The Unforgettable Season
By Phil Bildner, illustrated by S. Schindler
Published 2011 by Penguin Group
I have a hard time resisting baseball in pretty much any form. So this picture book caught my eye from the "New" shelf and I immediately gravitated to it. Bildner tells the story of 1941, the season of Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak and Ted Williams' best batting average. It explores the rivalry between the two men, as well as how fans reacted to these extraordinary feats (which, if I'm not mistaken, still stand today). A stirring tribute to the sport and two of its greatest players, I think this book would be a big hit for baseball fans of any age. The illustrations are simple and evoke the game well. The text is more advanced than a simple picture book, so I would recommend this for an older crowd. This book made me appreciate these great players even more.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Review: L is for Lone Star
L is for Lone Star: A Texas Alphabet
By Carol Crane
Published 2001 by Sleeping Bear Press
I know this particular company makes an alphabet book for seemingly everything, so I had kinda rolled my eyes at them whenever I saw them. But this one came across my path recently. And being a new Texas transplant, I thought I'd take a look and find out what exactly a Texas alphabet might look like. To my immense surprise and delight, this book was actually fun and educational. I learned a lot reading through the Texas alphabet - for example, did you know that the nine-banded armadillo (the state's official small mammal) always gives birth to identical quadruplets? Amazing, right? This book is full of other facts and information like that one and I think kids could have a lot of fun with them. A nice pictorial and alphabetical representation of the Lone Star State.
By Carol Crane
Published 2001 by Sleeping Bear Press
I know this particular company makes an alphabet book for seemingly everything, so I had kinda rolled my eyes at them whenever I saw them. But this one came across my path recently. And being a new Texas transplant, I thought I'd take a look and find out what exactly a Texas alphabet might look like. To my immense surprise and delight, this book was actually fun and educational. I learned a lot reading through the Texas alphabet - for example, did you know that the nine-banded armadillo (the state's official small mammal) always gives birth to identical quadruplets? Amazing, right? This book is full of other facts and information like that one and I think kids could have a lot of fun with them. A nice pictorial and alphabetical representation of the Lone Star State.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Review: All the Way to America
All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel
By Dan Yaccarino
Published 2011 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
This is another non-fiction picture book that I picked up at the library. Yaccarino tells the story of his family's immigration from Italy and the little shovel that accompanied them through it all. This is a nice little story of Yaccarino's family and how they came to America - changing the spelling of their name, searching for work, and using that little shovel sort of as a tribute to generations past. Normally, I wouldn't imagine that Yaccarino's illustration style would work for such a straightforward and serious story as this is, but, wonderfully, it does indeed work here. The illustrations are creative and interesting and I think they show the Yaccarino flair. I think this would be a wonderful book for storytimes - it's easy to imagine this as a jumping off point for discussions of our families and the traditions we have kept alive through the generations. A lovely book for children.
By Dan Yaccarino
Published 2011 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
This is another non-fiction picture book that I picked up at the library. Yaccarino tells the story of his family's immigration from Italy and the little shovel that accompanied them through it all. This is a nice little story of Yaccarino's family and how they came to America - changing the spelling of their name, searching for work, and using that little shovel sort of as a tribute to generations past. Normally, I wouldn't imagine that Yaccarino's illustration style would work for such a straightforward and serious story as this is, but, wonderfully, it does indeed work here. The illustrations are creative and interesting and I think they show the Yaccarino flair. I think this would be a wonderful book for storytimes - it's easy to imagine this as a jumping off point for discussions of our families and the traditions we have kept alive through the generations. A lovely book for children.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Review: The Marshmallow Incident
The Marshmallow Incident
By Judi Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett
Published 2009 by Scholastic Press
The Barretts are the creators of the fabulous Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, so when I spotted this other title by them on the shelves at the library, I picked it up for a quick read. This is a whimsical tale of a town divided right down the middle by a line. No one really knows where it came from or why it's there, but they have always respected it and the animosity between the people on either side of the line is clear. When someone accidentally strays over the line, the Knights who guard it let loose with their finest weaponry - cases and cases of marshmallows. This is a wonderfully irreverent and enjoyable picture book with a great message about tolerance and getting set in our ways. The illustrations are absolutely perfect for the story - full of details and hilarity. Delightful!
By Judi Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett
Published 2009 by Scholastic Press
The Barretts are the creators of the fabulous Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, so when I spotted this other title by them on the shelves at the library, I picked it up for a quick read. This is a whimsical tale of a town divided right down the middle by a line. No one really knows where it came from or why it's there, but they have always respected it and the animosity between the people on either side of the line is clear. When someone accidentally strays over the line, the Knights who guard it let loose with their finest weaponry - cases and cases of marshmallows. This is a wonderfully irreverent and enjoyable picture book with a great message about tolerance and getting set in our ways. The illustrations are absolutely perfect for the story - full of details and hilarity. Delightful!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Review: Okay for Now
Okay for Now
By Gary D. Schmidt
Published 2011 by Clarion Books
Doug Swieteck has just moved to upstate New York with his damaged family - his lost dad, his mousy mother, and his accused-criminal older brother. His other brother is fighting in Vietnam and may return home much different than anyone could expect. Doug will have to figure out how to make life in this new place work. What he finds includes ice cold Coke, John James Audubon, and Jane Eyre.
