Bonus Recommendation!

Here’s a book that’s already changed how I think about picture books:

In READING PICTURE BOOKS WITH KIDS, Megan Dowd Lambert brings us new ways to think about the visual aspect of picture books. She begins with trim size and orientation, then goes on to identify (and explain) book covers and jackets, endpapers, title pages, gutters, and more. Most interestingly, she’s got me thinking about what’s taking place beyond the art that's depicted on the page. Even though her main focus is to help librarians and teachers share picture books more successfully with kids, writers and illustrators will also be able to use this knowledge to better understand the elements in the picture books we are reading and making.

It’s a thought-provoking discussion, with plenty of art to illustrate points being made. And a pretty quick read, as well.

--Lynn

January Recommendations

Read anything really good lately?

Some of my recent favorites:

Novels:

SIX OF CROWS, by Leigh Bardugo, is a new story set in the same icy world as her fabulous Grisha trilogy. A motley crew of thugs and thieves from the city of Ketterdam agrees to take on the impossible task of breaking a prisoner out of the Fjerdan Ice Court. If they succeed, they’ll have enough money to make all of their dreams come true, along with saving the world from Grisha made insane (and insanely powerful) by the drug jurda parem. But success is not at all likely. Plenty of action, compelling characters, and a unique fantasy setting make this author’s work so good. (YA)

Another fantasy that’s worth reading is FAIREST, by Marissa Meyer. It’s the backstory of how Princess Levana becomes the powerful Lunar Queen who goes on to invade Earth in the novels CINDER (a cyborg Cinderella story!), SCARLET, CRESS, and the newly released WINTER. While those other novels, each based on a classic fairy tale, are hefty tomes, FAIREST is a quick and easy read, thoroughly entertaining, and the three chapters of WINTER which are included will send you racing to find that one, too. (YA)

And on a completely different note, the 2015 National Book Award winner, CHALLENGER DEEP, by Neal Shusterman, is the narrative for a fifteen year old’s descent into mental illness, his hospitalization, and fight to return to mental health. Obviously, this is no quick and easy story: readers will need to work their way through some confusing visions, interspersed with the more grounded parts of the story. There is a rich payoff, though, for readers who persevere. Shusterman’s son provided art and inspiration for this cautiously optimistic story. (YA)

Picture Books:

WAIT, by Antoinette Portis, uses only two repeated words  “hurry” and “wait,” to convey the clearly different viewpoints of its main characters. Walking across town, the boy, not surprisingly, finds any number of things worth dawdling over along the way, while the mom has important places to go. The art is strong and accomplished.

In A DOG WEARING SHOES, by Sangmi Ko, young Mini finds an adorable

dog in the middle of a crowded street. Even though the dog wears four yellow shoes and a collar, there is no owner in sight. Mini takes the dog home, but is it really hers to love? In a terrific design twist, the story begins right away, with the title page not showing up until page five. Detailed black and white drawings, with small touches of yellow and red, convey humor and sadness, love and longing, and an entire range of emotions as Mini dashes through this adventure.

THE OCTOPUPPY, by Martin McKenna, belongs to the group of picture books about a kid who gets the wrong pet (like Sparky! by Jenny Offill and Chris Appelhans). In THE OCTOPUPPY, Edgar wants a dog, but instead he gets Jarvis. Jarvis is  very clever, but he can’t do all the things that a dog can do. When Jarvis embarrasses Edgar at the dog show, it’s the last straw! The detailed art is full of sight gags and does a great job moving this humorous story along.

--Lynn

January's Book of the Month--Boats for Papa

Happy New Year!

In BOATS FOR PAPA, by Jessixa Bagley, young Buckley lives with his mama in their small home at the beach. Every day they walk together on the sand, collecting treasures. Buckley begins making boats out of the driftwood he finds, and decides to send them to his missing papa, along with a note of love. Buckley knows that if the boats don’t come back, they must have managed to reach Papa. Buckley makes many boats and, while he still misses his papa, sending the boats helps to comfort him. The turning point in the story, when Buckley realizes that Mama has been finding his boats all along, is understated and charming.

