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Vol. 9, No. 5, December 2001
Take Note: books of special interest to children's book enthusiasts
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Illustrated
by DeLoss McGraw. HarperCollins, 2001 (0-06-029150-8) $21.95
Carroll's dreamlike fantasy is here given a surreal and colorful new
interpretation. Though still basically representational, the bright
watercolors use odd shapes and splotches to make every picture seem
distorted and startling. Alice herself seems dully drawn compared to
the wonders around--and happening to--her, but I like the occasional
touches that evoke the Victorian milieu of the story, such as the
checked waistcoat and bow-tie of the white rabbit.
The Complete Adventures of Curious George written and
illustrated by Margret and H.A. Rey. Houghton Mifflin, 2001
(0-618-16441-3) $30.00
This 60th anniversary edition is a huge, 422 page volume; in addition
to the seven "Curious George" books, it includes.commentaries by
Leonard Marcus and Anita Silvey, a collection of photographs, and,
most interestingly, an illustrated retrospective essay about the Reys'
work. It's quite fascinating to see other examples of the familiar
style, including advertising art and sheet music.
My World by Margaret Wise Brown. Illustrated by Clement Hurd.
1949; HarperCollins, 2001 (0-06-024798-3) $15.95
This companion volume to the classic Goodnight Moon has some of
the same qualities that make that book so special, particularly a
tendency for the text to go in just slightly off-beat directions. The
book is narrated by the little bunny from the first book, who talks
about objects in his world, comparing his possesions to those of his
parents. But as you might expect from a small child, the comparisons
aren't clearly symmetrical, but also include whatever information
happens to pop into the narrators head: "My spoon. Daddy's spoon.
'The moon belongs To the Man in the moon.'". It's a style that
requires, and repays, intent reading aloud. But it's a little
disappointing that the text and illustration don't mesh as perfectly
here as in the first book; branching out from their cozy green room
into a bigger world, Hurd's rabbit people look kind of uncomfortable.
Reprints: Reviews
Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep. HarperCollins, 1977; 2001
(0-06-440336-X) $6.95 pb
Casey Young, a twelve-year old Chinese-American girl, has always felt more American than Chinese. Traveling around with her father (a compulsive gambler trying to make it big), she's met people of every race and color and never felt out of place--until her father is injured and she's sent to live with her grandmother in San Francisco's Chinatown. Everything about Chinatown in 1965 is strange to Casey and everyone seems to despise her for her different background and her ignorance. Ironically, Casey's first real encounter with prejudice comes from people of her own race.
When Casey's grandmother, Paw Paw, tells her a family legend about an owl who lived as a woman, Casey sees it as a metaphor for feeling like an outsider, and for the first time she feels a connection to the heritage of her ancestors. As she learns to respect and love her grandmother, her sense of belonging grows; after a lifetime spent traveling, she has finally found a place where she can put down roots.
More than just a book about ethnicity, Child of the Owlis a story about why people belong together: the ties of love, and loyalty, and shared background.
In addition to Child of the Owl, HarperTrophy has reprinted
four other books in the "Golden Mountain Chronicles" series, which
follow the Young family back in time for several generations:
Dragonwings (the 25th anniversary edition), Dragon's
Gate, Mountain Light and The Serpent's Childrens.
The Jolly Postman; The Jolly Christmas Postman written
and illustrated by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Little, Brown, 1986; 1991
(0-316-12644-6; 0-316-12715-9) $17.95 ea.
Offering some peeks beyond "happily ever after," these enchanting
books let readers enjoy the mail exchanged by various fairy tale
characters, as delivered by the Jolly Postman. In the first book,
built-in envelopes contain Goldilocks' apology to the three bears, a
postcard from Jack to the Giant, and a letter from "Meeny, Miny, Mo &
Co., Attorneys at Law," threatening B.B. Wolf Esq. with several
lawsuits. The second book is even more elaborate, with fairy-tale
residents receiving fancy christmas cards and presents of a small
jigsaw puzzle and a tiny book within a book (which, as the text points
out, is also within a book!) The sprightly illustrations are filled
with wonderful detail--the Giant offers the Jolly Postman a thimbleful
of tea, while peering at the tiny postcard he holds between thumb and
forefinger--and just about everything is worth looking at closely,
including the stamps and postmarks on the envelopes
Oodles to Do With Loo-Loo and Boo written and illustrated by
Dennis Roche. Houghton Mifflin, 2001 (0-618-15423-X) $9.95 pb
Subtitled "the Collected Art Adventures," this spiral-bound book
combines two previous titles. Loo-Loo, Boo, and Art You Can Do
is a very child-friendly instruction manual, in which a girl named
Loo-Loo and her talking dog Boo explain how to create various kinds of
art, including classic projects like potato prints and some more
unusual suggestions like sculptures made from boxes, tubes and cans.
