Children's Book Reviews: Week of 5/14/2007
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 5/14/2007
Picture Books
Who Likes Rain?Herbert Wong Yee. Holt, $14.95 ISBN 978-0-8050-7734-6
To the child who is stuck indoors at the mercy of Mother Nature, rain doesn't appear to be all that wonderful. But to the imaginative girl at the heart of this tale, it's a source of wonderment and the key to unearthing a soggy world where creatures thrive in wet weather. The delicate phrases of Yee's (Upstairs Mouse, Downstairs Mole) loose, lyric verse recall the pitter patter of raindrops ("Who likes rain?/ Not Papa's old truck./ Who likes rain?/ Quack, quack.... It's a duck!"). But as the girl soon discovers, rain can also command a more demonstrative presence ("Pitty-plip-PLOP, Pitty-pat-SPLAT!/ I can catch raindrops in my hat"). His gorgeously textured colored pencil illustrations build on this liveliness, from the drain spout gushing a torrent of water and leaves, to the girl (in her bright yellow slicker) chasing her wayward umbrella across a field. As she explores the wet world around her, readers too learn that while rain may be a deterrent for some, it serves a purpose for the quacking duck or the frog that frolics in the "muckety-muck." And when the rain finally ceases, the girl finds a way to embrace its remains. This delightful story is the perfect panacea for the rainy-day blues and, in turn, creates its own bright spot. Ages 2-6. (Apr.)
The SurpriseSylvia van Ommen. Front Street/Lemniscaat (Boyds Mills, dist.), $15.95 (24p) ISBN 978-1-932425-85-7
This sly, wordless story follows Sheep as he prepares a special gift for his friend Giraffe. The full extent of Sheep's plan is only fully revealed on the final pages: Ommen's (Jellybeans) bright, spare paintings offer just enough detail and information to keep pages turning. As the story opens, Sheep realizes his accumulated wool has given him a less than sleek appearance (readers first see him from the back, standing on a bathroom scale). After checking himself out in the mirror and taking some measurements, he purchases a bottle of bright red dye, which he uses to color his own wool (while it's still on his body). In a very funny sequence, he waits for the dye to be ready, then showers and shaves himself-briefly appearing to be wearing a voluminous crimson shawl. Sheep then hires a haughty poodle to turn the wool into yarn, knits and constructs the sweater, wraps it, and, finally, presents it to the grateful Giraffe. Sheep is clearly a cool, confident fellow, and the fact that he runs his various errands on a cherry-red motorbike only adds to his appealing élan. Youngsters should certainly get a giggle out of several visual gags in this slim story, particularly Giraffe's satisfied countenance as he admires his new duds. Ages 2-up. (Apr.)
Butterfly Butterfly: A Book of ColorsPetr Horácek. Candlewick, $12.99 (16p) ISBN 978-0-7636-3343-1
An engaging read that stimulates the senses, this title will titillate young imaginations with lively and entertaining pictures and words. From the get-go, the story brims with vibrant energy, as a girl chases after a butterfly in her backyard garden. She returns the next day hoping to find her playmate again-only it is nowhere to be found. Instead, a cornucopia of colorful insects dominates the scene. Like the butterfly, they too are active creatures, and are associated with strong verbs such as "buzzing," "slithering" and "scurrying." Horácek's (Silly Suzy Goose) well-executed die-cuts include a cheery family of ladybugs (with a die-cut within a die-cut providing the requisite spots) and a trio of voracious earthworms whose faces derive from a fern-like plant on an earlier page. The array of vibrant insects captures the girl's attention, and before long, it appears she can hardly remember the butterfly. But lest readers worry that these other insects have usurped the butterfly's place in her heart-and the storyline-a larger than life pop-up of the title character provides a dramatic ending, practically leaping off the pages and delighting the girl (and most likely, kids as well). This story soars with energy and proves that, indeed, good things come to those who wait. Ages 3-5. (Apr.)
