Children's Book Reviews: Week of 6/25/2007

Featuring some of Strevens-Marzo’s (Kiss Kiss) best artwork yet, a simple but amusing text from Sturges (The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza) and an instantly appealing title, this high-spirited preschool book will have babies giggling at every page turn. Although the illustrations focus attention on large animal shapes suitable for youngest readers, the artist’s heavy black outlines contain interesting details and textures that complement but never distract. Before the text begins, a toddler sits amid a plethora of stuffed animals, and subpages contain brightly colored illustrations that imagine each baby animal with a parent who invites it to smile, laugh or coo (“How do you make a baby smile? Grin like Papa Crocodile”). The animal mothers and fathers model simple baby games as well—Mama Baboon makes a face, Daddy Raccoon plays peek-a-boo—and the interaction between the bright-eyed babies and parents will undoubtedly invite mimicry. Eventually, an older sister appears and tickles the human baby’s chin with the tail of the stuffed animal raccoon. The bedtime ending (“When baby yawns and nods its head,/ Tuck the baby snug in bed.”) winds down with just the right amount of slowing action and reassurance as the sister lovingly puts the contented baby to sleep. Ages 6 mos.-5 yrs. (June)

These clever creators’ final collaboration arrives 40 years after their first, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, joining two previous bear sequels. Much in the same vein as its predecessors, this appealingly cadenced story introduces a sequence of animals, dramatically yet simply depicted in textured collage art against white backdrops. Readers first spot Baby Bear climbing a tree, responding to the question posed in the title: “I see a red fox slipping by me.” Red Fox in turn spies a flying squirrel gliding by, who sees a mountain goat climbing nearby, who sees a blue heron flying by and so on until a screech owl—gazing wide-eyed at the reader—sees “a mama bear looking at me.” A large-scale image of Mama Bear is followed by a spread revealing what she sees: each of the previously featured animals and (most satisfyingly) “my baby bear looking at me—that’s what I see!” Creative action words and renderings of the various creatures in motion give the book a pleasing energy, while Mama Bear’s obvious delight at finding her cub provides an endearing poignancy. The elegant balance of art, text, emotion and exposition is a Martin and Carle hallmark; they have crafted a lovely finale to an enduring series. Ages 2-8. (Aug.)

Rats in the kitchen are not normally a welcome sight, but kids will be delighted to spy the amusing and assuredly appetizing antics of the rodents that star in this comical culinary caper, a tie-in to the new Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille. First seen scampering into a fancy Parisian restaurant, the cheerful rats are introduced in a counting rhyme (“One rat, two rats, three rats, four”) as they assemble (and sample) ingredients in the kitchen. After some prep work, the cooking begins—with decidedly delectable results. Reflecting the gourmet fare being prepared, the verse’s vocabulary (defined at the back of the book) is quite sophisticated: “Blanch the chestnuts for ragout./ Poach a scallop! Make a roux!/ Whip the cream in copper bowls./ Pile puff pastry for profiteroles.” McNamara (the Robin Hill School books) adds dollops of wry humor: as the frantic chefs retrieve a sumptuous concoction from the oven (“All at once—finished, done”) one of them frets, “Will the critics just make fun?” The bubbly rhymes trip off the tongue, but the real pièce de resistance here is the energetic art by Pixar artist Wragg, a first-time picture book illustrator. At his clever hand, the comically expressive, toque-wearing rats execute gastronomic moves that kids will relish—and return to devour again. Ages 3-7. (June)

Manzano (No Dogs Allowed!), who plays “Maria” on Sesame Street, travels back to the Bronx neighborhood of her childhood for another picture book filled with warm, colorful characters and loads of Hispanic flavor. Young Ruthie, a diehard Superman fan, longs to be a hero like her caped idol. When she’s asked to visit with her very pregnant Aunt Juanita, it seems as if she just might get to save the day. Though Ruthie proves helpful at fetching her aunt cool treats such as piraqua (a snow cone) and coquito (coconut ice)—and doing so “faster than the speed of light”—it’s the cuddly titular attraction at the local bodega that distracts her from her potentially heroic duties. Aunt Juanita is rushed to the hospital in labor while Ruthie plays with the kittens, making her feel more of a zero than hero. Happily, Juanita sees things differently. Phelan’s sunny and buoyant pencil-and-watercolor compositions capture the rhythms and period details of a bustling, friendly community. To Manzano’s storytelling credit, Spanish terms sprinkled throughout seem slightly exotic, though also familiar. The story and artwork are never overwhelmingly era-specific; the joyful family themes here resonate in a timeless manner. Ages 3-7. (June)