The text is easy to follow and includes plenty of silly jokes as well
as all the essential information; the bold, irregularly-shaped,
child-like illustrations encourage readers to do their own thing,
rather than copying someone else's examples. Art Around the
World: Loo-Loo, Boo, and More Art You Can Do continues the
creativity, with art projects inspired by different countries: Burial
Masks from Peru, Mosaics from Italy and Rainsticks from Togo, among
many others. This book can't be beat for bringing interest and fun
to self-paced art instruction.
There's No Such Thing as a Dragon written and illustrated by
Jack Kent. Golden Books, 1975; 2001 (0-307-10214-9) $9.95
After Billy Bixbee's mother tells him that there's no such thing as a
dragon, she refuses to believe she could be wrong--even when the
dragon Billy found in his room grows so big, it walks away with their
house. Told in a completely matter-of-fact way--"When Mr. Bixbee came
home for lunch, the first thing he noticed was that the house was
gone"--this silly story is irresistible. The pen & ink and watercolor
illustrations are similarly simple and familiar (Kent was a comic
strip artists), but aptly express the various emotions of the Bixbee
family, perfectly complementing the book's dry humor. Reprinted in
standard picture book format.
Reprints: News
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond. Illustrated by Peggy
Fortnum. 1958; Houghton Mifflin, 1986 (0-618-15071-4) $4.95 pb
Babar and Father Christmas written and illustrated by Jean de
Brunhoff. Random House, 1940; 2001 (0-375-81444-2) $15.95
A reprint of de Brunhoff's final "Babar" book. The copyright notes
that this is a slightly altered edition, but does not specify the
changes.
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare. Illustrated by W.T.
Mars. 1957; Houghton Mifflin, 2001 (0-618-15076-5) $6.95 pb
A historical romance based on the true account of a pioneer woman
whose family was captured during an Indian raid and sold to the French
in Montreal. By the Newbery award winning author of The Witch of
Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow. This is a good quality
paperback edition.
Cowboy Small and The Little Farm written and illustrated
by Lois Lenski. 1949; 1942; Random House, 2001 (0-375-81075-7;
0-375-81074-9) $11.95
Two more in a proposed series of fourteen reprints of Lenski's
out-of-print books.
The Gingerbread Man illustrated by Bonnie and Bill Rutherford.
Golden Books, 1963; 2001 (0-307-10681-0) $9.95
A cheerfully illustrated version of the classic cumulative tale.
Reprinted in standard picture book format.
The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline
Baynes. HarperCollins, 2001 (0-06-623826-9) $24.95
A gorgeous hardcover edition with large print, hand-colored
illustrations and full-color maps on the end pages. The second volume
of the"deluxe edition" of the Narnia books.
Mishmash and the Big Fat Problem by Molly Cone. Illustrated by
Leonard Shortall. 982; Houghton Mifflin, 2001 (0-618-07038-9) $4.95
pb
Third reprint in the "Mishmash" series.
A Necklace of Raindrops and Other Stories by Joan Aiken.
Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. 1968; Knopf, 2001 (0-375-80584-2) $15.95
This new edition of an early collection of Aiken's original fairy
tales now features numerous jaunty black & white illustrations
Paddington at Work by Michael Bond. Illustrated by Peggy
Fortnum. 1966; Houghton Mifflin, 1986 (0-618-11577-3) $15.00
The Ralph Mouse Collection by Beverly Cleary. HarperTrophy,
2001 (0-06-441004-8) $17.85
Boxed set of paperback editions of The Mouse and the
Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph and Ralph S. Mouse.
Who Was that Masked Man, Anyway? by Avi. 1992; HarperTrophy, 2001
(0-380-72113-9) $4.95 pb
New Books: Reviews
Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence. Delacorte, 2001
(0-385-72924-3) $15.95
Ten-year-old Johnny loves playing war with the wooden soldiers his
toymaker father carved for him. But as the figures his father sends
him from the front of the Great War become more and more sad and
horrible, Johnny begins to have a strange feeling about his soldiers,
that they represent the real war his father is fighting and that his
play battles are coming true. This dramatic story is so intense it
sometimes seems overwrought: there are too many characters acting as
a kind of greek chorus to drive home the anti-war message, instead of
letting Johnny's insights develop naturally. Still, its compelling
storyline held my attention.
New Books: News
The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket. HarperCollins, 2001
(0-06-440866-3) $9.95
The eighth in the "Series of Unfortunate Events."
Now (or Again) in Paperback
Christmas with Anne by L.M. Montgomery. Edited by Rea
Wilmhurst. Delacorte, 1996 (0-385-32288-7) $16.95; Bantam, 2001
(0-553-57100-1) $4.99 pb
Good-will, generosity and forgiveness are the recurring themes of this
collection of holiday stories from the author of Anne of Green
Gables. Readers who appreciate MontgomeryÕs special blend of
good sense and sentiment will find the Christmas background ideal for
the cozy, old-fashioned spirit of these stories.
