Children's Book Reviews

Apr 19, 2010

 

Picture Books

I'm the Best Lucy Cousins. Candlewick, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4684-4

Dog and his friends live in a world of exuberant color, full of splashes and splatters, but Dog himself can be a little tiresome. Ladybug, Mole, Goose, and Donkey suffer patiently through his everlasting boasting: he can run faster than Mole, dig better than Goose, and outdo the other two as well. Cousins (Yummy) conveys the mixed feelings Dog's big talk creates: “I feel sad,” says Donkey. “Me, too,” agrees Goose. “Actually...” Mole says, “I can dig holes much longer and much deeper than you, Dog. So I win. I'm the best.” Sure enough, when the tables are turned, all the animals can top Dog in some way. Stung, Dog has a low moment (“I'm just a silly show-off”) and apologizes. The friends embrace and comfort him (“you are the best at having beautiful fluffy ears”), and in no time, Dog is off again (“Obviously having beautiful fluffy hears is the most important thing. So I AM the best”), his true temperament reasserting itself. Dog's reversion to type will evoke either one last giggle or a groan, but the message hits. Ages 2—5. (May)

Lyle Walks the Dogs: A Counting Book Bernard Waber, illus. by Paulis Waber. Houghton Mifflin, $12.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-547-22323-0

Bernard Waber's beloved crocodile lands a dog-walking job in this peppy story—more than just a counting book—aimed at a younger audience than its predecessors. Debut illustrator Paulis Waber's watercolor, ink, and pencil drawings flawlessly replicate the airiness and humor of her father's iconic art. Every day, Lyle adds another pooch to his responsibilities, each with a distinct personality. Paulis Waber conveys the canines' boundless energy and Lyle's patience and good humor, while the chatty text reaches out to the croc (“Hang on to Frisky, Lyle!”), the dogs (“Come along, Pokey!”), and readers (“Lyle walks 4 dogs. Count them—1-2-3-4”). Sniffy, the 10th and last canine to join the entourage, picks up the scent of a squirrel and gives chase, dragging Lyle and the others with him. But this, like the other mishaps that take place, is resolved in short order. After the mayhem subsides, kids will eagerly chime in as a final head count confirms that all of Lyle's charges are accounted for. The tale concludes with kudos to the protagonist (“Good job, Lyle!”), praise that should extend to the collaborators as well. Ages 3—5. (May)

The Very Fairy Princess Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, illus. by Christine Davenier. Little, Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-316-04050-1

Geraldine, this book's redheaded heroine, may look like an ordinary girl, but she harbors no doubts about her magical royal status: “I FEEL it inside—a sparkling feeling of just KNOWING in my heart.” With great powers, however, come great responsibilities. A fairy princess must always wear her crown (“You never know who you might bump into... even on the stairs), shore up her mere mortal friends (“YOU sparkle when you play the trombone,” she tells one), and always be on the lookout for problems to solve, like an escaped classroom hamster. Andrews and Hamilton's narrative voice, a mixture of self-assured proclamations and parenthetical confidences, is fun, and for every reference to glitter, tutus, and sparkle, there are examples of the heroine's rough-and-tumble side (sliding down a banister or pursuing a frog across a stream). Davenier's (Just Like a Baby) luminous and empathic watercolors act like fairy wings on this story. Even though the pictures are predominantly pink, there's nothing pale about Davenier's characterization; Geraldine radiates noblesse oblige, heedless energy, and a sense of destiny—she's Eloise crossed with Hillary Clinton. Ages 3—6. (May)

For the Love of Soccer! Pelé, illus. by Frank Morrison. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4231-1538-0

