Children’s Book Reviews: Week of 4/30/2007

Go ahead and enjoy doing things even if you're just OK at them, this friendly concept book advises. Lichtenheld (What Are You So Grumpy About?) sets aside the color spreads of his previous titles for simple line drawings based on a visual pun. The book's hero is a little stick figure whose head is the "O" of "OK," and whose arms and legs are the "K." (Imagine the word "OK" tipped up on its side.) The scenery is similarly minimal: a black horizon line, a squiggly tree, some grass. "I like to try a lot of different things," the OK figure says. "I'm not great at all of them, but I enjoy them all the same." On each succeeding page, the stick figure turns in a series of OK performances, roasting a marshmallow, cutting a sandwich not really in half ("I'm an OK sharer"), and looking at the result of his fishing-a tangle of seaweed and a boot. "One day, I'll grow up to be really excellent at something," OK says, while lying in bed. "I don't know what it is yet... but I sure am having fun figuring it out." In this age of skateboarding championships and spelling bee movies, it can't hurt to remind kids that the pleasure we take in simple activities is what makes life worthwhile. All ages. (May)

Teaching opposites is practically effortless when it's done via larger-than-life graphics coupled with succinct, singsong verse. With the help of the animal kingdom, this story elucidates different sizes, shapes and states of being. Lewis's (Tulip at the Bat) simple rhymes pack a lot of information into a small number of words; each spread conveys a pair of opposites and features amusing asides that should please both caregivers and astute listeners. A cheerful family of bunnies cavorts next to a stomping, snorting bull beside the lines, "Sweet is sweet and mean is mean/ And I know which way I lean." Later, "Mad is mad and sad is sad/ if you disobey your dad" is featured with a frowning father frog whose toddler-esque tadpole demonstrates his independence by hopping away. The text moves at a fast clip, mirroring some of the animals' movements and making the concepts easy for even the youngest readers to grasp. Barner's (Bug Safari) bold imagery aptly represents a myriad of beasts and the many opposites that exist in the animal kingdom. The story finishes with an alligator and butterfly bidding readers goodbye, a fitting end to an entertaining and engaging ditty. Ages 2-5. (May)

In a rhyming memoir "as told to" Kelley (The Lucky Lizard), scrivener Pauline Poulet dodges a hungry farmer and other predators before finally making her way to a safe petting zoo. Pauline's perils begin in a shadowy wooden barn, where she and her unhappy peers dispense eggs onto a conveyor belt. But eggs aren't the only thing on the menu, for "round my roost I hear suspicious/ words like 'Chicken pie, delicious.'/ Has Farmer hatched a crafty plan/ to throw me in a frying pan?" Pauline scoots out via a hole in the shed, but soon encounters a ravenous fox and then a band of pirate cats. When her foes make her "flinch and flail," and when she "face[s] the fearsome typhoon's wail," she solaces herself by clucking, "Pauline, prevail!" Like the heroine, Kelley's couplets sally forth unstoppably; Pauline's breathless narration amplifies each exhilarating twist and turn. Slack, in his children's book debut, likewise dispenses with subtleties: Pauline's popping pink eyes are aptly ovoid, her breast heaves and her brown feathers fly as her pursuers drool. Using a jewel-toned palette, Slack has created a grotesquerie of villains and settings that more than equals Kelley's verse in its enthusiasm. In this manic epic, "life as a chicken" means one mad dash after another to avoid the dinner plate. Ages 3-7. (May)

In this very British train book, a crowd of English archetypes-whose chunky, quirky appearance brings to mind a collection of extremely eccentric Playskool Weebles-have gathered at the train station for what promises to be a thrilling ride. Among the passengers in the eight lovingly filigreed cars are "the ladies off to the races" who "chitter and chatter: Lovely cake, Doris. Lovely tea, Mabel." A few cars down are the businessmen who eat their breakfast (boiled eggs served in proper egg cups) while shouting, "Faster, faster! Time is money, time is money." To every snippet of conversation, the train offers a rhythmic rejoinder (hence the title), usually a variation on "Clickerty-click, clickerty-clack." Bee's (Whatever) full-bleed illustrations-with the train track extending across the bottom of each page-heighten the sense that readers are moving through the busy train cars as they advance through the book. The highly decorative nature of the Victorian-style ink and digital artwork will give youngsters plenty to pore over. And young Anglophiles who are already fans of Thomas the Tank Engine should find it all a bit of fun. Ages 3-up. (May)