As with Katz and Catrow’s other collaborations (Take Me Out of the Bathtub), this silly picture book revels in its own outrageous humor. When Michael’s mother asks him what happened at school, he launches into a series of rhymed stanzas that inevitably end in an indelicate word that his mother forbids him from saying. Catrow’s watercolors complement the text with an abundance of humorous details. Michael is portrayed with a knotty shock of red hair as he dramatizes each scene, cluing readers in about each particular word he (and presumably they) are not supposed to say. He holds up a weighty scoop of mashed potatoes to illustrate how his teacher “threatened to punish the group” when “she stepped in a pile of dog...” While Michael and his dog traverse the cluttered, eccentric house, the reader sees only his mother’s hands and shadow, and in addition to the main action, random silliness occurs on each page—the toilet overflows, a squirrel hits Michael on the head with an acorn, a Brussels sprout bounces through the dining room. Finally, when Michael’s mother hopes that he will have “calm days ahead” and suggests that “it’s late and you should be in...” it’s Michael who interrupts, screaming “Don’t say that word!” Readers will be able to supply each missing word with gusto (booger, fart, burp, etc.), though those a tad less daring may choose to keep silent, rather than risk voicing a “bad word.” Ages 3-8. (June)

That’s Daddy, doubling as lunchtime chef, asking the title question about his pigtailed preschooler daughter. “She’s not in the sink./ She’s not in the drawer,” writes YA author Mazer, in her first picture book. “She’s not in the pantry/ or behind the door.” Of course, Emily isn’t missing in any serious way; readers can easily spot her in Davenier’s (Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen) playful watercolors as she runs through a variety of domestic hiding places: under the dining room table, behind the curtains, peeking out from a doorway. In one scene, as Dad makes a show of checking “under the rug?/ behind the chair?” Emily achieves a state of not-being-seen simply by throwing her red blanket over her head. Very young children especially will applaud Emily’s mischievous ingenuity, as well as Dad’s willingness to be such a good sport through so many pages. And when Emily finally reveals herself, she’s rewarded with a tasty feast, a lovely snuggle and a wonderful litany of endearments: “My daisy fluff, my sweet big stuff./ My clever, my funny, my lovely, my sunny./ My daughter so dear.” This utterly endearing game of hide-and-seek should be a delight for daughters as well as their daddies. Ages 3-up. (June)

No matter the day and age of parenting, one theme that transcends time is a child’s rush to grow up. In this evergreen tale, first published by Krauss in 1947, a boy is eager to keep up with the world around him, a place that seems to change at a rate faster than he can fathom. Throughout the story, he continues to ask if his mother if he, too, will grow like his puppy and barnyard chicks, their measurable growth marking the passage of time for him. Oxenbury’s (Alice Through the Looking-Glass) thoughtful, detailed illustrations capture the beauty that comes with the start of a new season, from the trees bursting with blossoms to the darkened skies of autumn days presaging winter’s approach. Krauss’s short, simple sentences move the action along at a rapid clip (“The days grew longer. The nights grew shorter. The grass grew faster. The flowers grew higher”), and before long, the story comes full circle. The pivotal moment occurs when the boy unpacks his warm clothes in preparation for the onset of colder weather and sees for himself that he has indeed grown. His unabashed joy at his maturation is cause for celebration, as evidenced by his joyous cartwheel, accompanied by the phrase “I’m growing too,” bringing the story to a close. Parents are sure to find this heartwarming edition familiar and bittersweet. Ages 4-8. (June)

