Picture Book Saturday

Oink-a-Doodle-Moo!
By Jef Czekaj
Published 2012 by Balzer + Bray
I like Czekaj's books because they often let the reader in on a sly trick or a silly joke. In this case, if you've ever played the game "Telephone," you pretty much know that things are going to go poorly once the message starts being passed around the farmyard. This would be a great storytime read-aloud, if only because it would be so difficult to do so and kids would find your struggles hilarious. The illustrations are simple and complement the story well.

Zorro Gets an Outfit

By Carter Goodrich

Published 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Zorro and Mister Bud do pretty much everything together and are treated the same way. Until the unspeakable happens - Zorro receives a cape and hood that he is forced to wear. He is humiliated - even the neighborhood cat makes fun of him as the dogs walk through town together. But will another pooch's outfit change Zorro's mind? Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is Zorro himself. He is rendered so adorably in the illustrations, with the most expressive little doggie face imaginable. I love the story here and think kids would really enjoy this one.

Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O'Keeffe Painted What She Pleased

By Amy Novesky, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Published 2012 by Harcourt Children's Books

Sometimes I wonder how authors get inspired to write picture books about such specific moments in history. This book is a perfect example, recounting the time when renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe was commissioned by The Hawaiian Pineapple Company to create paintings for them. The company sent O'Keeffe to live in Hawaii and take inspiration from what she found there but apparently crossed the line when they tried to dictate exactly what O'Keeffe's paintings should contain. This is an absolutely gorgeous book, wonderfully capturing the spirit of O'Keeffe, as well as her lush and beautiful artwork. Morales' illustrations are simply divine. Kids will appreciate O'Keeffe's stubbornness and her desire to paint what spoke to her. An author's note, illustrator's note, and map are included, though a bibliography lists only one source.

What to Do If an Elephant Stands On Your Foot

By Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Published 2012 by Dial

Y'all - I will praise Peter Reynolds' illustrations until the day I die, so you know why I had to read this one. This is a circular story, similar to Laura Joffe Numeroff's If You Give... series, as well as an interactive story, much like Jan Thomas' books. This book is just begging to be read aloud at storytime - kids will love reacting to the various jungle situations in which the main character ends up. I love that the illustrations set the scene in a simple way - basically I just want Peter Reynolds to illustrate my life. I cannot wait to try this book out on a group of preschoolers and see their reactions.

Review: The Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock
By Kristin Levine
Published 2012 by Putnam Juvenile

Marlee is shy - she doesn't like speaking to people she doesn't know. As a result, she doesn't have many friends. When a new girl, Liz, comes along, she's brave and not afraid to say what she thinks. Marlee likes her almost instantly. But, almost before she knows it, Liz is gone, replaced by rumors that she is a Negro girl, passing as white. Marlee doesn't want to lose her best friend so soon after finding her - she'll face down integration and danger if that's what it takes to keep Liz in her life.

This book was getting quite a bit of buzz when I picked up a copy at ALA Midwinter, though I didn't get around to reading it until the fall. However, once I read it, I found the buzz well-deserved. This is an evocative, honest, and, at times, brutal depiction of an oft-neglected historical period: the time after the Little Rock Nine integrated. I love that Levine felt that this was the story to tell. Many historical fiction books dealing with Civil Rights seem to focus on the time period up to integration or a number of years after. Levine sets her story in Arkansas one year after integration has occurred - segregationists are scrambling to find a way to stop integration from happening and emotions are running at an all-time high. I like that Levine gives us different ways to see what's happening - Marlee's friendship with Liz is the main narrative focus, but we also hear about Marlee's sister and a number of other high schoolers being sent away to attend school elsewhere. Marlee's parents (who are teachers) find their every move scrutinized and their careers in jeopardy with increasing frequency. And, while this is a story about the big issue of integration and treating your fellow humans with compassion and understanding, this is also a story about Marlee growing up and finding her own voice. I thought Levine did a wonderful job of balancing the global (the issue of integration) with the local (Marlee's coming of age). It all flows together nicely and I didn't feel like one story took away from the other. I love that there are times when Marlee makes decisions that negatively impact Liz and her family. Marlee simply wants to be a good friend but, as a white child, she does not see things from the same perspective as Liz and her family. The books feels impeccably researched - there is a tremendous sense of place and time in the novel, making me want to learn more about our nation's ongoing struggle with civil rights. I love that, even outside the big message of the story, there is a significant message about the importance of speaking up and being heard. I think this is a truly wonderful book and will definitely be recommending it highly.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.

