Children's Book Reviews: Week of 1/12/2009

Pearson provides a suitably sunny setting for this light verse by the late acclaimed British poet, about a boy, Bert, who can't say no to any exotic pet. Among those hidden in his bedroom are a gorilla, a lion, pangolins (a kind of anteater) and “four Ostriches that deposit/ Their football eggs in his bedroom closet.” Taking inspiration from the unnamed narrator, Pearson imagines that Bert's little sister puts herself in charge of the menagerie (ignoring the “No Girls Allowed” sign on his door) while Bert is out making another acquisition. As the lines posit potential for comic catastrophe—“If you think [a Gorilla's] not such a scare,/ What if it quarrels with [Bert's] Grizzly Bear?”—the pictures show the girl instigating that exact disaster. Fans of Pearson's Awful Aardvark series already know the illustrator can be a poet herself when it comes to choreographing mischief: there's dancing, a sing-along, species cross-dressing and even a pool party in the bathroom—all of which are quelled just in time for the unsuspecting Bert's return. The good-natured mayhem will propel readers to the final page. Ages 3–6. (Mar.)

Snow has been falling all night, and when a small rabbit awakens, he learns that kindergarten is closed, his mother can't go to the store, and his father's flight home has been canceled. “Mommy, we are all alone in the world,” he announces solemnly, and even though he's clearly safe and sound in an apartment with all the modern comforts, readers will understand his bittersweet feelings of isolation and solitude. Sakai (Emily's Balloon) takes a very different approach in these pages: focusing more on setting and mood than characterization, she turns each illustration into a vivid snapshot (Mommy on the phone with stranded Daddy, an outdoor hug before the dash back indoors). Against a palette of grays and muted colors, she uses the yellow of the rabbit's jacket or boots to focus the reader's gaze, and layers the paints to suggest the intimacy and coziness of the hearth, the eerie but irresistible starkness of a landscape transformed by snow. Ages 3–5. (Jan.)

A bear's inspired idea to create a tower of animals in order to reach some honey is all the premise that Hawkes (Library Lion) and debut author Black need to launch an encyclopedia of animal posteriors. As the tower grows, readers learn that, in Hawkes and Black's alternative universe, a duck's rear end may be a tail, but a moose has a caboose, a turkey has a tushy, and a toucan a can. Hawkes's cast runs the gamut of goofy expressions; this smorgasbord of demeanors, coupled with the sheer improbability of the tower (the rhinoceros and giraffe are stacked upside-down on top of a very spindly flamingo), make this a surefire crowd-pleaser. The tower is finally undone by the stinger on a bumblebee, but not before readers' vocabularies have been boosted by 16 ways to refer to buttocks. And if that's not an example of literature enriching our lives, what is? Ages 3–7. (Jan.)

Once again bringing the high jinks of a lesser-known daredevil to light, Cummins (Women Daredevils: Thrills, Chills, and Frills) chronicles the short life of early-19th-century stuntman Sam Patch. “Folks say that when he was born, he jumped right into his mother's arms,” the author invitingly opens. The conversational style briskly moves the tale from Sam's childhood jumping exploits to the showstopping stunts of his brief but world-famous career. Austin's (The Horned Toad Prince) sepia-infused acrylics set a tone alternating between whimsical and haunting. The dynamic illustrations make exaggerated use of light and perspective. In one spread, readers look up at the soles of Sam's boots as he plummets from a ship's masthead; in another, Sam steps from a cliff ledge right out of the picture and into the pages' white space. A long black scarf (Sam's trademark) partially borders each illustration, while the darkening palette portends the abrupt ending to the book (and Sam's life). Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Proving once again that they are a match made in picture-book heaven, Aylesworth and McClintock (previously paired for The Gingerbread Man) turn out a biography of Lincoln virtually guaranteed to hook readers. Adapted from a song popular during Lincoln's presidential campaigns, its verses can be sung to the tune of “The Old Grey Mare,” and tell of iconic or seminal moments in Lincoln's life: “Smart Abe Lincoln read late by the firelight/ Late by the firelight/ Late by the firelight/ Smart Abe Lincoln read late by the firelight/ Many dark nights ago.” McClintock brings in the storytelling magic: she shows costumed children on one side of a curtain in a school auditorium, an eager audience waiting on the other. As usual, her attention to detail rewards those who look closely: one of the actors pokes her face out from beneath the curtain, adults get ready to tie the beard on the actor playing Abe, and the expression on the boy playing the raccoon is not to be missed. Endnotes amplify each verse with relevant facts. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

