By the Cover: Silouhettes

I've come across several beautiful book covers lately that feature silhouettes.

The first was Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman. So when I saw the cover of The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, that's what it reminded me of. (Fitting since Calpurnia is about a young naturalist.) And then I saw the cover of Patricia Wrede's newest, The Thirteenth Child. The striking thing to me about these covers is that they all feature silouhettes on a background that looks vaguely old-fashioned. Warm. Or kind of like old paper. Here they are:

I find it interesting that the covers have such similar styles and the books are all from different genres. We have a biography, a historical fiction, and a fantasy (albeit: historical fantasy... is that a genre?).

And then I started thinking and, though it's a bit different, you could add The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski to this list. New trend? Perhaps... Who's got other examples?

And Lisa points out:

The Manny Files by Christian Burch
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Highway Cats by Janet Taylor Lisle

Book Review: The Naked Mole-Rat Letters

The Naked Mole-Rat Letters by Mary Amato. (Grades 4-7.)

Frankie can't believe that her dad went on a date. Not only a date, a secret date with a zookeeper who lives practically across the country in Washington DC! And now they're probably going to fall in love and get married and he'll move Frankie and her brothers to Washinton DC. Or this zookeeper woman will move into their house in Indiana and change everything that Frankie's mom left behind! And Frankie's dad won't even come clean and tell the kids what he's been up to!

Okay, if it's a secret, how does Frankie know about it?

Well, she maaaaay have opened his email. And she maaaay have read some things. And she maaaaaaaay have replied to this Ayanna Bayo person.

In her heart she knows it's wrong to answer her dad's email, but she's got to do something! And when Frankie opens this can of worms, things are going to get pretty messy before she can make things right again.

I found myself laughing out loud at Frankie's devious ways. She's self-absorbed and a little obnoxious, but as the story develops, Frankie ends up learning a lot about herself and about other people. The story's told in excerpts from Frankie's diary and in her emails back and forth with Ayanna Bayo, curator of naked mole rats at the National Zoo.

Her first email to Ayanna will give you an idea about Frankie:

Ratlady:

I don't know who you are. But this is just a note to say please don't bother e-mailing again. My father, Robert Wallop, is extremely busy taking care of us children. Perhaps he did not mention the little fact that he has children. He does. Three.

There's me. I'm in seventh grade, and I don't require any care, actually. But I have two younger brothers who require constant care on account of their severe, deliberating illnesses...

Also you should know that my father has several diseases, so kissing him is not a good idea.

I fell in love with Frankie (even though she is so very devious. Her heart's in the right place. Most of the time). I love that she grew and developed over the course of the book. And the ending was perfectly heart-warming.

Plus, it's set in a fictional town in Brown County, Indiana, which took me straight back to my beloved days at IU. (Although the author should know that Indiana and Washington DC are actually both on Eastern time...)

PLUS, lots of little factoids about naked mole-rats are inserted in a fairly organic way. Ayanna, the DC zookeeper, works with naked mole-rats and draws comparisons to them quite often, but it comes across very naturally. I can totally imagine Ayanna actually saying all these things and wanting to share her passion and knowledge with Frankie.

Great for reluctant readers. And highly recommended in general.

Check out Mary Amato's website and check out the National Zoo's Naked Mole-Rat cam!

Around the interwebs

I hope you're checking out the 30 Poets/30 Days feature over at GottaBook. It's quite fab. ALSO celebrating National Poetry Month is Tricia with her special feature Poetry Makers at The Miss Rumphius Effect. She's got some really in-depth interviews over there, so you won't want to miss it!

Also, you shouldn't miss Just One More Book's special feature: Rock Stars of Reading. They're posting a series of videos about various awesome authors. Lane Smith is up first!

Mitali Perkins has a piece in School Library Journal entitled Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids' Books (thanks to Liz at A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy for the link).

Sarah shares the Nuts and Bolts of the Read Aloud over at The Reading Zone. I know I've wondered how she squeezes in so many read-alouds in her classroom over the course of the year. Reading aloud to all ages is so important; this is a must-read for any teacher!

Remember that fabulous book The Puzzling World of Winston Breen? Well, to celebrate the release of the sequel, Winston's throwing a Puzzle Party. During the week of April 16-22 visit each blog on the list and solve a puzzle for a chance to win a copy of The Potato Chip Puzzles. I know I'll be vying to win one (but I hope they're easy puzzles since I am no Winston Breen...). What a cool idea for a blog tour!

