we poor" and "are we rich" respectively, and tackles money talks mainly from the perspective of providing moral grounding ;"here's WHY this is something we buy/don't buy" and from a financial preparedness perspective; "if you get $5 in allowance every week, and you get 25% interest if you keep the money longer than six months, how much money will you have to spend on that enormous LEGO set you want?" and he also addresses obvious charitable giving (and other acts of charity) as well as the social awareness and responsibility that comes with being part of a country where wealth is so unevenly divided.
Excellent book, and a good resource for parents or teachers who want to make sure that kids are aware of how money works, and how to make it work for you, and how to be aware of the social and moral entanglements money and spending involves.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Graphic Novel Collection: Ms Marvel; No Normal, by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona
Another one for the Will Eisner week, and a comic that I have been meaning to get to for a while anyway.
Ms Marvel No Normal
author: G. Willow Wilson
artist: Adrian Alphona
colors: Ian Herring
letters: VC's Joe Caramagna
This volume collects: Ms Marvel 1-5, and All New Marvel Now! Point 1
The first, and really only complaint I have (and I don't know why I let this bother me in comic books, because they do it on purpose) is that it ends on a cliffhanger, and the next volume isn't out until MARCH! Grrrr.
Anway. Kamala Khan lives in Jersey, and she's Muslim, and she's trying to navigate her life in America with her strict parents and her culture and faith. Matters are not improved when a terrigen mist bomb explodes in her city, revealing her to be Inhuman, and sparking her transformation into a polyform superhero. Her giant crush on Captain Marvel offers an instant alter-ego (another development that doesn't go as planned or desired) and she proceeds to get herself into all sorts of interesting trouble both at home and with a shadowy villain known only as The Inventor, and perhaps as The Birdman.
Tune in next time!...
The art is fun, her changes are amusing, and her musing on life and the unfairness of it all will surely resonate with lots of kids, regardless of their backgrounds. She's gritty, determined, loyal, and determined to do the right thing - once she figures out exactly what it is, and probably after she's done a few wrong things along the way as she works it out to her satisfaction. A potential love interest is benched in favor of derring-do and family drama, and I for one appreciate the choice to leave that particular development for later.
Ms Marvel No Normal
author: G. Willow Wilson
artist: Adrian Alphona
colors: Ian Herring
letters: VC's Joe Caramagna
This volume collects: Ms Marvel 1-5, and All New Marvel Now! Point 1
The first, and really only complaint I have (and I don't know why I let this bother me in comic books, because they do it on purpose) is that it ends on a cliffhanger, and the next volume isn't out until MARCH! Grrrr.
Anway. Kamala Khan lives in Jersey, and she's Muslim, and she's trying to navigate her life in America with her strict parents and her culture and faith. Matters are not improved when a terrigen mist bomb explodes in her city, revealing her to be Inhuman, and sparking her transformation into a polyform superhero. Her giant crush on Captain Marvel offers an instant alter-ego (another development that doesn't go as planned or desired) and she proceeds to get herself into all sorts of interesting trouble both at home and with a shadowy villain known only as The Inventor, and perhaps as The Birdman.
Tune in next time!...
The art is fun, her changes are amusing, and her musing on life and the unfairness of it all will surely resonate with lots of kids, regardless of their backgrounds. She's gritty, determined, loyal, and determined to do the right thing - once she figures out exactly what it is, and probably after she's done a few wrong things along the way as she works it out to her satisfaction. A potential love interest is benched in favor of derring-do and family drama, and I for one appreciate the choice to leave that particular development for later.
New Arrivals: Bilingual Picture Book: Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos, by Susan Middleton Elya & Dan Santat
Another bilingual one, and this one's a firefighting book and I LOVE IT!
Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos
Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Dan Santat (Beekle)
ISBN: 9781599904610
A crew of firefighters - er - bomberos - put out a fire and save a kitty cat, in English and Spanish.
This one is less poppy than Bebe Goes Shopping or Little Roja Riding Hood, but the subject matter (and frankly, Santat's amazing scenes and facial expressions) more than covers the lack of snap.
I could tell that a few of the rhymes and constructions were a little labored, but overall the quality of the storytelling is lovely, and the words are a good mix between cognates (capitan, compadres), basic vocabulary most people pick up by casual contact (casa, hasta luego) and more peculiar or specific words that might be unfamiliar to non-speakers (afuera, humo). Our crew of five (white, brown, black, and one woman) battles the fire valiantly, saves the kitty (there is always a kitty to be saved, I think it's an actual rule for these books) and heads back to the station for clean-up, dinner, and a final emergency at the end of the night. Our glossary is at the end this time, and I don't know which I prefer - but I'm very glad that she always includes one. I suppose I could guess, (and often my guesses are correct, which says more for the storytelling and careful construction of the sentences and situations than it does about me) but it is nice to have it there. One other thing I like is that the Spanish words and phrases are always in bold, so it's obvious they're coming up, and that they're different from the primary language of the story. That's less useful to me in a storytelling venue, but very helpful for teachers or parents beginning language studies with their kids.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Graphic Novel Collection: The Spirit, Volume 1, by Will Eisner
Will Eisner's The Spirit Archives, Volume 1
June 2 - December 29, 1940
Published by DC Comics
ISBN: 1563896737
Read February 8, 2015
These are part of our library's promotion for Will Eisner week coming up in March, and while I've read a few scattered stories of The Spirit, I haven't ever sat down from the beginning. And what a beginning it is. This represents just six months of work, and the stories are crazy pulpy ridiculous fun from beginning to end. This volume also has some really good articles in the start from Will Eisner, Alan Moore, and RC Harvey, talking about the state of comics at that time, and the implications of a serialized, regular, dependable comic hero as a newspaper staple. Some really good stuff in there, and very interesting to hear about the challenges and worries that these comic greats had way back when they were unknown and just starting out.