President Lincoln was once asked what he remembered about the War of 1812 and answered that what he recalled was having fished all day, catching a small fish and then giving it away to a hungry soldier returning home from the war. From this small anecdote, Bryant (River of Words) paints a picture of a boy who, while interested in playing pranks on his older sister, spends time considering the meaning of freedom and teaching himself to spell; he's a little too good to be likable. Bates (Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight) humanizes Abe somewhat, giving him the occasionally puckish expression and letting him look petulant when dealing with his sister. The unusually tall format emphasizes Abe's stature, the moral dimension of which comes across clearly. Back-matter includes information on Lincoln's childhood, frontier childhood in general and the Lincoln presidency. Ages 4–up. (Feb.)

Inspired by a 200-word fragment written by one of Lincoln's sons, Wells (Mary on Horseback) introduces the legendary president through the perspectives of his youngest children, Willie and Tad. Nine years old when the book opens, in Springfield, Ill., Willie accompanies his father to Chicago, where, as Willie puts it, “spiffed-up men with soft hands” decide that Lincoln should run for president: “It's a derby race, and I've got a plow horse's chance,” Lincoln tells his son. The family vernacular will win readers quickly, as will Lincoln's readiness to indulge his boys and let them see him at work. Darkness enters gradually: on the train to Washington, Pinkerton agents whisk Lincoln off, in disguise (“a lot of shicoonery,” he tells the boys), to foil an assassination plot; the outbreak of war grieves Lincoln; and then the death of Willie in 1862 devastates Mary Lincoln. Wells ends as Lincoln and Tad return from a trip to Richmond, Va., at the close of the Civil War, and Lincoln orders the Union band to play “Dixie.” Rarely does a biography so robustly engage the audience's emotions. Final art, in color, not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Drawing on a limber imagination and knack for storytelling, Mazer (Boy at War; Heroes Don't Run) turns a few facts from Abraham Lincoln's childhood into a vivid historical novel. The title notwithstanding, the future president does not occupy center stage—Abe's older sister, Sally, about whom little is known, serves as the personable narrator and protagonist. Mazer conjures her as tomboyish and outspoken, a bit like Laura Ingalls but saddled with an authoritarian, fault-finding father. The dramas of frontier life quickly prove absorbing: shortly after the book opens, a land dispute forces the Lincolns to leave their Kentucky farm, and they settle in more isolated, primitive quarters in Indiana. Contemporary readers will easily relate to Sally, who can't understand why her patient, religious mother always agrees with “Mr. Lincoln” (as his wife addresses him), and whose grief over her mother's death makes her resent the essentially kind widow her father marries a year later. Fans of historical novels will savor the details evoked here. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

With her passion for cooking, 11-year-old Eleanor, aka Groovy, dreams of becoming a professional chef. But her father, a compulsive gambler, bets away her inheritance from her great-grandmother, money she had planned to use for culinary school. At first Groovy is as angry as her mother, who has Groovy's father arrested, yet during the next several weeks she learns that broken dreams, and broken families, can be rebuilt. Debut novelist Fitzmaurice creates a sympathetic heroine in Groovy and an interesting sidekick in Frankie, whose estranged mother makes a sudden appearance shortly after Groovy's father is jailed. Although nature metaphors (a surprise earthquake, birds returning early, dandelion seeds blowing in the wind) are overdrawn, the author's use of food motifs (particularly Groovy's ability to associate different dishes with specific events and moods) appears more relevant and smoothly integrated. Fitzmaurice does not completely resolve the family conflicts, but she provides hints that love will conquer old resentments. Ages 9–12. (Feb.)

Displaying a lively familiarity with the topics of makeup, makeovers and adolescent angst, Greenwald makes a bright debut with this timely story. Prospects look grim for the Old Mill Pharmacy run by 12-year-old Lucy's mother and grandmother. In order to drum up more sales, Lucy decides to offer customers beauty tips and free makeup applications. Although her efforts prove somewhat fruitful, her best idea comes after she joins her school's earth club: what if they add an eco-spa to the pharmacy? Like the recent Teashop Girls, also about an enterprising preteen trying to save a family business, this novel takes an upbeat approach to serious issues—money struggles and impending foreclosure—underscoring the optimistic message that one individual can make a difference. Ages 10–14. (Mar.)