The watercolor art emphasizes the closeness between Buckley and his mama, two plump, delicately-rendered beavers who stand in for humans. From the endpapers through the title pages and all of the spreads in-between, the art is thoughtfully and beautifully done. 

BOATS FOR PAPA manages to be a picture book about an “issue” that doesn’t hit readers over the head with its message. While it’s pretty clearly about the death of a parent, I think it would also provide comfort to a child whose parent needs to be gone for a long time.

If you haven’t yet seen it, consider giving BOATS FOR PAPA a try.

--Lynn

Favorite Books of 2015

I have way too many favorites this year!!!!

Here are my top picks so far, but the list is not comprehensive in any way—I didn’t read nearly as much as I wanted to this past year—I never do! 

Picture books

HOME, by Carson Ellis

POOL, by JiHyeon Lee

LENNY AND LUCY, written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead

WOLFIE THE BUNNY, written by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

THE NEW SMALL PERSON, by Lauren Child

LOOK! by Jeff Mack

LITTLE ELLIOT’S BIG FAMILY, by Mike Curato

THE NIGHT WORLD, by Mordecai Gerstein

BOATS FOR PAPA, by Jessixa Bagley
TWO MICE, by Sergio Ruzzier

MG Novels

ECHO, by Pam Munoz Ryan

GOODBYE STRANGER, by Rebecca Stead

THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH, by Ali Benjamin

YA novels

THE HIRED GIRL, by Laura Amy Schlitz (publisher calls it YA, though I think it’s really for 10 to 14 age range—older MG)

THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY, by Mal Peet

AS I CRAWL THROUGH IT, by A. S. King

THE ACCIDENT SEASON, by Moira Fowly-Doyle

LAIR OF DREAMS (sequel to DIVINERS), by Libba Bray

And I’m not finished with it yet, but MANNERS AND MUTINY, the fourth and final book in the Finishing School series, by Gail Carriger, is looking to be a strong favorite--and a very fun read, too!

So many books, so little time!!!

--Lynn

When Mischief Came to Town--Shelf Awareness Pro

I had a new book review in Shelf Awareness Pro!

Children's Review: When Mischief Came to Town

When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99 hardcover, 208p., ages 9-12, 9780544534322, January 5, 2016)

When Mischief Came to Town, originally published in author Katrina Nannestad's home country of Australia, is a funny, warmhearted story about the search for family and the power of belonging.

From the moment 10-year-old Inge Maria Jensen steps off a boat and onto the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm in 1911, life in the quiet Danish town of Svaneke is forever changed. With her lopsided, spiky tufts of hair (one of her long blonde plaits was chewed off by a goat on the boat while she was asleep), Inge Maria presents quite a contrast to the somber, black-clad grandmother who waits for her at the harbor. Inge Maria wonders if her unsmiling grandmother might even be wearing black bloomers, because "[g]loomy underwear would be enough to wipe the joy from anyone's face." As Grandmother rolls her eyes and drags her granddaughter home by the arm, Inge Maria vows to be brave and "make Mama proud of me."

Fortunately, Grandmother's house on the farm is comfortingly pretty, and it has a roof made of straw thatching. Inge is heartened: "This cheers me up a little. At least she doesn't live in a cave, or a hole in a tree. It happens, you know. I've read about it in fairy tales." Winning Grandmother's heart is hard going at first, especially when Inge Maria's kicking contest with the donkey results in a dozen broken eggs and a concussed turkey named Henry. Nor does it help when "a blast of squashed-giggle air shoots out her nose," sullying Grandmother’s freshly laundered bloomers, which, astonishingly, have "white lace on the edges and a giant pink rose embroidered on each side." Still, it doesn't take long before Grandmother, more softhearted than she looks, is shaking with laughter at Inge Maria's mishaps and goodhearted mischief.

Of course, there is also the rest of the town to win over, including the judgmental Angelina Nordstrup with her "piercing stare," the mostly silent Pedersen twins, and Her Nielsen, the tall, serious teacher who joylessly runs the Svaneke Folk School, with art lessons where all drawings look the same, music lessons with no dancing, and even a "No Girls Allowed" area of the playground, because girls must sit quietly while the boys play. Spirited Inge Maria can't help but challenge the system.