One might think burrs don’t have adventures—or affable personalities, for that matter—but this hardcover color comic sets the record straight. According to title character Sticky Burr, “We are very small and covered with tiny hooks, so we stick to things. Sometimes this can be very inconvenient!” To prove his point, assorted images show burrs attached to a rabbit’s ear, a soccer ball and a shoelace. Sticky himself temporarily gets attached to a bird’s tail (“I hung on as tight as I could”) and to a tree trunk, where, while awaiting rescue, he strums his ukulele and invents a Pooh-like song, “Stuck on a tree,/ Won’t somebody help me?” until a dragonfly friend tugs him loose. Lechner’s (A Froggy Fable) prickly burrs are all face: a roundish shaggy shape, two wide-open eyes, a long line for a mouth and two spindly stick-figure arms. Sticky’s close friend, Mossy Burr (identifiable by the red bow on her head), defends Sticky against local bully, Scurvy, and his sidekick Spiny. Lechner has a talent for Burr names (although there is no Raymond) and the burrs’ treehouse community even has a newspaper, The Burrwood Gazette. Using an outdoorsy palette, he intersperses conventional panel layout with torn pages from Sticky’s journal, set against leafy backdrops. Lechner creates an engaging nature-oriented story, alternating drolly comic moments with a surprising amount of information about life in the forest. Ages 6-10. (June)

In a tribute to the millions who came to America through Ellis Island, the pair behind Crossing the Delaware weaves together a historical tapestry of real-life anecdotes with the fictional, first-person accounts of two children’s visits—nearly 100 years apart—to the immigrant-processing station. The opening account (in blocky red typeface) features the thoughts of a contemporary young tourist recalling her great-great grandmother’s arrival to the island. This narrative presents much of the book’s factual content (“Children could not pass through alone. Sometimes they had to wait for days until an adult already in the country came to meet them”). In blue script, a parallel story is told through the letters of Sera, a 10-year-old Armenian immigrant, coming to America at the turn of the 20th century. She’s writing to her mother, and it’s only when Sera is almost sent back (her father is late coming to claim her) that readers realize her mother died in a massacre. “Back? Back to Armenia? But they will kill me! I will be dead like you, Mama. I scream, long and high, and turn to run.” Sera’s epistolary tale incorporates other actual events, including the sinking of the passenger ship, Mongolia. Krudop’s soft-edged, poignant gouache illustrations of Sera’s journey from ship’s rail to her father’s arms are juxtaposed with stark black-and-white archival images. Each spread’s busy layout includes photographs of and quotations from actual immigrants. Though it may require rereading several pages to follow the threads of the separate voices, the effort is worth it. Peacock has seamlessly stitched together fact and fiction and presented a composite picture of courage and hope. Ages 7-10. (June)

Ellis (Our Stories, Our Songs) opens this uneven novel with a bleak scenario: on Mother’s Day weekend, 11-year-old Jake and his 16-year-old sister Shoshona catch a bus (driven by a frighteningly sadistic man) that takes a group of children to visit their mothers in a prison several hours away. Jake is an aspiring artist who draws pictures of “Jakeman,” his superhero alter ego, who is able to push barbed wire up through his skin (“pointed and painful, the best defense ever”). Jake also repeatedly writes letters to the governor, begging him to pardon his mother. During the siblings’ prison visit their mother criticizes Jake for having dirty fingernails, blames Shoshona for not taking proper care of him and laments the loss of her boyfriend, whose insistence that a stash of cocaine found in their apartment was hers landed her in jail. On the bus ride home, the story loses credibility: many of the children and the social worker in charge come down with food poisoning and the driver leaves them at a hospital. When the trip resumes, the now-drunk bus driver bumps his head and loses consciousness. Leaving him by the side of the road, the remaining kids take off in the bus by themselves. A series of unlikely incidents follows, culminating with a Mother’s Day confrontation with the governor that leaves Jake—acting as Jakeman—a hero. Despite some affecting moments, the tale’s meshing of the grittily realistic and the far-fetched makes for an unsatisfying combination. Ages 8-12. (June)

