|
visit my book blog  email me |
That Don't Preach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 
Oscar and the Mooncats
by Lynda Gene Rymond, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli Houghton Mifflin (October 2007) ISBN-10: 0618563164, ISBN-13: 978-0618563166 My rating: Oscar loved his boy. He also loved stinky cat food for breakfast and crunchy cat food for dinner. He loved his catnip mouse and his red pillow by the window. More than anything else, though, he loved to jump up to places where he could watch...everything. --Oscar and the Mooncats, by Lynda Gene Rymond, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli, p. 1-4.
Oscar, the cat, loves his boy, and food, and his catnip mouse--but most of all, jumping to high places. One day he leaps so high he lands on the moon. There he is distracted by mooncats, who want to make him one of them. Oscar almost falls to the temptation--but then he hears his boy calling, and he finds his way home, even past difficulties. Oscar and the Mooncats The story is told from Oscar the cat's perspective, and many details feel true to a cat--his love of stinky wet food, his boy, and leaping from height to height where he can watch everything. Rymond (The Village of Basketeers Rymond's text has a homey feel, added to by the concrete everyday details, such as stinky wet cat food, the boy in the bubble bath, toads in the lettuce patch. Rymond lets the reader know what Oscar's normal life is like before he makes the great leap that takes him all the way to the moon. When Oscar meets the mooncats, everything changes, and a subtle thread of danger runs through the story, one that sensitive or mature readers will pick up on; when Oscar asks the mooncats questions, they look at each other and smile, and they keep encouraging him to drink the moon cream. This sense of danger and tension is also built up by Oscar almost taking a drink of the moon cream three times, and three times being interrupted before he actually does. Readers are then let into the secret of what would have happened if Oscar had drunk the moon cream--he would have forgotten his boy and become a mooncat, and his boy wouldn't know him. This makes the ending all the more poignant when Oscar finds his way home, against many odds, that he's scooped up and loved by his boy. Read the whole review here!  
Like a Windy Day
written and illustrated by Frank Asch and Devin Asch Voyager Books/Harcourt (March 2008) ISBN-10: 0152064036, ISBN-13: 9780152064037 My rating: I want to play like a windy day. I want to zoom down hillsides and race through streets. I want to scatter seeds turn windmills, fly kites --Like a Windy Day, by Frank Asch, illustrated by Devin Asrch, p. 1-8.
Have you ever felt excited when the wind blows strongly, and wanted to join in? The girl in Like a Windy Day Frank Asch (Happy Birthday, Moon Read the whole review here!  
Un-Brella
by Scott E. Franson Roaring Brook Press (April 2007) ISBN-10: 1596431792, ISBN-13: 978-1596431799 My rating: Have you ever wanted to have some toasty warmth on a cold winter day, or some refreshing cold on a hot summer day? I sure have--and so has the girl in Un-Brella Franson piques reader curiosity by the second spread; the first spread shows the young girl peering out at the cold, snowy day, and the second spread shows her reaching for her summer outfits and choosing a bathing suit. By the next spread, reader tension and curiosity increases, as the girl is clearly ready for an outing to a beach or somewhere in the sun, and then we're faced with astonishment as the girl goes outside in the snow, dressed in only flippers, a bathing suit, and sun glasses, carrying her un-brella. This tension builds up nicely, and is immediately released into a feeling of wonder as the girl opens her un-brella and all is revealed--summer pops up beneath its canopy, warming her and the earth. There's also a great foreshadowing in the early spreads, with photos on the wall showing the snowman in the fall, spring, and summer, as well as the winter. Franson creates a great sense of play and fun, showing the path that the girl took through the snow by the green summer path she leaves, and through having her engage in fun, magical play such as bathing in small pond with her inflatable toy, a goldfish, and a penguin that happens by, while the rest of the world is blanketed in snow. Later, winter moves into spring, then summer, and then the girl is back with her un-brella, bringing winter fun to the hot summer, creating snow angels, skating on the pond, sliding down the hill, and creating snow men, while all around her summer blossoms. Read the whole review here!  
