Picture Book Monday - A review of If you spent a day with Thoreau at Walden Pond

Years ago, when my husband was doing his graduate degree at Harvard, I visited him and he took me to Walden Pond. It was a clear day in early fall and I fell in love with the place at once, taking dozens of photographs of the trees, the pond, and the little treasures that I saw about me. Today's picture book captures the magic of Walden Pond, taking readers back in time so that they can explore the special place with Henry David Thoreau, who lived near the pond for two years.

If you spent a day with Thoreau at Walden Pond

Robert Burleigh

Illustrated by Wendell Minor

Picture Book

For ages 7 to 9

Henry Holt, 2012, 978-0-8050-9137-3

More than one hundred and fifty years ago, a man called Henry David Thoreau left his town life and went to live in the woods next to Walden Pond, which is near the town of Concord in Massachusetts.  He lived in a tiny cabin that he built himself, and explored the woods around his home, getting to know the plants and animals intimately. He wrote down notes in his journal, and later Thoreau wrote a book about his life in the little cabin. It was called Walden, or Life in the Woods, and it is now considered to be one of America’s greatest books.

   In this book readers are invited to imagine what it would be like to spend a day with Thoreau at Walden Pond. As readers explore Thoreau’s world, they will see how simple and yet how rich his life was.

   If you could go back in time to visit Thoreau you would have to get to his cabin early because Thoreau “wakes with the sun.” Perhaps you and Thoreau would go out onto the pond in a little row boat. You could help him weed his bean patch and walk with him in the woods. You wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost because Henry knows his way around the woods. You might even go to Fair Haven Hill to pick huckleberries.

   Moving quietly through the woods and across the meadows you would see all kinds of animals. There in the sky is a hawk “soaring and tumbling, over and over.” You might chase after a fox, or watch two species of ants waging a war. With Thoreau for company you will learn how to see the natural world around you in a new way.

   In this unique picture book, Robert Burleigh’s beautifully spare prose is paired with Wendell Minor’s atmospheric illustrations to give readers a picture of what Thoreau’s life at Walden Pond was like. Readers will get a sense of how peaceful the time was, and how the simple life that Thoreau had allowed him to connect with his environment in a meaningful way.

   At the back of the book the author provides readers with further information about Thoreau and his time at Walden Pond. There is also a collection of quotations from Thoreau’s writings, all of which have relevance in the modern day. Since some of the quotations are written in language that is difficult to understand, the author provides readers with “modern interpretations,” to help us appreciate the sayings more fully.

Poetry Friday - A review of Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs

I know that there are some people who think that frogs, lizards, snakes and other reptiles and amphibians are  "creepy" and "nasty." I am not one of these people. I was the kind of kid who collected tadpoles and watched them turn into frogs. I loved to watch geckos walk across the ceiling of my room, and even kept a grass snake in a tank for a while. I was therefore delighted to discover today's poetry book because it is full of amphibians and reptiles. What is special about this book is that even people who don't typically like these animals will find these poems enjoyable.

Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs

Douglas Florian

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 6 to 8

Harcourt, 2001, 978-0-152-05248-5

Even though many of us might be repelled or frightened by reptiles and amphibians, we often cannot help finding these creatures rather interesting. They come in so many shapes and sizes, and live in so many different kinds of habitats. We love to shiver when we read about how long their teeth are, how venomous they are, or how slimy they feel.

   In this delightful collection of poetry, poet and artist, Douglas Florian, introduces us to some of the world’s reptiles and amphibians. We begins with the skink, which slinks along the ground and through the grass and which can drop off its tail if something provokes it. The tortoise is next, and it too has a novel way to protect itself from predators. It wears “a helmet / on my back” which guards the animal “from attack.” Unlike a helmet, the tortoises shell will not fall off if the animal coughs or sneezes.

  Later on we meet a gecko, which can walk up walls with ease, crocodiles and alligators, the iguana, the midwife toad, and many other interesting creatures. With clever rhymes, touches of humor, and interesting facts, Douglas Florian gives his readers a unique poetry experience.

   Throughout the book the poems are accompanied by the poet’s own artwork.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Lumpito and the painter from Spain

Many of us have cats and dogs who share our lives and whom we adore. How many of us try to imagine what it would be like to be the family cat or dog? How many of us try to see the world from a cat or dog's point of view? In today's picture book we get to meet a dog who really existed and whose life, at first, wasn't  terribly enjoyable. Thankfully, the dog was introduced to a man who understood him and appreciated him, and the man, who was called Pablo Picasso, changed the dog's life in the best possible way.

