Children's Book Reviews: Week of 4/16/2007

Raschka (The Hello, Goodbye Window) broaches the topic of death in this solemn book, crafted for terminally ill and/or grieving children. Filmy balloons, potato-printed in muted watercolor on beige backgrounds, drift over the cover and endpapers; balloon heads, with facial features limned in dots of ink and string-lines for bodies, take on the roles of families, friends and professionals. The fragile but buoyant balloon image comes from art therapy, as an author's note explains: "When a child becomes aware of his or her pending death and is given the opportunity to 'draw your feelings,' he or she will often draw a blue or purple balloon, released and floating free." Raschka eases into his distressing subject by first depicting an old person's lined face, on a green balloon, and a child's face on a red balloon. When the elderly person dies, the green tint changes to lavender, the face becomes peaceful and the balloon's string curves and lifts to shape two open arms or angel wings. The predictable death sets up the second act: "There is only one thing/ harder to talk about than/ an old person dying-/ a young person dying." Concerned friends, therapists, doctors and relatives cluster around to support the sinking red-balloon child, whose eyes grow heavy. "Good help makes leaving easier," the text asserts, as the child's gently smiling face looks out from an ascendant lavender balloon. Without going into specifics, Raschka acknowledges pain and fear, and provides a "What You Can Do to Help" list. This evocative, nondenominational book strives to comfort those at hospices and hospitals. All ages. (May)

There's nothing more natural than a baby nursing from its mother, and this theme serves as the inspiration for a moving tale that celebrates the miracle of breastfeeding. Ross' story is simplistic in tone, comprised of short, rhyming verse that introduces readers to the many animals that share this form of nourishment with humans. ("Mama's going to nurse you high up in a tree. Mama's going to nurse you down low by her knees.") The text's gentle rhythm and softly rendered images aptly capture the quietness of a nursing babe, content to suckle amidst a bustling world. One of these more fitting spreads features a mother breastfeeding at a park as another picnics nearby, while on the facing page, another woman spoon-feeds a toddler seated in a stroller, children happily swinging and sliding in the foreground. The various images of animals and their babes-identification of their different names peppered throughout-are especially cozy. No matter the varying styles of feeding, one common denominator exists: a mother's milk sustains and nurtures her child. A final spread explains how long various animals nurse, as well as the benefits of breastfeeding. An ode to all things maternal. Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. (Apr.)

This debut picture book by one of the creators of the Uglydolls plush toys suffers from a heavy-handed plot and ineffective character development. "Bossy Bear is very bossy," announces the narrator. "He likes things his way all the time." Throughout most of the book, the pushy bear bares his cartoon teeth and speaks in capital letters, emphasized with exclamation points: "Clean my room! Make my bed!!!... Faster!" The blue bear's crown and red cape do little to ameliorate his one-dimensional personality. His "To Do List" of favorite things includes the bulleted imperatives, "Do what I want. Take me where I want to go. Hurry up!" The black-lined cartoon characters appear on plain, brightly colored pages, and they bear a striking resemblance to the plush dolls created by the author. The denouement that features Bossy Bear finally deciding to share seems needlessly abrupt: a toothy green turtle appears and gives Bossy Bear the red balloon he demands. "You are bossy," he tells the bear. "But you don't have to be." Wordless pages show the bear unexpectedly presenting the turtle with a small crown just like his own. Unfortunately, Bossy Bear's expression is the same at the end of the book as it was at the beginning, thus muddling message about how small tyrants must learn how to share. Ages 2-5. (May)

A father-and-son team has created a delightful tale celebrating the relationship of an unlikely twosome who manage to find the strength in their partnership. On the surface, Bob the caterpillar and Otto the earthworm are bosom buddies, playing together and digging in the ground as though they were the same species. But when instincts propel them to change their routine, the two find themselves on completely different paths. Says Otto, "Life is good just where we are. Why would you want to go up there?"/"Because it's important," said Bob. And up the tree he went." Nick Bruel (Bad Kitty) lets readers see the simultaneous changes taking place via a split-screen format, which aptly contrasts their different work styles. An accessible introduction to the processes of nature, as well as a fitting tribute to enduring friendship. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)

