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Mo Willems continues fun pigeon series
New Orleans children’s author and illustrator Mo Willems continues his fun pigeon series with The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! (Hyperion Books).
Like his previous titles, one of which won a Caldecott Honor, our favorite pigeon demands a puppy. And like most children we know, he insists he will care for it and play with the puppy, then cries when he thinks he won’t get his way. When the puppy arrives, the pigeon realizes it has teeth, claws and “slobber” and changes his mind. But that doesn’t last long. He then wants a walrus.
Willems, who also writes the Knuffle Bunny books, brings to life early readers books by making them lively and fun. Kids will ask to read this one again and again.
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| Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino (Scholatic)
The Farley family heads off on a road trip, each one owning different talents. As they travel across America in this retro-style book (even the car looks likes a 60s station wagon), they report on each state, with both typical and unusual facts. In New Orleans, for instance, a fire engine must stop at a red light, even if it’s on its way to a fire (of course I had to wonder if that was just the legislators calling a traffic light a red light!). They mention the War of 1812, when the Battle of New Orleans was fought after the war had ended, and Carnival, but also add that the honeybee is the offical state insect. Mississippi mentions Edward Adolf Barq Sr. as inventing root beer (I thought Barq’s wasn’t a root beer — that's what the commercials used to say), Florida is the only state that has two rivers with the same name and in Texas we learn that the first word spoken on the moon was “Houston.” In the back are more fun facts about each state, such as the state motto, tree and nickname. It’s a fun way to learn U.S. geography, with a country map to guide kids through the states. |
| LSU
Press has published a charming children’s book titled Molly the Pony by Pam Kaster of Zachary, also author of Zydeco
Goes to Horse Camp. The
book tells the true story of Molly, a pony left behind to ride out Katrina and
who is rescued in its aftermath. Molly ends up living on her rescue farm but
suffers a terrible bite from a roaming dog that injures her front leg. Molly
receives a prosthetic limb after an amputation and then becomes a traveling
animal to children’s hospitals and nursing homes. Accenting
the book are photos of Molly and the children and elderly she meets. “Wherever
Molly goes, she leaves a trail of hoof prints and smiling faces,” the book
concludes. The
book also features the score of an original song titled An Extra Smile.
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| It’s tough growing up. That’s why there are many wonderful books to help children find their way, discover their identity or develop self-confidence.
Sharon Arms Doucet’s “Alligator Sue” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $17), which won the Young Readers’ Choice Award from the State Library of Louisiana, is a delightful tale of a young girl separated from her Cajun home in the Atchafalaya by a hurricane. Sue falls into an alligator nest, learns how to live in the wild with the reptiles and forgets her upbringing. But she doesn’t fit in. Mosquitoes plague her skin, the alligator den’s too cold and she can’t bellow like the others. When she discovers her old cabin, she realizes she is a girl, but she doesn’t exactly fit in there now either. In the end, when another hurricane threatens and she’s able to help her swamp friends by using her human attributes, she discovers who she really is — Alligator Sue!
“Am I A Color Too?” by Heidi Cole and Nancy Vogi and beautifully illustrated by Gerald Purnell (Illumination Arts, $15.95) tells the story of a young boy of a mixed race marriage who wonders what his nickname is based on his skin color. Is he black or white or something else? It’s a lovely book with a great moral: that people come in all colors and don’t need to be categorized by their skin. Marcolino reluctantly practices his piano every day in Davide Cali’s “Piano Piano” (Charlesbridge, $15.95). His mother insists he won’t be a grand pianist without the daily duty, but Marcolino sees that as her dream, not his. When his grandfather tells him his mother hated the chore as much as he does, Marcolino is thrilled. The next day his grandfather lets him pick out his own instrument and he chooses the tuba, which makes him very happy. Marcolino then practices every day so he can become a grand tuba player. “Daft Bat” by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross (Anderson Press, $16.95) explains how different perspectives should be valued. When Bat first arrives on the scene, the other animals think he’s daft because everything he sees is upside down. When they finally hang from their toes and view the world (with the book’s type upside down as well), they realize that Bat isn’t so daft after all; it’s how you look at the world. And when you turn the book to read the words, kids will experience Bat’s view as well, making the point even that much more effective. In “Those Shoes” by Maribeth Boelts (Candlewick, $15.99) Jeremy’s shoes are falling apart and his grandmother can’t afford the fancy high-tops he sees the other kids wearing. She insists on buying him snow boots with the little money they have. Jeremy finds a used pair of “those shoes” in the thrift shop but they’re too tight. He buys them anyway and suffers, but eventually returns to his taped-up shoes his teacher had given him. When he realizes Antonio has busted-up shoes too, but in a smaller size, he leaves the high-tops on his doorstep. When he attends school the next day and sees Antonio happy in “those shoes,” Jeremy feels happy too. And warm in his new snow boots as snow begins to fall. For plain ole fun, don’t miss the adorable “Chester” by author-illustrator Melanie Watt (Kids Can Press, $16.95). As Watt attempts to convey a mouse in the country tale, Chester, her cat, interferes, adding graffiti to the mouse photos and invading the story pages. It becomes a battle between illustrator and the mischievous cat until the very end when illustrator prevails. But not to worry, Chester has the last word. “Chester” is one of the cleverest books out and a true delight to read. Every inch of the book keeps the tug-of-war going between mouse and cat; even the book jacket and copyright page contains Chester’s interference. No doubt “Chester” will be a big hit with young readers.
