Review: How I Discovered Poetry

How I Discovered Poetry

By Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Published 2014 by Dial Books

Award-winning author Nelson poetically describes her development as an artist and her experiences growing up.

There was quite a bit of discussion about this book last year and its chances for winning some sort of literary award. Of course, it was difficult to find a book that discussed this book without also discussing the other well-known verse memoir published last year (which I actually read after this one). It was my year of no library books, so I missed out on this one, but it was one of the first things I checked out when I found myself with some time this year. This book did win a Coretta Scott King Award author Honor.

Is it horrible of me to admit that I'm not overly familiar with Nelson? I had previously read her verse biography of George Washington Carver, and that's about it. My interest in this title mainly stemmed from hearing it discussed by people I admire, all of whom quite enjoyed it. When it won an award, I knew I'd pick it up sooner rather than later.

I wish I'd picked it up even sooner. It's just absolute perfection. Every word is so skillfully chosen and comes together in a way that just leaves me speechless. I am in awe of Nelson's skills as a poet: each entry is written as an unrhymed sonnet. Nelson mirrors her actual development in each poem, with language developing more as the book progresses. It works so beautifully. The illustrations are simple and beautiful as well, and they complement the poetry perfectly. I was completely enchanted by this slim book and it is certainly deserving of its award.

Just a note: I found it interesting that most reviews of this book targeted it for slightly older readers, middle school to high school. I didn't find anything in it that would make me hesitate at giving it to an upper elementary reader.

Review: Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming
By Jacqueline Woodson
Published 2014 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Award-winning author Woodson poetically relates her life growing up and how she came to find her passion in writing.

This is, of course, the other verse memoir that everyone was talking about last year. Once again, I didn't get around to it until this year, after it had won nearly every award under the sun. I actually read this after I read Marilyn Nelson's similar-but-different memoir, so it's extremely difficult not to compare the two.

I suppose it's a good thing that they're both damn good books. In fact, I'm not sure I could pick one over the other. Nelson's is more technical, just 50 poems but each powerful and perfect. Woodson's is more free-flowing and ranges over 300 pages, but each capturing the feelings and moments in a beautiful way. I don't want to spend the whole review comparing the two. Let's just say they're both brilliant and you should not ignore either in favor of the other; they both deserve your attention.

Woodson's memoir left me with more questions. Perhaps because she takes a wider-ranging approach, I wondered more about what I wasn't being told. What happened with her birth father (he is mentioned again in the author's note, but I would have liked to read more as their relationship was being rebuilt)? What did Woodson's family think when she found success as an author? I think I would happily read another 300 pages of Woodson's beautiful verse to hear more of her life story.

My favorite part was when she described how her mother must have felt losing her brother - it so perfectly expressed the grief of losing a sibling that I felt like she plucked it right out of my own head and heart. Really, it's just proof of how amazing a writer Woodson is and how we should all be reading her beautiful words.

This is a phenomenal book to recommend to any aspiring young writer, or any child who has had a rough beginning, or anyone who worries that they might never find the thing that will make them special, the thing they can do better than anyone. In actuality, this is a book for all readers, and I'm so thrilled it was showered with awards.

Review: Finding Serendipity

Finding Serendipity
By Angelica Banks
Published 2015 by Henry Holt and Co.

Tuesday's mother is probably the most famous author in the world, the writer of the beloved Vivienne Small books. Just when she's about to finish the final book, Tuesday enters her mom's writing room and finds it empty. Just like that, Tuesday is off on an adventure to find her mother - and discover things about herself she couldn't have imagined.

Another of the ARCs to appear at my library recently, I immediately put it into the piles of ones I wanted to read before passing along. I read through it pretty quickly once I started - I didn't want to put it down.

I was completely charmed by this book. I loved Tuesday - she's smart and adventurous and loving and resourceful. She's completely devoted to her family, including her dog Baxterr, and they are just as devoted to her. The adventure is fun and exciting, with a few tense moments. I particularly enjoyed the bit where Tuesday begins to feel hopeless - it was quite beautifully written. In fact, the writing throughout is evocative and descriptive and works really well for the story.

Calling a children's book inspirational feels a bit like the kiss of death, but this book definitely stirred something within the cockles of my cold adult heart. Because, you see, this is a book about the power of reading and writing, and it evokes the beauty and struggle of both of those things perfectly. I completely loved it. It made me remember how much I loved writing when I was younger, something I don't do at all anymore (at least not creative writing) and made me question why I stopped. It made me want to pick up pen and paper again and find the writer who used to live inside me and see if she could live again. It also made me terrified that I could never come up with something as creative as my favorite stories and left me in awe of every writer who puts themselves out there, at the mercy of readers.

I was so charmed by this book that I'll happily recommend it to readers. I think, perhaps, it will work best as a family read-aloud, but I'll suggest it far and wide.

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

Review: A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans

A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
By Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder
Expected publication March 10, 2015 by Crown Books for Young Readers

When Miss Drake's beloved pet human passes on, she doesn't really expect to inherit another. But Winnie arrives, believing Miss Drake to now belong to her. Winnie is thrilled to discover the magical world she never knew. But an unfortunate encounter with an enchanted sketchbook sets Winnie's dangerous sketchlings loose on the city. Can Miss Drake and her new pet set everything right again?

