Happy Hanukkah!

Best wishes for Hanukkah from TTLG

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

For the past sixteen years I have been living with a chronic illness, and at times figuring out how to cope with it is tiresome in the extreme. I cannot live my life the way I used to, and have to make many adjustments and concessions that I find annoying.

Today's picture book is about a little princess who also has a troublesome physical challenge. In her case, she floats, and this means that she cannot do what other children take for granted. I found this story delightfully amusing, and it reminded me that one can overcome almost anything, if one is creative. Having a sense of humor also helps.


Princess Hyacinth (the surprising tale of a girl who floated)

Florence Parry Heide

Illustrated by Lane Smith

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Random House, 2009, 978-0-375-84501-7

   In most ways, Princess Hyacinth is a very ordinary little girl. She has brown hair and “the usual arrangement” of features on her face. In short, if you looked at her, you would have no idea that Princess Hyacinth has a problem, a problem that has to resolution.

   Princess Hyacinth floats. The only way to keep her on the ground is to weigh her down with a heavy crown, golden weights in the hems of her dresses, and “little diamond pebbles sewn into the tops of her socks.” As soon as she takes the special garments and her crown off, Princess Hyacinth floats “up, up, up.”

   In the palace, Princess Hyacinth can “take off her royal stuff” and float around freely, but if she wants to go outside, she has to wear the full paraphernalia and it is very galling. More than anything, Princess Hyacinth wants to float around outside. She also wishes she could run around outside like the children who come to play in the grounds of her home.

   One day Princess Hyacinth gets an idea. There is a way for her to be outdoors after all. It never occurs to her that her plan might not work, and that she might end up floating “up, up, up” into the open sky where there is nothing to stop her.

   With a deliciously funny story and Lane Smith’s amusing illustrations, this picture book will charm children with its quirkiness. Young readers will enjoy imagining what it would be like to be Hyacinth. How would they try to live a ‘normal’ life if they too floated above the ground?

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

Life is full of challenges, some of which are scary. Children often don't quite know how to deal with these challenges. They don't realize that they have sources of courage deep inside that they can call upon at such times. Today's book will help children (and adults too) to realize that the tools they need to cope with life's challenges are always with them.

A teaspoon of courage for kids: A Little Book of Encouragement for Whenever You Need It

Bradley Trevor Greive

Picture Book

For ages 7 and up

Andrews McMeel, 2007, 978-0-7407-6949-8

   For much of the time, most children are content with their lives. They share happy moments with their families and friends, and life is enjoyable. Inevitably though, there are those times when “everyone runs smack up against a brick wall.” These times are hard, and often we don’t know what to do, or how to cope. This book was written especially for children to help them deal with these moments when they get “stuck,” confused, scared, or at a loss.

   The author does not offer children pages and pages of advice. Instead, he combines small sections of text with photos of animals. The pairings are perfect in every instance. For example, when he talks about how there are times when “you can’t figure out what is going on” he gives us a picture of a grasshopper scratching its head. When he talks to us about having courage to deal with life’s trials and tribulations, he says that “courage makes it possible for little guys to stand up to big guys” and we look at a picture of a mouse looking up at a cat. The mouse is not cowed at all. Instead, it is standing up on its hind legs showing to the world that it is small in stature only. It is big in heart.

   Throughout the book, poignancy, wisdom, and humor combine to give children a title that will show them that they have the courage to face life’s challenges, even if they think that they don’t.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and fifty-two

Today's picture book is out of print, but I was so charmed by it that I decided to review it anyway. You can still purchase it on Amazon and I am sure there are copies floating about in other bookstores and at your local library.

The reason why I wanted to share this book with you is that it really is a charmer. It celebrates the connection between siblings and shows us how precious our happy memories can be, especially if we can share them with others.


The lemon sisters

Andrea Cheng

Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Penguin, 2006, 0-399-24023-3

   One morning, an old lady wakes up and she knows immediately that it has snowed during the night. She looks outside, and sees three girls playing in the snow. Seeing them playing and interacting, the old lady remembers the times when she and her two sisters, Rita and Mae, used to play in the snow. She watches as the three girls pretend to make oatmeal on a pretend snow stove in a pretend snow pot. The old lady then remembers how she and her sisters made “real lemon ices” when they were girls by mixing snow with lemon juice and sugar.

   The old lady gives the three girls some lemons and sugar and watches as they make their own lemon ices. Sadly she thinks about her sisters, both of whom live so far away. What makes her loneliness even harder to bear is that today is her birthday, and she has no one to celebrate with. Or at least that’s what she thinks.