In a spare narrative enlivened by typography of various sizes and colors, soccer legend Pelé underscores his lifelong passion for soccer, starting in childhood when “I would play with anyone, anytime, anywhere!” As the book moves forward in time, he describes the excitement of playing on a professional team: “The second the starting whistle blasted, every player exploded into action.” Following two time lines simultaneously, Morrison's (The Hat That Wore Clara B.) energetic, fluid paintings spotlight Pelé's soccer moves beside those of a young player today, always appearing on the right side of each spread, whose speed and resolve similarly spring from the page. In the scenes featuring Pelé, the athlete is the sole focus, painted in bright colors against a sepia backdrop. The present-day scenarios are played out against a vibrant urban setting that reveals family members cheering on the players. Though the narrative links the two players throughout, a warmhearted ending ties their stories together visually, as Pelé signs a ball for the boy on the field of a packed stadium. A biographical sketch of Pelé provides a final kick. Ages 3—7. (May)

Outfoxing the Fox Friederike Rave. North-South, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7358-2295-5

The titular fox in Rave's (Anna's Wish) latest is continually frustrated by the hens he hopes to dine on. In every spread, viewers see a hen using paint brushes, rollers, and even a roll of paper to blanket Rave's pastoral scenery in white. It's a whimsical, unexpected touch, even if its meaning is opaque (the hen almost seems to be toying with readers—perhaps even with Rave herself). The fox doesn't depend on guile to catch the hens; instead, he asks them flat out. “I'd like a nice chicken fricassee for dinner,” he says, dropping by the henhouse. “I thought maybe you could help me out.” The hens, wearing scarves and mufflers and coughing delicately, promise to let the fox know the minute they're over the cold they've come down with. Readers will wait for what sounds like a promising bang at the end of this fuse, but it never comes. The fox turns hypochondriac and steals a sandwich from a hunter, and the chickens head for the beach. It's a shame, because Rave's paintings are delicious morsels; wittily drafted, and generously scattered with comic asides. Ages 3—up. (May)

The Chicken Thief Béatrice Rodriguez. Enchanted Lion (Consortium, dist.), $14.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59270-092-9

In Rodriguez's wordless debut, a bear and rabbit are enjoying a peaceful lunch in the garden outside their cottage when a fox makes off with one of their hens. Their rooster wrings his wings melodramatically, and all three give chase. The book's squat format and panoramic spreads help build the tension—and comedy—in the scenes that follow: the fox, on the right, is always a step ahead, while the bear, the rabbit, and the rooster trail behind, beating through forests or crossing a stormy ocean on the bear's belly. Rodriguez succeeds in creating a distinctive personality for each of the characters, and her ability to capture the players' emotions via body language is masterful. The tenderness with which the fox carries the white hen makes it clear early on that his intentions are not malicious, and the mood changes to one of romantic intrigue. Readers will find themselves simultaneously cheering for the happy couple and sympathizing with the rooster, who's crushed. For readers who love a good chase—and who doesn't?—this one is a delight from beginning to end. Ages 4—7. (May)

Why? Richard Torrey. Harper, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-156170-2

Torrey's affecting portrait of a small boy is made up almost entirely of questions, all of which begin with “Why?” Torrey (Almost) paints Jack's world with gentle colors and softly brushed forms: his suburban house with its yellow siding, his small white dog, and the posters on his basketball-playing older brother's wall. “Why can't I come in?” Jack asks as his older brother puts his shoulder against his bedroom door to keep him out. “Why doesn't hair hurt when you cut it?” he asks at the barber's; his brother rolls his eyes. But Jack isn't just cute or just annoying; he's doing his best to understand the world, and Torrey's sensitivity brings Jack's feelings home to readers. Discovering the family goldfish belly up, he embraces his mother in tears: “Why?” And when his brother attempts to console him, Jack asks acutely, “Why do you care?” But he's soon back to form, asking why he has to take a bath and go to bed. It's a perceptive double portrait of an irritating little brother—and the irritating problem of being a little brother. Ages 4—8. (May)

How to Clean Your Room in 10 Easy Steps Jennifer LaRue Huget, illus. by Edward Koren. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-84410-2

