Shelf Awareness--Gondra's Treasure

PB Review: Gondra's Treasure

Gondra's Treasure by Linda Sue Park, illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion, 40p., ages 4-8, 9780544546691, April 2, 2019)

Gondra is a dragon. Her "mom's family comes from the West" and her "dad's family is from the East"; Gondra "was born somewhere in the middle." In Linda Sue Park and Jennifer Black Reinhardt's second collaboration (Yaks Yak), young Gondra playfully explores the benefits of inheriting two very different cultural backgrounds.

This charming narrative unfolds in bantering dialogue among the three family members. Gondra's mother explains that "in the West, dragons breathe fire," while Dad says that "in the East, dragons breathe mist." When Gondra shares a baby photo of herself, she points to "a teeny tiny flame... coming from one nostril and a wisp of mist from the other." Young readers will understand perfectly that lucky Gondra reaps the benefits of both branches of her heritage--in particular, "mist is great for hide-and-seek" and fire comes in handy at a barbecue. The affection between Gondra's parents is always obvious as they cheerfully tease each other about their attributes: Dad thinks fire is dangerous; Mom thinks mist is "pretty boring" ("compared to fire," that is). Certainly, both adults agree that Gondra was "adorable... the most beautiful baby ever."

Gondra goes on to explain other ways her Eastern and Western roots merge. Both of her parents can fly, but "Mom has wings," while "Dad uses magic." If Gondra's wings grow and she inherits flying magic too, she'll "be the fastest in the family!" As for scales, Dad's are "mostly blue and green" and Mom's "side of the family has bronze scales." Gondra herself is "mostly bronze," but the end of her tail is starting to turn the bluish green of her "dear old dad." When Gondra starts talking historical habitat, readers learn that "Mom's ancestors lived in caves full of treasure," while Dad's "family lived in lakes or rivers," their only treasure "a magic pearl that [they] could hold in one claw."

Reinhardt inventively illustrates the various points of Gondra's narrative, perfectly expressing the enthusiasm and awkwardness of the not-quite-grown protagonist. The colorful ink and watercolors depict a cozy, if slightly zany, household, where mist causes rain to fall in the living room if Dad gets too excited. The character design may be somewhat silly but the dignity and grace of Gondra's dragon family is undeniable and, though they have their differences, the love they share is evident at every turn. An interesting author's note provides some historical information on dragons, but the focus of the story is clearly on Gondra's ancestry, and how she is the beautiful product of her mixed heritage. Her loving parents don't need caves full of treasure or a "magic pearl to control the weather" because "times change," and Gondra is "the best treasure ever." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: Gondra, daughter of an Eastern dragon and a Western dragon, muses about the attributes of her mixed heritage that make her unusual.

March Book Picks

Novels:

SMALL SPACES, by Katherine Arden, is top-notch creepy suspense. Sixth grader Ollie and the rest of her class go on a field trip to a local farm that’s got lots--and lots—of scarecrows. Things get especially spooky when the school bus breaks down, the mist comes up, and the weird bus driver issues a cryptic warning: "Avoid large places at night…keep to small." It’s beautifully crafted and kids should gobble it up. (MG)

ECHO NORTH, by Joanna Ruth Meyer, is a retelling of the East of the Sun, West of the Moon folktale, with shades of Beauty and the Beast. Echo Alkaev has had a nasty scar on her face ever since she was attacked by a great white wolf as a child. Years later, when her beloved father goes missing, she finds him in the woods with the same wolf and, in exchange for her father's freedom, agrees to live with the wolf in his enchanted home for one year. It’s a gorgeous, magically-told tale. (YA)

SPEAK, The Graphic Novel, by Laurie Halse Anderson, with art by Emily Carroll, is a terrific reworking of Anderson’s classic into the graphic novel format, making it accessible to an even wider audience. In this powerful story, an assault victim spends her freshman year of high school as an outcast, after she called the cops at a party the previous summer. Melinda's struggles to keep it together and find her voice are brought to life by Emily Carroll’s fine artwork—she won the Eisner award for her previous graphic novel, Through the Woods. (YA)

Picture Books:

In UP THE MOUNTAIN PATH, by Marianne Dubuc, Mrs. Badger is very old but, every Sunday, she hikes up the small mountain behind her house. She greets friends and helps out if she can. One day, she meets a cat named Lulu, who joins her. "Mrs. Badger shares with Lulu all the secrets of the mountain." Until a time comes when Mrs. Badger can’t make it up to the peak anymore, so Lulu brings her own discoveries to share with Mrs. Badger. Tender, moving, wise, and fun, with picture-perfect watercolor and colored pencil art.

Using only 32 words, GOOD BOY, by Sergio Ruzzier, tells a complete, satisfying, and increasingly fantastical story of a boy and his dog --or a dog and his boy??? From doing tricks around the house to a surprise journey to the moon, the action flows and ebbs with masterful timing. Ruzzier's color and line are unique and inspirational!

CARTER READS THE NEWSPAPER, written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Don Tate, tells the story of Carter G. Woodson, who supplemented his meager education, and “got his first glimpse of the wider world," by reading the newspaper aloud to his father. Later, after working all day in the coal mines, Carter read the newspaper to other miners. Eventually, Carter finished high school and college, earned a PhD from Harvard, and made it his life’s work to celebrate a history of America “that includes all people.” It’s an excellent NF picture book bio about a “hero we sometimes forget.”

--Lynn

March's Book of the Month--Merci Suárez Changes Gears

March’s Book of the Month is the 2019 Newbery winner, MERCI SUÁREZ CHANGES GEARS, by Meg Medina, a middle-grade look at family, friends, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Attending Seaward Pines Academy on a scholarship means that Merci Suárez gets extra community service and always has to be on her best behavior. Being in sixth grade means she's coping with changes that include homeroom and lockers, embarrassing health class topics, and an escalating feud with popular—and rich--Edna Sanchez. But there are changes happening at home, too. Her beloved grandfather Lolo has been acting really strangely. He’s forgetting stuff, making mistakes, and getting angry for no reason, and no one is telling Merci what’s going on.

I love how Medina has created a vibrant, well-intentioned character in Merci, one who navigates her way through upheavals at home and at school with plenty of strength and honesty. Balancing a rich, multi-generational home life, budding friendships with kids in her classes, and all of Miss McDaniels’s rules at Seaward Pines, Merci learns to appreciate the changes of a memorable sixth grade year.

--Lynn