Fiction Wednesday - A review of Something Wickedly Weird

Today's book reminded me of some of the titles that I read when I was a child. The author perfectly mixes together magical doings, villains, a mystery, clever touches of humor, and colorful characters. There is also a soupcon of creepiness, just to keep you on your toes.

Something Wickedly Weird: The Wooden Mile

Chris Mould

Fiction

For ages 9 to 12

Roaring Brook, 2007, 978-159643-383-0

Stanley Buggles is a very ordinary eleven-year-old boy who has had, for the most part, an ordinary and unexciting life. Then one day Stanley gets a letter and he learns that his great-uncle has died and that he, Stanley, has inherited his great-uncle’s house and possessions. Not long after getting the letter, Stanley travels to Crampton Rock to see his inheritance.

   When Stanley gets to Crompton Rock he is amazed to discover that the little fishing village is on an island, and that the only way to get to and from the island is by walking on a long wooden bridge (only at low tide) or by boat. 

   Stanley is fascinated by his great-uncle’s house, Candlestick Hall. It is an enormous place full of interesting objects. There is something wrong though, for the housekeeper, Mrs. Carelli insists that Stanley be indoors before it gets dark. Stanley sees with his own eyes how the streets in the little village empty at dusk after the sounding of a bell, and how several people climb into watch towers. What are they looking out for?

   Things only get more mysterious the next day. A stuffed and very dead pike displayed in the house speaks and tells Stanley to “Stay away from William Cake, and beware of the lady who lives in the water.” Stanley has no idea what this mean. Sometime later he learns how his great uncle died. Apparently the poor man was attacked by some creature and the people in the village had a hard time identifying him because his head was missing.

   Stanley then finds out that the owner of the sweet shop in the town is called William Cake, and an ex-pirate tells the boy that William Cake is a werewolf who turns into a dangerous beast at night. Stanley has no idea if the pirate is telling the truth about William Cake, or if he is lying through his teeth. How on earth did he end up in the middle of such a bizarre and frightening situation?  

   Young readers are sure to find this story thoroughly captivating. Full of adventure, secrets, and touched with dark humor, this is the first in what promises to be a popular new series.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Babymouse for President

Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States. Finally, after months of speeches and debates, Americans are going to choose their next president. Many American children have been watching the campaign process,   and some of them have even staged elections of their own in their classrooms.

In today's title we see what happens when Babymouse decides to run for the school presidency. Being Babymouse, the election does not quite work out the way she hoped it would.

Babymouse for President

Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Graphic Novel

Ages 7 to 10

Random House, 2012, 978-0-375-86780-4

It is election time at Babymouse’s school, and she has decided (after eating a terrible school lunch) that she is going to run president of the school council. The narrator tells her to “be part of the solution,” which is when Babymouse begins to fantasize about what it would be like to be the president. Then she is brought firmly to earth when she is asked what her platform is going to be. Platform?

   At school the next day, Babymouse realizes that several of the other kids in school are running for the presidency, including Babymouse’s arch enemy, Felicia, and her friend Georgie. Then one of Babymouse’s friends offers to help. He takes her in er…wing, and helps Babymouse see that running for president is hard work. In fact, it requires that Babymouse do a lot of things that she would rather not do. Then there is that far bigger problem; that Babymouse has no idea what she believes in. Is she running just for fame and glory, or does Babymouse see that there is something bigger going on around her?

   In this deliciously funny tale, Babymouse once again manages to get the wrong end of the stick. She thinks only of what the school council presidency might do for her, and never stops to think that she might have something to offer, that she might be able to do something for the school to make it a better place.

   With delicious touches of humor and a clever story, Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm poke a little fun at political campaigns, and they also remind us that political office is more than just an opportunity for self-aggrandizement. 

Poetry Friday: A review of ABC Animal Jamboree

Over the years I have reviewed several books written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by David Wojtowycz. Together these two people have produced several books of poetry that are perfect for younger children. The poems are short and often amusing, and the art is bright and colorful. Today am delighted to bring you their newest title. Their other poetry books are Rumble in the Jungle, Commotion in the Ocean, and Dinosaurs Galore.

