Top 100 Blogs
Flora’s Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, illustrated by Matt Phelan
Flora has had enough of her little brother Crispin messing up her stuff. But now her mother has asked her to take Crispin outside even though the wind is very strong. Flora will be fine because of her “super-special heavy-duty red boots” but Crispin just might blow away. If he does, it wouldn’t be Flora’s fault. Outside Flora laughs at the wind and knows it won’t be able to lift her, but she does tell the wind that her brother is wearing regular boots. Soon the wind blows harder still and Crispin is lifted into the air. Now Flora has to decide whether to just let him go, but she kicks off her super boots and flies off with him. As they fly through the air, Flora is approached by several creatures to take her brother from her. A sparrow wants him to sit on her nest, the rainbow wants him to guards its pot of gold, the man in the moon wants the company. But each is turned down as Flora replies that she is taking her brother home. But that’s if the wind will let her do that.
Birdsall has created a book that sings. Her prose is filled with bounce and lovely small details. Each encounter ends with a similar response from Flora and from the creature making the request, creating a book that has just enough repetition to feel complete and whole. Her words read aloud with grace, the refrains tying a bow on each situation.
Phelan’s art has a wonderful breezy style that matches the subject perfectly. The children and their mother are real people with frizzy hair, apple-red cheeks, and quirks of their own. The illustrations nicely capture the motion of the wind and the blowing leaves with a welcome feeling of freedom.
A perfect autumn read, this book is sure to blow fresh air into any story time. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books.
Soup Day by Melissa Iwai
Today is soup day, so a little girl and her mother head to the store through the snowy streets. There they buy the ingredients for their soup, careful to choose the vegetables with the brightest colors. They pick out green celery, yellow onions, orange carrots, white mushrooms and more. Back at home, they wash the vegetables and cut them into little pieces. The little girl gets to help with a plastic knife and the softer veggies. After sautéing the vegetables, broth is added and the soup cooks. The mother and child play together as the smell of soup fills the house. Finally spices and pasta are added and then they sit down to dinner with Daddy.
Iwai has captured cooking from a child’s point of view. The selection of vegetables mentioning their colors is done with a gentle tone, and most children will not notice that colors are being reviewed in that part of the story. The focus on what the little girl is able to do is charming and affirming for children. Seeing her pride and involvement is a large part of the story.
Iwai’s illustrations are done with acrylics and collage and Photoshop. They mix the textures of textiles with the crispness of photos and the brushstrokes of painting. The result is a rich blend that makes for engaging illustrations. The book is printed on nice heavy pages, making it welcoming for toddler hands.
This book is as warm and welcoming as a big bowl of homemade soup. Add it to your recipe for a great story time or a unit on soup or food. It would be ideal paired with a version of Stone Soup. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Reviewed from copy received from Macmillan.
Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper
Vanilla Cupcake is born after ingredients are mixed together and he is baked in a toasty warm oven. He is decorated with plain vanilla frosting and then meets all of the other cupcakes that have been decorated in a much more fancy way. By the end of the day, he is the only cupcake that remains and hasn’t sold. He bursts into tears and a candle nearby hears him crying. Cupcake explains what has happened and the plain green candle understands because he has very fancy siblings of his own. Then Candle has a great idea and hops off to find exactly the right thing to decorate Cupcake. They try all sorts of things from pickles to pancakes and even a squirrel! But nothing is quite right. Just when readers think that Candle and Cupcake will finally figure it all out, there is a delicious twist that will have everyone laughing out loud.
This book is a hoot! I had worried with its sparkly cover and sweet subject that it might get a bit too syrupy, but just when you think that might happen the humor kicks in and takes the book in a different direction. Harper’s writing is simple, adding to the humor by its straight-forward tone. Her art is also simple and graphically strong with its black outlines and pastel colors.