Water BoyDavid McPhail. Abrams, $15.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8109-1784-2
In McPhail's (the Big Brown Bear series) resonant allegorical tale, a boy initially finds his teacher's statement, "You are water... mostly," unsettling. He worries he might dissolve in the rain or turn to ice in the winter. In a wry take on a common childhood fear, "Ever since the bathwater wrapped around his big toe and tried to pull him down the drain, the boy had been a reluctant bather." After his mother explains that water is a necessity for life, "water became more and more like a friend to the boy." Magical things start to occur: water from the faucet curls into letters spelling his name, he holds back a waterfall to save a dog that has fallen in and, peering into a drop of water balanced on his fingertip, "he could see everything that lay at the bottom of the ocean." His finest trick underscores the story's environmental core: he pours gallons of rainwater into a baby-food jar and leaves it to "absorb energy from the sun." After hearing a polluted river's plea for help, the lad dumps the jar's contents into the brown river, turning it blue so "the river ran clear all the way to the ocean and beyond." In a satisfying ending, as the boy walks along the shore a bottle washes up at his feet-it contains a note that reads, "Thank you." Luminous, softly focused pictures capture this earnest, cherubic child's sense of awe, purpose and power-readers should readily experience the same emotions. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Papa and the Pioneer QuiltJean Van Leeuwen, illus. by Rebecca Bond. Dial, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-3028-1
Papa's wandering feet took Rebecca's family from her Pennsylvania birthplace to Missouri, and now they "have us wandering again." Van Leeuwen's (the Oliver and Amanda Pig series) winsome tale follows their journey to Oregon by wagon train. Among the travelers is a bride who owns only a kettle filled with fabric scraps that she is sewing into a quilt. Rebecca likes the thought of turning "old bits of this and that into something new," and Mama tells her that if she collects fabric, together they will sew a quilt. The first item the earnest young narrator puts into her string bag is the handkerchief Grandma gave her when they left (her "tears were still on it"). She subsequently adds Papa's ripped shirt, a sunbonnet another youngster gives her, her brother's tattered britches, a tablecloth she finds in an abandoned wagon and, once they triumphantly reach Oregon, the dress she wore each day of the journey. At night, in their cabin surrounded by the "finest farmland" Papa had ever seen, she and her mother stitch Rebecca's quilt-in a pattern Mama calls "Wandering Foot" (a concluding note explains the origin of that historical motif). Effectively evoking the era and the evolving landscape-expansive plains, towering mountains, sprawling valleys, endless sky-Bond's (Just Like a Baby) sun-drenched acrylic paintings also convey the pluck of these multigenerational pioneers. A deftly stitched period piece. Ages 4-up. (Apr.)
Kami and the YaksAndrea Stenn Stryer, illus. by Bert Dodson. Bay Otter (IPG, dist.), $15.95 (48p) ISBN 978-09778961-0-3
Set in a rural Asian community and featuring a child hero with a physical disability, this debut picture book appears to head toward a moral lesson, but Dodson's skill and Stryer's fast-moving text combine to provide a genuinely rousing story. Kami and his family are Himalayan Sherpas and their strong, sturdy yaks are their most important possessions. When the yaks don't return one day, Kami sets out to look for them with his whistle: "Its buzz tickled his lips, though he could not hear its shrill call because he was deaf." Although he finds the animals and discovers why they won't come back, he can't convince his father to take his gestured warnings seriously. Kami's deafness figures into the story, but it's his grit and resourcefulness that drive the action forward. With a nimble brush, Dodson creates an entire Himalayan world for readers, who-like Kami-can only gather knowledge from what they see. Kami's heavy coat and hat, the sheer cliffs and paths that make up the landscape and the patient yaks all seem close enough to touch. In the end, Kami helps Father rescue the yaks; in contrast to his earlier anger, "Father picked him up and clasped him to his chest." For all the adversity Kami faces, he has the opportunity to do real, important work for his family that modern children often do not; they may read his story not just with interest, but with envy. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)
Sky SweeperPhillis Gershator, illus. by Holly Meade. FSG/Kroupa, $16 (40p) ISBN 978-0-374-37007-7