Lumpito and the painter from Spain

Monica Kulling

Illustrated by Dean Griffiths

Picture Books

For ages 5 to 8

Pajama Press, 2013, 978-1-927485-00-2

Lump was a dachshund who lived in Rome with a photographer called David and a dog called Big Dog. Unfortunately, Big Dog and Lump were not friends. Big Dog liked to steal Lump’s food and every night poor Lump slept “with one eye open because he was afraid of what Big Dog might do.”

   One day David announced that he and Lump were going to meet a famous painter. David had a small car and after it was loaded with all his cameras and other equipment, there was only room for one small dog. Together David and Lump drove to a beautiful villa in the south of France where Lump met a famous painter called Pablo Picasso.

   Just a few minutes after arriving at the villa, another dog turned up. Another dog that was bigger than Lump. It was going to be Big Dog situation all over again and Lump was determined that he was not going to let this larger dog “push him around.” Lump needn’t have worried. The dog, Yan, wanted to be friends and had no interest in bullying Lump.

   The painter decided to called Lump Lumpito, and he shared his fish lunch with the little dog. Picasso  also lay in the grass with Lumpito and rubbed his tummy. In the evening he held Lumpito in his arms, and together they looked up at the stars. The painter and the dog were delightfully content when they were together.

   Every so often a human and a dog meet and they are friends from that moment on. This was what happened when Picasso met a little dachshund called Lump. A special connection developed between them, and for Lump, and probably for the famous painter as well, it was a friendship full of joy.

   With a wonderful story and lovely illustrations, this book serves as a tribute to friendship and it will charm readers of all ages.

Poetry Friday - A Review of The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Verses

Finding the perfect pet can take some time and some people spend many hours researching the potential pets that they are considering getting. In today's poetry title you will meet a little girl who takes takes her researching efforts very seriously indeed, with very humorous results.

The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Verses

Lisa Wheeler

Illustrated by Zachariah OHara

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 6 to 8

Simon and Schuster, 2013, 978-1-4169-7595-3

A little girl wants a pet, but her parents say “Not quite yet,” and they advise their daughter to do “research” and “Devise a scientific plan” to determine which pet would be right for her. Not deterred by this unusual demand, the little girl gets a notebook and “prepped to study in the field,” she goes to a farm to see potential pets for herself.

   Carefully the little girl makes field observations of a cow, a chicken, a pony, a dove, and a sheep. Though some of the animals seem promising at first, she soon realizes that a farm animal will not work for her. The sheep is too smelly, the pony too troublesome, and the chicken is downright aggressive. No, farm animals are out of the question. Perhaps a zoo animal would be a better fit.

   The little girl is not at the zoo long before it becomes clear that a monkey, penguin, tiger, polar bear, or hippo will not make a good pet. One might eat her, the other is very odiferous, and could one ever get used to having a pet that eats raw fish? And what about a pet that has fur that is “full of bugs and lice?” No, zoo animals will not do at all.

   Woodland animals are not much better, so the little girl decides that she needs to try animals that are perhaps a little less exotic. This time she will “bring some beasties in” so that she can properly test out each potential pet in her home. Surely one of the animals will end up being the right one.

   Children who are eager to have a pet of their own are going to enjoy this wonderful picture book with its unique collection of poems. With plenty of humor and a clever use of language, the author gives her readers a special poetry picture book experience.

A review of a perfect title for Father's Day

This coming Sunday, on June 16th, we celebrate Father's Day. It is a day when we spoil fathers and show them how much we love and appreciate them. In honor of this day, I have reviewed a book that celebrates the many ways in which fathers show their children, through their actions, how much they are loved.

When a dad says "I love you"

Douglas Wood

Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2013, 978-0-689-87532-8

We all know what the words “I love you” mean, but did you know that many people say “I love you” without saying these words at all? Dads are particularly good at doing this. Instead of saying the words, they show you how much you are loved. They make pancakes for you, admire your muscles, play games with you, and call you silly names like Flap-doodle or Scatterwhomp. When they help you ride your bike or read you your favorite story for the three hundredth time they are saying “I love you.”  When they answer your countless “Why?” questions without complaining they are also saying “I love you.”

            In this heartwarming, sometimes sweetly funny, book, Douglas Wood, who brought us the books A Quiet Place and Old Turtle, shows children that there are so many ways to say “I love you,” and often these expressions of love are incredibly precious. Throughout the book the simple text is paired with softly expressive illustrations of animal children sharing wonderful moments with their fathers.

Poetry Friday - A review of Fold me a Poem

I never really knew much about origami until my daughter began to make paper cranes in school when she was seven years old. Since then she has made dozens and dozens of cranes and has also created beautiful boxes, stars, and other shapes. She loves collecting the colorful origami papers, and spends hours looking through her stash, searching for just the right paper for her next project.
In today's poetry title you will meet another child who loves origami and who builds a little world with the little paper creations he makes.