Around the world, religions and folk cultures have long linked the rabbit with the moon-an anthropological tidbit that has inspired Côté's (What Elephant?) latest, according to an author's note. Little Monday is a foundling bunny, named for the day of his discovery. While Côté assures readers that "Little Monday and his new friends loved to play games and explore the forest," he yearns to find his mother. After an extensive search exhausts all the possible candidates (including, to his vast relief, the skunk), he hears his name being called from the sky one night, and his mother is revealed to be a magical figure who lives in the moon. "I may not be always nearby, Little Monday," says the moon rabbit, "but I watch over you and light your way in the forest… I'm always with you." Fans of Are You My Mother? may find this a bit melancholy, but Cote's illustrations are lyrical and expressive. Working with a limited palette, she evokes the cozy greenness of the forest and the icy blue glow of moonlight. And with just a few deft, scratchy lines, she conveys Little Monday's vulnerability, curiosity and joy. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)

This diverting wordless escapade centers on a stolen cake, as its title indicates, but much more happens than a mere theft and recovery. Like a scrolling videogame, each watercolor spread provides a panoramic view of a hilly valley with multiple paths and cliffs, a stream in the foreground and a profusion of animals going about their daily business. In the first spread, a doggy couple tidy up their cottage with the cake in question sitting on a table outside, just as two giant rats emerge from the woods to snatch it. A stork witnesses the crime from a tree and flies along for the ensuing chase. Downstream, a mother duck leads 11 ducklings to the water (one lags far behind), and a handsome weasel emerges from a hollow tree, toting a leaky bottle of red wine. Up on the hill, a sedate tortoise goes for a stroll, and doesn't reappear until the final page, when he solves a pressing mystery. As the pages turn, the rats scurry toward the right margin carrying their ill-gotten booty, with dogs in hot pursuit; meanwhile, everyone runs into trouble, and even more characters join the fray. Khing (Andrew's Angry Words) sets up many loose strands, and readers will backtrack to find out why, for instance, a baby bunny is crying inconsolably or a cat has a bandage on her nose. By the conclusion, all is resolved and (most of) the characters get a slice of cake. Originally published in Dutch, this lively and very funny puzzle rewards careful concentration. Ages 4-6. (Apr.)

Harrington's (Going North) chipper narrator loves chasing the chickens on her farm, even though Big Mama warns her, "If you make those girls crazy, they won't lay eggs." In lyrical, creatively visual language, the pigtailed girl describes Miss Hen, her favorite prey: "Her feathers are shiny as a rained-on roof. She has high yellow stockings and long-fingered feet, and when she talks- 'Pruck! Pruck! Pruck!'-it sounds like pennies falling on a dinner plate." But this hen is too speedy for the child to catch. When Miss Hen disappears, the youngster checks possible hiding places and finally finds her in tall grass, sitting on a nest of eggs with three newly hatched chicks by her side. Protecting her brood, the still hen is hers for the snatching, but the wise girl tells her not to worry: "I know you're a mama now. You're doing what you need to do. I won't trouble your babies." Now, instead of chasing the chickens, the child diligently feeds Miss Hen and her 12 chicks, vowing that, when those babies grow up, she will teach them "to run so fast that no one will ever catch them-not even a chicken chaser like me!" Jackson's (The Old Woman and the Wave) sunny, mixed-media collage art inventively combines variegated patterns, textures and photos (the especially dashing Miss Hen is a brightly hued patchwork bird) and conveys the young heroine's boundless energy. Lively chicken chat-much of it presented in collage-makes this a spirited read-aloud. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