As Gershator's (Rata-Pata-Scata-Fata) resonant, lyrical tale opens, young Takeboki takes a job as a Flower Keeper for the temple monks. Though his task is to sweep up the fallen plum and cherry blossoms in their garden in spring, the conscientious, content worker continues sweeping through the other seasons-and many of them. Though his family urges him to find a better job, Takeboki responds that he is happy sweeping and takes comfort in the fact that "he knew what he knew: The monks need a temple, the temple needs a garden, and the garden needs a Flower Keeper." When he grows too old and sick to work, the monks initially don't notice, but the fall leaves, winter snow and fallen spring blossoms accumulate in his absence. Hastening to the Flower Keeper's home, they find his lifeless body and regret never thanking him. But seeing a smile on his face, they recall the "simple truth" of the Buddha: "A single flower says more than words." The sweeper's contentment continues in his new world, "a radiant land without end," where with his silver broom he sweeps "clouds into billowing mountains and shifting, drifting wisps of white" and with his rake of gold he rakes "clouds through the day's last rays-how fiery the setting sun!" Created from Japanese papers, Meade's (Hush!) richly textured, luminous collage illustrations are as simple and graceful as Gershator's narrative. Like Takeboki's, theirs is a job well done. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)
Fiction
Bird SpringsCarolyn Marsden. Viking, $14.99 (128p) ISBN 978-0-670-06193-8
Marsden's (The Gold-Threaded Dress) affecting novel centers on 11-year-old Gregory, an earnest Navajo boy who relocates with his mother and baby sister from the Bird Springs reservation to a Tucson motel. Marsden gradually reveals the story behind their move: after severe drought had forced most residents to leave the reservation, the boy's father (who had physically abused his wife) drove off in his truck and never returned. With no water to drink, Gregory's mother took her children and boarded a Tucson-bound bus. In his new school, Gregory struggles to acclimate to his alien, unsettling new life; during social studies, "as Mr. Best showed pictures of the pyramids from different angles, Gregory closed his eyes to Ancient Egypt. The world was mysterious enough already." However, the fifth grader does make two friends-Matt, a bighearted, gutsy classmate, and a caring art therapy teacher, each of whom helps Gregory adjust to his new life and accept the loss of his old one. Marsden creates some decidedly poignant moments: erroneously thinking he has spied Dad's truck passing by, Gregory eagerly wheels his sister's stroller through the city streets in search of him. In the novel's final scene, at once wistful and hopeful, the boy decides it is time for a long-overdue haircut and, acknowledging that his father will not return, opts for only a trim in order to keep his hair long-like Dad's-as he spots auspicious rain clouds in the distance. Ages 8-up. (May)
Tall TalesKaren Day. Random/Lamb, $15.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-375-83773-9
Abusive, alcoholic fathers can be hard to hide from new friends, especially when they promise to stop drinking-and don't. Rather than spill family secrets, many family members sweep the problem under the rug, and invent excuses to explain odd behavior (or injuries). Twelve-year-old Meg has taken stretching the truth one step further. When pressed about her family by classmates at her new school, she makes up hyperbolic stories to take away the pressure. "My family is from Australia... we lived in tents for the past three years"; "I caught malaria in India last summer. I was so sick I almost died." When she meets Grace, the two become fast friends and Meg worries that her lies-and the truth about her father-will get in the way of their friendship. But as her father's abuse continues and he decides to move the family once again, Meg, her mother and her siblings must decide if they can leave him. Day's debut novel tackles deep issues-abuse in the home, excessive lying to both peers and adults, and a lack of responsible role models-though the narrative can be choppy in sections (chapter length varies widely). Still, Day's account captures the intense tangle of emotions felt by family members who have been convinced that they are too powerless to stop abuse on their own. Ages 9-12. (May)
Faeries of Dreamdark: BlackbringerLaini Taylor. Putnam, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-399-24630-2
