Children's Book Reviews: Week of 1/22/2007
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 1/22/2007
Picture Books
Tulip at the BatJ. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Amiko Hirao. Little, Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 0-978-0-316-61280-7
In Lewis's (The Bookworm's Feast) good-natured verse about animals who play ball, at times the tempo stumbles and the rhyme feels forced. Performing for a rowdy, colorfully dressed menagerie of spectators at Pet Stadium, the amusingly off-the-wall players—the Boston Beasts and the New York Pets—are down to the last game of a tied World Series. The Pets players taking the field include Truffles Piglet (who "digs a grounder like a spud"), Lance Porcupine (wearing "fifty-fingered baseball gloves") and the title character, Tulip Hippo (with "double stubble chins" and a tutu "held together by a dozen safety pins"), on whom the fate of the game rests, with two on, two out and the Beasts up by one run. "As Tutu Tulip radiates that famous toothy smile,/ Hippo, says Coach O'Hare, you'd better pound that pill a mile!" She doesn't, but her unorthodox play works, clinching the series for the hometown team. Hirao's (All Aboard!) animated art throws out some playful perspectives and wacky images—the depiction of a lobster who "claws to first" while wearing sneakers on eight spindly legs is especially funny. The picture-book crowd may giggle at the players' getups, but they're not likely to follow the action easily or appreciate Lewis's intermittently goofy wordplay. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)
Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Roaring Brook/Porter, $12.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59643-053-2
As inventive and fresh as Seeger's Hidden Alphabet, the three gentle stories in this inspired collection are utterly charming. Emerging readers will take to the rambunctious dachshund and winsome stuffed bear, and will find the bold font of the economical text easy to follow. Each story's conflict is satisfyingly resolved with a surprise ending that reflects these unique individuals. When Dog rattles off his inappropriate suggestions for changing his boring name, Bear suggests that Dog change his name to "My Best Friend Dog." Dog is delighted, but then blithely suggests that Bear call him "Dog for short." The uncluttered illustrations, in thick black line and swirling bright watercolor wash, work seamlessly with stories that rely on humor both child-centered and unexpected. When Dog coaches the timid bear off of a high chair ("Take one step. One little, tiny step"), their faces deftly mirror their emotions. Seeger comically combines Bear's narration of a story he is trying to read with Dog's rambunctious pleas ("Play with me! Play with me!"). When Bear finally puts his book down and asks what they should play, dog answers, "Read to me! Read to me!" After turning the last page, young readers will beg the same for this enchanting trio of tales. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Agent: The Frank Weiman Literary Group.
Shrinking SamMiriam Latimer. Barefoot, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-84686-038-6
The more people ignore young Sam—however benign their intentions—the smaller he gets. And it's not easy being small: from his pint-size viewpoint, a suddenly animated pencil threatens to eat him and his dog's sneeze packs a jet-propelled wallop. Finally, he simply slips down the drain. Luckily, a plucky fellow shrinkee named Izzy finds him ("This happens to me all the time" she informs him) and reverses the shrinking process simply by paying attention to him. Back home, Sam realizes that Izzy is right to take it all in stride; the neglect he experienced was only temporary. In fact, his family's affections soon make him feel "even bigger than before!" Latimer's (illustrator of The Prince's Bedtime) text often evinces a golly-gosh didacticism ("At dinnertime, the peas on Sam's plate were so big, just one of them filled his whole tummy"), but her vibrant acrylic and collage pictures smooth over the narrative's bumpiness and keep the mood light. Although Sam can't catch a break for most of the book, his incredible shrinking adventure never turns nightmarish: each turn of the page reveals another giddily imagined, sweetly comic peril. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Alert!Etienne Delessert. Houghton/Lorraine, $17 (32p) ISBN 978-0-618-73474-0
Delessert (Humpty Dumpty), whose bulbous-snouted, glittery-eyed creatures are instantly recognizable, returns with a dark fable about the power of thought. Tobias, a chubby mole with glassy orange eyes, lives a quiet life in a network of tunnels, eating insects and collecting beautiful little stones. One day another mole admires Tobias's collection, but warns him that a band of robbers has been seen in the area: "They especially love shiny pebbles." A portrait of mental disintegration unfolds as Tobias moves his tiny treasures frantically around his tunnels in an attempt to hide them. "He heard soft steps in the dark, and a voice whispered, 'Tobias, Tobias, watch out.' " Realizing at last that there's no way he can keep his treasure safe, he falls into an exhausted sleep. Delessert paints Tobias's head encircled with scarlet tentacles of terror and exhaustion. A tale like this might end with Tobias realizing his silly visions were all a dream; however, Delessert depicts Tobias awakening to find his collection gone and a nasty note from the neighbor—"Thanks for the treasure. Keep the last pebble. Enjoy!" Tobias's cheerful resolution not to let himself be controlled by fright again may not dispel for younger readers the darkness of the hero's earlier fears. Yet Delessert's willingness to enter the recesses of Tobias's mind—a world mirrored in the tortuous tunnels he digs—shows how seriously he takes children. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