When it comes to really nailing the essence of a loved one, argues the girl who narrates Piven's (What Presidents Are Made Of) latest collage confection, the truly committed artist must eschew paper and pencil and turn instead to the found object. Thus, the full stinkiness of Schmutz, the girl's dog, comes alive in an assemblage that includes real socks for ears, garlic for eyes, an onion for the tail and pepperoni for a nose. "Yucky-Boo!" announces the girl as the dachshund-like doggie is revealed. "I warned you." The girl's self-portrait is a veritable catalogue of objects, from the obligatory crown to a magnifying glass (for curiosity). Some of the rationales for objects don't sound very kid-like-dad's mouth, the girl explains, was inspired by his tendency to be "as stubborn as a KNOT in a ROPE." But Piven astutely captures the restless imagination and unsparing self-criticism that defines the budding artist; the girl dismisses her own drawing of her mother with a curt, "Sorry, but it doesn't tell the whole story." This invitation for readers to create portraits of "your special family"-Piven even throws in a few suggestions for things that suggest qualities like "smart" and "funny"-is certain to get a prompt RSVP. Ages 4-8. (May)

Kasza's (The Dog Who Cried Wolf) wittily ironic tale introduces a peckish critter who, viewing the cache of food in his den, wryly observes, "Apples, worms and roots... same old, same old," and longs for "a fancy meal for a change." After abandoning his underground digs to search for tastier treats, Badger spies a mole. He envisions the small animal wedged in a taco shell, accompanied by a bowl of salsa, and declares, "Now, that's what I call a fancy meal!" But the fast-moving mole dives into a hole, "a perfect place to hide." Similarly, a rat that Badger imagines nestled on a hamburger bun "smothered in cheese sauce" and a rabbit he visualizes as the centerpiece in a banana split also escape down the hole. In an effective visual twist, each of Badger's prey is pictured disappearing into Badger's den and feasting on his scorned victuals on pages that appear to curl at the corner, creating comic split-action scenarios. This well-crafted device also reveals the three sated creatures exiting Badger's hole as he hurtles through the air toward it (having just been kicked by a horse outraged by Badger's statement that he is hungry enough to eat one). The humiliated-but still ravenous-Badger finds a note from his visitors, thanking him for the fancy meal and signed with three tiny paw prints. Kasza's perky narrative and cleverly designed gouaches entertain while delivering a worthy message about being grateful for what one has. Ages 4-up. (May)

This story, inventively painted in mixed media on discarded bindings, book covers and tattered, yellowed pages of paper, may earn Jeffers (Lost and Found) a reputation as an incredible book-recycling artist. Jeffers introduces a boy named Henry who gobbles books, though "red ones were his favorite." The information contained in each devoured tome directly enters Henry's brain, so "the more he ate, the smarter he got" (not unlike Susan Meddaugh's alphabet-soup-eating dog, Martha). Henry finds all content tasty-"he wasn't fussy" -and his knowledge exponentially increases until his excessive appetite starts giving him indigestion. After he gets sick, Henry tries reading books for a change: "Henry discovered that he loved to read. And he thought that if he read enough he might still become the smartest person on Earth. It would just take a bit longer." Jeffers has created a book about books from books, in a collage style less abstract than Sara Fanelli's. A whimsical die-cut in the shape of a toothy bite, taken from the lower rear corner of the final pages, further asserts the point that some habits die hard. Jeffers adeptly uses hyperbole throughout the tale so that the underlying message never feels preachy or didactic. Additionally, his beautiful handling of found materials ought to wow young artists who take a close look-though not so close as to leave tooth marks of their own. Ages 4-up. (Apr.)