In Taylor's debut fantasy, humans are unknowingly releasing demons into the world-demons trapped in bottles 25,000 years ago by armies of faeries. Young faerie Magpie Windwitch, whose grandfather is the West Wind and whose role in the emerging conflict seems ominously important, works to put those demons back into the bottles that held them for so long. It's a tough job, especially since the seven Djinn that created the world and all of its creatures (except, of course, humans) went into hiding 4,000 years ago. A particularly nasty demon, the Blackbringer, seems determined to attack Dreamdark, the place the world was created; Magpie and her faithful band of crows head there to warn the sleeping Djinn, Magruwen, that one of his fellow immortals has already been killed by the Blackbringer. But Magruwen has grown weary of the world; in a perfectly rendered scene, Magpie has to reason with an idle god and convince him that the world is worth saving. "Sure the past can't be undone, but it can be forgiven.... How much finer will it be to build a new age on forgiveness than on anguish?" There's a hint of darkness to Taylor's setting, which belies its origin (she originally conceived her creatures for a line of faerie-themed greeting cards and ornaments). It's a fresh take on a well-worn milieu, and the author's knack for faerie dialogue, replete with its own interjections, clichés and turns of phrase, makes for engaging escapism. Ages 10-up. (June)
StoneheartCharlie Fletcher. Hyperion, $16.99 (464p) ISBN 978-1-4231-0175-8
Fletcher has an intriguing premise at the heart of his YA debut, the first in a planned trilogy, but the execution is flat. Twelve-year-old George Chapman is living a life that feels "pale and gray and washed out," missing his father and struggling to fit in. On a class outing to a museum, he is blamed for something he didn't do; in anger, he breaks a carved dragon's head protruding from a wall. Moments later, a stone pterodactyl on another wall comes alive and chases George through the streets of London. A man named Gunner comes to his rescue; he turns out to be a "spit," a statue made in the image of a living person and brought to life imbued with a bit of that person's spirit. Taints, conversely-like the gargoyles and dragons that suddenly pose such a threat to George-are dangerous precisely because they have nothing human in them. Stone carvings spring to life everywhere, furious with George for his act of destruction; a riddle contest with a nasty Sphinx reveals that George needs to find something called the Stone Heart to save his life and repair what he has broken. His quest takes him to an alternate, unseen London (one of many "un-Londons"), and eventually to a Minotaur's maze in the heart of the city. There is an ironic lifelessness to Fletcher's tale, particularly his protagonist who doesn't ring true; George is a bit more likeable at the finale, as he prepares to fight the murderous Walker in the sequel, but it may be too late for readers. Ages 10-up. (May)
Runner Robert Newton. Knopf, $15.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-375-83744-9
Australian author Newton's touching coming-of-age story starring 16-year-old Charlie Feehan is set in 1919 Melbourne. After his father's death, Charlie still wears knickerbockers at school, "but once the lessons were over, I returned home and stepped into the long pants of adulthood." Responsible for caring for his impoverished family, Charlie runs several miles nightly, in an effort to cast off the inescapable cold at home ("To be poor was to be cold. The two were the same"). Charlie's speed attracts the attention of local crime boss Squizzy Taylor who offers him a job as a runner, delivering goods and collecting payments. Though Charlie's mother forbids him from accepting the position, he skips school to take the job. However, he eventually discovers that Squizzy's world is far too dangerous. When Charlie's friend and fellow runner, Norman "Nostrils" Heath, is crippled by a gang attack, Charlie, paralyzed by fear, is unable to come to his friend's defense. Charlie's neighbor, Mr. Redman, offers to train him for the big Bellarat Mile Race, and Charlie sees this as his best opportunity for redemption. The youth's growing friendship with Nostrils is especially tender, as is a subplot centering on a nascent romantic interest. Newton's writing teems with bright, engaging dialogue, a compelling historical setting and fully developed characters; this outing should easily win him U.S. fans. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)
Song of the Sparrow Lisa Ann Sandell. Scholastic, $16.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-439-91848-0
Sandell (The Weight of the Sky) invents a unique and eloquently wrought addition to Arthurian lore in 44 verses expressing the sentiments of Lady Elaine, the subject of Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" and other classical legends. Here, Elaine is cast as a motherless tomboy living in Arthur's encampment with her father and two brothers. Raised amidst soldiers who are like brothers to her, she knows little of what it means to be a woman until her passion is roused by handsome Lancelot. Any hope that Lancelot may some day return her love quickly dissolves with the arrival of beautiful Gwynivere, Arthur's future bride, who immediately steals Lancelot's heart. Elaine despises Gwynivere for her haughty and flirtatious manner ("A gown woven by faeries/ could not disguise her cruel nature," Elaine declares). Gwynivere conveys equal dislike for Elaine, but the two women form a bond in the throes of danger after they are kidnapped and held hostage by invading Saxons. The poetic narrative-a mix of observations, dialogue and laments-evokes a remarkable range (and natural progression) of emotions. Elaine's coming of age encompasses moments of adolescent infatuation, jealousy, grief and sacrifice and an evolution of friendship into mature love as she ultimately relinquishes her feelings for Lancelot and pledges her heart to Tristan. Characterized as unconventional for her time, Elaine encapsulates modern feminist values, proving herself to be as intelligent, determined and loyal as her male companions. Ages 12-up. (May)