A book that captures the cupcake craze with a sweet tone and plenty of giggles, share this one at any sweet storytime you may be planning. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Also reviewed by:
Bones by Steve Jenkins
Really all any book needs is Steve Jenkins’ name on the front and his great illustrations inside. Just those two things and you know it’s going to be great. In this book, Jenkins turns his attention to bones and skeletons. The size and shape of bones are explored as are skeletons of the human body and of various animals. Information is given about bones and the illustrations of the bones are laid out on very colorful pages that highlight the bones but offer some vibrancy as well. This book of bones should be in every school and public library.
Jenkin’s text here offers just enough detail to be informative but also never too much too be weighty. It offers the same bright, freshness as the illustrations themselves. His illustrations are studies in restraint as he works his paper magic using a very limited boney palette of colors. The design of the book makes it rather like an archeological discovery, since you never know what bones you will find when you turn the page. Several of the pages fold out to offer large scale illustrations, including a full human skeleton. Along the way, readers are asked questions and get to think about the body, the bones and how they function.
A virtuoso book, pull this one out for Halloween and get some sweet science mixed in with the candy. It is appropriate for ages 7-10.
Yucky Worms by Vivian French, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg
A young boy was in his grandmother’s garden when she found a worm. He is disgusted by it, but his grandmother insists that he should be friends with worms. She then returned the worm to the ground to demonstrate which end of the worm was which. The book goes on to discuss in the grandmother’s voice different aspects of worms, what they eat, how they survive the winter, what worm castings are, and how they help the plants in the garden. The illustrations are light-hearted but can quickly become scientific when called for. This is a great blend of picture book and nonfiction facts presented in a winning way.
French’s use of a grandmother narrator works well here, framing the nonfiction in a story that makes it very approachable. It also allows the narrator to explain misconceptions that the young boy has about worms, like the widely held belief that worms can be cut in two and still survive. Not true! Ahlberg’s illustrations offer asides by the worms themselves, a mole carrying a grocery list, and wonderful views of below the ground.
A great book to share with children who want to know more about these wiggly creatures in the garden, this book reads like a picture book and offers facts for children who are looking for them. Readers of the book will quickly learn that worms are far from yucky. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
I’m very happy to be the concluding blog on the Interrupting Chicken blog tour!
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Stein’s new picture book will earn him even more fans in the picture book world. It is time for little red chicken to go to bed. Her father agrees to read her a story, but tells her not to interrupt. She promises not to. So he begins Hansel and Gretel but just as they are about to enter the witch’s house, little red chicken interrupts and changes the story. Her father tries again with Little Red Riding Hood with exactly the same result. Finally, after little red chicken pleads for another chance, he tries Chicken Little. She interrupts again and is still wide awake. So her sleepy father climbs into bed himself and has her read him a story. I wonder if interrupting runs in the family?
This book is a charmer and will have children laughing gleefully along as little red chicken continues to interrupt at just the right (or wrong) time. Stein’s short introductions to the familiar fairy tales nicely set up each story and lead to a climactic point. Then little red chicken’s interruptions add a great tone and speed to the text, filled with enthusiasm about the stories themselves. My favorite part is that she is so drawn into the stories that she feels she must help the characters. This book really is about the power of reading with a child.
Stein’s illustrations are done in a great palette of colors with reds, teals, blues and greens that are vibrant and exciting. The depth of color on the page is fantastic with few of the pages offering white space at all. This gives it a very warm, cozy feel.
A perfect read aloud, this book will be loved by anyone who hears it. The comedic timing is built into the story and it is a pleasure to share it aloud. Add this one to your pile of funny chicken books and your bedtime stories. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Candlewick.
Visit the other blogs that are part of the tour:
Aug. 9 – Picture Book Review, http://picturebookreview.com/
Aug. 10 – Katie’s Literature Lounge, http://katiesliteraturelounge.blogspot.com/
Aug. 11 – Readaholic, http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Aug. 12 – Two Writing Teachers, http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com
Aug. 13 – Not Just for Kids, http://notjustforkids.blogspot.com/
Aug. 14 – Milk and Cookies, Comfort Reading . . ., http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/
Aug. 15 – Bookworm’s Dinner, http://bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com/
Aug. 16 – Where the Best Books Are, http://wherethebestbooksare.blogspot.com/
Come to Me, My Chickadee! by Carol Thompson
A celebration of all of the pet names we use for our children, this book compiles names from around the world and from different cultures. Thompson melds these names into verses that have a lilting rhyme that is ideal for the youngest listeners. The end pages start the mood with the flowering and fruiting branches surrounded by endearments from around the world. Thompson’s friendly children of all different races make for inviting characters.