Some thoughts: ALA Youth Media Awards

Well, if you're like me, I know what you were doing the morning of Monday, January 28, 2013: watching (either in person or online via live-stream) the ALA Youth Media Awards. This year, I tuned in online and it was just as exciting as being there in person last year (well, maybe not, but it was still pretty exciting). I have been avidly following reviews and buzz, reading Heavy Medal and Someday My Printz Will Come, and trying my own hand at predicting the winners. I did not fare well at all, prediction-wise, but I have some thoughts about the winners and I'd like to share them (and please share your thoughts as well!).

I don't really have opinions on all the awards - I don't have time to follow them all with the same level of rabidity. I think the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults and Morris Award winners were no surprises - after the shortlists were announced, I think both categories had pretty clear frontrunners and those frontrunners took home the awards. I am of two minds about the overlap between the ENYA and the Sibert - it is fantastic that the three books that made both lists are so truly distinguished that they score multiple honors; however, there was no shortage of great non-fiction this last year and it would have been nice to see more diverse titles honored (I say this even with my depressing showing of non-fiction reading this year - I know there were a lot of great books out there that I didn't get to).

I was surprised that I had only read one of the Stonewall books: October Mourning, which was truly excellent. Given the buzz, I expected to see The Miseducation of Cameron Post on the list, but I will definitely be checking out the titles that were honored as soon as I can. I am so impressed with the honors bestowed on Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - I'd heard of the book but hadn't read it yet. I will definitely need to change that ASAP - except my library doesn't own a copy yet. I've been assured it's on order - I'll be stalking our catalog to put my name on the holds list.

I am not surprised to see Tamora Pierce win the Margaret A. Edwards Award - it seems like it's been a long time coming. Though I've never read her, I know she's done important work in the fantasy genre, especially with regards to female characters. I also know many people who grew up reading and loving those books - I just wasn't a fantasy reader in high school. I'll definitely check her out when I get a chance. I'm also not surprised to see Katherine Paterson win the Laura Ingalls Wilder. Personally, she's not my favorite author, but she has definitely made a lasting contribution to literature for young people.

Though I wasn't of the camp that believed Wonder would receive Newbery love, I thought it was a shoo-in for recognition from the Schneider Family Book Award. Perhaps the love for it has faded over the year since it was published? Regardless, I am definitely interested in checking out A Dog Called Homeless - I've seen it on our shelves and didn't know it dealt with the disability experience at all.

The Printz seemed to be a whole slew of surprises - and I'm ashamed that I've only read one of the Honor books. Once again, I really need our library to get a copy of Aristotle and Dante - I've already checked out In Darkness and Dodger to read as soon as I can. I love when there is a book that's completely out of left field - I mean, who had heard of The White Bicycle before? I'm pleased that Code Name Verity received an Honor - it is a truly excellent book. But I can't help but be a little sad that The Fault in Our Stars received no love (excepting the audio version's Odyssey Award win). I admire all the hard work the committee did and I trust their decision - it's just a book I love so much that I want it to get all the love.

I love, love, love that the Caldecott committee named five Honor books - the illustrations in picture books just keep getting more and more stunning and I love that the committee made it known. I am especially thrilled that Peter Brown received an Honor for Creepy Carrots! - his work continually amazes me. I also really loved Green and am not surprised to see its Honor. What I really love is that This is Not My Hat won the whole shebang - I think Klassen is doing really interesting things in picture book illustration and I love this book so very much.

Not a ton of surprise with the Newbery - I'd seen all the books in various discussions and I definitely cheered out loud when The One and Only Ivan won. It's a beautiful book with tremendous appeal - I can't wait to read it again and share it with kids. Personally, I'm surprised that Three Times Lucky honored - I don't remember being that impressed with it. I guess you never know!

What are your thoughts?

Review: What We Saw at Night

What We Saw at Night
By Jacquelyn Mitchard
Published 2013 by Soho Teen

Allie Kim suffers from XP - xeroderma pigmentosum - a severe allergy to the sun that leaves her to live in the night world. Thankfully, she's not alone - her two best friends have XP as well, and the three of them have inhabited their nighttime world together. But things begin to seem a bit off with Juliet - and then Allie sees something disturbing one night, something that might possibly be murder. What's really going on here?

Well, I think my review could be summed up by simply repeating that last question: what's really going on here? I requested this title because it sounded like it had potential - I'm hoping that mystery is the next big thing in youth literature and the intrigue of XP definitely gave this one a twist. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me at all. Mainly this is because I can't answer the question I've asked twice - I have no idea what the heck is going on in this book. I don't know if it's a matter of poor execution or poor plot or both. But I'll try to take a closer look and see if I can find some answers.