Fold me a poem 

Kristine O’Connell George

Illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 6 to 9

Harcourt, 2005, 978-0-152-02501-4

Origami is the traditional Japanese art of folding paper to create little paper animals and flowers. Often people who enjoy creating Origami use special paper that can be one solid color or that is printed with many intricate and colorful designs. Though the paper creations look simple, some of them take a lot of skill to make.

   In this book the author explores the world of origami in a unique way, taking us into through the day of a little boy who enjoys making the often beautiful paper sculptures. We begin in the morning, when the little boy greets the day with an origami rooster. A buffalo with a “shaggy head” gallops across the tablecloth during breakfast. There is a camel on the table too, but something went wrong with the folding process and the poor animal is not standing up properly. The boy leans the camel against a salt shaker “sand dune” so that he can “double-check the directions.”

   In his room, the little boy’s green origami dog has three new dogs friends made with printed paper. On the book shelf a black crow origami is hiding in the shadows, and a lion and cheetah are racing across the floor to see who is fastest.

   The little boy spreads out his origami paper on a table and examines his treasure trove of colors. What will he make next?

   In this lovely book clever illustrations are paired with beautifully spare yet evocative poems to show us how simple paper animals can brighten a boy’s day, providing him with hours full of creativity and play. After reading this book young readers might be tempted to try making some origami animals and flowers themselves.

   

Picture Book Monday - A review of Ribbit!

When we are presented with something that is out of the ordinary many of us overreact, often in a negative way. We are suspicious and prone to consider the unfamiliar something to be potentially dangerous. In today's picture book the author shows to great effect how such suspicious and distrustful behavior can create an environment that lacks open mindedness and a willingness to listen and observe. What is remarkable about this book is that the author manages to convey his powerful message with humor and sensitivity.

Ribbit!

Rodrigo Folgueira

Illustrated by Poly Bernatene

Picture Book

For ages 6 and up

Random House, 2013, 978-0-307-98146-2

One morning the frogs who lived in a pond woke up to find that they were no longer alone. There was a pink pig sitting on a rock in their pond, and when the chief frog asked “What can we do for you?” the pig answered “Ribbit!” Not surprisingly, the frogs were astonished when they heard this. Did the pig think it was a frog? Was it making fun of them?

The other animals soon heard about the pig at the frog pond and they came to see what was going on. “Why would a pig want to be a frog?” a parrot wondered aloud. Naturall, the frogs found this comment offensive and soon all the animals were shouting at one another.  The animals laughed at the situation, except for the frogs, who were getting more and more annoyed. Finally the frog chief decided that they needed to consult the wise old beetle. Surely he would be able to explain the pig’s strange behavior.

Often, when a strange situation presents itself, people get into a tizzy. They argue, they hurt each other’s feelings, and they analyze everything more than is necessary. This book shows readers that sometimes the reason for a person’s behavior is very simple. Sometimes the answer we are looking for is right there, and all we have to do is to think less and feel more and we will find the answer.

With lovely expressive illustrations and a story that is timeless and ageless, this picture book explores an important topic with sensitivity and gentle humor.

Poetry Friday - A review of A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems

The first concrete poem I encountered was The Mouse's Tale which appears in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I thought it was a very clever poem and enjoyed reading it out loud with my father. I did not encounter another concrete poem until a few years ago, and I was delighted to see that this unique poetry form is becoming more and more popular.

A poke in the I: A collection of concrete poems

Paul B. Janeczko

Illustrated by Chris Raschka

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 6 to 9

Candlewick Press, 2005, 978-0-7636-2376-0

For most of us a poem is a form of writing where words are presented to the reader in creative ways to conjure up images, thoughts, and feelings. How the words look on the page is not really that important. Concrete poems are still a form of poetry, but their appearance matters a great deal. They are “visually arresting” because the poet has tried to create a visual effect with his or her words in addition to an intellectual and emotional effect.

   For this splendid collection of concrete poems, Paul Janeczko has chosen poems that are presented in unique pictorial ways. For example in Skipping Rope Spell by John Agard, the lines of the poem are not presented in well behaved rows that stretch from left to right. Instead, they swirl across the pages, twirling the way skipping ropes do when they are circling through the air.

   In Sylvia Cassedy’s poem Queue the words stand in a neat line down the page, one word under the other, just the way people stand in a line when they are waiting for a bus at a bus stop. Similarly, the words in the poem Popsicle are arranged to look like a popsicle, a rectangle of words describing the melting sweet summer delight that ends with the word “sticky,” which forms the popsicle’s stick.