A deep love of nature is evidenced in Verrillo’s pastoral fantasy debut, the first book in the Phoenix Rising trilogy. Thirteen-year-old orphan Elissa lives in the serene village of High Crossing, where she is an apprentice to the healer Nana. A gentle soul, Elissa can communicate with animals and has forged a deep connection with a donkey named Gertrude. Word comes of soldiers on the way from neighboring Castlemar; among them is a man named Lord Falk, who, it is revealed, is Elissa’s father. Falk takes Elissa with him when he departs; she learns that her father is planning to use her as collateral to secure the use of highly skilled soldiers from the vicious Khan. Khan’s purposes are much darker: as Elissa is the heir to the throne, Khan intends to secretly marry her, though her young age prevents him from doing so. She escapes, ending up with a group of healers who reveal the story behind the castle the Khan now inhabits. Falk’s naiveté in handing his daughter over to the Khan requires some suspension of disbelief, but that’s a minor complaint in an otherwise charming and elegant story. Elissa emerges as a thoroughly lovable heroine, her toughness growing over the course of the story but her peaceful nature and love of life remaining ever constant. Ages 9-12. (June)

This riveting survival tale set in the Arabian Gulf—author Mason’s first novel—has two boys from very different cultures trying to find their way out of the desert wilderness. Adam is an Australian boy living with his family in the (fictional) Middle Eastern city of Abudai. Both of his parents are away when war breaks outside his compound. Adam manages to escape with neighbors, but he flees his rescuers, attempting to retrieve his dog. Meanwhile, an Arab boy sold into slavery to become a camel rider has been left to die in the mountains by cruel masters displeased with his rebellious behavior (“Once I had another name. But only in my dreams now I am remembering my life in my home country.... Now I answer to Walid, which means only 'boy’ ”). The paths of the two boys inevitably cross: though they do not speak the same language, they learn to rely on each other to find food and shelter and to ward off enemies as they travel back to civilization. Some plot details seem scripted, such as when a milking goat suddenly appears as the boys are on the brink of starvation and when Walid’s master gets hold of Adam’s cell phone and learns there is a reward for the boy’s recovery. Nonetheless, teens will stay on the edge of their seats to find out how and when Adam and Walid will reunite with their loved ones. Ages 10-14. (July)

Levitin (The Goodness Gene) offers a vivid portrayal of Chasidic culture in this intimate novel about a contemporary Los Angeles teen’s reunion with her extended Orthodox Jewish family. Having felt disconnected from her parents since her younger sister’s disappearance five years ago, 15-year-old Marne is eager to go to Hawaii to spend the summer with her Aunt Chaya’s family, even if it means putting up with their religious views and rituals. Marne looks forward to swimming in the ocean and learning to surf, but ends up spending most of her time helping overworked Aunt Chaya with her seven children and with her endless community duties as a rabbi’s wife. Some traditions practiced in the household—particularly the restrictions placed on women’s dress and demeanor—frustrate and embarrass Marne, and she finds herself in a sticky situation when a boy she meets receives a cold reception from her aunt. But Marne’s induction to the family’s strict rules also has a profound and positive effect, inspiring her to contemplate her own views of family, religion and morality. The broadening of Marne’s outlook as she comes to know and cherish her aunt, uncle and cousins is convincing. There are perhaps a few too many conflicts cluttering the storyline, but the heroine’s inner turmoil and emotional growth are skillfully and movingly wrought. Ages 12-up. (June)

Singer’s (Feather Boy) weighty novel, set in contemporary England, uses fantasy elements to explore issues of religious intolerance, extremism and terrorism. After picking up her sister, Aelfin, from gymnastics, 13-year-old Cassina Dixon stops into her favorite CD store. A suicide bomber detonates an explosive in the store and Cassina and Aelfin are both killed. Cassina is transformed into a “para-spirit”—a sort of disembodied “ball of mist” that can inhabit the minds of human “hosts.” As she comes to terms with her sister’s death (as well as her own), Cassina learns the identity of the bomber, a boy named Akim who belongs to a religion (of Singer’s invention) called “T’Lanni” and survived the blast, because he is an “Aeternal.” Cassina travels inside Akim’s brain and learns that his compatriots are planning another bombing at a busy mall. The ending, in which Cassina, hoping to prevent the bombing from taking place, comes back to life in the mall where her mother is shopping, feels a bit pat. Additionally, Cassina’s philosophical narration, through which she grapples with spiritual uncertainties, can sound older than her 13 years. Singer’s story is compassionate in its approach to a host of topical and difficult issues, but ultimately feels less powerful because of its reliance on an overabundance of supernatural constructs. Ages 12-up. (June)