   In this heart-warming picture book, Andrea Cheng celebrates the close bond that connects siblings. She shows her readers how three elderly sisters never stop loving one another, and how three little girls are able to enrich the lives of the three sisters in a wonderful way.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and fifty-one

Making friends, and then losing them, can be a painful business. We wish that our friends could be with us always, but often something out of our control happens, and a precious friendship ends. Today's picture book looks at the nature of friendship, and in it the author puts forward the idea that our friends are with us, even when they are no longer around.


Making a friend

Alison McGhee

Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2011, 978-1-4169-8998-1

   In the fall, a little boy watches the golden leaves drift down and he dreams “of winter.” Then one morning, he wakes up to discover that it has snowed in the night. Wearing his cold weather clothes, the boy goes outside to play in the beautiful snow. He catches snowflakes on his tongue, and makes snow angels. Then he gets down to the serious business of making a snowman. When the snowman is complete (wearing the little boy’s hat), the little boy realizes that he has created something special. He has created a friend.

   The snowman is there every day for the little boy until the weather starts to warm up. Sadly, the little boy watches his snowman melt until all that is left are his stick arms, his carrot nose, his stone eyes and mouth, and the hat that he wore. The little boy wonders where is friend has gone. Is he gone forever?

   In this special book, the author explores the idea that “what you love will always be with you,” even when that much loved friend is not there in person. Children will see how the little boy’s snowman is there in his heart and in his memories, and they will rejoice when they see how the story ends. 

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

These days many grownups are feeling very disillusioned by life. We don't have many heroes to look up to, and therefore we don't have many heroes to share with our children, except those that lived in the past, and those that live in books. In today's picture book title (it's actually a graphic novel), readers will meet a child hero who makes a terrible mistake, and who is willing to risk everything to correct that mistake. Zita is someone we can admire. She is someone who, for a change, does the right thing.

Zita the Spacegirl - Book One: Far from home

Ben Hatke

Graphic Novel

For ages 8 to 12

First Second, 2011, 978-1-59643-446-2

   One day Zita and her friend Joseph are out playing, when they find a small crater in the ground and there is a steaming meteoritic rock lying at the bottom of it. When Zita goes down into the crater to investigate, she finds that there is a strange looking device inside the rock, a square panel with a red button in the middle of it.

   Though Joseph tells her to put the device back, Zita refuses to. Instead, she pushes the red button to see what the device does. At first nothing happens, but then a bright portal opens up in front of the children, and Joseph is grabbed by three tentacles and he is dragged back through the portal, which then closes and disappears.

   At first, Zita is terrified by what has happened, but then she decides that she has to follow Joseph through the portal. After all, it is her fault that he was kidnapped in the first place. Zita pushes the red button and jumps…into a world inhabited by all kinds of weird looking aliens. Zita sees a many-armed alien putting Joseph into a strange flying vessel, and she is unable to do anything as the vessel flies away. Then her portal opening device is stepped on and broken. As if this is not bad enough, she then learns that the planet she is on is about to be hit by an asteroid and destroyed. Somehow Zita has to find Joseph, save him, and get them both off the planet before it is blown to bits.

   This is the first title in what is clearly going to be a thrilling new graphic novel series. With fabulous illustrations and with characters that are delightfully likeable or dreadfully villainous, this is a book that explores how one very ordinary girl becomes a very extraordinary girl. Challenged by the situation she finds herself in, Zita has to do all kinds of things to help the people (and aliens and robots) that she cares about.

   

Poetry Friday - A review of Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys

For the most part, I try to review books that will appeal to both boys and girls, but I won't pass up a book because it is super girly or especially boycentric. I would miss out on a lot of fantastic books if I did this.

Today's poetry book was written for boys, and I am so glad that I read it and reviewed it. It is a collection of haikus that explore the outdoor lives of boys, and the poems are amusing, touching, and memorable.

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys

Bob Raczka

Illustrated by Peter Reynolds

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 6 to 10

Houghton Mifflin, 2010, 978-0-547-24003-9

   For boys, the great outdoors is place that is full of possibilities. Trees are there to be climbed, streams are for damming, and fall leaf piles are for playing in. The season to come is anticipated because of the opportunities it has to offer for games and adventures.

   For this delightful poetry collection, poet Bob Raczka has written twenty-four haikus specifically for boys. Boys love the outdoors and “a haiku is an observation of nature.” For him, the pairing of boyish adventures and the haiku form is a natural one.

   The haiku are divided into four sections. Bob Raczka begins with haikus that explore what boys like to do in spring. We hear about how a boy goes outside to play with his kite on a windy day, and how he and the wind play tug-of-war. Not surprisingly, it looks as if “The wind is winning.”

