The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and thirty

Most of us have had to deal with a visitor or a house guest who likes to boss everyone around. They criticize the food, table arrangements, or decor, and then proceed to do things "properly" their way. If the guest is a child, he or she rearranges all the stuffed animals, takes apart the Lego city, reorganizes the tree house, or insists on hosting the doll tea party. There is no stopping people like this because they just don't get it that their interference is unwanted. 

Today's picture book will resonate with everyone who has suffered at the hands of a bossy person like this.

Uncle Rabbit’s Busy Visit

Christa Kempter

Illustrated by Frauke Weldin

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

NorthSouth, 2010, 978-0-7358-2320-4

   Wally the rabbit is out in his garden counting the carrots, when his friend Mae brings him a letter. Wally is dismayed when he reads the letter and learns that his Uncle Rabbit is coming to visit that very day. He and Mae are going to have to hurry up if they hope to have the house neat and tidy in time.

   When Uncle Rabbit arrives, he quickly makes friends with Mae, who is delighted to have someone new around to talk to. He just as quickly sets about giving Wally’s house a makeover. He makes new curtains and cushions, moves furniture around, and puts a weather vane on the roof of Wally’s house. Mae thinks that Uncle Rabbit is delightful, but poor Wally feels left out, and he also resents the way in which Uncle Rabbit is changing everything without consulting him. What is poor Wally to do?

   As they read this story, children are going to fall in love with Wally and his large bear friend. Who can resist Mae with her sticky honey-covered paws, and her rabbit friend who just wants things to stay the same.

   With sensitivity and humor, Christa Kempter and Frauke Weldin take a look at what it feels like to be bossed around and ignored. Children will appreciate that Wally has been put in a difficult position, and they will surely sympathize with him. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and twenty-nine

When I was growing up, I was not allowed to read comics. Unless they were in Greek or French because they helped me "to develop my reading skills" in those languages. This does not mean that I didn't read comics. I did. I just had to do so on the sly. 

Thankfully there are now hundreds of fantastic comics/graphic novels being published that are not only beautifully drawn, but that are wonderfully written as well. These are books even my book snob of a father would have approved of!

For today's review I have the first title in a series of graphic novels that are about three very different individuals who share adventures. Though they don't always agree on things, when it matters, they help each other out. 

Tower of Treasure

Scott Chantler

Graphic Novel

For ages 9 to 12

Kids Can Press, 2010, 978-1-55453-414-2

   When Dessa was just a little girl, a tall man with a dark beard came and visited the home that she shared with her mother and twin brother. Dessa and her twin were hiding under the floor, but when the man threatened their mother, Dessa’s brother told her to run and that he would “take care of it.” To this day Dessa has no idea what happened to her brother, but she does know that her mother died when their home was set on fire that night.

   Now Dessa is part of a travelling circus. She performs as an acrobat, and she is very good at what she does, but her life is hard and she does not particularly enjoy being browbeaten by her boss, Hugo.

   When the circus gets to Kingsbridge, Hugo is hopeful that they will make lots of money in the big town. While she is performing, Dessa sees someone who looks like the tall man with the beard who destroyed her family. Unable to contain her fury, Dessa accosts the man, only to find out that she has made a mistake.

   Hugo is furious with Dessa and her friends Fisk and Topper for wrecking the show, and he demands that they either find money or food. He never imagines that Topper is going to try to rob the Queen’s treasury, or that Dessa is actually going to meet the man who killed her mother and kidnapped her brother.

   This is the first book in what promises to be a thrilling graphic novel series. The tale is packed with colorful characters, and there are plenty of action scenes throughout the story. In addition, we are given clues in this first book about who Dessa’s enemy is, and we can look forward to following Dessa’s adventures as she pursues this enemy and tries to find her brother.

Poetry Friday - A review of Behind Museum Doors

When I was a child, I loved going to museums. On the island of Cyprus, where I grew up, the museum is arranged in such a way so that visitors can take a chronological journey through Cyprus' history. Then my parents took me to the British Museum in London, and I happily spent hours admiring mummies, dinosaurs and other wonders. I could not believe how huge the place was, and how much there was to see.

Today's poetry title looks at a few of the amazing things that children can experience when they go to a museum.

Behind the museum door: Poems to celebrate the wonders of museums

Edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen

Poetry Picture book

For ages 7 to 10

Abrams, 2007, 978-0-8109-1204-5

   Museums are extraordinary places; they are places that allow us to travel into the past and to better understand what the world was like long ago. For children, museums are also places where they can learn so much without having to be in a classroom.

   For this wonderful poetry collection, Lee Bennett Hopkins has selected poems that explore museum related topics. In the first poem, we see a little girl looking up at a suit of armor. When she knocks on the armor, there is an “Echo of air” because it is empty, but the little girl cannot help felling that the echo is a voice from the past that is “drifting through / The lonely centuries.”

   Then there are the two children who are contemplating and having a chat with the bones of a brontosaurus. They wonder if the huge animal was ever “in a dither / When your head and distant tail / Went different ways.” They have so many questions, but they realize after a while that having a conversation with a collection of bones is “hard.”