The creators of “Guess How Much I Love You” have returned with two adorable board books that are sure to be a hit with small children. “Colors Everywhere” and “When I’m Big” by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram (Candlewick, $7.99), follow Big Nutbrown Hare as she shows her baby rabbit the world, from small creatures and how they grow to the colors that exist everywhere in nature.
Randy Ceil of Houston, who brought us the charming “Gator,” follows up with another imaginative tale called “Duck” (Candlewick, $15.99). Duck is a carousel animal who dreams of living beyond the playground and taking flight with a real flock. When a duckling stumbles into the park, Duck helps raise him. But when it’s time for Duckling to fly south, Duck must sacrifice her love for the little one and help get him off the ground. What’s so beautiful about this tale is the duckling’s return to the carousel in the spring where he helps Duck take flight beneath his wings, much like a parent teaching a child how to fly and then the child returns the favor to a parent.
Jon J. Muth offers more Zen teachings with his panda Stillwater in “Zen Ties” (Scholastic, $17.99). This time, Stillwater takes his nephew Koo (who he greets appropriately as “Hi, Koo!”) and the children of the neighborhood to help an elderly lady who is sick. The children are afraid of their grouchy neighbor, but their association with each other brings them all joy. As in his Caldecott Honor Book “Zen Shorts,” Muth offers some lessons and a few haikus. The play on words throughout the book will teach as well as entertain.
For some interactive fun, try “Rodeo” (Bright Sky Press, $15.95) by award-winning author Roxie Munro. The easy-to-read book that explains all the elements of a rodeo are complemented by 50 flaps that reveal pictures ranging from a rodeo dance to a long fold-out that animates calf roping. The wild bucks and cowboys jumping off the page are perfect for reluctant readers and young boys.
Two beautiful books that make perfect gifts as well as provide great reading are “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Inga Moore (Candlewick Press, $21.99) and “Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose” by Hugh Brewster (Kids Can Press, $17.95).
“The Secret Garden” is an enduring classic, first published in 1911 and republished continuously since, as well as made into several films. This edition juxtaposes Burnett’s timeless story with lovely illustrations on almost every page. It’s a great way to introduce the story to younger readers who might shy away from a paperback or for parents who want to experience the story again at their children’s bedtime.
One of John Singer Sargent’s most brilliant paintings is “Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose” and Brewster creates a fictional telling of how the painting came to be in this book of the same name. The story comes to life through the eyes of five-year-old Kate Millet who Sargent picks to pose for his paintings. In the end, two other children are chosen for “Carnation” but it is through the Millet household that the story unfolds. Packed with Sargent’s sketches, photos and paintings, this book is sure to captivate young artists.
March starts a host of spring holidays beginning with St. Patrick’s Day, and “The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever!” (Scholastic, $5.99) by Teddy Slater shows it off in rollicking rhyme as the Leprechaun family gets together to celebrate. Steven Kroll’s “The Biggest Easter Basket Ever” (Scholastic, $4.99) shows how working together can be more productive than competition when two mice join forces to create the biggest Easter basket in town. The book comes with a sheet of foil stickers inside.