How to Be a Baby... By Me, the Big SisterSally Lloyd-Jones, illus. by Sue Heap. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-83843-9
All the things that a baby needs to know—and more importantly, all the things that a big sister does know—are covered in this re-teaming of Lloyd-Jones and Heap (previously paired for Handbag Friends). Many of the observations take the form of handwritten lists, such as the one titled, "Here's what else you don't know," which includes entries such as "Any secrets/ Any jokes/ How to make a snowman/ Anything." But while these authentically snarky remarks effectively underscore the narrator's fragile sense of importance and maturity, the winsome, girly-hued watercolor-and-ink illustrations make clear that home is still a happy, secure place for everyone. And sure enough, the emotional tone of the book turns warmer midway through the book, as the bond between the newly minted siblings deepens. Readers see the girl comforting the baby in the middle of the night ("Don't worry, Baby Dumpling, it's just a scary dream") and simply savoring her cuteness (Heap shows the baby dressed in several undeniably adorable Halloween costumes). The final pages jump ahead a few years and find both children so close that they can share nostalgia for "the olden days when you were a baby"—a suitably sweet ending for this tribute to the way love grows. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)
Horris Grows DownShari Becker, illus. by Valeria Petrone. Putnam, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-24358-5
In this offbeat commentary on child development, Becker (Maxwell's Mountain) presents a boy who appears older, or at least bigger, than others his age. From birth, Horris is gigantic. In Petrone's (Luther's Halloween) smooth digital illustrations, which mimic acrylic painting in retro oranges and turquoise, Horris's head is as wide as he is tall; the odd black rings around his wide-set eyes match his tousled black hair. Horris's parents attempt "to treat him like a regular child," although he barely fits under the table during hide and seek. "He is a big guy," his father says. "Maybe he should just get a job." Four-year-old Horris puts on a black bowtie over his striped shirt and tricycles daily to a factory to sort boxes. He takes pride in his work, but hasn't yet learned his numbers: "Don't come back until you can count to 100!" yells his boss. On the way home, Horris plays with some kids, who seem not to notice his size, and follows them into school for a snack. After growing up too fast, Horris "grows down" by realizing children's real needs and responsibilities (although he boasts about his "new job" in debatable, economic terms: "The pay is nothing... But the hours are great! And you can have snacks whenever you want!"). Becker's reverse psychology is not an unqualified success, but this book does make a good case for staying in kindergarten. Ages 4-up. (Feb.)
The Longest SeasonCal Ripken, Jr., illus. by Ron Mazellan. Philomel, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-244926
Ripken Jr., known for his ferocious competitiveness, shares behind-the-scenes feelings about the lowest light of his otherwise-sparkling career: the Baltimore Orioles' 1988 season, which began with 21 consecutive losses. (They did not break the Phillies' loss record—23 in a row during the 1961 season.) With his father, Ripken Sr., managing, and brother Bill at second base, the three would be starting the season on the same team for the first time ever—"a dream come true for us Ripkens." It lasted only until loss No. 6, after which Ripken Sr. was fired, replaced by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (who had no better luck turning around the Birds' fortunes). Ripken Jr.'s intimate text reads like it could have been lifted from a diary. After the fifth loss, he admits relief at being on the road, since the hometown newspapers, "have declared hunting season on us. I wonder if my mom is reading the articles." Mazellan's watercolors emit the burnished glow of yesteryear, but his ballpark scenes are better than his portraits—he doesn't quite capture Ripken Jr.'s face, the most remarkable feature of which are his startling blue eyes. Though there's clearly a message here about perseverance and teamwork, Ripken doesn't preach. The tone throughout is measured frustration. "Winning is easy on a person, but you learn more from losing," he concludes. With his first-ballot election to the Hall of Fame, Ripken's name is on the sports pages again, but this book is a timeless palliative for any kid on the wrong side of a streak. Ages 6-up. (Apr.)