   Another group of children discover that the tapestries on display in a museum give them a picture of the past. Carefully created by people who are long gone, the tapestries show “Tales of chivalry, cruelty, battles” and other scenes that connect the viewer with long ago human stories and experiences.

   This splendid collection serves as a fitting tribute to the museums whose displays delight the eye, challenge the mind, and tickle ones curiosity. On these pages poems written by Jane Yolen, J. Patrick Lewis, Marilyn Singer and others give young readers a delicious taste of what awaits them behind museum doors. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and twenty-eight

Today people all over America (and Americans in other parts of the world) will spend the day cooking, eating, and recovering for their overeating. For many of these people, the piece de resistance of the meal will be a roasted turkey. The turkeys that Americans eat during Thanksgiving are domesticated birds, but there are still many of their wild cousins roaming around. In fact, I saw a large troop of them just the other day, walking across the road so that they could visit one of the local parks. It seems appropriate somehow to share a book about turkeys with you on this special day.

Gobble Gobble

Cathryn Falwell

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Dawn Publications, 2011, 978-1-58469-149-5

   It is spring, and Jenny is in the woods exploring when she sees strange prints in the mud and some feathers on the ground. She hears a “funny gobbling sound,” and when she peers around a tree, she sees a flock of turkeys looking for “seeds to eat.” Some days later, she sees the tom turkeys strutting around with their tail feathers fanned out, and the hens are scraping at the ground to make shallow nests.

   In the summer, the turkeys’ eggs hatch, and Jenny sees the hens leading their babies around. Then in the fall, the turkeys roost in trees to get away from the frozen, cold, and often slippery, ground. In winter, will the turkeys slide down the snowy hill as Jenny and her friends do?

   In this fact filled picture book, Cathryn Falwell shows children what wild turkeys are like, using a bouncy rhyming text to tell the story of turkey behavior from season to season. At the back of the book readers will find Jenny’s turkey journal. Here she provides readers with further information about wild turkey history, conservation, and biology. Jenny also suggests three activities that children can try that will help them to better appreciate the natural world around them. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and twenty-seven

I have often watched my cats and dogs going around the house checking out the sofa, the chair, inside the closet, in a drawer, in a basket. It is only when they finally settle down somewhere that it becomes apparent that they were looking for the right place to have a nap. Finding just the right place to snooze is very important, as you will discover when you read this lovely picture book. 

The Very Best Bed

Rebekah Raye

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 8

Tilbury House, 2006, 978-0-88448-284-0

It is fall, and the little gray squirrel has been busy collecting nuts and seeds for the winter. He has been so busy that he hasn’t noticed that night is falling. It is getting cold and dark, and he needs to find a warm snug place to spend the night.

   The squirrel goes to a fallen tree that has a den under it, but the den is full. A big bear is sleeping in it. The little cave under a pile of rocks is also occupied. A fox is asleep inside the cave, and the squirrel does not to wake up a fox who might be feeling hungry.

   The squirrel decides to join the bats in a tall maple tree, but he soon realizes that sleeping upside-down gives him a headache. Clearly this is not the place for him. Nor is he suited for sleeping on floating “rafts of reeds and cattails” like the ducks. They look cozy enough being “rocked back and forth” by the waves, but the squirrel does not want to get his feet wet. Surely there must be someplace where a weary squirrel can spend the night “curled up under his fluffy tail.”

   With beautiful illustrations and a lyrical text that is touched with splashes of humor, this delightful picture book takes young readers on a journey around the countryside. Children will enjoy seeing the animals that the squirrel encounters, and they will like trying to guess where the squirrel is going to end up.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and twenty-six

Young dogs have one thing in common. They are bundles of energy, and very often that energy manifests itself in ways that are less than desirable. One of my dogs decided that chewing the heads off sprinklers was a nice way to pass the time. Another loved to dig up my newly planted flowers or shrubs. There is no doubt that these behaviors drove me crazy, but would I want to have a dog-free - and dog trouble free - life. NEVER!

“The Trouble with dogs…” Said Dad

Bob Graham

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Candlewick Press, 2007, 978-0-7636-3316-5

   Not long ago Katie and her family adopted two dogs from the Rescue Center. Rosy is very large, soft, and “endlessly patient.” Dave is still a pup, and he is full of energy and unfortunately he does not have any manners. He damages flower beds, steals cupcakes, and tears holes in tights. In short, he is rather out of control.

   Katie’s parents decide that they need to get some help, so they call a dog trainer, and the very next day the Brigadier from Pup Breakers arrives. In no time at all he has Dave doing exactly what he is told. Katie and her parents should be happy by the development. But they aren’t.

   Most dog owners soon realize that their dogs own them and not the other way around. Dogs, even when they are doing what we tell them to do, are the ones who have the upper hand. This delightful and heartwarming picture book explores the idea that there really is nothing wrong with being owned by a dog. In fact, it can be both wonderful and rewarding.