The story of Little Red Riding Hood is reinvented for a new audience in this colorful retelling of the classic fairy tale. Set against the backdrop of West Africa, the famous red-caped heroine expands her fashion horizons by donning a more culturally appropriate ensemble than the classic red hood ("Salma put on her blue scarf, her stripy ntama, her pretty white beads and her yellow sandals"). Detailed illustrations play out a multi-hued environment bustling with activity, from the natives carrying food in baskets on their heads, to cars driving by, crammed with passengers. Initially Daly sticks to the traditional storyline, sending Salma out on an errand to help Granny and then encountering the wolf-like Dog. The latter character is somewhat less frightening than in the original story, making some threats that he fails to follow through on. The author then mixes the plot up a bit by employing some African-influenced devices like a boogeyman mask and native drums. In fact, it is these tools, along with help from Salma's grandfather, that help save the day and reverse the endangered Granny's fate. This version will appeal to a new generation of readers with its fast pace, vibrant imagery and final universal message where good triumphs over evil. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)

This is a sprightly, elegant retelling of a story by Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic. The pet parrot of a wealthy merchant lives a cushy life, surrounded by a garden of "tall sycamore trees, sweet-smelling jasmine bushes, and rippling fountains of cool blue water." But what the bird really desires most is freedom-and when the merchant announces a trip to the parrot's homeland of India, a clever plan is hatched. Nadimi moves the story along at a brisk clip, using just enough heightened language to evoke an exotic time and place. Cook works in flowing lines and jewel-like colors, creating playful, luscious pictures that seem to borrow inspiration in equal parts from the decorative arts of the Near East and the fanciful habitats of Henri Rousseau. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)

Radiant illustrations and an attention-grabbing narrative introduce the short life and times of Pocahontas, the spirited Powhatan princess of John Smith fame. Krull and Diaz, who collaborated on Wilma Unlimited, here unite their artistic and storytelling talents to provide an accessible portrait of the Native American girl who helped maintain a fragile peace between her tribe and English colonists. An easygoing and sometimes playful tone draws readers in: "...Pocahontas was quite the royal princess... she knew how to get her own way-as a proper princess must." With speculations based on her research, Krull personalizes the girl who found herself at the crossroads of two cultures. For example, "Princess Pocahontas probably avoided certain jobs. She couldn't be seen burying garbage. Perhaps she helped to make pottery… perhaps she just cartwheeled and joked her way out of chores." Diaz's computer-colorized lithographs glow with vibrant yellow, green and purple hues. Each brown and tan character cut-out emanates a shimmering yellow aura, and faces are always in profile (with the exception of the front and back covers that feature a young and older Pocahontas, respectively). Backing the large, rectangular text blocks and facing illustrations are jungle-like floral motifs that resemble iridescent wallpaper, the organic shapes complementing carefree, dancing images of Pocahontas and her people. A source list and epilogue round out this story of a princess who eventually ended up in England and lived to the age of just 22. Ages 6-11. (May)

This overwritten tale launches the Fairy Chronicles, a formerly self-published series starring girls who have fairy identities. At the center of this story is nine-year-old Beth-aka Marigold-who is not looking forward to spending two weeks with her eccentric Aunt Evelyn ("Dread settled in deeper and her dark brown eyes glazed over in boredom while she thought again about the fun things she'd rather be doing"). But things start to look up when Aunt Evelyn announces they are both fairies, and tells the girl how to morph into her fairy persona. After Beth is transformed into a marigold-like fairy (complete with wings, a dress resembling flower petals and an enchanted pussy-willow-branch wand which, when stroked, "quivered and purred"), she and her aunt, whose fairy form resembles a monarch butterfly, attend a fairy gathering. They are given the task of retrieving the precious Feather of Hope, which the brownie folk have lost, from a house inhabited by gremlins. Beth emerges as the heroine after she recruits her pet dog to scare off the gremlins, enabling the fairies (using glittering pixie dust) to repair items these creatures have broken. Illustrated with mediocre art and weighed down by extraneous detail, this heavy-handed caper never takes flight. Another young fairy claims the spotlight in Dragonfly and the Web of Dreams, due out the same month. Ages 7-up. (May)

