What to Do With a Box
Jane Yolen, illustrated by Chris Sheban
ISBN: 9781568462899
Read August 2016
New arrival! This one is awfully cute. There are a good few "box" books out there, and I think this one adds nicely to the collection. It's a little on the sepia/bland side, so I don't know if it will work for storytime, but I'm thinking about giving it a whirl, just so I can say I did an entire storytime theme around cardboard boxes. The things that give a librarian joy.
So I said earlier that it's a bit sepia/bland - what I should have said is that it's box-colored. Most of the illustrations are of slightly hazy sepia-toned children playing in various quite-lifelike boxes, with their imaginations or drawings fading off the box into a sort of dreamy realm. It's a lovely way to envision the imagination that kids use when they're playing in a box or crate like that.
There isn't much of a story - it basically just asks what a box can be, and then each spread answers it with a different imagined playscape and a different set of children or single child with their own box or boxes. Still, it's sweet and fun and the language is easy and beautiful.
I think I've just convinced myself to do it. :)
Showing posts with label imagination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label imagination. Show all posts
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Tuesday Storytime: Knights and Dragons
Yay! I finally have enough good knights and dragons books to do a storytime!
The Bravest Knight
Mercer Mayer
ISBN: 9780803732063
Mayer's signature art style populates a young boy's vivid imagination of knights and battles.
If we're going for straight favorites, There's an Alligator Under My Bed is my absolute favorite. However, for the knights and dragons angle, The Bravest Knight is so cute. We start with a trash can lid-toting boy, as he elucidates the many reasons he would love to live "a thousand years ago" (exaggeration starts early) when there were knights and castles and dragons and trolls. Until of course his imagination (and the fearsome troll) gets to be a leeeetle bit too much for him, and he's quite happy to be back in the safety of the present day.
King Jack and the Dragon
Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
ISBN: 9780803736986
New Arrival, reviewed here.
Short and sweet, and full of imaginative play and cooperation and all the knights and dragons and beasts any kid could wish for. Perfect for storytime.
Me and My Dragon
David Biedrzycki
ISBN: 9781580892780
Technically no knights, but a sweet story about the logistics of pet dragons.
I've used this one before in pet-oriented storytimes, and it's so cute. We walk through a boy's fond imaginings of how life would be with a pet dragon, from adoption and vet visits to obedience school and seasonal activities (kite flying probably not a hit, melting snow from neighbors' sidewalks super easy). The dragon is bright red and expressive, with big eyes and a floppy rounded body, while everything else is drawn in a realistic style. I also have to say that I'm really happy to see that our narrator is an indeterminate brownish color instead of being white. A small touch, and never even mentioned, but it's gratifying to see.
The Bravest Knight
Mercer Mayer
ISBN: 9780803732063
Mayer's signature art style populates a young boy's vivid imagination of knights and battles.
If we're going for straight favorites, There's an Alligator Under My Bed is my absolute favorite. However, for the knights and dragons angle, The Bravest Knight is so cute. We start with a trash can lid-toting boy, as he elucidates the many reasons he would love to live "a thousand years ago" (exaggeration starts early) when there were knights and castles and dragons and trolls. Until of course his imagination (and the fearsome troll) gets to be a leeeetle bit too much for him, and he's quite happy to be back in the safety of the present day.
King Jack and the Dragon
Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
ISBN: 9780803736986
New Arrival, reviewed here.
Short and sweet, and full of imaginative play and cooperation and all the knights and dragons and beasts any kid could wish for. Perfect for storytime.
Me and My Dragon
David Biedrzycki
ISBN: 9781580892780
Technically no knights, but a sweet story about the logistics of pet dragons.
I've used this one before in pet-oriented storytimes, and it's so cute. We walk through a boy's fond imaginings of how life would be with a pet dragon, from adoption and vet visits to obedience school and seasonal activities (kite flying probably not a hit, melting snow from neighbors' sidewalks super easy). The dragon is bright red and expressive, with big eyes and a floppy rounded body, while everything else is drawn in a realistic style. I also have to say that I'm really happy to see that our narrator is an indeterminate brownish color instead of being white. A small touch, and never even mentioned, but it's gratifying to see.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
New Arrival: Picture Book: The Adventures of Beekle the Unimaginary Friend, Dan Santat
The Adventures of Beekle, The Unimaginary Friend
Dan Santat
ISBN: 9780316199988
Lovely imaginative mixed-media panels, but a strange and meandering storyline.
I'm sadly really unappy about this one. Spoilers ahoy, so I can ramble.