Arnold (Hi! Fly Guy) concocts a good-twin/bad-twin rivalry in this tale of rooster princes and a dispute over the royal throne. In the setup, a hen-nursemaid recalls the story to two yellow chicks, promising a riddle before its resolution. As the hen tells it, King Chanticleer is uncertain about which of his twin sons is his rightful heir. "Their mother, the queen, had died while birthing Henry and Fowler. In the confusion and grief after her death, the poor midwife lost track of which prince was born first." Now Henry (always in a purple cape, on a white steed) and Fowler (who wears orange and rides a palomino) have come of age, though they could not have developed more differently. In the cockerels' horse races, Fowler callously knocks down peasants in his way, yanks Henry's cloak and sickens his brother's horse-with henbane, of course. In a parade, friendly Henry waves his wing as sneering Fowler hoists a sword. Thus readers fear the worst when the king, injured in a worm-hunting accident, proposes a horse race to settle the inheritance matter, though he adds a last-minute twist that becomes the source of the riddle. Arnold, who amusingly imagines the castle as a combination of fortress and big red barn, plays on the chicken theme while creating real suspense. Using his signature warm watercolor palette and fizzy colored-pencil squiggles, he draws hyperbolic characters with spherical eyes, oversize yellow beaks, red combs and royal garb. In all, Arnold crafts a satisfying fairy-tale puzzle that should invite rereading for both comedy and clues. Ages 4-up. (Apr.)

This broad chronicling of human history begins and ends with a river that "carved its shallow bed/ deep into the soil of Africa." Between the tributary bookends is a collective first-person narrative that lyrically traces a path from humanity's earliest origins through to the present day. Initial mixed-media collages show silhouettes of early man walking upright across various African landscapes, though the story soon moves off that continent: "We built boats/ and made sails to catch the wind/ and were lost on the vastness of the sea/ until we found another place." While Schertle's (The Adventures of Old Bo Bear) unpunctuated free verse never mentions race, the multicultural tone of the book echoes loudly in the diverse people pictured, from imams to a British Beefeater to African-American musicians. Addison, who died shortly after finishing these illustrations for his first picture book, pieces together bold spreads that invite lingering. The aesthetic scenes are a busy, eclectic mix of pastels, paint, torn paper and photographs that record human advances while also placing the innovations against the larger context of the natural world. Lush jungle foliage in one double spread backs a quirky assortment of people and inventions (e.g. donuts, four-poster beds, bicycle pumps). Exploration of ocean depths and outer space is highlighted before the tale returns to the original African riverbed, where archaeologists now dig. A compelling work that celebrates humankind's shared beginnings as much as its diversity and achievements. Ages 6-up. (May)

The energetic eight-year-old narrator of Harper's (The Invisible Mistakecase) sprightly story is eager to share the injustices of her life. She did not get to be the magician's helper at her very own birthday party and she had to play a stationary tree rather than a dancing corncob in the Thanksgiving play. Worst of all, since there are three other girls named Grace in her class, her teacher has dubbed her Just Grace when she really just wants to be called Grace. When she vents her name dilemma to the sympathetic French flight attendant who rents the basement apartment in Grace's house, the woman counters with another tale of woe. She tells Grace that their next-door neighbor broke her leg when she fell off a ladder, almost squashing her beloved cat, Crinkles, who is now terrified of her owner and her orange cast. Grace springs into action with a plan meant to cheer up the despondent neighbor: she will send her postcards featuring photos of Crinkles and messages written in the feline's voice. Yet when the postcards arrive at the same time the cat goes missing, they are mistaken for ransom notes and the classmate Grace least likes is accused of catnapping Crinkles. In a predictable but satisfying denouement, the two resourceful youngsters bury their differences, sort out the misunderstanding and manage to find the missing pet. Grace's spirited annotated drawings and her inimitable narrative's arrangement into brief vignettes makes this a good choice for kids just beginning to tackle chapter books. Ages 6-10. (Apr.)