Space Boy
by Leo Landry Houghton Mifflin (September 2007) ISBN-10: 0618605681, ISBN-13: 978-0618605682 My rating: The moon shined brightly as Nicholas readied for bed. This is what he could hear: his baby sister crying in her crib, the dog barking to be let out, and the radio blaring on the front porch. Even the noises from his neighborhood floated through his open window. Too loud, thought Nicholas, holding his ears, and I'm NOT going to bed! In that moment, Nicholas made a decision. Space Boy, by Leo Landry, p. 1-4 We all need some alone time, sometimes--some time away from noise and people and distractions. This is especially true for sensitive and creative people. After Nicholas hears his baby sister crying, his dog barking, and the radio blaring all at the same time, Nicholas decides that the world is too noisy. He wisely finds a way to get some quiet for himself--by taking a trip to the moon. On the moon he has a picnic, walks around, remembering the people he loves, and then goes back to find everyone more quiet and peaceful, which helps him be ready for bed. Many readers will be able to identify with Nicholas becoming overwhelmed by noise and wanting some time and space to himself--and the creative way he finds that space, through his imagination, is a wonderful way to inspire both finding quiet and using one's imagination. Landry's (Eat Your Peas, Ivy Louise The repetition is not only pleasing and soothing, but also works well as a catalyst throughout the story, and is an emotional thread that Nicholas (and the reader) respond to--first as an irritant or overwhelming noise, then as something he can't hear when he has his peace and quiet, then as positive memories that make him want to go back home, and finally, back home, as quiet and peaceful, positive once more. Read the whole review here!  Billy's Bucket by Kes Gray, illustrated by Garry Parsons Red Fox/Random House (June 2004) ISBN-10: 0099438747, ISBN-13: 978-0099438748 My rating: Billy looked long and hard at every single bucket on every single shelf. "There it is," he shouted excitedly, "that's the one I want, right up there--19 shelves up, 78 along from the left!" Billy's mum and dad got someone to help them. "They all look the same to me," said the shop assistant. "No, that one's special," said Billy excitedly. When Billy got home he ran straight into the kitchen and filled his bucket with water. "Wow!" said Billy, peering inside his bucket. "I can see a rock pool with crabs and seaweed and little shrimpy things!" "Of course you can, Billy," smiled his dad. Billy's Bucket, written by Kes Gray, illustrated by Garry Parsons, p. 7-12 All Billy wants for his birthday is a bucket. His parents try to talk him out of it, but when he won't change his mind, they give in and take him to Buckets-R-Us, where Billy picks out a very specific bucket. The store assistant and his parents can't see anything different about it, but Billy can. He knows it's special. And when he gets home and fills it with water, the reader sees he was right. Each time Billy peers into the bucket, he sees an underwater scene. He tells his parents, but they don't believe him. Even worse, they tease him about it, suggesting that they'll use his bucket for mundane things. Billy forcefully tells them that whatever they do, they must not use his bucket. But in the morning when he wakes up, his bucket isn't there. Billy runs outside, only to find that his father has emptied a gigantic whale onto the street and cars. Billy simply says "I told you not to borrow my bucket." Billy's Bucket is a wonderfully imaginative, magical, and feel-good fantasy. Gray (Eat Your Peas Read the whole review here!  Dear Fish by Chris Gall Little, Brown & Company (May 2006) ISBN-10: 0316058475, ISBN-13: 978-0316058476 My rating: Peter Alan goes to the beach with his family, and throws a message in a bottle into the ocean, inviting the fish to come visit him. And visit him they do, the town suddenly becoming overpowered by fish and ocean dwellers of many different kinds and sizes doing impossible things--cat fish eating the lawn, puffer fish puffing up and being used as balloons, an octopus taking over the beauty saloon. It gets so out of hand that Peter Alan has to write another note, encouraging the fish to go back home--and he's made to promise that he won't ever speak to them, write to them, or signal to them again. But next time Peter and his family go to the beach, they find a note from the fish waiting for them, inviting the family to visit them under the ocean--and so they do. Gall (America the Beautiful) weaves fantasy and humor together to create an entertaining adventure. . . . Read the whole review here!  Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman Houghton Mifflin (April 2007) ISBN-10: 0618756396, ISBN-13: 978-0618756391 My rating: What happens when you're lonely and alone, and even the weather seems dreary? In Rainstorm, the lonely boy discovers new friends through magic—a key that opens a treasure chest that leads down into a winding tunnel, up some stairs, and into a different part of the world—an island where the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and children are waiting to play with him. Lehman's signature wordless fantasy (The Red Book, Museum Trip) doesn't disappoint. While this book doesn't feel quite as magical as The Red Book, it delights and brings a sense of magic, hope, and friendship. This is a great book that can give readers a sense of hope, belonging, and a feeling that they aren't alone. . . . Read the whole review here!  The Zoo by Suzy Lee Kane/Miller (March 2007) ISBN-10: 1933605286, ISBN-13: 978-1933605289 My rating:
I went to the zoo with my mom and dad. We visited the monkey house, and Bear Hill. --The Zoo by Suzy Lee, p. 4-7.
