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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Review:
Yummy is a retelling of eight fairy tales: "Little Red Riding Hood", "Three Billy Goats Gruff", "The Enormous Turnip", "Henny Penny", "Goldilocks", "The Little Red Hen", "The Three Little Pigs", and "The Musicians of Bremen".
While the retellings in this book are the stories we've all grown up with and expect to read, it is the art in this book that steals the show. Each drawing feels incredibly solid and the bright colors always contrast boldly with the page color. Some of the text of the story is hand drawn with picture, such as "Look, there she is!" on page 72 of "Goldilocks"; and this gives the picture a real feeling of action. Cousins is unafraid to illustrate even the violent scenes as she fearlessly draws the woodsman chopping off the head of the wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood", and the third little pig boiling the wolf over a fire in the "Three Little Pigs".
Awards/Reviews:
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books (WON AWARD) 2009
American Library Association Notable Books for Children (WON AWARD) 2010
Booklist *Star Reviewed*: "The writing is simple and direct, as befits these traditional tales."
School Library Journal: "There's no sugarcoating here."
Publisher's Weekly: "Cousins embraces all the primitive, enduring fears and desires that drive these stories, and then beckons readers to hop on a rollicking narrative roller coaster."
New York Times: "A jaunty humor shows itself in the blobby brushwork."
Connections:
*The hand written text with the illustrations lends itself to story time participation. Have the children say or imitate parts of the story.
Other retellings of popular fairy tales:
Wattenberg, Jane. Henny-Penny. 9780439078177
Carpenter, Stephen. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. 9780694010332
Hester, Denia Lewis. Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip. 9780807530276
Image credit: www.readingyear.blogspot.com
Review:
A man claiming to be Aladdin's uncle tells him that he must come with him to retrieve a lamp from an underground cavern, giving a him a ring for protection. As Aladdin returns with the lamp, he questions why the lamp is so important, at which point the 'uncle' becomes angry and seals Aladdin in the cavern. While trapped, Aladdin rubs his hands together, releasing a djinn from the ring his 'uncle' had given him. The djinn tells Aladdin the magician's true plan and frees Aladdin. With the djinn of the ring and lamp, Aladdin returns home and proceeds to make wishes to improve his life, including becoming a prince to marry the sultan's daughter. The magician returns to town months later and figures out what happened. He gets a hold of the lamp and wishes Aladdin's palace (along with his wife) swept into the African desert. Aladdin returns and uses the ring djinn to wish himself brought to his wife. To get the lamp back, she gets the magician drunk and steals the lamp. She wishes all things put to right and leaves the magician stranded in the desert.
Interestingly, the author's note at the beginning of the book draws attention to the fact that the tale of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp is possibly not an authentic Arabic tale, since no known versions of it are known prior to a Frenchman named Galland's version. Authentic or not, it is a story that many have enjoyed for years and this retelling moves with a quick pace that is sure to keep children glued to the page. The illustrations work very well with the story, though on a few of the panels I had a hard time making out the what the illustration was depicting. The genies, or djinns, are particularly well drawn and make the story come that much more alive for the reader.
Reviews:
School Library Journal: "A lively retelling of the traditional story."
Publisher's Weekly: "Kimmel's understated tone and traditional turns of phrase never decelerate the pace."
Booklist: "Kimmel retells the story of Aladdin with character and verve, comedy and terror, and perfect." timing.
Kirkus: "Chen is a wonderful colorist who deftly conveys shapes, textures, and expressions with streaks, swirls, and dabs of paint."
Connections:
* Ask children what they would wish for if they had a djinn.
*Other tales from Arabian Nights
Riordan, James. The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. 9781845075316
dePaola, Tomie. The Legend of the Persian Carpet. 9780399224157
Kimmel, Eric. The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: A Story from the Arabian Nights. 9780823412587
Image credit: Amazon.com
Review:
In this Cinderella tale, Cinduri's father had more than one wife, but he and Cinduri's mother died during an epidemic, leaving Cinduri in the care of her father's second wife. Cinduri was left to take care of all the chores that kept the farm running. One day as Cinduri is fetching water, a great white snake with a bright read jewel on his head makes himself known to Cinduri. He feeds her and vows to make life easier for her from now on by adopting her as his God-daughter. Cinduri's stepmother notices the change in Cinduri ands makes her own daughter follow her one day to find out why. Lata, the stepsister, follows Cinduri, sees her with the snake, and reports back to her mother. Cinduri then returns home and tells her family that she has heard that the Crown Prince is coming to their village on the ninth night of the Navaratri Festival. The stepmother tells Cinduri she may not attend because she has no fine clothing to wear and too many chores to finish anyway.