PLOT: An adipose-looking (ref. Doctor Who) blob person lives on the island of imaginary friends, where they hang about waiting for kids to imagine them, whereupon they are teleported off the island into the real world with their new best friend. But no one imagines the blob, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and find his friend. He travels to the real world (done in grey and taupe) where he's stunned by the boring and sad nature of all the grownups, until he finds a park with children, happily accompanied by their imaginary friends (the park is a lovely, but confusing, illustration - it's difficult to tell which constructs are imaginary friends and which are park play equipment) but still no friend. He climbs a tree to see further, but still no dice, until a little girl comes by, and they sort of awkwardly ease into friendship, she names him Beekle, and they play happily together forever, the end.
Hokay.
First issue - a jungly "exotic" island of creatures who have their own lives and presumably interests and dreams, but live there just waiting for someone they don't know to essentially capture them and spirit them away to a different "civilized" world where they get assigned a name, and are stuck there as best friends forever with no escape is a little Curious George gets kidnapped by the Man in the Big Yellow Hat, yes? Colonialism is not a cool concept to reference, and while kids are innocent and won't get it, lots of parents (especially parents of color) WILL, and that isn't a great way to start off. It just - between the "rapture beam" illustration of the imaginary friend who was chosen, and the idea that they don't even have names until a kid names them, but they do have lives and imaginations and willpower and enough determination to take a difficult journey - but no name? Just... really offputting.
Second issue - I am the first person to sing the praises of picture books with no drama. Nothing happens, no conflict, everything is peaceful or fun, life is good - I love those books. But, they have to have a structure that supports the lack of drama or conflict. This book isn't like that. It's a journey - an ADVENTURE! It's in the bloody title already! But our little blob friend just meanders through everywhere, looking vaguely nonplussed, but not afraid or menaced, or really even very sad, even though the text assures us he is. If you're going to have an adventure, perhaps it should be adventurous? I just can't see this holding the attention of a room full of little ones.
Third issue - it's pretty obvious that the intended "moral" of the story is that finding and making friends is sometimes a slow process, and can be awkward. I got that, and it's a great moral, especially for shy or socially-anxious kids. However, I think that the framework of the imaginary friend isn't so hot for this message, and in fact, I think that it's sending entirely different messages through the choices of text and illustrations. Here's why.
First off, since the imaginary friend is our "hero character" for most of the book, that's who the readers will most likely identify with. He wants a friend, so he looks for one, and then he does a favor for someone, they stand around awkwardly, sort of toe-into the idea of hanging out, then what do they do? She NAMES him, and they proceed to do everything that she wants to do, in her world, by her rules. Now our moral message is "find someone that you like, and make them like you by doing everything they ask" which is a great way to keep that book about co-dependency on the re-print list for decades to come.
Secondly, an imaginary friend by nature only has ONE human person that sees them, knows them, and is friends with them. So not only is our protagonist blob-person stuck with the herculean task of finding the ONE SINGLE RIGHT person, then once found, that's the only friend there is. And that isn't how it works with kids, nor is that a healthy concept. Again, the implied message there is that "there's only one bestfriend/soulmate for you, and once you find them, everything will be perfect forever" which is wrong on so many levels that I really don't know where to start.
So - sadly, because it's awfully cute, and I'm especially vulnerable to adorable little almost adiposes - I have to vote to give this one a miss because it just twigs too many weird uncomfortable issues for me to be able to recommend.
Dan Santat
ISBN: 9780316199988
Lovely imaginative mixed-media panels, but a strange and meandering storyline.
I'm sadly really unappy about this one. Spoilers ahoy, so I can ramble.
PLOT: An adipose-looking (ref. Doctor Who) blob person lives on the island of imaginary friends, where they hang about waiting for kids to imagine them, whereupon they are teleported off the island into the real world with their new best friend. But no one imagines the blob, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and find his friend. He travels to the real world (done in grey and taupe) where he's stunned by the boring and sad nature of all the grownups, until he finds a park with children, happily accompanied by their imaginary friends (the park is a lovely, but confusing, illustration - it's difficult to tell which constructs are imaginary friends and which are park play equipment) but still no friend. He climbs a tree to see further, but still no dice, until a little girl comes by, and they sort of awkwardly ease into friendship, she names him Beekle, and they play happily together forever, the end.
Hokay.
First issue - a jungly "exotic" island of creatures who have their own lives and presumably interests and dreams, but live there just waiting for someone they don't know to essentially capture them and spirit them away to a different "civilized" world where they get assigned a name, and are stuck there as best friends forever with no escape is a little Curious George gets kidnapped by the Man in the Big Yellow Hat, yes? Colonialism is not a cool concept to reference, and while kids are innocent and won't get it, lots of parents (especially parents of color) WILL, and that isn't a great way to start off. It just - between the "rapture beam" illustration of the imaginary friend who was chosen, and the idea that they don't even have names until a kid names them, but they do have lives and imaginations and willpower and enough determination to take a difficult journey - but no name? Just... really offputting.
