Shelf Awareness--The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns

PB Review: The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns

The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns by Sarah Laskow, illus. by Sam Beck (Penguin Workshop, 96p., ages 8-12, 9781524792732)

No matter how readers picture unicorns--majestic, pure white, horse-like creatures or cartoon characters sporting manes streaked with all the colors of the rainbow--when they open the pages of this inviting compendium they'll find plenty of fascinating, fun facts about the ever-popular magical creatures.

A Greek doctor living in Persia "more than 2300 years ago" wrote about "the existence of fantastic one-horned 'wild asses' " whose "bodies are white, their heads dark red, and their eyes dark blue." In the centuries that followed, one-horned beasts were said to resemble goats, deer and bulls. The horns themselves were reported to vary from "a foot and a half in length," to three feet, to "four feet long and spiral," until finally, "by the 1200s, some writers thought the unicorn's horn was ten feet long!"

Sarah Laskow's text provides a fine collection of information about the history of human fascination with the unicorn. A limited number of period drawings, tapestries and coins are heavily supplemented with comics artist Sam Beck's illustrations. The material brings the creature into modern times with the inclusion of more recent oddities such as Lancelot the "Living Unicorn" (which traveled with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in the late 1980s) as well as a concise survey of 21st-century cartoons, video games, emojis and memes based on the mythical beast. Foods, too, have been affected by the popularity of unicorns--Laskow even includes a recipe for "Unicorn Poop Bark." Overflowing with evidence that "people have been talking and thinking about unicorns for thousands of years," The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns suggests there is every reason to expect the fascination will continue. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: This small but wide-ranging history provides a wealth of information about the mythological unicorn.

August Recommendations

Novels:

Book One, CHANGELING, introduces a new series called THE ODDMIRE, by William Ritter. In the town of Endsborough, near the dense Wild Wood, a goblin tries to switch Annie Burton’s newborn with a changeling. When she startles him in the act, the frightened goblin runs away, leaving her with two identical babies. As they grow, the boys Cole and Tinn have no way of knowing which of them is human and which is goblin. It never mattered to Annie. But now, almost 13 years later, with magic in the Wood fading, the true goblin boy must return to the forest for a reckoning, or die. The author of the YA Jackaby series now turns to middle grade with this exuberant adventure story featuring goblins, witches, hinkypunks, and a hope-crushing, monstrous Thing. (MG)

LOVELY WAR, by Julie Berry, is truly a masterpiece. In December of 1942, Hephaestus, “god of fires, blacksmiths, and tornadoes," traps his wife, Aphrodite, in the midst of a tryst with her lover, Ares, and puts the pair on trial. To explain her guilt in matters of infidelity and contempt (which she freely admits to), Aphrodite spins a detailed story of Love in the time of War, specifically the difficult yet deeply romantic experiences of two intertwined couples, Hazel and James, Aubrey and Collette, as they try to survive during World War l. Sophisticated and lovely, do yourself a favor and read this book. (YA)

Picture Books:

In HOME IS A WINDOW, by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, with illustrations by Chris Sasaki, the spare, poetic text shares with readers that “home is a window,/ a doorway,/ a rug,/ a basket for your shoes,” and yet it’s so much more. Home is all the little things, plus—especially when you have to move to a new one—home is “the people gathered near.” The beautifully rendered digital art is pretty masterful—it feels like a cross between the work of Christian Robinson and Jon Klassen, but with more detail.

A LIFE MADE BY HAND: THE STORY OF RUTH ASAWA, by Andrea D’Aquino, tells the story of a remarkable artist who found inspiration by “[looking] carefully at everything around her." Always busy, Ruth trained and experimented with many mediums, but she's most famous for her unique wire sculptures. The story is illustrated with striking mixed media collages, both bold and delicate. The author’s endnotes provide context for Asawa’s life, and instructions for making a paper dragonfly are included.

In THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT MARGARET WISE BROWN, by Mac Barnett and Sarah Jacoby, the author acknowledges that “you can’t fit somebody’s life into 42 pages, so I’m just going to tell you some important things.” He tells a good number of anecdotes that relate to Brown's life in a completely satisfying, swirling, rambly sort of way, but, after all is said and done, the important thing is that Margaret Wise Brown wrote books, “important” books that "feel true.” This book feels true, too. Watercolor, Nupastel, and Photoshop illustrations contain plenty of whimsy-- this is a wonderfully creative endeavor and a beautiful book.