“Pull everything out of your drawers and closet and shelves. Every Single Thing,” instructs the young narrator in Huget's (Thanks a LOT, Emily Post!) goofily earnest how-not-to manual, which is all but guaranteed to induce laughter. “Divide your big pile into three different piles. One pile of stuff that's broken. One pile of stuff you're too grown-up to play with anymore. And one pile of things that you love more than anything else in the world and want to keep forever and ever.” Guess which pile is the biggest. With marching orders like that—and tips like “Pizza crusts may be munched on if they're less than a month old”—kids may find themselves asking their parents if it's time for housekeeping. Pairing Huget's cracked domestic advice with Koren (Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie) is truly inspired. The New Yorker cartoonist's lavishly squiggly, scratchy ink line and endearingly discombobulated characters (which include not only the narrator but a scruffy retinue of real and stuffed animals) seem as natural a fit for this subject as dust bunnies under a bed. Bless this mess! Ages 4—8. (May)

Tiger and Turtle James Rumford. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59643-416-5

Rumford (Silent Music) presents a tightly crafted fable about a contest of wills. The mismatched creatures of the title, Tiger and Turtle, don't have much to do with each other, “until the tiniest of flowers floated down out of the sky, borne aloft, we think, by a spring breeze.” In a study of the way arguments escalate—whether between tigers and turtles, small children, or nations—the animals' weaknesses prolong the ensuing conflict and harden their resolve to win. Their inadvertent discovery that there are thousands of other flowers like the one they have been fighting over makes a suitable moral lesson. The animals are boldly stroked and simply colored; the intricacy lies in the background, composed of screenlike traceries of paisley textile designs from India and Pakistan with the grain of handmade paper visible underneath. Rumford's pyrotechnical imagination soars in the book's brief introduction, as he envisions an Afghan scribe telling him the tale, “twining a ribbon of Persian words across the page, whisper-singing the story.” It's a tantalizing preview of a tale whose simplicity belies physical comedy and emotional truth. Ages 4—8. (May)

But I Wanted a Baby Brother! Kate Feiffer, illus. by Diane Goode. S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-3941-2

When Oliver gets a baby sister instead of a brother, he's the only one who realizes that a mistake has been made. “In fact, everyone looked very happy, as if there had been no mistake at all,” writes Feiffer, previously paired with Goode on My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life. Taking matters into his own hands, Oliver tries to trade bald, unflappable Julie away for friends' baby brothers, and even braves the toxic-smelling baby-changing room at the zoo (“This is where you go to change your girl baby for a boy baby,” he explains), only to be thwarted by his growing attachment. The text offers a string of mildly funny incidents on its way to an expected ending, but Goode's wry, fluid watercolor cartooning presents a terrifically expressive cast, especially Oliver, Julie, and their dog, Chaplin. Her ink lines are the very definition of verve, her sense of comic detailing is faultless (the changing room scene is particularly vivid), and her Lilly Pulitzer palette offers plenty of visual clues that a happy ending is on the way. Ages 4—8. (May)

Signed, Abiah Rose Diane Browning. Tricycle, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58246-311-7

With sturdy acrylic illustrations and a strong early American voice, newcomer Browning tells the story of a girl with a gift for portraiture and a host of relatives who aren't comfortable encouraging her. “Best not,” says her father to a request for Abiah to paint a cousin's picture. “Serious painting is not girl's work.” “Best not,” says Uncle Albion to Abiah's request to sign her work. He lets Abiah spend the summer with him in his wagon, however, selling her Bible pictures. “Tis good work, but will be appreciated more if you don't sign it, child.... A female painter's work will never be as highly valued.” Yet Abiah presses ahead with plans to set up a portrait shop. Abiah's voice is honest and distinctive: “I asked if I should sign my name to Flight, but Mama cautioned me against being prideful. So instead, I began making my own mark upon my pictures: a tiny rose.” Delicious 19th-century period touches appear throughout: a dogcart piled with painting supplies; a solemn baby in a nightdress sitting for its portrait. A winning combination of historical fiction and creative resolve. Ages 5—7. (May)