Boot CampTodd Strasser. S&S, $15.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-4169-0848-7
In his latest novel, Strasser (Can't Get There from Here) delivers an indictment of boot camps used to control unruly teenagers. Following a middle-of-night abduction, 15-year-old Garrett Durrell finds himself being driven to an unknown location in upstate New York. Upon his arrival at Lake Harmony, he is told that his parents have paid for his stay at the facility, "a highly structured boarding school specializing in intensive behavior modification," until he learns to act like a respectful son. While most camp attendees are there because of problems with drugs or violent behavior, Garrett's high-powered parents have enrolled him largely because he refuses to stop dating Sabrina-his former math teacher, eight years his senior. The staff is authorized to use any force necessary to alter the students' negative behaviors; this can include Temporary Isolation (24 hours of lying face down on the floor of a concrete cell), being shackled outdoors overnight, and a blaring drone of propaganda during meals. Additionally, students report on each others' infractions and abuse those who are making little progress. Unwilling to renounce his love for Sabrina, Garrett befriends two students who have devised an escape plan, and the trio flees north to Canada. Strasser paints his protagonist as heroic, sympathetic and rational ("The product Lake Harmony delivers is the child you always knew you had... not the one you got stuck with"), and when he is ultimately broken-bodily and spiritually-the tragedy is all the more profound. Strasser offers no easy answers, and nimbly navigates a host of moral gray areas. Ages 12-up. (May)
Throwing Like a GirlWeezie Kerr Mackey. Cavendish, $16.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-7614-5342-0
Mackey deftly throws out a winning tale narrated by a teen who moves with her parents from Chicago to Dallas in the spring of her 10th-grade year. In forthright, often funny first-person narration, Ella shares her apprehension about leaving her friends behind and starting at a new school that seems so different from her old. Her P.E. teacher suggests she join the softball team, which she agrees to, despite the fact that she's never played before ("I haven't played since I was a kid, but I'm pretty sure I can catch and hit. Throwing might be a problem"). The narrative credibly follows Ella's learning curve: though her on-field skills improve quickly, Ella is less successful at dealing with Sally, a popular, haughty teammate who comes from a troubled home. Meanwhile, a marriage project in Behavioral Science class pairs Ella with Sally's cute, kind brother, and she develops a crush on him. In a heartwarming subplot, Ella is befriended by a sympathetic softball star who had to quit the team to take care of her younger siblings after their mother died. Also affecting is Ella's very real rapport with her mother, whose understanding nature and perceptiveness the teen appreciates but won't acknowledge ("I can see her point. But I don't say so"). Triumphs both on the field and off bring this engaging novel to a satisfying finale. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
Feels Like HomeE.E. Charlton-Trujillo. Delacorte, $17.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-385-73332-8
For fans of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, here's a story that is as cinematic as the book it emulates. Full of grit and poetry for the rebel with a romantic heart, Charlton-Trujillo's (Prizefighter en Mi Casa) throwback novel packs an emotional punch to the gut without overdoing it. The book opens in Three Rivers, Tex., population 4,043, as Michelle (Mickey) Owens witnesses her alcoholic father's funeral. Michelle's father was abusive, which led her mother to abandon them and her golden boy-turned-bad older brother, Danny, who ran off when Mickey was 13, after the accident that killed his best friend Roland. Now Danny has returned to pick up the pieces after six years, and the embittered Mickey, who has been marked an outcast by association, must decide if she's able to forgive him for leaving and come to terms with what happened to Roland. Mickey's internal battles feel honest, and it's easy to empathize with the litany of emotions she trudges through, though outwardly she acts headstrong and sullen. Charlton-Trujillo has created a roster of multidimensional characters; readers will hold their breath with each interactions-especially the romantic scenes between Mickey and her crush, Ricky, and her banter with her Latina best friend, Christina. Even if teens are unable to relate to the specifics of Mickey's situation, they will surely be taken by the story's winning mix of tragedy, romance and chemistry. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