I have to say, other than the character of Ebony, who is just horribly visibly caricatured (along with the other black characters) and the sexist attitudes towards poor Ellen, the stories hold up amazingly well. When I read the stories as a younger person, they had a very strong Dick Tracy vibe for me, and that was very pronounced in the larger collection. Unlike Tracy, there wasn't as much of a focus on gagetry, and the death toll that was such a large part of Tracy's noir feeling wasn't present here. In fact, other than gangsters (who got mowed down in droves) and the occasional necessary-to-the-dramatic-moment side characters, not many people died at all.
The only thing I missed in this particular collection was the more visually-inventive strips that came later, as Eisner got really solidly into his stride and started innovating. My experiences with The Spirit are scattershot, and I didn't realize that what I thought of as a "signature" Eisner layout was something that he developed over time - this first year of The Spirit is amazingly straightlaced and conventional. You catch glimpses of characters starting to slide out of their boxes, or title-pages nad headline blocks starting to morph into splash pages, but really, it's all quite boxy and straightforward. Very odd to see.
I'm hoping that the later volumes are available, but I shudder to thing at how many there will be if this thick book (nearly 250 pages) only represents six months of a feature that ran for twelve years solid until 1952.
June 2 - December 29, 1940
Published by DC Comics
ISBN: 1563896737
Read February 8, 2015
These are part of our library's promotion for Will Eisner week coming up in March, and while I've read a few scattered stories of The Spirit, I haven't ever sat down from the beginning. And what a beginning it is. This represents just six months of work, and the stories are crazy pulpy ridiculous fun from beginning to end. This volume also has some really good articles in the start from Will Eisner, Alan Moore, and RC Harvey, talking about the state of comics at that time, and the implications of a serialized, regular, dependable comic hero as a newspaper staple. Some really good stuff in there, and very interesting to hear about the challenges and worries that these comic greats had way back when they were unknown and just starting out.
I have to say, other than the character of Ebony, who is just horribly visibly caricatured (along with the other black characters) and the sexist attitudes towards poor Ellen, the stories hold up amazingly well. When I read the stories as a younger person, they had a very strong Dick Tracy vibe for me, and that was very pronounced in the larger collection. Unlike Tracy, there wasn't as much of a focus on gagetry, and the death toll that was such a large part of Tracy's noir feeling wasn't present here. In fact, other than gangsters (who got mowed down in droves) and the occasional necessary-to-the-dramatic-moment side characters, not many people died at all.
The only thing I missed in this particular collection was the more visually-inventive strips that came later, as Eisner got really solidly into his stride and started innovating. My experiences with The Spirit are scattershot, and I didn't realize that what I thought of as a "signature" Eisner layout was something that he developed over time - this first year of The Spirit is amazingly straightlaced and conventional. You catch glimpses of characters starting to slide out of their boxes, or title-pages nad headline blocks starting to morph into splash pages, but really, it's all quite boxy and straightforward. Very odd to see.
I'm hoping that the later volumes are available, but I shudder to thing at how many there will be if this thick book (nearly 250 pages) only represents six months of a feature that ran for twelve years solid until 1952.
New Arrivals: Bilingual Picture Book: Little Roja Riding Hood, Susan Middleton Elya & Susan Guevara
Little Roja Riding Hood
Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Susan Guevara
ISBN: 9780399247675
A modern Red sets off to bring Abuelita some hot soup, but a wolf barges in and gets more than he bargained for.
Very similar to her previous Bebe Goes Shopping, with Steven Salerno, which I have used before, a long while back. A bibliography at the beginning gives us all the Spanish terms we need, and thereafter, they're sprinkled through the story with no translation given (nor really needed). Roja heads for Abue with some hot soup, but is distracted by the wolf and the colorful flowers. While she dawdles, he nicks her cloak, books it to Granny, and the traditional exchange is swapped - this time it's sharp Granny (holding a Jesu statue that is giving Lupe some serious side-eye) who is questioning the false "Roja" who is growing ever nearer. Abue's stalling works, Red barges in and douses the wolf with Checkov's hot soup, and the two of them pop online to find the old bird a security system to prevent further incursions. Fun, funny, and sprightly, with poppy rhymes and enough of a difference to be cute without becoming precious.
It is a teensy bit on the long side for a storytime, but it would be great for an event or a Summer Reading Program for the slightly older ones. I might be able to shoehorn it into this summer as a "hero" book, in fact.
Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Susan Guevara
ISBN: 9780399247675
A modern Red sets off to bring Abuelita some hot soup, but a wolf barges in and gets more than he bargained for.
Very similar to her previous Bebe Goes Shopping, with Steven Salerno, which I have used before, a long while back. A bibliography at the beginning gives us all the Spanish terms we need, and thereafter, they're sprinkled through the story with no translation given (nor really needed). Roja heads for Abue with some hot soup, but is distracted by the wolf and the colorful flowers. While she dawdles, he nicks her cloak, books it to Granny, and the traditional exchange is swapped - this time it's sharp Granny (holding a Jesu statue that is giving Lupe some serious side-eye) who is questioning the false "Roja" who is growing ever nearer. Abue's stalling works, Red barges in and douses the wolf with Checkov's hot soup, and the two of them pop online to find the old bird a security system to prevent further incursions. Fun, funny, and sprightly, with poppy rhymes and enough of a difference to be cute without becoming precious.