THE LITTLE GUYS, by Vera Brosgol (who also wrote and illustrated Leave Me Alone!), stars those fearless beings, the Little Guys--tiny acorn-capped beings who inhabit the forest, pillaging at will. Because they are strong and there are a lot of them, they "can get all [they] need.” Illustrations show the other animals becoming increasingly annoyed, until finally the Little Guys go too far. Art is “drawn with dip pen and acrylic ink and painted in watercolor, with some Adobe Photoshop shenanigans afterwards.”

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Cornelia and the Jungle Machine

PB Review: Cornelia and the Jungle Machine

Cornelia and the Jungle Machine by Nora Brech (Gecko Press, 32p., ages 4-7, 9781776572595, September 3, 2019)

"I don't want to live here," says Cornelia.

A moving truck sits on the lawn of a large, gloomy house. Cornelia, slumped in a chair, looks around a room cluttered with musty antiques, hunting trophies and dour-looking portraits. "There's no one to play with." When she vents her dissatisfaction to her stressed parents (who are busy unpacking and painting their new home), they suggest that "if [she's] not going to help," she should "go and have a look around outside."

Meandering down the path from her front door, along with her scruffy gray dog, Cornelia crosses an isolated island-of-a-hill, down to a sea of dense, menacing trees. With a closer look, however, she can see signs of fun: a treehouse is visible, as are plenty of birdhouses and a colorful array of the feathered friends who live in them. A long rope ladder descends, and Cornelia hangs onto her dog as she climbs up. And up and up...

...into an increasingly whimsical world. A boy named Frederik, wearing an eyepatch and a huge grin, waves at her from a hammock on the deck of an elaborate, nautical-themed treehouse. Earlier glimpses through the trees did not do it justice. With telescopes, slides, swings and numerous outlandish outbuildings to explore, this is a homestead of which adventurous children can only dream. Frederik welcomes Cornelia inside, where he lives with his many inventions. The "best" by far is a huge metal contraption built into an alcove. This "Jungle Machine" does exactly what its name would suggest: at the merest touch, a jungle is conjured, complete with exotic birds and animals, fruits, vines and a river to sail along--all the way home to a dock right outside Cornelia's gate. When she asks if she can visit again tomorrow, Frederik invites her to come back "every day" if she wishes. Before going inside, Cornelia suggests to her dog that they not tell her parents, who "won't believe us anyway."

Illustrative details abound in this atmospheric picture book of a mere 112 words, all of them dialogue. Brech perfectly depicts an oversized, overstuffed gothic-looking mansion and the frustration of its new young inhabitant, who is small in comparison, with the house, its rooms and even the furniture looming over her. Colors brighten as Cornelia's world expands, and both the forest and Frederik's tree-based home seem to contain more light and air. At the end of this mysterious, magical day, Cornelia, it seems, really does want to "live here." --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: A girl feels oppressed by her new home, until she discovers her young neighbor and his wild inventions in a treehouse next door.

August's Book of the Month--A Curse So Dark and Lonely

August’s Book of the Month is Brigid Kemmerer’s recent Beauty and the Beast retelling, A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY.

Prince Rhen has been cursed to repeat the months just after his eighteenth birthday over and over again (this is his 327th time) in his search for a woman to love him before he morphs into a vicious monster, killing anyone who crosses his path. Harper’s mother is dying from cancer and her brother is being forced to hurt people for their absent dad’s “bill collectors." So when she’s kidnapped by Rhen’s trusted—and only remaining—guardsman, and taken from Washington, DC, to the “parallel” land of Emberfall, she’s not interested in saving the castle or its handsome inhabitants. She just wants to get home. But the more she learns about Prince Rhen and his curse, the more Harper wants to help him break it.

The plot is intricate and electric, with plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, romance and bitterness to keep readers entranced for all of the book's more than 400 pages. Harper’s character comes into her own in Emberfall, transforming from the younger sister who “needs to be shoved into a back room and protected" to a true leader with an entire country to save. Rhen’s journey is noteworthy, too, as he slowly and carefully allows himself to care for Harper and believe in their alliance, despite all that Enchantress Lileth can do to keep him under her control and mired in despair. And Commander Grey, despite being an efficient killing machine, is human with plenty of soft edges. The interplay—and romantic tension--between the three is intriguing and believable. The ending is wonderful, exciting, and truly sigh-worthy. And there’s a sequel coming out in January :—)

--Lynn