Once her stepmother and sister leave for the festival, Cinduri races to tell the Godfather Snake what has happened. He gives her the jewel in his forehead and fine clothes to wear to the festival, including a pair of magnificent anklets decorated with tiny bells and diamonds. He tells her to go, but to return at midnight when the magic will be spent. At the festival, Cinduri catches the eye of the prince, but must rush away at midnight just as everyone gathers to light the lamp for the goddess Durga. She leaves behind one of the anklets. The next day the prince begins his search for her by having all the young maidens try on the anklet. The stepmother refuses to let Cinduri come along to try on the anklet, telling her she must finish the chores. After they leave, Cinduri pulls out the jewel from Godfather Snake's forehead and magically, all of her chores are completed. She rushes to town to try on the anklet. Once she does, she pulls out the matching anklet, proving to the prince that it was she who stole his heart. She and the prince get married and Cinduri brings the Godfather Snake to live in the gardens of their new palace.
This book is structure with the text of the story on one side of the page and the art on the opposite page. Occasionally there is quite a bit of text to go through on one page, so this book would work better for children on the older side of the picture book spectrum. Also children will need help with words foreign to our culture, such as aarti. The illustrations use mostly the characters clothing instead of scenery to depict the Indian culture, using bold colors in watercolor to create elaborate sari's and headdresses for each character. This book would be a good place to begin a discussion on Indian culture, but it should not be relied upon for a complete overview of the culture.
The bits of culture about life in India that can be learned from this book are:
It is sometimes customary for men to take more than one wife,
Snakes, instead of being reviled as beings of evil (such as in Adam and Eve), are look upon with respect,
The jewel in the snake's forehead gives a very brief introduction to the concept of the all seeing third eye. (Lata runs home and says, " his big shining jewel was like a third eye that could look right inside me.")
That there is a nine evening harvest festival called Navaratri, where the aarti lamp is lit on the ninth night to honor the goddess Durga.
For the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom exhanged garlands of white jasmine instead of rings.
Reviews:
School Library Journal: "The emotional text is full of descriptive adjectives and bathed in cultural details."
Connections:
Have a discussion on the differences between common cultural ceremonies, such as a wedding.
Have children research geography and history of India.
*Other Cinderella stories:
De La Paz, Myrna J. Abadeha: The Phillipine Cinderella. 9781885008176
Climo, Shirley. The Korean Cinderella. 9780064433976
*Other stories about India
Somaiah, Rosemarie. Indian Children's Favourite Stories. 9780804836876
Nanji, Shenaaz. Indian Tales. 9781846860836
Image credit: www.justforkidsbookstore.com
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
2007. ARTIST TO ARTIST: 23 MAJOR ILLUSTRATORS TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR ART. New York: Philomel Books.
Review:
Artist to Artist is a collection of letters written by popular illustrators of children's picture books to children talking about their inspirations, their technique, and the journey each took to become an artist. Each letter is accompanied by a photograph of the artist as a child (if available), a self-portrait of the artist, a photograph of the artist's studio, and a sampling of the artist's work most of which is highly recognizable from popular children's books. A short biography of each artist is provided at the end of the book.
The most common thread of advice given by these illustrators is not to give up. Some of them were discouraged from pursuing art by family members while others were encouraged, but all of them stress that an artist must continue to draw, paint, or create art in whatever medium they prefer no matter what. Each self-portrait in this book is incredibly unique as the artists have drawn themselves as cowboys, as cartoons, and surrounded by the characters they've illustrated. I especially enjoyed that this book included creators of pop-up book art, since pop-up books do not immediately come to my mind as artistic, but really they are incredibly artful.
I particularly enjoyed a passage by Maurice Sendak in which he says, "you must never illustrate exactly what is written. You must find a space in the text so that the pictures can do the work." I feel that this book would be an inspiration for artists of any age, but the letters are simple enough to read that upper elementary students should have no problem reading through.
Professional Reviews:
Star Review in Booklist: "This book is a treasure!"
School Library Journal: "--a gorgeous, browsable gallery of international treasures."