  In Sky Day Dream, the poet Robert Froman creates pictures of floating thoughts that drift up the pages like clouds, getting smaller and smaller the higher up the page they go. Surely this is exactly what happens to our thoughts when we lie in the grass daydreaming about this and that.

   This is a perfect book to share with readers who are under the impression that poetry is dull and perhaps even inaccessible. The poems, paired with Chris Raschka’s multimedia artwork, show to great effect how visual, unusual, and funny poems can be.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Hugless Douglas and the big sleepover

Hugless Douglas is one of my favorite children's picture book characters. He is a big bumbling bear who often gets things wrong, but he is so sweet and lovable that no one really minds. In today's picture book title you will find out what happens when Douglas goes to a friend's house to spend the night.

Hugless Douglas and the big sleepover

David Melling

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Tiger Tales, 2013, 978-1-58925-116-8

Hugless Douglas the bear is very excited because he has been invited to a sleepover at Rabbit’s house. Douglas packs a bag and then he sets off full of hope and anticipation. Douglas gets stuck in a tree, and then he manages to get lost. He decides to climb a tree so that he can see where he is, but unfortunately the tree he chooses isn’t really suited to being climbed by a large and heavy bear. The tree bends lower and lower to the ground and then Douglas falls into a bush on top of Little Sheep.

Little Sheep knows the way to Rabbit’s House and Douglas is sure that there is more than enough room at Rabbit’s for one little sheep and a bear. Paw in paw they walk to Rabbit’s burrow and when they get there Douglas realizes that he brought more than one sheep with him. In fact there are ten sheep in all. Rabbit is not at all concerned about the arrival of so many guests. In fact, she is delighted to see all the sheep.

The sheep manage to get through Rabbit’s rather small doorway, but there is no way Douglas is going to be able to squeeze through the snug entrance. They are going to have to rethink their sleepover plan.

Readers who have enjoyed the other Douglas Douglas books are going to love this new adventure. Once again Douglas gets himself into a spot of trouble, and once again his misadventures are laugh-out-loud funny. The expressions on the faces of the characters and the situations they get into are deliciously ridiculous. This book is a must for anyone who needs a little pick-me-up.

Poetry Friday - A review of Poems to Learn by Heart

One Christmas, when I was around seven or eight, I was given a book of poetry. I remember that I was very disappointed with the book because it wasn't the collection of fairy tales that I wanted. Then my father started to read the poems to me and I heard about a tiger "burning bright," for the first time. We laughed at Lear's funny limericks and that book of poetry became one of my favorite books. I ended up learning a lot of the poems by heart and many of them are still with me. Every so often I dig them out of my memory and enjoy them.

Poems to Learn by Heart

Caroline Kennedy

Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 8 and up

Hyperion, 2013, 978-142310805-4

There was a time, not that long ago, when children and young people were expected to memorize reams of information and pages of text, both poetry and prose. Nowadays, thanks in part to the digitalization of our world, children think that memorizing quotes, passages from classic books, and poems is no longer necessary. The truth is that there is a good reason for having poems and pieces of literature at your fingertips. Caroline Kennedy feels that “a poem can remind us that others have journeyed far and returned safely home.” Poems can encourage and sustain us when life is throwing challenges our way. Firmly believing in the power of poetry to heal and support people, Caroline Kennedy has collected more than a hundred poems to memorize that will appeal to readers of all ages.

            She begins by giving her readers a simple and humorous poem called The First Book by Rita Dove. In the poem, the poet encourages us to open the book and “Dig in.” It might be a little hard to get started, but it will be worth it in the end and if you do, “the world as you think / you know it” will never be the same.

            After this warming up poem, we begin our journey in earnest. The book is divided into eleven chapters, each one of which focuses on a theme such as “Here I am and other poems about the self,” and “I’m expecting You! and other poems about friendship and love.” Readers will find poems to memorize that are only a few lines long, and others that are longer and perhaps more challenging. They will come across poems they have heard or heard about such as If by Rudyard Kipling and The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash. They will also discover many poems that are new to them, poems that vibrate with power and whose language delights the tongue. Perhaps a funny bone will be tickled, or perhaps an image will make the reader pause and think.

            As the pages are turned, readers will encounter the words of Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Blake, William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes and many other wordsmiths who found a wide variety of ways to excite, amuse, and touch readers.

   All in all this marvelous collection is perfect for dipping in, and perfect for sharing. Jon K. Muth’s gorgeous watercolors provide a lovely backdrop for the poems and for Caroline Kennedy’s words.