It is a teensy bit on the long side for a storytime, but it would be great for an event or a Summer Reading Program for the slightly older ones. I might be able to shoehorn it into this summer as a "hero" book, in fact.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Science Fiction: Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
Ancillary Justice
Ann Leckie
ISBN: 9780316246620
First of Imperial Radch series, followed by Ancillary Sword, and (TBA) Ancillary Mercy
Read January 31, 2015.
I just don't even know where to start. I've been putting it off because I've wanted to get to the sequel before I wrote this, but that's not working out so well (my brain is weird and life has been busy).
It's amazing. The concepts are fantastic, the writing is superb, and the characters, especially our lead, are just phenomenal. Read it and be inspired. I'll come back later with an actual spoilery review (I really can't see any other way to do it) and more gushing, but this is really all I've got right now. It was just so very very good to read and it's even more fun thinking about it these past few weeks - parsing through all the implications and possibilities of that world.
Ann Leckie
ISBN: 9780316246620
First of Imperial Radch series, followed by Ancillary Sword, and (TBA) Ancillary Mercy
Read January 31, 2015.
I just don't even know where to start. I've been putting it off because I've wanted to get to the sequel before I wrote this, but that's not working out so well (my brain is weird and life has been busy).
It's amazing. The concepts are fantastic, the writing is superb, and the characters, especially our lead, are just phenomenal. Read it and be inspired. I'll come back later with an actual spoilery review (I really can't see any other way to do it) and more gushing, but this is really all I've got right now. It was just so very very good to read and it's even more fun thinking about it these past few weeks - parsing through all the implications and possibilities of that world.
New Arrivals: Picture Book: Work, Dogs, Work! by James Horvath
Work, Dogs, Work: A Highway Tail
James Horvath
ISBN: 9780062189707
"sequel" to Dig, Dogs, Dig and Build, Dogs, Build
Another Horvath added to the collection - this one is a road-work book, and I have to say I'm not as happy with it as I am the other two. This one doesn't spend as much time emphasizing the importance of planning and engineering, and even implies that the crew doesn't realize they need to build a tunnel and suspension bridge until after they start working.
Sad that I didn't like it as much, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It should work well as a "roadwork" or "machines at work" storytime book, just isn't going to become one of my favorites.
James Horvath
ISBN: 9780062189707
"sequel" to Dig, Dogs, Dig and Build, Dogs, Build
Another Horvath added to the collection - this one is a road-work book, and I have to say I'm not as happy with it as I am the other two. This one doesn't spend as much time emphasizing the importance of planning and engineering, and even implies that the crew doesn't realize they need to build a tunnel and suspension bridge until after they start working.
Sad that I didn't like it as much, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It should work well as a "roadwork" or "machines at work" storytime book, just isn't going to become one of my favorites.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Memoir: As you Wish, by Cary Elwes & Joe Layden
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
Cary Elwes & Joe Layden
ISBN: 9781476764023
Read February 8, 2015
A specifically-limited memoir shows all the fun and hope that went into The Princess Bride.
Twu Wuv. That is what bwings me to this book today. Wuv, twu wuv, that followed me from childhood through the process of finding friends (generally through the rapier-sharp application of quotes to be exchanged) to adulthood. The Princess Bride is a cultural touchstone for many people, especially of my specific generation (and now of our kids) and Elwes has done an absolutely fantastic job of remembering (and collecting others' memories) of the life and love behind the scenes of the creation of this utterly perfect and timeless film.
Learn how he bonded with Mandy Patinkin over who would be the most adept at swordfighting (oh, by the way, all that swordfighting? Was them. No tricks, no extras, no stunt-doubles (except for the flips) and with Andre the Giant over his prodigious drinking abilities. Learn how he got exiled from the set because of Billy Crystal (and how Mandy sprained a rib for the same reason). Learn how he broke an important bone, and kept on filming!
Learn about how everyone involved believed in and loved this peculiar little "unfilmable" book, and how they all worked hard to play it straight so the audience could have the fun of being part of the joke. Learn about how Goldman was so nervous that he was praying out loud on set during filming!
Love this book. Love the movie. Loved learning more about it, and about the actors that I adore, and their hopes and fears and concerns about this project, and how gratified and happy they all are that so many people have understood their passion and taken this film into their hearts.
Just an all around perfect little vignette of a memoir. Just absolutely beautiful.
Cary Elwes & Joe Layden
ISBN: 9781476764023
Read February 8, 2015
A specifically-limited memoir shows all the fun and hope that went into The Princess Bride.
Twu Wuv. That is what bwings me to this book today. Wuv, twu wuv, that followed me from childhood through the process of finding friends (generally through the rapier-sharp application of quotes to be exchanged) to adulthood. The Princess Bride is a cultural touchstone for many people, especially of my specific generation (and now of our kids) and Elwes has done an absolutely fantastic job of remembering (and collecting others' memories) of the life and love behind the scenes of the creation of this utterly perfect and timeless film.
Learn how he bonded with Mandy Patinkin over who would be the most adept at swordfighting (oh, by the way, all that swordfighting? Was them. No tricks, no extras, no stunt-doubles (except for the flips) and with Andre the Giant over his prodigious drinking abilities. Learn how he got exiled from the set because of Billy Crystal (and how Mandy sprained a rib for the same reason). Learn how he broke an important bone, and kept on filming!