Actress Gershon teamed up with her brother to pen this slapstick-studded farce featuring a wisecracking 13-year-old computer geek whose parents ship him off to summer camp in the Mojave Desert. Einstein's first clue that there's something wacky about Camp Creepy Time is the fact that his fellow campers are wearing either vampire, mummy or werewolf costumes on the bus ride. Upon arrival, the kids discover dilapidated buildings, virtually no planned activities and an oddball staff, including a nurse who compulsively feeds them salt tablets. Between bites of his beloved Twinkies, Einstein makes friends with the ghost of a man who owned the camp years before and with a teen he assumes is a camper, but who is actually an alien working as an undercover agent for the Intergalactic Monster Police Squad. Her mission is to foil the plot of an extraterrestrial gangster who has employed the camp counselors-themselves aliens-to transform the campers into actual vampires, mummies and werewolves (via the interaction between the salt tablets and the costumes) so that he can sell them to an intergalactic monster zoo. A protracted, predictably preposterous showdown between the good and bad guys caps this inane caper, which may elicit more groans than guffaws. Ages 10-up. (May)

In this novel, first in a planned series, Friesner imagines the childhood of Helen, the Spartan princess whose face would launch a thousand ships and cause the Trojan War. As a girl, Helen loathes the domestic lives that royal women are expected to lead (and at which her twin sister, Clytemnestra, excels). Helen longs to be trained as a warrior-reasoning that she'd be a much better queen if she understood how to fight-and with her two older brothers, Castor and Polydeuces, covertly learns how to wield weapons. When Clytemnestra is betrothed to Prince Tantalus of Mykenae, Helen and her brothers accompany her to her new home, and then continue on to Calydon to help slay a giant boar that is terrorizing that land. Helen finds additional training-and a role model-in Atalanta, the beautiful princess who has chosen the life of a huntress. Finally, Helen, disguised as a boy, joins Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece. Readers will enjoy the numerous cameos by famed mythological figures-such as Theseus and the Oracle at Delphi-and gain insights into the customs of the day and the gods' importance in everyday life. With fresh interest in fictionalized accounts of the Greek myths-such as Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series-Friesner's rendering of a vivacious and nervy Helen should easily win fans. Ages 12-16. (Apr.)

First-time novelist Marr gives the oft-tried modern faerie story a fresh infusion of glamour, thanks to a likable pair of protagonists, a page-turning plot and an ample dose of sexual tension. Seventeen-year-old Aislinn has a secret; she sees fairies everywhere-working their mischief and doggedly following her for reasons she does not understand. "Even when she looked away, she heard them: laughing and squealing, gnashing teeth and beating wings.... They were out in droves now, freer somehow as evening fell, invading her space, ending any chance of the peace she'd sought." One of them, the handsome Keenan, takes a particular interest in her. He is the Summer King, on a centuries-long quest for his queen, the one person who will be able to help him unseat his vicious mother, Beira, the Winter Queen. Keenan has chosen incorrectly over the years; the latest to accept his offer is Donia, who now lives in Beira's icy thrall. Beira offers Donia a deal: prevent Keenan from finding his proper queen, and Beira will release her spell over her soul. Aislinn confides her secret to her friend Seth, whose steel-walled home (an abandoned train) protects her from the fey. As Keenan pursues Aislinn, convinced she is his true mate, secrets emerge about Aislinn's family history and she wrestles with the decision to become the Summer Queen. Aislinn and Seth are a smart and compelling couple who must make tough choices throughout. Marr offers readers a fully imagined faery world that runs alongside an everyday world, which even non-fantasy (or faerie) lovers will want to delve into. Ages 12-up. (June)

Wemmlinger's first novel, set in the 1880s, explores the life of Edwin Booth, a famous actor and older brother to John Wilkes Booth, as seen through the eyes of his daughter. Edwina Booth was only three when Lincoln's assassination occurred ("what Papa and I referred to as 'The Subject' "), yet her close relation to the Presidential assassin often resurfaces and causes her great distress. (The assassination of President Garfield, for instance, causes a resurgence of interest in Lincoln's murder.) Edwina is subject to prying questions about her infamous uncle and must also negotiate delicate social situations (at one of her father's performances, she is seated across from former President Grant, who was to have occupied the seat in which Lincoln was shot). At 18, Edwina aspires to marry her best friend's brother, Downing Vaux, and to devote herself to his career. When her father decides to act on the European stage, the couple must endure months of separation. Downing suffers a nervous breakdown and their engagement is broken off, leaving Edwina lonely and directionless. Fortunately, she meets Ignatius Grossmann, a kind man whose friendship helps submissive Edwina see her father in a new light, namely as a manipulative, domineering man who owes much of his fame to his brother's notoriety. Edwina ultimately finds the strength to stand up to her father and begin to live life on her own terms. Fans of Ann Rinaldi will be drawn to Wemmlinger's impeccably researched and compelling debut. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