Debut author Bradford comes out swinging in this fast-paced adventure set in medieval Japan, the first in the projected Young Samurai trilogy. Twelve-year-old Jack Fletcher has gained a reputation aboard a British merchant vessel as an agile rigging monkey. But after Japanese ninja murder the entire crew, including his father, Jack is left alone and injured to cope with strange customs and indecipherable language. When he shows his fortitude and cleverness, however, a powerful samurai adopts him and sends him to learn the ways of Japan's warrior class. Jack's story alone makes for a page-turner, but coupling it with intriguing bits of Japanese history and culture, Bradford produces an adventure novel to rank among the genre's best. The intricate and authentic descriptions of martial arts contests will hold readers spellbound. Just as potent for many readers, though, are the outright hatred and prejudice Jack faces as a gaijin, or foreigner, while he attempts to master an elaborate code of honor. This book earns the literary equivalent of a black belt. Ages 10–up. (Mar.)

In a world of pirates, spies and greedy mouse collectors, 12-year-old Emiline knows she must fiercely protect what's most important: her pet mouse, Portly; the assortment of mice she tends as mousekeeper; and her friend, Scratcher. Then Emiline gets caught in the middle of a dangerous feud between the most feared pirate on the Seventeen Seas and a wealthy, underhanded mouse collector. Suddenly, everything she holds dear is in danger. Before each chapter, debut author Milway amusingly introduces different species of mice (the Magnetical Mouse, a must for sailors, “has a bulletlike nose that always points due north”). Although some questions remain unanswered (Where are Emiline's parents? Why are mice the animals du jour?), they are easily disregarded as the adventure unfolds and Milway's colorful if unlikely heroes encounter sea serpent–like Graks, Howling Moon Mice and prized but forbidden Golden Mice. Emiline is feisty, clever and loyal, while the pirates she befriends are all bark and little bite. More adventures seem to await Emiline in future books, and readers, having gotten to know the hard-nosed, softhearted pirates and their unusual mice, will be glad. Final illus., also by Milway, not seen by PW. Ages 10–up. (Feb.)

The real-life Deborah Sampson's experiences dressing as a man for two years to serve as a soldier during the Revolutionary War form the foundation of Klass's (The Uncivil War) provocative historical novel. The story starts with a terrific hook: hospitalized with yellow fever, the soldier/narrator known as Robert Shurtliff pretends to be dead to evade examination by the nurses: “Being buried alive [was] a terrible fate, but preferable to being discovered,” claims the narrator, who has yet to disclose Shurtliff's real identity. As the grave diggers fight over Shurtliff's boots, a nurse realizes her patient is still alive, leading to a doctor's discovery that the patient is female. Bringing her to his home to recover in safety, he persuades her to write down her story. Readers then learn that Sampson was a “give-away child,” passed into indentured servitude because her mother was unable to support her. Finally freed, she still feels hampered by the stringent restrictions placed on women and begins to disguise herself as a man. At times Sampson comes across as self-absorbed; it's Klass's telling use of details that brings this story to life. Ages 12–16. (Mar.)

Jamilah Towfeek hides her Lebanese-Muslim background from the other kids at her Australian school “to avoid people assuming I fly planes into buildings as a hobby.” She dyes her hair blonde, wears blue contacts and stands by when popular kids make racist remarks. Passing as “Jamie” is fraught with difficulties: she can't invite friends to her house, lies to cover up her widower dad's strict rules and reveals her true self only to an anonymous boy she meets online (her e-mail address is “Ten_Things_I_Hate_About_Me”). Tensions at home and school culminate when the band she plays in at her madrassa (Islamic school) is hired to perform at her 10th-grade formal. Abdel-Fattah (Does My Head Look Big in This?) follows a predictable pattern and uses familiar devices, such as the understanding teacher (“If [your friends] don't know the real you, then you've already lost them”). On the other hand, the author brings a welcome sense of humor to Jamilah's insights about her culture, and she is equally adept at more delicate scenes, for example, Jamilah's father recounting memories of Jamilah's mother. For all the defining details, Jamilah is a character teens will readily relate to. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