Second issue - I am the first person to sing the praises of picture books with no drama. Nothing happens, no conflict, everything is peaceful or fun, life is good - I love those books. But, they have to have a structure that supports the lack of drama or conflict. This book isn't like that. It's a journey - an ADVENTURE! It's in the bloody title already! But our little blob friend just meanders through everywhere, looking vaguely nonplussed, but not afraid or menaced, or really even very sad, even though the text assures us he is. If you're going to have an adventure, perhaps it should be adventurous? I just can't see this holding the attention of a room full of little ones.
Third issue - it's pretty obvious that the intended "moral" of the story is that finding and making friends is sometimes a slow process, and can be awkward. I got that, and it's a great moral, especially for shy or socially-anxious kids. However, I think that the framework of the imaginary friend isn't so hot for this message, and in fact, I think that it's sending entirely different messages through the choices of text and illustrations. Here's why.
First off, since the imaginary friend is our "hero character" for most of the book, that's who the readers will most likely identify with. He wants a friend, so he looks for one, and then he does a favor for someone, they stand around awkwardly, sort of toe-into the idea of hanging out, then what do they do? She NAMES him, and they proceed to do everything that she wants to do, in her world, by her rules. Now our moral message is "find someone that you like, and make them like you by doing everything they ask" which is a great way to keep that book about co-dependency on the re-print list for decades to come.
Secondly, an imaginary friend by nature only has ONE human person that sees them, knows them, and is friends with them. So not only is our protagonist blob-person stuck with the herculean task of finding the ONE SINGLE RIGHT person, then once found, that's the only friend there is. And that isn't how it works with kids, nor is that a healthy concept. Again, the implied message there is that "there's only one bestfriend/soulmate for you, and once you find them, everything will be perfect forever" which is wrong on so many levels that I really don't know where to start.
So - sadly, because it's awfully cute, and I'm especially vulnerable to adorable little almost adiposes - I have to vote to give this one a miss because it just twigs too many weird uncomfortable issues for me to be able to recommend.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Andrew Henry's Meadow, Doris Burn
Andrew Henry's Meadow
Doris Burn
ISBN: 9780399256080
Read Feb 24, 2014
Another "classic" that I somehow never heard of. I know I read a lot as a child, but I'm beginning to think that I just read the same few approved Christian books over and over and over again. That and Childcraft and Disney storybooks.
This book is also a bit of an interesting case - apparently the original has much more intricate illustrations (which is frankly hard to believe given the ones seen in this edition) that were altered/zoomed in for the re-print. Regardless, they are still nifty, and have lots of nice pen-and-ink scratchy illustrated details for readers to pore over.
Andrew Henry is an inventor, and he's also a middle child - his older sisters don't really want to associate with him, and his little brothers are too little to really be interested in his inventions. So he runs away and creates a house for himself in a nearby meadow. What's really interesting is that like flies to a honeypot, a collection of neighbor kids begin arriving in the same meadow - girls and boys alike - united in their need to have a place of their own to engage with their hobbies and interests. Andrew Henry accomodates them all with a series of incredibly awesome personalized houses, and they live happily in their meadow for 4 days until their frantic families search them out and return them back home.
For Andrew Henry, his family gives him part of the basement for his workshop, and become much more invested in paying attention to him and his inventions.
(I would love to see a full-length children's novel or film written out that combines this and the picture book Roxaboxen, and Weslandia. It would be epic. Parents would freak, and kids everywhere would be so happy.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Doris Burn
ISBN: 9780399256080
Read Feb 24, 2014
Another "classic" that I somehow never heard of. I know I read a lot as a child, but I'm beginning to think that I just read the same few approved Christian books over and over and over again. That and Childcraft and Disney storybooks.
This book is also a bit of an interesting case - apparently the original has much more intricate illustrations (which is frankly hard to believe given the ones seen in this edition) that were altered/zoomed in for the re-print. Regardless, they are still nifty, and have lots of nice pen-and-ink scratchy illustrated details for readers to pore over.
Andrew Henry is an inventor, and he's also a middle child - his older sisters don't really want to associate with him, and his little brothers are too little to really be interested in his inventions. So he runs away and creates a house for himself in a nearby meadow. What's really interesting is that like flies to a honeypot, a collection of neighbor kids begin arriving in the same meadow - girls and boys alike - united in their need to have a place of their own to engage with their hobbies and interests. Andrew Henry accomodates them all with a series of incredibly awesome personalized houses, and they live happily in their meadow for 4 days until their frantic families search them out and return them back home.
For Andrew Henry, his family gives him part of the basement for his workshop, and become much more invested in paying attention to him and his inventions.
(I would love to see a full-length children's novel or film written out that combines this and the picture book Roxaboxen, and Weslandia. It would be epic. Parents would freak, and kids everywhere would be so happy.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
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