   In the section of haikus that have a summer flavor, we read about a boy who skips a stone on a body of water five times. He is thrilled because this is his “best throw ever.”

  In the fall, a boy lies across a swing wondering “Who turned off all / the crickets?” He is not ready for the summer, and all its freedoms, to come to an end.

   Readers will find it hard to resist this celebration of boyhood. Bob Raczka’s delightful haikus are perfectly complimented by Peter Reynolds’ expressive minimalist illustrations. For each season, the illustrations have an accent of color that best suits that season. There is green for spring, a soft golden yellow for summer, sepia for fall, and a pale cool blue for winter.

   This title would make a wonderful gift for a boy who loves to be outside with the sun and the wind.

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

For many people, moving to a new home or a new place is stressful. For pets is can be a very upsetting experience because they have no idea what is going on. Why are they no longer in the home where they were comfortable and felt secure? Why is this new place so very different? 

In this picture book you will meet a cat who is moved to a new home, and who does not like it at all. 

Windows With birds

Karen Ritz

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Boyds Mills Press, 2010, 978-1-59078-656-7

   The cat loves its home. It loves the windows “with birds,” the stairs, the hiding places, and the “foolish mouse in the basement.” He also loves the boy who gives it food, water, and affection.

   One day the boy takes the cat to a strange place, and the cat is not happy. It hides in a laundry basket, refusing to come out when it is called. It hides behind boxes, inside a box spring, and in a closet, and it ignores the water and treats that it is offered. A “mouse with a feather tail” is chewed up and deposited in a shoe.

   When the boy stops looking and goes to sleep, the cat comes out and snuggles up against the sleeping child, and in the morning, the cat discovers some wonderful things about its new home.

   Moving is not easy for anyone, especially if you happen to be furry and don’t understand what is going on. In this charming picture book, Karen Ritz describes a move from the point of view of a cat, and readers will enjoy sharing the cat’s thoughts and feelings. 

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

All of us have things that we do when we are nervous or anxious. We try to think of happy thoughts, we whisper a calming mantra under our breath, or we hold onto some kind of talisman or good luck charm that makes us feel safe. Children will often rely on an imaginary friend in times of trouble. They have an invisible child or animal who is always there when life is frightening.

In today's picture book you will meet a little boy who has just such a friend, an invisible little boy who knows just how he feels, and who comforts him.

Leon and Bob

Simon James

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Candlewick Press, 2006, 978-0763626860

   Leon and his mother have moved to a new home in town. Though no one knows it except Leon, Bob has also moved into the home. Leon is the only person who can see Bob, and having Bob around helps Leon feel less alone. Bob is with him when Leon walks to school, and he is there when Leon reads the letters his father (who is in the army) sends him.

   One day, Leon notices that a new family is moving in next door. Leon sees that the family includes a boy who seems friendly. Leon decides that he will go and visit the new boy in the morning. He will have Bob with him to support him if he feels nervous. Or maybe not.

   Many children have imaginary friends to help them get through hard times. This warm and sensitive picture book is a tribute to all those invisible friends who have helped countless children find their way. Young readers will be delighted to discover that the new boy next door has a little surprise of his own.

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

I am of the opinion that we live in a society that focuses too much on things and not enough on relationships and experiences. I know one person who goes on foreign trips just to acquire more stuff. He does not see that the trip itself is the real gift because of all the amazing things he sees and experiences he has.

In today's picture book you will meet a goose and bear who go on a treasure hunt. Only one of them really appreciates that the real treasure is right in front of their noses.

Treasure

Suzanne Bloom

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Boyds Mills Press, 2007, 978-1-59078-457-0

   One day, Goose finds Bear writing on a piece of paper. There is a big X in the middle of the paper, and Goose quickly assumes that Bear must be “looking for treasure.” Exuberant Goose wants to hunt for treasure too, so she dashes off to get all the “gear” she thinks they will need.

   Soon Bear and Goose are whizzing along on Goose’s scooter, looking for the treasure. The dig for the treasure, and they dive for it, but they don’t find anything that even faintly looks like treasure. In a fit of pique, Goose rips the so-called treasure map in half. “We didn’t find any treasure at all,” she says, but Bear thinks otherwise. Bear knows that the two friends have found the best treasure of all.

   As they read this funny and sweet picture book, children will discover that treasures come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Sometimes there is a treasure right under our noses, and we don’t even realize it.

   With a minimal text, delightful characters, and a meaningful message, this picture book is a joy to share with young readers. Children and their grownups will laugh out loud when they see, at the end of the story, what the treasure map really is.