Learn about how everyone involved believed in and loved this peculiar little "unfilmable" book, and how they all worked hard to play it straight so the audience could have the fun of being part of the joke. Learn about how Goldman was so nervous that he was praying out loud on set during filming!
Love this book. Love the movie. Loved learning more about it, and about the actors that I adore, and their hopes and fears and concerns about this project, and how gratified and happy they all are that so many people have understood their passion and taken this film into their hearts.
Just an all around perfect little vignette of a memoir. Just absolutely beautiful.
Tuesday Storytime: Firefighters
I love firefighter books. They're exciting, the kids adore them, and they're just on that edge of being scary, while still providing a comforting reassurance that the heroes win and the fires always go out in the end.
The Firefighters
Sue Whiting, illustrated by Donna Rawlins
ISBN: 9780763649975
Australian class plays "pretend" firefighters, before getting a visit from the real deal.
I've used this several times as a storytime book, but not for a while now - I do try not to use my favorites too very often. This one especially, since it's such a stand-out in tone and story from other fire-fighting books, I feel it's fairly memorable, and really try to save it for every few years. That said, it is my single most favorite firefighter book to present to kids.
Why? It starts off with a trio of kids and their teacher, gamely along for the pretend adventure, traveling around in cardboard box firetrucks to put out a fire (a half-painted red wall) with corrugated-perforated drainpipe "hoses" and bandana oxygen masks. Heck yes! I love any picture book that references the fun of imaginative play. But really we get two books in one, because after our game of pretend firefighting, the real firefighters come by in their truck (a guy and a girl) to show off the vehicle, to demonstrate escape methods (the Aussie method is "get down low and go go go" which is repeated several times), and to generally be awesome role models.
The illustrations are likewise lovely - Rawlins has done a really good job creating vibrant and lively faces and postures. I could wish for a bit more diversity - there's the requisite token audience member but that's all. On the other hand, the gender split is equitable - our main quartet are two boys and a girl and a woman teacher, and our firefighters are also evenly split. There are bright colors and exciting compositions, but everything is very clear and specific - easy to focus on, and easy to understand the emotions and context of the pictures.
Just an excellent book all around.
This is the Firefighter
Laura Godwin, illustrated by Julian Hector
ISBN: 9781423108009
Rhyming sequence follows a firefighter from the station through a completed rescue.
This one is also a repeat use for me. It's hard to find firefighting books that are interesting but not too scary for really tiny ones, and this one goes right up to that line for me. "This is the firefighter, these are his clothes" is the first page, and then the next spread introduces us "this is his truck, and this is it's hose" on the ground floor of the station. We then follow an alarm bell to a fire in an apartment building with flames licking out of the windows. We get some real excitement here that might be a bit much for some delicate or sheltered or very emotional kids - the firefighters use their axes to break down the doors to rescue people from inside, to rescue a cat from a burning apartment, and to ride the tall ladder up to the top floor to rescue a couple from a smoky window. All ends well back down on street level with the film-crew recording, the requisite reunion between cat and child, and we end with a spread overview of the city from the distance with black smoke fading away into a sunset "This is the smoke as it drifts far away. This is the glow at the end of the day," before pulling back to the station to show the company "This is the firefighter. This is the hero."
Firefighters in the Dark
Daskha Slater, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli
ISBN: 9780618554591
A young girl drifts off to sleep while the sounds of the nearby fire station influence her dreams.
I love this one, and it also is a repeat. Firstly, we have a slight difference for the firefighting stories so far - our narrator is a girl. Secondly, we're in the realm of imagination and dreams here, which is also a difference from the usual. Finally, the stories that she makes up as to why things are on fire are delightful exercises in child-logic and are also fairly innocuous - nothing is really frightening here, just occasionally peculiar. As the girl falls asleep, she can hear the sirens of the firefighters, and she is sure she knows where they're going: first to a castle with fifteen baby princesses that was set on fire accidentally when a dragon (invited for dinner) tried to blow on his food to cool it - and of course set the table on fire. Next up, the sirens are fainter, so naturally they're off in Mexico, where the red-hot-chili peppers cause a lady to drip fire embers from her mouth before she and the resulting fire flowers are doused by the firefighters. Finally we have a rescue - a young boy bounces on his bed so high that he ends up next to Pluto, and the firefighters use their ladder truck to bring him back down because it's his bedtime. Dreamy colors and impressionistic landscapes and framing makes this a very different sort of firefighting book, and one that is really fun to show to kids, because they are quick to announce that this girl is imagining or dreaming all these crazy things.
The Firefighters
Sue Whiting, illustrated by Donna Rawlins
ISBN: 9780763649975
Australian class plays "pretend" firefighters, before getting a visit from the real deal.
I've used this several times as a storytime book, but not for a while now - I do try not to use my favorites too very often. This one especially, since it's such a stand-out in tone and story from other fire-fighting books, I feel it's fairly memorable, and really try to save it for every few years. That said, it is my single most favorite firefighter book to present to kids.
Why? It starts off with a trio of kids and their teacher, gamely along for the pretend adventure, traveling around in cardboard box firetrucks to put out a fire (a half-painted red wall) with corrugated-perforated drainpipe "hoses" and bandana oxygen masks. Heck yes! I love any picture book that references the fun of imaginative play. But really we get two books in one, because after our game of pretend firefighting, the real firefighters come by in their truck (a guy and a girl) to show off the vehicle, to demonstrate escape methods (the Aussie method is "get down low and go go go" which is repeated several times), and to generally be awesome role models.