ABC Animal Jamboree

Giles Andreae

Illustrated by David Wojtowycz

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Tiger Tales, 2012, 978-1-58925-436-7

Animals come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Some, like the angelfish, are “gorgeous and lovely,” while others have a more homely appearance. The elephant, for example, is “big and fat and round” and the giraffe is “gangly.” Both of these animals are quite happy with their lives though, content to be as they are.

   They are not the only ones to feel this way. Frogs “may be green and slimy” but they are superlative jumpers and they are proud of their ability. Then there is a jellyfish who loves to “jiggle.” The other sea creatures think that this behavior is “quite dumb” but the jellyfish does not care. Jiggling might not be a very useful thing to be able to do, but it is “lots of good fun.”

   In this delightful collection of short poems, we meet twenty-six animals, one for every letter of the alphabet. Some of the animals, like the monkey and the rhinoceros, will be familiar to young readers, while others, like the narwhal and umbrella bird, are more exotic. Some of the poems are informative, and many are funny. Paired with David Wojtowycz’s bold and colorful paintings, the poems are a splendid alphabetical treat.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Fiction Wednesday - A review of Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise

Happy Halloween everyone! I have a funny story for you today. Mercy Watson, the single minded pig who loves buttered toast, is back . In this adventure, Mercy Watson and her humans get into the spirit of Halloween, with disastrous consequences. 

Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise

Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Fiction  Series
For ages 6 to 8
Candlewick Press, 2007, 978-0763630140
One October afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Watson are sitting together in their living room when Mrs. Watson comes up with an idea. She suggests that this year Mercy, their pet pig, should dress up for Halloween. Mr. Watson thinks that this is a grand idea and he is quite agreeable that Mercy should be dressed up a princess. In no time at all, Mrs. Watson has created a large pink froo froo dress for Mercy, and Mr. Watson has managed to find a tiara for her. Unfortunately, Mercy does not feel at all inclined to wear the outfit. At least she isn't until it is explained that she will get "treats" if she wear the dress and the tiara. So, with a sigh, she allows Mrs. Watson to dress her.

   On Halloween night, the Watsons begin their trick-or-treating by visiting their neighbors, the Lincoln sisters. Baby is happy to see them, but sour Eugenia does not believe in letting pigs go trick-or-treating and she slams the door in Mercy's face. Kind Baby has the Watsons come to the kitchen door and she offers Mercy the treat bowl. All goes well until the Lincoln sisters' cat comes on to the scene. Then everything goes wrong very fast.

   In this delightful holiday title, Mercy Watson is sure to give readers plenty of laughs. With great patience the "porcine vision" puts up with a great deal just so that she might have her favourite treat in the world - buttered toast. A text full of chuckles and wonderfully expressive illustrations make this a perfect book for young readers.

   This is the fourth book in the Mercy Watson series.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Zorro gets an outfit

When  I was a child, we had a large fluffy and very gentle dog called Balloo. On occasion, I put some of my clothes on her, and Balloo tolerated this treatment with good humor and patience. Once I put a hat on her, and when I looked into her face I recognized the expression I saw there. Balloo was embarrassed! As quickly as possible I took the hat off her head and apologized. I never dressed her up again.

In today's picture book you will meet Zorro, a pug whose owner dresses him up and who thus makes her pet feel very embarrassed indeed. 

Zorro gets an outfit

Carter Goodrich

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2012, 978-1-4424-3535-3

Zorro the pug and his friend Mister Bud are ready for the day to begin. They get their person up, they have their biscuits, and then they make it clear that it is time for their morning walk. Zorro and Mister Bud cannot understand what is delaying their person, and then she puts an “outfit” on Zorro. The pug is extremely embarrassed by his superhero outfit, and he doesn’t want to go for his usual morning walk. What if someone sees him?

   Sure enough, when Eddie and the boys see Zorro, they make fun of the outfit. Even Slim the cat has something to say about the outfit, and it isn’t complimentary either. Mister Bud does his best to cheer up his friend, but Zorro is too depressed. How will he ever live down the humiliation?