And I got a notice about a new blog that's focusing on fantasy reading and writing for middle-grade and YA audiences: The Enchanted Inkpot. It looks quite interesting and I aim to spend some time perusing the posts this week.

Book Review: Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry
Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy
Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine
Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb

by Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross. (Grades 1-3.)

Move over, Bart Simpson, there's a new prankster in town. Whether he's trying to steal his brother's tooth for the tooth fairy, concocting stinkbombs to use against his neighbor Margaret, or acting up at a fancy French restaurant, Henry is horrid and he has no remorse. He plays pranks on his young brother (nicknamed Perfect Peter because he's so simperingly well-behaved), annoys his classmates, and wreaks havoc on any adult in his path.

Kids are going to love him.

Horrid Henry is a popular series and cartoon show in England and it's being published in the States for the first time. Tony Ross's illustrations are reminiscent of Quentin Blake.Things often work out for Henry in an ironic way and there are no moral lessons here. Each book contains four episodic stories of Henry's antics. He cheats, he lies, he steals, and it's all hilarious. I can already think of a group of high-spirited boys at my library who are going to love Horrid Henry!

Hand this one to fans of the spunky Junie B. Jones, the zany antics of the Time Warp Trio, or younger readers of Roald Dahl.

Check out Horrid Henry's official website as well as Francesca Simon's website. You can also get a taste for the cartoon show on YouTube. The bright colors remind me a little bit of Arthur, but Henry's way more horrid than Arthur ever could be...

Non-Fiction Picture Books

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Check out the roundup at Scrub-a-Dub Tub*. (And don't forget that next week, the round up will be right here at Abby T Librarian!) I've come across several great non-fiction picture books lately, so I'm going to do a quick round-up today.

Keep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. This gorgeous picture book gives an overview of the life of Matthew Henson, from his birth up to 1909 when he, along with Robert Peary, made it to the North Pole. It's an inspiring story and an author's note gives a little more information about his struggle for recognition after the successful expedition. I especially loved the colorful pictures. Each spread radiates warm colors. Just beautiful! Pair this with I, Matthew Henson by Carole Boston Weatherford and Eric Velasquez.

Darwin by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Mary Azarian. This picture book biography of Charles Darwin is a great overview for elementary school-age kids. It includes quotes from his letters and notebooks that enrich the text in a very organic way. Wood cut illustrations are painted with watercolors to bring a colorful depiction of Charles Darwin as he traveled, studied, and developed his theories.

What's Inside?: Fascinating Structures Around the World by Giles Laroche. Beautiful cut-paper illustrations show different architectural structures from around the world. Laroche introduces each structure and then shows you what's inside the building. How many times have you seen a picture of the Parthenon? Now, how many times have you seen what's inside? It's a great concept and the detailed illustrations have much to pore over. I wish the information about the structures was a little bigger and more obvious on the page, but it has much to offer young architects.

Mermaid Queen by Shana Corey, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. This picture book biography tells the story of Annette Kellerman, the Australian swimmer who invented water ballet and revolutionized women's bathing suits. Vibrant colors splash across every page to illustrate the story of this vivacious woman who advocated for female athletes and fought for what she believed in. Not only is it a great title for women's history, it's just a fun, colorful book. And Annette Kellerman was the inspiration for the Esther Williams movie Million Dollar Millionaire:



*ETA (7:33 PM) Aack! Sorry about having the wrong link up all day... My bad... I fixed it now! :)

Book Review: Dessert First

Dessert First by Hallie Durrand. (Grades 2-5.)

Dessert Schneider marches to the beat of her own drummer, whether she's bribing her younger sister to clean her room or convincing her family that they should start serving dessert first. Her heart's in the right place, but following her own drummer always seems to get Dessert into trouble. When she accidentally ruins a special surprise, Dessert will have to figure out a way to make it up to her family.

One of the Amazon reviews compared Dessert to Eloise and I think that's a great comparison. She's a spunky little girl, imperfect and completely self-assured. She likes things the way she likes them and she's a tiny bit devious. Still, she's figuring out right from wrong and when she makes a mistake, she's eager to make things right.

I loved the characters in the Schneider family. Dessert takes care of her younger siblings and her parents own a fondue restaurant, so that's something different. I wish we got more details about their family dynamic. Dessert's third-grade teacher, Mrs. Howdy Doody, is a lot of fun. She encourages her "happy learners" and is there for Dessert when she has problems.