The illustrations are likewise lovely - Rawlins has done a really good job creating vibrant and lively faces and postures. I could wish for a bit more diversity - there's the requisite token audience member but that's all. On the other hand, the gender split is equitable - our main quartet are two boys and a girl and a woman teacher, and our firefighters are also evenly split. There are bright colors and exciting compositions, but everything is very clear and specific - easy to focus on, and easy to understand the emotions and context of the pictures.
Just an excellent book all around.
This is the Firefighter
Laura Godwin, illustrated by Julian Hector
ISBN: 9781423108009
Rhyming sequence follows a firefighter from the station through a completed rescue.
This one is also a repeat use for me. It's hard to find firefighting books that are interesting but not too scary for really tiny ones, and this one goes right up to that line for me. "This is the firefighter, these are his clothes" is the first page, and then the next spread introduces us "this is his truck, and this is it's hose" on the ground floor of the station. We then follow an alarm bell to a fire in an apartment building with flames licking out of the windows. We get some real excitement here that might be a bit much for some delicate or sheltered or very emotional kids - the firefighters use their axes to break down the doors to rescue people from inside, to rescue a cat from a burning apartment, and to ride the tall ladder up to the top floor to rescue a couple from a smoky window. All ends well back down on street level with the film-crew recording, the requisite reunion between cat and child, and we end with a spread overview of the city from the distance with black smoke fading away into a sunset "This is the smoke as it drifts far away. This is the glow at the end of the day," before pulling back to the station to show the company "This is the firefighter. This is the hero."
Firefighters in the Dark
Daskha Slater, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli
ISBN: 9780618554591
A young girl drifts off to sleep while the sounds of the nearby fire station influence her dreams.
I love this one, and it also is a repeat. Firstly, we have a slight difference for the firefighting stories so far - our narrator is a girl. Secondly, we're in the realm of imagination and dreams here, which is also a difference from the usual. Finally, the stories that she makes up as to why things are on fire are delightful exercises in child-logic and are also fairly innocuous - nothing is really frightening here, just occasionally peculiar. As the girl falls asleep, she can hear the sirens of the firefighters, and she is sure she knows where they're going: first to a castle with fifteen baby princesses that was set on fire accidentally when a dragon (invited for dinner) tried to blow on his food to cool it - and of course set the table on fire. Next up, the sirens are fainter, so naturally they're off in Mexico, where the red-hot-chili peppers cause a lady to drip fire embers from her mouth before she and the resulting fire flowers are doused by the firefighters. Finally we have a rescue - a young boy bounces on his bed so high that he ends up next to Pluto, and the firefighters use their ladder truck to bring him back down because it's his bedtime. Dreamy colors and impressionistic landscapes and framing makes this a very different sort of firefighting book, and one that is really fun to show to kids, because they are quick to announce that this girl is imagining or dreaming all these crazy things.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Subtweet Review: Tell me ALLL about those feelings.
A certain politically-active gentleman had objections to a certain other political group's endeavors to enact certain policies, and engaged his rather impressive numbers of audience-members in opposing these endeavors. As a result of this attention, a particular audience-member wrote a dystopian novel based around the premise of the opposed endeavors, and sent it to the original gentleman, who was quite taken with this fictionalized narrative that exploited the worst fears of his audience, and arranged for it to be published under his name. There is now a sequel, and based on the ending of the sequel, an impending series. I read the original work when it was first published (morbid curiosity) and have now just finished the sequel.
I will say that (judging from memory) the sequel is more capably written than the first.
First off, as with most near-future dystopian scenarios, the reasoning behind this one is frankly preposterous. I read the words, and I understand the back-history established, but I have serious issues engaging in any real suspension of disbelief. Despite the earnest attempts of many an author of a dystopia, the world just doesn't actually work that way. Now, I repeat, this isn't just a problem with this particular duo of books - it's pretty rampant in the genre. Even far-future dystopias like Hunger Games have real problems with setting up a realistic, workable, functioning, dystopian world. I'm not even going to talk about Divergent; it gives me a headache. So the author is in good company here, but it does still make the rest of the book harder to be charitable towards. If you've put in decent world-building equity, I'm willing to give a lot of other things some slack (points to Hunger Games here, particularly the movies). If you can't even be bothered to look at basic economics, medicine, and political processes and history, then I have no extra charity to give - I've burned it all on accepting your ridiculous premise and continuing to read. Zombie dystopias in particular are really awful about this, but this one gives them a run for the money. World-building here (in addition to the actual unsupportable premise) is sparse. Granted, that's a function of the limited POVs that we've had so far, but it's still sparse even so, and worse, it's achingly derivative.
Second off, if one is preaching to the choir (which, arguably, is the stated intention of this narrative) it seems that it might not be entirely necessary to beat the readers over the head with the political point quite so constantly. I will say this, every opportunity to return to the central theme is taken with gusto, so they do have consistency and persistence going for them. For a reader, it's like trying to focus on the emotional resonance of a movie while someone is working with a jackhammer outside.
Plot is moving along, characterization is happenin-
BRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTTRTRTRRRTRTRRTRTRTR
-good grief. Ok, we're getting a little more emotionally connected to the -
BRRRRTTTT
Are you quite finished? Ok, new characters getting introdu-
BRRRT
-ahem - introduced. More narrative threads getting tangled up with these new -
BRRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRRTRTRTR
For the love of God, just stop for a bit!