Fiction
The Friskative DogSusan Straight. Knopf, $15.99 (160p) ISBN 978-0-375-83777-7
In this unusually told story, nine-year-old Sharron lives with her mother, Karen, and clings to her stuffed dog as though he were real, in the wake of her father's disappearance a year ago. About halfway through the novel, which unfolds mostly from Sharron's limited perspective, the girl overhears her grandmother telling her mother that her father has begun a new life with another woman. Karen seems to accept the situation better than Sharron, who likens her father to a wandering coyote and, even more oddly, ruminates on the relationship between dog tags and human identity changes. The true drama takes place in Sharron's school, where two spoiled girls begin bullying Sharron and stealing her dog. The often jarring narrative slips in tense, time and point of view. Although the tale centers on an elementary student, the book's complex structure and some haiku-like metaphors may well challenge even adult readers' imaginations: "The fog hung over the pool, making diamonds on the black iron railings, swirling around the carports." Things work out well enough in the end; Sharron and her mother carry on with their lives. However, it's difficult to pinpoint who might be the appropriate audience for Straight's (I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots) curious novel. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
The Day My Mother LeftJames Prosek. S&S, $15.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4169-0770-1
Prosek (A Good Day's Fishing) movingly chronicles young Jeremy's emotional upheaval after his mother abandons the family, in this sophisticated novel. Often teased as a "mama's boy," Jeremy feels forlorn without his mother, who left to live with another man. As the boy's father slips into a deep depression, and his 16-year-old sister is increasingly absent, Jeremy seeks refuge with his beloved Uncle John (their celebration of the boy's 10th birthday draws upon the author's interest in fishing) and at the home of his best friend, Stephen. Throughout his ordeal, Jeremy's drawings give him a source of strength, and pen-and-inks attributed to Jeremy pepper the narrative. His father's girlfriend, Susan, reaches out to Jeremy by giving him some much-needed attention, along with art supplies that belonged to her father. The author credibly depicts how Susan's kindness demonstrates to Jeremy just how self-absorbed his mother had been. Prosek also conveys Jeremy's inner struggle after he learns that his mother has been in contact with his sister; the boy's feelings of confusion, betrayal and anger surface—even as he tries to suppress them. After three years, Jeremy eventually finds a way to reconnect with his mother on his terms, and readers will feel hopeful for the hero, even if he cannot yet recognize his own strength. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
Hail CaesarThu-Huong Ha. Scholastic/Push, $7.99 paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-439-89026-7
The setting for Ha's first novel, which she penned at 15, is a wealthy suburb filled with bored rich kids whose idea of a good time is to party hard and sleep around. Life has been easy for John Miller until now. At 17, his life is a mess; he's about to graduate from high school with no plans for his future, and his 13-year-old sister is getting out-of-control. John acquired the nickname of Caesar for his ability to conquer women, a reputation in which he takes pride. Then a new girl enters Caesar's life, Eva, who seems immune to Caesar's charms. Caesar feels himself sliding into a situation he doesn't know how to handle—both being attracted to and desiring one girl. Eva makes Caesar confront his shallowness and encourages him to express himself, something he's never done. Caesar's first-person narrative contrasts his cool exterior with his inner desperation to find a more meaningful life. Ha presents Eva as John's savior, but, unfortunately, she comes across as shallow and lost as he is. The secondary characters never fully come to life, and at times the dialogue seems to drag. (Eva asks Caesar, "So tell me,... doesn't religion ever come up with your friends?" to which he replies, "For fuck's sake,... we don't exactly sit around and ponder the meaning of life.") Readers may grow weary waiting for Caesar to become a deeper person. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
The White DarknessGeraldine McCaughrean. HarperTempest, $16.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-089035-3
Symone, 14, narrates McCaughrean's (Peter Pan in Scarlet) tale about the trip of a lifetime gone horribly wrong. Hearing-impaired and unpopular, Sym appreciates the attentions of "Uncle" Victor, her dead father's business partner and the family's seeming benefactor. Victor, an eccentric genius obsessed with proving the discredited Hollow Earth theories of John Symmes, has fostered in Sym a lifelong fascination with Antarctica. Indeed, Sym's only companion is an imaginary friend, Lawrence "Titus" Oates, who perished in 1912 during Captain Robert Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. Sym is thrilled when Victor spirits her off for an impromptu trip to Paris, which morphs—incredibly—into a trek to Antarctica, as the two join a crowd of rich tourists for a guided look at "The Ice's" astounding landscape. Victor aligns with Manfred Bruch, a purported Norwegian filmmaker, and his son. Guests and guides alike become mysteriously ill, and the tour is cut short, but the plane intended to return the group to safety explodes. After Victor's "nice cup of tea" induces sleep in everyone else, the four abscond on Victor's mad quest for Symmes's Hole. The heroine's relentless self-deprecation, a necessary element of her unconditional acceptance of Victor, is nonetheless somewhat overplayed. But the ratcheting terror, thrilling double-crosses and gorgeously articulated star character—Antarctica itself—combine for a girl's adventure yarn of the first order. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)