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. HarperTrophy,
2001 (0-380-73304-8) $6.95 pb
Sequel to the Newbery honor winner The Thief.
Gib and the Grey Ghost by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Delacorte,
2000; Dell Yearling, 2001 (0-440-41518-7) $4.99 pb
Sequel to Gib Rides Home.
"Leftovers": new editions of books originally reviewed in Notes from the Windowsill
Editor's note: Since many of these reviews weren't written with adult readers in mind, I have left in the original age recommendations.
Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Nick Maland.
Candlewick, 1997 (1-56402-895-X) $15.99; 2001 (0-7636-1080-1) $5.99 pb
This evocative picture book brings "the biggest creature that has
ever lived on earth" close enough to seem like a friend. The text
encourages readers to imagine what it's like to touch a blue whale
or even look into its mouth; muted, delicately whimsical pen & ink and
watercolor pictures strengthens a feeling of gentle intimacy with the
enormous beast, without being at all anthropomorphic. (Well... a real
blue whale might not actually let people stand on its lower lip to
examine its baleen plates.) The simple facts about the blue whale are
odd enough to be interesting anyway, but what makes this book really
attractive is its atmosphere of respect and caring. (6-9)
Little Boy Blue; Wee Willie Winkle; Humpty Dumpty; Pussycat
Pussycat selected by Iona Opie. Illustrated by Rosemary Wells.
Candlewick, 1997 (0-7636-1629-X; 0-7636-1631-1; 0-7636-1628-1;
0-7636-1630-3) $4.99 each
Based on the delightful book My Very First Mother Goose, these
board books make traditional nursery rhymes more accessible than ever.
The cozy illustrations of animal-people are basically the same, with
new, colored backgrounds that give them a warm air; although I
actually prefer the lighter, less crowded feel of the original, which
has lots of whitespace and big lettering, these smaller, sturdier
books definitely have their place. These are an even smaller version
of the previous board book editions (2-6)
On Christmas Day in the Morning illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Candlewick, 1999 (0-7636-0375-9) $15.95; 2001 (0-7636-1055-0) $5.99 pb
A different kind of Christmas carol, this cheerful old song tells of a
group of animals tending their crops: on Christmas day, a pig went
out to dig, a cow went out to plow, and a sparrow went out to
harrow--here, shown whimsically pulling a harrowing machine as it
flies. Eventually, every beast contributes to a Christmas feast. The
rhythmic song is very easy to read or sing aloud, even if you don't
know the tune (simple piano music is provided), and the watercolor
pictures use an eye-catching technique: one page of each spread
illustrates the text with a woodcut-like drawing of an animal, the
other, in lively contrast, shows the animal in action on its farm.
Sweet dresses the animals in medieval clothes and uses ancient symbols
and motifs to honor the song's roots as a harvest ritual, although
some modern-looking children sneak onto the last page. I'd like this
book more if its creators didn't seem to be trying to find deep
meaning in what's essentially a nonsense song--how can it be about
seasons and circles when almost every action in it is so outrageously
out of season?--but children won't mind or even notice. (2-6)
Owen Foote, Second Grade Strongman by Stephanie Greene.
Illustrated by Dee DeRosa. Clarion, 1996 (0-395-72098-2) $14.95; 2001
(0-618-13054-3) $4.95 pb
"Parents always said things like that. They said names could never hurt you. But kids were smarter. They knew they could."
More than anything, Owen hates being short. His best friend Joseph says it's worse being fat, but Owen knows he's wrong: "Being small was practically the worst thing that could happen to you. Unless you were small, you couldn't understand." But when the most terrible day of the year arrives, height-and-weight-chart day, Owen is for once left unscathed by the nurse's booming remarks; it is Joseph who is publicly humiliated. Owen rushes to his friend's defense--and is suddenly in big, big trouble.
With believable depictions of childhood relationships and concerns,
this warm and funny book gently conveys a positive message about size
and character without ever losing its empathetic insight into
childhood feelings. Owen's legitimate dread of
height-and-weight-chart day will strike familiar chords in many
readers, as will his difficulty in getting any adults to really
understand his problem. I was a little unsatisfied by the conclusion,
in which Mrs. Jackson agrees she shouldn't make personal remarks
that everyone can hear; it doesn't seem to occur to anyone,
including the author, that she shouldn't make them at all. But
aside from that personal quibble, I found this to be a very likeable
and encouraging story. (6-9)
Think of an Eel by Karen Wallace. Illustrated by Mike Bostock.
Candlewick, 1993 (1-56402-180-7) $14.95; 2001 (0-7636-1522-6) $5. 99
pb
Gorgeously colored watercolor paintings and sparse but vivid writing
make the eel a beautiful thing in this stunning book. The usual "Read
and Wonder" hand-lettered notes work in counterpoint to the text,
providing the factual basis for the poetic images.
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