Martin launches her Main Street series with this appealing though somewhat sleepy tale, set in a small Massachusetts town. Eleven-year-old Flora and her younger sister, Ruby, whose parents died five months earlier in a car accident, come to live with their big-hearted grandmother, Min. Their new home is one of eight attached row houses, whose other residents include bright, brassy Olivia, who is Flora's age; an earnest teenage boy with Down syndrome; a pair of teenage sisters, one conscientious and kind, the other initially aloof and rebellious; and a patient, elderly man devoted to his wife, who suffers from dementia. Also playing supporting roles are a girl who lives in a run-down house on the edge of town, whose gruff, defensive veneer eventually cracks; and a mysterious older woman who does mending in Min's sewing store. A passionate needleworker, Flora relishes the hours she spends helping out and doing sewing projects in the shop. Readers may agree with Ruby-whose passion is dancing and singing-that time spent there is not all that lively. But Martin deftly reveals the novel's affecting underpinning-the girls' adjustment to their new life without their parents. Helping sensitive Flora with the transition is her discovery of her mother's diary and a box of old photos and letters, which helps her feel that indeed there "was a place for her in this room, in this house, in this town." The sisters begin school in their new town in Needle and Thread, due in August. Ages 9-12. (May)

On the first day of the 1967-68 school year, Holling Hoodhood thinks he's made a mortal enemy of his new teacher when it turns out he's the only seventh-grader who does not leave early every Wednesday to attend Hebrew school or catechism. (Holling is Presbyterian, and though eminently likeable, he does have a knack for unintentionally making enemies.) Stern Mrs. Baker first gives him custodial duties, but after hilarious if far-fetched catastrophes involving chalk dust, rats and freshly baked cream puffs, she switches to making him read Shakespeare. He overcomes his initial horror, adopting the Bard's inventive cursing as his own to dress down schoolyard bullies. Indeed standing up for himself is the real battle Holling is waging, especially at home, where his architect father has the entire family under his thumb. Schmidt, whose Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy won both Printz and Newbery Honors, delivers another winner here, convincingly evoking 1960s Long Island, with Walter Cronkite's nightly updates about Vietnam as the soundtrack. The serious issues are leavened with ample humor, and the supporting cast-especially the wise and wonderful Mrs. Baker-is fully dimensional. Best of all is the hero, who shows himself to be more of a man than his authoritarian father. Unlike most Vietnam stories, this one ends happily, as Schmidt rewards the good guys with victories that, if not entirely true to the period, deeply satisfy. Ages 10-14. (May)

Parker, the bestselling author of detective novels for adults, brings a healthy dose of noir to his first outing for children, set in the years following the end of WWII. Narrating is Bobby Murphy, an eighth-grader at Center Junior High in a town called Edenville. His school lacks a gymnasium, so Bobby and a few close friends start up an informal rag-tag basketball team, which plays against teams from other local junior high schools. As the Owls-the group's chosen team name-improve their skills in their quest to win a statewide tournament played at Boston Garden, Bobby's relationship with longtime friend Joanie Gibson begins to grow, causing tension with his teammate, Nick, who's interested in her romantically. Additionally, Bobby finds himself wrapped up in a mystery involving his new, young English teacher, Miss Delaney; one day, while staying late, he sees a strange man being rough with her outside the school. He scares the man off, but despite her insistence that he drop the matter, Bobby investigates further with the help of Joanie and his teammates. They unravel the secret that Miss Delaney is hiding, and Bobby discovers a world of suburban white supremacy and neo-Nazism. Though Parker saturates his writing with period slang and details, the book holds a timely resonance as Bobby strives to act in a noble, moral way in a confusing post-war era. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)