The Yellow Butterfly Mehrnaz S. Gill, illus. by Lindsay Ward. Bright Sky, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-933979-71-7

On a summer day, Susi and her brother, Bobby, discover a singing yellow butterfly in their yard: “A butterfly that sings? How can that be? Butterflies don't sing.” When they tell their grandfather what they've seen, he shares a legend about the Sun Queen and King who collected yellow butterflies, which now travel the world granting wishes that come from the heart. After brainstorming what they might wish for—Bobby wants a room full of ice cream and Susi “a giant princess castle with lots of dolls and costumes”—they eventually recapture the butterfly. Seeing the butterfly's unhappiness, Susi wishes for it to be free, and the butterfly rewards them both with wishes, which aren't revealed. A final page directs readers to a Web site, where they can e-mail their wishes to a yellow butterfly. Incorporating butterflies and musical notation, Ward's illustrations have a childlike simplicity and a sense of magic that works well with the subject matter, though first-time author Gill's prose feels repetitive and generic. Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit children's charities. Ages 5—7. (Apr.)

Wanted: The Perfect Pet Fiona Roberton. Putnam, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-399-25461-1

For her U.S. debut, Roberton provides line drawings just substantive enough to carry her story. Her hero, Henry, is a moon-headed boy who has 27 kinds of frogs but deeply wants a dog. Though her images possess an understated humor, Roberton seems more interested in words, and the story's real appeal is in her winking blend of whimsy and irony. The lonely duck who answers Henry's ad for a dog (“Must have waggy tail, floppy ears, soft wet nose and warm furry tongue”) is exposed as a fraud almost immediately, but Henry is quick to realize that a duck has charms of its own. “Can FLY!” he jots down in a list of Duck Skills. “Could put on aeronautical show to earn extra pocket money.” The asides are just as funny as the main story—Henry's newspaper ad for the perfect pet appears next to an ad for a time machine and an angry mob for hire—yet Henry's quick about-face and loyalty to his new pet feel genuine. A read-aloud tale good for some decorous giggling before bed. Ages 5—8. (May)

Fiction

Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters Rachel Vail, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Feiwel and Friends, $16.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-312-53290-1

Vail, who collaborated with Cordell on the picture book Righty and Lefty, creates an endearing portrait of a third-grade worrywart in this slice-of-life novel written in diary form. At the onset of the school year, Justin K. (later nicknamed Justin Case) is plagued with concerns about his new teacher, his new haircut, and the possibility of losing his best friend (“because she is a girl and I am a boy”). Some of his anxieties prove to be unwarranted, and the year offers surprises both good and bad. After battling loneliness (when his favorite stuffed animal is misplaced) and fears (about getting beaten up and having to climb the rope in gym class), Justin realizes he has attained his third-grade goal of becoming “a little braver this year.” If the young hero's mishaps go on a bit long, they are universally recognizable and distinguished by observations and details that consistently ring true, from being told to “shake it off” on the soccer field to the horrible realization that all the “good kids” got put in the other class. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7—9. (May)

Noonie's Masterpiece Lisa Railsback, illus. by Sarajo Frieden. Chronicle, $18.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-8118-6654-5

“Dear Art and History People,” begins this debut narrated by arty fourth-grader Noonie. “You should definitely take a whole lot of notes because in a hundred years people will want to know everything about me.” After a while, readers may find this swaggering tone tiresome (“I'm not sure if anyone really understood my brilliant work, but that's how the masses are”), but they will learn that it masks sadness and insecurity. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, Noonie misses her deceased mother and her father, a world-traveling archeologist. Frieden (The Care and Feeding of Fish) captures Noonie's careening emotions in quirky doodles (Noonie's beloved art teacher, Ms. Lilly, wears a fantastical garden for a hat, and a chapter on artist's block begins with an ominous brick wall). With the help of Ms. Lilly, the eye-opening results of an art contest, and a humorous pep talk by Van Gogh and other masters, Noonie comes to accept both her eccentricity and her loving, if not ideal, family. Readers with similar worries may find this a rewarding, if not masterful, pep talk as well. Ages 9—12. (May)