Ordinary GhostsEireann Corrigan. Scholastic,$16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-439-83243-4
Corrigan's (Splintering) gritty novel examines one teen's difficulty dealing with death. Things have not been easy lately for 16-year-old Emil Simon. His terminally ill mother killed herself a few months ago, he's been living in the shadow of his older brother, Ethan, and his father is distant. "It's not like my dad stands as this stunning source of emotional support. I mean, it's a struggle for us to make conversation over dinner most nights." Additionally, Ethan left home soon after their mother's death, his only goodbye a postcard with the word "Later" written on it. Before departing, Ethan gave Emil a master key to the Caramoor Academy, the prestigious prep school Emil attends. Each year, the key, which opens every door in the academy, is passed to a different student. During one of his midnight excursions exploring the school, Emil meets 18-year-old Jade, his art teacher's daughter, and awkwardly pursues her. When Emil learns that Ethan left home because he assisted in his mother's suicide, he becomes determined to find his brother. Corrigan's story can seem to drag a bit as Emil reminisces about childhood events and meditates on the bonds he had with his mother and older brother. However, as teens get a glimpse into this lonely boy, they should readily empathize with Emil's romantic awkwardness, familial strains and his gawky endeavors to make sense of his life. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
Resurrection MenT.K. Welsh. Dutton, $16.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-525-47699-3
Welsh's (The Unresolved) latest historical novel takes readers on a haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s. Victor is a 12-year-old Italian boy whose cheerful life in Modena is dramatically altered when his parents, suspected revolutionaries, are murdered before his eyes by Austrian soldiers. Victor is sold to a merchant who uses him as a cabin boy; he adjusts to the brutal life on board the ship, but his ill luck is unrelenting: while escaping a crew member who attempts to molest him, Victor breaks his leg and is tossed overboard. He washes ashore in England, and is taken in by an elderly man who helps him learn English and recover from his injury. But the man eventually sells Victor to a pair of grave robbers, the eponymous "Resurrection men" who steal corpses for doctors' use in research and dissection. The men bring Victor to London, where he joins a guild of beggars and befriends some fellow outcasts. His luck finally begins to change when a wealthy physician makes him his apprentice, but Victor discovers evil practices within that profession as well. Welsh's visceral descriptions of industrial London are unflinching: in the city's meat market, "Many sheep were skinned while alive. And horses were frequently stabled in the putrefying remains of their fellows, maimed and starving, awaiting their own executions. Somehow they knew. Victor could see it in their pitiful eyes." Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices. Ages 14-up. (Apr.)
Nonfiction
Guess What Is Growing Inside This EggMia Posada. Lerner/Millbrook, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8225-6192-7
More than just chickens come from eggs, as Posada (Ladybugs) explains. In fact, all kinds of critters-from spiders to penguins to octopuses-begin life as hatchlings. The repeated refrain, "Can you guess what is growing inside this egg?" pairs with a simple riddle-in-verse, prompting readers to identify various creatures. "This egg sits snugly on its father's feet./ He warms it with his body's heat./ Under his feathered belly, it's cozy and warm./ Safe from the icy Antarctic storm." Although the eggs are presented up close, visual clues-often a glimpse of a nearby animal parent-provide helpful hints. (Here, the answer should be clear to any fans of March of the Penguins or Happy Feet.) A page turn reveals the answer, as well as a more expansive view of the animals' habitats and some prose factoids ("You can actually see the baby octopuses inside their eggs!"). Posada's paint and collage pictures are sumptuous in both texture and color; she beautifully evokes the furriness of a penguin's belly and the mounded dirt and sticks of an alligator's swampy nest. Even if the guessing may come easily, children will certainly learn a great deal about some youngsters of the animal kingdom. Ages 5-9. (Apr.)