I downloaded this one because I thought it sounded cute, plus it's written by Laurence Yep, a very prolific children's book author. I don't have terribly much to say about this one. It's very short - less than 175 pages - so it was a very quick read. I think it took me maybe 90 minutes to read the whole thing. It's very cute - a gentler sort of fantasy than a lot of what has been coming out for middle-grade readers. But this is maybe a little simpler than I'd expect from a middle-grade read. I'd definitely recommend this for the younger end of the age level. Like I said, it's very cute. I was charmed by Miss Drake and Winnie and the myriad magical creatures they encounter. The story is a bit simplistic, and it's pretty easy to see where things are going. There are hints of a deeper story, which perhaps will come in future volumes (this is billed as the first in a new series). I thought the relationship that developed between the two characters was sweet, and there is enough of a greater magical world hinted at that I'd like to learn more about. Overall, though, it was a bit simplistic for me. Cute enough, but nothing special.

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

Picture Book Saturday

Two Hands to Love You
By Diane Adams, illustrated by Paige Keiser
Published 2014 by Chronicle Books
This is a great gift book for new parents. It highlights all the ways a child is loved and all the different people who will love that child. The love takes a variety of forms, shown through a number of different activities. It's a very sweet book, with very soft and simple illustrations. The book has a nice rhythm, adding to its soothing nature. This is a perfect book for sharing one-on-one, and one that will reassure children they will be loved no matter what. It may be a little cloying for some, so know your reader.

Lily the Unicorn
By Dallas Clayton
Published 2014 by HarperCollins
This book was made for my boss. It's not a bad thing, but it definitely appeals to a certain kind of person. It's a bit much for me personally, but I can see a lot of kids who will love this book. This is a very simple book of contrasts between Lily and her friend Roger. But this book is really not that simple - it's crammed with details. I mean, crammed. Kids will certainly have fun discovering all the details, and it's great for sharing on an individual basis but I can't imagine it would work in a storytime setting. Like I said, just a bit much for me but will definitely have its fans.

Toucan Can!
By Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Sarah Davis
Published 2014 by Gecko Press
It's not secret that I am not a fan of birds. However, the toucan on the cover of this one is just too adorable to resist. This book will tell you all the things that the brightly-colored toucan can do and wonders if you can do them, too. It's a tongue-twister rhyme that will have you barreling along until you can't keep the words straight anymore. This would be an interesting one to try in storytime - would the kids find it hilarious when you stumble? The illustrations are a lot of fun and may make up for the times when the words are moving too fast. This book is sure to be the bane of existence for some parents.

Review: Blue Birds

Blue Birds
By Caroline Starr Rose
Expected publication March 10, 2015 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Alis has just arrived with her parents in the New World, eager to claim the land for England. But her eagerness is soon replaced by trepidation, as her beloved uncle is nowhere to be found. It soon becomes clear that the relationship with the local natives is strained at best, deadly at worst. But Alis has a hard time believing that Kimi, a Roanoke girl she meets, could ever mean her harm. Will the two groups reach an understanding?

I was pleased to see a new book by Rose show up on my radar. I enjoyed her previous title, May B. (though apparently, I never reviewed it). Perhaps my enjoyment was due to the combination of two things I love: historical fiction and novels in verse. If that's the case, then her new book was definitely another to look forward to.

It only took me a few hours to read this one - the benefit of reading a novel in verse, I suppose. However, Rose certainly does an excellent job creating a compelling world through that verse. I think, perhaps, this story is well-suited to the verse format because there is an emphasis on experiencing nature. Alis truly falls in love with the untamed island of Roanoke, something I don't think she initially expects. She obviously doesn't expect to befriend a native girl, either, and the blossoming of their friendship is quite lovely to watch. I liked that both girls were clearly looking to replace something they'd lost when they find each other and that neither is deterred by their lack of commonalities.

While I liked that the story is set on Roanoke Island, I also liked that Rose didn't make too much of the mystery of what happened to those first settlers. She discusses it more in an author's note at the end, but really, her story is of the two girls, and I think it works well to keep it that way. I also was surprised by the ending, something I wasn't expecting.

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

Review: The Imaginary

The Imaginary
By A.F. Harrold, illustrated by Emily Gravett
Expected publication March 3, 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Rudger doesn't care that he's imaginary - Amanda can see him and that's all that matters. But, it turns out Amanda isn't the only one who can see him. The evil Mr. Bunting hunts imaginaries and he's found Rudger. He'll stop at nothing to devour Rudger. But what happens to an imaginary friend when his friend stops believing?

I was really excited that this ARC showed up at my work. I remember hearing about it a while back and thinking it sounded really interesting. Plus, I knew it was illustrated by Emily Gravett and I love her style, so that made me even more curious.

This was a very compelling and quick read, but it's also pretty dark. I can definitely see certain sensitive children being scared witless by some of the action in this book, but for kids who can't get enough of Coraline and its brethren, I think this definitely hits the right notes. While I found Amanda to be a bit of a prat, I think the driving force of this book is Rudger. He wants nothing more than to be the best friend he can be for Amanda. However, after he encounters Mr. Bunting and the other imaginaries, he becomes just as determined to put an end to the evil.

While it can be pretty dark, it can also be quite amusing. It's not terribly surprising either; the bad guy is malevolently bad, the good guy is beatifically good, and the ending is about what you'd expect. But I really enjoyed the journey with this book. I think Gravett's illustrations add just the perfect touch to the story and I think the finished package will be a sight to behold.

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