Free?: Stories About Human Rights Edited by Amnesty International. Candlewick, $17.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4703-2; $8.99 paper ISBN 978-0-7636-4926-5

In this collection of 14 imaginative short stories, writers including Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Ursula Dubosarsky, and Margaret Mahy come together to celebrate the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In her introduction, Jacqueline Wilson writes, “So many brave writers have drawn attention to the horrors of repressive regimes, even though they've suffered as a result.... Life isn't fair—but we can do our best to right the wrongs.” Differing widely in focus and style, the stories eloquently illustrate specific articles in the declaration. In David Almond's tale, a boy who's part of a group of neighborhood “mischief-makers, pests, and scamps” has his perspective changed by an iconoclastic German youth, who plants the seed of freedom through independent thought. Theresa Breslin offers a suspenseful piece about a young daydreamer who stumbles upon a child-labor factory. Written in verse, Rita Williams-Garcia's story is a somber look at the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, while Patricia McCormick presents a harrowing account of those who fled Zimbabwe in 2008 after a disputed election. Frequently thought provoking, the stories adeptly highlight the universal importance of human rights. Ages 10—up. (Apr.)

Secret Saturdays Torrey Maldonado. Putnam, $16.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-399-25158-0

Sixth-graders Justin and Sean have been best friends since fourth grade and have a lot in common: raised in Brooklyn projects by their mothers, they're both half black/half Puerto Rican and share a love of rapping. So when Sean starts sneaking away with his mother on Saturday morning trips and increasingly acting like a bully, Justin feels a rift forming. Debut author Maldonado convincingly portrays roughneck playgrounds where boys are expected to be “hard,” and to “[d]is or get dissed on.” Justin's narration resonates with the authenticity of a preteen doing his best in an urban landscape that has taught him all he knows: “It sucks not having a father or uncle, because I see boys out here playing football and doing things with their dads and uncles. I have to do that stuff with my mother. Which is cool. But kind of gay too.” There are some heavy-handed moments—a TV talk show about male emotions helps Justin decide to speak with Sean about his feelings—but the book remains a moving portrayal of the hope to be found through honest relationships. Ages 10—up. (Apr.)

Little Blog on the Prairie Cathleen Davitt Bell. Bloomsbury, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-59990-286-9

To her great dismay, 13-year-old Gen is spending her entire summer with her family at a frontier camp, where they must re-enact life from 1890, living without technology, growing their own food, tending a cow and chickens, and working on a project to better the farm. It's a fun premise that leaves Bell (Slipping) ample room for physical comedy, while touching on themes of family and the (dis)advantages of modern life. Gen holds onto her sanity by sending secret text messages to her best friends (“I am standing in the middle of a cornfield. I am holding a hoe.... [W]e are farmers now”), which they turn into a blog that attracts national attention. Cute Caleb, a fellow camper, is a welcome distraction for Gen, though he seems interested in Nora, the daughter of the couple that runs the camp, and the two girls butt heads. Gen's growing appreciation for the simple life is predictable (though she never entirely drinks the Kool-Aid—make that warm cow's milk) and the reconciliation between Gen and Nora feels contrived, but it's still a lively journey with empathetic characters. Ages 12—up. (May)

The Enemy Charlie Higson. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99 (448p) ISBN 978-1-4231-3175-5