Disappointing was Dessert's nemesis, Amy D., who's completely one-note. She's mean to Dessert for seemingly no reason and we never see any other side to her. If there are more Dessert books, maybe that relationship will develop a little bit.

It's no Clementine, but I think Dessert First will appeal to kids who like books in that spunky girl genre (think Moxy Maxwell, Ruby Lu, or Ramona). And the descriptions of food will melt in your mouth (and make you long for the recipe for Grandma Reine's Double Decker Chocolate Bars)!

Read Mary Lee's review!

Karma Wilson

Betsy's started her countdown of the Top Ten Picture Books of All Time with #100-91. I knew that as the list came out, I'd have many OH YEAH! moments where I recalled favorite picture books that I had somehow left off my list. There are so many excellent picture books out there and day by day my list might change, so the only way I knew how to make such a list was to sit down and bang it out!

But how, oh, how could I have left Karma Wilson off the list completely???* I'm sure others will pick up my slack, but Karma Wilson is one of my faaaavorites.

So, to make up for my egregious error, I give you a post all about the Karma Wilson books that I love. Read them! Share them! And the next time someone asks for a list of our top picture books, would you remind me that I love Karma Wilson?!

Bear Snores On - A classic in the making! While Bear is hibernating for the winter, all of his animal friends huddle in his cave to get out of the winter storm. As they feast and party, Bear snores on, until he's accidentally awakened and joins the party. This is a great fall book. It's got a simple, rhyming text and a repeated line that everyone can say together. I love Jane Chapman's bright, friendly illustrations for all of the Bear books.

Hilda Must Be Dancing - I love the bright, colorful illustrations by Suzanne Watts, and I love the bouncy, rhyming text with great vocabulary words. When Hilda the hippo is dancing, everyone in the jungle knows it because the ground shakes with her every leap! Although the animals try to introduce her to quieter hobbies, nothing satisfied Hilda until she discovers the quiet beauty of water ballet!

Whopper Cake - This is a great book for an early elementary audience (and works for preschoolers, too). Who doesn't love a book about making a giant cake! It's grandma's birthday and grandpa decides to make Whopper Cake. He doesn't use just two eggs; he uses dozens! The batter is so voluminous that it has to be stirred in the back of a pickup truck! This is one doozy of a cake and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. YUM.

Sakes Alike! A Cattle Drive - This one will go over better with kids who understand the word play on the phrase "cattle drive". The cows sneak the car keys out of the farmer's pocket and go joyriding. The police take up the chase, but when the cattle can't stop the car and go straight through town they inadvertently create a parade!

Karma Wilson comes up with great rhymes that never feel strained. They're a pleasure to read aloud and her publishers pair her with great illustrators who provide beautiful, bright illustrations. If you're looking for a book to spice up your storytime, give Karma Wilson a try!

(Sorry, Karma, for leaving you off my Top Ten Picture Books list...)

*I am pretty sure this will be the first of many posts and comments on Betsy's posts about how I failed at remembering all my favorite picture books and authors when composing my top ten list. So be prepared for that.

Book Review: All the Lovely Bad Ones

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn. (Grades 4-8.)

Travis and his sister Corey aren't the most well-behaved children in the world. In fact, they're spending this summer with their grandmother at her Vermont inn because they got kicked out of camp last summer. Grandmother's inn has it all - a pool, video games, grounds to run around on - but the best thing about it is that there are rumors that the inn is haunted.

When Travis and Corey hear this, they immediately think up some mischief. With a few props, some makeup, and some scary sound effects they can scare the daylights out of the other guests at the inn - and have a good laugh themselves. It starts out innocently enough, but soon weird things start happening around the inn. And Travis and Corey will have to figure out how to put to rest the lovely bad ones they've awoken.

I'm not a huge fan of ghost stories, although I think I would have loved this book when I was about nine years old. That said, I liked this book better than I thought I would. Mary Downing Hahn creates a chilling atmosphere and some punky little kids that I wanted to first shake and then hug.

The supporting characters seemed a little like stock characters to me. There's the skeptical adult (Grandmother) and the wise, old believing adult who warns the kids and then helps them solve the mystery. But there are also some funny ghost-chasers who come to the inn when rumors get out that the hauntings are back.

All in all, not exactly my cup of tea, but this is one Caudill nominee that kids will clamor for.

Book Review: Lucy Long Ago

Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From by Catherine Thimmesh. (Grades 5-8.)

Long ago, it lived... even before it had a name. It climbed on trees; it roamed the savannah on two legs; it munched on berries and grasses.