Inge Maria adores the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, and they figure prominently in the story as both a relic from her previous, happy life in Copenhagen with her late mother, and as the inspiration for much of her inventive storytelling and fanciful behavior. In the end, Andersen's fairy tales become a bridge between Inge Maria and her jelly-soft Grandmother, as cozy bedtimes spent reading together allow the girl to feel safe and loved again. --Lynn Becker, host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Printed 12/1/15.

Shelf Talker: Fans of Pippi Longstocking will devour this hilarious debut novel, featuring an energetic 10-year-old who invigorates an isolated Danish town.

December Recommendations

Novels:

GEORGE describes the efforts of one transgender kid, born George, who wants everyone to know her for the girl she really is. When George’s fourth grade class begins practicing for the play version of Charlotte’s web, more than anything George wants to perform the part of Charlotte. That’s a pretty huge leap for a kid in grade school. George is an earnest, appealing character, and even though her journey may seem a tad easy, author Alex Gino does a great job of bringing readers along George’s path towards being recognized as Melissa. (MG)

THE ACCIDENT SEASON, by Moira Fowley-Doyle, is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel revolving around the annual titular phenomenon that afflicts Cara and her family. Every October, they are all bruised and battered despite the elaborate precautions they take, like wearing thick layers of clothing, ridding the kitchen of knives, and padding over sharp corners in the house. This season will be a bad one, Cara’s friend Bea predicts, and indeed many things come to a head, including love, death, and deeply hidden family secrets. This is an unexpected favorite of the year for me. (YA)

THE HOLLOW BOY is the third LOCKWOOD & CO. installment, by Bartimaeus books author Jonathan Stroud. I love this series—it’s pure, self-indulgent escapist reading of the supernatural kind. Narrator Lucy Carlyle is definitely not happy about perfect, perky Holly Munroe joining the agency, but a massive outbreak of supernatural activity is wreaking havoc in London and all agents, including the talking skull in the ghost-jar, must work together to figure out the mystery. (MG)

Picture Books:

POOL, by JiHyeon Lee, may be wordless but there’s plenty of story in this underwater tale of friendship, imagination and adventure, beautifully yet playfully rendered in colored pencils and oil pastels.

THE NIGHT WORLD, by Caldecott Medalist Mordecai Gerstein, depicts the wonders of one boy's backyard in the darkness before the approaching dawn. Acrylics, pen and ink, and colored pencil bring the mysteries to life.

And LOOK! by Jeff Mack shows the lengths one gorilla must go through to get a boy's attention. Using only two words, “look” and “out,” this smartly designed book uses mixed media, including pencil, watercolor, collage, and digital manipulations. What’s it going to take for the boy to finally leave the TV and engage with the gorilla??

--Lynn

December's Book of the Month--Dory Fantasmagory

December’s Book of the Month is the fabulous DORY FANTASMAGORY, by Abby Hanlon. This chapter book is heavily illustrated by the author. In fact, I would go so far as to say that, with a six-year-old protagonist and illustrations filling every spread and nearly every page, in many ways DORY can be viewed as a 153-page picture book!

The irrepressible Dory, tellingly nicknamed Rascal by her family, has an older brother and sister who won't play with her. Luckily, Dory's friend Mary (who is invisible to everyone but Dory) always wants to play, thinks Dory is the greatest, and even sleeps under her bed. Despite the constant chatter (to Mary, of course), the temper tantrums, and the weird quirks (like wanting to wear her flannel nightgown day and night all summer—except for the time she wears her cow costume, of course), Dory is an incredibly endearing and imaginative character. Her story is completely perfect for the age and format, and this is a stellar example of fine literature for young people.

Abby Hanlon did her own illustrations, seamlessly weaving them into her text, but writers who do not illustrate should feel confident that they, too, can tackle this genre. And illustrated books are highly desirable right now, repeatedly asked for by editors and agents.

Have you read DORY FANTASMAGORY? Well, if not, have at it and enjoy!!!

--Lynn