For 16-year-old Sameera “Sparrow” Righton, star of the first title in Perkins’s (Rickshaw Girl) First Daughter series, life on her father’s presidential campaign trail is anything but easy. In addition to worrying about the paparazzi snapping photos of her at inopportune moments and appearing supportive of her parents at all times, Sameera has to do everything in her power to look good—and (because she’s both adopted and Pakistani) as American as possible. So when the campaign PR guru suggests a makeover in order to spruce up her image (a new wardrobe, a more confident walk, a more stylish 'do) Sameera reluctantly agrees. But the supposedly benign plan morphs into an attempt to change her personality and tone down her outspoken views (“You need to use 'uh-huh a lot more.... And giggle as much as you can.”), and Sameera decides to reclaim her true identity, even if it costs her father the Presidency. Although it touches upon racial profiling, trafficking and prejudice, the book mostly concerns itself with Sameera’s transformation. Even before her makeover efforts, Sameera is an intelligent, witty and prepossessed heroine (and an inveterate blogger, with an actual site maintained at www.sparrowblog.com). Though the story tends toward the lighthearted, teens should enjoy this peek at the behind-the-scenes finessing that goes on in modern politics. Ages 12-up. (June)

This sensitively sketched first novel paints a compelling portrait of 14-year-old narrator Cornelia and her conflicted relationship with her father, the famous painter Rembrandt. Cullen ably conjures the anxiety and loneliness of Cornelia’s position once her beloved older brother marries and leaves her to care for her uncompromising, half-mad father, whose eccentricities (including a belief that God tells him what to paint) bar them from polite society and whose avant-garde painting style and unpredictable temperament keep patrons away and relegate them to near poverty (“The man’s nerve is only exceeded by his madness,” a frustrated Cornelia vents). The highly atmospheric Dutch setting along the canals and constant threat of contagion from plague outbreaks heighten the tension, but a romantic triangle between Cornelia, her suitor Carel (an apprentice and heir to a shipping fortune) and her father’s student Neel provides most of the drama here. Somewhat uneven chapters centered around the paintings focus on the circumstances surrounding the creation of individual works and point toward a secret involving Cornelia’s deceased mother and why Rembrandt never married her. Readers may wish that the buildup to Cornelia’s own artistic impulses yielded more, but they will cheer for this colorful cast, especially the likable heroine and the understanding and peace she crafts with her father. Ages 12-up. (June)

Giovanna has never liked her boyfriend’s snotty friends, but it’s not until he agrees to be popular Wilson’s campaign manager in the student body presidential election—instead of her twin brother Dante’s—that she publicly tells him “Jesse, we are over!” But it does not take her long to realize that she wants him back, preferably contrite, and a matchmaking friend helps her hatch a scheme. Giovanna is an amiable character “with a talent for making mistakes,” some of which are quite hilarious; she mixes up her grandmother’s loser neighbor with her blind date, ending up at dinner with a gambling addict who nicknames her “Panther,” because he thinks she aggressively asked him out. (Jesse and his friends are at the same restaurant to witness her humiliation, of course.) Rallison (It’s a Mall World After All) hints at deeper wounds here, as well: Giovanna admits that she is passionate about her brother’s campaign because “when our mother lost her battle with cancer, a part of Dante’s voice died with her.” But mostly this is light fare (though a scene in which three drunk boys ruin Dante’s campaign party, mooning the police, is more obnoxious than fun). Readers may wish they got to know some of the characters better—even Jesse remains somewhat of a mystery, beyond the obvious chemistry he has with Giovanna. But in the end, readers will appreciate the spunky protagonist, and the satisfying, if too neat, conclusion to her drama. Ages 12-up. (June)

Debut British author Rettig offers a hilarious tale of unrequited love written in diary form. Deadpan entries from Kelly Ann’s “Desperate Love Diary” trace her frantic attempts to snag “the most gorgeous guy in the whole school,” whom she refers to merely as “G.” But her journal contains far more. Just as tragicomic are the narrator’s musings about her mother’s midlife crisis (and fling with a 22-year-old Spanish waiter); the unexpected pregnancy of her older sister (who asks Kelly Ann to be her “primary birthing partner”); and the rantings of her spurned English teacher, who vents her fury at men—at one point, she skips a unit on Robert Burns, insisting he “was a dissolute, drunken womanizer whose poetry is completely overrated.” Kelly Ann also writes about the romances of her two best friends, Liz and Stephanie, who, unlike Kelly Ann, believe G is a “tosser and so up himself.” Kelly Ann, blinded by love, can’t see the obvious: that her longtime friend, Chris, who trumps G in class, good looks, athletic prowess and chivalry, would be a far better match. The book’s snappy narrative and litany of mishaps should keep readers in stitches, but the fun drags on a bit too long: it takes Kelly Ann nearly a year to recognize G’s numerous flaws and Chris’s many attributes. Ages 14-up. (June)