   Being the odd one out is never easy. People stare at you, they make comments, and all in all you feel as if the whole world is saying things about you. In this clever and deliciously amusing picture book, we see how one little dog tries to come to terms with an embarrassing problem, and how the problem seems to solve itself.

   This is the second book starring Zorro and Mister Bud.

Poetry Friday - A review of Oops!

Sometimes I get so busy and so involved in my work and chores that I forget to notice the little things that make life amusing. Not taking the time to enjoy things that are funny and silly is a grave mistake to make. Thankfully, I live with goofy people and animals whose actions allow me to get a regular dose of the chuckles.

For those of you who need a laugh or two I recommend that you pick up the book I have reviewed below. It is chuckle worthy, and after you have read a few of the poems, you will surely feel lighter and happier.

Oops!

Alan Katz

Illustrated by Edward Koren

Poetry

For ages 7 to 9

Simon and Schuster, 2008, 978-1-4169-0204-1

Many people seriously underrate the value of giggles, chuckles, and laughter. Humor is therapeutic, and silliness is necessary. Sometimes life isn’t very good about providing us with things that are amusing, but luckily there are some people out there who have a beautifully developed sense of humor, and they find ways to share it with us.

   Alan Katz is just such a person, and in this collection of poems he takes young readers on wonderful humor-filled poetry journey. In the poems we meet children doing the kinds of things that children do. There is “His Royal Sloppiness” who leaves dirty fingerprints and smudges wherever he goes. Later on in the book we meet the boy whose father says that his son’s behavior is giving him gray hair. The boy is rather confused by this because from what he can see he is making his poor father bald and not gray-haired.

   The author also captures those wonderful moments from childhood that are both funny and sweet. For example there is the boy who tells his mother that he has superpowers. He can “jump fifty feet in the air” and “save the world with a wave of my hand.” The thing is that before he can do all these splendid things he needs his mother to “please tie my shoe.”

   Another child feels like a “boob” because she decided to show her little sister how toothpaste is put in the tube. Her little sister squeezes the tube so much that the older girl has no idea “how to get the toothpaste in again.”

   Children are going to love this wonderful collection of poems, which explore the everyday kind of adventures and mishaps that children have. The poems also look at just some of the peculiar questions that children ask, and readers will have a hard time holding in the guffaws and chortles and when they see the answers.

Fiction Wednesday - A review of Daisy Dawson and the Big Freeze

Some of my favorite chapter books are the titles in the Daisy Dawson collection. These books are full of sweetly funny moments, charming characters, and just a little touch of magic. In today's fiction title, Daisy Dawson and her friends find out that sometimes we have to leave the home we love, so that we can come back to it. 

DaisyDawson and the big freeze

Steve Voake

Illustrated by Jessica Meserve

Fiction

For ages 7 to 9

Candlewick Press, 2008, 978-0-7636-5627-0

One morning Daisy’s mother tells Daisy that it is going to be a very cold day. Apparently, Arctic winds are blowing and it might even snow. Sure enough, after Daisy gets to school, and while she is cleaning out the gerbil cage, it starts to snow outside. Daisy slips Furball and Burble, the two gerbils, into her pocket and then she goes outside with her classmates.

   Outdoors, Furball and Burble meet Daisy’s squirrel friends, Hazel, Cyril, and Conker. The squirrels invite the gerbils to go sliding with them, and soon the little gerbils are riding on Hazel and Conker’s heads, holding the squirrel’s ears “as if they were motorcycle handlebars.” After one ride down the hill, the gerbils – not being used to snow and cold - are ready to go back indoors. They know when enough is enough.

   Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Woolverton, one of the new lambs. Instead of staying with the flock, which is what his mother and the sheepdog tells him to do, Woolverton wanders off. Daisy and Boom the hound dog set off to find the lamb, hoping that he hasn’t come to harm in the woods.