This book was just what I needed. After recently griping about the glut of teen sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal/dark and dreary I've been reading, when one of the librarians I work with put this in my hands, I took it home happily. This is a truly wonderful story. Let's see, what did I love about this? First of all, Doug - what a great narrator. Doug is the perfect example of a young teenage boy. And his story is just heartbreaking. I really felt for him - just reading about the bad things in his life and piecing together the whole story made me tear up. He is not always a sympathetic character and that's what makes him all the more realistic. Next, the rest of the cast of characters - from smart-aleck and beautiful Lil Spicer, to the wise and kind Mr. Powell, to the evil gym teacher Coach Reed, to all the customers of Doug's grocery route - Schmidt has populated his novel with wonderfully rich and entertaining characters from all walks of life. How they interact with and effect Doug creates a perfect story. And perhaps most of all, the beautiful and seamless integration of Audubon's work into the story and what it all comes to mean to Doug. This is a truly wonderful story about the power of art - because it is through his lessons with Mr. Powell at the altar of Audubon that Doug learns he is more than his circumstances and he can become whoever he chooses. A truly touching and wonderful novel. Highly recommended!
And just to note - I believe this is a companion to Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars, but I haven't read that one and found I didn't need to in order to enjoy this title.
By Gary D. Schmidt
Published 2011 by Clarion Books
Doug Swieteck has just moved to upstate New York with his damaged family - his lost dad, his mousy mother, and his accused-criminal older brother. His other brother is fighting in Vietnam and may return home much different than anyone could expect. Doug will have to figure out how to make life in this new place work. What he finds includes ice cold Coke, John James Audubon, and Jane Eyre.
This book was just what I needed. After recently griping about the glut of teen sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal/dark and dreary I've been reading, when one of the librarians I work with put this in my hands, I took it home happily. This is a truly wonderful story. Let's see, what did I love about this? First of all, Doug - what a great narrator. Doug is the perfect example of a young teenage boy. And his story is just heartbreaking. I really felt for him - just reading about the bad things in his life and piecing together the whole story made me tear up. He is not always a sympathetic character and that's what makes him all the more realistic. Next, the rest of the cast of characters - from smart-aleck and beautiful Lil Spicer, to the wise and kind Mr. Powell, to the evil gym teacher Coach Reed, to all the customers of Doug's grocery route - Schmidt has populated his novel with wonderfully rich and entertaining characters from all walks of life. How they interact with and effect Doug creates a perfect story. And perhaps most of all, the beautiful and seamless integration of Audubon's work into the story and what it all comes to mean to Doug. This is a truly wonderful story about the power of art - because it is through his lessons with Mr. Powell at the altar of Audubon that Doug learns he is more than his circumstances and he can become whoever he chooses. A truly touching and wonderful novel. Highly recommended!
And just to note - I believe this is a companion to Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars, but I haven't read that one and found I didn't need to in order to enjoy this title.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Review: The Last Badge
The Last Badge
By George McClements
Published 2005 by Hyperion
As a former Girl Scout, I was drawn to this picture book instantly. The charming tale of a young scout who longs to complete his last badge and prove his worth to his family, this book had me hooked. It's an adorable and endearing tale of family and bravery. The illustrations suit the light tone of the story and McClements adds his own light touches to the scouting tradition. The badges are cute and I think this book would be a huge hit among real scouts. A really fun and sweet read.
By George McClements
Published 2005 by Hyperion
As a former Girl Scout, I was drawn to this picture book instantly. The charming tale of a young scout who longs to complete his last badge and prove his worth to his family, this book had me hooked. It's an adorable and endearing tale of family and bravery. The illustrations suit the light tone of the story and McClements adds his own light touches to the scouting tradition. The badges are cute and I think this book would be a huge hit among real scouts. A really fun and sweet read.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Review: Henry Aaron's Dream
Henry Aaron's Dream
By Matt Tavares
Published 2010 by Candlewick Press
I am really into non-fiction picture books lately. Maybe it's because in school, one of my teachers stressed the importance of incorporating non-fiction into storytimes and these picture books are the perfect way to do so. Or maybe it's because you can learn so much in a short amount of space. Either way, if the non-fiction picture book is well done, I'm pretty much sold. Such is the case with this beautiful biography of baseball's home-run king (yes, he still is the home-run king, I don't care who Barry Bonds thinks he is) by the incredibly talented Tavares. This tells the tale of Aaron as a young child, enamored with America's pastime and how he wished to someday play in the big leagues. Of course, Aaron was watching when baseball (and most of America) was still segregated, so this dream seemed near impossible. But he never stopped believing and soon, he watched Jackie Robinson break the color barrier. This is a beautiful tribute to one of baseball's best players. Tavares' illustrations are lush and rich and easy to get lost in. I actually teared up while reading this (but maybe I'm just a big baseball softie). Highly recommended.
By Matt Tavares
Published 2010 by Candlewick Press
I am really into non-fiction picture books lately. Maybe it's because in school, one of my teachers stressed the importance of incorporating non-fiction into storytimes and these picture books are the perfect way to do so. Or maybe it's because you can learn so much in a short amount of space. Either way, if the non-fiction picture book is well done, I'm pretty much sold. Such is the case with this beautiful biography of baseball's home-run king (yes, he still is the home-run king, I don't care who Barry Bonds thinks he is) by the incredibly talented Tavares. This tells the tale of Aaron as a young child, enamored with America's pastime and how he wished to someday play in the big leagues. Of course, Aaron was watching when baseball (and most of America) was still segregated, so this dream seemed near impossible. But he never stopped believing and soon, he watched Jackie Robinson break the color barrier. This is a beautiful tribute to one of baseball's best players. Tavares' illustrations are lush and rich and easy to get lost in. I actually teared up while reading this (but maybe I'm just a big baseball softie). Highly recommended.
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