Execution-wise: this book is not well-written. I'm struggling to remember whether I've read Mitchard before (edit: I've just looked - I read All We Know of Heaven and actually specifically mentioned that I thought it was well-written) but if I go by this book alone, I'd struggle to know how she is a successful author. Many, many times throughout the book (too many to count) the writing just didn't make sense - I found myself wondering if I'd somehow managed to skip a paragraph or a page or something but I never did. The writing is just disjointed and the narrative does not work well at all. I rolled my eyes at the melodrama that is Allie - and when I spend too much time rolling my eyes over a character, chances are the book is not going to be a win for me. I get that Allie and her friends live a very unique life and may experience a bit of arrested development, their exposure to the greater world being severely limited by their medical condition. But that makes me want to be sympathetic to them and it sort of feels like Mitchard is doing everything in her power to make Allie annoying so I won't feel any sympathy for her. She is a bit too much for me, I'm afraid. But is this poor writing simply due to a poor plot?

There is so much going on here and none of it is what I thought this book was going to be about. There is the exploration of friendships changing and perhaps dying as people grow up and change. An exploration of how a shift in one relationship can cause many seismic shifts in other relationships across the board. There is the exploration of a life so outside the realm of what most would consider normal, and how an otherwise typical teenager deals with this life. And then there is the mystery - the so-called murder that Allie spies one night. As with the narrative, this entire plot line felt disjointed and confusing - it made no sense to me. I felt like Allie was constantly searching in every conceivable direction for the answers and it irritated the crap out of me. The best part is that, though the murder happens relatively quickly in the book, the bulk of the investigation into it doesn't play out until maybe 3/4s of the way through, and even then seems secondary to everything else going on. The inclusion of Parkour really threw me - what does this have to do with anything? For a book published by a mystery/crime imprint, I expected more focus on the mystery.

In the end, this was just not a book I enjoyed and I have a difficult time figuring out who I'd recommend this book to.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via NetGalley.

Program + Review: beTWEEN the lines

Well, I definitely don't have much to say about December's installment of our tween book club. The kids seem to be coming pretty consistently now, which is nice. I did have a few new attendees in December - one regular book-clubber brought two of her friends, and another boy showed up. The group of friends made for a slightly more difficult group to control - they seemed more interested in just chatting with each other than in participating in the discussion. Actually, that's probably the most interesting thing to note about December's discussion: this is the book that I came up with the most discussion questions for and yet this was the book that the kids seemed to have a hard time with contributing. We soldiered through, but this was our shortest discussion to date. We finished up with voting for February and handing out copies of January's title.

Our December title was:
Mockingbird
By Kathryn Erskine
Published 2010 by Philomel
Caitlin's life is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Her brother, Devon, used to help her figure out the in between stuff. But Devon is gone now. When Caitlin discovers that what she needs in closure, she begins a search for it the only way she knows how.

I don't have a lot to say about this book because it was a re-read for me. I found it just as effective on the second read. Caitlin is an easy character to understand and root for, and this unique portrayal of grieving is powerful and realistic. The kids really seemed to like the book; a couple told me that they had chosen to do school projects based on it. They liked the different perspective this story gave them, though none of them knew what Asperger's was. I found that very surprising - they knew about autism but not Asperger's. I do feel that this book tries to do too much - it wants to be about a school shooting, and it wants to be about a girl with Asperger's, and it wants to be about dealing with grief and healing. But, it's an excellent book, one I highly recommend.

Picture Book Saturday

Boot & Shoe
By Marla Frazee
Published 2012 by Simon & Schuster Children's Books
Boot and Shoe were born in the same litter. They eat out of the same dish and they do the same things every day. But Boot naps on the back porch while Shoe stakes out the front porch. This suits them fine, until a crazy squirrel comes along and stirs things up. I love the simplicity of the story and the illustrations here; it works perfectly and makes this book very appealing for young ones. This is a very sweet story about friends. My only complaint, if you will, is that the dogs look more like cats.

The Ant & the Grasshopper
By Rebecca and Ed Emberley
Published 2012 by Roaring Brook Press
Once again, the Emberleys are adapting traditional fables in their inimitable style. In this case, however, they are taking their adaptation even further. Once you start reading this book, you may realize that it doesn't have much in common with the traditional tale besides its name. In this version of the tale, the ant hears the sweet and sassy music played by the grasshopper and his friends and forgets her work to find the source. The illustrations are incredibly vibrant and feel imbued with the music. I love the bright colors and style, but it's not my favorite story.

The Three Ninja Pigs
By Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat
Published 2012 by Putnam Juvenile
Okay, it's pretty clear that I probably wouldn't have picked up this book if it hadn't been illustrated by Dan Santat. I just completely love his style - it's fun and evocative and really interesting. But, I might have given this a shot even with a different illustrator - I'm a fan of retellings and this one definitely takes the story in a different direction. The three pigs don't understand why the wolves won't just leave everybody alone, but they're not going to take it. So, each pig signs up for a different kind of martial arts that they plan on using the next time a wolf tries to bully someone. This is a fun new version of "The Three Little Pigs" that I think kids will enjoy.