   Daisy Dawson, the little girl who can speak to and understand animals, is a very special book character. She is sweet, generous, and her animal friends are all very fond of her. With brilliant touches of humor and delicious characters, Steve Voake gives his readers a splendid story full of warmth and love.

Picture Book Monday - A review of The Monsters' Monster

Some parents have the misconception that their children are going to turn out to be little versions of themselves. Perhaps in the beginning this happens, but after a while our children become their own people, and we have to accept and celebrate their individuality. 

Today's picture book is about three monsters who set about creating a big monster. They intend for him to be a bigger version of themselves, but they find out that sometimes one cannot anticipate how a creation is going to turn out. 

The Monsters’ Monster

Patrick McDonnell

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Little Brown, 2012, 978-0-316-04547-6

Grouch, Grump, and Gloom ‘n’ Doom are three little monsters who live in a suitably dark and dank castle, and who make a point of being as unpleasantly monsterish as possible. The one thing that they have in common is that they cannot agree which of them is “the biggest, baddest monster,” and this causes no end of trouble and countless brawls.

   Finally, the monsters decide that the solution to their problem is to create a “MONSTER monster. The biggest, baddest monster EVER!” They build their creature, and then with the help of a convenient lightning strike, they bring him to life. The three monsters are thrilled with their creation. Now, at last, they know which of them is “the biggest, baddest monster.” Their monster is going to be a credit to monsterdom, and he is going to leave chaos in his wake. It never occurs to them that their plan might not work out the way they expect it to.

   Young readers are going to love this clever and unusual story with its heartwarming and surprising ending. They will see how even the best laid plan can backfire, and how, in this case at least, the problem turns out to be an unexpected gift.

Poetry Friday - A review of Swan Song

When I was still quite young, I read about the dodo bird, a flightless bird that was so tame that humans were able to come right up to it. Needless to say, the humans took advantage of the situation, killed the dodos for their meat, and the birds were wiped out. Not long after reading about the bird, I saw a model of a dodo in a museum, and my heart went out to the poor funny looking creature. How sad it was that I would never get the opportunity to see one in the flesh, or even see a photo of one. Ever since that day, I have tried to do what I could to protect threatened animal and plant species so that they don't disappear.

In today's poetry title you will get to meet the dodo and several other species that are no longer with us. I am sure the poems will move and inspire you.

Swan Song

J. Patrick Lewis

Illustrated by Christopher Wormell

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 7 to 12

Creative Editions, 2003, 978-1-56846-175-5

There are millions of species of animals living on Earth. This may make many people feel that we are lucky, that we are rich in natural wonders, but the truth is that these animals are only a small fraction of the animal species that have inhabited our planet. “More than ninety-nine of all species that have ever lived are now extinct.” Many of these absent creatures were dinosaurs, animals who disappeared due to changes that took place on Earth long ago. However, many other species have vanished more recently, and they have done so because of us.

   This collection of poems is about some of the “recently departed” animal species. The poems serve as an epitaph for twenty extinct animals, and they also serve as a warning. We need to remember the species that are gone, so that we can protect the species of the present.

   Often considered the poster child of extinct animals, the dodo was a flightless bird that lived in an environment where they had no enemies, and who therefore had no fears. Then humans arrived, who hunted the dodo and thus the poor dodo “ceased to be.”

   Great Auks where another species of flightless bird who also had the unfortunate tendency not to fear the humans who came to their island homes. They too paid the ultimate price, providing hunters with feathers for eiderdown and meat for the table.

   In 1937, many momentous events took place that attracted a lot of attention in the media. The Hindenburg crashed, Amelia Earhart disappeared, Japan declared war on China, and Hitler announced that God was his “friend and ally.” People all over the world mourned and worried as they read the articles, but few of them grieved over the article that announced that the last Bali Tiger was dead. She had died without anyone mourning her loss.

   In his rich and powerful poems, Patrick J. Lewis beautifully captures the loss that we should all feel when we consider how many animal species have gone extinct because of human greed and thoughtlessness.

   At the back of the book readers will find further information about the animal species mentioned in the poems.