Lord of the Flies meets 28 Days Later in this disturbing postapocalyptic adventure. Higson (the Young Bond series) presents a kids-only world with shades of Michael Grant's Gone books, though in this case, a disease has turned everyone over the age of 16 into mindless, flesh-eating nightmares, terrorizing and devouring those unaffected. Packs of resourceful kids have holed up in supermarkets, constructing defenses, foraging for supplies, and fighting off feral “grown-ups.” For the group sheltering in a Waitrose store, it's a ceaseless battle for survival, where even the simplest expedition can prove fatal. When the possibility of a haven arrives, the Waitrose kids band with new allies as they make a hazardous trek across London to the promised land: Buckingham Palace. Alternately bleak and defiant, this splatterfest doesn't pull any punches (“The skin blackened, shriveled and split, the overripe flesh inside squeezing out.... This was what happened if any grown-up lived long enough to let the disease run its full course”) nor is any character safe. It's up to a sequel to sort out some plot threads, but this is a solid start. Ages 12—up. (May)

Ship Breaker Paolo Bacigalupi. Little, Brown, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-316-05621-2

SF novelist Bacigalupi (The Windup Girl) makes a stellar YA debut with this futuristic tale of class imbalance on the Gulf Coast. Teenage Nailer scavenges ships with his crewmates, eking out a poverty-filled existence while avoiding dangers that range from giant “city killer” hurricanes to his vicious, drug-addicted father. When a storm strands a beautiful shipping heiress on the beach (earning her the nickname “Lucky Girl”), Nailer manages both to infuriate members of his camp (including his father) and to become embroiled in upper-class trade disputes that he barely comprehends. As Nailer and Lucky Girl escape toward the drowned ruins of New Orleans, they witness rampant class disparity on individual and international levels (tribes whose lands were flooded have taken to the seas as pirates, attacking multinational shipping firms). Bacigalupi's cast is ethnically and morally diverse, and the book's message never overshadows the storytelling, action-packed pacing, or intricate world-building. At its core, the novel is an exploration of Nailer's discovery of the nature of the world around him and his ability to transcend that world's expectations. Ages 12—up. (May)

For the Win Cory Doctorow. Tor Teen, $17.99 (480p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2216-6

Doctorow uses video games to get teenage readers to think more about globalization, economics, and fair labor practices in this expansive but ponderous story. Set, like his earlier Little Brother, in a near-future world, it centers on attempts to unionize teenagers who work within massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) as gold farmers, employed to raise game gold and find magic items to be resold, or as Turks, who help police the virtual environments. Employed for minimal wages under horrible working conditions—sometimes in near slavery—these children, led by a global group of fierce and talented gamers, band together, subverting the MMORPGs to take on their corrupt local bosses and the corporations that own the games. As usual, Doctorow writes with authority and a knack for authentic details and lexicon, moving between impoverished villages in China and India and inventive video game worlds. But the story founders under the volume of information he's trying to share—the action is interrupted by lectures on economic principles, sometimes disguised as conversations—and an unwieldy cast of characters. It's undeniably smart and timely, but would have benefited from tighter editing. Ages 12—up. (May)

The Alpha Bet Stephanie Hale. Flux, $9.95 paper (240p) ISBN 978-0-7387-1574-2

Starting college early at age 16 isn't easy, but Grace Kelly Cook—who's as socially challenged and klutzy as her namesake was glamorous—is still excited. This is her chance to escape her overbearing mother, embrace the studies she loves, and work on her social life (her mother's fears about sending Grace Kelly to school aren't allayed when they walk in on her free-spirited roommate, Jentry, having sex on move-in day). Grace Kelly and Jentry become fast friends and pledge the Alphas, the best sorority on campus. Grace Kelly gets into scrapes as she fulfills the alphabetical tasks required to join the Alphas, which bring her closer to her love interest and make an enemy out of a fellow pledge. Considering her smarts, Grace Kelly's naïveté is sometimes hard to swallow (she's dreamed about attending McMillan College for years, yet doesn't know what a sorority is), but she's a likable protagonist who learns to recognize the value of friendship, sisterhood, and being herself—even coming to appreciate her mother—in a conclusion that is perhaps too tidy but nonetheless satisfying. Ages 12—up. (Apr.)