Kate’s mother is moving out, her father’s latest girlfriend is pregnant and a rival mob family is threatening the “territory” of her father’s crime family, in the first title in Strasser’s (Boot Camp) Mob Princess series. This latest twist on the clique lit genre follows a fairly predictable path, except the money that Kate spends on designer clothes comes from mostly petty crimes, such as selling knockoff clothing. The plot heats up as her father, who has taken Kate under his wing as a protégé, allows her to start spending time with Nick, the son of the rival Blattaria family, to “lead him on a little, maybe find out what he knows.” Readers may have a hard time believing that her father’s “associates” would listen to a high school junior, and they may also be puzzled that Kate does not seem to struggle with her conscience, even after providing information that leads to an armored truck robbery of over a million dollars. In the end, nothing is resolved in this first installment, but the author has created sufficient intrigue—from a possible turf war to a romantic triangle involving Kate—to make the next installment impossible for some teens to refuse. Ages 14-up. (June)

Katz (My First Kwanzaa) adds to her canon of picture books about multicultural celebrations with this upbeat and informative work. A boy narrator shares with readers what it is like for him and his family to observe the holy month of Ramadan, an important element of their religion, Islam. He describes various faith traditions and practices such as fasting between sunup and sundown, praying in the mosque and, eventually, marking the end of Ramadan with the celebration of a three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr. With her signature mixed-media and collage artwork depicting people with large, open, friendly faces, Katz accents a solid and inviting introduction to these holidays. Ages 2-5. (Aug.)

Noted picture-book scribe Wilson again teams with Bates—the pair also created I Will Rejoice: Celebrating Psalm 118—for a follow-up project that spotlights a biblical psalm. This time around, Wilson ties in references to the titular refrain from Psalm 92 with an account of a family’s Thanksgiving Day celebration. In rhyming text, a child recounts all the sounds, sights and smells of the November holiday, citing the joys of family, food and fun. Playing in piles of leaves, warming up with apple cider and settling on the couch post-feast with a full belly are among the experiences for which the child expresses thanks to God. Bates’s wispy lined pencil-and-watercolor illustrations exude a warmth that is sure to be especially welcome on chilly autumn days, and a joyful spirit appreciated any time of year. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Taking a liberal approach intended to reach a potentially broad audience that includes non-Christians, Gunney presents a sweeping look at Jesus’ life. The author focuses—employing summarized parables and other lessons—on Jesus’ role as an accessible and very human teacher rather than on his divinity as the son of God. Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection are mentioned briefly in the accepted Christian contexts, including Christmas Day and Easter. But rather than a Biblical timeline, young readers will likely come away with a more general sense of how Jesus might have lived as a man sharing new ideas about kindness, love and respect. The simple presentation can serve as a discussion starter and impetus to further explore either the Bible or other texts. Conteh-Morgan’s cartoonish ink-and-watercolor illustrations keep the overall tone of this volume cheery and light. Bible passage references are included. Ages 4-8. (June)

How did Abraham become known as the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam?Jules offers a picture-book-style theory, as she imagines the religious figure as a child questioning conventions of the day and embracing the bold idea of “One God.” Young readers will find much to connect with in Abraham’s curiosity about the world as voiced in the accessible text: “Who made the clouds? Who made the flowers?... 'There must be something greater than the idols,’ Abraham decided.” He deduces that the “one great power” that controls the movement of the sun and moon, and creates rainbows and thunder, “rules the entire universe and sets everything in motion.” Ugliano’s stylized, playful pastels have a creamy, textured appearance, emphasizing the rich earth tones—blue, green, yellow—of the natural world that Abraham observes. Ages 5-9. (Sept.)