Princess in Training
By Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Joe Berger
Published 2012 by Harcourt Children's Books
Who says princesses don't skateboard or karate chop? Well, Princess Viola's parents for one. So they send her to Camp Princess, where she will learn true princess things, like the royal wave and waltzing. When a dragon shows up at Camp Princess, though, Viola can't resist showing off her special skill set. This would be a fun book for a little princess who also likes more rough and tumble activities (which I think is a good percentage of little princesses). The illustrations are perfect for depicting Viola's sweet and spunky sides. It's a pretty basic story but definitely has kid appeal.

Review: Every Day

Every Day
By David Levithan
Published 2012 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Every day, A wakes up in a new body. Will it be male or female? Happy or sad? In a relationship or single? A doesn't know - just a new body every day. So A has made some rules: don't get attached, try not to stick out, and don't interfere. But the rules go out the window the day A wakes up in Justin's body and meets his girlfriend, Rhiannon. A has found someone worth breaking the rules for.

Do I really need to explain why I wanted to read this book? I like Levithan, this book got tons of buzz before and after it was released, and that concept is insanely interesting. I wanted to read this book so much that I bought a hardcover copy and had it signed by Levithan at the Texas Book Festival before I read it. This is another book that made the shortlist of Pyrite contenders over at Someday My Printz Will Come, automatically bumping it up in my TBR queue.

So, what do I think of this one? I'm going to start by saying that I made a very conscious choice in that previous paragraph when I said I liked Levithan - I chose not to say I love him. I want to love him - I think he's publishing great books that meet teens where they are at - but for me, I haven't enjoyed all his books as much as I hoped to. So, when I heard people saying this was his best book yet, I had high hopes. Did they pan out? Yes - and no. While I really truly enjoyed this book, I did find some flaws.

I loved this book's concept and the deeper, more intense questions that concept left for Levithan and readers to explore. How can we truly know another person? A struggles with this, even when he (I'm sorry, I'm going to default to the masculine pronoun here) sees their lives "from the inside." But how much of each body's life is A really seeing? After all, he is only there for one day - and then he'll be in a new body. And while A talks often of "accessing" the body's memories and thoughts, there are a few instances where A believes he knows better than those accessed memories. It's very interesting, and something I think teens will really love to spend time thinking about.

Another thing I enjoyed - how romantic this book is. It is and it isn't a typical romance - after all, two people meet and feel a connection but can't be together for some reason. It's just that, in this case, the reason is extraordinary. Though the romance in this book is a case of insta-love, it didn't feel as hokey and unbelievable as those types of romance usually do. I'm not sure if I can pinpoint why this felt different - maybe it's just how strongly and deeply A feels for Rhiannon. Maybe it's partly because neither of them are crazy or scary. I don't know - but this book feels like a love letter to love and it's beautiful to read that. It's going to sound super lamesauce to say this, but it made me remember all the most amazing things about falling for someone and all the amazing and wonderful things about being with someone you love. BUT - even though I enjoyed the romance, it was problematic. A has rules for a reason and I find it a bit hard to believe that he would just throw them all out in his attempt to be with Rhiannon. Because what A is doing by continuing to see her, day after day, body after body, is essentially kidnapping that body for the day. A has no regard for what his host is supposed to be doing each day, choosing instead to seek out Rhiannon. It became uncomfortable for me, as a reader, to see this behavior continue.

Something else I found interesting: Nathan's story. I know we are supposed to be on A's side here, but I completely understand where Nathan is coming from and I think this is another really fascinating issue for readers to explore. I like that there are not a whole heap of answers when we get to the end. Is A a victim? Or something else?

Like many others, I, too, found A's experience in the fat body problematic. Though A does express discomfort with a host's situation at other points in the book, none of them seem to reach the same degree as when A is inhabiting a fat body. In a book that appears to be, at least on one level, about tolerance and love is love no matter what, this depiction is unacceptable. It does not, at all, jibe with A's until-then complete acceptance of the body he's inhabiting. There is a chapter before this where A is hosted by a drug addict, and A is uncomfortable, attempting to fight the body's overwhelming need for a hit. Yet even this is not portrayed with as much discomfort and disgust as when A inhabits the fat body. I just - I expected better from Levithan.

All right, I think I've rambled long enough. As this is most likely the last Printz-worthy contender I'll get to before the announcements, I'll go ahead and throw out a prediction. Though it's not my favorite book of the year, I'm hard-pressed to ignore Code Name Verity as one of the, if not the one, most distinguished books published for young adults this year. I think this gets the gold, hopefully with a number of Honor titles. This was an excellent year for YA fiction and I'm definitely eager to see the announcement.