For Earth Day, Laurie David, producer of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” and Cambria Gordon have created “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” (Scholastic, $15.99) for young readers. The book (printed on recycled paper, of course) is chock full of graphics, photos and animation sure to keep even the most wandering eyes on the page. The authors make the subject easy to understand and provide ways for kids to help out. Another handy little book to make children proactive in fighting pollution is “You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways You Can Make a Difference” (Scholastic, $4.99) by Jacquie Wines. |
| New Orleans author offers a pig’s adventures |
New Orleans author and illustrator Jean Cassels introduced an educated pig named Dr. David Harleyson who loves to paint portraits in The Mysterious Collection of Dr. David Harleyson (Walker & Company, $17.95). Mr. Harleyson travels the world and leaves his nephew a series of paintings with clues so that the youngster can piece the story together while readers learn about subjects from Mother Goose, Grimm and Aesop.
Cassels continues this innovative storytelling with Br’er Rabbit Captured! (Walker & Company, $17.95). Uncle Harleyson takes his nephew on a trip in the hopes of convincing Br’er Rabbit and neighbors to sit for portraits. Everyone is delighted with the honor, offering stories about Br’er Rabbit in the process, but the bunny proves illusive, especially when the fox and wolf continue to construct traps to nab him.
Beautifully illustrated, the book offers insights into the Uncle Remus stories while being thoroughly entertaining. | |
| A couple of great children’s books to read for Black History
Month include Tales of Famous Americans
by Connie and Peter Roop (Scholastic, $17.99) and Josephine’s Dream by Joan Betty Stuchner, illustrated by Chantelle
Walther (Silverleaf Press, $16.95).
Tales includes a mention of Madam C.J. Walker, born in the
delta of Louisiana in 1867. When Walker grew up and worked doing laundry, she
realized her hair had turned brittle with sections falling out. Through
experimentation, Walker developed hair products specifically for
African-American women. At one time, she was the wealthiest African-American
woman in America and she passed on this wealth to communities, churches and
political causes.
Josephine’s
Dream examines the real-life Josephine
Carson, born poor and who worked cleaning houses at a very young age. But her
dream of performing brought her to a group of street musicians and then into
theaters. Because of the hardships blacks endured during that time, Carson
traveled to Paris where she became Josephine Baker, a widely successful singer.
In France during World War II, she worked with the Resistance, which earned her
medals of honor, and later adopted children of many races and religions, which
she labeled the Rainbow Tribe. She also participated in the Civil Rights
Movement.
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| Sweet friendship blossoms in 'Skinny Dog' |
| Forest Hill (Louisiana) award-winning author Kimberly Willis Holt’s “Skinny
Brown Dog” (Henry Holt, $16.95) for young
readers, illustrated by Donald Saaf, is about an unlikely friendship that
occurs between a skinny brown dog and Benny, the town baker. When the pup arrives at the bakery, Benny insists he doesn't want a dog, even though he notices how the rug by the fireplace would be the perfect spot for a dog to lie. A friendship begins between the two, but Benny still denies a place for the skinny brown dog in his home. When an accident puts Benny in the hospital, he realizes how much he misses the dog and how his life has changed for the better by knowing him. It's a sweet tale that unfolds slowly like a deep friendship, gently illustrated so children will fall in love with the skinny brown dog and his baker friend, even when the dog's not so skinny by the end.
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| Couvillon performs great 'Chicken Dance' |
| Don Schmidt's self-absorbed mother may despise the chickens that came with her inherited farm on Horse Island, Louisiana, but Don is raptured by them.
When the age is reduced to 11 for entrants in the annual chicken judging contest at the fair Don enters and, using his newly acquired poultry expertise, wins. The blue ribbon catapults Don from being the "New Kid" in fifth grade (he moves there from Shreveport a few years back, but the name sticks) to enjoying minor celebrity in Jacques Couvillon's "The Chicken Dance" (Bloombury, $16.95).
The book follows Don's ascent into stardom chickenwise — the Horse Island Food and Furniture owner now demands to have dozens of Don's eggs every week and the school bully becomes Don's best friend — but the year also brings about big surprises, some that will change Don's life intently.
Couvillon's debut novel is one not to be missed. Young readers will delight in this humorous tale involving poultry that also offers emotional depth that will resonate long after they put the book down. | |
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