Tsunami WarningTaylor Morrison. Houghton/Lorraine, $17 (32p) ISBN 978-0-618-73463-4
Morrison (Wildfire) tackles another topic in the science arena with this wide-ranging story of how tsunami warning systems came into being. His well-researched, chronological account also looks at the causes and aftermath of these giant waves, as gray-hued illustrations powerfully convey their destructive force. The introductory spread about recent Indian Ocean tsunamis shows people running from or being engulfed by a giant wave as cars get tossed and telephone poles are uprooted. The narrative then travels back to a 1946 earthquake off Alaska. Tsunamis spawned by that temblor wreaked havoc in Hawaii, spurring "a massive collaborative effort of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, ingenious scientists, and even the Pentagon" to create a warning system. Spot and panel illustrations, diagrams and lengthy chunks of text work in concert to relate the history of its development. While some sidebar information tends toward the obscure (terms like P and S waves and triangulation are used but left undefined; the mechanical workings of seismometers and tidal gauges are detailed), Morrison's pictures help fill in the gaps. Brief survivor accounts can seem out of place amid the technical, more expository tone of most of the book, but it's the personal tales and other anecdotes ("Many Hawaiians didn't believe the warnings about giant waves because it was April Fool's Day") that will sustain the interest of younger audiences. All ages. (Apr.)
Children's Religion
The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te ChingDemi. S&S/McElderry, $21.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4169-1206-4
Demi (Jesus) introduces another thought-provoking new entry to her spiritual leaders series of books. This crisply designed volume is beautiful to look at, filled with Chinese symbolism and the author-illustrator's signature gold accents. A gold circle frames each delicate ink-and-watercolor image, echoing the circular symbol of t'ai chi, or "the harmony of Heaven" that opens and closes the book. However, the text is a sophisticated blend of legend (Lao Tzu was an 81-year-old man when he was born and lived to be 160), biography (he was keeper of the archives for the Court of Chou) and verses of the Tao Te Ching (the book that is said to fulfill Lao Tzu's mission to "help humanity live according to the Way of Heaven"), which may well prove puzzling to little ones. Students of Eastern religion or those who already embrace this faith tradition/spiritual philosophy will likely be the most enthusiastic explorers this book, though there is plenty here for any curiosity seeker-or Demi fan-to admire. Ages 7-10. (May)
Angels Watching Over MeJulia Durango, illus. by Elisa Kleven. S&S, $16.99 ISBN 978-0-689-86252-6
Durango (Dream Hop) found inspiration in the African-American spiritual "All Night, All Day" to craft this picture book adaptation that emphasizes the comforting thought of heavenly angels watching over those of us on Earth. Rhyming couplets take a child from sunrise to sunset, imagining all the ways "All day, all night" that the angels send their vigilant protection ("Day begins, dawn breaks anew/ Sun wakes up, I wake up too"/... "Bird says sing, I hum a tune./ Cloud floats by, a lace balloon"). Some of the poetic imagery will likely challenge picture book readers who are used to a linear plot, but the melody of the language and its reverence for the natural world are sure to spark interest. Kleven's mixed-media compositions-watercolor, ink, collage and colored pencil-convey an appropriately dream-in-flight feeling, often utilizing an aerial perspective. Many young ones will find both wonder and reassurance in her depiction of angels-animals and children from around the globe hovering above the treetops sporting a variety of wings-and bucolic landscapes. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)
All Afloat on Noah's Boat!Tony Mitton, illus. by Guy Parker-Rees. Scholastic/Orchard, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-439-87397-0
Not surprisingly, the team behind such raucous picture books as Dinosaurumpus! delivers a Noah's Ark adaptation featuring effervescent rhyming text and playful, cartoon illustrations. Kids won't want to miss a beat of the action once Noah (donning an orange life vest) calls "All aboard the Ark Hotel!" When literal cabin fever puts all the animal pairs on edge, Noah finds a clever solution: he stages an animal talent show. Among other feats, the elephants blow fountains of water, the caterpillars wrap themselves in cocoons and the snakes tie themselves in knots. Children may well guess the ending, which includes the caterpillar's transformative, high-flying finale. This energetic and silly cruise ship take on the tale focuses on fun, but also shines a respectful light on many of God's fine creations. Parker-Rees's wide-eyed critters cutting a rug or cheering on their pals possess a memorable cheerfulness. Ages 4-8. (May)