Thirdly, (and this is a matter of personal opinion - at the very least, JRR Martin disagrees with me strenuously) I believe that a little bit of narrative perspective and a dash of foreshadowing makes for satisfying genre savvy stories that are much more powerful. There is a slap-dash approach to characters and events that was really frustrating to read through, because everything is given the same intensity. Everything is downplayed, nothing is emphasized (or at least, emphasized beyond the author using a character to directly tell the reader something is important).
To be specific, there is a character death in this book that frankly made no impact on me because of the way it was presented (with the same flat, affectless recitation of the remainder of the book). The character themself had no narrative arc. Nothing to brutally interrupt by death, nothing to ironically fulfill in death. Nothing even to be simply concluded with death. There was actually no narrative arc for that character at all, actually, which is a totally different problem, but my point here is this: I can see the bones of the plot in this novel, because it is starved for flesh and skin. The bones say that this death is supposed to be important. It's the only death that the heroic characters suffer, and it was at the hands of the major protagonist, right before the final climactic showdown. But because there was no (or no competent) foreshadowing, no narrative arc, no focus, no narrative intensity, it just - sortof happened.
In fact, because of previous narrative choices, there was an entire section of the rising action where I was unsure if it was even meant to be a death or not. There was an attempt later (I believe) to make it obvious that the character did in fact die, and to make that moment more dramatic in hindsight. Or in contrast (unlikely, but possible) it could also be a really inept attempt to make a later twist possible by making it seem that the character is dead when in fact the body that was seen was a totally different person who was unmentioned until their coincidental death in the same way as the character who we saw injured but had no real indication that they are actually dead. This is not good writing. This is frustrating to read and think about. Please, authors. Just be clear. If you want to kill someone off (or even to introduce a plot twist) to raise the stakes, make it an Obi-Wan moment, not a random unclear muddle.
Finally, someone ought to introduce this author to the concept of "show, don't tell." This is actually my main complaint about the sequel I just read (sadly, I don't remember enough of the first novel to comment, other than I felt it was very obviously a first attempt), and by the end of it, I was actually laughing every time a chapter break and resulting viewpoint change came around, because it was so stodgy and clunky. I will leave you with some relevant quotes from the climax of the book (not to put too fine a point on it, but this would be where one would expect the emotional stakes to be the highest).
"A slim thread of hope now wound around his heart. For the first time in his life, he felt joy and sorrow at the same time."
"That's when the anger built in her, Not just anger, but red hot rage.... Emotions pulsed through her faster than she ever thought possible."
"[Character A] and [Character B] were driven by emotion."
"[Character C] felt like his senses were shutting down, because he wanted to disassociate from what he had seen."
"It felt like the whole world should be crying for so many reasons."
(This next one isn't actually an emotional statement, but I had to include it because it actually made me snort my drink up my nose:) "Through the twists and tangles of fate, the hunters would soon become the hunted."
PS - if you're going to create a made-up salute, for the love of everything holy, either give it a proper capitalized name, or just describe it the first few times and then bloody well call it a salute.
I will say that (judging from memory) the sequel is more capably written than the first.
First off, as with most near-future dystopian scenarios, the reasoning behind this one is frankly preposterous. I read the words, and I understand the back-history established, but I have serious issues engaging in any real suspension of disbelief. Despite the earnest attempts of many an author of a dystopia, the world just doesn't actually work that way. Now, I repeat, this isn't just a problem with this particular duo of books - it's pretty rampant in the genre. Even far-future dystopias like Hunger Games have real problems with setting up a realistic, workable, functioning, dystopian world. I'm not even going to talk about Divergent; it gives me a headache. So the author is in good company here, but it does still make the rest of the book harder to be charitable towards. If you've put in decent world-building equity, I'm willing to give a lot of other things some slack (points to Hunger Games here, particularly the movies). If you can't even be bothered to look at basic economics, medicine, and political processes and history, then I have no extra charity to give - I've burned it all on accepting your ridiculous premise and continuing to read. Zombie dystopias in particular are really awful about this, but this one gives them a run for the money. World-building here (in addition to the actual unsupportable premise) is sparse. Granted, that's a function of the limited POVs that we've had so far, but it's still sparse even so, and worse, it's achingly derivative.
Second off, if one is preaching to the choir (which, arguably, is the stated intention of this narrative) it seems that it might not be entirely necessary to beat the readers over the head with the political point quite so constantly. I will say this, every opportunity to return to the central theme is taken with gusto, so they do have consistency and persistence going for them. For a reader, it's like trying to focus on the emotional resonance of a movie while someone is working with a jackhammer outside.
Plot is moving along, characterization is happenin-
BRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTTRTRTRRRTRTRRTRTRTR
-good grief. Ok, we're getting a little more emotionally connected to the -
BRRRRTTTT
Are you quite finished? Ok, new characters getting introdu-
BRRRT
-ahem - introduced. More narrative threads getting tangled up with these new -
BRRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRRTRTRTR
For the love of God, just stop for a bit!
Thirdly, (and this is a matter of personal opinion - at the very least, JRR Martin disagrees with me strenuously) I believe that a little bit of narrative perspective and a dash of foreshadowing makes for satisfying genre savvy stories that are much more powerful. There is a slap-dash approach to characters and events that was really frustrating to read through, because everything is given the same intensity. Everything is downplayed, nothing is emphasized (or at least, emphasized beyond the author using a character to directly tell the reader something is important).