   This book is a sequel to “Let’s get a Pup!” Said Kate.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and twenty-five

This summer I made friends with a wonderful lady. I treasure our friendship, and we have a splendid time when we get together. The funny thing is that in many ways we are not alike, and no doubt some people  are surprised that we are friends at all. I cannot really explain it, but for some reason, our differences don't seem to matter, just like they don't for the two characters in today's picture book.

Bella and Bean

Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Illustrated by Aileen Leijten

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2009, 978-0-689-85616-7

   Bella lives in a neat little brick house at the base of tree, and every day she sits at her desk beneath a window and she writes poetry. Writing poetry is what she loves to do, and when her friend Bean turns up and starts to talk about her new hat, Bella is not amused. How can a mouse focus on creating poetry when someone is talking to her about hats? Bella makes it clear that she wants to be left alone to work on her poems.

   After Bean leaves to walk down to Spoon Pond, Bella come up with some wonderful words, and she writes a poem. She is not left in peace for long before Bean is once again standing outside her window. This time Bean shows Bella her toes. Bean says that someone has told her that she has the “cutest toes.” Bella is not interested in Beans toes, and Bean soon leaves.

   Bella is working on yet another poem, when Bean comes over and she is carrying “something big and green.” Bean invites Bella to come to Spoon Pond to help her plant her snow bush. Bella declines and she shuts her window. She has poems to write, and she has no time to talk about hats, admire toes, or plant snow bushes. Or maybe she does.

   When readers meet Bella and Bean they will think that these two very different mice cannot possibly be friends because they are so very unalike. The funny thing is that they would be wrong. With a delightful text that is sprinkled with poems, and cunning illustrations, the author and illustrator show readers how people (or mice) who are very different can still be friends. They can share the things they love to do and find a common ground that allows them to have a close and meaningful relationship.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and twenty-four

I have often wondered what my pets do when I am not at home. I imagine that they sleep for much of the time, and sometimes I come home to find clear indications that badness has been going on. A loaf of bread has been nibbled on, a glass has been knocked over, or some furry person has been chewing on the houseplants again. What else do they do that I do not know about though? I know more badness is going on behind my back, but I need evidence!

In today's picture book you will find out what happens when a family of humans leave their summer cottage empty for fall and winter. Their home, like mine, is taken over by furry people.

The winter visitors

Karel Hayes

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Down East Books, 978-0-89272-750-6

   It is fall, and the summer visitors are getting ready to leave the cottage by the lake. They put the canoe away, cover the furniture with sheets, pack up their things, and drive away with their bikes on the roof of their car.

   As soon as they disappear over the crest of the hill, the bear family comes down to the cottage. They find the jar of honey that was left behind, take the sheets off the furniture, and they are warm and snug indoors when the first snow flies.

   Father bear takes one of his cubs ice fishing, and Mama bear and the other little cub stay home and bake a cake. Then many of the forest animals come over for a New Year’s party. Together they dance the night away, play games, and then they go to sleep.

   Readers who met the bear family in The Summer Visitors, will love this new story about a family of bears who enjoy the amenities that their human neighbors unknowingly provide. With only a few words in the whole book, this title will charm bear lovers of all ages, and it will make them wonder if the humans in the story ever really figure out what is going on behind their backs. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and twenty-three

A lot of people take trees for granted. They don't appreciate the many things that trees do for us humans, and for the planet as a whole. They certainly don't consider that trees are to be loved and treasured. In today's picture book, you will meet a little girl who loves one particular tree. It is not a grand redwood or a perfectly perfect nursery raised flowering pear tree. Instead, it is a wild tree, a tree many people consider to be a nuisance. 

A tree for Emmy

Mary Ann Rodman

Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Peachtree Publishers, 2009, 978-1-56145-475-4

Emmy is a little girl who loves trees. She loves oaks, and pines, and willows, but most of all she likes the mimosa tree that grows in Gramma’s pasture. Gramma says that the mimosa is just like Emmy because it is “Stubborn and strong and a little bit wild.”

   Emmy does not have a mimosa tree growing in her yard at home, and when her birthday comes around, she tells her parents that she wants a mimosa tree of her very own to care for. Emmy’s mother and father don’t think that this is a strange request. Instead, they go to the garden stores to find a mimosa tree. Unfortunately, most people don’t seem to appreciate mimosa trees. They “grow wild” and therefore are not sold in stores.

   Emmy thinks that this is very unfair. Why don’t the stores sell mimosa trees? Even if they are wild, they are still beautiful. Emmy doesn’t want something else for her birthday, so she has to make do with spending time with Gramma’s tree. As she lies under the tree, trying to “keep in the tears,” Emmy makes an amazing discovery.

   Young readers are going to going enjoy spending time with Emmy, who is very determined to get exactly what she wants for her birthday. They will appreciate the fact that this little girl is not afraid to be different, and that she refuses to let go of her dream. With a charming message and lovely multimedia illustrations, this picture book is a tribute to all those people, young and old, who love all of nature’s gifts and who have the courage to be unique.