Reed, pseudonym of Thomas Pendleton (Mason; coauthor of the Wicked Dead series), turns out a horror novel that borrows heavily from genre conventions—and adds a cultural allusion that is obvious to everyone but the characters. High school student Justin Moore throws a party in his fancy house in Winter, Colo., while his parents are away. Although he's hidden the breakables, along with an ancient box found by a construction crew working for his dad, the box is discovered, and übercruel Tess Ward opens it. A shimmering cloud emerges, almost instantly transforming Tess into a figure of pure evil and gradually changing the others into a maniacal mob. Of course, a blizzard then isolates Winter from the outside world, making its residents easy prey, and Tess's mob wreaks devastation before anyone realizes that the fateful box is identical to Pandora's. Reed tells more than shows, and even the gore isn't very gory (“His left cheek was swollen so bad, it looked like he had a lemon shoved in his mouth”). Don't look here for Pendleton-style chills. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)

Well-loved illustrator Bryan's pictures and recollections tell of his lifelong devotion to making and sharing art. His Antiguan-born parents sang, kept birds and sheltered orphans; they showed him how to resist convention and survive defeat. Drawing every day, as a soldier during WWII he kept his art supplies in his gas mask (“There would have been a tumble of materials if I were ever in need of that mask!” he says). Bryan honed his skills, overcame racism and discouragement, and thrived throughout 20th-century tumult. While the text forms a single narrative thread, the busy pages are laid out scrapbook-style on bright, overlapping rectangles of color, old family photos next to artwork next to call-outs of Bryan's words in large type. Bryan brought elements of African art to award-winning collages and woodcuts; on his own time, he made (and continues to make) other treasures. McGuinness's photos show the artist in many settings on the Maine island he now calls home. A book for parents and children to enjoy together, Bryan's triumphant story will inspire artists of every age. All ages. (Jan.)

A nonfiction companion to French and Whatley's more whimsical picture book Diary of Wombat, this book will spread the Australian author's affection for the marsupial critters that populate her backyard and the nearby bush. Between detailed notes about wombat anatomy, behavior and habitat, French weaves in personal anecdotes from her 30-plus years of observing local wombats and caring for orphaned baby wombats (“cuddly, furry creatures that wreck your kitchen and take over your life”). Readers will learn not only about a wombat's teeth but also how one Rikki the Wrestler sank his pearly whites into the author's wrist, thinking it was a game. From the outset, French uses a friendly tone, discussing how wombats have influenced her writing career. Whatley's spot maps, diagrams and realistic b&w pencil sketches further amplify key points. A nifty blend of field notebook and memoir, this volume enlightens readers about the observed species and the human doing the observing. Ages 6–10. (Feb.)

The YA version of Swanson's bestselling Manhunt, this account of Lincoln's assassination and the 12-day search for his killer reads like a historical thriller, no matter that the narrative jumps among its locations and characters. As President Lincoln delivers victory speeches in April 1865, an enraged John Wilkes Booth vows death: “Now, by God, I'll put him through.” Every bit of dialogue is said to come from original sources, adding a chill to the already disturbing conspiracy that Swanson unfolds in detail as Booth persuades friends and sympathizers to join his plot and later, to give him shelter. The author gives even the well-known murder scene at Ford's Theatre enough dramatic flourish to make the subject seem fresh. While Lincoln lays dying, Booth's accomplices clumsily attempt to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward, and Booth talks his way past a guard meant to bar him from crossing a bridge into Maryland. In focusing on Booth, the author reveals the depth of divisions in the nation just after the war, the disorder within the government and the challenges ahead. Abundant period photographs and documents enhance the book's immediacy. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)

Entries from 41 of the nearly 400 winners of the 2008 national Scholastic Writing Awards, open to students aged 12 to 18, fill this anthology, impressive for its range and of special interest to other teens who like to write. Genres cover poetry, short story, essays and science fiction; all contain gems, particularly the poems, with a 13-year-old New York City student contributing an especially memorable selection. A 16-year-old girl visits her grandmother, diagnosed with Alzheimer's, in Beijing, relearning Chinese customs and measuring them with the Western literature she has been studying. In a 12-year-old's story, a soccer mom has Cookie Monster fired from Sesame Streetwhen she finds him responsible for her son's obesity. Sebhatu won a Scholastic award in 2007; previous recipients include Bernard Malamud, Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath and Sue Miller. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)