Written in a series of poems, letters and journal entries, Bingham's debut novel strikes a delicate balance between shock story and emotive rant, and delivers a provocative portrait of one girl's journey following a near-fatal accident. Before the attack, 15-year-old Jane's life was filled with the trappings of any normal teenage girl: trips to the mall with her girlfriends, art projects, crushes on boys at school. But when she loses her arm to a shark over the summer, Jane's life (and perspective) changes forever. She can't draw like she used to, open cans or crack eggs for dinner, or button her own pants. Everyone at school whispers about her (the pity stare is debilitating), and she has reached the breaking point when it comes to condolence letters from strangers and interview requests from reporters. Jane must find a way to move beyond her wounds-both physical and psychological. Powerful without being maudlin or preachy, the book explores hurdles that are bound to follow a physical disfigurement, and readers will come to empathize with and respect Jane for her strength and brutal honesty. They'll also appreciate the slight (but realistic) lift at the story's conclusion. Ages 12-up. (May)

When Tangie arrives at Armstrong, a New York City performing and creative arts school, the young dancer is instantly embroiled in drama. Because she and C.J. (with whom she has a "soul-mate thing") are not speaking after a fight, she makes a new friend whom everyone at school is gossiping about, and she catches the eye of a hot senior dancer who wants to keep their relationship quiet. Readers will meet a host of characters in this over-the-top but fun book about a group of artistic teens striving to make a name for themselves. There is plenty of turmoil to get swept up in, from beautiful Eden's dangerous relationship with the "sexiest rapper alive... [who] boasted a criminal record that would make 50 Cent blush," to the many rumors about Tangie's new friend Izzy. The book contains some fairly mature material, from drug dealing and use to descriptions of sex acts that are, as Eden says, "um, out there." But the writing and dialogue is lively ("I mean, fine, you can hate me-I ain't that happy with you right now either-but it's just retarded not to talk"), and readers, especially those hoping to one day attend a school for performing arts, will appreciate details about the school's curriculum. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

In an introductory note, Low (Chinatown) explains that when he selected New York's original Pennsylvania Station as the subject of his master's thesis, he embarked on a journey to bring the landmark "back to life." Here he does so gracefully, through direct yet lyrical prose and dark paintings that range from close-up images to expansive panoramas, and from grainy to sharply focused. Outlining the history of the station, Low notes that the then-powerful Pennsylvania Railroad Company was determined to drop its New York-bound passengers in Manhattan, rather than have them take a ferry to the island from New Jersey, and "wanted to do it with style." After a renowned architectural firm and famous sculptor were hired, a tunnel was built under the Hudson River and the palace-like structure was opened in 1910. Narrative and art usher readers into the station's bustling concourse (which "looked like a magical spider-web of metal and glass"), where they will appreciate how for travelers of the era the terminal "was a magical experience." That, of course, makes the depiction of the grand station's 1963 demolition all the sadder. Yet Low concludes on a heartening note, observing that public outrage at Penn Station's razing led to the founding of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has saved other historic buildings-including Grand Central Terminal-from a similar fate. Indeed, Low's effort soundly reinforces his concluding message that buildings are "not just concrete and steel. They are the heart and soul of all great cities." Ages 5-9. (Apr.)

Through dramatic contemporary and period photographs and an articulate, hardhitting narrative, this volume relays the tale of 38 Ukrainian Jews who sought refuge in a local cave to escape the invading Nazis in fall of 1942 and remained there for 344 days-reportedly longer than any other known human has ever lived underground. After Nicola, a veteran American caver, viewed evidence of human habitation while exploring the labyrinthine cave known as Popowa Yama, or Priest's Grotto, he was inspired to investigate the story behind these artifacts. A request for information he posted on a Web site finally brought a response from the son-in-law of one of the wartime cave residents, who in turn directed Nicola to fellow survivors, his cousins in Montreal. Drawing on heartrending conversations with these individuals and a privately published memoir by Esther Stermer, the stalwart matriarch who insisted that her family "would not let the Germans have their way easily," the authors share the details of the clan's harrowing ordeal, which demanded near superhuman physical and emotional endurance, courage, loyalty and unity. In tandem with this historical tale, Nicola and Taylor (a writer, photographer and filmmaker) reveal in words and photos their recent explorations of the 70-foot-deep cave, and their discoveries of the survival tools and belongings the inhabitants left behind. At once sobering and uplifting, this is an astounding story of survival, powerfully told. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)