This almost wordless book turns a girl's dull day into one bursting with color and happiness. The story is not really in the text. The text feels more like a brief list of events that don't even begin to describe what actually happens than a story. . . . Read the whole review here!  Flotsam by David Wiesner Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin, (September 2006) ISBN-10: 0618194576, ISBN-13: 978-0618194575 My rating: In this wordless fantasy a scientific-minded, inquisitive boy who's studying bugs and crabs at the beach comes upon an old underwater camera that is washed upon him in a wave. The boy examines the camera, finds the film, and gets it developed, only to find a series of extraordinary photos—a mechanical fish swimming under water within a school of live fish; an octopus reading a story to other octopi and fish in an underwater living room, complete with sofas, lamps, and tables; a tortoise swimming with a tiny shell city on its back, and more. Even more wonderful is the last photo the boy uncovers—a photo of a modern-day girl holding a photo of a boy who is holding up a photo of another child who is holding up a photo of another child—and on and on it goes. Wiesner (Tuesday) has created a magical, mind-opening fantasy. . . . Read the whole review here!  Imagine a Day by Sarah L. Thomson, illustrated by Rob Gonsalves Atheneum/Simon & Schuster (January 2005) ISBN-10: 0689852193, ISBN-13: 978-0689852190 My rating: imagine a day . . . . . . when you can dive down through branches or swim up to the sun. imagine a day . . . . . . when grace and daring are all we need to build a bridge. imagine a day . . . . . . when your wishes float on a puff of air to summon back the blue. --Imagine a Day, by Sarah L. Thomson, illustrated by Rob Gonsalves, p. 1-6. Thomson and Gonsalves (Imagine a Night) encourage the reader to imagine a day when she can do incredible, fantastical things, and that the world will respond in kind. The book is inspiring, encouraging the reader to believe in the good inside us all, and in the possibility of the human spirit and of magic. Thomson's beautiful, imaginative text speaks to the wonder that children (and some adults) can see the world with. The text moves between magical possibilities and soulful ones, but all of them speak to opening up the heart, mind, and soul. . . . Read the whole review here!  Clara and Asha by Eric Rohmann Roaring Brook Press (August 2005) ISBN: 1596430311, ISBN-13: 9781596430310 My rating: "Clara! Time for bed," my mom calls. But I'm not sleepy, so I open my window . . . . . . and wait for Asha. We met in the park. And I brought Asha home. --Clara and Asha, by Eric Rohmann, p. 2-7. In this delightful fantasy, a stone fish comes to life and becomes a young girl's best friend. Asha, a giant fish, flies in through Clara's bedroom window when Clara's getting ready for bed. Clara tells us how she met Asha in the park (when Asha was part of a statue), and how Asha came home with her (following her through trees), played in the tub, and was introduced to all her stuffed-toy friends. Then Clara blows some soap bubbles, and floats up on one, out into the night sky with Asha, where they fly together until Clara's mom calls her in to bed. This is a beautiful, uplifting book with a feel-good reminder that we can be free in our dreams. . . . Read the whole review here! See also:
|
) also has the cat-feeling down pat with Oscar wriggling back on his haunches and springing as he leaps, and Oscar's way of describing other creatures, such as hop-toads and the dog-thing next door. The games the cats want to play on the moon also feel very cat-like. Cat lovers, especially, will enjoy the language. At times the text feels a little slow, with a few brief paragraphs or scenes that feel unnecessary, and that slow the story down. But for the most part, the text moves well.
,
, 
) and Devin Asch's (
, 
; 
) story is a gentle fantasy with layers of reality and a nice sense of language and rhythm woven throughout the text. Landry uses repetition of the sounds Nicholas could hear--or not hear--three times overtly in the story, in the opening, middle, and closing, which brings a lovely sense of balance, rhythm, and rightness, and once more, less overtly, when Nicholas is thinking about the people and animals that made those sounds. The second time Landry repeats the sounds, he repeats them with a twist--what Nicholas could NOT hear. I love that twist; it underscores just how overwhelming--and important--the sounds are.
, 
) creates sympathy and empathy for Billy in the very first spread as his parents try to talk him out of what he really wants, suggesting other, more expensive things that many kids would jump at--a computer game, a bike, running shoes--and belittling his wish for a bucket. Gray notches up the sympathy through having Billy's parents laugh at him and tease him when he tells them what he sees, refusing to believe him. Young readers may enjoy Billy's seriousness and earnestness of what is truly fantastical, and root for him, believing in his underwater world along with him.More great picture book lists!