To be specific, there is a character death in this book that frankly made no impact on me because of the way it was presented (with the same flat, affectless recitation of the remainder of the book). The character themself had no narrative arc. Nothing to brutally interrupt by death, nothing to ironically fulfill in death. Nothing even to be simply concluded with death. There was actually no narrative arc for that character at all, actually, which is a totally different problem, but my point here is this: I can see the bones of the plot in this novel, because it is starved for flesh and skin. The bones say that this death is supposed to be important. It's the only death that the heroic characters suffer, and it was at the hands of the major protagonist, right before the final climactic showdown. But because there was no (or no competent) foreshadowing, no narrative arc, no focus, no narrative intensity, it just - sortof happened.
In fact, because of previous narrative choices, there was an entire section of the rising action where I was unsure if it was even meant to be a death or not. There was an attempt later (I believe) to make it obvious that the character did in fact die, and to make that moment more dramatic in hindsight. Or in contrast (unlikely, but possible) it could also be a really inept attempt to make a later twist possible by making it seem that the character is dead when in fact the body that was seen was a totally different person who was unmentioned until their coincidental death in the same way as the character who we saw injured but had no real indication that they are actually dead. This is not good writing. This is frustrating to read and think about. Please, authors. Just be clear. If you want to kill someone off (or even to introduce a plot twist) to raise the stakes, make it an Obi-Wan moment, not a random unclear muddle.
Finally, someone ought to introduce this author to the concept of "show, don't tell." This is actually my main complaint about the sequel I just read (sadly, I don't remember enough of the first novel to comment, other than I felt it was very obviously a first attempt), and by the end of it, I was actually laughing every time a chapter break and resulting viewpoint change came around, because it was so stodgy and clunky. I will leave you with some relevant quotes from the climax of the book (not to put too fine a point on it, but this would be where one would expect the emotional stakes to be the highest).
"A slim thread of hope now wound around his heart. For the first time in his life, he felt joy and sorrow at the same time."
"That's when the anger built in her, Not just anger, but red hot rage.... Emotions pulsed through her faster than she ever thought possible."
"[Character A] and [Character B] were driven by emotion."
"[Character C] felt like his senses were shutting down, because he wanted to disassociate from what he had seen."
"It felt like the whole world should be crying for so many reasons."
(This next one isn't actually an emotional statement, but I had to include it because it actually made me snort my drink up my nose:) "Through the twists and tangles of fate, the hunters would soon become the hunted."
PS - if you're going to create a made-up salute, for the love of everything holy, either give it a proper capitalized name, or just describe it the first few times and then bloody well call it a salute.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
The subtweet, and reviewing polarizing books
I'm on twitter (totally unrelated and unaffiliated to this site) and as I first settled in, I learned a new phrase: the "subtweet." In general terms, it's related to "vaguebooking" and "angst-blogging" in that it's employed to keep specific details to a minimum. I find that on twitter however, the subtweet doesn't get used as an attention-spammer as often as the other two iterations. Vaguebooking particularly seems rife with "WOE IS ME!! (psst, ask me about my woe already!)" sort of updates and posts and comments. Even blogging is susceptible - something about the similarity to journaling makes people all too willing to spill copious amounts of generalized or carefully un-specified angst over their blog pages.
I really generally try not to do that. First, because no one actually cares. Second, because it's frankly a little childish; if you want attention, there are more mature (and more effective) methods of getting it. Thirdly, if I can repeat myself, no one cares.
Subtweeting is different. Unlike a blog, it isn't acres of text. Unlike a comment or a status update, it isn't loaded with import - it's just a tweet, that happens to be about a redacted or unclear subject. And thus, my point.
I do sometimes find myself in the position of wanting to blather on this blog at length about a book that I have encountered, where I fear I will have an unpopularly critical opinion. Now, I am often critical. I have eviscerated books before for various reasons, and I'm not ashamed of that. If a book is flawed in my opinion, then I'm prepared to defend my opinions. I also know that other people may have other opinions, and I'm quite happy with that also.
In contrast, some books have become (or were created to be) rallying points for various audiences. Critical opinions about these particular books is not seen as criticism of the book, but of the audience. To be blunt, it gets personal. I don't wish for my opinions on a book to be extrapolated out to the general audience. I also do not wish for my opinions to be demonized and hunted down by certain zealous groups, because again, it gets personal. To be quite clear: I do not wish to be hunted down, nor demonized, nor really paid much attention to (why am I blogging again?) but I do want to have the chance to set down (and therefore help organize) my thoughts and opinions.
I also am trying to create a record of what I read, and it's not honest to leave certain books unremarked because I am afraid of the attention they might garner.
So, all of this is to say, I think I'm going to co-opt the concept of the subtweet, and attempt to use this space to set down my thoughts about a book, mainly for my own interest, without setting out the names and associations of the book in question. I can think of several things I have read that would be perfect for this approach, but honestly I don't have the time nor the necessary interest to re-visit them.
I really generally try not to do that. First, because no one actually cares. Second, because it's frankly a little childish; if you want attention, there are more mature (and more effective) methods of getting it. Thirdly, if I can repeat myself, no one cares.
Subtweeting is different. Unlike a blog, it isn't acres of text. Unlike a comment or a status update, it isn't loaded with import - it's just a tweet, that happens to be about a redacted or unclear subject. And thus, my point.