The Poker DiariesLiza Conrad. Penguin/NAL Jam, $9.99 paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-451-22024-0
Lulu lives with her cultured mother on New York's Central Park West, but she feels "most definitely more downtown than uptown," like her gambler father, with whom she spends some weekends in Hell's Kitchen. Lulu, who narrates, plays backroom poker herself and, thanks to her innate ability to read people and trust her gut, she often wins. But when Lulu gambles to win back her friend's prized watch, she ends up getting filmed and blackmailed. She knows if the film gets to the media, it could spell the end to her mother's happy engagement to the mayor. Readers will likely be drawn in by Conrad's (High School Bites) unique premise, especially given the popularity of gambling among teens. The characters could have been flushed out further (her parents, for example, never become more than their uptown/downtown molds) but the author escalates the tension well. In the end, Lulu learns to trust the mayor and realizes she is a "blend of both worlds." Her story is lively and straightforward enough to keep readers at the table. Lulu's obvious passion for poker enhances the fun: she begins each chapter with a piece of poker advice (Rule #1, "When playing strip poker, wear a sexy bra"), narrates a glossary of "common poker slang" and explains the rules to different games. She even suggests what to do about gambling addiction. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)
Wildwood DancingJuliet Marillier. Knopf, $16.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-375-83364-9
Combining several familiar fairy tales in her first novel for young readers, Australian author Marillier (Daughter of the Forest, for adults) crafts a romantic fantasy rich in detail, magical creatures and strong female characters. The Wildwood is a magical place ruled by Draguta, "the witch of the wood." For nine years, narrator Jenica (aka Jena) and her four sisters have secretly visited the Other Kingdom, which appears in the Wildwood every Full Moon and where they dance until morning. Though Tati is the oldest, 15-year-old Jena is the responsible sister; people find Jena a bit odd because she travels with a frog named Gogu ("My dearest friend, my inseparable companion and my wise advisor," says she). But the sisters' idyllic world begins to crumble when their cousin Cezar takes over running their estate, Piscul Dracului, while their father is away. Cezar hates and fears the Other Kingdom as much as Jena and her sisters love it. He plans to destroy the trees in the Wildwood, and Jena frantically seeks a way to save the magical world. Marillier weaves the tale of the frog prince into this lush novel, peopled with vampires and forest witches, and adds a surprise twist (involving Jena and her amphibian companion). Ages 12-up. (Jan.)
Cures for HeartbreakMargo Rabb. Delacorte, $15.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-385-73402-8
Anyone who has grieved the loss of a loved one will feel an immediate connection to Mia, the narrator of this intimate novel. Mia is a freshman at the Bronx High School of Science when her mother dies 12 days after being diagnosed with cancer. During the next several months, life falls back into a routine, but everything that Mia experiences—meeting new people, watching her father fall in love again, and discovering the difference between infatuation and love—is accompanied by a sense of longing. Haunted by memories of her mother, Mia is feeling particularly vulnerable when tragedy strikes a second time, as her father suffers a heart attack. His subsequent bypass surgery goes well; nonetheless, Mia remains painfully aware of the consequences of mortality. Not until she befriends a cancer survivor does she begin to trust in life again. Despite its title, this novel does not offer a "cure" for Mia's heartbreak. Rather, it gives readers a keenly insightful study of grief. Rabb balances sorrow with humor, and sprinkles quotes by renowned writers on the subjects of love and loss as additional food for thought. The author, who like Mia lost her mother as a young adult, writes with authority and precision. Ages 14-up. (Feb.)
ImpulseEllen Hopkins. S&S/McElderry, $16.99 (672p) ISBN 978-1-4169-0356-7
Hopkins (Crank) weaves together the story of three troubled teens locked up in a psychological facility after suicide attempts, once again writing in artful free verse. Each character is full-bodied and distinct. Conner is a wealthy overachiever who had an affair with a teacher; Tony, who thinks he is gay, was locked up in juvenile detention center for years after killing his mother's child-molesting boyfriend; Vanessa is a manic-depressive who cuts herself to "hush the demons/ shrieking inside my brain." All three have attempted suicide. As they begin to open up to their counselor—and each other—they reveal an almost unbelievable amount of grittiness in their backgrounds. Vanessa, for example, found her own mother dying after an overdose and did not call for an ambulance, and had a boyfriend who "wouldn't even hold/ my hand" while she was waiting to have an abortion. But readers will find themselves invested in the characters by the time the three head to their outdoor challenge—the final piece of their program—and can finally divulge their darkest secrets to one another (Tony and Vanessa even form an unexpected romance). This is a thick book, but the free verse makes for a fast read. By book's end, readers may well feel the effects of each protagonist's final choice. Ages 14-up. (Jan.)