Thompson’s verse has a wonderful rhythm and rhyme that make reading it aloud great fun. There will be foreign words and endearments, but nicely Thompson uses most of them in rhymes so that readers can figure out how to pronounce them. Her illustrations are done in mixed media and capture the enthusiasm and energy of toddlers.
This one could become a favorite at bedtime and will lend itself to multiple readings. Appropriate for ages 1-3.
Reviewed from copy received from Child’s Play.
Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin, illustrations by Joe Berger
Hattie was a very good little girl until she realized how dull it was. Then she became Hattie the Bad, doing naughty but very fun things. The other children loved her, but their parents stopped letting them play with Hattie. So Hattie decided to be good again, perfect even. The parents started pushing their children to be more like Hattie, but then the children stopped playing with her because she was so perfect. Hattie was so very good that she even got an award for being the Best-Behaved Child Ever! When in front of the cameras and asked to speak, Hattie stopped being good for good.
This book is all about being true to yourself and not trying to be what others expect you to be. Hattie strikes a nice balance at the end of the book, being quite naughty, with “just a teensy bit of good.” Devlin’s writing is over the top, adding to the fun and zinging energy of the book. Berger matches that with his great illustrations. Though the cover has a limited orangey palette, the book uses a more full spectrum of color. Nicely, the illustrations have a bit of seventies vibe in them. Readers should have fun watching for the frogs to appear and reappear throughout the book as well as laughing in glee when Hattie turns back into herself.
A naughty girl, perhaps, but a very nice read. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial.
Side by Side/Lado a lado : the story of Delores Huerta and Cesar Chavez by Monica Brown, illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Released September 1, 2010
Bright and vibrant, this book tells the true story of Delores Huerta and Cesar Chavez and their fight for the rights of migrant farm workers. The book begins with both of them as children and their early connections to the needs of farm workers. The real change started when the two of them met and began working together on the cause. They traveled from town to town talking from the beds of trucks in fields. They successfully fought to get the poisons used on California grapes stopped. They marched for 340 miles to demand that workers get living wages. Cesar went on a hunger strike to get people to listen. The two worked together for 30 years and were two of the most important voices for labor change in the United States.
A bilingual book, this is a heartfelt homage to two heroes of our time. The writing is simple and honest, reflecting the subject matter with a great respect. For young readers, the book is fairly free of dates, leaving the heart of the story uncluttered. In the author note, readers can learn more about the dates and associations that were created. The focus of the book is on advocacy, action and passion. Things we all hope children will learn. Cepeda’s illustrations are strong and bright. Filled with rich colors, the illustrations underscore the normalcy of both Huerta and Chavez while capturing their energy and dedication as well.
An empowering and inspiring read, this book is appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from ARC received from HarperCollins.
Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman
I loved Chickens to the Rescue which was released in 2006 and this next book is just as winning and funny as the first! Each day of the week Farmer Greenstalk and his family need help. The tractor breaks down, the garden needs watering, a shoelace breaks and a kite gets stuck in the tree. In each case, the pigs launch in to help out, always leaving the situation a bit worse than when they “helped.” This zany book is sure to have guffaws galore as the illustrations are there to tell the rest of the story, especially the results of the pigs’ frenzied help. The book ends with a wonderful twist that will have readers laughing all over again.
Himmelman allows his illustrations to really tell the story here. The text is matter-of-fact, playing the straight man against the wild humor of the illustrations. The cartoon feel of the pictures works perfectly here with the larger-than-life humor that is mostly physical. Reluctant readers will enjoy the juxtaposition of the simple text against the vibrant background.
Sure to be a hit, this book will work best one-on-one because the illustrations should be enjoyed close up. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.