Lockhart (The Boyfriend List) sets the stage for teenage drama in her latest novel. Sarah feels like she has a "Lurking Bigness" inside, putting her out of step with the other girls in her Ohio hometown. She meets Demi at an audition for a summer theater program, bonding with the black, gay transfer student who is equally obsessed with drama-and equally alone. (He even gives her a new name: Sadye.) But at Wildewood, Demi-and several new friends-get lead roles, while Sadye ends up with bit parts. Lockhart has crafted a believable teen protagonist: Sadye loves drama camp, but is often jealous of those with more talent, including her best friend. She is compelled to speak up to directors because she has what she feels are "concrete ideas" for improving productions, but Demi reminds her, "You're here to work. To be humble. Not to have attitude and be all defensive all the time." The drama camp setting is portrayed realistically and even readers who are not theater buffs will learn a thing or two about costumes, direction and acting methods along the way. It is easy to get swept up with these enthusiastic students who hug and kiss "even when they're competing with each other," and who break out into an early-morning rendition of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" on a dare. In the end, this production has more than enough energy-and honesty-to captivate its audience. Ages 12-up. (May)

Moving from slice-of-life fiction to the realm of magical realism, Garfinkle (Storky) breaks new ground with this lighthearted time-travel tale. Shay Saunders is in a Jacuzzi with her boyfriend when she is whisked back to 1978. She lands in the bathroom of Tyler Gray-Honors Society student, member of the backgammon club, early computer enthusiast-an archetypal nerd. Upon discovering the naked beauty in his tub, Tyler is less concerned about from where Shay came than he is at making sure she sticks around for a while. However, he becomes considerably less hospitable when Shay shakes up his conservative household with her modern ideas, turning Tyler's little sister into a boy magnet and convincing his mother that her place is not necessarily in the kitchen. The clash between the teens' different lifestyles and morals creates chaos at times, yet the conflicts effect some positive changes. From Shay, Tyler learns how to become popular and gains new insight into a brainy friend he has previously taken for granted. Living with the Grays, Shay experiences a type of warmth, attention and acceptance that was lacking in her other, more materialistic world. While offering a mix of slapstick comedy and poignant moments as the mismatched teens try to figure out how to get Shay "back to the future," the book raises thought-provoking questions about whether teen relationships, attitudes and romance have evolved for better or for worse over time. Ages 12-up. (May)

this sequel picks up where last year's Dairy Queen left off, with heroine D.J. Schwenk now starting for the Red Bend High School football team. In a preseason scrimmage versus archrival Hawley, she becomes the first female linebacker in Wisconsin to score a touchdown, crossing the goal line with a ball intercepted off romantic interest Brian Nelson. Unfortunately, things go decidedly downhill after that, as three members of the Schwenk clan wind up with serious injuries during the fall football season. The most critical of these happens to D.J.'s older brother, Win, who suffers a grave injury to his spine during a televised football game at his college. Because her mother's back is out and her farmer father is emotionally unable to leave his cows, D.J. must take time off from school again (last year, it was her father's broken hip) to help with her brother's rehab, putting her hopes of an athletic scholarship in jeopardy. The fact that this burden falls to D.J. a second time feels a bit contrived and also makes her somewhat of a doormat-why is it always D.J. who must forgo school and sports to care for ailing family members? That said, fans of the first book will again find D.J. a companionable narrator, wryly pondering her relationship with Brian, as well as her obligations to her family and-most importantly-to herself. Ages 12-up. (June)