The Heart Is Not a Size Beth Kephart. HarperTeen, $16.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-06-147048-6

Seventeen-year-old best friends Georgia and Riley plan to make a difference in the world their junior year by joining the GoodWorks team, a group of teenagers heading to Mexico to do community service. In Anapra, a small village outside Juárez, the girls find the heat nearly unbearable and the work—building a public bathroom for villagers—grueling. Observant, reliable Georgia is able to find beauty in the landscape and in the people she meets; however, she worries that Riley, who refuses to eat and is already “thin as a sunbeam,” suffers from anorexia, which drives a wedge between the girls. Themes of friendship, service, and transformation are skillfully woven into Kephart's (Nothing but Ghosts) novel, but the overall message feels ambiguous. More focused and memorable are Georgia's descriptions of characters (“I was looking at Drake and seeing moons in his eyes, and seeing the ruin in the moons in those eyes...”) and observations (“Do the right thing, you risk ruin. Choose responsibility, and don't think that makes you someone's hero”), which make for lovely, poetic reading. Ages 12—up. (Apr.)

The Complete History of Why I Hate Her Jennifer Richard Jacobson. S&S/Atheneum/Jackson, $16.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-689-87800-8

Seventeen-year-old Nola Werth puts aside guilt about leaving her cancer-stricken younger sister at home as she boards a bus intent on having “a scrapbook teen experience in just one summer,” with a job waiting tables at a Maine resort. Sarah Dessen fans seem the natural audience for what ensues—two months of learning about boys, friends, and where to place the fish fork. Friction is provided in the form of Carly, a girl Nola meets on the bus who quickly worms her way into a job at the same hotel and becomes Nola's roommate. Nola's first-person, present-tense narration is a bit too writerly to be believable: she describes herself as “thinly present”; she and her sister speak to each other in haiku throughout. And though Nola discusses her lack of confidence at length, she easily nails the lead in the end-of-the-summer play that is staged for the guests. Despite these minor flaws, the story has undeniable appeal, in large part because of the tension provided by Carly, who may or may not be a psychopath. Ages 12—up. (Apr.)

Folly Marthe Jocelyn. Random/Lamb, $15.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-385-73846-0

Inspired by the story of her grandfather and his mother, who gave him up to London's Foundling Hospital, Jocelyn (Would You) intimately reimagines and fictionalizes their lives in alternating chapters and in different time periods. In 1876, 15-year-old Mary must leave home, not long after her mother dies, for a job as a scullery maid in London. A conniving co-worker, Eliza, encourages Mary to meet a young man in order to keep her away from an admiring butler; soon Mary finds herself in trouble after a passionate encounter that she herself deems unladylike, “but a lady were never what I got up in the morning to be.” Meanwhile, in 1884, six-year-old James must leave his beloved foster mother to return to the Foundling Hospital for an education. Told in third person (as are Eliza's chapters and those of an instructor at the Hospital), James's story is perhaps the most affecting, as he is alternately despondent and intrepid in seeking familial connections. The novel skillfully illustrates how the lives of those who resided “belowstairs” in Victorian England were at the mercy of those with means. Ages 14—up. (May)

Happy Father's Day!

As these books prove, Dad knows best—except when kids know even better.

The Fathers Are Coming Home Margaret Wise Brown, illus. by Stephen Savage. S&S/McElderry, $16.99 (32p) $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-83345-8

Brown's simple text and Savage's superb linocuts combine to reassure youngest readers of their fathers' love. Each page focuses on a different creature—“The fish father swims home to his little fish that live in the gurgling brook.” The illustrations convey emotion through deft line work and subtle changes in color and texture. Savage's joyful cover is duplicated on the satisfying last page when a boy's father “comes home from the sea. Home to his little boy.” Ages 2—5. (Apr.)