I do sometimes find myself in the position of wanting to blather on this blog at length about a book that I have encountered, where I fear I will have an unpopularly critical opinion. Now, I am often critical. I have eviscerated books before for various reasons, and I'm not ashamed of that. If a book is flawed in my opinion, then I'm prepared to defend my opinions. I also know that other people may have other opinions, and I'm quite happy with that also.
In contrast, some books have become (or were created to be) rallying points for various audiences. Critical opinions about these particular books is not seen as criticism of the book, but of the audience. To be blunt, it gets personal. I don't wish for my opinions on a book to be extrapolated out to the general audience. I also do not wish for my opinions to be demonized and hunted down by certain zealous groups, because again, it gets personal. To be quite clear: I do not wish to be hunted down, nor demonized, nor really paid much attention to (why am I blogging again?) but I do want to have the chance to set down (and therefore help organize) my thoughts and opinions.
I also am trying to create a record of what I read, and it's not honest to leave certain books unremarked because I am afraid of the attention they might garner.
So, all of this is to say, I think I'm going to co-opt the concept of the subtweet, and attempt to use this space to set down my thoughts about a book, mainly for my own interest, without setting out the names and associations of the book in question. I can think of several things I have read that would be perfect for this approach, but honestly I don't have the time nor the necessary interest to re-visit them.
Tuesday Storytime: Construction Crews
A fun, shortish trio of books today.
Build, Dogs, Build
James Horvath (Dig, Dogs, Dig)
ISBN: 9780062189677
Hanna-Barbara-ish dogs demolish an old building and build a new apartment complex, in rhyme.
Very much like Dig, Dogs, Dig, but with more of a focus on the materials and visuals of the emerging building, rather than on the actions of the dogs doing the work. A few moments where I wondered if pages were missing; we move from worrying about a moving van hitting a plate glass window to a scene of dogs chasing bouncy-balls all over the construction site. A sharper look reveals that the van is CARRYING said bouncy-balls, and they all fell out when the van swerved to miss the glass, but none of that is in the text, and it seems to jump wildly from work to breaktime with no warning. Even the ending is a bit abrupt. I was expecting a final repeat of the "x, dogs, x" motif that was scattered randomly through the book. Despite this, very clever, very readable, and highly recommended for the focus on plans and engineering and actual construction details like water and sewer pipes, the thickness of the concrete flooring, and the correct order of building, cladding, and finishing the interiors of the high-rise.
Demolition
Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock
ISBN: 9780763658304
(originally reviewed here)
Same thoughts as the review from before: Kids absolutely love it, and I enjoy the word-play and the super-fast flow. I do prefer Roadwork, and I would like to get my hands on Construction and see how it flows in comparison.
Construction Kitties
Judy Sue Goodwin Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern (I Love Trucks!)
ISBN: 9780805091052
Naif round-faced kitties run progressive pairs of heavy machinery; turning a field into a playground.
This book is too cute. Short enough to be a middle book, with a very clear and steady progression through the day, from mornings at home, the drive to work (often skipped over by picture books) the work day, lunch (sardines and milk, yum!) and a break for relaxation (also often skipped over) work again, and a drive home. All this powered by a steady flow of various equipment that digs, moves, pushes, and smooths dirt into a playground, and a rhythmic drumbeat of language that reads like poetry, even though it is non-rhyming. A good one to end on, and the one the kids paid most attention to and responded directly to, despite being last (and therefore more susceptible to wiggles).
Build, Dogs, Build
James Horvath (Dig, Dogs, Dig)
ISBN: 9780062189677
Hanna-Barbara-ish dogs demolish an old building and build a new apartment complex, in rhyme.
Very much like Dig, Dogs, Dig, but with more of a focus on the materials and visuals of the emerging building, rather than on the actions of the dogs doing the work. A few moments where I wondered if pages were missing; we move from worrying about a moving van hitting a plate glass window to a scene of dogs chasing bouncy-balls all over the construction site. A sharper look reveals that the van is CARRYING said bouncy-balls, and they all fell out when the van swerved to miss the glass, but none of that is in the text, and it seems to jump wildly from work to breaktime with no warning. Even the ending is a bit abrupt. I was expecting a final repeat of the "x, dogs, x" motif that was scattered randomly through the book. Despite this, very clever, very readable, and highly recommended for the focus on plans and engineering and actual construction details like water and sewer pipes, the thickness of the concrete flooring, and the correct order of building, cladding, and finishing the interiors of the high-rise.
Demolition
Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock
ISBN: 9780763658304
(originally reviewed here)
Same thoughts as the review from before: Kids absolutely love it, and I enjoy the word-play and the super-fast flow. I do prefer Roadwork, and I would like to get my hands on Construction and see how it flows in comparison.
Construction Kitties
Judy Sue Goodwin Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern (I Love Trucks!)
ISBN: 9780805091052
Naif round-faced kitties run progressive pairs of heavy machinery; turning a field into a playground.
This book is too cute. Short enough to be a middle book, with a very clear and steady progression through the day, from mornings at home, the drive to work (often skipped over by picture books) the work day, lunch (sardines and milk, yum!) and a break for relaxation (also often skipped over) work again, and a drive home. All this powered by a steady flow of various equipment that digs, moves, pushes, and smooths dirt into a playground, and a rhythmic drumbeat of language that reads like poetry, even though it is non-rhyming. A good one to end on, and the one the kids paid most attention to and responded directly to, despite being last (and therefore more susceptible to wiggles).
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