In its time, the dinosaurs had been extinct for more than sixty million years. A few million years would pass before modern humans would walk the earth that it now roamed upon.

So begins the story of Lucy, a fossilized hominid skeleton, that was discovered in Africa in 1974. The scientists that discovered Lucy were ecstatic. It was just what they were hoping to find. But they soon had questions. Lots of them.

Was Lucy with her small, chimpanzee-like skull more closely related to apes? Or did her human-like pelvis indicate that she was a direct ancestor of modern humans? How old was she? Did she use tools?

In Lucy Long Ago, we get a glimpse at the scientists who discovered Lucy and asked questions about her in order to better understand where we came from. Fossils such as these are extremely rare and the discovery of Lucy changed how many scientists thought about ancient hominids.

Catherine Thimmesh, author of the Sibert-winning Team Moon, delves into this complex subject with aplomb. She explains everything in a clear, concise way. The writing is really tight, moving from an intriguing introduction to the various questions that scientists asked about Lucy and how they went about answering them. I thought it was the perfect amount of information - enough to clearly explain, but not so much that you got bogged down.

The format of the book - many pages are dark with light text on them - perfectly complements the subject. Our ancient ancestors are shrouded in mystery. Photos and illustrations add to the text and sidebars provide information that further clarifies what anthropologists do to find out about the past.

An index, glossary, and list of sources make this a great resource for reports. The clear, concise writing make it great for recreational reading, too. I don't know if this is a topic that many kids will know they're interested in, but the model of Lucy peering mournfully from the cover may be a draw.

I know it's only March, but let the Sibert buzz begin. This is a great follow-up to Team Moon.

Book Review: The Chosen One

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. (Grades 8+)

"If I was going to kill the Prophet," I say, not even keeping my voice low, "I'd do it in Africa."

So begins Kyra's story.

Kyra's thirteen when the Prophet announces that she's been Chosen. God has shown him that Kyra is to be married to Apostle Hyrum.

Apostle Hyrum, who is at least 60 years old.
Apostle Hyrum, who is Kyra's uncle.

Kyra thinks that it must be payback for her sins. She's committed many sins. There's thinking about killing the Prophet, for one. Then there are the books she's been sneaking from the mobile library that stops on the desert road outside the Compound. And then there's Joshua...

But Kyra must commit one more sin. Even if it means risking the lives of the people she loves, she knows that she can't marry Uncle Hyrum.

She's got to get out.
If she can.

When an ARC arrives with literally pages of blurbs from famous authors, bloggers, and reviewers, you take notice. This one's getting a lot of buzz, people. And it's worthy of that buzz because I think it's a book that teens are going to love.

Talk about a main character you're rooting for... Kyra practically jumps off the page. The plot's got enough twists and turns that it kept me on the edge of my seat. The bad guys are seriously bad here and you learn early on that they'll stop at nothing to get their way and keep their power intact.

Then there's the writing. It's not written in verse, but it could have been because some of the passages are just that poetic. Here's a passage* from when Kyra reads her first book from the library, Bridge to Terabithia:

"Who was this Katherine Paterson? Who was this Jesse and Leslie? People the writer knew? I could hardly read this book fast enough.
And when I did
when I got to the end
when I got to the end and
Leslie died
and Jesse was left alone without his best friend
I cried so hard that coming in from my hiding place, my tree, the book stashed in the branches, high in the prickles, Mother Victoria said, "Where have you been, Kyra? I needed help making bread." Then she looked at my face and said, her voice all worried, "Honey, what happened?"

I couldn't tell her a thing. Not a thing about Leslie or May Belle or Jesse all alone. I couldn't tell Mother Victoria a thing about drowning or running or painting." (pp 16-17)

Amanda wonders if it's a good idea to sensationalize a group of people about whom we know very little. It reminds me of a YALSA-BK discussion about Ellen Hopkins's Burned in which some readers felt that the book misrepresented the Mormon/LDS Church. I'm always a fan of author's notes to show how an author researched and/or what inspired her to write the story, but I will say that I firmly believe in reading responsibly. I don't think it's the novelist's responsibility to show all sides of the story or even to disclaimer, but it is our responsibility as readers to question what we read and do our own research. And as adults reading kidlit, maybe it's our responsibility to encourage kids to question and discuss the books they read.

Want more opinions? Check out reviews by Becky and Sarah.

The Chosen One's due out May 12!

*All quotes are from ARC and may not reflect the final version of the book!