Your Daddy Was Just Like You Kelly Bennett, illus. by David Walker. Putnam, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25258-7

A boy gets a lesson in family history from his grandmother, who helps connect past and present. “When he started school, your daddy said: 'It's hard' and 'Do I have to?' Just like you.” The “like father, like son” idea also extends to the baseball diamond, the time-out chair, and bedtime (“Your daddy wasn't always brave, especially at night”). Walker's smudgy acrylics mirror the soft tone of Bennett's prose, as the boy's father experiences familiar childhood emotions (oddly, the boy himself only appears in the opening and closing scenes). Ages 3—5. (Mar.)

My Father Is Taller Than a Tree Joseph Bruchac, illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin. Dial, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-3173-8

This friendly poem celebrates the role fathers play in their sons' lives and the many kinds of families who live in the U.S. Working in crayon, Halperin draws father-son pairs around the country: an Asian father and son in San Francisco, a blind father with his son at a farmer's market, an African-American duo playing hide-and-seek. Smaller panels reveal more details about their lives, while Bruchac's verse runs along the bottom: “He pats my back when I feel sad./ He understands 'cause he's my dad.” The softly shaded drawings suggest similarly quiet emotions, and small sons will find comfort on every page. Ages 3—5. (Mar.)

Oh, Daddy! Bob Shea. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-173080-1

“I don't know what my daddy would do without me,” admits a little blue hippo. When his father, wearing oven mitts on his hands and underwear on his head, asks, “Is this how you get dressed?” the child exclaims, “Oh, Daddy!” and demonstrates how to put on practical clothes. When his father squeezes through the car window, the child teaches him to use the door. Shea pictures the stocky, tumbling hippos with kidney-bean heads and sets them in simple, sunny digital collages. His amiable pair accomplishes necessary tasks and goof around, too—busy parents will want to try this formula of patience plus humor. Ages 3—6. (May)

Because I Am Your Daddy Sherry North, illus. by Marcellus Hall. Abrams, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8109-8392-2

From the creators of Because You Are My Baby comes another ingenuous expression of love, with a father explaining that he'd do anything for his daughter. Hall's airy, retro-flavored watercolors depict the father's artfully exaggerated roles: “If I were a scientist, we would dig up ancient bones/ And find the biggest dinosaur the world has ever known.” Other activities include surfing an inky blue wave and enjoying a game of “cosmic bowling” aboard a spaceship. A stylish depiction of fatherly devotion. Ages 3—8. (May)

Dad and Pop: An Ode to Fathers and Stepfathers Kelly Bennett, illus. by Paul Meisel. Candlewick, $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-3379-0

A girl with red pigtails good-naturedly explains that she has two fathers: Dad (her biological father) and Pop (her stepfather). Both emerge with distinctive personalities (“Pop takes pictures. Dad takes naps”), though, the more she compares them, the less different they seem (“Dad teaches me to cook. So does Pop.... Dad loves music. So does Pop”). Also clear: that they both love her. The understated narration and subtly humorous mixed media cartoons make a potentially complicated—but familiar—situation feel easy and natural. Ages 4—7. (Apr.)

My Father Knows the Names of Things Jane Yolen, illus. by Stéphane Jorisch. Simon & Schuster, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-4895-7

While cheerful, this book is also a memorial to Yolen's late husband. Freely drawn by Jorisch in pen and watercolor, an effortlessly confident father guides his mop-headed child through a series of adventures. On an amusement ride, he points out astrological marvels, and their travels often center on the natural world (“He knows which mosses are the fuzziest,/ He knows which insects are the buzziest”). Yolen's easeful rhymes and Jorisch's warm illustrations craft a bighearted tribute to fathers' seemingly infinite capacities for information—and their willingness to share it. Ages 4—8. (Apr.)