Publishers Weekly: "--offers a captivating look at these illustrators' methods and the passion that lies behind their work."
Connections:
Encourage children to find a picture book who's pictures they particularly enjoy and discuss why.
Encourage children to illustrate their own story, made up on their own or just one they know.
*Other books about illustrators and artists:
Evans, Dilys. Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration. 0811849716
Marcus, Leonard S. A Caldecott Celebration: Seven Artists and their Paths to the Caldecott Medal. 978-0802797032
Image credit: www.carlemuseum.org
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Review:
In this tale we follow Trixie as she experiences the excitement of accompanying her dad to the laundromat, the excitement of helping him sort the laundry, the realization that a friend has been left behind at the laundromat, the fear of separation, her desperation as she tries to communicate to her dad what has happened, the urgency as the family rushes back to the laundromat, and the joy of reunion with a most beloved toy and friend; followed by Trixie's first words.
There is always that one object from childhood that we cannot do without. For me it is my cabbagepatch doll, MaryAnne. For Trixie, it is the Knuffle Bunny. The brief loss of her cherished bunny is an experience that everyone can relate to. Adults will be able to sympathize with Trixie's father as he becomes annoyed with what he perceives to be Trixie's unexplainable bad behavior, and children can probably identify with not being able to communicate their needs and worries to grown-ups.
The illustrations for this picture book are a fascinating mix of sepia-toned photographs of a city neighborhood behind humorously drawn cartoon illustrations of Trixie, her family, and the neighbors they pass. The use of the photographs for the setting makes the story seem more real somehow.
Awards:
Original Voices Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2004
Caldecott Medal (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2005
American Library Association Notable Books for Children (WON AWARD) 2005
Book Sense Book of the Year (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2005
Quill Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2005
Colorado Children's Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2006
Red Clover Award (WON AWARD) 2006
Charlotte Zolotow Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2005
Beehive Children's Picture Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2006
Bluegrass Award (WON AWARD) 2006
Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin) (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2006
Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin) (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2007
SCASL Book Award (South Carolina) (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2007
Carnegie Medal (WON AWARD) 2007
Star review Booklist: "-readers of all ages will recognize the agonizing frustration of a little girl who knows far more than she can articulate."
Star review School Library Journal: "- A seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text."
Connections:
* Start a discussion about what everyone's favorite toy or object is. Talk about how they'd feel if it got lost.
* Discuss if they've ever had to say something but couldn't find the words for it.
Other books:
Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. 1423102991
Alborough, Jez. Where's My Teddy? 9781564022806
Image credit: http://jennydrakephotography.blogspot.com/2009/03/aggle-flabble-klabble-snurp.html
Review:
The Hello, Goodbye Window is told by a young girl as she spends time at her grandparents’ house. The family spends most of their time in the kitchen, which has drawers to open and jars filled with things. And most of all there is the window, which gives the family a first look at visitors, a place to play peek-a-boo with the young girl, a view of your reflection and the stars at night, and a place to imagine what sort of visitors could come by (a T-Rex perhaps?) At the end of the day, the child must go home and expresses that she is happy to see her parents as well sad to be leaving her Nanna and Poppy.
The text is simple and phrases like, “nothing happens ‘till I get up” wonderfully catch the perspective of a young child. The illustrations, which have the look of a mix of watercolor paint and crayons, support the young girl’s point of view by creating the illusion that she’s drawn the pictures to go with her story.
While the child in the story is telling about all the fun she has, what the reader is witnessing is the love shared by this family. Not mentioned in the text is the fact that this family is an interracial family, which serves to show the reader that interracial families have just as much love as every other type of family.
Awards:
* Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2005
* School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (WON AWARD) 2005
* Caldecott Medal (WON AWARD) 2006
* American Library Association Notable Books for Children (WON AWARD) 2006
* Star review in School Library Journal: "While the language is bouncy and fun, it is the visual interpretation of this sweet story that sings."
* Star review in Booklist: "Raschka's swirling lines, swaths, and dabs of fruity colors seem especially vibrant."
Connections:
*Lead a discussion on what children do at their own grandparent's house and how their grandparents show that they love them.
*Other books about spending time with grandparents:
Crowley, Mary. I Love to Visit My Grammy. 9781933002484
Bogart, Jo Ellen. Gifts. 9780590552608
Image credit: http://boniashburn.com/blog/media/1/20090826-The%20Hello,%20Goodbye%20Window.jpg
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